Berlin Barbie Bummer

Hey! So we four times a year, we have to write a current event summary. We also have to include our opinions at the end and I did mine on a Barbie Dreamhouse opening in Berlin! It was a really interesting article, and I would encourage you to read my writing and then also (if it interests you) read the original article :) I think I did a pretty good job, what do you think? And would you go to the Barbie Dreamhouse if you had the chance??
July

Berlin Barbie Bummer; Feminists Protest Dreamhouse Opening

Girls have always loved Barbie and the world around her: clothes, hair, makeup, houses, cars, and Ken. That's why earlier this year Taipei opened a Barbie themed restaurant where people can go and tour Barbie's house, eat food, bake virtual cupcakes, and take a look at Barbie's extensive pink wardrobe. There are over 350 dolls on display. Oh, and you can't forget the gift shop where girls can pick out a plastic model of their own to take home.

The restaurant was met with much success so they decided to open another branch in Berlin, Germany where thoughts weren't all that warm and fuzzy towards it. The 27,000 square-foot pink manor opened on May 16, 2013, and the theme is meant to show off Barbie's “Malibu Lifestyle.” 

Many feminists have been protesting the idea before it even opened on account of the “gender bias-ness” and “shallow materialism” that Barbie symbolizes to young girls. 

“They present an image of cooking, primping, and singing, as if it were in some way life-fulfilling,” Socialist Alternative editor Michael Koschitzki, 27, said. 

Barbie has been followed with controversy all of her days, many saying that Barbie is a subject of sexism and gives girls a negative body image. 

The Berlin feminists have created a Facebook page protesting the Dreamhouse. So far countless people have liked the page and the creators have reported a peaceful protest they will be staging on opening day. 

After August 25, Barbie's Dreamhouse will be taken apart and toured throughout Europe. Another Dreamhouse was opened in Florida last week and was also greeted with controversy. 

I think it is a really awesome idea to open a Barbie Dreamhouse were girls can experience a bit of Barbie's world, however I do agree with the feminists in some ways too. 

Barbie has always been a topic of controversy, and almost every girl in the United States grows up playing with Barbie dolls. Barbie does influence what girls think they should look like and I think it is giving the wrong image. It bothers me that you never see a chubby Barbie. Every single one is as skinny as a rail. 

However, overall, even though I do see some of the feminist party's points, I don't think they should be making that big of a deal of this. It comes down to the parent's opinion whether they want their daughters to have that influence in more of a real way than just playing with dolls, or not. 

http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/15/travel/barbie-dreamhouse-berlin/index.html?hpt=ieu_c2 

The Feeling of Being Unwanted

It stinks, doesn't it? It's just plain dreadful, the feeling.

This or That?

Hello lovely readers! Happy Sunday as my grandma always says. I was rooting around on Cat's blog and she did an interview with Helena, who I have just discovered and followed :)
Anyway, Helena posted a tag on her blog called This or That? and she said anyone who wanted to could snatch it up and do it! It looks fun although I'm not the best at makeup so these answers might be strange :P

Make-Up
Blush or Bronzer? Um..... I'm a generally pale person, so Bronzer 
Lipgloss or Lipstick? I don't wear either on a normal day, but if I had to pick, it would be lipstick because my hair always ends up getting in the lipgloss and smearing it all around :/
Liner or Mascara? I'm bad enough at doing my own mascara so I'm not even gonna attempt any eye liner.
Foundation or Concealer? What's the difference??
Neutral Eyeshadow or Colour? Color!! Well, only when you can pull it off.
Pressed or loose eyeshadow? Huh?? 

