Monthly Archives: December 2011

Dec 29 2011

Tale of Heartbreak – Poetry

I no longer know what you want me to do.

I think of things long and hard, wondering what to make better

I’m always saying sorry, creating mountains of “sorry”s so that you may feel better,
so that things can be better, so that ‘we’ can be ‘right.’

No longer does my heart take flight.

It’s weighted down with doubts about ‘us,’ because if this was truly love, we’d both feel free.
Not like the sullen prisoners we’ve both become, drowned in our own world of silence.

Where are the words? Where is the forgiveness?

What ever this is, it’s provided no provisions for our love to survive, it’s all who’s wrong or right and I’m tired of this long internal fight.

One day we’re fine and the next we’re strangers, only after moments of intoxicating elation are we relating but then when it’s gone
I’m back to debating one if this is worth waiting for…

It doesn’t seem to be getting any better…

I’m tired of thinking that we can change or that things will be as they were before.
I don’t want to feel something fake between us anymore.

Dec 29 2011

Day 15

While my personal life is going into disarray, I’ve decided to forge on and make moves with my writing. When I feel that I’ve exhausted my thought processes, I begin to read and so I’ve pulled a book off of my shelf and started to sift through it. While it’s a somewhat random choice, the nature of the book has both elements of fantasy and of mythology which coincides with both elements that I’m trying to work out in two separate stories.

I’ve started to read this charming piece of 360 some odd pages:

I haven’t made up my mind of if I like it or not, but I do love the idea that there are several narratives going on, with interconnecting characters and one first person narrative from a god-like being. I feel that this may help me hone the way in which I handle my own characters in my ancient egyptian mythological piece.

Alas, if I intend on finish any story before the new year, I only have three nights and two days to do so. I don’t think there’s any story I have that I can finish in that time unless I throw caution to the wind and make a really short story out of the many beginning lines that I have. Let’s see what I can do.

*Give Me Strength*

w/love

-Alja

Dec 28 2011

Fantasy Novel Excerpt – Excerpt

So, I’m trying to write a novel, three actually, but not simultaneously. That would be INSANE! But I had to transcribe what can only be described as the beginnings of three seperate “long” stories. I don’t know if they can actually be defined as novels seeing as they’re not complete, but eh, I’ll call ‘e, whatever I want!! =)

Anywho, this is the “fifth” chapter from my fantasy book. It’s still a work in progress, so be gentle with it. lol. So far, it’s the only chapter I think I was able to fully get out of my head. If you need the back story well, just know that it’s a tragic (yes, I know I don’t write a lot of happy endings) story of two elves (I love elves) who meet and fall for one another without knowing the true nature of the other. They still however, defy everything that they’ve known to be together and go on a quest to correct a wrong that might possibly destroy the very world they left behind.

Enjoy!

Chapter Five

~The New Queen~

In a not so distant kingdom, another Princess reveled in her newly appointed position. Sitting in the throne her beloved father sat on but a few days prior, Queen Inviera closed her eyes and inhaled the air surrounding her. With a smirk on her face, she awaited news from her servants of her betrothed Prince.

The kingdom of Terra Arcus was a bleak and dark place. Active volcanoes sat on the blackened cracked earth, sending puffs of charcoal clouds into the sky above. The Black Lake, which sat behind the kingdom, was irrigated into the village, creating veins of rippling, cool, dark fluid through out the lands. The homes were made of blackened timber and charred earth, with windows the shape of candle flames. The air was always warm and sometimes when the sun was high and the volcanoes billowed hot steam, it was as though the water vapor in the air burned at first contact of the skin.

Queen Inviera sat on her thrown, running her fingers along the edge of her ruby chiffon embroidered cloak, draped over her bare shoulders. She trailed her fingers along the red satin dress wrapped tightly around her body, pushing her already buxom bosoms into view.

She was named after the paper white snow flakes that her skin resembled, though her people derived from the Infliories, elves with the ability to manipulate fire and lightning. Her hair, an incandescent glow of crimson waves accented with strands of smoldering embers, was complimented by her arched lips, neatly colored in a shade of scarlet.

“Your majesty, it has been done,” said the male elf standing in front of her. Tall, with olive toned skin and short, curly, honey colored hair he bowed his head in the presence of the Queen.  A few strands of his hair fell onto his forehead and he placed his right arm and fist across his chest in respect of the woman who sat before him. Queen Inviera waved her hand, acknowledging his salute. He looked at her through his cat-like hazel eyes. The square cut diamond earring in his lower ear-lobe twinkled in the dimly lit room. He had a boyish charm to him that made most of the elf maidens at court swoon, but he had his heart set for one in particular.  

