hair style: 2010

Sexy Tattoo Girl

Good Tattoos aren’t cheap and cheap tattoos aren’t good.

Getting a tattoo is a sign of independence and many tattooed women are proud to show their independence by sharing their tattoos with the world. You should get your tattoo design from only the Amazing Tattoo Girl. Spark your imagination and start creating an amazing tattoo art piece for yourself with thousands of high-quality designs to download.

Girls can look really sexy with just the right tattoo on their ankle. Tattoos can be flirty and feminine, or tough and enticing. With the right design and placement, a tattoo can change your whole look to make you appear more exotic and beautiful. But not just any ankle tattoo is a good choice.

Here are our recommendations.

This lovely brunette´s name is Sella Heartbreaker and I´m sure she could perfectly honor her name and break my heart in to a million little pieces with that perfect tattoo she´s got.

This is perhaps a tribute to her single of the same title, which unfortunately didn’t become as popular as she hoped it to be. And here I am thinking she had more trashy taste in tattoos. I say this is a classy choice.

When one first thinks of the famous burlesque dancer, Eve Scarllet, tattoos don't necessarily come to mind. But Eve has a little secret. She has one tattoo and it is very noticeable and out in the open. Almost no one until now knew it was a tattoo. Thank goodness for the tattoo artist she spoke to because he talked her out of that regretful tattoo and suggested she get something a little more timeless and elegant.

Eve's beauty mark tattoo is not the only tattoo she thought about getting when she was younger.

Girls not only want to have fun with their tattoos, they also used them to express themselves. A hibiscus flower on the shoulder blade perhaps, a cherry blossom tattoo on the foot or a cute butterfly on the hip; whatever art she chooses, it can definitely add to her trendy and sexy persona.

MORE SEXY PICTURE TO BE THE KING ART OF TATTOO GIRL :

These are just some of the tattoo designs that would still look beautiful and interesting even if they are tattooed on a miniature scale. They are best when inked on small areas of the body such as foot, ankle, wrist, upper back, and even lower back and shoulder blade.

What I did over my Christmas break

I have a five-day weekend and what do I do? I get sick. It was not fun.

For my entire Christmas holiday, I was stuck in the house not really wanting to eat anything and drinking more tea than is probably healthy (is that possible?). The time not spent drinking tea, coughing, sneezing and trying to clear my nose, I spent reading the Mark Reads Harry Potter blog.

I am no longer so obsessed with Harry Potter as I once was, though I do admit, I still can’t seem to avoid rereading at least one of the books every once in a while, though perhaps not cover to cover. Still, I no longer feel like someone’s personally offended me when they say Harry and Hermione are in love (though I do wish Steve Kloves never wrote that dancing scene in Deathly Hallows, Part 1) and I have given up trying to analyse Percy's betrayal or prove to anyone that Ron and Hermione, Ginny and Harry are OTPs.

Unlike when I first started reading Harry Potter back in grade 7, when it was still a relative novelty, right now, the entire pop culture is just so drenched in Harry Potter things, that it’s no longer bizarre to see people walking around in long black robes or wearing Gryffindor scarves. They sell t-shirts like this online and you can wear it around and no one would blink or even comment. “Muggle” is now an official word in the Oxford Dictionary and you have the so-called music genre of wizard rock. Sometimes, when you are so used to the fact that you can now go to the Harry Potter theme park to drink butterbeer that it becomes rather hard to imagine someone who doesn’t have any idea of what a butterbeer is. (Frankly the first time I saw the name of this drink, it grossed me out a bit). It’s kind of like you’re so immersed in the wizarding world that it’s become strange to be confronted with the ignorance of Muggles.

Yet precisely because all of this, it becomes such an enlightening and liberating experience when you read about someone else who is experience all this magic for the very first time.

Mark blogged about his experience reading the Harry Potter series, starting back in May and he had now finished the seven-book series. The point of interest is that, of course, he had very limited exposure to the series before diving into it. He knows so little about the HP when he first started that he wonders whether to be offended by the word “Muggle” and whether it’s meant to be racist. He looks at the cover of the American edition of Sorcerer’s Stone and calls the Snitch an “egg with wings”. As one of his commentors said, he is literally Harry, walking into this entirely new world and blogging about it.

It’s very amusing to read his reviews of the first few chapters of Sorcerer’s Stone but it also just makes me marvel at JKR once more at how much foreshadowing, subtext and clues she’s littering throughout the whole of the exposition of the first book. There are things that are never revealed until Book 7. Really, she was’t kidding when she said she was planning all seven books in tandem with writing the first.

I have to admit, the fact that I actually read the first half of the series backward (in the following order: Book 4 then 3 then 2 then 1), when I actually read Sorcerer’s Stone for the first time, I was spoiled for a lot of the little clues that JKR was giving. So it’s an entirely new experience for me to read about jumping into the first chapter of Sorcerer’s Stone with no prior information whatsoever. This and the fact that I have now read the entire series also makes me rather torn between amusement and almost annoyance at how Mark seems rather dismissive of things like owls, shooting stars, animagus, Hagrid, and thinks Harry being an orphan is simply a plot device. The entire review of the first chapter is a massive case of famous last words. Very funny, and borderline annoying.

Then again, I suppose I do have to excuse Mark’s harsher reviews at the beginning, seeing as he came to reading HP after reading and blogging Twilight. After the shallow puddle that is Twilight, it must be pretty mindblowing to switch to the depth of Harry’s world, where nothing is as it seems and *gasp* rules of magic don’t contradict themslves to suit to plot! It’s so easy on the first read to dismiss the Brazilian boa constrictor episode as just pointless children’s fantasy, but oh, what a massive, as JKR would say, anvil-sized foreshadowing hint that was!