Nails and Body
OPI or China Glaze? I don't do my nails often and I don't think I've ever had either of these, however I heard that OPI was better quality.
Long or Short Nails? Long can be pretty on most people.
Acrylic or Natural? Natural.
Brights or Darks? Brights in the summer, darks in the winter!
Flower or No Flower? No flower, but sparkles are good :D
Perfume or Body Splash? Perfume because I don't know what body splash is really......
Lotion or Body Butter? Body butter!! I LOVE the coconut scent.
Body Wash or Soap? Body Wash
Lush or other bath company? I like B&B Works

Fashion
Jeans or Sweat Pants? Jeans are my normal, but the occasional sweatpants are great too :)
Long Sleeve or Short Sleeve? Depends on the season.
Dresses or skirts? Dresses
Stripes or Plaid? I don't have a preference.
Flip Flops or Sandals? Sandals if I can find cheap ones that aren't too expensive!
Scarves or Hats? Scarves.
Studs or Dangly Earrings? Studs in one hole, and dangly in the other :) (I have my ears double pierced)
Heels or Flats? Flats because I seriously nearly break my ankle every time I put a heal on....
Cowboy Boots or Riding Boots? Cowboy boots
Jacket or Hoodie? Hoodie.
Forever 21 or Charlotte Russe? Never been to either, but I've heard that there's a lot of good stuff at both.
Abercrombie or Hollister? I don't shop at either of those places. I don't like their advertising at all.

Hair
Curly or straight? I always wear mine natural which is sort of a mix between both.
Bun or Ponytail? I like both..... Switching between both is what I usually do :)
Bobby Pins or Butterfly Clips? Bobby pins cause butterfly clips are a bit youngish looking, don't you think??
Hair Spray or Gel? I refuse to let either of those things to touch my hair. Yuck :P 
Long or Short? I love long hair, but right now mine is medium. I always kinda wanted a pixie cut though.....
Light or Dark? BOTH!
Side Sweep or Full Bangs? I would rather have side sweep.....
Up or Down? Definitely down.

Random
Rain or Shine? Shine, but I do love the smell of rain.
Summer or Winter? Summer 
Fall or Spring? FALLLLLLLL is my favorite season xD
Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate!
East coast or west coast? I've never been to any of the coast's of the United States.... but west.


And that is my tag. Honestly I am pretty clueless about most of the fashion world (especially makeup) but there you have it.
I now hereby tag anyone who wants to do this!!
July

The Title of This Post Is Untitled.

Hey! Sorry I haven't posted in forever..... I was gonna post a while back after the writer's conference, but I didn't cause Sea posted all the tips that we got, so you didn't all need to hear them again ;)

About the sentence story! That was due last Sunday, but I only got one entry. Thanks Hilda! I'm going to extend it until May 12, so please have your entries in by then. I'd really appreciate it! Click HERE to read the instructions! Don't forget that there are two ways you can win. I've gotten one story ending, but no title entries, so please don't forget about that too :) Also, sorry one last thing, you get extra credit if you make a sort of romance between Candace and Eric or a sister-like relationship between Candace and Lux. Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favor!

So today I'm gonna post a poem that I wrote a few weeks ago. I was debating whether or not to share this all with you, but I decided to just because I think you'll like it (well, I hope you do!). I usually don't write stuff like this, but I think God just put it on my heart. 

This is based on someone that I sort of know, but yet it's not based on anyone (she gave me the inspiration, but as far as I know, she doesn't stutter!).

The reason I wrote this is because I want everyone who doesn't feel loved, self harms, is bullied, has a disability, or who doesn't know Jesus to know that I love them, and that Jesus loves them! 

You Are Loved

July A. Emmance

A slight stutter; 

Throughout her whole life

She's suffered from it

And she wonders:

Oh God, what did I do to deserve this curse?

Her name called;

She stammers out a choppy response

Laughter ripples through the class as mean comments are made

And she wonders:

Oh God, what did I do to deserve this bullying?

A sharp blade;

She holds up to her wrist to make the first cut

The blood seeps out and the scars appear

And she wonders:

Is there anyone out there who cares?

Jesus Christ died;

On the cross for us

So that we all can be forgiven

And she wonders:

Oh God, what did I do to deserve this eternal love?

Today.

