Friday Five

One
Justin is home!

He never has to go back to Afghanistan again!

YAY!!!

{Welcome home, my handsome jet-lagged husband!}

Two
Today is also Justin's birthday! Happy birthday, honey!

We're celebrating tonight by going out to dinner at the Blue Duck Tavern, a restaurant we both have been meaning to try for awhile. I'm excited/nervous to try out dishes like "Crispy Fried Veal Sweetbreads" and "Roasted Bone Marrow Truffle Crust." Hmm, maybe I'll pass on that last one....


Three
Tomorrow, Justin's family flies in from Seattle for a four-day visit. The weather in DC is hot and humid and generally miserable, but we have a few outings planned anyway. The schedule includes:

* A visit to the National Zoo! (I love zoos! And this one is free!)
* A day-trip to Baltimore! (National Aquarium! Unfortunately, not free.)
* A White House tour! (Maybe I'll see Bo?)
* Watching the Olympics! (Because I am obsessed! Ryan Lochte!) 

Four
Just for fun, I loaned a 50mm camera lens from BorrowLenses.com to snap some pictures of our family trip. Right now, I use my trusty 35mm lens but I've heard that its 50mm counterpart has better bokeh and is most ideal for portraiture. (I'm getting all technical but I really don't know anything about photography!)

{Blue flats on freshly cut grass.}

Five
On the reading front, I'm taking a break from YA/MG and delving into adult non-fiction. First up, I'm making my way through Behind the Beautiful Forevers, an account of a poverty-stricken Mumbai slum. Next, I'm reading Battle Cry of Freedom, a sweeping history of the Civil War that won the Pulitzer Prize back in 1989. Justin and I want to visit a few Civil War sites this summer so I figured I should brush up on my history. Nerd historians unite! 

So what are you up to this weekend? Watching the Olympics?!?! I hope so! I am a self-professed Olympics Super Fan and I am DAMN PROUD OF IT! Team USA!

A Weekend in New York!

{Walking along the pier.}

How was your weekend? 

I was lucky enough to spend mine in New York City! My best friends and I decided it had been far too long since we've spent a weekend together, sans kids and sans significant others. Commence lots of chatting and giggling and gorging of food! 

My New York diet consisted of:

- A bucket of gelato

- Plate upon plate of tapas

- Far too much hot chocolate

- Bagels smothered with scallion cream cheese

- Not enough hot dogs

Hmm. Very well-balanced, methinks!

But, hey, we walked a lot! So it balances out, right? Maybe? 

Anyway...is it okay if I get a little sappy here? But I'm so grateful to have these gals in my life. We've known each other since middle school and they've buoyed me through freak-outs and heartbreaks, through crises of all sorts. Despite my stubbornness and my strange quirks (and I have a lot of quirks!) I know they have my back. My life is richer, happier, simply better, with them in it. 

Yay for good friends! 

/Sappiness

{Amanda & Allie}

{When Amanda tells us to strike a pose, we listen.}

{Standing on top of the Irish Hunger Memorial.}

{Tugboat!}

All in all, a lovely weekend with lovely weather and even lovelier company. The only bad part? I caught a cold the second day of our trip, which I subsequently passed onto both Allie and Amanda.

Um, sorry!

Stay away from me! I'm diseased!

Friday Five

One
Whew! Sorry for the long delay in posting!

For the past couple weeks, I have been BURIED in revisions for my YA alternate history. Seriously, this is the book that never ends. Every time I think I'm satisfied with it, I find something else I need to fix. Right now, I'm mired in line edits.

I always line edit on a hard copy of my manuscript, single-spaced to save paper. I also write in a scrawl that only I can interpret. My own secret language! Bwahahaha. 

Two

My nightly Sunday ritual now consists of: 

Picking up my grandma from her apartment complex.

Eating Asian food with her and my little sis.

Then devouring ice cream at Ben & Jerry's. 

