The mysteries of the great burdock root!

I don't often  ever do posts having to do with medicine and nutrition,  but I couldn't help write one today, only because of how much I want you guys to know about it! I apologize for most of my sources being in Korean. Its properties are still relatively unknown in the Western world so most of my references will be in Korean. So without further ado, I present to you the Great Burdock Root! 

Now before you x out of this post for manifesting what looks like chunks of bark,  bear with me. When my mom came into the kitchen with a load of these precariously stacked  on her arms, I was dumbfounded. Was this another one of her strange dietary additions (she's a bit of a health freak)? Maybe, but rightfully so. Turns out she had bought what was the latest craze  in East Asian countries like Japan and South Korea.

It used to be popular in Europe, Asia, and South America for being a low calorie and versatile food that was also nutritious. However, the reason why its popularity had recently been revived was due to a short Korean documentary featuring Yoshinori Nagumo, author of "Drinking Burdock Tea Will Make You 20 Years Younger" and director of Nagumo clinic, in which he explains his mid-life revelation to live healthier, and thus turning his life around to consume copious amounts of Burdock Tea on a daily basis. His result? After a little more than 20 years (he is now 56), he looks younger than he did when he was 30 (pictured below). Anatomically speaking, his bones are 28 years old, his brain 38, and his blood vessels 26 years old. How did he essentially become "younger"? You got it, it was that darn burdock tea. No fancy treatments, operations, or pills. He just drank litres of this tea every single day. It takes some commitment but just look at him!

Above: Mr. Nagumo at age 56. Below, age 30. Thank you burdock tea!

What's better,

1. Making burdock tea is quite easy and cheap. Just look for it in your local market, they're quite recognizable. Asian markets are a bonus. 

2. There is no secret "you also have to pay an extra 500 dollars to [unnamed health foundation] for this to work". Just drink litres of this every day and you'll notice the difference after a few years. 

Understandably, this new youth-triggering effect of the great burdock root has brought on what I like to call the "Burdock Rush". I swear I saw everyone with an armload of these today when I went to the local market. As an extra plus, they come with a myriad of other health benefits, such as bettering your immune system, reviving your skin, promoting anti-aging, and improving blood circulation. Hurray for healthy living. 

To finish this off, I'll teach you guys how to make this mystical tea. (source: comes with step-by-step pictures!)

1. With a knife, carefully dice the root into small slices. They should look a bit like banana slices now. 
2. Put these pieces, separated and on a tray, into the microwave for ~5 minutes until it has dried out sufficiently. Check every two minutes or so to make sure your kitchen isn't on fire or anything. 
3. In a litre of boiling water, place about 10 grams of these dried root pieces
4. Allow the pieces to infuse and bless the boiling water with its immortal properties.
5. Consume burdock root tea.
6. Become seemingly immortal.

Enjoy! Happy eatin' for everyone!

French and Python

Lately I've been on a sort of "learn things online" frenzy and thanks to the Internet, it's been a lot of fun.
I want to share some fun sites that were recommended to me by friends and have proved to be simple, guiding, and helpful.

The first site is called Duolingo, a site that helps you learn languages (Spanish, French, German, Portuguese...) step-by-step. I must admit learning French on this site has  proven to be a lot more structured and broken down than what I would get in a normal class, which I love. There are lots of reading, writing, listening and speaking exercises to help you manoeuvre around and explore different facets of a language.

Secondly, I've always been fascinated by coding and programming, but never found the time to open a clunky book and study it. This is where Codecademy comes in. It teaches you a variety of coding topics and languages with detailed tutorials that cover everything from A-Z. Very useful and not overwhelming at all.
With all that aside, I can't believe the year is ending already! Christmas is just around the corner and the supposed end of the world (huh). Hope everyone is keeping well!

Awwwwwwww (A review for the movie "Flipped")

I've been meaning to write about this movie I watched with a few friends two weeks ago. When my friend said it was a "love story between two preteens" I wasn't incredibly excited. But when she brought out the caramel popcorn something inside me pushed me to stay until she got her computer working.

The movie was titled Flipped, set in the 50's and featuring two eighth graders who are polar opposites of each other. I'm not good with summaries so I'll just go ahead and say that it showcases their relationship throughout the years and how things can be... *flipped* (I'm so clever)! Both perspectives are shown and they switch back and forth throughout. Here's the trailer:

Sort of got me wishing I lived in the 50's again (and, dear feminists, I mean this in the best way possible). No internet/video game addicts, kids actually playing in the yards... hell I even saw a girl climb a tree in this movie. And seeing two 12-13 year olds interact without grinding each other at an epilepsy-enducing party was quite nice as well.

A great watch regardless of whether or not romantic comedies are your thing. You know that warm fuzzy feeling you get in your heart when you eat a marshmallow? Yeah, you'll be feeling that after the movie's done.

Exactly what you need on a rainy November afternoon

You get home from school/work. You're beyond tired and could do with a drink. But which one best matches what you want at that moment? I decided that overly complicating it by consulting a website based on your musical preferences is the best way to decide. Here's a link that a friend of mine sent me. Type in a music artist whose song you're listening to at the moment and personalizes a drink for you. How exciting! For those who are not yet of the right age to consume alcohol, remember that you can never go wrong with a non-alcoholic Pina Colada.

aww yes

Speaking of November, this will be the first time I get to experience what Americans like to call Thanksgiving! In honor of such a widely celebrated holiday, here is a somewhat relevant song that almost (almost) beats Rebbecca Black's Friday. Or whatever new song One Direction has come out with these days.

Enjoy! 

P.S. I hope you can sense the heavy sarcasm I've displayed.

Normal everyday things in the US that I considered cultural experiences

Nearly had a heart attack when I saw these for the first time.

Walmart

They sell everything! And so cheap! I think I finally get why it's such a big thing in the US. You should have seen me in the aisles like a child in a field of daisies while everyone's just doing their shopping. 

