Shanghai Girls by Lisa See

Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book covers 20 years of the life of these 2 sisters, Pearl and May. Pearl -born in the year of the dragon and oldest of the 2, and May -a sheep and the baby of the family. The hardship they had to deal with over the 20 years from their lives in China to America during WWII. These 20 years covers from 1937 to the late 1950s up and past the second Word War.

As the oldest sister in my family, I felt the pain Pearl does and yelled at her many times for something dumb that she should not of done or something she should of done. I have lived through mine and see simarler ones that I know at one point I may of done the same. I see why she does some of the things she does for I can see her point, but I still know that she shouldn't have done when it comes to those points. I am also born in the year of the dragon and study the zodiacs, so I understand what is expected of the people burn in the year of the dragon. So I knew what to look for in curtain people when she called them by their zodiac.

There are points when she backs down and I yell at her to stand her ground but, I have done the same. So I understand her, I felt the pain/grudge for I know the feeling of backing down on something that you are good or would like to be good at, so that your little sister will be happy. If you could not tell, I also have a little sister that I have back down on things so that she could have what she wants and now that I am older I will fight for her to have that. For those who follow the Chinese zodiac, my sister is a monkey.

I feel that the author got the feelings between the sister as true as one can get! Older sister vs the younger sister, story as old as time and can be spot on or very wrong. The feelings that sister have for each other is hard to explain, you hate their guts but you will give them the moon if they ask. When reading the this book there were times that you would see the green eye monster come out of Pearl but then seeing that herself she would fix that and say something that you would think, "gee, I guess she work that out and things are okay between them with out letting May know she felt that way." But those feelings may "go away" they are never truly gone. Those feelings run so deep that you forget them and when something ells happens it just builds.

Being that this story is written in a 1st person the view we see is Pearl's, and her feelings on every matter. Even the fate that has been dealt to her. There were MANY parts that my heart bleeds for May for the things she had to do as well, seen from the eyes of her sister. And it isn't till the end of the book that we get to see May and what she feels on the things that she has had to do and how she herself sacrificed so that they could live on with a good life.

As I was reading this book, I could see my monkey sister and me in this life and many times throughout the book I would stop and think that this little sheep has to have some hidden strength that she hides, for my sister is the same way. I put the front that I have every thing under control but really it is all I can do from falling and that is times when I reach out my own sister and lean on her for her strength I am not sure she knows she has.

After reading this book I feel like I may know my monkey sister better, I see her in another way and I hope that after she reads this she will feel the same for her dragon sister for there are many things that Pearl and I both have felt, and made the feelings that much more real.

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House Plant - Prometheus

Not to long ago, -before this year's first frost- a lady I clean for gave me this plant they called Prometheus. It had a fall and looked a little worse for wear, but was still alive and needed a good home. For it was getting to heavy for them to bring in every winter and there was a bug/animal living in it and did not want it in their house.

Now, I have sucker written ALL over my face! I saw the plant and thought that it would look nice in my house. I thought, "I have 3 cats, they would get what ever thing lived in it!" But just encase, I left it out in the mud room/glassed in porch, where it was out of the house and protected from the frost. Which happened the night I took it home. (Talk about timing!) And there it sat til a few days ago when I had it placed in my room.

Since Prometheus has been sitting happily in front of my window, I have been battling cats who think it would be fun to chew on the leaves -not that they are ever feed enough food! And the urge to dig in it!! (By the way this plant is poisonous to eat for pet and humans.) But I sit by guarding Prometheus, making sure he will live to my next move!

As I sit by I wondered what type of plant it was, I had my guesses and thought to see if I could find it! My guesses that it was a palm of sort was off, the guesses that it was in the same family as another one of my plants that my mother killed, wrong. They were all wrong. The only one that was right was that it is a tropical plant of some kind. So I went from there. After searching all over gflora.com I looked in my houseplant book and saw a VERY small picture of a plant that "might" be it but still not finding it by the name in the book. So, I looked under one that I knew would be on there, philodendron. At the bottom of the page I saw Prometheus under the name "Philodendron bipinnatifidum (selloum)."

So there, I had a name of this unknown plant from the Araceae family but not enough info on how big this plant will get and what it likes. So I looked over google for this philodendron. I found this beautiful picture showing what my plant SHOULD look like!




 

But mine looks far from this......

