I can hear the crickets chirping over here

Next week I'm planning to do something Harry Potter-y everyday because the end is coming on Friday (it's here already?!), and I've been a poor poor fan indeed. So everyday starting from tomorrow and ending on Friday, I'll be posting Harry Potter related videos, art or.....umm, oh, er...yeah...I haven't exactly planned out anything yet, but expect SOMETHING!

Meanwhile, here's John Green's video on conquering his biggest fear, heights. *shudders*

As someone who's downright terrified of high places, I found John Green's act very inspiring and heroic.

Gallivanting through Florida, Part 2 {Misadventures in Universal}

Sooo...I'm not exactly what you would call a thrill seeker (I'm not one for surprises) and I have a huge fear of heights. (Would my boggart be a high diving board or something? Maybe.)Because of the two aforementioned qualities of my personality, I don't particularly enjoy roller coasters much to the dismay of my friends. But because I didn't want to be a party pooper and ruin everyone's mood, I put on my brave face and calmly stood in line for the rides with everyone else.

If Sam can bravely carry Frodo up Mt. Doom, then gosh darn it, I can bravely get on a one minute roller coaster ride

Something went really strange that day because it seemed like we got stuck on almost every ride we went on! Getting stuck on a ride was not, to put it simply, fun, especially for someone like me who doesn't particularly enjoy dangling around 100 ft (or higher) in the air like others for long stretches of time, but looking back on it, our escapades in Universal wouldn't have been half as memorable if the rides didn't stop every now and then.

The best rides we got stuck on:

1) Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls: The electricity shut off right before we were about to fall off on the drop. And then it started right before we could say anything and we plunged down quicker than on any water ride I've ever been on before (I don't think we were supposed to fall). I screamed like I never screamed before.

2) The Hulk: Technically I didn't get stuck on it, but my group members did! I didn't go because my brave-Sam-on-Mt-Doom-face fell off as soon as someone suggested going on this:

...and I couldn't muster enough courage to put it back on, so my advisors and I ended up sitting in a cafe nearby and enjoyed some nice lemonade while waiting for everyone else...FOR OVER ONE HOUR. It was on a Wednesday morning, so there was no one there at the park so we realized that something was fishy when my friends didn't come back in ten minutes. When we went back to the ride to see what was up, the ride attendants were telling nearby questioners that some of the riders were stuck and there was no way to get them down. HAHAHA. So we had to wait for another half an hour until the ride started properly moving again.

3) Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey: We were speeding through the castle, and then suddenly, everything- the video they were playing, our carts, lights-shut off. We were in the complete dark and I could hear some startled screams and voices. A couple minutes later we heard an announcement from the ride attendants apologizing for the inconveniences. Then our carts started bobbing up and down. Up and down. In the dark. For a long time. More startled screams ensued. The ride started up again soon, and we did end up seeing the familiar faces of Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson on the screen again much to everyone's relief.

Butterbeer!! I liked it very much.

I could not get some Fish & Chips at the Three Broomsticks. :(

Spiderman waved at me right before I snapped this picture. I also got a very awesome picture with the Green Goblin (not pictured). His smile was the epitome of EVIL (as usual).

Universal Globe!! No matter where we went that day, I had to make sure we got at least one picture in front of the globe because you know...it's The Globe or as I knew it when I was a little girl, the globe that always spins around before every Jurassic Park movie. It's every bit as sentimental to me as Disney's Castle.

Universal was our last theme park during our visit. The next day, we woke up early, and sadly said good-bye to the 95 degree weather and the greenery we rarely have up north during the month of May. *tear*

I did some catching up with the world done on the bus ride back to airport:

Moral of the post: Fear of anything can become overcome if you put on a brave face doing it, unless you're scared of roller coasters that can make you feel like your face is melting off. Fake it till you make it, some people say. That and...deep breathing really helps.

The Beginning of the End. Or Probably Not.

I'm pretty sure the whole world knows about the Borders-filing-Chapter-11-bankruptcy right now. For my town (which has three Borders bookstores), there are some good news because of it and some bad news. The good news is that there will still be two Borders standing. The bad news is that one will be closing, and unfortunately, the one that's closing is mine (great, huh?).

