June 2012 – Creative Meanderings

_Kill Alex Cross_ by James Patterson

Jun 302012

_Kill Alex Cross_ by James Patterson

When on holiday, there’s nothing better to read than a James Patterson novel. It’s quick, mindless and entertaining. I have been disappointed with some of his novels, but I do like the Alex Cross series.

This one centered around two stories that ran parallel and periodically seemed to have connection to keep interest alive. The main storyline was the kidnapping of the president’s two children. Alex Cross is called in to work on the kidnapping case due to his experience in previous similar cases. It was good to not have so much of the story focused on the president’s side and more about the solving of the case. The second story related to jihad cells and terrorist attacks on U.S. soil and the survival of one of the successful jihadis. Although both stories were still about Cross’s role and ability to solve cases, they still had life of their own.

Again, Patterson has developed a formula that he has mastered. Almost all of his stories now are pattern-based, but the lack of complexity is good when reading for that purpose. 😉

-T 😀

Summer 2012: Phuket, Thailand – Quiet days

Going Mental No Responses »

Jun 292012

Nothing new to report. Just having some quiet days – reading, swimming, sleeping and relaxing. That’s what my two-week relaxing hiatus is for, right?

Gonna start making lists/notes of things to do, though when I get back into the swing of things.

Did go for a short run and walk today, which was good….

More later,

-T 😀

_You Are A Writer: So Start Acting Like One_ by Jeff Goins

Literary Escapes, Writing No Responses »

Jun 282012

_You Are A Writer: So Start Acting Like One_ by Jeff Goins

A friend of mine on Facebook posted a link to this book and the writer in me decided I should read it! Lucky for me, it also happened to be free on Kindle and after about two short hours of reading, I completed it feeling inspired.

One of the first and most important steps that Goins impresses upon the reading is to say “I am a writer” and then to ensure that one writes every day until it becomes a habit that happens without thought or effort. He explains how fear is such a great factor in a writer’s decision to ‘dream’ of writing rather than actually writing. Goins goes on to further explain ways to get yourself out there as a writer and then to eventually get published. It makes the possibility of being a successful writer who contributes something to the artistic, literary and greater worlds a reality rather than a pipe dream.

The truth is that I’ve always been a ‘dreamer’ and less of a writer. I go through phases where I really focus on my writing and take the proper steps to move forward toward the ‘dream’, but then I am easily distracted or demotivated, so that it remains just a ‘dream’. However, I hate it when people complain or wish for things that are fully within their means to do something about. I recall my friend telling me sometime last year that being a writer is something that I can do and so I should just do it. That motivation lasted a bit of time, but again I got distracted and it was pushed to the sidelines. Now that it is holiday time again and I force myself to take a step back from all other distractions, I find my heart winding its way back to writing.

So, I have joined a new travel blog and agreed to start contributing to the site with my travel stories. Also, I have entered the Twitter world of writers under my pseudonym and will try to start making a presence in the world of writers in hopes of making this attainable dream come true!

😀 -T

Summer 2012: Phuket, Thailand – Days 2 & 3

General, Meanderings Abroad No Responses »

Jun 272012

I think I’m going to have to stop counting the days that I am here because I can’t really keep track of them anymore. It’s great when the days finally start to blend together as it means that ‘vacation-mode’ is finally setting in. Mostly, I do the days in the title to differentiate the posts and give them some order, but I suppose the date of publication will do that for me…. 🙂

Anyway, my sleeping patterns have changed, thus also changing my exercise pattern. Usually, I prefer to get up and off for a run on the treadmill right away so as to get my day going quickly. I generally don’t enjoy running in the afternoons, but I could…. I am rather keen to try a run on the beach with no shoes, but am a little concerned about the sloped terrain, so maybe I will have to save that for walking. In any case, in a few days we are moving to a different hotel that has a gym and pool, so I should be able to return to a more regular routine then. In the meantime, I’ll do what I can with our swimming.

We’ve been chilling in the mornings and then going to the beach for a swim in the early afternoons. That is usually followed by some food and afternoon relaxing before we go out for dinner and ride around the town.

Although I have been doing well in keeping with my ‘no work for two weeks’ rule, I am exploring other areas of interest such as writing. My post tomorrow will explain that in more detail.

So, most of my days are being filled with playing games, reading, writing, eating and sleeping. Sounds like vacation, right?! It’s still a bit weird for me as I feel as if I should be more productive and exercise more, but I need to learn to give myself a break. It’s only been three days after all! Need more practice. 😉

Here are some pics:

Sunset view (June 26th)26-Jun-2012 15:49, NIKON COOLPIX S51, 4.1, 15.7mm, 0.04 sec, ISO 200

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