Online Shopping

Who would have thought online shopping was so convenient. I mean seriously! I stayed away from internet shopping back in Europe because shipping/taxes were such a pain in the butt. But now that I'm in the US... it's so easy! (and no worries, I am keeping an eye on my balance. Heh)

They have Wi-Fi. Everywhereeeee!

This really needs no explanation. Hurray for free wifi! 

Food

I know obesity is a big problem and all in the US, but who would have thought there was just so many types of food? I like how some places label how many calories a meal has so you can feel more guilty while you scarf your food down.

Actually watching American TV Shows on TV

Speechless. Turn on your TV. Boom! FOX! abc family! CBS! It's quite possibly one of the best feelings to actually watch a show ON TV. Not on your computer. Took my breath away, I tell you. 

And as a bonus.. Hipsters!!!

I actually saw one yesterday! "Nerd" glasses and cardigans. He went totally all-out. Almost asked him for an autograph... I thought hipsters were just a myth. 

As an outsider looking in, these have been some awesome moments in my time here in the US. I will truly treasure skipping up and down Walmart deep in my heart. 

Sharpies + lots of free time = ?

Back in Spain I was mesmerized by the graffiti and street art that were displayed on practically every surface. Some might call it vandalism, but you can see some of it is truly art. A lot of time and dedication goes into graffiti; and by this I'm not talking about those little scribbles you see in a bathroom stall. I mean those all-out works of art on murals, done with simple tools like spray paint. All the street art there inspired me to take on my own style and angle on street art without being an obnoxious, anger-fueled teen about it.

So after discovering my collection of Sharpies, I decided to spend my time productively by prioritizing this over my homework or any other extremely urgent school work. Here's what I came up with a few days back.

I admit it is a bit amateur-ish, but who cares? I love doing this! I always feel like I have to be busy doing something, so this has been a great source of interest for me the past few weeks. And now, some actual art from Madrid:

I've frequently seen kids in their teens going about at night to paint on walls. I find it pretty awesome that they are inspired and motivated to paint their passions on a surface. It's actually one of the small things I miss about Madrid!

Dorm life: The good and the bad

It's my third week living in a dorm on school campus for the first time and I think I can safely share my experience so far.

Since I like ending on a good note... let's start with the bad things about dorm life.

The Bad:

1. Very little to zero privacy. You could have a single but it just isn't the same as being in your own room in your own house. If you have a double and don't get along with your roommate.. you either beat them or join them. Everything you say or do should be done knowing that anyone could be watching and judging your actions.
2. Following the previous statement, very thin walls. I'm not insinuating anything but sometimes you hear things you just don't want to hear. 
3. For those who are used to having someone look after them, you need to realize that you need to clean your own room... No one's going to run around telling you what to do. So you know, you could potentially let your room turn into a wasteland and people wouldn't care.
4. Going to bed early is not a possibility. Unless you are very quick and heavy sleeper, you will lie in bed for a good hour listening to shouting, giggling, stomping in the corridors, very bad dubstep, etc.
5. Bathrooms. I was lucky enough to get shower stalls but other dorms are just communal showers. If you are a private person who generally doesn't strut around naked in public places, it might take some time to get used to dorm bathrooms.

However, this doesn't mean dorm life doesn't come with the fun things!

The Good:

1. It's kind of like a big sleepover, all year round. I'm not even the most social person in the world but it's fun to be able to walk over to your friend's room in 20 seconds and just chat. Besides, when you put like 40 energetic teens in one place, crazy things are bound to happen.
2. Everything is within arm's reach. For lazy people like me, it's pretty darn convenient.
3. Helps you develop your people skills. Living with dozens of people in one building can be overwhelming at first, but over time you learn to live with others and how not to piss them off. It prompts you to be more outgoing, polite, and talkative.
4. Food. You're bound to find food anywhere you go. Which can be a bad thing, because you know.. *cough* freshman fifteen *cough*. Well, it teaches you to not scarf down the food at 11 PM.
5. Your parents aren't there. Don't get me wrong, I love my parents but sometimes you just need to spend some time away to mature individually. Each dorm is bound to have monitors though, so that doesn't mean you can do whatever you want. 

Music of the week!

Haven't done one of these in awhile. I've been listening to a lot of instrumental/hip hop these days. I really do like branching out my taste in music and not limiting myself to one genre. So I'll try to share some different genres later on. Enjoy!

The first two tracks are instrumentals :)

Have a great day!

New England in the Fall

I apologize for being gone for so long... moving is such a pain! Now that I'm in the US, I've settled in a little. One thing I was blown away by was how beautiful the leaves turn during September in New England. I've seen some foliage in my day but this is just... wow. This definitely makes me love autumn a lot more. I can't wait to explore more of NE! Hope everyone is doing well. I've invested in some furry slippers and blankets to prepare for the coming winter. Brr....

Yes, I used Instagram.

For those who were expecting more, here is a GIF of a puppy chain reaction.

Hope everyone is taking care. I can see a lot of typical "life in the US" posts in the future!

Restaurants in Korea

With the short time I spent in S. Korea a few weeks back, I got to relive the delicious food I had missed for so long. What I had evidently failed to notice years ago was how disturbing some of the restaurant signs were. I admit it. The food is incredible and the atmosphere is contagiously amicable, but those lit up signs in front of these places disturb me at times. For example, a place that specializes in duck meat would put up a sign with a duck eating roasted duck. Does that not traumatize anyone else in the least? The signs clearly depict an act of cannibalism taking place, yet people find it as more incentive to eagerly rush in and eat. In fact, I can bet that the frozen smile of said duck-mascot on the welcome signs is onto a slow and gradual mental deterioration as it is forced to watch hundreds of people stream in and eat its brethren. I'm no vegetarian, but just considering the psychological aspects of putting up a sign like that. *shivers*

Is this ethically correct? 

