Sunday 1 December 2013

Slowly Climbing Back on the Blog Horse


Insane to the membrane...

So, uh, hey it's been awhile. 


This is really hard. Why? I am someone who suffers from scattered brain syndrome. At the moment I have SO many thoughts and ideas and things that I want to say in my head that I can't actually get them out in a cohesive manner, and therefore they all just stay in the clogged back log of my head until I forget about it.


I have a plan though! At the moment my brain is filled with Whiteboards. I want one! I need to write everything down and be able to see it and this is all I can think of as a solution. (Yes I know there is paper and computers as well the problem is I usually file them away and never look at them.)

So yeah that's what I'm'ma gonna do now... get a Whiteboard.

I'll be back soon!




Maisy xxx

Friday 6 September 2013

Guesses for what this post is about now being accepted!



I just realised that I actually published this... Are you enjoying my lovely pink bath water???

Does anyone know what this might be related to????

Find out sometime soon... I'll definately get to this this week! ;P


Maisy xxx

Wednesday 28 August 2013

Book Look #3 Quintana of Charyn

Quintana of Charyn by Melina Marchetta is the third and final installment in The Lumatere Chronicles.

I have to say after reading Froi of the Exiles, this was one of the books that I was highly anticipating the release of, and was really excited to read.

For those that do not know, The Lumatere Chronicles is a fantasy series based on the struggles, journeys and lives of the remaining Lumaterean royal family, those close and dear to them as well as dealings with neighboring nations.


Despite being marketed towards a younger audience, (you generally find this series in the teen section of your local book store), by no means does this mean the series is a quick and easy read. (Particularly the last two books.) The story is complex with a detailed and richly meticulous writing style to match. The surrounding environment, kingdoms, cultures, characters even religions have been carefully planned and executed. It is quite apparent that a lot of time and thought has gone into every little detail, thought and concept that is present in the books.


Being the final book, (in the series so far), Quitana of Charyn has definately been about tying up all of the loose ends from the Froi story arc and in fact it does this quite well. The ending was ever so slightly predictable, or at least you were hoping for it to end the way it did, even so it made for a very satisfying end to a very heavy and meaty series.


I personally enjoyed the series very, very much, however this is not one for everyone. The story is complex, so you need to be patient, it can also be quite graphic, harsh and not very upbeat AKA the comedic elements are on the lesser end of the scale. Although due to the complexity of the plot and the mature nature of the series I really think that a lot of adults can enjoy this series
, or at least the ones' that like fantasy and the politics and cultures of different kingdoms. 

The series itself contains sex scenes, references to rape (the scenes are not detailed or graphic however they are there), violence and expletives. While the concentration of these varies in each book I've included them all since I think you really need to at least read Froi of the Exiles (the second installation in the series) in order to fully enjoy Quintana, and Froi has the highest concentration of all those things out of the whole series. I know all this sounds like very heavy stuff but it is written in such a way that I don't think younger readers will really be able to understand what is actually happening unless they stop and think about it really, really hard....and then there are other parts in which it's quite clear what events are taking place however the author does focus more on the characters emotions rather than the details of the events.

If this sounds like something you would like definately give this series a go. You don't need to read the the first book - Finnikin of the Rock, in order to enjoy Froi and Quintana, however if you do you will have more of a back story to go on.


I know that the author has entertained the idea that she may be open to delving into the back stories of some of the minor characters of the series sometime in the future...But I'd say that until Marchetta says it's actually happening this series is complete.




If you have any questions or comments please leave them in the box below!

You can find out more about the author Melina Marchetta HERE!!!



Maisy xxx




Saturday 24 August 2013

Be Back Soon...

I have writers constipation at the moment. 


The Illusionist - Montage from Roughhouse Animation on Vimeo.

It's not writers block because I have tonnes of things which I want to write about and topics for posts planned I just can't get the words out of my head, therefore I shall call it writers constipation!

I've been sitting out here for about 3 hours trying to get the juices going for an update on the last two weeks but I guess when there's no flow....erm... there's no flow!

