Author Interview: Getting to Know Maureen Wartski

Hooray, it's May! At long last, I am finished with final exams and have now returned home to relax for two weeks before summer school starts. To give you an idea of what I am up to for the next three months, here's my agenda: 

May 8 - May 14: Relax, blog, read The Hunger Games, go to the dentist, rejuvenate

May 15 - June 19: Summer classes

Mid-June - Beginning of August: Travel abroad, independent research

August: Volunteer at local hospital with psychology mentor

Folks, this may be my busiest summer yet! Share with us - what summer plans do you have? 

~~~

In other exciting news, we have author Maureen Wartski here with us today. Maureen was born in Japan and is a lover of art, writing and nature. Her novel, Yuri's Brush with Magic, is geared toward middle-schoolers and was a 2011 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Finalist. 

The book follows two siblings who find the strength within themselves to deal with challenging circumstances. The book centers around motifs such as folk tales, painting, sea turtles and the importance of family relationships - just to name a few. 

Yuri's Brush with Magic is published by Sleepy Hollow Books, a children's independent publishing company based in Durham, NC, where I was an editorial intern for the past year.

TRA: What is your inspiration? What motivates/drives you to write and create art?

MW: Since I was very small, I wrote stories and played with colors. My dad, who was a self-taught artist, encouraged the ‘artwork’ and my whole extended family believed in the writing. To have someone believe in you is an inspiration in itself! Further, my Uncle Harry encouraged me to read, read more, and to try my literary wings at every opportunity. The real inspiration here was his advice: to try—and never to worry about failing. 

As for what motivates me to play with art and with words, I believe it is curiosity. If I put these colors together, what then…? If I follow this plot line, what will happen? That and a love of words and colors rules the day.

TRA: Every writer goes about the writing process in different ways; it's a unique experience for everyone. Tell us, what is the writing process like for you?

MW: I get an idea and file it away somewhere in my mind. Another idea floats by, and perhaps I snag it, too. Then the third, the catalyst arrives, and… there is the story. Sometimes this process takes a very long time. Sometimes it happens in a flash. The entire plot of The Promise (Summit Books), complete with fully formed characters, came to me while I was taking a tour of an abandoned gold mine in Mecklenburg County.

When I was younger and was writing three books a year on contract, I used to start writing at eight, wrote nonstop 'til two and then researched for an hour. Nowadays, I can’t keep—and don’t want to keep—this grueling pace.

TRA: What did you love most about writing Yuri's Brush with Magic? Was there a certain character you felt like you identified with really well?

MW: I love the ocean. Nothing is more inspiring than to walk along the beach and watch the waves roll in. I love the change of seasons, the turn of weather, the ebb and floe of the tide. So—Emerald Isle being the backdrop of this book was special. I could feel the nuances of the ocean and knew how it would affect Tammy. I didn’t identify with any of the characters per se, but each one was personal. Tammy, because she was Eurasian like myself and because she was a writer. Ken because he was a rebel. Aunt Yuri—I loved Aunt Yuri because she did remind me of my aunt and the other strong women in my family!

TRA: Which book or author has influenced you the most in your life?

MW: Don’t laugh—I think William Shakespeare had a lot of influence in my writing life. Early on, I learned to read his plays, particularly Julius Caesar. I learned to love his words and language, the twists of metaphor, the manipulation of characters.  Back in the day when I taught high school English, I taught my freshmen Julius Caesar . We brought in contemporary politics, ‘filmed’ the assassination and had a grand time. Later, my colleagues couldn’t believe that the class WANTED to study Antony and Cleopatra.

TRA: Shakespeare is awesome. I remember having to read Romeo & Juliet in my freshman English class, and we would read the play aloud with different classmates 'playing' different roles. Maureen, I have one last question - what advice would you give to aspiring writers?

MW: The only advice worth giving: Keep writing and never fear failure. Sometimes the only way to learn IS to fail. 

~~~

Thank you to Maureen for taking the time to do an interview with me! To read more about Maureen Wartski and follow her adventures, check out her blog. 

