So... I have survived NaNoWriMo and I'm back!

Hi there... as I suspected in my post about a month ago, I've been pretty much MIA.

The good part? I'm excited to be blogging again. In fact, once I finish this post I am hitting 'publish' on a review I just finished writing a moment ago. I owe a lot of reviews... *buries head in shame*

The better part? I pulled through NaNo with 52,669 words, which with what I've written before and since currently sets my story at 69k! I'm not finished by a pretty long shot (probably another 30k) and I'll have to cut and revise the hell out of it, but I love the world and the characters and it just feels good to be writing and creating.

I kind of wish I had written more (in 2011, I had 66k) but well...

I got Assassin's Creed: Black Flag in late October and by the end of November, I had also played like 60 hours of that... in addition to writing and working and some reading (but not blogging). Oops? Seriously though, that game sucked me in for like 5 hours straight sometimes (or until 3am) and I didn't even realize the passing of time. I could sail around the Caribbean with Edward Kenway and James Kidd to plunder ships and assassinate templars for forever.

Anyway. During that time, I also had to look for a new apartment for my sister and me, which I am very VERY glad to say we found! It's like a miracle, only took us about two weeks - must be a record in this city! Zurich is notorious about not having enough apartments and charging ridiculous prices. I used to go to viewings ten mins early and still have to wait halfway down the staircase for my turn to quickly do a 30 seconds walk through the place and, if I was lucky, grab an application sheet if there were any left at this point.

We really like the place we're renting at the moment but the building is going to be torn down and rebuilt at the end of February (that's why the rent was so cheap), so we had to get out. The new place has a better kitchen and bigger bathroom though, so that's great, even though the neighborhood isn't as pretty. But it will be my first time living in a place and not having a contract that says 'only until this specified month about 1-2 years from now'. If I move again, it'll be my own choice rather than other circumstances forcing me out of my home.
Now I only have to box up my 400 or so books...

So, that's what's been going on in my life. I really hope I can blog some more before the end of the year, but I'm also flying to Belgium and then getting in a friend's friend's car for a road trip under the Channel (in a car beneath the sea. I am not at all scared, no no) and then up to Derby, England for the final show of a great band (adventure!), plus I have no Christmas presents yet. And we're probably moving between Christmas and Silvester. So, lots of organizing to do. But at least life is happening. Plus, I can buy more book shelves after the move because once more, my blog name is very very accurate...

How has NaNoWriMo gone for those of you who participated? And are there any bookloving frequent-movers with advice on how to best pack up those precious books?

Get to Know Me: Words Words Words

Hey there, and welcome to another personal post where I talk about stuff that I do outside of blogging. Today is all about what I will be doing for the rest of November. I think the word 'November' is already a clue for many of you - I'm doing NaNoWriMo again. That's why I've been absent for the past half week - I've been preparing, and I wanted to start NaNo with 15k words already written on my project. I only managed 14,300-something because I spontaneously went to a Halloween event on Friday, but I caught up yesterday. It was a great first day - I wrote over 3,000 words even though I only started around 6pm.

I did my first NaNo in 2011 with a reduced goal of 30k instead of 50k. I thought I was writing a short story to warm up. Ahem. Yeah, turned out it was the first book in what I guess will at some point be a trilogy. I wrote 66k in November, and another 40k until the end of January, when I finished the novel plus a novella set in the same world. For all of that November, I felt like I was floating. Writing made me so ridiculously happy and I felt like I was part of something big and wonderful.

I was busy in 2012 though and never really got around to revising that novel. I know that there are a lot of things that need fixing. So when I wanted to write the sequel in NaNo 2012, it didn't work out. I wasn't fully committed and didn't have the time, so NaNo 2012 was a fail. Last year I was super busy with my MA thesis, so I didn't even try.

This year though. This year I am so motivated! I felt listless these past few months but lately I suddenly have so much energy and I feel stoked about writing and my project :D I feel like this year, I can do it again. I have a brand new story with me, with characters that I love and that surprise me. I'm so excited to go on this journey with them and figure out what happens! My goal is for this novel to be between 70 to 85k, and I'd like it to be a standalone. I don't know if I can wrap everything up that quickly though because that would mean I've got almost 25% written already and I feel like I'm nowhere yet. But we'll see. This time around, I'm not planning on abandoning the story once the fun part (the draft writing) is over. If in any way possible, I want it to have a beautiful cover and see the light of day.

