Moving....

To my fans (harhar!), my updates will be at lucillajoanna.livejournal.com from now on... *hugs*

Lipat ka na rin don, Allen. Kaya lang hirap ayusin layouts. Papatulong pa ako sa SPEW.

*sigh* *squee* *sigh*

Philippine Speculative Fiction was launched yesterday and wow.

I was the only one there without much accolade to my name, and though I'm the youngest, Marguerite looked younger. Hehe.

Of course, when I went down before them, I lost control on my tongue and babbled, but I forgot to say what I've been feeling since I got the acceptance letter and saw the official table of contents: and that is how honored I am to be among them literary giants.

I got nice autographs from Dean, Luis, Charles, Yvette, T.J. I wanted one from Ian Casocot, but there I went, cold feet and gills. Andrew Drilon, who I missed in my autograph hunt, and who plucked the plum in the Neil Gaiman-sponsored Philippine Graphic/Awards I drooled for, waved 'Congrats!' to me when we met on the FB escalators, him going down, me going up. I was too tongue-tied and touched by his friendliness to do more than nod.

Nice folks, all of them, and I'm so inspired. Wait 'til you see what Mr Katigbak wrote to me. He says he's waiting for my six novels. Oh no. I shouldn't have put that in my bio! Susme, my editing IN folder is clogged as I type away here, because I've been so distracted reading Montgomery's Anne series.
Go over to Bibliophile Stalker, guys, Charles called me and Marguerite a cutie there. Wahaha. ^_^

The photos: My story in PSF3's so delicious layout.

Nikki and Dean.

I might get some names wrong (I even thought Yvette was Marguerite when I asked for her autograph!), so I'll just say I'm glad where I placed myself: That's Mr Katigbak behind me, Andrew and Joseph (prose winner in Philippine Graphic/Fiction) in front of me, Yvette (2nd place in PG/F) and Charles (blogger and stalker extraordinaire) to my right and Mr Casocot on my left.

Of banners, signatures and de-dignified books

(No offense, Harry! I mean me, not you. You're such a man. Wahaha.)

Now, Allenpot, I went to the Bannermakers Association at MNFF Betaboards (this is where I request and get my banners. After I request, after they make it, they display it, I save it, I upload it and use it.) and nosed around. They use Photoshop or GIMP: a Photoshop-like program free for download online. I wanted to download it, pero susme, I checked the tutorials and ganun din, like Photoshop din, it will take time to master it, and my time would rather be spent in writng than agonizing over those layering thingies and spraining my wrist on the mouse besides. You try it, lenpot.

As for the linking...

I prefer photobucket because of the html. Through the html, I link the banners to my stories. It's easy: After the equal sign in 'a href', you can put whatever address you want the picture to link to. Don't remove the quotation marks. There is another pair (of quotation marks) after 'alt='. You can put your own words here in lieu of the photobucket advert. You evil genius, Pauie!

--> "This signature has been edited by a moderator for being larger than the rules permit. Please resize your image to fit with the rules or change your design. P.S. congrats on your book." -- This was what I got after using the PSF3 cover for my signature in the Forums, hehe. Buti I didn't lose House Points!

Sarah Crewe~

When I saw Allen's and Ren's text message about Princess Sarah in ABS-CBN, I was excited, I thought the station was rerunning the anime. I grew up with that show. It kept coming back. Because the story was a Classic. Never lost its charms.

I don't watch much tv, and my family is a Kapuso, too, but I flipped to ABS to see what the hoolabaloo was about.

Ugh.

The gracious and courtly lascar, Ramdas, became Ramadas and will be played by Ai-Ai. Good Godric.

And they turned it into an overly fluffy musical. The child they cast as Sarah is adorable in dramas and comedies, and I know her caliber, but she just ISN'T Sarah Crewe the way Emma Watson is Hermione Granger.

The child is too bubbly. Sarah is a solemn girl.
The child is cute but without a 'subtle beauty'.