Author Interview: Getting to Know Maureen Wartski

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"How Old Are You?" "Why Does It Matter?"

QOTD: How old are you? Do you personally think that age really matters? 

Sometimes I wish I could forget my age. Why are our lives measured so heavily upon how old we are, and not instead by the experiences we have been through and the amount of knowledge we have absorbed? I have conflicting feelings about my age.....I am 19 years old, but have always looked at least five years younger, which I tend to feel defensive about. (Bring on the kids' menus!)

But then again, I wish I could I could forget that I am 19, because I don't want to grow up. What does it mean to be grown up? Have a job, a family and independence? That certainly seems to be the norm definition. Yet, I have met quite a few young people and also children who were much more mature, more mentally independent and more self-aware than many grownups I have encountered. 

I'm not bashing adulthood, of course. I am merely approaching the question as to why age is such an influential factor in how we are perceived by others and how we see them. If someone knows your age, they automatically begin to judge you--either consciously or unconsciously--based on that. Oh, you're 19? You must be in college because that's where a lot of 19-year-olds are at your age. You're 14? You don't know understand what it means to be in love....you're not "at that stage" yet. 

I am a naturally easygoing and positive person. I act very lighthearted and silly all the time, but that makes people further believe I am very young. I get told that I act very childish. Why? Is it because I am always cheerful and jocular, and don't act like I have a care or worry in the world? Do they think I live a life through rose-colored glasses? No, I act those ways because I learned that even if things are going terribly for me, I won't nearly feel half as bad if I keep a smile on my face. I have worries just like any other human being, but why is it that just because I don't actively show or share my burdens with the people I interact with, I am perceived as a child? 

Today, I saw a man in his late 40's in my history class. He is a college student. 


Thoughts? 

"How Old Are You?" "Why Does It Matter?"

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Mean Irene

To all those who live on the East Coast (particularly to my family and friends living in North Carolina and up in the Massachusetts/New York area), take care and be safe!! Hurricane Irene has done a lot of damage so far, let's hope that the storm subsides soon.

Please pray for the North Carolinian who lost his life today in the storm.

Mean Irene

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30-Day Challenge 19: Strawberry Picking

QOTD: When was the last time you went on an adventure?

Day 19: Nicknames you've had and why you have them: For those of you who don't already know, my first name is Wendy. Some nicknames (but not all, haha) that have been derived from that include Wendella, Wenalyn, Wen, Wenders, Windy, and Wen-Wen.

The other day, I went strawberry picking with my family at a local farm and it was SO, so much fun! I've enjoyed the quiescence of staying at home but it was nothing short of awesome being able to actually get out. The last time we went fruit picking it was apples, and I can't even count on a single hand how many years ago that was.

There were actually quite a few people strawberry picking that day, even though the sun was sweltering hot on our cheeks and backs.

Look at the rows and rows of strawberry patches! We went all the way towards the back of the farm, where we figured fewer people had gone to pick. Ohh but it looks like some strawberries hadn't been able to survive, poor things...

Strawberries were playing hide and seek with me. I won in the end though. There you are! Come to Mother Basket....

Only the juiciest, plumpest, and reddest went into our basket! ;) MMmmmMMMMmm.

Lurking by the patch...trying to catch sight of -- ah! There's a red one under those leaves!

And MORE!!! :D Hmm, these strawberries were particularly prickly and hairy...also, it was weird to see these green young'uns, which are actually not good to eat at all.

We had a total count of 147 strawberries! Yes....I counted them and sorted them into the categories of : 1) Reddest, 2) Not So Red, 3) Biggest, 4) Babies, 5) Mutants.

I took a mixture of Reddest, Babies, and Not So Red and put them into a new category:

The Chocoberries.

Aaaaand let the dipping begin!

MAN was it hard not to lay a finger on these rubies!!! I had my eye set particularly on the third one....yeap, the one that's got chocolate dripping down.

Strawberries aren't just good for eating--they're good for taking photos of too. :D But....they are, FIRST and foremost, good for eating.