My grandma always gets the coffee flavor. My grandma is also game for funny pictures, as evidenced below.

Three

This last Sunday, my sister snapped this picture of me with my grandma. I think I look kind of young in it, which is rather pleasing to me since I am---in actuality---a forty-year-old woman.

I kid, I kid! 

But funnily enough, I got mistaken for a high schooler later this week. When I told my dad about this, he promptly snorted and said, "Haaaaaaaaa! Come on." 

My dad does not mince words. Thanks, Dad!

Four

A ha! Now, I look more my age. (Which is the tender age of twenty.) (Not really.)

I hope you guys grabbed a free Slurpee on Wednesday at 7-11! My sister got pina colada while I opted for the tried and true favorite of Slurpee Coke. Oh man, Slurpee Coke. Manna from heaven in liquid form. 

Five

Hope you have a fantastic weekend! What are you guys up to? 

Tonight, I'm heading to Truckeroo, which is a food festival in DC that features all sorts of yummy food trucks! I am rather excited about the food truck dedicated to mac & cheese. My kind of people!

Happy 4th!

Happy Independence Day, my fellow Americans!

And to all of you non-Americans, I hope you have a wonderful 4th of July that is filled with hot dogs and air-conditioning and long naps! ('Cause that sounds like pretty awesome to me!)

Today is a day of great celebration, not only because it is America's 236th birthday---USA! USA!---but also because we finally have cable and internet at my house. Due to the awful storm that swept through DC over the weekend, we lost power for three days and our cable/internet connection got conked out with it. Even worse, our house turned into a broiling oven.

Suffice to say, I was rather displeased.

There was some of this...

And a little bit of this...

 But then the power came back! And I literally did a dance! Kind of like this....

And now the internet is back and I have TV and my quest for world domination is nearly complete! 

Yayyy!

Yay for freedom and liberty! Yay for the Founding Fathers!

And a big YAY for electricity!

(Also yay for hot dogs and coleslaw. And air conditioning. Beloved AC! Ahhhhh.)

The Best Book I Read in June

A couple weeks ago, I had a conversation with my husband that went something like this....

Me: So I'm reading A Storm of Swords [the third book in the Game of Thrones series] and It. Is. Crazy.

Justin: I know, right? I told you to read that months ago, silly wife.  

Me: Yeah, well, this book is INSANE. There are characters dying left and right. Nobody is safe! Nobody! 

And then, Justin said something that warrants proper illustration: 

INDEED!

My husband speaks the truth!

So, yes, the best book I read in June was A Storm of Swords by George "Honeybadger" Martin. I can sum up this weighty novel in a handful of words:

Craziness. Death. Badassery. Oh no, he didn't! MOAR death. Wow.

Usually, I have a hard time getting into adult fantasy novels but this one totally sucked me in. Everywhere I went, I tried to sneak in a few more pages of the book: checking out at the grocery store, waiting for a movie to start, reading way past my bedtime. How did Martin craft such a great book?!

First, the constant shift in POV. Each chapter of this series is narrated by a different character, so the plot is always shifting, keeping you on your toes. Plus, if you find a particular storyline boring, no worries! In a few pages, you'll switch to someone's else perspective.

Second, George R.R. Martin has NO FEAR as a writer. He wants to tell a great story first and foremost so he's not afraid to make his characters suffer or introduce crazy plot twists. Or, you know, kill off major people. As a reader, this keeps you teetering at the edge of your seat, unsure what Honeybadger George will do next.

And third, the characters. Oh, Martin is superb at characterization! Every character is expertly crafted, expertly honed. Sansa, for instance, starts off in Book 1 as a spoiled, semi-bratty girl but she has developed into one of my favorite characters.

Can we talk about the Lannisters too? Cunning, ruthless, even incestuous. But somehow Martin manages to make us feel for them, which is crazy because I don't want to feel anything but disgust for Cersei and Jaime. They're awful creatures! But then Martin shows us Cersei's fierce love for her children and Jaime's experiences as a young knight and...lo and behold...maybe I do feel bad for them. (Just a little.)