Yeah, it has a long way to go before it gets back to its fulness that it had before it's dramatic fall. Well, I have something I get to strive to do with this lovely plant, Prometheus!

So on ward I went to find out how to keep this plant alive, that is when I read that this plant is poisonous to eat for pet and humans if eaten, and for some people may cause skin irritation or allergic reaction. For me, I can rule out the last part; I have handled the leaves to try to keep them out of the way of my cats. Wiki had little to say other then its history and its common use as a landscaping plant in Florida. It also said that this plant may take Approximately 15–20 years before it begins to have flowers on it, being it is potted. But the site I found most helpful to my quest was davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/37036/. There I found its other names, Tree Philodendron, Cut-leaf Philodendron, and Selloum. (the one in my book was Splitleaf Philodendron)  I also saw that it is a shrub, and can get as tall as 15 feet high and wide, I then recalled that I have seen this plant in Florida before. To give you an idea on size it is talking about......

 

THIS plant is the sad little thing I have sitting in my HOUSE!

Back to the idea of it having flowers I went looking for them, hoping that it would be like a Hibiscuses' flower. No such luck....

Words could not explained how I felt about this.....

At first I thought this was a bad joke, but as I read on blueboard.com, botanicalgarden.ubc.ca, and centerofthewebb.ecrater.com, this is the real flower that blooms in the summer at the base (it seems). So this... weird looking flower will be the flower that my dear plant Prometheus will someday have. (If he lives that long) 

To top that off, these flowers also produce heat when it blooms....

Tying a Tie

I have seen people in movies a hundred times tying a tie and then having the wife tie it becouse they failed at it. My younger brother also found out that he LOVED to wear them and learned how to tie them when going on future interviews. Well, one day I help my mom tie my dad's tie never tying one before but doing it with out much trubles.

Since I am planing on being Maka from Soul Eater, I was in need of a tie and went on a man hunt for the tie. I did find one. (But I got a pattern to make one if it came down to it.)

But when I was looking for this tie I found that there are more ways on tying a tie then I ever thought, some really unique and they each have a name. Yeah, I thought I knew how to tie a tie. I only ever hard, "THIS is how you tie a tie!" Making me think MOST people tie ties like that, I guess. But I thought there could be others who tie ties slightly different, like how I am "Suppose to" do a math problem one way but I in reality did it in another way that got the same answer! I really never gave it much thought that there are many ways to tie a tie for what shirt you are wearing that day, like how women chose a purse to go with their clothes.

The two of the three main tie tying ways are the Windsor, and the Half-Windsor.

Windsor
http://www.cheap-neckties.com

http://briteties.com/halfwindsor.ivnu

 

An other main one is the Four-in-Hand.

http://a-la-louche.typepad.fr/tie_knot/2008/06/how-to-tie-a--8.html

No matter where I go I find these three at the top of every list! There are many others out there as well such as the Shell, Atlantic, Onassis, Pratt, Italian, and MANY more can be found in may forms!
There are webpages, blogs, videos, and -believe it or not, an app for you phone or tablet. I would of never thought about an app but this is the modern world that which we live in, there are apps for every thing! And as weird as it may be there is a song called, How to Tie a Tie. No joke!

If you would like to see the sites that I looked through and the links to all that plus movies and apps they fallow below. Good luck on your tie tying!

Webpages (Some with videos on it)
Briteties.com
a-la-louche.typepad.fr
www.wearjack.com
www.cheap-neckties.com
www.medliorate.com

Fellow Bloggers
cool4urs.blogspot.com
www.visualinformation.info

App
How To Tie A Tie

Making a Tie

So as I move on in my costume making for Halloween (that is fast approaching) I now find myself wanting to make the tie being that all the ties I am now finding are in the UK and would have to be shipped to the US. -_- So I thought, "why not make one? How hard could it be?" So I went looking around to see!

http://www.samhober.com/necktie/howtomakeanecktie.htm

 From the site listed above it looks REALY simple! (But lets see how truly simple it is when I have to sew it. <_<) But if you go there and look there is NO pattern nor does it help much in the sewing department.

http://compactbydesign.com/2009/06/16/788/
&
http://www.purlbee.com/fathers-day-ties/

These two sites do help were the other one lacks but, I am picky and I like the other style more then this one. But I could use it and change it to my likings! But I have a general idea with about how much I should buy in fabrics and thread.

http://studioshirtssydney.blogspot.com/2011/04/making-tie-at-home-something-shirt.html

This blog not at all helpful in finding out how much one needs to make this and the "making" the pattern is not very helpful am makes it look harder then it should be.

http://275-267.deviantart.com/art/Tie-Making-Tutorial-119851133

Deviant Art has a VERY simple how to make a tie from scratch! It dosen't tell you how much fabric you need or any thing else that would be needed to make the tie but it help in the idea how how to make your own!

http://sevenfoldties.reflexblue.org/six_fold/stepbystep.php

THIS site I feel is the most helpful that I have found out of the others, but I wounder on their sewing skills when I saw a pucker after they were done sewing.

