IWSG: On first loves and the ones after.

You always remember your first love. Your first love opens up this great possibility of love that you never could have fathomed without experiencing it first hand. Your first love teaches you about yourself and how to be selfless. How to care for another's happiness more than your own.

 

For once, things are finally brighter, more colorful, more clear, and you hold onto this clarity hoping it's not some temporary high, but something everlasting...

 

Then the honeymoon phase passes, things get tough, and you have to decide whether to stick it out or go out in search of something more (whatever 'more' is). So you decide on the latter, and now the first love becomes a measuring stick for anyone else that comes after, until.... until what? You find 'the one'?

 

For me, this can be applied to writing. My first completed manuscript was like a first love to me. I was enamored by the story, the process, the characters. I look back at it fondly, thinking of the happy moments (disregarding the horrible writer's blocks inbetween) and wonder, will I get that again?

 

I'm facing a difficult decision with my current WIP. Should I run with what I have right now? Or change it? Knowing that if I do, I may change the whole undercurrent of the story. And if so, are the changes necessary to what I want to accomplish? Decisions, decisions. Why is it the ones that come after your first love always seem like more trouble and less romantic?

 

I remember the boy that came after my first love. He had curly brown hair that I thought was the cutest thing, but what really looked like a large soppy mop. He had an air of confidence that pulled me in, only because I, myself, at the time lacked it. There was no chase. Rather, I gave in to the easiness of it all. He was a rebound. And I think he knew it.

 

It was easy between us because we weren't serious. But when it's all fun and games without any depth to it whatsoever, you realize that the relationship becomes meaningless.

 

Is that what my current WIP will be? Meaningless? I hope not.

 

Boyfriend number two after my first love was the complete opposite. He was oh so serious, to a capital S. We were two broken people at the time, and I believe he wanted to fix the issues within him by fixing me. No surprise, it became a toxic relationship and I crumbled under the pressure. I was not the girl he envisioned and as much as it hurt, I had to walk away.

 

Sometimes I have this impulse of walking away from my current WIP just because it's so serious. Since it touches on a personal issue, sometimes I fear my mind can snap back to what it once was that I forget how far it has come now.

 

How do you feel about your current WIP compared to your past ones?



 

This blog post was in participation of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! Big thanks to this month's co-hosts: Chemist Ken, Suzanne Sapseed, and Shannon Lawrence!

Back in the US with a cold caught in SK!

If you've been reading my blog, you've probably noticed that my immune system sucks, so I guess it should come as no shock that I am home sick today with a cold.

Michael and I got home yesterday morning from our long flight from South Korea and I felt like complete crap. The flight was a red-eye and I had zero sleep with my cold. I always cringe getting on planes hoping I'm not stuck next to a sniffling sick person. Imagine my guilt getting on the plane armed with tissues, dayquil, hand sanitizer, and cough drops. I sincerely hope I didn't get anyone on that flight sick as well.

Now after almost 36 hours of rest, I finally feel somewhat functional. It's been all sleep, hot water with lemon and honey, tons of t.v., and snuggles in bed with the cat, but it's finally starting to pay off. I can actually get on my laptop and blog without feeling like I'm pushing a half ton rock off my chest. Okay, I'm exaggerating slightly, but it still sucks being sick. It definitely wasn't the best way to end my two week vacation in Asia.

On that note, I still can't believe it's over. Oh how I yearn for the eighty degree weather in Da Nang, Vietnam and the sandy beaches. As for Seoul, South Korea, let's just say I don't miss the below freezing weather.

So about my trip. I don't think one blog post will be able to cover all of my experiences, so look forward to a series on it throughout this month where I go in detail of my day-to-day escapades.

In other news I signed up for my first conference ever! Won't you join me for the 24th Annual Writing & Illustrating for Children Conference for the Western Washington region? I'm pretty stoked about it, but I've taken such a long break from writing I know I need to get back to it asap!

Another thing that's coming up? Michael and I are moving this weekend! Looks like it's going to be a very busy week on top of my vacation hangover and cold!

The Barrel Thief, Hommage, and the undomestic goddess.

I know I say this ALL THE TIME, but I need to say it again: the weekends just aren't long enough. To which Michael will always reply, 'Well, it is only two days.' That may be true, but I wish it were longer, and the week days quicker. I am seriously going stir crazy with my upcoming trip just around the corner. Like, why can't it be here already?

