Silly Saturdays 2: A tale of Louie and Louisa

There once were two monkeys
named Louie and Louisa.
They both ate bananas
like teens eat pizza
Banana Pudding
Banana Chips
They even had
Banana cookies and dips
You'd think they would tire
Of the same flavor,
but these silly monkeys
would only savor
every dish they created with flair.
But one day. . . the bananas weren't there!
With no fruit to eat, the moneys were sad.
A life without bananas, to a monkey, is bad.
So off they went
in search for salvation.
They traveled to the tree monkey train station.
Once they arrived, they noticed one thing.
None of the monkeys were there to swing
The vines were empty, the bananas were gone.
For Louie and Louisa, this was simply wrong.
They searched for the lion, king of the land,
hoping the he would come up with a plan.
But the lion was also away from his lair.
They sighed and cried, and picked eachother's hair.
It was time for bed, and the moneys were lost.
This was as normal as jungle frost.
But as they arrived to their very own tree
They heard a roar and a shout of "WHOOOOPEEEE!".
The lion and tree monkeys laughed in their wake.
The bananas had become a giant cake.
Louie and Louisa grinned in delight.
And Louie dove in to have the first bite.

THE END

Fantasy Fridays 2: A funny fairytale

Since it is a fantasy story, I decided to post my funny fairytale for today :) Enjoy.

Inspired by this picture in Disney Princess Magazine:



A funny fairytale
Once upon a time there lived a handsome prince who was very rich and very bored. One day his parents told him he would have to marry. So the prince, who didn’t want to marry anytime soon, decided to create a challenge for a princess in order to become his bride. He had a very large slingshot that he was given on his birthday, so he decided to come up with an impossible task to keep him single for a long, long time. He declared that any girl who wanted to marry him would have to be brave enough to be slung in the slingshot, and if she could find her way back to him, he would marry her. The prince was very rich, so naturally girls flocked to the palace, but when they were given the challenge, not one agreed to be flown across the mountain region that the palace was built on. Even when they were told that they would have a parachute, they refused and left immediately. The prince was satisfied with this plan until one day when a girl requested an audience with the king. She was very smart and wanted the king’s help to allow her to attend college. The king replied that if she would marry his son, the girl would be given anything she wanted. With that, the girl rose to the challenge and accepted the conditions.
The prince was shocked that someone had accepted this ridiculous task, and tried to persuade her out of it. As she was given a parachute and sat in the slingshot, the girl only smiled and said, “I’ve always wanted an adventure.” So the prince watched with worry as the girl flew in the air and over the mountain range.
She landed in a village near the mountain and began her journey in determination. On the first day, she came across an old woman with a basket of apples.
“One bite,” the woman said, “and all your wishes will come true,”
The girl politely refused, never having believed in such things, and carried on. On the second day, she met a fairy with a spinning wheel.
“This wheel will spin the finest gold, and you will be rich,” the fairy offered. But the girl refused again, explaining that she wouldn’t be willing to give up her child or even prick her finger and fall asleep. The third day, she came across a frog that wanted a kiss. But the girl refused yet again, tired of meeting people. Lucky for her, she arrived at the palace on the fourth day. The people cheered for her bravery and persistence as she went straight to the castle.
The king greeted her with a smile, and the prince was now very surprised that his plan didn’t work.
“My dear,” the king smiled, “You have accepted the task and I will now reward you. What do you desire?”
The princess smiled and replied, “I want to go to college, and I ask a favor of my prince.”
The prince, by now, was thoroughly impressed with this girl, and replied, “What would you ask of me?”
The princess took him to the slingshot, gave him a parachute and with a dazzling smile replied, “Now it’s your turn.”
The End

Writing Wednesdays 3

Prompt: Write a stressful situation in second person.


