sun, sea, sky, and other happy things

Busy busy week ahead, not least because I'm aiming to write at least 30 more pages (7,500 words) for Neverland by the end of this month! So here's some photo-dumping* before I'm on my way.

*I kid: I don't dump them, I stick them here very nicely, just like how I used to colour neatly within the lines when I was little.**

**Snort.

Anyway, since our travel plans for this month fell through (Taiwan will be postponed to the end of next month instead) and Dad had the weekend off, we went looking for places that would satisfy our shutter cravings. And where better to snap some pretty pictures than at the beach? 

Hello, blue lovely. Thanks for making the weekend beautiful.

EVERYONE is happier at the beach.

The ground was a little parched due to the dry spell that's beset us since the start of the year. But look, blue skies!

Ah, the sea. I love it so painfully much I might just set my next story here. (Red December Skies doesn't count.)

Saturday's weather was glorious. The sky was blue with a vengeance, but the sea breeze kept the heat from encroaching.

Easties really have the loveliest view. (Easties, by the way, are those who live on the East Coast of the island. They are supremely smug - and understandably so - about the fact that they've got an unobstructed view of the sea, an entire boardwalk of cafes and quirky seaside joints, and near-immediate access to the beach. They are also supposedly more mellow than people living elsewhere on the island.)

After cycling, it was still too lovely to leave, so Dad and I just sat on the beach and talked. But we eventually left when dusk fell, with sand between our toes and sea salt in our hair.

Even the view on the way home was gorgeous. The weather was obviously showing off that day, doing little pirouettes in its tulle dress. Look what I can do! Look how pretty I can be!

  

You glorious, glorious day.

Sunday turned out to be just as serendipitous, with cool north-easterly winds and more cerulean skies. So after brunch, Dad and I played tourists for the day and went to Gardens by the Bay.

Dad and his giant chocolate ice-cream waffle

Enjoy the lovely weather while it lasts, guys, before the haze sets in!

On a different note, can you believe February is coming to an end already? How did that happen? Feels like I'm still spinning on the remnant excitement over New Year's. Still, it's not too late to make things happen! You still have 10 more months to make 2014 your best year yet! Get cracking and be amazing!***

***That's a lot of exclamation marks. Might need to tone down the chirpiness.

And since it's Monday (again, where did all that time go?!), keep happy with these mood-lifters!

Kos Island, Greece

Paper lanterns

I have a strange, sudden obsession with lamps and lanterns these days. Something to work into a story, perhaps?

Hello, little thing

And hello, pretty thing

I hope you find that magic in your week! ❤

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.)