Okay, enough of my complaining and back to my blog post. This weekend I got to check out some new places, but I must have had a brain lapse or pre-vacation fever because I took zero photos of it, so I've linked their websites.

On Friday I hung out with my friend Lisa who recommended 'The Barrel Thief' in Fremont. I'd never been, but immediately liked it upon entering. It had a really dark and cozy vibe that made me feel like I was in some sort of UK pub rather than Seattle. They also had a coravin which made their wine selection diverse. Not to mention they had fresh air-popped truffle popcorn. YUM.

On Saturday night, Michael's parents took us to Hommage. Hommage used to be called The Book Bindery and was my favorite Seattle restaurant. For my post on The Book Bindery, click here. I was a bit apprehensive, thinking that maybe Hommage wouldn't live up to The Book Bindery. But with the new che, I was in for a surprise: it was better! Looks like I have a new favorite restaurant. What made me like it so much was the atmosphere, service, and the creativity of the menu. Everything tasted so damn good. Every little bite took me by suprise. So instead of just delivering great food and great services, they took it even further by getting us excited about the meal. If you are ever in Seattle, check it out. You won't be disappointed.

Again, I'm really sad that I missed out on taking photos. However, photos I do have are from my cooking attempts these past two weeks. This is kind of a big deal and blog post worthy because if you knew me, you would know that I hate to do all sorts of domestic things: cooking, cleaning, etc. But because Michael has been working a lot, I've taken over the cooking, meal planning, and grocery shopping. Nonetheless, the photos are not the best quality, rather they are proof that I have made some tasty stuff thanks to some food bloggers!



Butternut squash soup, Annie's crackers, and lemon pepper green beans.



Alfredo pasta not made with alfredo, also pictured below. Toppings inspired by Simply Clean Cooking and sauce by Nutrition Stripped. 

I paired it with a herb salad with a lemon vinigeratte. Though I learned I'm not much of a sun-dried tomatoes person


Pinch of Yum's enchilada casserole. I paired it with greek yogurt as a sub for sour cream, avocado, and limes!  

Pinch of Yum's Alfredo pasta bake using Nutrition Stripped's Not Alfredo Sauce and NS's Carrot, Orange, Ginger soup!


IWSG: Inspiration via personal experiences versus imaginative

One of the first pieces of advice I had ever gotten was 'write what you know.' I'm sure many of you guys have probably gotten the same advice yourself. It's good advice to a certain extent, but it can also be very limiting to your potential.

 

Starting out, 'write what you know' is legitatmite advice. Grounding yourself in reality and developing your eye (how you see the world) is critical in improving your craft. By training yourself to be present in your surroundings, you're able to be create visceral scenes through the use of words.

 

But if you only limit yourself to reconstructing reality, you will limit yourself by containing your creativity. So what to do? Well, with your developed eye and a dash of imagination, you can then train yourself to be present in your mind. And if there's something you don't know, you do research until you become knowledgeable. Thus, reality acts as a springboard for something else.

 

That's not to say that reality and writing what you know is not imaginative. With a unique perspective, sometimes the most imaginative things can be right in front of you.

 

To quote Shakespeare in Hamlet, 'Though this be madness, yet there is method in't.' I like to think of writing what you know and writing what you don't know as a method for madness.

 

When inspiration strikes, via reality or in your own imagination, that is considered madness, and only when you apply a method to it can it be translated across the page. If you don't like that saying, then perhaps bringing chaos to order will resonate with you.

 

I am writing this post merely as an observation of my own experience with what I've written. When I started with M1, I stuck to reality, contemporary if you will. I didn't finish it. I got bored. Then I was hit with inspiration of another realm, and I wrote M2, and I'm still in love with that story. It challenged me creatively, and that's when I realized it's okay not to write what you know, because it's the process of figuring it out and learning your way through that makes the journey worthwhile and exciting.

 

Now I'm writing M3, going back to contemporary. This time, however, it's loosley inspired by my time in high school and the people I've known throughout the years. But it's also an issues book on body dysmorphia and self-worth, something that I struggled with a lot in my college years and something my main protagonist will go through in the span of a year. In a lot of ways, M3 is harder than writing M2 because I'm writing through personal experiences rather than imaginative inspiration.

