Second Day, Second Year

Year two of my university has come around and I have to say I'm excited. I'm taking courses which I actually want to take, rather than having to, and I'm actually going to be able to let my creativity run away with itself every now and again.

At the end of high school the concept of uni was petrifying to me. I had people believing I was excited, and I was, but those who knew me also knew the fear that was putting holes in my self esteem when it came to academics. If it hadn't been for my family and friends, I wouldn't of moved onto university.
The reason I'm saying this now is due to an epiphany I had only a few hours ago. Schooling, at all levels, is not simply a process between teacher and student. We need to support our children in all their endeavors. Young people need to be reminded constantly that they are capable of doing whatever they dream.
I avoided Chemistry because I talked myself out of it. It is one hundred percent my fault that I didn't do it, but I think the role of the teacher is not only to share knowledge. Our teaches need to tell our kids not only how they can improve, but what they're good at and what they've already improved on. If I'd had an unbiased eye about my marks in chemistry, then I wouldn't of had any doubt about my abilities.

I think it's extremely important to get our young members of society into universities, or some form of education after high school. Uni is not only a growth of knowledge, but it helps to form you into who you'll be. The experience of tertiary study gives a confidence which is hard to explain, and I believe, it sets a person up for life. 

Number Two

While I'm still in the editing stages of my first 'Vatican' book, the second in the series is starting to take some sort of form. I've been writing my ass off, and my summer holidays have allowed me to get an average of five pages done per day. That's even taking into account the odd day where I'm unable to fit writing into my day.
The second book develops the tale of the two sisters, Rhiane and Abigail. The younger of the two, Abigail, plays a greater part in this book compared to the first book, and her character is developed into a more solid entity. The trials of the girls continue with a new list of friends and foes added into the fold.
Relationships across the board reach greater depths and new understandings. Rhiane's workmates become people with history and stories of their own to tell. Their histories are worked into the second book, at times in very emotional ways. Where the first book explains some of what the main men went through, the second book will delve deep into their mental states.
I'm still working on an appropriate title for the second book in this series, but while I'm working on the skeleton of the second book, here's another snippet of the first installment. In a previous post I promised a snippet from the thirteenth chapter, so now I'm delivering on that promise.

“Get your questions out of the way quick so I can give you some morphine.” He said and Anton grabbed a chair, pulling it closer to the bed.

“Barney thought you were dead, what happened?” I asked with my voice slightly squeaky. I was so happy to see him.

“I was knocked unconscious. They’d called a med team before they left to get help. If they hadn’t made that call, I’d be dead, but if they hadn’t left, Zeb, Cass and Tech would be dead.” He said and his smile had something hidden in it.

“What else is there?” I asked and he looked down, away from me.

“You almost died. Literally, your heart stopped twice. There was so much internal bleeding. We all thought we’d gotten you killed.” He said and I just lay there for a moment and looked at him.

“It’s something that comes with the job. When I agreed to take the job, I knew what I was getting into, I knew I could have near death experiences, or even get killed.” I replied and he looked up at me and shook his head.

As always the copyright belongs to me. I hope you enjoyed this brief extract. 

First Draft... Done!

I am happy to announce that on sunday I finished the first draft of 'The Vatican'. It currently sits at 63,744 words before editing. I need to do some extensive work on editing to make sure my grammar and spelling is as accurate as possible and there are some scenes I want to add in.
Once I've finished my personal editing, I'll be handing it to a good friend for her to look over. She'll pick out anything I've missed and give me some critiques. After all that, I'll be submitting it to publishers. Within the year I'll be going through the motions of getting my book submitted to publishers, and hopefully have it on shelves soon.
When I've got another step completed, I'll do another update. For now I'm off to do some more editing. 

The Dark Night Rises

When on holiday with my dad, one of the movies we rented was 'The Dark Knight Rises' starring Christian Bale and directed by Christopher Nolan. I've loved the combination of these two people with their take of the Batman story. My opinion, for this movie, is that it's the best out of the three. It was well written, equally as well directed and the acting was top quality. I don't have any criticism of this movie.
The casting was brilliant. Tom Hardy played Bane and the justice he did to the character was amazing. I applaud his performance. I really think he's someone to be watched over the next few years. He could develop into a really brilliant actor, he's well on his way.
This is also one of the only movies I've seen with Anne Hathaway where she didn't annoy me. Usually she gets on my nerves, but in this, I thought she really did well. Her performance in this film proved my perception of her wrong.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt also played his role with skill. I remember him first from his role in'Third Rock from the Sun' then for his part in '500 Days of Summer' and later 'Inception'. A good friend of mine also has a huge celeb crush on him, so he's impossible for me to forget. His interpretation of his character in Batman has made him stand out even more to me.
And, as always, Christian Bale took the role of Batman and Bruce Wane to unbelievable heights. His skill in this role always amazes me.
I give this movie the highest rating. I loved it. If you haven't seen it, then I recommend you do. 

