Sunday, November 28, 2010

Lydia Kang's 500 Followers "Love Your Local Bookstore" Contest

Ahh, it feels pretty nice to be back in my apartment. I feel productive and ready to get to work. The libraries will be totally packed for the next couple of weeks since final exams season is approaching...hopefully I'll be able to squeeze in somewhere!

I had such a nice vacation that I cannot WAIT until Christmas! :D Delicious turkeystuffs, a sale on Smallville's 7th and 8th seasons (the exact seasons that I'm missing in my collection!), a reunion with my best friend, the lovely Ms. Redhead, and a luxurious, successful shopping Black Friday spree!

To top off my amazing Thanksgiving break, I've been promoted to Blog Editor of the features magazine that I work for at the college! WOOHOO!!!

I'm so excited to start working on the blog! I'm a bit nervous, of course, but experience is the best teacher and I'm sure I'll be getting A LOT of that. :) I know Thanksgiving is over but I'd just like to say I'm very thankful and grateful for this opportunity and all the people who've helped me throughout my writing career...which includes you fine bloggy people. :D

~~~~~

In other good news, Lydia Kang at The Word Is My Oyster is hosting her 500 Followers Contest. Congratulations, Lydia, for your achievement! You totally deserve it. :)

The winner of the blogger receives four $15 gift cards to the local bookstore of his/her choice. You must be her follower, of course, and you must comment HERE. The contest ends December 3rd, so don't wait!!! Best of luck to all entrants. ^_^ And thanks to Lydia for hosting the contest!

What were the highlights of your Thanksgiving break?

~TRA

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Saturday, November 27, 2010

My Thanksgiving Feast

Question of the Day: What's your favorite Thanksgiving dish?

An interesting vertical picture of my tasty Thanksgiving dinner. The biggest platter contains the turkey after my dad cut it. :) Yum!

Snow peas cooked to perfection.

My mom's AMAZING mashed red potatoes with scallion.

...and, of course, her famous carrot-onion-celery stuffing.

Hope your Thanksgiving was delicious and memorable!!!

~TRA

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Friday, November 26, 2010

Black Friday Hot Deals: JC Penny Is My Hero


Question of the Day: What would YOU wear to the Yule Ball (yes, another Harry Potter Reference)?

I literally just got back from .:Black Friday shopping:. about two seconds ago! I am SO pumped about my amazing purchases....in fact, I am SUPER EXCITED!!! We were only able to stay for about two hours or so and spent that whole time at JC Penny. They had the best sales going on and everything was discounted 30%-70% off. Totally worth getting up early!

One week ago, I signed for "The Intercollegiate Yule Ball," a local semi-formal dance especially for college students around the area to attend. It's based after the yule ball in Harry Potter and takes place Dec. 4. Thanks to Black Friday, I now have two more dresses to add to my wardrobe. As a rather petite, pixie-like little lady, it is extremely hard for me to find dresses and gowns that fit me well. By some miracle, I was able to find TWO today, and now I can't decide which one to wear to the Yule Ball! What do you think?





Red Dress: Speechless. Original $50.00. Sale $19.99. Alas, these photos don't do this dress enough justice! It looks much prettier and shinier when it's worn. This is one of those dresses that you think isn't that great until you put it on and wham! you feel like a new person. =D There's a crystal brooch in the middle, which finishes off the dress nicely. I especially love the halter top sleeves....very elegant, yet modest.


Purple Dress: Ruby Rox. Original $50.00. Sale $19.99. There's something special about this one that totally caught my attention. I love the different shimmering shades of purple and the eye-catching sparkles. It's a little short and makes me blush, but hey we all need to feel beautiful sometimes. :)

I also bought a "pea-like" waistcoat! Winter is fast approaching and I've been meaning to find a nice, warm garment to keep me toasty while walking in between classes. I suppose it can also serve as my "dress robes" for the Yule Ball too, eh?

Waistcoat: St. John's Bay. Original $200.00. Sale $50.00. I'm a sucker for garments with big buttons, I think they're so cool! This coat is part cashmere and is VERY, very warm. :3 Can't wait to start wearing it on Monday when I go back to school!

I bought A LOT more neat things, but they are all gifts for friends and family! D: Therefore I won't be able to post pictures, names, or prices at least after Christmas when they have been given. Sorry if I cause any disappointment with that! So...did YOU go shopping for Black Friday? How early did you get up? We drove to the mall around 9am...none of those 2am, 5am crises. Surprisingly, I would be more worried about getting trampled on by hoards of people than getting a $150 laptop or a $5 Barbie. xD

What do you think about these clothes? In your opinion, are they hot deals or pricey buys? Would you spend $50 for a coat? What should I wear to the Intercollegiate Yule Ball??

~TRA

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Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving!!! From Me, To You.

