On the Verge of Lunacy

I've been practicing in the past several months. Here are some pencil sketches of portrait exercises my younger sister provided me. She's in a special program for the arts in high school, an opportunity I was never given when I was younger. Ever the opportunist, I thought this might be a good time to start with the basics. Note: I copied the portraits from my sister's portfolio. We both aren't the original artists. Unfortunately we do not have the name of the author of the workbook.

The events here in A Dance With Dragons, the fifth installment of A Song of Ice and Fire series, run parallel to A Feast for Crows .  Readers can follow Jon, Tyrion, Daenerys, Davos, and Brandon once again after the events in  A Clash of Kings . Halfway through this book, some of the characters from A Feast for Crows reappear indicating that the split of narratives from two locations have merged. Tyrion Lannister is a renegade fleeing King's Landing and the wrath of his sister. While Jon Snow, the new lord commander of the Night's Watch, has to deal with brothers constantly questioning his decisions, a demanding Stannis Baratheon, the Wildlings they have defeated, and the looming threat beyond the Wall. Daenerys is torn between her desire to go home and her duty to the people she freed. Her rule in Meereen is challenged and rumors of forces gathering to oust her only made her position vulnerable. What's more, she seems to have lost control of her dragons. Davos o...

Set a thousand years after the the now tyrant Lord Ruler saved the world, Mistborn introduces a dark dystopian world where the Final Empire rules unchallenged, the society clearly delineated by the classes of the nobility and the skaa, and where ash covers everything. This immortal Lord Ruler has managed to repel uprisings from the oppressed skaa for so long that everyone thinks he cannot be overthrown. But conspiracies of another uprising are being planned somewhere. The new rebellion found an unlikely hero in a thief gang leader and an escaped prisoner sent by the Lord Ruler himself to a notorious prison camp. Kelsier believes that the uprising will succeed this time, especially after meeting another Mistborn like himself, the street urchin Vin. But it will take more than two Mistborn and an experienced thief crew to pull it off. Not only do they have to face an overwhelming opposition in the Lord Ruler's minions, but they also need the help of disheartened skaa to succeed...

There have been several publications of studies of Egypt but none as organized as The Egyptians by Cyril Aldred. The third edition also has several helpful additions and revisions such as a list of kings of Egypt. The book includes a survey of Egypt's geography and natural resources, the archaeological and anthropological sites, and an introduction of its art, architecture, science, literature and religion. The chapters on prehistory and history are in chronological order and there are plenty of illustrations and photos as well. Students and enthusiasts of Egyptian history will find the book informative and detailed but still reader-friendly. Those who are looking for an in-depth study of Egyptian religion or mythology however might find this book lacking. Most of the details are on architecture and art, and some explanation on how the excavations and studies have pieced together Egypt's history. I recommend the book to those already familiar with some studie...

In this first installment of The Kingkiller Chronicle, the protagonist Kvothe is introduced. Kvothe's past adventures are rumored to have led to the ongoing war. He is currently hiding in a town as the innkeeper Kote with his assistant Bast. The story is divided into two timelines, the present and the past which is narrated by the main character himself to Chronicler. Kvothe met the scribe Chronicler when he saved the latter from an attack of the creatures called Scrael. Kvothe agreed in a later meeting to tell his story. The novel is recollection of Kvothe's early life,  a refreshing approach to an epic tale of a hero. The series is not without some cliche. Like most heroes in epic myths, the young Kvothe had a knack for many things usually only adults with vast experience and education are capable of understanding. He also had to undergo severe psychological and physical trauma, a bitter-sweet first encounter at romance, and has a talent for getting into troubl...

Mogami Kyouko works hard to support her childhood friend and romantic interest Fuwa Shoutarou, Fuwa Sho to his fans, and has forsaken her education and personal needs. Sho had earlier asked Kyouko to run away with him to Tokyo so he could pursue a music career instead of inheriting the family business. Kyouko was more than willing to support Sho in his dreams, but one day she overhears Sho complaining about her to his manager. He claims she's a boring and gullible woman; someone he had only used as a willing housekeeper. Instead of crying, Kyouko vowed to make Sho regret using her and playing with her feelings. Sho responds by telling her the only way he could be defeated is for Kyouko to become a bigger star than him. Thus began Kyouko's entry into the show business. But it seems her path to vengeance won't be easy. Sho's star rival Tsuruga Ren despises Kyouko's reasons for entering showbiz. His treatment on Kyouko will change however when he sees her po...

The captain of the spaceship Aloha Oe, Dandy, and his buddies QT and Meow are on a mission to hunt rare aliens from across the universe. Once they spot one, they bring these aliens to the space alien registration center and they're rewarded for the effort. Unfortunately, the trio are so unlucky and they get into trouble almost every time.  This 13-episode first installment of the series introduces the easygoing and cool Dandy, the outdated but resourceful robot QT, and the gullible and lazy Meow. Unknown to the trio are the agents of the Gogol empire who are in active pursuit of them. But for a guy like Dandy, disposing of these pursuers is as easy as getting into trouble. Dandy, Meow and QT Dandy with the ladies from Boobies Dr. Gel and Bea talking to Admiral Perry of the Gogol empire If you're looking for a break from all the serious and mind-numbing series, Dandy is your guy. He's cool, funny, and has a nice pompadour. I love the animat...