First of all, an apology. I have somewhat abandoned my blog of late and undoubtably people have ceased to check it. So sorry! Life has been hectic here in Cambodia and I've barely had time for, well, anything. But now Christmas break has come around and I have...well...not much more time, but at least some.
I'll begin at the end of November. I won NaNoWriMo. It was not easy. Not easy at all. Yet somehow I managed to struggle through and finish with 50,033 words. Last year NaNo was so easy for me, but this year I really had to push to get it done... I was very happy to have won again, though. I had a wonderful time writing with friends in various homes and cafes, and I made at least three more NaNo recruits this year! I'm very pleased with NaNo this year. Can't wait til next November....
Also, I'm thinking of launching a Cambodia NaNoWriDay. In other words, National Novel Writing Day. One Day. 50,000 words. My friends all think I've lost my mind (or at least what was left of it).
I really didn't have time to type up a Thanksgiving post, so I'll give you a bit of a recap. I had two Thanksgivings, one with my youthgroup and one at my house with 37 or so friends and family.
Youthgroup first: We crammed into Christina's little apartment, baked, baked, and baked (which included mashing about fifty potatoes with a fork), ate lots of heavenly food, and overall had a spectacular time.
My Thanksgiving: 37 people, 10 pies, 2 turkeys, need I say more? It was wonderful. I ate until I felt like I couldn't move. I read the Thanksgiving proclamation and got a bit of stage fright (I hate it when that happens), and spent the rest of day hanging out with friends and eating leftovers. It was very much a multi-national Thanksgiving. We had Americans (obviously), Kiwis, Canadians, Brits, Mexicans, and Cambodians. We might have had more nationalities, but if so, I have forgotten them.
After Thanksgiving I caved in and decorated my room for Christmas. I have bells, candles, angels, and a little mini Christmas tree that looks simply adorable next to Tollers' cage. A few days later we decorated our family tree, which is huge, beautiful, and highly erratic. By now the rest of our downstairs is decorated, complete with wreaths, tinsel, stockings, a red table cloth, candles, and other decorations. It definitely looks Christmassy. Since then we have baked hundreds of cookies. We've made sugar cookie cutouts, gingerbread men, date swirls, Russian tea cakes, molasses sugar cookies, peanut blossoms, peanut-chocolate cookies, and quite possibly something else I forgot. I'm not quite done yet.
Youthgroup had a lovely Christmas party. It was quite a small group since it was the night of the Click 5 concert (which was something between a disaster and fantastic, from what I've heard). We still had a wonderful time eating pizza, having a more or less odd gift exchange, playing games, talking, and overall just goofing off. Cross Culture had a Christmas Worship Service last Friday which was great, although we had a few problems with the powerpoint.
Tonight Cross Culture is joining with a few other people to go Christmas caroling! Abby will arrive soon to help me bake cookies for us to eat afterwards. It should be fun.
A few weeks ago we had our annual Christmas Craft Fair...It was much fun. Four hours straight of shopping.
Speaking of shopping, I finished both my shopping and wrapping yesterday. I'm ready for Christmas!
School ended Friday, but I have to work ahead on my TPS work (English and Science) so that I don't get behind while on my mission's trip to Thailand. I did some Chemistry reading today and may do some later...maybe not. I don't really mind having a bit of work over the holidays.
Speaking of holidays, Christmas involves presents and my amazing friend Meow gave me an extremely cool Klutz bracelet making kit. Naturally, I had to do something in Elvish, so I am now wearing a bracelet with the Lord's Prayer in Elvish on it. Here's the Lord's Prayer in Quenya, but I printed it out in the proper font when I actually did the bracelet.
Attolma i menelessie, nai airitainiéva esselya.
Our Father who is in heaven, be it that will be hallowed thy name.
Nai ardalya tuluva. Be it that thy kingdom will come.
Nai írelya tyarniéva mardesse ve menelesse.
Be it that thy desire will be done on earth as in heaven.
Anta men síre ilyaurea mastalma.
Give (to) us today daily our bread.
Ar avanta men raikalmar ve avantalme raikatyarolmain.
And forgive (for) us our wrongs as we forgive (for) our wrong-doers.
Ar nai útukuvalye me mailenna
And be it that thou will not lead us into overmastering desire
ná fainu me ulkallo. Amen.
but release us from evil. Amen.