Hey everyone!! So today I'm going to a youth writers conference. Gary Schmit is going to be speaking there and if you didn't know who he is, he wrote Ok For Now and a few other books that have been awarded. I'm pretty excited :)
Well, since I'll be having a busy day, I'll leave you with this. It made my entire day.
July

Tubesday: "On My Own" Cover

Happy Tubesday!! Today's my brother's birthday, and we're going out to eat tonight so I'm pretty excited :) I got him a frisbee for frisbee golf, cause he really loves that and if you didn't know, you need different frisbees for different throws.... It's hard to explain :P
Anyway, so the Les Mis movie is all the rage right now, and I haven't seen it yet because my mom is putting up a huge stink and not letting me watch it.... NOT FAIR! Everyone else has seen it and is talking about it. Ah, I'll see it someday though, I will.
But today's video is of a girl singing On My Own which is sung by Eponine in Les Mis. She is phenomenal! I was truly amazed at how good she did and I watched some of her other covers and she has a great voice all around :)
Wishing I had this voice,
July ;P

Quidditch Pong

You know those games where you throw a ping pong ball into cups of the other team and if you make it, they have to drink whatever's inside?? Well this is a quidditch addition and this totally made my entire night!! If I could make this, I would totally invite you all over to play it with me!
I don't even know who that guy chillin' in the background is, but he's scaring me a bit, lol!
Oh, and last thing. Sorry I had to put the word verification back on for comments because I keep getting spam comments that I don't want hacking my computer or yours if you go to the link they provide, so I'm hoping that this will stop those :/
July

Pixar's Tips for Writing

I found this picture on Pinterest (well actually Seana repinned it from someone else) and I think it's got some pretty good tips that I'm gonna consider next time I'm writing. Some of this is obvious, but other stuff is stuff I've never considered before, so I hope it helps you too!

Oh and just to let you know, I still need two email addresses before I can send out book club info. Raven, I need yours, and Hilda I need to know if you want me to send to your yahoo?

July

Da-da-da-DA!!!

Konnichiwa (hello in Japanese)!
Don't forget that your Sentence story entries are due on Sunday, April 28. You can do both or just one entry, but I haven't gotten any entries yet, so I'm reminding you. You have a while though, so don't worry too much! If you missed the post where I explained how to get bonus points, you can read that HERE but to sum it up, all you have to do is create either a romance between Candace and Eric, or a sister relationship between Candace and Lux.
Also, better details about rule entries for the sentence story contest are HERE!

Book club people! I've got four so far and I think that's a pretty solid number! I'm going to need your emails, so maybe you could comment and tell me your email address? I won't publish the comment, don't worry, your email will stay private! I'll email you all details once I have everyone's email accounted for.
If you still want to join the book club, just let me know! HERE is more info on that too :)

So I finally got around to doing my March dare..... a little late, I know, but I did it. So we all voted and the one that won was to send a random picture to the 10th person on my contacts list.
I don't save many contacts, but I do have a few saved ones such as friends and family so I had to send a picture to my brother.....
I have all my pictures on my ipod so I randomly scrolled through and let it fly, then put my figure on the screen so it would stop.
Now almost all my pictures are One Direction, so it turned out to be this picture:

Let's just say he wasn't very happy. 'Nuff said.

April dares??

And also, your question today: Why do flowers smell so good?? I want to know what you think.

July :) 

A Weekend Full of Silly Hopes and Frisbees

Hello! I was going to do this post yesterday, but I felt that it would be a little inappropriate with what happened in Boston :/
So as you know, this past weekend I was at Eastern Michigan University for the robotics competition. Robotics has the stereotype of "nerd, nerd, nerd" but in all honesty, you have to be really smart and it takes a lot of patience. Well, I guess I'm trying to say that's it not all nerds :P
When I went to my first robotics competition (of my brother's, I'm not in it yet), I was a bit confused but it didn't take me long to catch on. I thought it would be boring, but it was SWEET!

