DAY TWENTY-ONE: The Beautiful Part of South Africa {Project 365}Can you believe it’s March already? Days just keep whizzing by, it seems.

You know, last month, I was actually quite pleased with how things moved along here at Studio Notes. I have a few reasons for this and one of them is that I feel like I’ve stopped second guessing myself about this blog. You see, for a long time, I kept trying to overanalyse about this blog’s direction and focus. In the process, I end up all confused and unsure about what to blog, when to blog, how to blog…

I know, I know… it sounds crazy, right? After all, I’ve been at this blogging thing for over a decade now. Yet, I’m still occasionally plagued by what I should and shouldn’t do around here. But, somehow, this year, things feel a lot less stressful. Last month, in particular, felt quite smooth. Like I’ve finally hit some kind of stride.

Either that, or I just stopped worrying too much. :-D

That’s why I managed to do a number of things that I’ve been meaning to do here… like video blogging, posting movie and book reviews, sharing travel stories, and more.

Anyway, I think one of the things that helped was when I did that first day of the month post in February. I found that having that first monthly check-in about our year’s goals and challenges was very helpful. Sharing my list of “things to blog about” certainly kept me going for the month.

So, writing of which, HOW ARE YOU GOING WITH YOUR 2010 GOALS? What have been your biggest successes (and not-so-good experiences)?

On my part, I’m happy to report that I’ve finally done something with my fitness/exercise. Yes, after reporting to you that I was failing miserably on this front in January, I had a burst of inspiration and decided to sign up for a fitness class. That’s when I first heard of this thing called Zumba. I’ll probably write more about it some time. In any case, yes, I’ve been sweating and stretching away the last few weeks. Yay! At last.

Last month, I also had to re-adjust some of my personal goals and plans. Again, this probably merits a post on its own. But, yeah, I’ve made decisions to let go of some goals – in order to make way for some new ones that came up. But, that’s life, right? We can’t keep pushing ourselves towards a direction that may not be working for us at that particular time. No matter how much we may badly wanted to go there when we first created our list of goals. We evolve. Every single day. That’s why I’ve learned to believe that our goals and plans should evolve with us. It’s part of our growth!

Other wonderful things from last month: engaging in some “me” moments, moving forward with novel revisions, going camping with the family, doing some volunteer work, my music revival, reading some cool books, even completing my first 100 list, and meeting a few other goals.

I’m even pleased to be able to write up most of the items from my “to blog about list” from last month. The only things I didn’t get to are the South Africa trip and The Last Decade (I’ve actually drafted this already, and may still post it some time!). In fact, I found the practice so useful, especially on days when I wish to blog but I felt stuck and uninspired. So, yeah, I think I’m going to keep doing these check-ins and “to blog about” lists while they work for me.

Now, here are some things that I wish to blog about this month of March (and any time in the future):

  • Complete The Big Trip Story – Just need the South African leg of the journey now! (DONE! – 10/3/10)
  • Share 52WoC #50 – Yes, we’re really, really almost there. I’ll be posting this soon, and doing the round-up for 52WoC #49 (DONE! – 5/3/10) (thanks again to all of you who joined in. that was fun!)
  • On Evolving Goals – Like I mentioned earlier, I’d like to share more about some of my goals that had to shift.
  • Style Studio – I realised that I didn’t post one last month! It wasn’t on my list, so I forgot about it. Yikes. Hopefully, I’ll get to do one this month. (DONE! – 16/3/10)
  • The Reading Studio {Feb 2010 Ed} – Yes, just like last month’s book reviews! (DONE! – 8/3/10)
  • The Movie Studio {Feb 2010 Ed} – Same. Unfortunately, though, this won’t be a long one, as I only managed to watch two measly movies last month. Boo. Need to make up for it this month.
  • The Mini Diana – I’ve been meaning to share this with you, so hopefully, I’ll get to do that this month.
  • Zumba – Ah, yes… Me and my foray into fitness! Teeheehee.
  • On Travel Writing and Tiger Tales – Something I’ve been hoping to blog about for a while now.
  • Web Wednesday – Of course, I have to post at least one this month!
  • Most Famous Person – Something that has been on my mind, but not sure how to approach this yet. Blogging about it might help. We’ll see…
  • Filmmaking Update – Or, something about that 60 Days to Something again.

I wonder if I missed anything? Hmmm… I’d like to say that I’d do another video post, but I’m not sure so I won’t list that at this stage.

