Stephen King books... my opinion on them!

Some of you guys might know that I love reading, yet I had never considered any of Stephen King's books until a few days ago. I know, that's a pretty horrible crime :) Anyways, after my mom's incessant recommendations to try out one of his books, I decided to read one of his first and most popular books: Misery. Now I know I can't say my opinion of his entire work based solely on one book, but I have to say that I am already hooked to his style of writing. I am nearing the end of Misery and already I am subconsciously trying to choose which Stephen King book I should read next. Now I know why my mom has a HUGE collection of his books.

To be quick, Stephen King has a knack for keeping you at the edge of the seat with just a few well-composed words. He can glue you to your reading chair for hours and hours because of his ability to balance out suspense and horror in a subdued manner. It is not just a freaky, horrorific, gore-splashing-everywhere type of book. I recommend any reader who is into mystery or thriller books to try it out. Any thoughts guys?

Are you more inclined to like seasons you were born in? :)

Hey guys, just a random thing I wanted to talk about today.

I remember reading from a magazine a few years ago that we generally tend to like seasons (as in spring, summer, fall, winter) that we were born in. I can't say if this is true, yet it has been true for me and many of my friends and family. I was born in December and I have to say I LOVE the winter. Not just Christmas and the "festive spirit" (although that does make up a lot of it), but the snow, drinking hot coco, you get the picture. My brother was born in the spring and he himself loves springtime, for "no explainable reason".

Does this ring true for anyone? Or is it just a coincidence that everyone I know says this is correct? And now for a little tune to settle ourselves into winter (although we are still in September):

Have a great day everyone!

8tracks: A "handcrafted internet radio"

Hey guys! I know I have been missing for the last two days but I was heaped with work for school... Anyways, I felt like introducing you guys to an awesome website known as 8tracks. Many of you might have already heard of it, but it's pretty much a website where you can share or listen to mixes from pretty much every existing genre. In addition, they also have special mixes geared towards a specific situation, such as when you are stressed out or if you have to study for an exam. Trust me, it's awesome.

I always used to think that *I* was the best judge of what kind of music I would like, but after visiting this site, I realized how wrong I was! 8tracks introduced me to so many artists and songs that I realize I can't live without now. Just give it a visit, I'm sure you'll love it!

Feel free to leave any feedback or opinions! Have a great day guys. 

Dear Facebook...

Now I'm not one of those Facebook haters. I actually was a fan of it for some time. But the change's they're implementing are ridiculous, especially the one they added yesterday. So here's a little rant. The little "Ticker" on the right is distracting and annoying; I don't really care that my second cousins' friend liked a picture of her boyfriend's dog. Besides, if I can see all this information from other profiles, I'm pretty sure that makes my information quite vulnerable as well... The "Top News" features is also getting on my nerves. I am getting top news from people I barely know, even with the help of filters. I know we'll just get used to it like we always do, but I feel like I should migrate to Google + soon....

Do you believe in horoscopes (and HIMYM)?

When I was young I used to believe all kinds of crazy things. I must admit that to this day I'm still a big interested in blood type personalities and horoscopes. Doesn't mean I believe them, but they're still fun for me! Now I'm no expert in astrology so I have no idea if horoscopes and zodiac signs are actually accurate or something to entertain us. Either way, I find that horoscopes are very fun to look at, although I'm not one of those crazy types that base their relationships and actions on horoscopes. It's cool to think what my "type" of people are "supposed" to do. What about you guys? Do you believe in things like Zodiac or Chinese animal horoscopes?

On another note, I just watched the new episode of How I Met Your Mother today! Absolutely loved it and I thought it was touching. I won't give any spoilers here, so you better watch it! :)

Have a great day guys...

Thoughts on the upcoming "PokePark 2"

From PokePark (2010)

Alright, before you berate me for being so childish, I would just like to tell you that I've been playing Pokemon games since I was 6... therefore I feel the need to check out every Pokemon game that has been released years later. :)

I came across this recent article at IGN that talks of a game for the Wii where you can play mini-games Pokemon style. It has also been revealed that the Pokemon will be based off Pokemon Black & White, along with more Pokemon to control and an entirely new world to play in. Am I the only one who is immaturely excited for this? In my opinion, no one can be too old for a good old game of Pokemon (can you count how many times I've said "Pokemon" so far?).

I'm pretty sure it won't be the same experience as playing my old Pokemon games on the gameboy, but I'm still looking forward to it. A lot.

Girl fakes cancer for money...?!

