Mahjong Musings

NaNo blog

noreply@blogger.com (Kiki) — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 23:12:00 +0000

Don't forget my blog can now be found at kikifu.wordpress.com!

The gorgeous girls over at 50k in 30 days have invited me to blog with them. How could I say no? Especially since one of them is my fantastic crit partner Diane *wave*?
So every Sunday, you can read me over there, too. Every day is a different blogger, so if you want to read about seven people (plus commenters) slowly going crazy over the next month and a half, head on over.

We’re going to have a party!

Where are you blogging during NaNo? Or if you’re not participating, where are your friends and fellow authors at?

This blog is now closed.

noreply@blogger.com (Kiki) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 05:05:00 +0000

Thanks for playing, everyone!

I've decided to close this blog and move everything over to my new home at http://kikifu.wordpress.com.
Why don't you stop by and drop me a line? Grab a box or some furniture to help with the move. We'll have cookies and tea once you get there!

Also, there's a new link list, so why not make sure that your name's on there, too, so people can find you?

It's been fun.

Bai-bai!

Revisions - done!

noreply@blogger.com (Kiki) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 02:32:00 +0000

I just sent off my first-round edits for Enter The Parrot off to my editor. Yay! Now I can catch up on all my other stuff, like finishing some blog entries.
It feels good to make your deadlines. It really does.

It's a digital world.

noreply@blogger.com (Kiki) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:20:00 +0000

I like to think of myself as a late early adopter.
I'm not fast enough to be one of the first to get into a new technology, but I usually get an item just before it takes off amongst the geeky.
Enter the e-reader.
After handheld gaming (you should see our Graveyard of Old Consoles and Handhelds) and iPod, mobile reading and writing was the next step to go.
Laptops always struck me as supremely unsatisfying, and PDAs were just so...meh.
But I'm incredibly excited about my new, shiny iLiad. I have high hopes that it's going to make both my reading and my writing life a lot easier.
It's charging right now, but expect more detailed reviews over the next month as I bring to you
The iLiad Odyssey!

The Wild Rose Press takes its reputation seriously.

noreply@blogger.com (Kiki) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 23:41:00 +0000

The Wild Rose Press, a small electronic and print romance publisher of impeccable taste (after all, they are *my* publisher), takes its public image very seriously.
It's alos a publisher that goes out of its way to communicate with its authors, trying to address any and all problems as they arise. Authors are on a special announcements-from-the-boss e-loop where issues are brought up as they relate to TWRP in general.

This morning, I found a post pointing towards Piers Anthony's website, where he talks about TWRP in his list of publishers. Apparently, someone has pointed out to him that TWRP are slow to start edits, taking up to a year.

Well, I want to chime in there, too. Obviously, I don't speak from vast experience, but I speak from mine.
TWRP and everyone of their staff that I've had contact with has been courteous, friendly, fast and enthusiastic. My edits for Enter The Parrot got started within the month, and I've gotten the feeling that it's me that's the limiting factor, not the other way around.
The artwork was fast and fabulous, and all communication has been punctual.

Enter The Parrot is not finished yet, but I'm very confident that things will go well from here on in. And if they don't, I am assured there are ways to communicate with the publisher directly.
What more can you ask for?

What's your experience with either TWRP or your publisher and their reputation? Justified, or not?

Social networking and the great beyond

noreply@blogger.com (Kiki) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 03:04:00 +0000

Are you twittering?
If you are, you can follow me at http://twitter.com/kikilon. I'll be updating live from the snow next week, if I can get reception.
And of course I'll be covering the RWAus conference, which is only a few weeks away. Gah!
Who else is twittering around here? Who's your favourite person to follow?

What's your favourite way to stay in touch with people? Do you read a lot of blogs? Do you blog yourself? Loops?
What's the best way you get entertained by people you barely know? Share your story...

