I Go Deep: The Truth About Popularity

- you see one of your good friends and she squeals, giggles, and chats with you for over an hour
- the next day, you go up to her, expecting her to strike up a juicy conversation, but right when you say a casual hi, she walks away.... your cheeks turn BRIGHT red and you feel lame....
- you see her trying to be "COOL" or "POPULAR"............. and talking to a group of gossipy girls
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I have seen many 7th graders that I know in my school trying to change their personality just to show people that they are "BAD" or sassy, cool, etc. When people I know try to be "popular", I feel bad :(
I don't feel bad that I lost a genuine friend; I feel bad that someone out there lost there personality, in other words, themselves. Popularity means to be a friendly, bubbly sweet girl/boy who has a lot of friends.. It does not mean to give in to peer pressure, and to suddenly drift apart from that girl with a "hidden" magnetic character.. When I say a "hidden" magnetic character, I mean a person who seems to be unfriendly and quiet by the looks. However, this person has a hidden bubbly personality... For now, popularity might seem like a good thing; I mean duh, you get to have so many friends, and it is also entertaining to hear gossipy rumors. However, later on your gossips won't be listened by anyone, and people won't like you for unnecessary wasting their time by spreading rumors. Imagine, how will anyone have to time to "find out" who likes who in high school? I mean, just be yourself .. because later on, your friends who will stick to you............. Like as you grow older and more mature, you will have fewer friends..... Elementary school: 30 friends, Middle school: 20 friends, High school: 10 friends, and College: 3 real friends :))) So what I am trying to say is that the true meaning of popularity is not how many "cool" friends you have; popularity is how friendly you are with your true friends, no matter how many friends you have.

In my opinion, I think that teens want to be popular so that they can feel wanted or accepted by their peers. However, (this may seem surprisingly), when you crave to feel wanted, you actually have low self-esteem. You constantly want attention, and you worry about your flaws....
On the other hand, when you absolutely fine with not having popularity, you feel wanted and accepted by only one person-yourself. This helps your individuality shine, and you also feel confident about yourself.

I personally feel that the opposite of popularity is individuality. I mean, it is so fun to be unique and have different interests. I mean having unique interests make you do different things, like fun diy projects (decorating a top), or web design. Imagine, when everyone in school has individuality (not popularity), there would be so many amazing things to discuss about! Everyone would have a unique voice and opinion that would be heard be so many people. Additionally, since there would be an environment of beautiful, unique people, no one would worry about being different.

Above all, being your genuine true self to yourself and your friendly, true friends is basically what defines you and you life........ life is meant to be lived with truth ............ "When people laugh at Mickey Mouse, it's because he's so human; and that is the secret of his popularity." -Walt Disney

 

Lazy Bum Packages

Your idea of a perfect Friday rainy evening is unique, so unique that you can bet anyone that you are a lazy bum package, a one-on-one deal... Sensational, that is one word that can describe you completely.... A cozy fantasy book with warm hot cocoa with marshmallows by the blazing fire in the fireplace comes first on your list... And after a while, you crave to hear a song that makes you want to cry and laugh at the same time? (that's just me.. hehe) The song "Carry on" fills your little space of your own with its lyrics..... "Carry on--oon-oon-nn (didn't know how to type that part....) 1, 2, 3 ... You are a LAZY BUM package, and you GOTTA admit the truth.. 

Levels of Laziness
1. (Mild laziness.. you are clever)
You really want to water the plants, but the you have trouble reaching to turn the tap of water that runs in your background. Every time you twist the knob, even for a split second, you always end up standing straight and pulling your pants up. You love the outdoors; however, at the same time, you are lackadaisical. It's so sad on how one wrong allele from your parents came to you or maybe got mixed together, resulting in you leaving your interests of gardening behind and your dreams of becoming a professional gardener getting CANCELED. (oh please, dude/dudette, don't become a gardener.. but if that is your dream, oh well..) XD

Your Lazy Bum Package:
















Song: Fireflies by Owl City

Beverage: Pink Lemonade Mixed With Hot Cocoa With Whipped Cream And A Cherry On Top (okay, so "mild lazy people" are CONFUSED AND SLIGHTLY CRAZY! BE MORE LAZY, MILD LAZY PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Book (gotta be a good one cuz from Ashna's favorites): Tokyo Heist by Diana Renn
Mild Lazy People, check out Tokyo Heist's book review here: http://updatesfromanerd.blogspot.com/2013/07/tokyo-heist.html 

ENJOY MILD LAZINESS, MILD LAZY PEOPLE!

