Milkha Singh: The Flying Sikh

Recently, I watched a fantastic Bollywood sports biography called "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag," or "Run Milkha Run." This true story is about an Indian champion runner, Milkha Singh, who faced  many struggles as a child. For example, he lived in present-day Pakistan, but in 1947 India and Pakistan got divided into two separate countries. Hindus had no choice but to live in India, and Muslims resided in Pakistan. As Milkha was a Hindu, he went to India, and in his journey there, his whole family except his sister got gruesomely killed by Pakistani soldiers. His father's last meaningful words were "Bhaag, Milkha, bhaag." Even though he faced this tragedy, Milkha participated in a race set in Pakistan towards the end of his career, and there he won a gold medal. Over there, he was given the name of "The Flying Sikh" by the president of Pakistan. Milkha started his running career in the army, where he got abused by senior players and overcame conflicts before he broke the national record. In the eve of his big race, after Milkha got physically assaulted in areas of his leg, he ran bare feet with his injury. In spite of his coach warning him that his leg could get permanently damaged, Milkha insisted to run. However, even with this leg injury, he stayed strong and he trained with several coaches such as Gurudev Singh and Ranveer Singh. And finally, after this magnificent amount of hard work, Milkha overcame battles and won international races around the whole globe. For instance, he won his first race with a gold medal at 400 meters. At later years, he continued his success at the Asian Games and Summer Olympics. Although Milkha Singh's incredible story was set in the 1950s and 60s, he is still known today not only for his athletic ability, but for his determination, power, and persistence. Moreover, he is known for pride in his country, India. At Milkha's last race in the Rome Olympics, he was leading and suddenly he looked back for whatever reason. Later, it was known that all four participants broke the international record. Milkha is famous in India for becoming a great athlete in a newly independent country. In spite of his humble personality, Milkha Singh brings pride and faith to India today. 
                                         

Citation for Image:

"Milkha Singh." Http://upload.wikimedia.org. Wikipedia, n.d. Web. 17 July 2013. <http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9d/Milkha_Singh.jpg/220px-Milkha_Singh.jpg>.

Tokyo Heist

I decided to do a book review on Tokyo Heist by Diana Renn because most of my friends have never heard of it. This amazing mystery has exotic visions of Japan, especially the tourist attraction's popular city life.

         Tokyo Heist, an amazing novel by Diana Renn, involves a heroine named Violet who solves an incredible Japanese mystery. She and her dad, a gallery owner, are suddenly sent to a commission in Tokyo, and they soon find out that her dad's rich clients are the victims of a missing Van Gogh painting. Lives began to be in risk (including her's and her father's), and as the plot thickens in this book, interesting characters began taking large roles. For example, I found the character of Edge fascinating, even though he  was not in much of the book. At some times he was important, and at other moments he was just there or out of the scene. Although I wasn't impressed by this missing character, I just enjoyed his personality and way of thinking. Violet also was a genuine heroine, as she balanced her artistic manga personality and cleverness perfectly.  Renn's writing gave an absolute majestic and exotic feel to these characters; it was just beautiful filled with Tokyo's pleasures and delights. The quotes were mixed with visionary moments, allowing the reader to think about this piece of literature. Moreover, Violet's relationship between her and her divorced dad increased, and this gave me a little thought about how the two main characters were developing as people. Additionally, it was a perfect add-on to the suspense and violence in the whole story. All together, I would give Tokyo Heist, an amazing and thought-provoking book, 4 and a half stars. The book was lovely; however, I was hoping for more speed in Violet's trip to Tokyo and some more character significance. This is a great summer and exotic read for teens and up. I absolutely loved this book. :) 

Happy Reading!

Citataion for Image:

Tara, Miss. Http://hobbitsies.net/. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://hobbitsies.net/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/TokyoHeist.jpg>.