I was initially turned off by the very frequent swearing, but had to get over that, because reading this blog is like reading Harry Potter for the first time all over again, but better, because as I said, I came into the HP series backward. I was spoiled for a lot of things. Even with books 5 and 6 I was spoiled for a lot of things. I think the only book I wasn’t spoiled for was book 7 and that was because it was the only book to be released in Vietnam at the same time as in the UK and USA. But for Mark, this an entire new world, an entire new language. We forget that we have been learning the language over the course of the series being released, but Mark is being hit over the head left and right with words that in the beginning, mean nothing to him - Quiditch, Gryffindor, Slytherin, Muggles...

It’s great, because despite his initial reservations, Mark totally falls in love with the series as it goes on, and still points out the stylish flaws along the way, which when I was reading it, I was probably too caught up to notice. It becomes rather obvious when you look back at it that the books have a rather formulaic structure. It starts with Harry at the Dursley’s, being miserable and then inevitably ends with rather big infodump chapter(s) with lots of talking and tying up of loose ends.

I have to admit that I love this blog even more because Mark has such similar reactions to me on certain things. He loves Lupin too! I can’t describe how much I love Remus Lupin throughout the entire HP series, how disappointed I was that he wasn’t given as much exposure as I wanted and how distraught I was when JKR killed him. I didn’t cry when either Sirius or Dumbledore died, but I really was tearing up when Lupin died. I would have been bawling if I wasn’t on an airplane at the time. Not to mention, Mark ships R/Hr and H/G!!! He appreciates just how awesome Ginny really is! There are few people I know in real life who appreciates Ginny, not only because her character is absolutely assissinated by Kloves in the movies (I have a rather huge grudge against Steve Kloves that I won't go into), so it’s always good to be assured that I’m not the only one on Team Ginnx. Not, of course, that I know Mark in real life or ever will.

Well, I think it’s time for me to stop gushing about Mark and his incredible blog. Just go read it.

Matilda

My boss has taken a month-long vacation and returned to Australia for Christmas, and we're closing the office for Christmas until Thursday, so after the rather hellish November and first fortnight of December, the week just gone felt disturbingly free.

Yesterday (earlier today?) I showed up at work an hour late and found the office practically deserted with just the receptionist already at work. Not long after I arrived she handed the phone to me and promptly disappeared for an hour. I wasted the next two hours by answering three work-related emails and then facebook, forums, fanfiction, looking up random stuff on wikipedia, games etc. People started to trickle in around ten-ish.

We all left for a "Christmas" lunch of hotpot together at about eleven, an hour earlier than usual and basically by the time we returned to the office it was...2:30. By about 3:30 practically everyone was gone again. I had to hang around until about five for my ride home, but by four I was sufficiently bored enough to give up on sitting around and decided to go shopping.

My office is pretty near the Old Quarter of Hanoi and among other things, there's a street full of DVD shops, and though I knew it was improbable that they would have a decent quality version already, I went in to check whether they have the DVD of Deathly Hallows Part 1 yet. I would need it to refresh my memory later when Part 2 comes out.

Anyway, as I was rummaging through the selection of DVDs, I suddenly came across a copy of the movie Matilda, based on the same book by Roald Dalh, of course. It was probably the first book that I read in English and I was obsessed with the movie when I was in fourth grade. As I was looking at it and considering whether I should by it for sentimentality's sake, something incredible dawned on me:

Matilda Wormwood is a witch!!

When she's eleven, she will receive a letter from Hogwarts!!

She's a Ravenclaw!

The Wormwoods are related to the Dursleys!!

...

Her best friend is even named Lavender freaking Brown! Though granted, it is rather hard to imagine that Lavender Brown as the one snogging Ron in HBP.

If I get sufficiently bored in my five-day weekend, a crossover fanfiction will be written. (Though I am feeling somewhat terrified about stepping suddenly into the world of HP fanfic again...)

Dear Miss Wormwood,

I am pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy.

...

Yours sincerely,
Professor M. McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress

Oh, Dawn Treader, I had such great expectations for you....

I have just come back from watching The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (if this wasn't a fairly well-known franchise and a famous book series, it would never make it out of the studio with such a long name!) and found myself deeply annoyed, particularly at the character assassination of Edmund.

I suppose, by now I should be quite used to character assassination by movie makers. To name a few, Yong Qi in Tian Shang Ren Jian, Hermione and Ron in...well, all the Harry Potter movies except the first two, and of course, Peter Pevensie in Prince Caspian have all irked me over the years.

But Edmund! After his brief but awesome bouts of amazingness in Prince Caspian, how could they have destroyed "It's King, actually" Edmund in such an absurdly stupid way?!

Perhaps I should back track a bit, and start with the case of stupid Peter, so to speak, in the Prince Caspian movie. In Prince Caspian, the book, Peter and Edmund Pevensie come back to Narnia and learn they could no longer be kings, but have to put, instead, Caspian on the throne of Narnia. In the book, they do this with unfailing grace, and honestly, nothing really happens in Prince Caspian, the book, except the duel. Two third of the book is Trumpkin telling a story and then Peter and Miraz duel, then Aslan shows up and everything's great again.

So I understand why, for the sake having a plot, they have to have Peter being an arse in the movie. It also makes sense - to be going from High King to a boy again, to come back to your kingdom and find you have to put some guy you barely known and whose ancestor have invaded your country, on the throne - this is a tough thing to come to terms with. I get Peter's angst, really, I do, and I can excuse it, even if I didn't enjoy watching stupid Peter. The situation Peter finds himself in in PC also demonstrates, on a more macro level, everything that his siblings are also going through because they are, after all, in the same boat.

Some just deal with it better than others.

Some, being Edmund. At least, such was the case in PC.

I find the contrast between Edmund and Peter's journey of being kings-but-not-really-kings and accepting it in PC as much a tool to demonstrate Peter's growth as much as that of Edmund. In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, of course, Edmund dreams of being made king and lording it over Peter. Yet in Prince Caspian, Edmund acts much more mature than Peter about the prospect of putting Caspian on the throne. He accepts that they must be in England now and that their job this time is to put Caspian on the throne, not to rule it themselves.