Haha welcome! I fixedly watch my kind getting butchered and consumed on a massive level for an indefinite amount of time! :) 

I'm so random!!!!! XD

Why do people find the need to describe themselves as random? That often seems like the best word to define a person when that individual, in reality, has no clue about where to classify themselves. Not that there's a huge problem with that. But it gives the asker no idea of what sort of "random" you are. Unpredictable? Impulsive? Or do we take that term literally and perceive the person to change personality and appearance on an hourly basis (which I would loosely diagnose as Multiple Personality Disorder, but I'm no doctor). Most of the time, it's used as an excuse to act flippant, uncaring of consequences and rude and just grouping that to a single, neutral word. Word of advice... when you're at an interview (for a job, school, whatever), when asked what sort of traits define you, don't pluck up and say you're "random". Please. It really irks me, and leaves most of us clueless.

The perfect example of how a simple word like "random" can be ruined due to overuse by a group of like minded teens.

Thank you for your time. I'm going to take a  little break from writing "random' so many times because it's beginning to lose meaning.

Back! (again)

So after weeks of finals (and final studying), end of the year parties and farewells, I'm finally done with school! Well, for now. Sorry it took a good month to figure things out before I could get back to blogging!

I've been busy this summer using my time effectively and wisely by having Avatar marathons and indulging in new TV shows every other day. And playing a lot of Minecraft (by the way, is anyone really excited for the 1.3 update??).

 Speaking of Minecraft, check out some images I found a few days back! None of these are mine but they sure to inspire me to build. And those shader mods! I believe I just had a nerdgasm. In fact, if you kind of squint your eyes (or was Asian like me... just kidding....), it almost looks like a real photo. Really, it's amazing what you can do with a sandbox game like Minecraft. Kind of puts my dirt house out of the league, when you look at it.

Check out more pictures here!

Anyways, I'll be back to regular posts, hopefully!
Hope everyone is enjoying their summer :3

Jerry is kind of a bastard

As most lazy Sunday mornings go, I found myself lounging on my sofa a few hours ago, flipping through some channels. I was surprised to find that Cartoon Network was playing a Tom and Jerry marathon and some inner child told me I should watch it for old time's sake.

It took me a good three minutes into the episode to realize something.
Jerry is a pretty mean little guy.
I mean, not that Tom should have spent about 99% of his lifespan chasing after some damn rat when he can easily open the refrigerator (as many episodes show him doing), but still. Come on.

I used to idolize Jerry but now I feel kind of bad for Tom. After all, his owner is always on about catching the stupid rat and he's just doing her bidding.

Just look at this video! I can't believe I never noticed how cruel Jerry was until now.

Hmph. Most of what Tom the cat did was playful chasing and maybe batting it back and forth a bit with his paw. Jerry somehow has used explosives, knives, pianos, anvils and many other painful mechanisms to break every bone in Tom's body. Repeatedly. So yeah, an apology goes to Tom for all those years I spent hating him. Although obviously both sides have their own faults. 

Hooray for childhood naivety!

Does high school prepare you for life... or college?

Here is an article that I've been wanting to share with you guys for a long time. It reflects on what high school (or even middle school) truly teaches adolecents these days. Does the college application process, the pressure to be high achievers and go to the best colleges impede each individual's creative growth? It seems more and more that importance is placed more on which classes you take, whether they are advanced or not, how high your college is ranked, etc. Teens spend so much time worrying and planning out their college life that they barely have any breathing room for themselves. Time for them to personally expand and experience, well, for lack of better words, teen life experiences.

Understandably, college is a highly important process to many of us, and some of us even see it as an unavoidable step in our academic career. However, will we soon convert into workaholics who have only one goal, to have a nice looking transcript or resume? Will we soon disregard the more shallow and fun things in life for having things look good on paper?

Personally, I believe academic enforcement and being strong willed is definitely a good trait. However, we should never forget to express our individualism and not discard our precious years of youth just to get into a good school or stress out over extremely advanced classes that, quite frankly, a teen should not be worrying about.

Have a good read, this is a very intriguing article! 

A "totally different" AC3... opinions?

The new extended gameplay trailer for Assassin's Creed 3 has been out for a few days now. For me, I was as excited as a little kid on Christmas morning but some people are saying otherwise.

Don't get me wrong, the majority of AC fans are looking forward to this new release and with that, innovative changes in scenery, plot, characters and features, but some say that AC3 won't be as big a success as its predecessors.

Well, here goes.

Why I am in love with AC3 (after seeing this trailer)

1. It is set during a major historical event in American history. Granted, it's not as if the previous games weren't or didn't include many characters and occurences in history, but come on... the Civil War! I am glad that there is some outwards interaction as opposed to the main focus always going back to our fellow assassin. 
2. Scaling. Well, I know people are protesting that long stretches of woods will not be as exciting as jumping over buildings and temples, but there is a certain excitement in being able to jump tree to tree as you track your victim. Besides, this isn't the newest installment of Little House on the Big Prairie: Assassin edition.... it does include a lot of cities and towns to explore (and loot)... In fact, it has been said that the new AC3 world will be 1.5 times as big as previous ones!
3. I am liking the use of animals in AC3. Who doesn't like big fluffy animals that want to kill you?

Any opinions? I can not wait until this game is released!

Time Waster...

Guess what I found today! It's very... very distracting. Just trust me. You'll love it and then realize you've spent an hour on the site (okay... maybe I'm exaggerating a little).

Here's a hint...

You know you want to..

Check it out!


...
Don't yell at me if you can't tear yourself away from the computer screen!

The craziest show ever: Adventure Time!

It's regarded as a children's show by many, but I absolutely adore this show. It's currently playing on Cartoon Network and I picked it up a year or so ago just to see what all the fuss was about. In my opinion, CN has gone a bit downhill in the past few years, getting rid of my favorite childhood TV shows and replacing them with very unfunny and childish shows that, quite frankly, appeal to 6 year olds and under.