He waited for the fiery-headed queen that sat before him to speak.

“Thank you, Lucqí?,” said Queen Inviera. “How successful were we?”

“Quite successful, my lady,” said the female elf that stood next to Lucqí. Luthia bowed her head and placed her hand to her chest with an open palm. She then faced her palm to the sky and moved her hand from left to right in the customary greeting fashion. It was a greeting derived from the reverence the Infliories had for the horizon that held all of the sun’s might in the power of its hand.

Luthìa’s long, loose and cascading curls bounced back and forth as she made the subtle movement. She was Lucqi’s mirror image, having the same cat-like hazel eyes and honey colored mane. And much like her twin brother, she was the desire of many lords and higher nobles. It was said that King Vieron of Terra Arcus showed much favor towards her before his passing. She, however, vowed to never have her heart ruled by any male elf.

“Was there any trouble Luthìa?” asked the Queen without looking.

“It is said that there may have been slight resistance my lady, but we are assured that it is being taken care of,” she said, bowing her head.

“Are we sure?” asked Inviera, who was now rising from her plush throne looking at the twin elves.

“Yes my lady,” said Lucqi, who now could not keep his eyes off of the new Queen. Lucqi quickly stepped towards the lavish chair, placing one arm behind his back and the other hand out stretched.

“Good,” Inviera said placing her palm into Lucqí’s embrace. He closed his fingers around her delicate hand, and looked into Inviera’s eyes as she took proud steps down the brass crafted stepping stool, away from her throne. She dropped her hand from Lucqi’s grip and Lucqi followed the Queen’s fingertips to her side.

“Why majesty, you are looking well today,” said Lucqí is a dream-like gaze.

Looking sideways at Lucqí, Inviera gave a slight smirk. The noble bowed his head. “Why, thank you,” replied Inviera. The pleasantries fed her maliciousness and calmed the rage slowly burning with in. She walked across the floor, with the train of her dress slithering behind her. The Baor fountain, a cleverly crafted structure in the shape of a coiled leopard snake, was erected in the middle of the throne room. The onyx fluid of the land expelled from the mouth of the snake, into the round basin. She stood looking into the small pool, watching the reflection staring back at her.

“Was the letter dispatched?” she asked, without turning her head.

“Yes, my lady,” they responded in unison. She closed her eyes and titled her head toward the opened doors across the hall. There was a balcony over-looking the entire kingdom. On either side of the balcony was a staircase that circled around the palace of Terra Arcus. From the balcony the new Queen could see the world she had lived in, the forests beyond her reach, the volcanoes at her side, and the mountains with ice as chilling as her heart.

“Well then, we shall wait to hear from them. If we miscalculated, we would just have to hasten plans.” And with that said, the twin infliori elves bowed and removed themselves from the throne room, and the new Queen parted her reddened lips, and smiled.

Dec 28 2011

Day 14

My efforts to write more creatively are putting me in a perplexing place. While I’m racing to finish one of my many incomplete stories, I’m finding that I can not organically come up with plot lines that are clean, crisp, new and out of the box. It’s gotten to the point where I’m actually on the verge of scraping some of my unfinished works and just working on what I already have. But in the back of my mind, I know that I started something and thus must finish it. That is the order of things, now isn’t it? You start something, and you must finish it. That’s our nature as human beings, to start life and then to finish it, even if it ends in such a way that you otherwise did not intend.

Anyhow, I can say that I’ve added on a couple pages to a chapter in my fantasy novel. And I’m working (in my brain, of course) of two more chapters to add on, with mostly background material. My greatest problem in that is putting it down in a voice that is cohesive with the way everything else is written. I am proud of myself for adding on something, but if I’m to achieve my goals of being published in 2012, I just have to keep going. Was it ever this hard for Austen or Hemmingway? Argh! If only I had my own group of writing intellectuals to bounce ideas off of…

w/love,

-Alja

Dec 25 2011

Contributing to Yahoo!

Hey there,

I’m now an official Yahoo Contributor and have started off with some poetry. So if you can, take a look, spread the word as views = pay.

Here’s a sestina about a dreamy elf:

http://voices.yahoo.com/the-moonlit-elf-10729005.html

And a haiku about winter:

http://voices.yahoo.com/beautiful-winter-10728971.html?cat=47

Thanks!

Happy Holidays-

w/ love

-Alja

Dec 13 2011

Ms. Manners – Column

While I wish I had the time and the funds to do this with some friends, a flip cam and over the top humorific acting, I can’t. So, I will do this Ms. Manners segment, as I’ve done all my Ms. Manners segments – with my words.