Now, it’s your turn to share what you’ve been up to last month… :-)

{ 4 comments }

Strawberry Cupcake Dreams

by Shai Coggins on February 26, 2010 · 2 comments

in Food + Dining

Strawberry CupcakesMy li’l girl loves pink. So naturally, her favourite food flavouring is strawberry.

One evening, while asleep, the girl says, “I want strawberry cupcakes.” We teased her about it the next day. She thought it was funny too.

A couple of nights later, she sleep talks again saying, “Strawberry cupcake. I want strawberry cupcake!”

Seeing as I’ve never ever made strawberry cupcakes in my life, I kinda felt like those messages were hints for me. Well, sort of. In any case, I knew I just had to oblige.

So, I hunted for the perfect recipe. I looked and looked. And, I couldn’t be quite sure about which recipe will be best.

Then, somehow, I came across something called Scout’s Cupcakes (I forget where now). People swore they’re the best cupcakes ever. That’s how I knew I had to give it a go. And so I did. Now, I’m one of those people praising this cupcake recipe. I love it. It’s so simple — and absolutely yummy!

That’s why I decided to use this as my basis for my strawberry cupcake recipe. Here’s how Scout’s Cupcake Recipe gets a twist of strawberry (which was also partly based from another strawberry cupcake recipe I found on Martha Stewart’s site, I think)…

Cupcake Ingredients:

  • 2 eggs
  • thickened cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
  • 3/4 cup caster sugar
  • 1 cup self-raising flour
  • 2/3 cup frozen strawberries, thawed (I think you can use fresh strawberries too, but I’ve only ever used the frozen variety because I read somewhere that it works better)

Strawberry CupcakesHow To Bake/Prepare:

Step 1: Preheat over to approximately 160-180 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners – and set aside.

Step 2: Puree the strawberries in a blender or food processor. Adding a bit of water might help. This should make about 1/3 cup of puree. Add more strawberries, if necessary. Halve the portion. Set aside the other half for the frosting.

Step 3: Into a 1-cup measuring cup, place two eggs. Then, fill the cup with thickened cream up to the top. Place the mixture in a big mixing bowl.

Step 4: Beat the mixture for one minute using electric mixer or beater.

Step 5: Add vanilla essence and caster sugar. Then, beat for 3 minutes.

Step 6: Sift in the self-raising flour and fold in to the mixture.

Step 7: Place the mixture in to the 12 patty cups.

Step 8: Bake in the over until light golden and cakes spring back when lightly touched in the centre. This may take about 12 to 15 minutes.

Step 9: When ready, leave to cool for a few minutes before frosting.

Strawberry CupcakesIngredients for the Butter Icing/Frosting:

  • 5 oz (150g) unsalted butter – softened
  • 8 oz (250g) confectioners (icing) sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 tsp hot water
  • the leftover pureed strawberry

How to Make the Frosting:

Step 1: Beat the butter and sugar together using an electric beater or mixer.

Step 2: Once combined well, add the vanilla and water. Beat until smooth and creamy.

Step 3: Add the pureed strawberry. Mix well.

Step 4: Start frosting when your cupcakes are cool enough!

Hope you enjoy this too! As you can see here, I also made another batch of strawberry cupcakes for my son’s birthday party this year. I added a pre-made edible icing topping with the Cars character on it. It was a hit!

And yes, the li’l girl definitely loves her strawberry cupcakes. Nice to be able to make some of her dreams come true when I still can. :-)

{ 2 comments }




It wasn’t planned. This whole video blogging thing. Especially not with the girl.

It just occurred to me that I’ve been wanting to do more videos for a long time, but I hardly ever do them.

So today, I decided to give it a go. It just so happened that my li’l girl walked in on me while I was recording, so I decided to do one with her. I think it was more fun with her around. Even though she did keep munching on that apple and spitting out the skins all throughout. Heh.

Anyway, I must admit, I prefer making videos where I don’t have to talk to the camera. It makes me feel weird to be the one right there. With all my strange mannerisms, accent, and goodness knows what.

I suppose, it’s like self portraiture. Only worse. Putting myself in front of a video camera is definitely A LOT MORE terrifying than putting myself in front of a still camera.

But, in the same way that I wanted to learn about portraiture (that’s why I used myself as my ‘test subject’ way back then), I also want to practice my “on camera” skills. So, here I am, learning.