I like to think that Edmund supports Peter and gets into fights for Peter despite Peter being an arse to him is because during the course of their ruling Narnia in LWW, he had taken on that role of supporting his brother and it becomes natural to him. I like to think that the reason Edmund speaks so little in PC and doesn't speak up against Peter's idiocy or criticise him is that he doesn't want to do it in front of Caspian and diminish Peter's authority as High King in front of Caspian. But of course, when it becomes too much, such as Peter's great moment of failure in front of the White Witch, Edmund does have to come in and save the day, and vents his feelings.

The point, regardless, is that between LWW and PC, Edmund had come to accept his role by Peter's side, and accept that they can rule together, not him over Peter, and that he had earned his place as a king of Narnia, to be assured of it enough that he does not feel threatened by the prospect of putting Caspian on the throne.

So, why is he throwing a hissy fit about it in Dawn Treader?

What annoyed me most in Dawn Treader was the way the movie treated the Goldwater Island issue. The Dawn Treader book was mostly from Lucy and Eustace's points of view, and Edmund doesn't have much involvement until that moment on Goldwater. Caspian sees the island with water that has ability to turn things into gold and gets greedy, but it is Edmund who rebukes him.

This is how I read that scene: When Caspian forbids them to mention the island to anyone, Edmund snaps that he wasn't a subject of Caspian. He did this, not because he was being a prideful arse, but to remind Caspian of who he really is, and of his experience - he ruled Narnia for 15 years, Caspian only had 3 years at it. Caspian was, after all, at that moment, making a fool of himself for greed and probably would get lost in the greed. Edmund understands, from experience, the danger of temptations and he was pulling Caspian out of it. For me, that was a moment of Edmund imparting wisdom to Caspian, not a stupid boyish fight as Lewis would make it out to be.

What happens in the movie? They turn it completely around and the one whose eyes suddenly glint with greed is Edmund! I can't describe how angry that makes me. The character had suddenly gone backwards! All that development, all that growth accumulated over two movies, suddenly just gone, and he's back being a brat again. What makes it even more grating is that he's acting so Peter-esque that it's pointless.

The line of dialogue that just made me want to cry was "I want my own kingdom," not merely for the backward development of character. It is the fact that Aslan allows Edmund to say this and it is never mentioned again as a really stupid and just un-Edmund-ish thing to say. What did Edmund think Aslan gave him then, a paper model of a kingdom?

In that entire struggle of Caspian-is-now-king-not-Edmund in Dawn Treader, the vibe I got was that Caspian was the bigger man here, he knows that Edmund is being a brat but he's generously overlooking it. I thought the whole exchange between Drinian, Edmund and Caspian on the chain of command was forced, and while Edmund looked disgruntled, Caspian looked condescending and didn't even bother to stick up to Edmund as would have been courteous. Caspian's silence quite obviously declares that he thought Drinian was right to put Edmund in his place.

The whole situation of Caspian being the 'better man' so contradictory with Caspian's supposed struggle in Dawn Treader with his validity as a king. In fact, Goldwater as Lewis wrote it and as I interpreted it in the book would be a lot more demonstrative of a Caspian struggling to believe himself as king and seeking to prove it. As they insist on digging up the White Witch again, that alone should have suffice as Edmund's struggle. The memory alone should be enough; he had learnt his lessons, but the memories still haunt him.

Some plot points that bothered me or just didn't make sense:

White Witch was so obviously set up to be the Lady of the Green Kirtle - the green mist seemed a bit overkilled. We didn't need to be beat over the head with it. Also, it was confusing whether the mist was Jadis the White Witch, or she was just sort of Edmund's Dementor image slash Boggart and therefore a figment of his imagination and would not be there for anyone else.
What on earth was with that moment of Jadis' outrage at the death of the sea serpent slash Nagini Horcrux? Speaking of which, the swords sound a lot like Horcruxes in terms of symbolism.
Jill Pole mention is also a slap in the face obvious sort of foreshadowing.
Gale was a completely pointless character. I have no idea what the point of her is and why they can hire a little girl (who would then require tutors and whatnot) and not be able to hire an actor to play Ramandu.
Ramandu's Island contains no actual Ramandu and we don't even get to know who freaking Ramandu is!
The seven swords are swords that Aslan gave people in the Golden Age to protect Narnia, and yet Edmund and Lucy who ruled Narnia in the Golden Age have no clue what the swords are. The dialogue was stupidity itself. "That's an old Narnian sword," Edmund says - old to him, meaning the sword was around before his reign as king. Then Bern contradicts this with: "These are swords from your Golden Age." Lucy and Edmund look on blankly as Bern continue to info dump the fact that Aslan gave to ...someone to protect Narnia. Bern is the guy who lives 1300 years after the Golden Age, in an era that seeks to destroy all evidence that a Narnian Golden Age existed, and he yet knows all this. Gargh!!
How did the swords even come into the hands of Telmarines? Why would the Telmarines even WANT Narnian swords? And why are the swords so bloody easy to find and get?
How does Edmund recognise the knife on Aslan's table? He wasn't there when Aslan died! Also, Aslan died for Edmund, and yet Edmund points out the sacred objects of the knife that killed Aslan and the table on which he was killed with such...casualness? Do the scriptwriter recognise the significance of the knife, or did they just throw it in there because it just happened to be lying there in the book?
Edmund's torch has some awesome battery life.
No one compares to Susan for Caspian, of course, until another beautiful girl aka Liliandil comes along. I can't believe they have Caspian pining after Susan for three years and Lucy actually flirting with Caspian while he was declaring this. Sigh.
I love Carrie Underwood, but after Regina Spektor's The Call as the theme song for PC, Carrie's song for Dawn Treader just felt contrived and didn't fit. It just felt like one of those generic Disney songs that just stick nice sounding words together with a supposed message but it's so lukewarm that you can't feel it.
Oh and, Edmund and Lucy, HIGH KING AND QUEEN of Narnia?! Did the scriptwriter even READ the Chronicle? There is ONE High King - Peter and NO freaking High Queen. @%$Q#$! I cringed so badly at this line.
"Lucy, what have you done?" I somehow got the sense that this was setting up Susan's forgetting Narnia and somehow it was supposed to be Lucy's fault!
Certainly parts of the film is strangely promoting a more-than-friendship relationship between Caspian and Edmund. If you get my drift. The most obvious was the one where they lay side by side looking at stars and having a heart-to-heart. That just...freaked me out.
The appearance of Aslan as the albatross was just...pointless. If I hadn't read the book and wasn't expecting the albatross and knew what it was supposed to be, I would have thought what was that weird bird doing flying around? Also, the albatross was supposed to guide them out of the Dark Island, and it didn't do that in the movie! I'm not even sure what the point of the albatross in the movie was, expect maybe to appease fans with the fact that they included it.