It's Adventure Time that is keeping my sanity intact! How to describe this show? It's just crazy. The moment you think you can predict what's going to happen, boom! Another plot twist! It's so fresh, so random and just so perfect! I never get tired of watching this show. Adventure Time seriously has had be laughing on the floor for days. Anyone with a sense of humor and a love for cartoons will definitely enjoy this show.

What do you guys think? Here's a little trailer for anyone who has never heard of this show.

I think I will be covering Legend of Korra soon, it is a sequel to the hit TV show The Last Airbender. I hear it's a bit success so far!

REVENGE!

So recently I've started watching a TV show called Revenge. It's a relatively new show; it just finished its first season. I must admit, at first I was annoyed at all the teasers and previews that were being shown every three minutes on TV, but the show itself is pretty addicting.

The show is (as the title says) about a woman who decides to take revenge on those who had ruined her father's life, leading to his death later on. She moves (undercover) to the neighborhood where it all started, a rich, high-class part of town which is already bursting with drama and secrets. She takes down each and every neighbor one by one with cunning genius.

I don't know where the show will take me as I am only on my 6th or 7th episode, but it seems quite promising so far. Anyone who is a fan of mystery, crime, and drama will really enjoy this show!

our sole reason for living?

These.

And these.

Just thought I couldn't continue my blog without one full post solely dedicated to these gifts sent from above. To the chocolate gods, thank you for years and years of happiness.

Good day to you all.

Oh Facebook...

If this blog post is shared 99,999,999 times, this kitten will finally catch that annoying red laser dot!

Normally I'm quite a passive person but there is just one thing that drives me crazy these days. If you have a Facebook account you probably have seen the "10,000 likes and this baby will get a free heart transplant!" pictures (or things of similar nature, usually involving small children or puppies). There is just so much wrong with these pictures. Right, I know some pictures are shared out of good heart, to perhaps spread a message or raise awareness. But... here goes

Why these shared photos are just wrong
1) 99% of the pictures are taken out of context and set in a fake backstory used to manipulate its audience. An old dog simply recovering from surgery can be twisted around to say it was abused. This causes a lot of people to jump the gun without making any sort of logical connection or even taking out the time to investigate.

2) Sharing or liking doesn't do anything. There is no doctor cruel enough to say, "hey, normally I don't do this but if this picture of your baby gets shared 100,000 times, I will do her surgery for free!". As with those "every share is 5 cents for (name of charity)", it has been confirmed that every single one of these are fake. There is no money being made for anyone (even the ones that are "sponsored by Facebook"). 

3) Blind-sighted ego boosts. Yes, no doubt there were loads of people who shared these pictures with good intent. But it seems to make people think that anyone who doesn't share it with all their friends is the spawn of Satan who hates little dogs. And that somehow their karma check for the day has been accomplished.

I'm sure a lot of people will disagree with me at this somewhat harsh look at what seems like harmless photo-sharing, but having seen too many of these, I felt like I had to rant about it.

The best combo on a rainy day!

For some crazy reason, it's April and Spain's been busy with a ton of rain recently. Just when it seemed like spring was finally coming, it feels like we've gone back to winter. Anyways, if any of you remember my older post about how much I love rain, I realized today I wanted to share a delightfully new supplement for that post! An old friend of mine showed these to me. They are 2 tracks that you listen to simultaneously on a rainy day, and I must say it is quite relaxing (and makes you feel like a powerful old man with a cat on his lap). Enjoy!

Combine this and this. And this for an extra touch!

Poems brought to life

So here's another TED talk that I found fascinating. I am a big fan of digital media and was imrpessed by how the poems of Billy Collins were turned into visual depictions through surprisingly diverse mediums. For example, I remember one was made through "claymations" and another with magazine clippings. I thought I'd share it; I've never really seen this sort of depiction before! It's very cool.

I hope you guys liked it as well! I loved the little sound effects they implemented into the videos. It somehow makes all the poems so much easier to understand.

Have a great day!

April Fools!

Happy first of April to everyone!
Guess what I found today while looking for directions on Google Maps? I'm not sure if this was here before but it did make me laugh a lot more than I probably should have. It reminds me a lot of a Super Mario-Pokemon hybrid map.

Overhead view

Street view. Oh god.

I hope Google keeps it, because it is so cool! I'm thinking it's just an April Fools joke but this is just way too funny. Too bad I completely forgot it was April Fool's Day today... I just came home from going out with a couple of friends and it would have been the perfect time to play a prank (I enjoy pranks. A lot).

I say go ahead and check it out! You can't miss this :)

Saint's Row: The Third (finally!)

Yes.

I know I am a few months late but I finally got my hands on a copy of Saint's Row 3 (a miracle that it was an English copy.. hard to find in Spain!) last weekend. I've been dying to play it ever since I heard of it a few months back but I gotta admit I was a little too busy with Skyrim, MW3, BF3, etc. It was a shame that I only got to play for a few hours but work got in the way, sadly :(

Anyways, first impressions on the campaign? I love it! I've never played a Saint's Row game before so I did not know what to expect (my friends did describe it as "a crazier version of GTA"). I was not disappointed! First off, I personally think it's hilariously written. Saint's Row makes a normal video game situation a hundred times more funny with clever dialogue and an amusingly large variety of props and weapons. Besides, I love the control you have; sure, there are missions to do but you can do them at your own pace and the rest of the time, you are left to explore a huge and free world (just my type of game!). You aren't forced to do anything and I did quite enjoy the little FPS-elements that were implemented into the game.

The only one downside would be the graphics; no, they are not horrible, in fact they are quite decent but they were not as good as i expected. But who cares? I'm not much of a graphics-person anyways (countless hours spent on Minecraft will prove my point) and... the game is awesome!

Woohoo!

Skins is ending??