Somehow the chocoberries look even tastier and irresistible when I used the flash on my camera. Interesting. Well I was going to take more photos but I couldn't wait anymore! The moment they were dry we ate them all up. :)

No worries....we still had about 120 strawberries left!!!

30-Day Challenge 19: Strawberry Picking

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30-Day Challenge 8: Nature of Magic Blogfest

Question of the Day: When was the last time you taught someone how to do something? How would you describe your teaching style?

Day 08: Long-term goals of the year.

**Nature of Magic Blogfest**

~Hosted by Tessa Conte and Laura Diamond~

Once again, my apologies for posting my submission so late! But I guess "better late than never," eh? Here was our task:

Write or share something you've already written that, to you, shows the nature of magic. It can be an excerpt from your WIP, something you've written especially, poetry, whatever strikes your fancy. It just needs to show the nature of magic as it exists for you or for those you write about. Unless you're writing poetry, try to keep the entries somewhere between 250-1000 words.

The nature of magic? When people first think of magic, what first pops in their minds are the supernatural, the spells and the unicorns, and The Harry Potter. But what about the magic that happens all around us everyday? I believe that magic in reality deals with feelings, thoughts and things that can't be touched or seen. Like love. Like the moment when you are teaching someone else who is frustrated and confused and, after several moments of struggling, you finally get through to that student in some other way.

