New Year Intentions, 2017

       2017 is right around the corner, we have approximately 10 days until January and I am nowhere near prepared for it.  2016 wasn't really much of a good year but hopefully this new year can allow me to redeem myself.

       My intentions are to continue working hard in school and strive to get good grades. I will do this by making sure to study and becoming more organized.  Another intention I have is to catch up with all my favorite shows because I am still behind and I enjoy to watch them in my free time.

       On a more serious note, I am determined to spend more time with my family and to gain a better attitude. I want to do this because I want to be closer with my family and just cherish their company. I want to gain a better attitude in hope that I will be happier in the mornings and not much of a grudge to anyone.

       Overall, I am going to try my best to make 2017 a good year for me and everyone around me as well.

The Demi-Gods Aren't All That

Book: Percy Jackson & The Olypians - The Titans Curse

Author: Rick Riordan

Page #: 1-312 (finished)

Prompt: What Are my Thoughts on the Characters?

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     The Titans Curse is the third book of the Percy Jackson series, which I have been reading for the past two months. I'm enjoying the series but there are a few characters that I like and others that I don't.  Unfortunately, there are more annoying characters than good ones.

       In the last book, The Sea of Monsters, Zeus's daughter came back to life.  Her name is Thaila and even though she is technically supposed to be aged she's not, her hair is kind of punk rock just like her style.  As soon as she came back to life she was all of a sudden the leader, which I didn't like. The chacarters pushed Percy away and gave her more significance. She also has a very short temper and gets away with the slightest anger outburst. Overall, she's very annoying and I just don't like how she took Percy's place and thinks she's the new leader.

        This leads me to the my favorite character, which is pretty obvious, but it's Percy. He is my favorite character because he's more of a human than the others. This means he sees true emotions, and is more blunt. He is able to view the bad of a person, and honestly to me he is the smartest. That is why I like him, the other characters can get blinded easily by Luke or can be oblivious.

         Another character I don't like is Bianca because she also came into the group like Thaila thinking she's big and bad. I just didn't like it. However, I do like Annabeth and Grover because they aren't as arrgonant as the others but they still get blinded easily.

         Overall, I really only like three characters and hate the rest. They are the leaders to me and have the most reasonable thinking and experience.

All About the Fever Code

Book: The Fever Code

Author: James Dashner 

Page #: 1-384 (Finished) 

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       The Maze Runner series is my ultimate favorite series, I own all the books (excluding the Fever Code) in my personal library.  The day the 5th book, Fever Code, got publish (September 27th, 2016) I was so happy and went to Target only to find out they hadn't received the copies yet.  Too anxious to wait I read the story from my school's library but I still intend to buy it for my own pleasure, that's how much of a fan I am. 

       The Fever Code is the second prequel to the Maze Runner Series, but I highly suggest reading it after the first three. If you read it this way it the first three books would be way more interesting and you would finally get answers at the end. 

       The Fever Code is a Science-Fiction/Dystopian novel, it is a quick read (for me at least). It's concept is complex because it deals with technology and the future. Word choice may sometimes be hard to follow but shouldn't be too diffiicult. The book is written in third point of view like the other four and it mainly follows Thoma's story but it can be quite confusing as to which character they are talking about.  The story is basically a behind the scenes of the making of the maze, and the steps Thomas and Theresa took to develop it. 

       I would recommand this story to the sci-fi lovers who enjoy reading about technology and futuristic plots. This story isn't as action packed as the other four, this one takes a more logical approach so if you'd enjoy that I'd recommand this. I wouldn't recommand this story to someone who hasn't read any of the Maze Runner stories simply because it makes the novel better and gives a better understand. 

       Overall, The Fever Code is an amazing book. I'd recommand it to anybody just because I love the series so much. The movies are also good but the books have my heart. 

   

The Best Gift

       I'm thankful for all the Christmas gifts I've received in the past years, especially the ones from my parents.  However, there are some that seperate from eachother such as socks and a dog, they just don't compare. The best gift I've gotten so far was a new phone, two Christmases ago.

