It's been FOREVER. I know. I keep thinking perhaps I should just leave it alone. But that darned
determined, never give up spirit of mine. But this time, I'll just say I'll post whenever it hits me. : D
Showing posts with label Blogging. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blogging. Show all posts
It's Been a Long Time. I Shouldn't Have Left You...
It's Been a Long Time....
So, it's been awhile since I last posted. A long while. As in "over a year" while. What can I say? I've definitely fallen behind on many important things. But hopefully, I'm back.
Somewhat.
I may or may not post as much as I'd like to, but I will post. I miss blogging. It helps keep my creative juices flowing.
Although, do people even blog anymore?
Anywho, I'm back for the time being. Back to share my wisdom...my sarcasm...my wittiness...my all-around awesomeness. Hehe.
So stay tuned...
2012 Challenges
Okay, so I'm a little late in posting this, but better late than never, right? I've decided to join a few challenges this year. I've done this in the past. Some I'd stuck with it...others I hadn't. This year, I'm determined to see all the challenges thru to completion. So, here are the challenges:
This is a new one for me. I haven't really been reading any dystopia books. There were a few that caught my attention, so I figured why not. Since I'm kinda new to dystopia, I'm gonna go for the 1st level (Asocial: 5 books). I may move up if I find more books. I only have 4 books I have on my list so far: Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay, and Shatter Me. I'd started reading Hunger Games before it became overly popular, but for whatever reason (not because I didn't like it...cos I did), I didn't finish.
Interested in joining? Sign up here.
- All I've Ever Wanted - Adrianne Byrd
- The Girl in the Steel Corset - Kady Cross
- The Goddess Test - Aimee Carter
- Inside Out - Maria V. Snyder
- Outside In - Maria V. Snyder
- Uncommon Criminals - Ally Carter
- Fury of the Phoenix - Cindy Pon
The goal if this challenge is to read 12 minority YA books for the year. Since I'm always on the lookout for YA with characters of color, I so wanted to join this challenge. I think I may pass the 12 books, but we'll see. Here are a few books on my list:
- Fury of the Phoenix - Cindy Pon
- Spirit's Princess - Esther M. Friesner
- Living Violet - Jaime Reed
- Team Human - Justine Larbalestier & Sarah Rees Brennan
- Mesmerize - Artist Arthur
Interested? Sign up here.
The goal here is to read 12 YA/MG books from authors making their debut this year. I think I can pass 12. Hmmm...
Interested in signing up? Click here.
This one's from Goodreads. I've chosen to up the ante, so to speak. Last year, my goal was 100 books, which I passed. This year? 150 books. Let's see if I can do it!
Last but definitely not least a blog challenge...
I did this last year and LOVED the challenge. This year, I plan to participate again not only with this blog, but also my other blog, The International Diva. It's gonna be a challenge, but I'm up for it.
Interested? Join here.
Well, that's it my friends. Lots of challenges, no? We'll see how I do. :D
Update/Future Plans
I'm still alive. I promise. Adjusting to living and working in another country has taken longer than I thought it would take. But I AM adjusting and that's what counts. I've just been totally drained by the end of my work days. Who knew teaching 20-something 3 and 4 year olds who don't speak speak your language could be so tiring. Because of my lack of energy, my writing, reading, and blogging has fallen behind. I'm hoping this is only temporary...something I'm experiencing cos I'm in a new country. Adjusting to a new environment takes time, right?
The end of the 1st trimester is near, so I should be good. I plan to relax and enjoy my WELL-DESERVED break in December. Of course, I plan to catch up also. There will be a few changes to both blogs for the new year. What changes, you may ask? Well, you'd have to wait til 2012. Until then, I'll be posting book reviews for the rest of this year.
Stay tuned...
Random Thoughts Thursday: I'm Baaaaaack!
I know. I've neglected this blog in the midst of my moving. It's just been...crazy, ya know? But I'm back.
This blog is like the oldest child. Born first, had "mommy's" attention for a while, basked in the awesomeness that is being the only child then BAM! Another child comes along and steals the spotlight. Now, "mommy" is paying more attention to the younger child than she is the 1st one. Yes, my attention was pulled away to my 2nd "baby" (my other blog), but it doesn't mean I love this baby any less.
I'm the oldest
child in my family, by the way. While it may have been cool being the only child for my first four years, I'm so glad my parents had my brother (4 years younger than me) and my sister (6 years younger than me). When they were born, they were my babies. Who needed baby dolls when I had real babies in the house? I love them to death. Even in adulthood, they're my punkins...my babies. :)
So anyway, I'm back. I may not be back at full capacity yet what with school about to start and this being my first year teaching in another country...but I'll be blogging as much as I can.
Ahhhh! It feels so good to be back!
Update
I haven't been on my blog schedule as I'd like to have been. What can I say? Getting ready to move to another country is keeping my busy. I'll return to my regularly scheduled program in August...hopefully.
I've gotten so behind in my Netgalley reviews, so this weekend, I played catch up. So until I can get to the point where I can go back to my scheduled posting, please enjoy my book reviews (thank God for being able to schedule posts). I'll be updating my other blog, The International Diva, too. In case this is your first time visiting my blog (welcome) or you haven't visited in a while (welcome back), I'm moving out of the country to the gorgeous city of Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates), about 2 hours from Dubai. My other blog is where I'm chronicling my journey.
So, anyway, that's it. Y'all have an awesome week!
New Blog!
Just letting y'all know I now have another blog, The International Diva, chronicling my adventures abroad. My first post just went up. Stop by and visit!
