Li_flower's Xanga

Move to deviantArt

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 06:38:16 GMT

Status: Moving

I'm switching over to deviantArt. Nothing against Xanga, dA is just a better home for Hana. I'm not deleting this account; I'm just not going to update. Here's my the link (nothing new has been posted): http://li-flower.deviantart.com/

Quote of the Day
"Tomorrow may be hell, but today was a good writing day, and on the good writing days nothing else matters." - Neil Gaiman

Photography: Project 366

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:46:49 GMT

Status: Wishing my vacation wasn't coming to an end

I'm taking a break from fanfiction to present the work of the camera ninja: Project 366 - http://flickr.com/photos/jen9264/sets/72157603607781879/
This is the result of taking a photograph each day for an entire year. I managed to capture some really cool pictures, some awful ones, and some ones that made me wonder what the hell I was thinking when I decided that would be my picture of the day.

I'm not going to do Project 365 for 2009 because I need to concentrate on my writing. However, I've got some fun photography projects up my sleeve. They'll take a bit of planning, but I can't wait. In the meantime, it's back to writing my play (and Katekyo Hitman Reborn!).

Quote of the Day:
"Wear good shoes, and those shoes will take you to good places." - Toudo Shizuka, Hana Yori Dango

Fanfics: 2 Dark Knight vignettes

Thu, 01 Jan 2009 04:56:33 GMT

Status: Anxious for 2009

In the final hour of 2008, I accomplished my goal. Oh my procrastination skills! I've already said a lot in my author notes so here are they are: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4734807/4/1250_Foot_Fall (This is the link to Chapter 4. I just got done with Chapter 5.)

Even though I'm finished with the "Fall" series, I've decided that I'm not done with my Dark Knight vignettes. Alfred and Lucius are too cool to not have anything on them, but the title is too cool to change so I'm going to include them as bonus chapters that expressing the opposite of falling: standing. I'll be taking a break before I write them since I've got other stuff to finish.

Quote of the Day:
"The best revenge is bettering yourself." - Zacky Vengeance

Happy New Year!
Hana Li

Fanfic: Falling in Love

Tue, 30 Dec 2008 00:09:42 GMT

Status: Congested

This is the last of the vignettes that I wrote a few months ago. I better put my brain and fingers to use these next few days (though to be fair, I have been editing this particular one). I've also been trying to catch up on my Project365, but there's a picture upload limit on the Flickr group. Luckily the limit is rolling so I hope I can get everything in before the deadline. Not much else to say besides, here's Dark Knight vignette #3, featuring Rachel Dawes: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4734807/3/

Quote of the Day:
"Have you ever been in love? Horrible isn't it? It makes you so vulnerable. It opens your chest and it opens up your heart and it means that someone can get inside you and mess you up. You build up all these defenses, you build up a whole suit of armor, suit of armor, so that nothing can hurt you, then one stupid person, no different from any other stupid person, wanders into your stupid life...You give them a piece of you. They didn't ask for it. They did something dumb one day, like smile at you, and then your life isn't your own anymore. Love takes hostages. It gets inside you. It eats you out and leaves you crying in the darkness, so simple a phrase like 'maybe we should be just friends' turns into a glass splinter working its way into your heart. It hurts. Not just in the imagination. Not just in the mind. It's a soul-hurt, a real gets-inside-you-and-rips-you-apart pain. I hate love." - Neil Gaiman

Fanfic: Fallen Heroes

Sat, 27 Dec 2008 06:30:00 GMT

Status: Sleepy but determined to finish this.

I hope everyone had a nice Christmas. The end of 2008 is rapidly approaching, and I'm making a last minute resolution to finish my Dark Knight collection of vignettes (that was the term I was looking for last time).

I've updated it with a new chapter and a title change. The original title, Fall, was too boring. I explain how I came up with 1250 Foot Fall and the nice coincidence that resulted from the particular number so read Ch. 1 again: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4734807/2/

Okay, completely switching gears now, I just want to be a whiny adolescent again. My parents don't get me. I overheard my mother telling her friend on how I'm stubborn and don't want to be a mature woman, which apparently entails wearing make-up and ditching my love of all things goth and punk. She hates it when I shop at Hot Topic (which is dilute compared to the stores in Harajuku and Taiwan that I've been to), and her friend's son, who's my age, happened to agree that it's full of weirdos. So much for support from my peers. I keep reminding myself that if I have children, I'll let them be their own person, but you know what? I'm scared of the fact that they're going to be 100% normal and preppy and totally not interested in the arts or anything weird or geeky.

Quote of the Day:
"If I didn't care for fun and such,/ I'd probably amount to much./ But I shall stay the way I am,/ Because I do not give a damn." - "Fame" by Dorothy Parker, from Enough Rope

Fanfic: Taking the Fall

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 00:38:28 GMT

Status: Back at home, which is just as cold as Japan.

I started this drabble (well, 250 word flashfic) collection after I saw The Dark Knight for the first time (so before I left for Japan). The movie was just amazing, and I had to write something about it. I thought I'd start at the end and go from there. That's how I started playing on the word "fall." There are many meanings to the word and many phrases that include it, like "taking the fall" or "falling in love". Obviously I'm not going to touch on every definition or idiom, but I figured that I'd use fall in a different grammatical form in each chapter. Here's the first: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4734807/1/

If you're wondering why it took me so long to post this, November was National Novel Writing month. I wasn't even close to finishing a novel, but it got me back into the habit of writing. Unfortunately, I couldn't really work on anything else so this work stood unedited for a while.

