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2/28/15

Oh my love

Oh my love for reading hasn't been going strong this month. College scholarships and FAFSA, is making me feel old. School is taking too much of my time. Sleep has been something that I avoid and crave at the same time. And youtube has been a constant distractor ever since I stumbled upon 365DaBand. However, I've managed to squeeze in some time to read for fun, but it's oftentimes for school.
So without further avoidance, here are the mini reviews for February.

Sinner

by Maggie Stiefvater
A standalone companion book to the internationally bestselling Shiver Trilogy.
Sinner follows Cole St. Clair, a pivotal character from the #1 New York Times bestselling Shiver Trilogy. Everybody thinks they know Cole's story. Stardom. Addiction. Downfall. Disappearance. But only a few people know Cole's darkest secret -- his ability to shift into a wolf. One of these people is Isabel. At one point, they may have even loved each other. But that feels like a lifetime ago. Now Cole is back. Back in the spotlight. Back in the danger zone. Back in Isabel's life. Can this sinner be saved?
My thoughts: Isabel and Cole reminds me of my characters Eliza, Peter, Lana, and Parker. They’re wild and reckless, in a way. They also remind me of myself, especially Isabel. Just trying to be empty, but can’t. And when I was reading about Isabel’s and Cole’s relationship, I wasn’t quite satisfied. What annoyed me was that they didn’t communicate enough about what was going on in their own lives, and about why they were acting that way. Instead, they simply assumed or never questioned each other about what was happening in each other’s life, especially on Isabel’s part. And that eventually lead to reckless mistakes.
I’ve also noticed that Maggie Stiefvater likes fancy cars.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

by Stephen King
"Long live the King" hailed "Entertainment Weekly" upon the publication of Stephen King's "On Writing." Part memoir, part master class by one of the bestselling authors of all time, this superb volume is a revealing and practical view of the writer's craft, comprising the basic tools of the trade every writer must have. King's advice is grounded in his vivid memories from childhood through his emergence as a writer, from his struggling early career to his widely reported near-fatal accident in 1999 -- and how the inextricable link between writing and living spurred his recovery. Brilliantly structured, friendly and inspiring, "On Writing" will empower and entertain everyone who reads it -- fans, writers, and anyone who loves a great story well told.
My thoughts: I know this has been said before, but Stephen King is a damn genius. As well as very honest. Unlike some of the other writing books that I’ve read in the past, this book was far from boring. It starts off with some of King’s past stories that helped shape him as a writer. And it’s funny or sad or joyful, depending on the story.
After that, came the writing process from when you first get an idea to the editing. And instead of covering everything there is to it, Stephen King goes for the main points. Such as how to deal with passive voice, how much you should edit out, and dialogue. And he’s concise about it too, because he doesn’t use a technical word on every page. Plus he still adds in comments about a few of his books and his life, with a writing voice that interests people. 
So definitely read this when you get the chance.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

by J.K. Rowling
The Dursleys were so mean and hideous that summer that all Harry Potter wanted was to get back to the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. But just as he's packing his bags, Harry receives a warning from a strange, impish creature named Dobby who says that if Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts, disaster will strike.
And strike it does. For in Harry's second year at Hogwarts, fresh torments and horrors arise, including an outrageously stuck-up new professor, Gilderoy Lockheart, a spirit named Moaning Myrtle who haunts the girls' bathroom, and the unwanted attentions of Ron Weasley's younger sister, Ginny.
But each of these seem minor annoyances when the real trouble begins, and someone--or something--starts turning Hogwarts students to stone. Could it be Draco Malfoy, a more poisonous rival than ever? Could it possibly be Hagrid, whose mysterious past is finally told? Or could it be the one everyone at Hogwarts most suspects...Harry Potter himself. 
My thoughts: After reading a few pages, putting it off, read one or two more pages, and putting it off, I finally sat down yesterday after school and read it. And despite, already knowing what happens (thanks movie version), I still enjoyed the book. I like how J.K. Rowling doesn’t describe everything, making it nice to interpret the story my way. I also like how fast paced the story was. And it was nice to see the character development in Ginny. Going from a Harry Potter fangirl, to one who was able to recognize what Tom Riddle was making her do, and trying to tell Harry about it. It’s also nice to see Hermione swoon a bit over Lockhart, and breaking the rules. Because that shows that there’s more to Hermione, than someone who’s good at school. I also couldn’t help but feel bad for Harry because of all the abuse he’s getting from the Dursleys.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Sound and Sense

by Thomas R. Arp, Greg Johnson
There's no better way for you to learn about poetry and understand its elements than with PERRINE'S SOUND AND SENSE. Both a concise introduction to poetry and an anthology, this classic best-seller succinctly covers the basics of poetry with chapters on evaluating poetry, exemplary poetry selections that you'll enjoy reading, and exercises that help you understand each selection. Every poem included in this collection is not only a perfect illustration of the poetic concept at hand, but a remarkable work in its own right.
My thoughts: This was one of the many books that I had to read for my AP English Literature class this year. And it was, unsurprisingly, one of the more boring ones. However, it wasn’t like any other textbook that I’ve read. The author wrote it in a way that a typical person can understand it, with no big, fancy words on every page, and with very few technical terms. 
I also like some of the poems that were in there, even though figuring out their tone was hard. And it was nice to know that a poem can sometimes not have some special meaning. That a poem can be about eating blackberries, and that’s it. After all, the purpose of a poem is to communicate experience.
P.S. This book also made me realize, how much I don’t like annotating poetry, or writing essays about it. *Sighs*, I’m totally going to pass the poetry free response on the AP exam.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

And now the weather:
Oh My Love by 365DaBand (I can't help but find their English lyrics hilarious)
Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars
~ Stacy N.
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2/23/15

Easier to understand it than to speak it.


