life by karra

A blog about my loves: writing, books, travel, food, and my hometown of Vancouver, BC. So, kick your shoes off, grab some tea, and stay awhile- it’s going to be a fun ride.

[bykarra]

I love how songs can inspire a story. "Stay" by Sugarland is an emotionally-charged song told from the perspective of a husband's mistress. The mistress goes from begging the husband to stay to realizing that she doesn't need him to stop being lonely. It's always refreshing to see the POV of the "villain" in archetypal stories.

I've been listening to the Duets version of this song obsessively. It features Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles and her mentee John Glosson. 

[bykarra]

Eat: Of Quiches and Birthday Concerts

Last month, one of my best friends celebrated a milestone: her 25th birthday. Always one to go big or go home, she decided to ring in her quarter century with a birthday concert. Yes, you read that right. A CONCERT.

I was honoured to be a part of her events team, but it was also an exhausting gig. Working full time and event planning on the side don’t necessarily go together like peanut butter and jelly, but frustrating moments are less stressful when people on your team make you smile and help you laugh it all off.

A week before the concert though, on her actual birthday, my friend had a bunch of us over for a stress-free potluck (although not quite stress-free for me since I was filming a surprise video right under her nose). I baked some crustless spinach and mushroom mini quiche to celebrate the occasion.

The prep takes a little time, but they cook fast. I may have gone overboard with the cheese, but no one was complaining. Topped with turkey bacon, even the red meat lovers agreed it added the right amount of tasty and healthy crunch.

Oh, you’re probably wondering how the concert turned out huh?

There were 10 performances including a few from the birthday girl herself. We even raised over $2000 for the charity of her choice. There were also tons of birthday surprises for my friend including the secret video that made her laugh and cry – my one goal for the event. Mission accomplished.

Ingredients

Cooking spray 6 strips (3 ounces) turkey bacon 1 tablespoon olive oil 10 ounces white mushrooms, coarsely chopped 1 small shallot, thinly sliced Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 cups baby spinach Pinch freshly grated nutmeg 4 large eggs 1/4 cup skim milk 1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) grated Fontina cheese (I used a mix of feta and parmesan instead)

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly coat a 12-cup nonstick muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Mist a large nonstick skillet with more nonstick cooking spray and put over medium heat. Add the turkey bacon and cook turning frequently until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and coarsely chop.

In the same skillet, heat the oil. Add the mushrooms, shallot, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook until shallots are soft and the mushrooms are dry and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the baby spinach and nutmeg until the spinach is just wilted, but still bright green, 2 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, whisk the eggs, egg whites, milk, and salt and pepper until well combined. Stir in the cheese. Divide the egg mixture evenly between the muffin tins, filling them about halfway. Top evenly with the mushroom and spinach mixture and then the chopped bacon.

Bake until the quiches are well risen, golden brown and set, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in the pan 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature with greens.

Adapted from this Food Network recipe.

Black and white photo taken by Julian Fok.

[bykarra]

Writing: Meg Cabot Live

Do you have a favourite author whose books always make you happy? Like, no matter what subject they write about or how much you try not to like celebrity gossip, you still pick up their latest book with excited anticipation? For me, that author is Meg Cabot.

From the first time I read The Princess Diaries when I was 12, I was hooked on Meg’s funny, witty, and heart-warming style of writing. She does everything from children’s books to young adult to adult fiction and has somehow found success in all markets. She is and has always been my writing role model.

Last week, the awesome social networking site for books and readers, Good Reads, hosted a live chat with Meg! I’ve met her before and sadly lost the one picture we had together, so it’s been my mission to see her in person again someday. This web chat tided me over for the time being, though.

Meg on her new book Underworld, part of a series based on the myth of Hades and Persephone

Loved this Greek myth because it was one of the few where the girl didn’t get turned into an animal or spring of water.

Didn’t just want to retell the myth of Hades and Persephone, so she researched other death myths from other cultures.

Intrigued by the idea of how the Lord of the Underworld, who lives a very lonely, isolated life, will find someone to love him.

Partly inspired by how Persephone represents spring and hope, which are interesting themes considering how depressing the news has been recently.

On all that depressing news 

"I feel we're living in slightly darker times and it's time for books that address that. There should be more heroes battling the dark times."

On the Mediator series

There will be a new book in the series. She’s working on the story now. (The fangirl in me just passed out from too much excited squealing)

.

On getting an education no matter what

Was always encouraged to write, but her mom wanted her to learn other skills for a day job that would pay the rent. Meg worked as an admin assistant at NYU for 10 years. She would write books in her spare time.

"Have a back up job and don't let it be writing-related or you might get sick of writing."

(Me: Too late for me. Oops!)

On finding inspiration

She finds it everywhere. Her Heather Wells series was partly inspired by working in the NYU dorms as an admin assistant. Her home in Key West, Florida inspired the location of the Abandon series.

On outlines 

She likes to be surprised like her readers are when something unexpected happens, so she tries to not make them super detailed. Usually makes a 1-2 page outline for each book. 

“It’s like buying a ticket to where you’re going on vacation. You know where you’re going, but not all the details of what you’re going to do there.”

On tackling writer's block

Right before you go to bed, think about the problem you have and when you wake up, think about it again. Your subconscious untangles whatever you’re stuck on as you sleep.