2. Medium Lazy People
Medium Lazy people have an amazing personality, at the same time genuine. It is pretty obvious for one to see their heart beating out of their chest with an urge to say something humorous and snort and laugh, despite their obsession over jackets. Seriously, medium lazy people (I must admit that I am one) wear the same jacket to school almost every day of the week, and this is only because of their feel of coziness, which is also in their hearts. See, when one wears a comfortable jacket tightly knitted with light-weighted wool and heavy stitches of fur, they feel cozy, and they are too lazy to take the jacket out; it is just their laziness on unzipping their zipper that stops them from being um like, idk... um, fashionnaaable. (OKAY.) Their medium laziness can have an extreme effect on their future, not only their social school life. For instance, if their boss orders a medium lazy person to take his professional blazer off when all the workaholics are in a meeting, and the medium lazy man adamantly refuses to take his blazer off, he is then fired. Nevertheless, despite all of that jibber jabber I mentioned above, medium lazy people are above all, the most awesome people in the world. LETS'S GET ONE THING STRAIGHT PEOPLES. I'M A MEDIUM LAZY PERSON.. GO FIGURE.

Your Lazy Bum Package:

Song: Carry On by Fun

Beverage: Hot Salted Caramel Coffee (Oh, and a blanket too!)    

Book: Any cozy fantasy book which feels like you have read only 10 pages when you have in reality read 50 pages, like Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl  

3. High Level Lazy People

High Level Lazy People can go to extremes in their laziness; what makes them have an admirable character, though, is their pride in their slothful personality, and they are not afraid or even a teeny bit embarrassed of it. For example, even while standing in line for ordering a triple bacon meat deluxe burger at Carl's Jr., such people, like stout ladies, grab a chair and peacefully lie their buts on the fast-food restaurant chair for pure relaxation. They are not afraid, afraid of teenage girls' cell phones clicking pictures of them to share giggle over with their friends with high-pitched voices. Additionally, out of frustration, they scream for running out of tissue paper in the restroom at Carl's Jr.. Obviously, they are extremely lackadaisical to even reach over a single millimeter and grab it themselves. Their sluggish, inactive lifestyle changes their life, but again, it is their parents fault for passing on the wrong genes.... IMAGINE OUR WORLD FILLED WITH TOO MANY LACKADAISICAL PEOPLE... JUST IMAGINE. IT WOULD JUST BE GREAT IF TEACHERS WERE HIGH LEVEL LAZY PEOPLE..

Song:  

 

The Lazy Song by Bruno Mars.. I never knew such a song existed

Beverage: Some drink to make the gas pass...

Book: How to Overcome Laziness and Achieve Your Goals by S. Alexander Ward (random book I searched up on amazon)

With laziness, sluggishness, slothfulness, or lackadaisical-ness (whatever you want to call it), one can become a lazy bum package and live their life eating Lays Barbecue Chips. Once they ate them in kindergarten, and once again they will eat them at age 100. (old lady voice) I knew I should not have eaten those chips like a high level lazy person.. oh dear Bethany and oh, Martha/////// ;) 

~Ashna Sharma

(please do not get offended by the types of lazy people mentioned above... it's just my imagination; it's all fiction, too! .. AND IT'S A HUMOR THING) :D

What type of lazy person are you (mild level lazy, medium level lazy, or high level lazy?) ... I'm medium level lazy ........ LOL. XD 

Reply in the comments below! :)

Mr. Moonie..... (THE MOON)

"You have got to be kidding me," your friend, who finishes her homework in a speck of a second, blabbers at you like a blabber-mouthed beluga whale. Furiously typing on the computer keyboard smudged with scented coconut oil your mom applied on your hair a few hours ago, you do your homework and sulk. After homework, you have to make sure that everything is done in your backpack and then.................. YOU SLEEP WITH DARK RED, SORE EYES.

My life has been very hectic for the past few weeks like the short description above (NO, LIKE FOREVER) and I wanted to start a post that portrayed something short and sweet, which will hopefully give me pride on some of my favorites. The moon that I saw laying there supported by the hazy, pitch-black night sky outside gave me hope and determination that something nice will come out of my life, in whatever way you may put it, hope for blogging something fascinating, or hope for my future... This post has no meaning in words; it has meaning in a picture, a picture of black and white. It has meaning in music, of the curves of the golden instrument that gently lets out a jazzy tune out in the chilly yet warm wind or the beautiful, poetic song that wraps up a melody that rings your ears with love. Just embellish and decorate these favorites of mine, probably some faves to become yours soon, in your hearts and sing along with it. Simply go with the flow of these ideas: the moon, the music, and the words of a song. Let it rest in your heart on Valentines Day.

The Moon:

    

Let the moon (Mr. Moonie) tell you that there is light in darkness. (Good in Evil)

The Singing Alto Sax:

And the alto sax will scream its joy out to you in music because it has to show its emotions. It will not shy away from being heard.

The Song:

The song will wrap everything up, and you will learn that two people no matter how different they are, can always become best friends: poetry and music.

