Btsk - MS MR

In love with this song right now, thought I'd share. The rest of the album is great, too!

And, yeah, I'm still around! :)

Game of Thrones Exhibition - The Night's Watch

The Night's Watch

The Night's Watch.

Founded eons ago, the Night’s Watch guards the massive wall of ice that protects the Seven Kingdoms from the wilds of the Far North. In recent times, the order’s ranks have dwindled and are now supplied mainly from the dungeons of Westeros. Driven by the appearance of demonic creatures known as white walkers, Lord Commander Mormont has led his entire force, along with Ned Stark’s bastard son, Jon Snow, north to find answers.

Ygritte's costume. Jon Snow's costume, and um, I don't remember the last one!!

Rattleshirt's mask and gloves. A wildling's waterskin. Ice picks.
Ygritte's boots. Dragonglass daggers.

That's it! I took a lot more pictures than this, of course, but if you can get to the exhibition, it would be great to see it for yourself. Don't forget to catch the premiere of season 3 on March 31st. I know I will be anxiously awaiting it! Do you think the Red Wedding will end the season??

Game of Thrones Exhibition - House Targaryen

House Targaryen



House Targaryen. Words are blurry, so please, forgive me for
not remembering what exactly it says.

Hundreds of years ago after a mysterious disaster known as the [Doom?] of Valyria wiped out their homeland and killed most of the world’s dragons, the Targaryens invaded Westeros and conquered the Seven Kingdoms. Centuries of intermarrying [consequently?] produced the Mad King Aerys Targaryen. The cruel [tyrant?] was deposed by Robert Baratheon, who also eliminated most of the royal family before [taking?] the Iron Throne. Two surviving children, Daenerys Targaryen and her brother Viserys, were smuggled to safety in [??I should know this anyway without squinting…] where only Daenerys remains. Now grown, she has [hatched?] three young dragons and sworn to reclaim the kingdoms that are her birthright.



Dany's two main costumes.

Two of the dragon eggs given to Dany on her wedding day.
Real life fact: The third egg was given to George R.R. Martin as a wedding gift.



Drogon!

Coming up tomorrow, the final post: The Night's Watch.

P.S. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Game of Thrones Exhibition - House Baratheon and House Lannister

House Baratheon


The House information graphic was to the left.
I wasn't able to get a good pic of it because one woman stood there
forever reading it. When I did get one, it was too blurry.
Oh well. I give you this instead.

"Ours is the fury."

House Baratheon founded after the conquest of Aegon Targaryen, has ruled the Seven Kingdoms for the past several decades after Robert [won?] the Iron Throne from the Mad King Aerys Targaryen. The ancestral family seat of Storm’s End was held by Robert’s younger brother Renly – an insult to the older Stannis who was relegated to the [drafty?] island stronghold of Dragonstone. With Robert gone and Joffrey in power, Stannis has [commanded?] himself to [taking?] the Iron Throne from Joffrey, whom he believes is not Robert’s true son.

Robert's drinking horn and crown. Renly's crown. Davos Seaworth's fingers!?

House Lannister



House Lannister.

The wealthiest family in Westeros, the Lannisters of Casterly Rock ruled as kings in their realm until the Targaryen dragons conquered the continent. Over recent decades, the shrewd power-brokering of Lord Tywin Lannister has led the family to a lofty position. The marriage of his daughter, Cersei Lannister, to King Robert Baratheon brought the Lannisters to King’s Landing. Their power was further solidified with the ascendance of her son Joffrey to the Iron Throne, although whispers about Joffrey’s legitimacy abound. Cersei’s brother Tyrion, who has a genuine interest in the well-being of the realm, does what he can to keep his nephew’s imperiousness in check.

Ooh, look at the dashing Jaime Lannister in the left corner.
Costumes (from left to right): Cersei, Tyrion, Tywin, and Jaime.
Joffrey's duds are behind Cersei's (not visible in this pic).

Coming up tomorrow: House Targaryen

Game of Thrones Exhibition - House Stark



Map of Westeros.

