55 Fiction - Perfection

He sat poised, with fountain pen in hand. The piece of parchment - crisp, white, spotless - lay before him. He had to think carefully; the perfect idea.

Suddenly, it hit him. "Yes!" he cried jubilantly, raising his hand, as a single drop of beryl ink fell from the nib, engulfing whiteness with its inky stain.

40 Tips for Writing Good English

1. Avoid alliteration. Always.

2. Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do.

3. Avoid cliches like the plague; they’re old hat

4. Employ the vernacular.

5. Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.

6. Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are unnecessary.

7. Remember to never split an infinitive.

8. Contractions aren’t necessary.

9. Foreign words and phrases are not apropos.

10. One should never generalize.

11. Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “I hate quotations. Tell me what you know.”

12. Comparisons are as bad as cliches.

13. Don’t be redundant; don’t use more words than necessary; it’s highly superfluous.

14. Be more or less specific.

15. Understatement is always best.

16. One-word sentences? Eliminate.

17. Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake.

18. The passive voice is to be avoided.

19. Go around the barn at high noon to avoid colloquialisms.

20. Even if a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed.

21. Who needs rhetorical questions?

22. Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.

23. Don’t never use a double negation.

24. capitalize every sentence and remember always end it with point

25. Do not put statements in the negative form.

26. Verbs has to agree with their subjects.

27. Proofread carefully to see if you words out.

28. If you reread your work, you can find on rereading a great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing.

29. A writer must not shift your point of view.

30. And don’t start a sentence with a conjunction. (Remember, too, a preposition is a terrible word to end a sentence with.)

31. Don’t overuse exclamation marks!!

32. Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences, as of 10 or more words, to their antecedents.

33. Writing carefully, dangling participles must be avoided.

34. If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.

35. Take the bull by the hand and avoid mixing metaphors.

36. Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.

37. Everyone should be careful to use a singular pronoun with singular nouns in their writing.

38. Always pick on the correct idiom.

39. The adverb always follows the verb.

40. And always be sure to finish what

found here! (:

Merchant of Venice

Beshrew your eyes, they have o'erlook'd me & divided me; one half of me is yours, the other half yours, mine own, i would say; but if mine, then yours, and so all yours. (Portia to Bassanio)

The quality of mercy is not strain'd, it droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven upon e place beneath: it is twice blest; it blesseth him that gives and him that takes. (Portia to Shylock)

tea party

@dearlizzy

sometimes i wish i lived someplace else, so i could do things like this...

friday night dates

today was the last day of school and well, while i would miss the kids, it was kind of liberating to know that i would be on the other end of the homework spectrum. so i left school earlier to go for the teacher compass ceremony. it's supposed to represent my compass in teaching to "lead, care & inspire". there was a speech by one of the awardees about his experience from nie to teacher and it was food for thought. he was a Christian and it really got me thinking about whether teaching is my calling and what exactly it entails. today definitely marks the start of a journey for me.

so andrew and i went to burger shack then island creamery for dessert. its a good thing those two places are some distance apart! we definitely needed the walk, could've been longer tho. (: i was thinking about this post i saw earlier today about being a tourist and decided to take lots of pictures.






toppings!

sprinkle cones!

mudpie

nutella & pulat hitam (his favourite & mine)

looking at all the chalk features i'm kinda reminded of this photo i saw the other day in the new ikea magazine - the door of the children's bedroom in chalkboard paint. i asked andrew and he's okay with it. we are so gonna be the coolest parents next time cos we'll let the kids draw on the door. haha. (:

wooden rings (edited)

i saw a shop at (i think) united square selling wooden rings with giant jewels, but it seems i cannot find its website. i didn't get a chance to take a look, but i found some gorgeous wooden rings online. makes me want to try venturing into making wooden rings.

this one in particular would make excellent he & she rings. *hint to andrew.

[edited] - found 2 more gorgeous wooden rings! (:

anyway, been really busy and caught up with work. haven't really had time to craft or be creative. been doing little things like making guestbooks for my cousins upcoming wedding and the making notebooks for mom. other than that haven't really beaded or scrapped. i'm starting to miss it a lot. miss feeling inspired and being creative. so, shall endeavour to blog more in hopes of pushing myself more in terms of the creative aspect.

just a little update, been marking truckloads of exam scripts, to the point i felt like marking was my hobby. ): but teaching so far has been really rewarding for me in terms of the exposure and experience. i'm starting to fall into the routine of things, but maybe too much - during the exam period i had a hard time figuring out which day it was cos everyday was the same; mark, invigilate, repeat, and then one of those "you are a ___, when you ___." popped into my head. you are a teacher when you tell the days of the week by the lessons you teach. haha.

anyhoo with exams over, the girls and i finally had a chance to meet up for a meal and talk. can't wait to do that again next. san, andrew and i also watched Twelfth Night yesterday and that was fabulous. but more on that later when i get pics from san.