On writing both Young Adult (YA) and Adult Fiction:

“I love going back and forth between them. I love being able to write from an adult POV and I love to swear – I can't do much of that in my kids books. I also love YA because I love the idea of writing from a teen's perspective and writing about characters who are still growing and learning stuff."

Advice for aspiring writers

Read books that are in the genre you want to be in and write all the time. You should write everyday even if it's a grocery list. It doesn't have to be pages and pages of a book. Write an e-mail to your mom and make it the best e-mail ever. 

Really listen when you're in a place and listen to the conversations you hear. Write your dialogue like these conversations.

Last great book she read: The Girl in The Park by Mariah Fredericks

  Meg's photo was taken from her website.

[bykarra]

Eat: Divine Little Madeleine

One of my favourite things to eat growing up was this delicate little French butter pastry called the madeleine.

Unlike a certain little redhead who lived in an old house in Paris that was covered in vines, this is edible goody is actually a seashell-shaped, golden coloured mini cake. It has a spongy texture that practically melts in your mouth, leaving a sweet, buttery taste that immediately makes you want to reach for another.

I used to get my fix whenever I hit up Starbucks for some tea, but that was before my mom gave me my very own madeleline baking pan. Now, I can enjoy these mini delights whenever I want (and as long as I’ve got copious amounts of butter in my fridge).    

Some like their madeleines with a lemon flavour, but I prefer plain old vanilla, butter, and sugar in mine.

Bon appetit!

Ingredients

2 large eggs 2/3 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel (optional) Pinch of salt 1 cup all purpose flour 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted, cooled slightly

Preparation 

Preheat oven to 375°F. Generously butter and flour pan for large madeleines (about 3 x 1 1/4 inches).

Using an electric mixer, beat eggs and sugar in large bowl just to blend.

Beat in vanilla, salt and lemon peel if using.

Add flour; beat just until blended.

Gradually add cooled melted butter in steady stream, beating just until blended.

Spoon 1tbsp. batter into each indentation in pan.

Bake until puffed and brown, about 16 minutes. Cool 5 minutes.

Gently remove from pan. Repeat process, buttering and flouring pan before each batch. 

Adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine recipe.

[bykarra]

Books I'm Reading: 2012 edition

Source: masyess.tumblr.com via Amanda on Pinterest

I used to read books the way I ate candy as a seven year old- frequently and in mass quantities. But now a full-time job and this weird itch to become a novelist keep me from devouring pages turners like I used to. 

So in a quest to keep my inspiration up/study my competition *cough* I mean, heroes, I'm challenging myself: at least 1 novel a month and 4 classics by the end of the year. 

If you've ready any of these books, leave a comment about it below! Feel free to suggest books you think I should read to :)

*New* Added 140 character reviews (short and sweet can't be beat!) and ratings for each book

Rating System:

1- Hate to say it, but your time could’ve been better spent watching Jersey Shore reruns.

2- This novel is like being allergic to gluten and addicted to cupcakes. You either have to give cupcakes up completely or keep going because you’re no quitter. In other words, this story kind of sucks the life out of you, but you already started it, so why give up now?

3- The story wasn’t bad. The characters weren’t bad either. But it was missing that spark that makes you want to ditch all your friends, cuddle up with it, and disappear for the next few days. 

4- Oh there’s that spark. And it’s good. Real good. Breakfast in bed, dancing in the rain good. But the only commitment I’m ready to make right now is giving it real estate on my bookshelf; I’m still going to date other books.

5- Amazing doesn’t even begin to describe this novel. I want to crawl inside this story and live there forever! Ta-ta reality! 

January

Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

You’ll believe in magic after reading. Love the highly imaginative concept. Beautifully written. A love story w/o being overly sappy. Rating: 4

Source: google.com via Natalie on Pinterest

Something Blue by Emily Giffin

Fun story of redemption. I came to absolutely love and even cheer on Darcy, who I detested in Something Borrowed. And Ethan is the shizz! Rating: 4

Source: google.com via Charlotte on Pinterest

February

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - CLASSIC #1

Very melancholy story about rich people who have absolutely no redeeming qualities. At least they threw kickass parties. Rating: 3

Source: 1001bookstoreadbeforeyoudie.tumblr.com via Anna on Pinterest

March

A Dirty Job- Christopher Moore

Lame guy becomes Death Merchant & only gets 2% less lame by end. Moore tries too hard to make lame things funny & it became pretty annoying. Rating: 1

Source: google.com via Meredith on Pinterest

April

Runaway - Meg Cabot

Funny, cute, and light YA read. Em's story is wrapped up nicely & loved the smart, unexpected evil Stark Corp plan. Meg Cabot is amazeballs. Rating: 3.5

Source: google.com.br via Jessica on Pinterest

May

Currently reading: Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom 

Stay Tuned!

[bykarra]

Travel: Swiss Alps, Skydiving and Sex Swing Baby Bjorn

God, I hate heights.

Much in the same way that even just thinking about having a needle stuck in me gives me chills and clammy hands, the thought of being high up anywhere – even the second floor of my local mall – makes my knees shake and my stomach flip flop sickeningly.

So, of course, it figures that after a terrible break up, I’d fly halfway across the world to fill the void in my life, and then have a mental breakdown wherein I willingly sign up to jump out of a helicopter and skydive through 10,000 feet of air. Why yes, that is my credit card number on the non-refundable CAD$600+ receipt.

Shit.