Skins (UK) is one of my favorite TV shows of all time. I was dismayed to find out a few days back that season 6 would be the last new generation to show up. Hmph, it was quite a disappointment seeing as I got into this show only a few months back! What intrigued me was the way the producers planned on doing the final season (Season 7). Instead of introducing another generation of kids, Season 7 will have the "stars" from earlier generations reunite for one last time. I found this to be a refreshing change to the standard 2 year cycle, but it did bring up a few questions.

For example, Season 4 left quite a few of us hanging... what happened to Cook? Effie? Same goes for Season 2; does Sid find Cassie? What happens to everyone else? I'm hoping a lot of these questions will be answered. There's also another big question; Generation 3 has never really met any of the older generations, how are they supposed to all be in the same season if they are total strangers to each other? I am both sad (because it is almost ending) and excited to find what Season 7 will bring us.

Overall, Skins is an amazing show. So many twists and very addicting. Comment below if you are a fan or have some ideas as to what Season 7 will consist of!

Have a great day :)

The Walking Dead Season 2 Finale... wow!

I'd just like to point out that anyone who watches TWD should not read this because it may contain spoilers! Also, you should probably exit this blog and watch the episode already.

Glad to see that T-Dog finally gets a few lines in this episode, too.

All in all, I must say I was incredibly surprised at the quality of last night's episode. To be completely honest, Season 2 had been a bit of a letdown for me compared to the previous season. Sure, the producers might have intentionally put them in a more stable location to leave room for character development, but in my opinion they took it too far as to completely disregard the main point of the TV show (in my opinion): zombies. I think there were all too many episodes where the main focus was on the social problems going on on the farm and not enough zombie head-exploding. :)

Anyways, to start off, the finale started a bit more differently than others. It already became interesting when the first scene showed a hoard of zombies and the mysterious helicopter in the city. Soon, they started going over to Herschel's farm after they heard Dale's gun go off in the woods. The ranch is soon under attack by thousands of zombies and it is up to Rick's group and Herschel's family to ward them off. Too bad it wasn't just a handful, but literally thousands of zombies endlessly pouring into the farm.

To make things short, everyone is able to get away to safety... save for a few unfortunate people (not saying). Andrea gets separated from the group and finds herself cornered by zombies in the woods as she runs away, only to be saved by a mysterious hooded figure (not cliche.. at all :P) with a katana and what seems like two zombie slaves. Don't believe me? Watch the episode already! From what I've heard, the mysterious person is one of the later occurring characters in the comic book series (her name is Michonne), so I'll be looking forward to that. The rest of the gang meet and fortify at the highway where it all started in Season 2 and find some shelter as they plan their next move, Andrea already considered dead.

Why I loved this episode? Because of how fast-paced it was. There were barely any 10 minute, emotional dialogues between anyone and had a satisfying amount of guns and dead zombies (apologies for sounding so barbaric). This was a great comeback; it reminded me a lot of Season 1 and I can safely say that I am looking forward to Season 3!

P.S. Sorry, I still can't stand Lori. As much as I've tried to get used to her, I just can't.

In celebration

Well. A good 90% of my friends are out tonight at the LMFAO concert so in honor of that, I will actually post some good music instead. (I'm kidding, I have nothing against LMFAO).

Next Monday is some Spanish holiday so I get the day off. I'm kind of glad actually, school has been driving me nuts lately!

Tell me what you think about the song, I'm pretty sure almost all of you guys have heard it before. :)

Also, did you notice that everyone has forgotten about Kony 2012 now?

Getting Ready

This is a simple breakdown of why girl's [stereotypically] take so long to get ready for dates, parties etc. Hopefully this helps out any guys out there who start doing their annual spring cleaning the moment their girlfriends say "just five more minutes!".

(note: this is just a satirical look at how women are stereotypically portrayed, please do not get offended by this if you are a female reader!)

1. The mental pre-planning
This happens subconsciously days or weeks before the actual event. We start thinking about what we will wear, whether our shoes will match, etc. It does more damage than it helps you, because it really just stresses you out more.

2. The night before
Never mind! We got our perfect outfit and game plan. It's cool, let's have a good night's sleep now. Tomorrow's going to be a beautiful day.

3. Just kidding
We wake up the next morning. The dress we picked out last night looks hideous now, what were we thinking? Freak out mode engaged, we try not to show it so we consult our friends on what different outfit we should wear.

4. Throughout the day
It's better now. We've settled on a few wearable things and everything is going to be fine. Let's start getting ready.

5. Shower time
 Step into the shower. Shampoo. Conditioner. Exfoliate. Soap, body scrub, body wash. Shave. Do a little soul-searching in the shower as well. Face cleanser, moisturizer, toner. Body lotion. Drying your hair the perfect way afterwards.

6. The inevitable accident
Whether it's a broken nail, a sudden breakout on the skin, or a rash on your arm, there will always be an unexpected "surprise" to get in the way. The last thing we want to do is let our dates know. So we go to Plan... B. Cover it up. In the most subtle way possible (which also means the longest way). All thoughts of how cute we looked with those shoes are gone. Will he notice that my ring finger has a chipped nail? He probably will. Time to do another coat of nail polish then.

7. "Almost Ready!"
Not really. But we have to assure our dates that we're almost ready, or what if they leave?

8. Wow.. that dress makes me look fat. (third time)
 Time to change it again. For reals. How come we didn't notice that before? Hmph.

9. Bag. Check. Perfume. Check. Keys...
Where are the keys? And the phone? Oh god, they're under the bed. But if we try getting it, it'll mess up my hair!

10. Ready!
Okay, we got the phone. and the keys. Show time! I hope he doesn't mind that I'm a little late.

11. One last look
I must say, my hair does look nice. Totally worth going to the hair salon for. My date looks nice too. A glance at the mirror. Oh god, is that a stray thread on my skirt? Oh no.