Not a perfect translation, but still pretty cool, no?
I'm getting so excited--Christmas is right around the corner!
Well, I'm off to mix up some cookie dough.
Isusarad 'Elir! (Merry Christmas)
~Manwathiel
Monday, December 22, 2008
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Thanksgiving Proclamation
It is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God; to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations are blessed whose God is the Lord.
We know that by His divine law, nations, like individuals, are subjected to punishments and chastisements in this world. May we not justly fear that the awful calamity of civil war which now desolates the land may be a punishment inflicted upon us for our presumptuous sins, to the needful end of our national reformation as a whole people?
We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth, and power as no other nation has ever grown.
But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.
It has seemed to me fit and proper that God should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November as a day of Thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent father who dwelleth in the heavens.
Abraham Lincoln, 1863
We know that by His divine law, nations, like individuals, are subjected to punishments and chastisements in this world. May we not justly fear that the awful calamity of civil war which now desolates the land may be a punishment inflicted upon us for our presumptuous sins, to the needful end of our national reformation as a whole people?
We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth, and power as no other nation has ever grown.
But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.
It has seemed to me fit and proper that God should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November as a day of Thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent father who dwelleth in the heavens.
Abraham Lincoln, 1863
Monday, November 3, 2008
NaNo Is Here.
What are you doing reading my blog??? Crazy person, get back to your WriMo.
What do you mean you're not doing NaNoWriMo? Get started. Now.
What? I'm *not* supposed to be spending time writing on my blog?
You know, you're right. I'm off to do some writing.
Yes, NaNoWriMo has begun. Havoc is wreaked upon the world.
12,604 words and counting.
What do you mean you're not doing NaNoWriMo? Get started. Now.
What? I'm *not* supposed to be spending time writing on my blog?
You know, you're right. I'm off to do some writing.
Yes, NaNoWriMo has begun. Havoc is wreaked upon the world.
12,604 words and counting.
Monday, October 27, 2008
An Update
I suppose I owe you all an update before NaNo starts and havoc is wreaked upon my social life, online and offline.
Lately I've been doing loads and loads of schoolwork--I'm absolutely loving my Advanced Comp class, absolutely dying under the load of my Chemistry class work, rushing through my health class as fast as possible so I can skip it in November, enjoying History/Literature/Bible, and not enjoying Spanish. I'm about to go to Chem class right now, so I'm afraid this must be short.
I've been doing quite a bit with youthgroup of late. Since we didn't have youthgroup while Christina (our youthleader) was in the US a bunch of us went to Sovanna mall, had pizza, ice cream, and played in the arcade (well, not me, I didn't particularly feel like embarrassing myself). Twas an utter and complete blast. You can go to www.abbysroom.blogspot.com to get a more detailed account (just scroll down a bit), although I did not play games in the arcade, get left in Sovanna, or blow dry my hair, since I don't own a blowdryer.
Youthgroup wasn't spectacularly fun last week, but most of the time it is very, very fun. We've been playing capture the flag and I have discovered that American style is not much fun compared to the other version, whatever version the other one may be.
At ICF we've been playing quite a fun game, where four people pretend to be guests to a party, and one person plays the host. The four each have to act out something on a piece of paper--an adjective and a noun--and the host has to guess what they are. We had a depressed poet, a weird lobster, a sad egg, an irritated pencil, an icelandic cowboy, a bubbling chemical experiment, and a tyrannical hobbit. Guess who wrote the last one =D. Oddly enough, I got to act it too. I got to scream about The Shire, the little folk rising up against the big folk, ruling in the place of the Dark Lord, and crushing the big folk with the iron fist of the halfling. Much fun, no?
We also had a potluck at ICF, I was a bit worried about the amount of food, but there ended up being enough (although there weren't enough plates or silverware!). I took brownies, which appeared to be quite popular since none were left. A lot of my youthgroup were there, so I had fun hanging out with them.
Saturday I spent the day making sock monkeys! I named mine Monkeystein, after Frankenstein, of course. Kris, Hannah, Abby, and Sam finished their adorable monkeys too. They were referred to as disturbing at ICF, I cannot concur.
