The Enigma of Herself

Monday, November 16, 2015

Life, Lately… (aka dealing with this and that, and #WriteBreakUpSongsAbout)

So…it’s been a few days since I’ve been here and I wish it was just because I was busy but aside from that…depression and anxiety have been pretty bad, too. The thing with them is that when they attack you bad, they attack you real bad.

And it’s hard. There really were days the past few weeks when I felt like I’ve reached the end of my rope. You have no idea how hard it is to remind myself to keep going; just keep going. Sometimes, life just feels too constricting; like it’s just full of losses and you have no idea how to win. This isn’t about being dramatic; it’s just the truth.

But, anyway, I’ve also been writing and the latest I’ve worked on was my #WriteBreakupSongsAbout (You can still write along! Details HERE) manuscript and though I cannot talk much about it, I could say it’s one of the most challenging things I’ve done simply because…well, this one involved lots of real emotions (my choice! Ha!) and it’s like looking back at a different time in your life (at least, in mine).

It’s just something I have not written about for sooooo long, and this time, it’s like I got to feel all the emotions (haha) just because you know, you’re looking back, seeing another version of you, and putting yourself in your old shoes (whatever the hell that means), and yeah, it’s also kind of therapeutic.

See, I guess what I’ve learned is that sometimes…it’s harder to write about things that are close to you because…you have to work on blurring the lines between fiction and reality, and you have to give it your best.

But here’s another thing: this manuscript is something I’m proud of. It’s something that cheesy as it sounds, really came from the heart. ;)

What I can say is that we had to choose a One Direction song for this project, and what I chose was You and I. You can listen to it below.

I figured it out
I figured it out from black and white
Seconds and hours
Maybe they had to take some time

I know how it goes
I know how it goes for wrong and right
Silence and sound
Did they ever hold each other
Tight like us
Did they ever fight like us

[Harry:]
You & I
We don’t want to be like them
We can make it till the end
Nothing can come between
You & I
Not even the gods above
Could separate the two of us
No nothing can come between
You & I
Oohh You & I

I figured it out
Saw the mistakes of up and down
Meet in the middle
There’s always room for common ground

I see what it’s like
I see what it’s like for day and night
Never together
Cause they see things in a different light
Like us
They never tried like us

[Harry:]
You & I
We don’t want to be like them
We can make it till the end
Nothing can come between
You & I
Not even the gods above
Could separate the two of us

‘Cause You & I

We don’t want to be like them
We can make it till the end
Nothing can come between You & I
Not even the gods above
Could separate the two of us
No nothing can come between
You & I

You & I

Oohh You & I [x2]

We can make it if we try
You & I

Oohh you & I
You & I

Have a good week, everyone!

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

The Once Upon a Time Tag

Hi, darlings! Been pretty busy lately + sick + life is life lol. Also have not been reading much but dropping in to answer this Once Upon a Time tag I found on Quibblo.

Day 1: Your favorite male character?

August Booth!

Day 2: Your favorite female character?

A toss between Regina, Belle, and Ruby. All strong female protagonists!

Day 3: Your least favorite male character:

Dr. Whale ugh so annoying. Also David, can be quite stupid at times lol (HELLO WHY DO YOU STILL TRUST KING ARTHUR WHY???) but still love him with Snow.

Day 4: Your least favorite female character:

Definitely Cora. WORST MOTHER EVER. Also, I can relate to Regina so yeah I know how having that kind of person in your life feels. :’(

Day 5: Your favorite villain:

The Evil Queen. Also, I’m starting to love Zelena.

Day 6: Your favorite scene?

Ugh this is hard, but probably:

When August told Emma to take a leap of faith with him.
“I should have let her die on that horse” –so powerful!
Rumbelle in 1 x 12
Graham’s death because it was just so sad
Every “I’ll always find you” scene

There are so many more!

Day 7: Your favorite ship (s)?

WoodenSwan, Snowing, CaptainSwan, SwanQueen, Rumbelle, OutlawQueen (sorry, I ship a lot lol) oh and Violet and Henry!!!!

Day 8: Your favorite friendship?

Ruby and Snow. Belle and Killian.

Day 9: Saddest moment?

When Rumple broke their chipped cup :’( Idk but it really affected me. Also, August turning into wood, Graham dying, Emma having to be the Dark One. Everything in Frozen Arc was quite sad, too.

OH AND EMMA CONTROLLING VIOLET’S HEART this is so disheartening (pardon the pun). One shouldn’t mess with first love!

Day 10: Funniest moment?
Every time Henry calls Rumple “Grandpa”. Also, “Merlin’s Voicemail” lmao

Day 11: Your favorite badass scene?

Probably whenever the princesses and SwanQueen kick ass. So, mostly every episode lol

Day 12: Your favorite kiss?

I guess Charming kissing Snow to wake her up was quite powerful, and a classic, too.

Day 13: Do you want the Evil Queen to get her happy ending?