Obviously, this was just a joke post and I hope you guys don't take this seriously. :) Just felt like writing something like this today. Hopefully some of you realize that the "getting ready" part is a huge part that most girls look forward to, as weird as that might sound to you. Kind of like the buildup before the huge battle scene in a movie or video game. Kind of.

Have a great day!

Kony 2012. My take on it.

I'm pretty sure there's no need for an introduction for what Kony 2012 is. If this is the first time you hear about it (which is probably really rare, seeing as it has blown up all over Facebook), you can go here for the back story on what I'm talking about.

What I wanted to talk about was knowing both sides of the story. Now, I think fundamentally speaking, the Kony 2012 campaign just wants the best. Their goal, essentially, is to catch a man who has been kidnapping children and forcing them into child trafficking or becoming child soldiers. Raising awareness is definitely a good thing. I think in the span of less than a week, milllions and millions of people have realized who this man is and this ongoing problem in Uganda. Now, what's with all the critics? Are they simply pessimists who doubt these sorts of charities or campaigns?

Don't get me wrong, I'm no expert of any kind. But I do know that the overall topic is very, very complicated. I find it hard to believe that anyone could provide an unbiased, unedited version of the situation in Uganda in a half-hour video. And another thing. At least a good few million people know about Kony. Now what? I agree that awareness is a huge factor in raising support for a cause but it still leaves questions unanswered. For example, in order for US troops to catch Kony, they would probably have to kill his bodyguards to get through him. His bodyguards being the child soldiers. Now, I understand that some people might consider this "collateral damage" but I find it a bit ironic to be honest. And (do not quote me) has military intervention in a foreign country ever gone well? Also, are we completely disregarding the fact that child soldiers have been an issue for decades in Africa? How Kony was not the first nor will he be the last to do this? Are we going to ignore all the other problems that are existent in Uganda (famine, disease, corruption)?

I am neither against or for Kony 2012 at the moment. Sure, I think spreading the message is good but we always need to refer to two sides of the story before we decide to blindly support a cause just because everyone else is. It is scary to think that a majority of the younger generation is supporting (while this unity is a good thing) a cause that many of them are ignorant to, but do so in order to "spread the word" and give themselves an ego boost (sure, that sounds harsh, but just today we were discussing this topic and only 3 people out of the 25 people who supported Kony 2012 could point out where Uganda was on the map).

It's just a warning to everyone. Charity and volunteer work is always good, but make sure to always consider both sides of the story before choosing which stance you will take, especially in such a controversial topic as this. Do some research. Don't just listen to propaganda thrown out and manipulated by the media. And most importantly, don't let the masses pressure you into making a decision.

More on Assassin's Creed 3

I know I don't do sequential posts nor is this a gaming blog, but you guys have to understand that I am wayyy too excited over AC3! I simply cannot pass this up! :) Everyone who is an AC fan has probably already seen this, but it doesn't hurt to put up their brand new trailer!

I know I've already talked about the scaling, but this video looks so. Good. I wouldn't mind if the highest buildings were farmhouses and haystacks if we actually got to jump around trees like that. Anyone remember AC2? How Ezio could climb to the highest steeple of the highest church but couldn't even climb a stout little tree? Disappointing. Also, did anyone notice the tomahawk? Beautiful. Simply beautiful. I was never a tomahawk person myself (and by that, I mean rage-filled days on COD as I tried over and over to get the Scalper achievement) but this just makes me all tingly and happy.

Here is an amazing article I found on IGN with new details on the upcoming installment of Assassin's Creed!

For those of you who are lazy like me, here is a general summary of all the key features (that we know of so far) of AC3:

• The assassin's name is Connor, son of a British father and a Native American mother. 
• It is set between 1753 and 1783 and includes a lot of historical events
• The map will be set between New York and Boston
• You will be able to hunt animal and sell their pelts for money
• Weather! Different weather effects depending on whether it is summer or winter
• You can join specific clubs to do certain quests
• You will be able to earn money and property like in the previous AC games
• Desmond will stay, but will no longer be in a coma

For anyone who is not a big fan of AC, I am sorry for these irrelevant quotes. I just thought I really, really had to make this post.

Hope you guys enjoyed !

Assassin's Creed 3!!!

The newest installment of Assassin's Creed will come out in late 2012. I knew there would be a new AC soon but I never thought it would be so cool! This new installment will be based during the American Revolution.

 I am eager to find out how the scaling will work out, as it's not like there are many tall structures to jump around on. I did hear that you can climb trees and there will be more focus on long-range weapons like a bow and arrow. Not too much has been released so far, so I am keeping an eye out for them. In the meantime, enjoy these screenshots I found!

Hope you guys are as excited as I am. Tell me what you think about the screenshots!

29th of February! (and a moment of silence)

Today's the 29th (happens only once every four year.. you've probably heard this over a dozen times by now) so I thought I'd make a special post to commemorate this day.

Students praying for victims of the shooting

Having come home from a long day at school I wanted to find something to entertain you guys. During this quest, I saw one of the headlines at TIME and decided to take a look. It was about a school shooting in Ohio a few days ago. Long story short, a teen (who did not attend the high school where the shooting took place) decided to walk into the school cafeteria and shoot into a group of ten students, wounding quite a few of them and killing three. The suspect (T.J. Lane) appeared in court earlier and people are still perplexed as to why he did it. He didn't know these students, he didn't have any mental problems (or so it seemed), he was just your average everyday kid.

Whatever prompted him to do such an unspeakable thing, my heart goes out to all those students, faculty and families that have been affected by this. I myself have never been in such a situation so no, I don't know what it would have felt like to be one of the students involved, but I can guess that I would be incredibly terrified and traumatized. It's sad that the younger people of the new generation resort to random crimes like this. What's even sadder is that this is not the first, nor last time that something like this will happen.