-S

teachers' day presents

it was teachers' day yesterday. this year sherwin gave his teachers mini chalkboard pegs and two pieces of chalk. i think its rather cute.

back to school notebooks

been embellishing and altering quite a few notebooks!

this one was originally 4 thin notebooks. i took out the wire binding, used wider binding and combined two notebooks into 1 and changed the cover.

this one had a cover with colours that really clashed, but the paper inside was good. so i took out the cover and covered it with woodgrain paper and then trimmed a postcard down to size and stuck it to the front. (:

this one had some words in front that i didnt like, so i stuck a ribbon round the front and secured it with woodgrain contact sheet inside.

experimented with using twine to bind a simple notebook made out of scraps.

also, i just updated the etsy shop. go see! (:

*sheryl

a lost for words

you know how some people get inspired by pictures? i get inspired by words. for me, today feels like macrame (an elaborately patterned lacelike webbing made of hand-knotted cord, yarn, or the like, and used for wall decorations, hanging baskets, garments, accessories, etc.) and profiteroles (a small cream puff with a sweet or savory filling, as of cream and chocolate sauce)

i just finished my like 500+ google reader...

and i 'm in LOVE with the jamie oliver at home graphics / illustrations. sigh. cant seem to find any proper images or the website that did the graphics. rawr. think i shall go sleep now.

i need a haircut.

and i need to exercise.

soon.

tomorrow maybe.

yes, maybe.

*sheryl

weaved cloth

i've been trying to experiment more, but i've found that sewing with weaved cloth is pretty challenging; the fabric tends to unravel itself much to my dismay. so last night in a paranoid move, i sewed down all the corners of my cloth before proceeding with the sewing of my double-lined (new) pencil case (: honestly i'm really chuffed how it turned out tho. the colour is a pretty shade of pink. the notebook was an experiment too. mom passed me her handbag buckle. the bag gave way but the clasp was still in good condition; pretty rhinestones all intact. all i did was add a vintage enamel flower and swarovski crystal.

i've also took the plunge and started an etsy shop. really hope it'd work out. its like my creative outlet, i tend to make things in excess and well, i cant keep giving them all to andrew or my family. haha. andrew already says he has a boxful of things from me. things he doesn't know what to do with. random small scrapbooks, notebooks (those i guess he has more of a chance to use now that he's started uni), picture frames, pouches...so yes. etsy it is.

i've also technically graduated. waiting final results from Murdoch before God-willing going for graduation ceremony in September. i'm really excited about the trip to Perth. its my birth place and the last time i went there was 10 whole years ago. san was joking we'd only go there every decade. haha. the last time sherwin went he was a baby! goodness.

in other news, i've found a row of dead pixels on quincy. its quite disturbing because i only got her in march this year. i've been dragging my feet but i think i'll call up courts tomorrow to see what they can do about it. my mobile has also been on the frizz. the lcd is all out of whack and weird saturations of pink and blue permeate the screen. on the bright side, this gives me all the more reason to get a new phone! only problem is which one. i've had my palm pre hopes dashed by several reviews. the technology is good and all but the casing construct and all doesn't seem too good. bah. so i'm leaning towards the iPhone again. except its exclusive to singtel and i'm starhub. andrew suggested the htc touch pro. i'm probably going to look into it.

andrew's been real busy with school and his fitness instructor (fic) tests. i miss being able to meet him multiple times during the week. now weekends and evenings are not taken for granted.

been trying to come up with a list of crafty things to do as well. i promised to blog more but i seem to have little to talk about which is slightly disconcerting because i feel like quite a bum now. :|

anyhoo, shall go catch up on google reader. more soon! (:

ttyl.

*sheryl

squiggletown at etsy

go see!! i've uploaded items there. will be uploading more soon! (:
*sheryl

a different love story

got this really sweet vid from amber.


and here's something cute. i've always been a coca cola kinda girl; this timeline makes me happy. (:

via craftzine.

got my last paper tmr. i'm really dragging my feet here. i'm thinking its the runner's wall thing. its so close but it already feels like it over. *rawr. but i've got so many things i wanna do after graduation. so will definitely make this last lap worthwhile! (: will be back soon with more crafty things hopefully.

*sheryl

alice in wonderland

cant wait for this!!!

oh my. superb arrangement

more on the love story vid. haha.

I WANT THIS SO BAD...

oh my. this is like the most gorgeous phone ever. i actually really wanted the iPhone...but this one has a key pad and is "egg shaped". i love phones that have rounded corners. i blame this on my fieldwork assignment for new media tech really. seriously. all the talk about smartphones...and palm pre...and so i just had to look it up.

sigh.

and i have trolled the web to find out whence this device will be launched in Singapore, and it seems no website has the answer. i'm very upset about that. they did say that the first half of the year it will be exclusive to US. well. its JULY now. second half of the year! so when are you coming to singapore?! ):

sigh.

it really is gorgeous isn't it? i've even got a name for it already, andryl. (you know its actually the first half of andrew, "and" + second half of sheryl "ryl"). it will join quincy(laptop), red(ipod), doughty(sewing machine) and eliza(camera).

sigh...

*sheryl

en ce moment ♥ obsessed with soyabean milk with no sugar and cream cheese + crackers.

scarlet letter

i'm in love with this video...

in other news, i got a new sewing machine and i've been making heaps of pouches.


its kinda addictive. the one above was actually made from scraps of a pillow case i was making and another pouch. anyhoo, decided to do some "boy" pouches. will be doing the upload on sunday as usual! so go see! (:

*sheryl

the passing of "common sense"

my mom sent me this email today, i thought it sobering and very pertinent, so here, read this.

Enjoy. This is from the Times of London.

"Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, 'Common Sense', who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:
Knowing when to come in out of the rain; why the early bird gets the worm; Life isn't always fair; and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouth wash after lunch; and a teacher, fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an Aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust. His wife, Discretion, his daughter, Responsibility, his son, Reason.

He is survived by his 5 stepbrothers; I Know My Rights; It's My Culture; I Want It Now; Someone Else Is To Blame; I'm A Victim.

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing"

tilt-shift video

Bathtub IV from Keith Loutit on Vimeo.

via howabtorange. really quaint and charming. (: