Good day my dear readers and what a happy day it is. Though it is Black Friday and I plan on getting no shopping done whatsoever (since I value my life) I've decided to post an entry on a new project I'm working on. I've been blessed with a promotion at work which means I'll be sticking around Ottawa for another two years, but this also means that I manage to get most of my weekends off to work on whatever my little heart desires. Lately, I've been drawn to my new typewriter.
At first I thought it was a lavish purchase (which it essentially was) so that I could feel like I belonged to the greats, but it called to me a little louder than expected and I found myself writing almost immediately. I had finished reading yet another of Charles Bukowski's poetry collections and I was inspired to write something completely different than anything I've ever produced before. In groupings of 4, I composed poems on a variety of subjects and they flowed through my mind easier than any of my other stories. There was something so real and so natural that it still freaks me out a little. My own voice has come through in a way that I never thought I'd be understood. I'm also motivated to try to get some of these newer poems published in magazines, or submit them in multiple competitions since for the first time in a long time, I'm proud of my work and I believe in its potential.
So keep your eyes peeled for my new poetry collection called THE CLICK OF THE KEYS (a typewriter collection) which will hopefully be available sooner than later. Today's post gives you a sample; it's a poem from the 4th grouping I wrote. Let me know what you think! If you like this one, I could release more on the blog since I find they're all quite different. I would love to get feedback from my readers who have been so faithful to me. I'm actually approaching the 5000 original views mark which is yet again, another milestone for this writer who was often overlooked. I am grateful to have you on board. And without further ado:
There are things I wish you had learned.
Like how you have to
work to get what you
want. Or how
patience is an important
virtue. I wish you learned from
your mistakes instead of
using them as a crutch,
an excuse, a shovel to dig
yourself deeper than rock
bottom. I wish
you learned that there are
other things to life
and that not everyone
is a shitty human being. Or that
you keep finding them
because you act like a shitty human
being sometimes too. I
wish you learned to persevere when things
look bad, but to let go when there's no
way to win. I wish you
learned to have faith in
something instead of denying the existence
of goodness. Or to put your faith in the
thing you claimed that
can give you your answers. Or that it's okay
to ask questions.
I wish you learned that those closest to you
are always there even
if you only choose to notice
every once in a
while. Or that some people
will only stick around because
they want something. Or that
you seek the love of others and lose sight
of what's really happening. I wish you learned
you focus too much and miss the big picture
but that you
managed to worry about the future
when there's nothing to do.
I wish you learned that though
you may not always be liked,
you are always
loved.
There are things in your life
I wish you had learned,
and I guess now
would be the time.
K.P.H.
Friday 25 November 2016
Wednesday 16 November 2016
Laughter: Thanked and Threatened All At Once
Good morning dearest readers and how the week is simply flying by. I've been blessed with good days, and I can't seem to get out of this wonderful mood I'm in (but that isn't such a bad thing after all). I've been working on my writing and I've managed to find a new voice, and a new side of me that I like quite a lot. It seems as though this is the first time in a long time that I see the potential (the true potential) of my work. Whether its my positive outlook or my skills, this girl is on a roll!
As you know by now, I am a woman of action, of adventure. This past weekend, I did just that. I had been planning to surprise my mom at her last leadership camp over the weekend to wish her well and give her a proper send off instead of slipping through the cracks unnoticed like she would have wanted. I gathered some of my old friends, and some of the original youth counsellors to meet me at the camp, and take part in this epic send off. I had also managed to get in touch with some of her coworkers to help me orchestrate the whole thing; and yes, I can be devious when I need to be.
The whole endeavour to actually make it to that point was anything but smooth. I had to lead my mother off my track and managed to get some close family and friends to write her thank you cards for everything she's done for us. While she thought this was her surprise (and knowing all too well I had my hand in it), she couldn't shake her gut feeling that I was just going to show up at some point. It took everything in me not to show up with my dad to help out on the Friday night. No, I had to stay strong and show up with everyone else on the Saturday. However, getting to that point was even more difficult; at least it seemed that way.
One of the youth counsellor's (who is also my best friend) truck wouldn't start and had to get it boosted before rushing to the camp. We had to hide in bushes in front of the school to make sure we weren't spotted as they searched for my mother, to make sure she wouldn't spot us while roaming the school's halls. Lastly, they snuck us into the school, but since we couldn't be there from the beginning of the ceremony, they hid us in the gym's showers, and we held our breath and tried hard not to laugh when people crept in and chatted amongst themselves, waiting for the last event to finish. Through all of this, my best friend finally showed up, and they rushed him into one of our stalls as we waited for the perfect moment.
