I want to be a writer.
I love the silence that writing has. When all you hear is the scraping of pen on paper or the clicking of the keyboard. And nothing else. Nothing but that.
But writing is also one of the loudest things I do.
My mind is a giant cacophny of noise and thoughts that I literally cannot control. My mind is chaotic and a giant labyrinth that I am constantly lost in and trying to make sense of. I know it sounds, unpleasant, but if you compare it to Jim Henson's Labyrinth, it's actually quite breathtaking.
Until you do become hopelessly lost in the strings that you've tangled yourself up in.
I can't say that I'm actually very good at writing. In fact, I'm a rather rubbish writer.
Somebody else could write this a whole lot better than I could. Somebody else could make my characters become three dimensional better than me. I'm not gifted to write, it doesn't come as naturally as it does for others. My writing takes work.
I hope that one day I can open up one of my stories and look at my words and realize their worth. I wish I could spot the diamonds in the rough, the phrases that sparkle and make me feel something.
There are times where I avoid writing because I believe the story is too good to be tainted by my inadequate skills. These characters too good, the world too exquisite. If I place my fingers on that keyboard and begin, it will never be as good as I hope it will be.
Somebody can do it so much better.
It drives me insane to feel this way because I need to write to survive. My soul, my heart, and my mind live off of words, the creating of phrases and thoughts that pierce the mind and make you pause for thought. My mind yearns for the beautiful word, the carefully crafted tale.
I wish I knew how others do it. How did Dickinson, Dickens, and Austen write the foundation of classical literature? How did Tolkien, Lewis and Burroughs create the forge the begining of fantastical literature? How does Rowling, Martin and Riordan sustain that expectation? How do they do it? I want to make my words fly off of the page and become real inside someone's head. I want to make someone feel something. I want a phrase of my story to be written on a scratch piece of paper when they need those words for strength. I want my words to inspire and lift, to restore hope in a younger reader's mind. I want to create something that makes people feel, makes people think.
I could be doing it now, but I don't know. I don't know where my value is when it comes to writing.
I feel frustrated, I feel incompetent. I wish I could be better. I wish I could feel like my words are crisp, strong, powerful and emphatic rather than under-cooked and soft, without any flavor or vibrancy.
I want to be a writer. I want people to see my worlds and see them like they are home. Because to me, my stories are home. I have created a haven I can escape to when I write. In that world, there are characters and creatures who know me better than I and are waiting to be crafted and molded under my direction. They wait so patiently for me to be ready. My world is far too good to me, far too patient.
I want to be writer, but do not know yet if I have earned such a title.
December 5, 2016
November 28, 2016
It's Worth It
Whenever I tell someone that I plan to write 50,000 words in 30 days, I always get the same sentiment, "Are you insane?"
Sometimes I wonder the same thing. This year especially.
It's odd to think that I've been doing this since 2011. I remember the first time that I ever did it. I was in ninth grade, still rather poor in my writing, and far too timid to share anything I wrote. I wrote a story based off of my imaginary friend when I was little. Her name is Stacey and she's a sage, a magic-user. She has a twin sister (then named Roxy) who's a total punk-runker and they embark on all sorts of dangerous missions together and save the galaxy. Because saving the the world was far too small and humble for fifteen year old Kenra.
Looking back at those first 50,000 words I had ever dedicated for NaNoWriMo, I feel a mixture of pride and the urge to cringe at just how bad it was. There was an entire 2,000 words dedicated to a princess slumber party that had nothing to do with the plot-line. But it was something to fill in the gaps while I waited for inspiration to come back from their lunch break.
Since then I have learned that no NaNoWriMo is the same. No writing experience will ever be the same and every story requires a different writing muscle to make the words mesh well. Writing an entire novel is never easy, and a rather thankless job, and slightly insane, but it is entirely worth it.
With the four and a half novels that I have written for NaNoWriMo I have written a total of 213,660 words. It's a bit surreal to think that each and every single one of those words was written and arranged by me. It wasn't procured by chance or magic. It comes about by practicing habitual writing, by staying up late nearly every night to reach the word goal for the day. It comes from writing about princess parties because you can think of nothing else to write about. It comes from true grit and dedication.
This year's NaNoWriMo has definitely been one of the hardest. As I get older I become more and more unsatisfied with the place that I am at in my writing. I create doubts and a poor judgement about what kind of writer and even what kind of person I am. This year, as you already knew, was difficult just to even convince myself to begin. I didn't think I could be good enough to write another 50,000 words. But with help from my best friend, I was able to get NaNoWriMo rolling.
A week into NaNoWriMo, that inspiration bit the dust pretty quick. I began to feel so exhausted of trying to do something that my heart just wasn't into. The prompts that my friend and I had planned were great and excellent prompts, but they did not inspire me to create a brand new story. At the end of the week, my friend and I traded ideas for the stories we had written. My friend was so enthusiastic about every story she had written, talking about how they would all make great novels someday. She shared excerpts and ideas with me and I was eager to be excited for her, but then reluctant to share my own stories. There was nothing good about them.
I was already sick of coming up with a brand new cast of characters each day only to write 2,000 words of their story. It's likely that I will never finish any of these character's stories, simply because I didn't care enough about them to begin with. At that point, I was ready to just delete the file and call it quits.
It took a very late night phone call with my brother for me to realize that I was doing this entirely wrong.
The quality and style of someone's writing should never be compared, competed or clashed with another's writing style. The motivation to write should never be to become as good as this person, to be at this reading level, to beat this person at the word goal. It should never be a tool that competes against another. And for the past week, that was exactly what I had done for the past two months. I had placed my writing next to that of Tolkien, Rowling and countless other published and successful authors and found my works to be worth nothing. I even read through my friend's stories and found the faults in my stories next to hers. I had made it my goal to be better than them, all of them, and found that the order was too tall for me to ever manage in 30 days, or ever.
If you want to succeed in writing, you need to practice writing for yourself first. The story begins with you, the story is created by you. There is no one more important than you when you're story is involved. Write how you want to write, and don't try to make it better or as good as somebody else's. If you must compete, compete with yourself.
Once I figured that out, the prompts became a bit easier to manage. I still didn't think they were my favourite method of writing and I was still sick of writing new characters, and a new plot-line each day, but I was at least writing for the right reason. It wasn't about being the next Tolkien, it wasn't about being as good as my friend (who truly is an amazing and incredibly talented writer) and it wasn't about making a masterpiece on the first try.
Around November 25th, I finally chose to stop the prompts and just write something for myself. When I did that, the story I wrote was incredible. The characters were easy to write, the setting was so clear in my head and the story unfolded like a pop-up book. I had been writing in black and white for the past sixteen days and suddenly there was color. Vibrant unabashedly neon colors that weaved through my words and danced before my visionary eyes. It was the most exhilarating moment to realize that I was capable of writing something that made me feel good. It suddenly became much easier to reach my daily word goal, and even going beyond and finishing my 50,000 words before the end of the month.
This advice may not apply to everyone. Some people may need a little competition to get their words on the page, but that wasn't for me. I needed to write for myself and find the words that seemed to have been hiding in the shadows of my mind. I still and probably will continue to struggle finding where my stories stand when it comes to whether they're good enough to be read by others, but at this point in my life, that doesn't matter. What matters is that I am enjoying what I'm doing. Someday, if I practice hard enough and never stop the habit of daily writing, maybe I will be as good as Tolkien. But I'm not expecting that result to happen anytime in the near future. Today, I'm going to be as good as me, Kenra Cook.
Of the 50,000 words I wrote, I am only proud of around 8,000 words of it. Some could consider that a failure, but I see that as a victory. Writing has and never will be an easy thing for me to do. Time and self-doubts try to choke what little inspiration I have each day. It's a battle to commit to writing, especially when people are out doing normal sociable things that seem super fun. But it is so worth it. It's worth it to me for those 8,000 words I wrote. It's worth it because I love it.
I hope for those that read this, that they can find something that they love to do. God has given each of us a talent. I am so grateful for the gifts that I have been given, and I intend to show that gratitude by writing as much as I can in this lifetime.
Thank you for your support and all of you're kind words that encourage me through every chapter of my life and through the chapters of my character's life. Your kindness does not go unnoticed.
If you'd like a preview of some of this year's NaNoWriMo, click here. I hope some day Naomi Scott can rock the world.
Sometimes I wonder the same thing. This year especially.
It's odd to think that I've been doing this since 2011. I remember the first time that I ever did it. I was in ninth grade, still rather poor in my writing, and far too timid to share anything I wrote. I wrote a story based off of my imaginary friend when I was little. Her name is Stacey and she's a sage, a magic-user. She has a twin sister (then named Roxy) who's a total punk-runker and they embark on all sorts of dangerous missions together and save the galaxy. Because saving the the world was far too small and humble for fifteen year old Kenra.
Looking back at those first 50,000 words I had ever dedicated for NaNoWriMo, I feel a mixture of pride and the urge to cringe at just how bad it was. There was an entire 2,000 words dedicated to a princess slumber party that had nothing to do with the plot-line. But it was something to fill in the gaps while I waited for inspiration to come back from their lunch break.
Since then I have learned that no NaNoWriMo is the same. No writing experience will ever be the same and every story requires a different writing muscle to make the words mesh well. Writing an entire novel is never easy, and a rather thankless job, and slightly insane, but it is entirely worth it.
With the four and a half novels that I have written for NaNoWriMo I have written a total of 213,660 words. It's a bit surreal to think that each and every single one of those words was written and arranged by me. It wasn't procured by chance or magic. It comes about by practicing habitual writing, by staying up late nearly every night to reach the word goal for the day. It comes from writing about princess parties because you can think of nothing else to write about. It comes from true grit and dedication.
This year's NaNoWriMo has definitely been one of the hardest. As I get older I become more and more unsatisfied with the place that I am at in my writing. I create doubts and a poor judgement about what kind of writer and even what kind of person I am. This year, as you already knew, was difficult just to even convince myself to begin. I didn't think I could be good enough to write another 50,000 words. But with help from my best friend, I was able to get NaNoWriMo rolling.
A week into NaNoWriMo, that inspiration bit the dust pretty quick. I began to feel so exhausted of trying to do something that my heart just wasn't into. The prompts that my friend and I had planned were great and excellent prompts, but they did not inspire me to create a brand new story. At the end of the week, my friend and I traded ideas for the stories we had written. My friend was so enthusiastic about every story she had written, talking about how they would all make great novels someday. She shared excerpts and ideas with me and I was eager to be excited for her, but then reluctant to share my own stories. There was nothing good about them.
I was already sick of coming up with a brand new cast of characters each day only to write 2,000 words of their story. It's likely that I will never finish any of these character's stories, simply because I didn't care enough about them to begin with. At that point, I was ready to just delete the file and call it quits.
It took a very late night phone call with my brother for me to realize that I was doing this entirely wrong.
The quality and style of someone's writing should never be compared, competed or clashed with another's writing style. The motivation to write should never be to become as good as this person, to be at this reading level, to beat this person at the word goal. It should never be a tool that competes against another. And for the past week, that was exactly what I had done for the past two months. I had placed my writing next to that of Tolkien, Rowling and countless other published and successful authors and found my works to be worth nothing. I even read through my friend's stories and found the faults in my stories next to hers. I had made it my goal to be better than them, all of them, and found that the order was too tall for me to ever manage in 30 days, or ever.
If you want to succeed in writing, you need to practice writing for yourself first. The story begins with you, the story is created by you. There is no one more important than you when you're story is involved. Write how you want to write, and don't try to make it better or as good as somebody else's. If you must compete, compete with yourself.
Once I figured that out, the prompts became a bit easier to manage. I still didn't think they were my favourite method of writing and I was still sick of writing new characters, and a new plot-line each day, but I was at least writing for the right reason. It wasn't about being the next Tolkien, it wasn't about being as good as my friend (who truly is an amazing and incredibly talented writer) and it wasn't about making a masterpiece on the first try.
Around November 25th, I finally chose to stop the prompts and just write something for myself. When I did that, the story I wrote was incredible. The characters were easy to write, the setting was so clear in my head and the story unfolded like a pop-up book. I had been writing in black and white for the past sixteen days and suddenly there was color. Vibrant unabashedly neon colors that weaved through my words and danced before my visionary eyes. It was the most exhilarating moment to realize that I was capable of writing something that made me feel good. It suddenly became much easier to reach my daily word goal, and even going beyond and finishing my 50,000 words before the end of the month.