I understand that they should deviate from the original book and the faithful anime series, but they went too far! The core things they should have left alone, like Sarah's disposition (she's supposed to have a quaint, womanly air. She has fantasies, but she isn't silly and imp-like!), were desecrated.

I might be biased of course, but really. Those of us who loves the book and the series will wrinkle our nose at the commercial. Ang engot talaga ng ABS.

The costumes were gaudy. If they're setting it in Georgian England still, no one would be dressed that way, not even those in insane asylums. Ugh!

Rant as I did here, let's see after Monday if they change my point of view. Yes, I'll watch. That's how much I love Frances Hodgson Burnett's masterpiece.

HP Addict's note: Alfonso Cuaron, who directed the critically-acclaimed Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, also directed the movie, 'A Little Princess'. Now, he also wasn't faithful to the book. But unlike our local and 'flagship daw' station, he didn't sully Sarah's story's beauty.

There it is! 'My first book!'

I just share it with twenty others!

mood:

See my name? Fourth from the bottom in the second column.

Welcome back, Allenpot and happy birthday, Reniel! Ganda pics, len! Hurry and buy Rated X, ren! *kidding*

Again, thanks to the Almighty!

The Ring and the Fellowships

mood: ignore the tense mishaps in this post... too lazy to self-edit

I found my ring! Given me by Dad when I was 15, it got lost last year in August (during a wrestling and snarling and death threats match with my brother) and wasn't discovered under the dishrack until January. And then I mourned over it again yesterday. I thought for sure I had flushed it in the toilet.

Turns out my other brother found it even before I was bending over and peering under furniture, inhaling and sneezing dust. Yay!

My mom asked me to hilot her. Halfway through the conversation, when I was asking what 'breed' of gold their old wedding ring was, she showed me her left hand. There, I saw my ring's zircon stones flash beside her Ilocos gold wedding ring. Yay!

My ring... Saudi gold, 18 karat. Just the right glint, unlike Mom and Dad's newer wedding rings, Hongkong gold at 24 karat-- they're too yellow for my liking. The Ilocos gold, meanwhile, was reddish. It looks bronze sometimes, but I like it, too. Hmm hmm. My ring, with six zircon stones forming a heart. Charming. Do I hear fifty? Hehe.

My brothers and sister are covering their faces 'watching' Shutter on the tv while I write this. Hehe. Me, I like shouting, so I keep my eyes uncovered and open.

Wooh, tomorrow is my friend Reniel's birthday! Happy birthday, Ren! And tomorrow, my friend Allen's back in Manila from Antique. Welcome back, Len! *awaits barquiron and books*

Of course, tomorrow also marks my friends' school comebacks. They'll be busy, weighted down by schoolwork. In this, I'm different from them. My days are filled with reading and writing. You'd think I have books of my own to show for it. But nada. Tsk tsk. I need to burn the oil in constant supply. *makes note to self*

There's the Likhaan... and the next Palanca. And my agent in the States who is waiting for me to write again with a FINISHED book.

Anyway, I'm grateful for all these open doors. And the coming PSF launch! Thank you so much, Lord! For my ring, for my friends and for my little Hobbiton.

La di dah...

Himala, I'm awake before four p.m!

And my Mom's gone off somewhere, so I opened the pc before my bro beat me to it. Oh wait, he barbequed for us. Aww. But that means I do the dishes. Grr.

I'm not posting much in my blog, am I? It more seems like a journal than a BLOG, a web log, for goodness' sake, where people visiting can get something worthwhile. Hmm. Well... Who says I have to be worthwhile? I already am, to those who matter!

I wrote a little Cedric Diggory drabble. Entered into a challenge where the judges don't know grammar and art if it danced in front of them spraying Black Flag in their faces. Hehe.

This was supposed to show Cedric's Hufflepuff-ness in 500 words.

Did the judges do me wrong or did I do it right?

Here you go:

A Little Man

“What are you doing?”

“Hush, Cedie! Look, I got one!”

Coleen’s arm came out of the rabbit hole, hand fisted around a fluff of brown fur. Cedric’s eyes widened.

“You put that baby back in his nest this minute!”

“His mamma’s not here! What if she’s dead, even?”

