Sunday 1 June 2014

Chell's Blog

Hey guys,

If you need another blog fix, head over to my friends blog at chell.broadribbon.com.au/
She does manga (and some words) and stories (though there aren't any yet) and all of her art is so good.
e.g.
Yuki and Miyu - May 2014
(http://chell.broadribbon.com.au/archives/233) (my personal favourite).

Go and have a look!

Ellie.

Thursday 22 May 2014

An Abundance of Birthdays.





I haven't posted for a while thanks to school work and laziness. I am very sorry for that. However! I have a post for you today. My 2 sisters were born on the same day, 6 years apart. Recently they turned 12 and 6. So, as you may be able to imagine, it is kind of hectic buying/making them presents.

I spent the night before their birthday making Ingrid (the 6yr old) hair clips by attaching these fabric flowers to hair clips, and wrapping Anna's present (one of these, which I won in  a giveaway from here).
And then I realised I didn't have any cards. Or any time to make some. So here is my 'recipe' for a really, really easy card that you can make with very little, and left over wrapping paper.

What you'll need:

-Split pin, scissors, pen, glue, wrapping paper, card/paper.


What to do:
Fold the card in half/quarters so it looks like an actual card.
Fold an A4 size piece of wrapping paper into eighths
(although it doesn't really matter, there will just be more layers
per fold and it will be harder to cut)

Make another of the quarter flowers and stack them together/
Pin it in the middle with the split pin.
Pinch the layers together


It will look like this when the flower is finished.

Glue the flower to the card.

Write "Happy Birthday" or another
message, glue it to the wrapping paper,then, to give
  the card some dimension, attach it with double-sided tape.

Another thing I have quite enjoyed in my laziness is Erik Johannson's photography.
The photos are often perplexing and Escher-esque:


Many are funny or absurdist:

Or just plain good:



I'm going to stop recommending links now and let you go discover stuff for yourself.

Anyway, I will probably post more frequently in a few weeks, I can't wait :)
Thanks for reading, and bye for now,

Ellie.

Sunday 20 April 2014

Sydney with friends


Sorry I haven't written for a while. It's really quite odd that in the holidays, when I have the most time, I end up doing less.

ANYWAY...
Here's "some stuff that happened... in pictures (and words)."

I went to Sydney with my friends!
It was wet and cold - as you can see - but I was protected by my trusty blazer, which is my new favourite thing, ever. It's a cropped Zara double-breasted blazer, which Mum found in an op-shop (thrift store for foreigners/people who think it sounds cooler) and it's brilliant. a) it's incredibly warm, b) it has brilliant buttons (they read 'Navigate of the Pacific Ocean') and c) it matches my general motto of "why be casual when you can be weirdly formal."
The Westerners among us were proudly exposed to Asian cake shops, which are utterly delightful because 1. of their prices, which are great on a birthday money-budget, and 2. the food tastes wonderful.
We went on a Sydney ferry, which was brilliant - they are even more fun in horrible weather because they jolt over waves.
So pretty much we traipsed around Sydney, window-shopping and taking advantage of our Family Funday Sunday transport tickets (these let you catch whatever public transport you need, unlimitedly.)


Interesting wildlife sightings throughout Sydney... Rhinos!

These urban artworks will be auctioned to support
Taronga Zoo's rhino conservation project.

More information: http://taronga.org.au/wild-rhinos/about

    
So mature at Darling Harbour playpark.




At the Sydney Opera House.

Cranes at Bangaroo Construction Site.

Cassie in front of Darling Harbour.

Darling Harbour from a distance - what a grey day!

A free photo at the front of Madame Tussaud's
(we couldn't actually go in - it was too expensive)

Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House from Luna Park ferry wharf.

On the bus (trackwork meant we didn't catch the train) home, with Cathy.
So that was pretty fun!
Comment to tell me what you think, where you like to go, and anything you would like to see on my blog.

Ellie xxx

Monday 14 April 2014

Recipe - Jam Drops

Hello there!

I have another recipe for you: jam drops! I find jam drops incredibly cute and they taste pretty great too.