(I apologize for my super-long entry! Once I start writing, I just can't seem to stop!!!)

~~~

“Let’s try this again.” I tried to keep my voice at a steady level, but with every tick my watch was reminding me that the hour was drawing to a close. Adriana Sanchez was squirming in her seat, her coarse, black hair wrapped around a single finger. She breathed out a deep sigh of clear frustration and, once again, bent over the textbook to study the sentences.

All I knew about this child was that she and her family had migrated into the states from Mexico and that, while she was brilliant in mathematics, the sciences, and even in American history, her ability to speak English was lacking. Sure, she could understand the language, but her Spanish accent was so thick it was always difficult for the other children to understand what she was even saying.

What had I been thinking when I’d agreed to tutor Adriana? Yes, I studied Spanish all throughout high school and college. Yes, I’d already taught Spanish to children before. But wasn’t spending eight hours a day with a class of thirty-two children enough already?

What on earth is wrong with you? a voice in my head whispered. You love teaching! You spent years getting your degree in education and now you’re counting down the seconds until you can go home and, what, take a nap?

It was true. I’d loved teaching. Loved. But did I anymore? I’d dreamt of teaching at one of the top primary schools in America, and here I was. I’d achieved my goal and, up until six months ago, I’d been living the dream. My dream.

It no longer felt like a dream. The rush of excitement was gone, the rush I used to feel every time my students would slowly nod their heads after they’d finally mastered a particularly abstract concept. What was often left in its place was exasperation and impatience.

How could things for me have come to this?

“The dug rrron oberrr the heel.” Morgan’s big brown eyes squinted close together as she struggled to match her words to the letters that glared back at her.

“Close,” I said wryly.

“The dog-uh rrun oberrr the heel?”

“Not quite.”

Things happened so fast. One moment, I was eyeing the text below pictures of Golden Retrievers running over hills and across neighborhood streets. A split second later, I was staring at the top of the desk where the book used to be.

The book was now grasped tightly in the hands of Adriana, whose face was filled with nothing but resentment and pure anger. With one mighty thrust, the girl slammed the book to the ground, making such a large thump that even I couldn’t help but flinch.

I stared at Adriana, shocked. “Adriana! What has gotten into you?!” I cried.

“I am tired of this! Lo más cerca que alguna vez me va a conseguir es ‘cerca!’ Quiero ir a casa ahora!” The closest I'm ever going to get is "close!" I want to go home NOW! With that, Adriana began swiping all the books off of the other desks and trashing the floor with them. Tears were streaming down her face.

All at once, I was taken back to one year ago, the day Billy Carson threw up during Reading Hour. The day Principal Lawson had patted my shoulder and said in a satisfactory tone, “You did good, Miss. You did good.” Quick, think! I thought frantically to myself. What did I do back then? How did I handle the catastrophe?

I remembered ushering the kids out, cool as a cucumber. Some of the louder, more obnoxious boys made bets about how many gallons of puke there were on the classroom floor. Big, brawny, nine-year-old Tray called Billy a heffalump. “Don’t pay attention to them, I’d said to Billy outside the boys’ bathroom, helping him wipe off leftover Trix cereal mush. Everyone has puked at least once in school. Trust me, I’ve had my fair share of puking experiences way back when I was your age. You never know, it might be Tray next time who gets the “queasies.” And Billy had laughed.

Just don’t make it a big deal. “Don’t make it a big deal,” I whispered to myself now. “Yeah.”

I stood up and slowly walked to where Adriana was still abusing the poor textbooks and littering the ground. I waited until she finally came to a stopping point to catch her breath. Before she could resume her vandalizing, I asked, “se sienta mejor?” Feeling better?

Adriana glared at me before returning to her desk and plopping down on her seat. “No. Yo quiero ir a casa.” I want to go home.

“But we aren’t done with the lesson, Adriana,” I said, doing my best to keep my voice from quivering. I walked back to sit across from her again. “Now can you please tell me why you threw those books on the floor?”

Glare.

“Usted debe haber tenido algunarazón.” You must’ve had some reason.

I remembered how my mom used to stroke me on the back whenever I got upset over something. I gingerly placed my hand over Adriana and patted lightly.

“I was angry,” Adriana said. She wore a pout on her face and her eyebrows were scrunched up together. A bird in the distance. Her head was bent down so that her big, brown eyes met her pair of Converse on the floor.

“Por que te enojaste?” Why were you angry?

“Because I didn’t get English,” she said. One black and white shoe kicked the other. Thump.

I took a deep breath. “Adriana,” I began slowly. “You are not the only one who doesn’t get English. It is hard, I know. My sister had trouble too when she was your age.” Technically, anyway. My sister had been diagnosed with dyslexia ages ago, but how could you explain “dyslexia” to an eight-year-old?

“Adriana, do you understand me?” I asked, looking at her intently, hoping that she’d meet my glance.

She nodded slowly, but still looked down. It was like there was some magnetic force pulling her eyes to the floor. “I was mad, so I throw books.”

“I know…but, you know, everyone gets mad sometimes. Even grownups do, and Salma Hayek.” That was her name, I think. Some Mexican celebrity, whom I’d overheard Adriana and her mother talking about a week ago after school had ended. “But everyone can’t go and throw some books around every time they get mad, can they?”

Somewhere on Adriana’s face, I spotted a small curl. A smile.

And, all of a sudden, a wave of triumph and relief washed over me. I couldn’t help it; my corners of my mouth stretched far and wide. Her smile was contagious; it made all the difference to me. My heart quickened at the thought that I was getting through to the other side of this student. My student.

“Now, I think we ought to pick those books up before the mice come out and start chewing on them. What do you say?”

Adriana nodded. “Si.”

30-Day Challenge 8: Nature of Magic Blogfest

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5 Ways to Find a Summer In the Midst of Winter

Question of the Day: What's the weather like where you are?

Within the last couple of posts, I mentioned a significant quote:

"In the midst of winter, I found within me an invincible summer."

--Albert Camus

As December continues on, we will all become deeply entrenched within the chill of winter and the weather will get colder by the day. Studies have shown that people's moods tend to go downhill during the winter season, possibly because of the absence of sunlight and because the days become shorter and darker more quickly. If you ever find yourself feeling down in the dumps, here are a few ways to get back in high spirits:

1) Take a walk. Now it may be that the last thing you want to do is get yourself in the freezing cold just to stroll around the neighborhood or the park. But by sitting at home by the fireplace, you're bound to feel cooped up and listless. Perhaps you'll even welcome that bit of chill, and a simple glance at the snow outside will have you smiling once again.

2) Bake some cookies. Sometimes boredom gives rise to depression and feelings of dullness, and all you need is a bit of that chocolate chip or spicy gingerbread to perk up your senses and get you back into the holiday mood!

3) Do something for yourself. Whether it's taking a relaxing bath, playing tennis at the local gym, or writing in your journal. Taking some time to do something special on your own will definitely make you feel more

4) After you finish reading this post, get off the Internet and do some hands-on activities. Constantly looking at the screen (whether it be television, Wii games, or Facebook stalking) tends to depress the brain and make us less reactive, so make some arts and crafts or go play with your pets.

5) Play an instrument or listen to some soothing tunes. Music always works wonders. No matter if I am in the need for inspiration while writing my WIP, a lift in my mood, or something to jam and dance to, music is a must-have in some shape or form (Pandora/iPod/Radio, anybody?).