You stare at the blank answer sheet and test booklet in front of you. The ticks of the clock echo through your head as your pencil scratches your name on the top right hand corner. You didn't study for this test. You forgot all about it. Now the room only inhabits soft scribbling sounds and the loud tick of the clock. You have twenty minutes. You feel the teacher's eyes on you as you gulp and begin reading the first question. Your stomach growls, but no one seems to notice. The room seems like a white box with only the glare of the black text asking you questions and expecting you to fill in a bubble for your answer. The air grows hotter as the pressure builds on your brain. How are you going to get through this? You close your eyes and take a deep breath. You sift through memories of class, but your mind becomes distracted with your favorite song, your latest conversation and the ringing of your ears. The desk is cold as you lean over the test. Your hair tickles your forehead and you brush it back, hoping to find a way to focus. You tap your pencil to the paper as you think. You resist looking at the clock for fear of wasting more time to complete the test. Your hand begins to itch. Focus.

Traveling Tuesdays 2: Neuschwanstein

Neuschwanstein Castle


I've wanted to go to this castle since I watched Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. It reminded me of the castle in Beauty and the Beast also, even though it's not in France. If I went there, I would stand on the pathway above the giant front doors and stare at the beautiful mountain scenery. The castle itself may inspire a fairytale and set the mood for any kind of story. It would be even more amazing to see the castle at night. But until then, I have a puzzle, and a dream.

Music Mondays 3 (August's Rhapsody)

August's Rhapsody by Marc NMancina

If you haven't seen this movie, I highly recommend it. In fact, the most moving part of this piece of music is the story it is tied to. This instrumental is the key that brings everything together at the end of August Rush. While Evan searches for his parents, he becomes a musical prodigy, and it is with this rhapsody that he finds the answers to his questions. The story of this piece reflects the emotions that Evan experiences during his long journey to find where he belongs. A beautiful and inspirational moment.

Star Sundays 2: Why stars are so important

Stars are beacons of hope in a vast sea of darkness. Without the stars, only the moon and planets would be visible points of light, and the night sky would bring fear instead of wonder. Stars tell stories through the imaginations of people deciphering their patterns in the sky. These small but effective lights in the sky bring hope to those that fear the darkness. Darkness represents the unknown, which scares many people. The Unknown can represent anything. Only light can define the darkness. Light represents knowledge. This makes stars important bits of information, slowly defining the unknown areas of space. No star is exactly alike in age, color or size. Though they are all giant balls of flame, each star has their own lifespan, defining color, name and purpose. So, without stars, life would seem a murky and scary place to all who fear the unknown.

Thoughtful Thursdays 2: A Thoughtful Book Review

I recently finished What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen. The message of this novel is actually a lesson that I had to learn myself, but not to the extreme of the protagonist Mclean.
As Mclean reaches the end of senior year in High School, she has obtained five identities.Her habit of giving herself a new name and personality was a coping mechanism with the many moves forced on her since her parents' divorce. As if a divorce was not complicated enough, Mclean also deals with fear of attachment. The many names she creates give her a way to avoid her own indentity. In truth, the real problem Mclean faces involves what she wants and who she is.
I have always loved Sarah Dessen's books since the moment I discovered Just Listen and found a favorite in This Lullaby. Each novel invites the reader into a psychological journey of dealing with difficult situations. Mclean is supposed to be the average girl, and on the surface, people would be impressed by all the activities she joined, and all the feats she accomplished; but, because Mclean refuses to get close to anyone, she has no true home within herself. One of the best scenes in this book, is the big reveal, when Mclean's new friends discover her many profile pages and she is forced to realize her true identity. I can relate to this, because my coping mechanism to avoid being close to others was to adapt to my favorite characters from books and television. After pretending to be a character who was too extreme for my personality, I realized that I had to learn to be myself and trust others. Mclean learns this lesson through the failure to create a new bogus identity when she moves to Lakeview, and her attempt to claim a new persona fails more than once. But the thing about Mclean's story is not only about the importance of discovering your identity. The true heart of the book involves the matter of creating a home for yourself.

One of the best quotes from the book is the revelation Mclean has about the real definition of a home.

"Home wasn't a set house, or a single town on a map. It was wherever the people who loved you were, whenever you were together. Not a place but a moment, and another, building on each other like bricks to create a solid shelter that you take with you for your entire life, wherever you may go." (Dessen 364-365)

After reading the entire book, this quote stayed with me. Mclean's journey to discover herself is well worth the read for anyone who feels like they have no where to go, or even people who don't know their true persona. I give this book five out of five Blueberry Banana Brain Freezes. Mclean's story is a wonderful insight to the sanctuary you must find within yourself.