Happy Valentines Day everyone. Share these amazing beauties of the world to your hearts, and then share it with millions of other hearts in the world. <3

Craftalicious.. Is That a Word?

Merry Christmas Eve everyone! Escape into the moment of merriness, hot Ghiradelli cocoa, a warm fireplace, and crafty enjoyments...
Around the cozy corner of your beautifully decorated house, chaos is surrounded all around you; it is a special chaos though because it is Christmas, a merry one. Your house is the brightest one on the street, and all the neighbors envy your holiday lights. Tick, tock, tick, tock.. It is Christmas Eve, an eve of warm memories and chocolates... yes, you are a lazy bum.. all you do is eat and eat and eat. However, lost away in the crowd of family and relatives, you silently play with crafty items and paper, sitting in an embroidered chair.. Man, you think, did the Christmas angel fill my taste buds with creative, interesting juice?
Yep, guys, this was me and is me... *SUSPENSE* Okay, in the past few days, I got really crafty and even though I was not (clears throat) encouraged to play with art supplies for a loooong time, like uhh all together 3-4 hours, I continued the projects. I was let's say *modestly* staring at truly amazing geniuses who made extremely cool D.I.Y. (do-it-yourself) projects, and I got inspired. And when Ashna gets inspired, well, she gets all crazy and her eyes poof out like a lot and she gets super excited and let me ramble more.. SHE DOES HER SNOOPY HAPPY DANCE!!!! (oooh yeeaaah.. life is HAPPY, HAPPY!!!!!!!!!!!! AND TOMORROW IS CHRISTMAS!!!!! YAY-A!!) uh sorry, got carried away there (she mumbles)....
AND MY CUE!...................
Okay, back to business, folks... where was I... oh yeah.
Note: A really good friend of mine and I are making crafts and other items to donate to poor or impoverished children. The two pillows were made by both of us, mainly her, and the jewelry items were made by me for the same cause to donate.
Uhh... The other stuff were by me and for me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Only me! (too greedy there, or uhh, um, was i, uh like i don't know) (she mumbles, and it slowly fades away because she is slightly embarrassed and does not know what she should say).........
And here starts my list.. DA DA DAA!:
Disclaimer: I do not want to ruin the happy moment here, but it is essential for me to say this. The descriptions of the crafts and the pictures are put not for me to have for a chance to brag freely (LOL), but for happiness.. Let me tell you, I am not that "good" or "excellent" at crafts or art. Okayy... well to be true, I have a love for painting and watercolors, but I never brag. I am fortunate for the supplies that I have, and these projects were done over periods of weeks; they took my time and money. However, at the end, they did one clear thing. That was giving myself "me" time.
"If there is passion and will, anything can be done. Do what your heart tells you to do; flow like the waves of the ocean, or like the musical notes of a song."
Ashna Sharma~
NOW, NO MORE SERIOUS TIME!!! BACK TO HAPPY TIME!!!
oooh.. happy haapppy!!!

1) Decorative Pillows
My good friend and I made these felt pillows with hard work, but it turned out amazing because the sewing method was created by the friend.... we actually do not know if it is "actual" sewing.. Anyhoo, we sewed the seams with yarn, stuffed the pillows with random cloth, stitched the open end, and decorated the surface with glitter fonts and a boa at the ends to cover the knitting holes. I have a question here folks: Is "sewing" taking two whole minutes and hard strength of grunting to put the needle through one stitch??
Here are some pics of the pillows:

This pillow was very simple, as it was a perfect square..YAY! As you can see, we covered the edges with the black boa and wrote "Merry X-mas!" for a handmade design. I was afraid at first if whether the boa would stick with the liquid glue, but as my friend made pillows like these before and nothing odd happened with them, I trusted her wholeheartedly.    

This pillow was done using the exact same method as described above, but it was made in a rectangular shape. Moreover, we, the two besties, cut cloth from a scarf and decorated it, while using the faded-red-to-pink yarn to tie bows and tighten the middle of the pillow. It turned out to be a cylindrical pillow from an original rectangular pillow. If you want any further instructions for this design, please ask me a question in the comments section below.

2) Charm Central

With my hands and a silver chain, I attached cute charms to the holes of the chain as shown on the left. To tell the truth, I attached the charms by twisting the wire in the packaging of the various packed doodads. The result was awesome, especially since I did not spend too much time making one bracelet; perhaps it took 15-20 minutes for an inexperienced crafts person like me.  

The necklace shown on the left was done with the exact same method of applying charms. Again, if you guys have any detailed questions or have desire to make these simple, vintage-inspired jewelry items yourselves, you are all absolutely welcome to question me in the comments section below. :D In my opinion, I personally think that the charms I bought from Michaels, mainly the large ones, were very cool, stylish, and vintage-looking.