This advice may not apply to everyone. Some people may need a little competition to get their words on the page, but that wasn't for me. I needed to write for myself and find the words that seemed to have been hiding in the shadows of my mind. I still and probably will continue to struggle finding where my stories stand when it comes to whether they're good enough to be read by others, but at this point in my life, that doesn't matter. What matters is that I am enjoying what I'm doing. Someday, if I practice hard enough and never stop the habit of daily writing, maybe I will be as good as Tolkien. But I'm not expecting that result to happen anytime in the near future. Today, I'm going to be as good as me, Kenra Cook.
Of the 50,000 words I wrote, I am only proud of around 8,000 words of it. Some could consider that a failure, but I see that as a victory. Writing has and never will be an easy thing for me to do. Time and self-doubts try to choke what little inspiration I have each day. It's a battle to commit to writing, especially when people are out doing normal sociable things that seem super fun. But it is so worth it. It's worth it to me for those 8,000 words I wrote. It's worth it because I love it.
I hope for those that read this, that they can find something that they love to do. God has given each of us a talent. I am so grateful for the gifts that I have been given, and I intend to show that gratitude by writing as much as I can in this lifetime.
Thank you for your support and all of you're kind words that encourage me through every chapter of my life and through the chapters of my character's life. Your kindness does not go unnoticed.
If you'd like a preview of some of this year's NaNoWriMo, click here. I hope some day Naomi Scott can rock the world.
November 2, 2016
NaNoWriMo Day 2
Words Written: 4,071
Feeling: Depressed
This is the first time ever in my NaNoWriMo experience that I have ever felt this defeated before; and never have I felt the urge so strongly to delete what I wrote and just give up. I had a lot of goals and dream, a lot of optimism and hope, but not anymore. What I have written is worse than I could imagine, and I'm disappointed and downtrodden.
Is this even worth it? Is it worth it to put forth so much effort to get nothing in return? Is it worth it to know that in the end you'll just be embarrassed and ashamed by what you write?
I don't feel like a writer right now. I feel like a failure and I want to give up.
Even when I have been on the last week of NaNoWriMo with 6,000 words behind schedule, I still had the confidence and the willpower to keep writing. It's day two and I don't have either. I feel like I'm wasting my time. I'm not going to get better and I'm not going to impress anyone. It doesn't help that when I try to share a piece of my work, I get no response. Did you know I'm still waiting for that critique I mentioned in my blog post late September?
I won't give up yet. It's too early to stop when I've only just begun. I just hope tomorrow is a better day.
50,000...maybe coming soon...
Feeling: Depressed
This is the first time ever in my NaNoWriMo experience that I have ever felt this defeated before; and never have I felt the urge so strongly to delete what I wrote and just give up. I had a lot of goals and dream, a lot of optimism and hope, but not anymore. What I have written is worse than I could imagine, and I'm disappointed and downtrodden.
Is this even worth it? Is it worth it to put forth so much effort to get nothing in return? Is it worth it to know that in the end you'll just be embarrassed and ashamed by what you write?
I don't feel like a writer right now. I feel like a failure and I want to give up.
Even when I have been on the last week of NaNoWriMo with 6,000 words behind schedule, I still had the confidence and the willpower to keep writing. It's day two and I don't have either. I feel like I'm wasting my time. I'm not going to get better and I'm not going to impress anyone. It doesn't help that when I try to share a piece of my work, I get no response. Did you know I'm still waiting for that critique I mentioned in my blog post late September?
I won't give up yet. It's too early to stop when I've only just begun. I just hope tomorrow is a better day.
50,000...maybe coming soon...
November 1, 2016
NaNoWriMo 2016: Change is Scary
I hate how quickly inspiration fizzles out. I had so many plans this October for my blog and only completed one of them. On the bright side, November is here, it's a brand new month and a brand new day.
With November comes exciting times. For anyone that has known me for the past five years, you know that November is one of my favourite months of the year for one very big reason: NaNoWriMo!
Every year I dedicate myself to one story and write until ridiculous hours of the night to complete my goal. It's been nearly successful every year (except one) and I have so much fun juggling life and writing in such a squashed amount of time. It really keeps my on my toes.
The unfortunate thing about the past four years is this: none of the novels I have began are finished. After I reach 50,000 words I come to a stand-still and my creative juices run off the edge of a cliff. I reached the dead end and could go no further.
Upon discovering this I decided to study those four stories and then became crushingly depressed when I noticed that not one of my stories were different. They all fell under this trope of a high school/college girl getting swept up in a fantastical/mystical adventure. There was the quirky best friend, the sickeningly handsome love interest, and some sort of magical force directing my main character to her destiny.
When I found this connection I lost all hope in my skills as a writer. I would become that author they talk about where, "When you've read one, you've read them all." As an aspiring author, the worst insult I think I can get is hearing that my stories are too similar to read. To make it worse, I delved into all of my scribbled writings - the ones that aren't novels, but just loose ideas and concepts - and saw the same pattern. Magical girl, magical boy, touch of romance, not nearly enough peril or reality in it.
I was debating not doing NaNoWriMo this year because this realization had hit me rather hard. After a late night conversation with one of my friends, she had convinced me not to give up. We discussed the next day and decided to change this year's NaNoWriMo a bit. Neither of us were quite ready to commit to a full length novel with a brand new cast of characters and a plot line; so we created an alternative.
For NaNoWriMo 2016, we've given ourselves 27 story prompts of various genres. Each day, we pick a prompt and we write at least 2,000 based off of that prompt. We gave ourselves three cheat days where we can write whatever we want, so if I wanted to, I can work on a previous novel and get a few things tweaked and ironed out. Picking out the prompts was a journey and really hard because I naturally would pick the magical themed prompts and my friend would try to pick something outside my comfort zone. I felt like a rotten child whining about how I didn't like the prompts but in the end, she won and I have a lot of interesting prompts that I am honestly so frightened of.
So National Novel Writing Month is going to be an interesting year. I hope that this year is as successful as I hope it is. I have a big goal and a dream to improve my skills. October was one of the hardest and worst months of this year because I wasn't able to write anything and I had suddenly lost all confidence in my work which led me to lose hope in myself and in my dreams. My hope is that NaNoWriMo will help me get back up on my feet and regain that confidence and that I can become better.
50,000 words...coming soon...
With November comes exciting times. For anyone that has known me for the past five years, you know that November is one of my favourite months of the year for one very big reason: NaNoWriMo!
Every year I dedicate myself to one story and write until ridiculous hours of the night to complete my goal. It's been nearly successful every year (except one) and I have so much fun juggling life and writing in such a squashed amount of time. It really keeps my on my toes.
The unfortunate thing about the past four years is this: none of the novels I have began are finished. After I reach 50,000 words I come to a stand-still and my creative juices run off the edge of a cliff. I reached the dead end and could go no further.
Upon discovering this I decided to study those four stories and then became crushingly depressed when I noticed that not one of my stories were different. They all fell under this trope of a high school/college girl getting swept up in a fantastical/mystical adventure. There was the quirky best friend, the sickeningly handsome love interest, and some sort of magical force directing my main character to her destiny.
When I found this connection I lost all hope in my skills as a writer. I would become that author they talk about where, "When you've read one, you've read them all." As an aspiring author, the worst insult I think I can get is hearing that my stories are too similar to read. To make it worse, I delved into all of my scribbled writings - the ones that aren't novels, but just loose ideas and concepts - and saw the same pattern. Magical girl, magical boy, touch of romance, not nearly enough peril or reality in it.
I was debating not doing NaNoWriMo this year because this realization had hit me rather hard. After a late night conversation with one of my friends, she had convinced me not to give up. We discussed the next day and decided to change this year's NaNoWriMo a bit. Neither of us were quite ready to commit to a full length novel with a brand new cast of characters and a plot line; so we created an alternative.
For NaNoWriMo 2016, we've given ourselves 27 story prompts of various genres. Each day, we pick a prompt and we write at least 2,000 based off of that prompt. We gave ourselves three cheat days where we can write whatever we want, so if I wanted to, I can work on a previous novel and get a few things tweaked and ironed out. Picking out the prompts was a journey and really hard because I naturally would pick the magical themed prompts and my friend would try to pick something outside my comfort zone. I felt like a rotten child whining about how I didn't like the prompts but in the end, she won and I have a lot of interesting prompts that I am honestly so frightened of.
So National Novel Writing Month is going to be an interesting year. I hope that this year is as successful as I hope it is. I have a big goal and a dream to improve my skills. October was one of the hardest and worst months of this year because I wasn't able to write anything and I had suddenly lost all confidence in my work which led me to lose hope in myself and in my dreams. My hope is that NaNoWriMo will help me get back up on my feet and regain that confidence and that I can become better.
50,000 words...coming soon...
October 3, 2016
Mistakes Have Been Made
I did a terrible thing.
To begin this terrible tale, let me give you a small background. My phone is dying, it is a slug. I thought it would be a brilliant idea to clean out my phone a bit. When I saw a folder that had supposedly not been touched since 2013 with lots old photos of Winx Club in it I figured the rest of it must be equally as useless and clicked the delete button without scrolling down further. APPARENTLY, that folder was the folder that contained nearly all of my blog photos, so when I go onto my blog I find error images scattered throughout every page.
Needless to say, I have some regrets in my decision.
So while everything looks pretty normal now, I'll point out to you that there are posts only available from this year. I don't have the photos from 2013 anymore so I will be spending some time with my older posts to have them returned to their former glory so rather than have you look at junky error pictures I decided to revert them to drafts to give me some time to work on them. On the bright side, this has given me the opportunity to clean out and delete those embarrassing blog posts from three years ago It's crazy to think how immature I was just three years ago. That really isn't a whole lot of time you know.
So wish me the best of luck on my journey to beauty and perfection on this blog!
With Love,
Kenra Cook
To begin this terrible tale, let me give you a small background. My phone is dying, it is a slug. I thought it would be a brilliant idea to clean out my phone a bit. When I saw a folder that had supposedly not been touched since 2013 with lots old photos of Winx Club in it I figured the rest of it must be equally as useless and clicked the delete button without scrolling down further. APPARENTLY, that folder was the folder that contained nearly all of my blog photos, so when I go onto my blog I find error images scattered throughout every page.
Needless to say, I have some regrets in my decision.
So while everything looks pretty normal now, I'll point out to you that there are posts only available from this year. I don't have the photos from 2013 anymore so I will be spending some time with my older posts to have them returned to their former glory so rather than have you look at junky error pictures I decided to revert them to drafts to give me some time to work on them. On the bright side, this has given me the opportunity to clean out and delete those embarrassing blog posts from three years ago It's crazy to think how immature I was just three years ago. That really isn't a whole lot of time you know.
So wish me the best of luck on my journey to beauty and perfection on this blog!
With Love,
Kenra Cook
September 13, 2016
Barbie Star Light Adventure
I spent the evening with my fave girl, Barbie. You would assume that most twenty-year olds have grown out of such things. This twenty-year old has not; along with my best friend Kadi, but you already knew that.
In this galaxy, they are governed by King Constantine, a strict, play-by-the-rule-book sort of guy, very uppity and staunch. The stars are slowly blinking out and fading to nothing. If it is not reversed, the galaxy will die. Constantine searches for gifted youth to aid him on a mission to travel to the center of Home Planet and restore the stars and their light to the galaxy. Naturally, Barbie is selected to go on the mission for her natural gift on the hoverboard.
Leaving her forested planet and father behind, Barbie joins forces with four other gifted teenagers. Sal-lee is a champion hoverboard competitor, she's fast and is a no-nonsense kind of girl. Kareena and Sheena are two telepathic twin sisters that can manipulate gravity. Kareena lightens objects while Sheena weighs them down. They're energetic and easily the happiest characters in the show. Lastly, Prince Leo, he's a pilot and an engineer with a ridiculous love for food.
Would I watch this movie again? Most definitely. I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of this movie. Every second of the film is just so full of vibrant color and texture. There is so much to look and ogle at. The music throughout the movie is excellent. While not featured in the film, there is a song that plays in the credit that features Lindsey Stirling on the violin. It's my favourite song from the movie.
Just today, Mattel released the latest Barbie film, titled Barbie: Star Light Adventure.
Just take a look at this:
Barbie lives on a preserve planet called Para-Den where her father and mother studied and cared for the creatures there. Barbie's mother had passed away, but her father remained on Para-Den to continue her work. I found that to be very cool. The film begins in a lush green forest on an Para-Den. You are suddenly thrown into a whirling ride as Barbie zooms through the forest on her hover board. After a careless crash, you discover that Barbie has a magical ability to move things through her mind and voice. That's important, obviously.
 |
| Leo, Barbie, Sal-Lee, Sheena, and Kareena |
The film shows their progression from strangers to friends as they train and prepare for their mission. In that time, Barbie has to learn whether to trust her heart and break away from Constatine's strict plan or to fall into obedience even if she may not agree with Constantine's plan. I'll keep the solution a secret since I don't want to spoil everything.