Anyway, I am now reading the fourth book in the series and liking it a lot so far. Here's to hoping it's as good as the third!

So what are you reading now? Any recommendations? And be sure to check YA Highway for our "Best Book in June" blog posts! 

Weekend Wrap-Up

One of the reasons why I love Washington, D.C.?

The diversity of the area.

If I drive 40 minutes southeast from my house, I end up in the heart of the city, with concrete beneath my feet and with taxis zooming around me. 

But if I drive 40 minutes northwest, I edge into an America of yesteryear. Open views, sprawling farms, and nifty vintage pickup trucks. Also, cows. Lots of cows. 

On Saturday, my little sister and I headed to Dickerson, Maryland---a forty-five minute drive---for the sole purpose of...buying peaches. Yes! We love peaches! And the peaches have ripened early this summer. This is Very Exciting News in our fruit-loving family. 

We are Very Exciting People. Don't be jealous. :)

{What am I doing in this picture? I have no idea.}

{Farmstand tomatoes}

ALAS, I do not have any pictures of the peaches. Why? Because peaches are very camera-shy! They're self-conscious little fruit! (Or maybe I forgot to take the pics... Fail.) 

In other weekend news, I baked two loaves of banana bread. Rather, I made banana cake. 'Cause I don't think my banana bread can technically qualify as bread. It's sugary, butter-filled, and crammed with lots of chocolate chips. In other words, it's a very healthy snack! I promise! (All lies.) 

{Proper dieting food}

And in other, other news, I am very lucky to have very nice friends who loan me very awesome ARCs! My TBR currently includes these titles:

{Crewel, Origin, and Falling Kingdoms}

Eep! I'm reading CREWEL right now and I'm really enjoying the world-building thus far---it's unlike anything I've encountered in young adult fiction. I'm also excited to dig into ORIGIN and FALLING KINGDOMS, especially the latter because it has been compared to Game of Thrones. I just finished A Storm of Swords, the third book in the George R.R. Martin series, and it was utterly fantastic.

A big thank you to Jessica Spotswood and Jessica Sheehan for kindly loaning me these ARCs!

How are you doing? How was your weekend? 

Weekend Wrap-Up

{Tulips for my grandma's birthday}

Ah, Monday! You again?

You're always sneaking up on me!

Well, Justin left for Afghanistan on Saturday evening, which wasn't very awesome. *Sniff* Fortunately, he only has five weeks left overseas! After that, he'll be home for good and everything will be wonderful and there shall be much rejoicing in the land of Caroline. Yay!

Until then... 

I've been hanging out with my family and brunching it up with a few friends. Yesterday afternoon, I drove down to Crystal City to meet with Jessica Spotswood, Robin Talley, and Livia Blackburne. We're all represented by the same agent and it just so happened that Livia was visiting DC for the weekend, which gave us the perfect excuse to chat about writing and devour tapas at one of my favorite restaurants, Jaleo. 

I think I've successfully converted Jess and Livia to pan con tomate! I'm still working on Robin though... I don't know how she can resist the siren call of crusty bread + tomato-ey goodness + yummy cheese. Perhaps she is an alien? :)

{Yargh! This picture came out blurry. Also, not loving my hair.}

Oh! I also have exciting news!

Rather, my good friend Ellen Oh has super exciting news! 

Today, Ellen gets to reveal the cover of her YA novel, Prophecy!!! I've been lucky enough to read an early draft of Prophecy and It. Is. Utterly. Awesome. I mean, it's about a kickass warrior girl who kills demons in ancient Korea! I can't wait to get my hands on the finished copy. 

So be sure to head over to Young Adult Books Central later today to check it out! 

*Props chin on hands* How was your weekend by the way?

If I had gone to BEA...

Oh, Book Expo America! 

If only I could have attended you! 

