Chick Flick Splurge

Sometimes even the best of us break down and watch a few chick flicks now and then, right? : ) Don't get me wrong- I don't have anything against chick flicks. They can be entertaining and interesting like other movies. It's just. . . . . chick flicks have never exactly been the type of movie that I go out of my way to watch. So I surprised myself when upon arriving at Blockbuster I immediately picked up 2 chick flicks and 1 suspense movie.

I actually watched half of He's Just Not That Into You at a friend's house, and unfortunately I had to leave before I could finish it. It's taken me a while, but I've finally gotten around to finishing it : P This movie left me feeling good, almost optimistic about relationships in general. It wasn't precisely a feel-good movie, but I enjoyed it. The movie centers around different people in different stages of relationships and follows them through their varied ups and downs. The plot was intricate enough to keep me focused (sometimes my mind wanders during movies that I'm indifferent about) and with a cast like this, it would almost be impossible to go wrong. This chick flick stars Jennifer Aniston, Justin Long, Ben Affleck, Bradley Cooper, Drew Barrymore, Scarlett Johansson, Gennifer Goodwin, and Kevin Connolly to name but a few. The acting was great, I didn't have a single problem with the acting in this movie. Well. . . . . . I suppose I had a few issues with the chemistry in certain parts of the movie, but you'd have to be a really amazing actor to be able to fake chemistry.

Anyway, I'd recommend this movie to most girls looking for a fun chick flick and I bet it'd be a hit if you're looking for a good movie to watch at your next sleepover. And without further ado, here are some of the male cast members of He's Just Not That Into You and they will do part of my job for me : ) They're talking about why it's a great chick flick to watch because it doesn't have a lot of the usual clichés that you find in a typical chick flick. Oh, and even if you're not planning on watching this movie- check out the video anyway. Seriously, it's good for a laugh. Enjoy:


He's Just Not That Into You was the fist chick flick that I grabbed, but the second is a bit more embarrassing to admit to : )


I'll admit that I'm guilty of watching a couple of episodes of Sex and the City now and then. I kind of blame my mother for introducing me to the show >.< I'm not sure why they went for such extremes with this movie. . . . the beginning was all sugar and happiness (which isn't how the show is at all!) while the middle was just plain depressing. I wish that I'd watched this one before I watched He's Just Not That Into You, because this chick flick actually brought me down whereas He's Just Not That Into You left me feeling cheerful and optimistic. I can't reveal what was so depressing during a good portion of this movie, so you'll just have to take my word for it when I tell you that the Sex and the City movie is NOT a lighthearted, happy chickflick. The ending was okay, but I didn't enjoy the movie as a whole. The show is far better, so if you're interested in good, chickflicky stuff then check out the TV show and skip out on its movie.

So that's my chick flick splurge! Hopefully that'll last me for the rest of 2009, lol. Next up is my review of two more movies: Knowing and The Silence of the Lambs (which was the last movie that I picked up at Blockbuster). Very different, and a nice change, from the chick flicks : P What's SunnyD reading now? I'm reading a really good fantasy book called The Great Tree of Avalon: Child of the Dark Prophecy. Maybe I'll finish it in time to include it in my next post along with those other movies *Shrug* I'm trying to take my time with this book (something that Alanna's been recommending to Nikki and I for a long time).

~As always, I appreciate comments : ) Thank you for reading!

Summer Update

Hello, readers! Summer vacation is upon us, and I've been reading/watching movies/hanging out with friends/playing volleyball/working (remember that job interview I mentioned oh-so-long ago? I kind of got it) so I have a slightly good excuse for not updating in a while, right? : P Well, I do have good news to share: My volleyball team was in first place at the end of all the regular games! : D Our team name was Blue Ice, and we seriously kicked butt, if I do say so myself. Walking into the tournament, though, we received a bit of bad news. Our coach got word that 3 of our best players (we have 8 on our team) wouldn't be coming that day. The tournament was the last and most important part of this league! Having 5 players (there are meant to be 6 on the court) meant that there was almost no way that we'd win even a single game in the tournament. I'm proud to say that through sheer determination and teamwork, we got 2nd place : ) It was incredible, I don't know if I've ever been so proud of a team that I've been on in my life! Of course, that's not saying much, since I did a nonteam sport for the majority of my life (gymnastics) but I've been on a few teams since I quit gymnastics, and Blue Ice has been the most inspiring one yet.