3) My Room

Currently, I am starting to develop an extreme interest in decorating my room and making it reflect more and more of my personality. I started this craze by changing my bed cover into a black and white bedspread printed black and white like a newspaper. It includes parts and names of places all around the globe; you guys may have had a glimpse of it in the background of the pictures of the two pillows. Other than buying items for my room, I decided to get crafty by creating a handmade collage featuring puppies from my old calender. It barely required any money, only a poster board, which was only 32 cents at Target. (I KNOW, ONLY 32 CENTS!) Throughout the collage making process, I just kept on cutting and gluing pictures and at the end, embellishing it with sharpies, words, and one bow tied with ribbon to personalize it with a unique touch. Moreover, I added decorative tape not for necessity, but for design.
Here is a picture of the collage:

As you all can see, I also layered pictures, like the two dogs at the left. The whole purpose of a collage is to express yourself with pictures, so let the collage represent your creativity, not others.

4) Oil Painting

I am a watercolor artist, not an oil painter. However, as my mom started bringing her oil paintings home from art class, I was not jealous, but I wanted to try using her colors; they were thick and solid, unlike river-like watercolors. I ended up creating a mini abstract piece, at the same time abusing her palette. The palette was full of blended colors all over the place; it was a "beautiful" mess... My mom saw a duck in my painting, while my dad saw a dog. Please reply in the comments section on what you guys see in my painting with your eyes. :D It would certainly be interesting, not interesting but FASCINATING to hear about your sights in the painting. XD

My mom does not really think that these small, craftalicious projects that I do are productive, and from a distance, copious amounts of people may think so too. However, all of this fun rounds up to "me" time; it takes me into a mystical world where I could do anything, anytime and anywhere. One second I am in Mt. Everest, overlooking the flowing hills, and in another second, I am in my cozy bed lying on my tummy, while devouring triple chocolate chip cookies while reading a book printed with old pages... yet there are printed with fresh, black ink.
~I FEEL SO CRAFTALICIOUS! ... (is that a word?)

An Angel In A Stranger

The snow is drizzling around you; you hope to get a a speck of its coolness on your tongue, warm from caramel hot chocolate topped with snow white marshmallows. Nearby, you see a waffle house, bustling with teenagers goofing around and enjoying the Christmas spirit with hot coffee and scrumptious treats. Although your parents warn you, a 15-year-old girl, to stay near the neighborhood, the multicolored lights hanging out houses and thoughts of presents wrapped in lacy ribbon urge you to enter the waffle house doors. You see a girl, probably around the same age as you, sitting alone on one of the tables near the back. She has a glum look on her face; her jaw is set tight, but she is beautiful, with piercing bold eyes and dark hair covered with fuzzy earmuffs and a hood. Without any hesitation, you approach her, ignoring all the chatter around you. You are blown away and surprised with her own personal Christmas story... 

       "Are you sure you do not want any of our holiday coffee? It comes in flavors of salted caramel, cinnamon mocha, and dark chocolate," the Starbucks waitress, slightly annoyingly, retorted. 

       "Uh..no ma'am, as we told you before, like about a million times, we are fine," Charlie replied arrogantly. The waitress stomped away with an unusually loud sound coming from her high heels. Charlie was my best pal; he had all the qualities I wanted, and he reflected the horrible, flawless parts of me. In other words, Charlie helped me become the perfect girl I always wanted to be since the age of 13. However, now even at 15, I am still known as um.."Reyna Johnson." Yay, so special! Anyhoo, I was always weak, insecure, and full of low self-esteem, and I never knew that it was Charlie leading me to these awful opinions about myself. It was the 22nd of December; Charlie and I were in the cozy atmosphere of Starbucks. There were sparkling snowdrifts doing their winter magic outside, and well, inside, people, both old and young, were sipping their coffee and occasionally on their phones. I can't believe that it was me who was so stupid by judging people on their coolness, or maybe now, extreme quietness. If I hadn't met Charlie, I could have received the magic and spirit from a disguised Christmas angel years ago. 

       After an unusually silent gathering at Starbucks, we both went home. Charlie and I met in kindergarten, the age where you most probably judged a kid by what toys they had. Charlie waddled over me; he had light blue eyes and blond, choppy hair. Apparently, because he had this really cool Lego set, we became instant friends. In the third grade, he transformed into a real friend, the one always fun and jolly, yet always curious to know your emotions. Nevertheless, ever since the sixth grade, he became oddly quiet and to tell the genuine truth, there were some times in which he freaked me out, changing his personalities and way of life. Thankfully, he did not influence me that much to become a different person; I was always the dark-haired, pale girl who had a never ending love for reading. 