 The English Tea Shop tea and a cleverly designed tea ball.
Tea and biscuits!!!
Recipe:

125g unsalted butter (this should be at room temperature)
100g caster sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract OR 1/2 tsp vanilla paste
1 large free range egg
195g SR flour (you can use plain and add 2 1/2 tsp of baking powder)
Pinch of Salt
Raspberry Jam

Preheat oven  to 180 degrees Celsius (moderate oven). Put baking paper on a large tray (you may need two).
Beat butter and sugar until they are creamy and pale.
Add the vanilla and continue to mix.
Add the egg.

Sift the flour (and maybe baking powder) and salt then stir into the mixture until there is no flour left.
Flour your hands slightly and roll into balls (I think they were about the size of a table spoon).
Place these on the tray about 5cm apart and flatten slightly.
Use a teaspoon to make a dent in the top.
Spoon raspberry jam into them - they should be filled with it.
Bake for 15 minutes or until they all look golden.


Have fun!!

Ellie

Tell me what your favourite food is, or if you'll try these, down in the comments.

Thursday 10 April 2014

Author Interview

Hi! You probably read my post about Stories of Earth WWIII.
Here is an interview with its author, Dimitrious Charles:


Teenage author, Dimitrious Charles, tells us about his fascinating new book Stories of Earth WWIII, what inspires him and how he writes. Combining riveting mystery and a sci-fi element, Stories is the tale of 5 boys surviving in a mysterious dystopic world.

Give us a brief overview of Stories of Earth: WWIII.
Imagine awaking after a nuclear explosion, with cybernetic limbs and attachments—then finding out that you’ve been missing for days before the explosion ever occurred, and you mind is filled with strange visions and messages from an unknown source. But there’s more—somebody wants you dead, but is also keeping you alive, and the rest of the nation (and the world) is trying to pin you down for the deaths of thousands of people…

Tell us a bit about the technology that you used in Stories.
In terms of sci-fi technology, there are two key things I ‘invented’ for the book. The first are the cybernetic attachments the five main characters receive. They range from carbon fibre alloy limbs, with superhuman strength, skin that is impervious to damage and can be controlled in temperature, eyes that can utilise x-ray and binocular vision, voice boxes that can utter supersonic sounds and diamond edged blade launchers that can retract and fold into one’s back. 
The second are the chips inside the boys’ heads that allows them to interact with their metallic implants, and allow the projection of images, mind control, and most importantly, perception filters!

How did you find using a local setting?
Much easier to write about, because I could ‘see’ the locations in my head, allowing me to focus more on plot construction rather than forcing myself to spend time inventing imaginary places. It’s simply something different, which gives the book a wider audience, and I am yet to find a fiction novel set here on the south coast!

How much did real life influence the writing?
Well, the five main characters came from real people—though people I would say were only acquaintances. This allowed me to have a visual picture of them in my head, and gave me room to recreate their backstories and personalities. Other than that, I can’t say that I’ve ever stopped a war—though who doesn’t dream about running away from an epic explosion with action music playing?

What was the biggest challenge of writing a novel?
Writing. Sounds dumb, but sometimes, no matter how well you flesh an idea out in your head, it just won’t get itself on paper. Forcing myself to keep coming back and writing more was hard—it’s so hard when you know there is so much you want to write (I always wanted to write the last scene, which I knew from the start, but forced myself to write in chronological order) and how long it’s going to take. Another thing is consistency—over 2.5 years, ideas change, so the story must change too (until the editor had a look, there were 2 characters who had differently spelled names in some chapters, but not others!)
How do you write – by hand or on a computer? Did you write in a certain period, or just when you felt like it?
Computer—I wrote a story (about 10,000 words) by hand first a few years back, but then transferring it was terrible! Computers also mean it can be ready at any time, and it’s really easy to edit and search for things if you’re clarifying something. I have a ‘WWIII’ playlist, filled with epic tracks (Doctor Who, Inception, X-Men, Pirates of the Caribbean soundtracks, Zack Hemsey, other wordless songs) to get in in the ‘zone’. I usually started writing at night after all my homework was done; meaning most of my writing was late at night… I think I’m more creative then or something!

