Wednesday, 04 February, 2015
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January Monthly Favorites: Where Did the Time Go?

#DailyWings: “And I am all the things I have ever loved: scuppernong wine, cool baptisms in silent water, dream books and number playing.ʺ -Toni Morrison

Despite the fact that I am still writing “2014” instead of “2015” on occasion, we are already in the month of February. Wow. I also just realized that yesterday marks six months since I started working at Personify as their web content producer. Wow. On Monday, Jan. 26, Andrew and I celebrated our two-year anniversary together. WOW.

The start of this year has been a lot more productive than previous Januarys, when I would spend a week being ultra-healthy and writing too many blog posts before falling into the post-New Year’s slump. Instead, I spent most of the month organizing my closet, throwing out crumpled school papers, experimenting with new products, and putting together a bundle of unwanted but usable clothing and books to donate to local thrift/bookstores. I even plucked up the courage to drive for two hours during a road trip with Andrew, not to mention drive my car around a metropolitan city alone on a different night (totally not on my original agenda).

I have a feeling this year is going to be filled with twisted turns. The thing about surprises, though, is that you never know they’re going to happen until they hit you. Surprises also come in different packages, such as (a-hem) monthly favorites. Here are mine for January.
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Tuesday, 03 February, 2015
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Blog Update: Email Newsletter, Bloglovin & Exclusive Content!

#DailyWings: ʺBooks are the carriers of civilization…They are companions, teachers, magicians, bankers of the treasures of the mind. Books are humanity in print.ʺ -Barbara W. Tuchman

I want to say “Welcome back, dears!,” but it’s really me who’s been gone since late January. A lot of both personal and work-related deadlines piled up on me at the last minute, so I had to take care of those. I’ve missed blogging, but I have planned out a busy editorial calendar this month so you can expect lots of great content coming soon! Thanks so much for your patience.

Believe it or not, even though I haven’t posted in a while, there have been several behind-the-scenes changes to the blog over the past couple of weeks. As the blog continues to grow, one of my main goals is to foster a community where we – you and I – can interact and keep in touch with each other in a myriad of ways. In addition to my contact form and social media networks, I’ve set up a few additional services to help you to stay up-to-date with the blog, with just a few easy action items:
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Tuesday, 20 January, 2015
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My Bucket List of Good Books to Read: The TBR Book Tag

#DailyWings: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” -Martin Luther King Jr.

 Back in November, I saw that my good friend and fellow fantasy writer Sara Letourneau had posted the To-Be-Read (TBR) Book Tag on her blog. It was so much fun reading her post that I knew I wanted to do it, too! Who says you have to be tagged in order to participate in a blog tag? ;)

I don’t read as much as I should or want to. There’s not much time during the day for me to read for pleasure. Luckily, that’s what my lunch breaks at work are for. Right now, I’m re-reading “Fakebook” by Dave Cicirelli, a memoir about a social media experiment that inspired my senior honors thesis, “Behind the Blog: The Connection Between Online Social Media Personas and Reader Perspectives” (but that’s a topic for another day). I’ve been reading 15 pages a day, which I’m proud of. I hope to maintain this stride for a long time.

Reading, like writing, is an action for which you need to invest lots of time. But it’s worth it. There’s nothing better than getting transported into another dimension of time and space whenever you want to, even if it’s in your mind. You make new friends with characters and even the authors who create them. You can travel, fall in love and live a thousand lives when you read books. To me, that’s a priceless gift.

Today, I present to you my book tag Q&A:
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Wednesday, 14 January, 2015
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The SELF Diet Recipe: Stuffed Mushrooms with Cheese and Tomatoes

#DailyWings: “There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor.” -Charles Dickens

Anyone who has dined with me multiple times knows that I’m a pasta lover and always have been. I have a confession, though: Every once in a while, I get tired of noodles and crave something else that’s different. I finally learned how to make stuffed mushrooms.

When I discovered that the Alouette website has a simple recipe for stuffing mushrooms with its popular spreadable cheese, I couldn’t wait to make my own. The thing I love about Alouette cheese is that it’s both delicious and versatile. I’ve used it in sandwiches, as a dip and even for pasta sauces. It’s creamy, flavorful and, of course, cheesy. A little goes a long way.

It’s taken a long time for me to perfect these stuffed mushrooms. I’ve had more than one oven accident (see step #2). They’ve come out absolutely dry and burned, and they’ve also turned out watery. But that’s what cooking is all about: experimenting until you’re satisfied with what you’ve got.
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Tuesday, 13 January, 2015
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Charlie Hebdo and Journalism in the Marketplace of Ideas

#DailyWings: “I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it.” –Eduardo Galeano

I was at work when I learned about what had happened in Paris on January 7. At the office, we have about seven or eight television screens, all of which display breaking news from CNN or sports on a daily basis. I walked past the largest TV during lunch, a napkin and utensils in my hand, when I saw the headline about terrorists on the loose in Paris. People were wounded, even dead.

“Why would anyone want to attack the French?” was my initial reaction. Admittedly, I don’t know much about France outside of the stereotypes revealed to me through movies and other media growing up, and unfortunately I don’t follow French news the way I follow Chinese, American and UK news. Even with the underlying knowledge that French people aren’t all alike, I’d always viewed them as being romantic, chic and peaceful foodies.

It wasn’t until later that I learned three masked individuals — later discovered to be Islamists — had attacked the headquarters of Charlie Hebdo, a satirical Parisian weekly newspaper known for publishing crude, controversial material (mainly about religion and politics). The attacks didn’t stop there. Two days later, terrorists related to the first incident attacked people in a supermarket where many Jewish Parisians live and congregate.
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Thursday, 08 January, 2015
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My Mother’s Duck, ELF Eyeliner and Other December Monthly Favorites

#DailyWings: “Hitting a low note on a piano with a really good bass is like taking a bite out of a rich chocolate cake.” -Anja N.