 Today I would like to talk about office etiquette.
It seems that while some of us have clearly been around the cubicle and know how to conduct ourselves, there are just some people who do not understand the idea of common courtesy when at the work place:
  • TIME MANAGEMENT- This should be the numero uno etiquette rule to follow: GET YOUR ASS TO WORK ON TIME. For some of us, there are “grace periods,” where strolling in late isn’t necessarily a detriment to your responsibilities. But if your office is strict, then you should make it a habit of notifying people if your going to be anywhere between 15-30 mins later than you normally arrive. It’s also common courtesy to make up your lateness by staying the same amount of time you were late coming in. It shows that you’re taking responsibility for your lateness. If you are not making it in to work, please call in about the time that you’re supposed to come in to work. It’s really shady to call and say you’re not coming in at 2.30pm when you were scheduled to be in at 10am. It’s pretty obvious then.
  • DRESS CODE– Your office calls for a dress code of some kind, as most offices do. While some require strict business attire, others may ask that you come business casual, or dressy-casual or even just plain ol’ casual.  Though there are some loop-holes to some codes and you may get away with the occasional denim skirt or sneakers with your dress pants, PLEASE ADHERE (for the most part) to the code. Unless you are Naomi Campbell and your office is a runway, please do not take it upon yourself to strut into work with some fantabulous ensemble that has NO BUSINESS in the office. DO NOT come to work in see-through tanks, mini-skirts, or coochie-cutters so that when you bend over we can see your pretty pink lace thong or an outline of your ovaries. I understand that as the weather gets warmer, you clothes tend to have less fabric but at least when it comes to the work place PLEASE cover up your milk jugs. And fellas, this applies to you and your saggy jeans, crusty-dusty bottle caps, holey Sunday shirts with stains and the like and arm-hole shirts with all of the tangle weeded mess of pit hair. *Note: Just because you may have a “Casual Friday” code at work, you still do not have the right to show up in booty shorts on your grungiest of attire because that’s what “casual” means to you.* 
  • CONVERSATIONS AND PHONE CALLS: Some offices are loud, some are quiet and some are in-between. It’s nice to carry on conversation with your neighbor and we know that sometimes talking on the phone is a necessity in your job description. However, your conversations shouldn’t be so loud that your neighbor three cubicles down can hear how much you hate the little Filipino lady who keeps stealing your stationary when you’re not looking. And that secret merger that you’re planning isn’t so secret when your door is open and potential clients can hear it…in the board room. No one needs to hear to you asking your husband which hemorrhoid cream he prefers or what Indian restaurant you ate from that gave you bad gas. Inversely so, it’s beyond annoying when you speak no louder than a church mouse and your co-workers have to purchase hearings aids to hear what the hell you have to say. PLEASE gauge your voice, close your doors or take your conversations outside. *NOTE* Be advised that you are on the clock so excessive phone calls and extensive conversations are a straight-up NO-NO. If you must, go on your lunch break and spare your co-workers.
  • INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS– No one ever said that it’s not cool to make friends at work. After being stuck in an office for hours at a time, you may occasionally strike up a conversation and you may find that you and your neighbor are both huge Marvel Comic fans. While that is all fine and dandy, please remember that work is just that- WORK. I implore you to pick and choose who you divulge information too. Even though your neighbor may seem sweet and pleasant, you never know where your story about your husband leaving you for the albino cock-eyed midget with the “I Love Rick James” tattoo on her arm will end up. Furthermore, speaking freely about your drinking habits to a superior might toss you out on your ass and that joke about your co-worker looking like a young Hitler might have you in hot water in the HR department. *NOTE: Unless you work in a place where your name goes from Jan to Jellyshot, remember that your job is a place of business and not play. Do not take it upon yourself to start making sexual advances on your cute co-workers. It’s not a club. If you want to “holla,” do it off the clock. Just be advised that dating co-workers is risky business…ESPECIALLY if things go sour.*
  • MANNERS– Considering that when people are born, they are given parents, it’s assumed that said parents raise these children. It’s then safe to assume  that these same parents taught the value of good behavior. Therefore, there is no excuse to pass by your co-worker’s desk or cube or office and not say “Good Morning.” Even if you were raised by wolves, wild animals have greetings between each other. Greet people with a friendly hello or hi, or a simple smile will do. And if you don’t like initiating pleasantries, at least RESPOND with a hello, hey, head nod, or smirk. 
Nno matter how much you hate your job, try to come to work with a pleasant demeanor. Not only will people recognize how good you are at separating feelings from obligations, no one will pester you as to why you look so drab. Also, sometimes at work you become overly restless and you can’t stand the idea of being there, but please DO something productive. Even if isn’t your work. If the job bores you so much, then find one that will grab your interest.

