Perfecting My Crab Impression

Artist?

Scientist?

The two sides of me clash so much. One moment I'm so caught in music, and art that flows and ebbs through scrict routines that school work and timetables are always left behind for the impulses.

The next, I'll be alphabetically ordering my school books and doing my homework on time. But so recently, now, WITH MY EXAMS coming up, art has decided to show herself again, and capture me again.

Bother.

Yeah.

That.

*stretches arms*

Anyone read True Grit? Read it. Watch it. And then realize how much better the Rook Sister's films are gonna be. The world awaits us.

In my dreams.

Which are all set to become reality.

Thank you, and goodnight,

Tora.

P.S Crabs. Gotta love 'em. Not tasty though. Have my first bit of crab meat last Tuesday...

It's America In My Kitchen

I just ate my first ever bagel.

Now, you see, I'm not the kind of person who believes in stereotypes, so I'd actually like to know: Do You New Yorkers Actually Eat Bagels?

I must say, if you do, you have amazing food taste. I love your bagels. They are delicious. And mine had bananas and nut butter inside.

Pure brilliance.

Thank you and goodnight.

Tora.

Allie's Music Meme...

This is where you put your iPod/music playing apparatus on shuffle, and for every question, you answer with the song that's playing. Twinsis introduced me to it...As you know I'm a music maniac, so I'm just glad I didn't have to choose...one thing I'm kinda annoyed about is that no Adele songs came up, even though she's one of my favourite artists, and I listen to her albums almost more than any of the others...but alas, that is the way of doing things randomly...

Opening Credits: Drive My Car, The Beatles

Waking Up: Puncture Repair, Elbow

First Day at School: Dog Days Are Over, Florence and The Machine

Falling in Love: Hard Headed Woman, Elvis Presley

Fight Song: Moondance, Van Morrison

Breaking Up: Sisters Are Doin' It For Themselves, Eurythmics

Prom: Black Horse And The Cherry Tree, KT Tunstall

Life's OK: Jigsaw, Ryan Sheridan

Mental Breakdown: Uprising, Muse

Flashback: Last Leaf, The Cake Sale (it's a charity album)

Getting Back Together: Homebird, Foy Vance

Wedding: Girl With One Eye, Florence And The Machine

Birth of Child: An Audience With The Pope, Elbow

Final Battle: This Love (Will Be Your Downfall), Ellie Goulding

Death Scene: Travelin' Soldier, Dixie Chicks

Funeral Song: Marchin' On, OneRepublic

End Credits: Bedshaped, Keane

After Credits Twist: SING, My Chemical Romance

Verdict (Your view of what all this means): Errr....That I have excellent musical taste?

No, really, I think it means:

The start is pretty happy, sort of carefree, but with underlying tones of emptiness...then school starts and it's all hope, but when it came to love life sort of laughed at me for a while. I had friends, but I was a dreamer, and I fell easily for façades. I broke up with my boyfriend because I wanted to be independent and even though I thought I was in love, really in love, there was too much going on and I needed a break. I celebrated being tough and single, and I was upbeat and happy for a while. But then everything started to get to me, being alone without anyone to really depend on wasn't working. I got paranoid and was on the verge of becoming an anarchist when I thought about what I used to have and how I wanted it back. I wanted to go home, and boyfriend took me back; he'd been in love with me the whole time. Our wedding was a bit of a shambles because neither of us wanted a huge-fluffy-princess-and-prince event, and we just wanted to snub society by saying, 'Look, we're young and madly in love, and we're going to do this our way, OK?' by choosing the most inappropriate first dance songs we could think of. And then we had kids and we were totally devoted to them, but we wanted them to grow up happy but with values and everything, but still knowing we'd drop everything for them if they needed us. Love was ultimately the downfall of things...there was a death out in CountryAndWesternLand, but we knew at the funeral that we had to keep marching on, keep living. So I decided I'd start doing good deeds for people, and fighting because even though I knew I'd probably lose, I might be able to save people. And stuff.

First Lapse in Posts...

Either this means the novelty has worn off, we have nothing to say, or the workload is starting to get to us (it's definitely getting to me.) I have a funny feeling it's all three...

Anyway. Now you know the explanation(s) for the lack of postage, I should probably get back to work.

Yeah.

Going...

In a minute...

Blah. Studying's getting on my nerves...But I better go. (I can hardly blame the blog readers for abysmal results, since they don't exist.)