Now, why have I not been updating more often if I've been reading so many books and watching so many movies? Well, it's summer vacation, and I'll admit to a bit of laziness when it comes to this blog. I'm sorry if anyone's missed reading me (haha, right). A few things that I've read this summer worth mentioning:
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. I'd recommend it to anyone- it's a trilogy, and it's fantastic. The characters are what really kept me reading it, but the plot itself is also fascinating. An excellent fantasy about demons; it's definitely the best book I've read this summer.
Streams of Babel by Carol Plum-Ucci. This was not something that I usually read, but I really enjoyed it! It's not a series and it's not fantasy, it's about bioterrorism. Sounds like a downer, or something teens wouldn't like? That's what I thought, but I read it for bookclub and I was pleasantly surprised by how gripping a novel it was.
Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson. This is a historical fiction book told from the point of view of a slave named Isabel during the Revolutionary War. I really loved it, and I hear there's going to be a sequel, which I will most definitely have to read when it comes out. This is a great historical fiction novel for those who don't usually read historical fiction. It's easy to get sucked into it, the author practically transports you into another world!
If you read and like the book Chains, I've also read Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson. I'm warning you, it's not as good as Chains, but it sucks you in all the same (some authors have that power. This is one of them). Do NOT pick up this book lightly. It's no fun read (the polar opposite of My Most Excellent Year, if you've read that review), it's about a girl with severe eating disorders and how she slowly comes to terms with them because her best friend also had severe eating disorders and died because of them. I only read it because of the author and how much I enjoyed Chains.
The Notebook. Most of you have probably already watched this movie, because it's been out for a while and it's extremely popular. This was my favorite thing that I've watched this summer. This is surprising, because it's very chick flicky, and I usually don't really like chick flicks. This is a lovestory set in North Carolina during the 1940's. It's based on a book, so I should probably read the book.... Anyway, the movie is beautiful and powerful, I enjoyed every minute of it. Oh, and Ryan Gosling is extremely gorgeous : ) Just saying.
Titanic. Again, most of you reading this have probably already seen the movie, but I just watched it this summer so I'm going to talk about it a little : ) This movie is centered around two people who fall in love on the Titanic and go through monumental danger together. It's extremely interesting, because it's one thing to know the basic story of how the Titanic sunk, but it's another thing altogether to live through it happening (which is the point of the movie, to try to make you see the sinking of the Titanic in a different light). Oh, and Leonardo DiCaprio is very good looking, if that matters to anyone reading this : P
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. I didn't really like this movie. It had little action, it was depressing, and Brad Pitt was old and disgusting looking for about half of the movie. He was only young and gorgeous for a few scenes >.< Yes, I watched Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I liked it okay, but the book was better. My biggest complaint with the movie was that it left out too many memories that Dumbledore showed Harry in the book. Because they didn't show these crucial memories, I think that anyone who hasn't read the books would have more trouble following the story. *Shrug* Then again, I HAVE read the books, so I can't experience the movie from the point of view of someone who hasn't, so maybe those memories aren't as important to understanding what's going on as I thought. Anyway, I wasn't blown away, but I liked the movie.

So there's a taste of what I've been entertaining myself with this summer : )

~I'm sorry that I don't keep up with this blog as thoroughly as I do during the school year.

Freedom Writers, Life is Beautiful, Marcelo in the Real World, and Dear Julia

Yes, my readers, it's been a long time since I last posted. To pay for this, I have several topics that I will be talking about, and my hands will most certainly feel cramped after typing this : ) I hope that gives those of you who have been waiting on a post some cruel satisfaction, lol.

My excuses for not posting are pretty valid, though. I've been so busy with after school activities like volleyball, chorus, bookclub, and work that my NHC hasn't been able to talk to me on the phone except for Sundays. I've always been a person that likes to stay busy, and I've definitely been busy because final exams are looming up ahead, and teachers have been piling on the homework to get us all prepared.

However, I like a full schedule, so me being me I signed up for another volleyball team in addition to the one I'm already on! I'm very excited, this next one starts on June 1st, and I always like to meet new coaches and teammates.

But enough about my boring life, I'm eager to talk about several books and movies that I've recently watched! In fact, there were so many that I actually had to CHOOSE what I would and wouldn't talk about this time (Two movies and a book I won't be discussing. Animal Farm got cut because I hate history and the whole thing was a giant historical metaphor, and The Great Debaters was okay but there was nothing particularly special about it that made me want to share my opinions with anyone. The book was Long Shadows, and it's part of the Warriors series, so that'd take too long to explain.)

This movie started out with a lot of violence, so I didn't have high expectations for it when I first started watching. I was surprised when it actually started to get good. I was knocked off my feet when one part hit a bit too close to home and I had to actually hold back tears. By the end I found myself wondering how I had even thought that this movie wouldn't be anything worth remembering at the beginning.

What makes this movie even better is that it's based on a true story. No lie. The acting also happened to be GREAT, it stars Hilary Swank, Patrick Dempsey, Scott Glenn, etc.

So, about the plot. It sort of reminded me of the movie Lean on Me (with Morgan Freeman) where one teacher tries to turn a bunch of students away from their rebellious ways and actually get them to shape up into a well educated class (I liked Lean on Me, too, in case anyone's interested). In this movie, Hilary Swank plays a new teacher at a school where you're defined by your race. All white people have their own gang, all black people have their own gang, all Hispanics have their own gang, all Asians have their own gang, and NO ONE intermingles. It's really bad, they actually kill each other if you're caught on another gang's territory. Sometimes for even less than that.