Honestly, I'm disappointed in myself for never really taking the time to really learn Vietnamese when I was younger. Of course, there were times when I would try to learn the language, whether it's from a book, some cds from the library, or online. However, that would last only a couple of days, because boredom would take over. Plus, I want to speak Vietnamese now instead of going through the hard part of learning a language.
However, as I learned during my eighteen years of living on this wonderful yet problematic planet, in order to get the things you want, you have to work hard for them. Hence the reason why genies are almost impossible to find.
So in the end I'm not going to give up learning my language. No matter how slowly it may take through listening to real life conversations, youtube videos,  movies, television shows, and music (mixed in with a bit of reading), I'm determined to learn the language of my people. Because I want to preserve this beautiful, complex language that's been uniting the Vietnamese people for thousands of years.

And now the weather: 
~ Stacy N.
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2/21/15

thoughts about adulthood


As I was filling out my FAFSA applications last week, it just suddenly hit me that I'm going to college. And that I won't be a "kid" anymore (I'm technically considered an adult), but a stumbling adult who doesn't have a clue as to what they're doing in life.
And that scares me.

And now the weather:
Anh Sợ Mất Em (Scared I'll Lose You) by 365DaBand
~ Stacy N.
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2/18/15

Do you hear that?

If you came into my room and saw me writing, you would hear either one of two things: silence or music. Oftentimes it will be silent. The only sound will be the clickety-clacking of my keyboard.  However, there are plenty of times when music is in the air. When it’s hanging out in the background, spurring me to write and write and write.
That music can come from Pandora, ranging from pop to rock to instrumental. Or it can come from the instrumental playlists on 8tracks. Or it can come from my phone, where the music is either too poppy, too rocky, too alternative, or too something. Hell, it could be all the music found on my tumblr.
In the end, the music is inspirational, exciting, sad, happy, or so full of messages about love. And all of that inspired me to start making playlists for my own characters and stories.

List of all the songs mentioned in this post

The first playlist that I've ever created was for Eliza Vuong, a character from my Camp Nanowrimo 2013 story, Everybody Talks (but me). She's a young girl who has her own web diary, for those who are willing to listen.



Songs:


Nanowrimo 2013, The Shadow & her Lover, is a book about Peter and Eliza falling in love. This  playlist describes their relationship from beginning to end.


Songs:


This playlist describes parts of Rain and Beth's relationship. They're from my novel, Immortality Doesn't Exist.


Songs: 


The last playlist that I've created was for my Nanowrimo 2014 book of aus, You Again. I was trying to capture the feelings between the three couples, Rain and Eliza, Lana and Parker, and Eliza and Peter.  



Missing from this playlist: Coffee Shop (demo) by Chad Sugg because it is nowhere to be found on youtube. However it could be found on spotify.

Songs:



This blog post was part of the Teens Can Write Too Blog Chain. Where the prompt for February is:
How does music relate to your writing?
This was a surprisingly fun prompt to write about. Because I like music and I like relating that to my writing.
If you're curious about the blog chain and want to find out more information go here: https://teenscanwritetoo.wordpress.com/blog-chain/

And don't forget to go check out the other lovely bloggers participating in the blog chain:

 http://from-stacy.blogspot.com/ [You're currently here]

28) https://teenscanwritetoo.wordpress.com/
[They’ll announce the topic for next month’s chain.]
~ Stacy N.
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2/15/15

A late Valentine's Day post

Despite the fact that it's one day late, I wanted to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day. And I hope you had a pretty okay day, spent with someone you love. Whether it's your romantic partner, family, friends, or yourself.
I also wanted to share some videos with you guys that deal with Valentine's Day. So I hope you enjoy it.

The first video I'm going to share is a short little video about the cute awkward love between a panda and a bunny. 



The second video that I'm going to share is Neon Tree's Mad Love


And the last video that I'm going to share with you guys is Ted Fu's speech for all those single people out there. 


~ Stacy N.
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2/13/15

Beautiful People: Love is in the Air

Text reads: beautiful people for writers
hosted by www.paperfury.com 
& www.furtherup-and-furtherin.blogspot.com
Beautiful People is a monthly blog meme hosted by Cait @ Paper Fury and Sky @ Further Up and Further in. Every month they post 10 questions for you to answer about your characters.
In honor of Valentine's day, this month's blog meme will be about your favorite couple from your story.

This is the first time that I've done Beautiful People by Cait and Sky. And even though I follow other bloggers who do the meme, I've never really gotten around to it, till now.

