tell ev'rybody I'm on my way

"Boy are immature, guys are jerks, men are rare."

(Zuko is a man, for the record.)

"Behind every succesul man is a woman doing all of the work"

"Boys are like busses; you wait for one for ages, then suddenly three come at the same time"

"Men are stupid. If you forget, they will remind you."

"There are easier things in life than finding a good man.... nailing Jell-o to a tree for instance."

"A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle."

"Men are like parking spaces; all the good ones are taken and the rest are handicapped."

"Whatever women do, they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good. Luckily, this is not difficult."

"God created man before woman because you always need a rough draft."

I appreciate these quotes. I have no idea where they come from, but they make me laugh. Please know that I have nothing against the male population. I just understand other's frustrations with them.

My advice when dealing with boy problems? Cry, read your scriptures, and watch Pride and Prejudice.

Nothing gets your mind off idiots like Mr. Darcy does. ;)

Person of the Week in Every Greek Opinion Poll

This took a large chunk of time, lemme tell ya. It's supposed to be my adorable friend/daughter/niece/sister-in-law (long story), Leia. It ended up not really looking like her at all. :P

She's gorgeous, isn't she? Leia also has an amazing personality, can sing and act like no one else, and is a fantastic friend. There are many times I wish I was as awesome as her.

I'm holding my book slanted in the picture, so everything looks slightly crooked. It's bothering me. The picture's not that bad in real life... :(

Oh, and I did sign my initials on it. I just accidently cut off the bottom inch in the picture. :P

My reference* (in case you were curious):

*from Leia's Facebook.

Interjections! Show excitement! Or emotion!

I'm so disappointed with today's generation's lack of readership. On Facebook, there's a small section that asks you to list your favorite books. Far too many people put "Who reads books anymore?" in this box, or even leave it blank. OR WORSE, only list Twilight as their favorite book. (HOW DARE THEY!?)

It's so sad... :(

I love to read. Below, I have compiled a list of books you need to read before you read anything else. (even before you read Twilight again...)

1. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

This should go without saying, but a sadly large amount of people haven't read it. If you haven't read this book series, you are an abomination to the world and all those who live on it. GO READ IT NOW!!!

2. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

Again, this should go without saying. These books start out a little weak, and progress to literary masterpieces. So if you started the series and thought that The Magician's Nephew could've been better, just endure. The Last Battle is SO GOOD it's worth getting through everything else, just to read that book.

3. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

This book is funny and heartwarming, and has the most swoon-worthy main love interest. If you, like me, loved this book only for Gilbert then skip the second book in the series, Anne of Avonlea, (which hardly mentions Gilbert) and read the third, Anne of the Island. That one is chocked full of romantic goodies, and you won't miss anything. :)

4. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

It's written for a younger crowd, but still very good. Adorable, and the characters are much more endearing than in the movie. They have so many adventures that aren't mentioned in the movie, too. It's a really fun book, very short, and totally worth reading.

5. Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie

This book is amazing. The Disney version of it stinks. I'm sorry, but once I read this I couldn't see the movie any other way. It's terrible. The book is so whimisical and inspiring. J.M. Barrie's language is amazing. And I HATE movie Wendy, but book Wendy's cool. Read it, it's sooooo much better...

6. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Sweetest little story about a sour girl who meets a sour boy, and their adventure's in hiding their new garden from the boy's sour father. Over time, they all lose their sour-ness. Lots of great character development, and it has the cutest ending. ^_^

7. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

Absolutely hilarious book, where EVERYTHING is a play on words. Starting in the Land of Expectations (which most journeys never get past), we go through the Island of Conclusions (you get there by jumping) and on to many other wonderous places with equally clever names and quirky qualities. This book is nothing short of genius, and needs to be read by everyone.

8. Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements

Invisible boy meets blind girl. You can just smell the budding romance, can't you? ;) But seriously, I love this book. Perhaps it's not as classic as everything else I've listed, but it was one of the first books I read on my own. It made me cry, so I feel it necessary to include in my list.