Mrs. Gruwell (referred to by her students as Mrs. G) has high hopes for her first class. She prepares a well thought out lesson plan, wears her most professional clothes, and walks into a teacher's nightmare. The picture below is of the real Erin Gruwell:

The movie follows her journey through attempting to understand her class and her brilliant methods of bonding with them. Mrs. Gruwell has her students write in these journals so that she can discover each child's story and gain a better understanding of why they have these gangs so that she can put a stop to as much of the violence as she can and ultimately help the students find their place in the world. The movie (and book, if you want to read it rather than watch it) is called Freedom Writers because of the journals the students kept.

I liked this movie a lot, it was very inspiring. It makes you really FEEL like someone, not just a face in an endless crowd. You learn that each person has their own story to tell, and that no hatred is too deep to be solved.

This movie I had to watch in my history class, and it is quite sad. I can't say that I enjoyed watching it, but I do think that this is a movie worth watching if it's the kind of thing that you're into.

The plot is kind of divided into two halves. The first half of the movie is a charming, funny romantic plot. The second half is a chill you to the bone sad plot about the Holocaust. The movie is set in 1930's Italy and the main character, Guido Orefice, is hopelessly head over heals in love with a teacher named Dora. He gets into many hilarious situations with her, but unfortunately for him, Dora is engaged to another man. The first half of the movie is about Guido persistently trying to win the heart of the woman of his dreams.

The second half of the movie is set a few years later when Guido has a family, but they are all taken away by Nazis to a concentration camp. Guido's son is very young, and to avoid traumatizing his boy, Guido comes up with an imaginative (and very untrue) fantasy to explain to his son why they've been taken away from their home to this awful new place. He tells his son that it's all a contest, and that there's a point system for how well you obey the mean Germans. His son loved to play with toy tanks back before they were captured, so Guido tells him that the prize is a REAL tank. Here's the trailer for the movie:



It makes it seem far happier than it really is. Just warning you. The beginning is cute, though...

I liked this book, honestly, I did. The points that I make may make it seem like I didn't find it well written, but it really was and while it wasn't the best read it was still pretty good.

Marcelo is about 17 or 18 years old, and he's been sheltered his entire life because he has a mental disorder. He's autistic, and the closest thing to describing what he has is Asperger Syndrome (deficiencies in social and communication skills). He's gone to a private school called Patterson for his entire life, which a school for those with disabilities. He doesn't really need to go to this school because his disability isn't bad enough that he couldn't go to public school, he just feels safer at Patterson.

Marcelo has a gift with working with animals, and he gets a job working with the ponies at Patterson over the summer. Marcelo couldn't be more delighted. That is, until his father gives him a tough decision to make. Arturo (his dad) insists that Marcelo either go to public school for his senior year or that Marcelo work at his law firm for one summer. His dad is trying to get Marcelo to interact with people more and learn to function "in the real world." Marcelo decides to work at the law firm where he meets people and encounters tough choices that help him realize where his place really is and how he's going to get there.

My biggest complaint with this book is that it built up a lot of anticipation for something that never happened. The underlying romance of the story is between him and this girl, Jasmine, who also works at his father's law firm. Throughout the book, Marcelo tries to figure out what love really is and what makes a woman beautiful. I kept waiting for this solidifying moment between Marcelo and Jasmine to satisfy that aspect of the plot, to help Marcelo see more clearly what the difference is between friendship and love. That moment was kind of there, but it wasn't good enough for my taste. *Shrug* But this is just one small complaint! I liked the book, it held my interest, and I would recommend it if you're thinking of giving it a chance.

This is a fantastic, glowing example of a book that I highly DISLIKED. I wouldn't suggest this book to anyone, it was a serious disappointment. I can't believe this girl in my book club liked it, she usually has better taste than this.

This story is about a girl name Elaine and her friend Lucida. Elaine has no friends in school before Lucida comes along in her junior year of high school, she plays no sports, has no extracurricular activities, but she is very bright when it comes to academics. However, academics aren't what interests Elaine, despite what her mother wants for her. No, Elaine dreams of becoming a wonderful chef with her own cooking school.

Lucida has this "weakness" for a boy named Croton Harmon, who is her competition when it comes to being casted for plays and various other things. She knows that she should hate Croton (he's awful to her) but she's a sucker for his good looks. She befriends Elaine randomly, and they team up together to get revenge on Croton for a cruel thing that he did to Lucida during an audition.

Eventually, Lucida discovers Elaine's deepest secret: her obsession with French food. Elaine is a pro when it comes to French cooking, and her idol is Julia Child. Elaine writes letters to Julia Child, asking various questions about how to cook this or that/telling Mrs. Child about how her cooking skills are developing. Elaine never sends these letters, though, because she's painfully shy. Lucida helps Elaine to discover enough courage to enter a cooking competition with the tempting prize of a scholarship to a prestigious cooking school. Whether Elaine follows through or not, I shall not reveal.