We see stories like these everyday, they are on the news for a few days and then it's gone. We forget about all these young adults who had such a bright future and it was extinguished in seconds because of one person's (beyond) horrible act, or how just a week ago the only worries they probably had was about exams or their social life. All these victims just join the long list of other people who lost their lives because of unfair actions. Their names and faces stop mattering to the general public save for their loved ones and we learn to move on. Sometimes I think we forget that each and every person that was killed or murdered is not and never will be part of some "statistic". No, they were each very unique people that soon have everything special about them washed away as time passes. I hope some of you guys keep this in mind.

So yeah, sorry for this sad post. I just felt like I had to make it. And RIP to all the victims of this unfortunate event.

Hope everyone's February has gone by well! I can't believe it's already March!

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon: A short review

A few days ago I went on a lovely trip to the north of Spain (more on that later). I thought I'd take a book for the 5-hour ride there. I decided to take a copy of The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King, a book I've been wanting to read for quite a while. It is a relatively short book compared to his other works, and I can gladly say I read it from beginning to end successfully.

To sum it up, this novel is about 9-year old Trish who gets lost in the woods after she takes a little break from her arguing mom and brother. Her worry deepens as she is not found by the rangers after the 2nd day.. then the 3rd... In fact, she is left to survive by herself in the strange woods for more than a week with nothing but her Walkman and a mental conjuration of her biggest idol, Tom Gordon, to keep her company.

As a 9 year old with an avid imagination, Trish's fear of the dark and the unknown increases as she is left alone in the woods for days, forced to sleep out in the open. She keeps quite a strong head for the first few days, prioritizing her safety before her childish needs. That is not to say that a little bit of her childishness does not slip out at times, with her being impatient to be found and making rash decisions (that result in dire consequences). It is only after a week or so has passed that she begins to teeter on the border between sane and delirious. To make it worse, a mysterious monster is living behind corpses of beheaded animals throughout the woods. Fear begins to take hold of her as her young mind conjures up wild images of this "monster". She is left to use the small quips of advice that her divorced parents had given her (and her common sense) to survive. You will soon find that you are rooting for her to come out alive, although her chances of survival become thinner and thinner as time passes.

A kid lost in the woods, you would think is not the most original plot. But what makes this story so good is the way the author places himself in the eyes of a frightened young girl, reviving the irrational thoughts and emotions we have as children, when we are so uncorrupted and naïve. The allusions to the "monster" that continues to stalk Trish adds an even bigger fervor of horror to the story. Even at the ending, Stephen King does not clarify what this monster (who really did leave behind corpses and watched Trish at night) was. Was it really just an extended metaphor that reached out to the depths of Trish's innocent mind, corrupted by the shadowed evils of the woods? These questions leave us to ponder the central theme of innocence and growing up even after we have finished the book.

In a way, this sort of correlates with his other novel Misery, where the protagonist is forced to endure hard and terror-filled circumstances in order to survive. What is quite different is that Trish is alone (except for her hallucinations), while Paul Sheldon (from Misery) must fake is affection for his deluded caretaker Annie Wilkes.  There is no outright violence or gore, yet the author was able to set the mood for a very tense and horror-filled story.

All in all, this was an amazing read. It will give you a great taste of Stephen King's writing. I hope you guys enjoyed this review!

Some Feel-Good Music!

February always gets me down for some reason. Even though it's supposed to be all Valentine's Day-ish and all. So I've put together a few songs that really cheer me up. Hope this will be a good segue into lovely March (which is supposed to transition in to spring.. finally)!

Rehearsals have been quite heavy lately, I hope I'll get some more time to write posts for you guys! School is getting harder and harder... you miss one day and there is so much to catch up on!

Hope everyone enjoyed the music!

Online "Grounding": A response to Facebook Parenting

A few days ago, a video was posted on YouTube that went viral within a day or so.
To sum it up, a father of a 15 year old girl named Hannah found out that she had ranted about her parents on her Facebook page and blocked them, thinking he wouldn't find out. Too bad her dad's worked in IT for years. Needless to say, he found out about her posting to all her friends about how she was treated like a "slave" because she had chores and demanded that she get paid for them... well, that and a lot of other things. You can watch the full video here:

Now, I understand that she is only 15 (I remember when I was 15 years old like it was yesterday) and may be going through a lot at that age. But in my honest opinion, that really is no way to talk about your parents. What angers me the most, however, is the fact that she didn't even directly say these things to her parents. No, she chose to completely humiliate her entire family by letting hundreds of her "friends" know about her personal situation. And for what just cause? I can't think of what was going through her head at the time.

About the punishment. As in, the whole "publicizing your daughter's life and angry ramblings to millions of people all over the world, while conveniently making your Facebook profile easy to find". At first, although I was shocked at the girl's be havior, I was rather iffy onwhether what her dad did was really fair. Take it from me, I'm no parenting expert but once a video like this goes viral, there really is no turning back. I wonder how this might affect her life?

At the moment, I am assuming she is probably furious at her parents. But I do truly believe that it will benefit her overall in the long run. Help her become a better person. And kids really do need to know how to treat their parents (and others) with respect and gratitude. Trust me, I myself hated doing chores but I realized my parents' selfless contribution to me was so much more that it really was the least I could do.

And to end on a happy note, I hope everyone enjoyed Valentine's Day yesterday! I think my stomach is still feeling a bit hurty from all the chocolates but... hopefully it gets better.

What do you guys think on this topic of "Facebook Parenting"?

New Amnesia Game?

I came across an article that hinted at a sequel to Amnesia: Dark Descent. If you go to their website, you can see a "teaser" image that links to a Google map of China, which is most likely a hint to their next location. I gotta say, I was pretty excited and I hope any fans out there are as well! There's not much more information released at the moment, unfortunately, but hopefully it'll get updated soon.

In my opinion, Amnesia is one of the coolest indie-horror games I've played. I'm looking forward to the sequel so much!

Anyways, Valentines Day is coming soon and obviously my school is blowing it out of proportion. I hope everyone, single or in a relationship, has a great V-Day (or Single Awareness Day). 