I'd have to say that this movie may be in my top five Barbie films. It's lighthearted, but also maintains a continuous plot line. There are diverse characters, great character development for certain characters, and a subtle but important message.
This is a film I highly recommend to anyone who even has the slightest appreciation for Barbie. It's a winner in my eyes.
Oh and to all my die-hard Barbie fans wondering if the transformation sequence at the end was good, let me just tell you, I think it was both mine and Kadi's favourite.
To The School Quitters
Dear Students of All Forms and Types:
Unless you're school is like mine, you've had three months free of any sort of educational responsibility. Summer is what some people call it. But now the bells are ringing, the buses are revving their engines. Walmart has been cleaned of any cute folders, pencils, and notebooks, leaving only yellow legal pads and the notebooks and file folders from the cartoon that unfortunately no one likes. There's a sort of smell in the air that comes around every August, the smell of a new school year. Squeaky clean and brand new shoes mixed with never before worn cotton shirts and stiff and very tight denim jeans.
For those who are returning to the new school year, I welcome you. Now is the opportunity to learn great things. It sucks because you have to take tests on all of that awesome stuff and sometimes the teacher isn't who you hoped, but you are still given an opportunity to learn. For some of you who are more artistic, you are given the opportunity to create. For those who like to sweat, you are given the opportunity to work with a team and compete in a variety of sports. Go get 'em and keep your head in the game.
Unfortunately, this post isn't about all of those kids returning to school. It's about all of those high school graduates who are not returning to school. Whether it be because of work, money, or you just don't know what you want to do yet, it doesn't matter. This post is for you.
When I graduated high school I was determined to be like everybody else. I was going to enjoy the summer and than join the big league university world that I had heard so much about. It was a mixture of apprehension and excitement, but mostly apprehension. I was dependent on only myself to pay for schooling and I still had no idea what I really wanted to do. I had hoped that all of those tests I took my senior year would help me narrow down my options. The only result I ever got was "You're so well-rounded, you can pursue any career you want." While I was pleased to know that I had received a well-rounded education and well-rounded career skills, it still did not help me to know what to do with my life, or how I was going to even begin.
So I enrolled at Weber State in graphic design. It seemed like an alright place to start. I met with my counselors and they helped me get enrolled. I went to orientation, I toured the school, I even got my student ID card. It should have been so exciting, but I was beginning to dread school. Reading over the cost of school and comparing it to the money I didn't have, I suddenly felt panicked at the realization that I could never afford college. (I was a bit melodramatic back then).
So I quit. Dropped out. Removed myself from the equation. Gave up. However you want to say it, I did. I reasoned that I would go back to University, just when I had the money. The plan was to work for one semester, and then start at the beginning of the new year. The new year came and the new year went. I started a new position at my job and began to work more hours and I was scared to go back.
At the same time, I felt like such an outcast. While all of my friends were deeply involved in their freshmen year of college, I was filling produce in a grocery store. When I'd meet friends and neighbors and update them on my life it felt like they plastered on a smile for me and pretended to be pleased for me and my decision. I'd hear the talk about how an education was the most important thing I could. I'd hear about how this person's child was blossoming in their freshmen year of college, I'd go onto social media and see all of the college selfies. I felt like I had uninvited myself from the biggest thing I could be involved in and it made me feel three inches tall.
I'm so grateful to my mom, who never gave up on me. She respected my decision and supported me; but she also knew that I'd need a push to start up again. She was the voice of reason in my melodramatic world of teen drama. She pushed me to save my money, to think about what I wanted to do. I wouldn't be where I was without her loving discipline.
On my way to work I would drive by the Ogden-Weber Applied Technology College. Most days, it blended into the bland scenery and meant nothing to me. Except one special day, it caught my eye. I had never considered that maybe there was another option besides university. I didn't know a thing about the ATC but I thought it would be worth a shot to look into.
Long story short, I enrolled and am now a current graphic design student. Since then, my life has flourished. I didn't realize just how sucky my life was when I was stagnant, but I'm not saying that the decision I made was a bad decision either. In fact I'm writing this post to encourage anyone who is taking a 'gap' year in college.
If any of you graduates feel like you aren't ready to start. Don't. It isn't worth spending a semester or a year's worth of college if you aren't even sure of what you are going to do. Studies have even shown that taking a break after high school isn't as bad as everyone thinks it is. Take a look at this article from Time. It says that sometimes it is more beneficial to take a gap year of college. It matures you, and gives you the perspective you need to be committed to the work you want to start. Some universities even encourage gap years by giving scholarships for when you return.
I can attest to the truth that when you take a break, it matures you. I know that if I had gone straight to college right after high school, I would have wasted not only my money, but my time and my energy. Having taken a year off I was able to develop skills that I wasn't able to in high school. I grew more comfortable around people. I developed a love for service and I realized that I loved being creative. It was during my gap year that I began my 365 day journal which I poured my heart into every day, creating something beautiful to behold every single day. It prepared me for the work I would be doing now in school.
There is no need to feel like you have to take off engines roaring and fired up right after high school. It isn't necessary to burn yourself out like that. If you need time to discover yourself, time to discover what you want to do, and time to save money for schooling, do it. People will disagree with you, I guarantee it, but as long as you have the intention of becoming something better, you aren't doing anything wrong.
My brain is a bit scattered and I hope that I expressed everything I wanted to today. This topic is so important to me, because I find I am so much happier than I imagined doing what I love and being in a place where I am comfortably paying my tuition on my own and still being able to learn what I want to. No one should feel like they're being pulled their way through school, not when this is about pursuing your dreams.
I wish students and 'gap' students the best of luck on their journey of discovery, because whether you are in school or taking a semester off, you are both discovering incredible things. Neither one of you are less or greater than the other and you both have such amazing things ahead of you. I wish you all the best. Safe journeying.
-Kenra
Unless you're school is like mine, you've had three months free of any sort of educational responsibility. Summer is what some people call it. But now the bells are ringing, the buses are revving their engines. Walmart has been cleaned of any cute folders, pencils, and notebooks, leaving only yellow legal pads and the notebooks and file folders from the cartoon that unfortunately no one likes. There's a sort of smell in the air that comes around every August, the smell of a new school year. Squeaky clean and brand new shoes mixed with never before worn cotton shirts and stiff and very tight denim jeans.
For those who are returning to the new school year, I welcome you. Now is the opportunity to learn great things. It sucks because you have to take tests on all of that awesome stuff and sometimes the teacher isn't who you hoped, but you are still given an opportunity to learn. For some of you who are more artistic, you are given the opportunity to create. For those who like to sweat, you are given the opportunity to work with a team and compete in a variety of sports. Go get 'em and keep your head in the game.
Unfortunately, this post isn't about all of those kids returning to school. It's about all of those high school graduates who are not returning to school. Whether it be because of work, money, or you just don't know what you want to do yet, it doesn't matter. This post is for you.
When I graduated high school I was determined to be like everybody else. I was going to enjoy the summer and than join the big league university world that I had heard so much about. It was a mixture of apprehension and excitement, but mostly apprehension. I was dependent on only myself to pay for schooling and I still had no idea what I really wanted to do. I had hoped that all of those tests I took my senior year would help me narrow down my options. The only result I ever got was "You're so well-rounded, you can pursue any career you want." While I was pleased to know that I had received a well-rounded education and well-rounded career skills, it still did not help me to know what to do with my life, or how I was going to even begin.
So I enrolled at Weber State in graphic design. It seemed like an alright place to start. I met with my counselors and they helped me get enrolled. I went to orientation, I toured the school, I even got my student ID card. It should have been so exciting, but I was beginning to dread school. Reading over the cost of school and comparing it to the money I didn't have, I suddenly felt panicked at the realization that I could never afford college. (I was a bit melodramatic back then).
So I quit. Dropped out. Removed myself from the equation. Gave up. However you want to say it, I did. I reasoned that I would go back to University, just when I had the money. The plan was to work for one semester, and then start at the beginning of the new year. The new year came and the new year went. I started a new position at my job and began to work more hours and I was scared to go back.
At the same time, I felt like such an outcast. While all of my friends were deeply involved in their freshmen year of college, I was filling produce in a grocery store. When I'd meet friends and neighbors and update them on my life it felt like they plastered on a smile for me and pretended to be pleased for me and my decision. I'd hear the talk about how an education was the most important thing I could. I'd hear about how this person's child was blossoming in their freshmen year of college, I'd go onto social media and see all of the college selfies. I felt like I had uninvited myself from the biggest thing I could be involved in and it made me feel three inches tall.
I'm so grateful to my mom, who never gave up on me. She respected my decision and supported me; but she also knew that I'd need a push to start up again. She was the voice of reason in my melodramatic world of teen drama. She pushed me to save my money, to think about what I wanted to do. I wouldn't be where I was without her loving discipline.
On my way to work I would drive by the Ogden-Weber Applied Technology College. Most days, it blended into the bland scenery and meant nothing to me. Except one special day, it caught my eye. I had never considered that maybe there was another option besides university. I didn't know a thing about the ATC but I thought it would be worth a shot to look into.
Long story short, I enrolled and am now a current graphic design student. Since then, my life has flourished. I didn't realize just how sucky my life was when I was stagnant, but I'm not saying that the decision I made was a bad decision either. In fact I'm writing this post to encourage anyone who is taking a 'gap' year in college.
If any of you graduates feel like you aren't ready to start. Don't. It isn't worth spending a semester or a year's worth of college if you aren't even sure of what you are going to do. Studies have even shown that taking a break after high school isn't as bad as everyone thinks it is. Take a look at this article from Time. It says that sometimes it is more beneficial to take a gap year of college. It matures you, and gives you the perspective you need to be committed to the work you want to start. Some universities even encourage gap years by giving scholarships for when you return.
I can attest to the truth that when you take a break, it matures you. I know that if I had gone straight to college right after high school, I would have wasted not only my money, but my time and my energy. Having taken a year off I was able to develop skills that I wasn't able to in high school. I grew more comfortable around people. I developed a love for service and I realized that I loved being creative. It was during my gap year that I began my 365 day journal which I poured my heart into every day, creating something beautiful to behold every single day. It prepared me for the work I would be doing now in school.
There is no need to feel like you have to take off engines roaring and fired up right after high school. It isn't necessary to burn yourself out like that. If you need time to discover yourself, time to discover what you want to do, and time to save money for schooling, do it. People will disagree with you, I guarantee it, but as long as you have the intention of becoming something better, you aren't doing anything wrong.
My brain is a bit scattered and I hope that I expressed everything I wanted to today. This topic is so important to me, because I find I am so much happier than I imagined doing what I love and being in a place where I am comfortably paying my tuition on my own and still being able to learn what I want to. No one should feel like they're being pulled their way through school, not when this is about pursuing your dreams.
I wish students and 'gap' students the best of luck on their journey of discovery, because whether you are in school or taking a semester off, you are both discovering incredible things. Neither one of you are less or greater than the other and you both have such amazing things ahead of you. I wish you all the best. Safe journeying.
-Kenra
August 5, 2016
After the Opening Ceremony
I missed over half of the Opening Ceremony of Rio's 2016 Olympic Opening Ceremony, but I arrived just in time to hear Thomas Bach announce the Olympic Opening Ceremony and award the Laurel to Kipchoge Keino along with Bach's amazing speech. I highly recommend you watch all of that if you didn't see it. Like I said, I missed most of it, but I thought that there could be nothing better than that moment.
In that moment, it was a reminder to me of all the good the Olympic does for people. In the end, this is not about separate teams competing for themselves, this about a world meeting together in the midst of an uncertain future and allowing our difference to be ignored for a time. This is about teamwork, friendship and being together competing in activities and sports that we all love. Sports are a language we can all understand, and it is a great place to begin to understand love, compassion and empathy. it's just an amazing thing to think about.
In that moment, it was a reminder to me of all the good the Olympic does for people. In the end, this is not about separate teams competing for themselves, this about a world meeting together in the midst of an uncertain future and allowing our difference to be ignored for a time. This is about teamwork, friendship and being together competing in activities and sports that we all love. Sports are a language we can all understand, and it is a great place to begin to understand love, compassion and empathy. it's just an amazing thing to think about.
All Time Favourite Books
I was going through my blog this morning and realized that I had never shared my favourite books. I've shared books I have read but nothing more. I'm appalled at myself to say the least. So without further ado, let me share to you my favourite books of all time and space and so on and so forth.
