Hey Everyone!
So I knew I'm a few days late on this, but Merry Christmas! I hope everyone reading this enjoyed a wonderful holiday, whether it be Christmas, or Hanukkah or whatever you guys celebrate. I also hope all students reading this are enjoying their holiday break. I know I am...not, haha. I'm so bored. That's partially why I decided to post again after so long (sorry, guys, with finals and...personal issues, I couldn't find much time for blogging.) But here I am!
So, since the last time I posted I have not read any books, unfortunately. I have new books, I just haven't read them. Shame on me, I know. On the other hand, I got a new Barnes & Noble Nook HD for Christmas, so that's really great. Now I can (hopefully) spend less money on books! Although I do enjoy visiting B&N, and do so often. I also unexpectedly got Beats headphones this Christmas, so that's exciting. I can't wait to use them.
ANYWAYS...I do read FanFiction, and that's what I've been doing instead of reading books. I like to read Greek myths, especially the more...romantic ones, like Eros & Psyche and Hades & Persephone. And this FanFiction I'm reading, Quietus, based on the Hades and Persephone myth, is AMAZINGGGG...but it's been almost a month and a half since the author has posted a new chapter or even a preview on DeviantArt and it's really frustrating me. I'm still checking daily for any updates but I'm kind of tired of waiting. I hope the next chapter she posts is especially good to make up for the long wait.
In my last post, I talked about a book I had read, Wither, by Lauren DeStefano. Even though the book itself didn't hold my interest for too long, I have to admit I'm obsessed with the Linden/Rhine pairing, and have been since I've read the book. It's constantly on my mind, I admit. I'm dying to read the last novel just to find out what happens with Linden, Rhine and Cecily and Gabriel. I will be horribly upset if Linden does not end up with Rhine and Rhine only (I can't stand Cecily). In my opinion, they are meant to be. They seem cuter together than Rhine and Gabriel do. I've also been following Lauren's Facebook, and she wrote this quote that I really, really like, that I will post on here (all credit belongs to Lauren DeStefano).
I think that sometimes, as humans, it's in our nature to fall out of love with things. The more the day we live resembles the day we lived before, the less excited we become. And really, I don't think the problem is that we need more grandiose things to hold our interest and reignite the spark we forget we even crave. Maybe we just need to be reminded sometimes that life is brutal and wonderful and terrifying. We need to be reminded that what we have is poetry in living motion. What we have is fleeting and fragile, but it's brilliant. We need to be reminded of the way the leaves catch fire in the sunlight and words sit patiently on pages, always whispering and waiting for us to listen. We need to be reminded that there at least ten thousand ways to fall in love with what we foolishly think is ordinary.
- Lauren DeStefano
And with that inspiring quote I leave you guys today. I hope you all have an amazing New Year spent with dear friends and family!
Friday, December 28, 2012
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Back to Books!
Hey all! Long time no see! I know, it's been some time, I've been insanely busy with school and I haven't been reading much for fun.
However, in English this year our class, we've read The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien, which I must say, was phenomenal. I loved the book. It's about the war in Vietnam, and the soldiers' experiences during the war. At first, I believed I would detest the book, since war stories are not usually my type of book. On the contrary, I couldn't put down this book! I'm glad we got to read it in class.
We finished TTTC in mid-October, and now we're reading a graphic novel called Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi. It is a good novel. I was also surprised I liked this book so much, since I can't force myself to read a novel that's mostly pictures and few words. This book, however, has a decent amount of words, which I think kept me into the book. The book is about a young Marjane Satrapi experiencing the drastic changes in her life due to the Islamic Revolution in Iran, such as having to wear the veil, the Iran-Iraq war, etc. It's pretty fascinating, and very humorous at times. There is a second part to this novel as well, which I would like to read once I'm finished with the first novel. I'd suggest this book to anyone who doesn't mind diverging into a little bit of history while enjoying a comic at the same time. I actually have to a presentation on this book, and I have a topic in mind as my theme for the presentation. I don't know when the date of my presentation actually is, but wish me luck!!!
I have read some books for fun this semester so far (I can't keep myself from buying books at Barnes & Noble, haha), one of which includes the Chemical Garden Trilogy by Lauren DeStefano. I can't say much for this series, unfortunately. The setting and the plot should be quite interesting to me normally, but I couldn't quite keep myself interested in this series.
This series takes place in the future of North America (which is all that's left of the world after a catastrophic world war that wiped out all the other continents), in which girls only live until the age of 20 and males die at 25 at the hands of some incurable virus. As a result, in order to keep the human race going and for families to keep their family lines/names going on, girls are abducted and sold to men with the intent of impregnating them. In this story, the protagonist, 16 year old Rhine Ellery, is one of these kidnapped girls forced to marry 21 year old Linden Ashby, along with two other kidnapped girls, Cecily & Jenna. In Linden's world, everything is not what it seems. Linden's father, Housemaster Vaughn, is sketchy. And then there's Gabriel, a servant whom Rhine finds herself growing attracted to. Meanwhile, she desperately plots her escape from this world of illusions to return to her twin brother, Rowan. After reading the first novel, Wither, I decided to give the second book, Fever, a chance. I only got until half the book until I was completely bored with it. The only reason I stuck with this series for so long is because of the love triangle between Rhine Ellery-Ashby, the servant Gabriel, and Rhine's husband, Linden. I know it sounds odd to want Rhine to end up with Linden, the man who kidnapped her from everything she's known and forced her to marry him, but he's kind to her, and wants to protect her. He's painstakingly oblivious to the goings-on of the world around him, and that makes me pity him, makes me want Rhine to love him as he loves her. Even though she looks like Linden's dead first wife, Rose, I think Linden loves her for a different reason. I just never felt any chemistry between Rhine and Gabriel, even though I have a sickening feeling that they are going to be together at the end of this series. The last book, Sever, is set to release next February, and I will force myself through the book, if only to read the Rhine-Linden scenes and find out who she ends up with.
Lastly, I read another novel recently called Stolen, by Lucy Christopher. I. LOVED. THIS. BOOK. I loved it so much that I'm going to reserve a whole post just for that novel itself. Therefore, my review of this book will come in a later post, which will hopefully be soon. In the meantime, I suggest to those who haven't read it yet to go to their local library/bookstore and PICK IT UP ASAP. I'm dead serious. This novel will have you experiencing the exact same feelings as the protagonist, which is utterly freaky considering the situation. I won't ramble on and spoil it. Go read it! I mean it!
Until next time! :)
However, in English this year our class, we've read The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien, which I must say, was phenomenal. I loved the book. It's about the war in Vietnam, and the soldiers' experiences during the war. At first, I believed I would detest the book, since war stories are not usually my type of book. On the contrary, I couldn't put down this book! I'm glad we got to read it in class.
I have read some books for fun this semester so far (I can't keep myself from buying books at Barnes & Noble, haha), one of which includes the Chemical Garden Trilogy by Lauren DeStefano. I can't say much for this series, unfortunately. The setting and the plot should be quite interesting to me normally, but I couldn't quite keep myself interested in this series.
This series takes place in the future of North America (which is all that's left of the world after a catastrophic world war that wiped out all the other continents), in which girls only live until the age of 20 and males die at 25 at the hands of some incurable virus. As a result, in order to keep the human race going and for families to keep their family lines/names going on, girls are abducted and sold to men with the intent of impregnating them. In this story, the protagonist, 16 year old Rhine Ellery, is one of these kidnapped girls forced to marry 21 year old Linden Ashby, along with two other kidnapped girls, Cecily & Jenna. In Linden's world, everything is not what it seems. Linden's father, Housemaster Vaughn, is sketchy. And then there's Gabriel, a servant whom Rhine finds herself growing attracted to. Meanwhile, she desperately plots her escape from this world of illusions to return to her twin brother, Rowan. After reading the first novel, Wither, I decided to give the second book, Fever, a chance. I only got until half the book until I was completely bored with it. The only reason I stuck with this series for so long is because of the love triangle between Rhine Ellery-Ashby, the servant Gabriel, and Rhine's husband, Linden. I know it sounds odd to want Rhine to end up with Linden, the man who kidnapped her from everything she's known and forced her to marry him, but he's kind to her, and wants to protect her. He's painstakingly oblivious to the goings-on of the world around him, and that makes me pity him, makes me want Rhine to love him as he loves her. Even though she looks like Linden's dead first wife, Rose, I think Linden loves her for a different reason. I just never felt any chemistry between Rhine and Gabriel, even though I have a sickening feeling that they are going to be together at the end of this series. The last book, Sever, is set to release next February, and I will force myself through the book, if only to read the Rhine-Linden scenes and find out who she ends up with. 
Lastly, I read another novel recently called Stolen, by Lucy Christopher. I. LOVED. THIS. BOOK. I loved it so much that I'm going to reserve a whole post just for that novel itself. Therefore, my review of this book will come in a later post, which will hopefully be soon. In the meantime, I suggest to those who haven't read it yet to go to their local library/bookstore and PICK IT UP ASAP. I'm dead serious. This novel will have you experiencing the exact same feelings as the protagonist, which is utterly freaky considering the situation. I won't ramble on and spoil it. Go read it! I mean it!
Until next time! :)
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Dukan Diet Study
Hello All!
I know I haven't gotten on Blogger for over a month. I apologize. The start of the school year has been unbelievably stressful.
My topic for today is the Dukan Diet. You guys might have heard of it - Kate Middleton was reportedly on the diet while getting ready for the wedding of the century.
And no, if you all are wondering. I'm not going on the Dukan Diet. However, for biology, our class received a project to study a diet plan of our choice and explain our discoveries. I chose the Dukan Diet - mainly because I read celebrity gossip and I recalled Kate Middleton's diet when I got this project.
It would be extremely appreciative, if any of you are currently on the Dukan Diet or have been on the Dukan Diet at some point in the past, to answer some of my questions about the diet.
1. Why did you choose the Dukan diet to begin with? Does it work? Does it satisfy?
2. Do you have cravings for certain foods either allowed or prohibited by the diet? Do you plan on following the diet indefinitely?
I will love you guys to infinity and beyond if you share with me your experience with the Dukan Diet.
Hope to hear from all you Dukan dieters soon! :)
I know I haven't gotten on Blogger for over a month. I apologize. The start of the school year has been unbelievably stressful.
My topic for today is the Dukan Diet. You guys might have heard of it - Kate Middleton was reportedly on the diet while getting ready for the wedding of the century.
And no, if you all are wondering. I'm not going on the Dukan Diet. However, for biology, our class received a project to study a diet plan of our choice and explain our discoveries. I chose the Dukan Diet - mainly because I read celebrity gossip and I recalled Kate Middleton's diet when I got this project.
It would be extremely appreciative, if any of you are currently on the Dukan Diet or have been on the Dukan Diet at some point in the past, to answer some of my questions about the diet.
1. Why did you choose the Dukan diet to begin with? Does it work? Does it satisfy?
2. Do you have cravings for certain foods either allowed or prohibited by the diet? Do you plan on following the diet indefinitely?
I will love you guys to infinity and beyond if you share with me your experience with the Dukan Diet.
Hope to hear from all you Dukan dieters soon! :)
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Summertime Sadness
Well, I'm deeply saddened to say that I am leaving Spain tomorrow afternoon, after two relatively quick months here. What this also means is that school is going to start very soon, which is something that rather disturbs me, because the school year never flies by as quickly as summer does. My summer is technically over with my arrival in America, because I have to frantically finish reading that damn book my Spanish teacher assigned us for the summer (I'm on chapter 8 out of 30+ chapters, yeah, not good, I know). The book kills my eyes. It may be a classic, but it's boring as hell and difficult to read. I also think I have to read a second book in English...
Anyway, it's time to reflect on my trip to Spain. There are definitely some things I would do differently should the opportunity repeat itself or if I could turn back time (which is something I'd love to do). For example, I would change the fact that I didn't go out to hang out with people as much as I should have.
I won't go on and on and on about my summer, because while it had it's fun moments, a lot of it was boring, all alone in the town.
Anyway, if anyone reads this, please comment on how you spent your summer and what things you would do differently if given the chance.
I hope the rest of everyone's summer is spent fabulously, and that summer 2012 can be ended with a bang! :)
Anyway, it's time to reflect on my trip to Spain. There are definitely some things I would do differently should the opportunity repeat itself or if I could turn back time (which is something I'd love to do). For example, I would change the fact that I didn't go out to hang out with people as much as I should have.
I won't go on and on and on about my summer, because while it had it's fun moments, a lot of it was boring, all alone in the town.