Writing Wednesdays 2

Prompt: choose a piece of art at random and write the story within the painting: (This was a school project as well)


(picture courtesy of http://en.wahooart.com/A55A04/w.nsf/Opra/BRUE-5ZKDP2)

Mountains in Provence: A painting by Paul Cezanne


The shadows blend into each other. Yellow, green and brown reflect off the sunlight that streams through autumn trees. A house sits in the distance. Who lives there? Behind the fields, the hills and sky meet, dark green to light gray. A soft breeze blows from the left, and all the trees bend with the force. The rocks have odd shapes. Some are rough while others are smooth. Triangles and broken pieces of cubes stand out in the shade. They have a dusty orange and pale white hue that reminds me of a fox tail. Maybe a fox hides in there somewhere, waiting to find its next meal. A rabbit hides in the rocks and keeps extremely still in order to stay alive. The fields are organized and geometrical with the fresh greens of strawberries, the yellows of sunflowers, and the browns of cornstalks. Outside the painting, a deer may be standing and wondering why humans require such order. From the clean cut fields to the straight and simple houses, order was etched into everything man made. What does it mean to thrive off of these ways of life? The order must stand for something. The deer could be perfectly content sleeping outside under a tree with uneven amounts of branches and a slightly bent trunk.
As the wind pulls through the bushes like a wave, a hawk lands in its nest while it watches the sun sink under the hills. The animals seem to laugh at the humans, living unorganized lives where the food chain is more important than the picturesque or the philosophical. Nature seems to know a secret painted in the colors, shapes and beings of wildlife who laugh at humanity’s attempt to make sense of their world. From a distance, this scene appears very picturesque. All the grounds are occupied by something. In the background, fields touch the sky. The middle ground is occupied by a house, simple and straight with a shed tinted sky blue and buried in the tall grass. The foreground is made up of trees and rocks, all placed on a hill. These rocks are not quite slanted by exact angles like the farming fields.
A bird would see the squares turn into the wavy lines of hills and a patch of green shaped like a shoe. No water is in the picture, so the deer will stand by a small pond on the other side of the hill. The pond is inhabited by fish, birds and dragonflies that weave above the water and through the cattails that create a hazy, light brown shadow in the reflection of the water. Every now and then, a fish will bob up for water and create a ripple that disturbs the reflection of the house, hill and sky. Chaos in an orderly fashion. A perfect circle stretches the view of any who dare to look in the water. A farmer brushes his horses and feeds them oats while the children run through the grass until their mother calls for dinner. The triangle shaped bell swings in the wind outside the door until it’s time to ring.
When the bell rings, the deer will look up. The hawk will fly away, and the pond will be silent. Maybe a few dragonflies will hop from lily pad to lily pad , but the crickets will start their music and the fish will bob until they sleep. Once night falls, the barn owl will look for a mouse. The fox will curl up in its den, and the rabbit will be safe.

Working With Autism

I've debated on writing about working with Autism. It would be less of a book about Autism, and more about the people without Autism learning how to cope. My main focus would be siblings of someone with Autism, since I am one, and I never found a book that could help. Anyway, I thought up a bit of a prologue to the book while driving home today:

For reasons unknown, I will invite you into the world of Autism. This is a venture that is more internal than external. Autism is like many things in this world, you have to work at it, but unlike most things, you never get a break. It is always present in your daily routine and it does affect you. The first lessons I have learned in this experience involved just how human I am. I cannot be perfect, and I cannot try to fix everything. Even today I forget these details and continue to be too hard on myself. The most important lesson I learned was this, the trick to coping with an Autistic person is to separate them from the Autism. Impulses are not part of my brother's personality. This is easier said than done. You can forget this in the moment when "melt downs" occur and people stare at you like you have no idea how to handle a situation. It is then that you must keep in mind your own perspective. They really have no idea what you're going through. If they judge, it is their problem. Another important trick is to use perseverance. Think of the journey like a mountain hike. The goal to reach the top urges you forward and guides you through each step. Again, this is easier said than done, but the more you practice, the easier it gets. Another tip and this is actually important, be yourself. You need to take a break every once in awhile. Five minutes can work wonders on your mind when you can't figure out a problem. So why am I writing this? Because this is my life, and I know I'm not the only one. Siblings of someone with Autism are often overlooked in books and even in the process of therapy. But sometimes those siblings need to remember that they are also important. Working with Autism is difficult, but it isn't impossible. What matters are your priorities and goals.

