Terrible English From Myself

I really have no idea what I am going to blog about...... I tend to think to myself "I should write in my blog" and then sit staring at the screen for an hour or so thinking about random unrelated things that are floating around in my head. I do that a lot, sit around staring blankly at nothing thinking about things, it's very relaxing. I live a lot in my head, thinking about my future, regretting past actions and thinking up witty replies to conversations that have already happened. I've noticed I'm a lot braver in my imagination than in real life. Man I hate it when I start every sentence with I and I've, it's really uninteresting to read when each sentence starts the same way........ And I repeated 'lot' three sentences in a row......  *facepalm*

On a completely unrelated topic I have been reading a biography of writer Michael Morpurgo titled "War child  to War Horse". It is a fantastic read which opens your eyes to a child who struggled to write two pages on a topic during his school years and the journey to becoming a critically aclaimed author off well over a hundred stories. His life story is fascinating, though depressing in parts, and I would definately recomend reading the book, especially if you have read any of his other titles (e.g. War Horse, Private Peaceful, Arthur, High King of Britain or any of the numerous others). A big thankyou to my brother who bought me this book for my bithday :D You are awesome :)

I haven't quite finnished the afore mentioned book yet but when I do I'm going to begin The Hunchback of Notre Dame which reminds me of a book that I just finished. The Scarlett Pimpernall. This was a thoroughly  enjoyable book which is set during the French Revolution and the dark days of the Guillotiene. Once again it was a fantastic read and told the story of a group of English Gentleman who smuggle French nobles across the channel to the safety of England. Throughout most of the novel you are left in the dark as to who the hero actually is and instead watch the plans of the French to capture him unfold. This creates a  unique sense of suspense which enthralled me and although I did predict who the Scarlett Pimpernell was successfully I was still unsure how he would evade the clutches of his enemy. There is even romance in this book if you need that to enjoy a story so I enthuisiastically recomend this book!!

I'm going to go do something productive, like vacuum my room now.

Ttfn, tah tah for now :)
if you get that reference you're awesome ;)

Part 2: The Strikers

Yep I've skipped the midfield but I will get back to them don't worry. I don't have the time to give the middle the overhaul it deserves so I've jumped to our Attack.

The Forwards                         

Let's be honest, the loss of Robin Van Percie who was the best player in the Premier League last year, as well as the top scorer, is no little deal and it's hurt us up front. But I still think we've got some exciting talent that cannot be ignored.

Lucas Podolski
I spent all of last season hoping that we would sign the German striker and, when we did, I was an extremely happy chappy. Making his first appearance for Arsenal over the weekend Lucas didn't have the greatest of starts but he has proven himself before. Podolski has had enormous success on the international stage having won his 100th cap for Germanyduring the 2012 Euro's. During these 100 matches he has averaged about a goal every two games.

He is not in the same league as Van Percie but, once he settles down, he will be an enormous asset up front for the Gunnners.

Olivier Giroud
Another Frenchman to join the long list of Arsene Wenger's French footballers Giroud is another Goal scoring striker. Again he's not a Van Percie but I think Arsenal supporters need to stop comparing players to the Premier League's greatest striker. At 6 ft 3 the Frenchman adds height to Arsenal's attack but he's much mre than just tall. His footwork, comfort on the ball and work off the ball led him to be joint top scorer in the top flight off French football last year with 25 qoals in 43 appearances.

I have high hopes for his future at the club and I think that Giroud and Podolski will make a fine strike partnership up front for Arsenal.

Marouane Chamakh
1 goal in 19 matches last season says it all. I don't see him doing much more this season and I can't see him starting in matches ahead of Giroud and Podolski.


Nicklas Bendtner

I think Denmark's star striker is a quality forward who is willing to score goals but I feel like he is on the way out and, too be honest, I think it would be better for his career. He had a solid year at Sunderland last season and maybe he should sign a long term deal with the english club.

Ju Young Park
Park has a lot to prove this season. He only made seven appearances for Arsenal last season as Robin Van Percie's superb form left no room for anyone else to shine. But this could very well be the Korean's year. He has shown glimpses of brilliance, His goal in the League Cup for example, and he has definately got very deft footwork.

Of our second-tier strikers I definately put Park at the top of the list and I think that he could really prove himself this season.

And that is Arsenal's forwards. We definately have talent up front but said talent needs to stand up and be counted this season. We aren't able to rely on RVP scoring once a week for us anymore and we desperately need our strikers to work hard at creating goal-scoring opportunities this season.

See you guys next time for part 3: The Midfield

Part 1: The Defense

This post was inspired by the series of blogs a friend of mine wrote on  Manchester United's premier League squad at We Are United

So I am going to review the Arsenal Squad for this year's Premier League beginning with the defenders.

 The Defense                                                   

Thomas Vermaelen

Arguably the greatest defender in the premier league the Belgian centre-back has been an enormous part of Arsenal's defence since he moved from Dutch club Ajax in the summer of 2009. He had a superb first season and, not only did he provide outstanding defensive performances he also scored 7 times in his 33 performances. He missed most of the 2010-2011 season with a tendon issue but he returned for the 2011-2012 season and scored 6 goals, including winners against Newcastle and Everton, as well as showing his superb ability to defend. Thomas also demonstrated his adaptability when he was forced to play left back when injuries ruled out Kieran Gibb and Andre Santos.