Anyway, if anyone reads this, please comment on how you spent your summer and what things you would do differently if given the chance.
I hope the rest of everyone's summer is spent fabulously, and that summer 2012 can be ended with a bang! :)
Friday, July 6, 2012
Tres Metros Sobre El Cielo
So, the other day, while spending a lazy late evening with my cousin and her boyfriend in Spain, a movie that's apparently wildly popular with teenagers here in Spain comes on TV, most likely because the sequel to the movie had just been released in theaters. It's called Tres Metros Sobre El Cielo (Three Meters Above Heaven - English translation always useful)
It's about this schoolgirl, Babi (and no offense to her or anything, but what kind of a name is that? It sounds like a name given to a blonde bimbo - trust me, I've never heard that name in Spain or in the USA) who lives with her strict mother and her more laid-back father. She's supposed to be innocent, and she was disciplined and has to behave properly at all times. She meets rebellious bad boy, motorcycle-riding hottie Hugo (who goes by Hache) and obviously, the star-crossed pair fall in love. The two come from very different worlds, but are madly in love with each other. It's romantic, and cute.
I caught the movie fifteen minutes after it started, so I don't know the beginning of the movie. This movie sort of reminds me of Fifty Shades of Grey, just in a teenage version. Not in the fact that Hache is a kinky bastard, but that he tries to protect Babi (and she doesn't really like it that much - like when Babi is about to fail a class and Hache goes and threatens the teacher to not fail Babi) and does little romantic things for her like when he takes her to the beach house and paints Tres Metros Sobre El Cielo on a bridge. There's more romantic stuff he does, but I can't name them all. Also, Hache can get violent, like Christian, and both don't like their pasts very much (I didn't understand it all, but apparently he doesn't get along with his parents - I don't know if his mom was a whore - like Christian's birth mother - or what, but that is similar) The similarities aren't that big, but I couldn't help noticing.
Let's just say that like Romeo and Juliet, this movie has a tragic ending - although not as tragic as Romeo and Juliet.
Last night, I went to see the sequel to this film, Tengo Ganas de Ti - I won't talk about the film in this post, but I will in the next.
I haven't started my Spanish homework reading of Madame Bovary - and I really really should, but I'm just so lazy! I have half a mind to read it in English and do the chapter summaries based on the English version. It's kind of stupid, considering Madame Bovary is a French book, written by a French author, not Spanish, and we're reading it in the Spanish Literature class.
To conclude this post on a happy note, SPAIN WON THE EUROPE CUP THIS YEAR! Everyone was so thrilled here, myself included - we partied until one AM and we dressed up in Spanish colors of red & yellow and we painted the Spanish flag on our faces and after the game we honked our car horns all around town and flew the Spanish flag out the window - oh, it was a blast. But 4-0, what a brilliant final game for Spain!
YO SOY ESPAÑOL, ESPAÑOL, ESPAÑOL!!!
It's about this schoolgirl, Babi (and no offense to her or anything, but what kind of a name is that? It sounds like a name given to a blonde bimbo - trust me, I've never heard that name in Spain or in the USA) who lives with her strict mother and her more laid-back father. She's supposed to be innocent, and she was disciplined and has to behave properly at all times. She meets rebellious bad boy, motorcycle-riding hottie Hugo (who goes by Hache) and obviously, the star-crossed pair fall in love. The two come from very different worlds, but are madly in love with each other. It's romantic, and cute.
I caught the movie fifteen minutes after it started, so I don't know the beginning of the movie. This movie sort of reminds me of Fifty Shades of Grey, just in a teenage version. Not in the fact that Hache is a kinky bastard, but that he tries to protect Babi (and she doesn't really like it that much - like when Babi is about to fail a class and Hache goes and threatens the teacher to not fail Babi) and does little romantic things for her like when he takes her to the beach house and paints Tres Metros Sobre El Cielo on a bridge. There's more romantic stuff he does, but I can't name them all. Also, Hache can get violent, like Christian, and both don't like their pasts very much (I didn't understand it all, but apparently he doesn't get along with his parents - I don't know if his mom was a whore - like Christian's birth mother - or what, but that is similar) The similarities aren't that big, but I couldn't help noticing.
Let's just say that like Romeo and Juliet, this movie has a tragic ending - although not as tragic as Romeo and Juliet.
Last night, I went to see the sequel to this film, Tengo Ganas de Ti - I won't talk about the film in this post, but I will in the next.
I haven't started my Spanish homework reading of Madame Bovary - and I really really should, but I'm just so lazy! I have half a mind to read it in English and do the chapter summaries based on the English version. It's kind of stupid, considering Madame Bovary is a French book, written by a French author, not Spanish, and we're reading it in the Spanish Literature class.
To conclude this post on a happy note, SPAIN WON THE EUROPE CUP THIS YEAR! Everyone was so thrilled here, myself included - we partied until one AM and we dressed up in Spanish colors of red & yellow and we painted the Spanish flag on our faces and after the game we honked our car horns all around town and flew the Spanish flag out the window - oh, it was a blast. But 4-0, what a brilliant final game for Spain!
YO SOY ESPAÑOL, ESPAÑOL, ESPAÑOL!!!
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Rapture
If I have one word to describe the final book in Lauren Kate's Fallen series, it would be...bittersweet. I felt sad at the end of the book, even though it was supposed to be a happy ending. I won't reveal too much about the book, though. I'll probably have to reread the book myself, as I flew through it in one day just to find out what happens to our favorite lovebirds, Daniel Grigori and Lucinda Price.
This novel takes place immediately after the events of Passion, so there's not much of a break or catch up. I'd suggest re-reading Passion before reading this book. It is revealed that Lucifer, AKA the evil one, plans to rewrite history to his own liking. We don't understand why he would want to do this, but the fact is Luce and Daniel and all the other Fallen Angels have only 9 days (the angels fell for 9 days) to stop Lucifer from erasing the several thousand years that have passed since The Fall and therefore, if Lucifer succeeds, all of Luce's and Daniel's history together will be gone. The curse would begin all over again.
This book's events circle around the mission to find three crucial objects that lead to locating the site of the first Fall, which was forgotten by the angels. The angels will have to go there to intercept and stop Lucifer from initiating the Fall a second time. Along the way, Luce and Daniel encounter the Scale, sort of like Heaven's policemen (or high school principals, according to Daniel), the Elders (and Miss Sophia) and yes, Lucifer and God (The Throne) themselves.
Yes, there are deaths in this book, and some angels and other beings alike perish (I won't give names.)
Many shocks are thrust upon us in this book, such as the history of Luce and Daniel's love, and Lucinda's true nature. One of the biggest shocks arrives at the end of the novel, and it involves Lucifer and Lucinda. Can you guess?
The end was kind of sad, in my opinion. No, Luce and Daniel don't die - but let's just say they're no longer the beings they used to be. I felt bad, for Luce and for Daniel - it was romantic, to see them fall in love over and over again. It would've been better if they could both be immortal and in love forever.
The epilogue was funny, with everyone watching Luce and Daniel as if they were a reality show. Hey, you gotta entertain yourself somehow for eternity, huh?
Like many of us, I would like to see a spin-off with Cam as the main character. He was an interesting character - not to mention HOT. I don't remember ever reading about the story of Cam's long lost love, or the story of Arriane's scars, unless I was reading so fast that I missed it completely. Somehow I doubt it, but was Luce Cam's love, the girl that broke his heart and caused him to side with Lucifer? I know Luce cares about Cam in her own way, and in turn Cam cares about Luce, but I don't think he loved her in that way.
Anyway, this book did have a happy ending, in many ways. It just didn't feel like the right ending for them, you know? I felt that they deserved much better than that, for all they sacrificed and suffered because of the curse. And I felt bad for Callie - I mean what will happen to her? Does she completely forget about Luce or does everything remain the same, but always wondering what happened to her best friend?
I don't have another book to read for the summer in mind until the end of July, when Sara Shepard's Hide and Seek comes out. I can't wait! Well, there's my Spanish homework assignment - read Madame Bovary and write a summary for EVERY SINGLE CHAPTER. What's the point of that? I'll probably procrastinate for as long as possible on it, even though I REALLY shouldn't.
As they say in Spain, ¡Hasta luego!
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Overseas
As of tomorrow evening, I will not be in the United States for the next two and half months or so. It's kind of exciting, don't you think? Today's my last day to enjoy a real burger and things like Dr. Pepper and movies/TV in English - coincidentally, I went to go see Snow White & the Huntsman yesterday - although I liked the movie, I remember thinking when Snow White cheated her imminent death by the hands (or magic, whatever you want to think) of Queen Ravenna by escaping the castle, there just happened to be a beautiful white horse waiting to be ridden on - I mean, let's be realistic - what are the odds of that happening in real life? Slim to none.
I spent some quality time with my mother, of course, who won't be going with me to Europe. Although she's super cranky these days, with my trip and everything else going on. But it doesn't matter. While I understand that she can't go with us to Spain, I'll miss her.
School is over, and I'm ecstatic to say that I got all As this semester, as was my goal. Even in chemistry, which was almost hell this year, thanks to my nonexistent teacher, who didn't teach us anything all year.
Nevertheless, I still have homework, due to IB. I have to read a book in Spanish and write chapter summaries for EVERY SINGLE CHAPTER. What is the point of this, I ask? Maybe I'll pay someone in Spain to do my homework for me...hmm....
One thing that bothers me is the fact that I can't buy books on my Nook in Spain. I've got tons of books I want to read this summer - that's so stupid, that I can't purchase books from over there. Thankfully, I can buy songs on the United States iTunes store from Europe :)
I'll also have the opportunity to go to France to my cousin's wedding - which I will definitely take, of course - I love France! I love all of Europe in general - I want to live there one day.
I hope all of you have a fantastic summer and I'll try to post again when I can!
I spent some quality time with my mother, of course, who won't be going with me to Europe. Although she's super cranky these days, with my trip and everything else going on. But it doesn't matter. While I understand that she can't go with us to Spain, I'll miss her.
School is over, and I'm ecstatic to say that I got all As this semester, as was my goal. Even in chemistry, which was almost hell this year, thanks to my nonexistent teacher, who didn't teach us anything all year.
Nevertheless, I still have homework, due to IB. I have to read a book in Spanish and write chapter summaries for EVERY SINGLE CHAPTER. What is the point of this, I ask? Maybe I'll pay someone in Spain to do my homework for me...hmm....
One thing that bothers me is the fact that I can't buy books on my Nook in Spain. I've got tons of books I want to read this summer - that's so stupid, that I can't purchase books from over there. Thankfully, I can buy songs on the United States iTunes store from Europe :)
I'll also have the opportunity to go to France to my cousin's wedding - which I will definitely take, of course - I love France! I love all of Europe in general - I want to live there one day.
I hope all of you have a fantastic summer and I'll try to post again when I can!
Monday, May 28, 2012
Summer Vacation
Happy Memorial Day to all our courageous men and women in the armed forces!
Summer is just around the corner, and I couldn't be more excited! When you add a crappy year social-wise to academic torture, it's a no-brainer that someone would be thrilled to have it be finally over (for three months, anyway). Besides school ending, I will be off to Europe in a week! Therefore, I'm surprised I even got this time to be blogging - speaking of which, I should be doing something more productive - eh, I'll do useful things later. Finals have been eating my brains out, so I haven't had time to pack yet or go to the mall for some clothes. Thank God I was able to exempt two finals, otherwise I'd be dead. Literally. But still, I still have one more project to complete , and two to present and two exams - all this week. I have my AP Spanish final (which I sort of regret not exempting) and the SAT Subject Test for U.S. history this week that I have not studied for AT ALL. Uh-oh is right. That's why I'm having a little study group with my friend tomorrow - AFTER I've helped her with her project and studied some for Spanish. That's tomorrow, coupled with rushing to the Apple Store and trying to make it to my friend's graduation ceremony.
Yes, as you can see, I cannot wait for Thursday.
Spain. It's my native country - yes, I was born here, but neither of my parents were born here and I identify and get along better with people from over there. It's been almost 5 years since I last visited, and I'm a little nervous to be going back again. Everything's going to be different - all my friends were older than me, MUCH older. I was 12 while most of them were 16 or 17 at the time. They'll be working now or going to college - who am I going to hang out with all day? They might be different, personality wise, too. That's what I'm most afraid of that - how much they may have changed. And, believe it or not, school ends at the end of June in Spain - therefore, I will be VERY bored in my dad's small little town with no one to hang out with for hours because they're all at school. I'm thankful that I may be going to France for a couple of days for my cousin's wedding.
For all of you reading this, I have one question for you to answer - what are your summer plans?
