Blog Update

Hey, everyone! I've been wanting to write, but I don't know what to write and the days have been going along just like that. Hmm...I think I have a case of blogger's block. It's really frustrating when that happens. :/

Well, in order to appease those frustrations, I made an About Me page and also a Books page! :D The links can be found as tabs below the header. The About Me page is...about me, and has some fun facts about my interests. The Books page has bookish fun facts about me, and has links to my goodreads page, and the book reviews I have written. Umm...any other page I should add? I feel like I'm missing something, but I don't know what...

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So, I guess that's it. Our term's coming to an end soon, and I have to concentrate more on my work, so I must say farewell for a couple weeks. Ciao!

P.S. I touched the Berlin Wall last week. No, really, I did. My french teacher was there when they knocked it down, and apparently they let spectators take pieces of it as souvenirs. Last week, she passed it around the class, and having a piece of history in my hands felt so surreal (I've always wanted to use that word!).

My thoughts on the Lightning Thief: the movie

It's really funny to me, because it feels like it was only yesterday that Rick Riordan wrote on his blog that Logan Lerman and Brandon T. Jackson have been cast as Percy and Grover. That was waay back last March. Now 11 months later, the movie has come out, and right now, I'm sitting on my bed, writing a review of it. Time went by fast didn't it? :/

Well, anyway, I went into the movie last night with mediumish expections. I was scared they were going to ruin everything, and, I was hoping so badly that it would be at least a little decent. But...I enjoyed it! :-D (I'm so happy right now. *squee!*)

~Spoilers~
Ok, let's talk about the cast first, shall we? :) I think the highlight of the cast was (not so surprising after watching tons of interviews) Brandon T. Jackson. He totally stole the spotlight in all the scenes. He added a new dimension to Grover, and the new toughness was a nice add to his character. At first, I did miss the timid/frightened Grover, but as the movie went on, I started loving this version of his character more and more.

Logan Lerman was PERFECT...I was kind of sad that most of the comedy scenes went to Brandon (and that's my biggest complain about his character since I loved Percy's humor in the book so much), but Logan still had a few (like the Capture the Flag scene :-D) and comedy scenes or not, he was wonderful as Percy. (I'm still amazed at how they found a guy that looked 99% like the Percy in my imagination :D) In the movie, they add a little more angst to Percy's character, and, oh my goodness, I loved him in every scene. (No, I didn't like just because he is quite good-looking. He was really great.) ;)

Alexandra Daddario as Annabeth was OK. I was disappointed that they didn't give her much of a role. (I noticed that they gave all her lines in the book to Grover in the movie). They took out everything I admired about her character- her strategy skills (she brags about them, but doesn't show them), her know-it-allness, her pride-but oh well.

The adult cast was awesome! I especially loved Kevin McKidd as Posiedon, Uma Thurman as Medusa (my, the Medusa scene is probably one of the best in this movie!), and Pierce Brosnan as Chiron, and the rest did great too. :)

So, on to everything else now:

Hmm....I think about 60% of the book is changed around, but it's still a pretty good adaption. This had plenty of clever, hilarious, and epic scenes.

I liked the pacing the movie. Everything wasn't too rushed (though Percy could've grieved more about his mom), and the writers still kept all the major scenes and dialogue that were in the book. I think it would've been better if it was longer though.

The soundtrack wasn't too bad either...

The Olympus scene, and the beginning scene with Zeus and Posiedon were kinda cheesy. The dialogue was weird, and a little bit too dramatic. Hehe...some of the dialogue in other scenes were cheesy too. There was also these voiceovers by Posiedon which were done because Percy and other demi-gods sometimes hear their parents talk to them in their heads because they're not supposed to directly talk to them. Those were done so...I don't want to say badly, but that's the only way I can say it without being too mean to them.

Ok, I think the biggest problem I had with this film, was Luke. Jake Abel was nice as Luke, but the problem is, he's only in like, umm, 4-5 scenes? And what was up with no Annabeth/Luke? His character is not well-established, and so it's hard to care for him or understand him. They make him so forgettable. And also, the climax scene was weird. Oh, and no one knows what happens to him in the end! After the climax scene, no one ever mentions him again. Oh no, poor Luke. :P

Oh yeah, and the Persephone's pearls subplot was so unnecessary. It's this part that made it so un-PJOish. Why couldn't they keep the original quest?

Well, they also made things more intense of course! Like the scene between Percy and Gabe before they have to leave for Camp, or that scene when they go down into the Underworld. The intensity was great.

I liked the first half of the movie so much more than the second half. The second half felt a bit choppy (with the climax/Olympus scene/etc.) and I thought they could've done it better.

I'm glad they aged up the characters, and I can see why they decided to do that now.

I thought the last and final scene was done well. It was too cute. :)

So overall, I was happy with this. Honestly, I'm not picky about book-to-movie adaptions that much, and I don't get upset if things are not literally translated from the book to the screen (they can't keep everything in...it's a movie...). As long as the characters and story are true to the book, I'm satisfied. I just thought that they could've tried more to stick to the original story, but I'm glad I saw The Lightning Thief on the big screen. It's worth a watch if you're a PJO fan* or if you want to watch a fun, light-hearted movie. :)

P.S. After the movie ends, stay seated during the credits for an extra scene!

*Though if you're a PJO purist, it'll probably be better to stay away from this. :P

Eeep!!

Ok, I know I say eep!, or eek! in every other post, but this time I finally do have a really exciting reason to say it for.

The title and book cover for the third and final book of the Hunger Games trilogy has been revealed today by Scholastic! And here it is, basking in all it's glory:

Isn't it so brilliant?! It's so peaceful and majestic...eep!! :-D Mockingjay is coming out August 24th. I don't think I can wait that long...

aaahh!!