       "Dear, we are leaving!" yelled my parents joyfully. They were extremely excited to go holiday shopping; the couple had a certain obsession with collecting "designer" gingerbread houses, which was simply dumb, and hilarious in a way. Even so, I was glad that they were out, so that I could observe the Christmas holidays in my busy town, New York City, without anyone asking me what I was doing. The air outside looked misty, with snowballs overwhelming the winds. Holiday lights decorated houses and apartments in the neighborhood; I just wanted to go grab hot cocoa and cuddle up cozily in a leather couch, but a curious sight stopped me and forced me to exit the house and go outside. And around the corner, I saw Charlie, who no matter how weird and cruel, weeping near the corner; the tears on his face were burning alive. No matter how odd our relationship had grown over the past few weeks, I bent over and grabbed his hand. 

       "Oh, Charlie, oh Charlie." What happened to you?" I kindly questioned. Hoping for a warm pat on the back, he pushed me away and went down the street on his bike; the tears were still wet on his face and they stung his beautiful blue eyes. Unexpectedly, someone approached me from behind. I was fully conscious that I was in a lonely New York alley and that I certainly needed to run, now, that very second. However, a boy, I think from my high school, came and he had a friendly smile on his face, exaggerating his left dimple. He had dark eyes and black, wavy hair; his features were exactly like me. I was wondering why I never paid attention to him in school before. Wisps of hair covered his temple, and he brushed them off in a simple gesture. Even though he barely knew Charlie, he surprisingly told me all about his struggles and complicated emotions since the fourth grade. By passion and interest towards this boy, not force, I followed his lead, on an icy path of crystal white snow in a natural area, probably near the woods. 

       "You know, Charlie never had any bad feeling towards you, not even a little bit. His parents divorce and his brother's unknown death changed him into what he is today," the boy casually said.

       How do you know all of this information about Charlie, I wanted to yell. He would never tell someone who is so rude yet mysterious his personal feelings. However, quite taken aback, I paused and listened to him out of pure perplexity and curiosity.
      "Charlie was a boy who never found anyone, even you Reyna, to confide his feelings. He never found the right friends, parents, or even siblings too. He was still a unique boy, though; he had so much love inside of him, but he never got the encouragement to let it out."
       "Man, you are deep. Who are you?" Yeah, I felt so stupid after saying that.
       "Just the Christmas angel, the soul that brightens everyone up with a smile. I disguise myself each and every visit. Go to the waffle house and narrate your story to the next person that walks toward you," he said, with a brightness in his eyes and smile.
       And with a swish, the angel walked away into the icy, crisp night; his footsteps echoed in my mind, and his last words to me were like angel charm speak. The next second, I ran to the cozy waffle house, wearing leather boots, black tights, and a coat, one that my grandmother bought me years before. There, I saw a random dude and let all the words flow out of my mouth about Charlie. My heart was thumping out of my chest and I was so joyous, just talking about him. The very next day, I met my best friend, pal, and companion; he had a certain gleam in his eyes, a gleam so cheerful that it can only be done and transformed by a Christmas angel.

Citation for Clip Art Used In Image (Girl Singing Carols, Santa Claus, Gift With A Bow, and Cute Penguin: 

Strickland, Laura. MyCuteGraphics. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. <http://www.mycutegraphics.com/>. 

Me As a Room Designer? Hey, It's Possible...

The place where you feel extremely relaxed, with no worries, tension.. you are at a state of uttermost relaxation. You feel like you are at the center of  the universe, and everything around you revolves and revolves into mist. Got the picture? Well, my room makes me feel relaxed, but it is boring, with no sparks of creativity and examples of my personality. Other than some posters, I need to add some decor which will make me feel blissful and and enjoy looking at my room after a long car ride. My plans and thoughts for my room are so exciting and appealing, yet I never have the time or energy to put these plans into action. However, today in the morning I grew encouraged to see and envision a big change in my room. Therefore, I searched the internet for crafts and beautiful answers, that trust me, will change my life forever. After realizing that I do not have these certain materials like metal hoops and other random stuff, I grew lazy, typing keywords on Google like "room designers in bay area." I mean, it would be genuinely kind for one person in this world that can transform my room for FREE. Actually, no, it is impossible. Anyhoo, today I got some beautiful craft ideas from the internet; I am motivated to actually buy small tidbits that I need to accomplish my goal and start my ideas next weekend.

1) Fabric Chandelier



I am dying to start on this project because the different shades of creme are so lovely and beautiful. It looks extremely easy, but I know that it is much harder because I can't imagine the outcome to be so pretty. However, I need a metal hoop and maybe some ribbon and off-white lace.

2) A Black and White Bedspread (Awesome!)



Okay, opposites attract; black and white are opposite colors that rule together as one! Seriously, they are awesome. The image above has unique transitions and shades of white, gray, and black. It describes the elegance of the bedspread through the fancy city Paris. However, in Bed Bath & Beyond my eyes immediately caught a similar bedspread with not only Paris, but with famous cities like Tokyo and New York City on the sheet. The overall style was so unique and modern, and even though I saw that design a whole year ago, I still remember it. This whole bed set is going to be a must for my birthday. Nevertheless, I am going to get it from my own money, by creating a garage sale, because it will be enjoyable and I have been planning to do one ever since.