       Before Christmas day I had been asking for a new phone, specifically an Iphone 5C (green). At that time I had a Samsung Galaxy 1 that was previously my mom's, it was really outdated, so outdated they didn't even sell cases for it anymore. Before that phone I had one of those slide phones that kind of resembled a flip phone.

       On Christmas day we opened our presents and I remember my parents only getting my sister and I like 2 jeans and a shirt, which I was satisfied with.  When we finished opening gifts my mom sat my sister and I down and handed us two different boxed. Obviously my mom had some time on her hands because the box was wrapped in several layers of wrappings, and there was several boxes to go through. At one point I had was computer ink box and my sister had a box of laundry sheets and she said "Okay, using these two boxes guess what you are going to get?" We were so confused and I thought of a laptop because of the printer ink but then my mom started laughing and told me they had nothing to do with our gift.

       After more layers and boxed we finally got to a small box with an apple on the side, we got an IPhone 6. Imagine my amazing upgrade, a galaxy 1 to an iPhone 6! I was so happy and thankful. My sister still has her phone but recently mine started malfunctioning (not my fault) and T-mobile gave me a new Iphone 6s for free. We're going to have these phones for a while, which I don't mind because I love mine.

       Overall, my phone has been the most useful present and the best one. However, I do appreciate all my gifts and I'm thankful just to spend time with my family.
     

My Name

       I have two names, a nickname and my actually birth name. At school or any other event I introduce myself as Evelyn. With family members or people close to my family I introduce them as my nickname. Both are different personas. Evelyn is normal and kept-together, while *nickname* tends to be weirder?

       My parents chose the name Evelyn because my grandma suggested that name, they didn't have anything in mind only that they wanted it to start with an L. When my grandma suggested it they agreed and that was it. Evelyn means "little bird", but it has nothing to do with the actual reason of why my parents named me that. My nickname comes from a movie that I use to love and mispronunciation a characters name.

       No one in my direct family has my last name, my parents don't even have it. The only family that does have my last name lives in New York and we are close. My last name was my grandpa's last name from my dad's side. He passed away when my dad was a young child, when they still lived in El Salvador. When my dad, his mom, and his siblings came to the United States they used my grandma's maiden name. Overt the years, no one has changed it back and their children still have my grandma's maiden name. However, my dad did not want my grandfather's legacy to die so he named all three of his children with that last name.

       Overall, I have a lot of pride for my last name. I wouldn't change my surname, nor my maiden name even when I get married. I still want to carry my grandpa's legacy.

My Favorite Quote

       I never really paid attention to any quotes, so before I wrote this I went through a lot of different ones to choose one that spoke to me. The quote I really liked and always believed is "We are not given a good or bad life. We are given a life. It's up to us to make it good or bad." This quote means a lot to me because it goes along something my mom used to tell me but hers was about education. She would tell me "it doesn't matter where you grow up or where you go to highschool, in the end you get to make the decision wether you want to outgrow that and become something bigger." That quote is also one of my favorites. I just find both quotes so true, we make our own decisions, we determine what our future is going to be like, no one else does.  It is really motivating and encouraging to know that everything about my life depends on me and if I work hard enough I can do anything, no matter where I came from.

Thanksgiving - What am I Thankful for?

       Thanksgiving is really underrated, most of the United States goes from Halloween to Christmas automatically.  The only part of Thanksgiving that actually means something to people is the food, however that's not what this holiday is about. Thanksgiving is a way to give thanks back to th community, family, friends, etc. On this day you acknowledge what you are thankful for, which is what I'm going to do.

        The first thing I am grateful for is having a family and being able to find comfort and safety in them. Many people are either distant from their relatives or just don't have any, which is why I feel privileged to be so close to mine. Another thing I am grateful for is being able to go to school and earn an education. Sadly in some countries girls aren't allowed to receive an education, they're told the purpose they have is to clean, cook, and bear children. Lastly, I am grateful for having enough food and supploes in order to survive, that's something we take for granted.

