W is for Warrior

The picture that comes to mind when I think about a Warrior is fearless, intense and hust out for justice.

According to TheComplete Writer's Guide to  Heroes and Heroines: 16 Master Archetypes by Tami C Cowden, Caro LaFever and Sue Viders, the warrior is driven, remote and controlled. Dark and dangerous, justice is this man's watchword. He sees everything i black and white, right or wrong. Shades of gray are an anathema to him. He is the judge and jury, and if necessary, the hangman too. He is Tenacious, Principled and Noble. His flaws  are: Self-righteous, Relentless and Merciless.
 Whoa! *taking a deep breath*. This guy is all sorts of intense, I think.

Just the other day, I watched Braveheart, one of my all time favourites, starring Mel Gibson as William Wallace and began analysing his character. It's a bloody movie, but gives a wonderful example of the Warrior Archetype.
 After returning home from abroad, William Wallace falls in inlove with his childhood sweetheart and secretly marries her. The next day one of the soldiers attempt to rape her, but is comes through ok and  Wallace sends her off on horseback, but is later captured and executed. All in all after witnessing the injustices surrounding him and losing his loved ones, he is compelled to rebel against the English and helps his army leading them to victory at the Battle of Stirling Bridge. Even to his death, he refuses to beg for mercy and he was still shouting 'Freedom' as his last words before he is executed.

Bloody, dark and a film that potrays a true warrior. There are other films out there that portray this archetype, but this is the one I came up with when I thought about the 'W' letter.

Oh, yeah Buffy is a warrior, unafraid to rush in and slay those vampires.

What characters do you admire in a Warrior? Any examples of Warriors you know, whether from personal experience or books or movies?

V is for Venice and Vienna

Oh, Venice! The home to the famous Italian baroque composer, Antonio Vivaldi, and one of the most beautiful places in the world.
Venice is one of those places right up there on my list that I'd love to visit hopefully soon.

Things to do while in Venice - although I hear it is expensive, they have a gift for bargaining the price. And if they do it like we do in Kenya, then I'm sure I'll be fine. haha.

1. Get around in a gondola -this is is up, up there on my list :)
2. Visit the carnivale dressed and masked like it's going out of style.
3. Check out Casa Di Giuletta, probably write a note or two to Romeo -oh which reminds me of the movie Letters to Julia....so romantic.
4. Take a Grand Tour on the Canal

The carnival starts 40 days before Easter and ends the day before Ash Wednesday. According to history, the Venica Carneval tradition started in 1162.




Vienna and Venice have one thing in common. Well, alot, but one thing I found out while researching for a project was that Vivaldi moved from Venice to Vienna.

Vienna is where I live, and it is one of the most beautiful places I've ever lived in. It is  the capital city of Austria, the City Of Music, and the place Sigmund Freud developed his ideas. Although, he was born in Moravia, his family moved to Vienna when he was 5. There are also other important personalities who were known to have been born or had lived in Vienna. Another example is the brilliant Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Although he was born in Salzburg, was a court musician in Salzburg, he visited Vienna in 1781 and chose to stay. Maria Antoinette the Archduchess of Austria and Queen of France was born here as well.
It is said that the name Vienna is of Celtic origins. The history of Vienna goes back to 500BC when the Celts settled along the Danube river. Later on during the middle ages, Vienna was home to the Babenburg Dynasty and later became the resident city of the Habsburg dynasties

Things to do while in Vienna:

I wrote a couple of posts of places to visit for this challenge, like Schönbrunn Palace, the Opera. Other places worth seeing are the St Stephen's Cathedral which is located in the 1st District in Vienna. The interior is magnificent and so is the view up on the Northern Tower of the Cathedral, where you experience a beautiful view of the city.
In summer, one can enjoy sitting outside the cafes, enjoy Viennese coffee and pastries, or have the most delicious ice cream ever. Take a walk along the cobbled stoned 'Am Graben'. This street is reserved for pedestrians and is scattered with shops, cafes.


The Mozarthaus is one place to visit if you'd like to know more about Mozart and his geniusness. Everything Mozart plus conzerts are held here. This is the entrance, the area around it is still maintained - sort of medieval style.

Belvedere - this is a historical building which used to be the summer palace of Prince Eugene of Savoy. It consists of two Baroque palaces. Belvedere is know for its beautiful gardens and museum. This is quite a huge place, and worth the time.




Prater - It's a large public park and houses the  largest amusement park in Austria, known for the Giant Ferris wheel.

Last week, my daughter and I did an impromptu visit to Madame Toussands at the Prater. She wasn't feeling so well, and her paedetrician's is to the park. It was fun. Here are some photos of her. I can guarantee you after this trip, she was feeling much, much better..LOL

U is for Unwritten

Sometimes life seems to spin round and round, and hardly have my toes touched the ground, it takes off again.