sneak peak at my script for a fake episode of Merlin :)

Because it was requested, here's a small preview of my fake Merlin script:

Merlin Episode 40: The Sword in the Stone
1. INT. MORGANA’S CAVE
It is dark and MORGANA stands in front of a scrying bowl holding a sword. KAY approaches from the shadows, wearing a green pendant that glows around his neck.
MORGANA
You know what you must do.
KAY
Yes my lady. I must challenge the crown prince. I must reclaim my father, Uther Pendragon.
MORGANA
And?
MORGANA gives KAY the sword.
KAY
I must fight Arthur Pendragon with this sword and kill him.
Titles
Cut to
2. INT. VILLAGE
MERLIN walks around in the village and sees a young man fighting with LEON.
MERLIN
What’s the problem?
LEON
This man demands an audience with the king. But he refuses to state his business.
Cut to
3. INT. THE THRONE ROOM
UTHER sits pensively on the throne while two KNIGHTS enter the room.
KNIGHT
Sire. Someone has requested an audience with you.
UTHER
What business does he claim to have with me?
KNIGHT 2
He claims to be your son my lord.
UTHER
Send him in.
KAY enters, with an amulet in his hands.
UTHER
Who are you?
KAY
I was afraid you wouldn’t remember.
KAY hands the necklace to UTHER.
KAY
This is a gift. Once you wear it, you’ll remember me.
UTHER looks at the necklace with worry, but before he can hand it back, Kay puts it around his neck. The gem glows a bright green and UTHER turns to KAY.
UTHER
Welcome back. My son.

Cut to
4. INT. CASTLE GROUNDS
ARTHUR practices sword fighting with the KNIGHTS.
MERLIN
Arthur. We have a problem
ARTHUR
Really Merlin, whatever this “problem” is, I’m sure you can handle it.
MERLIN
I don’t think I can do anything about this.
ARTHUR
Does it involve my unpolished armor?
MERLIN
Not exactly.
ARTHUR
Have the horses been released again?
MERLIN
That was not my fault.
ARTHUR
What is it then?
A KNIGHT walks towards them.
KNIGHT
Sire. Your father has demanded your presence.
ARTHUR gives MERLIN a look and walks toward the castle.
Cut to
5. INT. THRONE ROOM
ARTHUR enters the throne room. UTHER sits with KAY standing by his throne. A green gem hangs around his neck, and a similar gem hangs around KAY’s neck.
ARTHUR walks in, with MERLIN following him.
ARTHUR
You wanted to see me?
UTHER
Leave us.
MERLIN, KAY and the GUARDS leave the throne room.
UTHER
Arthur, I have finally found your brother.
ARTHUR
What?
The gem around UTHER’s neck glows.
UTHER
Your mother and I had a son before you, but he was lost to us.
ARTHUR
I don’t understand.
UTHER
Igraine and I searched for days. We thought he was taken by a sorcerer.
ARTHUR
Father, this must be a joke.
UTHER
This is no joking matter! I’m telling you this because you and Kay are of the same blood.
ARTHUR
You expect me to believe that stranger is my brother?
UTHER
You will not call him a stranger! You will call your brother by his name.
ARTHUR
How can I believe this?
UTHER
I can see you need time. I will give you some.
ARTHUR
I don’t need time! I need proof!
UTHER
You don’t trust your king?
ARTHUR
I don’t trust my father. What other secrets have you kept from me?
UTHER
If you won’t accept this, Arthur you give me no choice. Until you see Kay as your brother, we won’t speak of this again.
ARTHUR storms out, while UTHER shakes his head. KAY walks in.
KAY
I don’t understand.
UTHER
Your brother has always been difficult.
KAY
Perhaps he needs a challenge in order to convince him.
UTHER
A challenge?
KAY
Sire, if I may, I would like to duel Arthur in a tournament. My skills may be no match to his, but he may accept me if I prove to be worthy as his brother.
The gem around UTHER’s neck glows again as UTHER becomes convinced.
UTHER
Arthur has always enjoyed a good challenge.
KAY
Would a tournament be suitable?
UTHER
Such an event would be a way to celebrate your return.
KAY
Yes sire.
UTHER
Then it is decided. You will fight Arthur in the tournament. Guard!
The guard enters.
UTHER
Begin the preparations for a tournament immediately.
The GUARD nods and leaves.
KAY
What about Arthur?
UTHER
I will tell him when he is ready.