It sounds like an interesting book, right? Well it's not, for one reason, and one reason only: The story is meant to be told by teenagers, but the author has NO understanding whatsoever as to how REAL teenagers live and act. It made the entire book seem fake and unbelievable, which is a shame because the plot is actually quite good. That's the only reason that I even finished the book, was because of the plot. Just don't even give this book a chance, though. It's not worth it.

I was going to include a journal post in this, but I'll have to save until the next post. My hands are screaming for a break : P

~My next post will be a journal post, I promise!

Jellicoe Road, 17 Again, and Lemurs

Here we go, readers: This'll be a book review, a movie review, and a journal post! Since my poll said that the majority of people who read this blog (which, I'll admit, is very few) enjoy a variety of topics, I'm going to try to give more variety from now on.

Jellicoe Road was recommended to me by every single member of my bookclub that had read the book. I'm just going to say this now: If you are capable of reading, then I don't care what type of books you like, you have to read this book.

No matter who you are, what you're into reading, or how old you are (actually, scratch that, any kids reading this should be warned. Maybe ages 12+ or something) you'd get pulled into this book and sucked into the plot. It's impossible not to.

This book is set in Australia, and it is told from the view point of Taylor Markham. Taylor is about 17 years old, and her mom abandoned her a long time ago (I think she was 9) at a 7 Eleven on Jellicoe Road. She goes to this boarding school-ish place there for kids with issues (mostly kids without parents) and is the leader of her school when it comes to the territory wars. Taylor's school, the townies, and the cadets all fight over territory with each other, and there are many rules and regulations to follow about these territory wars found in what they call the Little Purple Book.

One day, the only person in Taylor's life that she really cares about, Hannah (she's the one who found Taylor at the Seven Eleven, and is not really a mother figure to Taylor- more like an older sister), disappears. Hannah's left behind this manuscript that she's written over the years, and this manuscript contains many secrets about five people who met on the Jellicoe Road a long time ago. Their names are Narnie, Jude, Webb, Tate, and Fitz. Taylor doesn't know anything about this seemingly fictional manuscript, but soon its secrets transform her life forever.

To say that this book is well written would be an understatement. The author did a remarkable, fantastic job with weaving an intricate and mysterious story. Words cannot describe how powerful this book was. Every emotion that Taylor felt hit me as hard as if I were the one experiencing it.

What really made this book a winner for me was the story, though. Everything part of it works together marvelously to help you figure out Taylor's past, and it all comes to you in little pieces throughout the book that make you extremely curious about how it all fits in together. Please, if you're reading this, give Jellicoe Road a chance. Go check it out at your closest library and I promise that you will not be disappointed.
Me, I hate High School Musical. I complain about it almost everyday with my friends 'cause we are forced to sing a song from the 3rd movie in my chorus class (we're doing a fun end-of-the-year Disney themed concert). Having said that, my brain associated Zac Efron with Disney because of High School Musical. Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised when I watched 17 Again with my friends yesterday.

It was a very teen-ish movie with lots of teen humor in it. My friends and I all liked it, we were all laughing a lot (and crying a little at one part). It was a very fun movie, but not one that I'd recommend seeing with parents (GOS, I'm saying that for you're benefit).

Anyway, this story's plot is a bit done (very similar to Back To The Future in several parts) but it was still very good. Overall, I thought it was quite fun, and very appropriate for our mini Girl's Night Out : )

I don't think I really need to give much of a plot overview for it, though. Here's a short one: A man named Mike O'Donnell is getting divorced with his wife, Scarlett. He loves his children, but he doesn't really know them. When he meets a mysterious old man, he gets a second chance at being 17 years old. He tries to fix things with his family as a 17 year old that they don't know, and he gets into some hilarious situations along the way (with his friend Ned, who's played by Thomas Lennon. He's hysterical).

I thought it was great, so if you're in the mood to watch something fun with your friends, think about 17 Again. And for you boys out there: It is not a chickflick, so don't try that excuse if your girlfriend asks you to see it with her : P

Now, my Lemurs topic. I don't want to reveal where I live on this blog, so I'm just going to say that I spent the day with my family at my brother's college. I recently decided to support a lemur at this program that they run, so I sponsor a Slow Loris named Doodlebug with about $50 a year. Today I visited Doodlebug and all of his lemur friends : ) He looks something like this:

It was dark in there, though (he's nocturnal) so all I could see was a general view of him running through the branches. He's about as small as a squirrel, and very quick! The diurnal lemurs I got a better look at, and they were very interesting as well.

Here's a fun little video of a slow loris (not Doodlebug) getting tickled. My friend Alanna saw this on youtube and sent it to me after I told her about Doodlebug:


After our lemur tour, my family and I went to visit the school's gardens, which were lovely. There were many ponds, flowers, bridges, ducks, geese, etc. It was like a gorgeous park but with tons of college students studying everywhere/hanging out ^_^ It was very relaxing strolling through the gardens on such a sunny day, everything about it was picturesque. There was even a wedding going on, so there was nice music playing by one of the ponds. My brother says that there are always weddings in the gardens because they're so beautiful.

