Wow I feel really energized today! I am just relieved that I gathered most of my tax form/receipts and am ready to send it off to the accountant... I finished my Valentine's Day Challenge, and I met with some friends to help them with a project.

The V_Day Challenge was a big headache, because I had zero inspiration. I tried so many times to write a "memory loss" type of story like "50 First Dates" and "Notebook." (The former is the favorite movie of the person I was assigned to). But when I tried to write, it was majorly boring, and even after 25 pages I put myself to sleep! LOL Then the day before the challenge was due, I sat down and forced myself to think out of the box, and voila... 101 Ways to Woo Hermione Granger. It was so fun writing, that I giggled throughout!

Now I can get down to some serious reading and catching up on help SnowFlake_Imp on her cleaning up her story! I really want to read Renee's next chapter, which I haven't done yet, along with the other Challenge exchanges! Lots to read! YAY! I love it!

I was also asked to write a script for our church youth group to perform a play in May... I was just given a theme, "Finding You Way Back Home." Should be fun!

Recently I started watching Asian dramas, and I am so addicted that I can't get enough! Not just anime, mind you... no it wasn't bad enough spending hundreds of dollars at Borders for my manga, and d/ling terabytes of anime... now it's LIVE ACTION shows! OMGOSH! I LOVE THESE SHOWS!

My list:

1. All Time Favorite - HANA YORI DANGO (Season 1 & 2) Jun Matsumoto is such a hottie! I think this is one of the funniest Japanese Comedies I've ever seen. I have to pause it several times throughout because I'm lauging so hard! A MUST SEE!

2. My Name is Sam Soon - Korean Drama, for a more mature audience about a 30-something pastry chef who falls in love with the Chairman's son... quite comical!

3. Nobuta Wo Produce - Two guys become friends, one is a show off, the other is a class clown... they decide to give the weirdest girl in the class a "make-over" and "produce" her into someone popular. Yamapi (Yamashita Tomohisa) and Kame do a fantastic job in this, and I like Maki ( the female actress) who plays Nobuta. It's endearing. Kame and Yamapi both have their own 'boy bands' in real life... but they came together to cut a single to promote this show: Seishun Amigo. The MV of them dancing is entertaining! I love Yamapi's (Akira) "KON" gesture... and the "Nobuta Power" gesture he makes for Maki.

4. Devil Beside You - Mike He and Rainie star in this Taiwanese show... another comedy about a bad boy who goes after a good girl... who fall in love and later find out they are to become step brother and sister. Great acting and some fun moments. Not as good as HYD, but still fun! (Mike and Rainie are an item in RL as well).

5. MARS - Taiwanese stars Vic Zhou (ZaiZai) and Barbie Hsu bring the story of the japanese manga to life with this very moving show. Another bad boy/good girl story that captivates you throughout. It's a drama, not a comedy. The two actors are together in real life as well. Super chemistry going on here! YUM! I love the theme song sung by Barbie and Vic... very pretty! I ordered this on eBay.

6. Meteor Garden(Season 1 and 2) is the Taiwanese version of Hana Yori Dango. It was made 5 years ago, and this was what made Vic Zhou a star. The 4 main actors (F4) end up forming a real life band as a result of this show, and are very successful in Asia. I'm infactuated with Vic Zhou. The strong but silent type!

7. Ikebukuro West Park Gate (IWPK) - Japanese gang related type show... think "Outsiders." Yamapi was very young in this, but they all did a great job!

8. Kurosagi - Yamapi plays a con artists who swindles other cons. He goes after those that have swindled and victimized others, as a revenge for his slaughtered family. Original. He performs again with Maki and although it's not a love story, she does fall in love with him. Some upbeat theme music too! (Daite Senorita which has to be my all time favorite JPop song now).

9. Winter Love Song - Korean Drama. Ok this has to be one of the most endearing love stories I have every watched. I cried throughout this show! It is uber long... something like 25-30 episodes... I forget, but it's worth it! I went and bought the DVDs.