“I figure if I’m ever going to skydive, it might as well be over the Swiss Alps!” I’d said to my friends before I left Vancouver, even smiling as I did so. Now it feels like I’d said it more to convince myself that I’d bragged about it, so now I had to do it or I’d face excommunication back home.

So now here I am, strapped to my tandem skydive master, Stefan, in a harness that will be my only lifeline to him. It looks like a cross between a baby bjorn and a sex swing. How is a baby bjorn-sex swing going to keep me from plummeting to my death? I wonder nervously, my palms starting to sweat. Lisa, the other girl skydiving with me today, sports a toothy smile as she climbs into the helicopter. I try to emulate her big grin and peppy attitude as Stefan thrusts a camera in my face. I’d forgotten that I’d paid him to document this experience, so I could relive it again later. This could very well be the last moments of my life, so I struggle to find a way to give my last will and testament without seeming over dramatic. I’m so distracted that I don’t realize they’ve closed the door until we suddenly lunge upwards, leaving the earth for the air.

My heart starts beating furiously. I try to take deep breaths to calm myself down, but the higher up we go, the shallower and quicker my breathing becomes.

Stefan cheerfully reminds me that “there’s only one way back down now.” I resist the urge to hurl all over him.

Instead, I focus my attention out the cockpit windshield, choosing to look only straight ahead or upward, never back down towards the ground. I let this unhindered view of the Alps consume me and it doesn’t take long before I stop trying to admire the mountains and really start to appreciate where I am in this moment. This is a vantage point most people will never get to have.

I’m in a helicopter, flying at eye level with the infamous Swiss Alps, which are these goliath mounds of dirt and rock rising so high into the air that they’re among the clouds. It’s late afternoon, but the sun is still visible, its light dancing over the snowcapped peaks. It’s so peaceful that it’s really almost heavenly.

I’m calm now, too taken by the scenery to fear what’s about to happen next. I remain calm even as Stefan walks me through the skydiving procedures again: head back, arms crossed over chest, knees bent and legs between his. Don’t let your arms fly until I give you the signal.

Then he completely breaks through my zen by saying, “Okay, Karra. Now open the door.”

My heart stops as I look towards the door beside me. My eyes drift out the window as I lean towards it and finally see just how high up 10,000 feet is.

It’s really, REALLY, effing high.

There’s only one way down, I tell myself as I somehow muster the courage to open the door. Lisa’s excited voice is cheering me on from the back of the helicopter. The door slides open and the howl of the wind fills my ears. My stomach lurches as Stefan maneuvers us onto this little ledge on the side of the helicopter. It’s ice cold up here, but I’m sweating so hard, I barely feel it. I pray that Stefan doesn’t falter and fall too soon or I’m pretty sure I’m going to have a heart attack.

I lean my head back and he’s shouting things at me that are probably important, but completely incoherent in my state of panic. I know the camera is trained on me, but I keep my eyes firmly closed and my cheeks puff out as I hold my breath, trying as hard as possible to keep from passing out.

“Are you ready, Karra?” Stefan’s voice reaches me over the roar of the propellers.

I take a breath, my eyes still closed. “READY!” I shout. Only one way…

I feel us start to fall forward. Weirdly, it all happens in slow motion. We tilt forward inch by inch as Stefan lets go of the safety of the helicopter.

Instinctively, I know this is a moment I don’t want to miss.

Open your goddamn eyes, Karra! I yell inside my head and my eyes snap open just as we move into a headfirst dive. I’m both terrified and excited by the sight of the ground hurtling towards us. I start screaming, yes, first in fear, and then in complete ecstasy.

Stefan taps me and I let my arms fly free like I’m Superman (if he was falling through the air instead of soaring through it, that is). What I’m feeling is incredible, nearly indescribable.

Within seconds of opening my eyes, I give up on being afraid. I know there’s nothing but the parachute or the ground to stop me now, but I’m too exhilarated by the sensation of free falling to care. I’m literally and figuratively free from everything that tied me to the earth. Free from my heartache, all my worries, and all my responsibilities. Thousands of feet above the ground, I know I can’t do anything about any of it, so I do something I don’t think I’ve ever truly done: I live in the moment. In this moment, all that matters is the rush of air all around me and the excited thrumming of my heart in my chest.

Then, all too soon, I feel the tug of the parachute deploying and we’re jerked upwards a few metres by the wind. My forty seconds of free fall are up. My voice is gone from all my screaming.

We float over the sights of Lauterbrunnen and drift near Trummelback Falls. Stefan makes the ride more interesting by maneuvering the parachute so we’re spinning around fast like we’re on a merry-go-round. I’m over being scared now and laugh during the entire experience.

iss 

Then, it’s all over. We come in for a soft landing on the grass and I repeatedly thank Stefan with the little voice I have left. I’m so exhilarated by the rush I’ve just experienced that I’m actually itching to go up again. It’s so strange that only twenty minutes ago, I was consumed with the idea of remaining firmly on solid ground. And now, I have this certificate that says I’ve completed my first skydive jump.

It means I’ve leapt out of a helicopter and sky dived over the Swiss Alps.

I plan to frame that certificate someday for sure, but it still doesn’t mean looking down from the second floor of my mall makes me any less queasy.

If you find yourself in Switzerland, I highly recommend the company I did my dive with:  Skydive XDream

All photos were provided by Skydive XDream and, with the exception of the first photo, from my jump.  