In the acting department, Skandar Keynes and Georgie Henley both disappointed me a bit in this movie. Their acting no longer feel as natural as it was in LWW and PC. Of the Pevensies, Will Molseley and Anna Popplewell I thought was ok, but I absolutely loved Skandar and Georgie in the last two movies, especially Skandar in PC, even if he had so little chance to shine, he owned every moment that he got. Somehow, in Dawn Treader, however, there were moments when it was really forced, for both of them, Georgie more so. With Skandar, it merely felt like he was acting a character that suddenly was't his character anymore and didn't feel right to him. I suppose after awesome!Edmund in PC, going to this Edmund would be quite disconcerting.

I am amazed, however, how much Georgie looks like Anna. It was a genius bit of casting. Skandar, Anna and Georgie always looked like they could be related, but in this movie, Georgie and Anna at times look almost identical. The moment with the Book of Incantation, you can't really tell when Lucy ceased to be Lucy and turn into Susan.

Will Poulter as Eustace, I absolutely adored. He was perfect as Eustace, the opening sequence introducing Eustace was absolute gold, so perfect and I really missed human Eustace when he was as a dragon. I think Eustace really carried a lot of the film through its moments of just baffling script. I can't even tell that Will was several years older than his character when he plays this part. Eustace is supposed to be very young - 10 ish and Will was mid-teen (I think) when he played him.

The friendship/mentoring relationship between Eustace and Reepicheep was a nice touch and very moving at times.

The movie was so colourful though, and looked absolutely beautiful. I love the wide shots of the Dawn Treader sailing.

Lucy kicked ass in this movie! Finally they ceased with the infantilisation of Lucy! With PC, the scriptwriter seemed to forget or something that it was Susan the Gentle and Lucy the Valiant! (Too many exclamation marks :P)

The moment farewell, I guess it was at least good that they got the right dialogue in there. I think a lot of people would be afraid the movie makers would butcher that to keep the religious meanings well away to draw in a more variety of viewers. But it's kind of pointless to shy away from the religious overtones of Narnia - the entire Chronicle is a metaphor for Christianity at its various stages. Even Dawn Treader is a sort of pilgrimage. But overall, that moment just seemed rushed. It wasn't as moving as it was meant to be. Edmund just looked and sounded confused and couldn't wait to get out of there. Lucy...I don't know. I came out of that scene with a distinct feeling of "Meh, that's it?"

I suppose the overall verdict is that the movie was just...bland. The pacing was problematic. It was just bam, bam, bam, this happens, that happens, info dump, contrived temptations, find seven Horcruxes, problem solved, lukewarm farewell, done.

Still, I really hope they will continue making the rest of the Chronicle. I didn't enjoy Silver Chair that much, or Last Battle, but I would absolutely love to see The Horse and His Boy make it to the screen. They will definitely be able to get Skandar, Georgie and Anna (and probably would find a way to pull Will Molseley in too) for the parts. I certainly would love to see them as actual Kings and Queens.If they make Silver Chair next, I would watch it just for Will Poulter and hope they get someone decent to play Jill Pole.

A tiny candle in a dark, swirling world

November had just proved to be one of the most frustrating month at work, and December is not looking much better, even with the prospect of Christmas break and TOIL around the corner. Needless to say, Nanowrimo fell flat on its face, and I saw it coming, but was in denial for most of November, until around 30/11, I finally accepted that I wasn't going dish out another 20,000 words that day to make the 50k mark.

In general, this last month had been a writing fail month, since I planned to do a lot and ended up achieving very little.

Anyway, I guess all this rambling is to say, I was in creative hell this last month, and the weekly pep talks from Nanowrimo didn't do much to encourage me, except this gem from Lemony Snicket himself. I just wanted to tuck this away here so that I can find it later, because it certainly is made of gold.

Dear Cohort,

Struggling with your novel? Paralyzed by the fear that it's nowhere near good enough? Feeling caught in a trap of your own devising? You should probably give up.

For one thing, writing is a dying form. One reads of this every day. Every magazine and newspaper, every hardcover and paperback, every website and most walls near the freeway trumpet the news that nobody reads anymore, and everyone has read these statements and felt their powerful effects. The authors of all those articles and editorials, all those manifestos and essays, all those exclamations and eulogies - what would they say if they knew you were writing something? They would urge you, in bold-faced print, to stop.

Clearly, the future is moving us proudly and zippily away from the written word, so writing a novel is actually interfering with the natural progress of modern society. It is old-fashioned and fuddy-duddy, a relic of a time when people took artistic expression seriously and found solace in a good story told well. We are in the process of disentangling ourselves from that kind of peace of mind, so it is rude for you to hinder the world by insisting on adhering to the beloved paradigms of the past. It is like sitting in a gondola, listening to the water carry you across the water, while everyone else is zooming over you in jetpacks, belching smoke into the sky. Stop it, is what the jet-packers would say to you. Stop it this instant, you in that beautiful craft of intricately-carved wood that is giving you such a pleasant journey.

