For many, Christmas, is one of the busiest times of year. I on the other hand, have always enjoyed a laid back Christmas, consisting mostly of lazing on the couch: I am not one, who wishes for chaos on Christmas, rather serenity and relaxation.

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1. Wake up (usually between 8:00-10:00 - although, I usually wake up early, so feel free to adjust the timeframe)
2. Remain in bed for another half hour (I'll usually read something- usually LOTR related)
3. Finally get up, and trudge to the kitchen
4. Have a yummilicious breakfast (something along the lines of: pancakes, waffles, omelette, something a little special)
5. Walk over to the living room, and put something on the TV (try for something Christmasy) 
6. After watching for a while, begin opening presents :) 
7. If there's any present you can 'do' right now, do that.
8. Watch Deck the Halls
9. Eat snacky food throughout the day 
10. Watch LOTR
11. Eat a scrumptious dinner 
12. Fall to sleep in glee 

I am the type of person who collects things. This habit turns to misfortune, when I inevitably lose interest after a couple years. However, a less pricey, and arguably more useful, collection of mine, has been quotes. When I can remember (and be bothered to), I will record quotes from movies, tv shows, and books. Here, for your enjoyment, are a few of them (I can't be bothered to count).

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"Where is her case? Did she eat it?" BBC Sherlock Holmes

"Four suicides and a note, it must be Christmas!" BBC Sherlock Holmes

"A storm will blow the evil person away, but a good person will always be safe." Proverbs 10:25

"If I get reincarnated... I wanna become a clam." Monkey D. Luffy

"Weaklings cannot choose their way of death." Trafalgar Law

"Bring on the hardship. It's preferred in a path of carnage." Roronoa Zoro

"The best place to write is by yourself because writing then becomes an escape from the terrible boredom of your own personality." John Kenneth Galbraith

"Don't falter. If you do, then who are we supposed to believe in?" Roronoa Zoro

"An expert is one who knows more and more about less and less, until he knows absolutely everything about nothing." Nicholas Murray Butler

"'Research' is a wonderful word for writers. It serves as an excuse for EVERYTHING" Rayne Hall

"A scholar must not only be capable of hard, often totally resultless work- he must actually relish it." Richard D. Altick

"Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilisations, to boldly go where no man has gone before." Star Trek

"I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by." Douglas Adams

"A bird does not sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song." Maya Angelou

"You never have to change anything you got up in the middle of the night to write." Saul Bellow

"You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you." Ray Bradbury

"Fiction is the truth inside the lie." Stephen King

"Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia." E.L. Doctorow

"Fairy tales are more than true; not because they tell us dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten." G.K. Chesterton

"There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them." Joseph Brodsky

"You can fix anything but a blank page." Nora Roberts

"You can't wait for inspiration, you have to go after it with a club." Jack London

"In the name of God, stop a moment, cease your work, look around you." Leo Tolstoy

"I try to create sympathy for my characters, then turn the monsters loose." Stephen King

"It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light." Aristotle Onassis

"I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living." Dr. Seuss

"The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease for ever to be able to do it." Peter Pan

"Fantasy. Lunacy. All revolutions are, until they happen, then they are historical inevitabilities." David Mitchell

"Into the sky to win or die." Eragon

Shall we dance, friend of my heart? 

We shall little one     -Eldest

"Life is like a box of chocolates." Forrest Gump

"Give me liberty or give me death." Patrick Henry

To read is to begin to understand, what it means to write. Only then can one attempt to weave characters from words, and stories from ideas.

I've been reading since I knew how to, however, writing has come more slowly to me. Writing and I haven't always had the best of relationships, throughout much of my early years, I didn't believe myself to be particularly good (at writing, that is). It wasn't something I found enjoyable, if anything it was a necessity. For many years this was my attitude towards the art, which at the time didn't seem to be a skill I possessed. However, as I read, and continued to begrudgingly jot down strings of words, I begun to see its beauty. The intricate branches that collided to form masterpieces, I saw that writing, like a painting, requires forethought, imagination, and determined execution.

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As I continued (and still do) to hone my craft, I finally found an outlet for the stories dancing in my head. However, now I face a new foe: editing. Having to edit 100,000 words of imagination, is no small feat, and will probably take me a while longer. My hope is, that one day I will be able to publish the book which only exists because I learned to read.

Take courage in my favourite wise words of these, more established, authors.

"If there's a book you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it." -Toni Morrison

"Substitute 'damn' every time you're inclined to write 'very', your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be." and "The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lighting and a lightning bug." -Mark Twain

"There are three rules to for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are." -W. Somerset Maugham

And she walked in the darkness had heard the Elves cry that cry far back in the deeps of time, and she had not heeded it, and it did not daunt her now. 