Hey guys. So I woke up to this beautiful Saturday morning and decided to browse the news. I came across this article where an 18 year old girl pretended to have cancer. She raised over $17,000 from concerned people all over the world, along with getting sympathy and love from her community for something she didn't have. Frankly, this disgusts me. I lost my grandfather to cancer and this is no laughing or joking matter. It's not just the money wasted on her; I just can't figure out what would make this girl do something so morally wrong! How utterly selfish and... evil can someone be? I have to say this almost ruined my morning... I just hope all the money she raised goes to kids that really do need treatment from cancer.

What do you guys think?

Choosing the gender of your baby...?

The concept of choosing your child's sex has been around for a few years now. I'm not here to argue about how successful it is, or whether it is even a real thing. All I want to talk about is how ethical something like this is. Now I want to start off and say I'm not a religious person, so this just stems from my own personal beliefs.  I remember how when my mom got prengant with my older brother, she wanted a daughter really bad but ended up giving birth to a son. She tells me, however, that she had nothing to worry about because my brother was "the best son in the world". What if she had been living in our times? What if she had taken some sort of procedure or treatment that would let her choose a baby girl? Imagine how different my brother (or potential older sister)'s life would be, along with mine and my parents'.

There are also some rumors circulating that soon we will be able to choose our baby's physical characteristics, like hair color, eye color, height, weight, etc. It's all very impressive, but in my opinion I think it's morally wrong. Giving birth is a natural thing in my opinion, and we shouldn't try to change it and play God. If you wanted a daughter and you get a son, I think you should just be glad to have a healthy baby boy, instead of messing around with "gender choosing kits". In the end, just because we have the technology to do something doesn't mean we HAVE to use it.

Opinions? :)

Birth order and relationships...?

 I was snooping around on Google and I came across a fairly recent article about how the order you were born in (only child, last child, middle child, first child, etc.) can affect the types of people you have most compatibility with when you are dating. I myself am a last-born and I prefer guys that are more outgoing and confident, although I don't have much of a problem with shy guys either. I'm not too sure if this is exactly accurate, but it is still fun too look at! Check it out here. What do you guys think? For anyone in a relationship, does this ring true?  Any other opinions?

Jack Johnson: one of my favorites!

Today I decided to write about one of my favorite singers (in the world). You guys probably know who he is: Jack Johnson! I was one of the late fans, to be honest. I first listened to one of his songs last year and I fell in love. So without much ado, here is one of my favorite songs by him!

I just love that even though he uses very few instruments, he manages to make amazing songs coupled with very original lyrics. I always listen to his songs whenever I am stressed or having a bad day. Anyone agree with me?

9/11: A few words

Hey guys. As most of you know, today marks the day that, ten years ago, thousands of lives were lost. I don't want to go into specifics because I'm pretty sure it's all been done throughout the past decade.

I just wanted to say that even though time has passed, it still hurts many of us (even those who haven't been affected directly by 9/11). I myself am not American, but I still pray for those who lost their lives that day. I have to admit that I wasn't a full-grown "adult" at the time and couldn't really process why something so horrible would happen. Anyways, although this is a short post I don't want to drag it out and make it more depressing.

All my love and prayers to those that lost loved ones or those that lost their own lives on September 11, 2001.

Have a great day guys! Sorry for the short and sad post.  

Best places to get a new pet...?

Hey guys. Sorry about the lack of posts this week, but this week was my first week of school and as you know, they are the busiest. I'll be back with my daily posts by next week! Anyways, today I wanted to touch on a popular question among future pet-owners: where to get them?

I, like many people, love animals. I grew up with half a dozen of them throughout my childhood and I can't imagine how my life would be without my lovely pets :P I just want to start this off and say that in the end it's all up to you to decide where you want to get your puppy. However, I just want to say my part on the best places to get your cat/dog/other.

I HIGHLY recommend you adopt a dog or cat from a volunteer shelter. I know many of you guys think that these places are "dirty" and none of the animals are clean, but that is so far from the truth. I've been to these animal shelters and it is so clean and hygienic- they make sure all the animals get their vaccines and if they are sick, they take care of them so well and are better in no time.

Besides, they are not "damaged" either. Sure, some of them have come from an abusive home, but that just means they are even more desperate for love and a companion. Remember that you save TWO animals by adopting one- the one you adopted, and the space you freed up for another animal to live in. When I volunteered at an animal shelter a few years ago, I had to admit that they are such lovebugs. At the risk of sounding extremely cheesy, all they want is some affection :)

If you are looking for a specific breed (whether you just like a certain type or you take care of show cats), the obvious place to go to is a dog/cat breeder. However, please know that they are VERY pricey, and why pay $800 for a cat when you can adopt one for free? Be very careful when buying a dog at these places- although most of them are just nice people raising cats and dogs, some of them are "puppy mills" that put dogs in near-inhumane conditions and are inbred just for the sake of profit. Same goes for cats and any other type of animal.