Is anyone else doing NaNoWriMo this year or has attempted it in the past? What is your experience? Does it work for you? Is it too much pressure? Let me know in the comments :)

Get-To-Know-Me Sunday: 20 things you might not know about me

Hey guys, it's been a very long time since I've done one of these! But I've seen this list of questions on a couple other blogs, among others that of the wonderful Micheline at Lunar Rainbows, and I've decided to fill it out myself. I'm not officially tagging anyone, but if you've done/want to do these questions you're welcome to link me up :)

Question 1: How tall are you?
164 or 165 centimeters. I don't always measure at the same height *shrug* I guess I tend to stoop? Anyway, I think that's either 5'4'' or 5'5''.

Question 2: Do you have a hidden talent? If so, what?
I don't have any talent that I'd call or keep hidden...

Question 3: What's your biggest blog related pet-peeve?
Reviews that are basically a one-paragraph summary + 2 short, non-specific sentences about how they liked it. Not very helpful. Also, crammed sidebars, glittery stuff that blinks at me, lots of different fonts with different colors.

Question 4: What's your biggest non-blog related pet-peeve?
Slow-walking people who take up the whole sidewalk so I can't push past. People who don't clean up after themselves in the kitchen. And never call me 'babe' or 'baby'. You won't like the consequences.

Question 5: What's your favorite song?
They tend to change and I love a lot of songs! But here are the videos of a few that I find myself listening to a lot lately:



And if Bring Me The Horizon is a bit too metalcore for you, I can give you this beautiful acoustic Death Cab For Cutie song:



Ever since watching the movie Only Lovers Left Alive last December, I've also been obsessed with Red Eyes & Tears by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club:



... and to round it off, the new Motionless In White album just came out and I'm listening to it a lot while writing, so here's their newest single. Again, this might not be for everyone...

Question 6: What's your favorite Etsy shop that isn't yours?
I haven't been on Etsy much lately... when I go, it's usually to shop either for cool steampunk stuff people make or for fandom-related things that I can't get anywhere else here. There's no particular shop I buy from.

Question 7: What's your favorite way to spend your free time when you're alone?
I obviously read a lot, but lately I've also started watching more movies and TV series again (I'm looking at you, American Horror Story!). My sister and I (we're roomies) also got an Xbox early in the year and I've been kinda obsessed with the Assassin's Creed series.

Question 8: What's your favorite junk food?
I hate junk food. On some days, the smell alone is enough to make me nauseous.
That being said, I don't consider ice cream and chocolate junk food. Because here it's made of real food instead of weird processed chemistry crap.

Question 9: Do you have a pet or pets? If so, what kind and what are their names?
I don't have pets in my apartment in Zurich because I'd feel bad about leaving them alone all day and I also can't afford the food right now. But I really miss our family cat back in the countryside at my parent's house! He's such a cutie. I also grew up around my mum's two iceland ponies and was horse-riding pretty much from birth until quit at 14.

I love this little guy :)

Question 10: What are your favorite fiction and nonfiction books?
Ugh oh god I hate this question >.< How am I supposed to pick only one?! That being said, I love all of Holly Black's books, everything I've read by Neil Gaiman, and I devoured Mark Lawrence's Broken Empire trilogy earlier this year.

As for non-fiction, I don't read much of it. I read a lot of articles etc. for my studies, but nothing I'd consider a favorite. But there's a book by a Swiss author about the time she moved to San Francisco with her family for a few years before coming back that I really enjoyed. It's called Flowers in Your Hair, by Milena Moser.

Question 11: What's your favorite beauty product?
Compact powder and eyeliner.

Question 12:  When were you last embarrassed? What happened?
I don't get embarrassed that often anymore. Usually it's just small things that I can laugh off. It was bad when I was a teen though.

Question 13: If you could only drink one beverage (besides water) for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Coke Zero.