Pitching - or: What's the point anyway?

noreply@blogger.com (Kiki) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 01:04:00 +0000

Whether you're going to RWA's National Conference in San Francisco or attending RWNZ's or our very own RWA conference here in Melbourne, you're probably thinking about pitching to an editor or agent.
After all, time and time again, the one thing conference attendees want the most is pitching sessions.
We're all desperate for that look inside the head of someone who could potentially make or break our careers. but how useful are pitch sessions really?

JenWriter stresses that she does her research beforehand.

I told them why I chose to pitch them. “I decided to pitch you because you are the agent of [author], and I’m a huge fan. Plus, my work is in the same genre so I thought you might be interested.” Every time I mentioned a client’s name, instant connection. Their faces lit up, they smiled. For the ones where I mentioned only genre from reading their bios, they also seemed pleased I did my homework. But the ones where I mentioned actual clients seemed to make better impressions.

Anne Mini has a clear goal in mind before she hones her pitch. She wants the editor/agent to *want* to read her work. her advice? Don't start by summarising your book. She has a lot of great advice, in fact, she even wrote a second post on the subject matter.

On the other side of the fence, agent Rachelle Gardner has a couple of gems to offer pitching writers, mainly about taking things one step at a time. You don't want to finish your pitch only to have the first question be "Hold on, what genre is this?"
She offers this as a pitch starting pint:

My name is _____ and I wanted to meet with you because _____.

I'm represented by _____ (agent name if applicable).

I'm writing ______ (what genre).

My publishing history includes _____. OR I'm currently unpublished but have been writing for ___ years.

Today I want to tell you about my book called _____ which is a ____(genre).

This book won the _____ award (if relevant).

I'm writing about this topic because ____ (if relevant. For example, you are a police officer and you're writing a cop thriller).

My tagline is _____ (20 words or so that capture your book).

Then, launch into your pitch.

What a great idea!

Agent Kristin Nelson suggests that you don't have to try to sum up your whole novel. Instead, just focus on the first 50 pages ore so and find the catalyst, the moment that really sets the story soaring. She also has some specific advice about a contemporary romance and a romantic suspense.

Agent Nathan Bransford has a more cynical (or honest?) outlook on pitch sessions, saying more often than not, he just requests a partial because it's easier than saying no.

Agent Scott Eagan shares this view, saying that often, editors and agents will ask for the full MS, just so they can weed out those who haven't completed their project.
He also warns that while editors might acquire across the lines, it won't mean they'll be the ones to read your project.

So what can you do to make you and your work stand out from all the others?
It's all about the branding, says Jen n at AuthorMBA. In other words, present yourself how you want to be perceived. For most of us, that means professional, savvy and classy. So no sweats and lunch-stained T-shirts, please!

Does all this discourage you? Maybe you don't want to pitch a project. Maybe you're just keen for some one-on-one time with an industry professional. You figure you'll give them a little break, pick their brains, chat about your marketability, get some feedback.
Be careful, warns Rachelle Gardner. Not everyone will be happy to do this. Especially agents are there to find new clients, not hold your hand and help you along.
She does concede that editors might be more open to this approach. Be very careful, and just in case, have something to pitch.
You could always ask if the agent/editor would mind you picking their brains instead, stating that while you do have a pitchable project, you are much more keen on having your questions XYZ addressed in these few precious minutes.
Use discretion.

So what should you do?
Be prepared, be professional, and above all, know yourself and your work.
Be polite and interesting. It doesn't matter how introverted you are in real life or how nervous you get.
Practice at home in front of your friend, cat or mirror until you can pitch while doing cartwheels (or at least without tripping over your own words).
And above all, try and have fun with it.
Odds are good they'll look at your stuff.
And then you can send that coveted --requested materials-- envelope and let your brilliant writing do the talking.

Kung Fu Panda

noreply@blogger.com (Kiki) — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 02:23:00 +0000

I went to see Kung Fu Panda yesterday with my fellow kung fu peeps.
OMG, it rocked so much! It had everything! Kung fu, buns, a panda... Well, okay, so it's kind of hard to explain, so just take my word for it. If you like martial arts, or pandas, or the idea of China, or just a fun, sweet believe-in-your-dreams story, KFP is for you.
As it says in the opening, it's made of awesomeness.