I realise that the picture is not of a spider. Yes, I realise that this is about a spider. No I will not put a picture of a spider on my blog. Why? They are completely disturbing. The furthest I will go is a dragonfly- although, know this, I'm still not happy about it.

Shelob's description (and portrayal on screen) is, quite frankly, terrifying: and that's for someone who doesn't mind spiders. I run screaming like a headless chicken when I see a daddy-longlegs, needless to say I hope a 'Shelob' never comes to exist. Not only does she have paralysing venom, she'll use it so as to eat you alive. Wonderful.

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In the movie rendition, she is made out to be at least the size of a horse, and in the book we are also led to believe she carries quite a bulk. Thankfully, as far as we know, no such giant arachnids, or bugs for that matter, exist today. But could they? And did they before?

During the time of the Dinosaurs, fossilised Dragonflies have been found, the size of ravens. It's been said that the oxygen rich atmosphere (upwards of 30%), led to these giant terrors. Researchers believe the excess oxygen allowed them to grow to astronomical sizes, whilst still performing essential functions. However, a new study, seems to show, that it's the larvae's vulnerability to surplus that catalysed this nightmare enduring growth. The solution to their problem would be to grow larger, thus the intake of oxygen would be lessened, relative to their alarming bodies.

So rest easy, knowing that, Shelob won't be coming to eat you in your sleep anytime soon.

How Shelob came there, flying from ruin, no tale tells, for out of the Dark Years few tales have come. But still she was there, who was there before Sauron, and before the first stone of Barad-dur, and she served none but herself, drinking the blood of Elves and Men, bloated and grown fat with endless brooding on her feasts, weaving webs of shadow; for all living things were her food, and her vomit darkness.  

Deck the halls with boughs of holly 

Enough of that. I assume you're all familiar with the tune: which gets quite irritating after a few run-throughs. Anywho, I've been watching the movie Deck the Halls for at least three, probably four years. Obviously, at Christmas time.

Who moves in the middle of the night, a meth lab?    -Steve Finch

Now, I feel that Christmas movies deserve a whole other genre. It isn't really possible to compare it to a fantasy epic, or a thriller, or a horror film (incidentally, I detest this genre). Thus, I won't do so. This is bound to be one of my favourite Christmas movies, as there's nothing else quite like it, Buddy Hall's interactions with his neighbour have you laughing and fuming at the same time. Whilst you watch, you can't help being in a Christmasy mood.

If you're looking for a good Christmas movie, may I suggest Deck the Halls.

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We call it being orphaned. It's the worst fate imaginable.You're trapped inside the reflection.. forever. Got it?

This book, is certainly not one of my favourites, although, I never expected it to be- so it didn't really fail on that point. I point I have to make, the idea of the book is fantastic, although, Rix doesn't create a whole new world, he makes our world a whole heck of a lot more interesting. The issue, is more with the writing itself, it most certainly isn't bad, however, it isn't what I'm used to. The main character, for the most part, is unlikeable, and a number of side-characters are neglected. What's more I deduced the ending a couple chapters before it ended. Granted, this is much better than a lot of books, however, it does lose something when you can figure it out before-hand.

All in all, I'd recommend this book if you want a quick and fun read. If you want a book that you'll never forget, that you can submerse your mind into, may a recommend something else. If I'm ever in the need of such a book again, I might think about another one of Rix's.

Feel free to completely ignore this post, actually please do. I'm merely writing this to remind my forgetful self to change the background of Serenity in a Tea Cup, on occasion. Currently, it should be a semi-Christmasy themed one.

1. Go to template
2. Click on customise
3. Change backgrounds as you please 

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Anyone who's actually read Tolkien's original masterpiece knows that Peter Jackson has taken certain liberties. Some of them more irritating than others... I thought I'd begin with a rather minor one, but a divergence all the same. The main issue I take with this revision, is its needlessness. The original scene was changed, however, in the books (and the movie) it isn't of extreme significance, so I must ask, why change it at all?

First of, they are supposed to be black. The butterflies that is. In the movie, for one reason or another, they are blue- turquoise if you're a colour snob. This minor change, doesn't really bother me, I can imagine black butterflies, from a distance, may appear too much akin to moths.

However, take a look at this quote, spoken by Bilbo in the movie.

I can see a lake... and a river. And the lonely mountain. We're almost there! Can you hear me? I know which way to go.  - Bilbo Baggins

This is then followed by the spider scene, which actually occurs at a slightly later time in the book- but I digress.

Now look at this quote from the book.