Definately Arsenal's strongest and most skilled defender I predict another solid season for Vermaelen and don't be surprised to see him score some important goals.

Laurent Koscielny

Definately an "up and coming" defender Koscielny had a solid season last year for the Gunners and was easily the second choice centre back.

He wasn't outstanding at the start of the season but Laurent worked hard to improve and, by the end of the season, he was definately "up there". His hard work paid off when he made the French squad for the 2012 Euro's. He was one of his side's better preformers in their semi final loss to Spain.

Barcary Sagna

In his sixth season with the club the Frenchman has played over 200 matches for Arsenal and has preformed superbly in almost all of them.

His consistancy and class makes him an automatic starter however some horror injuries ruled him out of half of last season. He was hugely missed as Arsenal's defence never really fired. Fingers crossed his return to full fitness heralds some solidity in the back for Arsenal

Johan Djourou

Yes he is a centre-back at heart but the Swiss showed last season that he can fit in anywhere in the back playing as Full-back during Arsenal's injury crisis last season. He's been with the team since 2003 and although there are better defenders out there Djourou is a solid back-up come an inevitable injury.

Per Mertesacker

I'm still not convinced by Per. I feel like he still hasn't shown the form that helped him make it into Germany's World Cup squad but, if he does, then he will definately be a regular starter in the middle of the pitch alongside Vermaelan.

Carl Jenkinson, Keiran Gibbs, Andre Santos and Sebastian Squillaci

Gibbs and Jenkinson are reasonable players and have shown that they can preform at the top levels and although they don't set the world alight they have shown their class. I like Jenkinson's attacking runs down the wings and Gibbs is definately Arsenal's best left-back. They are both young players and I definately think that they have got bright futures.

Santos on the other hand..... I still feel like he belongs on the wing. That was the position he played when he scored 17 goals in 28 games for Atletico Mineiro. I don't like him as a defender abd I can't see him getting much game time.
I know absolutely nothing about Squillaci and can't comment on him here, but I can't see him getting much game time this season.

So there we go. Part 1 of my review. I'll be doing pieces on Midfielders and Attackers as well as a final piece overviewing my thoughts on the best side for Wenger to put on the field.

Bye for now! :D

Simple Pleasures

Almost every day I take a moment to take a deep breath. In through my nose and out through my mouth. This may seem slightly odd but I get a ridiculous amount of pleasure out of this simple exercise.

Up until this February I had been unable to do this. For as long as I can remember I've been unable to breath through my nose. I've taken multiple different sprays/tablets and nothing has helped. I went to a specialist and they got me to try all the sprays again. Finally I had an operation but still nothing. So I went back to the specialist. However since I had just been moved into the adult list I had to go through more nasal sprays that did nothing. Finally in February I had a more serious operation and, IT WORKED!!!!!!

Now when I breath through my nose air actually fills my lungs. This may seem like a minor inconvenience to you but it was a horrible experience and now that I'm past it the simple pleasure of breathing is amazing.

This made me wonder. How many 'simple pleasures' do we take for granted? Because there is so much in our lives to enjoy that we take for granted.

On another note my adorable kitten Mouse has pretty much recovered from his Conjunctivitis and minor viral infection in his upper respiratory tract. This means no more forcing ointment into his eye while he squirms to escape.

Also I finally finished an essay I've been 'working on' for a couple of weeks. I was told to argue that the punishment should fit the crime in 600-900 words. By the way by working on it for a couple if weeks I mean that I started and finished it in two hours this morning. To be honest I hated the topic. My mind kept wandering into the psychological side of who decides what punishment fits what crime. That wasn't the topic though so I forced myself to write and now it's finished.

Good night my 5 followers :)

Snowflake

I sit down at the computer and decide to blog. So I open Blogger and spend half an hour staring at the screen thinking of things to write but typing nothing. *facepalm*

I think it's because I always overthink my writing. I'm always worried that people won't like what I write. That is one of the main reasons that my book series is still in the 'planning' stage. I know what I want to write and I've actually written a reasonable amount but I've scrapped most of it. So, although I've spent hours working on it, I've only got a few paragraphs of 'official' script.

Just having a bit of a laugh at myself cause I noticed that my first two paragraphs started with "I" and I mentally told myself not to start this paragraph with it. (Notice how by writing that sentence I prevented this blog from having it's first three paragraphs starting with "I"?) :D 

Anyways as I was saying, I really want to have at least a first copy of my manuscript finished by the end of this year. Don't know if that will happen but I'm hoping that it will. I decided to change the climax of my first book because I wasn't very happy wiith how the story flowed and I thought it had too many holes. This gave me an excellent reason to rewrite my entire story plan using the 'Snowflake Method' that I read about on one of the writing blogs I read but don't follow.

The 'Snowflake Method' is a very structured way of preparing your manuscript which I really like because I am a big fan of structure. It also makes sure that you always know what the part of your manuscript you are writing is supposed to accomplish. Which, hopefully, will mean that my manuscript will be completed this year.

Well I'm going to have dinner now. I felt like blogging about something else but, maybe next time.

Have an awesome day/night :D

A Lost World

So my English tutor got me to write a short story on the theme "A lost world". Here's what I came up with feel free to comment :)

 Dust rose like clouds, enveloping her as she walked and guarding the secrets of what lay ahead. Slowly – inch-by-inch – she crept forward into the forgotten world, peering into the gloom. What lay hidden from her sight? As she walked her mind sensed the memories locked in this crumbling land.

“Why won't Mummy and Daddy stop fighting?” 

The whimpers of a heart-broken child echoed through the decades. Suddenly there rose out of the mist a mammoth pillar, tattered and fallen. Looming before her, an obstacle to be overcome in the twilight world. She stretched out and grasped a hold of the straggly pieces of rope, all that was left of the broken leg's fur – once so thick and glossy. Rising out of the dust she surmounted the relic of a distant age. Her new world stretched out before her. Ahead she could see a plateau partially submerged in the dust like an island floating in a sea of shadowy mist.

“Where is my teddy Mum?” Asked the child with tears in his eyes. “I told you Daddy broke it's leg so I've put it somewhere safe,” was the reply. “But It's so dark in there, teddy will be scared.” The child pleaded. “You're teddy doesn't have feelings. Now stop whining and go finish packing your bags!” 

The fading land's doleful memories washed over her as she looked for a place to call her own. Descending once again into the shadowy fog, she left the leg and forged towards the plateau, well aware that time was short. However the ground felt different to her. It was smoother than before she had overcome the pillar. As she looked down her legs disturbed the mist enough for her to see. An oblong sheet lay on the floor. Three sides appeared smooth but the fourth side was a ragged edge, distorting the picture that occupied the expanse. 

“How had it come to this?” The woman wondered as she held the torn photo in her hand. The photo of their family that was now just a photo of her. 

Leaving the photo and the family's memories behind she reached the beginning of the climb that might lead her to her home. Desperation drove her like a pitiless master. They were coming and instinct told her that she wasn't ready. She fought, struggled, and battled and then she was there. She had made it to the plateau. But there was no time for her to recuperate. Despairing, she scoured the face, body and arms of the plateau, an inborn thought told her that this was the wrong place. Then her cheek tingled. Reaching out her face she strained all her senses. Somewhere deep inside her a pale flicker of hope blossomed into flame. She could feel the slightest of breezes and she knew where she needed to make her dwelling. Racing across the plateau she sprinted down the side. Mist billowed around her as the demented dash took her to the one place her family would be safe. 

“Wait!” Despairing he tore after the car but it was no use. “Please come back! I'm sorry! I'm sorry.....” They were gone. He returned to his home but it was no longer a home. He had lost the things most important to him and he would never get them back. He hurriedly packed a bag, locked the door and left never to return to the place where he had ruined everything. 

A dying memory for a dying land.
Her hectic dash didn't stop when she reached the boundary of the expanse. Instead it carried her up all the way up the wall until she finally came to a stop in the uppermost corner. The one place where the dust could not linger. A crack in the wood allowed a faint breeze to seep into the nook and she knew that she had succeeded. She gazed over the path that her journey had taken. She looked at the teddy bear that was slowly succumbing to the ravages of time and she watched as the dust settled after her flight. Silence reigned over her home. She had chosen the right place, her babies would be safe. And as she lay dying, consumed by her struggle, new life was born into the fading land. In an old cupboard, under derelict stairs, in a disregarded house, defenceless, little spiders tentatively explored their new world.

Great Glaux

The book series 'Guardians of Ga'hoole' by Katherine Lasky has always left me feeling very disappointed. And reading it again has reminded me just how close she got to writing a very good book series. Intriguing characters, a strong plot and very interesting sub-plots are all found in the story but are left unfulfilled by a lack of book length and quality of writing.

Now I'm not saying it's poorly written, because for a children's story it is well-written, but I just wish that it had been written for an older audience. The ideas just feel too complicated for a children's story (eg. Fleckasia, Higher Magnetics, shattering and moon blinking).

I just can't get over how good her ideas were.... St. Aegolius Caverns, A rogue smith from Silverveil, even the way she describes the air and how the owl's mold it to aid their flight is incredible (to me).

That is probably one of the strengths of her story. The way she describes the air. Each kingdom has different patterns and ways that the air moves and even fire has it's own air patterns. The young owls are taught how to find updrafts, how to create, almost, vacuums to carry injured owls, and especially how to fight and use the wind to their advantage.

There are so many great things about the books and that is why I am left feeling disappointed whenever I read them because it could have been a great series but instead it isn't quite good enough.....

"Are you really an owl, Aunty? he wanted to ask. are you really a true Snowy Owl descended from Glaux, come from the North Kingdoms - or are you a white demon? 

-The Capture