Then it never falls! Youtube! If this is the first time reading a pattern or thinking you need a refreshers course on what every little thing in the pattern means the video called Simplicity Pattern 4762 is a wonderfully done video!!! This is the way I would make a tie, I am not big on hand sewing something that I know I could do in half the time and better on a machine. You don't have to use a Simplicity pattern, you could use others, Butterwick, or some other brand that is on sale or is cheaper.

Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog - review

Okay, so I was at a friends place playing Settlers of Catan -great game and worth the price! Before we started we watched "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog." I admit, I never heard of it till that night when I was informed that this was made and put onto the internet all during the Writer's Strike. Joss Whedon (writer for Buffy, Angel, Firefly, and movies like Avengers and Serenity.) and his family wrote this movie.

Encase you missed that, great shows wear stopped and some shows that had high hopes never got off the ground, same for movies and such. Heroes' 2nd season was cut short because of that and ended up with a poor story line.

But back to Dr. Horrible, It was not what I was thinking when my friend was explaining it to me. At first I thought it might be some lame job or just all around not my cup of tea, but I was wrong.

Things that make a good movie for me is mostly the DIALOG. (if you read the one about 2 good movies you might of noticed that when I talk about them) After comes, "how many people do I know in here?" The MORE I know the more I like it, and usually the newer it is the less I know. X_x The rest after that is up for grabs.

The dialog was okay but the lyrics for the songs were fun and nerdy, making it great in my opinion! The music was also kind of nice, even though I felt like the repeated the same notes a lot. I would of liked a bit more of a verity on the music but I still loved the songs, also keeping in mind that Writer's Strike was happening as well.

I MY WORD! I know SO many people in it and was looking for more in this 45min internet movie! I was very psyched! Which, each actor/actress surprised me that they could sing, the only one I was not surprised of was Neil Patrick Harris, via the Muppet Movie. And I was doubly happy when I knew Miss Day and my friend did not. ^_^

Simon Helberg, Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion, and Felicia Day

Encase you do not recognize them you could IMDB them or watch, Big Bang Theory, Firefly/Serenity, How I Meet Your Mother, and The Guild. All are big named but the Guild, that is a Youtube.com series.

Also both Firefly/Serenity and The Guild have comics about them, and ONLY Firefly/Serenity had one season. All very nerdy! 8D

2 Movies Worth Watching

After a long day of cleaning for work and home and what not, I finally sat down to eat and watch some movies as my brake. In between the thoughts of  "what should I eat" and "what should I put in to go with my food" I was thinking about movies I loved when I was a kind in the 90's and what I haven't seen in some time because of reasons that come up and drown me in it...

So, as I was thinking on what I should watch I decided on Ever After: a Cinderella Story. I just bought this movie at a pawn shop and remember loving it long ago when it was on the TV every other day. Then after that I thought about Princess Bride another fave for me. When watching them I noticed that this movies go together like peanut-butter & jelly, and just as different.

So starting with the first movie I watched the other night going to the second one I will explain this idea.

In short, Ever After was BRILLIANTLY beautiful! The dialogue was fully thought out. I found myself trying to remember the dialogue between the characters. Some of my favorite was between Di Vinci and the Prince, one when they are by the lack and he talks of love and the other was after Danell runs off. Some other wonderful lines appear between the to lovers as well.

The actor/actress were casted well, they all knew who they were and how they should react to the statement of the other people and the things going around them. Even the smaller cast-members were in the flow of things and knew who they were. Farmer #2 was not just a farmer but he was John Doe the farmer and was married to Jane, and 2 dogs and they lived on a farm and came to town every Tuesday to sell there crops... That is were I find the best of actors, when they can take a small character and give them a WHOLE biography just for their 5 seconds of fame! It may not be much but it brakes or makes a BEAUTIFUL movie.