He looked at the 'black emperors' for a long time, and enjoyed the feel of the breeze in his hair and on his face; but at length the cries of the dwarves, who were now simply stamping with impatience below, reminded him of his real business. It was no good. Gaze as much as he might, he could see no end to the trees and the leaves in any direction.

Do you see the discrepancy? In the book, Bilbo doesn't spot anything, the only thing he gets out of his climb, is the feeling of invigorating wind. In the movie, he apparently sees the Lonely Mountain, and is now planning to lead the dwarves henceforth. As the following part of the story, has nothing to do with reaching their goal, but rather getting captured by spiders and then the great Elvenking, why was it changed? It doesn't contribute to the plot, and is thus, in my mind, a completely unnecessary deviance from the book.

Before you get your hopes up, no, I didn't cry when listening to Billy Boyd's Last Goodbye, I did, however, come close to it. Which is more than, any other song has done before. There I sat in the theatre, watching what was the last journey in Middle Earth, and then this song came on. It hit all the right chords, it told the end of Bilbo's journey, but not only that, the end of our journey. Viewers of The Return of the King have already had the pleasure of listening to Pippin, who's eerie voice weaves a spell over its listeners. This was their goodbye to us, all the films are made, both Bilbo and Frodo, have accomplished what they set out to. For avid fans, like me, this was our final farewell.

Unfortunately, it is highly unlikely that Peter Jackson will get the rights to the Silmarillion, which is a downright shame. Maybe, we should start a petition: let Peter Jackson make the Silmarillion. Maybe a fool's hope, will come true: there's a first time for everything.

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Needless to say, the music video copyright is held by WarnerBros studios.

Merry Christmas world!

Spare a moment for those who suffer in this world. Those we've given no other choice. Our world, has a tendency to change, we may not notice it, but if we remain blind, when we next see, we may be facing a very different future.

Apologies, this was supposed to be a merry and Christmasy post. Well, whoops. I guess this blog will remain somber.

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Irish Elk, Flickr "labeled for reuse"

Tolkien, to me, is simply a painter of words. He is the father of epic fantasy, caretaker of the ancient races, and an inspiration to all. If you are not a subscriber to his work (which seems a word too common to describe his masterpieces), may I recommend you visit a different blog (or at least blogpost). Although, this blog is not exclusively about the world of Middle Earth and beyond, know that a fair number of posts will concern it.

I can't put in to words, the pain that pierces me, that never again will I see a work of Tolkien in theatres. I had both the joy and the tragedy of watching The Battle of the Five Armies on December 15th. I will be writing a number of posts about this movie in the future. All I wanted to talk about in this post is Thranduil's elk, who first appeared in The Unexpected Journey. 

As a rider of, horses, seeing the Elvenking ride upon a Irish Elk was fantastic. Needless to say, I now want to ride and elk. I actually did find out, that the Sami people, ride reindeer. So my wish, my not be an impossibility. If I'm not mistaken Irish Elk are extinct, however, are rather similar to the still living elk of today.

Expect more posts about this mystical creature, but for now, I've spent enough of your time, talking about elks.

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As should be rather obvious, by my blog title, I am a tee drinker. And quite an obsessive one at that. I started off drinking camomile, to make me drowsy before bed, however, I've reached my roots out into a number of different teas. Since my blog has "tea" in the title, I believe it only fitting, to have a regular column about tea. This particular one, will simply go over the teas that I am currently drinking (as I said, I drink a lot of tea).
I tend to have a cup in my general vicinity whilst, reading, writing, or watching TV, which happen to be the three activities that I am usually executing. Without further ado these are the five teas, currently in my cupboard.

Yin Hao Green Tea

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I've had this tea for a number of months now, and at first I drunk it quite regularly. The issue is, it is loose leaves. Now, I don't take issue with loose leaves, just the majority of the time I find it simpler to place a tea bag in some hot water: as opposed to measuring out the correct amount, placing it in a tea bag or strainer, and then having to throw the mess away. I'm someone who will leave the teabag in, until I'm done drinking, however, if I have a strainer in my cup, this proves to be an impossibility.
Loose tea leaves aside, this is a decent enough green tea, however, it's lacking the subtle flavour of higher quality green teas. It leaves a somewhat unpleasant aftertaste, that I wouldn't associate with tea. Thus, I will probably finish off this can, and never buy it again. What can I say, I'm a green tea snob.
Lipton's herbal infusion Camomile (pyramid bags)

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I've been drinking camomile for years, so simply smelling it brings back many fond memories. What I like about this type of tea, is the near impossibility to have a bad batch. All the camomile that I've tried, all have a very similar flavour. The only one that showed a more noticeable difference, was the completely fresh and loose flowers, that I got from a gourmet market. All this in mind, Lipton's camomile is perfectly acceptable, and I have the right mind to purchase it again.