Besides, thdre are already plenty of novels. There is no need for a new one. One could devote one's entire life to reading the work of Henry James, for instance, and never touch another novel by any other author, and never be hungry for anything else, the way one could live on nothing but multivitamin tablets and pureed root vegetables and never find oneself craving wild mushroom soup or linguini with clam sauce or a plain roasted chicken with lemon-zested dandelion greens or strong black coffee or a perfectly ripe peach or chips and salsa or caramel ice cream on top of poppyseed cake or smoked salmon with capers or aged goat cheese or a gin gimlet or some other startling item sprung from the imagination of some unknown cook. In fact, think of the world of literature as an enormous meal, and your novel as some small piddling ingredient - the drawn butter, for example, served next to a large, boiled lobster. Who wants that? If it were brought to the table, surely most people would ask that it be removed post-haste.

Even if you insisted on finishing your novel, what for? Novels sit unpublished, or published but unsold, or sold but unread, or read but unreread, lonely on shelves and in drawers and under the legs of wobbly tables. They are like seashells on the beach. Not enough people marvel over them. They pick them up and put them down. Even your friends and associates will never appreciate your novel the way you want them to. In fact, there are likely just a handful of readers out in the world who are perfect for your book, who will take it to heart and feel its mighty ripples throughout their lives, and you will likely never meet them, at least under the proper circumstances. So who cares? Think of that secret favorite book of yours - not the one you tell people you like best, but that book so good that you refuse to share it with people because they'd never understand it. Perhaps it's not even a whole book, just a tiny portion that you'll never forget as long as you live. Nobody knows you feel this way about that tiny portion of literature, so what does it matter? The author of that small bright thing, that treasured whisper deep in your heart, never should have bothered.

Of course, it may well be that you are writing not for some perfect reader someplace, but for yourself, and that is the biggest folly of them all, because it will not work. You will not be happy all of the time. Unlike most things that most people make, your novel will not be perfect. It may well be considerably less than one-fourth perfect, and this will frustrate you and sadden you. This is why you should stop. Most people are not writing novels which is why there is so little frustration and sadness in the world, particularly as we zoom on past the novel in our smoky jet packs soon to be equipped with pureed food. The next time you find yourself in a group of people, stop and think to yourself, probably no one here is writing a novel. This is why everyone is so content, here at this bus stop or in line at the supermarket or standing around this baggage carousel or sitting around in this doctor's waiting room or in seventh grade or in Johannesburg. Give up your n ovel, and join the crowd. Think of all the things you could do with your time instead of participating in a noble and storied art form. There are things in your cupboards that likely need to be moved around.

In short, quit. Writing a novel is a tiny candle in a dark, swirling world. It brings light and warmth and hope to the lucky few who, against insufferable odds and despite a juggernaut of irritations, find themselves in the right place to hold it. Blow it out, so our eyes will not be drawn to its power. Extinguish it so we can get some sleep. I plan to quit writing novels myself, sometime in the next hundred years.

--Lemony Snicket

Changing Hair Styles For Women 2010

Women have always wanted to look stylish. Its quite true that since the last so many years, there has been a huge revolution in the hairstyles adopted by them. The hairstyle adopted by any woman should be in accordance with the time she can take out for the maintenance of her hair. Short hair requires lower maintenance whereas longer hair requires one to spend much more time washing and combing it. In addition, one should be happy with the kind of hairstyle adopted.

Now, the tresses have gone out of vogue. No one has knee length hair these days. Although women still desire this hair do, they don't have much time for maintaining it. This has made them adopt short hairstyles. Women who have adopted such short hairstyles are Cameron Diaz and Meg Ryan. They are casual hairstyles, which also look glamorous. The styling is so simple in such hairstyles and they don't involve much brushing and washing. Apart from such short-layered cuts, even bob cuts are quite in these days like Rihanna has a soothing bob cut. It even requires lesser maintenance than the layered cuts. Layered cuts have to be cared for otherwise they look like rat-tail suspended on your back.

They require regular conditioning. If they are colored, then coloring becomes a regular procedure. Women liked tresses because they were so much preferred by men. Such tresses can be groomed perfectly with the right kind of gloss. Its not advisable to visit the beauty parlor every time for a low maintenance job. It's better that you find out about the right kind of hair styling products from the market before using them. Get a product which is suited as per the quality of your hair. Also, its easy to wear the hair open all the time when its cut in layers. This way, you wont face tresses covering your face unnecessarily. Such hairstyle will make you look more confident than anyone else.

The hairstyle should also match with the shape of your face. If the shape of your face like your cheek bones don't complement a hairstyle, don't have it. Any hairstyle can only accentuate the face, the eyes and the complexion when it suits it. You cant modify your hair too much in a hairstyle. Its like altering your entire personality. So, you cant have a straight hair look all the time when you have curly hair. Making such a change would require you to make frequent visits to the beauty parlor which can also ruin your hair in the long run. Your hairdresser is the best person who can advise you about the right kind of hair style for your face. Also, its necessary to have glamorous hair cuts because they can add some sassiness to your wavy and straight hair. Such cuts can be easily adopted by anyone regardless of whether she is a blonde or a brunette. They just accentuate your beauty and facial features. So, adopt layered hairstyles and look cool and chic.

Short Hairstyles - Trendy Or Fashion?

No matter what hairstyle you choose, it is important for the hairstyle to not only fit your facial shape and skin tone, but it must fit your personality too. In spite of the fact that hair grows out, you have to be comfortable with the style from the beginning. Most of us do not have the luxury of calling our employer and saying "I'm not coming to work for the next few weeks because I don't like my new haircut." Probably more than any other hairstyle, short hair takes courage because if you don't like it, other than a wig, there is nothing you can do about it. You must be patient and wait for Mother Nature to change the length.

Women of the 21st Century look for fashionable short hairstyles that are chic and trendy, but are also easy to manage. In today's busy world where women are famous for multi-tasking, they look for a modern hairstyle that will let them fit into the corporate world by day, but by night look sexy and fashionable while out on a date. Of course, if you are a modern, married woman who is also a mother, you want a style that can take you from work to the supermarket and back home again. The modern mom wants to look stylish with a minimal amount of time and effort.