Ever woken up and felt as if everything seemed to be repeating itself like the previous days, months, or years before? Feel as if you neither moving forward not back, always standing in the same place, sinking, sinking into the quicksand called life?

Yep. I felt that way today. Sort of like that movie Groundhog Day starring Bill Murray. Alarm went off, woke up, zombie-shuffled into the bathroom, took a shower, drank my tea and dashed out of the door to catch my bus at 6am. Yesterday was the same, and the day before, and the day before (I'm really glad I have some off days coming up..phew. :D)

Anyway, once I plugged my earphones in my ears, and pressed a song from my mobile and relaxed, I realised it was one of my favourite songs. And I haven't listened to in a while: Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield. Not only are the lyrics uplifting, she has a fantastic voice.

Later on I thought  about my morning. Every morning I get the gift of waking up, watch the sun rise (or the drizzling rain). What I choose to do about my day, is up to me. I have the ability to decide if it will be as boring or consuming as the previous one. Open a blank page, write. No one else can write it for me. With that I'd like to share Natasha's song from Youtube. Hope it brightens your day. :)




Ever felt as if you are having Groundhog Day? What do you think about 'writing the unwritten'?

T is for Tsavo

In mood for a safari? Tsavo National Park is the place to be.

Tsavo National Park is Kenya's largest parks. It is divided into Tsavo East and Tsavo West. The difference between these two is the terrain. Tsavo West has more hills and mountains than East. This park is managed by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS). The climate is warm and dry, ideal for any safari fan. Tsavo East is patrolled by large herds of elephants. The largest lava flow in the world, about 300 kilometres in length can be found in this area. There is an abundance of lodges and camps, whichever one prefers.

From 1996 to 2001, I worked in one of the most beautiful lodges in I have even been to and seen. Salt Lick Lodge in the Tsavo West. At that time they were owned by Hilton Hotels, but now belong to Sarova Hotels.  This beautifully built lodge is divided into two wings. A bridge connects the two. The restaurant and reception are at the centre.

The area around the Salt Lick Lodge is not fenced in, so the wildlife strolls by and during the dry season, come in search of water. (There is a water hole at the front)



The other attraction is, watching the sun rise while flying inside a hot air balloon. This was one of the best experiences ever for me.  It gives one a whole new dimension of game viewing, as well as this exhilirating feeling that I can't just describe.

Man Eaters of Tsavo (The scary and dangerous times)

Written by Colonel JH Patterson, it is a true story and tells of when he was in charge of building a bridge for the Uganda Railway over the Tsavo river in 1898. During the night some of his workers were continually being dragged from their tents and then killed by to large male lions. After some time the workers started to believe that because the lions were so fearless, it was actually the Devil in the shape of a lion that was doing this.

In December 1898, after the death toll had risen to 28 Indian workers and a large number of locals, work on the bridge was brought to a halt, until the lions had been shot. After many nights of waiting, Colonel Patterson did eventually kill the lions, which are now on display in the Chicago Natural History Museum in the USA.Source

Author Interview with T. Michelle Nelson

Today I have the pleasure of hanging out with another talented Inkspeller, T. Michelle Nelson, on my blog. Welcome, T. So glad you are here, it being Sunday and all. :)


CeCe: Please tell us your name

Michelle: T. Michelle Nelson

CeCe: Please tell us about your book. When will it be released and by which publisher

Michelle:.The Life and Death of Lily Drake will be coming out in August and is published by Inkspell Publishing. It is the story of a single mom, Lily Drake, who is your everyday hard-working single mom…until a gorgeous vampire shows up on her front door who she mistakenly assumes is her blind date for the evening. As one crazy scenario after another unfolds, she finds herself falling in love with two vampires, slaying the evil ones, and being prophesied as the savior of the entire undead race.

The Life and Death of Lily Drake is not your typical vampire love story. It’s a tale about the humorous mistakes a woman makes simply trying to survive not only life, but the dating scene. How will Lily manage working full-time, taking care of her young son and fighting the undead at every turn? Lily will have to figure it out, but who better to save the world than a mom?

CeCe: Lily Drake sounds like a wonderful character. :) And a mom? I'm all in.What project are you working on?

Michelle: Currently I am working on a sequel to this novel. Several of the original characters will be making appearances. It was too hard to let them go!

CeCe: Oh, I know what you mean. The characters we create are part of us, so hard to let go. :) How much research did you do for this project?

Michelle: The majority of research involved was getting historical facts straight. I love history, but I wouldn’t call myself a history buff. I do well to remember my own birthday! Some of my vampires are very old, so I had to get dates and time periods correct.