After the fun activities, we started to help my brother move some of his stuff from his dorm room back to our house. School's almost over for him, so he's not moving out of his dorm yet, but we decided that it's going to take us two trips to get all his crud out of there (it still boggles my mind that such a tiny, cramped dorm can hold two boys and all of that crap they have). I helped without complaint, but that's mostly because we had the door open as we cleaned/packed with my brother, and several hot guys tend walk through my brother's dorm halls shirtless. Also, one of his friends dropped by to help us, and he was really nice and funny so that also made the dull (and slightly disgusting, when we got to the closet) work go by faster.

So for me, this weekend has been really fun so far. I had a great time yesterday watching 17 Again with my friends (who I don't get to see nearly as much as I'd like to) and today I was outdoors enjoying the nice weather with my family. The icing on the cake would be if NHC and I get together tomorrow, but he didn't call me today to set anything up. Actually, he hasn't called me in a while. *Sigh* It takes a lot of effort to make a relationship work if you don't go to the same school as the person you're dating, maybe I'll call him tomorrow... Wish me luck.

~Comments are appreciated!

Gattaca, The Lake House, and My Busy Week

I've watched two movies recently, I'll be reviewing Gattaca and then The Lake House.

I liked Gattaca, but it's quite sci-fi. If you're one of those people that can't get into science fiction, then I don't recommend this movie. However, if you're interested in science/genetics, then WATCH GATTACA!

The acting was pretty good in my opinion, and the story was fascinating. The movie was made in 1997, and I'd already seen it once before, but I liked it so much that I watched it again : P I'm lying, they made us watch it in class last week, but I still enjoyed it a second time!!

The main character, Vincent Freeman, is a natural born person. See, in his future time, all parents ask geneticists to make their children genetically perfect. These super people are the upper class of their futuristic society, and the natural born people like Vincent are only allowed simple and boring jobs like being a janitor.

Being a janitor isn't good enough for Vincent, though. He wants to travel into space, specifically through the space station/research center called Gattaca. He teams up with a genetically perfect man, Jerome Marrow, who is paralyzed from the waist down. Jerome, who's paralyzation lost him his dream of being a top swimmer, decides to help Vincent achieve his dream of going into space. Using blood, urine, and hair samples from Jerome, Vincent successfully fools Gattaca by pretending to be Jerome. Soon, he'll be in outer space, following his dream.

Unfortunately, a murder is committed in Gattaca before Vincent's launch into space. This delay brings swarms of investigators into Gattaca, and soon Vincent is suspected of being an "invalid" (naturally born) man. Will Vincent and Jerome keep their ruse up long enough for Vincent to reach his dreams of space travel? Or will Vincent be convicted for a murder that he didn't commit, just because he's an "invalid"?

My mother wanted me to watch this movie. Basically, the two main characters fall in love as they write letters to each other because she sold him this lake house (which led to them getting to know each other through these letters). They live in the same area, but they have to write letters because she lives in the year 2006 and he lives in the year 2004. Odd, huh? I thought it was.

The movie held my interest, the acting was good, and I liked the ending. Overall, I don't have much to say about it. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either. *Shrug* If I was really pressed, I guess I'd lean more towards the "I liked it okay" end of the spectrum. There are better movies out there to watch, though (like Gattaca).

So, I've had quite the busy week. There hasn't been a single day after school so far that I haven't had something going on! Between my volleyball practice and then game, chorus rehearsal then chorus concert, and book club I've had a lot to occupy my time. I love to stay busy (idleness is the devil's playground), but this week was just go, go, go from the start. The weekend is pleasantly calm (so far).

In my speech class, we've had to tell scary story speeches as our latest speech topic. I thought mine went well considering that my audience seemed to be paying attention, I got a lot of applause at the end, and my teacher even complimented me before I left class that day. Sorry, I'm a bit smug about that speech 'cause I was worried that I wouldn't remember certain parts of it but it worked out well in the end. Anyway, I enjoyed listening to my classmates' stories, but some of them REALLY freaked me out! *Shudder* I won't be watching any horror movies for a while, I can tell you that! I've had my fair share of frightening stories for now.

I saw Synfan for the first time in about six months or so. She came to my chorus concert (which went well) and we've been catching up over the phone. It was great to see her, I really wish that she would come back to my school! *Sob* I've actually been talking to several people over the phone today, but I managed to take a nice long bike ride around my neighborhood, too : ) It was a beautiful day outside, and the combination of sunlight, green leaves, and lovely flowers was incredibly relaxing. I hope the weather stays like this, it's been too cold for too long...

I have a biology study group tomorrow at the library, which I'm actually (being nerdy to the core) kind of excited about. That's mostly because Bubbles and Merrickle will be there, though, not just because of biology. We always end up having fun when we hang out, no matter what our topic for meeting is.

Oh, and I have so many good books to read that I'm doing something that I almost NEVER do: I'm reading more than one book at once! *Cue Loud Chorus of Gasps* I know, it's very exciting stuff : P Seriously, though, I typically pick one book to focus on at a time, but I have so many amazing books at the moment that I can't choose just one! It'll be interesting to see which one I finish first, and which one I like the best.

~I'm thinking of changing my blog template again, should I stay green or choose a different color?

Rumors, My Most Excellent Year, and Les Misérables

I'll be talking about two books and one movie in this post. It's odd, because the one book that I read entirely by choice, Rumors, I wasn't as impressed with. However, the two things I was kind of forced to endure (My Most Excellent Year for bookclub and Les Misérables for history class) I absolutely loved. *Shrug* I guess the world works in mysterious ways. . . . . Well, I'll start with Rumors. This book was the sequel to The Luxe, which I already raved about in a past post. Er, this is hard-ish to describe. . . . I liked this book, but that's about all I can say for it. It just wasn't as consuming and fascinating as The Luxe was. I'm not really sure what it was that made it worse, either. I suppose it was a bit slower, and DEFINITELY sadder. It wasn't bad, though, just a bit of a letdown for me. Honestly, I don't have much to say about this book, so I'll just leave it at this: Read The Luxe. It's fantastic, but if you do read The Luxe, you'll have to read Rumors, which isn't as fantastic, but you have to read it to find out what happens. There's one book in the series left, and it's called Envy. I'll let you guys know what I think of Envy once I get it, which shouldn't be too long (I have it reserved at the library). This book was AMAZING!! Loved it, LOVED IT, couldn't get enough of it, WONDERFUL book!! *Deep Breath* Sorry, I get excited : D This book isn't written like a traditional story is written, it's a bunch of e-mails, IM's, text messages, and journal entries of three main characters (they're all 14 years old): T.C. Keller: Lives with his dad, he lost his mom at a young age : ( He follows his dreams closely, and has a very big heart. T.C. is one of those characters that you can't help but love, he's just a great kid! His dad is very encouraging, one of those, "you can accomplish anything if you put your mind to it," cool dads. It is with this can-do-it attitude that T.C. walks into his 9th grade year with. . . . . and then he meets Alejandra, and suddenly he learns that some things just don't work out as planned. Also, a mysterious 6-year-old boy teaches T.C. several things about himself that he might never have figured out on his own. Alejandra Perez: She is the daughter of some ambassador (can't remember which) and has been dragged through extremely boring, political gatherings her entire life. It's been assumed for a long time that she would get a degree in government at Harvard, and she hasn't exactly fought it, even though her interests lie elsewhere. Going into 9th grade, she considers herself FAR too smart to fall for the gray T-shirt wearing T.C. Keller. He's not even worth giving a chance, and neither is their school talent show. Such things are below Alejandra. Augie Hwong: Is fabulous, and he's not afraid of showing it! ^_^ He hates football, but pursues other sports, even though musicals are his passion!! With a great brother like T.C. with him, 9th grade is looking great for Augie. But when Andy Wexler catches Augie's eye, things suddenly get a heck of a lot more complicated... where SHOULD he look exactly when he's in the locker room? Was life ALWAYS this confusing?! My Most Excellent Year also happens to be hilarious along with heartwarming, so I highly recommend it to anybody who wants a light, simple book to enjoy. I was sure that this movie would be another boring history movie that I would just have to suffer through while trying to ignore the comments of Allie G. (he wants me to call him that, but his name is Aleks), but it actually held my interest the entire time. Not only that, but I found myself sitting on the edge of my chair, dying to know what would happen next. Don't get me wrong, this movie is NOT for everybody. It's sad, there's a lot of violence, and the ending isn't exactly a feel-good ending. . . . . In fact, it's odd that I liked the movie so much. It's such a downer, but I was glued to the screen from start to finish. In this case, I'm not really sure if it's a good movie, I could just be weird. Anyway, it's set in France around the start of the French Revolution. The story follows Jean Val Jean, a convict who was only guilty of stealing a loaf of bread when he was starving during a harsh time of his life. He even did his time in prison for it! However, that one event haunts him for his entire life because one man, Javert is determined to prove that Lafitte (the name that Jean Val Jean claims for the majority of the movie) is really the convict Jean Val Jean. Love does find Jean Val Jean, but of course (this movie really is horribly depressing, I have no clue why I liked it so much) tragedy strikes and he's left with almost nothing to live for. However, one little girl named Cosette gives Jean Val Jean hope, and then the story pretty much follows her. Does she find love? If so, will tragedy strike them again?? You'll have to watch the movie if you want to find out. Be warned, I'm not necessarily recommending the movie. Here's the trailer if you're interested: ~I'm on Spring Break, and loving it : )

Newsies

I LOVE this musical!! x D It was made in 1992 and it stars Christian Bale and David Moscow. I recently got to watch it in a class of mine, and my friends and I were overjoyed (but for most of them I think they were just excited about seeing a movie with Christian Bale in it, which is perfectly understandable) and singing along to all the songs. I'm very sad to report that Blockbuster doesn't carry this movie : ( even though they totally should. It's amazing.

