Nihao!

Been a long time since I posted anything on here. To be honest, it took me the better part of an hour to go through and recall my password / email address. Boy did that bring back memories (my old password was related to Veronica Mars if that tells you something)!

My life has changed a lot since 2010 (the last time I posted). I've grown up quite a bit (I'm in my late 20s if you can believe it), graduated undergrad, gotten a law degree, traveled extensively internationally, become a published speaker / writer / consultant. I'm working as a Business, Law, and Economics professor for international students, and my life's pretty good if I say so myself. I moved abroad (to China) about 3 years ago, and I'm currently in the process of moving on to Korea next. Hopefully, I'm off to get my PhD in Business if all works out!

I still write quite a bit - much less poetry, politics, and religion, more travel / business / law / culture / literature/ Asian dramas! / art. I do a lot with international culture, literature, law, history, mythology, and business. If you're ever interested, check me out at deceptivelyblonde.tumblr.com. My interests have changed a lot - I spend most of my time neck deep in articles about economics, culture, and Asia. I'm a lot more extroverted than I used to be, so I spend more time out and about, less time with a notebook in hand. I've also branched pretty heavily into photography, with several awards under my belt for my Asian photography. You can see some of my pictures of China, Korea, and Japan at my photoblog - A Life Savored.

I've fallen head over heels for Asian music and dramas - I'm completely to die for music by JYJ, SS501, Davinchi, Kattun, etc. (Okay, I'm a little old-school here too). And I find Japanese detective dramas to be absolutely fascinating (Bloody Monday all the way!). Right now, I'm caught up in reading the "Grave Robber Chronicles" from China. The graphic novel version rocked, as did the dramas (I'm also watching Mystic Nine), but the books themselves are just awesome! If you're looking for a new tv show to watch - Ice Fantasy and The Lost Tomb are pretty sweet.

My favorite poet is still Robert Louis Stevenson or GK Chesterton, and I'm still a David Eddings / Sherrilyon Kenyon fan. I'm still a strong Christian, so you will probably see that reflected in my poetry -- all praise to God for His protection and graciousness. I'm still outspoken about my beliefs and point of view.

I'd like to think that I have matured a lot - both as a person and as a writer over the last few years. In fact, I look back at some of my old poems and cringe at the poor writing. But I really think all of my writing and experiences have helped shape me into a pretty awesome woman. Living in a foreign country really opens your eyes to the world and all that lives within it. I have a whole new respect for myself and those around me. It helps broaden your mind on some issues, while reinforcing your certainty in others. If you're thinking about traveling internationally, I highly recommend it!

"She was free in her wildness. She was a wanderess, a drop of free water. She belonged to no man and to no city” ~ Roman Payne