CeCe: Oh, I do love a story with some Vamps in it. And it sounds like a blast. How did you come up with the story idea?

Michelle: Actually, it started as a dream then it gradually developed into the story it is now. Lily Drake is a little bit of me, and a little bit of who I’d like to be, and has traits like some of my best friends. It was really important to me to write a story that of course, was fantasy, but had a realistic main character that was relatable.
CeCe: Which genre is the book?

Michelle: I’d call it a paranormal romance for lack of a better term.

CeCe: Which genres do you enjoy reading and writing?

Michelle: I enjoy reading almost everything short of instruction manuals. I’m a “wing-it” kind of gal! But as far as writing, I don’t necessarily mean to write romance, it just happens… and it always does!

CeCe: Where can readers and fans find you - online that is?

Michelle: Website is coming soon, and I’m on facebook and twitter under T. Michelle Nelson.


 Definitely looking foward to The Life and Death of Lily Drake in August . Thanks for the interview, T. Have a wonderful Sunday!

S is for Schönnbrunn (Schoenbrunn Palace, Vienna)

Schönnbrunn (Schönnbrunn means, 'beautiful spring') Palace is one of the most beautiful and historical sites to visit in Vienna. It is surrounded by beautiful gardens, fountains, statues and mazes, which illustrate the interests and tastes of the Habsburg Monarchy. 

Palace

At the end of the 17th century Emperor Leopold I commissioned the gifted Baroque architect Bernhard Fischer von Erlach to built a palatial hunting lodge for the heir to the throne. On the site of the old imperial château de plaisance a splendid edifice was to arise.

Half a century later under Maria Theresa Schönbrunn Palace was to become the magnificent focus of court life. From that time onwards it played host to the leading statesmen of Europe. Although Austria is now a republic, Schönbrunn has remained a place of political encounter at the highest level.

The magnificent architecture and the exquisite décor of its state rooms marks Schönbrunn out as a cultural treasure and tourist attraction of the first order.
Who owns the palace?

In the possession of the Habsburg dynasty since Maximilian II, the palace passed to the ownership of the Republic of Austria at the end of the monarchy in 1918. source

The History of Schönnbrunn is quite extensive, and goes way back to the beginning of 14th century. Click HERE for more info.

The Palm House which is located in the the Schönbrunn gardens. It hosts mediterreanean, tropical and subtropical plants.

Emperor Franz Joseph commissioned the construction of the Palm House in 1882. Architect Franz Segenschmid had his hands full: with a length of 111 meters, 2,500 square meters in area and 4,900 square meters of glass, it is the largest Palm House on the European continent. 45,000 glass panes were installed.

The Palm House is divided into three pavilions and three climate zones, which are connected to each other by tunnel-like corridors. The tallest room exhibits plants from the Mediterranean region, the Canary Islands, South Africa, America and Australia. The northern room houses plants from China, Japan, the Himalayas and New Zealand. Tropical and subtropical plants grow in the third area. Plants on display in the Palm House include a23 meter-tall palm and in spring/summer the largest water lily in the world (with a leaf diameter of 1.20 meters). Temperatures range between 8 and 17 degrees Celsius. Source

Sunshine Blog Award

A week ago, I received the Sunshine blog award from Martina, a good friend and blogger. Sorry Tina, took me this long to post.

Here are the rules…
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1. Include the award logo in your post or on your blog

2. Answer 10 questions about yourself – You can made up your own or you can use mine

3. Nominate 5 – 10 other wonderful bloggers

4. Let the other nominees know they are nominated and include links to their blog

5. Link the person who nominated you

I'll go ahead and use your Qs. :)

1. What book are you currently reading?

I'm reading two books.  The first one is Deadly Pleasures by Mary Firmin and the second on is Destined by Jessie Harrell.
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2. Vampires or werewolves?

 No Dragons? I love dragons!
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3. How many books have you read so far this year

I'd say about 10. I'm the slowest of readers.

4. Who is your favourite character in a book you’ve read?

I have a few of those. I loved Dhiren from Tiger's Curse, loved Barron from Fever Series, Clay from Whitney, My Love..
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5. Heels, sneakers, flip flops or clogs?

Sneakers

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6. What’s your dream vacation?

Cruise ship. And I look forward to fulfilling that dream in August. :D

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7. Who is your favourite author?

Nalini Singh, Karen Marie Moning, Casandra Clare, Judith McNaught, Terry Pratchett


8. Favourite book/series?

The Highlander Series, Fever Series, Mortal Insturments, 

9. Tea or Coffee?

Tea.

10. What are you doing in your sparetime (besides reading)?

My day job, Spend time with my kids, knitting, (when I can), cleanining, laundry, napping (Oh I love this one) hang out with friends, watch tv.... 

So, here are my nominations.