       Overall, Thanksgiving is special. It is a day where family gets together and feasts on food. We get to sit at the dinner table and reminisce on shared memories, talk, hug, and overall just enjoy each other's company. It is way to underrated, but it one of the best holidays.

Blog for 11/13/16

Prompt: What are your thoughts of the Election?

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       The election on November 8th, 2016 resulted into Donald Trump defeating Hilary Clinton by popular vote. This means Donald Trump is our new president-elect.

       My overall thoughts on the election is that Donald Trump is not qualified to be our next president, and that Hilary should've won.  I'm not scared of what he'll do, I'm afraid of the image he's giving our country.  Everything he wants to do has to pass by congress, and I hope they make the right decisions.

       As a female, I believe Hilary should've won because it would not only make history but it would also encourage other young girls to persue what they believe in.  Therefore, next election I will vote, and hopefully there will be a good female candidate to vote for.

       I'm not entirely involved in politics but I hope when the electoral college gets together to finalize their votes, they change them.  Donald Trump has no experience in politics, opposed to Hilary. However, Trump does have experience in the business field which will help.

       Overall, I'm not really sure of what both candidates proposed to solve but I do know that many people do not like Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton, but Hilary is favored more.  The United States will be fine, if anything Britain is having issues too.  Next election, I will be voting for a strong president.

Blog for 11/6/16

Prompt: When was my best day ever?

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       I've never really had 'the best day ever', at least not yet.  However I do remeber a specific special day, the day my sister and I got our new room.

       In 2008 my sister and I shared a small room with each other, we had an attic but it wasn't suitable to sleep in, there weren't any walls and the floors were dirty and it just didn't look nice.  Instead, we just shared had a small room with a tv, bed, and drawer.

       On one of the days before Christmas, I don't remember which one but I remember it being a few days before then, my dad and some of his friends spent hours in the attic.  I remember hearing drills and other sorts of tools. At one point a huge box for a toy kitchen fell down the stairs. Being my nosy self I went to see what it was but they took it back upstairs as quickly as it came down.

       My sister and I were clueless, maybe more me than her.  So on the day of Christmas they brought us to the attic and it was filled with toys.  We were too spoiled.

       There were many different colors on the wall; pink, purple, blue, a bit of orange, and yellow.  As crazy as those colors sound they fit the room perfectly and don't look as miss-matched as one would assume.

       On the left side of the staircase there was a play kitchen, shop, chairs, a table, a standing chalk and dry erase board, a drum set, too much to even remember. The center of the new room had two black sofas, which converted to beds and they were facing a tv.  I don't exactly remmeber what took up the f ar right of the attic.

       The weird part was that was just our play room, we still slept on the main floor in our small room. However, eventually we moved upstairs because my brother was born.  Since the passing years we've gotten rid of the toys, and my sister and I split the room but share the middle.

       This was one of my favorite days because that day I got a new room, a way more spacious one, and because that's where I spend most of my life holed up, plus it's nice and comfy.