It made me think about my own kung fu training (something I've been woefully neglecting lately), as well as Enter The Parrot, of course.

So in the spirit of things, I've got to ask: what's your favourite kung fu movie, and why?

The tooth fairy returns

noreply@blogger.com (Kiki) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 23:01:00 +0000

Yesterday was what will hopefully be the final chapter in the Teeth Wars saga.
You know you're onto something good when your dentist calls his colleague to have a quick peak, too. Freakshow teeth? Check.
But it's all good now (or so we hope). The dentist couldn't have been nicer or more helpful, and all things considered, it went well.

Except that my tooth damage was all along the nerve and the anesthetic didn't quite take so I had to get a second shot. Which led to me looking like a new brand of superhero as I left the clinic:
Fugu Face!
Fear my pufferfish powers and poisonous slack jaw!

The anesthetic (and swelling) lasted for over 10 hours, which meant eating was pretty much impossible. Grrrr.
But today, I finally get to eat solid foods again.
So bring on the CRUNCHY!

I O U

noreply@blogger.com (Kiki) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 01:15:00 +0000

Do you ever feel like you owe other people your time/efforts? Do you bend over backwards to please those around you?
Yeah, me too, and it's a bad thing.

On average, I spend 40 hours a week on my fiction, 15 on non-fiction and 15 hours at kung fu (including getting there and back, and any planning that may come up).
You don't have to know how many hours are in a given week (psst, it's 168) to know that doesn't leave a lot of spare time.

This article breaks it down as well, and it basically says that after sleep and food and exercise, there's only about 100 hours left in the week. Well, I'm taking the 5 hours/week of exercise back from him, since I don't 'exercise' in a gym or anything, and all of my exercise in a given week is double-duty.

So I've got 105 hours in a week that I can spend between work, play and everything else that needs doing.
So 40 hours of fiction and 15 hours of non-fiction leave me with 50 hours. Just work alone takes half of my available time each week, non-negotiable.

Kung fu takes a third of that remaining time at 15 hours. 35 left.

I walk everywhere I can, including shopping, adding up to about 10 hours a week at least.
25 hours left.

reading is an important part of my life, and I try to read at least a book a week. Unfortunately, it's hard for me to spare more than 5 hours a week most weeks (sometimes I cut back my work hours to get more reading time).
20 hours left.

Video games are my other pastime, and they double-duty as spending time with my friends and/or boyfriend. Probably about 10 hours a week.

That leaves me 10 hours a week for everything else. Blogging, coffee, chatting, playing, cooking more ambitious food, eating out, podcasting, cleaning etc.

So I'm afraid that's why when you ask me if I have time, I usually go "Uh...."

Be careful who you step on as you head up in the world.

noreply@blogger.com (Kiki) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 04:44:00 +0000

This account of an editor's lunch with a prospective client shows you just how easy it is to make an ass of yourself.

Sure, everybody believes deep down inside that they're the most special person in the universe. We're all the heroes of our own stories. And obviously, if we've produced any kind of work, we're kind of in love with it, and just like with ugly children, we hold onto the belief that everyone else should see them for what they truly are, too.

Okay. So maybe you really are important. Maybe your book really is that great. Then why in blazes can't you have the good grace to be courteous to someone who quite clearly admires you and your work? Why would you go and tell someone that their opinion is not valued, not important, and in fact, merely the opening assessment for bigger and better things.

This actually kind of ties in with my last blog post. I'd rather have someone be super excited about me and my projects than just a big name to whom I'm merely a statistical blip somewhere along the line.

You don't have to sell yourself under value. But you don't have to put other people down to make yourself feel great, either.

You can't buy enthusiasm

noreply@blogger.com (Kiki) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 23:03:00 +0000

There is noting as exciting as someone falling in love with something you've created.
And if that someone happens to be your editor, well!