9. An Old-Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott

My friend Kallie says that everything by Louisa May Alcott is amazing, but this is one of her favorites (and one of MY favorites, too!). And in this one, the right people get together, unlike in Little Women. (I'm still very hurt by that book's ending.) An Old-Fashioned Girl has heart-breakingly perfect romantic moments, amazingly truthful quotes, strong morals, and fantastic characters. I recommend it whole-heartedly. :)

10. A Series of Unfortuate Events by Lemony Snicket

I'm aware that many people *coughLARAcough* do not like these books. My advice? Don't listen to these people. They don't know what they're talking about. (sorry, it's true) These books are hysterical. The author has a unique voice that's hard to ignore, and a super-duper complex plot that will leave you scratching your head for nearly all of the series. It makes me laugh on nearly every page, and left me always wanting more. And if you have any extra time, I recommend reading Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography. A book that, if possible, is even more hilarious and head-scratching than the actual novels, though 10000x more confusing.

11. Percy Jackson and the Olympians and The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

If you didn't already know about my obsession with this book series, then you didn't know me. I already put too much about these books on my blog, so at this point, just go read it. That's all I'm gonna say. (And please, don't mention the movie. It's an abomination.)

12. Anything by Kate Dicamillo

Including The Tale of Desperoux, The Tiger Rising, The Magician's Elephant, and Because of Winn-Dixie. Asking me to choose my favorite out of these is next to impossible, so just read them all. :) But what I really love about these books are their magical settings. I want to live in each one of them.

I can think of about 20 more, but I think this is a good start. What about you, friends? What novels have you read and loved? Anything you think deserve a mention? Well then comment! :)

uh-wee-muh-way

Reference

Having Manisha here was a blast. I love her, and it was awesome having her back.

But the only setback to having her was that she stole all my drawing time. I didn't wield a pencil for two whole weeks, because I was too busy talking to her. Then I got really sick, and my weak muscles forgot how to hold a pencil and were really shaky, so I couldn't even practice then.

And now, trying to get back into it has proven similar to jumping into a swimming pool and not remembering how to swim. I know I know how to swim (draw), but I lack inspiration, and feel clumsy kicking my feet around. And I'm not getting as much pleasure out of it as I normally do. It's cold in this water. :(

Above is something I forced myself to churn out today. Needless to say, it looks a billion times better in real life. (I need a scanner. These dumb webcam photos'll be the death of me.)

But I could not, for the life of me, get her mouth right. I think it was because I failed to capture her hunch when I first started. She's sitting too erectly, and if I tried to draw the mouth at an angle while the rest of her is sitting up, it looked terrible. So I settled on this, which doesn't look too bad, but I feel bad for settling. I'm better than that...

I've decided to use references a lot more with my drawings. My style is sort of a combination of random artists on deviantArt, and I really want to start developing my own style. So I'm going to be using references more, and using what I learn from that in all my other drawings. Hopefully, it'll help me with my poses and variation. (I tend to draw everyone the same way, and need to change this.)

As you can see, I have ways to go in the accuracy department. There are so many little things I accidently changed in my picture. Her hands, they way they're sitting, their eyes, etc.

Yeah, I'm working on it.

Parisian Beggar Woman by Langston Hughes

Once you were young.
 Now, hunched in the cold,
 Nobody cares 
That you are old.

  Once you were beautiful. 
Now, in the street,
 No one remembers
 Your lips were sweet. 

 Oh, withered old woman
 Of rue Fontaine,
 Nobody but death 
Will kiss you again. 


Thank you, favorite poet, for putting my feelings about turning 16 into a poem. :)

Dreams do come true in New Orleans

You know how I said I was sick in my last post? When I posted that, I thought I was almost better.

Ha. I saw the doctor today. Guess what? I have the flu. But it's not that bad. I'm just really tired and have a constant fever between 100 and 103. And a cough. But I really don't feel that bad.