[bykarra]

In 10 minutes, you can write 250 words. If you write just 250 words everyday for a year, you will have 80,000 words - that's the length of the average Canadian novel.

Sylvia Taylor on finding the time to write. Sylvia was a panelist at the "Getting Started, Getting Published" session of the 2012 North Shore Writer's Festival. Check out my post filled with more takeaways from the session. 

[bykarra]

Writing: Successful Blogging Tips at North Shore Writer’s Festival 2012

Even though I’ve been blogging on and off for four years now, I’m always interested to learn tips from other bloggers. So I was excited that the North Shore Writer’s Festival had a Secrets of Successful Bloggers panel made up of some of the city’s top bloggers:

Sean Cranbury – Books on the Radio

Rebecca Bollwitt – Miss604

Kelsey Dundon – The Anthology

Jeannette Ordas – Everybody Likes Sandwiches

Jenn Farrell – Canada Fancy (moderator)

Here are some of the great advice and stories they shared:

On Starting a Blog

Sean: I lost my job and wanted to go back to writing and books. About 3 to 4 months in, I realized that it wasn’t just about my voice and what I wanted to say... it was about my readers.

Rebecca: You have to be passionate about what you’re writing about since it’ll be easier to write topics and find weekly themes that way.

Jeannette: I liked food. Starting my blog encouraged me to explore more in the kitchen. 

Kelsey: Getting comments from people who aren’t your mom is a big deal. I learned quite early to respond. Eventually it made me realize that I had a brand.

On Promoting your Blog

Sean: I do participation by engaging with other people on their blogs. You have to hustle to make connections. Share other people’s work on your Facebook page. Post relative information everywhere. Don’t give people the sense that you’re promoting or selling something.

Rebecca: My #1 referrer is Google, so I use keywords in posts and titles, but don’t overuse them. 

Jeannette: I promote just by being engaged and being part of a community. When you leave a comment, make it an engaging one so you’re starting a conversation. 

Kelsey: Put out content that your readers will share on your behalf. When it’s compelling and unique, your readers will hopefully fall in love with it and want to put it out to their communities.

On Engagement Outside your Blog

Kelsey: What drives traffic is being on Facebook and Twitter. It’s about having different touchpoints and finding new members of your audience. Play around with analytics and pay attention to who’s coming from where and why. 

On Making Money Blogging

Rebecca: Don’t go in wanting to blog for the sake of making money. Some ways to do it are through Google Ads, paid content (I don’t do this), and Google Adsense.  If you’re fully committing to monetization, you can try image advertising, speaking opportunities, and side business referrals.

Jeannette: My blog works as a calling card that leads readers to my side business. 

On Staying Motivated

Kelsey: Motivation is different from inspiration. Set deadlines and encourage interaction to slowly build that readership. For inspiration, keep bookmarks of sites you love. Look through magazines, go to events and art shows etc.

On the First Things to do When You Start a Blog

Kelsey: Choose a name based on what you ultimately want it to be and then brand yourself in that way.

Sean: You don’t start with the blog you’re going to have 6 months from now. Your blog will change as you learn.

In case you missed it, I also attended a really cool session at the festival all about writing and how to get published – it’s all here.

[bykarra]

Writing: North Shore Writer’s Festival 2012

On Saturday, April 21, the North Shore Writer’s Association held its annual North Shore Writer’s Festival. Having heard about this event for the first time from The Anthology, who was also due to speak in a blogging panel, I travelled to sunny West Vancouver to check it out.

The first session I went to was “Getting Started, Getting Published.” This panel was full of published authors, poets, and editors who gave some great insight into their writing process and what it takes to get published. The panelists were:

Fran Bourassa

Lynn Crymble

Bernice Lever

Sylvia Taylor

Gerhard Winkler

Karen Bower (moderator)

Some of the best advice given out:

On Writer’s Block

Sylvia: Cultivating writing friendships are very important. I stared at a blank screen everyday for a whole week when I was writing The Fisher Queen. So, I called up a writer friend and told her I was blocked. She told me to send her an e-mail everyday about what I was going to write about tomorrow. I did that for 3 months and my novel came out of that.

On Finding Your Writing Voice

Fran: My writing group does something called Word Whips. We’re given a writing prompt, 10 minutes to free write about it and then, we have to read it out. The premise is that there’s no time for your internal or external editor to go to work. It’s the best way to find your real voice because you don’t word process anything.

On Taking a Break and Losing your Groove 

Karen: Always have a slush pile for your work. NEVER HIT DELETE. You never know when you’ll come back to needing that piece.

Sylvia: Ask yourself: What is this book/poem really about? Give yourself 5-10 minutes to write the answer to that question. I call this your Barf Draft, where you just let everything go, so you can come back to your work.

On Not Being an Island

Lynn: Write more. Share more. Join writing groups. Writing is a lonely thing, but when you come out of the cave with a piece of writing, you’ll have an immediate audience to help you with it.

Gerhard: It’s important for a writer to have someone give you honest feedback that isn’t a relative or a spouse. 

On Getting Published

Fran: Getting published gives you the acknowledgement you need. It can be as simple as writing something for your local newspaper.

Sylvia: Share your work. Publisher’s like to know you’ve shared your work and put it out in the world for people to experience. 

Lynn: I used the Writer’s Market to find publishing houses for my book. Be sure you know what you’re writing about [subject-wise] and send it to the appropriate editor.

Bernice: Go to readings and you’ll find editors and publishers are there. 