Jill Williamson, my fantastic and generous editor at The Wild Rose Press has in fact told me she loves Enter The Parrot so much, it's her favorite book this year. But not only that, she's also going to talk about it at the Oregon Christian Writers conference, where she is a guest speaker this year.

So if you happen to be going to the conference, say hi to Jill for me and tell her she rocks (because she does). And watch out for my book, because it's also awesome. ^_^

Ow, my teeth!

noreply@blogger.com (Kiki) — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 23:33:00 +0000

I hate dentists.
Okay, that's not entirely fair, since I don't necessarily hate dentists the people. I'm sure a lot of them are extremely lovely people once you're out of their chair.
What I really hate is the feeling of helplessness when dealing with dentists.
When you go to an anything-else doctor, you have at least a sporting chance of watching what they're doing. Also, they don't hide their faces while they work on you.

With a regular doctor, I often already have a vague idea what's wrong with me, and sometimes I can even hazard a guess as to how it'll be fixed.

But not with dentists, oh no. All I know is I'm in tremendous pain that seems to move, and when I tell the lovely front desk asssistant that, she gives me an appointment for next week with one of those perfect white dentistry smiles that says "I floss twice every day. Do you ever floss? You don't, do you?"

A week. In pain. Not slight pain. 6+ Nurofen-a-day pain. And you're telling me to wait as if that was perfectly acceptable.

My GP takes walk-ins. because, you know. Most people don't just decide to get sick some time in the near future, or feel like a social visit in a crammed doctor's office.
I don't know about you, but when I give my doc a call, 9 times out of 10 it's because somethig is wrong.

Okay, so horrendous pain for a week. once you get to the dentist, she'll fix you up right and dandy, won't she?
Uh, that would be a no, too.
I tell her I'm in pain and that I assume it's my blasted wisdom teeth. She takes one look at my mouth and says, "Yeah, that's right. The wisdom teeth. They need to come out."
Fantastic. So far, I'm on track. For a minute, nothing further happens. Then she takes another look in my mouth, this time with that pointy metal thing that makes you want to hold reeeaaaaally still in case they slip and give you a tongue piercing you didn't ask for.
"Do you drink a lot of soft drinks," she asks derisively.
"Not really." As in, not even every week, nor necessarily once a fortnight.
"Sugar then." Not a question.
"I guess."
"You've got holes." She says that in the same way I always imagine people to say "You've got crabs."
"Oh," I mumble. I'm not overly coherent with my mouth open and lying on my back, you see. Don't take that the wrong way.
She takes a mini air-blowtorch from her arsenal and aims it at one tooth.
"Can you feel that," she asks. "It should hurt a little."
Me, tears forming from acute pain "Uh-huh."
She turns off the air stream. Wow. And I thought I was in pain before!
She blows around my mouth some more adn tells her assistant some bingo numbers. I don't think I win, since she keeps comparing other teeth to the painful one, nodding and mumbling to herself.

"Do you want me to clean your teeth," she asks out of the blue.
"No thanks," I say, wiping my eyes. I think I don't want her scrubbing my gums, thankyouverymuch.
Wrong answer.
"What, you just came in here to check?"
Uh,yes? Seriously, do people come in here to get their teeth brushed? Isn't that a tad expensive?
"You need to come back for your wisdom teeth," she dismisses me and my pain. She doesn't even prescribe painkillers.

That was last time I went to the dentist, about three months ago.
The pain is back.
This time, I'm not going to the Pointless One that told me I had a hole and then sent me packing again. I'm going to my friend Rock Chick's dentist (I went with her not too long ago when she had some major surgery done to her), even though it's over an hour for me to get there. He was nice and friendly and explained everything that he was doing as he was doing it. I like that.

My appointment is ina week's time, the earliest they had. Oh joy. That bodes well.