My initial assessment: I think I get too giggly and fidgety when I’m nervous. I need to relax more. And, to stop over-thinking.

In any case, what do you think? What kind of things would you like to see in future video posts? if you have any ideas/suggestions/questions that you’d like me to cover, please do let me know. I don’t know how often I’d do this, but if I get a decent response (and lots more ideas), maybe I’ll do more. We’ll see.

Oh, and yes, that’s my messy studio/home office you can see right there. Meh. :-)

{ 12 comments }

The Movie StudioSimilar to The Reading Studio that I introduced early this month, I’m now sharing my “movies that I watched” round-up through The Movie Studio.

As some of you might know, I’ve become film-obsessed about 7 months ago. I mean, I’ve always enjoyed watching movies, and have always fancied the idea of making movies. But, my intense feelings for films has definitely heightened recently. I still don’t get to watch enough movies. But, I’ve at least started watching a lot more lately.

Now, I’m thinking that The Movie Studio is my chance to take some notes on these films — and share these notes with you.

So, without further ado, here are some films that I’ve watched last month (warning: possible spoilers!)…

 Little Manhattan 1. Little Manhattan (2005) – This is a coming-of-age story of a young boy called Gabe (Josh Hutcherson) who had to learn to come to grips with his parents’ divorce, as well as falling in love (and experiencing heartbreak) for the first time with school friend Rosemary (Charlie Ray).

Mini Review: Even though I wasn’t exactly planning on watching it, I gave it a go when I was left with not many decent film choices on my flight back to Australia aboard South African Airways. And, I’m glad I did watch it.Sweet and humorous in some places, this movie had some special moments. Admittedly, even though I feel 11 years old seems a bit too young for “first love”… I had to reserve my personal views on the subject and just enjoy the story. It was a touching film!

Rating: 3/5

Stars: Josh Hutcherson, Charlie Ray | Director: Mark Levin

{ Buy at Amazon } | { Buy at Fishpond }

2. All About Steve (2009) – Mary Horowitz (Sandra Bullock) is a walking trivia whiz in red boots and short skirts. With an intense love for words and facts, she puts her encyclopedic knowledge in to action as a crossword puzzle creator. However, after meeting a hunky TV camera man called Steve (Bradley Cooper) during a blind date, she has mistaken his attempts at an “early date exit” as encouragement. So, she writes a crossword that was just all about Steve. This then led her to getting fired from her job at the local newspaper. With this job loss, Mary ended up following Steve… and him, doing his best to dodge the stalker-like Mary.

Mini Review: Another aeroplane ride movie, All About Steve was an entertaining film that had some really cheesy and ridiculous moments. Although I felt myself cringing in some scenes, I also found myself laughing out loud in others. For a Hollywood romantic comedy, it’s quite unusual and quirky. I especially liked the concept of “finding people who are as normal as you are”… It really resonated with me. And, I guess, although I’m not completely crazy about her, I do like me some Sandra Bullock movie every now and then.

Rating: 3/5

Stars: Sandra Bullock, Bradley Cooper | Director: Phil Traill

{ Buy at Amazon }

 Raise Your Voice 3. Raise Your Voice (2004) – Terri (Hilary Duff) is a young, talented, aspiring singer who wished to take part in a prestigious summer music programme. With the help and encouragement of her brother Paul (Jason Ritter), Terri got accepted in to the programme, even though her father (David Keith) vehemently refuses. However, Paul dies in a tragic car crash and Terri was guilt-ridden and devastated. She almost didn’t go to the programme, but her mother (Rita Wilson) and aunt (Rebecca de Mornay) both encourage her to proceed – with a cover-up story for her dad. In the music programme, she meets talented and handsome Jay (Oliver James), and discovers her voice.

Mini Review: When I saw this video at the library by chance, I decided to check it out. Partly because I AM a sucker for music/dancing/performing films. And yes, it’s as cheesy as I expected it to be. But, I did feel a tear-jerking moment when Terri lost her brother in that car crash. And, although some songs were catchy, I wasn’t really taken with any of it. I was, however, slightly taken with the leading guy Oliver James, an English actor. Ah. What can I say? I’m partial to British accents – especially if they have musical inclinations to top things off. Heh.   