[bykarra]

Vancouver: Believe in Blue

I consider the Stanley Cup Playoffs to be just as exciting as a season finale of  Vampire Diaries. Or Community (holler Paintball 2).

After a year of waiting with bated breath, the Vancouver Canucks finally faced off in their first playoff game against the LA Kings last night. My friend Tony had a gathering at his place complete with a make your own pizza dinner. Our ingredients included Prego Tomato, Onion and Garlic sauce, red onions, spinach, parsley, ham, salami, spicy capicola, tomatoes, mushrooms, red and green peppers, jalapenos, and lots of marble cheese. Oh and beer. Tons of it, of course. 

I love to cook, but cooking with friends, especially during playoff season, is definitely one of my favourite things to do.

Especially when someone decides to toss our pizza ingredients together with some Tostitos and make some pretty bomb nachos.

And even moreso when my favourite brand of beer from the Philippines gets invited to the party.

As for Game 1, Round 1? It ended with a 4-2 loss to the Kings. It was messy, a bit painful to watch, and at times, almost unbearable…

Some may say that we have exhaled too soon, but I think one loss is dirt off the Canucks' shoulders. Hopefully it only reinvigorates them to be hungry ravenous for that big, shiny silver cup. 

So no matter what silly tweets may have been going out last night, stay classy Vancouver. And don’t stop believing in our boys.

P.S. I recently found out a new friend of mine was behind this awesome video that went viral during last year’s playoffs! Let's take it as a reminder that we are most definitely NOT the worst fans ever. 

[bykarra]

On the Table: Provence Marinaside

Easter Sunday in Vancouver turned out in the best possible way: sunny and just hot enough that sitting on the patio wasn’t an insane thing to do. 

The women in my family love Provence Marinaside in Yaletown. We come here for birthdays, Mother’s Day, and yes, sunny Sundays. We always come for brunch, which I’ve always considered to be the best meal of the day. Plus, it's by the water so how can you not love it?              

  We started with an Antipasti platter ($5 per item) consisting of the decadent Pissaladière (caramelized onions, anchovies and black olives on a pizza crust), light and refreshing Prosciutto Wrapped Bocconcini, and perfectly cooked and creamy Risotto Balls (with mozzarella centre and sweet tomato sauce).      

Anyone else addicted to cheese? And prosciutto? Gah.

My absolute favourite thing on the menu is the Croque Monsieur Eggs Benedict ($14). Everything about it is perfect to me. From the soft poached eggs to the gruyere and black forest ham open faced sandwich nestled below... it's my little piece of heaven on a plate.

  Oh man and when my eggs get runny? Yeah, I'm that girl who gets all giddy about it.

  Where do you love doing Sunday brunch?

[bykarra]

Craftsmanship at its best

[bykarra]

Be More Critical and Less Cynical

So, this KONY 2012 thing. It’s causing a big stir isn’t it? Maybe you’re posting the video everywhere you can and actively looking for more ways to help the cause. Or maybe you’re dismissing it as just another viral meme that will fade away once Snooki announces she plans to give birth on the Jersey Shore. And you know what? Both these reactions are fine.

There I said it. Now stop calling people who post the video “bandwagoners” and stop calling people who refuse to post the video “heartless idiots.” Listen up, please.

I’m urging you guys to be more critical and less cynical about the Kony 2012 campaign and look at it from a more neutral perspective for a moment.

Have you done your research not only about Kony 2012, but Invisible Children (the organization behind the entire campaign), the history of Joseph Kony and the LRA, the current situation in Uganda, or the other charities working in this region and what they stand for?

At this moment in time, right now, do you feel informed enough, that you have a solid grasp of the entire Ugandan/LRA situation and its people’s plight, to call someone a bandwagoner or an idiot? (You don’t have to say it out loud, but for the purpose of this exercise, at least admit it to yourself).

Because I certainly don’t. I’m still learning about this whole thing, which is why I wrote this post. To share the resources I’m learning from and to give you a moment to learn as well (if you want). Feel free to skip to the bottom for the links. 

Kony 2012 has done a good job of getting us talking. That was its inherent purpose from the beginning. But beyond pushing the share button, what do you plan to do about this situation? Beyond calling your friends silly for posting this video, what do you plan to do about this situation?

Because once Kony 2012 is done, once girls have posted the colour of their bras for breast cancer, once you’ve changed your profile picture to cartoon characters for some charity du jour, what are you actually going to do about changing the world?

I don't want our generation to become apathetic (I'm 23 years old, you can do the math). I don't want us to just be known as the social media generation and accept that sharing/posting your thoughts is enough.

Apathy means you don't give a damn. That you think saying something on social media is enough. Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't. I'm not telling you to go and change your life. I'm just telling you to stop for a moment, educate yourself, and think how you can change someone else's life. Be critical (which doesn't always mean criticizing) and then, what you do from there is up to you.

But don’t just spread a video and call yourself a humanitarian if you’re not going to actually take some kind of action that will better the world. And definitely don’t dismiss a cause simply because you saw 15 of your friends post the same thing and think it’s all hype.

Be more critical and less cynical. Inform yourself. Then you can do whatever you want.

Here are some articles about Kony 2012 (that look at both sides of the coin) to help you get started:

Washington Post: Joseph Kony and the Lord’s Resistance Army: a primer

Invisible Children: Answering the Critiques to Kony 2012

Visible Children: Just read everything on this tumblr. Do it.