3) Let's make it compliment: Fabric on your cabinet



Cabinets and cupboards are both boring necessities that are unfortunately needed in rooms. However, with fabric and ribbon they are magically transformed into beautiful decorations. Simply cut pieces of decorative fabric and glue it on a cork board or canvas, so that it can stick out. Then, pin or paste the board on your cabinet and whenever you open it to get possessions, you will simply enjoy the process with color and fun patterns. Moreover, it will certainly compliment the black and white bedspread. I am truly so happy that I thought of this idea because it is so easy and convenient, perfect for lazybums like me.

4) Meaningful Words

 

With unique fonts and lettering, you can design words, both meaningful and special to your heart. Live, laugh, love, and dream are the most common sayings found in tween/teenage rooms. However, you can create a design saying anything that you as a person are attached to. Simply paste it on to your wall, and every morning, admire those small yet beautiful words that are special to you alone.

5) Hearts of Love



Most doors are white, never expressing love, or even words. DOORS ARE RUDE. Anyways, decorate your door with hearts, or any other shape imaginable, filled your favorite quotes from books or about live in general. When your friends are about to enter your own place of relaxation, they will see the words and writings that tie you together as a well-rounded person. They will see your possessions in a different way, a way that reflects your genuine personality as a whole. Additionally, these hearts will express your personal love for others, including your family and friends.


All these decorations will fill you with a sense of homeliness and coziness, as well as a chance to reflect who you are, deep inside. When the sunlight catches your window, you will absolutely enjoy seeing these beauties.


Citation for Images:

Http://www.alittlecraftinyourday.co. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2013. <http://www.alittlecraftinyourday.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/25_Teenage_Girl_Room_Decor_Ideas11.jpg>.

Http://www.kidsroomtreasures.com/. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2013. <http://www.kidsroomtreasures.com/mm5/graphics/levele/242Q-ellysee550.jpg>.

Http://www.craftpassion.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2013. <http://www.craftpassion.com/wp-content/gallery/giveaway-jan-2012/fabric-ribbon-bundle-giveaway-2.jpg>.

Http://imagecache5d.allposters.com/. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2013. <http://imagecache5d.allposters.com/watermarker/62-6226-MN73100Z.jpg?ch=775&cw=775>.

Http://neoformix.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2013. <http://neoformix.com/2008/WordHearts1.png>.

Books to Devour and Devour: Basically How I Eat

     Overwhelmed yet filled with great excitement. Those two feelings describe how I am feeling completely. I have no idea what to devour, but I am so excited. Recently, I gobbled up two amazing books, Let It Snow and City of Glass. And over the past two weeks, I am selfishly smuggling books from the library, asking my mom, maybe bugging her to pick up my holds, and asking her to buy me The House of Hades. I never buy books, but I created a tradition to buy any of Rick Riordan's books on The Heroes of Olympus series because they are amazing. Now I have a great dilemma, deciding what to read next. All of these great books are lazily lying on my desk: Delirium, The Evolution of Mara Dyer, Just Listen, Abandon, The House of Hades (for crying out loud), The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, Anew, and Ruby Red. I am picky when it comes to pick books and pick clothes, when my mom and sister choose girly outfits, which is certainly NOT me. Therefore, all of the books on my desk are ones I am dying to read and devour. The snowman in the middle describes my emotions of happiness, and since he is cold and filled with Christmas feelings, the snowman shows how I feel cozy when I read a book during the winter time. The synopsis in The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is not helping me since it is so intriguing and mysterious. It goes like this:

Mara Dyer doesn't think that life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there. It can. 

She believes that there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed. There is.  

She believes that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love. She's wrong. 

     

     So, can you see that this fascinating synopsis is certainly not helping me? I have a Harry Potter to pick up from the library on Tuesday, and after that HUGE cliffhanger in The Mark of Athena, I have to read the House of Hades, or I am going to burst. All of the other books are patiently waiting for me to discover the mystical story that is hidden deep deep inside. 

     Friends, can you please give me any suggestions on what I should read next? Leave your answers in the comment section. Tell me the book title from the books that I have waiting for me and if it is possible, a short explanation why. Thank you so much, and again, please help me solve my stupid yet important and vital dilemma. I devour and gobble books; this is how I live. Help me before it is too late! :D

The BIG Problem With Movies: The Books Are Just So Good!