Newsies is set in New York during the year 1899 (which is kind of cool, because the book Rumors that I'm reading is set in 1899 too) and is centered around the young boys who sell newspapers that call themselves newsies. When the newspaper publishers raise the distribution price of their newspapers, the poor newsies go on a strike (which is led by Jack Kelly, Christian Bale's character). Jack and his friend David's journey together as newsies is fascinating and very touching, and the songs sung during this musical are great. I'll be singing at least one Newsies song at my next chorus concert, which is awesome but also means that I'll have the songs stuck in my head for months *Shrug* Oh well, it's a price that I'm willing to pay.

Here is one of the songs sung in Newsies, the guy who starts the song is David (played by David Moscow) and the guy who says, "Anybody hear that? So what are we gonna do about it?!" is Jack (played by Christian Bale). It's called Seize the Day:



That's my favorite Newsies song, but there are plenty of other good ones!

~If you like musicals, watch Newsies!

Gone, Job Interview, Debate, and Birthdays

I finished Gone, by Michael Grant. I'll do a quick book review because I have a LOT of journal things to discuss.

Wow, I was really surprised by this book, and not in a good way. The entire story is centered around this town in which everyone the age 15 and over disappears, and there's this barrier around the town that can't be broken or escaped from or anything. The basic question that keeps the reader hooked is, "What's causing these strange things to happen?" I was rooting for the aliens. *Sigh* I won't reveal the ending because. . . . . . . there's nothing to reveal. You're still kept in the dark.

Not only that, but the author just wouldn't stop adding multiple, almost impossibly dangerous conflicts to the story. Some authors, such as Stephenie Meyer, can wrap up every aspect of the plot with a nice little bow that keeps almost every reader satisfied. This dude gives you NOTHING!! I was beyond disappointed, especially since his writing style is so interesting and unique.

Long story short, it was a book with a fantastic beginning and middle but a horrible ending. The ending is what ruined it for me. Other than that, it was a great book that I would have recommended to anybody. However, due to the ending I will not be advising anyone in their right mind to read Gone.

Alrighty- moving on. I had a job interview recently, and I'm REALLY hoping that I get the job. It's not anything huge, but if I don't get that job I'll be pretty upset. It's the only job that I actually want, I'd have a lot of fun working there.

I think that the manager (he was the one who interviewed me) liked me, but I can't be sure. . . . . he wasn't very chatty *Shrug* I'll know if I got the job by April 15th. I'll definitely be crossing my fingers a lot that day : )

The third topic, debate, is about this victory I got in Speech class (no, not speech like learning how to talk correctly. Like talking in front of lots of people without sweating bullets and feeling dizzy) on Friday. I had this big debate that I worked pretty hard on, and I won it by ONE vote!! It was so close; it made victory all the sweeter, haha.

The topic was whether Oreo cookies are better than Chips Ahoy. I was on the negative side, arguing for Chips Ahoy. I had two other teammates, but only one of them was any help at all. She was great at thinking on her feet, and I delivered the well researched Constructive speech. Together, we convinced my class that Chips Ahoy are better than Oreos : D It was a major confidence booster to win that one. We took a poll of our class a few days before the debate, and the majority preferred Oreos. The fact that my good teammate and I could convince them otherwise is very empowering.

Now, my last topic, BIRTHDAYS!! There are many birthdays in March (including my own) and I've been having a great weekend due to them. I had my own party with seven of my good friends, which was awesome (luv you guys) and I went out to dinner with NHC and his family because it's his Dad's B-Day. All in all, it's made for a crazy fun weekend ^_^ It was a busy week too as far as school goes, I'll be so happy when Spring Break comes around and I can just relax...

*Whew* I thought this post would be huge, and look at that! Not bad at all, if I do say so myself. So, what is SunnyD reading now? I'm in the process of reading Rumors, the second book in the Luxe series. So far it's not as attention-grabbing as The Luxe was, but I'm only in the beginning. Things can get interesting quickly.

~My next post will be about Newsies! If you don't know what in the world Newsies is, that's okay, hardly anyone does...

Becoming Jane

Ah, Jane Austen. I enjoyed watching this, but it was heartbreakingly sad. I'll definitely have to read her books someday, they'll probably be ten times more amazing than the movies. I'm not saying the movies are bad, but typically movies are always a bit worse than the books that they're based off of. *Shrug* At least, that's my opinion.

I admire that Jane Austen didn't accept Mr. Wisley's proposal when she had the chance, that she wanted to marry for love. Unfortunately for her, love came to her in a most desirable and yet impossible form. To me, and I'm not usually the type of person who thinks this way, fate seemed to frown upon Jane Austen and Tom Lefroy. Not in a forbidden love kind of way, and not that well-maybe-they're-just-not-meant-to-be kind of way either. I saw it in a very simple view: that they're love was true, but fate did not deal them the right hand for them to pursue it.