I had to skip church yesterday because of this. I haven't taken a sick day from church since I was like, 10. Quite devestating. :(

But it's okay. I had fun, sitting on the couch. I watched the following movies:

Great movie. I love Disney. :D

I only got to watch the last half of this on TV. And it's not really that good of a movie, but James McAvoy is so flippin' attractive, I couldn't resist turning to it.

(the movie poster doesn't do his hotness any justice, so here's a REAL picture of him:

Sighhh... Look at that face. ^_^)

(Don't worry. It was edited for TV, AND I skipped the dirty parts.)

First time I watched this movie. Beginning took forever. Who cares about Rose as an old lady? The real movie started about 30 minutes in. And it was pretty good. The whole last 2 hours drove me crazy with stress/worry. It kind of made me never want to go swimming ever again. But I enjoyed it. And no, I didn't cry. But I still liked it. :)

If only I could lay on the couch now, and watch movie after movie, in between my naps and rereading of Battle of the Labyrinth. (Finished Titan's Curse, and fully intend on continuing my rereadings until I finish The Last Olympian for the second time.) Sooooo relaxing...

Instead I am here, avoiding the insane amount of Algebra I have to review before my test on Wednesday. Blah.

My birthday is on Wednesday, too. Worst day to get sick/take a test? I think yes. But hopefully I'll be better by then. And my test is in the morning, so it won't really kill my whole day. I hope.

Tonight will be the night that I will fall for you, over again...

Bah! I haven't updated in so long, I feel slightly guilty. But then, I remember what I've been doing with my time this past two weeks, and the guilt subsides. Wanna see? Too bad! You're gonna have to;

1. I contract a terrible illness. This ain't your run-of-the-mill cold. Oh no, this is I'm-bedridden-and-moaning, I-can't-talk-or-sing-or-move-or-be-excited-about-anything sickness. It was terrible, and lasted a whole entire week. But I spent my sick time well, doing the next thing.

2. I reread The Lightning Thief. I am actually in the middle (beginning) of Lord of the Rings, but that just took too many brain-cells for me to read when I could barely think. Instead, I read Percy Jackson. Time well spent? Heck yes, it was. Especially after Lost Hero. That book was heavy, at least for Rick Riordan. I definitely missed Perseus a LOT in that book. I missed his general silliness and cuteness. I love Percy, and reading about 12-year old Perce was fantastic. :)

3. I meet Ben. Yes, THAT Ben. ;) We all went up to Ohio to meet their family, and it went great. They were all so nice, and I already felt related to them. The girls were both really sweet, and Ben himself was the friendliest person I've ever met. He was kind of awesome, but I wouldn't expect anything less from Manisha's man. In short, I approve. Although Manisha kissing was... weird. Not bad, just weird. O_o

4. I see Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Best Narnia movie yet? No, I don't think so. It dragged a little in the middle, but then again, the book was that way, too. I can't really blame them for that. OH MY GOSH EUSTACE WAS SOOOOOO ANNOYING. He was terrible, which was kind of awesome. Reepicheep completely stole the show, as usual. And was anyone else devestated that they didn't show Caspian's marriage to the star lady? How hard would a little flashback have been, I mean come on! That was one of the things I was really looking foreward to. But overall, it was pretty good. Edmund was really cute, so that was good. :)

5. Manisha visits! This really should be first, shouldn't it? Oh well, I don't feel like reordering it all. Anyways, this one is basically the reason I haven't been on the computer in 20 somethin' days. It's just not as interesting as sitting in the living room while Manisha plays ridiculous songs on the piano. I'll definitely miss that sound when she leaves. But the one thing I won't miss is the mess; Manisha is the messiest person ever. You don't have any idea how hard it is to share a room with her. :)

This ain't the half of all my boring adventures, but I don't really feel like continuing this post. I have stuff to clean, read, and eat. :)

Happy New Year, Friends!

Though it's been said, many times, many ways

T'was the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tinny reindeer.

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

"Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! on, on Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of Toys, and St Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.

His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"

-By Clement Clarke Moore