Even if nobody replies, I hope all of you have a amazingly wonderful summer! :)
Summer is just around the corner, and I couldn't be more excited! When you add a crappy year social-wise to academic torture, it's a no-brainer that someone would be thrilled to have it be finally over (for three months, anyway). Besides school ending, I will be off to Europe in a week! Therefore, I'm surprised I even got this time to be blogging - speaking of which, I should be doing something more productive - eh, I'll do useful things later. Finals have been eating my brains out, so I haven't had time to pack yet or go to the mall for some clothes. Thank God I was able to exempt two finals, otherwise I'd be dead. Literally. But still, I still have one more project to complete , and two to present and two exams - all this week. I have my AP Spanish final (which I sort of regret not exempting) and the SAT Subject Test for U.S. history this week that I have not studied for AT ALL. Uh-oh is right. That's why I'm having a little study group with my friend tomorrow - AFTER I've helped her with her project and studied some for Spanish. That's tomorrow, coupled with rushing to the Apple Store and trying to make it to my friend's graduation ceremony.
Yes, as you can see, I cannot wait for Thursday.
Spain. It's my native country - yes, I was born here, but neither of my parents were born here and I identify and get along better with people from over there. It's been almost 5 years since I last visited, and I'm a little nervous to be going back again. Everything's going to be different - all my friends were older than me, MUCH older. I was 12 while most of them were 16 or 17 at the time. They'll be working now or going to college - who am I going to hang out with all day? They might be different, personality wise, too. That's what I'm most afraid of that - how much they may have changed. And, believe it or not, school ends at the end of June in Spain - therefore, I will be VERY bored in my dad's small little town with no one to hang out with for hours because they're all at school. I'm thankful that I may be going to France for a couple of days for my cousin's wedding.
For all of you reading this, I have one question for you to answer - what are your summer plans?
Even if nobody replies, I hope all of you have a amazingly wonderful summer! :)
Friday, May 11, 2012
It's Finally Over!
I have never been so glad after a week of school as I am right now. AP testing is over! Although I didn't have the strength to deactivate my Facebook after all, I was surprised to find out that FB didn't distract me as much as I had thought it would when I began to study. According to College Board, I'm not allow to talk about any of the exams, but I just thought I'd let you all know that it wasn't as horrible as I thought it'd be.
The exception to this was the Spanish AP exam. As my teacher did not prepare our class enough for the oral part of the exam, not surprisingly, that was the most difficult part for me and several of my peers who took the exam. Needless to say the entire test was a nightmare. I expect a 3 on this exam, as the three other parts weren't so difficult for me (the reading part being the easiest for me).
On Thursday, I had an end-of-course field test in chemistry that I had to take for the district, and let me just inform you all that I HATE chemistry. I think I wouldn't hate it if I had a different teacher, but because my teacher in chemistry doesn't teach my class ANYTHING (basically, it's an independent study class - you learn on your own or you fail) and I guessed on about 25% of the test because we 1) didn't learn the material or 2) it came from the first semester and I had forgotten about the concept. Thankfully, the scores don't really count for anything besides a reflection of the school (and the teacher) and honestly, I'd be glad to see those scores reflect on my teacher (maybe my principal will FINALLY see that it is the teacher's fault that nobody learns, not the students' fault).
The only test that I kind of enjoyed was the AP US History test, which I took today. I am so glad that my practice tests were much more difficult than the real thing. Although there were some questions that I was iffy about, it all went pretty well. I felt strongest in the writing portion. I'm not allowed to talk about the content of the test (but it should be on College Board in about two days if you guys are really curious) but I'm definitely expecting a 4, HOPEFULLY a 5. I'd throw a party if I got a 5.
Only 3 more weeks until school is over! Counting down the days! :)
Sunday, April 29, 2012
AP Exam Crisis
It's past midnight. I should be asleep, or doing something entertaining on a Saturday night. But alas, I have just set down my handy-dandy Princeton Review AP U.S. History study book-thing and decided to call it a night on the APUSH studying. It's the first AP exam I've ever taken (that and the AP Spanish Language exam I will also be taking this year as well) and, as you can probably tell, I am stressed out. By nature, I am a tense, constantly stressed-out person, and this is by no means an exception. Not only do I have to focus on course studies, but I still have to find time within now and two weeks to properly study (I know, I should have started sooner - but don't criticize me so soon, as I have been faithfully attending my AP teachers' AP exam tutorials). My study-buddies and I already had an AP exam study session at B&N (didn't turn out so well, coincidentally - we happened to be sitting by the humor section and the boys were obsessing over the zombie apocalypse book, and the coffee + cookie run we made to Starbucks in the bookstore didn't help, either. Although, in my defense, I spent my two hours going over AP Spanish reading comprehension practices and did half of an APUSH multiple-choice test). Next time, we'll just stick to the good-old school library. Also, in my defense, I have started studying sooner than most people who are taking the AP exams. It certainly doesn't help that my AP Spanish teacher tends not to give us any practice whatsoever on the oral parts of the AP exam. Sure, we've done listening exercises, reading comprehensions, and long & short essays, but we haven't done any Spanish speaking practice (except once, in January.) This, is a problem. While, luckily, I will not be taking my exam with the rest of the sophomore AP Spanish class, the hardest part of all for me is the speaking. Listening is difficult too, as the narrator usually speaks incredibly fast. Speaking-wise, my grammar isn't that exceptional, and it's kind of a big deal considering I don't have much time to come up with a decent essay to deliver in two minutes-time. I am somewhat more confident for the Spanish exam than the APUSH one. The DBQ and FRQs are going to KILL me. It kills me that I don't know what exactly to be prepared for. There's so much information! It's overwhelming!
I am lucky that I have better information-retaining skills than most people. My class hasn't done entirely too many DBQs and FRQs, which not-so-secretly stresses me out. It would be nice if we had more DBQ/FRQ exercises in class, but my APUSH teacher is frantically trying to get all the information properly taught to us.
I don't know how my friend Olivia can juggle her AP exam studying (she's taking AP Stats + AP Spanish and APUSH) and volunteer as crazily as she does. I'd die! I volunteer a lot, as I'm in the Spanish Honor Society and the National Honor Society and the Rotary Interact Club at my school, but she takes the volunteering to a whole new level. I mean, when is she going to have enough time to REALLY study?
Anyway, I'm going to desperately try not to scream my head off due to frustration and stress. I am making a vow to myself that I will stay off Blogger until AP exams are over. I'll let you all know after May 11 how everything went.
Coincidentally, I will deactivate my Facebook account until AP exams are over. Starting tomorrow. God, give me the strength to stay off Facebook for two whole weeks. Trust me, I need all the strength and patience in the history of, well, my whole life up until this point.
Wish me luck you guys!!!
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Girlfriend Material
Once again, long time no post! As usual, I've been crazy busy, what with loads of homework and AP exams coming up and scrambling to get all of my hours for NHS done and turned in. I can't believe I did 56 hours of volunteer service this year. We only had to do 15. I certainly overworked myself this year. :)
I haven't gotten much reading done (at least, for fun) - my class did finish To Kill A Mockingbird...although it wasn't my favorite book in the world, I did enjoy reading it (more than reading Ender's Game, at least - science fiction is so not my genre, I discovered). My class watched the film and it was good, although it didn't compare to the novel, in my opinion. It was certainly a good adaptation of it, though. Peck made a wonderful Atticus Finch.
I still haven't read The Help (shame on me) but I definitely plan to read it this summer, when I go to Spain, as I will probably not have much to do in the semi-abandoned town I visit there. I also plan on looking at scholarships for college there. My dad says I should teach English to the kids there...hah, PLEASE! I don't know how to teach anything. I'm a very impatient person.
SPOILERS AHEAD!
ANYWAY...away from the blah blah blah about my dull, typical high-school life (I am SO ready to be done with high school, even though I'm only finishing the 10th grade, unfortunately). I did get some time today, after state testing, to read Girlfriend Material by Melissa Kantor. It's about this girl, Kate Draper, who has to ditch all of her "marvelous" summer plans - she had been taking a summer writing class and was planning on playing tennis with her best friend, Laura - to go to Cape Cod for the summer with her mom, who is only trying to get Kate's distant father's attention. Kate and her mother were bunking in at Kate's mom's college best friends' - Tina & Henry - house for the summer. Initially, Kate is thrilled to be seeing Tina & Henry's daughter, Sarah, a childhood idol and friend, again, but gets a cold and rather unfriendly welcome from Sarah once she arrives, discovering that Sarah wants absolutely nothing to do with her. Out of her comfort zone, (even her best friend, Laura, has found something to do in her absence - surprise! She has her first real boyfriend) Kate has no choice but to spend her time either in the library or at the country club, where she teaches tennis to a 8th grade brat, Natasha (who obviously doesn't even like tennis), and where she meets Sarah's friends - Jenna, Lawrence and Adam. Slowly, but surely, the four of them start becoming friends, Sarah included, and she becomes friends with Adam more so than with anybody else, if you know what I mean. Adam is irresistible - funny, smart AND attractive! - and he seems to be interested in Kate, too. As the two of them hang out more, the pull between them grows stronger, until neither can hold back any longer. After kissing on the Fourth of July, Adam and Kate hang out a bit more, until Adam has to go on a fishing trip with Lawrence. While he's on the fishing trip, Kate discovers something shocking - Adam already has a girlfriend, Molly. Unbeknownst to her, Adam and Molly are on a "break" for just the summer, which Adam explains to her when he comes back, and that he believed she wasn't interested in any kind of serious relationship, either. However, even though Kate tries to shake it off like it doesn't matter to her that she's just a summer fling, it does bother her, and at last, she tells Adam that she doesn't want to "hang out" anymore. Eventually, she realizes that she does miss him, and goes to tell him how much she likes him, but blurts out her feelings to Adam's twin brother, David! How embarrassing, right? David informs her that Adam had left to New Hampshire, where Molly is, and she comes to the sickening conclusion that Adam had gone to N.H. to get back with Molly after all. NOT THE CASE. Adam comes back and tells her that he had only gone to N.H. to break up with Molly, realizing how much he liked Kate and wanted to be with her.
AWW - so cute, I know. And although I sympathized with Kate, knowing what it's like to be stuck with someone who obviously doesn't like you and being a fish out of water with someone else's friends, I don't understand how Kate could be so nonchalant about being just a fling, even if was just to Adam's face. I mean, her feelings change so much. When she's with Adam, she's all like "oh, who cares if it's just a fling? I'll probably never even see him again" and then when she's alone, she's like "but I don't want to be just a fling, I want to be dancing in the happily-ever-after with him". It's like she doesn't know what she wants. I mean, sure, I can cut her some slack as it's her first boyfriend, but I've never had a boyfriend either and I know I wouldn't be okay with being someone's fling.
All in all, I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars.
I'll post again when I read a new book or something - if you've been keeping up with my posts, you'll know I've been hooked on a Fanfiction Naruto story by AngeLHearteD. It's fantastic, and I get so frustrated that she's been so busy with her life that she hasn't uploaded any new chapters! Fortunately, she keeps me hooked with her amazing characters and her sneak-peeks, but I do understand how busy she must be. It's just like reading a good book! You can't get done with it fast enough!
Check it out. Seriously, I'm not kidding. It's amazing. And Sasuke makes me drool because he's hot, even if he IS a jerk. I'm NOT giving any spoilers to her story, so you'll just have to read it for yourself. And if you do read, please leave her a review! She DOES appreciate them and actually DOES go through them!
Here's the link:
Quietus by AngeLHearteD
She also has a Deviantart group for her story, too, in case you guys like her story a lot. You'd be surprised how many drawings and pictures she gets for her story. It's incredible. She's a very talented writer and people do see that, as they draw pictures for her story :) I think the link to her group on Deviantart is on her Fanfiction page.
Later, gators! :)
I haven't gotten much reading done (at least, for fun) - my class did finish To Kill A Mockingbird...although it wasn't my favorite book in the world, I did enjoy reading it (more than reading Ender's Game, at least - science fiction is so not my genre, I discovered). My class watched the film and it was good, although it didn't compare to the novel, in my opinion. It was certainly a good adaptation of it, though. Peck made a wonderful Atticus Finch.
I still haven't read The Help (shame on me) but I definitely plan to read it this summer, when I go to Spain, as I will probably not have much to do in the semi-abandoned town I visit there. I also plan on looking at scholarships for college there. My dad says I should teach English to the kids there...hah, PLEASE! I don't know how to teach anything. I'm a very impatient person.
SPOILERS AHEAD!
ANYWAY...away from the blah blah blah about my dull, typical high-school life (I am SO ready to be done with high school, even though I'm only finishing the 10th grade, unfortunately). I did get some time today, after state testing, to read Girlfriend Material by Melissa Kantor. It's about this girl, Kate Draper, who has to ditch all of her "marvelous" summer plans - she had been taking a summer writing class and was planning on playing tennis with her best friend, Laura - to go to Cape Cod for the summer with her mom, who is only trying to get Kate's distant father's attention. Kate and her mother were bunking in at Kate's mom's college best friends' - Tina & Henry - house for the summer. Initially, Kate is thrilled to be seeing Tina & Henry's daughter, Sarah, a childhood idol and friend, again, but gets a cold and rather unfriendly welcome from Sarah once she arrives, discovering that Sarah wants absolutely nothing to do with her. Out of her comfort zone, (even her best friend, Laura, has found something to do in her absence - surprise! She has her first real boyfriend) Kate has no choice but to spend her time either in the library or at the country club, where she teaches tennis to a 8th grade brat, Natasha (who obviously doesn't even like tennis), and where she meets Sarah's friends - Jenna, Lawrence and Adam. Slowly, but surely, the four of them start becoming friends, Sarah included, and she becomes friends with Adam more so than with anybody else, if you know what I mean. Adam is irresistible - funny, smart AND attractive! - and he seems to be interested in Kate, too. As the two of them hang out more, the pull between them grows stronger, until neither can hold back any longer. After kissing on the Fourth of July, Adam and Kate hang out a bit more, until Adam has to go on a fishing trip with Lawrence. While he's on the fishing trip, Kate discovers something shocking - Adam already has a girlfriend, Molly. Unbeknownst to her, Adam and Molly are on a "break" for just the summer, which Adam explains to her when he comes back, and that he believed she wasn't interested in any kind of serious relationship, either. However, even though Kate tries to shake it off like it doesn't matter to her that she's just a summer fling, it does bother her, and at last, she tells Adam that she doesn't want to "hang out" anymore. Eventually, she realizes that she does miss him, and goes to tell him how much she likes him, but blurts out her feelings to Adam's twin brother, David! How embarrassing, right? David informs her that Adam had left to New Hampshire, where Molly is, and she comes to the sickening conclusion that Adam had gone to N.H. to get back with Molly after all. NOT THE CASE. Adam comes back and tells her that he had only gone to N.H. to break up with Molly, realizing how much he liked Kate and wanted to be with her. AWW - so cute, I know. And although I sympathized with Kate, knowing what it's like to be stuck with someone who obviously doesn't like you and being a fish out of water with someone else's friends, I don't understand how Kate could be so nonchalant about being just a fling, even if was just to Adam's face. I mean, her feelings change so much. When she's with Adam, she's all like "oh, who cares if it's just a fling? I'll probably never even see him again" and then when she's alone, she's like "but I don't want to be just a fling, I want to be dancing in the happily-ever-after with him". It's like she doesn't know what she wants. I mean, sure, I can cut her some slack as it's her first boyfriend, but I've never had a boyfriend either and I know I wouldn't be okay with being someone's fling.
All in all, I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars.
I'll post again when I read a new book or something - if you've been keeping up with my posts, you'll know I've been hooked on a Fanfiction Naruto story by AngeLHearteD. It's fantastic, and I get so frustrated that she's been so busy with her life that she hasn't uploaded any new chapters! Fortunately, she keeps me hooked with her amazing characters and her sneak-peeks, but I do understand how busy she must be. It's just like reading a good book! You can't get done with it fast enough!
Check it out. Seriously, I'm not kidding. It's amazing. And Sasuke makes me drool because he's hot, even if he IS a jerk. I'm NOT giving any spoilers to her story, so you'll just have to read it for yourself. And if you do read, please leave her a review! She DOES appreciate them and actually DOES go through them!
Here's the link:
Quietus by AngeLHearteD
She also has a Deviantart group for her story, too, in case you guys like her story a lot. You'd be surprised how many drawings and pictures she gets for her story. It's incredible. She's a very talented writer and people do see that, as they draw pictures for her story :) I think the link to her group on Deviantart is on her Fanfiction page.
Later, gators! :)
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Life and the Hunger Games
I haven't gotten on here in some time, I know, but I've just been so busy with school and stuff. Things are hectic right now with AP exams coming up and finals and state exams and the like. Scrambling to get all my volunteer hours for the various clubs I'm involved in, things like that.
But tomorrow's a holiday, and for the first time EVER, I HAVE NO HOMEWORK THIS WEEKEND!!!
I am beyond thrilled, as you can see by the shouty, ecstatic Caps Lock.
I have not read any new books, but I did go see the Hunger Games the weekend it came out. I read the book the summer before freshman year, so before any movie announcements were made. The books didn't really get popular until the movie was announced, which disappoints me somehow, because HG is a really good series, much more so than the Twilight Saga.
All in all, I have to say that the movie did the book justice. Of course, it's not on the same place on the scale as HP, but close. Much higher on the scale than Twilight and its sequels.
Jennifer Lawrence was a good choice for Katniss. I didn't know much about her when she was first announced - I still haven't seen her other movie, Winter's Bone, the one she was Oscar nominated for. Of course, I had my initial doubts about Josh Hutcherson for Peeta, mainly because he reminds me of Disney, which I know is not fair, but still. And Liam Hemsworth...I am ashamed to say that I had my doubts about him because he's Miley Cyrus' boyfriend. They did pretty decent portrayals of Peeta Mellark and Gale Hawthorne, respectively. Although Jennifer L's acting stood out the most.
I could list the differences between the book and the movie, but if you still haven't read the book and seen the movie, I won't spoil anything for you.
But tomorrow's a holiday, and for the first time EVER, I HAVE NO HOMEWORK THIS WEEKEND!!!
I am beyond thrilled, as you can see by the shouty, ecstatic Caps Lock.
I have not read any new books, but I did go see the Hunger Games the weekend it came out. I read the book the summer before freshman year, so before any movie announcements were made. The books didn't really get popular until the movie was announced, which disappoints me somehow, because HG is a really good series, much more so than the Twilight Saga.
All in all, I have to say that the movie did the book justice. Of course, it's not on the same place on the scale as HP, but close. Much higher on the scale than Twilight and its sequels.
Jennifer Lawrence was a good choice for Katniss. I didn't know much about her when she was first announced - I still haven't seen her other movie, Winter's Bone, the one she was Oscar nominated for. Of course, I had my initial doubts about Josh Hutcherson for Peeta, mainly because he reminds me of Disney, which I know is not fair, but still. And Liam Hemsworth...I am ashamed to say that I had my doubts about him because he's Miley Cyrus' boyfriend. They did pretty decent portrayals of Peeta Mellark and Gale Hawthorne, respectively. Although Jennifer L's acting stood out the most.
I could list the differences between the book and the movie, but if you still haven't read the book and seen the movie, I won't spoil anything for you.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
50 Shades of Grey
SPOILER ALERT!
Although E.L. James is no literary genius, for some reason I was unable to put down her trilogy. The similarity between the 50 Shades of Grey trilogy and Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga is uncanny. For example, both novels are set in Washington. Christian Grey, while not paranormal (although he might as well be, for all the power that he has) is ridiculously rich like Edward Cullen. Both are supposedly Greek gods of youth in terms of attractiveness. Anastasia Steele, like Bella Swan, is romantically inept, never having been in a real relationship before meeting their romantic (and in Ana's case, sexual) partner. Ana, like Bella, is rather ordinary and for them, their beauty goes unnoticed by most (in Ana's case, many boys find her attractive, although she doesn't see it that way). Christian Grey and his siblings Mia and Elliot Grey, are adopted, like the Cullen/Hale siblings. Grace Trevelyan, Christian's adoptive mother, is a doctor, like Carlisle Cullen in Twilight. Anastasia, like Bella, is in constant danger (for example, when Christian's ex-submissive Leila Williams tries to attack Bella, and later on, when Jack Hyde tries to molest Ana and harm her after Christian has him fired from SIP). Christian, like Edward, is determined to keep Ana safe and protect her, making her sacrifice going out and spending time with friends (Ana isn't allowed to have a drink with her best friend Kate, like Bella wasn't allowed to go see Jacob at the reservation.) The list is endless.
Although this novel, in my opinion, is better than Twilight, it is definitely more for adults rather than for teens. Sex occurs quite often in this trilogy between Christian and Ana. They are quite dirty, if you know what I mean. If you don't fancy reading a BDSM novel, then it might not be the book for you, but it's not just about the bondage and the flogging and spanking. Their relationship goes beyond that. I thought the BDSM would turn me off too, but it didn't. It wasn't as bad as it seemed, except in the end of the first novel, where Christian whips her with a belt. That sounded painful, and most probably was, too, if Ana left Christian after the incident.
If 50 Shades of Grey is ever made into a movie, I am quite curious as to how the producers will include the constant sex scenes. The book is like Twilight, only with sex. It's like Twilight for moms.
However, while Christian was sweet and romantic, via emails and texts and vacations, etc., he was quite controlling of her and very possessive. For example, when Ana had to go to New York with her boss Jack for business, Christian, while correct in his theory of Jack's desire to have sex with Ana, refused to let Ana go and, because he had purchased the company (becoming its' boss), he made up a rule on the spot that said that traveling costs had to be permitted by the head, namely, Christian, meaning Ana wasn't even allowed to go anyway by company rules. He gets very jealous easily and doesn't like when Ana hangs out with other guys, like her friend Jose.
I could continue with my thoughts and opinions about the trilogy, I'll just let you guys read it and judge it for yourselves. Just be prepared for lots and lots of sex!
Although E.L. James is no literary genius, for some reason I was unable to put down her trilogy. The similarity between the 50 Shades of Grey trilogy and Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga is uncanny. For example, both novels are set in Washington. Christian Grey, while not paranormal (although he might as well be, for all the power that he has) is ridiculously rich like Edward Cullen. Both are supposedly Greek gods of youth in terms of attractiveness. Anastasia Steele, like Bella Swan, is romantically inept, never having been in a real relationship before meeting their romantic (and in Ana's case, sexual) partner. Ana, like Bella, is rather ordinary and for them, their beauty goes unnoticed by most (in Ana's case, many boys find her attractive, although she doesn't see it that way). Christian Grey and his siblings Mia and Elliot Grey, are adopted, like the Cullen/Hale siblings. Grace Trevelyan, Christian's adoptive mother, is a doctor, like Carlisle Cullen in Twilight. Anastasia, like Bella, is in constant danger (for example, when Christian's ex-submissive Leila Williams tries to attack Bella, and later on, when Jack Hyde tries to molest Ana and harm her after Christian has him fired from SIP). Christian, like Edward, is determined to keep Ana safe and protect her, making her sacrifice going out and spending time with friends (Ana isn't allowed to have a drink with her best friend Kate, like Bella wasn't allowed to go see Jacob at the reservation.) The list is endless. Although this novel, in my opinion, is better than Twilight, it is definitely more for adults rather than for teens. Sex occurs quite often in this trilogy between Christian and Ana. They are quite dirty, if you know what I mean. If you don't fancy reading a BDSM novel, then it might not be the book for you, but it's not just about the bondage and the flogging and spanking. Their relationship goes beyond that. I thought the BDSM would turn me off too, but it didn't. It wasn't as bad as it seemed, except in the end of the first novel, where Christian whips her with a belt. That sounded painful, and most probably was, too, if Ana left Christian after the incident.
If 50 Shades of Grey is ever made into a movie, I am quite curious as to how the producers will include the constant sex scenes. The book is like Twilight, only with sex. It's like Twilight for moms.
However, while Christian was sweet and romantic, via emails and texts and vacations, etc., he was quite controlling of her and very possessive. For example, when Ana had to go to New York with her boss Jack for business, Christian, while correct in his theory of Jack's desire to have sex with Ana, refused to let Ana go and, because he had purchased the company (becoming its' boss), he made up a rule on the spot that said that traveling costs had to be permitted by the head, namely, Christian, meaning Ana wasn't even allowed to go anyway by company rules. He gets very jealous easily and doesn't like when Ana hangs out with other guys, like her friend Jose.
I could continue with my thoughts and opinions about the trilogy, I'll just let you guys read it and judge it for yourselves. Just be prepared for lots and lots of sex!
Thursday, March 15, 2012
The Pillars of the Earth
I know it's been awhile since my last post, but I'm back! It is spring break here where I live, and that means relaxing & spending time with my amigos! I am saddened by the fact that spring break is practically over, but besides Sunday (which is the designated homework day) there is still more fun to be had!