I've decided that the best thing to do right now is just go away and come back another day when I don't feel so congested. Sigh... I can foresee irony in my future, I have a big exam this week and will probably start to feel really bloggy right before my exam, when I should be studying. Hehehe. 
I guess we will just have to wait and see what happens.
I can promise that there will be a Book Look this Wednesday though, I've scheduled it and everything so that'll definately be happening.

In the meantime I thought I would leave you with snippets of one of my favourite animated films called L'Illusioniste (The Illusionist). The first one is a small montage and the second one is a tongue-in-cheek scene from the film about the Brittish boy band that makes appearences throughout the film.

I've also included a short film made by Toniko Patoja in his first year of studies, called "Serenade to Miette". It may seem a little rough but I think it's nice to be able to see the animation in it's infant stages. It makes for a good reminder of how much time, effort, labour and love goes into a few minutes.

Enjoy!



L'Illusioniste - Britoons from Roughhouse Animation on Vimeo.



Serenade to Miette from Toniko Pantoja on Vimeo.

If you would like to see more of Toniko Pantoja's  work you can  Click Here!!!

If you would like to learn more about L'Illusionniste   you can  Click Here!!!

Or you can purchase it on iTunes Here!!!

Once again Enjoy!


Maisy xxx

Wednesday 7 August 2013

Book Look #2 Corner of White



First of all I have to say that Jaclyn Moriarty is one of my all time favourite authors! I was introduced to her works by a dear friend of mine, (who actually happens to be a family friend of the Moriarty clan according to my memory), when I was in my early High School years. This special friend sent me a copy of "Finding Cassie Crazy" (also known as The Year of Secret Assignments) and may have mentioned "Feeling Sorry for Celia" in one of her letters. Now that I think about it I can't remember which one I actually read first... Hmmn... Anyway back to the author.

The target audience of Jaclyn's books are teens and young adults although I must say that I do think adults will enjoy these books too! (With the exception of "I Have a Bed Made of Buttermilk Pancakes" the only adult novel Moriarty has published to date...as far as I am aware. It's a got a great plot and twist but really is for adults, not one to read to the kids before bed.) 

Moriarty has a rather clever and unique writing style in that her stories on a general whole are narrated by random post-its, notifications, diary entries, letters, memoirs and emails in some cases court hearings; which sometimes seem to almost be thrown at the reader all at once. Often all of the information and notes seem somewhat jumbled, random and disconnected and it is only as the reader progresses through the story that these become threads of clues which twist and turn and tie up neatly at the end to make for very very satisfying reading. Moriarty has made a fine art of making the small and seemingly insignificant details become crucial elements to the direction of the plot, often resulting in pleasantly  unexpected plot twists and surprises.

Moriartys' writing contains a fresh and modern out look on the world and if there is one thing she knows well it is the minds and teen spirit of young people and to quote one of her characters: 


"...the joy of the envelope..." Mr Botherit - Finding Cassie Crazy 2003


I can guarantee that you will find AT LEAST one letter formatted piece of writing in all of her written works.

With all of this information in tow, as well as being familiar with Moriarty's writing style I must say I was a little bit skeptical when I heard of the concept that Moriarty had planned for her next novel. This being a magical fantasy concept to be set in a magical kingdom called Cello forming a trilogy series. The first in the series being "A Corner of White". I personally was not sure what the writing style was going to be like and whether it really would suit a magical fantasy type novel. 
The result?


I  L O V E  L O V E  L O V E D  this  B O O K !!!

It's a fresh and modern telling of when two different worlds collide and contains a concoction of magic, science, sensibility, heart, culture, soul, the imaginary, the make believe and the human condition. 
Like most of her novels the loose ends all come together to tie up neatly at the end however in the case of this book the ends only tie up to make the first stage of a bow. It is just enough to leave the reader with a feeling of satisfaction but also leaves the reader with questions and an appetite to be satiated with the (in my case highly anticipated) next installment of the series.