Greetings! The Game of Thrones Exhibition is currently hunkered down in Toronto's Design Exchange. This week, I decided to hop on the train and go south to Canada's biggest city to check it out. The tickets were free and currently sold out, but you can still get in by waiting in the hold over line (or whatever it's officially called). I am a big fan of the books and the show so this was an opportunity I didn't want to miss. It takes about a half an hour to get through the whole show, maybe longer, depending on how many people and how long they stare at things.

 

The show features many of the costumes and props from the show's first two seasons, a small archery game, and a replica of the Iron Throne which you can sit on and get your picture taken on (bring your own camera and have someone with you to take your picture). There were some TMN employees who would randomly take pictures of fans on the throne and fix a nice promotional graphic to it which includes the start of the next season and the house you're rooting for. I got the chance for this, choosing house Stark. If you tweet it with the hashtag #GOTexhibitionTO, you can win autographed copies of the books (by George R.R. Martin, obviously, or not). I didn't tweet my picture because, unfortunately, being from Quebec I was not allowed to enter (I hate that I'm excluded from most contests because of this, grr).

 

In the next couple of days I'll post some pictures from the exhibition. So, if you can't make it to one of the travelling exhibition's stops (next up NYC), I hope you'll enjoy this little piece of Westeros  before the premiere of Season 3 on March 31st.

House Stark


House Stark -click for larger view.
Sorry for shadows, lighting wasn't the greatest.

The leading house of the North, the Starks served as the region’s warden for nearly 300 years. It was an early Stark ancestor, Bran the Builder, who fashioned the massive wall of ice that protects the northern boundaries of the continent. Lord Eddard Stark raised his five children ~~ prim Sansa, noble Robb, mischievous Arya, curious Bran, young Rickon and the bastard Jon Snow ~~ to share his sense of honor. Although the family has served the kingdom faithfully, Robb severed ties with King Joffrey Baratheon upon news of his father’s execution, and took on the role of King in the North.

Stark costumes (from left to right, and if memory serves correctly):
Arya, Sansa, Robb, Ned, Catlyn, and Bran.
Poor Rickon is left out as usual!
 

Stark shield in the top left corner, Arya's sword 'Needle', her wooden practice sword,
Ned Stark's huge sword 'Ice', and Catlyn's dagger to the right of 'Ice'.
 

Theon's letter to Robb Stark.

Robb,
I hope this reaches you in time. My father has rejected the offer and plans to attack the North, raiding the shores and taking Deepwood Motte. Mobilize your army and make for the North before its too late. I ll write again when I can.
Theon.


Coming up tomorrow: House Baratheon and House Lannister.

From the Bottom of the Box, Part I

Some of my old journals have come back into my hands recently. My parents cleaned out their basement a couple of months ago and dumped a box of my old things at my place. All of it still smells like my old home (musty basement smell, but so sweet for all the memories it brings up).

I used to keep journals/diaries sporadically, not ever really writing on a daily basis. Surprisingly, I remembered the combinations to open the locks on them, though I had to cut the oldest one open because it was locked with a key lock which I lost the key for. It was quite something, to step back in time, as much as 20 years in one! I’ve realized after reading through them that I have changed, but I’ve also, in many ways, stayed much the same (more on this in later posts).

In the oldest one I found, my mother wrote the first entries for me. Here’s an excerpt from the first entry on January 8, 1993 (don’t worry, nothing too personal!):

At school I worked and played outside. In the class I played with Barbie dolls and blocks. I shared my cookies with James. My mom bought this diary for me tonight.

Funny enough, I sort of remember dictating this to my mom. It’s interesting to see how I thought as a six year old. And I still keep in touch with James!

The first entry I wrote on my own, in sprawling, crooked block letters (how cute!) was on November 16, 1993 (I’m leaving in the spelling errors I made):

I love Jacob and Randy. My friend is Aubrey every day I paly with My friend Audrey and sometimes I paly with Ashley [last name withheld].

And how awesome, my dad wrote for me on the next page! That was the time my mom was away to get an operation. I remember my dad cooking us eggs for dinner, but I didn’t remember that he helped me write in my diary. I recognize his tiny handwriting. And then right at the end, I write: Mind Cat Bad

 

The entry my dad wrote for me.

 

The cat I am talking about can only be Rambo, the warrior cat of my youth. He was orange and white and all muscle. He had so many scars and his ears were halfway gone from all the fights he got in. But I never once saw another male cat in our yard when I was younger. How could I tell the ones I did see weren’t male? I don’t know and don’t ask!