Dear readers, bliggity bloggers, and anybody else reading this,Check Spelling

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!! I cannot believe we are already in the Turkey Day-Buy $50 Laptops Day-Shiny Lights & Hot Cocoa triangle....most of the time when Turkey Day comes 'round, my thoughts are on the food. My signature mac & cheese. Mom's onion and carrot stuffing (and homemade crescent rolls. and dumplings). Dad's lobster. My sister's heavenly Tilapia. The Turkey. Oh my gosh, tomorrow night can't come soon enough....!!!

A-hem. Anyway. I'd like to dedicate this post to everything that I'm thankful for.

In no particular order...

1) Smartfood popcorn. Because of you, my life is better.

2) My boyfriend. Thanks for everything, you mean a lot to me.

3) Luna Lovegood. I appreciate how you aren't afraid to be yourself and how you prove to the world that everyone has a quirky side to them and should be proud of who they are! In your honor, I am currently writing a piece of fanfiction about you. :)

4) Smallville. I've literally grown up with this show and it has definitely helped me get back up when I've always felt down. Sounds silly, I know...but if you've seen Smallville, you'll most likely know what I mean. :)

5) My best friends and family. You're the most special-ist things in my whole entire life. :D Thanks for always being there.

6) Pavi the amazing, super dupery laptop. Thank you for not breaking down yet and for giving me access to everything digital and for allowing me to participate in one of my favorite things to do - BLOGGING!!! *hugs lappytop*

7) NaNoWriMo. You are one of the best things about the literary world! Because of you, I self-published my first novel and fell in love with the rush of novel-writing [under pressure]. You brought out the best in me and my writing and made me discover dimensions of my creative side that I'd never known before. THANK YOU.

8) My beloved turtles. You two have definitely always been the best of pals to me no matter what! Thanks for the sleepless nights (of when you wouldn't go to bed and I had to sing a lullaby to you) and the hibernation periods (when you refused to eat and freaked me out). Our bond shall never be broken!!!

9) The "backspace" button on Pavi and white-out. Without the magical wand of white-out and the special touch of Mr. Backspace, I would have wasted a lot of paper when it came to my college applications. It took me about 8 hours total to complete my entire app to the college that I'm attending now. So worth it. :3

10) You. Thank you so much for commenting, reading, following, stopping by. Because of you, I've kept this blog running and maintained my passion of writing and personal expression. Thanks for believing in me!

In honor of Thanksgiving, I've made a little thank-you card for you all!! =) Please enjoy.

~TRA

**Turkey photo is from Google.

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Monday, November 22, 2010

"How Dumbledore REALLY Died" Mad Lib Contest + Winner Announced!!!

Question of the Day: Share a website that's in your Favorites folder and why you like/follow that particular site.

For those of you who have already seen HP & Deathly Hallows, I am deeply jealous of you. All I've been hearing are good things about it....actually, that's an understatement. It sounds REALLY awesome! I cannot WAIT to watch it on Friday with one of my dearest friends, *Miss Redhead, whom I have not seen since August.

Aaaaaand now, time for the winner of our Potter Parade Mad Lib Contest: Just Another Sarah! Her blog, The Wit & Wisdom of Another Sarah talks about a variety of topics, but ultimately focuses on writing and literature. She has been blogging since 2007, woohoo! =)

Just a reminder, a mad lib is a word game in which certain words are picked to fill in a paragraph template to produce coherent sentences. In my previous post, I asked you all to make a list of 10 words in these categories:

1) Present tense verb
2) A type of food (either Muggle or magical)
3) An adjective starting with D
4) The name of a body part
5) A Harry Potter character
6) A magical creature
7) Something you love
8) A Number
9) A spell or charm
10) Noun

After tossing the names in a hat, Sarah's was randomly chosen, and this is what was come up with after I filled in the blanks.

"How Dumbledore REALLY Died" Mad Lib

One fine day, Dumbledore was defenestrating along when suddenly a gum drop was thrown at him. "Galloping gargoyles, what was that?" Dumbledore the Desirous cried. A tuchus stuck out and there was Luna Lovegood, standing next to a ridiculously large pixie.

"Luna, did YOU throw that gum drop at me?"

"Why yes, yes I did, Dumbledore," said Luna. "I've decided that I don't like you anymore, and that going to the Dark Side seems more interesting to me than being all good or whatever."

Luna raised her wand and said, "Accio!" A dance came out of nowhere, and Luna lunged it at Dumbledore. In fact, 300 more dances came hurling towards Dumbledore, who had left his wand at his office back at Hogwarts. Needless to say, he hadn't planned on gum drops and dances being thrown at me during his daily morning walk.

Suddenly, Luna cried, "Wingardium Leviosa!" and Dumbledore crumpled into a sad heap on the floor like a pair of baby elephants.