Allie

Need...More...Books...

I'm in an even more book-ish mood than usual today...if that's humanly possible. I just don't seem to have enough time to read with my exams going on...but I'm going to start the summer by stocking up on all things literary. I think I'll deserve it...

Anyway. I've been looking round the interweb for new books to get...Better give the Wondrous Reads blog a plug here - if you like reading even remotely, go there. If you are as obsessed as I am and haven't looked at it yet - GO THERE NOW!

And I remembered that I haven't blogged today. Well, I have sort of, through Tora posting our scene....(you'll get used to our shorthand for these things. Trust me, there are scenes way longer than that...wait 'til you see some of our short stories. Well, mine. I can never write enough. I don't even realize how long the stories go on for.) But I thought I better post something myself.

So, to coincide with my mood, I'm going to post a list of what I'm reading, at them moment (I know I mentioned three of them yesterday, but I've finished two of them now) all of which are library books. (The last one I bought was Scorpia Rising, the new - and last - Alex Rider book by Anthony Horowtiz. If you haven't heard of it.)


Crossing The Line - Gillian Philip (YA fiction)
Just finished this about two days ago. The cover made it really stand out, but to be honest the blurb doesn't do it justice. You need to read it to really get the depth of everything it's about. I just had to keep reading once I started. Definitely worth a read!

The Search For WondLa - Tony DiTerlizzi (Kids)
This is by the guy who wrote the Spiderwick Chronicles (with Holly Black) but it wasn't that that made me pick it up...again, excellent example of how important the cover is. Haven't started it yet, but it looks good. The illustrations throughout (which manage not to look to childish, judging by what I've seen from flicking through) are a bonus.

Annan Water - Kate Thompson (YA fiction)
Literally about a page into this one! Kate Thompson is a brilliant writer - I've read so many of her books! - and can't wait to really see what this one's like.

Wintercraft - Janna Burtenshaw (YA fiction)
Gothic, supernatural, magical, dark. Can't wait to get stuck into it. Need I say more?

The Death Defying Pepper Roux - Geraldine McCaughrean (YA fiction)
This is one that's just been waiting for me to pick it up. Not started it yet, but its supposed to be excellent.

The Thing With Finn - Tom Kelly (Kids)
Not something I'd usually go for, but I've heard of it and thought I might as well try it. I've read a couple of chapters (I don't like stopping in the middle of books much, but what can you do?) already, don't know when I'll get time to finish it....

Speaking of time and not having enough of it, I'd better go. Hope you enjoyed this post, non-existent readers, and weren't too bored....

Allie

Sway With Me

OK, readers, belt up for your first taste of twinsisterly collaborative writing- this is a short scene inspired by Michael Buble's Sway, (or Mr Bubbles, as I prefer to call him).

When marimba rhythms start to play,

Dance with me, make me sway

The thin, drifting scent of the honeysuckle blossoms wrapped itself around the beach, snaking through the senses and stirring within the imaginations of the humans milling in the last gold-dust rays of the sun. The young man and woman wandered easily across the sand barefooted, turning their heads as a new tango rhythm opened up, played by the quadruplet of native musicians on the decking. Couples, a few at the most, were already twirling on the covered dance floor.

Like a lazy ocean hugs the shore,

Hold me close, sway me more.

The boy tucked a flower behind her ear and cocked his head. “Shall we?”

The young woman paused. Her newlywed husband seemed so at home here: she felt out of place, the foreigner. But his eyes saw only her.

Like a flower bending in the breeze,

Bend with me, sway with ease.

The imprints on the damp, foam licked sand changed from two sets of meandering footprints to one single track as he pulled her into his arms.

Other dancers may be on the floor,

Dear but my eyes will see only you,

Her cream cotton dress flared as he twirled her, and then pulled her close. Breathlessly, she let him lead, for once. Usually she was the most independent, most stubborn, but the ease, the trust of the dance relaxed her. He was watching her, as always, despite the beauty of the setting, her husband saw only her. And she, only him.

I can hear the sound of violins,

Long before, it begins

The beat of the dance was the only thing that didn't begin to fade. The slight hum of distant creatures, the few people around them, the lap of the waves at the edge of the beach all drifted away. He held her so surely, spun her so quickly, her dark hair fanning out, their gazes never moving from the other's - they were in their own world, and no-one else's.