When did you tell your friends and family about Stories?
A few people knew as it was happening, but writing a novel is just one of those things ‘everyone does’, so I didn’t tell most people until I invited them to like the Facebook page!

When did you find yourself writing a novel – was it what you intended from the start or did you decide along the way?
At the start, it was way for me to relax and release some angsty-ness (hopefully most of that is gone in the published version!). However, as I kept writing, I would find myself hearing the characters in my head (now I really do sound crazy—I guess we all are a bit) and once that happened, I realised I owe it to them to finish the story (they have since stopped talking to me… for now).

What inspires you to write? From where do you draw your creative material?
Apart from the playlist, the answer is pretty obvious—other books! I actually find watching actions movies also inspires one to save the world (and for those of us without superpowers) the best way to do that is through one’s own characters. Doctor Who is a massive source of ideas for me, as there are heaps of concepts it uses which can be looked at in new and creative ways.

What do you like to read and which authors that you draw inspiration from?
Hmmm. I was originally a big fantasy fan, but I’ve moved more towards sci-fi and action novels set in the ‘real’ world. I also like a good mystery novel, and at the moment I’m taking a liking to some of Steven King’s stuff. However, for Stories, the inspiration was certainly some Hunger Games, Maze Runner, and Tomorrow When the War Began.



Is there a plan for sequels?
Well, considering the fact it is Stories instead of Story, there certainly is! At the moment, there’s one set almost 6 years after the dropping of the bomb, about the characters from WWIII, tentatively titled Stories of Earth: Fallout. The other book is the 10,000 words one (which needs lots of editing and expanding) mentioned earlier, which WWIII was meant to (originally) be a villain origin story for, which occurs over 100 years after WWIII, when a new disease forces everyone to don the ‘Steel Skin’, which is controlled by a mysterious William Misconception...

What message would you like your readers to draw from Stories?
This is a tough one—people keep asking! I think there are two things—the first is that anyone can be a writer (which is not a bad thing!) if they preserve and work for it! The message the book is trying to convey is that our world can change quickly, and that sometimes, no matter how illogical, crazy or mad the ideas, in the words of Sherlock Holmes, “...when you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”
Then again, what I think is not really important—it’s all up to the reader in the end!

 
You can buy Stories of Earth: WWIII on Xlibris or Amazon, and make sure to like its Facebook, subscribe to its YouTube, or follow on Google +.

Have a look at the book - it's great. When I am completely rid of school work, I'll post a review.

Thanks for reading,

Ellie.

Monday 7 April 2014


"Equity derives from a concept of social justice. It represents a belief that there are some things which people should have, that there are basic needs that should be fulfilled, that burdens and rewards should not be spread too divergently across the community, and that policy should be directed with impartiality, fairness and justice towards these ends." - Jim Falk

What do you think about this concept?




Saturday 5 April 2014

Recipe; Chocolate and Cardamom Cake

Hi!

So I did say there would be recipes.

Here it is. A rich torte-like chocolate cake with cardamom and lime! Great for parents birthdays/anniversaries actually (that's why I made it). It's based on Margaret Fulton's date and chocolate cake. Here is my recipe:



INGREDIENTS
6 egg whites
200g sugar
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
Juice of half a lime
200g chopped dark chocolate
100g chopped dried apricots (I used organic ones, which are a bit softer and taste different)
50g chopped dates
200g cream
Zest of 1 lime.

METHOD
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (Moderate oven, 356 degrees Fahrenheit.)
Grease a 24cm springform pan and put baking paper on the bottom. 
Beat the egg whites until they are stiff.
Add the sugar gradually and beat into a soft meringue. (The consistency of this will mean you can make      patterns in the mixture, but it won't stand in a peak for long.)
Beat in the cardamom so that it is thoroughly mixed in.
Add the lime juice and beat in.
Fold in the chocolate and dried fruit.
Bake for 50min to 1 hour.
Leave in oven until oven is cool.
To serve, whip the creams and spread on top, decorate with lime zest.