Whenever I check out the movies reviews of movies that were based of books, I sit and wonder, "Why are they all  hated, so loathed by millions of movie-goers around the globe?" The answer is simple; no matter how awesome, filling, and entertaining the movie is, it can never beat the book. While books capture all juicy aspects, including plot twists, emotions, and knowledge, movies give us the same things too, only with a different feeling. There are copious amounts of confusing, completely different than the book, movies-based-on-books out there like Beautiful Creatures, The Host, Sea of Monsters, and City of Bones. Overall, as movies are not bad, but just perplexing and all over the place. The movies are not to blame; it is the books. They are so awesome and everything fits together like a puzzle, that it is impossible to redoe it in any way.

Therefore, even though I have no experience with script writing, I am going to create short scenes from one of my favorite books, Between Shades of Gray, by Ruta Sepetys. Though it greatly deserves to be a movie, it has not been one yet.

Scene 1
Beginning: Lina talking to news reporter, when she is 90 years old. Time: December, 2005

Lina: (with emotion) The world was so happy. In Lithuania, I felt like nothing could ever go wrong. I drew every evening; it was my time of peace. My family, my younger brother Jonas, Mom, and Dad were so strong. I never thought that something so devastating would strike us. (she sniffles some tears and wipes them away.)

News Reporter: I understand how difficult it must be for you. Do you want to give us a flashback of your story?

Lina : Yes, the world deserves to know this devastating story, hidden between shades of gray.

Scene 2
Lina's story starts here. She is fifteen years old. Her mom is sewing; her dad is not yet home from work.

Time: Evening

(Urgent pounding on the door)

Jonas: Mother, aren't you going to open it? It might break down.

Mother: (quietly sitting on a chair, praying) Of coarse, darling. I will open it.

Jonas: (face is deeply pale, he looks scared) (whispers) NVKD! I heard that they are arresting people.

Lina: No, not us.

(A tall officer stands there near the doorway, holding the family's passports).
Mother: (calmly) Give us more time. We will be ready by the morning

Officer: (gruffs) Only twenty minutes, or you won't live to see morning.

Mother: Please lower your voice. I have children.

Officer: (barks) Fine! 20 more minutes. (He throws his cigarette wad into their house, and stomps on it)

(Note: Parts of the dialouge from Scence 2 were taken from the Ruta Sepetys's writing.)

The scenes that I wrote were difficult to act, as the book was very emotional. If I continued the script to have more scenes, it would have been impossible for to write, as it would be too cheesy and awkward. So, do not blame the movie's horribleness on the movie. It is the book's fault, they are so good, giving me a love to imagine.

                     


Both the Dutch cover and U.S. cover of Between Shades of Gray have beautiful meanings. 

Which cover do you personally like better, and why?

Citation for Images:

Review. Weblog post. Http://2.bp.blogspot.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Sept. 2013. <https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY_zmpklYrkLRXleK2FVfFATKElUCUPMIjW0r99Jcu7GIZtVVgMLy5EWL9gcw9lt_FSrjMwzt1BIoqT246R2-Be28pxOUDm8Qc4M6pAZbQnJB0KSy8JofdR8B6bt0hIMGFIw1zY5Mk_5Q/s320/Between+Shades+of+Gray.jpg>.

Review. Weblog post. Http://rutafans.files.wordpress.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Sept. 2013. <http://rutafans.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/dutch-bsg.jpg/2013/06/dutch-bsg.jpg>.

Books with Strong Female Heroines

Many books nowadays involve a confident, fierce heroine, and this is inspiring girls to step up and show confidence. Additionally, when these types of books gain popularity, it may even change ideas of feminine rights in poor countries. I hope that after you read this post, you will have attachment to these amazing characters...

1) Katniss from the Hunger Games Trilogy 
This book in an incredible trilogy involves main character, Katniss, who fights for survival in the arena. She puts her family ahead of her all the time, demonstrating absolute mental intelligence. Katniss is fierce, powerful, and wise. All these qualities obviously make her strong as well as an inspiration.
























2) Lina from Between Shades of Gray
First of all, Between Shades of Gray is an amazing book filled with history that few know. In that historical time period, the Soviets controlled three nations: Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia. Lina was a 15 year old girl who was put in labor camps with her mother and brother. She experiences great violence and loses her mother and father, who was put in prison. However, with her pencil and paper artistic Lina remains strong and finally returns to her homeland, still facing racism and hardships.




3) Hermione Granger from Harry Potter
Showing both smartness and bravery, Hermione is a strong female character. She is the only student in her school that has read Hogwarts: A History, and she is always there for adventure with her friends Ron and Harry. Hermione makes good decisions, and she is the backbone of intelligence for her companions at Hogwarts.



4) Mia from A Mango-Shaped Space

Mia, the main character of A Mango-Shaped Space, has synthesia, a disease relating to the human senses, and this causes problems with her parents, peers, and close friends. However, she joins a club with people who have overcame synthesia, and she realizes that she is not the only one suffering. What Mia learns is a valuable lesson stating that it is necessary to overcome hard times and stay fierce, powerful, and fearless.