~~~

Totally hilarious! Thanks to everyone who participated and entered the Mad Lib Contest... hope you guys had fun. :)

~TRA

*Name has been changed to protect the privacy of my dear friend.

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Thursday, November 18, 2010

~*Potter Parade: Mad Lib Contest - How Dumbledore REALLY Died*~

What time is it? POTTER TIME! There is...

15 Hours Left Until Harry Potter #7 Comes Out


WOOHOO! SOOO EXCITED!

Okay...I have a confession. I won't be seeing HP&DH until next Friday. =( I know, it's a bummer. But it'll be during Thanksgiving break AAAND I'm seeing it with my best friend AAAND by then we will have a better chance of getting tickets. You can be sure that I'll be doing a review on the movie after I see it!

So basically...ALL over Facebook a good 40% of my social networking pals have Harry Potter-related statuses. Here are just a few really entertaining ones...

"All this hype about Harry Potter is pretty contagious..."
"Harry Friggin' Potter!"
"....getting my HP on"
"HARRY POTTER HARRY POTTER HARRY POTTER HARRY POTTER"
"Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, turn this stupid fat rat yellow"

My favorite is "Harry Friggin Potter!" It reminds me of the song "It's Harry Freaking Potter" in A Very Potter Musical. If you haven't see that, you totally should check it out on YouTube! Sooo funny and immediately catches your attention. :D (P.S. The new guy in Glee, Blaine, was Harry Potter in the musical!)

As promised, I propose a Mad Lib Contest! It's called: How Dumbledore REALLY Died. It's nothing big, just a little fun something as part of our Harry Potter celebration. No prizes or anything like that, unfortunately, because I am a poor college student with no job or money except her meal plan. =( Maybe once I get a job and approach 100 followers, I can have a humongous blogfest or something. :D

So...here are the instructions! In your comments, please include the following words in a list labeled 1 through 10 (this must be in order):

1) Present tense verb
2) A type of food (either Muggle or magical)
3) An adjective starting with D
4) The name of a body part
5) A Harry Potter character
6) A magical creature
7) Something you love
8) A Number
9) A spell or charm
10) Noun

I have already made up a paragraph with blanks. It's your job to fill them in with nothing but the title ("How Dumbledore REALLY Died") to give you a clue. So start commenting! On Sunday, I will choose the funniest and most random list from one of the comments and post the winner and the completed Mad Lib entry with blanks filled in.

