Catching Up

Hullo All!

I believe you all know that I have a lot of catching up (blogging up?) to do thanks to NaNoWriMo. 

(ﾉ_ _)ﾉ

So it looks like I'll be posting frequently during this first part of December! I definitely think that's a good thing. With the holidays coming up, there are more things to see and do--so I can't wait!

We were going to pick up my new phone so that people can start contacting me again! I have to be honest, I was (and still am) enjoying the novelty of being disconnected (at least, mobile-wise. I'm obviously still active on the Internet when I'm at home), but it feels good that I can new go around the city on my own since I have something to contact my parents with. :)

But we also went around to look for winterwear (and post-halloween sales)! It's already getting colder by the day. And since we were bound for a trip soon for Thanksgiving, we had to stop by for some things for the trip.

Adding some color into my wardrobe! I love the darker colors of autumn, but I try to add more reds and oranges so I don't look too doom and gloom. (｀ε´)

I really terrible at getting other details of my outfit. Oh the woes of being your own "model"/"photographer."

But check out these feather details! I'm not entirely sure if I've shared this top before, but I'm not big into large feather prints. This is my first and I guess I couldn't stay away from the soft fabric or these colors!

I wasn't a big fan of my mom's orangey-yellow scarf either a few years ago, but I totally gravitate towards it now!

Shades are a gray area for me. I can never really confidently say whether I look good in them or not. "They never seem to fit my nose right"--that's something that Flynn Rider might say.

Yep, I'm ever the classy one.

Mandatory "oh, I didn't see you there because of my shades" photo. 

(I'm such a loser. *・_・)ノ⌒*

Admittedly, I didn't get to take a lot of photos while shopping. I'm never good at restraining myself from being engrossed in shopping! 

I did, however, spot this adorable Christmas tree! While and purple with hints of gold and blue? You got me!

Hello cute little purple birdie! Can I take you and your tree home?

One of the reasons why I shop. :)) I'm a cheap, cheap vulture.

Rainbow-colored candy canes!

Trivia: candy-canes are my go-to gift for Christmas when it comes to acquaintances like teachers, other classmates that I'm not too close with, orgmates. I believe everyone should get a gift for Christmas (from me) and so how can I go wrong with a sweet, minty treat? :)

There are pastel-colored ones, mother of all candies!

I believe this is my sole photo from when I was shopping for boots. We went into DSW and Payless. Alas, DSW was way beyond my budget, so Payless it was!

Up next is an Instagram mega post! If you want to follow me, you can! :)

Tuttah,

Mishie

Achievement Unlocked: NaNoWriMo

Hullo All! I

ヾ(ﾟ∀ﾟゞ)

So as you can see, I have now emerged from the hole that was NaNoWriMo!

(((＠°▽°＠)八(＠°▽°＠)))

There has been a lack of update on the blogging front, but I assure you no lack of inspiration (or want to blog) on my part. When I ended my Vlogtober Journey last October 31, I mentioned that I was considering embarking on yet another journey via NaNoWriMo.

For those who have never heard of it, NaNoWriMo (which I pronounce as "nah-know-rye-mow" as opposed to "ree-mow") stands for National Novel Writing Month. For about a decade now, NaNoWrimo has been around encouraging everyone to sit down every day for the entire month of November and write a fifty-thousand word novel. Yep, a novel. 

As you can imagine, when I first heard of this in 2009, my inner wannabe writer self came out. That is to say, my wannabe writer self wanted to expand its territory. Circa 2009 was the year I was already very involved in writing because of my thesis in Communication Arts wherein I wrote a 90-minute screenplay. Of course, with screenplays being more of "Show, Not Tell," NaNoWriMo was another creature on its own. 

The truth is, with the number of great novels out there (and fine, let's include even the shady, disappointing ones), it's a bit intimidating. Not to mention, writing a good novel takes years. Imagine how many NaNoWriMo's J.K. Rowling had to go through to finish the Potter Septology. 

But here's the thing that is so nice, I find, about NaNoWriMo. It's summarized into this nice quote by John Green which I made a graphic for. 

I've always had "Write A Novel" in my Bucket List (even if I can't find the tangible list I've got). And this was just perfect for me.

I've been trying for two years to get involved with it, but with school and work commitments sprouting up every year, it had been difficult for me to sit down and write after a long and exhausting day. That is not to say, of course, that it cannot be done if you have school or go to work--lots of NaNoWriMo winners do have classes and day jobs, and I applaud them for accomplishing the challenge!

As for me, this would be my third try at it, and I knew that this year had to be the year I accomplished it. Most of my time was spent at home nowadays. And although there is no lack of things to do (I am never bored, honestly), I wanted to think that third time is the charm for me and NaNo. 

So, I did it! And as you can see with the Word Count Calendar from the NaNoWriMo website, I had quite a lot of No Writing days. ﾍ(￣ ￣;ﾍ) 

A normal day at the Mishie-is-Desperate-to-Catch-Up-and-Win-NaNoWriMo-Table.

My NaNoWriMo battlegear! 

(off topic: I snagged this really comfy Hanes Soft  Sweats hoodie for $11! It's fleece inside so I'm kept nice and warm! I got it two sizes large so it's huggy and roomy ●´∀｀●)

But despite falling behind for around ten days thanks to our Thanksgiving trip (which I will write about right after this), I managed to catch up and haul my literary ass to the finish line!

A great way to end the month!

(And, why yes, that is the title of my novel.)

I can't believe I made it to 50,335 words. And the strange part is, I'm not even finished! The goal of the challenge was to reach 50,000 words but many people might be surprised that a lot of participants surpass that number to finish their novels. 

After noting it down in Word, my novel reached 139 pages of short bond paper. That's a lot but, I realize, still not as many as the 600++ pages of a standard Potter book. So, I don't feel bad that I'm barely half-way through my novel. There is still at lot meant to happen in the plot but I didn't feel comfortable with rushing it just to finish it. In case I don't have the time to continue it (although I do now and I will), there will always be next year to finish it! :) Yey!

And now that you know the reason from my blog absence, you'll be happy to know that I have a lot of things to share with you guys about the other things that happened since I blogged last! 

☆*:.｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*☆

Tuttah,

Mishie