On Hiatus...

Hey guys,

Things have been pretty crazy-busy for me lately. I'm moving, sifting through my old crap and dealing with car issues, so I'll be on hiatus for a week or so. But I'll return with tons to blog about. So stay tuned.

~Luu

Turn Off The Lights, People!

Hey everyone,

Later today is Earth Hour. At 8:30pm local time around the world, tons of people have pledged to turn their lights off. It will be quite amazing to see the impact of millions of people keeping their lights off for only an hour. But why stop there? You could also consider turning off electronics that aren't being used like the printer, computer monitor or even the DVD player. Or turn off the TV and plan a board game night or romantic evening with a loved one. If your single, consider taking some time out for yourself and enjoy a bubble bath.

Earth Hour started in Australia in 2007. It was so amazing it was expanded to a worldwide event. In 2008, over 50 million people took a stand and switched off their lights. This year the WWF surpassed their target of 1000 cities participating. Over 1,189 cities and towns across 80 countries have signed up. There are a few things you can do to make this historical event more interactive. You can take a picture or capture video of your city during the hour, and upload it on the web. I've pledged, have you?

"The Cat Who Had 14 Tails" by Lillian Jackson Braun

"The Cat Who Had 14 Tails" is a mix of various stories circling around cats as the main characters. In the first story, "Phut Phat", Phuffy thinks its owners "one" and "two" are inferior creatures who lack the ability to communicate without words. Another funny story involves a dispute between a "Tipsy" cat and a health inspector during the Great Depression.

If you like this book, then you'll love any one of Braun's novels entitled "The Cat Who". In "The Cat Who" series Jim Qwilleran is a prize winning reporter and eligible bachelor. Somehow mysterious murders seem to cross his path and he solves them with the help of his two Siamese cats. "The Cat Who Could Read Backwards" and "The Cat Who Are Danish Modern" are actually the books where you learn how Jim meets these mischievous felines.

There are about 35 books in the series and even though the author is over 90 years old, she's still writing. I believe I left off at "The Cat Who Moved A Mountain". It's a great series if you love murder mysterious, extra senses and cats all rolled into one.

Have you read any of her books? What did you think of them? Post a comment :)

"Hadrian’s Walls" by Robert Draper

Hadrian’s Walls by Robert Draper

I read this book a few summers ago. I had gotten it from my Creative Writing professor, Dan Pope, as a writing prize. The story is about a boy from Shepherdsville, Texas who lives a tough life. In his teens he kills a man and is sentenced to 50 yrs in prison. Years later he escapes, hides out, and is eventually pardoned. As an older man who spent most of his life in prison and on the run, he tries to live life in a town centered on the prison system. Most of the people who live in Shepherdsville from the architects to the security workers to the landscapers work in the prison system.

Adjusting back to life in the town he grew up in proves to be difficult when his old friend Sonny is the new Prison Director and is also married to the girl he had a crush on as a young boy. I don’t want to ruin or spoil the story but things happen that makes it difficult for him to stay on the straight and narrow but also stay loyal to his long time friend.

I really enjoyed this book. It’s hard for me to like something that I can continue reading passed chapter one. The ending came full circle and I was satisfied (unlike how Angel ended). If you’re looking for a good read for the summer, pick this book up. Have you read this book and liked it? Post a comment.
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Site of the Week - Free Rice

It took me awhile to find a site worth talking about. But then I found this site on another blog, and wanted to pass it along. It's a game site called "Free Rice". You pick from any six different categories from geography to vocabulary to chemistry. They start you off with some easy questions like (2 x 1=) or (Starry Night is by...). If you get the answer correct, you'll bank 10 grains of rice. Each question you get correct, you'll receive harder questions and increase the level you're at. The collected grains are recorded and donated to developing coutries where rice is a main source in their diet like Cambodia or Uganda.

This site was founded back in October 2007 by John Breen. Earlier this month, Mr. Breen donated the site to the United Nations World Food Program. He hoped that over the years "FreeRice will be able to grow... helping to feed and educate as many people as possible throughout the world." And it has. Just this past Tuesday, 69,100,960 grains of rice was raised; about 3600 people were feed for a day.