Alas, I couldn't make it to BEA this year but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can go in 2013 or 2014. The adventures to be had! The friends to make! And, of course, THE ARCS TO GRAB! 

Granted, I'm a pretty slow walker---I blame it on my very small gait!---but I'd definitely ramp up my speed to gather as many ARCs that can I fit into my arms. If I had gone to BEA this year, these are the books that I would've sprinted toward: 

Fantasy Reads!

CREWEL by Gennifer Albin

I've wanted to get my hands on this book ever since I read the deal announcement on Publisher's Marketplace. Plus, weren't there six or seven publishers who wanted to buy it? Hello, dream situation! 

Understandably, Crewel was one of the biggest ARCs of BEA and the premise certainly has me intrigued:  a society of women who can weave time with matter. Must. Read. Now. 

SKYLARK by Meagan Spooner

I'm lucky enough to be friends with Meg in real life---she is lovely and funny and whip smart---and I simply can't wait to read her debut novel! SKYLARK was chosen as a YA Buzz Panel Pick this year and I'm super excited to dig into this dystopian fantasy.

Please, Let Me Read You!

THE DIVINERS by Libba Bray

So this book is set in the 1920s. Have I mentioned that the Roaring Twenties is my FAVORITE historical era ever? Yep. I need to read this. 

LIAR & SPY by Rebecca Stead

I fell in love with Stead's novel When You Reach Me, which won the Newbery Prize in 2009. Her newest offering, Liar & Spy, just received a starred review from Publisher's Weekly so I'll definitely be on the lookout for this when it comes out. 

Yes, I Read Adult Books Too

THE YELLOW BIRDS by Kevin Powers
A book about Iraq veterans written by an Iraq veteran. Me = Intrigued.

Also, a bookseller at Politics & Prose read this in one sitting and described it as: "It's visceral; the language is so poetic, so literary." Me = Very Intrigued.

THE SMITTEN KITCHEN COOKBOOK by Deb Perelman
I'm a mega fan of Deb's cooking blog, Smitten Kitchen, and so my taste buds are watering for her debut cookbook. Until it comes out, I shall bake a few more of these strawberry cakes, which is the best cake I have ever made. I'm not kidding! It's really that good. Even my uber-picky Chinese grandma loved it!

Man, I wish, wish, wish I could've gone to BEA!

Next year, folks. There's always next year. :)

So what would you have grabbed if you had gone to BEA? Or if you did go to BEA, what are your most treasured ARCs? (Also, can I borrow said ARCs? Pretty please? What if I made you cake?)

Writing Advice to My 24-year-old Self

I've been in a reflective mood lately. 

Maybe it's because Justin is home. Maybe it's because I'm turning 30 this year (eep!). Or maybe it's because I'm in North Carolina right now, visiting the town where Justin and I spent our first three years of marriage. 

Whatever it is, I'm thinking a lot about that 24-year-old girl I used to be. Five years ago, I got married. I quit my job and packed my bags and moved into an apartment that Justin had found for us. As cheesy as it sounds, it was a new beginning for me.

New marriage. New house. New career. 

Ah, yes! A new career. With Justin's urging, I finally embraced my childhood dream of becoming a writer. If I could only borrow Hermione Grange's timeturner, I wish I could give my old self some advice....

{Then: April 2007}

Butt in chair, woman! 

First things first, working at home is indeed awesome, especially since your last job involved a 75-minute commute and an itty bitty cubicle tucked to one side of the break room where you had to smell everyone's microwaved lunches. So it's okay to revel in your pajamas and slippers for a few days but after that...butt in chair! Time to write!

My advice? Buy a calendar and write down your goals for each day. Like, drafting a damn good query letter in the morning and locating 4-5 magazines to send it off to. That way, you can focus on specific tasks and you will feel much shame when you slack off in your duties.

Shame = The Ultimate Motivator.