Question 14: What's your favorite movie?
Gah >.< Same as the books. I love a lot of horror-ish, dark movies like The Crow or Donnie Darko, but I also love Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, various book adaptations, and I have this obsession with 80s teen movies like Heathers, Breakfast Club, or Ferries Bueller's Day Off.

Question 15: What were you in highschool: prom queen, nerd, cheerleader, jock, valedictorian, band geek, loner, artist, prep?
The high school equivalent in Switzerland is quiet different and doesn't form the same types of cliques. For instance there are no school sports teams, which gets rid of the jocks and cheerleaders. That being said, I guess I'd have been the nerdy emocore girl. You know, all black, band shirts, backpack full of buttons and patches of various band logos.

Question 16: If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?
Tough one. I love London and during my time in the US I also fell for San Francisco. I think it's a wonderful city to be a reader or writer in. But I also really like it here in Zurich, even though I know that at some point I'll have to emigrate if I want to work in the field I studied.

Question 17: PC or Mac?
PC all the way. The only apple product I own is my iPod. I don't even have an iTunes account.

Question 18: Last romantic gesture from a crush, date, boy/girlfriend, spouse?
My love life is pretty much nonexistent. Basically I just never fall for anybody *shrug*. I haven't had so much as a crush in 4 years.

Question 19: Favorite celebrity?
Erm. Jennifer Lawrence is awesome, obviously. I also really like Tom Hiddleston. He seems like such a genuine, intelligent, and dignified person. And he still also does silly stuff and doesn't take himself too seriously.
I have endless respect for Davey Havok, the singer of AFI. His lyrics have done so much for me in the past almost 10 years and inspired me to be a better writer.

Question 20: What blogger do you secretly wish you were best friends with?

Micheline from Lunar Rainbows! I really really hope we can meet some time in the future, maybe at BEA!

That's it :) Comments on anything or questions are welcome! Do we have anything in common? (Taste in music, maybe? It's so hard to find anyone I share book AND music taste with!). Also as I said above, feel free to do the survey yourself or link me up to your post if you've already done it :)

Get To Know Me: That time I went to Belgium and watched Christmas trees burn

Hey guys and welcome to another Get To Know Me post! I do these sporadically on Sundays to divulge some stuff about my life aside from books and share things from what I'm up to when I'm not blogging. This time, I'd like to tell you about my trip to Belgium that I got back from last Monday. There are A LOT of pictures, so I'm sorry if the post loads a bit slowly for some of you!

Why did I go to Belgium, you may ask? Well, to keep it short - my best friend fell in love and moved there to be with her boyfriend in Kontich, a small town near Antwerpen. I miss her. She wanted me to visit. I was more than okay with that. Flights with Easyjet are very cheap and only take an hour from Basel to Brussels - there you go. I flew in Thursday evening and my friend and the BF got me in Brussels with his car. Back in Kontich, we stayed in at their apartment, cooked, and watched the last two episodes of Game of Thrones, season 2. Who doesn't like wildfire and dragons?

Anyway, here's a picture to show you how I basically slept in their library:

The heap at the bottom is the pillows on my mattress. My friend is as book crazy as I am, so now the study is also the book room. Another cool thing in their apartment? They have a shelf in the mini-bathroom that is comics and manga only. My inner nerd approves.

Anyway, on Friday, we got up sort-of-early and took the train to Antwerpen. It's a very beautiful city! We did some sightseeing and shopping and later met with a friend of theirs for coffee. It was a lot of fun! There was also a used books store and a comic and manga nerd-store (also English ones!) involved ;) See?

This life-size spiderman is on the outside wall of the store.

They had a bit of everything.

You guys, I could've bought so many mangas that I usually have to order from the internet >.< But I restrained myself. Instead, I bought Neil Gaiman's Death - The High Cost of Living, a companion to his Sandman graphic novel series that I'd been looking for for a long time! Silly me forgot it my StS post from yesterday, so I'll add it next week.

Here are some more impressions. If I know what the buildings are, I'm adding it to the captions. Click the pics to make them bigger.

This one and the next 3 pictures are from inside the railway station. It was so beautiful!!

Random snapshot from one of the squares

Chinatown

This one is from inside what used to be an 18th century ballroom and was now restored in its gilded glory and turned into an upscale mall.

The cathedral.