I will have to show this to my parents.

To be continued…

Of Monsters and Men - King and Lionheart

I love, love, love Of Monsters and Men. I saw them perform twice last year. The second time I paid a ridiculous amount of money to see them because the show was sold out but I really, really wanted to see them again. It was so worth it. The first time I saw them was too short. That time was at Osheaga and they only had around 20 minutes to perform, in the scorching, stifling summer heat, but it was great! And worth the sweat dripping down my legs and the dust blowing and sticking onto my skin (that was so disgusting, boy did that shower I took when I got home feel good). They are really great live, whether outdoors or inside a cozy concert venue. They just released the video for "King and Lionheart", one of my favourite songs from them. Take a look and a listen! It's a very eye catching video.

 

I am looking forward to anything they have in the works!

Photo of the Week 20/01/2013

Good afternoon! Okay, so maybe this photo of the week thing will not actually be every single week, but I will try my best (even if the quality of the photo gets reduced when I shrink it; any tips for how to keep the quality in photoshop?). Here is one for you today; I call it cat under the steps. Very creative, right?

Thank you, Max, for posing so graciously in the cold, windy weather today!

 

Writing is Supposed to be Fun

Unless you’re viewing this from your phone, you may have noticed the NaNoWriMo’s winner badge on the right hand side of the blog. Yes, I wrote 50,000 words in one month, and yes, I was amazed that I did so. Why? Because it is so hard to just sit down and write on a regular basis. This competition that isn’t really a competition gave me the motivation to do so. And thus, I was able to get all my ideas out to write the first part of a novel that I am still working on to this day.

 

December was a different story. I was proud of what I accomplished in November. I went to work all day, came home, and wrote. That was amazing for someone who only used to write on weekends and who used to make the tired after work excuse not to write. So how much did I write in December? A measly 2,000 words or so. So why such a huge difference? Life. Life got crappy and any leftover motivation I still possessed from the month before just flew out the window. Funerals and learning you’ll be unemployed come the next year will do that to your creativity.

 

Yet, I managed to get 2,000 words out. That has to count for something right? I still wrote. It was still a passion, and it did help me get through that tough time. I think the real reason that I did not write as much was that I had the uncontrollable urge to edit those first 50,000 words. That kept me from moving on with the story in the same free way I wrote it during November. I was no longer writing without worry about grammar, word choice, and all that, but thinking too much as I wrote. Thus, the slow word count. It’s a first draft; it doesn’t have to be pretty. So why do writer’s have that urge to edit as we go along? Do we think it will mean less work when the draft is done? Maybe.

 

January comes along. Another slow start to the month. I decide to give my story a break, sort of. Instead of writing, I played around with my cast for a few days. That’s right, I did a fake casting call, placing pictures of actors above my character’s names, searching/googling for hours for the perfect actors to play every role in my story so far. It was time consuming. And I guiltily thought to myself that I should be writing. In the end, however, it was worth it. Once I did get back to my story, I was able to write 4,000 words – in one day! Somehow, that little exercise sparked my creativity. January has proven to be a productive month, and there’s still two weeks left. I doubt I’ll do as well as November, but hey, you never know. I’ve already written about 10,000 words this month.

 

I find if I suppress the urge to edit and just sit down and write, that I can move my story along at a good pace. I do outline. In fact, I spent a lot of October planning my story. My outline changes as I go along, which is great, because sometimes initial ideas don’t work once you let the story take over. It’s good to have a general idea of where you’re going before you start writing, at least in my experience. Being a pantser might work for some, but not for me.

 

So, if you want to write a novel, just sit down and write. Because thinking of it, planning it will only go so far. You have to actually write it, you know? And don’t let real life get in the way of doing so. You have a job? Write on the weekends, in the evenings. It can be done. Need motivation? Set deadlines for yourself, in the same way that NaNoWriMo set a deadline for writing that many words, you can set your own goals. Ask a friend to cheer you on or write with you. Most of all, just write! Stifle your inner editor and let the words flow.

