For example, the House. M.D. finale (watch for spoilers): Such a heartbreaking moment when Amber died and, needless to point out, House and Wilson’s friendship has been irrevocably altered. The whole Cuddy/House thing is rather adorable though, I must admit. It was somewhat unexpected that Amber actually died; personally, I kept expecting them to come up with some sort of miracle cure. Alas, it was an empty hope. And Thirteen has Huntington’s! So much sadness to come. And even worse? A possible Actors’ Strike may be in store, when the Actors’ Guild Contract ends in the near future. Apparently they’ve already started filming season 5 of House though, so it’s not all bad.

Onto even more superficial matters: GOSSIP GIRL. This season finale was… beyond unexpected. Glad to see Georgina get poetic justice though; she undoubtedly deserved it. Although a bit of pathos is generated; the way she was scared of her parents and whatnot. Blair can be so nasty sometimes, but her loyalty as a friend is amazing. Stupid Chuck, just left her hanging, to go after bloody Amelia. Like Dr. Phil says, “Past behaviour predicts future behaviour.”  Some things never change. The originally scripted version of the finale script where Bart Bass dies seems much better; would’ve paved the way nicely for Lilly/Rufus. And as for Dan and Serena… Georgina has really done a number on their relationship, hasn’t she?

Speaking of Gossip Girl, I’ve made some headway recently in terms of writing. Reuni enfin, which was long overdue for an update, has finally received one. It’s been a long nine months, but Chapter Nine is finally up (how fitting, numerically). It can be found at www.fanfiction.net/~frostedteardrops if anyone’s interested, under (no duh!) Reuni Enfin.

But onto the Gossip Girl-related writing news: I’ve expelled a new story, a Harry Potter fanfiction tinged with Gossip Girl. Wait, wait–just hear me out alright? I know it sounds unbelievably cliche, but I’ve tried to twist it into something original. It’s about after the Last Battle, starring Draco, Blaise, Pansy, and quite fittingly, Astoria.

I’m here to document every little misstep you take, every slip that comes out of your mouth, and finally, your very own fall from grace.
Can you handle the pressure, or will you crack long before then?

And who am I? That’s a secret I’ll never tell. Cheers,

xoxo, wondering witch.

To read the story, http://www.harrypotterfanfiction.com/viewstory.php?psid=248164 . It can also be found on FFN under xoxo, wondering witch. Feedback would be greatly appreciated, especially concrit. Reviews are happy-making.

Age. Fac ut gaudeam. Go ahead. Make my day!

~Issy

In terms of writing, I’ve finally managed to expel another new story.

http://www.harrypotterfanfiction.com/viewstory.php?psid=246863

It’s a Harry Potter realm fanfic, Oliver Wood/OC. I’m somewhat displeased with it thus far though, although I can’t quite seem to put my finger on one particular section that’s expectionally so. With that being said, any comments, suggestions, and critiques especially, would be greatly appreciated.

On another note, I’m currently in the process of reading Stephenie Meyer’s The Host. It’s pretty good so far, different than the  Twilight series in so many ways, yet in others it seems to slightly echo in terms of Stephenie’s distinctively unique writing style. Like many others of you out there have done I’m sure, I’ve also been Googling the Twilight movie and such, watching the interview videos on Youtube and such. The movie seems to be shaping up pretty nicely; albeit numerous factors were definitely unexpected, but that’s part of the appeal of the movie, is it not? A different take on a story well on its way to becoming a classic.

Spring has sprung though; the weather outside is delightful. (Although it is raining rather fiercely here at the moment.) So, stop wasting time; go have some fun, and enjoy the rapidly passing by time.

‘Til next time, enjoy your Pocketful of Sunshine,

~Issy

 I have decided to just quit everything (e.g. drop out of school, etc. because I mean, come on, screw school, it’s not as though we actually learn anything anyway) and open a JELLY BEAN factory. Of course, should it do well, like Willy Wonka’s, then I would expand my horizons to other delectable treats such as chocolate and bubble gum and others.

I’ll run the whole operation from my sub-level basement and hire house elves… although I’m not too sure yet exactly where I shall find them. (Psst, if you’re looking for employment, send me your resumes!) Any ideas?

They won’t be regular jelly beans either; oh no. I was thinking of starting with ‘Rotten Egg’ and ‘Partially-Decomposed Garbage’ flavours. Sounds delicious, n’est pas? Think Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans. But muggle-ized.

In fact, not only is this idea totally going through, you–that’s right, you–can contact me with details as to your specific preferences and such. (As far as I know, data collection is quite an essential part of a successful business.) Pre-orders can start being placed now! Go ahead, you know you want to.