The writing style compared to her previous novels has a bit more narrative compared to the short snippets of notes or letters, however I think it is necessary and well suited for the genre. The story has elements of romance, adventure, action, mystery and intrigue. So far the first part of this trilogy has been light on the romance and magical elements, (so if you're not a fan of that please don't let it deter you from a great read, and if you do like that you'll still like this book), focusing more on character growth and plot. (Which in my opinion is absolutely fine, whether or not the author will choose to delve deeper into these themes in the later books is unknown.) I should also make note that it is a little bit fact heavy, so just be prepared for that. The first book makes for a lovely coming of age story with potential for more growth to be seen in the future.

I would recommend this book to just about anybody. As far as mature themes go...hmmmn... The main protagonists in the story are 15 year old teenagers, so of course there is the odd sexual reference (NO sex scenes) and themes to do with parental relationships and alcoholic fathers. There's no explicit language written, if a character does use that sort of language it will just say So-and-So swore etc. I think this novel would be appropriate for those 13 years and older. :)

Like always I would love to get to know my blog visitors so please leave a comment down below!
If you would like to see what Jaclyn Moriarty is up to you can check out her official page HERE!
And if you would like to you can ORDER and BUY the book HERE!!!



Maisy xxx

Sunday 4 August 2013

Guess What? I've moved!!!




So I may have made a promise that I couldn't keep in my last post, I'm sorry! I'll try to refrain from promising stuff like that in the future and if I actually carry it through then it'll be a nice surprise. Right are we good now?

This will be a little bit of an update I suppose. If you read the title you will know that I have recently moved! I've moved to the city, (some would say the 'Big Smoke'), temporarily. Although my new place is absolutely lovely and I would love to stay, I'm really just here to help a friend out for about three months whilst she is gallivanting around in foreign places overseas. So I'm looking after her room and things and paying her rent etc. while she is away.

I'm loving the style of her room. Just about everything is white and the room has tonnes of natural light during the day so everything is really bright, which is a huge contrast to my old room where I'm just living for that golden haze in the afternoon. (My house is extremely dark, even during the day.) My family had a joke that it's like involuntary light therapy. Mr Sun: "You're going to light therapy whether you want it or not!"

I'm also back at University. We have just ended the second week of semester. I'm not sure how I'm going to go with these subjects but hopefully I'll be able to pass. Fingers crossed. If I am able to perform well this semester then I'll be able to graduate and finally get out of this never ending degree!

I wasn't able to get the financial aid that I was expecting to so I'm currently looking for part-time work or some sort of sponsorship for living, (seriously if there is a billionaire out there who's feeling charitable I won't say no to a rich benefactor). Although I feel I should note that I was actually still planning on looking for work even if I was to receive financial aid, after all things like that aren't designed to be a permanent source of income. It's definately made things harder and more of a struggle than I really think is necessary at this point and time of my life but it happens. I'm pretty sure you can expect a post about being poor or looking for work some time in the future.

On a more positive note, I really do feel like being here in this nice, clean and new environment has been a blessing and something that I really needed. It's like before I was trapped in a dark closed box and now I've been released...kinda... It's like things are a little more clearer now and my brain is less foggy, messy but less foggy.

On that note I shall leave this post for today and wish you all positive experiences throughout your day today!




Maisy xxx

Wednesday 10 July 2013

An Update in Song?/Prelude to the End of June

TIP: Press play as you come across the soundcloud link when you read. The music (sorta) goes with the mood of the text.

Okay everybody sing now:
I just don't know~ what to do~ with myself~
I just don't know~ what to do~ with my~self~~~


Sooo that's how I'm feeling at the moment, how is everyone else feeling today?
There are so many things that I want to do and so many things that I NEED, (there is a big difference), to do that I end up just not doing much of anything.

I think I've had writers block these past few weeks...or writers stump. It's not so much about not knowing WHAT to write about more so the HOW to go the right way about it. For example I think I'm going to shuffle the order of my Book Looks; as the next one that was to be out...hmmnn... well... I liked it so much I think I want to read it again before I write about it so that I can do it justice and hopefully give it the full credit it deserves.