~~~

On Saturday, it snowed. =) My backyard became a total winter wonderland, and only today did the snow begin melting. But here is the miraculous thing...all of my lovely edible plants propped up on the fence are still in spectacular condition!

If that's not the perfect example of a small garden of summer in the midst of a cool winter, I don't know what is!!

~TRA

5 Ways to Find a Summer In the Midst of Winter

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The Last Monday of March

Question of the Day: What or who inspires you to succeed and be the best that you can be?

This is the last Monday of March, 2010! It is remarkably scary how fast time is flying. I am already on my 30th blog post! Thankfully, I do not have any school due to Teacher Workday, so today is going to be pretty laid-back and more personal than usual. I won't get into any hardcore topics but will instead post a "Monday Five" list. This is usually meant for Friday ("Friday Five!") but oh well. If you are not familiar with this type of list, it is mainly discussing five specific areas or aspects of one's life at the current state. Great way to wrap up the weekend and start a 4-Day School Week!

1) Writer's Block = Conquered! Unfortunately, besides blogging, I have been procrastinating a lot of what I happen to love to do the most: writing. It seems almost paradoxical, doesn't it? Unfortunately, writer's block has a lot to do with it. Lately, my daily writing process has been going about something like this: Wake up, vow to get crackin' with my writing project, go to school, come back, almost decide to write, actually decide to surf the Internet for a couple of hours, eat a snack, make a few extremely minor changes in my writing project and consider that "an accomplishment," eat and surf some more, play the piano, eat dinner, cram in a few words, go to bed, suffer from insomnia due to guilt over not writing more, finally fall asleep, wake up. And the cycle goes on and on. It's pretty sad. So much for a March NaNoWriMo, eh? :/

However, a few days ago I experienced one of the best feelings ever: inspiration. I'm not sure if being inspired or being an "inspirer" feels better, but I can definitely tell you that both make you feel like you are on top of the world and that you can do anything you desire. I'd like to thank Stephanie Perkins for being the main source of inspiration and new encouragement for this week. Her awesome featured post on Frankie's blog on Thursday, March 25 discussed procrastination, and oh dear it felt like I was being seen right through and through...she hit me right in the soft spot! I've been procrastinating my writing project for almost half a month [yes, shame on me] now. It's like she took all of my procrastination station faults and stuffed them all in this one blog post. Hard as it was to admit my problems, it was also relieving to know that my feelings of procrastinating on the one thing that I LOVE aren't uncommon and have reasons behind them. It didn't make me feel so horrible anymore. Instead, I've become inspired to fight procrastination and lunge myself back into writing! Hopefully I can stay motivated, but whenever I feel like that procrastinator bug is creeping up and over me again, I'll turn back to Steph's blog post and remember her words. =D

My Weekend Goal was to write 500 words. That's not much at all, but I think it's best to start off slowly and realistically. I hope to build up to 2,000 each day to get back into my stride. I wrote over 200 words yesterday. :')

2) Monday's Perks. I love a 4-Day week, don't you? More time to eat, sleep, work on my super duper writing project, work on my high school's literary magazine (which I have also sadly been procrastinating), and work on my high school newspaper's April Fool's issue (which the co-editors-in-chief have put me in charge of). Whew! Doesn't sound very relaxing, but this lovely long weekend has given me a chance to catch up on all of the things that I've been procrastinating (not just literary work). And after this week comes Spring Break!