There were several spots were I thought the movie SHOULD end. I don't know what gave me the idea that this movie was going to end in this areas or why. Was I thinking, "when will this movie be over?" and that made me think the movie should end there or was I think at the age, "this movie would be even better with sad ending?" With that as my last thought it make me worry of what my mental stages were as a child. I know I have always liked sadder things when it came to songs, plays and movies; like Romeo & Juliet, Tristan & Isolde, the Long Goodbye and I Miss You. Was I even then, found of these things? No wonder I have depression, when children think of sad things would be better then happy things and death being the ideal why to go. (o.o)

The places I thought would be good endings was when Danell runs and falls, gets up and runs some more, I thought it would be a great cliffhanger. By the way, the movie IS almost over at this point. The other spot was were Da Vinci told the prince, "you do not deserve her." Leaving it with the, 'this is you fault dimwit, if you loved her it would never matter' feel. The third spot was when Danell got home and was crying on the door step only, wet and hurt. There were others that I thought would be good to as a child from this point on but I think they are not necessary to talk I still think this are some decent spots to end, really. But the why it did end was good for an up lifting movie with a good message at the end, "The point gentlemen, is that they lived."

Going farther into this movie you see a young woman who has a brain and speaks out with what is on it in a time were that was frowned upon. She has a hunger to learn, to were there was nowhere for her except for the books she can find. She hungers for love and approval but does not change who she is for it. She is what I wanted to be as a child, strong and smart, beautiful and graceful in all that she does. She does not wait for her prince charming to save her and saves herself. This is just a brief description of her and her role in the movie, a STRONG female character for all young girls to look up to who lives each day to the fullest!

Here is another movie, it takes place along the same timeline but in another world. Were as the last one was serious with a few laughs, this one is based on laughs!

This movie also has well thought out dialogue, witty and smart. "As You Wish," I don't think anyone will ever forget the meaning of those tree words. I find it brilliant that "I Love You" and "As You Wish" are both three little words that since this movie now means the same. It is as beautiful as when Hon Solo replied, "I Know" to Lea's, "I  Love You."

This movie was made for both Guys and Gals. I know MANY guys that love this movie and will not ague with me if I put it in. Were as "Ever After" is geared to women both are great date movies for me. One for smart-wit and the other one for funny-wit.

Were as the last one as a strong female role this one is week, and is waiting for her love to help her cross a mud puddle. But deep down everyone wants to be pampered and waited on and a man to show how much he loves her buy braving the odds and saving her through it all. It is a cliche that they used in this movie. Only this movie would not hold so much love for it unless all the funny, witty lines that show up and make me laugh every time I watch it.

The lines that I think made the movie are classic lines like "As You Wish" and the whole scene were Billy Crystal's character's wife comes out and says. "I not a witch, I am your WIFE!" and "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." and the notable "Inconceivable" All of these are memorable lines given over and over, but it is not the lines that made the movie it was why they were said. When someone says one of these lines to their day-to-day life and the people in the conversation share a moment of the movie, either the scene or the movie over all. It binds people in their nerdness of the movie.

The cast was a beautiful mash up of many people who's names no-one can soon for get, Cary Elwes, Billy Crystal, Andre the Giant  to list a few along with there many others! Each member played a part in the funny movie. Where it was needed each one said their lines with all seriousness to it making those lines funny.

Oh how I could rant on about the movies! But I came on to write a blog not an essay. Maybe in the near future I will turn this into an essay. But for now I will leave you with this.

Shakespeare's The Tempest

 A littler over 5 years I was in the play by the beloved, sick mined Shakespeare as Ariel. I loved it, not so much the costume or set but the fact that I was in this play as Ariel was what made it wonderful for me and all the laughs I shared with the cast. Ariel so happens to be one of the biggest parts in the play next to Prospero in Tempest. This was also one of my big brakes into the threatre back home.

Now, I have been in this city for a good 3 years trying to find the time to become involved with the theatre troupes here but sadly I never had the time till this year. And THIS was the show I chose over the others that were going on. I didn't plan on reviving the role of Ariel again, but part of me loved the idea to play that part again. Instead I got one of the smallest part (Shakespeare LOVED small parts, I swear), Ceres. Although this was a blessing for me; this has been a very busy summer.

