__muggle inside jokes and V-day

Tags

1 billion rising, books, end violence against women and girls, funny, Harry Potter, jokes, life, love, memes, muggle inside jokes, v day, valentines day

I saw this on one of the Facebook pages I follow and it made me laugh. It’s so true though. (Plus I’m a huge Pokemon fan). The muggle borns could have their own secret club and inside jokes to get back at the elitist purebloods. Although, I cannot remember the ratio of muggle borns to purebloods. Were there enough muggle borns to start a club?

I think one of my favourite moments in the books was in the Deathly Hallows when ‘Cinderella’ was mentioned. Ron thinks it sounds like a name for a disease but Harry and Hermione know that it’s a fairytale. It’s always cool to see how worlds collide and the way people interpret unfamiliar words or objects.

Also, happy Valentines Day everyone! While many celebrate this day with their romantic partners (if they have someone), it should also be a day to love yourself. In the words of Oscar Wilde, “To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.” So enjoy that amazing romance with oneself today, and all days. It is also ‘1 Billion Rising‘ day. A fantastic campaign where people over the world dance to demand an end to violence against women and girls. So, remember to love yourself and those who you care about, and dance to end violence and celebrate joy.

- Ermisenda Alvarez

__picture it & write

Tags

community, flash fiction, inspiration, life, photography, pictures, poetry, stories, war, weekly writing prompt, writing

I urge people to join in, comment with your paragraph of fiction to accompany the image. It doesn’t have to follow my story or reflect the same themes. It can be a poem or in a different language (provide a translation please ). Anyone who wants to join in, is welcome. This photograph will be reblogged under Ermisenda on tumblr and added to the Picture it & Write gallery on Facebook and Pinterest.

Please continue to write however you’re inspired, but add a tag to the beginning of your post if there’s mature content in order to keep Picture it & Write an engaging event for all of our followers.

by tightsqueez

I don’t know who started the war. Someone pissed someone else off and within weeks there were guns loaded and bombs created. My people claim that the others threw shot the first bullet, that they threw the first bomb. We believe that our part in the war continues to only be in defense. I don’t believe it. They are not the only ones with too much innocent blood on their hands. We’re all monsters now.

- Ermisenda Alvarez

Everyone is welcome to use the button, just link them back to the Picture it & write category or Ermiliablog! Share your love for Picture it & write on your blog with the image below. Be proud, and stylish !

__new year resolutions for 2014

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books, life, new year resolutions, reading, study on how many keep their resolutions, writing, writing goals

New year, new goals. Did you make a list of New Year Resolutions for 2014?

Did you not complete your new year resolutions last year? Don’t beat yourself up. Only 8% of people actually complete them. But I don’t think this is because people suck at life. I think it’s because people make their lists too long and elaborate. A year isn’t long enough to “fix”your life or complete your entire bucket list. So let’s stay simple and manageable. What are two things you would like to do this year? I think we can manage that together.

Even though I rarely ever make an official list, I like to keep in mind my goals for the year. I know I want to complete the second Blind Sight novel with Eliabeth and also finish my YA book project ‘Desert Queendom’.

What about you? Did you think about things you’d like to complete this year (writing/reading or otherwise)?

- Ermisenda Alvarez

Merry Christmas from Ermilia

Tags

christmas, christmas jokes, christmas puns, happy holidays, inspiration, life, traditions, xmas jokes

Happy holidays everyone!

Ermisenda is already enjoying Christmas while Eliabeth still has to wait a couple hours. As we talked about what to write, Eliabeth had a major FAIL moment. Forgetting that the southern and northern hemispheres experience opposite seasons during the year, Eliabeth forgot it’s summer where Ermisenda lives! Too many songs about a white Christmas playing on the radio–or so Eliabeth claims.

Since we love showing different perspectives, we wanted to share the different Christmas traditions we partake in each year.

Eliabeth

My family is very artistic. Several years, we’ve created Christmas ornaments, some more elaborate than others. One year, we found some globes, houses, and other clear bobbles that split down the center. You filled them with glitter and figurines. Every year, I look for the Beauty and the Beast house ornament my mom made. It’s very special to me to take the time to decorate the tree together, because most of the ornaments are home-made or were purchased on a family trip. Some were gifts, but all have a special meaning and a story that goes with them. We only pull them out once a year, so getting to go through the ornaments is like telling each story again.

Ermisenda

When I was younger, we would group together other Spanish-speaking families (both Spanish and Latino, sometimes even Samoan families!) to have a big Christmas Eve. It included lots of food, dancing, and playing in the pool. In recent years, many families have moved away or friendships have changed. We still bring the closest friend families we have to create the family atmosphere here in Australia. I wouldn’t have it any other way because I do see them as family. Christmas day is more chillaxed. We open presents, talk, eat left overs, make more food, play in the pool some more, and watch movies with the immediate family plus maybe one other family. I’m not sure if any of that counts as tradition apart from the obvious putting up the tree, buying presents etc. But it reminds me of the importance of good people in your life, whether they are blood related or not.

Now some terrible Christmas jokes to shake your head at while smiling!

Q: Why was Santa’s little helper depressed?
A: Because he had low elf esteem.

Christmas: The time when everyone gets Santamental.

Why did the gingerbread man go to the doctor?
Because he was feeling crummy!

Happy holidays everyone, whether you celebrate Christmas or something else, stay safe and enjoy the chance to relax. We wish you the best.