The music flowed through her, all rhythms familiar, even out here, and he would have just watched her like that, had his arms not been irresistibly drawn around her. They were unaware of how much time had passed; the song was almost ending, the floor emptying. Unconsciously they slowed, nearly closer than it was possible to be.

"So perfect," he murmured. His words could not be heard by anyone else, and he seemed unaware he had spoken.

She could not return anything to him, just kissed him lightly. Words were not always necessary.

They danced a little more, for maybe two or three songs - it was not the music or the dance that mattered, it was the fact they were both there, both had the only thing they had ever wanted; the other. After everything they had been put through, everything they had left far behind as soon as they could. Leading to times like this.

She glanced up, noticing darkness settling in - the only part of the sun left was warm orange on the horizon, the sky streaked magnificent purples, dark blues, pinks, even, like some strange god had taken a paintbrush to the heavens and coloured it in uneven strokes, stretching further than any eye could see. She loosed slightly from her husband, didn't let go of his hand, and led him from the dancefloor.

The beach was scattered with smooth rocks. He held her again, sitting down, pulling her into his arms, almost cradling her. Like he had done the first time they'd met. She stared out to sea for a while, but she could not keep him out of her sight for long.

There were so many things she might have said. None of them enough; nothing could ever describe all the things she felt. "Trist- thank you. For everything." She kissed him longer this time, as if they would never let each other go.

When they finally broke from each other, he brushed the hair the soft breeze had blown into her eyes. Traced her cheek as he did so, searched her eyes, her face. He leaned in so their foreheads touched ever so slightly. "You, me. One and the same. Seren, I love you. Forever. I would never have it any other way."

Virtual hugs~~

Tora, (and Allie).

So. Yes. Proper Post.

Aaaaand....now I can't really think of anything to say.

I'm listening to 'Blue Blood Blues' by The Dead Weather, if you're interested. No idea why, I just sort of felt like it...

I'm reading Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte - obviously - The Pain Merchants by Janice Hardy and just started Annan Water by Kate Thompson.

My brain is slowing up, I think. I seem to recall that my posts during the day are much more...lively. I think I prefer mild rants to barely saying anything at all.

I was thinking of doing something like Tora did earlier, but I'll probably save that for another time, so I can make a longer list....

Ack. This post makes me sound like a really boring person.

Trust me, I try not to be. I don't particularly like boring. Even insane is better. Insane in a good way, though, not in the axe-wielding-madman-murderer way. I'm not that bad yet.

Anyway. Better go, before y'all fall asleep on your keyboards/laptops/iPhones/etc etc.

Allie

Local Natives

I know, I know, this blog is turning into a place where I promote things I love...but I promise I'll try to keep the badgering-you-to-listen-or-read-something to a minimum.

Just going to post this video, because I find the song so awe-inspiring. As the title of this post explains, it's by Local Natives, and it's by far my favourite song of theirs...

Oh. It won't let me embed it...for some reason...Grr.

Guess I'll just tell you the title and copy out the link. It's called Who Knows Who Cares from the album Gorilla Manor:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hhE_sqJG3g&feature=artist

(If you want to listen to just the song, skip straight to 1:33.)

Very beautiful. Excellent for getting rid of writer's block.

I'll do a proper post soon!

Allie

Perfection In Backgrounds

All stolen from one of my friends, Alice's, iPod backgrounds collection-

"Dear Math. I don't want to do your problems. I have my own to solve."

"Keyboard not found. Press any key to continue."

"Be who you are and say what you think, because those who mind, don't matter and those who matter don't mind."

"If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and sounds like a duck, then it could be a dragon impersonating a duck."

"Homework hurts trees."

"I'm not random, you just can't think as fast as I can."

"I'm not as random as you think I salad."

"Sometimes people pu up walls, not to keep people out, but to see who cares to break them down."

"I didn't hit you, I just simply high fived your face."

"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery and today is a gift. That's why it's called the present."

"I'm not crazy, my reality is just different to yours."

"Whoever said nothing was impossible never tried slamming a revolving door."

Tora.

It's REVOLUTION!

"New Wave derived meaning from it's own meaninglessness. Dude, the tautology is so intended."


Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly is my favourite book. Ever. I'd never been able to pick one before I read it. But now, it's always top. Without question one of my Desert Island Books. In fact, if I had to, my only Desert Island Book. It's that good.