Ahh, NaNo starts in less than a week! Here is what you may expect during NaNoWriMo:
I will randomly blurt out things about my characters at very random times
I will randomly blurt out plot ideas at very random times
I will bring my notebook to all social activities and while I will attempt to refrain from writing, I might fail misterably in my resolve, hence the notebook.
My internet life will be sadly lacking, I fear.
E-mails will not be replied to unless they are very urgent or I have that strange mysterious thing called "free time."
Anyway, with that said, let us talk about the future. Do you know where you want to go to college? How are you going to pay for college? What are you going to do with your life? Hmm? Hmm? Hmm? Ok, nevermind that, I'm talking about the near future. Thanksgiving and Christmas to be precise. I simply CANNOT wait. Thanksgiving will be very fun, we have lots of people coming. And Christmas is always fun, naturally. I'm excited =).
This upcoming Friday we have a costume-bowling party at Cross Culture! I'm sooo excited. I'm wearing my elf dress, naturally, but I have to figure out a way to keep it clean, keep myself off the bumper cars, and bowl with those sleeves... Hmm. Something will be figured.
Ah, class is begun, must head off!
~Manwathiel
Lately I've been doing loads and loads of schoolwork--I'm absolutely loving my Advanced Comp class, absolutely dying under the load of my Chemistry class work, rushing through my health class as fast as possible so I can skip it in November, enjoying History/Literature/Bible, and not enjoying Spanish. I'm about to go to Chem class right now, so I'm afraid this must be short.
I've been doing quite a bit with youthgroup of late. Since we didn't have youthgroup while Christina (our youthleader) was in the US a bunch of us went to Sovanna mall, had pizza, ice cream, and played in the arcade (well, not me, I didn't particularly feel like embarrassing myself). Twas an utter and complete blast. You can go to www.abbysroom.blogspot.com to get a more detailed account (just scroll down a bit), although I did not play games in the arcade, get left in Sovanna, or blow dry my hair, since I don't own a blowdryer.
Youthgroup wasn't spectacularly fun last week, but most of the time it is very, very fun. We've been playing capture the flag and I have discovered that American style is not much fun compared to the other version, whatever version the other one may be.
At ICF we've been playing quite a fun game, where four people pretend to be guests to a party, and one person plays the host. The four each have to act out something on a piece of paper--an adjective and a noun--and the host has to guess what they are. We had a depressed poet, a weird lobster, a sad egg, an irritated pencil, an icelandic cowboy, a bubbling chemical experiment, and a tyrannical hobbit. Guess who wrote the last one =D. Oddly enough, I got to act it too. I got to scream about The Shire, the little folk rising up against the big folk, ruling in the place of the Dark Lord, and crushing the big folk with the iron fist of the halfling. Much fun, no?
We also had a potluck at ICF, I was a bit worried about the amount of food, but there ended up being enough (although there weren't enough plates or silverware!). I took brownies, which appeared to be quite popular since none were left. A lot of my youthgroup were there, so I had fun hanging out with them.
Saturday I spent the day making sock monkeys! I named mine Monkeystein, after Frankenstein, of course. Kris, Hannah, Abby, and Sam finished their adorable monkeys too. They were referred to as disturbing at ICF, I cannot concur.
Ahh, NaNo starts in less than a week! Here is what you may expect during NaNoWriMo:
I will randomly blurt out things about my characters at very random times
I will randomly blurt out plot ideas at very random times
I will bring my notebook to all social activities and while I will attempt to refrain from writing, I might fail misterably in my resolve, hence the notebook.
My internet life will be sadly lacking, I fear.
E-mails will not be replied to unless they are very urgent or I have that strange mysterious thing called "free time."
Anyway, with that said, let us talk about the future. Do you know where you want to go to college? How are you going to pay for college? What are you going to do with your life? Hmm? Hmm? Hmm? Ok, nevermind that, I'm talking about the near future. Thanksgiving and Christmas to be precise. I simply CANNOT wait. Thanksgiving will be very fun, we have lots of people coming. And Christmas is always fun, naturally. I'm excited =).
This upcoming Friday we have a costume-bowling party at Cross Culture! I'm sooo excited. I'm wearing my elf dress, naturally, but I have to figure out a way to keep it clean, keep myself off the bumper cars, and bowl with those sleeves... Hmm. Something will be figured.
Ah, class is begun, must head off!
~Manwathiel
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Friday, October 3, 2008
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