 

And if what comes out is so horrible and embarrassing, no one has to know. It’s only a first draft. You’re not going to send that to an agent, at least not right away… I hope. The most important thing for me when I write is to have fun. So have fun! Don’t let writing become a chore; make it something you look forward to after a long day. Good luck!

The Passion

You search through your closet, digging through piles and piles of purses, shoes, and clothes you’ve only ever worn once (some with the price tag still on). You ask yourself where you put it, how you could have let it fall underneath all this stuff. Your heart races, your frustration rises. You begin to panic.

 

Where is it!? Where is it!? You scream.

 

Your cats look at you as if you are the craziest person on the planet. And maybe you are.

 

You just vowed to yourself that you would not cave. That you would not give in to the passion that courses through your blood. The passion – it is a fabric of your life, a part of your being. It lay dormant when it should not have. In a fit of madness, you cursed the gods for taking away the only thing that brought light to an otherwise dark winter.

 

Greedy turds, you repeated like a mantra for months. You promised you would never follow your passion again, that you would punish it for becoming so elusive.

 

You stare at your closet, your nostrils flaring, and your breath rapid. You tear through a leftover piece of Christmas wrapping paper. The holidays could have been so much better, had you had your passion. And then you see it.

 

Hiding in the far corner of that haphazard closet, covered in dust bunnies, cat hair, and spider webs: the bleu, blanc, et rouge. Your hand brushes over it; the feeling of 100% polyester brings tears to your eyes. Gently, you pull it out from the dark abyss. Into the light it comes, gleaming, shining like a beacon of hope. That “c”, that “h” – its love at first sight, all over again.

 

The hockey gods have answered your prayers (the ones you made after apologizing profusely for the curses).

 

You hug the jersey to your chest, embracing it like a long lost love, breaking away only to spit out a hunk of dust bunnies. You realize you have been waiting for this moment for too long. Far too long.

 

You trace your fingers over the name stitched onto the back. Price. And the number. 31. Your heart continues to race, no longer out of anger, but out of excitement. Could this be the year? Could Lord Stanley’s Cup finally return to where it belongs?

 

But you are getting ahead of yourself. You promised you would boycott the season. After all, what’s half a season worth to you? Just more of your hard earned money wasted on a team that did not even make the playoffs last season. Just more heartbreak.

 

Yet, the passion; it stirs within you. It fights to break free. You yearn to feel the cold, biting winds outside of the Bell Centre, to sit with twenty one thousand others consumed by the same passion, and chant that simple chant: Go, habs, go!

 

You sigh. It has been far too long. You place the jersey over your head and wear it; like a second skin it moulds to your body. You want to be proud again. You want to root for something again. You remember your Classics. A worthy man is not mindful of past injuries. Euripides. You can forgive.

 

The passion burns too brightly within you.

 

You begin a chant. Go habs go; go habs go; go habs go…

 

Leafs @ Habs, February 12, 2011 (personal collection)

 

Glory to all, the passion has returned!

Lord Huron - The Ghost on the Shore

I thought I would share with you one of the songs I am currently in love with. Lord Huron's "The Ghost on the Shore" is a beautiful song. It is one of those songs that tell a story. The lyrics are just great.

I'm just a man but I know that I'm damned
All the dead seem to know where I am
The tale that began on the night of my birth
Will be done in a turn of the earth

 

It has a folksy feel to it (must be the harmonica), which I am really into right now. They even sound a little bit country, but I don't really mind that. I grew up with my dad blasting Conway Twitty, George Jones, Red Sovine, and company. In any case, I think Lord Huron is a great band and this is a great song, along with "In the Wind". Both songs are from their "Lonesome Dreams" album.

Take a listen:

 

There is still hope for music! 

 Full lyrics

Photo of the Week 06/01/2013

Good evening! I thought I'd do a photo of the week thing, since I love photography. It's not a serious hobby of mine, but it does give me joy. I mostly like to take pictures of the sky and other facets of nature. I will shrink the photos, as the originals are very large. They won't always have been taken in that week, but hopefully I get inspired every week to take an awesome picture (by my standards, awesome that is). I have a Nikon Coolpix L120, and it is the best. It's about two years old now but still takes great pictures. Anyway, I hope you will enjoy!

This is one from the archives. A November morning. 08/11/2012