And the topic of fun is my point in this post. I introduced my best friend tonight to, in my opinion, a fabulous television show that aired on the Starz channel July of 2010, and it is called The Pillars of the Earth, based on the book by Ken Follett, which I have not read (I own it, though, but if you see the size of that thing, you'll know what I mean.) Usually I'm not deterred by the size of books, but these days, I've just had no time for enjoyable reading. And yes, she's hooked onto the show, too, just like Game of Thrones. I am praying to God that Season 2 will meet my high expectations, or even exceed them. I will be sorely disappointed if Season Two doesn't meet the standard that Season 1 did. April 1st cannot get here fast enough, it seems!
The show, however is quite entertaining, no matter how slow it may be at times. The subplots and all the little schemes going on never cease to amaze me. The church is corrupt, the kingdom is corrupt, is there anything that's pure and good in 12th century England?
Actually, there is, and they are Jack and his mother, Ellen, Tom Builder, Prior Philip, and Aliena of Shiring. Philip is a prior in the fictional town of Kingsbridge. Ellen is a supposed witch wanted by the church, and Jack is her shy but talented son. His talent comes in the form of sculpture. Tom Builder is a master builder desperately in need of work to support his pregnant wife and two children, Alfred & Martha. Ellen, Jack & Tom's family meet in the woods when Martha is attacked by a thief and is injured. Ellen offers to cure her, and the family stays with them briefly, before Alfred convinces his parents that Ellen is a witch. The family leaves, but Agnes, Tom's wife, gives birth during the winter night. Coincidentally, Princess Maud, the King's daughter, also gives birth to a son that same night. Agnes dies that night, but the family cannot support the newborn, so they abandon him next to Agnes' grave. The thief who had previously attacked Martha takes the baby from the grave to the priory to raise him. Tom, realizing he cannot leave his son to die in the forest, runs back to fetch, but it is too late. The baby is gone. The King is poisoned that night at a feast, leaving his legitimate heir, Maud, the crown. However, her cousin, Stephen, has usurped the throne, and Maud is determined to win the crown back, not for herself, but for her son.
The series spans 8 episodes, 1 hour long each, but it is totally worth it, so go watch!
Another novel I want to read is Fifty Shades of Grey, by E.L. James. It's a BDSM novel, of a graphic nature, but I'm a sucker for any type of romance. This novel appears to be a bit similar to Twilight, except it's rated X. The protagonist, Anastasia Steele, is an innocent college girl from Washington, and the romantic interest is a wealthy, dark, mysterious man by the name of Christian Grey. It comes out in paperback on April 3, and I very much want to read it.
I still haven't read The Help, or Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, nor have I finished Pretty Little Secrets, so it looks like I have a lot of reading to do this summer!
And the topic of fun is my point in this post. I introduced my best friend tonight to, in my opinion, a fabulous television show that aired on the Starz channel July of 2010, and it is called The Pillars of the Earth, based on the book by Ken Follett, which I have not read (I own it, though, but if you see the size of that thing, you'll know what I mean.) Usually I'm not deterred by the size of books, but these days, I've just had no time for enjoyable reading. And yes, she's hooked onto the show, too, just like Game of Thrones. I am praying to God that Season 2 will meet my high expectations, or even exceed them. I will be sorely disappointed if Season Two doesn't meet the standard that Season 1 did. April 1st cannot get here fast enough, it seems!
The show, however is quite entertaining, no matter how slow it may be at times. The subplots and all the little schemes going on never cease to amaze me. The church is corrupt, the kingdom is corrupt, is there anything that's pure and good in 12th century England?
Actually, there is, and they are Jack and his mother, Ellen, Tom Builder, Prior Philip, and Aliena of Shiring. Philip is a prior in the fictional town of Kingsbridge. Ellen is a supposed witch wanted by the church, and Jack is her shy but talented son. His talent comes in the form of sculpture. Tom Builder is a master builder desperately in need of work to support his pregnant wife and two children, Alfred & Martha. Ellen, Jack & Tom's family meet in the woods when Martha is attacked by a thief and is injured. Ellen offers to cure her, and the family stays with them briefly, before Alfred convinces his parents that Ellen is a witch. The family leaves, but Agnes, Tom's wife, gives birth during the winter night. Coincidentally, Princess Maud, the King's daughter, also gives birth to a son that same night. Agnes dies that night, but the family cannot support the newborn, so they abandon him next to Agnes' grave. The thief who had previously attacked Martha takes the baby from the grave to the priory to raise him. Tom, realizing he cannot leave his son to die in the forest, runs back to fetch, but it is too late. The baby is gone. The King is poisoned that night at a feast, leaving his legitimate heir, Maud, the crown. However, her cousin, Stephen, has usurped the throne, and Maud is determined to win the crown back, not for herself, but for her son.
The series spans 8 episodes, 1 hour long each, but it is totally worth it, so go watch!
Another novel I want to read is Fifty Shades of Grey, by E.L. James. It's a BDSM novel, of a graphic nature, but I'm a sucker for any type of romance. This novel appears to be a bit similar to Twilight, except it's rated X. The protagonist, Anastasia Steele, is an innocent college girl from Washington, and the romantic interest is a wealthy, dark, mysterious man by the name of Christian Grey. It comes out in paperback on April 3, and I very much want to read it.
I still haven't read The Help, or Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, nor have I finished Pretty Little Secrets, so it looks like I have a lot of reading to do this summer!
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Freaking Out - IB Diploma
My school is an IB Diploma Programme school. It's a 6-12 grade school and I've been there since I was in sixth grade (I'm in 10th grade now.) Next year I will embark on my IB Diploma journey. CAS, Extended Essay, TOK - sounds like fun! Not. Personally, I'm dreading IB and am starting to regret choosing all IB classes + physics and AP Government. I should've taken all AP classes, except my school is more renowned and stronger in IB than in AP, so I'd probably have to transfer schools if I want to take all AP.
Now, for anybody who does know or take IB, you'll know that IB classes are categorized into Standard Level and Higher Level, and students must choose a specific # of HL classes (I'm not sure if it's 3 or 4 HL classes). Two of my HL classes will be IB European History and English, as SL in those classes are not offered at my school. The other one would probably be HL Biology, and if I HAVE to take 4 HL classes than I'll probably choose HL Spanish. No freaking way am I taking HL Math. I don't want to take HL Music either because you actually have to compose music in that class and I would probably fail at that.
For those who don't know what CAS or TOK or the Extended Essay is, I'll explain. CAS stands for Creativity, Action and Service. Basically, you need to earn 150 hours during the time of junior and senior year (the years one typically takes IB), whether it be community service, sports, etc. TOK is Theory of Knowledge. It's sort of like a Humanities class, but it dives in deeper into the subject. In this class, an external assessment is a 1,200-1,600 word essay based on a topic you get to choose out of a choice of ten topics to choose from, as well as an internal assessment presentation on the student's chosen topic. The Extended Essay is a 4,000 word essay that can come from any of the six areas of study (English, Foreign Language, Math, Science, the Arts, or History) - I think there is a list of approved subjects for the EE, though. I'm not sure on this one.
In IB, there are Internal Assessments and External Assessments.
External Assessments - which typically count for much of one's grade in the class - include:
- Essays
- Structured Problems
- Short-Response Questions
- Data-Response Questions
- Text-Response Questions
- Case-Study Questions
- Multiple Choice Questions (limited use of these)
Internal Assessments include:
- Oral work in languages
- Fieldwork in geography
- Laboratory work in the sciences
- Investigations in math
- Artistic performances
If you take IB, you must prioritize between three things, known as the three S's - social life, sleep, or study. For me, I think it'd be study first, then sleep, then social life. IB Diploma requires 24 minimum points on the exams, the EE and TOK in order to get the diploma. 45 is the maximum # of points one can earn. Also, at the end of 10th grade, if you plan on taking the IB Diploma journey, you must be willing to say goodbye to multiple choice, because IB work consists of short answers and in math, you have to show the work to get the answer, which you fill in a blank.
Scary, much? If I take IB, I'll be taking risks. I've heard that for IB Certificates (which is when you take SOME IB classes but not all, and for the Certificates you don't take TOK, do CAS, or write the EE), you have to receive a 6 or a 7 (the highest scores) on an exam in order to get college credit. I've heard the standard is lower for the diploma candidates. I'm still very much freaking out about IB.
And at the end, it's like "Congratulations! You killed yourself in high school!"
Now, for anybody who does know or take IB, you'll know that IB classes are categorized into Standard Level and Higher Level, and students must choose a specific # of HL classes (I'm not sure if it's 3 or 4 HL classes). Two of my HL classes will be IB European History and English, as SL in those classes are not offered at my school. The other one would probably be HL Biology, and if I HAVE to take 4 HL classes than I'll probably choose HL Spanish. No freaking way am I taking HL Math. I don't want to take HL Music either because you actually have to compose music in that class and I would probably fail at that.
For those who don't know what CAS or TOK or the Extended Essay is, I'll explain. CAS stands for Creativity, Action and Service. Basically, you need to earn 150 hours during the time of junior and senior year (the years one typically takes IB), whether it be community service, sports, etc. TOK is Theory of Knowledge. It's sort of like a Humanities class, but it dives in deeper into the subject. In this class, an external assessment is a 1,200-1,600 word essay based on a topic you get to choose out of a choice of ten topics to choose from, as well as an internal assessment presentation on the student's chosen topic. The Extended Essay is a 4,000 word essay that can come from any of the six areas of study (English, Foreign Language, Math, Science, the Arts, or History) - I think there is a list of approved subjects for the EE, though. I'm not sure on this one.
In IB, there are Internal Assessments and External Assessments.
External Assessments - which typically count for much of one's grade in the class - include:
- Essays
- Structured Problems
- Short-Response Questions
- Data-Response Questions
- Text-Response Questions
- Case-Study Questions
- Multiple Choice Questions (limited use of these)
Internal Assessments include:
- Oral work in languages
- Fieldwork in geography
- Laboratory work in the sciences
- Investigations in math
- Artistic performances
If you take IB, you must prioritize between three things, known as the three S's - social life, sleep, or study. For me, I think it'd be study first, then sleep, then social life. IB Diploma requires 24 minimum points on the exams, the EE and TOK in order to get the diploma. 45 is the maximum # of points one can earn. Also, at the end of 10th grade, if you plan on taking the IB Diploma journey, you must be willing to say goodbye to multiple choice, because IB work consists of short answers and in math, you have to show the work to get the answer, which you fill in a blank.
Scary, much? If I take IB, I'll be taking risks. I've heard that for IB Certificates (which is when you take SOME IB classes but not all, and for the Certificates you don't take TOK, do CAS, or write the EE), you have to receive a 6 or a 7 (the highest scores) on an exam in order to get college credit. I've heard the standard is lower for the diploma candidates. I'm still very much freaking out about IB.
And at the end, it's like "Congratulations! You killed yourself in high school!"
Monday, February 27, 2012
Harry Potter
So, this is the perfect time to talk about my obsessiveness about Harry Potter. Why is that, you may ask? Well, all you Americans out there reading this (and perhaps abroad, too - who knows?) most likely know that the Academy Awards were last night. And if you saw the awards show, you'll know that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two did not take home any awards that night - The Academy of whatever apparently doesn't like HP, which is a totally wrong move on their part, because the Harry Potter movies do a fantastic job of creating the magic of the books, which cannot be said for Twilight or for most movie series based on books.
I could go on and on about why I love Harry Potter so much that it's my favorite series of all time (so far). I read this series in about a week. I didn't get into the Harry Potter club until pretty late on, but a couple of years or so by now. My favorite book was the last one. It had the most action (all books were amazing and very interesting, but the last was the best in my opinion). These books made me truly imagine that wizards and magic were real and that Hogwarts actually existed - and I would definitely go to Hogwarts if I were a witch. I would love it there. I would probably be a Ravenclaw, I believe, which I'm happy with, but Gryffindor or Slytherin would be cool, too. I'm a Ravenclaw on Pottermore. I loved several characters, I could not name which one was my favorite.
My favorite characters are (in no particular order)
1. Severus Snape
2. Hermione Granger
3. Luna Lovegood
4. Ginny Weasley
5. Fred & George Weasley
6. Harry Potter (of course)
7. Sirius Black
8. Remus Lupin
9. Nymphadora Tonks
10. Minerva McGonagall
11. Ron Weasley
Of course, I love ALMOST all of the Harry Potter characters - I don't particularly like Wormtail or Draco or Umbridge, or Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge or any of the Death Eaters - although Bellatrix portrays a psychotic, obsessed-with-Voldemort Death Eater, and I applaud her for that, but she killed Sirius and Tonks so I can't love her. Voldemort, although I admit he's a genius in all the wrong ways, killed Lily and James, Harry's parents, and a bunch of other cool people.
