Paradise - Coldplay

~ Starless night ~

Troubles pressing slowed me down.
Heavenward I lift my crown.
There was not a star in sight,
Not a hope in bleakest night.

Silence smothers every side.
Heavy silence tried to hide
Any joy or happy note
Ever strive escape my throat.

Cried and wept, I sobbed and sighed.
Never would the peace abide.
Now upon the darkest hour
Yield myself unto His power.

All I am and all I own
Troubles thought but mine alone.
All my heart had been outpoured,
All my trouble to the Lord.

Praying till not one was left.
Then exhaled with shaky breath.
Yet again in silence thought,
Still upon the battle fought.

Battle with myself and stress.
Could I battle any less?
Yes, the answer came out clear,
Had I laid down starting fear.

Knowing He knows every way
He injustice will repay
He will give the weary rest
Faithful end of every test

Caught again emotion’s turn,
Must again this lesson learn.
“Scold the heart,” was mind’s retort
God should ne’er be last resort.

~ SMS

~ Never Alone ~

Stand My Ground - Within Temptation

So busy.

Tests, quizzes, meetings, homework, classes, programs, work, food, and that stuff called sleep.

Ah well, here are some sites to check out in the meantime.

Website of the organization I'm assisting. We're still trying to get it up and running, but this is the website so far.

Site for Hanna's prequel (or what I have edited so far). I'm continuing this for NaNo. Course, most of what I write is unedited, so it may be a while before this site gets updated.

If you want some of the unedited stuff, scroll past the poem.

Don't Quit

When things go wrong as they sometimes will;
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill;
When the funds are low, and the debts are high;
And you want to smile but you have to sigh;
When care is pressing you down a bit -
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
Success is failure turned inside out;
The silver line of the clouds of doubt;
And you can never tell how close you are;
It may be near when it seems afar.
So, stick to the fight when you're hardest hit -
It's when things go wrong that you mustn't quit.

--Unknown


Frozen Memoirs: unedited excerpt.

The doorknob rattled as she tried opening the locked door. I heard a loud sigh before Anna continued. “If you’re listening,” she said, “I’m sorry I’ve been so hard on you. It’s just... I want to believe you can do better, if you tried.” As she talked, I quietly made my way to the window and noiselessly slid it open. I assume she kept talking. I was already out the window and sprinting to my bike. Within a few minutes I was on my way to rendezvous with the White Raven.

~ Strength and Honor ~
~ Endurance and Victory ~

Toccata-Carpimus Noctem - Trans-Siberian Orchestra

*Plays Epona's Song first*

Excitemenet all around.
I got to spend the weekend with some amazing people. It was nice just to get away from college for a while. One of my friends invited me to go to her family’s house for a cookout. It was awesome. 1) Christian fellowship. 2) Home cooked meals. 3) No pressing homework. 4) More home cooked meals. 5) The good fire smell on your clothes after a bonfire.



I think what I found most entertaining was the way the family members interacted with each other. There were some pretty hilarious moments. I missed my family a lot afterwards. I have to remind myself what I’m here for. I need to finish what I started.
On that note, I finished two scarves this semester. I’m almost finished with a third one. One gets a lot of crocheting done one a 3 ½ hour trip.

After I get back, boom. Halloween. I went through today without incident, for which I’m grateful. I dressed up as Malon from Legend of Zelda. Costumes are like jokes; they don’t have the same meaning if you have to explain them. And that I did.



I had a bottle (jar, technically speaking) and everything! All I was missing was Epona and Link. Ah well, they are surely on an adventure of some sort to save Hyrule. In the meantime, I shall stay here, singing and dreaming...



At least I didn’t dress up as some totally ambiguous character from an unpublished story *cough* ISC Hanna *cough*
<_< >_> *whispers* Though I’ll admit, I loved being Hanna. ^_^
*ahem* I had a good time.



With the beginning of November comes the start of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). Like I said before, I’m not planning on finishing, but I want to get farther along in some of my half-written stories. To any other writers out there taking on this quest, may you always find a pen and pad when you need them and overcome every writer’s block.

~ Always Hope ~

Party in the CIA – Weird Al Yankovich

Yes, I can kick off the post with an insane song. It’s the weekend.

It is amazing what I get myself into.



Course it’s nothing compared to what Hanna gets into, but that’s another rant for another time.

Midterm week is over. As far as tests go, they weren’t that bad. Not that good, but not bad either. The grades were somewhere in the middle, in a place that would make any perfectionist wince in agony. I’ll work on it. Still working on balancing everything out. My priorities are like little baby ducklings that keep wandering out of line. Don’t ask me where that analogy came from. You’re following the rabbit hole, remember?

Anyway, I’m thankful for midterm week. A bunch of tests at the same time isn’t really convenient, but I like having a checkpoint. A place to stop and see how I’m doing, where I need to improve, and what subjects I need to spend more time on. On the other hand, it can be a painful revelation as well. Tis the price of knowledge, I suppose. =/
Tis knowledge I want to know though, even if it is painful. Tis necessary.



I have a habit of piling up more stuff on top of everything else I’m doing. It’s awesome that I’m involved, but at the end of the day…. I’m out of it.
*refrains from using a LotR quote about butter over too much bread*

I’m loving my job. The past couple weeks I got to work in the wood shop. ^_^ I got to help paint primer on everything and started the actual painting. I also got to use the saw and drill (no, I didn’t play with them).

