An attempt on Creative Non-Fiction

Hi there!

Again, long time no post!

Haha, think I'll just have to make this my new catch phrase or punchline or something, I use it often enough! lol

Anyways, I thought I would share something here today that had been on my mind for a while now.

Oh! Word of warning. Content may be somewhat offensive. Read at own risk! xP

What I've written here is as a creative non-fiction piece for your enjoyment. Please bear with me though. I haven't written creative non-fiction for a while (or written anything much to say the least) so the piece is probably riddled with mistakes even with my self edits...probably should have run it by a professional editor...errr...can't afford one. Wink, wink ;D

Well, if anything strikes a chord or there's anything you'd like to comment on, please feel free! I do welcome some feedback! Though, I do realise there could be a can of worms here...so just need to be careful, I guess. Haha.

Cheers and thanks!
- eenh

Untitled

Poor kid. Probably didn't have much English on him, if at all. I noticed this as I got on the tram. He was in front of me and his father managed to get him a seat at the very front while he went a little further back. The little boy got worried and looked about in alarm.
'Ba,' he cried, or dad in Chinese. His father let's him know he's just behind him and the boy settles back down. The doors close and we start to move. The doors open again and someone who just got on the tram starts to grumble. I hear a snippet here and there.
'...when I was growing up, we were taught to respect our elders...I'm 70 years old...this 7 year old kid. I have to stand up while this 11 year old kid...'
I look around in puzzlement. Who is saying all this. Oh, I see her. A robust looking old lady with quite a large bag beside her. A dirty pea green duffel. At first I didn't make the connection. Then saw the boy sitting on the edge of the two seater at the front who was playing with the flyers and tram timetables on the wall. Oh, right. Just another nut case off her head. Nothing to worry about, we get a lot of them in the city.
'No no, it's fine. You have your seat. Yeah, you just sit there while I have to stand,' she pushes the boy. 'Don't want to share. Fine, keep the seat all to yourself, why don't you.'
I look on in disbelief as she sticks her bum out and shoves the little boy off his seat. All the while he looks perplexed and scared. His father was seated a couple of seats down. He was on his phone. Totally oblivious to what was happening to his son. I really didn't want to stick around to see what happens next. My blood was boiling at that point, but I didn't stand up for them either. Nobody did. We all just looked at each other, mouth opening and closing. The boy who lost his seat now stands there looking clueless as ever.
Meanwhile the old lady continues her tirade and again I was shocked into silence when I heard, '...if he was brought up Australian...' I'm sure she said other things, worse things, but those words stung. I felt myself shake my head, knit my brows and twist my mouth. I held onto my tongue and clenched my jaws shut.
Everyone's ears seemed to have perked up and looking around, I think I was glad that there were a few on the tram that found her comments disagreeable. I for one was quite offended but still I kept my mouth shut. I didn't want to make it any worse, as I didn't know how to make it any better.
I thought of telling the boy in Chinese. 'bie li ta', don't pay her any attention or don't worry or something, but for some reason my mouth had run dry and my limited Chinese all went out the window. I felt hopeless. All I could do was stare and look around at the other discontented faces around me. I'm not sure I controlled what went on with my face.
It was time to get off. I needed to get off. Bad. Flinders station stop. My stop. And for many others too. A nice lady in front of me approaches the boy and asks if he was alone but I doubt he knew what was happening or what she was saying or that she was being nice. I was going to say his father is right here, but again my mouth ran dry. All I managed was 'His f..' and was talked over by that rude old lady.
'Oh, why don't we all worry about him now, ay,' she says.
Someone else in the tram told her to shut her mouth. I had to get out. The poor boy brushes past to get to his father. And that was the last I saw as I pushed past the on coming crowd, got off the stifling tram and went on my way, though, not without many a backward glance and many a shake of my head.
Was I right not to say nothing? Would I have made the situation worse by speaking up? Why do I still feel so shitty and somewhat guilty? Sigh..

Oh dang! Ahhhh...

Ahhhh...

Hehem...

Ahh..Long time no post? Sorry?

Sorry. Just sorry. xP

This is becoming a bit of a bad habit though, right? About another two years without a single post. But sometimes I just find it so hard to write anything these days. Well, that's just me complaining, making excuses..and being lazy. Extremely lazy. Gotta change that, I tell myself..