If you are looking to update your style, choosing a short style definitely transports you into the modern fashion world. In fact, when you think about it, short hair became a symbol of the modern woman in the 1920s. Until then, young women had long tresses. A young woman who wanted to rebel against tradition, bobbed her hair. In the 21st Century, fashionable short styles look refreshing, vibrant, and young. They are easy to manage and help a woman to look meticulously groomed at all times.

Stylists of the early 21st Century have updated the original bob of the early 20th Century with a blunt cut and fringe. This type of style is ideal for a woman with straight hair. Hair Stylists have worked their magic on the short shag turning it into a hairdo that is glamorous. The short bob is not just for women with straight hair. Curly shags that have an old-fashioned look are becoming popular because they definitely enhance a woman's femininity. Closely related to the shags with curls are romantic short cuts and that "just woke up" messy look. The messy look is appealing because it looks like the wind just blew through a woman's hair. It sends a message that she enjoys having fun and is relaxed about her appearance.

Short modern haircuts help a woman make a statement about her personality. She is modern, but with style. Layering is a key signature style of short hair today. Stylists emphasize the layered look by adding darker tones to the strands underneath with lighter colored hair at the top, sides, and back. Intermingling dark tones and light tones help to create a sense of depth and make the short cut more interesting. The modern, fashionable short style plays with color, layering, and fringe cuts to create an updated version of the bob from the days of "Thoroughly Modern Millie" in the 1920s.

Face Slimming Hairstyles For Chubby Faces

Women are more particular about the looks compared to men. They want the perfect thing that would suit their physique. The dress, the make-up, the nail paint, the shoes, jewels etc are the elements that make them look much prettier during occasions. While these external elements decorate the beauty of a female, her natural features like hair, facial features and other physical features also make a big difference in their appearance. These are especially big factors when considering hairstyles for chubby faces.

Of all the elements that make a woman beautiful, it's her hair that either makes her pretty or ruins her look. So it is very important to know how to maintain an appropriate hair style that would suit an individual.

When we talk about having an appropriate hairstyle, it means having a hairstyle that fits the face. For round and chubby faces it is very important to choose hairstyles that do not make one appear chubbier. Fat cheeks are cute, but a slimming hair-do that touches the cheek makes a much more appealing and beautiful look than having long hair. A medium length hairstyle is the most suggestible option for a person who has a round, chubby face.

Medium hair length that is straight and layered is a good option for this type of facial feature. These layers make the hair look thicker and decorate the face with a better look. Curly hair also always adds some charm and allure to the person. Some of the great looking hairstyles for chubby faces and techniques that add beauty to chubby faces include layers, pretty ponytails, extensions, bob cuts and unique up-dos.

The more one sticks to the basic rules, the better the hair looks. Having medium, thin, and straight hair is still quite acceptable for round faces. It is, however, definitely a bad idea to have long, thin hair; this would make a thin frame around the face and would definitely make the face look much bigger.

Some people who could not carry the curl factor can go with the layers; layering would be a perfect option for chubby women. Getting into pony tails is another good option. Pony tails are very appealing and suit many occasions. And it is also not so tough to manage and maintain a pony.

Up-dos are another option for the ladies. It is easy to make this type of style, and it would be much better if just a bit of hair is left covering just the cheeks. This would definitely give a much better look to the person. Also, a bob cut would frame the face nicely and would slide along the cheeks and touch the chin, making it appear much cuter. For some women a bob cut also hides the chubbiness of the face and really gives a modern, stylish look when we talk about hairstyles for chubby faces.

Modern Curly Hairstyles Advice 2010

Having curly hairstyles can be difficult to treat. It seems that people want hairstyles with curly hair and those with hair curly hairstyles want. The hairstyle can be a pain. One way to do this is curly hairstyles by going to your local store of beauty and make you make a permanent basis. Getting a permit in your hair, it will give a lot of bouncy curls and give more substance to your hair. Getting a permit to give you curl hairstyles took some good hair care too. If you live in a place where it is very dry, you may need to do extra spritzing. The hair needs a lot of volume, as a result, the upper part is slightly dry layers, and the neck level with the hole in the ear, it is cut on the sidelines. This leaves the back of the head looking quite lovely. The edges of side and top should be slightly feathers, so that the transition from top to curly layers contours is particularly sweet.

You should also keep your permission and proper condition. Just remember that once you have a permanent, it must take charge, perms will last until your hair is born. This means that the hair will be coming straight ahead and you should get them and permed. You can also give the banana curls. These loops are tight bouncy curls. This type of tile hairstyles are a look sexy and fun. This look is great when you have the highlights of your hair. This can be done with a curling iron, which is made for these types of loops, which can be obtained at your local store. You can also give your hair curly hairstyles big bouncy simply by a curling iron, which is very thick and wide. This is a very simple way to give your hairstyle and more loops are large loops give pleasure to your hair.

Medium Length Hairstyles 2010

Medium length hairstyles are probably the safest hairstyle since it integrates the flexibility of long length hairstyles and the low maintenance quality of short length hairstyles. Long length hair requires too much attention and short length hair does not fit all types of shapes of the face but medium hair counters both disadvantages of long and short hair as medium hair requires little care and fit almost all types of facial shapes.

Medium length hairstyles can be a cross of short and long hairstyles. This is where a fusion of both short and long can be experimented thus one can choose from more styles for your hair. Being low in maintenance, you can now experience a long hairstyle but you do not have to go through long lengths just to maintain a long hair since it can be done on a medium hair. Having flexibility more than shorter hair then you can also try short hairstyles on a medium hair to extend its flexibility. You can also try to experiment by having uneven lengths of hair for medium hairstyles.

By donning medium length hairstyles, one can still feel very feminine as long hairstyles can be done on medium hair. The medium length of hair provides hairstylist with a way to experiment on both short and long hairstyles. You do not have to be scared experimenting with your medium length hair because it fits almost all shapes of faces. With this length, hairstyling have a lot of options to choose from. Mid hair length is the length where so many variations can be done to your cut and this season, getting a freaky cut is most in. Try these medium length hairstyles! Discover the most flattering hairdos for your face by undergoing a hair makeover online. It is advisable to know your face type before taking up any haircut.