Haven't yet completed:

a. My Girl - Korean Comedy
b. Corner With Love - Barbie Hsu / Taiwanese Comedy
c. Hana Kimi - Taiwanese Comedy based on Japanese manga

If you don't have bittorrent, or just don't want to take up disc space... then watch them on YouTube or Crunchy Roll. Start with Hana Yori Dango! :-)

Ok, I'm off to clean and then READ! Happy President's Day Weekend!

Valentine For: silveris

Title: 101 Ways to Woo Hermione Granger
Author: kat_diva
Type of Valentine: Fic (Humorous)
Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J K Rowling. No profit is being made.
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Notes: I struggled with my muse for weeks and weeks trying to write this challenge. After three half written stories, I finally found an idea that seemed befitting as a gift for Silveris. Her request was: dinner with the trio (may include Ron and Harry's girlfriends) and Draco, where single!Draco and heartbroken!Hermione are not on very good terms. Yet. Dealbreakers (absolute no-no's): Old stuff such as the candlelit dinner, seaside escapades, and rolling around in grassy fields. Ginny Weasley.
Summary: Draco attempts to woo and win back a relunctant Hermione via OWL messages.

( 101 )

I feel completely torn in my reaction to the recent release of Daniel Radcliffe's nude promo shots for his stage role in Equus. I can see that he is fighting to break out of his Harry Potter image. I was even entertained by his boy scout portrayal of his self-mockery in Extras recently. But I'm just not sure that taking on a role that calls for full nudity on stage, live, night after night, is one that will he will benefit from.

I've seen other great actors such as Will Smith, and Jodi Foster, who were well known child/teen actors break away from that image and become award winning adult actors. They chose each role well, and it worked. Then there are others, too numerous to list, that didn't choose so well, and they are little more than Rag Gossip, netting very little in their careers or on stage.

I am all for Daniel branching out and becoming an adult, and being taken seriously... but he still has 3 more HP movies to make, and how will this role he has accepted impact that? Perhaps he could have chosen another role, or one that did not require full frontal nudity?

Maybe I am just over-reacting. What do you think?

Click here for images and news article:

http://community.livejournal.com/fiction_alley/64926.html?view=69534#t69534

It's been fun having so much time off, but not very productive since much of it was spent on my back, in bed, sick. But I'm on the mend now and ventured outdoors today! It was just a quick trip to the grocery store and to buy the kids bus passes for January but it felt good to get out and about.

I updated my Dance Fic by adding two chapters this week... on FF and AFF:

FanFic.net Dance Fic

AFF Dance Fic

Special shout out and thanks to Karen kazfeist for reading them and critiqueing me! It's good to have someone as great as her let me know if I'm off track or not. Also of course I want to thank Renee eilonwy1 and Lisa lisa725 for their beta work on the chapters I posted on CG and FA!

Jessie and Keala come back home on Sunday. Jared has had some peaceful days while they've been gone! Heh!

Big interview on Friday! Wish me luck! Yata!

I have so much that has happened to me and mine in 2006 I just wanted to recap:

Adversity -
1. Lost job
2. Dad died (natural dad, we weren't close)
3. Put house up for sale, sale cancelled
4. Travelled over 50k miles for work
5. Car broken into, tons of stuff stolen

Blessings -
1. New Opportunities for better company/work
2. Family from UK came over and visited this summer
3. Family from Hawaii came over in August
4. Went to College Reunion in March
5. Jessie graduated HS and went to UT to college
6. Jared gets to graduate his Senior year at ECR
7. Keala quit the Halau and seems much happier and less stressed
8. Began reading and writing Dr/Hr fanfic in the Fall
9. Met some wonderful LJ friends (eilonwy, kazfeist, milynee and snowflakeimp who have made my experience richer.
10. Former fiancee went out of his way to hunt me down. Yeah that was nice! :-)

All in all I guess I've had an exciting year... double the blessings! I've grown from the adversity.

Bring on 2007! I'm ready!

May you all be safe, happy and well!