Of course. She’s no longer “evil”, you know, and out of everyone there, she deserves her happy ending because it was stolen from her long ago.

Day 14: Your favorite OMFG moment? (Something you didn’t expect)

Eh, Graham dying. It really broke me for a while. Also Emma and Violet’s heart (although I did theorize about it, it was still OMFG WTF)

Day 15: Which side are you on? Good or evil?

Both. Because this series shows that there are reasons why people turn evil (except for Cruela)

Day 16: Your favorite Once Upon A Time outift?

The Evil Queen’s and Belle’s.

Day 17: Your favorite episode?

Ugh, a lot. The Pilot, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, 7:15 AM, Red Handed, The Stranger, Hat Trick, The Stable Boy, Lacey, Quite a Common Fairy, Kansas, The Snow Queen, Shattered Sight, Poor Unfortunate Soul, Sympathy for the De Vil, Operation Mongoose 1 and 2, Heroes and Villains, The Dark Swan.

Day 18: Your favorite actor?

Robert Carlyle, Eion Bailey, Colin O Donoghue, Sebastian Stan

Day 19: Your favorite actress?

Lana Parilla, Jen Morrisson, Ginnifer Goodwin, Meghan Ory, Emilie De Ravin, Rebecca Mader, JoAnna Garcia

Day 20: Your favorite quote?

“When you love someone and they love you, they will always find you.” (Cliché but this makes OUAT “OUAT”)

Also “Why can’t you just let me be myself?”

Day 21: Your favorite backstory?

Ruby/Red’s, Rumple and Belle’s, Grumpy/Dreamy, August, Neal, REGINA

Day 22: Something you want to know that hasn’t been revealed yet?

Where the hell is August again???? Also, will Rumple and Belle be having a baby since Emilie is preggers?

Day 23: Any prop you could take from the set?

The chipped cup. Also Belle’s Rose.

Day 24: If you could be anyone from Storybrooke or the Enchanted Forest, who would it be?

Regina.

Day 25: Your favorite character entrance?

What? Uhm, you mean when we first met them? Maybe, Regina, because she glided lol

Day 26: A character you would like to see more of?

AUGUST. Jefferson. Belle (I always like Belle-centric episodes). More of Snow again. Ariel!

Day 27: Favorite location/set?

Neverland!

Day 28: Storybrooke or the Enchanted Forest?

Enchanted Forest.

Day 29: Your favorite fairytale?

Irl Cinderella. On the show…The Evil Queen’s story, and Beauty and the Beast.

Day 30: What got you interested in Once Upon A Time?

I really cannot remember why I downloaded the first ep 4 years ago (but thank Merlin I did!), but probably just the fact that I like fairytales so much, and the plot had me hooked. J

Monday, October 26, 2015

DRESSED TO KILL Cover Reveal #HeistClub

5 Friends. One Dead Body. A Summer they’d rather just forget.

5 years ago

Amelie, Christina, Cara, Monique, and Tamara spent one summer at Christina’s family’s ranch 5 years ago. It was a time of rest; a time for peace. It was a time when they just spent days fishing, swimming, and forgetting all the troubles of the city. One last hurrah before college, they said.

But that last hurrah ended when Monique was suddenly found dead on the last day of vacation—and their lives have never been the same since.

NOW

Now is their chance to figure out the truth.

But sometimes, truths are far more complicated than they seem.

Will they find out all the answers they need?

Or are they in for something bigger…something deadlier?

Tick Tock. Don’t look back. You might be next.

So…recently I joined a class called #HeistClub, and I wrote a story called Dressed to Kill, which will be out soon! And well, you know, I’m always the excited early bird (lol) so ta-daaaa here’s the cover for the said novella!

What do you think? Check back here for more deets!

Saturday, October 24, 2015

The Gossip Girl Tag

So…I’ve been looking for a good Gossip Girl Tag and found this one from Blue Sky Daze! I love this show so much because it’s so unrealistic–which makes it a good escape! And yeah well, I just wanted to answer some Gossip Girl-related questions so, here you go…

How did you discover the show?

I’ve been reading the Gossip Girl series early in college (around 2006) and then the next year, Gossip Girl was on. Didn’t watch it right away since I was still reeling from The OC, but I would catch episodes on TV from time to time. I’ve also collected magazines with the show in them. Then, one summer, I had nothing better to and I binge-watched Seasons 1 to 4—and yeah, well, I became obsessed with the show lol

Who’s your favourite character?

Serena Van der Woodsen. She’s such a complicated character and I like complicated, self-destructive characters. I like Blair’s bitchiness, though.

Oh, and also Gossip Girl (let’s just forget that she’s Dan, thank you very much)

Who would you see yourself being friends with on the show?

I’m Serena soooo Blair lol. And I’d like to be friends with Chuck! I loved how Serena was friends with him.

Chair or Dair?

