Update: Things I like to continue, start or restart

Back in January I made a list of things I may or may not do. I'm going to give some updates because it's the middle of the year and I guess updating this is sort of a reminder. You can read the original list here.

01 - Continue blogging - Succeeded — This I did but not consistently but I haven't been consistent with my blogging for at least ten years so I don't expect that to change but at least I'll keep blogging.

02 - Continue to refuse to join any social media or anywhere else to embarrass myself except in a blog - Succeeded — Yep, still only doing blogging.

03 - Restart commenting more on blogs - Semi-Succeeded — I did comment more sadly not more than I like.

04 - Start practicing procrastinating in my sleep - Semi-Succeeded — While I was sleeping, I forgot what I did so I may have succeeded without knowing.

05 - Restart on finishing my artworks - Failed — I just don't seem to remember to work on them or rather I looked at the long list of (artwork) files, found it too daunting, turned to do something else and then forgot about them.

06 - Continue to not learn any new people skills - Semi-Succeeded — I guess I don't quite know how to be polite anymore when people are rude.

07 - Restart finishing/editing my novels and short stories - Semi-Succeeded — I have tried to finish a few pieces but only made a little progress. I don't know where my motivation went.

08 - Start watching less youtube - Failed — I have a terrible habit of watching youtube when I'm stressed or when I'm unable to motivate myself to do things. Sometimes getting lost in someone else's lives makes you think you have nothing to worry about.

09 - Start exercising every day or at least briefly consider to consider doing it - Failed — why is this so hard?

10 - Continue trying to go wireless - Failed — Even when I'm tripping over them, I seeme unable to keep the wires at bay. I don't think people can go wireless because no matter whatever technology you use, there will be wires.

11 - Continue doing jigsaw puzzles - Failed— I haven't done one puzzle in almost a year. 

12 - Restart reading more fantasies, science fiction, middle grade books and books that are not murder mysteries - Semi-Failed — I shouldn't bother trying to have varieties in my reading. I find most books boring now so it doesn't matter what genre they are in. There's nothing wrong in reading the same types of books.

Did you make goals at the start of the year and if you did, did you succeed? 

Happy 5th Blog Anniversary

This month marks 5 years since I started this blog. Staying at one blog for longer than two years is a challenge because I have a habit of moving to new urls at random or maybe not at random but I never had a good reason aside from wanting a new home/name. Postcards from the Bookstore is quite nice but so was the previous other 30 or so names but I guess I'm still trying to find that perfect name which probably doesn't existed. Moving to new urls is sort of like starting over. 
    To celebrate this milestone, I wrote this post. In the old days, I would make a big deal of this and host a giveaway or three but there seemed to be no interests for that, at least, not here. I guess not being at any social media might make me (and my blog) less known to people. I have often said, blogging is a form of social media but it's not quite true since it's harder to get noticed and my posts are never brief like in social media. I couldn't say blogging is better than social media but it's certainly less daunting to me. 
    I have plenty of moments where I want to quit blogging but I never did. I still needed a place to keep some of my thoughts or else they go nowhere. But also, I really just like writing. I'm not much of a talker.
    You could say blogging is a habit, a part of my life, so that I don't need a reason to keep blogging, I just do it. I'm constantly thinking up things to post and write them even when I don't post them. These days, I don't think you need a purpose to blog unless you're using it to make money. I'm a somewhat slacker blogger and I believe no one have to blog every day or every week or even every month to be a blogger. You just have to post something every once in a while so people know you're still around. 
    Also this year makes it 20 years of blogging for me. Not much of a big deal since I know a couple of people who had blogged way longer than me. I wish I have some wisdom to share but I don't.
    Happy 5th blog anniversary! May we all continue to blog with joy and anything else that comes with it.

What keeps you blogging? And do you need a purpose to blog?

Fiction: Storms & Misfortunes

This month's Words for Wednesday prompts are supplied by Charlotte and hosted at River's blog here. This week's words/prompts are: ants, sushi, meeting, miniature, juniper, leaves and/or mushroom, seagull, windy, glass, knit, safe and (above) the image of a dormer window.

Fiction: Storms & Misfortunes
It was death that made Nora Merryweather stopped telling fortunes. When Nora first ascertained she knew things by looking at something as ordinary as a mushroom or a pebble, her aunt, Mary, taught her how to read the world around her. Sometimes knowledge simply entered her mind when she looked at something long enough and other times, she had to wait awhile. Since the age of fourteen, Nora had been telling fortunes by looking at people's belongings but her true talent was knowing when and how someone would die. 
    At eighteen, Nora tried to prevent her aunt's death by keeping her away from water. Instead of drowning trying to save a boy, Mary was crushed by a shopfront sign when she pushed a woman out of the way. The boy she should've saved, died. And the woman who should have died, lived. Fate, it seemed, could not be tricked but could be altered but never to how you wanted – it was a lesson Nora never forgot. Now Nora try to avoid misfortunes that came her way and if someone got saved, it was a happy side effect.
    A few months after her aunt's death, her neighbor, Mrs. Seagull, the woman Mary saved, offered Nora to live at her boarding house rent-free if Nora took care of the housework. Since Nora had nowhere to go after she sold the house to pay for funeral expenses, she accepted Mrs. Seagull's offer.
    Nora had no qualms about living in a boarding house isolated and miles away from civilization. It's why people came for quiet retreats away from the city. Nora didn't mind sleeping in the tiny attic room as she was somewhat miniature, having never grew taller than three feet and eleven inches.
    Not being much of a talker, Nora was a bit annoyed by the boarders' nosiness. If Nora leaves the house unexpectedly, if she misses dinner, if she sidesteps ants, if she avoids sushi, they all wanted to know. Frequently, Nora did the housework without speaking to anyone but she had a meeting or two with the boarders on her way down and up the stairwell but she never say more than necessary.  
    Each day, Nora would peer out the dormer window at the sky and enjoyed the quiet of the early morning. Sometimes, Nora thought life would be peaceful if only she didn't know any misfortunes but then she wouldn't have learned anything without them.