Let me explain something. I like robotics because you work with other teams who you've never worked with before and try to team up and beat another team by getting the most points. It's very competitive but you can tell that everybody is having fun too! Between matches, they play the songs with dances with them and people line up and do the dances. It's really funny to watch :) The video below is from the world championship last year I think. I just found it on Youtube :)

This year's challenge was called "Ultimate Ascent" and you should watch it here because it explains everything really well..... If you have any questions, just ask :) I can answer them!

So we left on Friday after my dad got home from work and when we got to our hotel, we found out that it was booked completely full! Thankfully, my mom got us a reservation a few weeks beforehand. We got into our room though, and there was only one bed instead of two..... And they didn't even have a pullout couch. My mom and I stayed up until 12:00 AM watching October Baby, which was amazing by the way, and then we all crammed into the bed. I couldn't get to sleep till about 12:30 because my dad was snoring super loudly and I had to sleep with earplugs because it was so loud.

In the morning, I woke up at 6:30 AM so I only got about six hours of sleep and I couldn't get back to sleep :(

We got to EMU and sat by our team at about 8:30. My brother's team's robot had mechanical problems so they didn't do very good on Thursday and Friday (we weren't there for those) but on Saturday, the fixed the problems and absolutely KILLED IT! 

About halfway through the qualifying rounds on Saturday, they stopped the competition and announced that there was a special guest that needed recognition.... I was like confused and sorta like "get on with it" but it turned out to be the governor of Michigan, Rick Snyder! It was very interesting to see him and I didn't talk to him, but when I was down in the pits, he was on a VIP tour and was two feet away from me.... I could have poked him if I wanted, but that would've been weird, lol!

Click HERE to see an actual video of state. I'm in this video by the way, you just can't tell it's me :P This was the first match of Saturday, and it was on of the best of the day! The red alliance only won by two points..... It was pretty intense. 

After the qualifying rounds, the top 8 ranked teams get to pick two other teams to make their alliance and we didn't have much hope to get picked, but one of the teams there called Hot wanted us, but their alliance partner didn't. We didn't get picked. 

We're not going to Worlds in St. Louis. Oh well, maybe next year! 

And please consider joining robotics cause I'm going to and maybe I'll see you at worlds next year! :) If you're going to worlds and I'm going to worlds, then I will let you meet me.... Lol.

~July

Planned Post, Not Going to be Posted

I was going to do a post about my weekend tonight, however because of what happened in Boston this afternoon, you'll have to wait. I think today I just wanna express that my thoughts and prayers are with the victims and the families that were affected by the bombs at the Boston Marathon.
This all reminds me that my life is a gift and it could be ended at any moment at any time of the day. God gives the the blessing of life everyday and I know that I wouldn't be alive without him, but I always wonder when something like this happens why I get to live another day when people of all ages all over the world die everyday.
Why am I so blessed?

Jeremiah 29:11 says "For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'He plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a hope and a future."
That is a very bold statement but I believe every word of it! At times like this, some people might doubt God and all Christians have doubts somewhere down the line, but I know that this is all part of God's plan. He will use this for good!

They say it might be a terrorist attack, but no terrorist groups have come forward yet, so they don't know. Well, I personally have no idea, it could be anybody. I plumb scares me though to think that terrorists are striking the US and with North Korea's threats, we could be in a little trouble. That terrifies me. At times like this, I do think the best thing for me to do would be to rely on God and to pray for the victims and others involved. My favorite Bible verse is something that I like to say to myself as well.

John 14:1, my favorite verse, says "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; Trust also in me."

Please pray for Boston,
July

Interview with Hilda Leticia Dominguez

Hey guys! So I'm going away this weekend to the robotics state competition, so don't expect too many posts but if I get internet there, I'll try to do one my spare time. Don't get your hopes up too high :) 

Anyway, I wanted to interview Hilda because she is my friend and because she is a published author. I've never met Hilda before, but we do call ourselves "sisters" :) There is a link to her blog at the bottom  so please go and follow her! Also if you interested in buying her book, there is a picture of it along the sidebar of my blog. All you have to do is click it and it will take you to a website where you can buy Hilda's book! 