I could go on and on about why I love Harry Potter so much that it's my favorite series of all time (so far). I read this series in about a week. I didn't get into the Harry Potter club until pretty late on, but a couple of years or so by now. My favorite book was the last one. It had the most action (all books were amazing and very interesting, but the last was the best in my opinion). These books made me truly imagine that wizards and magic were real and that Hogwarts actually existed - and I would definitely go to Hogwarts if I were a witch. I would love it there. I would probably be a Ravenclaw, I believe, which I'm happy with, but Gryffindor or Slytherin would be cool, too. I'm a Ravenclaw on Pottermore. I loved several characters, I could not name which one was my favorite.
My favorite characters are (in no particular order)
1. Severus Snape
2. Hermione Granger
3. Luna Lovegood
4. Ginny Weasley
5. Fred & George Weasley
6. Harry Potter (of course)
7. Sirius Black
8. Remus Lupin
9. Nymphadora Tonks
10. Minerva McGonagall
11. Ron Weasley
Of course, I love ALMOST all of the Harry Potter characters - I don't particularly like Wormtail or Draco or Umbridge, or Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge or any of the Death Eaters - although Bellatrix portrays a psychotic, obsessed-with-Voldemort Death Eater, and I applaud her for that, but she killed Sirius and Tonks so I can't love her. Voldemort, although I admit he's a genius in all the wrong ways, killed Lily and James, Harry's parents, and a bunch of other cool people.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Music
All I have to say is that I would die if my iTouch got stolen or got lost, because it is my life.
My music interests are pretty spread out. Although, yes, I do listen to whatever's on the iTunes top 50, I also listen to SOME country, alternative, rock, etc. Most of my favorite music doesn't come from the iTunes top 50, if that helps. I must admit one of my favorite artists is Taylor Swift, though. I love every single one of her songs. Right now I'm obsessed with her latest song (the one that came out for the Hunger Games) - Safe & Sound. I absolutely adore her music video for this song as well.
My top 25 list of favorite T.S. songs - In NO particular order:
1. Dear John
2. Enchanted
3. Breathe
4. Change
5. Better than Revenge
6. You're Not Sorry
7. You Belong With Me
8. Long Live
9. SuperStar
10. Jump then Fall
11. Untouchable
12. Invisible
13. Ours
14. Mean
15. Never Grow Up
16. Story of Us
17. Cold as You
18. Tim McGraw
19. Teardrops on My Guitar
20. Stay Beautiful
21. The Outside
22. A Place in this World
23. Tied Together with A Smile
24. Mary's Song (Oh My My My)
25. Haunted
Also here is a list of songs that I very much like - I hope you don't judge me for anything you might not agree with or like here! :)
1. Sweet Disposition - The Temper Trap
2. Knock Em Out and The Fear - Lily Allen
3. If I Die Young - The Band Perry
4. Be Ok, Breakable - Ingrid Michaelson
5. The Call & Samson - Regina Spektor
6. Hide and Seek and The Moment I Said It - Imogen Heap
7. This is Home - Switchfoot
8. Off to the Races, Video Games, National Anthem, Dark Paradise, Radio, Carmen, Million Dollar Man, Summertime Sadness, Without You, This Is What Makes Us Girls, Lolita - Lana Del Rey
9. The Only Exception, That's What You Get, I Caught Myself, Misery Business, When It Rains, Fences, Crushcrushcrush - Paramore
9. Sea of Love - Cat Power
10. Breakaway, My Life Would Suck Without You, Because of You, Addicted, Already Gone, Behind these Hazel Eyes, Since U Been Gone, Mr. Know It All, Stronger - Kelly Clarkson
11. Fergalicious, Clumsy, London Bridge, Glamorous, Big Girls Don't Cry - Fergie
12. Opheliac, Across the Sky - Emilie Autumn
13. How Far We've Come - Matchbox Twenty
14. Black Horse & The Cherry Tree - KT Tunstall
15. Going Under, Bring Me To Life, My Immortal, Tourniquet - Evanescence
16. I Write Sins Not Tragedies, Nine in the Afternoon, The Ballad of Mona Lisa - Panic! At the Disco
17. Sugar, We're Goin Down - Fall Out Boy
18. Sinking Friendships - Jonsi
19. Falling or Flying - Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
20. Animal - Neon Trees
21. Misery, Moves Like Jagger, Harder to Breathe, She Will Be Loved, Wake Up Call, Makes Me Wonder - Maroon Five
22. Be Be Your Love - Rachael Yamagata
23. Lily's Theme, Severus & Lily - Alexandre Desplat (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two - I will talk about my love of Harry Potter ASAP)
24. Heartbeat - The Fray
25. Hey, Na, Na - Katie Herzig
26. Hello - Martin Solzeig and the Dragonettes
27. Hey, Soul Sister - Train
28. I Do, Realize, All of You - Colbie Caillat
29. Jar of Hearts, A Thousand Years, Distance, Bang Bang Bang - Christina Perri
30. Set Fire to the Rain, Rolling in the Deep - Adele
31. Love Song, Gonna Get Over You - Sara Bareilles
32. Lights - Ellie Goulding
33. The Show Goes On - Lupe Fiasco
34. Baby, I'm Yours - Arctic Monkeys
35. Trouble Is A Friend - Lenka
36. Alice - Cocteau Twins
37. Dog Days Are Over - Florence and the Machine
38. Gun For A Tongue, Not Foolin Around Tonight - Butterfly Boucher
39. Duele El Amor - Aleks Syntek and Ana Torroja
40. Oh Darling - Plug In Stereo and Cady Groves
41. Fireflies, Hello Seattle - Owl City
42. Long, Long Time Ago - Javier Navarette (This song is my lullaby - it's from Pan's Labyrinth)
43. Angel of Music, Phantom of the Opera, Think of Me, The Point of No Return - Andrew Lloyd Webber (the Phantom of the Opera Music)
44. Hold Me Tight, It Won't Be Long, I've Just Seen A Face, Dear Prudence, Across the Universe - Across the Universe Soundtrack - of course, I love The Beatles as well - I could go on forever listing my favorites)
45. Make Me Wanna Die - The Pretty Reckless
46. Nothing - The Script
47. Season of Love - Shiny Toy Guns
48. She Wolf, Hips Don't Lie, Animal City, Hey You (and a LOT more) - Shakira
49. Come On, Get Higher - Matt Nathanson
50. Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) - Emily Browning
51. Tracks in the Snow, Barton Hollow - The Civil Wars
52. Fall For You - Secondhand Serenade
53. Secrets, All the Right Moves - OneRepublic
54. Kiss Me Slowly - Parachute
55. L-O-V-E - Nat King Cole
56. BigCityDreams, Smelyalata, Trouble, Did It Hurt? - Never Shout Never
57. Hey There Delilah - Plain White T's
Of course, I have more songs I like on my iTouch, but these are my favorites. Comment with your favorite song or artist! :) Next post will be about Harry Potter, I promise!
My music interests are pretty spread out. Although, yes, I do listen to whatever's on the iTunes top 50, I also listen to SOME country, alternative, rock, etc. Most of my favorite music doesn't come from the iTunes top 50, if that helps. I must admit one of my favorite artists is Taylor Swift, though. I love every single one of her songs. Right now I'm obsessed with her latest song (the one that came out for the Hunger Games) - Safe & Sound. I absolutely adore her music video for this song as well.
My top 25 list of favorite T.S. songs - In NO particular order:
1. Dear John
2. Enchanted
3. Breathe
4. Change
5. Better than Revenge
6. You're Not Sorry
7. You Belong With Me
8. Long Live
9. SuperStar
10. Jump then Fall
11. Untouchable
12. Invisible
13. Ours
14. Mean
15. Never Grow Up
16. Story of Us
17. Cold as You
18. Tim McGraw
19. Teardrops on My Guitar
20. Stay Beautiful
21. The Outside
22. A Place in this World
23. Tied Together with A Smile
24. Mary's Song (Oh My My My)
25. Haunted
Also here is a list of songs that I very much like - I hope you don't judge me for anything you might not agree with or like here! :)
1. Sweet Disposition - The Temper Trap
2. Knock Em Out and The Fear - Lily Allen
3. If I Die Young - The Band Perry
4. Be Ok, Breakable - Ingrid Michaelson
5. The Call & Samson - Regina Spektor
6. Hide and Seek and The Moment I Said It - Imogen Heap
7. This is Home - Switchfoot
8. Off to the Races, Video Games, National Anthem, Dark Paradise, Radio, Carmen, Million Dollar Man, Summertime Sadness, Without You, This Is What Makes Us Girls, Lolita - Lana Del Rey
9. The Only Exception, That's What You Get, I Caught Myself, Misery Business, When It Rains, Fences, Crushcrushcrush - Paramore
9. Sea of Love - Cat Power
10. Breakaway, My Life Would Suck Without You, Because of You, Addicted, Already Gone, Behind these Hazel Eyes, Since U Been Gone, Mr. Know It All, Stronger - Kelly Clarkson
11. Fergalicious, Clumsy, London Bridge, Glamorous, Big Girls Don't Cry - Fergie
12. Opheliac, Across the Sky - Emilie Autumn
13. How Far We've Come - Matchbox Twenty
14. Black Horse & The Cherry Tree - KT Tunstall
15. Going Under, Bring Me To Life, My Immortal, Tourniquet - Evanescence
16. I Write Sins Not Tragedies, Nine in the Afternoon, The Ballad of Mona Lisa - Panic! At the Disco
17. Sugar, We're Goin Down - Fall Out Boy
18. Sinking Friendships - Jonsi
19. Falling or Flying - Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
20. Animal - Neon Trees
21. Misery, Moves Like Jagger, Harder to Breathe, She Will Be Loved, Wake Up Call, Makes Me Wonder - Maroon Five
22. Be Be Your Love - Rachael Yamagata
23. Lily's Theme, Severus & Lily - Alexandre Desplat (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two - I will talk about my love of Harry Potter ASAP)
24. Heartbeat - The Fray
25. Hey, Na, Na - Katie Herzig
26. Hello - Martin Solzeig and the Dragonettes
27. Hey, Soul Sister - Train
28. I Do, Realize, All of You - Colbie Caillat
29. Jar of Hearts, A Thousand Years, Distance, Bang Bang Bang - Christina Perri
30. Set Fire to the Rain, Rolling in the Deep - Adele
31. Love Song, Gonna Get Over You - Sara Bareilles
32. Lights - Ellie Goulding
33. The Show Goes On - Lupe Fiasco
34. Baby, I'm Yours - Arctic Monkeys
35. Trouble Is A Friend - Lenka
36. Alice - Cocteau Twins
37. Dog Days Are Over - Florence and the Machine
38. Gun For A Tongue, Not Foolin Around Tonight - Butterfly Boucher
39. Duele El Amor - Aleks Syntek and Ana Torroja
40. Oh Darling - Plug In Stereo and Cady Groves
41. Fireflies, Hello Seattle - Owl City
42. Long, Long Time Ago - Javier Navarette (This song is my lullaby - it's from Pan's Labyrinth)
43. Angel of Music, Phantom of the Opera, Think of Me, The Point of No Return - Andrew Lloyd Webber (the Phantom of the Opera Music)
44. Hold Me Tight, It Won't Be Long, I've Just Seen A Face, Dear Prudence, Across the Universe - Across the Universe Soundtrack - of course, I love The Beatles as well - I could go on forever listing my favorites)
45. Make Me Wanna Die - The Pretty Reckless
46. Nothing - The Script
47. Season of Love - Shiny Toy Guns
48. She Wolf, Hips Don't Lie, Animal City, Hey You (and a LOT more) - Shakira
49. Come On, Get Higher - Matt Nathanson
50. Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) - Emily Browning
51. Tracks in the Snow, Barton Hollow - The Civil Wars
52. Fall For You - Secondhand Serenade
53. Secrets, All the Right Moves - OneRepublic
54. Kiss Me Slowly - Parachute
55. L-O-V-E - Nat King Cole
56. BigCityDreams, Smelyalata, Trouble, Did It Hurt? - Never Shout Never
57. Hey There Delilah - Plain White T's
Of course, I have more songs I like on my iTouch, but these are my favorites. Comment with your favorite song or artist! :) Next post will be about Harry Potter, I promise!