Note: These are not going to be in any particular order, they're all awesome.
1. Avalon: Web of Magic by Rachel Roberts
We're going to start with the one I always bring up to people. My poor friends hear me rant about it a lot and I'm so sorrynotsorry about that. Hehe.
Avalon Web of Magic is a children's series that originally came out in 2001. It's a twelve book series along with a companion three-part graphic novel. It's about three teenage girls who become friends through trying to save magical creatures from a poison that is scouring their home world: Aldenmoor. It's all about activism and protecting the planet while teaching great lessons about friendship while also being practically the best magical-girl book series to ever be written. I have cried more than once over this series and am so in love with it is almost sad.
Confession: I have a fan letter that I have written for the author, but sadly she is completely disconnected from any social media and there is no email on the website for Avalon. So it remains on my computer, waiting for the day that I might be able to send it. It's quite sad, really.
When it was first released, the books looked like this:
Somehow, eleven year old Kenra was attracted to that chaotic cover and risked checking it out at the library. Only ten of the twelve books were published in the old covers before they stopped it. In 2007 a new publishing company adopted the series and released the entire series with brand new covers and in-book illustrations. Did I also mention that I am so obsessed I am now collecting the old covers and any other merchandise I can find? Seriously guys, I'm not kidding when I say that I am obsessed.
2. The Unicorn Chronicles by Bruce Coville
I love unicorns.
No, seriously. I loooooooove unicorns. I was taken out of the womb thinking about unicorns, or so I like to think.
And if you looooooove unicorns, then you'll loooooove these books. Actually, you'll probably love Bruce Coville because he is the master and commander of all books about unicorns. This man is a mad genius and he is the second author that I want to meet. (I have three authors on my list in total).
My sister introduced this series to me when I was probably eight or nine, I can't remember. Back then, they had different covers too. Wanna see?
This four-part series is about a young girl named Cara who gets sent to the world of Unicorns - called Luster - by her grandmother after a mysterious man starts pursuing her. She discovers that her grandmother is deeply connected to Luster which means that Cara is now a part of it too. She goes on a grand adventure with her unicorn friend Lightfoot and her beast-friend the Dimblethum and the small cat-monkey creature Squijim (He's my personal favourite).
The first book, Into the Land of the Unicorns was originally written in 1994 and followed by Song of the Wanderer in 1999. THEN, the third book was not released until 2008. THAT'S NINE YEARS PEOPLE! I had to wait until I was in junior high to finish the stupid series. Bruce Coville actually has a written apology in both the third and fourth book about how long it took for him to finish the series. At least the ending was worth it, because it is soooo good. Like I said, Bruce Coville is a mad genius.
Here's a funny story about this series. The fourth book, The Last Hunt was only released in hardback and then publications stopped. Which means that there are now only a limited amount of books for the fourth and final book. I did not know that and so I'd watch and wait for the paperback to come out, occasionally checking on Amazon to see if anything new had popped up. I finally forgot and gave up for a good chunk of time and when I remembered and looked again I was shocked to see the the final book was now over $100 on any place you went to buy it. Sometimes I found it for even $200. For about two years I dug through book stores, thrift stores and scoured every book-selling website to try and find my book. TWO YEARS PEOPLE. I even emailed Bruce Coville to see if he had any hopeful advice, turns out he's just as sad as me about the whole ordeal. I curse you Scholastic for doing this to my mad-genius author.
One fateful day, after a trip with friends to Salt Lake (specifically Barnes and Noble and Build-a-Bear...we know our priorities) I decided to check once again to see if any books were available and my heart jumped and then proceeded to plummet and beat out of control when I found a used copy for the all time low price of $20 FREAKIN' DOLLARS. I almost bought it right then and there on the train back home to Ogden. I resisted and waited until I got home to proceed to scream at my mom that I finally found one. My mom remained calm throughout the entire screamfest until she finally told me to just go and buy it (after I checked my banking account to make sure I was financially stable...which was literally the last thing on my mind). When it arrived in the mail, I was pulling out to go to work, so I grabbed it from the mail man and took it with me to work. I ripped it open in front of my two managers (both very manly men, by the way) and they proceeded to tease me the rest of the day about my 'unicorn' book. I did not care one inkling though.
3. Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck
This four-part series was suggested to me by a friend of mine, and I am so so glad she did because it is now my heart and soul. This series is about Kelsey who gets a job at a circus tending the animals. A white tiger is at the circus and Kelsey becomes close friends with it. One day a strange Indian man (let me clarify; Indian meaning from India) shows up and offers Kelsey a job helping to transport the Tiger - named Ren - from the circus to India. Kelsey takes the job not knowing that Ren is a 300 year old prince cursed to remain in the form of a tiger. It's a die-hard romance and I ate up these books so freaking fast.
Colleen Houck is the third and final author that I hope to meet someday. She originally wrote this as an ebook, but it became so popular that Splinter Publishing published the series in physical copies. Colleen went from trying to self-publish to being incredibly popular, how inspiring is that? Plus, this series is set in India, a country that has a special place in my heart.
I have never resonated more deeply to any character than Kelsey in any other book series. She makes movie references (I'm convinced that she's a Trekkie) throughout the entire series and has a strong sense of willpower. It made the series all the more special to me to have a character that I could relate to on such a deep level.
Supposedly, Colleen Houck is writing a fifth book as a special surprise (even though the series has concluded), but its very top secret and there are no news as to when it will be released. I am so excited about it. There are also rumors of a movie, but who knows when or even if it will happen.
4. The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
J.R.R. Tolkien would be included as my fourth dream author to meet, but due to being born in a different era than him, that won't be possible in this life. Plus, from the research I've done on Tolkien, I get the feeling he wouldn't like me very much. Which is really understandable when you think of how differently our generations were raised.
I don't think its necessary to explain this series to you, but I will anyway. This six-part (seven including the hobbit) is about how small people save the world!!! That's about it in a nutshell.
In all seriousness, this series is a masterpiece. Tolkien built the most incredible world and created such beautiful languages. Tolkien studied and taught Philology: the study of language in historical texts, which was how he was able to create such intricately beautiful languages like Sindarin, Khuzdul and Rohirric (which is really only denting the surface of Middle Earth's languages.) Many of these unique speeches are loosely based off of languages from our own times. Finnish, Irish, Swedish, they are all inspiration for some of the languages we hear in Middle Earth.
This series is about war and peace, mercy or cruelty, hope or despair, light and dark, good and evil. It is the most epic fantasy series of its time and even beyond. I'd go so far as to say its still the most epic series of our time. Elves, dwarves, orcs, hobbits, Mumakil, Valar, Maiar and Eru Ilivuatar are just a small amount of the creatures and entities in this series. Tolkien built a history about this world that is so in-depth, so detailed and refined that there is no other world like it. This series is the reason why I want to still believe in magic. This series is the reason why I want to write and study and work hard even though I know I will never get to be as good as Tolkien. This series is the reason why we have six amazing films that allow us to see the wonders of Middle Earth. This series is the reason why I have a crush on rugged men, to be honest. I mean Aragorn is and always will be my imaginary boyfriend, as is Samwise Gamgee. I'd take either one.
Someday I'll strike up the courage to read The Silmarillion. Its the equivalent of our Bible, it's heavy stuff and a lot of information that flies over your head, but it has some great stuff in it too, like the history of Galadriel (another favourite of mine) and we get more into the Valar and the Maiar and Melkor the biggest baddest villain of all Arda (even badder than Sauron, who was his servant...gives you an idea of how bad this baddy was).
5. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
I read this after seeing the Ghibli film of this. My mom had told me that it was a weird book. Instantly I knew that I had to read this book. It's about a unassuming lady name Sophie who is suddenly cursed by the evil Witch of the Waste to take on the form of an old lady. Sophie decides to leave home and hobbles away and takes on the job of being the cleaning lady to the mysterious Wizard Howl and his magical moving castle. Sophie begins to uncover the mysteries behind Howl and the magic tied to him and a fire demon named Calcifer.
There is a dash of everything in this book. Humor, romance, adventure, magic, and mystery. It's such a great book and the film is completely different from the film, yet it doesn't bother me because they are both still really really good. This book isn't very long and can be read by itself even though there are two more books featuring Sophie and Howl. Its simple but hilarious and endearing. I love it so much.
I would include books like Percy Jackson and Harry Potter but there is nothing I could say that hasn't already been said, but just know that those two series are equally precious to my heart.
Runner Ups:
Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
Gallagher Girls by Ally Carter
Dragonlance by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
...and so many more that I won't mention.
If you have any suggestions for books that I should read, put that suggestion in the comments below because I will always read new books.
Note: These are not going to be in any particular order, they're all awesome.
1. Avalon: Web of Magic by Rachel Roberts
We're going to start with the one I always bring up to people. My poor friends hear me rant about it a lot and I'm so sorrynotsorry about that. Hehe.Avalon Web of Magic is a children's series that originally came out in 2001. It's a twelve book series along with a companion three-part graphic novel. It's about three teenage girls who become friends through trying to save magical creatures from a poison that is scouring their home world: Aldenmoor. It's all about activism and protecting the planet while teaching great lessons about friendship while also being practically the best magical-girl book series to ever be written. I have cried more than once over this series and am so in love with it is almost sad.
Confession: I have a fan letter that I have written for the author, but sadly she is completely disconnected from any social media and there is no email on the website for Avalon. So it remains on my computer, waiting for the day that I might be able to send it. It's quite sad, really.
When it was first released, the books looked like this:
Somehow, eleven year old Kenra was attracted to that chaotic cover and risked checking it out at the library. Only ten of the twelve books were published in the old covers before they stopped it. In 2007 a new publishing company adopted the series and released the entire series with brand new covers and in-book illustrations. Did I also mention that I am so obsessed I am now collecting the old covers and any other merchandise I can find? Seriously guys, I'm not kidding when I say that I am obsessed.2. The Unicorn Chronicles by Bruce Coville
No, seriously. I loooooooove unicorns. I was taken out of the womb thinking about unicorns, or so I like to think.
And if you looooooove unicorns, then you'll loooooove these books. Actually, you'll probably love Bruce Coville because he is the master and commander of all books about unicorns. This man is a mad genius and he is the second author that I want to meet. (I have three authors on my list in total).
My sister introduced this series to me when I was probably eight or nine, I can't remember. Back then, they had different covers too. Wanna see?
The first book, Into the Land of the Unicorns was originally written in 1994 and followed by Song of the Wanderer in 1999. THEN, the third book was not released until 2008. THAT'S NINE YEARS PEOPLE! I had to wait until I was in junior high to finish the stupid series. Bruce Coville actually has a written apology in both the third and fourth book about how long it took for him to finish the series. At least the ending was worth it, because it is soooo good. Like I said, Bruce Coville is a mad genius.
Here's a funny story about this series. The fourth book, The Last Hunt was only released in hardback and then publications stopped. Which means that there are now only a limited amount of books for the fourth and final book. I did not know that and so I'd watch and wait for the paperback to come out, occasionally checking on Amazon to see if anything new had popped up. I finally forgot and gave up for a good chunk of time and when I remembered and looked again I was shocked to see the the final book was now over $100 on any place you went to buy it. Sometimes I found it for even $200. For about two years I dug through book stores, thrift stores and scoured every book-selling website to try and find my book. TWO YEARS PEOPLE. I even emailed Bruce Coville to see if he had any hopeful advice, turns out he's just as sad as me about the whole ordeal. I curse you Scholastic for doing this to my mad-genius author.
One fateful day, after a trip with friends to Salt Lake (specifically Barnes and Noble and Build-a-Bear...we know our priorities) I decided to check once again to see if any books were available and my heart jumped and then proceeded to plummet and beat out of control when I found a used copy for the all time low price of $20 FREAKIN' DOLLARS. I almost bought it right then and there on the train back home to Ogden. I resisted and waited until I got home to proceed to scream at my mom that I finally found one. My mom remained calm throughout the entire screamfest until she finally told me to just go and buy it (after I checked my banking account to make sure I was financially stable...which was literally the last thing on my mind). When it arrived in the mail, I was pulling out to go to work, so I grabbed it from the mail man and took it with me to work. I ripped it open in front of my two managers (both very manly men, by the way) and they proceeded to tease me the rest of the day about my 'unicorn' book. I did not care one inkling though.
3. Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck
This four-part series was suggested to me by a friend of mine, and I am so so glad she did because it is now my heart and soul. This series is about Kelsey who gets a job at a circus tending the animals. A white tiger is at the circus and Kelsey becomes close friends with it. One day a strange Indian man (let me clarify; Indian meaning from India) shows up and offers Kelsey a job helping to transport the Tiger - named Ren - from the circus to India. Kelsey takes the job not knowing that Ren is a 300 year old prince cursed to remain in the form of a tiger. It's a die-hard romance and I ate up these books so freaking fast.Colleen Houck is the third and final author that I hope to meet someday. She originally wrote this as an ebook, but it became so popular that Splinter Publishing published the series in physical copies. Colleen went from trying to self-publish to being incredibly popular, how inspiring is that? Plus, this series is set in India, a country that has a special place in my heart.
I have never resonated more deeply to any character than Kelsey in any other book series. She makes movie references (I'm convinced that she's a Trekkie) throughout the entire series and has a strong sense of willpower. It made the series all the more special to me to have a character that I could relate to on such a deep level.
Supposedly, Colleen Houck is writing a fifth book as a special surprise (even though the series has concluded), but its very top secret and there are no news as to when it will be released. I am so excited about it. There are also rumors of a movie, but who knows when or even if it will happen.
4. The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
I don't think its necessary to explain this series to you, but I will anyway. This six-part (seven including the hobbit) is about how small people save the world!!! That's about it in a nutshell.
In all seriousness, this series is a masterpiece. Tolkien built the most incredible world and created such beautiful languages. Tolkien studied and taught Philology: the study of language in historical texts, which was how he was able to create such intricately beautiful languages like Sindarin, Khuzdul and Rohirric (which is really only denting the surface of Middle Earth's languages.) Many of these unique speeches are loosely based off of languages from our own times. Finnish, Irish, Swedish, they are all inspiration for some of the languages we hear in Middle Earth.
This series is about war and peace, mercy or cruelty, hope or despair, light and dark, good and evil. It is the most epic fantasy series of its time and even beyond. I'd go so far as to say its still the most epic series of our time. Elves, dwarves, orcs, hobbits, Mumakil, Valar, Maiar and Eru Ilivuatar are just a small amount of the creatures and entities in this series. Tolkien built a history about this world that is so in-depth, so detailed and refined that there is no other world like it. This series is the reason why I want to still believe in magic. This series is the reason why I want to write and study and work hard even though I know I will never get to be as good as Tolkien. This series is the reason why we have six amazing films that allow us to see the wonders of Middle Earth. This series is the reason why I have a crush on rugged men, to be honest. I mean Aragorn is and always will be my imaginary boyfriend, as is Samwise Gamgee. I'd take either one.
Someday I'll strike up the courage to read The Silmarillion. Its the equivalent of our Bible, it's heavy stuff and a lot of information that flies over your head, but it has some great stuff in it too, like the history of Galadriel (another favourite of mine) and we get more into the Valar and the Maiar and Melkor the biggest baddest villain of all Arda (even badder than Sauron, who was his servant...gives you an idea of how bad this baddy was).
5. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
I read this after seeing the Ghibli film of this. My mom had told me that it was a weird book. Instantly I knew that I had to read this book. It's about a unassuming lady name Sophie who is suddenly cursed by the evil Witch of the Waste to take on the form of an old lady. Sophie decides to leave home and hobbles away and takes on the job of being the cleaning lady to the mysterious Wizard Howl and his magical moving castle. Sophie begins to uncover the mysteries behind Howl and the magic tied to him and a fire demon named Calcifer.There is a dash of everything in this book. Humor, romance, adventure, magic, and mystery. It's such a great book and the film is completely different from the film, yet it doesn't bother me because they are both still really really good. This book isn't very long and can be read by itself even though there are two more books featuring Sophie and Howl. Its simple but hilarious and endearing. I love it so much.
I would include books like Percy Jackson and Harry Potter but there is nothing I could say that hasn't already been said, but just know that those two series are equally precious to my heart.
Runner Ups:
Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
Gallagher Girls by Ally Carter
Dragonlance by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
...and so many more that I won't mention.
If you have any suggestions for books that I should read, put that suggestion in the comments below because I will always read new books.
May 11, 2016
Give It Time
I've had this discussion before, and it's going to sound like I'm beating an already dead horse (okay, that is such a horrible expression, where and why did this figure of speech become a thing?).
With a schedule that takes up a lot of my time (not all, but most), I've realized how valuable time is and it's been a juggling act trying to balance what I need to do with the things that I want to do. Video games or reading? Writing or playing the piano? Netflix or biking? Drawing or graphic design? I feel like my life is more structured but filled with chaos in between. Every day I know when I have my free time but I become so overwhelmed with what to do in my small free time that I end up doing nothing. Which is the worst decision I make.
It's so easy to become overwhelmed with the thought, I don't have enough time.
I'm divided between feeling elated that I'm making progress in my work and school and feeling overwhelmed because I make myself believe that I can't do everything I want to do in one day. I can't possibly find the time to do everything I want to do.
This sort of thinking has started to infect certain parts of my life, specifically my writing.
I talk about writing all the time, I write a blog sort of frequently, I write fanfiction and I have over twenty novels that I've started, you'd think I was pretty confident in what I write. The honest truth: I have absolute bottom-of-the-barrel confidence in my own talent. I don't think I'm a good writer.
I always thought that with practice came confidence. I practice writing, but I feel unsatisfied.
I've come to the realization that writing is completely dependent on your state of mind. If you're relaxed and in an environment that exudes comfort, it's easy for me to write. I don't feel like I have to impress anyone or anything. With the idea that I have no time, I've dug myself a hole. I feel like I can't possibly get good writing in while I'm going to school and working. It's a flawed perspective.
I've also come to the realization that I do my best writing alone. It doesn't matter if I'm writing an essay, fictional writing, or just a letter to a friend. When I'm around people - specifically around my friends that are writers too - I get the idea that I need to impress them somehow and I go to uncomfortable efforts to be as good as them. In the end, my work comes off looking cheap and I the diffident participant.
Where do you find that inner belief that we are doing well? Where do you find the fire that fuels you to keep trying even when you feel like giving up? Where do you find the will to ignore the distractions and competition and work for yourself? Where does courage come from? And how do I get it?
I think it starts with the decision to try.
Try to take it slow and to find courage in your own style. Not everyone gains confidence in the same way. Some people need the boost of other people, while others need the solace of their own mind. I personally need less people and more mind power. When it comes to writing, my style of writing is a constant quest. I haven't figured out the definite style that's me yet, and I think that's pretty great. I have time to mold myself. I'm going to take it slow to find the style that fits me, not what people expect me to fit in.
Try to forget the thoughts of others and only think of your goals, your aspirations. I used to discuss my stories with my friends, and I still do a lot, but I've noticed my story loses its course when its influenced by others. That isn't bad, and eventually it has to happen, but not during the rough draft. If you're easily influenced by what others say, make an effort to either gain a will of steel, or keep your thoughts with you until you're confident in your decisions. I have to remind myself that what I want is a completed novel, not a perfect one, that comes later in the game. I have to stay focused on
Realize that we all do things differently. For the longest time, I felt of lesser value because I'm not a University student and that I dropped out of school for a year and a half. Since starting school at my local tech college, that feeling has more or less subsided, until recently. My good good good friend is starting a creative writing class that's supposed to greatly improve your writing skills and she was telling me all about it and how excited she was. I suddenly felt the worthlessness again as I realized I couldn't take that class because I didn't attend University. I fell into a really dark mood when I thought that my writing wouldn't be any good unless I took a class too. I was afraid I'd suddenly come across as a cheap writer when I try to publish my novel because I didn't take a creative writing class. Here's the thing: everyone does life differently. My friend is a university student who's working to become an editor for novels. I'm a part time community tech college student who's working to become a graphic designer. We're doing things differently, but we're not doing either of them wrong. That's what I need to remember. You're skills are not of less worth because you do it different from somebody else. It's okay that I'm not taking that fancy creative writing class, I may have to work harder to be as good, but I know that I can do it.
I've been reading a lot of quotes lately, and I find that this particular one to the left of me is what I needed to hear. Right now, I'm wanting to be more than what I currently am. I want to be on a professional level on everything. I want the success without the process of earning that success. There is a gap right now. I'm trying to be creative, and I'm going to have to work for it. I'm not wrong when I say practice will eventually make perfect, I just have to give myself more time. Time is really what this blog post is all about. I'm only nineteen years old. I have time to become a better writer, I have time to be a better student, I have time to be a better person. I have to allow myself more time to work, to practice and I think one day I'll realize that I've jumped that gap and I'm on the other side.
So instead of saying that I don't have enough time, I'm going to say that I have all the time I need and I don't plan on wasting it feeling sorry. I'm going to bury myself in work and school and I won't quit, even when I feel like giving up. Gosh darn it, I'm going to finish my novel!
It's a big world with a lot of big dreams trying to take up all of the space. Don't be overwhelmed by somebody else's dreams. Find your own and fight for it.
With love,
Kenra Cook
With a schedule that takes up a lot of my time (not all, but most), I've realized how valuable time is and it's been a juggling act trying to balance what I need to do with the things that I want to do. Video games or reading? Writing or playing the piano? Netflix or biking? Drawing or graphic design? I feel like my life is more structured but filled with chaos in between. Every day I know when I have my free time but I become so overwhelmed with what to do in my small free time that I end up doing nothing. Which is the worst decision I make.
It's so easy to become overwhelmed with the thought, I don't have enough time.
I'm divided between feeling elated that I'm making progress in my work and school and feeling overwhelmed because I make myself believe that I can't do everything I want to do in one day. I can't possibly find the time to do everything I want to do.
This sort of thinking has started to infect certain parts of my life, specifically my writing.
I talk about writing all the time, I write a blog sort of frequently, I write fanfiction and I have over twenty novels that I've started, you'd think I was pretty confident in what I write. The honest truth: I have absolute bottom-of-the-barrel confidence in my own talent. I don't think I'm a good writer.
I always thought that with practice came confidence. I practice writing, but I feel unsatisfied.
I've come to the realization that writing is completely dependent on your state of mind. If you're relaxed and in an environment that exudes comfort, it's easy for me to write. I don't feel like I have to impress anyone or anything. With the idea that I have no time, I've dug myself a hole. I feel like I can't possibly get good writing in while I'm going to school and working. It's a flawed perspective.
I've also come to the realization that I do my best writing alone. It doesn't matter if I'm writing an essay, fictional writing, or just a letter to a friend. When I'm around people - specifically around my friends that are writers too - I get the idea that I need to impress them somehow and I go to uncomfortable efforts to be as good as them. In the end, my work comes off looking cheap and I the diffident participant.
Where do you find that inner belief that we are doing well? Where do you find the fire that fuels you to keep trying even when you feel like giving up? Where do you find the will to ignore the distractions and competition and work for yourself? Where does courage come from? And how do I get it?
I think it starts with the decision to try.
Try to take it slow and to find courage in your own style. Not everyone gains confidence in the same way. Some people need the boost of other people, while others need the solace of their own mind. I personally need less people and more mind power. When it comes to writing, my style of writing is a constant quest. I haven't figured out the definite style that's me yet, and I think that's pretty great. I have time to mold myself. I'm going to take it slow to find the style that fits me, not what people expect me to fit in.
Try to forget the thoughts of others and only think of your goals, your aspirations. I used to discuss my stories with my friends, and I still do a lot, but I've noticed my story loses its course when its influenced by others. That isn't bad, and eventually it has to happen, but not during the rough draft. If you're easily influenced by what others say, make an effort to either gain a will of steel, or keep your thoughts with you until you're confident in your decisions. I have to remind myself that what I want is a completed novel, not a perfect one, that comes later in the game. I have to stay focused on
Realize that we all do things differently. For the longest time, I felt of lesser value because I'm not a University student and that I dropped out of school for a year and a half. Since starting school at my local tech college, that feeling has more or less subsided, until recently. My good good good friend is starting a creative writing class that's supposed to greatly improve your writing skills and she was telling me all about it and how excited she was. I suddenly felt the worthlessness again as I realized I couldn't take that class because I didn't attend University. I fell into a really dark mood when I thought that my writing wouldn't be any good unless I took a class too. I was afraid I'd suddenly come across as a cheap writer when I try to publish my novel because I didn't take a creative writing class. Here's the thing: everyone does life differently. My friend is a university student who's working to become an editor for novels. I'm a part time community tech college student who's working to become a graphic designer. We're doing things differently, but we're not doing either of them wrong. That's what I need to remember. You're skills are not of less worth because you do it different from somebody else. It's okay that I'm not taking that fancy creative writing class, I may have to work harder to be as good, but I know that I can do it.