Enter The Parrot: What's it about?

noreply@blogger.com (Kiki) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 03:24:00 +0000

I'm going to try and post something about my upcoming book ENTER THE PARROT every week to give you a taste of what's coming.
Feel free to spread the word to everyone you know. And if you've got a book you'd like me to promote in return, why not drop me a line? I'm always happy to help the buzz about new and exciting projects around!
Today, I'm bringing you the back cover blurb. Would you pick it up in a bookshop?

Meet Jade, the White girl in the Wong family.

On the surface, Jade fits in perfectly. But just below the surface lurks the fragrance of ginger, ginseng, and a secret kung fu society.

When her crazy grandpa's deluded parrot goes missing, Jade must dive deep into the seedy underbelly of Chinatown to find him, keeping secrets from her best friends and her cute eco- mentor, Cedric: aka the hottest guy in school. She'll need her wits about her to solve the riddle, especially when more than one bird goes missing. Could TF, the hot Chinese guy with the washboard abs, hold the key to the mystery?

One girl. One parrot. One ancient kung fu mystery.
Got kung fu?

Enter The Parrot

noreply@blogger.com (Kiki) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 06:30:00 +0000

Welcome to the revival of this blog.
I've been very quiet recently, but I promise I'll make more of an effort to keep things up and running (not just here, in my other blog projects, too).
But why now? Well, there have been quite a few things going on since I last blogged, amongst them the little fact that I SOLD MY FIRST BOOK!

I sold Enter The Parrot, the first in the 'got kung fu' series. That's the cover right there. Isn't it awesome? My cover! For my book. The one that I wrote. Me. my book.

You will pardon me for being incoherent, but you have NO IDEA just how exciting this is. Unless you're a writer too, of course. in which case you can appreciate exactly the head space I am in right now.

Get checked out

noreply@blogger.com (Kiki) — Wed, 07 May 2008 00:57:00 +0000

An estimated 70% of girls in the Western world will have an HPV (human papillomavirus) infection at some point in their lives. Most of the time HPV clears up on it's own. However, in some cases it can cause genital warts or cause cells on the cervix to grow abnormally (different strains of the virus usually cause warts than cervical abnormalities although a few strains can cause both). If left untreated these abnormal cells can turn into cervical cancer. Almost all types of cervical cancer start out this way. The type of HPV that causes cervical lesions and the lesions themselves don't usually cause any noticable symptoms.

BUT THERE'S GOOD NEWS!

It takes years (typically 10 YEARS) for these types of cell changes to turn cancerous. Getting a PAP SMEAR every year after you become sexually active detects these changes at a stage where they are treatable. The treatments for cervical lesions depend on the severity of the lesion, however, they are often uninvasive, outpatient procedures (ie. you leave the clinic and go home right after). Cervical lesions are 100% treatable.

Cervical Cancer is one of the few types of cancer that is almost entirely PREVENTABLE. Most women who develop cervical cancer have never had a Pap test, or have not followed up on an abnormal result.

TELL SOMEONE. Tell your mom, your sister, your best friend, your girlfriend, your aunt, your cousin. Tell yourself.

For more info on HPV and Pap tests see the website below.

http://www.hpvinfo.ca/hpvinfo/home.aspx

And yes, obviously I never thought about talking about it until it affected me. get smart. get checked out early.

Personal best

noreply@blogger.com (Kiki) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 00:32:00 +0000

I've been busy with other projects (articles, recipes, my foodie blog), so this blog hasn't seen much action lately.
But I've tied up most of my loose ends and am back in the saddle, so things are looking up!

I don't want to give too much away, but exciting things are on the horizon for my fiction projects.
May is going to be Maintenance Month, during which I'll be tying up loose ends, getting my submissions in order and updating my website, which I haven't done in yonks.

The idea is to have June free to write my next project. To that end, I'm actually going to hermit myself away for a whole week. So if you need something done, don't count on June to get it.*

* Note: This does not apply to people needing me to do writing-related things like edits or submissions.