Blunt Short Bob Hairstyles 2011

If you have fine hair, the Blunt Bob Hairstyle will make it look thicker. However, it does not work well with curly hair, unless you’re willing to straighten your hair frequently. Get your hairstylist to create a few bangs over the brow and to give you a blunt line. If you choose to get a more severe fringe, it will sharpen the overall look. keep it in shape, get a trim every 6 weeks. You can blow dry it to style and use a flatiron to finish.

Hairstyles For Short Hair – Blunt Bob Hairstyle

Cute Blunt Bob Hairstyles for Girls

If you have a round face, the hair should be kept longer than chin length, and a little longer at the nape of the neck, to create a balanced look. If you have spiral curls, make sure that your hairstylist doesn’t cut it too short. Curly hair tends to retract, hence keep the length at your cheekbones. You can get a choppy effect by cutting each individual curl. This cut usually maintains its shape, so you will not need to use a bunch of styling products. You will need to trim it about once in six weeks.

Hairstyles For Short Hair – Curly Bob Hairstyle

Curly Bob Hairstyles for Womens

Cute Summer 2010 Hair Trends for Women

The best thing about Short hairstyles is that they are not only for those who are blessed with perfect proportioned features and oval face shape. By choosing the right short hair style, you can sport that trendy sexy look which will become an eye-catcher wherever you go. It is a fact that not all women can wear all types of but all of them can choose a perfect short hair style of their choice as per their features and face shape from the 2010 stylish haircuts given below.

Top Summer 2010 Hair Trends for Women

Winter 2011 Hair Trends for Women

Posted in 2010 Hair Trends, 2011 Hairstyles, Bun Hairstyles, Chignon Hairstyles, Sexy Hairstyles, Short Hairstyles Leave a Comment

Winter can truly wreck havoc on your strands but that doesn’t mean your hair still can’t look chic while it’s still being protected. The hottest styles for this winter season allow your hair to be up and protected while still turning heads. Sleek buns and ponytails were all the rage at along with Pompadours and chignons.

Winter 2011 Hairstyles Trends for Girls

The 21st Century is Kind of Awesome

This was supposed to go into the author's note for the latest chapter of The Prince and Me but then it began to feel like it's going to get longer than the fic itself.

The name of the chapter (The 21st Century is Kind of Awesome) is basically the summary of a Twilight fanfic that is currently on my favourite list (yes, I do have Twilight fics in my fav list, and often they are better than the books). That fic, called going nowhere, going somewhere by Estora revolves around an Edward who actually has a personality. This fic has very little to do with the chapter of my fic, but I liked the phrase hehe.

First of all, I have to say the chapter The 21st Century is Kind of Awesome is partly a result of my attempt at Nanowrimo this year (which I failed spectacularly, all efforts considered). Part of Nano includes a lot of procrastination time whereby I dig up all these character building quizzes. You now, quizzes that have you pretend to be your character and answer questions about each and every one of their likes and dislike.

And so The 21st Century is Kind of Awesome is a sort of an exploration of some of Xiao Yan's (and to a certain extent, Yong Qi's) likes and dislikes, but then somehow goes into a sort of reflection of my own rather odd love affair with Zhao Wei.

On the subject of some of Yong Qi's likes, in reality, Tottenham Hotspurs are not doing so badly in the Premier League as I imply in the chapter. Not that I actually follow Premier League football.

In case you did not recognise the movie that Xiao Yan and Yong Qi went to see in this chapter, it is, of course, A Time to Love, starring Zhao Wei and Lu Yi.

I just wanted to share the whole idea behind the scene where Xiao Yan and Yong Qi went to the hotpot restaurant, which on the surface seems like a pretty useless scene. Well, it is pretty useless, but it's 100% based on my experience at Hai Di Lao Hotpot.

Bei Wa Lu is a real street in Beijing (at least, I think I remembered it right), where near there is a real Hai Di Lao Hotpot restaurant. I ate there when I was recently (read, a month ago) in Beijing and I swear, it was one of the best service experiences of my life, if not the best. In Vietnamese we have a saying, "The customer is the emperor" and boy, did I feel like an emperor there.

My friend and I didn’t actually have to wait for a table when we went there, but there was a waiting area that looked pretty cool and I have heard you do actually get a manicure and a shoe shine as you wait.

Regarding the bathroom of this restaurant, it might seem strange for me to gush about a bathroom. But I swear everything I described in that scene in the fic is true. Except that, unlike Xiao Yan, I couldn't ask a waiter for direction to the bathroom from my table (because I speak no Chinese), it took me several near wrong turns to get to the bathroom. Yes, there were signs but still it was like a maze. I nearly got lost getting back to the table, which of course has no sign to direct me. But the bathroom was pretty awesome, especially compared to normal Beijing public toilets, but I won't go into that.

Of course, whether this restaurant existed in 2005 when The Prince and Me was set, I don't know and if it did, whether it looked like it does now in 2010 is debatable. And for all my awe about this restaurant, I was disappointed when I got home and realised I had taken no photo of it. I think my friend and I were too busy eating.

By the way, while I'm on the topic of my trip to Beijing, I have to say I did pass Gong Zhu Fen or the place that inspired HZGG. Well, it's a subway station. So...it's pretty unepic. But I did get a photo of the sign that said Gong Zhu Fen.

My friend and I were planning to go to the set where they shot HZGG but that plan fell through the roof. That place is supposed to be quite a way outside the city so we were actually ready to spend a whole day to get there and back. Unfortunately the day before we planned to go, we decided to go to the Ba Da Ling Great Wall near the Olympic One World One Dream sign. On a Sunday in the Chinese National Day weekend.

Well, needless to say, the combination of the destination and the date made traffic...a nightmare. We left the house at 7am and got the Great Wall at 12 noon. Yeah, I spent 5 hours standing squished on a bus. Anyway, we knew that to go to the place where they shot HZGG, we'd have to pretty much make that same bus trip, only go for even longer. After that bus trip from hell, not even the prospect of seeing Shu Fang Zhai (if it's still there, which is doubtful) could draw two massive HZGG fans to get on that bus again.

