(( Bear With Me... ))
26 February 08 - 18:20
Hi everyone! I guess all that studying paid off... I got 100% on both my Science and History tests! Woo-hoo!
But that's not all I wanted to say to you guys. I've got three new pieces of info that I want to share: one involving The New Yorker, the other involving my soon-to-be website, and the last involving a story that I wrote. (So let's get to it!)
Yet first thing's first: Reply to my last comment:
What do you study? Like, ballet, modern, jazz, tap, what? I do ballet and modern. Dancing is really fun, yeah. 
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I would really love it if you’d post more of your poetry. Since I myself can’t write poetry, I admire those who can. src="http://www.myblogsite.com/blog/templates/emoticons/trillian/e_01.gif" align="middle">
My site: http://www.inkdreamer.com
-Lily
Even though the studying I was talking about was school-related (perhaps I wasn't too clear on that... oops) I love all kinds of dance. And I dance to all kinds of music. I have Music Choice through Time Warner Cable, so the music channels I listen to range from Solid Gold Oldies to 80s to Party Favorites to Dance to Hit List to Salsa. I can't tap with tap-shoes, although I always wanted to try. But if anyone has free lessons availible, I'm here!
I've never tried ballet either - I'm flexible, though, so maybe I wouldn't be too bad at it. Right now I'm not taking any dance lessons, although I use to take Jazz. I 'free-dance' now, to just about any kind of music I want. I listen to a lot of upbeat Bollywood music, though. I really like the song "Beedi" from the Bollywood film Omkara. I'm not Indian, but my mom rents Bollywood movies from this Indian store which isn't too far from my house. But wait - now I'm getting off-topic.
I'd love to post more of my poetry, which is why I'm thinking of starting a website... but read on and you'll hear more of that later!
Thanks for commenting Lily! And the rest of you guys, keep commenting! I love to reply and love to read!
Now onto today's news... (I sound like a newsanchor, don't I?)
First up, I submitted a poem to The New Yorker (not The Dancer poem I posted earlier, though - it was another one). No, I am not kidding. And no, I am not mad nor am I feeling feverish. ;)
My dad and I talked about it, and he explained to me that the chances of getting published in such a prestigious magazine were like "the chances people thought it would be when JF Kennedy said man would walk on the moon" (to put it in his terms).
Still, there's a chance. Dad added, "If you DO get published in The New Yorker, though, that's a giant step." I understand how low the chances are, but still, I figure it can't hurt me, so why not take the chance?
Other piece of news: my WEBSITE! As in, www.thepemapad.com. Well, alright, it doesn't exist yet. But it shall!
You see, my dad and I were talking about ways to show my work, (after such positive feedback from you guys!) and then my dad suggested starting my own website! So far, the idea is only in the works, but it is a DONE idea. As in, it's going to happen for sure.
I know I'm going to keep a blog on there, and my stories and poems. Perhaps a page for links too. But what else? That's where you guys come in: What else do you think I should put on the site? Any ideas at all (no matter how big or small) would be extremely appreciated!
And for the last piece of news for today (bear with me!) is... (drumroll) reading aloud my story! You see, I submitted a story to this regional contest called Reflections, and I won at my school and got 'honorable mention' in the school district. So there's going to be a ceremony for the students who entered Reflections. And I'm going to read my story at the ceremony.
Yikes!
I know it's good practice for me, public speaking and all. But I seriously need to practice before the ceremony date, which is March 18. I'm excited about being able to read my story, but I'm always afraid people won't like my work.
There I go again. One of my best friends today said, "Pema, your writing is always better than you think it is."
To which I replied, "Modesty never hurt!" And it doesn't. It's better to expect harsh criticism than always expect singing praise, you know? Like the saying goes, "Hope for the best and expect the worst." You just need to be able to find a balance between the two.
Well, that's all from my end. Until next time!
P.S. Don't forget to comment: What else should I put on my website? Thanks!
I dance, too!
I do Hula and Tahitian!
It’s fun.
C. Moore () - 27 02 08 - 16:40
Good luck with The New Yorker!
For your website, maybe you could list tips on writing? But just start small, and you can always add more content.
If I think of more, I’ll be sure to tell you!
My website: http://www.inkdreamer.com
Lily () - 27 02 08 - 18:33
First of all, I can’t put too many links in here, so all the website URLs will just be bolded but not real links.
Hi, Pema. You asked for some website making tips, and I just want to tell you first: you should DEFINITELY go for it. As much as I think you’re a really good writer and as much as people enjoy your blog, you’ll never gain much exposure while having such a limited blog.
First of all, you DO need to read tutorials. You’ll never learn anything without them. I would suggest tutorialtastic.co.uk to start with. Also, you’ll need to find a good FTP tutorial (some quick googling brought this one up: eurekais.com/tutorials/ftp_tutorial). If you don’t already have Mozilla Firefox, go download it now at mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/. To find out why this is a good idea, see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross-browser. I’m guessing you don’t have much HTML experience, so you might want to use a premade layout. I would suggest oswd.org for that, because you can modify the layouts however you want. To choose a layout, try going to different websites (there are lots of good ones to look at on my blogroll, which is under domain>>exits) and see the types of things that they have. Also, I would be willing to make you a layout if you answered a few questions for me so that I could be sure you’d like it. As for content, do the same kind of thing. Obviously originality is great, but read around and see the kind of content that ISN’T good.
You’ll want a good blogging tool. Stay away from Cutenews at all costs. Also, a bigger tool like Wordpress might be a bit much for you, but FanUpdate is totally easy to use and can be downloaded at prism-perfect.net/fanupdate.
You’ll also need a host, which might take some looking around. Start small at freehostia.com, and once you’ve built something with some original content and a nice layout (even if you didn’t make it), apply somewhere else. I suggest my own host, kyai.net, since you want to have a writing site. Also, when you get your subdomain, I would suggest making it easy to remember by just being pema.domain.com. Finally, I see that you’re thinking of getting a domain name. This isn’t a good idea if you don’t really know what you’re doing. Start off at a good free host, and if you love having a website, and once you get better at it, then you should buy the domain. It’s not a good idea to buy it if you don’t know if you’ll use it. Besides, later on down the road you might want to change your website name, and if you have the domain, it’s harder and more expensive.
Don’t be discouraged at all, because we all have to start somewhere. You’ll learn a lot and become better with time. All I can say is please try the website-making scene – it’s awesome!
If you have any questions, head on over to the contact section of my website (http://clemwalrusness.com/contact). I would be very willing to help you out in any way possible. (I have installed a blogging tool and a full website and have made layouts for Mary of awaked.wordpress.com, just to give you an idea of how I can help you.)
Clem - 01 03 08 - 08:37
Hi, Pema. I know I already commented, but I’ve been thinking a lot, and I need a new e-project. If you want me to create a layout for you and code it, I would be totally willing to do it. In fact, I’d love to. So obviously it’s your choice, but if you want me to, I’d be thrilled.
Clem - 03 03 08 - 13:25