*******************************************************************************

Wow I really was stumped! Say hello to future Maisy! Hahaha~

The above was a couple of weeks ago and I feel like I'm in a different space now to when I was writing then and so I'm gonna leave it incomplete.




So here's what you need to know:
There's been a lot 'life' stuff going on in my world lately and not of the nice kind. A lot of it contributed to a lack of inspiration and desire as you may see from the above.
June was not particularly kind to me this year. It's a shame since I have a soft spot for it, due to the fact that my birthday is in June, and for some reason always have expectations that the whole month will be extra special and magical.
I've been so confused and emotionally conflicted that sometimes I feel like a stagnate empty shell and other times like a lost wandering lonely soul. In the world things are not always black and white  and the fogginess of all the different tones of grey can be hard to see through. Sometimes the places that are  meant to be and should be the safest for us are instead poisonous places for us to be.

They'll be some changes in my life which should help me to move forward and start to gain some momentum back in my life. So I'm hoping that this will mean I'll be able to get back to making more frequent posts again.


There will be another post coming up real soon. (Sooner than you think!)


Love you all lots my dear visitors from around the world.





Maisy xxx

Tuesday 28 May 2013

Book Look # 1 Gone Girl



First Book Look post ever!!! Finally~! And for that we get a Yay me!!! \o/


The book is written by Gillian Flynn and titled 'Gone Girl'. I do have to say that this book is quite an adult story for someone with my taste. I heard about this book through various sources. Blogs, reviews, magazines were all talking about it and how amazingly mind blowing it was and I was coming into contact with them all around the same time, so I was like: "It's a sign! Must read this book!".

So I went to Big W, (I think Big W is kinda like Walmart), to get this book and ended up going on a book binge and got 3 books in total. I had been looking at other book stores but so far from what I'd seen Big W has the best deal price wise.

The first few words that come to mind when I think about this book are sociopath, psychotic, insane, crazy... I think you can see where this is going. 
The format of the story is quite interesting as it is split into two parts. It's meant to be a thriller so the first part is like the mystery and main story and the second part kinda like an extended epilogue with an epilogue. If that makes sense? (It makes sense in my head...) It's like the mystery solved section except you've gone back a bit and you're following the mystery as it's still being solved.

It is quite apparent from the start of the story that the author is definately making a statement on various issues and media through the not-so-subtle social commentary woven into the story. As the main characters in the story are a married couple, many of the reviews and comments I had read touted and praised the book for it's refreshing and realistic yet dramatic portrayal of the complexities found in relationships. Honestly I'd have to say after actually reading the book that I disagree with the reviews. I didn't find anything realistic or normal about the main characters and their relationship except for the fact that they were once happily married. For starters one partner in the relationship, although not explicitly stated, comes across as so crazy and psychopathic that one questions why a mental health check was not realised sooner? When you combine these elements with the mind of a brilliant genius you have quite the interesting character to play with. (I haven't stated which half of the relationship this is so it shouldn't spoil it for you if you want to read it.)

This is all fine and well on it's own but when you take all the crazy and then present it in the guise of normal, that's when questions should start to arise. I think that yes it is true that there is a lot of dysfunction in relationships out their today, however I also think that if you found relatable experiences in this book then you need to be talking to the police, a friend or someone. It's true that over time people change, they fall out of love and sometimes in love again I understand that but very very rarely would these things be premeditated. If sociopathy and psychopathic behaviour is considered normal in society, then we really need to be reconstructing the way we think about societal norms. I think that premeditated factor is the key element that the critics overlook in their reviews, it's what changes things from unfortunate effects of time to twisted and psychotic unacceptable behaviour.   

Personally this book is not really my thing. I finished the book in a day and a bit but I was bored in the first half and instead of being compelled to read it because it was so good, it was more just me forcing myself to read it so I could read something else. The second half was a lot easier to read. There were moments when the story was predictable, (well for me at least), and the plot twists weren't that shocking, just annoying in some cases. Finishing the book is satisfying yet unsatisfying at the same time, I'd go into more detail but that would just spoil it for you. Hmmmn looking at this post so far it's kinda negative...ish. Muwahaha! It was something different to what I normally choose to read and it's good to mix it up sometimes and try new things. If you don't try different flavours of books how will you know what's out there and what you may potentially like. I did enjoy the majority of my reading experience....it's just my mind wasn't blown away like all the critics and hype said it would be. I do have to say though, in all honesty, I probably won't ever read this book again. If I had money I was considering doing a give away. (Sorry I'm a poor student at the moment. Gomen ne.)