- Ermilia

__picture it & write

Tags

creative weekly writing prompt, creative writing, flash fiction, inspiration, life, photography, poetry, stories, writing

I urge people to join in, comment with your paragraph of fiction to accompany the image. It doesn’t have to follow my story or reflect the same themes. It can be a poem or in a different language (provide a translation please ). Anyone who wants to join in, is welcome. This photograph will be reblogged under Ermisenda on tumblr and added to the Picture it & Write gallery on Facebook and Pinterest.

Please continue to write however you’re inspired, but add a tag to the beginning of your post if there’s mature content in order to keep Picture it & Write an engaging event for all of our followers.

He was beautiful. A perfect specimen. My fingers ran over his body. Every year, my thirst deepened. I wanted better. I wanted them more attractive, stronger, faster. I had high standards. A queen must only have the best.

“Yes, I will take him.” My fingers grasped his jaw. “He’ll make an excellent addition to my collection.”

- Ermisenda Alvarez

Everyone is welcome to use the button, just link them back to the Picture it & write category or Ermiliablog! Share your love for Picture it & write on your blog with the image below. Be proud, and stylish !

__picture it & write

Tags

inspiration, life, picture it & write, pictures, poetry, stories, weekly writing exercise, witches, writing, writing prompts

I urge people to join in, comment with your paragraph of fiction to accompany the image. It doesn’t have to follow my story or reflect the same themes. It can be a poem or in a different language (provide a translation please ). Anyone who wants to join in, is welcome. This photograph will be reblogged under Ermisenda on tumblr and added to the Picture it & Write gallery on Facebook and Pinterest.

Please continue to write however you’re inspired, but add a tag to the beginning of your post if there’s mature content in order to keep Picture it & Write an engaging event for all of our followers.

by Kyle Thompson

“I hate them.” The first sister growled.

“Do not let them get to you. They are only stupid teenagers.” The second sister caressed her faded wreath.

“They are obnoxiously loud. Their feet tear up the soil as they stomp.”

“Patience,” the second sister wrapped her arms around her sisters. “They will explore the caves. And we will wait for them.”

The third sister hissed. Her eyes opened and she absorbed the light until it was pitch black. They waited.

- Ermisenda Alvarez

Everyone is welcome to use the button, just link them back to the Picture it & write category or Ermiliablog! Share your love for Picture it & write on your blog with the image below. Be proud, and stylish !

__a professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit

Tags

inspiration, life, professional writers, quotes, richard bach, writing

A little bit of inspiration for us writers. (And an extra nudge for the Nanowrimo writers this month). Keep going and don’t give up!

- Ermisenda Alvarez

__if only I could try different lives

Tags

life, life decisions, lives like dresses, quotes, sylvia plath, writing

“Why can’t I try on different lives, like dresses, to see which fits best and is more becoming?” – Sylvia Plath

“I act and react, and suddenly I wonder, ‘Where is the girl that I was last year? Two years ago? What would she think of me now?’” – Sylvia Plath

I have been thinking a lot about life in the recent hours, weeks months; both career related and romantically.

Picture it & Write Special Edition

Tags

age, community, decay, double edge, life, old woman, optical illusion, photography, poetry, trick, visual illusion, writing, writing exercise, young lady

Welcome to a special edition of the creative writing prompt, Picture it & Write. As tomorrow kicks off our second Blind Sight Blog Tour, we’ve decided to showcase one of the most important elements in the  Blind Sight series, that there are two sides to every story.

Eliabeth
At first I thought I saw an old hag, withered with wrinkles and age. How could I have been so wrong? On second look, I saw a young woman; it had been the odd curve in her jaw and strangely shaped ear that had made me see her as someone else. I could not catch her eye, for she was turned away, her pretty little nose turned up as though embarrassed to be in our presence. I couldn’t blame her, for we were not dressed like her. Where we wore tattered dresses with holes in our stockings and daisies in our hair, she had a pretty choker and a mink coat draped around her shoulders. There was a feather in her cap and a veil covering part of her hair. She had so much life in her, but I wondered how happy she was.

Ermisenda
A beautiful young woman caught my eye. When I turned my head to take a closer look, I flinched at what I saw. Something in the light had tricked me. There was not a young woman but an aging, widow. I guessed she was a widow because she was draped in black from her hat, the fur on her shoulders, and dress. Age was reigning its ugly head.

I couldn’t imagine the day that I too would decay. There was only sadness in her eyes. Her gnarled nose was her most prominent feature. The heaviness of depression was shifting from her to me. What a curse it was to grow old. She looked like she was just waiting to die.

Confused? Remember, there are two sides to every story.

__life of pi: carnivorous island

Tags

books, carnivorous island, discussion, life, life of pi, movie, movies, religion, religious, richard parter, second story in life of pi, stories, symbolism, symbolism in life of pi, two stories in life of pi, what does the carnivorous island mean, writing, yann martel

Before I begin this little discussion, I will be discussing the movie Life of Pi and there will be spoilers. For those who have not read the book or seen the movie, it’s advised to not read this post further.

So, what do I want to discuss in particular? The carnivorous island in Life of Pi.

I watched this movie when I was in The Netherlands in February earlier this year. Many months have passed and I didn’t have the urge to write a little discussion piece until now. My partner recently asked me what I thought the ‘carnivorous island’ meant in the second of the two stories told in Life of Pi.