 

I've been rereading a lot of my old journals, which really makes me shy away from writing sometimes because somehow I feel myself transplanted right back to my adolescent years. Not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing. All I know is, M3 will definitely be more of a struggle to finish, but somehow I think I'll get a lot of meaning out of it.

 

How about you? Where does your inspiration come from your current WIP?

 

This post was in participation of ISWG. Thanks to Alex J. Cavanaugh for creating this awesome group and this week's co-hosts:  Gwen Gardner, Dolorah, Sarah Foster, and M. Pax!

The Imitation Game, 80th Birthday, & the Super Bowl

So Michael and I finally went to the see The Imitation Game on Friday. We've been wanting to go for a while, but the first time we tried, we missed the showing. The second time, we got too caught up in the season finale of The Taste. Now the third time, after a mad dash of a dinner, we finally ended up making it.

And let me just say, I was blown away! It was such an awesome movie, well-paced, poignant dialogue, a note of humor with some intense emotional scenes, and just well done cinematic and music-wise. I really hope this movie, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Kiera Knightley all get an oscar!

On Saturday we celebrated Michael's grandmother's 80th Birthday. It was definitely a great time hanging out with Michael's whole family from his father's side. I can't imagine what the world will be like if I ever get the chance to live that long. I asked the Birthday girl if time seemed to go by quick or if it seemed like a long journey to get to this point. She answered, "Quick, too quick."

The grandchildren plus Tim & I (PC: Cristine Peters)

Delicious red velvet cake! (PC: Cristine Peters)

Michael & I (PC: Cristine Peters)

The next day was the super bowl. This year I wasn't stuck in a hotel in the suburbs of Boston, thank goodness! So I got to watch the Super bowl with Michael's family. All in all, it was a great time: the food, the company, the fluffy dogs.

PC: @benlowy

The only downside was that last play (let me just say, the city has never been so quiet, grey, and rainy like it is today).

Alas, there's always next year, right?

Blue Friday

 

Since the super bowl is this weekend, I thought I should make a post about the last blue friday in Seattle. Everywhere you go, 12 flags are hung over every business and almost every house. Even in apartment buildings people are sporting them on their windows and balconies. Everyone is wearing their memorbilia, and even the water runs blue!

 

You can just feel the hum of energy in the city! Who are you rooting for?

changes on the way

One month down from the New Year, but just a few weeks until the Vietnamese New Year (Tet)! I know I haven't blogged much (well as much as I normally do), but that's because I'm in this weird transition period. You know, that sliver of time before everything changes completely? Yeah, that's it.

So some updates. This year I didn't go to Hawaii as Michael and I had planned with his family, but no worries, or next planned trip is right around the corner with my family: Da Nang, Vietnam and Seoul, Korea. On Valentine's day, Michael and I will be boarding a plane for the long flight. We booked these flights sometime in October, so it's kind of surreal that it's coming up in just two weeks!

The last time I was in Vietnam, I was eighteen, and had just graduated from high school. Below are some pictures my sister sent me yesterday morning to get me pumped up for the trip.

 

 As children we used to use sheets and pretend to make royal garments, so it was a real treat playing dress up when we were in Vietnam.

 

A first for me was riding an horse! They were so big, I'm still kind of scared to get on them again.



Just posting these photos makes me all nostalgic again.

This trip was also the first time I got to meet relatives on my mom and dad's side of the family.





Just around the corner from my Grandpa's house is this cool cafe. I can't wait to go back. The ice cream in Vietnam isn't heavy in cream or milk, it's more light and refreshing!

Sadly, most of my photos of the trip were lost when my computer crashed in college, so I'm glad my sister still had these photos. Even this one below:
 

But other than the big Asia trip that's coming, Michael and I are moving! And I mean right after we get back from Asia. So you see what I mean about everything changing completely?

So come March, we'll be trading the city in for the 'Eastside' (the terminology used for the eastern suburbs of Seattle). I'll miss walking to brunch, or getting a drink below at the bar, and not to mention the coffee shops right outside our apartment building, but I think it'll be good for us. I come from a suburban area so I'm used to it. Michael, however, has been living in the city for almost a decade now, so it'll be a huge change to go back to the suburban life. Blaire on the other hand, will have three floors to run around in instead of two rooms, so I think he'll definitely like the change!