Today’s #DailyWings is brought to you by one of my best friends, Anja. Like me, Anja grew up playing piano (we even had the same piano teacher for a while) and appreciates classical music more than anyone I know. It’s been years since she first made that simile, but it always stuck me and reminded me to appreciate all the good things in life, to live like a bon vivant. And, I mean, when you think about it, can’t you just taste that chocolate and hear that bass? (The appropriate response to this question is, yes, you are all about that bass.)

I like to call December 2014 “pre-winter.” Most of the month was characterized by relatively warm weather in North Carolina; in fact, I remember the sun was shining and caused me to sweat a day or two after Christmas! I’ve always enjoyed white Christmases the most, but the lack of snow didn’t stop me from sharing the holiday spirit or enjoying time off work with my family. Here are just a few of my highlights from December:
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Tuesday, 06 January, 2015
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My Path to a Happy Writing Life: 2015 New Year’s Resolutions

#DailyWings: “You have everything needed for the extravagant journey that is your life.” -Carlos Castaneda

Over the years, the term “New Year’s resolution” has gained a bad name for itself. In the last week alone, I saw so many posts on social media with catchy lines like, “My New Year’s resolution is to keep all the ones I had from last year” or “Whats my New Year’s resolution? To have none.”

If you’re the type of person who thinks New Year’s resolutions are tedious, useless or just plain silly, you are probably going to laugh at me. I am a New Year’s resolutions geek. (Edit: This sentence has be translated into: understatement of the year – so far.)

Every December (since 2009), I review my resolutions and check off how many I’ve kept during the last 12 months. Then, I plan out an extensive list of new resolutions for the upcoming year. For each list of resolutions, I break down different categories of my life (e.g. health, personal, writing, blogging, education) and list sub-resolutions underneath. My resolutions are saved as a simple Microsoft document, and I use Chris Guillbeau’s Annual Review spreadsheet to track my progress. Now here comes the are-you-bonkers-Wendy? part.
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Thursday, 01 January, 2015
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Cherishing 2014 and Anticipating the Future: A Year in Review

#DailyWings: “May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you’re wonderful, and don’t forget to make some art — write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself.” -Neil Gaiman

One year ago, I was about to begin my final semester of college. I was terrified of the future, of 2014 and all the uncertainty that came with the new year. Graduation was so close, yet I had nothing planned out for myself. There were many ifs about what I would be doing once I left UNC-Chapel Hill, but the challenges weren’t just technical. I was emotional about my close friends leaving – the one group of people with whom I felt I could be myself – and about entering the 9-to-5 world. When so many of my peers longed to get out of our safety bubble that was UNC-Chapel Hill, I wanted to stay for as long as possible.
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Tuesday, 23 December, 2014
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Literary Magazine Haul feat. Writer’s Relief Diversity Spotlight Prizes

#DailyWings: “Only a generation of readers will spawn a generation of writers.”
-Steven Spielberg

Back in November, I partook in the Writers of Color: Lit Mag Diversity Spotlight Contest hosted by Writer’s Relief, one of my favorite online writing resources. I loved their message of promoting diversity in literature, particularly literary magazines that explore identity topics (e.g. race, gender, sexuality, class), the histories of specific regions, bilingualism and much more.

The rules of the contest were simple: You had to subscribe to two of the print literary journals on the Writers’ Relief: Writers of Color Lit Mag Resource, sign up for the mailing list of two literary journals or donate two to of the online journals (or some combination of these choices). Like many giveaways, you could win additional points by spreading the word about the contest on social media.

I didn’t really intend on winning. After all, the prize pack looked amazing and I figured tons of people would enter the contest. So you can imagine my surprise when, a few weeks later, Writer’s Relief emailed me, saying I’d won! I received my package a couple days ago and I wanted to show you all what the prizes were – not to brag, but to share the different literary magazines out there that you may not already know about. And if you’re still on the hunt for the perfect Christmas present, a literary magazine subscription would be the perfect holiday gift for a lit lover. Without further ado, here they are:
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Wednesday, 17 December, 2014
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Winter Makeup Haul: e.l.f. Extravanga

#DailyWings: “Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams.” -Ashley Smith

Y’all. Do *not* sign up for marketing email newsletters like Sephora and e.l.f. during the holidays, because they will suck you in with amazing deals on makeup and you will never be able to get out!

…All that being said, I absolutely a all of my recent purchases from e.l.f. If you don’t know what e.l.f. is, it’s an online makeup brand that stands for eyes. lips. face. and sells high-quality beauty products for drugstore prices. (No, really. You’ll see what I mean.) Besides the occasional splurge, I usually reserve my high-end makeup money for skincare items and BB/CC creams since I want those products to really help improve my skin and combat acne. If you’re looking for a respectable makeup brand with consistently great reviews but you don’t want to risk spending a lot of money on a product you’re not sure you will like, shop at e.l.f. Most people love e.l.f.’s makeup, but even if you don’t, you’re not wasting that much.

Recently, e.l.f. has had a ton of sales on their website (just FYI, you can find their products in select stores as well). Some products have been on sale for 50% off, and they’ve also given out makeup freebies that you get with your online purchase. I got everything in my e.l.f. haul for 50% off the original price, and if you buy enough products you can get free shipping as well. I have a feeling e.l.f. is going to continue their amazing deals all through Christmas, so hustle ;)
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