Blog for 11/4/16

Prompt: Write a letter as a character to another character in the story. \\

Book: The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall

Author: Katie Alender

Page # : 329

~~~~

       When Delia's aunt passes away she leave the house to her.  However, this house is no ordinary home. It was once known as an asylum for girls and over several years became haunted. Delia and her family intend to spend the summer fixing it up to get it ready to sell, however that trip gets cut short. The house traps Delia, it has a hunger to keep 'troubled girls'. Delia must do her best to free herself and her new friends.



Dear Little Namesake, 

I havern't been able to write much, I'm afraid I'm going to have to leave soon.  I don't feel so lonely anymore, but I no longer feel as safe as I once felt.  I'm not sure how I'm going to leave, I'm doing my best to thinks of ways so I won't be or feel trapped. 

On another note I will leave my house to you in my will, I know you are young still but when the day comes I need you to try to fix what I couldn't.  When it is inherited don't be afraid of what lurks, take some salt with you to be safe. 

My apology for scaring you, you must believe I am a crazy old lady. Cleanse the house and sell it immediately, don't hold on to it, it's been in our family far too long. 

Enough of that subject, how's school? Tell your mom, sister, and my brother I said hi.  And please forgive me for what I must do. 

I hold my trust and many people's future in your hands. Stay Safe. 

Love, 

Aunt Cordelia. 

P.S - I must also apologize for the inconsistences in my writing, I'm trying to write as much as I can in the short period of time that I have.  It seems like that's what I've been running out of.

Veteran's Day Poem

Veteran’s Poem -

Mommy left today,
She told me she’d be okay.
She kissed my forehead and told me to stay safe,    

She turned with a tear and went to another place.

Mommy wrote me a letter today.
She’s in Afghanistan which is very far away.
I don’t know what she’s doing there,
I just hope she takes care.

Mommy hasn’t contacted me,
I can’t help staring at her favorite tree.
It reminds me of how she’s tall and strong,
So I care for it while singing our favorite song.

Daddy said mommy is going to take long,
I can’t help but feel like something’s wrong.
I tell myself she’s fine,
I fall asleep with her in my mind.

Mommy came home today!
I couldn’t help just screaming hooray!
Our family is together and happy,
She receives a big hug from me and my daddy.

Mom had to go back,
She says the US wants a counterattack.
I stay home and pray for her,
Time goes by in a blur.

Mother flys home to my graduation,
She calls it a small break from the nation.
She says she gets to stay home for good,
And is sorry for missing years of her motherhood.

I tell her I love her with all my heart,
And I'm glad we no longer have to be apart.
I thank her for fighting,
She makes everyone’s day brighten.

Blog for 10-28-16

Prompt: Which character do you like best and which do you like least?

Book: Percy Jackson & The Olympians - The Sea of Monsters

Author: Rick Riordan

Page #: 279 (finished)

~~~~~

     The Sea of Monsters continues in Percy's perspective. Percy spends the rest of the year at another private school with his new friend Tyson, which no one seems to like, without little to any worries. One day at gym monsters attack his school and he is forced to go back to Camp Half Blood. However the camp is no longer protected and soon becomes dangerous due to Talia's tree being poisoned. Percy, Annabeth, and Tyson soon sneak out to go on a quest to save Talia's tree and their friend Grover.

       My favorite character in the story is Annabeth, she's very smart and determined. In the movies she was also the best character in my opinion. Percy is a bit to stubborn and he just doesn't call out to me. Grover is also pretty funny but once again, he's not all that.

       My least favorite character is Tyson. In the story he came off as annoying and baby-like. Spoiler Starts Now - When he supposedly died I wasn't even sad, actually I was quite relived. - End of Spoiler. He just seemed to hold the team down, but he did however help them a lot.

       Overall, the characters don't really catch my attention, it's more the plot.  I feel like they could be developed more, which happens as you read the rest of the series. As of now I'm just reading the books because I'm interested in the problems they face and the greek mythology behind their story.

Blogging Tips

     I personally like to think I'm good at blogging but I know I have a lot to work on.  In the past three years I've had three different blogs, each for a different class in each grade.  I do have experience.  However, I only blog when I have to. I don't see the reason to blog for everything or anything.  That's why I think I should work on a few things.

       One blogging tip I need to become more accustomed to is creative titles, ones that bring the reader in and interest them.  My titles are very plain, boring, and bare minimum.  They don't necessarily catch the attention of people, I know I wouldn't be intrigued by them.  To fix this I will try to use titles with actual words and make it interesting or make it mysterious so they are lured in.  For my past blogs, I will keep the same titles just so the people reading and myself can see how it's changed.

       Another blogging tip I need to work on is alloting time.  I do manage to submit and complete my blogs that are assigned but I simply do not blogging on my own.  I need a motivation.  I simply don't understand the need to blog everything when it's not necessary or graded.  That needs to change. To do that I will make sure to write a note every week in my planner to upload at least one blog.  I will also read more (so there's more to blog about), and open my mind an bit more.