Rejections, get used to them

A word of warning: you will get rejected A LOT. You will get rejected so often that you'll think about running away, joining the circus, and cleaning elephant poop for the rest of your life because---at the very least---you can hang out with the elephants.

You'd be like the Poopsmith on Homestar Runner!

Anyway, you probably want me to give you some sage advice about how to accept rejection with a happy face. Well, I'm very sorry little padawan, but I don't have much for you. I mean, I still tear up sometimes when I get a rejection, especially editor rejections because those things hurt REALLY BADLY. But it does get easier. You just have to grit your teeth and dig in your heels and keep on trucking. 'Cause if you want to write, then write. If you want to get published, then you have to deal with rejection. One day, you will get a yes.

And that day shall be filled not with shame but with awesomesauce!

Find other writers! Force them to be your friend!

Right now, you are a writer-hermit. You scour writing blogs each day and pour over writer's forums but you never comment. You're too scared. Too nervous. And you're scared of "coming out" as a writer because what if you fail and people laugh at you?

Oh, my poor dear.

You need to surround yourself with writer friends. You need people in your life who understand this crazy process of submission and rejection and publication. They're the people who truly get what you're going through and they're the ones who will buoy you when you feel down and kick you in the shins when you get too mopey.

Don't go through this alone. (Plus, writer friends are a lot of fun! You like fun!)

ANYWAY, I can probably talk for hours about all of the lessons I've learned writing-wise in the past five years. Man, I had so much to learn! And I have more to learn still.

But I'm curious. What would you tell your former self? What lessons have you learned since you started on this crazy-making process?

Friday Five

{Taken over Memorial Day weekend in the Shenandoah Valley}

One
Justin is home! Justin is home! Yay!

Even if it's only for two weeks, it's so nice to have my best friend here with me. Whenever Justin leaves for long stretches of time, my brain enters a sort of deployment mode and I get used to sleeping by myself and eating by myself and watching Game of Thrones by myself. (Yeesh, this sounds so depressing!) But life is so much brighter and awesomer when he is HERE! Next to me! To talk to IN PERSON!

I sure have missed him.


Two
Can I tell you guys the sweetest story that'll make you go "Aww"? It'll only take a minute! Promise!

Although Justin works as a consultant, he often flies home from Afghanistan with a bunch of Marines or Army soldiers. Thus, oftentimes, there are a lot of smiling families waiting at the airport when I get there, bursting with balloons and flowers and cheery Welcome Home signs.

Yesterday, bright and early in the morning, I noticed a family---a few women and two little girls---craning their necks each time the arrival doors opened. Finally, the soldiers started to emerge and one of the little girls broke free from her aunts and took off sprinting.

"Mommy, Mommy, Mommy!" she cried before her mom dropped her bags and scooped the girl up for a big hug.

Heart. Melted.
Eyes. Crying.
Ovaries. Bursting.

I wish I'd gotten the whole thing on camera!


Three
This video made my heart melt too. Or am I just in a sappy mood? Nah, your heart shall melt as well!





Four
On the writing front---or should I say revising front?---I feel like I'm making good headway on my agent's editorial notes! I've beefed up the world-building (although not quite enough) and I've smoothed out some character motivation. On paper, I should be almost finished! But....

...I've decided to rewrite eight chapters of the manuscript. I know! Silly Caroline, but I truly believe the book will be stronger for it and I want the novel to be as strong as possible before we go out on submission. Eep, submission! That word is both thrilling and terrifying to me. Perhaps I'll just hide in my little revision cave for awhile where I won't have any rejections thrown my way.

I am a wuss!


Five
Well, I hope you guys have a most fabulous and wonderful weekend! Justin and I will probably have a low-key weekend since he still has jet lag but I'm hoping we can squeeze in a couple movies and some good food. Did I mention that a Pinkberry has opened near my house? Or how the Game of Thrones season finale is on Friday?!

GAME OF THRONES!

My Revision Ritual

So!