For those concerned, 'Gone Girl' has (graphic? I'm not sure, because I think some would consider it graphic and some might not) sex scenes and frequent course language through out the book. (Like I said much more adult than my normal children/young adult fiction.)

If you would like to find out more about 'Gone Girl' or the author Gillian Flynn you can check it out HERE.

Everyone is different and even though this one wasn't for me, you might actually enjoy it, it's a New York Times Best Seller so I guess that means lots of people have enjoyed it so far. 

Like always please feel free to let me know what you think or if you have any suggestions of something you think I might like to read by leaving a comment or sending a message. I would love to hear from you!

Book Look #2 will be out next Wednesday!

As always signing out with love.



Maisy xxx







Friday 24 May 2013

Beware the Wrath of Maisy

Warning: The below post is in the form of a rant. Reader discretion is advised.


Anger.

Sometimes it's constantly there, whether around us or inside us... Sometimes, it creeps up slowly, catching us unawares, and sometimes... Sometimes all it takes is one thing, one small thing... a drop of water, a spec of dust, a word, a sound, good intentions, bad intentions, something as seemingly as light as a feather, to set off a chain of tumultuous events/feels into a volcanic eruption of dangerously swirling emotions.



The view from my window as I type this.


Most of the time I'm a pretty chill and easy going person...hmmn or maybe that's what I'd like to think about myself? *Friends reading this post please reaffirm. (Or disagree if you must.)* Well truth be told I've had a lot of people tell me that so we're just going to go with it.
When I was in High School I was given a minor role of responsibility within the club I was in, t'was nothing major. We had an issue with folders and chairs so I looked after that. Most of the time it was fine and easy however some of the junior students would get a bit careless sometimes so in order to make them listen the teacher used to say: "Beware the wrath of Maisy! If you don't want to incur her wrath then you'd better do blah blah blah." Of course everyone found it utterly amusing because I don't come across as an angry or scary person.

Jokes aside, what is this post all about then?

Well ~ I guess it's because I'm human and I do get angry. It just so happens that someone close to me did something to me yesterday that overstepped.... hmmn probably more boundaries than they realise. That's all good and well you might say, but what I haven't mentioned is the type of angry it was. What type of anger was it? It was DRAGON RAGE!!! Hahahehe... I'm not sure how to describe it, it's very intense and images that come to mind are the opening of Pandora's Box and dark anime characters with the crazy air swirling around them. That's how I feel...in an image sorta way. I have only experienced this intense kind of rage twice before in my life and they were all nearly the same thing and if my memory serves correct, if I include yesterday, I think I reacted the same way in two of the three occasions. It's [the-committed-crime-that-we-shall-not-name] something that effects me in such a way that my brain is almost like: "can....not....com...pute...mal...func...func...ucfjkld;fjlks", breathing becomes really heavy and then an intense all consuming destructive rage comes over me and..... lets just say things may have been thrown and destroyed during an internal shouting rant and monologue. Don't worry I don't do it around anybody, just myself, so no one gets hurt or anything like that.

Sigh, I don't know, I guess I just made myself sound a little like a crazy person. If I think about it in a positive light, it's only been this one thing that seems to tip me over the edge, if you compare it to all the other crap that goes on my life, (it would make such a wonderfully dramatic korean/japanese drama), it's really not that bad.

Since the incident I have calmed a bit and am not simmering so much, I guess I just feel a bit bummed. I had all these plans to write fun blog posts, study, do productive things as well as write an update post about some posts coming out soon...but I've been SOOOO angry that I haven't been able to focus or do anything productive. Posting this post will probably be the most productive thing that I've done all day. I just can't do anything, (in terms of study and creativity that is), when I'm upset or angry....well any form of emotional distress really.