*faint*

All for La Chandeleur :)

I've been feeling sick all afternoon yesterday, so I stayed home today. I'm bored now, of laying down in bed all day, so I'm going to write a little bit about making crepes! February 2nd was La Chandeleur (the Day of the Crepes, though originally known as the Virgin Mary's Blessing Day), so for our French class, each student had to bring five crepes to eat. (Yep, we had a little crepe party going on. :P )

I wanted to wake up at 5 in the morning, so I would have enough time to make my crepes all gourmet and such, like this:

but my alarm didn't go off, and I ended up waking up at 5:40. I got ready fairly quickly, and I made my crepes in about 30 min. (Phew! I didn't miss the bus!) Well, because of the lack of time, the crepes didn't turn out as fancy as I had originally planned.

They were all tiny, so they fit into a small sandwich box

because the mix didn't spread all around the pan like it was supposed to:

One wasn't even a circle at all! What do you think it looks like?

And these are all my five crepes:

I think the one on the top was the best. Hehe...as you can see, I sort of burned one crepe, but the good thing is each student ate their own! We only shared the toppings. (By the way, I think Nutella is the best crepe topping, ever.) My crepes might've been small and weird-looking, but they were quite tasty (if I do say so myself :P). I love making crepes.

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If you have a sudden desire to eat crepes after reading this post, I suggest using this recipe. They're quick, and easy to make! Not to mention, delicious. :)

the first image via google images

East

by Edith Pattou

East is a beautifully crafted tale about love, family, growing up and I enjoyed reading it immensely. The story is told in the point of view of five people- Rose, her father, Neddy (her older brother), her mother, and White Bear. The multiple perspectives threw me off a bit at first, but as I got more into the book, I realized how much better it was because of them. You got to know each person in and out, and could easily connect with them. (I particularly thought the White Bear chapters at the beginning were beautifully written, because Edith Pattou captures his emotions so well with such few words.)

The story is wonderful mix of Beauty and the Beast, the myth of Cupid and Psyche, and is actually a retelling of an old Norwegian folk tale, East of the Sun and West of the Moon. There are some parts that will made me smile, grip the book tightly with fear, gush with happiness, maybe even tear up, but once I started, I never wanted to put it down. (I can assure you that I had a difficult time trying to persuade myself to close it, and continue my homework. :-D)

I wholeheartedly give East five stars, and especially recommend it to Shannon Hale fans, or anyone who loves a good fairy-tale retelling (although anyone can read it and enjoy).

P.S. Isn't the cover so pretty? C'est magnifique, non?

The Penderwicks

by Jeanne Birdsall

The Penderwicks is about four sisters, Rosalind, Skye, Jane, and Batty (short for Elizabeth), their dog, Hound, and their father, when they get fatefully stuck in Arundel, a fancy estate where their summer cottage is. Being stuck in Arundel turns into a good thing when they meet Jeremy, the landlady's son. All together, they explore Arundel and see all that it has to offer, face strict parents, and learn what true friendship is.
-(Very cheesy summary, I know.)

Ah...what can I say about this book, other than it was one of the BEST books I've ever read in a long time? It was just so sweet, and peaceful, and very...umm...how do I say it? Summer-y. To quote the blurb on the back of the book, "this is a story as breezy and carefree as a summer day." When I was reading it, it suddenly felt as if I got transported to a hot July afternoon, and I was sitting in my backyard, underneath some shade, and watching the story unfold. :-D

I adored all the characters, especially the Penderwicks family! I loved the relationship between them, and how they worked together to solve their problems. The four Penderwick sisters were all likeable and relatable in one way or another. Being the oldest child in my family, and having spent the several past few summers hanging out with my younger neighbors, I could relate to Rosalind quite a bit (but I don't exactly remember being that mature when I was twelve). I liked Skye's need for independence, Jane's love of books, and Batty was just cool being Batty. :P

The plot itself was fairly simple, yet charming. The story and the characters start to grow on you as you go along. I enjoyed the first few pages, but it wasn't until a certain apology made by Jane a couple of chapters in, that it wholly won me over. I wish I could quote it, but sadly, the book is back in the library shelves, where it belongs. But anyway, I don't know how anyone can not like a story that involves rabbits, delicous brownies, books about the Civil War, cranky moms, a teeny dash of romance, great escapades, and crazy, wild bulls. Yeah, seriously, it's really good. ;)

I heartily recommend this to anyone who likes a wonderful, cozy, feel-good, quick read. It's just what you need if you feel like escaping the cold for a while. :)

The Case of the Mysterious Footprints

Last night, I looked out my window to find these in my backyard:

Footprints! Very un-human-like footprints! They started from the side of my house, and went into my backyard. Well, they definitely didn't come from humans. There's my footprint right next to it to prove it.

Judging from this picture, it looks like it came from a dog-

The only problem with that was that is that the footprints were quite large, and all the dogs on my street are tiny. The picture below raises the possibility that the animal either has claws, or hoofs...maybe...

The real creepy thing is that...the creature only has two legs. Well, that's we think because when I went outside and checked, there was only one pair of footprints. If the animal had four-legs, there would've been two pairs. *Shudders* And it's strange how it looks as if the animal was placing one foot directly in front of the other. The footprints are in a straight line (my footprints are on the left)-

They stop abruptly in the middle of my backyard, but my dad just said the snow probably covered the rest up (and I'm pretty sure he's right about that).

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Umm...so, does anyone know any two-legged, hoofed and/or clawed animal? Well, whatever that creature was, I hope it's long gone from my neighborhood. *Shudders again*