Rating: 2.5/5

Stars: Hilary Duff, Oliver James, Jason Ritter, Rita Wilson, Rebecca de Mornay | Director: Sean McNamara

{ Buy at Amazon } | { Buy at Fishpond }

 Return To Me 4. Return To Me (2000) – Although Bob Rueland (David Duchovny) and Grace Briggs (Minnie Driver) were living such separate lives at the time, they were inevitably pulled together. This came when Bob’s lovely wife (Joely Richardson) passed away in an accident, and a very sick Grace was given second lease on life when she became the recipient of the dead wife’s heart. Through a strange twist of fate, Bob meets grace Grace and they fall in love. Only to find out later that the one thing that helped them get together was the same thing that might break them apart.

Mini Review: It is so hard not to love this movie. I’m a Minnie Driver fan. I like Joely Richardson. And, well… this movie was pretty much the reason I finally understood all that David Duchovny craziness (although I liked The X Files, I never really thought of him as hot there for some reason). Plus, the story was touching. Unbelievably corny and unreal, of course. But, I liked it anyway. I especially liked the Irish/Italian/American family fun that came with the story. The supporting characters were definitely a delight to watch too. That’s why even though I’ve already seen it once before, I decided to borrow it again from the library when I saw that it was available. I found that it was still worth watching again.

Rating: 4/5

Stars: David Duchovny, Minnie Driver, Joely Richardson | Director: Bonnie Hunt

{ Buy at Amazon } | { Buy at Fishpond }

 Twilight Limited Edition (2 Disc)5. Twilight (2009) – This is a movie based on the extremely popular book of the same title, written by Stephenie Meyer. To the uninitiated, this is a story of Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), a teenage girl who just moved to the small town of Forks. There, she became the instant attention of fellow students and other residents. Particularly, the gorgeous and mysterious Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson). However, Edward’s no ordinary boy. He’s a vampire who’s attracted to her – and her blood.

Mini Review: After finishing the book just a couple of days earlier, I watched the library-borrowed video of Twilight. This is not always a good thing for me, as I tend to keep looking for stuff from the book and I often get disappointed. Thankfully, I didn’t really expect much from the movie because I was still torn about my feelings towards the book. And yes, the movie didn’t exactly help much. However, I must say that I probably liked Bella from the movie a bit more than the Bella in the book. Partly because there was less of the whining and the strange train of thoughts (although that hospital scene came close to the book Bella). And, Edward Cullen was… well… Robert Pattinson (I did say I’m partial to Brits, especially the musical kind — heh). However, I wasn’t exactly thrilled with some of the interpretations of the movie… I especially wasn’t fond of that spider monkey line. Ergh. And, yeah, the “falling in love” bit seemed a bit too rushed. Not enough build up. The scene at the meadow and the car scene weren’t quite what I had in mind. Having said that, I did enjoy seeing some of the scenes from the book come to life – the first meeting at the cafeteria, the lab scene, the baseball game… I even liked most of the casting (though the one who played Jasper looked really strange – but Alice Cullen was a beauty). In any case, my Twilight conversion is definitely in action, as I even decided to purchase the 2-disc edition of the DVD on Fishpond, when I found that they were running a 50% sale.   

Rating: 3.5/5

Stars: Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner, etc | Director: Catherine Hardwicke

{ Buy at Amazon } | { Buy at Fishpond }

So, what about you? What movies have you seen in January?

{ 2 comments }

The English Connection

by Shai Coggins on February 16, 2010 · 0 comments

in Personal Stories, Travel & Culture


The Trip to England (2009)

Time to share another leg of The Big Trip. This time, I’m writing about the England – Wales part of the journey. Unlike the Singapore Trip, I won’t do a day-by-day account here though. More like a highlights-and-rambling-thoughts report kind of a post. I hope you don’t mind.

Anyway, this part of the trip was a real whirlwind tour. So much so that out of the 10 days that we spent there, we only slept on the same bed twice, in two places (at a B&B in Plymouth and at a friend’s house in London). The rest of the time, we were staying in different houses/beds every single night. It was crazy.

Part of me was really apprehensive about this trip because I didn’t know how the two kids will cope with it all. But, they’ve been such great troopers. In fact, every time we got in the car in the morning, they asked: “So, where are we going to next? Who are we going to see? What are their names?” We only had very few dramas. Nothing at all that made the trip too tough, regardless of the heavy schedule.