A dirty little fic that I just wrote while feeling sicker than a dog... a Padfoot dog that is! *evil grin*

Title: Black Hole
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: Characters are JKR's, I just play with them.
Summary: Sirius bids farewell to Bellatrix the only way a Black can:
“Stop now, before I make you,” he warned. She smoothed the soft, gritty mud across his naked chest with her fingers, and then dug her nails into him. “I’m not like your lover, Sirius. I take what I want, when I want it. I won’t worship you, I won’t respect you in the morning. But believe me, I will enjoy it. And so will you.”

Tourjous Pur Link

Non-beta'd

So isn't Sirius supposed to be a devilishly handsome rogue when he was young??? Why oh why did they get a DORKY guy to play him in the movie?! The dude looks like a wimpy REMUS! Not at all like the yummilicious Sirius!

I LOVE who they cast for Bellatrix! Helena is such a fine actress and beautiful as well! But I am uber disappointed in Sirius. He was one of my favorite characters too!

Oh well!

Here is a link for a photo and interview with the actor:

James Walters Interview

*shrugs* Maybe he's a better actor than a looker.

Moping and Pouting,

Kat

An hour ago Yahoo News released the following title: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows. My reaction: HOLY CRAP! Is it me, or has Harry Potter gone ANIME?! It's BLEACH! I can't believe the title comes from one of my favorite anime shows! Priceless! It's like serendipidity!

Unfortunately it was a typo! It's "Hallows" which brings all sorts of conjecture ... Hallow's eve, Hallowed as in sacred, a loud shout or cry... what does it mean!?!

Chapter five was just validated on CG... so happy!

Here is the link:

Dance with the One that Brought You

Huge thanks goes out to eilonwy for her being the beta on this chapter!

I'm glad that it's getting cleaned up and more shiny and presentable for CG and FA!

I'm wondering ... if a beta is someone that helps with the grammar and such, what is a person called that you bounce ideas off of? *shrugs* Maybe no one else ever needs one of those, but sometimes I sure feel like I could use one! LOL

Enjoy!

This posting is in response to zefi_ryn's request for some Draco/Boyd icons that may have a brunette photographed with him. I have no idea if these are the ones she wants, but better than uploading them all to photobucket (since the artists deserve credit, please don't change the names)! Thanks



Sneak Preview
( Boyd/Draco )

Title: Dance with the One that Brought You
Rating: strong PG
Disclaimer: Characters are JKR's, plot is mine.
Summary: Draco and Hermione's first dance practice!

( Chapter 4:Kick it Up a Notch )

Just a way of saving some of my favorites so far! Going to archive this in my memories! ( Bella and Sirius Fics )

Title: Dance with the One that Brought You
Rating: strong PG
Disclaimer: Characters are JKR's, plot is mine.
Summary: First Kiss: Son of Durmstrang lays claim to a Gryffindor!

( Chapter 3 )

Chapter 2 is up, for your reading pleasure!

Title: Dance with the One that Brought You
Author: kat_diva
Rating: strong R
Disclaimer: She lets us play with them, but they are hers to keep.
Summary: “Want to give it a go, Granger?” he challenged. He withdrew the his wand, but he held it down at his side. “Just you and me, a little one on one?” He tapped it slowly against his leg, in anticipation. “It’s finally your chance for a little tête - à - tête with me — wand to wand, no bloody bodyguards to save your day. What do you say?”


( Chapter 2 )

I was never a strong swimmer, maybe that's why learning to surf as a kid was so hard for me! Very much the same as trying to learn how to navigate around here in LJ!

Here's my attempt at doggy paddling amongst the great Fanfic writers here.

Title: After the Candles went Out
Author: kat_diva
Rating: strong R/NC-17
Disclaimer: Characters are Yazawa-sensei's, plot is mine.
Summary: Takumi rages after Shin's and Reira's Joint Birthday Party. Hachi is in love with Trapnest's bad boy...while Blast's Nobu and Shin try to protect her from herself, she is torn between lust, love and loyalty. [HachixTakumi] Work in Progress
Warning: Includes spoilers! Based on Volume 13 of the Manga.

( Chapter 1 )

I was never a strong swimmer, maybe that's why learning to surf as a kid was so hard for me! Very much the same as trying to learn how to navigate around here in LJ! But I hope I can keep my head up to keep from drowning!

