Jamaica, Jamaica

Hello all!

Well, after last week's travel themed post, I am pleased to be able to say that I was, indeed, able to go away!

It wasn't the sort of thing I had in mind when I was writing that post: I went to Jamaica for a week for my sister's wedding. I was doubtful that I'd make it - the wedding was on Saturday, and by Thursday morning I hadn't even managed to get my passport. However when I returned home on Thursday evening, a small; thick package was sitting fairly innocently on the mat. My reaction? A scream, and a run to the computer to Skype my family.

Jamaica was beautiful - I would love to show you pictures, but I sadly don't have any.

All around is vibrant greenery - England seems so drab and conservative in comparison; a shame. On one side, you have the blues and aquamarines of the coast; on the other, hills covered by trees, with a few brightly painted houses in the background.

Well, that's all I have time for right now. If I can get pictures up, I will.

Happy Holidays and

Happier Blogging ;D

Lots of Love

Little Newman

xxx

I want to travel.

I want to travel, not to find myself, because I know who I am. I know who I am, and what I am, and I may not always like myself but I don't want to be anyone else.

I want to travel to find the world, written in all of its glory. I want to taste it, feel it, smell it and see it all around me. I want to experience the industry and ingenuity of humans, and the beauty and balance of nature. I want to explore, and to know, and to understand. I want to take away, and to give in return.

I want to travel, not to find myself, to but to find everybody else. I want to share myself with strangers: to find people to love, and to give joy to, to talk and laugh with.People who might not remember my name - who might never have known it - but who will be able to say days, weeks, years later: 'I met a girl there, and we laughed a lot.' Or simply: 'I was very happy then.'

I want to give experiences even as I take them.

I want to find beauty that will make me laugh, and cry at the same time.

Then I want to return home and say:
I have seen, and I have done, and I am very, very happy.

LIT CORNER!!

Guys, I'm so excited. You're going to get a Lit Corner! Okay, so it'll be much reduced from it's normal standards, but a lit corner is a lit corner, right?

So. For those of you who don't know/ don't remember/ don't care, a lit corner is pretty much me chatting about the books I'm reading and am planning to read.

This session of lit corner involves In the High Valley, being the fifth and final book in the What Katy Did series by Susan Coolidge and In Watermelon Sugar by Richard Brautigan.

So. First book first.

In the High Valley is the little known fifth book of the 'What Katy Did' series. The fourth book is Clover: also little known. I had found it going free on iBooks, and had read it in a very short space of time sometime last year, and I had loved it. My review can be found here. I had read a free sample of the fifth book as soon as I finished it, and finally got round to buying it the day before yesterday, or sometime thereabouts. (A version was going for £0.49: how could I resist?)
Well, I was kind of disappointed. The book was not as good as the previous ones. As said in my Goodreads review, it tied up a few loose ends that I hadn't realised were left undone, and it let Elsie's character really come into her own, which was very nice to see. But the story as well as its telling left much to be desired. Telling, being the operative word. Susan Coolidge has always been one to give a lot of information: in particular her naming of flowers was something that stood out to me. But before, I had always felt whatever the characters were feeling. I understood them, and their behaviour, I liked them. The (ostensible) protagonist of this book was not someone I liked, and this was mainly because Susan Coolidge didn't seem to like her, either. She was a new character, not one of the Carr's, and she was underdeveloped and poorly thought out. The story didn't seem to focus much on her - another point of difference between this and the other books in the series. The view jumped from character to character, letting me see them without letting me feel them. I knew pretty early on what was going to happen, and I just didn't care. I read the book to the end - it is a short read - and it was enjoyable for me as a diehard Katy fan, but I really wouldn't recommend it to anyone who doesn't love the books as much as I do - there's not even that much Katy in it!

With these sad tidings, it's on to this weeks second book:

I want to say that In Watermelon Sugar was a joy. I cannot say this. However, I cannot say that it was a disappointment, or that I disliked it. I don't really know how I feel about it, to be honest, but I will definitely be taking a second look in order to find out.
In Watermelon Sugar is a very easy book to read. In some ways, it reminds me of Slaughterhouse 5. A short book with a simply-written, self-conscious narrative. Check. A prevailing sense of disconnection. Check. An element of fantasy. Check.
Not to say that In Watermelon Sugar is unoriginal. It is very original indeed. And, I would certainly reccommend it. For all of its simplicity, the book and the world it describes is very complex and incredibly hard to understand. Every now and again you catch a glimpse of a possible truth, a possible reading. And then it hides itself again: not shy, but teasing. Come and get me, the meaning says, you know you want to. And I do. I do so want to understand this gem. It came to me highly recommended, and I enjoyed reading it - a page turner, if only because each chapter is so short. I want to know what iDEATH is. I want to understand its inhabitants, and their past. I want to know what inBOIL was talking about. In some ways I identify with the narrator. In other ways, I am alienated by him. This is okay. This is all how it is meant to be. This book is that feeling of comfort, of blindness, that allows you to settle in a situation even though you know it is wrong.
I look forward to returning to it, to understanding it more. But I think a break would be good.