As a movie, I enjoyed it very much. My favorite scene was the one in which Jane was walking in the woods with that deaf friend of hers, communicating to him in sign language. Tom, who appears to be numb from suppressing his emotions for her for too long, walks up to Jane and begins to apologize for something that I won't reveal : P Jane responds very curtly, almost coldly. However, the deaf man asks her in sign language if she is in love with Tom. Jane shakes her head vigorously and goes into a long explanation as to why she doesn't love Tom in sign language. Then Tom, appearing to snap out of his numb reverie-ish state, runs forword growling, "I can't take this!" and proceeds to kiss Jane fiercely. Jane kisses him back intensely, as if she too had been surpressing her emotions for too long. Then, once their lips part, she starts beating his chest with all of the force she can muster. The deaf man watches all of this with increasing confusion, and I found this scene to be quite funny/bittersweet.

Despite my positive opinion of the movie, I do have to admit that I liked Pride and Prejudice better. There was more happening in that movie, more to get into. Also, I thought that Keira Knightley looked more like the role of a young woman of the eighteenth century than Anne Hathaway did. They both did incredible as far as the acting goes, but Anne Hathaway just didn't look the part to me. This is just one small complaint, though, because Anne Hathaway did a fantastic job (as always).

I'll leave you readers with this: If you're thinking of watching a Jane Austen based movie, then watch Pride and Prejudice. If you like that, then watch Becoming Jane. I suppose I'll have to watch Sense and Sensibility someday, but probably not for a while. Once I do, it'll be interesting to see how it compares with the others...

So, what is SunnyD reading now? Well, I'm reading something for my bookclub called Gone by Michael Grant. I'm the first person of my bookclub to read it, so my review will affect how many others read it after me. I'm about halfway through it, and I think I'll give it a lightly positive review (but that could change). The story is intriguing and the author writes it well, but the ending is very key. Basically, the entire story is centered around one pivotal aspect of their altered world, and I won't know whether or not I approve of the book until I get to the answer of the huge mystery. It'll be at the end, though, because once it is discovered that'll be the end of all the central plot points.

~I'm enjoying the weekend, I hope you all are too!

Extras and An Inspirational Story

I'm finally finished with the Uglies series (unless he writes another one, of course) and I was pretty satisfied with it. The ending was great, it left me with a nice closing feeling. Every piece of the plot was solved, and there was a good deal of action. However, I did have my issues with it. . . .

First and foremost was the little romance story within it. The author gets a huge FAIL from me as far as the romance goes. He really shouldn't have even tried, it just sucked. It was surprising, because I don't remember the romance in his other books being as horrible as the romance in this one. I literally found myself skipping the romantic parts because they were so awfully written. They were random and loveless. Ugh, just TERRIBLE! *Deep Breath* I'll stop now before I go overboard, but take my word for it, if you read this skip over the romantic parts.

My second complaint was the beginning. It's not that I couldn't get into it, but he lingered too long on certain parts that I don't think he needed to spend so much time describing. Sure, they were pretty central to the story, but I wish that he'd made the part with the Sly Girls a bit more brief. If he'd done that, I think he would've had more room to describe the ending climax, which I would've like a bit more detail on. *Shrug* Not a huge issue, but definitely something worth mentioning.

Other than that, it was a good book. It was really easy to step into the main character's shoes, and the mystery of the inhumans was fascinating. Again, the ending was my favorite part, it was really well done. *Applause for Scott Westerfeld*

Now, for the inspirational story topic. I was had been at Maddie's house from about 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM (it was great seeing her, it had been a while since I last saw her) and her mom was giving me a ride home. Maddie's little sisters, Jesse and Lily, were in the back of the van being relatively quiet for a change. Maddie's mom was describing the difference between a stick shift and an automatic when something occured to me.

I just want to say this now: I would never ask this personal a question to any of my other friends' parents, but Maddie's parents practically helped raise me, and I was comfortable asking them anything.

So anyway, I asked her how she met Maddie's dad. I know that seems pretty random, and I'm not exactly sure how my brain went from the topic of driving stick shift to how Maddie's mom met Maddie's dad, but it did.

I won't describe the story she told me and the twins because it's not my story to tell. I will tell you that it was very inspirational, and it made me really believe that true love is out there for everyone. It wasn't all love and happiness, though, there were many hardships in the story as well. Her main point was that everything happens for a reason, and you might not necessarily see the reason for something happening while it's going on, but eventually you'll be able to look back and say something like, "Wow, I can't believe that something good actually came out of that."

It made me wonder a lot about what the future holds. I've decided that for the time being I'll just go with the flow, and maybe someday I'll have a story of my own.

~My next post will be about the movie Becoming Jane with Anne Hathaway starring as Jane Austen. I hope it'll be good (I won't have much to compare it to, though. The only other Jane Austen based movie I've seen is the Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightly, and I haven't read any of the books).