Dogs in India

I have not seen a single dog or puppy loitering the street in the US, but sadly in India many dogs are stray and abandoned. Most streets are filled with dogs biting themselves, and in fact they can dangerously cause disease. However, most laws in India ban treating animals cruelly. Still, as it evolves as a country, these important morals are getting left behind. The government is not at all caring for this menace. For example, I read a story on the Internet saying that a guard in Noida shot a dog just because it was barking at him. The guard himself was shocked that he did this action. Because of the cruelty against animals in India (note that other countries around the globe also treat animals badly) he must have instinctively thought that it was okay. This story gives a stand to treat animals fairly just like humans. Not only dogs, but other animals like elephants, zebras, and dolphins should not be abused or beaten up. To keep in mind, countries like Japan and China kill dolphins and sharks for food. These poor animals don't even kill humans;only about five humans get killed by sharks in a year! These messages all together tell me to care for animals just like a person. They have a heart, and that is what makes someone a being. <3

Citation for Image:

"On the Border, Stray Dogs Are Army’s New Best Friends Ajay Sura,."TamilNaduStrayAnimalsProctectionCentre. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 July 2013.

Link to story about guard and dog:

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/noida-guard-tries-to-silence-barking-dog-w/537346/ 

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>.

Books and Society

Books like the Hunger Games, the Matched Trilogy, Divergent, and The City of Ember are related to mainly future society. The Hunger Games sparks rebellion, while the Matched trilogy talks about acceptance. In the future, some of these ideas can be used to improve technology and other imprortant things. Here is the debate topic: Do you think that dystopian novels (books about future society) can impact our society in later years, or not?

Please respond to this topic with your opinion in the comments below. 

Happy 2nd of July??

Happy 4th of July everyone! Or is it really the 4th of July? In July 2, 1776, the Continental Congress declared independence, and George Washington himself  proudly declared a speech. Moreover, John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail about how he predicted Americans would celebrate July 2nd in the future:

"The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more."

July 4th is obviously our Independence Day, as this was the time the Declaration of Independence was officially signed. However, we must take note that this small passage explains that our nation never turned out how John Adams envisioned. To honor his wishes, we can always keep July 2nd as a day to celebrate with sports, bells, bonfires, and even guns. 

Read more at: http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/happy-july-2_738179.html 

                            

Citation for Image:
"America Independence Day 2013 SMS Wishes Messages."Http://2013independenceday.in. © 2010-2011 Independence Day USA 2013 - Independence Day USA 2013., n.d. Web. 4 July 2013. <http://2013independenceday.in/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/independence-day-wishes-USA-2013.jpg>.

Reading Scenes

Have you ever gone to a fascinating place where you like to read in peace or in excitement? Well, here are a list of some places I would love to read in (or places I currently read  in.) 

1) On the rocks near Merced River in Yosemite (I have been there before, but I only read for a minute)
The soft yet crashing currents and the large trees give a peaceful person an amazing read!

2) On my tummy in my cozy bed
Even though this is not a fascinating place, it is cozy to cuddle up with soft blankets and hot cocoa. 

3) Under a shady tree
This experience gives you some thought and morals over your book. Try it, it works!

Now, for the fun stuff: 

4) Vatican Library in Vatican City, Rome
This library gives you an ancient feel, as it is one of the oldest libraries in the whole wide world. 



5) Stuttgart City Library in Stuttgart, Germany
This library is very modern and made of a nice, pretty material.



6) Niagara Falls
With the foamy, crystal clear water, Niagara Falls is the best place to read in for nature-lovers.



7) Alaska 
Alaska is the best place to read books with fantasy elements because it is a very snowy, icy, and magical place.



What other places do you like to read in? 

Citations (for images):
Theorange.co. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 July 2013. <http://theorange.co/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Vatican.jpg>. 

Emptykingdon.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 July 2013. <http://www.emptykingdom.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/librar-1.jpg>.

Web log post. Http://3.bp.blogspot.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 July 2013. <https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN1uNAdX078zLSw1fRiWrvvE4EWeC0Rud0SZLayZ042CtVY4G5HKTc05yLPsQz5gKj9xe32JiRCJbHd2JewSxIPQwr_zukIiMvA-D8HOiPFmsiq4FmAFDYrvngDE01XOgaHngiYcaUQA/s1600/Niagara+Falls.jpg>.

Http://lerablog.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 July 2013. <http://lerablog.org/wp-/uploads/201content3/05/alaska-mountains.jpg>.