Anyways.

Chinese New Year is just around the corner. Heck! I can't believe that's another year gone. D: Which means I'm going to be that one year older..very soon. Not that I'm that conscious of my age, but it's reaching the stage where I am starting to get a bit worried...No. Don't even ask. xP Although, if I were to count my Lunar Calendar birthday, that would have been Australia Day, to be exact. I went up to the city and met my old mentor who was up to her old tricks, running the RACV Australia Day Picnic and Federation Vehicle Display. Brought back memories alright...Hadn't seen her in years! So glad I got to see her and another old colleague. Yes, so I don't usually do anything special to celebrate my Chinese birthday, but if I did, my parents would probably make some red dyed, hard boiled eggs as per our custom.

Talking about customs, sadly, not a lot of it is seen in our household, though we still try and make do the best we can, when we can. No, on second thoughts...our family does still observe quite a lot of traditions than most. Some of them are more religious though. Forgot about that...From what my da has told me, today is what the Chinese refer to as 'guo nian', tomorrow is 'xin nian' and the day after is 'kai nian' (see, I was paying attention xP haha). Though, most importantly today is to have dinner as a family. Done! Just minus all the delicious food that is usually eaten during new years. :( No wait...there's all the candied fruits and nuts and sweets! Yay! My favourite would have to be the persimmon cakes. :)

Well, that's enough babbling from me for the moment.

Wishing everyone a happy new year of the Rooster!

大家新年好！祝大家快快乐乐团团圆圆！

Festival time!

Woo hoo!

This is my favourite time of the year! Around May, June is where all the fun starts I reckon!

Why? The Emerging Writers' Festival happens around this time! Also, the Continuum NatCon - C11: Southern Skies Sci-fi, Fantasy, Pop-culture event straight after, during the Queens Birthday long weekend! There's probably a heap more stuff happening around Melbourne at this time..but those are the main ones that I'll be looking out for.

EWF began yesterday with it's wonderful opening address which kick started the 11 day festival. I've only put my name down for a few choice events this year, though I'd really like to do all of them! The weekend conference is a must for one, and tonight's event - The Pitch is something I'd recommend too. There's so much packed into this years program, I'm bubbling with excitement! haha :D

Can't wait to see what this years' festival will bring!

Want to know more? Check out the websites below!!

http://www.emergingwritersfestival.org.au/

http://continuum.org.au/c11/

Winter/Summer Anime 2014 - Thoughts and first impressions

Hey yo!

I'm getting stuck into anime yet again.

Most of the new seasons shows that I am planning to follow have aired, been subbed...and watched! I've pretty much seen episode ones of at least 12+ shows and still following two from last season. There are a few more still to air, so I'll just have to wait patiently for those to be released.

I pretty much watch a well-rounded range of anime, apart from a select few ecchi sketchy ones...but most of the time, it's unavoidable... Lately though, I've also started to read more light novels and will try to maintain that to at least one per season of anime. Last season I followed Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei after watching the first episode and this season I've caught up on Sword Art Online, of which I'm about to start on the seventh volume. Translated of course. xP

Anyway, I'll be posting a few brief thoughts and first impressions of my own on the anime series' listed below, in order of best to worse (IMO).

OH! And a word of warning!! Do not read past this point - Spoiler alert! Well, unless you don't mind spoilers, that is.

Barakamon
Akame ga Kill!
Tokyo Ghoul
Sword Art Online II
Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun
Ao Haru Ride
Sabagebu!
Glasslip
Aldnoah.Zero
DRAMAtical Murder
Rail Wars!
Shirogane no Ishi: Argevollen
Bakumatsu Rock
Hanayamata
Locodol


Barakamon

I really enjoyed watching this one! The humour is sharp and rather intelligent - some were really small things but they made me laugh. I was probably smiling through the whole episode. xD There were quite a lot of flash backs but I didn't think it hindered the story too much but helped to explain the characters actions and reactions at times. The main character Handa Seishuu is a bit of a hothead and is an award-winning calligrapher following in his fathers footsteps, from what I gather. Punching one of the elderly award directors square in the face after he was criticised for being too conformist, he was sent away by his father to the countryside. Here, is where all the fun starts! Can't wait to see what happens in the next ep.