       Lastly, a blogging tip I know I need to fix is my grammar and punctuation skills.  There is a lot of mistakes in my writing, especially with the comas.  Misspellings are also common, auto-correct isn't always on my side.  To fix this I will spend more time writing and proof reading my blogs.

       Overall, I need to work on a few things to grow my blog.  Hopefully by the end of the year my blog will be improved.

Blog for 10-8-16

Prompt: Summary, thoughts, and recommandation.

Book: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - The Lightning Thief

Author : Rick Riordan

~~~~~

       Percy Jackson is a half-blood which means he is half human, half god.  He attends a private highschool with his best friend Grover for sometime until something strange happens.  A dangerous and scary encounter with his teacher causes his normal life to completely end and he is forced to go to a special summer camp.  At this camp he is surrounded by people just like him and he is given the opportunity to befriend them. However, his stay is short because one of the God's most prized possessions is stolen.  Percy must return this item, causing him to go on an epic and adventurous quest with his two best friends.

       This book is quite an old story, most people have already read it.  I've finally got the chance to read it and I am happy I made the decision to pick it.  To me, I loved it.  It was a very fast read and the plot kept me going further within the pages.  I've always had an interest in Greek mythology and being able to read and learn about it was really fun and interesting. The main character, Percy Jackson, is a well developed character and his personality is a bit vague.  The book and movie are completely different, which I still don't know how to feel about it.  Overall, I really enjoyed the book.

       I would recommand this story to a person who is interested in long series, it isn't for someone who wants a small book to finish.  It is great for people who are fascinated in Greek mythology since the whole story revolves around it.  This book is a story that pulls you in automatically and causes you to read it constantly, so if you have a lot of spare time and want a story to read then I strongly sugggest reading this story and continuing with the series.  Lastly, this story is great for people who like action mixed with a bit of monsters.  However, I think everyone to try to read it, maybe it just might work for them.

Blog - 10/3/16

     I haven't traveled very far, actually I've never been outside of the Midwest.  The last time I actually "traveled" outside of Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana ina, or Michigan, was went I went to Flordia at the age of two.  As you can assume, I don't remember much, only a few things, but even those are to fuzzy to put a story behind it.  You'd think since I've never really traveled I'd have a dream trip though out, but that's not the case.  The only place I would want to visit is Australia or England, but those details aren't planned out.  Instead, I'm going to tell about one of my yearly trips from when Iwent camping.

       Each summer, in late June or July, my family decides to go camping.  Our grandparents and cousins also go, but they have their own spot.  The campsite is located in Michigan, a few hours away.  The campground we go to is semi-modern, meaning the only really nice thing we have are the bathrooms and showers.  There are no pools, not many cabins, nor are there any small buildings where events are held.

       We only stayed about three nights and during the first two days we would go on 'adventures'.  These adventures consisted of following my dad through these narrows bushy paths, starting at the campsite and going through the woods.  We would continue the path until we reached the beach then go back to the site. Another day we climbed a sand mountain, it was very high.

       In the night we would roast marshmallows, tell stories, play UNO, and just kind of chill.  Sometimes we'd walk around the campsite, the stars in the sky are very big and clear. It's quite a sight.

       Since my grandparents had a camper, my sister and I would sleep on the opposite bed while my parents slept in a separate tent.  It was way more confortable then an air-mattresses in a small thin tent.

       The second day there we went home to pick up our dog and take him back to the campsite. We did this because my cousin, who was watching him, said that he wasn't eating and was moping around because he missed us. As soon as we saw him he immediately brightend up.  He hopped onto our car and we drove back to continue the last night of our vacation.

       The last day there we all went up the sand mountain s a family, and took the sand trail all the way to the beach.  By the time we got there we were all sweaty and tired, dog included. We ended up swimming a bit and retrieving our pre-packed stuff after, then leaving. That was my summer camping trip, the great thing is I get to create more every summer !