Music Mondays 2

I love to listen to this song after a long and hectic day. It's called Dearly Beloved by Yoko Shimomura. Listening to this song, I picture a cool island and the waves lapping the shore. It's so peaceful and calming that I recommend it for audio therapy. It's one of those pieces that is perfect in its simplicity.

A crisp breeze
Carries the memories
Lost in a sanctuary
Adrift on the tide

If time could pass
As gently as a wave
As meaningful as a heartbeat
And as beautiful as a song

Perhaps the thoughts
Reflections
And emotions on the water
Can do no wrong

Star Sundays

The Papou fruit is a star shaped symbol of destiny. This fruit is a made up tradition in the video game Kingdom Hearts. If you share it with someone, they become a part of your life. I decided to use the Papou fruit fro my first star, because stars usually symbolize destiny, dreams and goals.

Silly Saturdays 1

What I learned from You're Beautiful, the Korean drama: never get too carried away with your ipod in the country. A pig could be waiting around the corner!

Fantasy Fridays 1

The Moon Sands

I came up with the idea for this place when I took a road trip with my mom and watched an entire field covered in snow fly by. It looked like a desert at the time because the sun was setting, and no buildings, hills or mountains could be seen. This scenery reminded me of a story I was working on and I decided to have a desert with pearl white sand surround the main city. It would be called the Moon Sands because the color of the sand would reflect moon light, and the desert would look like the landscape of the moon. The desert was also next to the ocean and stretched out until it came to a forest. The Moon Sands desert is a vast, pearly white landscape that stretches for miles and plays an important role in the folklore of Rothla, the great city surrounded by it.

Thoughtful Thursdays 1

Topic: Inner Peace

This idea was in the movie Kung Fu Panda 2. Shi Fu tells Po that the only way he can become a master is to find inner peace. In other words, Po would only accomplish great feats if he had peace within himself. Inner peace is a concept that may or may not exist. Is is real to find peace within yourself? Po achieved peace by learning who he truly was at the present instead of clinging to the pains from the past. To be honest, I think it would be great if inner peace was real. To be able to find balance within yourself sounds like a nice solution to many problems. Even when you are faced with something in the present that is tied to your past, if you have inner peace wouldn't it be true that you wouldn't be stressed out or in pain? Or is inner peace the knowledge that things from the past will pop up time after time during the present? Maybe inner peace is simply accepting the way things are and the way you are. Inner peace sounds like a tricky thing, but maybe if you believe it is possible, you will be able to achieve it.

Writing Wednesdays 1

Writer's Prompt:

I'm good at . . .

Deciphering story plots. Ever since my mythology class, I have been able to recognize archetypes, understand the subconscious journey of the myth quest and write my own inner struggles through my stories and characters. After every movie I see, I try to understand the characters to such an extent that I become very attached. This is why I should probably avoid scary movies. Learning the basic characteristics of story writing has inspired me to learn my own morality and view of the world. unfortunately this talent has helped me avoid emotional situations by replacing the with logical problems. No matter how many books I read, stories I pick apart, or characters I love, I cannot understand emotion. Perhaps through writing, I can better understand myself and the world.