Akame ga Kill!

This episode, although started off on a strange note, really led me on. I didn't expect things to develop that way so that was a plus. At first I thought this would be just another comedy flop but slowly the world they lived in revealed some ugly boils and scars. It got quite freaky towards the end and the characters who I thought were the innocent ones turn out to be the worst criminals in town. This little twist has piqued my interest in this anime and I want to see how it goes from here!


Tokyo Ghoul

Psychological horror themed, and not for the weak of stomach. I guess I've gradually hardened the lining of mine over the years, but yeh, watch out. This anime is about some man eating monsters loose in Tokyo which they call ghouls. The title is pretty much self explanatory. The story on the surface is about an ordinary boy who confesses to the girl that he was interested in and goes out with her. However, she is not what she seems. The boy is attacked and almost dies, but is rescued by modern medicine. During the emergency, certain organs were transplanted into him and nothing is the same again.


Sword Art Online II

As mentioned, I've been reading the light novels for this series. I've read past what the first episode was about but I'm still looking forward to the visual interpretations. So far so good!


Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun

High school romance and comedy obviously, but it could get interesting. Being too flustered and failing to confess to the boy she likes, or rather botching the job, Sakura Chiyo tries to clear up the misunderstanding with Nozaki Umetaro, who had mistaken it to be her declaration of fandom for his manga publications. She unintentionally becomes his assistant instead. Hopefully this one keeps its good vibe from this first episode because I'm rather liking it!


Ao Haru Ride

High school romance, some comedy and feels like it could get emotional. I'm very sensitive emotional scenes and usually cry over the tiniest things, so if this one manages to make me bawl, I'd be happy (that's my way to tell if a show is good. LOL). I really liked the watercolour-like art style at the start, which signifies the main characters in the past as well. I'll be waiting for the next episode on the edge of my seat!


Sabagebu!

Comedy, high school themed. To me, most of the scenes where like the picture above. xP If your into guns you'll probably pick up some mistakes or incorrect usages perhaps? Well, I'm not in that category but its a fun kind of show. Most of the main characters are girls and probably intended for a more of a male audience with some of them fan service shots. Good to watch for a a bit of a laugh!


Glasslip

From what I gather from the title, this anime will be about glass making?? Well, from what I've seen from the first episode, its a high school setting, with some blatant jealousy from one of the girls, a hint of some potential romance or unrequited loves and dreams. Not much of the glass making was shown on screen as yet, though..so is this about glass or not? Anyway. Hopefully it will get there.


Aldnoah.Zero

Space mecha, sci-fi, warheads, missiles, life on Mars and ancient technologies...hmmm. Not really something I'd usually go out of my way to watch, but then, I'm someone who has watched Macross Frontier, Code Geass and FMP! Not that I'm saying those shows share too much in common, besides the mecha component, of course and the wars that are going on, but this one is slightly more far-fetched to a degree. Not too sure what to make of this show just yet, so I'll keep an eye open...for the moment.


DRAMAtical Murder

Male characters dominated with cute pet-like AI companions (they call them 'All-mates'). Set in a fantasy, futuristic Japan where virtual games and technologies exist alongside reality - I think... I hate to say, but I'm really falling for their costumes and oh, the pets! So adorable. I just hope it doesn't get too bishounen heavy, but by the looks of things, I could be disappointed. Despite this, I think I'll take a look at the next ep.


Rail Wars!

This one I can't say for sure if I'm going to like or not. It's about a group of young 'uns dreaming of joining the train and rail industry. In their world, the Japan they live in has total control of their train service on a national level and stands for job security. Before they become a full fledged officer they undergo rigorous training and so on. Being young and heroic, the group get up to do the usual things like fighting crime, showing off and working hard. The animation was really smooth, I found, but I'm going to have to keep going with this to see what happens in the next couple of episodes.


Shirogane no Ishi: Argevollen

This show is also mecha and really does seem like a cross between FMP and Code Geass, to me. Again, there is a war between two major powers - one party could be a reincarnation of the British Empire and the other the Asians. Then comes the appearance of a fighting machine that exceeds the current technology available, yadda yadda yadda. Well, that's what it seems to me. I could be wrong and this anime surpasses all my expectations, so who knows? I'll watch this if there's nothing else on. Sorry.


