An Abundance of Katherines- Review

John Green is one of the most overrated authors, don't you think? 

The Fault in Our Stars is my favorite book of his, but I really do not understand all the 'fuz' about him. I thought that An Abundance of Katherines would be kind of different, the kind of different that would make the reader fall in love with the book. 

True! An Abundance of Katherines is a whole shade different than the other books I've read by John Green, but I still do not find the neccessary connection between the characters and myself. 

There's this guy named Colin who has been dumped nineteen times by nineteen different girls who have one thing in common, their name. And there's this other guy Hassan who's Colin's best friend who until now is my favorite character for his funny lines every now and then. So far Hassan has taken Colin on a roadtrip to help Colin get over Katherine the nineteenth. 

This book is certainly a fast read to whomever needs a break from books with complicated characters abd plots, but if you're looking for a really interesting book, this book is not one I would recommend. 

Doll Change

Hello all,
   I found this story highly amusing. It simply talks about a married woman who loved toys and realized the phony image that they expose to children. This woman decided to buy used dolls, remove their makeup, fix their parts, and redraw their facial features to portray the real image of females; of course with the help of her mother who knits the dolls' outfits. What's really fascinating about this project is that the woman did not think that her project would get any recognition, but the comments of whoever saw her published pictures of the dolls proved the opposite.

http://www.littlethings.com/mom-gives-dolls-makeover/

Oh Beastly- Gothic Poem

1984 -Review

As you all know, Im not a  big fan of the classic genre books; however, George Orwell's 1984 stands out to be out of the greatest books Ive read. 

The novel talks about a corrupt government who manipulates the truth of every detail in Oceania. From the third person point of you narration, we learn about Winston who is a thought criminal, someone who thinks about the decisions of the government as wrong. Winston records the events of a year he thinks is 1984, documenting the corruption of the government and current events that will me manipulated in the future of Oceania. 

I do suggest this novel to everyone for the crucial message it sends of how easily people can be manipulated and lied to, and no matter what the lie is, most people would be so passive just to avoid any turbulence in the system.  

Eleanor and Park- second review

I have recently finished reading Rainbow Rowell's Eleanor and Park; as you all knew from my previous update, I am a fan of the book! 

Althought the ending of the book was kind of predictable, it is one of the most memorable endings I've ever read. 

(Spoiler alert) 

He'd stopped trying to bring her back. She came whenever she felt like, in dreams, in memories, and in broken down dejavus. Eleanor sent Park no letters after she left. (She didnt even bother read his letters to her!) 

He, as he did before he met Eleanor, had the bus seat all for himself. But why bother take the bus when he knew that Eleanor wont be there with her perfect red hair and wrong outfits? 

Eleanor didnt even take the bus to her new school. She was certain that Park was never there. 

Eleanor did not accompany Park to prom; someone else did. Someone else was with Park at a very special day Eleanor and Park have once planned to spend together. At that night, Park received a postcard with nothing but three words from Eleanor. 

Eleanor and Park- Review

         After my acknowledged experience with delirium, my friend suggested Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell as my read. I have to admit that this book is sensational!

          Although I do not really admire the cheesy conversations between the tenth graders, Rainbow's writing style deserves my admiration. I'm not done reading it yet, but I've got a few more pages till the end; however, the novel is great so far.

           I absolutely suggest this novel as a quick read! The pace of events is simple and smooth; as for the plot, completely adorable!

MUN- The Three Days of Debate

   
           As you my updated readers know, I took part in my school's first annual MUN as the delegation of France. I'm now here to inform you that, after the workshop, I did not bail on the three days of debate. The delegate of France is here to fill you in with a recap of all three days of the MUN.

            Day1:
          I will jump right to the part where we the delegates were accompanied by our amazing chair Jumana to our committee. (just for the simple fact that the opening ceremony was astonishing!) As the routine of our committee allows, the first day was the day we know who our allies are and form groups for writing resolutions we'll later debate in the two upcoming days. The delegate of France was involved in three resolutions and was the main submitter of two of them. (God bless the pressure I put on myself.)

            Day2:
           "The delegate of France is privileged for being a part of the Third General Assembly." Giving my opening speech triggered a rush of adrenaline through my veins. Suddenly, I've got my mind and soul in the debate; it's only a heated debate if we set it on fire! This day was dedicated to debating the resolutions concerning the first two topics, "Child Labor" and "The Prevention of Genocide". As I was the co-submitter of a resolution and the main submitter of another, this day could not simply end without the delegate of France fighting with another delegate (let that be four delegates please.)

            Day3;
            The last day of the MUN experience! This day was dedicated to debating the last topic and announcing the names of the 'Best Delegates' and 'honorable mentions'. Now despite the sudden crisis that we were supposed to write resolutions for for debate, let's say our committee was a little too indulged in debating the last resolution that we all voted against the crisis and continued our debate. The debate carried on that we were late for the closing ceremony. Our secretary had to attend and limit our time of speaking. (With all the heat flowing, the committee's clock fell off the wall.) And finally, the closing ceremony that left us all speechless.