Apparently, it takes 48 grains to equal one gram of rice, and about 400 grams is averaged to supplement 2 meals to feed one person for one day. So during my stay on the site I raised 36 grams, which is about 1/5 of a meal for a person. A small amount but it's start. It was pretty fun though. I got to test my knowledge on famous paintings (those three art history classes didn't go to waste), chemistry element symbols and basic math. I even got to brush up on my level one Spanish. I know the Nintendo DS has games to exercise your brain, but this doesn't cost $100 and you are doing your part to "save the world" so to speak. Know any other sites like this? Post them in the comments section.
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"A World of Poetry" selected by Michael Rosen

In honor of National Reading Month, I'd like to offer this book review. "A World of Poetry" is a collection of poems (or thoughts, dreams and ideas) selected by Michael Rosen. These works are from around the world and include ballads, limericks, riddles in rhyme and nonsense verse.

I got this book when I went to the Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival back in 2002. My Advance Writing teacher took my small class there for a trip. It was my first time there and it was a great experience. It was peaceful, people were jamming with their guitars and everyone was hanging about in reading circles. It was like Woodstock, if I had ever been. The Dodge Poetry Festival is a biennial (happens every two years) event that brings poets, Nobel Laureates, U.S. Poets Laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners, poetry enthusiasts and a few hippies from all over.

My fav poem in the book is actually a ballad called "Frankie and Johnny". It's about a woman, Frankie, who has a man, Johnny, who "done her wrong". She loves him, buys him clothes, buys him a pocket watch and then he cheats on her. What a heartbreaking love story. "A World of Poetry" is a great book for anyone who has a varied taste in poetry or isn't sure what their taste is.
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Happy Birthday, Theodor Seuss Geisel

Today's Dr. Seuss's birthday! Dr. Seuss, aka Theodor Seuss Geisel, was born in Massachusetts back in 1904. He credits his ability to create stories from his mother. she would recite rhymes she remembered from her childhood to soothe her children. Seuss spent some time at Dartmouth College as Editor-in-Chief of the Jack-O-Lantern, Dartmouth's humor magazine. He then moved on to Oxford University in England, where he eventually met his future wife, Helen Palmer. His studies couldn't keep his attention and he decided to tour Europe instead.

His first book "And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street" was published by vanguard around 1937. He continued writing more literary works including The Cat in the Hat; If I Ran the Zoo; and Hunches in Bunches. Some people don't realize that he also wrote some books for adults like The Seven Lady Godivas; Oh, The Places You'll Go!; and You're Only Old Once.

Geisel died on Sept. 24, 1991 and his wife, Audrey Stone Dimond, currently heads the Dr. Seuss Enterprises.

Check out this site with games to play. There's even a Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden in his hometown Springfield, MA.
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Site of the Week - Fanfiction.net

In honor of National Reading Month, I’ve picked Fanfiction.net as the site of the week. I’ve been on this site for the longest time. It first started when I was obsessed with Sailor Moon. I went to every site, downloaded almost all the songs in every language, checked out the fanart and the fan fiction.

See, fan fiction are stories written by fans based on a show, movie, book, etc. The great thing about it is that you don’t have to get your readers familiar with the characters because they’ve already seen the show, and the characters’ relationships have already been established.

After hopping from one site to another reading stories that people have written, I discovered Fanfiction.net. There were TONS and I mean TONS of fiction for readers. Some of the categories include Anime/Manga, Books, Cartoons, Comics, Games, Misc (Broadway shows, crossovers, etc.), Movies and TV Shows. So, there’s something for everyone who watches TV, read books or wasn’t raised in a cave.

The stories can range from PG to adult content. Though, there are some downsides.

1. Reading a great story that hasn’t been finished or updated in a long while.

2. Reading a story with excessively bad spelling and grammar.

3. Reading a story that kills or bashes your fav character.

4. Reading a story that starts in the past tense, then present, then past again.

If you’re into anime, almost any show you’ve seen is on there. FYI, Sailor Moon has over 28,653 fan-written tales. With this site, spawns new lingo when reading a story’s description.

Crossover/Xover – characters from that story and another will meet.

OC – Other Character. People like to add in their own characters. It’s fun and fresh.

OOC – Out of Character. The character you’re familiar with will do something not exactly in their nature.

R&R – Read and Review. Reviews help better a writers craft.

A slash or an x between two character’s names is a love pairing. Also known as Slash, which depicts romantic or sexual relationships that include two or more male or female characters. Basically, any gay or lesbian written content.

If you like the story or the author, you can save them to your favorites. You can also get an email alert when your fav story has a new chapter up. Readers also have the ability to leave reviews and feedback. Numerous reviews can encourage an author to write their next chapter sooner, sharpen their craft, and take time to really proofread their work.

If you’ve got some great fan fiction that you’ve written, post them on the site. Know any other fan fiction sites? Post them in the comments section.
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