Lipton's herbal infusion Mint (pyramid bags)

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I've never been overtly fond of mint tea, so I wasn't expecting all too much from it. I've taken to drinking it as a replacement for green tea, come night-time (green tea has a tendency to produce sleepless nights). Since I've started drinking it again, I've actually grown rather fond of it, the slightly numbing sensation it lends, is something very unique to mint teas. Mint tea will remain on my tea roster.

Lipton's tea Forest Fruit (pyramid bags)

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Before, I become a tea snob, if I ever drank tea, it was fruit tea. Since then, I've been informed, that fruit tea, is not actually tea. Proper tea only comes from one plant, which fruits do not. Ergo fruit tea is not tea. Nonetheless, I recently watched and read The Hobbit, and let's just say the lifestyle of the Woodland Elves has rather captivated me. Thus, I saw some tea labeled "Forest Fruit", and decided I must have some. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed it, and strangely enough it did remind me of the scents of a forest. Although, it isn't a favourite of mine, I can imagine having a cup or two on occasion.

Lipton's White Tea with refined floral notes (pyramid bags)

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Finally, I've found White Tea. White tea has been somewhat elusive as of recent, in other words, I couldn't find it. I haven't had it for such a while, that I had quite forgotten its taste. Needless to say, I enjoy it. I'd probably rank it second only to my staple Green Tea.

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Throughout my many journeys both in literature in film, I've come across some interesting words. In general this it true, however, more specifically, I mean names for groups of animals. I'm sure many of you have heard the term, "a party". Which can be construed as raucous festivities, or a group of people. A Party is the tip of the iceberg, I've compiled a list of interesting group names below, for your enjoyment (links to my sources are at the bottom of this post).

Drinking: A cup of The Blanc White Pyramid Tea by Lipton

A cete of badgers

A colony of bats (It's also a colony of termites incidentally)

A tower of giraffes

A romp of otters

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A pride of lions

A prickle of porcupines

A tiding of magpies

A murder of crows (why do they always get such a bad rap?)

A parliament of owls (quite fitting, wouldn't you agree?)

An unkindness of ravens

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An army of frogs

A shiver of sharks (people's fear of them is cruelly deep-rooted)

An intrusion of cockroaches (most certainly)

A congregation of alligators

A clowder of cats

A coalition of cheetahs

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A battalion of falcons

A shadow of jaguars

A conspiracy of Lemurs

A glint of goldfish


Sources:
http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/about/faqs/animals/names.htm
http://www.buzzfeed.com/donnad/36-bizarre-group-names-for-animals#.bjopQPpnAE
http://www.writers-free-reference.com/172groupnames.htm

Welcome, once more, to Serenity in a Tea Cup. As today is Christmas day, I though nothing more fitting, than a post wishing you a magical one.
Something about Christmas brings the kid out in all the joyous folk- something it shares in common with Disney.
Christmas is a time for cozy reads by a fire, relaxing with a good movie, and most of all spending time with family (although, some would argue it's the food).
As it is, after all, Christmas, I will leave thee to your merrymaking.

Ho Ho Ho, Merry Christmas!

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Dearest Readers,
And so begins our journey. A quest thats destination is yet to be written. I implore you to join me, through reviews, recipes, stories and anything else that tickles my fancy.
Be assured that Lord of the Rings will appear frequently, as will any number of other franchises I subscribe to.

Take up arms, grab a cup of your favourite tea (for me that's green tea), curl up on a couch, and begin reading- while I'll begin writing.

In haste,

A fellow tea lover


P.S. This blog really isn't about tea- I may have a section at most, I just enjoy tea in general. Particularly, when reading, writing, or watching TV. All activities, which I frequently undertake.

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Dearest readers,
I believe my absence, lasting over a month now, warrants an apology. Well there you have it. Sorry, I'm not really one to explain myself.

Moving on.

Well, today, is Christmas eve. How the year has flown by. I have no idea how long I've had this blog, however, it seems as if it's been quite a while. Christmas has always been one of my favoritist (I realise this is not a word) times of year. My hope is people will be in a more mindful state of mind, perhaps their actions will save just one animal. Although, I'll venture, that saving the planet, may not be on many peoples' minds this time of year. It's a holiday more focused on our own species, nonetheless, the new year is on the horizon, and I hope that our destructive habits may change yet.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas,

Concerning Kingdom Animalia

P.S.: Don't forget to leave something for the reindeer :)

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