Traditional shop front behind the cathedral. There are lots of red brick buidings in Belgium, and I love it! There aren't many of those in Switzerland. It reminded me of England.

After lunch (sushi, myum) and meeting up with my BFF's friend, we headed for the river and the docks and made our way over to the MAS - Museum aan de Strom, which means museum on the river. If you want to see it from afar or read more about it, you can do that here. It's a nine storey art museum and we went up all the way on escalators, which took a while. The view was amazing though! Twilight was just starting to fall and you could see all over the city and the river.

By the time we were done taking pictures and goofing around, it had grown really cold. Coffee was in order. And a quick trip to the book store before it closed.

That evening, we were really beat from all the walking, but we still decided to meet up with the boyfriend's friends in the neighboring town of Duffel (not pronounced like the duffel in duffel bag) for the traditional Christmas tree burning. Yup, everyone brings their trees to the town square, where they're lit on fire at night. It was cold, but really fun!
 Thankfully, the BF's friends also spoke English. I understand some Dutch (it's like a mixture of English and Swiss German) but not when several people are talking at once and a band is playing. The second cover band was really awesome and played all these songs from the 80s that everyone can just sing along to. It was so much fun! People were friendly and outgoing, we started dancing, and suddenly I found myself in a huge Polognese that trampled all over the square. We went home around midnight, stinking of woodsmoke from the fires.

The next day, we had planned to go to Ghent but the weather wasn't so awesome and we were lazy, so we stayed in. I watched my friends play the Lego Marvel Heroes  and Lord of the Rings games on Playstation, read a bit, watched Iron Man... it was nice. We went to bed early-ish because we had to get up early to drive 1.5 hours to Bruges on Sunday morning.

Have you ever seen the movie In Bruges? If not, you should!! It's fun (if you get dark humor), and sad, and just... crazy. It also has the highest frequency of F-bombs (usually at least one per sentence) I've ever heard used in a film, just to warn you if you've got a problem with that. But yeah. It's a lovely medieval town with beautiful buildings, shops, and awesome chocolate! Here are some impressions.

Yummie chocolates! We call them pralinés here, and they were better than the Swiss ones! For regular chocolate bars, I prefer my native ones though ;)

Lots of people took tours of the town with carriages.

Many lovely small alleys.

If you've seen the movie - yes, this is that tower!

The Grote Markt square.

I love that there's a compass / clock on top of this building!

Chocolate fountain.

This sugary colorful cones are a Belgian specialty.

Cute waffle shop :)

Allegedly, they have Jesus' blood in there. We didn't go in to check.

The façade is very beautiful though!

They also have Grachten!

We thought it was a bit cold for a boat tour...

The BFF and me :) I'm on the left, in case you don't know my face ;)

I meant to take a picture of the flowers for my dad, but ended up loving the reflection on the water!

Tree decoration.

Bruges is also famous for its lace shops.

I love foreign street signs :)

The beautiful Queen Astrid Park.

And the pavillon there. Again, if you've seen In Bruges, you know the place ;)

Lots of houses had the year of their being built written somewhere.

I love that spider web window!

This tiny Döner kebab shop stood amidst more modern buildings so I just had to take a pic.

All in all, it was a wonderful trip and Bruges was a beautiful conclusion! Early the next morning, it was back to the airport for me and then off to work for my friends. At 10:15am, I landed back in Basel and a good 2 hours later I was in my Zurich apartment.
Here's a map so you can see where I was. The first one is of the bigger context (where is Belgium in relation to Switzerland), the second is within Belgium.

I live in Zurich, flew from Basel, and stayed near Antwerpen.

I landed in Brussel, stayed in Kontich near Antwerpen. Bruges is more to the left/east near the coast.

Alright, this is it :) Took me about 90mins to write this post, haha. It was great to see my BFF and her boyfriend again and see where she's living and working now! It also felt awesome to just get away from home and work and everything for a few days and see new things, meet new people, hear a new language.

I hope this was interesting for you guys as well, and that you liked the pictures! If you did, it'd be lovely if you left a comment. I also have pictures from Prague, Florence, Hamburg, Amsterdam, Budapest... but I feel a bit silly sharing them if no one actually cares to see them.
Do you ever take short trips? If so, what do you go see?