I've been reading a lot of quotes lately, and I find that this particular one to the left of me is what I needed to hear. Right now, I'm wanting to be more than what I currently am. I want to be on a professional level on everything. I want the success without the process of earning that success. There is a gap right now. I'm trying to be creative, and I'm going to have to work for it. I'm not wrong when I say practice will eventually make perfect, I just have to give myself more time. Time is really what this blog post is all about. I'm only nineteen years old. I have time to become a better writer, I have time to be a better student, I have time to be a better person. I have to allow myself more time to work, to practice and I think one day I'll realize that I've jumped that gap and I'm on the other side.So instead of saying that I don't have enough time, I'm going to say that I have all the time I need and I don't plan on wasting it feeling sorry. I'm going to bury myself in work and school and I won't quit, even when I feel like giving up. Gosh darn it, I'm going to finish my novel!
It's a big world with a lot of big dreams trying to take up all of the space. Don't be overwhelmed by somebody else's dreams. Find your own and fight for it.
With love,
Kenra Cook
May 9, 2016
Kenra Kreates
Get it? Kenra Kreates?..........I know, it's super cheesy. Sigh.
Anyways. Remember that post about me wanting to create stuff? Guess what guys?
I MADE SOMETHING!
I made the dreamcatcher that I said I would. I went to the craft store and got some leather cord, a metal ring and took about half a lifetime's worth picking which beads I wanted to put on my dreamcatcher.
And here is the final result:
Some people have told me it's different (the rock bead's too big) and some people have liked it. And for the longest time I was tempted to tear it apart and start over because of the different feedback (it wasn't entirely negative, but not entirely positive either) but after staring at it for days I decided that what other people thought really didn't matter compared to what I thought. I like my big fat rock, I'm a big fat girl. We have a lot in common, me and that rock.
That is what creating things is all about. It isn't about doing what people expect you to do, it's doing what you want to do. Sure, there are definitely boundaries to that statement, but overall, you have the control to make your art, your creations, into whatever you want. People will think what they will think and that isn't wrong or bad. I'm grateful that the people who didn't like my rock told me, I really am, I'm glad they trust me enough with their opinion to share it with me to my face. I appreciate that kind of honesty. That still doesn't stop me from keeping that big rock, I like my big rock. It's just a freedom of opinion. That's all. We're both right in the end.
because
So there we have it. A dreamcatcher and pep talk to go with it.
And because I had a few other dreamcaters I decided to make them my new closet decor. Just in case you were wondering, I only made one other of those dreamcatchers. The one next to my new one I made when I was around twelve or something like that. The other two I've collected. One from my sister, which is the beaded one. The other one with the green cord is from my mom who got it from an old relative I can't remember, needless to say, it's vintage.
So what will I be making next? Keep an eye out for another post soon!
Anyways. Remember that post about me wanting to create stuff? Guess what guys?
I MADE SOMETHING!
I made the dreamcatcher that I said I would. I went to the craft store and got some leather cord, a metal ring and took about half a lifetime's worth picking which beads I wanted to put on my dreamcatcher.
And here is the final result:
That is what creating things is all about. It isn't about doing what people expect you to do, it's doing what you want to do. Sure, there are definitely boundaries to that statement, but overall, you have the control to make your art, your creations, into whatever you want. People will think what they will think and that isn't wrong or bad. I'm grateful that the people who didn't like my rock told me, I really am, I'm glad they trust me enough with their opinion to share it with me to my face. I appreciate that kind of honesty. That still doesn't stop me from keeping that big rock, I like my big rock. It's just a freedom of opinion. That's all. We're both right in the end.because
So there we have it. A dreamcatcher and pep talk to go with it.
So what will I be making next? Keep an eye out for another post soon!
May 8, 2016
Boxes
This week was a big week for anyone who loves The Goo Goo Dolls.
On May 6th of 2016, The Goo Goo Doll's 11th studio was released. It's called "Boxes" and I've already listened to it about ten times, I would have listened to it more by now except I have school and me being a law abiding citizen, I do have some self control. Needless to say, I am truly, deeply, madly in love with this new album. I say it every year, and I'm saying it again this year too.
It's so cool to see the progression of the music from the past six years. In 2010, "Something for the Rest of Us" was a rather dark and moody album for The Goo Goo Dolls. In interviews, Johnny Rzeznik even admits that it was rough time in their lives and it reflected in their music.
In 2013, the upbeat and energetic album "Magnetic" was released and it seemed like a chapter had turned for the members of The Goo Goo Dolls. Johnny married his sweetheart Melina Gallo in July and Robby was the father of a beautiful baby girl. Johnny described it as chaos though, there was a lot happening and he was in the center of it.
Now, 2016, I personally feel as if this new album's music is a reflection of Johnny moving past that chaos, exploring a new sound and finding a sort of pure feeling of what happiness is in this music. It's incredible to see the journey of my favourite band and to see the progression they have made. Robby being a father, Johnny being sober for the past 15 months. It feels like this is a great time to be a Goo Goo Doll.
I felt uplifted with every song I heard. There wasn't one song where I felt like I wasn't being told I was enough, to be brave, that every moment's a chance to live again. The lyrics are so masterfully done, I'm moved every time I listen to the songs and I'll catch a new phrase I didn't hear before that I think this was written just for me.
If you have any sort of interest in this album, I strongly suggest you take a listen to it. It's on Spotify, it's on iTunes, it's on Google and Amazon. It's everywhere. Find it, love it. I totally adored it to pieces and can't wait to listen to it for the rest of my life. That's the great thing about music, it's a permanent addition to your life.
On May 6th of 2016, The Goo Goo Doll's 11th studio was released. It's called "Boxes" and I've already listened to it about ten times, I would have listened to it more by now except I have school and me being a law abiding citizen, I do have some self control. Needless to say, I am truly, deeply, madly in love with this new album. I say it every year, and I'm saying it again this year too.
It's so cool to see the progression of the music from the past six years. In 2010, "Something for the Rest of Us" was a rather dark and moody album for The Goo Goo Dolls. In interviews, Johnny Rzeznik even admits that it was rough time in their lives and it reflected in their music.
In 2013, the upbeat and energetic album "Magnetic" was released and it seemed like a chapter had turned for the members of The Goo Goo Dolls. Johnny married his sweetheart Melina Gallo in July and Robby was the father of a beautiful baby girl. Johnny described it as chaos though, there was a lot happening and he was in the center of it.
Now, 2016, I personally feel as if this new album's music is a reflection of Johnny moving past that chaos, exploring a new sound and finding a sort of pure feeling of what happiness is in this music. It's incredible to see the journey of my favourite band and to see the progression they have made. Robby being a father, Johnny being sober for the past 15 months. It feels like this is a great time to be a Goo Goo Doll.
I felt uplifted with every song I heard. There wasn't one song where I felt like I wasn't being told I was enough, to be brave, that every moment's a chance to live again. The lyrics are so masterfully done, I'm moved every time I listen to the songs and I'll catch a new phrase I didn't hear before that I think this was written just for me.
If you have any sort of interest in this album, I strongly suggest you take a listen to it. It's on Spotify, it's on iTunes, it's on Google and Amazon. It's everywhere. Find it, love it. I totally adored it to pieces and can't wait to listen to it for the rest of my life. That's the great thing about music, it's a permanent addition to your life.
April 27, 2016
Blog Name and Creating
So if you've stopped by, you'll notice that things are a bit different now. Like the photo at the top is different now...and to be not so humble, it's super adorable. (Credit: lookanimals.com) And the big thing is that I've finally changed the name of the blog.
To be quite frank, I've never loved the name Once Upon a Time in Plain City. It never struck gold with me, but I was desperate to blog and I didn't want to wait for inspiration so I just figured why not start where I started which is here in little ol' Plain City, UT. It made sense, it was practical. Ever since then, I've been trying to find something that fits me a bit better and I find I Just Do My Thing to be a bit closer. It may not be a permanent title, but it's a start. I kind of like it.
So what have I been up to lately? I know I mentioned blogging about geeky things and such, which I do still plan on doing, trust me. I just need to find something to talk about, and I have a lot of things that I could talk about Lately, though, as I've been working through my graphic design program at school, I've been wanting to create things. I've felt a sudden feeling inside me that just wants me to make something from these hands. I have an entire pinterest board dedicated to that very thing, creating. And it's not even just a crafting sort of creation, I want to create art and mood boards and make my own edits of photos and images. I want to spread my skills and try all sorts of creative and crafty things.
So starting today, I plan on making a dreamcatcher. It's a small thing and it'll be so much fun. I'll let you know how it goes.
I've already made this collage that I want to make a hundred more of to express myself with. Maybe I'll make a bunch and plaster them in my room...hmmm....
Well, whatever happens, you'll be sure to be involved.
Thanks for stopping by, if you have any fun creating ideas, be sure to slap them on down in those comments.
-Kenra
To be quite frank, I've never loved the name Once Upon a Time in Plain City. It never struck gold with me, but I was desperate to blog and I didn't want to wait for inspiration so I just figured why not start where I started which is here in little ol' Plain City, UT. It made sense, it was practical. Ever since then, I've been trying to find something that fits me a bit better and I find I Just Do My Thing to be a bit closer. It may not be a permanent title, but it's a start. I kind of like it.
So what have I been up to lately? I know I mentioned blogging about geeky things and such, which I do still plan on doing, trust me. I just need to find something to talk about, and I have a lot of things that I could talk about Lately, though, as I've been working through my graphic design program at school, I've been wanting to create things. I've felt a sudden feeling inside me that just wants me to make something from these hands. I have an entire pinterest board dedicated to that very thing, creating. And it's not even just a crafting sort of creation, I want to create art and mood boards and make my own edits of photos and images. I want to spread my skills and try all sorts of creative and crafty things.
I've already made this collage that I want to make a hundred more of to express myself with. Maybe I'll make a bunch and plaster them in my room...hmmm....
Well, whatever happens, you'll be sure to be involved.
Thanks for stopping by, if you have any fun creating ideas, be sure to slap them on down in those comments.
-Kenra
April 13, 2016
Just a Little Tribute to the Library
I took a trip to the library today, and with my adorable library bag (featuring Prince Ren from Tiger's Curse, teehee) in one hand and my video camera in the other I metaphorically skipped into the children's section. I won't lie, children's books are some of my all time favourite kinds of books. They tend to have more adventure, less drama and the characters I feel are so much more unique and dynamic in children's books than they are in the ever dramatic young adult section. (You know...hermit girl meets bad boy...forbidden love...I've read a lot of of those).
Today I discovered a series that I've been wanting to read for a long long time. It's The Spirit Animals series that was started by Brandon Mull and now each book features a different author like Marie Lu, Garth Nix, Shannon Hale, and Maggie Stiefvater (a new favourite of mine). I'm pretty stoked to start this series because I found the first seven at the library. It was actually quite thrilling to prance back and forth through the aisles trying to find the next book. I liked that a lot.
Simple things like that, twisting through the shelves like a kid, make my day and make me giddy. It takes me back to summer days when I wouldn't just metaphorically skip into the children's section, I'd actually do it. And my eyes wouldn't know where to turn on the shelf because every. single, book, looked like a world just waiting for me enter and I had to choose very wisely which one I wanted to visit for that week.
You could compare my exploration of the library to a roller coaster. I'd jump onto my toes to look at the tall shelves and then just as suddenly swoop down onto my knees to look at all of the books on the bottom. Thanks to child Kenra, I still have habit of sort of bobbing my head and my hip when I'm looking through the shelves, like I'm dancing the silent tune of words.
Today there was a little girl that reminded me of myself. She made herself so comfortable on the floor and she'd read a page carefully and then put it back on the shelf and grab another, taking excruciating care that she finds the perfect book. Her knees were splayed out beneath her and I can only imagine that one of her white tennis shoes had an untied lace. Her hair was a bit haphazard, but she didn't look like she cared and she just kept reading. I hated it when I had to break her concentration when one of my books was behind her. Nothing ruins the magic of reading more than a complete stranger who barges in and forces you to move for them. I'm such a jerk.
Would it have been weird if I had taken that girl by the hand and led her to my favourite books? What would I have done had that happened to me as a child? Sometimes I'm tempted to do that, I see a person that just looks like a reader and I want to take them on a guided tour of my book-loves. Stack book upon book in their arms and just insist that they love it just as much as me. Let's be honest, if that happened to me, I'd be a little weirded out. I'll resist the urge.
If you can do anything for a child, I'd say that taking them to the library is one of the best things to do. Summer time was my favourite time of the year because I knew that my mom would take us once a week to get five new books to read. Now, I want to give every parent I see at the library a thumbs up and hug the child who picks up Fablehaven or Artemis Fowl with curious eyes and get in their face and just say, "Read it, you'll love it."