After playing eeny, meeny, miny, moe a few times to choose which of my three favorite couples I will write about today, it ended up failing. Because I simply couldn't choose one. So the three couples I'll write about today will be Rain and Beth from Immortality Doesn't Exist, Lana and Parker from Shh, Silence is Golden, and Eliza and Peter from The Shadow & her Lover. 

 And now without further ado, here are the questions.

 1. How long have they been a couple?
Rain and Beth eventually start dating between the second and third book for the Immortality Doesn’t Exist series, and that lasts for a few weeks before Beth dies.
While Lana and Parker have been dating for a few months before Shh, Silence is Golden starts. However, it’s a secret relationship that only lasts in the night.
And Eliza and Peter start dating somewhere along the course of their story, The Shadow & her Lover.

2. How did they first meet?
Beth was falling down a hole and ends up in Rain’s basement.  Because Beth was trying to escape the burning, golden dust that makes up the whole sky.
Lana and Parker met through some mutual friends of theirs.
And Eliza and Peter meet in a park. Peter showing off his fencing skills as usual, while Eliza is reading a book.

3. What were their first thoughts of each other? (Love at first sight or “you’re freakishly annoying”?)
Rain’s first thought of Beth was, what the hell is a strange girl doing in my basement? Where did she come from and how? While Beth’s first thought was, who is she? She’s kind of cute.
Lana and Parker immediately hated each other when they first met. Because Lana seemed like a know-it-all and Parker was the overly religious guy who spouted irrelevant bible verses that didn't fit in with the conversation at all.
While Eliza and Peter were immediately enchanted with each other.

4. What do they do that most annoys each other?
Beth is often annoyed when Rain shape-shifts, because she’s jealous that Rain has cooler powers. While Rain is annoyed by Beth’s stubborn nature.
Lana gets easily ticked off when Parker starts to randomly spout irrelevant bible verses and how easily he forgets about her during the day. While Parker isn’t very happy about the fact that Lana easily dismisses their kisses as meaning something more.
Eliza is annoyed that Peter isn’t willing to do something more, when they’re making out. Little remembering that he’s an asexual. While Peter is more annoyed with Eliza’s many glasses of wine that she drinks in a week.

5. Are their personalities opposite or similar?
Rain and Beth have very few things in common. Other than being paranormals, Beth is the spoiled, annoying child while Rain is the perfect, selfless child. But both have that need to be wanted.
Lana and Parker are surprisingly more alike than they originally thought. They’re both ambiverts, manipulative, vengeful, and very afraid of losing their loved ones.
Peter and Eliza are almost complete opposites of each other. Peter is the adventurous, charming, asexual, space pirate. While Eliza is the sensible, introverted, horny, bookworm, who’s often dreaming of a more exciting life for herself.

6. How would their lives be different without each other?
Beth would still be a “normal” human being, going to school and hanging out with friends, and just living a normal human life. While Rain would have married her best friend Lynn and live a perfectly normal Bionovian life.
Parker would have continued to go onto missions for the government, eventually dying one mysterious morning. While Lana would have been learning how to talk and fall for Ethan.
Peter would still continue working for Eliza’s mom, hooking up with a few people here and there. Eventually running away again. While Eliza would still stay at home and read and read and read.

7. Are they ever embarrassed of each other?
Rain and Beth: yes.
Lana and Parker: yes.
Eliza and Peter: yes.
The key to not being embarrassed of your loved one is to accept their flaws and eccentricities, which they all learn throughout the course of their story.

8. Does anyone disapprove of their relationship?
Other than Rain’s parents, everyone else is pretty accepting about Beth’s and Rain’s relationship.
A few of Lana’s friends would have disapproved of her relationship with Parker, if they ever found out.
And while everyone else is pretty accepting about Eliza’s and Peter’s relationship, Eliza’s mom stands in the way.

9. Do they see their relationship as long-term/leading to marriage?
Unfortunately for Beth and Rain, no. Because Beth dies and turns into dark, smoggy form that has a vague shape of her old body, which isn’t a ghost.
Lana and Parker also doesn’t work out because Lana dies somewhere along the storyline.
However, Eliza and Peter do end up staying in a long-term relationship that ends with marriage. After having twin boys.

10. If they could plan the “perfect outing” together, where would they go?
Beth and Rain would go to a bright, green, beautiful garden with the sun shining just right and the birds singing just so.
Lana and Parker would go to a sandy beach house.
While Eliza and Peter would go to France’s countryside.

And now the weather:
- Mercy by Duffy
~ Stacy N.
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2/2/15

I'm forgetting my Vietnamese name.


Sad but true. My twin can only speak in English. My older sister still remembers Vietnamese. My brother, I'm not too sure about. While me, I still remember a few phrases and words like I love you, I'm sorry, I'm full, I'm going to school/the library, etc.
When I first moved in with my older sister, I used to miss listening to Vietnamese everyday. Even though I only understood a few things here and there. Now, all I hear is English, English, English. Which is nice. But it's sad, because I'm forgetting my heritage. 
~ Stacy N.
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