Actually, there was only one major drama that I encountered. It was at Heathrow Airport. We just landed and were navigating our way out of that awfully busy and crowded airport when a local English woman just deliberately bumped me from behind and mumbled some insulting remark at me. I couldn’t believe it. I looked at her incredulously and she just stared back. She was petulant and unrepentant. I was livid. I didn’t know what her problem was, so I nearly lost it. Thankfully, I just about managed to keep my cool — even if it was 6am at the time, and I just had a 12-hour flight, with hardly any sleep. There were a couple of minor local irritations at the airport as well, but I think my sensitivities were already partly heightened due to my earlier unpleasant encounter.

At first, I thought it will be another trip that would make me glad that I wasn’t living in England. I mean, I’ve been to the UK twice before. Back in 1999 (hubby and I spent our honeymoon in cold, cold England & Scotland!), and again in 2001 (as part of a trip to Paris and Belgium). Both times, I’ve LOVED it as a tourist. Definitely a dream come true. But, during those times, there were some not-so-pleasant experiences that made me terrified about living in the UK. Those not-so-nice experiences – plus my fear of 8-month-long winters – just make me shudder every time hubby and I consider the idea of living back in his beloved homeland.

This trip, however, marked a turning point for me. Yes, in spite the awful welcome at Heathrow (and the threat of becoming frozen!), this trip to England actually made me WANT to experience living there. Not necessarily permanently. Just know what it’s like. There are several reasons for this, I must say. And, it’s not just because we had a fabulous time seeing London – and me, falling deeply and hopelessly in love with Cambridge.

Somehow, seeing some of our friends in the UK… and even meeting some of hubby’s relatives… just made us acutely aware of how disconnected we are here in Australia. Especially because the kids are pretty much growing up without strong extended family connections and such. And, hubby and I just saw how much the kids adore being in the company of people we’re connected with. It was really something that made us think.

Don’t get me wrong. We LOVE Australia. This is home. I don’t know if anywhere else would ever feel like home to our family. We’re still not completely convinced that we want to exchange our life here in Australia for anything else in the world.

But yeah, I have to admit that even though I’ve never seriously considered the idea before, this trip to the UK actually made me long for something else in our life for some reason. So… who knows? :-)

Anyway… the main reason for a visit there was, of course, The Wedding. One of hubby’s great friends (a Geordie living in Plymouth with his family) was the best man at hubby and I’s wedding in Singapore and the Philippines ten years ago. His daughter was also one of my bridesmaids. We also asked her to be my son’s godmother. Even when their family lived in Cape Town, South Africa a few years ago, we came to visit them. So, yeah… our families are well and truly intertwined. In any case, it was the daughter’s wedding and she invited my son to be a pageboy and my daughter to be a junior bridesmaid. They held the wedding ceremony at a small church just outside Plymouth. The reception was at this gorgeous historic country home called the Kitley House (yep, the kind of place that makes you think ‘Jane Austen’!). And, the whole thing was just simply amazing. My boy and my girl loved their role (and their attire!). They did so well. The wedding was well-planned and wonderfully executed. Lots of beautiful little touches that made the whole event so special. As a bonus, our family even got to stay overnight in one of the incredible rooms at Kitley House, called “The Hubbard” (with an historic connection to the nursery rhyme, “Old Mother Hubbard”), courtesy of our generous hosts.

After the wedding, our family ended up on a road trip to see some relations in Wales (just outside Cardiff). After Wales, we went back to England and we had a quick passing-through drive to Windsor, just to show the Windsor Castle to the kids… before heading off to Wellyn Garden City, to see hubby’s old friends. Then, we went to Cambridge to see more relatives. This one was a major family reunion, as I’ve never met all these relations before and it has been 20-odd years since hubby last saw this part of his family.

The next day, we went on a day trip to the city of Cambridge. And yes, as I said, I fell absolutely in love with the place. We went punting, viewing Cambridge University and its surrounding architecture and features. Our guide (a South African one!), even pointed a section of Cambridge U where they filmed the “flying lessons” segment of Harry Potter (whee!). Whilst taking there, I decided that I wanted an old, secondhand Jane Austen book. Silly, I know, but still. So, I got myself a lovely hardbound illustrated version of Persuasion from one of the quaint bookshops there (David’s, I think, it was called). I also bought a touristy Cambridge U shirt from the market and a technicolour coat (seriously!) in one of the shops on the side streets.