Again, that'd be a little weird, so I look at the books instead.
I've found that every library feels the same too. Even the ones at school, or across the country, they all have this aura of knowledge, adventure, wisdom. It has this feeling that no matter where you are in the world, there are books, and books mean sanctuary and home. Libraries mean home to me, I can find anything and everything I want and I can curl into the corner of the room and just escape for an hour or two. I go there to escape the messed up world and find solace.
Would you like to go on an adventure?
Go to the library.
April 11, 2016
Blogging When You Can't Sleep Makes for Real Interesting Writing
It is 1:00 in the morning and I am awake.
This is the last thing I want to be right now.
For the past two hours I've been tossing back and forth in my little bed and trying to find that "comfort" spot in my bed. Switching between being too hot or too cold I finally resorted to stop trying to fall asleep...because obviously sleep doesn't feel like its time yet.
So I finally just gave up trying and here I am now.
You're probably asleep right now. I rather envy you, fellow reader. I wish I were asleep. I wish my eyes would just close and that my lids would just settle down. I wish my body would relax and that my mind would still...sadly my mind has a lot to think about right now.
Would you like to know what is on my mind?
If you said no, it'd be best to stop reading now because I'm about to go into great detail about what is on my mind. Thanks for stopping by, feel free to go back to sleep. I envy you too.
Where to begin.
1. I want a pet.
This weekend I had the absolute privilege to tend my brother's dog. His name is Casey and is the most adorable little fluff ball. I spent two nights with him and just had the best time bonding with him. I didn't hardly leave my brother's house (except for when I realized I left my toothbrush at home...Macey's run!) and just chilled on the couch with this little dog. AND I didn't binge on Netflix once. I did force my friend to watch Winx Club with me though...we'll come back to that. And I did start the extended edition of the first Hobbit film...but I fell asleep. Though I was delighted to see the extended scene of my baby Thrandy. I adore my elf king. And the whole time, Casey would curl up right next to me and sleep or he'd lick my toes....which is weird....but in Casey's case, it was cute...in a weird way...I need to change the subject now.
I brought Casey home with me today (technically yesterday as it is still 1:00 in the morning!) and while he was outside with my parent's dog, I felt so overly protective of him. I wanted to check on the little baby every five minutes and I wanted to cuddle with him on the couch even though I know dogs aren't allowed in the house. And even though he's just a couple rooms away from me right this very moment I'm already beginning to miss his sweet sweet company because tonight is my last night night with him before my brother and his wife come home from their vacation. I'm gonna miss my little buddy.
2. Snapchat.
For the longest freaking time I was a major anti-Snapchat user...and I keep wanting to say that I still am....but how can I after I put up like five photos on My Story today. I'd be a hypocrite.
I still believe that its stupid to use Snapchat as your go-to tool for communication, especially if you're only going to snap a blurry picture of your carpet just so you can respond with, "haha, you're so funny! #funny2016". Seriously people. That's stupid. But I also now understand the appeal after I was juggling two separate Snapchat conversations about monkeys with one and big beds with another. And all of the photos seemed to keep in pace with or even add to the conversation. Gosh, I've turned into a convert guys...I don't know how to feel.
3. Tumblr
Another social media outlet that I have conflicted feelings about. I do believe I've mentioned it before. It's a great place if you like a certain movie or show or video game because tumblr is the place where fans go to discuss and share their enthusiasm for the things they love. I currently follow about 200 blogs dedicated to Winx Club, Uta no Prince Sama, The Hobbit, and the Lord of the Rings along with various art blogs. My blog is pretty new and I don't visit it very often, but I imagine over time, I'll start to pull in a few other fandom-related blogs. I could really go for a nice Zelda blog. Yeah, that's what I need.
The thing I like about tumblr isn't necessarily the community, I could take it or leave it, what I love is the inspiring creation that people make, even if its just a cheesy quote made on photoshop, those are some of my favourites actually. I just think its a great place for people to create inspiration and to be inspired. And I'm a pro inspiration kind of gal.
4. Fangirls
Now this goes hand and hand with my tumblr section. As I mentioned I can leave or take the community of tumblr. I find myself detesting certain kinds of people on there. There is a constant stream of critically brutal comments and judgmental snobbery. "Oh, you mean to tell me that you like this show but don't know every single fact about it??? Well then you're not really a true fan!" "You mean to tell me you haven't read the Silmarillion?" *Sniff sniff*. I feel that this kind of behavior is so unnecessary. We've all been given a voice and I get it, there are some people that have opinions that are dark, twisted and bit sadistic, but I think overall every person deserves to be given a chance to say how they feel; especially when it comes to such minor and trivial things like The Avengers or Adventure Time. Not to say that these things aren't important to us, but they are just forms of entertainment, it shouldn't be a big deal whether someone has less or more knowledge than you about it. It shouldn't matter that someone doesn't like that character. What matters is the show, not their opinions. It all just seems so petty to me and it bugs me. Why can't we all just get along people?
5. Podcasts and Radio Shows
My dear dear friend rather casually brought up how she had gotten into listening to the radio show, "Welcome to Night Vale." It's this totally rad show that updates you on the rather erratic and obscure things that happen in the fictional town of Night Vale. It is both eerie and hilarious to listen to and I too have now become hooked on it. Listening to Cecil Baldwin's voice as I drive to and from school/work has become a regular routine now. I suddenly wanted more shows like this to listen to...and while I haven't exactly found anything close to Night Vale, I discovered some wonderful podcasts. Popular Youtubers, Rhett and Link have their entertaining show called, "Ear Biscuits." Ted Talks have some great podcast episodes as well; but my all time favorite podcast show it NPR's "Pop Culture Happy Hour" where for forty minutes four radio hosts discuss the latest news in pop culture. I have become addicted to it and am suddenly so attached to the hosts of the show. It's thrilling to listen to them and I get so inspired by them and their vast vocabulary and pop culture knowledge. It's impressive and very stimulating to the brain.
6. Winx Club.
I mentioned already that in my house/dog sitting adventure I forced my friend to watch about five or six episodes of the cringe-inducing first season. Thankfully she's still my friend and she even said she was beginning to enjoy it! It's true that Winx Club is a very different show...and it's very juvenile in every meaning of the word. I have been a huge fan of Winx Club since I was in the second or third grade when it first started. It's an Italian-made cartoon about fairies who kick butt and save the world with their handsomely stupid boyfriends! It's full of sparkles, magic, friendship, boys, fashion, and the most chaotic adventures six girl-fairies can go on....but it's seriously my all time favourite cartoon (next to Avatar and W.I.T.C.H. of course). I can recall many times my mom trying to get me to grow out of it or watch a show with less boys....and she would subtly hint that I shouldn't spend my money on all the DVD's, but come on mom, not very many twenty year-olds can say that they own the complete first two seasons on DVD in both of the English dubs, plus half of the third season (literally one of the most rare DVDs in the U.S. *cough, cough*) and two full length films, huh?
And this is where practically everything that's been on my mind besides Snapchat and fangirls come together. During my time with Casey I had a lot of free time which I spent watching Winx Club and flipping through tumblr looking at Winx Club blogs. During my tumblring, I found a blog that was actually a podcast where they discuss anything and everything Winx Club. Not even joking. I listened to one episode already and am in heaven. They literally said everything I've thought my entire life (except for Sparx shipping, I have a better ship than that...hehehehe) and it felt so great to hear other people my age connect through a silly little cartoon. We all agreed that Season 3 was by far the best season of all time and had the best villain (may my baby Valtor be blessed forevermore) and the best fairy transformation (Enchantix) and probably the best plotline with the least amount of plot holes. I realize that none of you will get this, but if you watched it, you just might.
So is that the end of the story? You found a Winx Club podcast and you're happy now?
Nope, that's not the end, though we are getting close because I'm finally starting to feel a bit tired. (It's now 2:00 in the morning....ugh)
So all of these silly things in my mind have me suddenly thinking about Winx club, podcasts, and blogs and all that stuff. I feel like I've brought up ideas very similar to this one before; but I'd love to blog more about the fandoms and the geeky things that I like. I know that this blog is a bit more personal than it is geeky, but who owns this blog? Me. And whoever said that rules couldn't be broken? I mean have you read Harry Potter? Rules get broken all the time in that series and look how great everyone turned out? Harry has a bunch of kids named after dead people, he seems pretty content now. Oh geeze, I can't believe my 2:00 am fingers just typed that...
So I'd like to make myself a goal, whether it be on this blog or my tumblr blog (I'll let you nonexistent followers know just because I know how desperate you are to read my words as if they were written by the goddess J.K. Rowling herself. Ha. ha. Ha.). The goal is to write a geek/fandom related blog once a week. I think at first I'll start with just telling you guys about a fandom I'm in and what the show/book/movie is about and sort of give a review of how I feel about the show....and if it goes swell we can start delving deeper into certain shows, because I'd love to start a discussion on just how simply ah-mazing Valtor is and why he needs to come back to Winx Club and wreak some havoc and sweep Daphne off of her feet (that's right Sparx shippers, I totally blew your minds by shipping Valtor with a girl he's never met....but let's face it, they're perfect for each other. Forget Thoren. It's Valtor all the way for big sister Daphne). Or we could discuss why Cloud Strife is literally perfection. Or I could bore you all with my unhealthy obsession with all things Tolkien. And I will not forget to have a Ren Jinguji appreciation week...because my Japanese boyfriend. I think this could be a lot of fun...even if I am writing to myself....at 2:00 in the morning.
Okay, I think I'm going to leave this where it's at. Thanks to anyone who actually read this and thank you to Rainbow, for making the show that is Winx Club....I wouldn't have anything to blog about right now if Winx Club didn't exist, and I would probably have a boyfriend by now if it weren't for you....but you know what, that's okay. I'm still young.
Oh heaven help me in my quest for sleep now....
This is the last thing I want to be right now.
For the past two hours I've been tossing back and forth in my little bed and trying to find that "comfort" spot in my bed. Switching between being too hot or too cold I finally resorted to stop trying to fall asleep...because obviously sleep doesn't feel like its time yet.
So I finally just gave up trying and here I am now.
You're probably asleep right now. I rather envy you, fellow reader. I wish I were asleep. I wish my eyes would just close and that my lids would just settle down. I wish my body would relax and that my mind would still...sadly my mind has a lot to think about right now.
Would you like to know what is on my mind?
If you said no, it'd be best to stop reading now because I'm about to go into great detail about what is on my mind. Thanks for stopping by, feel free to go back to sleep. I envy you too.
Where to begin.
1. I want a pet.
This weekend I had the absolute privilege to tend my brother's dog. His name is Casey and is the most adorable little fluff ball. I spent two nights with him and just had the best time bonding with him. I didn't hardly leave my brother's house (except for when I realized I left my toothbrush at home...Macey's run!) and just chilled on the couch with this little dog. AND I didn't binge on Netflix once. I did force my friend to watch Winx Club with me though...we'll come back to that. And I did start the extended edition of the first Hobbit film...but I fell asleep. Though I was delighted to see the extended scene of my baby Thrandy. I adore my elf king. And the whole time, Casey would curl up right next to me and sleep or he'd lick my toes....which is weird....but in Casey's case, it was cute...in a weird way...I need to change the subject now.
I brought Casey home with me today (technically yesterday as it is still 1:00 in the morning!) and while he was outside with my parent's dog, I felt so overly protective of him. I wanted to check on the little baby every five minutes and I wanted to cuddle with him on the couch even though I know dogs aren't allowed in the house. And even though he's just a couple rooms away from me right this very moment I'm already beginning to miss his sweet sweet company because tonight is my last night night with him before my brother and his wife come home from their vacation. I'm gonna miss my little buddy.
2. Snapchat.For the longest freaking time I was a major anti-Snapchat user...and I keep wanting to say that I still am....but how can I after I put up like five photos on My Story today. I'd be a hypocrite.
I still believe that its stupid to use Snapchat as your go-to tool for communication, especially if you're only going to snap a blurry picture of your carpet just so you can respond with, "haha, you're so funny! #funny2016". Seriously people. That's stupid. But I also now understand the appeal after I was juggling two separate Snapchat conversations about monkeys with one and big beds with another. And all of the photos seemed to keep in pace with or even add to the conversation. Gosh, I've turned into a convert guys...I don't know how to feel.