Be funny, creative, and totally outrageous! =) ANYBODY CAN ENTER. Also...if you mention my "Mad Lib Contest: How Dumbledore REALLY Died" in a blog post I will love you for life. :3

HAPPY FREAKING HARRY POTTER DAY!!!!

~TRA

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Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Retold Blogfest: "David Speaks, Melinda Doesn't"

*gasp* Yes. Yes, I am writing a post that does not involve Harry Potter. That's because it's November 16th, the day of Sarah's Retold Blogfest at The Wit and Wisdom of Sarah. Congratulations to Sarah for keeping up such a wonderful blog and reaching her 100th post.

For the Retold Blogfest, we are supposed to write a scene from another book/tale/novel from another character's point of view. I just finished reading Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. I loved this book and really admire Anderson's way of writing and bringing readers into the mind of her main character. Therefore, I have decided to write my Blogfest entry on the "Stupid, Stupid" scene from Speak, in which David Petrakis asks Melinda to come over for "celebratory pizza". I have written this scene from David's point of view.

I hope you enjoy.

David Speaks, Melinda Doesn't

There were ten seconds left in the last basketball game of the season. The air was thick with screams and shouts as a Hornet dashed towards the basket, but I could hear none of it. The scoreboard read 50-50. My eyes were glued on #12, who was dribbling to ball towards the goal, the key to our school's pride. As though in slow motion, #12 dodged two Coatesville Cougars and reached towards the gym ceiling. In one swift movement, the ball fell through the basket.

There was silence, and then there was an immense uproar. My friends and Dad and I sprinted up from our seats and screamed, clapped, and cried along with the rest of the crowd. We had won. How was that for the Horny Hornets of Merryweather High School?

"WE WON! WE WON!!!"
"Damn, that was one amazing shot!"
"He did it in just one move..."
"Legendary, man."
"WE WON! WE WON!"
"Didn't even get pushed on the way to the basket!"
"Faked right, duh."

I loved basketball and always had since I was a kid. This was by far one of the best high school basketball games I'd ever seen. That #12...whoever he was, he was going places.

We pushed through the doors, still conversing excitedly about the game. Suddenly, I caught sight of that Melinda girl, the one from Social Studies class. The one with blistered lips and a dumb, blinky-blink look when people asked her questions. I couldn't believe she was here. I barely ever saw Melinda at any school events or activities except for the Art room. Knowing my friends wouldn't miss me if I disappeared for just a few moments, I walked towards my lab partner.

"Melinda! Where were you sitting?" Blink, blink.

"Did you see that last shot?! Unbelievable! Unfreakinglievable." I pretended for a moment that I was #12, and mimicked his movements with the ball. I dribbled, dodged imaginary obstacles, dribbled some more, and then swished. Melinda's eyes followed my motions, but she never said a word. Go figure.

"I mean, seriously, where did that guy learn to shoot like that? Even before the end, he was already getting us some serious points. I bet he's gonna win a scholarship some day." I rambled on, hoping to spark Melinda's interest somehow.

This was crazy...I was talking to myself. I mean, I'm not a total genius or anything, but usually I can figure most people out. But Melinda? Nothing. It was like...whenever I tried to talk to her and dig in deeper to find out who she was, what Melinda was like, there was nothing but a brick wall to block my way. What I feared most was that there was nothing to find out. That she was a dummy.

Ding! Light bulb. I had an idea.

"Say, why don't you come over and have some pizza with me? Dad's getting three boxes for us to chow down back at my place...you know, to celebrate the Hornets' success!"

Blink, blink.

"Come on, Mel. You gotta' come with us! My dad told me I could bring anyone I wanted. We can give you a ride home after if you want. It'll be fun. You do remember fun, don't you?"