Washington Post: Invisible Children responds to criticism about ‘Stop Kony’ campaign (lots of great posts suggested at the bottom of this article)

Toronto Star: Kony 2012 campaign to capture warlord goes viral, but also draws some critics

Foreign Affairs: Obama Takes on the LRA

Jezebel: Think Twice Before Donating to Kony 2012, the Charitable Meme du Jour

I'm a Fan of Postcards: The Visible Problem with Invisible Children (written in 2006 keep in mind, but still has tons of value in this discussion)

[bykarra]

It must be fate. I managed to snag opening day tickets to The Hunger Games on March 23rd, and then these stills from the movie surfaced online today. It's pretty much set to be an epic movie... other than the fact that Donald Sutherland looks more like he'd give you a hug for getting a B+ on your Math test than an evil and sinister President Snow. 

Is anyone else as excited as I am for this movie? Are you going to watch this movie dressed as a Tribute or a Capitoler on opening day? And more importantly, did anyone else completely give up sleeping, eating, and socializing just to devour this trilogy in as little time as possible? (because I really hope it wasn't just me!)

These images and more are from Oh No They Didn't!

[bykarra]

The Mother of All Movies

The end of Oscar season means we have a whole new crop of movies to entertain, inspire and move us. Like this little gem: 

Movie: The Movie is coming this Christmas, Thanksgiving and Summer 2012 to a theatre near you! Starring George Clooney, Colin Farrell, Gary Oldman, Helen Mirren, Charlize Theron, Tom Hanks, Kate Beckinsale, Meryl Streep (with a moustache), and more. 

Oh Jimmy Kimmel, you just know how to get my attention and undying devotion, don't you? 

[bykarra]

The Vampire Diaries' Schizophrenic Villains

The Vampire Diaries is one of my favourite shows out there and it has absolutely nothing to do with the eye candy coming out of TVD’s ying yang. I mean, seriously, this isn’t enough to keep me coming back for more:

Oh god. Wait, what was I talking about again?

Fine. I like men. Glad we straightened that out. Besides, it’s not only because of Ian Somerhalder’s amazing baby blues, chiseled cheekbones, pouty lips...er, damnit. Lost it again. 

If you’re a fan of the show, you may have noticed that the storyline is amazing. It’s one of the few shows that actually gets better season after season (Hear that The O.C.? Would it have killed you to have some hot vampires and werewolves roaming around Newport?). The way the characters are developed also adds a lot to the appeal, particularly the writers’ penchant for turning their vampire villains of pure evil into hotties, I mean softies with undead hearts of gold. It’s definitely interesting to see how these bad guys change and mature over each season. Cases in point:

Klaus

Oh man, everyone was freaking out when Klaus finally appeared. This guy is the big, bad Original vampire who can’t be killed- aka he’s pretty much the undead equivalent of the Anti-Christ. Not only did this guy kill Elena (don’t worry, she let her dad die so she could live again), but he also turned poor dull-as-dishwater Aunt Jenna into a vampire and then, before she could even use her cool new superpowers, he tore her heart out so he could awaken his werewolf side.

Needless to say, he’s a bad ass with absolutely no conscience or feelings of remorse. So, it’s pretty surprising that this beast would fall for a vapid beauty like Caroline Forbes. After saving her life, treating her to a romantic waltz, and pretty much acting like a lovesick puppy instead of a powerful vampire-werewolf hybrid around her, I’m now rooting for Klaus to stick around for awhile, if only so he can show Caroline what Original sin really means.

Damon Salvatore

I bet you forgot that Damon was the very first villain on TVD! Back in Season 1, Damon was a crazy vampire who murdered anyone for absolutely no reason (re: Vicky Donovan- though she kind of had it coming). He had one sole purpose in life and that was to free his long lost vampire love, Katherine Pierce, from a witch-sealed tomb. But a lot has changed over two seasons.

For one, it turned out Katherine was free this whole time and never bothered to let Damon know. Well, at least he managed to move on. Not to anyone better, mind you. Now, Damon is crazy in love with his brother’s girlfriend and Katherine’s identical twin descendant- Elena Gilbert. And when I mean crazy, I mean the dude goes on mentally unstable killing or sex-driven rampages whenever Elena rejects him. Between all his do-gooding and saving Elena’s life, Damon’s also broken her brother’s neck, started fights that led to a lot of people getting hurt (Jenna) or killed (Mason Lockwood), and had hot hate sex with Original psycho, Rebecca. Nonetheless, Damon’s struggle to accept his humanity is super interesting to watch and I’m putting my money on an Elena and Damon relationship in the near future.

Elijah

Before Klaus came around, his brother Elijah was wreaking havoc in Mystic Falls. All his plans and intentions seemed diabolical at first. He showed up to take Elena and sliced Trevor’s head off with his bare hands, even though he was the one that kidnapped the doppleganger for Elijah in the first place. But then, you start to piece together that Elijah is actually trying to protect Elena and keep Klaus from finding her. Suddenly, you have all these warm fuzzies about him and you’re even starting to notice how handsome he is in this regal, murderous kind of way…

… that is until Elijah fails to rip Klaus’ heart out and brings a whole new season of death to Mystic Falls. While he definitely has his moments where you wish someone would just turn him human and stake him already (I’m looking at you Esther), even Elijah admits that he’s “done things [he] abhors to protect the one thing I value most…my family.” And when he says things like that, how can you not feel some kind of confused loyalty like a conflicted schoolgirl with a crush on her hot History teacher?

