Face the Music

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Adi bought me a rename token :) IT'S STILL DUAL, SO DON'T FORGET WHO I AM.



I love you all so much ♥

OH ALSO vowel THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE COOKIE ILUUUUUU

So, I know I sometimes rant on here about what despicable little brats my sisters are, bemoan how they don't respect me and in general fear that my love suffocates them.

My youngest sister, who is painfully talented at most everything and undeniably lucky besides being just a tad spoiled by my parents, recently turned 13. I've been feeling like she doesn't want to relate to me and doesn't appreciate me.

Today is Monday. My other little sister has school until tomorrow, and I wanted to do something special for her. Earlier this year she learned that she is allergic to a protein in milk products. It's not like being lactose intolerant. She can digest lactose, just not this other protein. So she can have only soy milk. The thing is, she really loves cheese. So I have been hunting for soy cheese, and it turns out that there is a health food store in Modesto that might carry some, and I need to go to the muni golf course there to buy a round of golf for my Papi's Christmas present. There is also a vinyl record store down the street from there, and since my 13 year old sister is really into music, I wanted to buy her a record.

About an hour ago I went into her room to gently wake her up and tell her we're going to Modesto today to buy her and Nene and Papi some presents, and she rolled over, fluttered her cute eyelashes and mumbled

"You don't have to get me a present, Divina. You give me presents every day."




I just about cried.

Alright, so I've been sitting on this for about a month and a half, and the only person I've told is Adi (for the obvious reasons). Even though I've been sort of squirming with the desire to just TELL YOU ALL, but that would be no fun, and I dearly wanted this to be fun. So let's tell a story!

A few months ago, I asked for a few volunteers to help me crit and edit original fiction. Some brave, kind souls agreed, and consequently had to put up with reading my original stories and offering crit. Except they suck because they still don't offer enough crit. CRIT IS TELLING ME WHAT'S WRONG GUYS, NOT WHAT'S RIGHT kdasjfoiajs;flksd but I love you anyway ♥ Anyway.

Two months ago, I posted one particular short story. It was one that I was very nervous about showing anyone, because this was the world of my nano. These were my two main characters; the relationship that would drive the whole story forward. But I figured that nervousness or not, I needed help, right? So I posted it to the crit group filter.

At the beginning of the entry, I included this line: Do you guys ever do something crazy and then five minutes later are like..."what the hell did i just do and why?" That's because, about ten minutes earlier, I'd had a bit of a spontaneous nervous breakdown and had sent the story in to Reflection's Edge, my favorite e-zine for genre fiction. I love it to death. It has stories by Dru Pagliassotti, the author of Clockwork Heart. I didn't know that when I fell in love with RE, but I was looking through the archives and THERE SHE WAS and I sort of swooned in my seat.

Point is, I sent it in. A week and a half later, the editor of Reflection's Edge wrote back and told me that she'd loved it, and would love to host it on RE.

Then I told Adi, who squealed with me. Then I didn't say anything.

Well, the Holiday issue was released today. And there's my story, right there among them.

Viy.

RIGHT THERE. THAT'S MY BABY. THAT'S MY DARLING BABY BOY, MY POOR PRECIOUS BABY WHO DOESN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO AND HAS SUCH A HARD TIME OF IT ALL oh i love him so much /sobs

Anyway. Please read, and I hope you all enjoy!

P.S. seriously guys CRIT MEANS CRITICISM.

ha. ahahahahaha that's my baby.

There are some days where I just can't understand how a fandom like One Piece can have so many NICE and WONDERFUL people in it. I have made some wonderful friends this year through this story of pirates. Been offered wonderful help and encouragement from others. Had some great laughs. I just...I've NEVER come across anything like this before.

I just want to thank you guys so much, be you a really close friend I've made in the fandom, or just someone who's passed by and struck up a simple conversation. It's no wonder I love One Piece so much. It's not just the world and characters Oda's created that make me enjoy every moment of it, it's THE FANS that also continue the burning love!

And now, since Abby is gone (and I am looonneeeelllyyy and sad and miss her greatly ;_; ) I'm going to share ALL the stuff I got in Japan.

Starting with the most ugly photo of me, but with a shirt I've wanted since I saw Chopper wearing it last year:



And here's a photo of all the crap stuff I got in Japan (excluding gifts for friends)



( And behind the cut, early christmas gifts from the girls, close-ups and my last shopping day with Abby )

Yes, I am a material girl. An awful trait but I do it with my friends and we laugh over it and I'm LIVING with a fellow OP figurine collector next year (oh yeah, you guessed it, Abby and I are back to flatting together next year THIS MAKES ME SO HAPPY! :D)

PS - I HOPE christmas gifts are starting to arrive, guys! D: Please let me know personally either on my own LJ or on DA as I may miss a LJ post (and post is going BAD this year, it seems!) so far I've only heard from Beanie and Eno that they got theirs.

Anyways, maybe more stuff to talk about tomorrow. Christmas is in 3 days...wait, WHAT?!?! @_@

a couple of my favorite parts:

Oh... I hate being sick. I hate allergies. Lately I've been waking up with a raw, inflamed throat and a runny nose and phlegm. My sisters and I spent the night at my Tia's house and forgot my medicine, so I had to sneak out of the house in the morning while they were still asleep, come home and take the medicine and a steaming cup of rat piss chamomile tea before going back there for breakfast.

Breakfast was heaven. Raisin toast French toast with cinnamon and powdered sugar.

We watched Cloverfield last night, and I liked it a lot, and then we watched Empire Records after breakfast, and I loved that. I am very inspired to write an Axel/Roxas piece based on it, but I have giftfic to finish.

Meantime... for my whole flist: A Divina Sound Track, containing all of my current favorite songs.

Every reading of The Little Prince makes me sadder.

I really think this book was meant to grow up with you, your philosophies of life. You should read it first when you are in middle school, maybe, then put it down and read it at the beginning of high school. Read parts of it sporadically and randomly all through high school. Read the entire thing in one sitting when you've graduated high school. Put it down. A year after that, and every year from then on, read it again. Take a whole week to read it. A whole car ride. Read it very late at night when everyone is asleep.

I really don't like to tear books apart with analysis, but last night when I read it and had to stop toward the end because I was crying, I decided that maybe the Little Prince sort of represents the author's childhood. All throughout the book he writes about how "strange" grown-ups are, how children are much more wise in their Taoist P'u. So at the end when the Little Prince is gone, it's a true loss of childhood innocence, isn't it?

This video was directed by my girlfriend Michela. I was the Director of Photography. Michela really impressed me with this piece. I thought you guys would find it funny. Enjoy this Gender Bending comedy that reminds you how some times dreams can come true.

Thanks to our friend Jeffri for all his help.

Collision
Season 1 Episode 4

New Characters: N/A

Synopsis: Peter and Issac both get closer to their destinies through Hiro, and Nathan escapes from The Man in the Horn Rimmed Glasses and the silent Haitian.

( full recap )

TO BE CONTINUED