I am in the midst of revisions for my agent. Yes indeedy, I am. Right now, I'm knee-deep in adding world-building details, deepening character motivation, and looking up random topics on Wikipedia. Such as:

How did the Nazis view religion? 
Do Unitarians use any symbols? 
How tall are cornstalks in April? 

Apparently, I am writing a book about Nazi Unitarian farmers. It's gonna be a bestseller, I tell you!

This is my second time tackling revision notes for my agent. The first time around was for my middle grade space opera, which needed a lot of work and thus required more extensive notes. This time around, my notes have focused more on world-building and character inconsistencies, but I find myself going through the same revision ritual as before. You know, a little bit of flailing, a little bit of angsting, a little bit of ARGHing, and then...acceptance.

Step One: Freak out a little

This is par for the course, no? Every time I get revision notes from someone---whether it's my husband or my agent or my beta readers---I tend to flail. After all, it can be overwhelming to have your work, your precious baby, critiqued and dissected and pulled apart. And being the delicate flower that I am, I must have a good freak out!

Step Two: Think it out

After my flail session, I need some quality time to let my revision notes sink in. Fortunately, I received my notes when I was in Taiwan so this step was easier to achieve. I'd let my mind drift to editing when I was riding on the subway or slurping noodles or, you know, running away from gigantic Formosan spiders. They were as big as my hand!

Step Three: Talk it out

Now, I call in the reinforcements! This is when writing friends come in handy. You can talk revisions with them! And they shall impart wisdom! For this revision, I emailed my beta readers and chatted about what I wanted to do with my next revision. What sort of world-building details should I add? What did they think about the idea I had for fixing a certain problem? After we spoke, I sat down with my computer and pondered some more.

Step Four: Butt in chair

There comes a point in a writer's life in which she can no longer procrastinate. That time has now arrived. After flailing and thinking and brainstorming, I finally get down to business. That is, I stare at my laptop...and stare some more.

And then, THEN!, I get down to business.

First up, I create a new Sticky note on my Mac where I jot down all of the revisions I need to tackle. (If you have a a Mac and don't use Stickies, why the heck not?!) Then, well, I just start. Typically, I begin with the easiest revisions (changing names, removing a minor character, adding world-building details, etc.) and then I move onto the harder ones (refining character motivations, re-writing whole chapters, etc.). As of now, I'm still working on some of the more minor problems but I'm segueing into the larger issues, which hurts my brain a little but in a good way.

Anyway, there you have it! My revision ritual! If you feel bad for me, please send chocolates and cookies and cute kittens my way. :)

I'm curious too. What are your revisions like? Do you have any rituals? Do tell! 

Friday Five

Whew, many apologies for the long delay in blogging! My family arrived back in the States on Tuesday evening, and I have become a jet-lag zombie ever since.

Seriously. I've never had jet lag so badly before! It is an affliction. A sickness. I AM DISEASED!

Ok, not really, but does anyone have any advice for me? How do I fall asleep at a reasonable hour?!

*Eye twitch*

One
Well, the trip to Taiwan was quite fun! My jet lag is due to a good cause, at least! I'm still sorting through my pictures but here are a few from my favorite sites:

{Taroko National Park in northeastern Taiwan}

{Alishan National Park in central Taiwan}

Two
And here's a picture of my brother and me at his wedding festival! He and his new wife Dora wore traditional Taiwanese outfits for the day, which was both awesome and amusing. I mean, check out that hat!

{The hat has wings!}

{My dad can't resist the hat.}

Three
I managed to get some reading done during the trip and during the loooong flight to Taiwan!

Of these three, I have to say that I liked Boy 21 the best. I simply fell in love with this book: with its honest narration, with its grimy urban setting, and with its heartbreaking characters who are all flawed and messy and trying to survive in the inner city.