What will I be attempting to read next week?
To the Lighthouse by - of course - Virginia Woolf. La Légénde Arthurienne by various authors (which I have been reading for quite sometime. It is difficult.)

In other news, I really wish I had enough money to go and see Eugene Onegin but even if I did, it's sold out. Ah well, next time, eh?
Also, maybe a film corner will be necessary? A couple of my courses require me to watch films, and I'd love to share them. My most recent favourite is Little Otik (Otesanek), a Czech film of disturbing proportions. Other favourites from this academic year include A Bout de souffle, Une femme est une femme and Jules et Jim.

Well, this is me, signing off.
Happy reading and
Happier blogging
Lots of Love
Little Newman
xxx

Je reviens...

C'est combien de temps cette fois? It's seems I start too many of my posts here with the same words, et je sais pas quoi faire. Saying it in French doesn't change the fact that it has been a really long time since I was last here.

And it's not that I don't want to be here! More than ever, I do - I have numerous writing blogs, and food blogs (even a politics blog or two floating out there somewhere), but only one personal blog.* And I need a personal blog, now more than ever. Okay, not more than ever, but I want somewhere where I can talk about anything without wondering first if it's relevant or not, without feeling hemmed in. The problem for me is mainly access. I do everything from my phone, and if I can't do what I want to do easily then chances are I probably won't do it at all. And blogger is not an easy site to use on a phone.

But, here I am, with a laptop, at last.

What have I been doing in the past nine- ten?- months? The usual. Avoiding reading. Writing - never quite enough. Just scraping deadlines. Eating. Spending more than I should. Making friends (- me? Friends? Wow!). That type of thing.

I didn't start the new year with any resolutions - I never do. But I'm drawing to the end of a Twitter break which has actually produced some semblance of productivity within me. I've written a little bit, after a prolonged inability to write anything much following NaNo. (Speaking of NaNo, I didn't win this time either, but I wrote 38,442 words, more than ever before.) I've also written a bit on a restaurant review blog run by a friend and I. (Young Fine Diners, if you're wondering!) I've been reading - my set texts, and La Légende Arthurienne and working (school work, again: I am jobless.)

Quoi d'autre? I'm renewing my efforts in learning French, and have found out about language exchanges. I'm looking forward to attending one of those!

And I'm going to see Alice in Wonderland at the Royal Opera House this March! I'm looking forward to this a lot, as I wanted to go last year, but tickets went very quickly, and my ROH account was playing up :( this year, I only managed to get tickets right near the back, but that's better than nothing, and they were only £9 each! So I'm looking forward to that, and hopefully I will have something to say about that to you, later.

Also hopefully, I will have read enough to write another Lit Corner - I miss that!

I've spent all day listening to RFI on my phone. Anyone learning French or wanting to improve their listening skills, Radio France International is a great resource - does what it says it does on the tin.

Well, that's all I have to say for just now, I think, but I hope I will be back soon with more.

J'éspere de vous revoir bientot!

How are your 2013s going? Anything interesting happened/happening?

Parlez-vous francais? Or are you learning another language? Let me know ^^

Happy Blogging,

Your ever affectionate (if slightly flaky)

Little Newman

*I don't count my tumblr as a personal blog. I don't really use it, either.

So it's been a while...

I'm terrible. I really am. I promised you TMR pictures and I didn't deliver, and I've been to see them again since then. I am sorry, I am.

I have sorely neglected you, my dearest blog, and for what? Well, I have actually been writing and doing [most] of my work. More authorial adventures of mine can be found here, here, here, here, and here.

This week, I have been to not one but TWO concerts.

On Tuesday, a friend got us free tickets from The Fly to see Pulled Apart by Horses. Support was played by Wet Nuns (who were sweet and hilarious) and Eagles - the singer of which was incredibly and hilarious wasted. The show was pretty fun, although my eardrums were shredded. The venue was London Borderline off Charing Cross Road by Tottenham Court Road station, which was pretty decent if not a little too dark- I could barely see, but that's not exactly unusual. Pulled Apart by Horses were a lot of fun, although not my usual thing (I'm an Indie Folk Alt Funk girl at heart). I enjoyed it, even that bit of it when I got spat at...

On Wednesday, we saw Elvis Jackson. They were awesome. Seriously awesome. They're a Slovenian band who play energetic ska punk. They were supported by We Used to Make Things (who we saw back in October at the TMR gig), and who were on fine form, and by Dropbear.

So Dropbear. Awful name, right? But amazing band. They should be checked out by all. Finally, Elvis Jackson came on and it all exploded. They were all over the place, and the atmosphere was electric. The drummer was the happiest drummer I have ever had the good fortune to come across. He was just so smiley! They all were! A definite must see- book tickets now :D

They played at The Purple Turtle in Camden, just round from Mornington Crescent Station. Again, fairly dark- but very comfortable and with interesting décor.

So, that's about all for now. I'll be seeing the Composite Production of Master and Margarita at the Barbican on Monday, so maybe I'll have some things to say about that when it happens.

Until then,

Happy Reading and Happier Blogging

Lots of Love

Little Newman

xxx

Preview of things to come!

One of my pictures from the Miserable Rich gig last month :D more to come.

And thirteen days till the next gig- ooh, I can't wait!

Happy Blogging,

Lots of Love

Little Newman

xxx

Good morning!

I don't know if I said this last post, but I'll say it again. I am, of course, engaging in NaNo this year. I know a lot of people think it's crazy to do that at my age, when I'm in my first year of Uni, and part of me thinks that too. But another part of me thinks: when will it not be crazy to do NaNo? November is always going to be a busy month. I'll always be at school in November, and I'm past the age when things aren't so important by about four years. I'll always have important examinations coming up. And even when I'm out of school I'll (hopefully) be at work. And that will be important too, and it will be tiring.

NaNo is something fun, and even if it's a little crazy it's something I love, and that I really want to do. I am not giving up the hope that I will win NaNo, and that I'll win it with something worthy, something that I can take further than November.

NaNo is also the closest I've ever gotten to finishing anything. Which is actually worrying in a writer hopeful. But it's also inspiring. It's also encouraging.

So even if it's a little crazy, a bit foolhardy, I will continue to do it!

I was actually gearing up to post the pictures from the TMR gig but I think it would sully the message of this post, so I'll do that later.

To those of you thinking about doing NaNo this year, I say do it!

And good luck to you all, you crazy, brave people!

Happy Blogging, and happier writing!

Lots of Love,

Little Newman

xxx

Okay, I've been neglecting you again, haven't I?
And with really no cause either; lots has being going on, and I keep thinking 'I should blog this!' but I never do.

Sorry.

So I'll give you a speedy little update.

I saw The Miserable Rich again early last month, I believe it was the fourteenth. As always, they were wonderful. Because it was only a few days after one of my closest friend's birthdays, I tweeted the lead singer with a request that he dedicate a song to her, and he did :D So a lovely night on that count (with pictures that may follow)

We also saw another very awesome band at their gig, We Used To Make Things. They were amazing, very energetic and very entertaining. Plus, the bassist (was he the bassist? I never am sure) let me wear his hat.

The venue was The Old Queen's Head in Angel, where it is impossibly indie. There were V-necks and nerd glasses galore, and it was ridiculously packed for a Wednesday, but it was otherwise very nice. We were sat right next to the stage, which, while awkward, was actually very fun, especially when it came to watching TMR.

Also, I've started Uni.

Woo. Woo.

Okay, so really I'm enjoying it immensely. All of my lectures are really fun, and everyone is very friendly, but the work is hard and I have no actual friends :( even though I've been there a month already. Oh well.

And now I'll sign off because I'm still in my dressing gown, and I told Angeline to come round any time from four.

But! Before I go.

I've started reading two really awesome internet fics, Guts and Sass by M. E. Traylor and The City of Roses by Kip Manly, and I decided, 'why don't I do this?' 'This', being dedicate a site to a story.

I then realised because my dedication levels are generally sporadic and I skip from story to story, but I already have a blogspot intended for writing, which can be found here, and also made a wordpress for chronicling my NaNo adventures (a little prematurely, but something interesting will happen soon, I'm sure.)

So please, check them out :)

Anyway, that's all from me for now.

Happy Blogging

Happy reading/writing/planning

Lots of Love

Little Newman

xxx

Ironic

"Sometimes it is better to let your thoughts out before they consume you."

Scrolled like a lover's message on the bark of a tree, the girl stood an stared at the message.
She tilted her head in deep thought. Ironic it was, considering what the message was trying to convey

No room for thought

Sunburn: An excerpt.

All things considered though, the new school wasn’t really bad. The students were more welcoming than the students at my old school would have been, something that surprised me. It was almost like they were competing with each other as to who could be the nicest; who could win me for their group of friends. It was a little disconcerting, I’ll own, but it was better than being ignored, or teased, or hated and alone.

My form class were especially nice- something that I would later learn was specific to that form. They got a lot of new students in that class, at least one every year, a boy proudly told me. For all that, they were close knit.

On the first day, I got told by six different people from six different groups that I was welcome to join them at break or at lunch if I wanted. I ended up going with whoever asked me just before class finished- it was easier than trying to search through the crowds for the face of someone I barely remembered the name of.

***

To those wishing to read of the wondrous well of Sunburn, just comment and I shall get it to you, one way or another.