Truthfully, when I first read the article about the closing in my town's newspaper, I was okay with it. Of course I was upset, but it all seemed gradual. Everyone knew that it had to happen one day or another. (I think I was still in denial- How can Borders (especially my Borders) close?! They're bookstores! They're educational! They help improve literacy! They apparently serve great hot chocolate and have an awesome Jane Austen/Charlotte Bronte collection!)

After finally going to visit the store, the news hit me. My Borders is closing. This is what I saw when I first walked in:

Isn't that just plain scary?

And then I turned around and saw HP and the Order of the Phoenix on a nearby shelf. Right there I realized that this is where I bought all the last three Harry Potter books. This was where my family, friends, and I stood eagerly in line until 4:00 in the morning of July 21st, 2007 to get Deathly Hallows in our hands. This was where I bought all my Percy Jackson books, the Hunger Games trilogy, and basically where I bought all the books I cherish deeply today (and also where a saleswomen first introduced Twilight to me- before it become a phenomenon), and now it's closing?

I don't know what else to say now; the denial's gone, but the truth is still settling in. There are only two things (entertainment-wise) I really need to function well in my life: a bookstore and a movie theater. Sadly, both seem to have unpredictable futures ahead of them. As we can see, the movie industry is suffering huge losses as well. Theaters are shutting down, studios are filing for bankruptcy, and Hollywood is facing uncertainty, just like the publishing industry has been from what's been happening to books and bookstores. There'll be unemployment now, and according to Shannon Hale, an estimation of 10% decrease in sales of books.

Does the bankruptcy of Borders signal what's going to happen to other bookstores in the future like Barnes & Nobles and indie bookstores because they can't keep up with online retail stores sales like Amazon? *cough cough* It better NOT. Because just like what Shannon Hale (again) wrote about the bankruptcy, brick-and-mortar stores still matter enormously.

This is wishful thinking but I'm 98% sure that bookstores will continue to thrive (as long as they sell e-books and e-readers now just like B&N), and so will movie theaters because one day movies will become reasonably priced again so theaters will be able to show them and people will be able to view them! And really, I like going to bookstores. To browse, and to find the books I really want to read. I especially love going over when there's a brand new release to see the excitement within everyone, and to see people quickly running over to the shelves to go get the shiny, new books before anyone else, or to stand in line to receive the book and break into a huge smile when the book finally lands into their hands.

It's just like how I love going to movie theaters during opening weekend to see everyone walk quickly into the theaters to grab the best seats, and to hear a hush fall over the crowd when the opening titles come on. Sometimes if the movie is really popular (as in the case of Harry Potter or Toy Story 3), roaring claps and cheers come on instead of the hush, and because I'm sentimental and weird, I start tearing up and start thinking about how amazing it is to be able to enjoy and celebrate something together (Yeah, like I said, I'm weird).

And I guess that's what they do, bookstores and movie theaters. They bring communities together, and I don't think we can survive without them. Well, I can't at least, so I'm hoping they're here to stay. *fingers crossed*

- Nonie

I'm Sixteen?

Today's my birthday, and shockingly, that means I'm sixteen. My, how fast these past years have gone by. I still remember my 10th birthday like it was only yesterday. (And now, I'm sixteen?!) It's going to be so ridiculously crazy this year, but going to be so much fun at the same time (er, hopefully). :P Hmmm...let's see what happens. :D

Fear of the Orthodontist

At the beginning of my orthodontia, I always laughed when my friends told me of their fear of their orthodontists. What's so scary about them? I mean, sure, sometimes they accidentally whack your teeth with their tools, but it never hurts that much, and the orthodontists I go to are pretty cool.

Now, the word orthodontist strikes fear in my heart too...

Well, the main thing is, they keep on giving me all these treatments. After the school year ended in June and I went for my monthly check-up/tightening, they announced that I had to get my wisdom teeth taken out (and I did). Yesterday, they told me I had to start wearing rubber bands and they're quite painful. I can't open my mouth correctly, and my face looks different. They also broke the news that I'd probably have to start wearing a headgear a few months from now. Who knows what they're going to say when I go next month. I know they're doing it for the good of my mouth, but it's a little irritating, and my mouth hates it.

*Sigh* I can't wait for the whole braces thing to be over.

On a positive note, I had no school today! I studied a little bit, finished the Thief, watched a little bit of Pink Panther on TV, and thought about cleaning my room but didn't. Now I think I'll go drink some hot chocolate.