3) No Smallville. For the past few weeks, Smallville hasn't been coming on because of spring break. College spring break. I am so glad that I'm not going anywhere for Spring Break, otherwise I'd have to miss the first episode! As much as I want to know and watch and hear more of Smallville, the other half of me is pining for the show to slow down and take its time in airing the last season and a half. I've been an avid viewer of Smallville for a little less than nine years (ever since it premiered in October 2001), and it's quite sad knowing that my favorite show will be ending in less than two years. Have any of you fine readers ever had to say goodbye to a favorite television in the past? How did you cope with it?

4) Illness. Unfortunately, I have been sick since Friday with a cough and sore throat. Today marks the third day, and I am much better. The weather has been a drama queen lately... going from the mid 8's and sunshine to a burr-burr 40's, and now it is 60 degrees and raining. No wonder I got sick. Plus, there seems to be some sort of bug going around. Spring is rapidly approaching, and with it comes early April showers and pollen (aka allergy season) and vulnerable immune systems. Even with all of these, I am ready to spread my arms open and welcome spring. And I think spring is glad to finally be here as well.

5) Self Magazine. Now that my AP Government class is cooling it with the copious amounts of textbook reading we usually have assigned each week, I have been able to catch up with the last two months' issues of Self Magazine. A basic overview: a monthly magazine targeted mainly to women; it is a confidence-boosting mag that features ways in which women can eat, socialize, and exercise healthier. It also includes fashion, makeup, and health-related articles. I'm a little too young to be reading it (it's not that the content is too mature or anything, but most of the readers are well into the 20's and I'm only 17), but it still makes me feel happier and livelier when I read it. I'm going to write a later blog post about this magazine, because it's just that good. :] Stay tuned for more information on Self!

Have a nice Monday, everyone!

~TRA

The Last Monday of March

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Go Green!

Question of the Day: If you could switch lives with one living creature (animal, plant, single prokaryote, etc.) for one day, what would you choose to be?

Everyday, humans do not realize how influential they are on the environment. I am not just talking about plants, but everything--from animals to small critters and insects to bodies of water to cherry blossom trees to simply the atmosphere.

Nature gives us so many gifts and have been for centuries: oxygen, medicinal cures, food, shelter, land to live on, and overall simply peace. Without nature and our environment, life and survival would not exist.

I have compiled a short list of my favorite simple ways to help recycle, prevent pollution, and save the environment. They go below using and buying your average recycling bins and biodegradable products...and when I say "below" I mean they take even less time and are almost effortless. When you first read, these things seem so obvious that it's silly to put them up here, but you would be surprised by how few take these actions.

If each person did a little good to help reduce our ecological footprint on Earth, then we can all give back to the nature that has helped us for so long.

Four Great Ways to Go Green

1) Reuse paper for printing. I admit that I use a lot paper. A lot. As a high schooler, there are days in which I am assigned research papers and other homework that involve typing and printing. As a writer, I constantly print and reprint rough drafts and page drafts that must be edited. Where do they go after they have been proofread and all errors have been corrected? The trashcan, of course. Unfortunately, half of all sheets of paper are unused; it is only too common for people to use one side of a sheet of paper and then toss it out. Whenever possible, I take these half-used pieces of paper and pile them up beside my printer at home. There is a lot of stuff that I DO NOT need to turn in, such as monthly to-do lists, that I end up printing on the other sides of these papers. Why use so much paper, throw them away and then use new sheets of paper when the other sides of the first batch of papers are still perfectly good? I hope that wasn't confusing. :3 So yeah, keep your one-sided papers by the printer and remember to USE THEM for unofficial, personal documents that must be printed.