I’ve done more crocheting. I finished a scarf and a couple scrunchies. Then I started on two other projects. There are also a few small sewing projects and hot glue gun projects that are on my to do list. I made cookies though.

~ Inception cookies ~



You have now been exposed to awesomeness. :|

As far as craziness goes... I found enjoyment in pulling off a prank. I f you know me, you know that’s stuff I’d talk about doing (or even worse if ye talk to Hanna), but would never actually do.
... For the most part :P



I found enjoyment in it. We may have opened the floodgates here. <_< >_>



(Don’t worry, we took all the post-it notes off. Eventually)

To add to the ever-growing list of things to do, I’ve been trying to get back to writing. Hanna’s prequel got a couple updates. Irish Rose hasn’t moved in…. far too long. In short, NaNoWriMo’s coming up. What better time to write than NaNo? I’m not planning on finishing, but I at least want to get some words in.



So yeah, I’ve been busy. Looks I will continue to be busy.

*bows* Until we meet again.

~ Always Hope! ~






Oh, and you didn’t see any of this secret stuff, ok?

September - Earth, Wind, and Fire

I have a surprise.
Today is kind of special.



I started putting something together for a couple of special people for this day.
It didn't quite turn out as I had hoped. I was going to sing my own version of September to them, but that might have to wait. I didn't have time to change the lyrics too much. Instead, I made a video for them. It's not nearly as long as my other works. It isn't much, but it's the best I have right now. *ahem* Anyway.

I hope they like it.

Carry On My Wayward Son - Kansas

It is amazing how so much can happen in so short a time. As usual, I’ve been slightly sleep deprived lately. No big deal. I can still wake up and function normally in society… for the most part.

For real though, it’s these early mornings that are killing me. I haven’t stayed up past 2 for about a week now (that I can remember anyway). Instead, I've gotten up earlier so I could have a few hours to do homework.

Homework… schoolwork… projects, programs, reading assignments, writing assignments. Yeah, those things. I need to do more of them. I need to get better at putting the things I need to do first. Sounds ironic.

Anyway, I’m going to update ye all on the story of my life at some point or another, but that takes too long.


Let me hit the highlights.

Saturday morning, I went with a group of Freedies and we helped pack about 1,120 banana boxes in a truck to be sent to Zimbabwe. That was awesome. ^_^
I like being productive. Some how, seeing physical progress is more gratifying than mental progress. Granted, there is a certain kind of joy when the program you’ve spent more than 4 hours working on runs properly, but it’s not quite the same.

Sure, I can write some code, but I’d much rather put the computer together. I like working with my hands. It lets me be all crafty-like and creative. I can be a little creative in programming, but it’s like finding a new way to get to the right answer in a math problem. I’m sure someone somewhere has a lot of fun with that.

I’m better with hammers, nails, wood, construction paper, crayons, yarn, hardware, and food. I am perfectly ok with going through life without knowing the estimated number of Pi. I know how to calculate it now though.


Moving on: jobs. I have one. It took a while to get one, but now I have one. I am very thankful to have it. Seems I pestered the dude at the work/study window enough. The original job I wanted (the one with the wood and saw dust and power tools) was given to someone else. However, I pestered them some more and got the next best thing. I get to help work the lighting, sound system, and powerpoints for chapel. Is that not awesome? What’s more, I can fill in hours working in wood shop. They’re probably going to have me paint the set at the most, but hey, it’s a start. ^_^

That turned out to be longer than I expected. Figures.



Anyway, with everything going on, it’s been difficult finding/making time to do the things I need to do. It’s still just the start of the semester/year, but I’m already exhausted.
I am extremely grateful for the encouragement I’ve been receiving from those around me and those in other countries. You guys are awesome. I mean it. Thank you.

* Non sequitur list of pictures moment *









* moment over *

Here’s a poem I wrote a while ago then recently found on my hard drive. I never really finished it, but I guess it looks fine like this.

A letter of encouragement
I to thee now write
I hope that you will not relent
Nor give up in your fight.

I know thine foes very well
For I once fought them too
Nothing new that I thee tell
Thine task was set for you

~ SMS

And because I like poetry so much, here’s another poem.
Not by me this time.




A Psalm of life

Tell me not, in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream!
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.

Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.

Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each to-morrow
Find us farther than to-day.

Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.

In the world's broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
Be a hero in the strife!

Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act,--act in the living Present!
Heart within, and God o'erhead!

Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time;--

Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.

Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow



~ Always Hope ~

~ Never Alone ~

The Show - Lenka

If I were given angelic voice
to sing melodic song
And remaining silent were my choice
do I the world a wrong?

If I were given potter’s hands
to shape and form and mold
And yet forsake my Maker’s plans
could I thus be so bold?

If I were given seamstress skill
to stitch and sew and weave
But only crafted for my will
what would for others leave?

If I had given of my goods
yet kept from Him my life
I am but fit for sorrow’s moods
and all of worldly strife.

The old self so malevolent
should know it was replaced
Thus short and sweet and relevant
Whose life have I embraced?

~ SMS