It's Chritmas Time

Merry Christmas everyone. I hope everyone's holidays go to plan and something wonderful happens over this time of celebration. 

Rampart

This movie was not one which I would have chosen myself, but when my parents brought it home from the video store, I figured that I may as well give it a go. Woody Harrelson plays the main character and does the role well, but that has to be my only praise for this film. I struggled to watch it the whole way through. It was dull, the direction was strange and the plot didn't seem to go anywhere.
When it first came out I heard a lot of praise for the movie, but I personally don't understand that. Perhaps it would be a better watch for people who remember the rampart scandals of the late nineties. It works well with that context, but I know very little about it. I was only just starting school when the scandals arose, so my interest in world news was non-existent.
For me, this is one of the few movies that I wouldn't give another shot. I found it boring and completely uninteresting. I'd like to have something great to say about it, but I'm struggling to see any greatness in it. I would like to applaud Harrelson for taking on the role however. It was a big commitment to make and he did it so very well.

Shinedown

I've known of Shinedown for a couple of years now. I first heard their music on a compilation album which I was given for christmas a while ago. About six months ago, I got more of their music, but it's only been in the last two weeks or so that I started to listen to it.
I'm quickly beginning to realise that I really enjoy their sound. The leading singers voice has a certain quality. My mum and I have had many a conversation about this. Singers such as Scott Stapp from Creed, Chris Cornell from Audioslave, J.D. Fortune from the show Rock Star INXS, M. Shadows from Avenged Sevenfold and so on, have this quality. It's like they're crying their emotions out through their song. It adds a depth to the listening experience. It's also a quality which is almost solely masculine. Very few women have it, unfortunately.
Shinedown for me, is becoming music which I will purposefully listen to, instead of letting it simply just play whatever. They're definitely rock, which I love, but they're not so heavy that they become overbearing. So far I haven't had to avoid them because of my mood, which I have to do with other music.
If you haven't heard of them yet, and like a bit of rock, I'd say that it'd be worth giving them a listening to.

One left

With only one exam left for the year, everything is coming to a close for me.
I don't have any more lectures, friends hanging around the city or reason to keep bussing in, yet, I wish it hadn't gone so fast.
Before starting university this year, before leaving high school, I was terrified. The unknown scares me immensely.
Now that I've done it, I don't know why I was so worried. Sure, there where some trials along the way. I've lost touch with a lot of people I consider friends and I miss them. I've met new people, gone out on the town partying for the first time, and learnt what life outside of my once small world was like. The culture shock had been massive, yet I wouldn't change a thing. I like things how they are. I care about the people I've got to know. I enjoy the social group I've formed.
Regrets would be futile. That's what this post is aimed to say. There are things that could have gone differently, or I could have handled differently, but mourning that would not do anyone any good.
Live life for today, for now, and for yourself. Planning for the future is great but living within it is useless.

Rock of Ages - Movie

So apparently Tom Cruise can sing...

I first heard of this movie while on a date. I immediately wanted to see it. I had no idea what it was about or who was in it, but 'Rock of Ages' by Def Leopard is one of my all time favourite songs.
Unfortunately the guy didn't work out, but seeing the movie did.

Last week my family and I managed to rent this movie from the DVD store. Watching it on a rainy day while eating junk food and singing along to every song.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I won't give away the plot, but I'd say it would be worth a watch for anyone who enjoys eighties music. I loved it and it set me in high spirits for days. 

Point of View

Recently I've noticed something. My point of view on life can be dependent on the weather, and so can my writing. I tend not to write when I'm in a bad mood because it comes across in the story. The tone of my writing changes. It's something I've been attempting to change, but have not yet had the success I require. A good day translates to decent writing, where a bad day does the opposite.
So I do my best to avoid bad days for my writing's sake, but this isn't really a way to continue. I need to find a way to detach my feelings from what I'm writing. The story requires an emotion of its own, and forcing myself to feel that emotion can be unhealthy, and waiting until I feel that way makes my writing process slow.
I'll let you all know if I make any progress on this front, but for now, I'll continue working how I always have. So far its worked for me, hopefully I'll be able to find another way which works too.
Peace out y'all.