And I actually had hoped to see Jing Yang Gong when I visited the Palace Museum. That didn't happen either. Again, it was Chinese National Day holidays, so the Palace Museum was packed. I don't think it would be even that packed when people actually lived there. So basically by the time we made it from the Imperial Garden out to Qian Qing Gong, we were basically too eager to get out of the crowd (by that time, all we could actually see was people and practically nothing else.) to even want to go find Jing Yang Gong which was somewhere off to the sides. We didn't even bother to fight our way in to see Tai Hua Dian which is arguably one of the main attractions of the place.

View from Wu Men

Boy, after visiting the Palace Museum, did I feel for Xiao Yan Zi. Now I totally understand why she needed the Easy Kneeling. And now I also so understand why getting in was hard, getting out of the palace was even harder.

We sat on the steps of Yang Xin Dian, eating ice cream. I'm pretty sure Qian Long would have loved us for it if he ever knew. Then again, I'm pretty sure if ice cream existed in China in those days, Xiao Yan Zi would not be above eating it while sitting on the steps of Yang Xin Dian either.

No, I didn't make it to Heng Dian Studios in Zhejiang to check out the set of the New HZGG. But that's probably for the best. Though speaking of New HZGG, walking around the market, or the Palace Museum, or the Great Wall, there were a lot of stalls selling the Manchurian princess hats as souvenir or toys. Please tell me this is normal in Beijing regardless of the new HZGG being made. But even then, I suspect these princess hats are a result of the New HZGG since along with Manchurian princess hats, there were exact replica of the new Sai Ya's (Tibetan princess) hat as shown in released stills of HZGG. Well, looks like the drama isn't even out yet and it's already making money.

Panda Ge ge

Choosing Long Bob Hairstyles

When it comes to the bob hairstyle, there is one bob which has been the most popular type of traditional bob hairstyle. Through the use of the long bob hairstyle, one length is used throughout the entire head of hair. This long hairstyle can be worn with, or without bangs and is usually worn without layers. The typical length which is chosen for a long bob includes the length of hair below the shoulders, or at the shoulders. This can help to distinguish the style and distinguish the bob style which has been created within the hairstyle.

Best Hairstyle Gallery

Let us start with what is Hairstyle or Haircut? Hairstyle means styling your head hair in a particular way. We are different from animals. We don’t allow our hair to grow forever. We have haircut occasionally to suit our individual styles. Haircuts are often a showcase of strong style for an individual. Latest hairstyles often change with time. Hairstyles depend on the trends in the fashion industry. It is common feel that people look good and feel important. Hair is a part of the overall grooming of an individual. Read this blog for more tips for mohawk hairstyle,sedu hairstyle tips and curly hairstyle tips
Here is picture of the mohawk or Mohican hairstyle.

celebrity red carpet hair style for 2008

Celebrities are in the spotlight nearly every day of their lives. It is up to them to set the trends of clothing, jewelry and hair in 2008. It seems that the celebs have spoken and the number one most chosen hairstyle for fine dress occasions in 2008 is going to be the pull back.

Bridal Hairstyles for Women – Formal Hairstyles

Wedding Hairstyles have to be the best viewed wedding hair styles as bride is the center of care. The first important step to getting important bridesmaids hairstyles is to reserve as simple as possible. Too many extentions, too big of curls, too many attachment tend to make your bridesmaid hairstyles standout too much.

Typical Hair Coloring Mistakes

Typical Hair Coloring Mistakes

Many people these days are on a tight budget due to the economy. Instead of running down to the hair salon for a full color, they are doing it themselves. If you are thinking about coloring your own hair, take a look at these common mistakes. Knowing these mistakes will enable you to do a proper dye job!

Celebrity Short Hairstyle

Celebrity short hairstyle for men

Men can opt for celebrity hairstyle for boosting up their personality quotient. Chipping and razor cutting are the two popular hair cutting techniques that are applied for giving sexy short celebrity hairstyle to men. The short hairstyle can include top heavy looks, uniform cut and short crops.

Short and Wavy

Looking Younger with New Hairstyles for 2011

Looking Younger with New Hairstyles for 2011

One thing as you get older is that you don’t seem to want to take much time fussing with your hair. But if it is really dull and lank, you might consider getting a really good professional hair treatment. Then get it cut and reshaped. A short layered cut will make it appear that you have more hair.

Keira Knightley With a Brand New Hairstyle

How To Create Your Own Style - 2009, 2010 Hair tips

How To Create Your Own Style - 2009, 2010 Hair tips

When it comes to hair and style there are so many variations to choose from. If you are tired of your old hairstyle, why not create your very own? You do not have to be a stylist in order to create your very own hairstyle. Your style and cut all depends on the type of person you are and what you like. Find out how you can easily create a style that you will be happy with for years.

New Hairstyles for the Holidays 2011

New Hairstyles for the Holidays 2011

Fall is not too early to get a new hairstyle for the holidays. If you plan to completely redo you hairstyle then it may take a few months for your hair to grow into the new shape. If you have longer hair and are thinking about getting a shorter cut like a shoulder length cut you should talk to your hairstylist and get their feedback.

Brand New Hairstyle for the Holidays

Interesting Hair Facts

Interesting Hair Facts - Summer 2009 Hair Tips Edition

Did you know that each person’s head will hold around 150,000 hairs? Now there is no longer any need to panic when you lose a few hairs in your hairbrush right? If you want to know some of the most interesting facts about your hair, read on!

Interesting Hair Facts

Glorious Colors and Great Hairstyles 2011

Glorious Colors and Great Hairstyles 2011

There are different types of products that get color in your hair. Some colors are put on and then you sit under a dryer for the product to do its color work. This type of color will not last as long as the kind that is applied after the hair has been stripped of most or all of its color which is a process that takes longer. The faster process of almost instant color will only attach itself to the follicle it will not actually enter it. This color may only last for a few washings.

2011 Cool Hair Color