I thought I saw Melinda twitch for a moment...her lips. They had made some sort of movement, but no sound came out. She gave me a twisted look, a cross between a half smile and a grimace, and made the teeniest motion with her left hand. It was obviously a no thanks.

I shrugged. "No? Okay then, no. Suit yourself. See you Monday." I walked away.

As far as I was concerned, Melinda wasn't going places like #12. In fact, she wasn't going anywhere unless she learned how to speak.

~~~~~~~

So what do you think? =)

~TRA

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~*Potter Parade: Harry Potter News, Links + Extra Trinkets*~

Question of the Day: If you could be any Magical Creature (ex: thestral, unicorn, Doxy, hippogriff, etc.), what would you want to be and why?

"They stuff people's heads down the toilet the first day at Stonewall. Want to come upstairs and practice?" --Dudley Dursley
"No thanks. The poor toilet's never had anything as horrible as your head down it -- it might be sick." --Harry Potter, Book 1

3 Days Until Harry Potter #7 Part 1

Because I will be a hosting my Harry Potter contest tomorrow, I thought I'd make today's post rather "chill" and laid-back.

First, major news! The cast of Harry Potter got together in London last Thursday on November 11 for their premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1. They look absolutely stunning! Emma Watson's pixie 'do still shocks me...I don't think I can ever get over it after all those years of seeing her "bush" Hermione-Grangery mane. Ohh, without a doubt, our beloved HP characters are truly growing up...
In addition, I don't know if some of you already know this or not, but Daniel Radcliffe's first post-Harry-Potter movie will be The Woman in Black, which is coming out (hopefully) in 2011. This film is apparently a ghost story, and Daniel stars as one of the main characters, a young lawyer named Arthur Kipps who encounters a woman in spirit form. Hmm, not exactly what I had imagined for Radcliffe, but this is definitely going to be interesting! Here's a sneak peek at what Daniel looks like in this upcoming film project...
Totally un-Harry-Potter-like, I know...

I have a confession. I like to bookmark pages...and half of my Bookmarks deal with Harry Potter, Hogwarts, and/or The Wizarding World. I'd like to share with you all some of the goodies that I have come across in the past:
  • DanRadcliffe.com : A fan site dedicated to the legendary actor who played Harry Potter. Includes photos, quotes, fun facts, news in the media, and even Daniel's mailing address (ooh la la!).
  • MuggleNet.com : Here, you'll find basically EVERYTHING Harry Potter related. Just a few things that it offers include: origin of names, song parodies, real recipes of magical foods, and fan art. This is totally THE go-to site for Harry Potter fans.
  • The Harry Potter Lexicon : I have lost count as to how many times I have referred to this amazing encyclopedia while writing HP fanfiction. I don't even have anything to say except that It. Knows. Everything.
  • J.K. Rowling's Official Site : If it weren't for Rowling, Harry Potter wouldn't exist. And if Harry Potter hadn't existed, we'd have nothing to live for, right? This is probably one of the coolest author websites I've ever visited. You can choose to amongst several different languages, which is really handy for international readers. You can read her biography, read up on the latest Rowling news, and, if you're curious and nosy enough, you'll find a load of handy links and secrets hidden about!
  • Fire and Ice Archive : This website is dedicated to one of the most popular HP fanfiction couples...Draco and Ginny! You'll find countless one-shots, long stories, fluffy pieces, and epic adventures starring D&G.
  • Hogwarts School : Love RPG (role-playing games)? This site is totally for you. Finally, you can not only read and write about Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry, you can BE A PART OF IT.
Last, but not least, Cheryl Clarke's Oh To Be a Muse blog is having a lovely holiday giveaway HERE. Two winners will be chosen by the deadline, which is December 7th. Hurry and enter today! You must be a follower to be eligible.

~TRA