Encase you have not read the last play written by Shakespeare, in short it is about revenge and forgiveness.

In more detail, Prospero who has been stranded on an island with his young daughter for many years till he notices the king's ship with his brother who plotted to kill him before he came to this island to escape and takes his revenge on them with a tempest. Fairing for their lives they abandon the ship and the ship's crew and passengers are then split in many groups around the island as Prospero commands Ariel (his spirit) to tournament some and help others. Wile his young daughter, Miranda finds love with the king's son as the king believes him to be drowned. And all the while this is going on Caliban, an orphan of the island adopted by Prospero, who plots to kill him with the help of two members of the king's own court as Prospero's brother and the brother of the king plot to kill the king and those who would tell others of there deed.

I strongly URGE you to read it for yourself! The first time I read this play I thought, "this will be cool" I was not so passionate about it then as I am now. It was my first Shakespeare and when I saw that it was going to be at the park I decided that there was no better time to tryout then for this show that I loved. And now I love it even more with how this one was done!

The first one I did 5 years ago, was done in the time period and the set was a black shadow in the back leaving the actors the color in the show. I was strict Shakespeare show, no words were changed and none were cut out. This show is a strong male cast, like most shows in that time. (Of-curse not alloying women to play in the theater would affect that.)

There are 4 spots for women, the daughter, and the 3 goddess. The rest were for the men. This version though we had the 4 women, and made Ariel and Caliban, the Spirit and the "misshapen naïve". These two were also played by females, me being one. We left the lines alone with "he" and "him", becoming more of an "it". As the others were played by guys.

Now to the one I just finished over the weekend, this one was very lade back not so, "This has to be!" The one that just closed was leaning on the steam-punk side (with what small theatre budgets allowed). We had 2 cane-swords and a grungy Caliban with steam-punkie spirits, or the Hocus Pocus sisters.

The set was a tropical paradise, every one and thing was bright and colorful. We changed some of the people and it help the story to become (I think) even better. The King Alonso's brother Sebastian became Sabina, the king's sister and Trinculo was changed to a women. Any and all pronouns geared towards Ariel were changed to "her". To my surprise I liked it done like this so that Sabina and Antonio were lovers and that Trinculo would have a sexual tensions with Stephano. All this was done with only changing the pronouns, nothing ells was changed, okay so some lines were cut to help with the flow of the story but they were fluffy stuff.

So now after reading it again for the hundredth time with the ideas that were placed into my head I can see myself doing different versions with this same scrip.

One of which was having Sebastian be the gay lover to Antonio. Changing the time and place or making it a "true" steam-punk version.

Another way is putting it into the Endo Era making some of them samurais with names that would be well placed in syllables count and time period.

Now, with two versions of the Tempest and two different characters played, I hope that once again I will be able to preform this play again but under another character so that each one will have there own life for others to see! There is not a big audience in my head to they need to be let out every so often. ^_^



PS: To read this for free and to find cool historic facts about the play go to this web site www.william-shakespeare.info

Analyzing to Inspiration

I am the kind of person who puts a smile on my face to fool the world on thinking that I am made of steel and that nothing can get me down. Sorry world, that isn't true. In fact, I get down really easy and it happens fast, lasting FOREVER not relenting. I have had to fight this everyday since I was a child, thinking that this was normal and the thoughts that went through my head on death and how it is not so bad and a million different ways to experience death was a normal thing that people think of. When I was around 13 I was told that is is not a normal thing to deal with and that I have clinical depression.

Since that day I decided to fight harder then I have been doing to show my family that I am okay and that I do not need to take a prescription that I might one day become dependent on it. (I am also one of those people who do not like to become a dependent on things or people)  So I decided that I will forever pretend that I am okay! Lying becoming my strength, when I was asked are you okay?

Over the curse of time I began to erase all emotions so that I would not feel new pain or sadness. I did pretty good for the most part, only allowing feelings of the moment to show then, when it was expressed it would then die and the feeling of emptiness would then take it's place. It was working till one day I found that I did not kill all my emotions and that there still emotions that I can still feel opening me up to more feelings then I knew! And no matter how bad life gets I will never forget or regret that moment in my life for now I know what those feelings feel like and can now write/act them out when I need to!

In my ups and downs I still fight for my dreams on becoming a famous actor. But, I have been losing the battle as of late for all the emotions that I found I have had hidden in me are coming to haunt me. Many voices are telling me things I keep trying to push away but nothing is working. And slowly, I started losing this battle.