What did I love most about this book? The realness of the male narrator's voice. You know how some male POVs come across as how we wish teenage boys would sound like? As in, the boy is so clever and mysterious and sensitively romantic? That's rather swoony and all, but sometimes I just want my characters to sound...well...real. And author Matthew Quick accomplishes just that. Finley, the protagonist, acts and thinks and sounds like a real seventeen year-old. You know, he thinks about sex and about his family. He thinks about basketball and how to get out of his town.

Finley is simply real. And I loved that.

Four
On the writing front, I'm currently working on a revision for Awesome Agent Jim! His notes are spot-on and I'm excited to make my manuscript stronger (this is my YA alternate history), although I am a bit overwhelmed whenever I stare at the email that Jim sent me.

Like, where do I start? Eep!

Hopefully, I can make some good headway this weekend. I just have to crack open Microsoft Word and force myself to revise, right?

RIGHT!

Five
Well, you're probably jealous of my weekend plans, aren't you? HA! Anyway, since I've been away for so long, what's up with you? What's new? Whatcha reading? Whatcha doing this weekend? More importantly, do you want to hang out when I start tearing out my hair over revisions?

I'm good company. Promise!

Oh, FINE. I'll buy you a brownie. Now can we hang out? Or are you gonna make me order you a drink too?

:)

Friday Five: Taiwan Edition!

I have returned to the motherland!

Also known as...Taiwan!

After a 16-hour flight and a layover in Tokyo, my family arrived in Taipei on Wednesday evening. We spent the last two days in the capital city---where I saw a lot of stray dogs and cats and even a rat! Ew!---and now we're in a town called Miaoli, where my brother and sister-in-law currently live.

Anyway, I'm in that strange limbo of jet lag in which I'm kind of tired but also kind of wide awake. So I have decided to blog!

One

{Why hello!}

Here I am with my Uncle Bing!

Ok, not really....

This is just a random bust I saw in Taipei yesterday, whom I decided to nickname Uncle Bing because I couldn't read the accompanying plaque. Basically, I'm kind of illiterate here in Taiwan since I've forgotten most of the characters I learned in Chinese school. Somewhere up in Chinese heaven, my ancestors are shaking their heads at me and sighing. Sorry, ancestors!


Two

{Chiang Kai Shek Memorial}

{Visiting my paternal grandfather's grave, who died in 1973.}

For this trip, I rented a wide-angle lens from BorrowLenses.com since I wanted to try one out and because---yipes!---these lenses cost about $1000 new and $700 used. Ah, photography! Why did I have to choose such an expensive new hobby? Still, I'm sort of in love with this lens! Must save my pennies....


Three

{Taiwanese book cover}

In bookish news, I saw two guys in Taipei today reading the Chinese version of The Hunger Games. I wanted to tap on their shoulders and point enthusiastically at their books and say, "This is SUCH a good book! I approve!"

Don't worry. I refrained from doing such a thing because I'd like to give off the impression that I am a.) normal, and b.) semi sane.

Of course, in reality, I really am a crazy person. At least when it comes to The Hunger Games. :)


Four

Foooood!

My family has been taking full advantage of the exchange rate here in Taiwan. Just yesterday for a five-person lunch, we only paid $15 for a table full of noodles and appetizers! I might weigh 500 pounds once I get home. What a fun surprise for Justin!

Oh! My sister and I were at dinner tonight (at a Lord of the Rings themed restaurant of all places!) and I spotted a hilarious English misspelling. Ready for it?

Pesto Pasta with Vaggies

Hahaha. I know, I know. So gross, right? I couldn't stop giggling and gagging at the same time. Suffice to stay, I didn't order that dish.


Five

Aaaaand on the writing front, I've been able to crank out some words on my new WIP! Very surprisingly! That's another fun side effect of my jet lag, I suppose. I go to bed at strange hours and awake at even stranger ones. Hopefully, fingers crossed, I'll write a few chapters while I'm here so I can send them off to a few readers.

So, how are you doing? What are you up to this weekend? And what are you reading? Your recommendations are always welcome!