P is for ... Peculiarly (Random)

The first time I was introduced to webcomics was through my friend, Frane, while I was visiting her in February. It was fairly close to the time when I had 'discovered' comics and was really excited about those (still am). This isn't one of the ones she introduced to me. Rather, it's one I've seen adds for before in the back of my favourite comics, and then saw copies of on tfaw.com (things from another world. :D). From there, it was only a short jump to the website and ta-da! Here we are.

Red String started as a webcomic in 2002, but wasn't published by 2005. The creator, Gina Biggs, self published it under her all female comic group, Strawberry Comics. However, in May of 2006, she announced that Dark Horse Comics (yaaaay! I love DKH!) was going to be publishing it.

The main character is Miharu Ogawa, who discovers that her parents have arranged her marriage for her. Enraged, she ends up running into a boy who she ends up liking. Soon after she learns that he is the one that she's betrothed to. The story closely follows the red string of fate of Chinese and Japanese mythology.

I haven't gotten very far (yet) but I'm loving what I've read so far. If you like it, tfaw is having a huge sale, along with Nick & Dent, that will allow you to buy the books for between $4 - $8(US) each.

What's your favourite webcomic?

P is for ... Photography (Month)

May is Photography month, and that's enough to make it amazing for me. A quick search has given me several blogs and websites devoted to National Photography Month. Here they are:

˙ TVO's Photography Month Blog
˙ Take Great Pictures (this is really just a great photography site)
˙ Liz's Photography (also another good site for photographers)
˙ Bravo!Canada (the videos and interviews with photographers are amazing and inspiring)
˙ NaPhoBoMo (learn more about National Photo Book Month)

And doing a quick google search can give you links to several photographic art festivals. I found ones for Mississauga and Brampton, Calgary, Banff, and Ontario. So go out and see what your area has/will be doing to celebrate it!

My favourite photographer (a Canadian one to boot!) is Yousuf Karsh. An absolutely brilliant photographer, I 'discovered' him while researching Canadian heroes two years ago. Since I'm going to do a post about him for either the letter 'y' or 'k', I won't go into too much detail about him. But check out his website and if you live in Ottawa, there's an exhibit you can check out. The site also has a list of all the art museums that contain his work.

I adore his Vancouver at Night , Antique Shop, & Ford of Canada: Rear Window photos. However, he is really known for his portraits. His most famous picture is of Winston Churchill when he was in Ottawa during WWII. I really can't choose a 'favourite' from his impressive collection. However, Mother Teresa, Humphrey Bogart, Georgia O'Keefe, and Jacqueline Kennedy are among my most liked.

Who's your favourite photographer?

P is for ... (Julio Noboa) Polanco

Identity

Let them be as flowers,

always watered, fed, guarded, admired,

but harnessed to a plot of dirt.

I'd rather be a tall, ugly weed,

clinging on cliffs, like an eagle

wind-wavering above high, jagged rocks.

To have broken through the surface of stone,

to live, to feel exposed to the madness

of the vast, eternal sky.

To be swayed by the breezes of an ancient sea,

carrying my soul, my seed, beyond the mountains

of time

or into the abyss of the bizarre.

I'd rather be unseen, and if

then shunned by everyone,

than to be a pleasant-smelling flower,

growing in clusters in the fertile valley,

where they're praised, handled, and plucked

by greedy, human hands.

I'd rather smell of musty, green stench

than of sweet, fragrant lilac.

If I could stand alone, strong and free,

I'd rather be a tall, ugly weed.

P is for ... Paolo (Nutini)

Khyri is actually the one who introduced me to Paolo Nutini and I'm absolutely in love. Just his voice and the way his accent manages to slip itself through his words and music makes me happy.

This is definitely my favourite song by him, hands down. It reminds me of summer and lazy days.

What's your favourite song by Paolo?

P is for ... (Tamora) Pierce

New month, new letter, and finally a new post! Life's gotten crazy busy lately, especially since I'm attempting to finish up my AP course for Art. Our school got Photoshop (!!!), so I've been doing a bunch of stuff on that. Once it's all finished, I'll post some up for you guys to see!

Tamora Pierce is my hero. I've read almost every single one of her books, and keep re-reading them when the feeling strikes. I've written about how much I love her works at my livejournal account over and over again.

For those who don't know, Tamora Pierce is a brilliant fantasy writer. Song of the Lioness, Protector of the Small, The Circle Opens, Tricksters, Circle of Magic, Immortals, and Beka Cooper are all series that she's written.

The world of Tortall (where all these books take place) is tangible. The histories and the geography and the people, the customs, they're believeable and real and human. Her characters are flawed, but strong within their flaws. They're relateable. I've been in love with them one moment and angry at them the next, sympathetic in turn.

Her series are all linked, and reading all of them tightens the web that she's woven with her books. You don't need to read each of them, but you want to, because you want to know what happens to each of them, why they are the way they are.

What's your favourite Tamora Pierce book?