I apologize for the short post, but I am just really tired from rehearsals and a long week. And I feel a cold coming. So here is a visual representation of my favorite part of Valentines' Day.

CHOCOLATE!!

Happy February to everyone!

Foster The People

I thought that instead of my normal boring updates, I'd do a specific post on one of the bands I really like, Foster The People. Now I'm going to be honest and say I first came to know them from their hit "Pumped Up Kicks". No, I did not know them before they were famous.

When it comes to bands, I usually focus on the style-aspect rather than the band history, as in the whole "the drummer went out with the lead singer and one cheated on the other, blah blah". I didn't even know the main singer's name from Panic! At the Disco (my #1 band) until only a few months ago. I love how FTP have a very upbeat and energetic style and it is very easy to listen to. Lyrics are also pretty nice when you actually listen to them! Overall, they always come out with songs that always make me happy for some reason.

Anyway, here is one of the songs I really like. Pumped Up Kicks won't be here, because everyone probably has heard that one.

Hope you guys enjoy the song as much as I do!

How to: Win an argument online

You are about to read possibly the stupidest how to guide ever. But with the dawn of the Internet era... etc... it's necessary to have one of these. It's not really something they teach you at school. If you follow this guide, it is 100% guaranteed to let you win an online argument, leaving you with an empty satisfaction in knowing that you have, in fact, accomplished nothing of value. But that's besides the point! :)

Me, back before the Internet wasn't really a "thing".

How to win an online argument. By Hannah.
Things you will need:

• A lot of free time
• A very good knowledge of grammar and vocabulary
• Your computer
• The ability to make up facts and still make it sound legitimate
• The ability to use big words that make absolutely no sense in your context
• Optional: a few your momma jokes to keep you going

1. Remember that debate isn't about being right, it's about winning the argument. It's not about addressing the points, finding a compromise/general agreement or "resolving" things. No, it's you winning. And them losing.

2. Stand strong in your statement. Don't ever change direction. Don't be swayed by any impressive facts that s/he pulls out. Say they are all fake, even if there are dozens of well-publicized studies on it. In fact, don't even open any links or articles they send you. As I said, it's not about who's right.

3. Don't try and make them pity you. Making up a sob story about growing up as an impoverished child in India will not make them go easy on you. Nope, that will actually fuel them to attack you in the most vulnerable spots, them being the "pity me" stories you are spinning.

4. Make inconsistent analogies/relation your argument with controversial topics. You will find a way to tie your opinion with these somehow.

"So you're calling me a blind whale because MW3 is better than BF3?" (makes them look pretty stupid and childish. Hehehe)

"Yeah, and some people are against the idea of terrorism. You think they should go to jail too?" (They will back off once they realize they have stepped into controversial territory)

5. If you think you're losing after they provide a long, detailed response that is bound to get everyone to agree with them, don't back down. But change your tactic a little. Try and convince everyone that your opponent is making a big deal out of a little issue. Portray him as a 12 year old who spends way too much time on the Internet. 

6. Find the littlest things that accidentally slip out and connect them to his personal life. Over-exaggerate or make up scenarios that puts him in a humiliating position.

7. No matter how wrong you are, no matter how right he is, you have to stand tall. Be confident, tower over him and call his rebuttal "absolutely the most primitive and moronic answer I have ever recieved." Act like you feel sorry for him. Whatever it is you do, try and dominate them.

8. Remember, no compromises. "Let's agree to disagree" is not the end. Nope. Always have the final word. Everyone knows that once one of the arguers don't respond, they have lost.

9. If all fails, just correct every spelling/grammar mistake they make. Make fun of his username. Throw in some "Your mom" jokes.

10. Do not give away your age/race/gender at any point. Or else they will start pulling out useless statistics about each demographic, which frankly you don't need.

So there you go. Enjoy all the virtual applause and glory you will get after you win your first Internet argument!

What grinds my gears

I decided to make a list of a few random things that can seriously drive me up the wall. And seem to happen quite often a lot recently.

Here goes! Hopefully you guys can relate to some of these.

1. The sound of people chewing. Oh god. Sometimes I have to excuse myself from the table if it gets too bad and eat in a separate room.

 2. When something is asymmetrical. Everything has to be the same on both sides, or in the middle. Everything. Actually, I don't think this is too rare; I have a lot of friends that are like this too.

3. Gum that loses flavor after 3 seconds. *cough* Juicy Fruit *cough*

4. That one day you don't do your homework has to be the day your teacher decides to check it. Even though he never has for the past 90 days.

5. The one time you don't know the answer to the question is exactly when your teacher calls on you. I swear, teachers are out to get us.

6. People who think yelling like their life depends on it when you are half a meter away will get their point across better. It doesn't. Not for me, at least.

7. Being in line and seeing a freshman invite 900 of her cronies to cut in front of you. As long as it's behind her, it's totally okay. Of course.

8. Getting into an argument with someone, and coming up with the perfect comeback. Two hours later. In the shower.

9. Their, they're, and there. Your and You're. I think I've said enough.

10. People who are glued to their Blackberry's. Not that I mind much, except when they don't even make eye contact when I talk to them.

11. "Sure, you can copy my homework. But I got about half of those wrong for sure, that okay?" "yeah it doesn't matter, thanks man!" (3 hours later) "What the hell, I lost 20 points because you got #2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 11, 16, 17, 19 and 22 wrong. Do a better job next time."

12. Out of all 200 seats in the movie theater, someone decides that YOUR seat is going to be THEIR footrest.

13. "Can I wear that dress tonight?" "Sorry, I lent it to a friend." "No worries, I can wait while you get it back."

14. Movie posters that use the same, generic orange/blue contrast. Stop it.

15. The one spot on your body that got bruised yesterday just had to have a stapler fall right on the exact spot a few hours later.

Hope everyone had an awesome January! IMO it went by too fast for me, but that's how it's always like.