Valentine's Day lovelies

Too many links and pictures to share this Monday! But first, a recap of the weekend.*

*Which is probably just a nicer way of saying, "Here's some photo-dumping and inane rambling." But there you go.

Saturday was spent writing.

And writing.

And more writing.

By Sunday, I was ready to break out of the house. After our usual brunch, my dad and I went strolling around town and booked a trip to Taiwan in late March. Yay, travel!

I really believe that it doesn't matter where you go or what you do that matters, but the company you keep. My dad and I don't go to special places often, or eat or live extravagantly, but I always have a good time with him, even when we're just rambling around town, taking photos.

Because the tour agency was in Chinatown, we ended up walking around the area. (Yes, again. It's funny, but from architecture to shops to people, there seems to be endless things to discover no matter how many times we visit that place.)

And because I am irrationally obsessed with flowers, I went a little shutter-crazy here.

So that's that for the weekend. And now, link salad!

1. Being a writer is a lot more like sitting alone with your computer, ploughing through the suck of your own doing, sending out query letters and hoping, wishing and praying for someone to love your story, and lots and lots of head-meets-desk moments. Sometimes, reality falls short of our expectations. But thank goodness for sympathetic critique partners, awesome writers who write beautiful books, and green tea!

2. This infographic shows the million and one things you're doing wrong with your script, which can also be applied to any story you're writing.

3. By the way, I never realised how snarky Disney characters were until this post! For instance,

Check out the article for more!


3. And since it's Valentine's Day week, here's a slew of Valentine's Day-related stuff that made me laugh out loud.

Something for the LOTR fans:

And something for singles who have plans to avoid Valentine's Day (and the obnoxiously lovey couple or ten that are bound to appear on every other street):

Some grumpiness to counter those overheard love confessions and sightings of couples in matching outfits?

Just so we're clear, I'm not anti-Valentine's Day. It's just funny how so many snarky memes have sprung up because of some holiday that now means overpriced flowers and Valentine's Day lingerie (because, of course, Valentine's Day is important enough to have special lingerie dedicated to it) and couple's dining promotions more than anything else.

Speaking of love, what do you love? I'm going to list 5 things I love, and I'd love to hear your list of 5 things you love! It's too cliched - and not to mention maudlin - to write a post on the 5 people I love, so let's keep it light, shall we? (Of course, if you want to mention the people you love, by all means confess away.)

Go like this:

I love:

1. Lovely prose

From Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor

From Lock and Key, by Sarah Dessen

From Wonder Show, by Hannah Barnaby

2. Happy babies

3. Pretty faces

4. Whimsical art

by Kathy Hare

The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

5. Beautiful nooks and crannies in the world

Mykonos, Greece

Pretty lilac!

Atlantis Bookstore, Santorini, Greece

Tellaro, Italy

Do share your loves (and toss me a link to your list)! Pass it on, too, so more people can know about love-ly (geddit?) mood-lifters!

Valentine's Day doesn't have to just be about people or, more specifically, your other half. It can also be about the FEELING of being in love with someone or something, being passionate about someone or something. The feeling, not the thing. Share the things you love, and EVERYONE can be in love every day of the year, not just on Valentine's Day.

Wow. This has been too much sappiness for one post. Think I'll stop now, before I start vomiting rainbows and unicorns.

Unicorn Vomiting a Rainbow by TheIckyMan on Deviant Art

Have a lovely week! (Okay, okay. I'll stop with the love puns now.)