...National Poetry Month!

My dear readers,

For all the giggles of my growth and development of poetic scribblings throughout the years, you are now invited to peek into the once underground Atlantis of my poetry. It's taking me a while to load everything on there, so bear with me! For now, I'm gonna focus on this month's worth of poetry, so all the old stuff is put on hold.

So to celebrate National Poetry Month, I'll be writing a poem every day this ENTIRE MONTH! @_@ I am so scared of failing this challenge, but I'm NOT going to give up that easily! Cheer me on!

Check it out: alotus_poetry! Subscribe by adding me! =^-^=

Nighty night. No idea why I'm still awake. I have to wake up early for work tomorrow...

Since I'm joining the NaBloPoMo's challenge for this month, I'll be on hiatus from Livejournal until the end of the month (unless if I happen to stop by with a hello or a poem).

You can check out my page HERE.

Next month is National Poetry Month, which I'm planning to do. Wish me luck on this challenge! I've never written a poem a day before!! This one will be tough since I'm mostly spontaneous!

Gotta go and get ready for work now. Later.

From Cafe Writing's March Project:

Option Two: Timed Writing

"Life is one of those precious fleeting gifts, and everything can change in a heartbeat." –Author Unknown

Take seven minutes (use all seven, but don't go over), and write on the subject of fleeting gifts. This is a timed exercise and it's expected that it won't be perfect. Any format - fiction, essay, verse - is acceptable.

---

( Fleeting gifts are... )

Sometimes I wonder how far I can go...



...until I fall flat on my face...



...and never have to wake up.

Some college professors can bore you to tears, while others are just downright animated to a point where you'd wonder if they're adolescents stuck in middle-aged (or older) bodies.

This professor in particular can be terribly soporific and can say things that'll spark raging fire in devout Catholics and Christians in the classroom, but I'd give him credit to the most outrageous and disturbingly hilarious things he says to students such as:

"Make it [your essay] like shopping for a bikini: long enough to cover the subject and short enough to be interesting." (On the FAQ's of how long an essay should be.)

Wow. That one totally woke up the class from a long discussion about Descartes, Spinoza, or something I can't even remember now.

I miss UST way too much. I've been too nostalgic lately. It kinda bites. I really need to visit it again. UH makes me feel so isolated and like an insignificant ant among millions on top of an anthill.

School tomorrow. I'm off to bed. Nighty.

From Cafe Writing's February Project:

Option Four: Can You Picture That?

Use the following photo to inspire an entry in any form - fiction, essay, poetry. Please copy the photo to your own server if you want to include it in your post.


*Photo courtesy of Beverly Lussier*

---

( Puppy Love Stories )

What is wrong with me?? My body is playing tricks on me.

I've been running a fever, running noses, and sneezing on and off for about a week. (And that's like every other day almost, and the next day I'll wake up fresh and new!) Last night, I woke up soaked in sweat. Now my throat is on fire, and I can barely talk. If this pattern continues, it means I'll get better tomorrow?

*sigh*



P.S. Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! I'm celebrating my sister's birthday today and V-Day tomorrow. Yep, that sounds like a good plan.

From Cafe Writing's February Project:

Option Five: Poetry

"From December to March, there are for many of
us three gardens:
the garden outdoors,
the garden of pots and bowls in the house,
and the garden of the mind’s eye." - Katherine S. White

Using the quotation above as your inspiration, write a poem (any form is fine) about gardens.

Author's Note: There's a little friend in any garden!

---

( Beating Around the Bush )

*Photo courtesy of Orkut Graphics*


HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

It's the Year of the Rat, which is actually the year I was born, so that should make it extra special for me. :D

In other news, I feel much better today (after trying to take care of myself and rest more for these past couple of weeks).

I should be back on the scene pretty soon! :)

This is nice. My perfect morning starts at 10 or 11 a.m.












In other news, I'm so exhausted right now to a point where I can barely keep my eyes open. G'night. *yawns*

I don't think
I can see you
ten years from now
and hold onto
your gaze
until I turn
away and run
blindly.

I don't think
I can speak to you
ten years from now
and hold onto
your foreign words
until I roll
them over with
my tongue.

I don't think
I can cross my life
with yours
ten years from now
and hold onto
promises and secrets
made long ago
until I release
them all like
hot-air balloons
to be buffeted by the winds,
ever increasing the distance
between us.

From Cafe Writing's January Project:

Option One: Seven Things

List seven resolutions that you've made - for the New Year, or just for yourself - that you've actually kept. (They don't have to all be from the same year, either.)

Author's Note: Here's a twist: I wrote it in a form of a long poem in seven parts! This time, I made it a (challenging) goal to finish it! I did one for the December Project, but I just hit a horrible brick wall. The theme of tradition was rather difficult and took me a long time to meditate on. Someday, I hope to look back on it with fresher eyes and be able to finish it. (Sadly, it was never shared with anyone at the CW site.) It's posted after the January poem, dear readers, in case you may want to read it (out of curiosity). In the meantime, you can butcher my 7-part January poem. There are many ways to read it really--as a poetic rant, each part as an individual poem, etc.. Enjoy!

---

Seven Ongoing Resolutions

( My Mount Fuji )

( When one is not sleeping in )

( Cooking Experiments )

( Sibling Rivalry/Love )

( This should be my essay for nursing school. )

( Finding Peace )

( Leisurely like children )


December Project (not published on CW): "Seven Ways of Looking at Tradition"

I need to work on 2 1/2 parts of my 7-part poem for Cafe Writing. After that, I'll revise them if I can, then post them.

I did a previous 7-part poem (last month), but that was a real thinker for me. It had me stumped, and I felt like I was in the writer's block mode. So, I'll just post the parts I do have later.

TGIF! MLK Holiday makes this weekend a whole lot better for me. A good amount of time for studying, writing poems, sleeping, etc. (at least I hope so?). Stay tuned...

i did not whisper your name
nor did i write it
inside a frame of pen-drawn hearts
on notebook paper.
but when i dream (of you),
i regress to age fifteen
when love is exciting and new
and intimidating all at the same time
like how a unsuspecting bird
would be fascinated with the belly-dancing
of a red and yellow snake down the meadow--
its colors of fire zigzagging
from its tongue to its back,
its tongue slurping,
slithering across its lips--
thirsty for your lips
or your skin.

(wait. does it even have lips?)

it's hard to tell if you're really poisonous,
because you're not always
red and yellow to kill a fellow
or a head-over-heels
heart.

(12/07/07, 1/17/08)

Freewrite really. Warming up my poetic muscles...

( Read more... )

I was so thrilled (thrilled, I tell ya, thrilled!) to see a familiar face at church today. It made me miss UST even more, even the profs from the psych dept..

Seeing the Houston Marathon series live today at work increased my high. I think one of my NEW goals to achieve before I die is to complete at least one marathon. Maybe I'll do a 5k run next year (aside from being on TV. Hehe. That'd be fun!)! It's a little over 3 miles, but I've always run more that! Now 26 miles is a bit too much though. Heh, maybe a half marathon (13 miles) is something I can train myself for...

I'm anxious & excited about school tomorrow--more of the former than the latter really. I haven't been to school for a semester, but it feels much longer than that. Starting tomorrow, I'm starting a new chapter to my education. There's full steam ahead towards nursing school. It's only a few more courses I have to take before enrolling in nursing school anyway.

I'm challenging myself to do 8 healthy habits in 8 weeks for this new Wellness Program activity/contest at work, which includes sleep, diet, exercise/workout, etc.. I hope to adopt these habits and get better at doing them, especially sleep! LOL.

I can't believe how fast my life is changing!

What are everyone's highs today? Your turn to share!

From Cafe Writing's January Project:

Option Six: Timed Writing

Take nine minutes (you have to use all nine, you can't go over), and interpret the topic Resolution.

Any format (fiction, essay, verse) is acceptable; and it's expected that your writing will be raw, so don't stress about editing.

---

The Re(v/s)olution to Resolution is...


GOALS!

That's more like it.

I'm not a fan of any type of timed writing. I type so fast that my fingers can go back and edit and delete stuff before it all registers in my head. Like with the previous sentence, I just added in "and delete". If only life was like that. Hit the backspace button and edit the mistakes we've made. Unfortunately, we learn from them and that's how we all learn to grow up (kicking or screaming, or otherwise).

Anyway, "resolution" is such a definite word, though much too ideal for me. I mean, does anybody really keep their resolutions throughout the whole year? I'd imagine that someone would break their resolutions at least once. I know I did. I prefer the term "goals". It's milder in tone and much more achievable and doesn't scare the whole world off, at least I think so. And I'm pretty ambitious myself, so I think I'd achieved almost all the goals I've made since I was younger. (My series of to-do lists that I create daily do not count.)

In my last post, I just talked about making one of my 2008 "goals" that I'm planning to do once a week--experimenting with cooking. I never really liked cooking. I have no idea how many times I've made stuff that were inedible or burnt. But for the last half of last year and with the energy boost from Ratatouille (you all gotta see the movie!), I found a way to relax my tired nerves whenever I have a day off from work. It's amazing to discover something like that. The world clicks when you're able to do something right... and fresh! Oh, and I was so incredibly thrilled when my sister bought me the DVD as a Christmas present! W00t! I was born under the year of the Rat according to the Chinese calendar, so I loved the movie even more when I saw the animated shorts on the DVD. One animated short in particular was something along the lines of "The Rat, Your Friend" or something like that. If a dog is a man's best friend, why not a rat? That got me thinking... *shudder* To tell you the truth, I'm more of a dog lover. I even got a collection of stuffed dogs/puppies! I love stuffed animals...

Eek! Timed writing really hurts my head (because I'm really trying to wrestle with the perfectionist's side to not edit this entry). I feel too rushed. And sadly, I must end here.

[Today's addendum: I wrote this entry yesterday but didn't get a chance to post it until now.]

From Cafe Writing's January Project:

Option Two: Pick Three

Pick at least three of the following eight words, and write a paragraph, scene, flash-fic, essay, blog entry or poem using them. It's fine to change tenses, or pluralize if you want to, but please bold the words you choose.

breathless, change, elusive, pensive, reflect, surge, tide, vibrant

---

Adrenaline

It's when your blood curls
around your toes
and surges through your veins
like the tides folding over
the rocks at sea
is when you realize
that it's only four miles
to complete the square.

Breathless,
it feels like your legs
have melted into wax;
your lungs have choked and gasped
for more air from the hard blue sky,
as you coax your mind
to stay on track.

Then,
the crowd goes wild.
With one more push,
one more leap forward,
you become the world
and the world becomes
a dizzying blurry green,
howling and whistling
with the wind around you
as your heart bursts
like firecrackers
for some kind of applause,
some wishful change,
some rekindled resolution
to quietly reflect on
in private.

Hello everyone!

Thanks for supplying your addresses! The Christmas cards will be sent out today! :)

I'm currently working on a 7-part poem for Cafe Writing. It's a double challenge for me. I'm doing Option 6.

I'm working on Christmas Eve and Day, but at least I can spend the evenings with my family. I may also be able to see some of you after Christmas if any of you are still in town by then. So, I'm crossing my fingers! However, I'll be working New Year's Eve (and maybe Day as well if I'm called).

This year has been a blast! Sure, I had a few downs, but I think this year was even better than last year. All the patience, hope, and hard work really paid off, and what's the most important thing is that I've learned to love my life more. So, I can't say it enough, but everything has been truly a blessing!

I'll also be working on my New Year's resolutions (probably write a poem out of it). :-P LOL.

I'll be going to school again, taking prereqs for nursing school at UH. I think I'll do a whole lot more than being a physician or a psychologist. I don't want to deal with administrative stuff all the time nor do I want to do assessments all the time. So, I think nursing school may be it for me. I can do a combination of research and clinical practice and still be able to do my hobbies on the side or work on "special projects" which life will happen to throw at me.

In the meantime, I wish everyone a wonderful and safe holiday with many blessings and love.

I love this time of year, though I wish it was colder!!

From Cafe Writing's December Project:

Option Six: Seven Things

List seven traditions - big or small - that you and your family observe. You don't have to explain them, but it's more fun for readers if you do.

Author's Note: Here's a twist: I wrote it in a form of a long poem in parts! Enjoy!

---

Seven Ways of Looking at Tradition

I. Seventh Heaven
In kindergarten, I wanted to
be the lucky seven that were swans-
a-swimming down the aisle
and up towards center stage, but
I was a maid making whole
milk that later went spoiled.

Seven years later, I realized that
you were that white bird
swimming across a silver lake
that bridged to the heavens and beyond
with dewdrops on the crown of your head
and feathers that must have glittered
in God's sunlit face.

Because of you,
every day, I am made whole
and fresh.

( Read more... )