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Sunday, November 14, 2010

~*Potter Parade: 10 Most Epic "Small" Events in Harry Potter*~

Question of the Day: Fred or George?

"NEVER-INSULT-ALBUS-DUMBLEDORE-IN-FRONT-OF-ME!"
-Rubeus Hagrid, Book 1


5 Days Until Harry Potter #7 Part 1


***Spoiler Alert: You may not want to read this if you haven't read HP but are planning to or are currently in the process of reading the series

Hello! I have compiled a short list of the 10 most epic "small" events in Harry Potter. I mean, we all know what the most epic "big" events were...Harry meeting Sirius Black for the first time, the Yule Ball, Harry discovering that he's a wizard, Dumbledore's downfall, Harry's unsuccessful date with Cho, etc. etc...

But what about the little things? The things that may not mean the most to us, but still did nothing but enrich Harry's experiences at a wizard?

1) Fred & George feed Dudley Dursley a Ton Tongue Toffee, Book 4. I don't think poor Dudder's tongue was ever the same after that.

2) Harry and Ron drink Polyjuice Potion to spy on the Slytherins, Book 2. Crabbe's toenails hair, anyone?

3) Harry opens a Chocolate Frog for the first time, Book 1. This is the first time Harry sees what Albus Dumbledore looks like. And, of course, we see The Headmaster scratching his nose...

4) We see Snape and Mrs. Malfoy making The Unbreakable Vow, Book Six. I think this is one of the few times in which we encounter a very important event that is not through the eyes of Harry Potter. It is also one of the few times that Rowling ditches restricted 3rd person and gives us the opportunity to know something that even our hero does not.

5) Sirius sends Harry his Firebolt broomstick and it gets ooh'ed and aah'ed, Book 3. You gotta admit, that broomstick is pretty darn sexy...

6) Harry and Ron overhear Hagrid and Madame Maxime having a not-so-private conversation at the Yule Ball, Book 4. To jog your memory, we discover at this point why Hagrid is so respectably large! We also find out about Hagrid's background and past.

7) Hermione meets Grawp, and Grawp meets Hermione, Book 5. "Grawp's about sixteen feet tall, enjoys ripping up twenty-foot pine trees, and knows me," she snorted, "as Hermy."

8) Harry indirectly helps free Dobby from Lucius Malfoy's grasp, Book 2. YAY FOR DOBBY AND HIS SOCK!

9) Hedwig dies, Book 7. Here lies Hedwig Potter, the most faithful, loyal, and magical snowy owl that ever walked on this earth. The world shall forever mourn for the poor dear. We salute you, and thank you for everything, dear Hedwig.

10) Hermione punches Draco Malfoy, SMACK!!, Book 3. Who knew Hermy was so bad-ass?

What do you think? Do you have any events to add to the list?

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Thursday, November 11, 2010

~*Potter Parade: Happy Veterans/Marauders & Potter Palooza

Question of the Day: Who do you think you would most likely be best friends with from the Wizarding world?

"Oh are you a Prefect, Percy?"

"You should have told us, we had no idea!"
"---Hang on, I think I remember him saying something about it, once..."
"Or twice."
"A minute."
"All summer..."
--Fred & George Weasley, Book 1

7 Days Until Harry Potter #7 Part 1


HAPPY VETERANS DAY!! At least in the Muggle World. I suppose in the Wizarding World today would be HAPPY MARAUDERS DAY!! Thank you so much to those who have fought to protect our great country of America, and thank you to those who have constantly braved battles against You-Know-Who.

Sadly I still have class today, even though pretty much every high school, middle school, and elementary school has closed in honor of this holiday. Heck, I'm sure that even Hogwarts has cancelled classes. Alas, us college people must have no time to lose and must continue to toil away in our lectures and recitations. In fact, I had a film analysis due today, which is why I did not get to publish a PPP (Potter Parade post) yesterday. GAR!

Well, in other news, I went to a spectacular event called ~*PoTtEr PaLoOzA*~ last night at the Union building! It was sponsored by one of our biggest activity-hosting organizations. They had a real Quidditch game (yes, we have a Quidditch team at our school!), Trivia Contest, Costume Competition, and yummy eats in "The Great Hall"! Here are just a few pictures from the event...