Images sources:

1: pinterest.com via Karra on Pinterest 2: vampire-diaries.net via Karra on Pinterest 3: gossipteen.com via Karra on Pinterest 4: google.ca via Karra on Pinterest

[bykarra]

Carter Gordon's Valentine

So I'm a few days late for Valentine's, but I can't control when inspiration is going to hit and it hit me hard last night. Carter Gordon is a story I'm going to be working on this year in the hopes of turning it into THE NOVEL that I'll send to publishers. The inspiration for this story came from a song that I'll reveal later, but basically comes down to the question, "Wouldn't it be funny if a guy literally died because a girl didn't love him?" And everything just flowed from there. 

If you like the story, please feel free to re-blog, leave a comment or send me some (good or bad) feedback at karra(dot)social(at)gmail(dot)com.

==

Usually, when a guy screws up on Valentine’s Day, the worst that can happen to him is that he gets dumped or gets his tires slashed or has his entire comic book collection cut up into confetti. But that’s what happens to normal guys when the perfect Valentine’s goes horribly wrong.

Me?

Well, I get shot.

By a bullet, in case you needed the confirmation.

How did this happen? The plan for the night had been flawless. I had booked the best table at Le Chateau Bleu, the fanciest French bistro in town. We had an ocean view and a menu that I had the chef specially prepare. I even splurged on bottle of Dom Perignon. Of course, those were minor, unimportant details compared to who I had managed to make my Valentine:

Erin Kamdia.

Also known as the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my life. She had sea green eyes that- honest to God- twinkled when she laughed, soft blonde curls that hung loosely over her perfect shoulders, and long, tanned legs that went on forever. This was the girl I had been in love with for the past two years. The girl I’d only spoken six sentences to since I met her in European History 101 and four of those were “Uh, where is the guy’s bathroom?”

An outsider for most of my life, I had somehow snagged the most coveted date with the most popular girl at Columbia University.

Okay, sure, I had, kind of, maaayyybe, paid to get this date.

But I couldn’t help that she was in a charity dating auction nor was it my fault that I was the lucky bastard with enough cash to win Erin. Besides, it’s not like I’m the first guy to pay for love. Look at the Tudors. And Richard Gere in Pretty Woman. Sure, he ended up with a prostitute, which I find both wrong and hot, but he did find love in the end. And all it took were a few hundred dollars in Julia Roberts’ thigh high boots first.

The way I saw it, I was just at the right place at the right time.

I couldn’t have felt like a luckier man… that was until I couldn’t find a parking spot and ended up seven blocks down from Chateau Bleu. And that it started to rain by block five. And that, upon arriving at the restaurant, I found out my chef was down with a cold and his sous chef had no idea about my special menu. The one filled with delicious low carb and low protein dishes in respect of Erin’s diet. With a full house, he had no time to prepare anything even resembling special just for us; it didn’t help either that all I had talked about on the way here was the amazing food I had planned just for her.

Needless to say, Erin was upset. Which led to thirty long minutes of awkward silence as we sipped on Dom- the one thing I planned that actually came through- and did little else. I felt so bad about screwing up that I was worried about saying anything that could ruin the night even more.

Halfway through her salad, Erin suddenly put down her fork, brushed aside her golden bangs, and said, “Is it okay if we grab the bill? I have… a test I need to study for.”

“A test?” I echoed, dumbly. In the back of my mind, I already knew what was coming, but I had always been kind of slow when it came to girl language.

She looked around and signaled to a waiter for the bill. “Yeah. It’s English Lit, tomorrow.”

I suddenly sat up straighter. “With Professor Anders?”

“Uh, yes.”

“I took his class last semester! What’s your test on? I can help you study,” I offered, excitedly. I had aced Anders’ class. If I couldn’t impress her with a big romantic no carb dinner, then I sure as hell could impress Erin with how much I knew about English Literature.

Erin bit her lower lip as her bangs fell over her right eye again. “No, that’s fine. You’ve already done… so much.”

I smiled at her. “But I want to help you.”

“God, Carter,” she groaned, then covered her face with her hands. I stared at her in bewilderment, unsure what to do. Was she PMS-ing? What was the correct way to handle a girl bleeding profusely… well, down there?

Erin ran her hands over her face and through her hair. “God, I can’t lie to you when you’re being so nice. Look, I don’t have a test tomorrow.” She bit her lip uneasily. “It’s just…this is going to sound awful. Carter, I…I never wanted to go on this date with you. At least not today!” she added quickly when my smile faltered. “You see, I’ve been going out with Jared Palmer- you know Jared right? He’s a receiver on the football team- for the past two weeks. So, this would have been our first Valentine’s together and I was really hoping to, you know, spend it with him. Make things official between us.”

“Oh.” It was all I could say. Out loud anyway. In my head, I was shouting a lot of four letter curse words at her. I was starting to entertain the idea of flipping the table over and stomping all over her disgusting no carb, no protein salad, when she reached over and put her hand over mine. And as pathetic as her salad was, I was even more pathetic. Because my anger just dissolved the second her skin touched mine. It was the first time I had ever felt her. She was warm, soft and delicate.

A part of me wanted to let her be with Jared so she could be happy, but a more selfish part of me, my soul perhaps, didn’t want her to leave. Couldn’t let her leave because she had no idea just how much I had risked to try to be with her.

