Realizations

I have come to an important realization. Well I guess I could say I have known it for a while but never really let myself think about it seriously.
As you may know from reading this blog I do an awful lot of traveling and moving around from place to place. This probably seems doubly so since I spent the last year of my Bachelor's degree in a different school than the first two years (hence shortening it by one year-- score!).
The first two years were spent in America and the last in Paris. I know there are many, many, many Americans that idolize Paris and believe it is the city of love and all that Jazz. But I can easily tell you that Paris is one of my least favorite cities in the world. I can't even listen to the song 'I love Paris' because it gets me so irratated I have to sing hate over all the loves. Yes-- it's that bad!
I am being harsh though, Paris has fantastic things to visit, but so does almost every other capital.
But I'm diverging from the point.

What I realized was that, in no other place that I have lived alone (went to boarding school in high school as well) have I ever felt at home like in my home with my parents. Except in America.
Yup, there it is, I've only ever had one home away from home and it was in the lovely city of San Francisco. A city I would love to go back to. A city that I can really say I love and loved living in.
In my life of moving and removing the only constant was ever my family so to have somewhere feel like home without them is... there are no words.

Well, after all that, I think it's normal to say that I am moving back to the North American continent. However I wont be setting up camp in America this time. No, I am very excited that in about four days time, I am moving to Vancouver.
Wow four days, I just realized that as well.

Better go pack.

Write on Wednesday: 4

The Write On Wednesday Rules: Get creative with the writing exercises - there isn't a right or wrong. Please do try to visit the other members of Write On Wednesdays and leave a comment. You can grab the button for Write On Wednesdays from my sidebar.

Write On Wednesdays Exercise 16:

Hadge says:  Take a favorite (or even random play) song and write the story behind the lyrics, not something inspired by the lyric, but the flesh on the bones of the story. It gives lots of scope for interpretative writing. Use the lyrics or theme of a song  for a piece of flash fiction (50 to 200 words). To clarify, write your version of the story behind the lyrics in a song

Resistance by Muse


The rain was beating down harder now. Her breath hung like a cloud in the air before her as she struggled to control her breathing. His hand was crushing hers as he pulled her behind him. He kept looking from one side to the other, he was having trouble catching his breath as well.   
"Jack." she murmured softly, "Jack, we have to stop." 
He looked back at her, his eyes meeting hers for the first time since they had escaped. She didn't regret it, not when she saw the love in his eyes behind the mask of worry. And even in that worry she recognized his want to protect her. 
"There's a cave up this path." he murmured. His voice was deep and broken, the cold was getting to him as well. 
They continued in silence. The path was slippery and she could only focus on the task of climbing from one rock to the other, grateful for the strength in his arms whenever he pulled her back onto her feet. She didn't want to ask how he knew there was a cave, there were many things about him she didn't know but there was just as many that he didn't know about her. It didn't bother her. There weren't many people left who didn't have something to hide. 


The cave was dark but dry and she was grateful for that. She had lived through worse. But now there was the promise of something new, something better. She looked up at Jack. 
"I want to thank you." she whispered. 
The outline of his smile was enough to have her blushing, maybe the darkness was also a blessing. 
"I think I should be thanking you. It wouldn't have been possible without your help." he said. 
For some reason that answer disappointed her.
"We are a good team aren't we?" he asked, sitting next to her. 
She smiled in turn. He always knew what to say. 

But it wasn't thanks to her and she knew it. She was just a tool in their freedom while he was the idea that formed it. If he hadn't appeared, become part of her life, she would still be back there. With that man.


Her fingers wrapped around his arm, pressing closer into his embrace. He was cold and shivering, his clothes were wet but he was still looking out at the entrance of the cave. Making sure they were safe. No one had ever tried to protect her, no one had ever seen the need. Even now she could keep them safe more than he could but she was decidedly reassured by his presence. He had offered her so much but she didn't possess anything to give in return, no worldly goods, no knowledge. 
His shivering was growing worse.
"Jack." she whispered and he turned to her. There was no afterthought, just the simple acquiescence of her words. She loved him for that. She loved him for everything he had done and everything they had gone through together. She wanted to show it to him. Give him something in return. 
"Kat." he said, he could see the resolution in her eyes, "What are you doing?" 
She pressed her hand against his chest and concentrated and the strength they had given her, concentrated on the vast destruction it had caused. She wanted to offer him some of her power, wanted him to understand what she felt for him. 
A soft light shone from her fingertips and pushed its way into his chest. He would have jumped in his surprise, yelped in surprise perhaps, but all he could do was look at those dark eyes as they stared straight into his. 
"Kat."
His lips pressed against hers. 
Nothing she could ever give would compare to that moment. 
She sighed as she pressed into his embrace and felt her own energy pulse through his body and warm his blood. 
"Kat." he moaned between kisses and she could do nothing but moan in response. 
"I love you Kat." he said, "You understand that?" he broke the kiss. 
"I love you." 
The tears filled her eyes and she mumbled her response, "I love you too!" 
He crushed her into his embrace again and just before he kissed her he murmured, "Don't ever forget that. Out of everything that will happen to us. Always remember that."


Her tears spilled over and coursed down her cheeks as she kissed him in response. 


How could she tell him that she already had?




ps:
This is way too long isn't it? If this doesn't count I can rewrite something else...

Monday's recommendation

This is probably one of the most masterfully written books I've read in a while. So bear with me if you've seen the fantastic movie and have the fantastic childhood memory of this story.

The Neverending Story
by Micheal Ende

Let me just pause to take in the irony of the fact that a man called Ende wrote a book called the Neverending story. This, however silly it may sound, will never cease to amuse me.
So a pause for my inner giggling...
OK.
This story, if you buy the version I've shown, is written in two colors and tells two stories that are intertwined in more ways than one. The boy we follow in our world and the boy he reads about in another, are the principal characters. Although most of the story takes place in Fantastica (the imaginary world of the book) we recognize ourselves in the boy in our world, Bastien, as he reacts to the story and the characters.
These characters being Atreyu, a warrior the same age as Bastien, the Childlike Empress and a lucky dragon named Falkor. Atreyu is asked to save Fantastica as it is being destroyed by the Nothing and making the Empress sick.
We discover many ideas and truths inside of Atreyu and Bastien's adventures and as the two worlds meld together they discover who they are themselves.

My Hard Drive is Dead

All is now lost from that drive. 

Now I look like this. 

Teddy Bear Show in Paris

Yes me and mother went to a Teddy Bear show in Paris. Yes we are those kinds of people. Yes there is a giant part of the cinema room that is full of glass encased teddy bears that are all original creators and stuff like that. Are we insane? Maybe a little bit. But everyone has their eccentricities. 

It was unfortunately a rather small show room. Not like anything in America or England where they actually like bears like crazy people. 

The displays, as per usual, were awesome. 

Mother loaded with all the purchases. 

Our booty.
Spot the intruder in the back. 

Here are a couple of the lovely teddies. 

A russian masterpiece. 

This little guy is form Holland. 

 

And this is a veritable french lady.

Walking in the mountains

On our little week in Switzerland we went for a couple walks but the most beautiful was by far another trip to the Matterhorn and the small city of Zermatt.

Ah the Matterhorn, best mountain ever.
Is it sad that it has been twice that I've been here and it's been great weather and my Dad has never seen it outside of the clouds? He never ceases to remind me. I hope pictures make up for this...

 

So every single person on top of that mountain wanted to take a picture of Feanor. I mean I get it, she's a Saint Bernard and it's Switzerland. But this one group of Japanese people kept coming back to get more pictures. It was actually pretty entertaining. 

 

Love

Oh.... No....

My Hard Drive isn't working...... I'm looking a little bit like this. 

Write on Wednesday: 3

The Write On Wednesday Rules: Get creative with the writing exercises - there isn't a right or wrong. Please do try to visit the other members of Write On Wednesdays and leave a comment. You can grab the button for Write On Wednesdays from my sidebar.

Write On Wednesdays Exercise 15 - Give yourself some time to notice the people around you. The people who may cross your path each day. The lady in front of you at the supermarket, the man who helps the school kids cross the road, a neighbour, a waitress in a cafe, a librarian, anyone at all. Choose one person, someone you don't know, and this person will become the basis of the week's writing exercise. Describe this person as you see them, describe their surroundings. Then imagine a problem, create conflict for this person. Describe the conflict. Describe how your character deals with the problem. The conflict might resolve itself, it might not. It is up to you. Perhaps, the lady in the supermarket has forgotten her wallet. Does she bursts into tears? Maybe the librarian finds a lost child. The aim is to show how your character responds to conflict and in the process, reveal something about that character. Tell us their story.