Now over the last few days I have found a manga/anime that has helped me find the motivation I have been looking for! Skip-Beat!

Skip-Beat is about a High School aged girl who put her life on hold for someone she loved and supported him in his dreams of becoming famous by becoming a workaholic. After finding the truth about how he feels and how he only asked her to go with him to Tokyo so that he could use as his own house maid. Upon finding this out she shut off her emotions and decided to become a celebrity to get back at him.

Being persistent she makes it into the auditions for becoming part of LME and gaining a talent. The president of LME seeing her heart and the hidden potential that recedes in her makes a program for her to be in so she can find the emotions she lost and become an actor that he made from scratch!

After some time in the program she finds that the reasons she wanted to become a celebrity no longer applies but is now a bonus for her! Seeing now that the reasons for her staying in LME is because she if finding herself every day she is there, feeling the freedom that acting gives!

There are times when she is down and doesn't feel like getting up but through the help of her friends and the inspiration she can find through her enemies she finds the strength to stand again and to do even better!

As I read/watched the series I saw me in many ways, the killing of emotions so no more pain can get in, the hunger to find oneself, smiling even when she feels like dieing, always trying to please others, pretending to not care what others think of her but caring what those she cares about think of her. In so many more ways I see myself in this young girl and seeing her story and how she has her set backs but over all she comes out on top of it all gives that push I have been trying to give myself on achieving my dream!

がんばって!

DIY - Beds

So I am in the process of redecorating my bedroom and Started looking into bigger beds because, lets face it, 2 LARGE cats + 1 small cat + me = not enough room. So as I move into a bigger room I have started looking into bigger beds.

As I looked around debating what size bed I should get I started to see strange and cool beds and thought I would blog on my findings!

This was one of the first few beds I saw online. I was under "ZEN". I am sure one could get a good night sleep in this bed, it would be like being rocked to sleep every night! Although I can see myself waking up in different parts of the room every morning and with cats? They might have a shorter tail or missing a few toes... XP

This bed I found YEARS and years ago when I was looking up beds for when I moved out of my folks place... Oh, those pre-collage days. I believe that this bed was also under the word "ZEN". 

Compered to the other one I WOULD sleep in this one, it is so unique and modern! *Note: I usually do not like modern things.

I saw this one first and thought of Lord of the Rings and the woods of Lorien and Galadriel who lives there mostly because it is white like all the White Birches that were in the movie.


 I thought it was REALLY cool  and would love one if it wasn't so flat and then this other one popped up a little later.

But after a some time I found the ideal bed for me! This does not however mean I am going to go out and by one, but if I see one for a great deal then yeah, it will be in my room the next day!

 It is simple and elegant, with dark wood and shear curtains that hang in the way I would like. It does not need a box, so I would save money on that and a bed skirt would hid the wood around the bed but could be used if wanted. I would, however like the top to have a hump and not be so strait but I think that the way it is would work in ANY room!

The ones that follow are some other random beds I saw with my thoughts about them when I was looking for a bed!

Arr!

Cool, but to many places for me to hurt myself when I get bruises from the wall.

I would feel like I am sleeping in a coffin or the start of a pool.

I think there are too many people in the house if these 5 beds are needed!

Would of love this as a kid! I would so put my kid sister in the one that goes under the bed! lol

For those with limited space! More comfortably then the futon!

Sailing anyone?

Cosplay - Rinoa Heartilly (Final Fantasy 8)

I love coming up with ideas on how to make something from nothing or from very little. I also LOVE to act and play 'dress up,' but that would be why I' trying to make it into show biz. But that is another story.


So here it is, another cosplay idea. I had this one come up when I was planing Maka from Soul Eater, Rinoa Heartilly from Final Fantasy 8 (for the org. PlayStation system). I just didn't want to post this just after I did one for Maka, but time has passed and I feel like I can put it up here now!

So here it is, my Step-by-step plans on making Rinoa!

Step 1: Taking care of the easy things!

         a) Necklace, this I would find a chain (thick) and put on it 2 rings as the charms.
         b) Black Top, I would use one I have (tank or spaghetti strap top) and use black thread to gather the center to give it the "Heart Shape" cut.
         c) Arm Band, find some scrape black fabric (or black ribbon) and make it a foot long to start!
         d) Black Shorts, buy a pair Black Biker Shorts @ Wal-Mart.