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
The Summer I Turned Pretty
One of my favorite series happens to be one of the most innocent teen romances out there in the world of books today. By this, I mean, no intense steamy make-out or sex scenes. Can you guess what this series is? I'll give you a few hints - 1. The protagonist's nickname derives from jellybeans 2. One of the protagonist's "loves" is a dark, brooding boy who shelters himself from the world, displaying little to no emotion most of the time. 3. The setting of this story is a dream, calming beach house in a small town known as Cousins Beach.
If you didn't get the answer from the hints, then don't worry, I'll tell you. This series is known as the Summer Trilogy by Jenny Han. The books include The Summer I Turned Pretty, It's Not Summer Without You and We'll Always Have Summer. Why, you may ask, do I love this series so much? Is it because of the BOYS? No, Yes, Maybe....but it's not the only reason why I adore this series as much as I do.
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!
Every summer since before she was born, Isabel "Belly" Conklin, her brother Steven, and her mother Laurel, have gone to spend the summer at Laurel's BFF Susannah "Beck" Fisher's beach house in Cousins. Every summer, Belly gets to spend with Susannah's two boys - Conrad, the eldest, the smart one, the secretive one, and Jeremiah, the fun & funny one, the golden boy of the Fisher family. Ever since she was ten, Belly's pined after Conrad, hoping he'd notice her, like her enough to actually want her, with no luck, apparently. But now Belly's almost sixteen, and she's changed over the past school year, not just physically, but mentally/emotionally, it seems. She arrives at the beach house in all her new undiscovered glory, being center stage for the first time in Conrad's - and Jeremiah's - eyes. This summer, she gets to enjoy having all the luxuries she's been denied her in years past - such as attending parties with the boys, or being noticed and whistled by the go-kart operator. Another luxury she gets to enjoy is her first real boyfriend - Cameron, or "Cam." They share a common bond - both went to a Latin oral competition in D.C. (being intelligent, like Conrad, Cam won the oral competition.) However, Conrad becomes jealous of Cam and Belly's relationship, although he doesn't tell Belly he likes her, either, so Belly is confused by his protectiveness of Belly and the sarcastic attitude directed at Cam. Jeremiah also starts to like Belly this summer - and after he admits his feelings to Belly, things become a bit awkward between them, although they try to not let this affect their friendship. Things come to a head when Belly confronts Conrad to tell him her true feelings for him. He rebuffs her and rejects her, making her angry, because it's obvious, even to her at this point, that he does like her, too. Jeremiah intervenes, and warns Conrad not to hurt Belly like he's done a million times, and Jeremiah and Conrad begin to fight (literally, physically fight) - but Belly - poor, ignorant, clueless girl she is at this moment - doesn't realize until the end that this fight had almost nothing to do with her.
Sadly, unfortunately, Susannah, the boys' mother, has cancer again. This is why Conrad had been acting out so much over the summer, in his anger and grief. Of course, they aren't supposed to know about their mother's illness, she was deliberately hiding it from them, wanting that summer to be the same as in years past, but they found out about it anyway. Belly is devastated, of course - Susannah is practically a second mother to her. This novel ends this way, sad and bittersweet, with the inevitable end of Cam, Belly's summer fling, and with the irresolute promise that she and the boys will always come back to the summer house, regardless of what happens to Susannah. Oh, how promises can be so easily broken because of loss and sorrow.
I really liked Belly. I know a lot of people don't like her because she's a bit whiny, but aren't most of us like that at the age of fifteen? Even if you told me you weren't whiny and annoying at 15 years old with a straight face, I still wouldn't believe you. Trust me, 99% of the people I know are WORSE in the annoying/whiny factor than this girl. I definitely sympathize with her frustration/fascination/desperation with Conrad. I also really liked Cam. Although half of the time I wished he would just disappear out of Belly's life so that she and Conrad could be together, he was a genuinely nice guy. Any girl would be lucky to have him as a boyfriend. Nothing personal, Cam...but Conrad's the perfect guy for Belly, even if he won't admit it. Jeremiah was swoon-worthy, even if he's not Conrad. He's hot, AND he's funny. He's nice to Belly, and they share everything - I wish I had a friend like him. This book is a great quick, easy read - absolutely marvelous for sitting out on a towel on the beach or on a pool chair and reading (although since it's only February, I'd highly recommend that you wait to do this until it gets a bit warmer - in no way whatsoever do I want to be responsible for anyone suffering from frostbite or succumbing to hypothermia.) I would totally go see this in theaters if the movie was made! But warning - I will be very angry if the characters/plot are not the way they should be! So Jenny Han had better be collaborating on any movie project so that it doesn't turn into a total ruin like Twilight.
I would review the second and third books for you all, but I'll just let you guys find out what happens to Belly, Conrad & Jeremiah for yourselves. Does Conrad ever tell Belly how he feels about her? What will happen to the summer house - and more importantly, to the friendships/relationships that exist between the Fisher/Conklin families - if Susannah passes away? The world may never know...
Just kidding - the answers are all revealed in the next two books - titles are above! So go read them, people!
If you didn't get the answer from the hints, then don't worry, I'll tell you. This series is known as the Summer Trilogy by Jenny Han. The books include The Summer I Turned Pretty, It's Not Summer Without You and We'll Always Have Summer. Why, you may ask, do I love this series so much? Is it because of the BOYS? No, Yes, Maybe....but it's not the only reason why I adore this series as much as I do.
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!
Every summer since before she was born, Isabel "Belly" Conklin, her brother Steven, and her mother Laurel, have gone to spend the summer at Laurel's BFF Susannah "Beck" Fisher's beach house in Cousins. Every summer, Belly gets to spend with Susannah's two boys - Conrad, the eldest, the smart one, the secretive one, and Jeremiah, the fun & funny one, the golden boy of the Fisher family. Ever since she was ten, Belly's pined after Conrad, hoping he'd notice her, like her enough to actually want her, with no luck, apparently. But now Belly's almost sixteen, and she's changed over the past school year, not just physically, but mentally/emotionally, it seems. She arrives at the beach house in all her new undiscovered glory, being center stage for the first time in Conrad's - and Jeremiah's - eyes. This summer, she gets to enjoy having all the luxuries she's been denied her in years past - such as attending parties with the boys, or being noticed and whistled by the go-kart operator. Another luxury she gets to enjoy is her first real boyfriend - Cameron, or "Cam." They share a common bond - both went to a Latin oral competition in D.C. (being intelligent, like Conrad, Cam won the oral competition.) However, Conrad becomes jealous of Cam and Belly's relationship, although he doesn't tell Belly he likes her, either, so Belly is confused by his protectiveness of Belly and the sarcastic attitude directed at Cam. Jeremiah also starts to like Belly this summer - and after he admits his feelings to Belly, things become a bit awkward between them, although they try to not let this affect their friendship. Things come to a head when Belly confronts Conrad to tell him her true feelings for him. He rebuffs her and rejects her, making her angry, because it's obvious, even to her at this point, that he does like her, too. Jeremiah intervenes, and warns Conrad not to hurt Belly like he's done a million times, and Jeremiah and Conrad begin to fight (literally, physically fight) - but Belly - poor, ignorant, clueless girl she is at this moment - doesn't realize until the end that this fight had almost nothing to do with her.
Sadly, unfortunately, Susannah, the boys' mother, has cancer again. This is why Conrad had been acting out so much over the summer, in his anger and grief. Of course, they aren't supposed to know about their mother's illness, she was deliberately hiding it from them, wanting that summer to be the same as in years past, but they found out about it anyway. Belly is devastated, of course - Susannah is practically a second mother to her. This novel ends this way, sad and bittersweet, with the inevitable end of Cam, Belly's summer fling, and with the irresolute promise that she and the boys will always come back to the summer house, regardless of what happens to Susannah. Oh, how promises can be so easily broken because of loss and sorrow.
I really liked Belly. I know a lot of people don't like her because she's a bit whiny, but aren't most of us like that at the age of fifteen? Even if you told me you weren't whiny and annoying at 15 years old with a straight face, I still wouldn't believe you. Trust me, 99% of the people I know are WORSE in the annoying/whiny factor than this girl. I definitely sympathize with her frustration/fascination/desperation with Conrad. I also really liked Cam. Although half of the time I wished he would just disappear out of Belly's life so that she and Conrad could be together, he was a genuinely nice guy. Any girl would be lucky to have him as a boyfriend. Nothing personal, Cam...but Conrad's the perfect guy for Belly, even if he won't admit it. Jeremiah was swoon-worthy, even if he's not Conrad. He's hot, AND he's funny. He's nice to Belly, and they share everything - I wish I had a friend like him. This book is a great quick, easy read - absolutely marvelous for sitting out on a towel on the beach or on a pool chair and reading (although since it's only February, I'd highly recommend that you wait to do this until it gets a bit warmer - in no way whatsoever do I want to be responsible for anyone suffering from frostbite or succumbing to hypothermia.) I would totally go see this in theaters if the movie was made! But warning - I will be very angry if the characters/plot are not the way they should be! So Jenny Han had better be collaborating on any movie project so that it doesn't turn into a total ruin like Twilight.
I would review the second and third books for you all, but I'll just let you guys find out what happens to Belly, Conrad & Jeremiah for yourselves. Does Conrad ever tell Belly how he feels about her? What will happen to the summer house - and more importantly, to the friendships/relationships that exist between the Fisher/Conklin families - if Susannah passes away? The world may never know...
Just kidding - the answers are all revealed in the next two books - titles are above! So go read them, people!
Monday, February 20, 2012
This is Why I Prefer Individual Projects
For AP US History, my teacher (who I absolutely love, despite which people she puts me in a group with) assigned everybody into groups for a project where we have to teach the class about a specific part of the Progressive era. My group got the corporations part of this (blah, I know, not my favorite part of APUSH either) - and yes, I do actually enjoy AP US History, and not meaning to brag or anything, but my having a 100 average in that class for more than a semester does help in the fact that the class is easy for me - but I was put into a group with girls who I do get along with (the majority of them), but discovered are not so great work partners (except one girl) - because they all expect me to do the majority of the work because I'm a nerd in that class.
The problem is, no one wants to make the effort to actually contribute to the project. We had split up the one vague topic into many detailed parts and each one of us chose something to research. I chose the breakup of the Standard Oil Company in 1911. However, the project is due next Monday, we have to submit two FRQ prompts by Thursday, and it will immensely help the organization of this project if we met after school or this weekend to put it all together. But noooooo...everybody's too busy with personal things, fun things. One is sick, the other has rehearsals for a play, and the other two...I don't know what's up with them. I have things after school this week that I am willing to put aside for this project, and they refuse to do so, which makes me feel like I'm the only one who cares about making a good grade on this project. Too bad the grade will be a group grade instead of personal grades, otherwise I'd be making a very good score on this regardless of how everyone else performs. However, since this grade is not based on individual efforts, I have to depend on them for the A I really want.
And I try to set up a date and place where we can all meet, and one girl said Sunday was free for her, another said she couldn't on any single day of the week or the weekend (she said that she could on Friday since she'd be staying after school anyway, but computers aren't open after school Friday and my mom has a no laptop to school policy cause people at my school are thieves, and one said she just plain didn't know. So Sunday it is, then. I told the Friday girl that she should just send everything to me on Sunday then so I can put it all together, and she goes all dramatic and is like "I can't just rearrange my family stuff" and I'm like dude, I'm not asking you to rearrange anything. You're misunderstanding me. And she starts saying that no, she's not misunderstanding me and that I don't know what I'm talking about. I told her that technically it is a misunderstanding because I know myself better than she does and for that reason I know that I would never ask her to change family plans because I know as good as hell that I can't opt out of going to family stuff.
Ugh, dramatic people these days! I wish they'd all disappear. Without them, this world would be much more calm and peaceful. And this is why I prefer working individually on projects...but not science labs, because I am clueless in chemistry and would totally fail that class without someone's help.
The problem is, no one wants to make the effort to actually contribute to the project. We had split up the one vague topic into many detailed parts and each one of us chose something to research. I chose the breakup of the Standard Oil Company in 1911. However, the project is due next Monday, we have to submit two FRQ prompts by Thursday, and it will immensely help the organization of this project if we met after school or this weekend to put it all together. But noooooo...everybody's too busy with personal things, fun things. One is sick, the other has rehearsals for a play, and the other two...I don't know what's up with them. I have things after school this week that I am willing to put aside for this project, and they refuse to do so, which makes me feel like I'm the only one who cares about making a good grade on this project. Too bad the grade will be a group grade instead of personal grades, otherwise I'd be making a very good score on this regardless of how everyone else performs. However, since this grade is not based on individual efforts, I have to depend on them for the A I really want.