I'm in the middle of editing a few movies so I don't have any time to leave the house but fortunately we're having our living room rebuilt and the workers are running around the house. 
Here's my description: 

He was the type of man who exemplified his job.  A working man, a builder. His large, paint-stained overalls were almost lyrical in their resemblance to a youthful cartoon. Although he was not a tall man, he made up for this in width, his round belly held back by a dark, worn out leather belt. Added to this was a large red shirt from which hairs extended up onto his neck, contrasting with the lack of any on his almost completely bare head. His dirty overalls were half zipped up, a pencil and pad sticking out of the front pocket, always prepared for his overactive hands that demonstrated his every word with large movements. His RayBan glasses, his only sign of frailty, were counteracted by the stud that pierced his brow. But that frailty stayed in the kindness of his eyes and softness of his voice. A voice that was barred by the ever present cigarettes which he puffed without rest, breathing in the smoke as he spoke in a quick southern french. It was only to demonstrate a book or a plan that he would abandon his sizzling friend to the dark ashtray that the owner of the house had lent to him. 

It was a lovely house, large and old, the kind of house that could be haunted and you would take it for granted. It seemed logical considering all the people that had been in and out through the years. But ghosts aren't a builder's friend, not when the cigarette and its ashtray seem to disappear and the new chandelier is making strange noises. One thing at a time, he had a simple mind like that, a real southern man he didn't like to push himself to do things. If he had to do it, it would get done. So he patted himself down, checked every pocket, checked behind his ear and even went so far as to exit the house to check his van. No cigarettes, forgotten perhaps on the desk at home. 

It was, after all that, with a fidgeting hand that he then climbed up the ladder to check the vibrating glass of the chandelier. A masterpiece of colorful glass, from Venice no doubt, yet it lacked the appeal of his lost cigarettes. A frustrated grimace lined the lips that missed their long time friend.  

It was at that moment that his wife, and partner, entered the room. Noticing his climb she grabbed hold of the ladder to steady him and couldn't help a saucy grin and a quick compliment. Forgetting - as he always did in her presence- the need for any other reassurance than her company, his laughter filled the room and resonated in the thin glass. The chandelier stopped vibrating and any strange noises cease. He hesitated a minute before climbing back down to his wife, he could smell that the cigarette was back on the table where it had been earlier but he kept his eyes on his wife. She grinned at him and pulled a pack of cigarettes out of her pocket, he had forgotten it and she had grabbed it for him. 

He placed the cigarettes on the table and brushed her hair out of her face. His hands were delicate and careful, like he hadn't been a builder for all his life, like it was something he had discovered. He planted a kiss on her lips and their laughter resonated with the delicate glass chandelier above.

Monday's recommendation

Murder Mystery Time!

Alright so you do not know this but I am a major Agatha Christie fan. I find that one of the best things to read on a holiday, in the train, plane, boat, car (if you can read in a car - I find it gets iffy when we're in the mountains and we start turning in every direction-) is one of the Hercule Poirot mysteries. So here are three really famous and rightly so novels from the Hercule Poirot series that you shouldn't miss.

Murder on the Orient Express
by Agatha Christie

 

On a train on a long way back home, Hercule Poirot finds himself trapped with a murderer and many alibis. 

Death on the Nile
by Agatha Christie

 

 A couple that Poirot saw once in London has broken off their engagement and the man has remmaried just in time for Poirot to catch the new wife and old boyfriend's honeymoon in Egypt. The old girlfriend, however, has been stalking the newly married  couple and when Hercule Poirot tries to dissuade her she confides in him that she has dreams of killing her old boyfriend's new wife. 

You can guess what happens next.

And then there were None
by Agatha Christie

This one is one of my favorites, not an Hercule Poirot though. It is quoted in almost everything and rightly so because it was one hell of a freaky book.
In it you will discover the perfect crime and why so many were worried about Agatha Christie's hobbies outside of writing.

The Japanese Youtube Video

We're heading back to France today, I don't want to leave Switzerland just yet (and I suppose the news that there has been some kind of nuclear blast back home isn't something that would incite me to go back....) but I will be happy to see my dogs and be in my bed.
The one bad thing, really bad thing, is that the airshow starts here today. The awesome airshow that everyone says we shouldn't miss. The airshow that we saw them practicing for yesterday, making shapes of heart and stars in the sky before narrowly missing each other and zooming back into the sky. Yeah, that airshow. The one time in my life that I don't want to go get my little brother form the boarding house because he is the reason we're missing this awesome event.
We will just have to come back again.

So I'm leaving you with these brilliantly awesome pictures of Garren.

Adorable and amazing but wait for it....

He is completely standing!