        Yours sincerely,

Issy

As you’ve probably realized, today is Valentine’s Day. Maybe you love the holiday, maybe you hate it. Maybe you’re just plain old neutral about it. From around noon yesterday to noon today (according to the event information on Facebook), Love is the Movement took place.

“Among teenagers it is estimated that 20 percent will suffer from depression at some point by the time they reach adulthood. There are also as many as 8.3 percent of teens suffering from depression for at least a year at a time, compared to 5.3 percent of the general population.Insprired by the work of TWLOHA (To Write Love On Her Arms), an organization created to spread awareness for teen depression, self-injury, and suicide, we are coming together to make sure the whole world knows. During the time of year that suicide rates are at their highest, we chose February 13, the day before Valentine’s Day, as our opportunity to start showing people how much they are loved.”

As well, I happened upon a blog entry yesterday about 90 Day Jane, a blog by a woman claiming that she would end her life in 90 days time. The blog entry seemed rather skeptical about the validity of this, and so naturally it was quite curiousity piquing as to whether this was merely a hoax. A quick Google search yielded some links, and the majority seemed to be disbelieving. (Or perhaps those who were sceptical were merely more outspoken regarding their opinions, who knows?)

 Although it might sound bizarre to say so, hopefully this is merely a hoax, because the alternative is much worse. However, if this is fake, then quite frankly, for shame. Depression is a very serious issue and not to be taken so lightly. Those suffering from it deserve better than this; imposters (if this is indeed a hoax) have no right to try and garner attention for personal gain when people are experiencing such trauma, such pain.

To Write Love On Her Arms’ website can be found here: http://www.twloha.com/ in case you’re interested in checking it out.

“Stop the bleeding. Rescue is possible.”

So, I’ll do my part and help to spread the message. No matter how bad things seem, no matter how hard life seems, no matter how sad, always remember, things will get better. Just hang in there. Maybe you’re thinking, “Easy for her to say,” or “She’s only fifteen, what does she know?” or “That’s a good point,” or maybe you’re thinking something else entirely or haven’t yet formulated an opinion. Well, think about it if it’s the latter, and if it’s the former, then it’s good advice, because although I haven’t encountered anyone who’s actually made any suicide attempts, I have had friends who’ve been depressed, who resorted to measures that perhaps they wouldn’t have had they been clear of mind. I know what it’s like to feel an all time low. I know what it feels like to be in the moment, to want to reach for something sharp.

But it will get better. Just remember, no matter what, someone out there loves you. Someone out there cares about you, worries about you, and loves you. The grass always seems greener on the other side, but that doesn’t mean that it actually is. If you feel yourself losing control, just take some deep breaths, count for a while, sing or hum a tune, try to remember that life is worth living. Think of all the things in the world, all the beautiful, lovely things that are worth living for. It’s the small things that cause the greatest happiness.

So go out there and do your part now. Show someone that you care, do a kind gesture for a random stranger, tell someone that you love them. It all matters. Everything matters. Love matters.

Happy Valentine’s Day.

Love.

On another note, the casting for the Twilight movie’s leading lady and gent have been released, which is pretty exciting. Robert Pattison (Cedric Diggory, Harry Potter) and Kristen Stewart (In the Land of Women). I’m sure they have more movies, but those are the most recent ones they’re in that I’ve seen. A little too bad that neither Henry Cavill or Danielle Panabaker were casted, but Robert and Kristen will probably still be great. Any thoughts? Which actors/actresses were you originally hoping for?

 Speaking of Twilight, in case anyone’s interested, here’s an excerpt from a fanfic that I wrote last November/December. (Yeah, it’s really old, and therefore by default not very good nor is it indicative of my current writing style, but any feedback is appreciated. Critiques especially! Leave me a review there or drop me a comment here. Whichever.) It’s EmmettxRosalie, titled Love at First Sight. Excuse the extremely cliched title

 Life. This was the topic of the day, it seemed, as my hiking boots crunched over the shady leaf-littered trail. The concept had crawled into a crevice in my mind and burrowed its way through the synapses, determined to stay there until I’d contemplated it to a satisfying degree.

This really truly was controversial, isn’t it? There are those who live life loving every moment, and those who are negative about nearly every aspect of it. Wasn’t there a quote about this? Life’s a bitch, but it’s better than the alternative. Something like that. It’s such an unpredictable thing, such a fragile thing, that could be ripped away at any minute. Who knew how long one had left?

I breathed deeply, filling my lungs with the fresh woodsy aroma of the forest. Ever since I was a child, I have loved the forest. It’s always so calm and fresh and just natural. In the recently developed cities, factories have been popping up all over, all sooty and just plain disgusting.

Today really was a beautiful spring day to be out and enjoying life. I was alone, and the serene silence was penetrated only by my footsteps crunching heavily over the path. I ducked and swept an overhanging tree branch out of the way. Sure, my mother worried about my venturing out into the wilderness alone, but all I had to do was flex my sturdy muscles, and who could protest against that? I chuckled, remembering how my mother would laugh her tinkling laugh.