Quote of the Day:
"Even if I can't believe in God, I can believe in myself." - Genjo Sanzo, Saiyuki
From my current read:

Fanfics: 3 Heroes drabbles

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 11:53:47 GMT

Status: Tired. It's been a long (but good) day of lessons, one of the few times I've actually gotten to teach.

I've been on a Heroes drabble writing spree. This season has been really inspiring with all the shifts in allegiances and ambiguity as to who's a "hero" and who's a "villain". In the past couple of weeks, I've written about Sylar (someone whose head I've been wanting to get inside since I started my fanfiction series...yeah, I'm weird ), Future Peter, and Monhinder. All three are 100 words so it should be quick reading: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3740818/6/Moments

I don't want to wait 2 weeks for the next episode, but then again, the break might just give me a life. Or more time to write fanfiction. I really should stop that with National Novel Writing Month sneaking up on me.

Quote of the Day:
"So tell me, how does it feel to be in a constant haze of stupidity?" - Hiei, Yuu Yuu Hakusho

Happy Halloween!
Hana Li

Life: Goodbye Love to RENT

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 14:01:26 GMT

Status: Ambivalent

I've been Japan for a month, and yesterday was the first day I truly wanted to go home. Why? Because RENT had its final performance and I love it so much that I would do anything to see it again. While I probably wouldn't be in New York had I not gone to Japan, I would've been able to catch the recording in the theatres or possibly get a chance to see the National Tour with Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal (though I'm not ruling the latter out just yet).

My sadness is a bit silly, but I was reminded of other things I miss from home. Like American TV shows, the X Games, Rice humor, theatre. And of course, the people. I'm not as bummed out now. My students--especially the ones who are outgoing and approach me outside of class-- are giving me a reason for wanting to stay longer than I intended.

This is my farewell and thanks RENT that I submitted to their site:
I was introduced to RENT in my high school speech class. My teacher played songs that he wanted us to comment on. One of the songs was "What You Own", and it stuck with me even though I had no idea what RENT was about. It wasn't until the movie had been out on DVD for a year that I remembered the song and decided to check it out from my library. From that day forward, I was hooked. RENT gave me something I could identify with as an artist. It inspired me to pursue my dreams and to not worry so much for tomorrow. It taught me to cherish the moments I have with my friends and family and to always be open to those who live differently. To my luck, the last performance had been extended, and my family was looking for an excuse to go on vacation. I convinced them to let me see RENT on New York as my graduation present. The performance touched me so deeply that I spent the following days writing in the RENT journal I bought from the gift shop. Thanks you to the 7/14/08 cast for bringing the story and characters to life for me. To anyone who has ever played Mark, Roger, Mimi, Collins, Angel, Maureen, Joanne, Benny, and the gang-- especially the originals who set the bar for everyone else. To the creative team - having worked behind the scenes in productions myself, I know how hard you work and how little appreciation you sometimes get, but without you, there wouldn't be a show. To my fellow RENTheads for keeping La Vie Boheme alive and well. Finally, to Jonathan Larson, for giving a voice to anybody who has felt the power of imagination and love, who marches to the beat of their own drum, and who lives for the moment. Thank you.

Quote of the day:
"There will always be women in rubber flirting with me." - Maureen Johnson, RENT

Fanfic: A Day in the Life of a Nobody

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 05:40:13 GMT

Status: Almost ready to go to Japan, but still stressed out about it.

Being as bitter, nasty, and offensive as possible in your writing is good stress relief. I think I'm on a fanfiction spree again, having been inspired by both Wanted and The Dark Knight. Both are awesome movies that you should go see. Anyway, I wrote this Wanted fic after finding out how much like the protagonist I am (which is not a good thing as I have yet to become an an assassin who can bend bullets). Here it is: A Day in the Life of a Nobody

I'm going to be taking a hiatus because I don't know how long I'll be without the Internet. It's not like there hasn't been months where I didn't post anything, but this time I'm giving you a warning. I'll be working on my Dark Knight pieces and my original works (hopefully).

Quote of the day:
"Rare though true love may be, it is less rare than true friendship." - F. Rochefoucauld

Goodbye for now,
Hana Li

Fanfic: Coin Toss

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 20:30:54 GMT

Status: Still uneasy about my decision

I think I've made my mind about going to Japan. I say "I think" because I'd like to double-check a few things with my doctor. Talk about last minute decisions. This means I've got less than a month left in the U.S.

Thanks to all the friends and family friends who have given advice. In the end, what sold it for me (other than the reminder that there are people in Tome who know my parents so they'll look out for me if need be) was watching Stargate Atlantis. Ha, I'm suck a geek, but if Battlestar Galactica and Dune Messiah can make me not feel bad about being stuck overnight in an airport, then Stargate Atlantis can help me with my dilemma. Watching a re-run of the first episode got me thinking about the risks you sometimes have to take in life. If these people could venture into an unknown galaxy with the possibility of never returning home, then I can live in Japan for a year.

I wrote this fanfic because I could identify with John Sheppard's situation. He didn't spent a good portion of his life preparing for this (sometimes I still wonder what I've gotten myself into), and he could've back out. People are trying to talk him into going, but in the end, it's all up to a coin toss. Now I'm not as easy-going as Sheppard, but getting into his head helped me relax a bit about Japan. Just a bit. Without further ado, here's my first Stargate Atlantis fic: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4355293/1/Coin_Toss

Quote of the day (from CSI: Crime Scene Investigation):
Sarah Sidle - "Please tell me there is something more to this guys and cars things, besides the obvious penis extension metaphors."
Greg Sanders - "So you want me to lie?"

'Til next time,
Hana Li (Yay for new fonts! )