Here's my attempt at doggy paddling amongst the great Fanfic writers here.

Thanks to the those that tossed me a life preserver! milynee and kazfeist!

Title: Dance with the One that Brought You
Rating: strong R/NC-17
Disclaimer: Characters are JKR's, plot is mine.
Summary: “Want to give it a go, Granger?” He challenged. “Finally your chance for a little tête à tête with me, wand to wand, no bloody bodyguards to save your day, what do you say?” Hermione comes of age, learning about loyalty, love and lust...just not all from the same person!
Warning: Includes sexual innuedo and acts for characters under 18 years of age.

( Chapter 1 )

I wrote Chapters 12 & 13 at the same time... which is the most difficult challenge yet, because I needed to convey a soft innocence yet still erotic kiss between Harry and Hermione while moving on to the next Chapter with Draco and Hermione's steamily deceptive kiss as Viktor Krum!

I want to thank Kazfiest kazfiest for befriending me and giving me some helpful encouragement and feedback here on LJ! She rocks!

I love reading my reviews of the fanfic I'm writing. I tell you, it's so entertaining! I will get reactions from falling off chairs, to people scratching their heads going, "HUH?" The last chapter, CH 11, had several folks doing the latter, and telling me in no uncertain terms that they didn't get the riddles I used in that chapter.

It's ok folks... move on. Believe me! It's not worth it! Prime example: I had the chapter to my 15 yr old Honors Student to read and she labors over the riddle for 10 minutes. Our dialogue went something like this:

Her: "This doesn't make sense."
Me: "Yes it does, I got it from the internet."
Her: "That doesn't mean it makes sense! I don't get it."
Me: "It was on two different sites! I just changed the words!"
Her: "But how come Hermione lives if it's false?"
Me: "“If this statement was true, she would have been clawed and thus not be killed by my teeth. But then her statement would be false, which implies that she should be killed by my teeth, making the statement true again... In other words: she cannot be killed at all, and will be released."
Her: "You just read that."
Me: "Ok...look, if one you can't go with the true cuz then she'd die, but if you went with the false one, it would mean she would die too, which would mean it was true... but it can't be both true and false, so she gets to go free because she can't be killed!"
Her: "I have a headache."
Me. "I had one when I first started to write the riddle in the story and convert it!"

Yeah, we aren't really into riddles in our family. Although my son seemed to have picked up on it right away! (He's irritating like that).

As for the second riddle, I deeply apologize, because I don't know the answer! I found it out on the web, on a Riddles Forum board! I saw all the guesses were: Coma, Disease, Suicide, Nightmares, Insanity... but no one had guessed the correct answer yet. Any one know?

Sorry for the headaches the riddles might have caused... Now I know why JKR stuck with the easy one in the Maze by her Sphinx! LOL!

So I've written this FanFic, as you may know, (if not, what are you doing here on my page)... and just posted Chapter 11 today. This story has over 32,200 words so far, and I have completely enjoyed writing every single one of them!

I giggled a few times writing this chapter, because I'm anticipating what's coming. Also, someone should just slap me, because I am turning myself on writing about Harry... and he's still a bloody teenager! What's that about! I need to go into rehab or group therapy or something like that, because I just love envisioning Harry with Hermione! LOL

I like the friendship between Draco and Blaise... kind of like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid! LOL

Anyways I hope you are able to read this story on Fanfic.com or AFF. I also have it posted on Forever Fandom. I am trying to get it posted on Coloured Grey, but it's still in review I believe. Someone recommended Fiction Alley, but they are very strict on grammar and punctuation, and even though I consider myself to have above average communication skills, they don't. LOL!

Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Gawd I feel like such a hater toward LJ right now!

I have been enjoying all these fanfics from other people that use this site to post their stories and I can't figure out how to use the bloody TAGS after reading the FAQ multiple times!

I am pretty PC savvy, and it just irritates the HELL out of me! GRRRR!

So I downloaded a MAC client, iJournal, hoping it would help... but still no bloody use!

Why isn't there a valid EXAMPLE or user's guide somewhere!

Ah well... just thought I'd vent!

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