2) Reuse your mail. Good old snail mail uses up a lot of paper. It really does. With catalogs, magazines, envelopes, newspapers, god-awful bills, and other incoming mail entering people's mailboxes everyday, there is a tremendous build-up of paper...and at least half of it ends up going into the trash. There is SO much that can be done with mail, though! I save my unwanted mail and torn envelopes and do scratch work/homework on them. It's surprising how well unwanted mail serves as scratch paper. You'll feel really good about yourself when you do that instead of using perfectly good notebook paper to do quick calculations for grading papers or for filling out monthly bills on. Another way to reuse mail is for mealtimes. You know those takeout Pizza Hut chicken wings that you always get but never find a place to throw the bones? That's when your unused mail can come in handy. You can save a lot of napkins by simply using the used paper as a surface to pile up the bones, and then simply throw the paper and bones away when you're done.

3) Reuse your fish water. It is imperative that you change the water of your fish tank (if you have one, that is) at least once a week. Even if you have a filter that pumps water and constantly traps food and dirty particles, the best way to keep your fish living in a clean environment if you wash the tank out often. BUT...instead of throwing out the dirty water, you can easily use it for another chore--watering plants! Sounds ridiculous, but it's true: because fish water contains feces and other bits of, erm, fish stuff in there, the water is actually very healthy and nutritious for plants. I've been using fish water for my orchid and it has bloomed twice in a very short amount of time. I also used fish water to revive my mother's Jasmine plant. This is a great way to prevent from wasting water and to feed your plant with a fertilizing water!

4) Plant plants. One of the best ways to thank nature is to simply make more of it! There are loads of different types of flower seeds and vegetable seeds that you can buy for cheap prices. You can either buy them at the local grocery stores or online. If you have a busy schedule, buy some plant seeds that don't require too much attention (must be watered daily, etc.), or are very independent if left outside in the natural environment. Another neat way to "plant plants" is to buy exotic species if you ever go out of the country; I went to Hawai'i a few years back and bought some packages of the following plants: Birds of Paradise, Coconut Tree, Kona Coffee, and Macadamia Nut! There is one more but I can't quite remember what it is called. =/ Anywho, planting plants yourselves will help nature's cycle of life flourish and add just a little more beauty to the world. Plus, it's a really peaceful hobby and helps relieve stress. More power to plants!

Thank you for reading!

~TRA


*These photos were taken by me, Wendy, and therefore belong to me.

P.S. I apologize for any corniness or cheesiness in this blog post. :P I promise my next post will not be about nature, haha.

Go Green!

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Go Walden

Question of the Day: What is your stance on global warming?

There is something about nature that always produces a calming effect on me and makes me feel at peace with the world.

Whenever I am feeling particularly angry, impatient, melancholy, or other sensitive human feeling, taking a nice walk outside always helps me calm down and find happiness again. Next time you feel the need for some alone time, take a drive and go out to the countryside. You will find a beauty in nature that you cannot find anywhere else, for nothing else can be more pure or genuine.

We owe nature so much. It has provided us for years with medicines, shelters, and other essentials needed for survival. There is so much we can learn, for nature holds infinite more secrets than your own ears can. All aspects of nature contributes to a process that repeats itself throughout the course of history. It is consistent. It is dangerous, and it is beautiful.

If we all took some time to truly heighten our senses and take a good look around us, we might find personal insight, motivation, and happiness in nature by simply knowing that nature is good and pure. And real. How could you not be awed by the magic of life?

A family of gorgeous cherry blossoms. These are my favorite species of trees.

A cloudburst of rain. It was raining cats and dogs over by the mountains of LiJiang, China, but where I was located [within a canoe boat floating on the lake] there wasn't a drop of rain.

A rock forest in KunMing, China. Can you believe all of that was created naturally?



Unfortunately, I do not know what these species of flowers are called. :( If you do please let me know! I think they are really beautiful and unique.
On a driving tour of San Diego Zoo. By twilight.


Morning hours. San Diego. Overlooking the North Pacific Ocean.