3. Tumblr
Another social media outlet that I have conflicted feelings about. I do believe I've mentioned it before. It's a great place if you like a certain movie or show or video game because tumblr is the place where fans go to discuss and share their enthusiasm for the things they love. I currently follow about 200 blogs dedicated to Winx Club, Uta no Prince Sama, The Hobbit, and the Lord of the Rings along with various art blogs. My blog is pretty new and I don't visit it very often, but I imagine over time, I'll start to pull in a few other fandom-related blogs. I could really go for a nice Zelda blog. Yeah, that's what I need.
The thing I like about tumblr isn't necessarily the community, I could take it or leave it, what I love is the inspiring creation that people make, even if its just a cheesy quote made on photoshop, those are some of my favourites actually. I just think its a great place for people to create inspiration and to be inspired. And I'm a pro inspiration kind of gal.
4. Fangirls
5. Podcasts and Radio Shows
My dear dear friend rather casually brought up how she had gotten into listening to the radio show, "Welcome to Night Vale." It's this totally rad show that updates you on the rather erratic and obscure things that happen in the fictional town of Night Vale. It is both eerie and hilarious to listen to and I too have now become hooked on it. Listening to Cecil Baldwin's voice as I drive to and from school/work has become a regular routine now. I suddenly wanted more shows like this to listen to...and while I haven't exactly found anything close to Night Vale, I discovered some wonderful podcasts. Popular Youtubers, Rhett and Link have their entertaining show called, "Ear Biscuits." Ted Talks have some great podcast episodes as well; but my all time favorite podcast show it NPR's "Pop Culture Happy Hour" where for forty minutes four radio hosts discuss the latest news in pop culture. I have become addicted to it and am suddenly so attached to the hosts of the show. It's thrilling to listen to them and I get so inspired by them and their vast vocabulary and pop culture knowledge. It's impressive and very stimulating to the brain.6. Winx Club.
And this is where practically everything that's been on my mind besides Snapchat and fangirls come together. During my time with Casey I had a lot of free time which I spent watching Winx Club and flipping through tumblr looking at Winx Club blogs. During my tumblring, I found a blog that was actually a podcast where they discuss anything and everything Winx Club. Not even joking. I listened to one episode already and am in heaven. They literally said everything I've thought my entire life (except for Sparx shipping, I have a better ship than that...hehehehe) and it felt so great to hear other people my age connect through a silly little cartoon. We all agreed that Season 3 was by far the best season of all time and had the best villain (may my baby Valtor be blessed forevermore) and the best fairy transformation (Enchantix) and probably the best plotline with the least amount of plot holes. I realize that none of you will get this, but if you watched it, you just might.
So is that the end of the story? You found a Winx Club podcast and you're happy now?
Nope, that's not the end, though we are getting close because I'm finally starting to feel a bit tired. (It's now 2:00 in the morning....ugh)
So all of these silly things in my mind have me suddenly thinking about Winx club, podcasts, and blogs and all that stuff. I feel like I've brought up ideas very similar to this one before; but I'd love to blog more about the fandoms and the geeky things that I like. I know that this blog is a bit more personal than it is geeky, but who owns this blog? Me. And whoever said that rules couldn't be broken? I mean have you read Harry Potter? Rules get broken all the time in that series and look how great everyone turned out? Harry has a bunch of kids named after dead people, he seems pretty content now. Oh geeze, I can't believe my 2:00 am fingers just typed that...
So I'd like to make myself a goal, whether it be on this blog or my tumblr blog (I'll let you nonexistent followers know just because I know how desperate you are to read my words as if they were written by the goddess J.K. Rowling herself. Ha. ha. Ha.). The goal is to write a geek/fandom related blog once a week. I think at first I'll start with just telling you guys about a fandom I'm in and what the show/book/movie is about and sort of give a review of how I feel about the show....and if it goes swell we can start delving deeper into certain shows, because I'd love to start a discussion on just how simply ah-mazing Valtor is and why he needs to come back to Winx Club and wreak some havoc and sweep Daphne off of her feet (that's right Sparx shippers, I totally blew your minds by shipping Valtor with a girl he's never met....but let's face it, they're perfect for each other. Forget Thoren. It's Valtor all the way for big sister Daphne). Or we could discuss why Cloud Strife is literally perfection. Or I could bore you all with my unhealthy obsession with all things Tolkien. And I will not forget to have a Ren Jinguji appreciation week...because my Japanese boyfriend. I think this could be a lot of fun...even if I am writing to myself....at 2:00 in the morning.
Okay, I think I'm going to leave this where it's at. Thanks to anyone who actually read this and thank you to Rainbow, for making the show that is Winx Club....I wouldn't have anything to blog about right now if Winx Club didn't exist, and I would probably have a boyfriend by now if it weren't for you....but you know what, that's okay. I'm still young.
Oh heaven help me in my quest for sleep now....
March 7, 2016
Raise Your Voices
Did you guys know that Barbie is a vlogger?
That's right, the girl in pink has raised her skill level and has started her own vlog series.
I'm a big fan.
And it doesn't take very long to binge them. Here, I'll make it easy for you. Click here.
Adorable right?
Anyways, more specifically I wanted to talk about vlog #4.
That's right, the girl in pink has raised her skill level and has started her own vlog series.
I'm a big fan.
And it doesn't take very long to binge them. Here, I'll make it easy for you. Click here.
Adorable right?
Anyways, more specifically I wanted to talk about vlog #4.
It's a silly video that only grazes the surface about raising your voice, and I think that's mainly why it's been on my mind so much. Barbie just barely cracked the door open and I want to go a bit deeper on it.
What would I raise my voice for?
What would you raise your voice for?
Thinking about it, I've realized that I've lost something I used to have in high school: a vocal opinion. I remember there would be days at church where I would rant and rant about how stupid this one thing was and the injustice of this person. I would go on and on and on. Usually there were very in-the-moment, first-world rants but I had been raising my voice. After graduation, it seems as if I let most people (but not all) just let their opinions walk over mine while I remain silent and tolerant.
I think I must have thought that it was me being considerate of other, allowing them to use their voice. They were probably more influential than me anyways. Maybe I've lost confidence in myself. Maybe I've lost interest in the things I used to be passionate about. It's obvious that I've lost my courage to raise my voice.
There is a fine line between being tolerant - allowing other people to use their voices- and letting people take advantage of your silence.
So I give you the same challenge that Barbie has given me (and you if you watched the video). Raise your voice for something. Raise your hand and fight for something you believe in. Even if it's a small thing, even if the farthest it reaches is your ceiling and nothing more, let your voice be out, ring free and true. Even if it's about a book or a movie or anything at all, talk about it, don't let your silence be taken over by somebody else.
You deserve to be heard.
So what am I going to raise my voice for?
I have a few things in mind. Keep reading if you want to read about them.
1. Wildlife SOS
Meet Suraj.
See his ear? That's right, he doesn't have one. Suraj lives in India and for decades lived in captivity in a cramped space of a room on temple grounds. During that time, his ear was ripped off. He lived there without anyone to care him and was shown no sympathy or love. He was hardly ever allowed to leave his room and when he did he walked with a terrible limp. He was isolated, abused, and uncared for.
Meet Rose
See her leg? That's right she doesn't have one. Rose is an orphaned sloth bear, found in an Indian village missing a leg. She would use her muzzle to walk and her gait became unnatural. No one knows what happened to her leg. She is just a cub.
Meet Bhalu
Even though it is illegal in India; sloth bears are used as entertainment to get money. It is a cruel and vile treatment. Bhalu was a victim of becoming a 'dancing bear.' With a rope pierced through his muzzle, Bhalu lived the first years of his life captive, abused, underfed and beaten. He passed away August 2015.
These animals don't even begin to scratch the list of abused, forgotten and unloved creatures on our planet, in India even. Each were mistreated by the hand of our species and then ignored to focus on better things. If it hadn't been for the nonprofit foundation Wildlife SOS, Suraj, Rose, and Bhalu would have had shorter lives than they have or had been given.
Suraj was rescued from the temple in December of 2015. Though there are long term affects of his abuse, Suraj is starting to warm up to and interact with the other rescued elephants (called the Herd of Hope). Rose's leg has been treated and she is starting to learn how to walk without using her muzzle and has been fed and loved. Bhalu was rescued in 2005 and lived ten full long years as the bear he should have been from the beginning, though he too bore scars from his wicked past just as Suraj will. With Wildlife SOS, these animals were given a second chance at life, a second chance to hope.
I'm raising my voice for people to be aware that we are not the most important thing in this world. We are not the king of this planet. We are not even closed to being called its caretakers. We are its abuser, its needy child, we take and we take and we don't give back. We never give back. I'm raising my voice for Suraj, for Rose and for the memory of Bhalu. Though they are miles away from us, though I will never see them in person, I want you to know that you're knowledge your awareness will make the difference. This world isn't just ours, its theirs too. It belongs to them. They are the earth's children and they need our love.
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| Co-founder Geeta Seshamani |
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| Co-founder Kartick Satyanarayan |
2. Bullying
It's an obvious topic to bring up. It's been beaten dead by so many people. It's been preached to the choir a thousand times. It's been pounded an practically every pulpit. It's something every child learns and what every adult knows. Yet I still see the painful consequences of bullying.
Bullying is not okay. Ignoring someone, verbally assaulting someone, or physcially harming someone is not okay. Gossiping is not okay. Black mail, cyber bullying and complete negligence is not okay.
Every child is born with a fresh set of eyes, a full beating heart, and pure mind. I know for me that the first thing to dim my eyes, clench my heart and taint my mind was because I had been bullied. I was one of the lucky kids though, I wasn't bullied much as a kid. Sure I got called four-eyes, fat, and stupid for not catching a ball. But it's nothing compared to the disgusting things other kids my age had to face; and it seemed like once it started, that child had to face it year after year no matter how kind puberty was to them, no matter how hard they tried to change, no matter what they did to stop the bullying, they remained the victim of the classroom's bullies and they remained the loser. I recall a handful of kids my age that got stuck in that rut, they were never given the opportunity to prove that they could be better because everyone (I sometimes even feel as if the teachers too) believed that they were too far gone.
No one is ever too far gone. Too far beyond our comprehension. Too broken to love.
It isn't fair that we grind down our own peers self esteem down simply so that we can build a reputation for ourselves. It isn't fair that some children feel so alienated that they feel the only solution to the pain is self harm, substance abuse, or even suicide. It isn't fair that I was tempted to starve myself and have my mind plagued with abusive thoughts because I got called fat and ugly. It isn't right that I had to suppress who I was to protect myself from the black gossip people would spread.
I raise my voice for every kid, past present and those yet to come. I raise my voice to you. You have a friend in me. I don't know you. I don't know if I ever will meet you. But I believe in you. I believe in the power that you hold inside your pure mind, your new eyes, and your beating heart. I know that life is hard, that life is unfair, that it tears you down and shreds you into tiny fragments. But I know that you have the power inside of you to put those fragment back together. I know you have the potential to do great things. People will talk, people will stare. It's inevitable. Don't let that stop you from raising your own voice though. You never know who will be watching that might just want to befriend. You are not too far gone, you are not too broken. You are great, and you are powerful.
3. Artists and Creators.
I raise my voice to you. To the outcasts who spent their high school days in the back hallways with a notebook and pencil sketching the world only visible to you. To the ones who sang from their heart behind locked doors. And to the ones who weaved their words on paper and on screen, building characters and worlds. I raise my voice to the creators, to the out-of-the-box-thinkers.
I know that there are so many people so many people who have a creative part inside themselves. And I know that more than half of those people are too scared to share their talent.
Where does this fear come from? Please refer to subject number two. When we get bullied at a young age, we hide a lot about ourselves to protect us from any risk of getting hurt. I know I did. As soon as someone called my drawings monkeys with long necks I never showed my art to anyone ever again.
If there is anything that I have learned about creativity though, is that no facet of creativity is wrong. There is nothing wrong with splatters of paint. There is nothing wrong with color outside the lines. There is nothing wrong with a blurred photo. There is nothing wrong with a short story. There is nothing wrong with your creativity.
Pursue your creativity. Cultivate the talents that you have and the talents that you want. It is never, ever too late to start creating. I'm only 19, but I still believe that the sketches I have, the stories I've written are worthy of someone and that with work, I know they will get better.
I raise my voice to say that no matter what skill you are at, you are an artist to me. You're stories, your photos, your songs, your inner colorful world, it inspires me. Your art is how you raise your voice. It is how you rant, it is how you vent and express your emotions. It is how you put your heart out to the world. Don't stifle it. Don't wilt it. Don't doubt it.
Do you think Barbie is a bad influence now? Do you truly think that that video taught kids to be skinny or pink or anything?
It certainly didn't do that to me. It taught me to stand up for what I believe in.
Now it's your turn.
What would you raise your voice for?
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| Thanks Barbie! |
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