After Cambrige, we went to stay at our good friend’s house in London (Finchley). We also went sightseeing. You know, the usual stuff… Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace… We had a fabulous day! And, even though I’ve been there twice before, it felt like I was seeing London for the first time. And yes, fell in love with it too. Then, we went to another part of London for another mini reunion with hubby’s old uni buddies. Another fab time. In each of our stop, the kids loved meeting the other kids of friends and family. It was really cool.

Seriously, my only regret about this trip to the UK is that we didn’t get the chance to stay longer — to see more places, to meet other friends we didn’t get the chance to meet, and to spend more time with some of those that we didn’t see enough of… (and perhaps, to shop more? ;-) ). I’m looking forward to coming back again one day.

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100 Things I Love

by Shai Coggins on February 14, 2010 · 6 comments

in General Mish Mash

Day 45 Outtake

One of my mini-goals this year is to complete a 100 Things List. I’ve been meaning to do this for AGES, and for some reason, I’ve never managed to do it. That’s why I’m really, really keen to do one this year.

Now, in honour of Valentine and our 52WoC Task #49, I thought I’d create this 100 Things That I Love List. Since my husband, kids, our families, friends, God, and such are all MUSTS, I thought I’d make them a “given” in my Love List. And, of course, there are some “private loves” (heh!) that I might not be brave enough to share here. So, I really have a 100+ list!

Now, here we go, in no particular order (and just because I love an activity, it doesn’t mean I’m any good at them!)…

  1. creative writing
  2. books / reading
  3. blogs / blogging / social networking
  4. the Internet
  5. teaching / education
  6. my Macbook
  7. chocolates! (and anything chocolate-y: doughnuts, hot choco, etc)
  8. movies
  9. cooking
  10. baking
  11. rice
  12. Asian food (special fondness for Filipino dishes, of course; but certainly have more than my fair share of Chinese, Malay, Indonesian, Thai, Singaporean, Indian, Japanese, etc)
  13. travel
  14. Paris!
  15. our homes – Australia, the Philippines, England, Singapore, and South Africa
  16. fantasy / sci-fi / folklore / legends / mythology
  17. painting
  18. journals / journal writing
  19. photography
  20. the Nikon D40x
  21. my Mini Diana
  22. the Instax Mini 55
  23. Coke
  24. music that touches the soul
  25. romance
  26. crafting
  27. libraries
  28. bookstores
  29. shoes (with a boots fetish! ;-) )
  30. pink, purple, blue, silver…
  31. hoop earrings
  32. five-petaled floral design
  33. mineral make-up
  34. stationery
  35. dance
  36. scrapbooks / memory books
  37. flowers
  38. dresses
  39. jeans
  40. piano, guitar, and drums (i think violins are sexy too!)
  41. Rocky Road ice cream
  42. nuts (peanuts, cashews, almonds, etc)
  43. freshly baked bread
  44. clear, star-studded skies
  45. the moon
  46. the beach!
  47. sunsets
  48. IDEAS
  49. butterflies
  50. pretty, cutesy things
  51. spicy food
  52. surprise gifts
  53. a great bargain
  54. my 3 special rings (the only jewellery that I really care about)
  55. massages and rubs!
  56. children’s / YA literature
  57. hugs and kisses from people I care about
  58. meeting online buddies in person
  59. being part of something BIG
  60. dreams
  61. bookmaking
  62. snail mail (letters, cards, postcards…)
  63. packages! :-D
  64. history
  65. cool quotations
  66. velvet and silk
  67. languages
  68. a really good comedy
  69. barbecues and roasts
  70. chicken wings
  71. mindfulness
  72. positivity
  73. learning (seriously)
  74. typography
  75. naps / sleeping-in
  76. stickers and stamps
  77. pretty magazines
  78. serendipity
  79. water (yep – even for drinking!)
  80. peach iced tea
  81. English breakfast tea (especially on a cold winter’s morning)
  82. gadgets – in general
  83. forgiveness
  84. genuine compliments!
  85. a gripping sports match
  86. listening to a gorgeous voice
  87. watching someone achieve something special
  88. nice lingerie that make me feel feminine
  89. a-ha moments and discoveries
  90. Classifieds (it’s a weird thing!)
  91. kids, in general
  92. beautiful poetry and songs
  93. special dates and get-togethers
  94. dandelions
  95. breathtaking scenery
  96. gardens
  97. antiques
  98. creative geek living!
  99. doodling / sketching
  100. LISTS (obviously!)

Yay, yay, yay! I did it. I finally completed a 100 Things list. Woohoo.