What I also suggest is just buying or adopting a pet from your neighbors. Most of the time they are very cheap (or free) and they were raised in nice conditions. The downside is that they might not have all the vaccinations and medication they need, nor the right type of environment. You can, however, easily get it checked out at the vet.

Now the last option is the pet store... Personally, I don't recommend it only because I don't really like how they are objectified and put on display so that people will buy them. In addition, they are usually put in really bad conditions (very small space, no toys, not very clean) and buying an animal from there will only make another space for another dog to live in. However, there are some nice pet stores that keep their animals in large, free spaces. If you want, you can get one from those- although adopting one is still the best option :D

So that's all the information I have on where to get a new pet.
Have a great day guys!

Growing up with homosexual parents...

Today I'm going to tread into some controversial ground. I just want to start off and say this is my opinion only and you are totally entitled to yours! After watching a hilarious episode of Modern Family, I started wondering what are the pros and cons of being raised by a same-sex couple.

I guess the biggest concern is that the child will be missing either a motherly or fatherly role in their life, seeing as it has two guardians of the same gender. I agree completely that every kid needs to have a dad and a mom during their childhood- I know many friends who come from broken families and they have more struggles and problems in their lives. Now who's to say that (for example) a homosexual man can't assume the role of the mom while his partner acts as the fatherly role? Does it have to be an actual man and woman, or can they just have the qualities that a mom and a dad are "supposed" to have?

In addition, although homophobia as gone down compared to the past decade, it is still persistent in our society. Wouldn't the child face ridicule or bullying as it grew up for having gay parents? Wouldn't that affect him/her psychologically? I too was bullied as a kid (for a different reason) and I have to say that it still does affect me years after. 


Now, leaving it at that, I think that there are some pros to this. Obviously same-sex couples can't just straight up have a baby whenever they want. It's either adoption or artificial insemination, which are both incredibly time-consuming processes. To me, it seems that if they are willing to go through all that to have a child, it shows that they are definitely ready to be loving parents, unlike a 15-year-old (STRAIGHT) girl who ended up getting pregnant because she didn't use protection.

I have to be honest and say I am still on the fence about this topic. I am leaning slightly to the pro-gay couple side, although (as I expressed before) I have doubts that the potential child will have a "normal" childhood. However, I do have a close friend who was raised by two lesbians. He is perfectly normal in my opinion.... good grades, popular with the girls, and a generally nice kid. I know this is just ONE person and doesn't represent every gay parent in the world, but I just want to put it out there.

What do you guys think? Thoughts? Opinions?

Why buy another zombie game?

So most of you know that Dead Island was very recently released. When I first heard that a new zombie-shooter game would come out, I was seriously disappointed at the lack of the gaming industry's creativity. However, now that I got a look at a few gameplays on YouTube, I have to say that it looks like an exciting game to me. I'm actually considering buying it with my November-video games money. :)

The question is... why do we keep buying games that are pretty much the same? For example, ZOMBIE GAMES! I myself own quite a lot of them and they usually have similar concepts albeit the little tweak here and there.  Are we just slightly sadistic in the fact that we like to blow up the undead, over and over? Or are some of us big zombie-fanatics? This can apply to many genres, as a matter of fact.

What do you guys think? Why do we keep buying sequels or video games that have pretty much the same plot/story? It was just something I've been thinking about for quite a while. And for anyone who has gotten Dead Island, how is it? Any different from the normal zombie games?

Have a great day!

Advice: Being the "new" kid

Hey guys! School starts tomorrow for me, and I have to say I'm excited and nervous at the same time! I'm not new this year, but I've met some of the new students and they seemed really anxious. That gave me the idea to write this post about how you can have fun at a new school. I've moved around SO much in my life (from continent to continent), having to start a new school every 2 years or so. Over the years, I've accumulated a small amount of knowledge when it comes to being the new kid at school. So here goes :)

#1: Make a good first impression
  Dress nicely and be polite. Don't be afraid to let your personality show, because people you meet won't know what type of person you are at first. It's okay to be shy, because who isn't on the first day? But try and be friendly as it's a very easy way to make friends. It's a very shallow thing to say, but on the first day, everyone will be checking out the "new kids". It's a good idea to make a good impression so that the rumors don't start flying around the moment you step into school.

#2: Don't worry about making too much friends at first
  That can come later. For now, it's important to try and meet one or two people who you like. They can help you around the school for the first week or so and also introduce you to their group of friends. I've been lost countless times during my first few days at school, so it's always good to have someone who can guide you to your classes.  