“How can you be so sure you want to be his girlfriend after only two weeks?” I asked. “And didn’t he just transfer in three weeks ago? You don’t know much about him. He could be bad news.”

“I appreciate the concern, Carter, but I can assure you Jared is all good news.” She blushed. “And when you know, you know right?”

“So, you know that Jared is going to be the guy who brings you minestrone and not chicken soup when you get sick? Or that he’ll pick you up when you’re done hot yoga at 10:30 every Thursday night? Or that he’ll remember to bring your mom lilacs when you finally take him home for a visit?”

Erin stared at me with wide green eyes. “How did you know all that?”

I shrugged, hoping I had made my point. “I’m observant.”

She frowned and suddenly stood up. Before I could register what was happening, I had Dom Perignon poured all over my head. Erin put the bottle down and cried, “You stay away from me you little creep! Whatever you’re doing, stalking me or peeping in my dorm, stop it or I’ll call the cops on you!”

The entire restaurant watched along with me as Erin walked away from our table and out the door. I sighed and hung my head down, dripping more champagne on to the front of my pants. I could feel everyone’s eyes burning into the back of my head and hear the whispers leaving their lips, but I was past caring.

Suddenly someone started applauding and laughing. I looked up to find my least favorite person sitting in Erin’s vacant seat.

“Well done, young Carter,” said the Devil, breathlessly as he wiped tears of mirth from his eyes. “I’m really proud of you for standing up for yourself at the end there. Entirely wrong choice of words, but I’m sure Erin will see the good intentions behind them one day. After she’s done thinking you’re a psychotic stalker, that is.” He poured the bottle of Dom, which was suddenly full again, into Erin’s empty champagne flute.

“You’re loving this aren’t you?” I said with disgust.

“I do thrive on the suffering of others,” he replied as he refilled the glass. When he was done, he took a long, languid sip. “But ask me a harder question next time,” he added with a wink.

“I hate you.”

“Sorry kid, the “Telling the Devil I Hate You” award already went to Marilyn Monroe a decade ago. Would you believe she would rather be dipped in hellfire for a thousand years than have sex with me?” It seemed like a trick question considering that the Devil looked like the dude who played the Green Lantern, but who knows if that was even his real face.

“Wait- Marilyn Monroe went to hell?”

The Devil took another sip. “Well, suicides go to Purgatory, technically. But it’s still kind of my territory.” He waved his hand back and forth a few times as if to say, 'but let’s brush that aside'. “So, you ready for the big finish?” he asked in a game show host voice.

I leaned back in my chair and crossed my arms over my chest. “What is it going to be this time?”

The smile he gave me was, well, devilish. “I figured that since today's a holiday created by greedy Americans to rob lovesick fools, we’d try something new.”

“Is it going to hurt more than the boat propeller chopping my head off?”

He laughed. “Maybe.”

Shouts suddenly came from the front of the restaurant. I turned around as the room erupted into screams. Four guys in black masks, holding machine guns and duffle bags, had barged through the doors, demanding that everyone give up their money and jewellery before they started shooting.

I rolled my eyes and looked back at the Devil. “Robbers. In a fine dining restaurant. Seriously?”

“Hey, banks are getting harder to rob nowadays,” he pointed out.

“GET ON THE FLOOR!” one of the robbers yelled. He fired his gun into the ceiling for good measure. Except instead of just harmlessly piercing the stucco, one of the bullets ricocheted off the silver chandelier hanging in the center of the room, and made a beeline right for my neck.

It felt like a burning hot fire poker had just gone through my skin, followed by a dozen killer bees that wanted to make a stinging range inside my neck. Blood immediately started gushing out of the wound and my mouth. I fell off my chair and on to the floor, trying to breathe as blood rushed into my lungs. People were screaming all around me and at one point, one of the masked robbers was above me. The sight of me coughing up blood must have shocked him because he accidentally pulled the trigger on his gun and sent a round of bullets into my right leg.

Luckily, I was already starting to go numb by this point. One of the last things I could clearly make out was the Devil’s face, sipping champagne from Erin’s glass and giving me a thumbs up sign.

I suppose I should quickly explain before time runs out.

A month ago, I was an unattractive, awkward twenty year old with no declared major and working a dead end coffee shop job simply because I liked coffee. My only friends were my three genius roommates who only hung out with me because of all the free coffee I gave them. Oh and I was in love with the most popular girl at Columbia. In other words, I was a loser.

But then I found a way to call on the Devil and, amazingly, it actually worked. He promised to help me get the one thing I wanted- for Erin to fall in love with me. He was even cool enough to give me a year to try to make it work and if I failed, only then would he take my soul.

I was desperate for my life to change, so I accepted. I was also extremely drunk at the time, so I can’t say there haven’t been any regrets. Especially when I found out the hard truth about the Devil's sick way of getting his shits and giggles. If you ever decide to make a deal with the Devil, don’t ever utter something like, “Every day Erin doesn’t love me, it feels like death.” Because the Devil really is evil enough to make it so that every day I can’t get Erin to fall in love with me, I die a horrible, painful death as a result. Like now.

But the way I see it, tomorrow is another day and I still have a year to make things happen with the girl of my dreams. And hey, the pain is already starting to fade away even.  

One thing is for sure though. This is definitely the worst Valentine’s Day ever.

Image: cupcakestakethecake.blogspot.com via Katie on Pinterest