Where is the time?

noreply@blogger.com (Kiki) — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 02:18:00 +0000

I am a folder fanatic when it comes to my computer. I love dividing and sub-dividing things in a weird effort to one day become more efficient. At what, I don't know. Filing, maybe?
One of the things I file a lot is my email.
My web-based email account (to which all my various email addys forward) has ten folders set up, filtering various message groups, replies from agents and editors, contest news, etc. one of them is simply called "personal" and is where I drop every email that is purely social in content. This is where all my beloved friends' correspondence goes, marked with a star for IMPORTANT, so I know to look at it, take my time, and answer it.

I realised today that my most recent correspondence is from September last year. I was *sure* it was December at least, but apparently, I lost a couple of months along the track.
Just like that.

So for all of you who read this blog to find out whether I'm still alive or why I ignore you, it's because of the folders.
And the fact that for the life of me, I don't even remember what i did in October. or February.

Well, technically, that's not true. I can tell you that I did some important revisions that were requested from me in October and had some great professional correspondence, and in February my current YA project found a paranormal twist to itself.
But outside of books and book-related things, there is only the great Silence.

I should talk more about my life here. I might need to look it up some day.

I'm back - and I bring teeth

noreply@blogger.com (Kiki) — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 22:55:00 +0000

So the year hasn't started very auspiciously for me. I was in a bad rut where work would only trickle in (with a lot of "what else have you got"s), and then there were a series of mystery sicknesses that finally manifested in a jaw infection.

You know, for a country that allegedly provides health care for its citizens, the fact that dental is not considered essential is laughable.
So many other illnesses can stem from dental-related health issues. GPs can deal with every area of your body except the mouth.
Makes sense? no, I didn't think so either.

Tooth-related illnesses can manifest in everything from something akin to mental depression all the way to chronic pain in completely different parts of your body. And yeah, while my wisdom teeth were having a party finally righting themselves in my overcrowded jaw and wrecking havoc in the surrounds like a frat party, I was flitting from one problem to the next.

Now we finally have private health insurance, so in only two months' time, I can go and get the teeth checked again without eating only rice and whatever the garden grows for lunch for a week. And in 6 months time, I can get something done about these biteys o' mine.

The good thing is though that the inflammation has gone down, I can eat again, and my brain isn't preoccupied with not fainting any more, so I can actually get some work done.
There's a pile of pitches sitting on my desk that needs to go out.
Ah, pitching. The best part about writing. Well, apart from the first draft or two, of course. And the initial idea. But it's definitely in the top 5.

Mmmmh, food.

noreply@blogger.com (Kiki) — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 21:37:00 +0000

I've read more cookbooks than fiction and other non-fiction combined this year, so I guess it's no great wonder that I'm looking forward to the opening of a vegie take-away place pretty much around the corner from where I live.

Mmmh, more food....

This blog entry is a desperate attempt at procrastination as I type up the very last edits (since my first reader got busy) before preparing to send it on Thursday).

Burn-out

noreply@blogger.com (Kiki) — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 22:48:00 +0000

I'm tired.
There are a lot of things going on in my life that add to my stress, and there doesn't seem to be enough productive downtime.
between my new Blaze project, the YA that's going out to agents next week (finally!), the outline for the next YA, recipe development for various magazines and pitching articles, my work days are quite busy. Add to that kung fu training that's less-than-relaxing (and I don't mean that in a physical sense, unfortunately) and a lion dance team that's still trying to get off the ground and there isn't much time left for anything else.

Then between friends moving away or just dropping off the face of the earth for various reasons, and me not being a great friend in the first place (ask me about that some time over a cup of cocoa), my downtime consists of cleaning the house, gardening and playing DS. I don't even find enough time to read! At least audiobooks are something I can take with me as I hike from one appointment to the next. Hey, I might have had to cancel my gym plans, but I can still walk my 10k/day in errands.

I'm not sure what the solution is, but I'm going to find it. Later. once the articles have found a home and the Blaze and YA are out of my hands.
Maybe.