Bakumatsu Rock

Even I found this a bit borderline. The main protagonists are all male in this one too. Lots of shouting, head banging, ripped shirts and torso. Lots of torso. And bromance. See picture above xP This one has a period setting, but it has so many modern elements and technology, that it comes across as a little crazy. Supposedly about music, rock'n roll and opposition of the ruling authorities, I'm not too sure how this will pan out and if I will continue to watch. I'll set it aside for now, I think.


Hanayamata

This one I found a bit disappointing story wise, but I'm hoping it will improve. The scenes are quite pretty and fairy-like and to say the least..I'm weak against those xP It just seems this one is intended for a younger demographic perhaps. I guess I just didn't feel much excitement for this first episode and thus is in danger of being dropped by moi.


Locodol

Didn't have much love for this one actually. It was a flop for me, but don't be discouraged, it probably just wasn't my type of anime. It's set in a quiet, out of the way town, which just had its public pool renovated. In order to attract more people into the town, a businessman (main protagonist's uncle) comes up with a plan to promote the pool with local idols or 'locodol' for short. Originally wanting some cash to buy herself a new swimsuit the main character reluctantly agreed to her uncle's proposal but did not expect to perform to an audience. Things pretty much went downhill from there.


That's all from me, for now!

Probably the longest post ever written. If I've bored you, I apologise. Otherwise feel free to leave a comment if you like, dislike, agree, disagree..Well, just let me know!

Cheers,
  - eenh

How did you spend Australia Day?

Today, I mark the 5th year in a row as a volunteer with RACV on Australia Day.

Thanks for having me!!

Was great fun and I enjoyed catching up with some of you!

Saw part of the air show in an opening in the trees. Lol. Couldn't really get a good shot in tho. Shame.

Here's some of the better ones. Took these with my new Note 3! :)

This is my Chocolate Choc Top before it went in my belly.

A view of the RACV Picnic and Federation Vehicle Display.

So, how did you spend your Australia Day?

New Record!! 1 Whole Year Without a Blog Post!!

Amazing, right?

So much has happened in the past year, but not once did I put up a post. Tsk Tsk...

Soooo~ let's go back in time!

Jan 2013 - Australia Day! I was volunteering with RACV and took these in my spare time.

 Part of the Federation Vehicle Display..

Was feeling a little artistic and drew these when I was volunteering with Writers Vic. Probably one of my best sketches. xD

Nibbling all the tasties at the Night Noodle Markets

Got this buddy built. All so that I could play DayZ when it comes out onto Standalone...was super hyped. 5 months too early. LOLOL!!

And so, ever since then, I've been even more stuck into playing games. Nothing too complicated. I'm only a casual gamer. xP

Well, that's it for now!

Cheers,
 - eenh

Novel in a month challenge!

I am participating in the 2012 NaNoWriMo for the very first time!

November is the National Novel Writing Month so the aim is to turn out a manuscript of 50 000 words or more by the end of the month. Want to know more? Go here: http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/about

Giving this challenge a go and will be pushing myself to complete a first draft of a novel by the months end. Help me get through this challenge by giving me your support and help keep me motivated! Any thing will do! Some encouraging words or a pat on the back once in a while will do fine too!

Below is a synopsis of the novel I'll be writing from scratch. Hope you like it! If you want, tell me what you think! Any feedback would be wonderful!

Tentative Title: Born From The Ashes: Disgraced

Synopsis

The Ashes is the name given to the slums where the nobility and merchant classes have Fallen and now must reside, as decreed by the High King. Out of favour and out of time, the Forlael family gathered all of what was left of their wealth and courage to escape their fate. Disgraced, the once renowned merchant family were being forced to take a life of slavery or live as the lowliest commoner and they want no part of it. A betrayal disrupts their plans of escape, sending the majority to their deaths or imprisonment. Few who survived were driven into the slums where they live with other Disgraced families. The Forlael, rendered powerless, grit their teeth and quietly bide their time for the opportunity to exact revenge on their betrayers. While they hid in the shadows, strange events in the citadel gave cause for them to question the truth of their demise. 

I may post a little excerpt of the novel up a later, if everything goes well, so keep a look out! xD

Cheers,

- eenh