He is so brilliant! I thought this only ever happened in japanese videos on youtube and it was something in the water that makes everyone just fantastic at everything.

He crawled her way up there.

Yes there is an iPad in mother's other hand, even the cats are hooked on apple. 

A crazy car ride.

My Mother had some business in Switzerland and cannot resist the call of the mountains especially when there is a good reason to pack off and head to our house in Sion, so we are spending the week in the mountains. Although I still do have quite a bit of work to do, I love working with the beautiful scenery and the lovely company of Mister Garren.

Successful escape from the kitty box.

Spot the cat.

She's so big!

I  love Feanor's gorilla eyes.

Yes, he is sticking his tongue out at me.

Notice Mother eating a peach outside.

Did you know that Peach in Flemish is Perzik and also in Russian?

Monday's recommendation on Tuesday

I apologize for the late recommendation. I know there is no way to be forgiven but to recommend something fantastic, unfortunately I just read a trilogy of not so brilliant books. I have started a new fantastically good book but since I'm only at the beginning let's not get ahead of ourselves.
I'll just stick to a classic that I could not resist and you should not either.

The Robot Series
by Isaac Asimov

First book Caves of Steel

Second book The Naked Sun

Third book The Robots of Dawn

Fourth book Robots and Empire

The star characters of the robots series are Elijah Bailey and R. Daneel Olivaw. The story follows the solving of murders by the Bailey, a detective, with the help of the android R. Daneel  (R standing for Robot). It focuses basically on the conflict between the Spacers (descendants of humans who colonized space) and the people who stayed on Earth (an overcrowded Earth).
I really recommend this series, not only because Asimov is one of the most brilliant writers around but because these books flow so well, they are over before you even had the start to begin and you are left craving for more. And unlike many a science fiction book where you find yourself scratching your head at some of the terms, you don't actually have to understand quantum physics to get these books.

Write on Wednesday: 2

Write on Wednesday Exercise 14 - The Mighty Mighty Rewrite...

Zanni: I did a workshop with literary author Mj Hyland, who teachers Masters in Creative Writing at Manchester University. She asked us to choose our favourite book, take the first paragraph and then write our own content into the paragraph, keeping the structure, tone, language etc. It's really helpful!

Original First Paragraph of Genesis by Bernard Beckett:

"Anax moved down the long corridor. The only sound was the gentle hiss of the air filter overhead. The lights were down low, as demanded by the new regulations. She remembered brighter days, but never spoke of them. It was one of the Great Mistakes, thinking of brightness as a quality of the past."

I have no idea what this exercise really entails, the description of the exercise in itself is ambiguous. But since I have no idea I'm just going to guess that we have to rewrite this paragraph as we would one of our own story but replace our usual way of writing, structuring and all that jazz with that of the writer we have chosen.
I'm not entirely satisfied with this so I'll make it similar in some other ways as well.
I'm pulling characters and plot from my own book because this exercise is so confusing that I can't start inventing characters easy. Argh, so sorry about all there explanations!

Rewritten Paragraph:

"Galen made his way through the high grass. He could hear the wind currents as they moved through the wings of the creatures above. The young ones played loudly and shouted to each other, as the people of the village watched in awe. He remembered a time where they had not been allowed to show themselves, it had been necessary. After the Great War there had been the Revelation, things seemed too peaceful now to last."

...Hope that's correct, in reference to the exercise.

A known fact

Apparently everyone is posting there, and I think there is a good reason for that, but just this one picutre by Ulyana Sergeenko is enough to have me saying:

I want everything this girl is wearing, seriously, even her hairstyle.

Ridiculously cute

I'm sorry but this kitty is ridiculous.

It's hard not to want to cuddle him at all times, can't even get any work done! It also doesn't help that little Garren likes to eat papers and I had to scream and run away when he started eating the final draft of my book.

Kitties aren't good for your nerves when you are on a deadline...

Canada Post numero 4: Jardin de Métis

I hope these posts aren't starting to get old. I loved Canada so there are way too many pictures to put on even a great number of blogs but there are some locations or activities that I find were really worth the trip or excercise. So here's another lovely location in Canada.

On the road, because there is a lot of road in Canada, to one or other location we decided to stop by at the Jardin de Métis. It looked a lot like an English garden but I'm going to say that's probably because it was started by an English lady.

I was happy to get out of the car and into the nature.

The flowers were fantastic!

There were bonsais on the weirdest places but they were extremely beautiful.
 

This is what Smurfs eat!

 

This was pretty high up in the trees, got to love zoom.