Here's another one to promote calm and deep breaths


I'm not sure if posting this is going to be a good idea or not but I think I'm going to do it anyway. 

Feel free to let me know if you've experienced something like this too, if you have any advise, or even if you think I'm stupid.


Next post will be much more upbeat I promise!







Maisy xxx

Thursday 16 May 2013

Why Goodmorning Everybody...



It's my sisters engagement party today. My job for the evening is to create the engagement video that is to be shown tonight. I only have a third of the photos that are supposed to be included and a whole lot of raw footage to sift through and somehow make coherent. I won't get the rest of the photos until two hours time and then have one hour until all of the guests start arriving....
Needless to saw it's a wee bit stressful. It's been a while since I made a video too, so I have no idea  how long this one is going to take to render!

All I really want to do is this:


I also have a major piece of assessment due in couple of days which I haven't even started!!! So when I think of that I kinda wanna scream like this:


I personally can't see this video thing going well tonight, but who knows I might just be able to kick in to overdrive mode and totally pull off something absolutely AMAZING.



So hey I might just be like a little LOT stressed and have had no sleep this past week.

Here have some sexy cat pics and Candyland remixes!














Until next time.


Maisy xxx

Monday 13 May 2013

Case Closed: What the Rain Brings Mystery Solved

This will just be a quick post for now as I have to go to the city pretty soon. I made an appointment where at the time of making it was like: "Oh Tuesdays' not the best day but whatever" and then later it's more like: "I regret this decision!!! Why did I do this to myself??!!". Mmmnnn so yeah.

It was Mother's Day recently in my corner of the world and I got to pick my mum up from the airport. (Having to wake up at some ungodly hour.) We took her out for dinner for belated Mother's Day celebrations, overall the day ended in good spirits quite nicely.

So if you are wondering what's the point of all this random irrelevant babble I'll tell you this: My mum SOLVED the Mysterious Plant Mystery!!! If you have no idea what that is then click HERE before reading the spoiler below.

Later if I have time I kinda want to draw little diagrams of what my mum thinks happened. Don't hold me to it but I shall try. If I do actually do it I'll insert them and the explanation into this post.

Anyway gotta run!





Oh I'm forgetting something you say?????




Kekekeke



Turns out the mysterious plant was  a LETTUCE!!!!! My mum plans on eating it later.






Maisy xxx

Tuesday 7 May 2013

What the Rain Brings Can Sometimes be a Surprise to Us All













Does Anyone Know What Plant This Is?


The rain can bring with it many things; a shower, a storm, a memory, emotions of sadness or romance, a colourful sign of hope or destruction. In some places it is desired and in other places despised. Rain can give a sense of our environment being washed and cleansed, it replenishes existing life and transforms the dead of a dry, parched land long forgotten. Everything seems more fresh and more alive as the rain falls awakening new life into existence, to sprout and grow.

















Nature is a mystery...


Lately it seems as though the April showers have wanted 

to tarry a bit into May. I love being inside when it rains so

it was my little brother who brought this curiousness to my attention. It seems the rain left a present with this plant neither of us knew growing in random patches of our lawn. My brother noted that the main concentration of growth is in the area that the dog likes to use as a lavatory and wondered what he had been fed to cause this. As the closest thing it looks like to us is lettuce I assured him that the dog does not have magical properties in his urine, he couldn't because honestly who feeds a dog a diet of lettuce?




















If anyone is able to identify this plant I would love to know what it is and how it may have got there. It's all very curious to me and I know that we've never seen anything like it before and we've lived in this house for quite some time. If it is a type of lettuce I just don't understand how it could start popping up like daisies all of a sudden. I'd understand if it was near a compost heap or in an old veggie patch but it's growing in the lawn and sporadically placed as well.

If you're good with plant mysteries please help me solve mine. Leave  a comment so that my curious wonderment can be satisfied and this case can be closed, or you can leave a comment guessing what it is.
As always would love to hear from you all.



Maisy xxx