The quote above is by an unnamed character. There are some brilliant ones by named characters, obviously, but that's one of my favourites, even though it's not even expanded upon.


If you haven't read it, you can't imagine how brilliant it is.


It's about a girl called Andi Alpers, a depressed, dark, haunted teenager in present-day New York, and Alexandrine Paradis, who has been caught up in the French Revolution. Andi is an amazingly gifted musician, and music is her life - literally. She has nothing else to live for; her father left after the events that caused her depression, and he was always distant anyway - he's a geneticist, obsessed with his work - and her mother is lost in her own world. Alone and about to fail her last year at school, she's taken to Paris, and discovers a diary hidden within an ancient  guitar case - Alex's. The two stories unfold, two girls separated by hundreds of years - but inexplicably connected. 


Not to mention all the intertwining arcs and characters. Especially the wonderful, and wonderfully-named Virgil.


I'm going to review it properly - not today, I don't have time - but I'm going to leave you with another quote, which is probably the one I like the best.


"I'm wishing he could see that music lives. Forever. That it's stronger than death. Stronger than time. And that its strength holds you together when nothing else can." 

I know, I know, I'm dangling it in front of your face but not telling you anything about it, so how can you decide to read it or not? But seriously, it's amazing YA fiction. A decent length, too, so you'll have to really get involved with it.

So - Read. It. 

I'll probably do a more general blog post in a minute, but I want to put this up in case I don't get to do anything else.

Allie

The Hills Are Alive ...

The most perfect idea: Allie, you know what we should have called this blog?

Insanity of the Finest Degree.

Perfect.


S-s-s-s-sugar, I got the darned thing stuck on italics. Well, you'll know why it's completely all in italics right? Well, that completely ruined the entire grandness of the phrase. However, to save this from becoming completely me talking to Allie, which I do every day, anyway, I'll introduce this-


Desert Island Books


Which books 5 books would you take to a Desert Island for a long-term stay?


It's something my library did, and I'm going to think about it. Another book related-topic is The Worst Book You've Ever Read. Another meme is Casting Characters. I'll try all of these in the next post, Al probably will too.


OK, these italics are really starting to annoy me.


So, yes, as Allie also promised, I'll come back with something worth reading next time! Please! Do not be put off by the Waffle!


Virtual Hugs---


Tora.

Sugar and Spice and All Th- Oh, Who Am I Kidding?

Just a quick post. Not much time, and also, this is mainly me trying to come up with better post titles. I swear, I do actually have an imagination. Sometimes. When it feels like it. My temperamental-ness (I'm pretty sure temperamentaliy isn't a word) will soon become clear...

Apparently I have a reputation for being all dark and depressing. Not quite Gothic - yet - but almost permanently...dark. Especially when it comes to writing. Now, not gore. But need to come up with a traumatised, bordering-on/actually psychotic character, and I could probably help you.

It obviously occasionally rubs off on Tora, but I shall proclaim that her mood today was not my fault. No, Fallen by Lauren Kate is to blame. It has nothing to do with the book or plot or anything itself, exactly. It is a brilliant book. I know it doesn't (or I don't) make sense. It's a long story.

But it's not the point of this post. Moving on.

(I guess I'm really rambling a little. Just a bit.)

This blog will basically be one of us posting, and then the other posting as well, just to contradict it. Such is my/our boredom/procrastination/inability-to-let-things-go/inability-to-keep-from-expressing-views. On everything.

Tora really will be OK tomorrow. It was just a momentary lapse in...well, I won't say sanity, because, as you know, neither of us possesses any. She'll be running through meadows of wildflowers, singing songs from The Sound Of Music, and obsessively plaiting some poor child's hair.

On second thoughts, that could equally be me. Who knows what will happen tomorrow. It's just an ordinary day, but you never know...I could wake up a blossom of beaming sunshine!

(In my dreams.)

Also: I promise we'll start writing worthwhile posts...eventually...

Allie

Yes. we are writing a book. I was just- meh, doesn't matter.

It's Hard To Be Gothic And Be Blonde

Wordlessly fingering my eyelashes (encrusted with gunk I have now taken a shocking likening to that will hopefully fade by tomorrow morning, fingers crossed) I read Allie’s post.

Surprisingly calm.

By my current standards.

(Psssssst! Allie! We are writing a book, remember?)