Well, meeting goals is another thing I love. ;-)

Have you created YOUR own list for things that you love yet? Share your 100 lists or your love lists with us too please.

Oh, and Happy Valentine’s Day to you all.

xo,

Shai

{ 6 comments }

DAY - {Project 365} : Working on the NovelIt’s no secret. One of my main projects this year is revising my novel. The very same manuscript that I completed during NaNoWriMo 2009 as a NaNoRebel.

I don’t usually make it a habit of talking about works-in-progress. However, when I started this novel, I decided to be a bit more open with my process. In fact, I even started sharing some details of my writing progress on my ewritelife Twitter account a few months ago. Partly because I wanted to give myself a chance to “think out loud”. And, partly because I needed the extra push to bring the manuscript in to completion by declaring what I’m working on.

That move must have been an effective one for me because I finally DID complete a full fictional manuscript. Just when I thought I couldn’t do it again. After all, it has been over 15 years since I last did that!

This time, though, I want to take the novel completion process to the next level. Yes, the revision process. And, that’s exactly what I’ve been doing over the last month every spare moment I’ve got.

Now, I’ve decided that maybe, it might be good to share bits and pieces of my progress on this matter. Again, to give myself a bit of a push. Perhaps, by sharing this with you, I’d be more compelled to get on with revising and finishing my second draft, as I hope to do.

Since I’ve never completely revised a novel before, I decided last month that I needed some help to guide me in my first attempt at a proper manuscript revision. That’s why when I came across Holly Lisle’s How To Revise Your Novel workshop, I decided to sign up. And so far, after 6 lessons (delivered weekly), I’m really pleased that I’m not doing this revision thing completely on my own.

Yes, it feels like the whole thing is going at a snail’s pace at this time. Yes, it seems awkward not to do any actual rewriting in the beginning. And yes, I’m itching “just to get on with it” sometimes.

But then, I’m learning so much.

I’m learning to look at my novel in ways that I probably wouldn’t have, if I was doing this without any guidance. Or maybe, I would’ve seen some of those lessons in the process eventually. But, it probably would take me months and months of frustrating rewriting.

Right now, I can see the weaknesses in my plot (I’ve got too many scenes dedicated to sub-plots!). I can see that I’m not letting my characters do what they need to do to make the story work (I seem to mollycoddle them too much, too afraid to get them in to real messes!). I can see that I need to tighten certain things – and cut off others.

And, being my typical self, I tend to second guess myself way way too much.

On the flip side: I think I’ve got a manuscript worth salvaging. I’m engrossed in the world that I’ve created. Enjoying the stories of the characters in the world. I’m drawing maps of my fantasy world. Sketching my characters. Inventing a language. Brewing back stories and histories. And yes, I’m actually working on something that I really LOVE.

In fact, I love it so much that even if it never gets published, I’m still going to be ecstatic just to get it all finished.

It’s hard work, yes. But, I am so obsessed by the whole thing, I just want to be able to put the stuff that excites me in my head down on paper – and communicate that same excitement and wonder to anyone who might end up reading it. Even if that reader is just me. That’s the challenge.

I wonder how many Studio Notes readers are in the same boat as me? Anyone out there working on their novels – either in the writing or revision process? How do you go about it all?

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Web Wednesday #27: First Random Finds of the Year

by Shai Coggins on February 10, 2010 · 2 comments

in Web Wonders

Web Wednesday with Shai CogginsHey, hey, hey! As promised, I’m bringing you another Web Wednesday installment. My first webby finds in 2010. Yay!

Computers/Design

Family & Home

  • Childhood 101 – Voted as “Best Parenting Blog” in the 1st Nuffnang Asia-Pacific Blog Awards, this is one interesting site filled with tips and ideas for parents.
  • Bloomin’ Brilliant Brownies – A chocolate brownie recipe by Jamie Oliver, as recommended by Karen Cheng. ‘Gotta try this one of these days, as I’m still not satisfied with most brownie recipes I’ve checked out so far.
  • Global Garden for Kids – Activities and ideas on gardening with kids.
  • Planning with Kids – More ideas and activities. Best bit: a free menu planner!

Personal Development

  • Audio Meditations Collection – Some interesting audio recordings on meditation/mindfulness from Oprah’s site.
  • Meditation Room – Some ideas on how to learn to meditate. There are also suggested resources and other tips.

Work/Career

Hope you enjoyed this installment! ’til next time… Happy web surfing!

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