CHAIR. I have to admit, DAIR had a lot of chemistry, but CHAIR’s meant to be! “This would not be my world without you in it.” *sobs*

What’s your favourite ship that would never actually happen?

Everything almost happened in the show lol but I hate that Rufus and Lily didn’t end up together. Tbh, I would have accepted it more if Dan and Serena didn’t end up together but Rufus and Lily did. Sucks.

If you were to be a character, who would you be?

Serena!!! I already use her name as my Facebook surname lmao. But, it would be fun to be Blair, too.

Have you read the book series?

YES. All 14. The 12 original ones, the prequel (It had to be You), and Gossip Girl: Psycho Killer, as well.

Who was your crush on the show?

You’d laugh at me but I always liked Dan lmao. And also Chuck! Because he’s Chuck Bass, duh.

What was your first initial thought of the show?

I thought it was crazy lol but I liked it. It’s a good escape.

Who was your favourite villain?

Georgina, definitely. and uhm, Gossip Girl?

That was fun! Any Gossip Girl fans out here, too? :)

This is a Story about a Cat Named Miley….

This is a story about a cat named Miley

who came to us last February

She was always bright and cheery

She liked her milk like anybody

She was crazy, she was cuddly

She was mischievous, and quite deadly

We thought we’d be with her forever

but the world had other plans

One morning we woke up

Just a few days ago, a day I’d rather forget

And he was unresponsive, unlike the usual Miley

We cried, we cried, I felt like I was gonna die

She fell down, forgot how to cat

Why would she forget how to cat

Still can’t accept it

Probably won’t for a while

I’m still living

but Inside I’m dying

We had to let her go

I still have to let go

We’ll miss you, Miley

We’ll miss you so

Just thought of writing something about Miley. Still processing my feelings. It’s the best I could do.

P.S. I haven’t been drawing a lot lately so uhm, Miley, I hope you still appreciate this. Look at your eyes! :D

Thursday, October 22, 2015

She Flies with Faeries Reviews: BLISS by Shay Mitchell and Michaela Blaney

Title: Bliss

Authors: Shay Mitchell and Michaela Blaney with Valerie Frenkel

My Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Sophia Marcus, 21, has already mapped out every aspect of her glamorous life as a Hollywood actor on her vision board. But her life right now in Toronto is anything but exciting. Attending fruitless auditions during the day and working at a douche-y club at night, Sophia is starting to feel like she’s going nowhere…slowly.

Demi Michaels, Sophia’s best friend, didn’t go to college after high school. Short of ideas for her own future, she puts her energy into building the perfect relationship with an older man. And when that relationship crashes and burns, Demi is left to pick up the pieces.

Sophia’s friend (and Demi’s frenemy) Leandra Hunting doesn’t give a crap about hard work or a loving relationship. She has other plans for her future. After college graduation, Leandra sets out to travel the world in the yachts, planes and limos of ridiculously wealthy men. Will any of them be able to show her what love really means–if she can take off her Chanel sunglasses long enough to see it?

Set in the exotic, intoxicating worlds of Hollywood, Thailand, and London, Bliss paints a relatable portrait of life in your early twenties with equal parts optimism and fear, hope and disappointment, expectation and reality. It’s the Age of Uncertainty when you can count on nothing, but, if you’re lucky enough to have one truly great friend, you can survive just about anything.

If you knew me, you probably already know that I do like Pretty Little Liars (even though it’s quite crazy and well, you know what it is), and I actually like checking out the first novels of celebrities (because why not?) just to see how it goes.

Well, Shay Mitchell’s BLISS actually had a nice blurb so I thought, why not?

Let’s start with the good stuff first:

I thought the book actually had good premise. 3 Friends, interwoven stories, growing up and what-not. That’s basically my kind of thing, you know?
Well, upon reading the book I realized it was pretty nice. Nothing too poetic and prose was not deep, BUT, it was quite enjoyable—especially if you’re looking for a good, light read. It reminded me of Dorothy Koomsoon, early Alexandra Potter, some Lauren Weisberger, etc.
I like the imagery! This book takes you places, at least figuratively. You have Vancouver, Phuket, London, etc.
I’d say somehow, it was also realistic because it deals with issues that 20-somethings usually deal with right now, too—just a bit more exaggerated, though…

Then, the not so good:

Uhm, the characters were pretty much all over the place. For 20-somethings, they’re quite immature(!), but hey, a lot of us 20-somethings aka Millenials also probably don’t know what we’re doing. My only problem is that the way it was written made me feel like they could have been more—like there was more to explore but those things just were not explored. I wished the characters actually had more depth. L
A couple of stereotypes. (i.e., tourists being scammed, spoiled little rich girls, etc.) They were just passé.
There were times when the story itself felt like it was all over the place, especially near the end and you just wish the authors would just get straight to the point already.

But here’s the thing: For a first novel, this was actually good, and I might be reading part 2, if there was any. So, yeah, over-all, it’s still worth-reading—especially if you need a light read—and something you’d be able to relate to.