“You don’t know that. Put him back.”

“I’m s’posed to mind Aunt and Uncle but I wasn’t told you could boss me.”

“You weren’t told you could take baby rabbits from nests either.”

“I’ll take care of him. You took care of that jackrabbit Uncle found—”

“That was different; the poor thing was washed to the creek. There was no way we could find his nest again. You’re stealing this baby.”

Coleen’s lower lip stuck out petulantly. Cedric was used to that. Coleen was the only baby girl of the family so far, and was consequently doted on as she was passed from uncle to uncle during the holidays. She was only five but very aware of her powers— which she demonstrated by bawling and marching from the wood to the house.

“Cedric, what have you done to your cousin?” was his mother’s greeting when he arrived. Her tone was nonchalant, however, even affectionate. This heartened Cedric. He was an only child, he had no one with whom to compare the way they treated him, but his parents’ trust and confidence in him was something he had always been cognizant of— and tried to keep.

“We had a row about a rabbit, Mum, that’s all. Coleen’s pining for a pet, I think.” And he sent a wink to Coleen. Her adorable forget-me-not eyes widened. No doubt it had just occurred to her.

“My princess is pining for a pet?” said Cedric’s father. Amos kissed Coleen and ruffled Cedric’s hair, whispering in his ear, “You planted that idea, son. You take care of it.”

~*~

“Where have you been all day?”

“Hush, Coleen! Look what I’ve got for you.”

Cedric opened the basket. Coleen peered in. In a wad of coarse red tartan was nestled a ball of white fur. Coleen squealed.

“Where did you get her?”

“From old Mr Lufkin.”

“And for me, really?”

“Yeah, better than having you steal bunnies, right?”

“Oh, Cedie! Thank— ugh! You reek!”

Cedric laughed as Coleen backed away from him, gently taking the basket with her. She had been about to hug him. Now he was dismissed in favour of a non-smelly little feline.

He went inside the house and collided with his father, who recoiled. “You smell like horse dung, Ced.”

“That’s because I’ve been shovelling away horse dung, Dad.”

“Oh? For this kitten?”

“Well, t’was s’posed to be for Mr Lufkin’s niece. And none of the rest of the litter was pretty. I... bargained.”

Amos’s chest swelled. Cedric feared he was about to be scolded for the first time. But his father only turned his red face to his mother. “Our son is quite the little man for a nine-year-old, isn’t he?”

Okay, bye! Gotta eat lunch! And then I'll write and continue Then Somebody Bends and Ron's Best Friend. LINKS AT THE BOTTOM of page! You know what's addicting about fanfiction? You publish and you get reactions fast. This is why JKR is envied as well. She is read and she is reviewed and she is alive to experience it all. Unlike, say, JRR Tolkien, diba?

While I wait for my own JKR-era, fanfiction muna. And then I'll tackle my own plot bunnies for the Gawad Likhaan. Or maybe I'll settle for just reaching *WAKAS*, my gosh.

mood:

P.S: Remind me to pray the rosary later for Ate Mayette, Lola Joaquina, Tito Cornelio, Ninang Franca, my Lolos and Tito Kenkoy... Eternal rest, grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace.

Nga pala, for those who wonder, we honor our beloved dead on All Saints' Day because they are among the saints, our benefactors and friends. We thank God for the blessing of having had them in our lives. Ganun.

Writer's block no more...

I submitted my Phil Graphic/Fiction Awards entry yesterday-- I mean, my Mom carted it off to LBC. I finished it in the early hours yesterday, too, because the plot bunny had been so kind to hop and breed inside my head not until the 27th. Phew!

And then I pay the price. Not the LBC, my Mom paid that. There are loads of holes I see now and wish I could correct in those 14 pages now probably waiting in the shelves of Fully Booked Customer Service. Whew!

I could just pray now.

On cheery notes, I'd had my first assignments from READ! Yay! And I'm three quarters done with them! The bunnies are partying.

And here are the two covers Mr Alfar is deliberating over, my friends. Whatchu think?


mood: