Sunday, September 30, 2012

What I Was Up To All Summer...

So, those who ever take the time to read my blog, I was slightly busy this summer with a writing project. It's finally fall and I have to put it down for a while. I love it so much, I just can't seem to tear myself away for more than a week or two, and then a page or a scene comes smashing onto the white paper in little black lines and circles that I just can't stop.
I realize I've posted maybe an excerpt and a description of the story once, but I feel like introducing some characters with pictures, so I'm going to do so (a night where I finally have lots of spare time...) ^^

Onew, or Lee Jinki. Not very creative, am I?
 Main Male Character (the story is written from his perspective every other chapter-probably not the 'correct' style, but something I've done with characters since I read the Viking Quest Series and the Artemis Fowl books)
Name: Lee JinKi (all Korean names are last name first). Also goes by Jay Lee as an Americanized name.
Age: 23
Height: 5'8"
Profession: Secretary for his father.
Hobbies: Reading, browsing the internet, watching TV on and off when he has time, and a number of random and indescribable things such as studying the time it takes to finish a lollipop, how many different blue M&Ms he received (not because he likes blue but because Kibum does), and what interesting dishes the Vietnamese-Korean-Mexican fusion restaurant down the street might be making. He's definitely a varied individual. To spite his respectable, routine and factual job, he's an artistic soul that shies away from a lot of commitments-ones he isn't manipulated into making, that is.



 Female Main Character (who also gets the POV half the time)

Name: Mina Kwon/Cole-after her father's death she went by her stepmother's name.
Age: 22
Height: 5'3"
Profession: Majoring in Creative Writing at Covenant College in Chattanooga, TN.
Hobbies: Reading, watching Korean and Taiwanese dramas, listening to music, writing, learning Spanish, and online forum discussions. She enjoys such things that most people don't notice them; artistic touches to anything make her heart sing. She doesn't view herself as particularly skilled in anything, but takes a lot of pride in her writing.
Kim So Eun. I didn't want to have her as Mina, initially, but finally gave in. I think Kim So Eun is one of the prettiest girls alive. I feel a little sorry for JinKi, putting her next to him...he would feel insecure about his looks...-_-




















Side Characters...

Name: Kim Kibum (aka Key)
Age: 20
Height: 5'9"
Profession: Hallyu Star.
Hobbies: Kibum likes to look spectacular and finds fashion the next best thing to being a pop star, so he spends a great amount of time on his hair, face and clothes. Owning expensive, high-quality European items is something he take great satisfaction in. When he's not worrying about fashion, he practices dancing, singing and rapping. When he's not doing that, he's generally sleeping. Likes to be in charge, so he's normally the leader of his friend group, and tends to be particular about activities. JinKi's half-brother.


Kim Kibum. Once again, I am uncreative with names. I decided to keep this man as the Hallyu star that he is- a giant leap for me, since I normally avoid celebrity characters. Yet I just couldn't imagine Kibum any other way.




















Choi SeungHyun-I chose him on the spot for his quiet, intimidating face.
Name: Park Yoon Seong. Also goes by Victor David Park.
Age: 25
Height: 5'10"
Profession: Graduate Student-he wants to teach History on the college level.
Hobbies: Once again, reading, listening to music (likes a lot of different genres), watches a little television, jogging, swimming, and Tae Kwon Do. Finds almost any fact interesting; could tell you how to put a car together, even if he can't do it himself. Dislikes too much theory and math. Very good with words; Korean, German and English ones, so he has been known to write in his spare time-mostly poetry/lyrics. Introverted, careful and observant, he doesn't like anything that requires him to jump too far out of his comfort-zone.






 Name: Park ChunHee
Age: 18
Height: 5'7"
Profession: Freshman college student-was going to major in Business but that's not going too well...
Hobbies: Gaming, listening to music, drawing, hanging out with friends, partying, drinking, and playing the violin. He's a conflicted individual with some difficult problems, including depression. In the time-span of a mere plane-ride from Seoul to Newark, he's gone from a rebellious teen on a wrecking, attention-getting spree to a lonely young man in a dangerous foreign country, engaged in a confused and hopeless paradox of skipping class, drinking his troubles away, and breaking laws that he never heard of in Korea. His grudge against the United States as a whole leads him to refuse to speak English, except a few choice words like 'yes', 'no' and 'every curse word I can throw at you in 30 seconds flat'.
Victor's older sister's eldest child.
*Yeah, this turned into more of a bio...but I gotta explain why someone spends time drinking and breaking laws...

I needed a teenage face that looked good while being smug-and I found Chunji, the 'ulzzang' or 'pretty faced' member of Teen Top. He does have a completely awful, smug little brat expression in the video 'Don't Spray Perfume'. I definitely wanted that expression. Image how disappointed I was to find Chunji is actually a sweetie who usually never looks smug...terrible for finding pictures!



There is also a very brief appearance by the Korean indie group 'Nell'. YAY!

So there's the cast. ^^ This is such a drama storyline, hahaha...


 -Argentia






Tuesday, September 25, 2012

YOLO-You Obviously Love Onew


Photo manipulation my mom did with her shiny new camera. It looks like the dunes are flooded. Or spilling out water, like magic Inca waterfalls. Okay, I need sleep.


 Hahaha, I kept seeing this at the Outer Banks! Literally every other t-shirt had YOLO on it. YOLO actually means 'You Only Live Once'. Simon and Martina apparently think it means 'You Obviously Love Onew' which is probably quite true. ^o^ I didn't know it was a trend until now. Shows you how out of American pop-culture I am. 

 So, recently I closed my facebook in hopes that I would dedicate more time to my studies. It looks like I'll have to quite my YouTube stuff as well. -_- It makes me sad to know it takes up that much of my time, blahhhhhhh...anyway, so much school work! College is different from high school and completely and utterly foreign compared to home school.
 I've been working today on some weird flier I have to do for US History. My experience at college is I expect it to be worse than it is and when relax and I don't expect it its horrible. >.<
 My most interesting experiences recently have been Spanish and people that have trouble with staring. Spanish is more than just difficult for me; it's starting to feel a bit impossible. I hate the fact that I can't seem to memorize any of my grammar! It's starting to feel like Latin which is sending red flags as big as Alaska and as tall as Taipei 101. Not good.
 Either way, I think my relationship with Spanish will progress, and I shall have to learn the language. I can't help but grin from ear to ear when I hear the utility workers at college blabbering to one another en espanol. I'm sure my profesora thinks I'm totally psycho.

 The second interesting thing as of late are the weird people that I find staring at me. I've discovered three different ways to stare at someone.
 1. O.O
 2. O.o
 3. 8|

It's funny I should say that, because I seem to stare at people a LOT myself. I don't try to do it, but sometimes it just happens when I'm zoning out or I'm really curious about the person. To spite every attempt to avoid it (like I attempt not worrying about people and not biting my nails!) it still seems to happen. Maybe that's what's wrong with the people that I've caught staring at me? I sure hope so.

 I have a computer class in the morning. Oh, my lovely blog, I will see you later.

-Argentia



Saturday, September 22, 2012

He's Leaving...

Black hair framing a gentle face, skin kissed by sun
Black eyes that glitter with childish whims
He gives me a bright grin, showing crooked teeth
And I find I must smile softly back at him

I met him on the warm streets in the evening
Beneath the glorious moon, in front of that magical place
His white button-down untucked, his black slacks wrinkled
A winning smile plastered on his dreamy young face

In that single moment, I knew there was nothing to be done
I couldn't tell him to leave or to stay
His suitcase hung over his shoulder as he walked alone
The man made his way into my heart that day

Tonight, my heart feels like it will shatter, each piece a memory
The warm pavement, afternoon ice cream, evening walks
Each magical moment of freedom, each whisper of romance he brought me
All of them will dissapear with his absence

He takes my hand and leads me out onto the still, quiet beach
'Let's take a walk?' he entreats with puppy-eyes
'I can't, it's cold,' and without a word across my shoulders his arms reach
His warmth is like the fiery sun; boldly passionate, gently reassuring

My footsteps in the cold sand, he hums a sweetly sad tune under his breath
I inch a little closer to him and catch the faint thumping of his heart
As the waves beat against the shore in time, a choppy rhythm like our thoughts
I clutch the slightly weathered, long fingers of his brown hand tighter

'Ouch, you're squeezing', but I don't care, and the thoughts of his departure cloud my good judgement
He continues to ignore my silence, chatting about the sea, the skittering creatures, the winds
The stars, brighter than any night yet, are a parade of celestial wonders, marching to God's alignment 
My lonesome heart replays the song of life in it's fullest bloom

There he stops, his feet planted in the soft sand, and he sighs, like he's afraid of it himself
He takes his arm from my shoulders and bows his head, black, windswept hair
'I've got to go now,' he explains in his painfully quiet voice, barely above a whisper 
I try my hardest to look at him and nod, but I feel angry and upset inside

'For how long?' I ask, but before I receive an answer, his lips touch mine
A brief peck of a kiss, rushing pulse, scattered emotions, overwhelmed in the sensation
Summer lets my hand slip from his
And turns away.

-Argentia Krystofel (9-21-12)







Thursday, September 20, 2012

Day 28-A Scar You Have and it's Story

 So, a scar I have...hahaha. My poor little brother.

 You see, when I was a toddler and my brother could barely talk, he took to biting people. I'm not sure why he decided that biting was a good idea, but he did it when he was both angry and not.

 One day, he decided he was going to bite me. And not just bite me, but really *nail* me.

 Naturally, as Avery has always done, he did exactly what he determined he was going to do.

 Afterwards ensued doctors visits for an infection and antibiotics and Mom biting Avery back (not as hard, of course!) to teach him a lesson. Not surprisingly, after that day he decided he was going to stop biting people.

 The scar is on my lower back, right above where I normally wear my jeans. It's about the size of my thumb...I guess an inch long and half an inch wide.

 Of course, Avery and I hold no lasting grudges over this event.

-Argentia

Day 26-A Childhood Memory









My fondest childhood memories are of my parents reading these books to me. The Foot Book was my favorite book as a baby-this is not my original book, but a newer one, because I wore the original one out. ^^



This book belonged to my mother! I always loved the pretty colors and the hilarious story. Honestly, I had no strong interest in Asia at the time; but I thought the guy on Iron Chef was so cool and funny-sounding and the Emperor of Japan was a little stuffy in comparison. =P I formulated too many opinions as a child.




This book makes me think of MY Daddy reading to me before bed. I love it.








This book is a favorite among all five of the siblings. We've had to hide it from one too many two-year-olds. I was so upset when the bathroom page ripped and Daddy had to tape it! It was my favorite! >.<




This is a book Mom bought me when I was about 9. It's really cute and the artwork is so delicate and detailed. I really appreciate this pretty present from her and I love how humorously the story ends.




For some reason, as a child I always thought this was the way OUR house was made so pretty. My parents DID buy an old, ram-shackle house and have to do a lot of repairs, but there was no farm or hatched roof. XD

This book is one which I bought in Food Lion a few years ago, when my sister was a toddler. I remember telling my mom that it would be a great book to read to her. At first, I thought it might be Japanese, but then discovered with a twinge of dismay that it was set in South Korea. A short-lived disappointment, of course, as I flipped though the pages to discover the beautiful artwork and heart-warming story. Needless to say, it was hard to convince my mom to let me buy the book about a country I had never held any interest in!




-Argentia