A is for Autotune
I've decided to jump in and join the April A to Z blogging challenge. Basically, the challenge is to blog for 26 days in April (excluding Sundays). Each day is dedicated to a letter of the alphabet. Interested? You can find out more here. I'm joining in late (most bloggers signed up before today). Better late than never, I guess. For this challenge, I'm forgoing my regular blog schedule. This blog challenge is going to be exactly that...a challenge, but hey. I'm up for it. So, here it goes. A is for...
AUTO TUNE
Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a Disney fan. Yes, I'm almost 35 and I still like to watch shows like Suite Life on Deck, Wizards of Waverly Place, or Good Luck Charlie. It's the kid in me, what can I say? Plus, I have dreams of one day creating a Disney show. So, yeah. I watch Disney.
One thing I've noticed is all of the songs are now auto tuned. It's like it's a requirement of Disney stars...in order to sing on Disney, you must have your voice auto tuned. It's quite annoying. Some of the songs are pretty good songs, but you can never tell if the singer can actually sing. It would suck if you went to hear them sing live and they end up being bad singers. And it's not just Disney. The music industry is also auto tuning songs now, too. Am I the only one who'd like to hear a song every once in a while without auto tune? Maybe it's just me...
Three Weeks til 2011!
My goodness, where has 2010 gone? This year has gone by pretty fast. If you haven't noticed, I haven't been blogging consistently. That's cos I'm trying to prepare for the new year. I'm so excited cos I'm updating my blog's look! Yay! It's looking awesome so far. Of course, Zoe from Chic and Sassy Designs is updating it. She's awesome, btw.
Anyway, I won't be blogging as much, but I will be back in 2011 with a new look and maybe some new things. Happy holidays, everyone!
Random Thoughts Thursday
Ugly Betty. OK, I'm kinda over the demise of one of my fave shows, Ugly Betty...kinda. It was weird not watching it this past Wednesday. I liked how it ended, tho. Glad they left it with the possibility of a Daniel/Betty relationship and didn't just throw them together. At the end, the title, Ugly Betty, came up, then Ugly faded away which just left Betty. Could it be? A new show called Betty coming out in the future??? Am I the only one who noticed that? I get the whole "Betty isn't ugly anymore so she's no longer Ugly Betty, she's just Betty" deal. I guess it's just wishful thinking. And what's this I hear about a possible movie? It's only a rumor, but I would definitely be in the theater opening night if they decided to go with it. I'm SO gonna miss this show. *sigh*
Writing/Business. So, I haven't had the chance to really write much of anything these past few weeks. My family and I are starting a family business and the time has been spent mostly on researching and getting things ready for our business plan. I'm SO excited about this business. It's an awesome idea that God put on our hearts. When - not if, but when - Weakly Family Ministries officially opens, I just know it'll be a blessing. There's no doubt in my mind that it will be...we're in the will of God with this thing. Here's to making a huge impact on the kingdom of God.
It's time to get back to writing, tho. I miss it. I find that, if I go days, or weeks, without writing, my world isn't right. I have to write, whether I'm writing fiction, letters, or just journaling, I MUST write. Now that things are kind of settled with the business - we're waiting for word on our business plan - I can get back to my writing. This means that my novels and blog can once again become a focus. I can finally write/blog consistently. My poor Writing Wednesday story was pushed waaaaay back on the burner. Not sure if anyone was reading it, but no worries to those who were. It'll be back in June with a few changes.
Dancing With The Stars. I wasn't as excited about it as with other seasons, but I love DWTS, so I can't not watch it. I'm so glad Kate is gone. I have nothing against her, but she is not a dancer. Seeing as though this is a dancing show, I'd think only the best would win (but you never know with fans voting). Am I the only one annoyed by Pamela Anderson's 'sex kitten' poses? Who am I voting for? Hmmm. Nicole or Neicy.
And am I the only one who thinks Erin's dance partner, Max is a cutie?
Random Thoughts Thursday
Mayor Goodman/Obama. Ok, so am I the only one who is perturbed at Las Vegas' Mayor Goodman's reaction? I mean, come on! Obama's statement: "You don't blow a bunch of cash on Vegas when you're trying to save for college. You prioritize. You make tough choices. It's time your government did the same." I'm sorry, but I don't see anything wrong with that statement. Is it just me?? I don't see him saying anything negative about Vegas. I can sum up his statement in one word: budget. If I'm trying to save $ for college, will going to Vegas and blowing it really be a smart thing to do? Doesn't Mayor Goodman know that people come to Vegas from all parts of the country - the world - so they can experience the casinos and flashing lights? Does he not know that people do, in fact, go to Vegas to blow a bunch of cash? I can't see people going to Vegas and not spending a dime...not experiencing the casinos. If you have, well, good for you. But I'll probably be right in saying most people don't. They go and they spend. They gamble and they spend some more. So why in the h*ll is Obama's statement so bad? Why did it warrant Mayor Goodman's statement that Obama's a "slow learner"? Looks to me like Goodman's the slow learner here. smh
Blog Awards.
I've received my very first blog award: a Silver Lining Blog Award (for blogs that always help others in some way or focus on the good things in life and uplift others), thanks to my friend, Karen Strong over at Musings of a Novelista. I kinda feel like Betty did last night on Ugly Betty when she won a Blobby award for her blog, lol! So, according to the rules, after thanking Karen (thanks SO much), I can answer the following quiz (no more than two words) and pass the award on to 5 blogs I feel deserve the Silver Lining Award.
Now for the 5 blogs that always help others in some way or focus on the good things in life and uplift others: hmm...