This responsible rhinocerous [San Diego Zoo] proves that humans and animals alike all have some similarities that will never change.



Have you ever seen a more friendly-looking animal? Me neither...you can be sure that I smiled right back at Mr. Dolphin!

Flamingos and ducks. I wish my life was that chill. :P

Somewhere over the rainbow, Wendy flies! [I wish]

So true.

Diamondhead, Hawai'i. I will never forget this view.

~TRA

*I took all of these photos with my own camera throughout the past couple of years. They all belong to me. Hope you enjoyed!!

Go Walden

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Crystal City

Having lived in North Carolina for the past ten years, it came to my attention quite early in the decade that NC simply does not receive a lot of snow during the wintertime. Almost every year, I have had to go through much disappointment from looking out the window and realizing that I will be having a snowless holiday season. Approximately three out of the ten years that I have lived here have I seen snow on the Southern grounds of North Carolina.

This is my eleventh year living in North Carolina. On Friday night, I looked outside and my eyes widened with disbelief. Everywhere, little specks of "white fluffy stuff" (quoted from a friend named Kyler) were flurrying madly all around. Indeed, the weatherman had done us justice, which is saying a lot considering the fact that he'd broken his promise of snow a few weeks ago. Only a couple hours later, my entire lawn was invisible underneath a soft bed of snow. Car windshields were covered, as were the roofs of houses, mailboxes, and driveways.

It truly felt like a dream.

The snow has been a real joy this weekend and has seemed to make everything else much more magical. Not only did I get into one of my dream universities, but my sister was able to spend the weekend (she lives out of town) AND I got to go to one of my favorite restaurants. As a plus, I had one day off of school and will have a 2-hour delay tomorrow. I think snow can definitely work wonders sometimes. :P

But really. There's just something about snow that makes it so magical...perhaps it's the fact that we don't get to see it everyday, or even every month or year, or perhaps it's the fact that there's the possibility it may come when we least expect it or doubt it the most.....and yet the day comes when we jump for happiness and enjoy it to the fullest.

It has been less than 30 degrees here, so everything completely froze. For the past few days, my backyard has been an ICE RINK!!! The trees and bushes have all been frozen solid, and not just in my neighborhood but all over town. Once the streets were embedded with salt and were safe enough to drive on, my dad and I drove around. Our town had transformed into a Crystal City. You could literally see the trees and bushes all sparkling. I found a leaf trapped, embedded within a stone of ice. Twigs were also in the same, wondrous form. It was like the whole town was shining with icicles, glass trees, and other crystal decor. It was so beautiful. My father raised an interesting question: Why is it that the plants don't die when they are frozen into ice?

I thank Mother Nature for giving me this chance to experience the wonders of natural processes. It may another year or two or three before I get to watch snow fall peacefully from the sky once again, but I will always remember the Crystal City that, in an ironic sort of way, unveiled before my eyes.

Nature is truly amazing. I believe that, to truly learn about loving life, you need to first appreciate your natural surroundings. After all, without nature there would be nothing. We would be nothing. I feel like in today's society, many people are too caught up in our own technological world, busy with their work schedules and catching up with birthdays and attending soccer tournaments. We fail to ever stop and truly take a look at where we are and wonder about the little things, like how a simple green leaf frozen in transparent ice can look so naturally beautiful.

So I propose a challenge: next time you walk outside, use all of your senses to truly take in your environment. What do you smell, and why do you enjoy or dislike that smell? What sounds do you hear--what do you think about when you hear that dog barking or that kid yelling for his mom in excitement? What in front of you do you see? Take time to appreciate the presence of color, and realize that without your eyes you would be incapable of seeing anything. Feel the sweater you are wearing, and think of the texture. When you're eating, don't do like my sister does and gobble the whole thing in two bites. Really savor all the flavors; feel the strawberry tanginess clash with the cool whipped cream.

Close your eyes and just imagine. Make up mini stories with all of the sights, smells, sounds, and tastes you just took in. Embrace. And truly appreciate what it feels like to live.

~The Red Angel

Crystal City

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