When the time came, we poured out of the gym, made a bridge and my mother passed underneath (a symbol of her passing onto the next stage in her life - a gesture that was done for us when we graduated) and she was absolutely speechless when she spotted us at the end of the man made tunnel. It was one of the most moving moments I've ever witnessed, and have been part of. Out of all of this, some of the teachers and other youth counsellors asked me beforehand, how my mother was going to react to us being there (especially since I had driven 6 hours to get there) and I told them that she was going to be so happy, and then that she was going to kill me; all in one moment. And lo and behold, she hugged me tight when she saw me, and immediately followed up saying "I'm so mad at you right now". The last statement merely expressing how she worries about me when I travel by myself, and how jealous she was that she missed out on spending a day and half without me.
So with the hectic weekend and moment done, I know that I'd do it all again in a heart beat. I realized that my mother knows me extremely well and that sometimes her gut feeling can be terrifyingly accurate. Regardless of it all my dear readers, it was worth being thanked and threatened at the same time.
K.P.H.
As you know by now, I am a woman of action, of adventure. This past weekend, I did just that. I had been planning to surprise my mom at her last leadership camp over the weekend to wish her well and give her a proper send off instead of slipping through the cracks unnoticed like she would have wanted. I gathered some of my old friends, and some of the original youth counsellors to meet me at the camp, and take part in this epic send off. I had also managed to get in touch with some of her coworkers to help me orchestrate the whole thing; and yes, I can be devious when I need to be.
The whole endeavour to actually make it to that point was anything but smooth. I had to lead my mother off my track and managed to get some close family and friends to write her thank you cards for everything she's done for us. While she thought this was her surprise (and knowing all too well I had my hand in it), she couldn't shake her gut feeling that I was just going to show up at some point. It took everything in me not to show up with my dad to help out on the Friday night. No, I had to stay strong and show up with everyone else on the Saturday. However, getting to that point was even more difficult; at least it seemed that way.
One of the youth counsellor's (who is also my best friend) truck wouldn't start and had to get it boosted before rushing to the camp. We had to hide in bushes in front of the school to make sure we weren't spotted as they searched for my mother, to make sure she wouldn't spot us while roaming the school's halls. Lastly, they snuck us into the school, but since we couldn't be there from the beginning of the ceremony, they hid us in the gym's showers, and we held our breath and tried hard not to laugh when people crept in and chatted amongst themselves, waiting for the last event to finish. Through all of this, my best friend finally showed up, and they rushed him into one of our stalls as we waited for the perfect moment.
When the time came, we poured out of the gym, made a bridge and my mother passed underneath (a symbol of her passing onto the next stage in her life - a gesture that was done for us when we graduated) and she was absolutely speechless when she spotted us at the end of the man made tunnel. It was one of the most moving moments I've ever witnessed, and have been part of. Out of all of this, some of the teachers and other youth counsellors asked me beforehand, how my mother was going to react to us being there (especially since I had driven 6 hours to get there) and I told them that she was going to be so happy, and then that she was going to kill me; all in one moment. And lo and behold, she hugged me tight when she saw me, and immediately followed up saying "I'm so mad at you right now". The last statement merely expressing how she worries about me when I travel by myself, and how jealous she was that she missed out on spending a day and half without me.
So with the hectic weekend and moment done, I know that I'd do it all again in a heart beat. I realized that my mother knows me extremely well and that sometimes her gut feeling can be terrifyingly accurate. Regardless of it all my dear readers, it was worth being thanked and threatened at the same time.
K.P.H.
Saturday 5 November 2016
Literature: Canada at its Finest
Good afternoon my dear readers! The clock doesn't stop for us, but at least once in a while we manage to get one extra hour; an occurrence which is happening this weekend. It either means more sleep, or more likely, more time to read! For this entry, I wanted to say a little bit about the amazing experience of going to see Jane Urquhart and Margaret Atwood roughly two weeks ago. I can't believe how quickly the time passes by, which is why I never miss a chance (if I can help it) to meet some of the people I idolize the most.