Here is The Great Hall. They had lined 4 tables together, just like in the movies. Plus, they'd distinguished each one with a certain color. Yellow for Hufflepuff, red for Gryffindor, etc. We sat at the Ravenclaw table!
Super cool candelabra! Accompanied with two adorable mini cauldrons.
Close-up on the not-so-mini black cauldron. Maybe I should steal it and cook up a Polyjuice Potion...then I could dress up like my professor!!! Mwuahahahaaa!!!!
The Raven. Edgar Allen Poe much? Hmm, there seems to be a Malt ball at his feet. Poor guy, he looks lke he's trying to reach the ball but can't!
Yum yum!! Galleon-sized chocolates, Gryffindor cuppycakes, gruesome Fainting Fancy candies (from F&G's Skiving Snackboxes, no doubt), oh my!

That's all I have for you today! =)
~TRA

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Monday, November 8, 2010

~*Potter Parade: Potter Puppet Pals*~

Question of the Day: What is your favorite magical sweet from the Wizarding World?

"Nobody's asked me to a party before, as a friend! Is that what you dyed your eyebrow, for the party? Should I do mine too?" --Luna Lovegood, Book Six

11 DAYS UNTIL HARRY POTTER #7 PART 1


Yes, I am waiting for my letter to Hogwarts. No, I do not like licorice wands. I like Chocolate Frogs, thank you very much.

Rrrrrribbit!

It is safe to say that I am a Harry Potter fan(atic) and Rowling's #1 reader. I started reading the series very early in elementary school and have read the series SO many times that I think I could name most of the events in chronological order from Book 1--Book 7. And I've watched the movies too. Many times (of course).

All around America--and indeed the world--there's news and gossip in the air...

Of what? OF OMFG @#$**%^&*!!!!!! Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 comes out on 19th November 2010!!!!!!

That is 1.5 weeks, 11 days, and 264 hours. Merlin's beard, that is all too early and all too soon, all at the same time! It seems as though just yesterday I was in line to buy the first Harry Potter movie. O_O

Well, in honor of this amazing, spectacular, extremely wonderful, crazy-beautiful event that will be occuring QUITE SOON, I will be hosting a Potter Parade here on my blog! Each day I'll have a Hogwarts/Harry Potter/Diagon Alley/Chocolate Frog/Etc.-themed post will lots of goodies AAAAAAND...an upcoming contest! =)

Yes, yes...I am reaching 50 followers, which brings me close to tears since when I first started blogging in January I was aiming for 15 by the end of the year! Thank you so much for following!!! So. Yes. A contest will take place soon in the upcoming days of HP#7.

Meanwhile, who's up for a little Potter Puppet Pals??? If you don't know what in the world that is (besides the fact that it pertains to Harry Potter (duh)), then let me explain. Potter Puppet Pals is a sort of YouTube channel that posts several videos of mini skits played by puppets created to look like characters from the Harry Potter series! It is beyond awesome, and if you are a Harry Potter fan(atic!) like me, then you HAVE to check them out! They are HILARIOUS!

Here is one of the PPP's most famous (and oldest) videos...

Potter Puppet Pals: The Mysterious Ticking Noise


Don't forget to answer the QOTD (pokes up)! =)

Hope you all have a magical day!!

~TRA


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Friday, November 5, 2010

Compromising With Your Main Character

Question of the Day: What is one quirky habit, hobby, or hidden talent you have that not many people know about you?

As you all know, I am doing National Novel Writing Month. Earlier, I was having a mild argument with my Main Character, but we just made up. :) Basically, she thinks the last few chapters have been pretty passive and need a little oomph, while I've been trying to tell her to be quiet because editing and "going back" will ONLY slow me down! So far the past day or two, she's just been yacketing yacketing in my head. In the end, though, we compromised...

MC: Gosh Wendy, I don't really know what to think about that last chapter...
Me (narrows eyes): What's that supposed to mean?