Summer Reading - Paper Towns

Blog One -

       The book I have chose to read during the summer is Paper Towns by John Green.
This story takes place in Orlando, Florida and mainly focuses on two teenagers, Quentin Jacobsen and Margo Spiegelman. They are neighbors and were actually childhood friends up until high school. One random night, Margo knocks on Quentin’s window and asks him to take part of an 11 step revenge plan. They spend the whole night together and Quentin starts to feel hopeful that they’ll become friends again. However, that doesn’t happen because Margo goes missing the next day. She leaves clues behind for Quetin that hint about her whereabouts and he shortly catches on. Quentin feels obligated to follow her trail and soon he and his friends go through a long exciting adventure to find the amazing Margo Roth Spiegelman.

       In the story Quentin Jacobson is described as a normal teenage boy. He is a senior in highschool, has perfect attendance, and has two ‘nerdy’ best friends. He is described to have brown hair and brown (almost black) eyes. Overall he only has one enemy, Chuck Parson, who is his bully. Quentin's most noticeable traits are his lack of confidence, his love for Margo, and how he always likes to be careful. This is portrayed in the story , “Let’s just please not get in trouble,” I said. “I mean I want to have fun and everything, but not at the expense of, like, my future.” (Page 32) This shows that Quentin isn’t really an adventurous person and how he tends to stay on the safe side.

       All in all, Quentin likes to refrain from doing anything that could potentially hurt his future but will go to extreme lengths to find his love, Margo. He feels obligated to find her, and sometimes can put her before his friends. Despite this, his friends are always by his side and later on in the story he starts to see that and begins to appreciate it.

       In Paper Towns Margo is described as an independent determined girl through the eyes of Quentin. She is known for going missing for a few days and doing crazy exotic things. She likes to live in the spark of the moment and hates the idea of being a paper girl. She feels trapped in Orlando, and decides to leave. Everyone sees Margo as if she’s perfect but inside she is actually a troubled and vulnerable girl. In the story she states, “I thought of you a lot, to answer your question. And my parents. Of course, okay? Maybe I am the most horribly self-centered person in the history of the world. But God, do you think I would have done it if I didn’t need to?” (Page 286) This shows a little bit about how Margo was feeling. She felt almost lost and took time to find herself. Overall, her true character is hidden from the eyes of Quentin.

       All in all, Margo is a bit of a rebel, but only does it to get attention from her parents. She feels lost and trapped. Lastly, she treats people differently depending on their actions.

       These two main characters are very different from each other. However, their differences are what mold the story together. Without Quentin, Margo would have never saw life through his eyes. Without Margo, Quentin would’ve never broken out of his shell and learn how to live life in the moment.

In 10 Years...

     There's no way to tell what the future holds, but there is a way to help you figure out a potential "new" life. We're at the perfect age to start perusing our goals, if we work hard now we'll know where we'll be in 10 years. We'll know if we would to college or not, and what to potentially work as.  I have a clear picture of what awaits for me.

       In ten years, I'd want to be in college or graduated, this all depends on the degrees I want to study. My personal goal is to get to a good college with a scholarship to help me with the expensive funds. In college, I'd like to study to become a veterinarian because I love animals and I believe they should be treated right.

       I also see myself as independent, with my own place (possibly a dorm) and my own car. I wish to be stable with my job, finance, and studies. I'd want to be living with no restrictions from my parents, family, etc. I want to see myself as my own person who doesn't need anyone to take care of me, especially at that point.

          My goals are to move out of my parent's house and live at a dorm for.a few years, maybe two or three years. I also want to have at least traveled to at least one place before the age of 24, exactly at the ten year mark.

       As for my longtime goals, I'd like to own a house of my own and a dog (maybe a retriever or lab). Somewhere along the way I hope too have a family of my own, except that could wait till later.

       Overall I see myself working hard and achieving my dreams. For now I'd like o live my 'childhood' more and enjoy the simple things in life. Isn't that what everybody wishes for?