~July

1.) Can you introduce yourself and tell a bit about yourself?

I'm Hilda Leticia Dominguez but you can call me Hilda for short. I love writing fiction stories and am excited to have finally published a book! So now I am an author. When I am not writing, I love to chat online with my "Sis" and my friends. But ever since my brother gave me his iPad, I've gone crazy by using it a lot and posting messages to my friends. Sorry about that, LOL!

2.) How long ago did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I think when I was a little kid in elementary because I remember I made a homemade book at home and wrote and drew a story in it.

Hilda's book! Find the image on the side-
bar that looks like this and click on it
to purchase it!

3.) At what moment did you fall in love with writing?

I think subconsciously I've always loved writing because I always enjoyed it in my English classes. My favorite part of those classes was when we get to write in our composition books and write a short story, but unfortunately I didn't get to do that in all my English classes in schools because we would mostly read classic books like to Kill a Mockingbird and such.

When I finally realized it and decided I wanted to be a writer was just a few years ago.

4.) How did you get published?

I followed the guidelines and procedures from my online writing course, which by the way anyone can take it, but I was always rejected by publishing houses. I did a lot of my own research and realized it was easier and better to self publish because of the freedom of creating and printing your book. I self-published my story "The Invisible Spy Spying in the lives of Celebrities" with a publisher called CreateSpace, which is affiliated with Amazon.com. Thanks to my brother, he gave me the money to have it published. I was led by a team online step-by-step in publishing my book.

5.) What publishing company did you use?

CreateSpace.

6.) How long did it take you to write The Invisible Spy? 

I don't remember exactly since I don't pay attention to how long I write stories, but my guess is that less than a year. Maybe a few months.

7.) Are you planning on publishing any other books?

Oh yes! When I can. I have a few stories already written and one in the process and another one for future writing.

8.) Who are your biggest supporters?

Biggest supporters? My mom and my brother. My mom gets so excited when I finish a story or short story and wants to read it right away.

9.) Who are a few of your inspirations?

My "Writing Team", My mom, brother, and the author Mrs. Beverly Cleary's stories. Also encouragements I get from family and other people.

10.) What keeps you going when you want to give up writing?

By talking it over with my mom. She always tells me to "never give up," and I also advice that to everyone on anything good they want to do.

11.) Is there any other advice you can give to youth writers?

Yes, to any writer of any age, never give up on your dreams. You are never too young or too old to write a story. There have been kids and adults over 60 years of age who have written a book. Anyone can do it, all it takes is patience, dedication and desire to write.

If you want to be a writer, read a lot and write a lot...or type. Even writing in your diary, blog, or journal counts. ;)


12.) "I want to be a published writer. Where do I begin?"
First I suggest taking a writing course to get familiar with the terminology and submission requirements, etc. Or you can learn on your own by checking out recent books from the library about writing and publishing and self publishing. The thing is you would want to absorb as much information as you can about how to publish a book and how to write one. So depending on how much you study and learn the info, but remember to don't rush through your studies. Don't look ahead and think "I want to start right after I finish reading this book." Learn first just like learning a subject, but write stories while you do. You will see overtime how much you have improved.

Here's a valuable tip: Since the publishing industry can change over time, always check out the most recent books. You can tell by looking at the copyright year inside a book. ;)


13) "Am I too young to publish a book?"
I personally don't believe so... Well, as long as you know how to write, that is. I remember watching a program on TV where a preteen was running her own online magazine from her home with her mom's help. Sounds too good to be true but it is. I was amazed!

See, no matter how young or old we are, we can do it! :D


14) "Do you have an official website?"
Yes, but sadly it will expire on April 29, 2013. My brother can't help me financially to renew it since he quit working due to health reasons. But you can follow my official blog at http://hildald.blogspot.com/ anytime you want to. :)