5) Merida from Brave
Merida, from the excellent Disney movie Brave, grows up as a warrior princess. As she grows older, she solves an adventure, travelling the woods all alone while facing obstacles. Merida, as a character, clearly demonstrates that it is vital to be brave, both inside and out.



All of these heroines play exceptional roles and give a fascinating character. They are in literature and movies  today and were in the past. If only these females would be a reality in poor countries in mainly the Middle East, those countries would succeed enormously with a powerful female's intelligence and strength.

Citation for Images:

"Hunger Games Wiki." Http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 July 2013. <http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130405101739/thehungergames/images/f/f4/Kateverdeen.jpg>.

Http://www.soviethistory.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 July 2013. <http://www.soviethistory.org/images/Large/1917/rr18.jpg>.

Review. Weblog post. Http://1.bp.blogspot.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 July 2013. <https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhefOhETQGJKLtxsIk8VYvddDCPW9hNOkefNY9Ufji1NHWJ9c1nO_hI1ARB4oWaPlFESKJJyNrzYbAhZsrTUhaELIUfU0U-wj_K9otUqNu26qHBt6hXFMcfEPrHCds92U3kfpyvQPG37go1/s320/Between+Shades+of+Gray+2.jpg>.

Http://upload.wikimedia.org. Wikipedia, n.d. Web. 23 July 2013. <http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d3/Hermione_Granger_poster.jpg>.

Weblog post. Http://media.tumblr.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 July 2013. <http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lfxsoqCbrc1qboux1.jpg>.

Http://www.apa.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 July 2013. <http://www.apa.org/Images/2001-03-synesthesia_tcm7-26102.jpg>.

Http://www.hdwallpapers.in. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 July 2013. <http://www.hdwallpapers.in/walls/braves_princess_merida-wide.jpg>.

The Best and Worst Book Sequels

In your reading lifetime, was there ever a book that was really AWESOME, and then the sequel was the opposite? Or, on the other hand, did the sequel turned out to be way better? Well, from the books that I read, only some sequels turn out to be exceptional. Below, I created a list of the best and worst sequels.
(In my opinion)

Best Sequels:

1. Crossed by Ally Condie

This book was a sequel to Matched by Ally Condie. Compared to Matched, (which had a boring plot in my opinion), Crossed had an unique and special flavor. Even though it had adventure/rebellion, it had a good balance of Ky's and Cassia's relationship.




2. The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
Rick Riordan, the author, keeps on improving his writing in every book of the Percy Jackson series. The book is combined with the perfect amount of action, relationship themes (like loss and friendship), and new characters. It truly was an amazing sequel to the Lightning Thief.



3. Sent by Margaret Peterson Haddix
I found Sent, the second book of the Missing Series to be very magical and interesting. The main characters, Jonah, Chip, Katherine, and Alex all go back in time to London where Alex and Chip finally learn their true royal identities. This book was fully action-packed like the first book, Found.



4. Among the Imposters 
This sequel is again magnificently written by Margaret Peterson Haddix. Even though it is old (published in 2001), I found it to be awesome and somewhat realistic. The book had a fantastic plot filled with great suspense. The whole series is about a one-child policy (similar in China) and how the 2nd or 3rd children (known as shadow children) struggle and protest against this unfair policy. 



Worst Sequels: 

1. Pretties by Scott Westerfield
This book had no flavor or meaning to me, compared to the first book, Uglies (which I rated 4 stars). Uglies had an unique taste, while Pretties lost all the good characters and mixed in other ones with no feeling or even personality. I just didn't like it. 



2. Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl 
This book was OK. However, the first book, Beautiful Creatures, was AWESOMELY EPIC. It made my heart race. To tell the truth, I didn't get to finish Beautiful Darkness, but my friend told me that it surprised her after reading Beautiful Creatures. Beautiful Darkness just didn't have an exciting plot. 



That's all for the bad sequels. I could give more, but I don't think you would want to know what not to read.. hehe ;)

What sequels do you like or do not like?


Citations for Images:

Condie, Ally. Http://www.allysoncondie.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 July 2013. <http://www.allysoncondie.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Crossed_enhanced1.jpg>.

Http://www.solomonsays.in. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 July 2013. <http://www.solomonsays.in/web/imgs/review-images/77/the_sea_of_monsters_book_cover.jpg>.

Kochel, Ms. Web log post. Ms. Kochel's Book Blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 July 2013.

Http://upload.wikimedia.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 July 2013. <http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/40/ATImposter.jpg/200px-ATImposter.jpg>.

Http://upload.wikimedia.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 July 2013. <http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/77/Pretties.jpg/180px-Pretties.jpg>.

Http://www.karenkincy.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 July 2013. <http://www.karenkincy.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Beautiful-Darkness.jpg>.