I froze, and listened with all my might. I though I heard something, in the bushes to my right—but after a pause, nothing came of it, so I continued on my way. Most likely just my imagination. Can you imagine that? And Mother says I have none. I breathed a sigh of relief. Who knew how many breaths of life one had left?

And before I could react or even gauge what was happening, a stupendous force slung me to the ground. A terrible pain shot through my upper abdomen. I let out a piercing scream, but that only made the pain worse. Most likely broken ribs. I tried opening my eyes, and a torrent of bright red blood flooded in. I blinked a few times to clear my reception—only to find the tremendous girth of a furry brown shape mounted on me. A bear, I marveled. An impossibly huge bear, hungry after months of hibernation.

It leaned back and roared, shaking its razor sharp claws in front of my face threateningly. One skimmed across my left arm, leaving a deep red gash. I ground my teeth together in an effort to keep quiet. Who knew what a hungry bear would do when provoked or frightened? I tried to through it off me, but my efforts were futile. I might as well…

Continued here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3232614/1/Love_at_First_Sight
(C) Issy

‘Til next time,

`Issy

So, I log onto Messenger and the usual Windows Live Today box pops up, and “Mary Kate Hospitalized” dominates the default screen with a banner. For some peculiar reason, rather than immediately closing the popup today, I clicked the link. And, as can be expected, am led to the corresponding article.

Then I see the first sentence. I’m a little out of it today, and was quite confused at first regarding exactly what number I was reading, then contemplated that perhaps the link had be faulty? But no, it was neither of the above; it was simply a typo. But, wow, if Mary Kate can still look like that at the age of 80-naturally-it’ll really be amazing.

 **Image can be found at: http://entertainment1.sympatico.msn.ca/MK+In+Hospital+Does+Starbucks+Come+In+Intravenous+/Celebs/Dramarama/ContentPosting_Dramarama.aspx?isfa=1&newsitemid=b81c61e7-8722-439e-b542-fe5aae303723&feedname=RYAN_PORTER_GOSSIP&show=False&number=0&showbyline=True&subtitle=&detect=&abc=abc&date=False

Then I remembered this book I’d read a few years ago, in the Deadtime series, by A.G. Cascone: Mirror Mirror. And guess what it was about. Mary Weatherworth, derived from Bloody Mary.

 On Saturday, in the daylight, I decided to do further research on Bloody Mary, namely reading the Wikipedia article. And apparently www.rubloodymary.com is a website affliated with Ghost Whisperer, so that was a bit calming.

Then, I was on Deviant Art, just randomly surfing, and I stumble across a deviation about Bloody Mary, without even trying to.

That’s three.

A coincidence, no doubt, but freaky nonetheless. Anyone else catch that episode?

~Issy

Bloody Mary Bloody Mary Bloody Mary

It’s been a little bizarre, embarking on the second month of sophmore year in high school. It differs a great deal from my expectations, and what the experience is described as in books. But isn’t that simply what life is? A series of disappointments and discoveries that nothing’s what it seems? Although I do admit that there are the occasional positive things. Unless you’re super-optimistic, in which case anything could seem positive.

There aren’t nearly enough hours in the day. Haven’t been able to update Reuni Enfin recently, nor any other recreational, non-fanfic writing. Which is kind of sad.

Haven’t been reading that much recently either, but Extras is coming out tomorrow, and that is definitely a must-read on the ever-shrinking list. Anybody discover some absolutely amazing book lately? A little unfortunate that it’s going to be a super-busy day tomorrow.

Drinking: Chocolate Milk

~Issy

It was heartening to see responses to my initial post on Blogger–truth be told, I was a little worried that this would simply slip through the cracks and nobody else would ever stumble upon this page. And yet, lo’ and behold: comments.

Kind of reminded me of Extras (Scott Westerfeld), as a matter of fact. (Not that I’ve read it yet–still waiting for the October 2nd release like everyone else.) From the breif summaries and advance reviews from various web sources, it sounds as though the world in which Extras takes place is obessesed with fame. Which if you think about it, isn’t that what blogs and personal websites are about, to some degree? After all, that is why we have the comments, the hits, the visitor counters, etc., is it not? Perhaps as humans, attention is what we strive for. Opinions, anyone?

Recently updated to Windows Vista Operating system–although quite cool, I must admit, it is a little confusing at times, and rather different from the classic Windows look, espeically from the twentieth century editions. But I suppose all it’ll take is some getting used to.

‘Til next time, over and out.

The picture was taken from http://www.crystal-marbles.deviantart.com because it seemed to fit the first paragraph, to some degree. Credit to the photographer.