#3: Don't lie!
   We all know how tempting it is to tell everyone that your dad is actually the CEO of Sony and that you used to live in a mansion. BUT things always catch up in the end! It is a really bad idea to exaggerate and lie about your past life to your new friends. In the end, they are bound to find out the truth (for example, your classmate's cousin might have known you before) and it'll just make them lose trust in you. Trust me, I've seen this happen so may times.

#4:Learn the "rhythm" of the school
  Try and find out what the teachers are like, what people expect from you, and what type of class rotation you have. It'll be so much either when you figure out the rhythm of the place. You can easily do this by asking a new friend, or just spending a few days at school will give you a good idea of what type of school it is.   

#5: And finally... be yourself
  I know, what a cliche thing to say. But there's no point trying to be someone who you aren't. It'll just end up stressing you out and bothering you. I say it's always good to be yourself; if someone doesn't like you for it, then just don't be their friend! It might seem like a good idea to change yourself to fit in in the short run, but it's always a bad idea in the end.

That's all I have for you guys... most of these tips apply to high school but they can be used in any sort of setting- middle school, college, etc.

Good luck! Hope I helped :)

Calvin and Hobbes: Was Hobbes real...?

So anyone who's grown up in the 90's like me probably read a lot of Calvin and Hobbes in their childhood. It was always a laugh to read the C&H comics, and I still read them now. I've always wondered as a child if Hobbes was really.. real?

Do not despair, this comic strip has been proved to be fake!

I guess what most people would say is the "main message" is that you know, "Hobbes was just Calvin's figment of imagination"... blah blah blah. But I always thought that Hobbes was a real tiger that would only come to life when Calvin was around. Even as I grew up and grew skeptical of Hobbes' existence, I was reluctant to let go of this theory. I mean, there were certain instances where Calvin couldn't possibly have done something if Hobbes had been a stuffed toy.

Is this a slightly stupid, immature topic to discuss? Possibly. But I've been wondering this for many, many years of my life and I finally get to talk about it! What do you guys think? Was Hobbes ever real?

My thoughts on the Wii U

Yes, I know. E3 was months ago. I just felt like writing about it because November (the release of many undeniably awesome video games) is nearing. Anyways, at the E3 conference, Nintendo showed us the Wii U; a new video game console that looked promising in the trailer.

The key distinguishing feature of this new console is that it introduces a controller that can continue your game even when the television is off (or your parents came in and changed the channel. I myself have experienced that as a kid).

Now let's see. The Wii was never intended towards hardcore gamers in my opinion. I remember trying to play Black Ops on the Wii and it being a incredibly frustrating experience. In my opinion, the Wii is for fun in groups, family time, or for smaller kids. Something tells me that the Wii U's target audience will be the same as it's parent console.

In that case, I think this will be a hit! I'm not too sure if people will be willing to splurge on it, especially during a time like this, but the concept itself seems awesome to me. Who doesn't remember all the tears we cried as children when our parents "accidentally" turned the television off while we were driving through Rainbow Road in Mario Kart?

However, I think the games for the Wii U should be limited to fun arcade/party games, but nothing as "deep" as the Assassin's Creed or Battlefield series.The reason why is that when playing a game like Battlefield, I like having a big screen in front of me, not a little handheld controller. I also like focusing on one thing (the television screen), and not two (the tv screen AND the controller) in such an... intense game. I'm pretty sure Nintendo is already aware of that, and hopefully they will be releasing games that are an appropriate match for what the Wii U does and doesn't offer.

Well, that's all I have to say on it. I know, it's a short review, but I like to keep it that way. :)

Any thoughts?

eBooks vs. Paper books?

All right, so ever since iPads and Kindles came out, eBooks have been the newest thing. This isn't going to be an article about whether eBooks will soon replace paper books, although I got my inspiration for this blog post after reading this article. This is just my personal opinion on which is better.

So my mom recently got a Galaxy Tab and I have to say, the eBook app is pretty cool. It's fun to mess around with the font and highlight random stuff. I guess it's also better to have a very light machine that holds thousands of books than lugging around a bookshelf. However, I think I will stick to paper books for now. There's just something about them: the solidity [?] of them, the smell of each page, and the fact that it's somehow more comforting to curl up on a sofa with a nice paperback rather than a tablet that gets hotter and hotter the more you hold it.

It somehow saddens me that the younger generation will use online textbooks and read some of my favorite books on iPads. It just doesn't feel real to me, for some reason. Even though I know I bought the e-book and it won't be going anywhere, I keep thinking that it's not actually there. Stupid, I know.

So what do you guys think? Do you prefer eBooks over tangible ones? It'd be nice to hear your input on this matter.

Have a great day!