 

Step 2: Putting the sowing machine to work...or my needles/hooks!

        a) Arm Warmers, I could buy some at a store but I would like them to match the jacket/shrug. So, making them out of socks? Only if I can find some that will match the jacket/shrug. So here are the 2 ways I am thinking on making them!
           1; Sowing, How to Make Arm Warmers (YouTube)
or I would by the fabric and just sow around the top & bottom edge a elastic band. -_-
           2; Knitting/Crocheting, Knitting Pattern Central (mittens/gloves) or Crochet Pattern. (Really these paterens I think are useless in a small way, I would use them to see how much I need in yarn.) A simple K2P1 would work and just do that til you think it is long/wide enough!

c) Skirt, here I would just buy the fabric measure waste, hips/but, and length to were I think it should fall. Add 1-2 inch for the length and the width give it a nice fish look and add buttons/button holes! (Sounds easy, right? We shall see!) Note: ALWAYS try things 1st on scraps!

b) Jacket/Shrug, To match the Arm Warmers I would chose to...
    1; sow the thing to the "Shape" I think it should be and wing it like I will be doing with the Skirt or go and find a pattern... <_<
    2; Knitting/Crochet the thing to (again) the shape I think it should be and put some binding around the edges to I can get the tie/button thing to work out!

Step 3: Extra time?

So here I find myself at the end of making Rinoa come to life, the last few steps are now the simple touches to make her closer to the game! The wings, I was thinking that I could add the white yarn into the blue (if I go that wrought) but then I thought maybe I just might take a thing a bleach and dab it with into the design on the back. Or is I sow the thing, I would do the same thing with bleach or I would sow on one. Not really sure on which way I like most or is the more simple!

 

Will update this post when I get myself started in making it!

Dance - In the Works

Some times I swear I have ADD or a split personality, I feel like my mind goes in a million and one directions and today's is Dancing! It might not help that I train in a million different fields of enjoyment, and dancing was one that I studded for some years and feel like I never got to show off what I was gifted to do. (So people tell me) Although, with much stress I was a Choreographer for a show....well some of the ones that didn't get CUT!

So now getting off my little soap box and to the few Dances I would like to complete and record for when I am old and gray.

1st one: Violet Hour
So as I sit here trying to do SOMETHING productive, I have been listening too one of my roommate's new CD by the Civil Wars (Barton Hollow). By the way -GREAT music! Four songs I feel are my own story, one, I think has probably the best lyrics I have ever read. But one song on the CD hit me! Song 8, Violet Hour. This song is 100% instrumental but is to die for! So, on the second run through the CD I start feeling my arms sway and my feet follow there after and I stopped only to think what lights would look great with this song and decide to post on here the costume I would 'like' to use for this one.

One idea is to keep with the idea of purple and wispy like the wind, well I would try for the color purple but if I had to I would change it to something in the cold color family.

I see a girl (could be a man if I feel the need to change it) waking from a dream or waking into the dream (~_^) from there it goes on....still in the working process but here are some ideas on the dresses.
 Option 1: Double Platinum Dress With Attached Lamé Brief
 Option 2: Catch The Wind (In White or Burg.)
 Option 3: Poetry In Motion (Lav.)
and lastly Option 4: Slow Dancing (White, it may not be in the cold family but it looks nice and windy/wispy)

2nd Dance: Eco
I heard this song, Eco by the Gorillas on the radio in my car heading home from my folks place and I started to jam to it as I was driving and thought that the step I saw someone doing in my head would be a great step in a dance and that's when the light bulb in my dusty attic went on and thought it would be a great duet with my sister and I.

I would make this a Jazzy/Modern piece using black and white as the costumes scheme with the main dancer being tormented by his memories and thoughts and the Eco the only one with inner peace and the peace is the torment.

Video Games

Since I don't play enough video games I guess I dream them up. Most interesting is that I don't play (or care to play) the ones I dream of, but I really believe that they would make good games! The first game was a one dream thing, the second game is from the last few nights of me dreaming a dream that keeps picking up where the other left off at! As said earlier I don't tend to play these types of games or care to but I think I would start after all these dreams!

So, game concept one!