And I try to set up a date and place where we can all meet, and one girl said Sunday was free for her, another said she couldn't on any single day of the week or the weekend (she said that she could on Friday since she'd be staying after school anyway, but computers aren't open after school Friday and my mom has a no laptop to school policy cause people at my school are thieves, and one said she just plain didn't know. So Sunday it is, then. I told the Friday girl that she should just send everything to me on Sunday then so I can put it all together, and she goes all dramatic and is like "I can't just rearrange my family stuff" and I'm like dude, I'm not asking you to rearrange anything. You're misunderstanding me. And she starts saying that no, she's not misunderstanding me and that I don't know what I'm talking about. I told her that technically it is a misunderstanding because I know myself better than she does and for that reason I know that I would never ask her to change family plans because I know as good as hell that I can't opt out of going to family stuff.
Ugh, dramatic people these days! I wish they'd all disappear. Without them, this world would be much more calm and peaceful. And this is why I prefer working individually on projects...but not science labs, because I am clueless in chemistry and would totally fail that class without someone's help.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Need to Move On
So, by this time, you'd think I wouldn't be surprised anymore about this. But I am. The other weekend I got pissed off at my friends TO THEIR FACES about excluding me. They invited me to see the Woman In Black, which I now assume was meant to be a pity invite, but now they went to see Chronicle and failed to exclude me. That bitch Hannah went with them, and I'm 200% sure she had everything to do with me not being invited. UGH I WISH A BUS WOULD HIT HER! I would not miss her one bit. Maybe if I wish hard enough...?
I wish I could just shut them all out of my life. But I have to see their faces every single day at school, I have at least two classes with every single one of them. The thing that angers me is that I help them with homework and tutoring and stuff - sometimes I let them copy my history homework, and this is what I get in return? Maybe next time one of them asks for help I'll just say I'm too busy to help them, or that I just plain don't want to.
What would you do if you were in my situation at this point?
I wish I could just shut them all out of my life. But I have to see their faces every single day at school, I have at least two classes with every single one of them. The thing that angers me is that I help them with homework and tutoring and stuff - sometimes I let them copy my history homework, and this is what I get in return? Maybe next time one of them asks for help I'll just say I'm too busy to help them, or that I just plain don't want to.
What would you do if you were in my situation at this point?
The Secret World of Arrietty
I had my initials doubts about this movie, but I am so glad I went to see it. To sum it all up, this movie was simply adorable. In my opinion, Arrietty is so pretty, and I sympathize with her family's worries about the survival of the "little people" race. Warning: don't read on if you plan on seeing this movie, as spoilers may be included.
Even though only the screenplay was by Hayao Miyazaki, the movie was pretty enjoyable and I would definitely go see it again. Sho (I believe - it may have been different in the American version, but that's his Japanese name) is so romantic, and honestly, I find him pretty cute for an anime character. Arrietty's family are known as "borrowers" - they only take stuff that the humans won't miss, such as sugar or tissues or soap. My heart melted when he returned Arrietty's sugar cube to her, even though she waited to take it until it was half eaten by ants. I could feel his pain and desperation to have Arrietty as a friend, and probably more than that. There were quite a few audible awws on my part, as well as those from many girls in the theater, I have to admit. The housekeeper doesn't seem like a truly vindictive person, just that she wanted to show the world that there really were "little people" in the world. But that would have destroyed Arrietty's family and the future of the little people.
I was so sad when Arrietty's family had to leave their small, yet beautiful house under the real house. At least Sho and Arrietty got to say goodbye. The cutest part was when they exchange goodbye gifts and Arrietty gives Sho her hair pin to remember her by, and he says "how could I ever forget you?" and then he says, because he has heart problems and he's having an operation the next day, that "My heart's stronger now because you're in it."
I just love the fact that the romance between Sho and Arrietty was purely innocent. I mean, do movies really need steamy sex scenes and hookups so that people will enjoy them? The cute romantic things are also quite nice, in my opinion.
So, I highly recommend that any of you Studio Ghibli lovers should go see it. Although it was not as amazing as Spirited Away or Castle in the Sky or any of the older Studio Ghibli films, The Secret World of Arrietty is definitely worth seeing.
Even though only the screenplay was by Hayao Miyazaki, the movie was pretty enjoyable and I would definitely go see it again. Sho (I believe - it may have been different in the American version, but that's his Japanese name) is so romantic, and honestly, I find him pretty cute for an anime character. Arrietty's family are known as "borrowers" - they only take stuff that the humans won't miss, such as sugar or tissues or soap. My heart melted when he returned Arrietty's sugar cube to her, even though she waited to take it until it was half eaten by ants. I could feel his pain and desperation to have Arrietty as a friend, and probably more than that. There were quite a few audible awws on my part, as well as those from many girls in the theater, I have to admit. The housekeeper doesn't seem like a truly vindictive person, just that she wanted to show the world that there really were "little people" in the world. But that would have destroyed Arrietty's family and the future of the little people.
I was so sad when Arrietty's family had to leave their small, yet beautiful house under the real house. At least Sho and Arrietty got to say goodbye. The cutest part was when they exchange goodbye gifts and Arrietty gives Sho her hair pin to remember her by, and he says "how could I ever forget you?" and then he says, because he has heart problems and he's having an operation the next day, that "My heart's stronger now because you're in it."
 |
| "My heart's stronger now because you're in it." |
So, I highly recommend that any of you Studio Ghibli lovers should go see it. Although it was not as amazing as Spirited Away or Castle in the Sky or any of the older Studio Ghibli films, The Secret World of Arrietty is definitely worth seeing.
The Wicked Witch of the West
I know I'll regret bitching about my family (not my immediate family, but extended family such as aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.) if they EVER saw this (God forbid that doesn't happen) but it's something I just have to get out of my system. And to those of you who wonder why I am spilling personal family stuff for the whole world to see, well, I suppose she deserves it. She was never particularly kind to me so why should I return the favor?
Let's focus on my least favorite person on the planet, my aunt Christie. Three words to sum up my aunt - lying, manipulative bitch. It all starts when my mother and Christie were younger. Of course, Christie was my grandparents' favorite daughter - she was - and still is - SUCH a kiss-up. No joke. She always got what she wanted. Later on, it seems as if Christie told deliberate lies to my grandparents to make them disapprove of my mother. For example, Christie told my grandmother at some point in time that my mom went to a party in middle school at a guy friend's house and apparently this guy did drugs. This is an obvious lie, but my grandparents gobbled it up, hook line and sinker. Why, you may ask, is this a blatant lie? You see, my grandparents are very old fashioned and proper, and therefore, my aunt and my mother attended an all girls Catholic school run by nuns. My mom didn't have guy friends to begin with! She didn't have the time to get to know any guy friends, much less go to guy's party, what with all the swimming, piano and study sessions she was forced to do. I could go on and on about Christie's crimes against my family, because there are infinitely many, but we'll just fast-forward to summer 2010. My grandparents invited me and my brothers to come and stay in their condo in Miami Beach for a few weeks, so we went. However, Christie and her children, Luke and Kyle, also came to stay with us. Christie and I got along for the first week or so of being in the same condo together, but then Christie came up with the brilliant idea of all of us going to DisneyWorld for a week, so we went. The first day ruined the whole trip for me. We started in Magic Kingdom. However, Christie was being bossy about everything and deciding what rides we should go on, according to her children's wishes (you'd think an adult woman would act like one, but apparently not) and for a few hours all we did was go on the rides my cousins wanted to go on. I got angry because hours had gone by and we still hadn't gone on my ride. I waited outside for them while they went on a ride I didn't care to go on. It started to rain just as they came out, and I got impatient and angry at her and yelled at her (I admit, I also yelled at my grandma, because Christie was being bossy and she knew it, but wasn't doing anything about it) and Christie raised her hand and was about to hit me. Now, I'm really intolerant of anybody hitting me, and I don't allow it from anyone, and I wasn't about to let Christie hit me. So I called her a bitch to her face. First time ever had I insulted one of my aunts/uncles. Of course, she snitched to my grandmother, who doesn't speak English that well and didn't understand what bitch meant, who chastised me and punished me. I called my mother that afternoon while we were eating a late lunch to tell her what had happened. Behind my grandmother's back, while Christie was coming out of the restaurant, she did the crazy sign, meaning that I was insane. And then when I told my mother that Christie had just called me crazy, my grandmother started telling my mom how I was a liar, that Christie did not call me crazy. And that ticked my mom off immensely, because my grandmother is always telling my mom what a liar she is. It's like, whatever comes out of Christie's mouth is the truth and that's the end of it. Grandmother didn't believe me, so I was cold to both Christie and my grandmother the rest of the trip. It got worse, though. Back at the condo, Christie told me I looked "disgusting" because I didn't feel like getting dressed even though we weren't going anywhere that day. I told in response to go to hell, and she replies, "I'll go when you do." Like WTF did she just say?
If any of you sympathize with me or have an evil, vindictive family member like I do, I'd really appreciate it if you comment and share your story. It'd be nice to know I'm not the only one who feels isolated from their family. My uncles are not that much better, but I'll talk about them some other time. I may go see the Secret World of Arrietty today (lol, with my mom, but that's ok) and I'm actually excited!
Let's focus on my least favorite person on the planet, my aunt Christie. Three words to sum up my aunt - lying, manipulative bitch. It all starts when my mother and Christie were younger. Of course, Christie was my grandparents' favorite daughter - she was - and still is - SUCH a kiss-up. No joke. She always got what she wanted. Later on, it seems as if Christie told deliberate lies to my grandparents to make them disapprove of my mother. For example, Christie told my grandmother at some point in time that my mom went to a party in middle school at a guy friend's house and apparently this guy did drugs. This is an obvious lie, but my grandparents gobbled it up, hook line and sinker. Why, you may ask, is this a blatant lie? You see, my grandparents are very old fashioned and proper, and therefore, my aunt and my mother attended an all girls Catholic school run by nuns. My mom didn't have guy friends to begin with! She didn't have the time to get to know any guy friends, much less go to guy's party, what with all the swimming, piano and study sessions she was forced to do. I could go on and on about Christie's crimes against my family, because there are infinitely many, but we'll just fast-forward to summer 2010. My grandparents invited me and my brothers to come and stay in their condo in Miami Beach for a few weeks, so we went. However, Christie and her children, Luke and Kyle, also came to stay with us. Christie and I got along for the first week or so of being in the same condo together, but then Christie came up with the brilliant idea of all of us going to DisneyWorld for a week, so we went. The first day ruined the whole trip for me. We started in Magic Kingdom. However, Christie was being bossy about everything and deciding what rides we should go on, according to her children's wishes (you'd think an adult woman would act like one, but apparently not) and for a few hours all we did was go on the rides my cousins wanted to go on. I got angry because hours had gone by and we still hadn't gone on my ride. I waited outside for them while they went on a ride I didn't care to go on. It started to rain just as they came out, and I got impatient and angry at her and yelled at her (I admit, I also yelled at my grandma, because Christie was being bossy and she knew it, but wasn't doing anything about it) and Christie raised her hand and was about to hit me. Now, I'm really intolerant of anybody hitting me, and I don't allow it from anyone, and I wasn't about to let Christie hit me. So I called her a bitch to her face. First time ever had I insulted one of my aunts/uncles. Of course, she snitched to my grandmother, who doesn't speak English that well and didn't understand what bitch meant, who chastised me and punished me. I called my mother that afternoon while we were eating a late lunch to tell her what had happened. Behind my grandmother's back, while Christie was coming out of the restaurant, she did the crazy sign, meaning that I was insane. And then when I told my mother that Christie had just called me crazy, my grandmother started telling my mom how I was a liar, that Christie did not call me crazy. And that ticked my mom off immensely, because my grandmother is always telling my mom what a liar she is. It's like, whatever comes out of Christie's mouth is the truth and that's the end of it. Grandmother didn't believe me, so I was cold to both Christie and my grandmother the rest of the trip. It got worse, though. Back at the condo, Christie told me I looked "disgusting" because I didn't feel like getting dressed even though we weren't going anywhere that day. I told in response to go to hell, and she replies, "I'll go when you do." Like WTF did she just say?
If any of you sympathize with me or have an evil, vindictive family member like I do, I'd really appreciate it if you comment and share your story. It'd be nice to know I'm not the only one who feels isolated from their family. My uncles are not that much better, but I'll talk about them some other time. I may go see the Secret World of Arrietty today (lol, with my mom, but that's ok) and I'm actually excited!
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