And last, but most certainly not least, PLEASE make an effort to be the best employee that you can possibly be. I know that this was a long list for some, so expect a couple of breakouts on Bathroom Etiquette and how to manage a Communal Kitchen. =)

Dec 13 2011

Driving (Don’t Look Too Close) – Poetry

“Objects are closer than they appear to seem”,
but in actuality, they are farther. There should be
a disclaimer when you walk around, after the many
years of foundation that we’ve laid on this ground,
these objects seem to be built on nothing more
than distant cloudy dreams.

How can you claim to be a friend, yet when there are
problems ripping us apart, you have no needle to mend it…
No way to defend it, not even the decency to send a loving hand,
a back to bend….

While I drive through this desert of distant friends, I look at all those
who have made their mark, created landmarks full of great memories
and those that have become a sad tragedy.

I drive and look at you through my side view mirror,
displaying for once
all the flaws and calloused ways you’ve hidden away
and while it says that you are closer that the mirror makes it seem,
I know that you are farther and just a part of the past friends file in my memory.

The wind flows through my hair,
feathers dance across my face,
as I look in my rear-view mirror
and see you still standing in that distant place.

Dec 12 2011

Day 12 & 13

I’ve got another confession to make: since my first day of actually hitting the 750 word target on 750words.com, I’ve written another post (again, a piece about myself) and I exceeded 750 words with a whopping 1216. Today, I went on the site again, hoping to push myself and keep the magic going and I was able to complete 800+ words. However, the words didn’t go towards finishing an old story. Instead, it’s gone towards a new story.

I had a bizarre dream the other night…very science-fiction and (I will admit) influenced by Tia and Tamara Mowry. It was about twins and their care-giver on the run from something or someone. I think I thought of those twins because I was watching their reality show before I went to bed, but I’ve been trying to remember more about the dream and when that happens, that means that I’m on the verge of a new story or something about that dream I find story worthy.

I see that science fiction/ fantasy may be the genre that I would very much like to pursue. Though I’ve written tons of short stories with a realistic fiction vibe, something about the sci-fi world allows me to expand my thoughts more.

I do need to finish my stories; I need to finish at least one before the new year.

Hopefully I can produce something memorable.

I will be posting an excerpt of my chapters from my unfinished novel soon. Feedback is always welcome.

w/love

-Alja

Dec 9 2011

My Brain Scratching Affair with Disney Movies (Part II) – The Little Mermaid

As I’ve previously written in the first installment of this series long ‘editorial’ (if you will), the following posts are created to air out more or less, ‘adult’ grievances and flush out underlying (as well as obvious) themes that I’ve found while watching these childhood movies over again.

*Please Note: I do not ‘blame’ Disney for any of my findings, as these are films based on very old fairy tales, however, as Disney has animated them I will continue to say ‘Disney’ as a reference. **Also, not all cartoons animations of childhood fairy tales were the brain child of Disney, so I will attribute the production companies accordingly.* 

This month’s installment includes my head scratching questions and off the wall theories about Disney’s favorite little fish The Little Mermaid.

The Little Mermaid

I really enjoyed this movie as a girl. Jodie Benson did a fantabulous job with her vocals in this movie and how can anyone forget the song, “Part of Your World.”  This adaptation of the Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale is pretty darn good, especially since in the original version the prince marries the woman he thinks is his ‘savior’ and The Little Mermaid, well… dies. In this version, we’re introduced to a precocious little red-head named Ariel who falls madly in love with a human. We’re given tons of wonderful colorful characters to love including Flounder the gullible guppy and Sebastian the musical crab. While, this is yet again one of my FAVORITE movies to watch — its musical content is enough of a reason to watch — I have some questions to ask: Continue reading →

Dec 8 2011

Day 11 – Small Breakthrough

Who knew that by me rambling on about my weird musically triggered depression on 750words, that I would hit my 750 words for the day!

While I am elated that I was able to get out almost 800 words during a busy day, I’m still not pleased with myself for not focusing harder on finishing one of my many incomplete stories. I’ve been thinking about stories that I have and where I want to go with some of the characters and I’m realizing that I may even have a couple of novelettes on my hand (according to wikipedia’s word count).

I have several stories and I’m hoping that at least one could be finished before the end of the year. I will be posted excerpts and if you think there’s a story that you’d really like to see an ending, don’t hesitate to say!

Aside from that, I’ve been working on my other ventures, which takes time away from my writing, but is something I do enjoy. These are the times I wish I were an established author already. =)