I have had the chance to meet Atwood over 5 years ago when she celebrated her birthday in Sudbury, but this time, the setting was a little more intimate, and I went with my roommate who's as big of fan of Margaret (if not a bigger fan than I am), which made it all the more fun. I was simply ecstatic to meet Urquhart since I fell in love with her writing during my second year at university. I had just finished binge reading her novel AWAY, and I couldn't get enough of her. I later one freaked out when I fond out that she had been one of the guest Authors that took part in uOttawa Writer in Residence program (even if this happened long before I attended the school). They were both releasing new books; Atwood was promoting her new book "Hagseed", which is her interpretation of Shakespeare's The Tempest. Urquhart was presenting "A Number of Things", her compilation of 50 objects that she found represented Canada for it's 150th anniversary. It was awe-inspiring to see two Canadian women who are intelligent, worldly and witty. They represent everything that I ever aspire to be, which made each night incredible.
I could have also entitled this entry "What to say when meeting your idol" or rather, "What NOT to say when meeting your idol" because even after 4 years in an English literature degree, both Nicole and I struggled to find the words (or the right words) to express to our heroes how much we appreciated their presence and their contribution to the craft we spent so much of our time studying. Both nights were filled with emotion, and they will forever be burned into my memory. Never miss the chance my dearest readers to meet the people you look up to; it will either restore your motivation, or ignite your next big idea that had been waiting for the spark.
(PS. I stole a couple of pictures from my roommate to complete the collection, so props to her!)
K.P.H.
I have had the chance to meet Atwood over 5 years ago when she celebrated her birthday in Sudbury, but this time, the setting was a little more intimate, and I went with my roommate who's as big of fan of Margaret (if not a bigger fan than I am), which made it all the more fun. I was simply ecstatic to meet Urquhart since I fell in love with her writing during my second year at university. I had just finished binge reading her novel AWAY, and I couldn't get enough of her. I later one freaked out when I fond out that she had been one of the guest Authors that took part in uOttawa Writer in Residence program (even if this happened long before I attended the school). They were both releasing new books; Atwood was promoting her new book "Hagseed", which is her interpretation of Shakespeare's The Tempest. Urquhart was presenting "A Number of Things", her compilation of 50 objects that she found represented Canada for it's 150th anniversary. It was awe-inspiring to see two Canadian women who are intelligent, worldly and witty. They represent everything that I ever aspire to be, which made each night incredible.
I could have also entitled this entry "What to say when meeting your idol" or rather, "What NOT to say when meeting your idol" because even after 4 years in an English literature degree, both Nicole and I struggled to find the words (or the right words) to express to our heroes how much we appreciated their presence and their contribution to the craft we spent so much of our time studying. Both nights were filled with emotion, and they will forever be burned into my memory. Never miss the chance my dearest readers to meet the people you look up to; it will either restore your motivation, or ignite your next big idea that had been waiting for the spark.
(PS. I stole a couple of pictures from my roommate to complete the collection, so props to her!)
K.P.H.
Love: "Love Will Always Be"
Salutations on this Saturday dearest readers! The weekend has finally arrived and I'm taking the time today to catch up on a few entries for the blog. It seems as though my time is a little more in demand lately, but I'm not really complaining. I'm happy to be writing on more than one platform now, but I will always make the time to write on my own. After all, I've got readers to update and to entertain with the shenanigans I get into!
Despite my busy schedule, I've finally managed to record one of the two new songs I wrote recently. I realized that I haven't posted one in a while, but writing songs is not as easy as I may make it look. The songs was inspired by a quote I liked from the play "For Life", where an actress said that she wanted to be told she was loved, but at the same time, she didn't want to hear it because nowadays people use "I Love You" more as a salutation than as the declaration it should be.
Maybe it resonated with me because of my lack of luck in romance in the past, but I found that I needed to find a way to express how I felt about it. And so, I came up with this song. It outlines our expectations of love, what we wrestle with, what we settle with, but that through it all, we always have hope for it.
That my dearest readers is beautiful, inspiring and a little bit tragic all in itself.
K.P.H.
Despite my busy schedule, I've finally managed to record one of the two new songs I wrote recently. I realized that I haven't posted one in a while, but writing songs is not as easy as I may make it look. The songs was inspired by a quote I liked from the play "For Life", where an actress said that she wanted to be told she was loved, but at the same time, she didn't want to hear it because nowadays people use "I Love You" more as a salutation than as the declaration it should be.
Maybe it resonated with me because of my lack of luck in romance in the past, but I found that I needed to find a way to express how I felt about it. And so, I came up with this song. It outlines our expectations of love, what we wrestle with, what we settle with, but that through it all, we always have hope for it.
That my dearest readers is beautiful, inspiring and a little bit tragic all in itself.
K.P.H.
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