It would be a first-person shooter with aliens(so original).  But listen, this game would be a little like "Fable" every choice would effect the game in how you win! And if you want an easy game play the choices would tend to be different then what most 1st person gamers would normally do! Were as others would make it harder, example; you are given a choice to kill 2 aliens (after you unknowingly insulted them) or let them be. Killing them would leave the game on a medium level and a place to stay for like 2 minuets before something else would pop up, where as letting them live would leave you with extra hard like the mother ship of 100 fleets come and try to kill you type of hard....those are just an example not saying that it would be in the game.

So the story would be along the lines of you are on your way to some place (not sure where) and you run into a group of poor present-like people who are travailing some were for a better life or there lives (lots of info, right?) So all of you are stuck on a mountain do to a winter snow storm coming and no one can chance leaving before it hits and before it gets to bad you have to go out into the woods and find a missing person with the group of people before the cold and snow of the mountain kills them.

Looking for this person (at this point) is mandatory! So you all split up and go looking for this person when you come across another person who needs help! If you deiced to help them you have to find a way to make something with what you have to same them you risk getting sick trying to save them. Saving them would be timed and saving yourself as well! Also if you save this person you  might risk saving the one you went out to save. So moving on, you find a hotel with bums in it...and aliens! And that is were the aliens would came in and the game play could get VERY hard!

Game two!

This game would be a choice between 1st or 3rd person much like the one before (I don't play 1st/3rd person very much so why I dream in them? No clue!) and have zombie-like creatures in it much like the 'White Walkers' in "Game of Thrones". Were as cold is to kill the zombie gene the cold makes them come alive!

Story (thus far from memory), you are part of a secret organization that is looking for things unexplained (I honestly don't remember) but you are on you way to the cold north to find something that is heading or is starting in the cold north...(I guess I like snow in my dreams or I have lived in it to LONG!) This thing you are looking for takes you across the world to find what it is and how it starts! One by one you watch your group exposed to it and take some of them, some really close. 

This may seem short and quick compared to the other but when typing it out I see it as a zombie romance book...lol and a good game!

So now with two game in my memories, I need to one, find some game-designers friends to help make them after flushing it out more! Secondly I think these would be unique book! Hey, "Halo" has book and so does "Resident Evil" why can't I do one or two?

Family - Lost and Found

Within the last 6 months I have lost not one but two family members, my uncle and my grandmother. The pain I see in my family members hurts me more then them being gone at the moment.  But today the lost of my grandma hit me like a bullet in the heart with the closer of her burial that she is forever gone from me on this earth.

But through all this pain I feel a lot closer to some of my family that I always hoped would happen. I also never so heart fulled wanted a family reunion on that side of the family. So what I dream of happening I am going to try to do one in the summer of next year, or maybe next year.

Before I start this journey of finding the family I can to and expand to ones that have been lost with miles I am going to draw a few pictures, One of my late grandmother with Cardinals, my grandfather with fish, my aunt with what ever she liked and my uncle with deer. These will then be displayed or I will just display the ones we lost more recent.

Cosplay - Maka (Soul Eater)

Okay so here it is, my first post! For Halloween this year I am debating on who I should go as. I am Leaning more on the Soul Eater side with Maka So this post will be about how I plan to look like Maka for the cheapest price I can. Plus, I can use this things in a day to day use. Clearly not all together but in parts, I live in the north it can get cold!

1. White Button-Up Shirt.  (Have from past jobs)
2. Black Jacket, I would use this pattern roll up the cuffs and use a cuff pin or button (Voguepatterns.mccall.com)
3. Pale Yellow or Cream Sweater Vest. This will be a fall winter look for at places like Good will and Online...I could always die it or make it....x_X
                                                           Places of consideration:
    3a. (Amazon.com)
    3b. (http://www.redheart.com/free-patterns) I don't Crochet sadly...maybe I can find/make a knitting one..X_x
    3c. (Clothing4all.com) Maybe in Khaki....

4. Green (w/ white stripes). (Thetiebar.com, atkinsonsties.com, johnlewis.com, or dalvey.com) or ...raid my brothers closet >_>
5. White Gloves. I can find this in any Halloween shop come time. <_<
6. Red Plaid Skirt. (Wholesale-dress.net, polyvore.com, jcpenney.com)
7. Shoes....I think just black combat style might work..other wise I have no clue!

If I feel like I have some free time (and extra money) I might try to make her Scythe with a dowel rod or something mix with cardboard.

Well that is the plan so far....I might change my mind later, heck I have a whole year! (almost)