MC: Well, I feel like ever since Chapter 9, the action has just really been dwindling down...
Me: Um, HELLO, I'm trying not to go too fast or feed too much information to my readers!
They need time to rest, just enough time for them to get inside your head and for me to build
some suspense...
MC: But Chapter 9 and 10 just seem so...so passive. They need a little oomph.
Me: Oomph??
MC: You know, to spice them up a little. Hmm, maybe you should have me take a random
plane flight to Las Vegas and I can party all night...
Me: I'LL decide on how to write MY novel, little missy.
MC: Well it's MY story!
Me: I'd like to see YOU slaving away day after day, typing until your fingers are sore with the thought "1667, 1667" repeating over and over in your head, and tearing your hair out because you can't find another synonym for "secretive."
MC: Clandestine.
Me: *THWACK* (punches MC in the nose)

-ten minutes later-

Me: MC, are you okay?
MC: You broke my nose.
Me: Oh shut up, your nose didn't break. You're just a figment of my worthless imagination.
Erm...does it still hurt?
MC: Duh. So what do you want now?
Me: Well I'm trying to complete Chapter 10 and am failing horribly. I guess you ARE important to this novel. I am sorry for fake-breaking your nose. So whaddaya say? Help me out here? Chapter 10 could really use your insight...
MC: I want to go to Las Vegas.
Me: Well I can't let you do that.
MC: I WANT TO GO TO LAS VEGAS!
Me: ...........Okay.
MC: !!!!!!!!WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG OMG OMG REALLY?!?!!?!!!!!
Me: You can go to Las Vegas, but ONLY after Chapter 16.
MC: Why Chapter 16?
Me: Because in Chapter 13 something bad happens to somebody you care about, and then in Chapter 15 you get kissed.
MC: COOL!!!!!!!!!!!
-The End-

So what about you? Do you ever have little figments of your imagination spring to life and start arguing with you?

Personally I think my Main Character and I have a bit of a personality clash....


~TRA

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Thursday, November 4, 2010

Meet: The "Hope" Bompkin


Question of the Day: What did you do last summer? xD

So my Halloweekend was GREAT! Sort of... Michael and I hung out at my apartment, watching episodes of Smallville (of course), comparing favorite quotes, and eating chocolate upcakes. Yes, CUPCAKES. Mmmmm. The sad part of Halloween was that no kids came to knock on my door. Thus, we had TONS and tons of Candy (yes, Candy with a capital C) left over. We COULD'VE eaten it all...but we didn't. ;) Instead, I passed the Candy around in Chinese class as a sort of post-Halloweeniness treat for everyone.
As for National Novel Writing Month, I am currently about 4,000 words behind. AKA Two Days Behind. This past week has been super hectic, mainly due to the fact that I have a new story assignment (1300 words minimum) to complete as the writer for my college's features magazine. Ohh NaNoWriMo, you just HAD to be in November, didn't you?
Well, it is just the first week. If you're having troubles, such as writer's block, arguments with your main character, or just a complete loss of steam all together, please don't give up. Every word counts. Plus, the more you write down by the end of November, that's one greater step up you'd be than you would've been if you hadn't gone so far.
Just remember that there is still...H-O-P-E!!! =)
I painted this at my college's Paint-A-Pumpkin event. I call it the "Hope" Bompkin. I painted it just for you NaNoers. <3
IT'S THE BOMPKIN'S HEAD!!!!
I added a rose for extra good luck. In a way, a novel is like a rose...as the flower begins to grow, it begins to develop thorns. However, the ending result is magificent. We are currently in those thorns right now, you and I. We are trying to surpass the greatest difficulties of writing a novel. But if we don't give up and keep the will to win, our novel will bloom just like this flower. :D

The shining star of a NaNoer is the one person who always motivates that writer to keep going and never stop...to never look back or edit or second-guess what the writer has already written. The star always provides light where there is dark. My star is my friend Michael. Who is yours?
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