Edits and productivity

noreply@blogger.com (Kiki) — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 23:33:00 +0000

It looks like TBTKMB is finally shaping up. I just finished a round of paper edits, and once it comes back from my first readers, it'll go through a final polish, and tehn it's query time again at long last!

And just in time, since I've got some nice non-fiction projects lined up, two of which came to me because of my foodie blog. Talk about viral marketing.

I'm also itching to start on my next project. Hopefully it'll be a smoother ride.
Thanks to the ever-generous Anne Gracie, who did a crash-course book fixer for me when she gave me a lift to our committee meeting, I've got a whole new appreciation for fixing my Blaze work. It's going to be awesome.

Sometimes, all it takes is one person shoving you in the right direction.

New year, new plans

noreply@blogger.com (Kiki) — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 07:17:00 +0000

I took a few days off over the holidays to look back at my goals, accomplishments and shortcomings over the last year, and to plan out the new year as far as writing is concerned.

The Book That Kicked My Butt meant I didn't write quite as many books as I wanted, but I certainly made my pages. Overall, 2007 wasn't a great year, but reasonably productive. It was also a year for career advancement and has opened up all sorts of avenues that weren't there before, from detailed correspondence with agents and editors to regular column writing gigs to better networking. I also learned lots of things about the craft that I didn't know before.

I read a lot of books (and am still catching up on reviews) and made some very important personal choices towards a better me.

I like making (and talking about) New Year's resolutions. I posted the ones last year on this blog.
How did I go?

Finish Enter The Parrot

Find an agent to represent my YA writing

Find a temp agency that can hook me up with regular work

Get the lion dance team together and make sure that everything looks professional

be a better friend to the people I've neglected

Become more active in RWA

Enter 10 contests/final in 1 (whichever happens first)

Read at least 50 YA books over the course of the year

Start one YA project

Submit two more category romances to Harlequin

Plan/write two category romances

Move house

Find a group of people to play mahjong with regularly

Study Canto in a more structured environment

Lose 5-10 kg (Come on, everyone wants to lose weight/shape up/whatever in the new year, right?)

Clean more

Sleep more efficiently, i.e. less but better

Okay, so I passed 10 of 17. That's not too bad, is it? Well, okay, it is.

Time for some new resolutions.

In 2008, I intend to:

Submit TBTKMB to all the agents on my 'good' list

Get an article published and get paid for it

Find a group of people to play mahjong with (seriously!)

Pick up a new sport or other means of exercise

Write 3 more YAs

Write 2 category romances

Submit at least 2 other projects to publishers/agents

Perform at least 3x with the lion dance troupe

Read & review at least 50 YAs

Post at least 35 recipes on my food blog

Travel overseas in November/have the money to do so

A shorter list, but I think the goals are somewhat more achievable. of course, i say that now.
Do you make new year's resolutions? Do you stick to them? How did last year's go?

T'was the season, now it's over.

noreply@blogger.com (Kiki) — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 21:41:00 +0000

This is my favourite time of the year. it's the maximum amount of time until I have to endure christmas carols again.
To say that xmas is not exactly my fave holiday is a gross understatement. There are so many things I dislike about it, from the force-feeding to the crappy gifts (in special, exztra-wasteful packaging) to the commercialisation of a religious holiday that itself usurped a perfectly good social holiday.

No, not my favourite time. It's also awkward. You more often than not spend it with people you only see about a half dozen times a year (if not less). People you might not even like. What's fun in that?

So call me a Scrooge, but it's just not my holiday.

Why do you celebrate? What makes this season magical and wonderful to you? Or not?
And why do you wish people merry christmas? What do you mean by it?

In other news, it's almost deadline time, and the writing is just swinging. Someone died already and I'm a very happy camper.

Canz you readz?

noreply@blogger.com (Kiki) — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 07:49:00 +0000

Okay, so I'm not the most intellectual blog around, am I?
If you want to build your vocabulary, why don't you give FREE RICE a whirl? You might even be doing something good at the same time.