Anyways, onwards with my story. I’m the kind of person who rides every day differently: no routine, just new obsessions, new ideas. Work and school barely keep up. I tried being like that once, I’m still organized, but I just don’t highlight anything any longer.

I can’t tell the web something completely boring, something completely as insane as I thinking that they’d care t know what I’d had for breakfast.

Or that I am a little bit off my usual rocker today.

So I’ll look at anything I type and think that’s a complete amount of gush tomorrow. But I won’t lie, and pretend I’m all fine.

Because, then, really, what’s the point in all this?

Moving on from the heartfelt philosophical confessions, I’ve re-discovered my urban Gothic wardrobe. But because I’m the kind of person who won’t be let herself be depressed for longer than a day, I’ll be back to sundresses tomorrow.

It’s kind of awkward typing all about me, here, so I guess I’ll sign off now and come back with better news for y’all.

Virtual Hugs

Tora.

I'll Need to Start Thinking of Better Post Titles Eventually....

I think we'll be a this 'posting is a novelty' stage for a while. I feel like I need to contribute something to the blog today....but I can't really think of anything worthwhile to talk about. Hence my conclusion that I have been drawn in by the menace known as The Novelty Factor.

I'm listening to Regina Spektor - Twinsister is also a fan of hers - the song 'Laughing With' to be exact. Her voice is astoundingly pure, and even though most of her songs have this sadness in them, you'll still listen to them over and over. Well, I will. That's a thing I do, repeating songs so many times I lose count. I'm not obsessive compulsive. At least, I don't think so.

Anyway. Leaving my probable insanity behind...

I should be studying. I have been, really, I have. Maybe I should just delete this drivel and go take out some revision...

Blah. Procrastinating...I have to go soon anyway, so maybe I'll stick around for another while.

At least no one except Tora will read this. Unless you happen to have discovered the blog and are going, 'WOW! These girls are geniuses! They should write a book!' In that case, make yourself at home. No need to take off your shoes. There's a permanent supply of tea or coffee, or if you're more of a water person like me, we have a fresh spring, just over there.

Now you see why this is called the Twin Sister Bubble. Because no one else except us two has a clue about what's going on.

My apologies, dear readers (if they exist), my apologies. Insanity isn't very easy to get rid of, and I'm kinda happy this way, so things probably won't get any saner form here on in, I'm afraid.

Allie (the Mad).

My First (and Probably Pathetically Short) Post

Allie here. As you can probably tell. You'll probably be able to tell which one of us it is in future just by looking at how many times The Obvious Is Stated in a post.

So. Me. This is where I'll either get tongue-tied or go off on a rant.

Stuff You Probably Don't Need Or Want To Know But I'm Going To Tell You Anyway (About Me): I am a ferocious reader. I love books. And writing. If you don't believe me, you'll find out over the course of the blog...if you deem it worthy enough to stick around.

I'm a music junkie. Enough said. Words cannot express my obsession with music. Maybe in time I'll be able to sort out a list of my favourite artists...

I like a lot of other things, which I tried to talk about but I ended up typing out a load of meaningless waffle, so I deleted it. I'll do it some other time. (I am also a procrastinator, if you haven't figured that out already.) I'm a perfectionist, too. Not really a good combination.

Seeing as the longer I try to work on this post, the more faults I'll find, I'm going to publish it now....

Allie

Tora, you knew where I was.

Work, Work, Work

Uh huh. No kidding, summer exams coming up. It'm planning to start plugging this weekend, so I'll be tuning out a little. Just a warning.

Mmmmmm, summer sun. Just what we all need when we have to stay inside and work. *Sighs*

I have Art to finish, a German aural to learn (and write), French to revise and Maths.

Virtual hugs~~

Tora.

Allie, where are you? I'm depressed now.

Warning! Fatal Levels Of Insanity Detected

Welcome, welcome.

I should probably have something better to say than just: Welcome to our blog. It's named after the bubble of twinly telepathy, I, Victoria, better know as Tora, and my sister, Alison, better know as Allie, live in.

I'm thinking, I'm thinking ... ah, introductions.

We're both school students studying for big, scary exams, and we've both logged with blogger before- this is our first joint one.

If you're lucky, you might find some of the first bits of a story we're working on being published here (for the first time ever!)

Virtual Hugs~~~

Tora.

Allie is sad that she can't be here for the opening post, she's got, er, stuff to do. But she'll correct me later, I'm sure.