         I still can not believe that the MUN is over; this whole experience was unforgettable! And now, I can proudly say that I successfully survived the MUN. (And won Best Delegate, if I may add!)

Delirium- Review

     I took a small break from Pride and Prejudice, and I started reading a fictional book Delirium by the talented author Lauren Oliver. Delirium talks about a city where love is considered a disease!

      Citizens of Portland are expected to have procedures by the age of eighteen to cure them from the disease. The procedure prevents the disease from reaching your soul, but with the disease goes your empathy. Nevertheless of the consequences the city's government put for those who 'catch' the disease, a girl called Lena, who previously counts the days till her procedure, falls in love with Alex and decides to runaway with him to the 'Wilds'.

     The pace of events in Delirium is a smooth one with little action; it's just the ending of the book that contains enough dosage of events to keep you interested in reading the second book of the trilogy.

        I, personally, could hardly relate to Lena, and have failed to sense any kind of emotional connection between me and any of the characters in the book. I did not envision the characters in the book as more than puppets; each character seemed emotionally detached from Lena, and even though the story is told from Lena's point of view, it seemed that she was creating emotion rather than telling the reader about her actual mundane thoughts.

     Lauren Oliver does have a unique writing style, but that was not good enough to keep me interested in reading the remaining two books.

MUN: workshop experience

      As a delegate in the first, hopefully annual, DJISMUN, I was required to attend a workshop session two days ago. The workshop session is a session that introduces us to the MUN and to our chairs. It's such a relief to know that I'm not the only one knew to this; this was a first time for every delegate participating. Because I absolutely have no experience in debating, I was ironically confident that I'm ready for any debate that may come my way, and eager because I knew that the workshop will show me what should I expect.

      "The delegate of France has nothing to say!" I fear the second I would have to utter this sentence. As our wonderful Chair Jumana explained the basics of being a delegate in The Third General Assembly, every vain within me throbbed with anxiety instead of the confidence that once embraced me. But I have every right to be afraid! What if I had nothing to say? What if I understood all of this wrong? How can I ever be a part of something that gets me out of my comfort zone? I don't want to let anyone down, let alone be the quitter who couldn't survive a debate.

       Jumana is a very lighthearted person; she tried her very best to make us feel as welcomed in the committee as possible. She perfectly explained our duty as delegates; in addition to that, she successfully released the tension I felt; all of a sudden, I was not afraid to speak up. She will be there and everything will be alright. Matter of fact, I'm extremely excited to start debating resolutions I believe are necessary. Oh! I apologize. The delegation of France believes they are.



     

Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice

   We can all certainly agree that Jane Austen is one of the best authors when it comes to classics, but we can also agree that not everybody favors classics! Pride and Prejudice is a wonderfully written novel with a smooth pace of events. I noticed as I read the novel that Jane has a remarkable writing style; both sophisticated and suffocating.

     I usually turn to books for comfort and satisfaction, it's just the way authors portray their thoughts on smooth paper that bends so easily with every turning page; however, the compatibility of the thoughts of two people varies drastically sometimes. I could not but think of the Bennets as utterly mundane, and as I flipped through the pages, I was introduced to characters I failed to care about. The essential emotional bond between the reader and the characters was completely missing.

      I do suggest this novel to whoever enjoys general classics, but if you find emotional bonding between the reader and the characters essential, I suggest you avoid Pride and Prejudice in addition to every other classic that may be thrown your way.

The Raven (video)

     The Raven is a wonderful poem written by the very talented Edgar Allan Poe. As we are currently analyzing this poem as a part of our school's curriculum, this poem is one of Edgar's works I will never forget. I found this animation of the poem's face value very interesting so I thought it would only be pleasant to share it! 

 

Pre-Writing Assignment: Snippet

               As a part of our English class writing group work assignments, my class has been asked to write a narrative essay according to a snippet that was displayed in our classroom. In collaboration with my classmate and friend Rania, here's our essay of the snippet from 'Carrie'. 

Carrie: The Prank 

        "... and the prom queen of this year is Carrie!" announced the principle faintly. Oh! The element of astonishment on her peers' faces while Carrie herself walked up to the stage, ever so confidently, with evident ecstasy at the mention of her name.

         Her peers with their rounded eyes cheered and clapped so loudly you'd mistake them for Carrie's friends. It wasn't too soon when the crowd's cheers fainted as the principle settled her crown on top of her well curled locks of gold. A huge bucket drowned in pig's blood was soon hugging Carrie and soaking her prestigious dress, and those who once cheered now laugh for their glorious success in humiliating the girl. 

          Instead of humiliation, rage has embraced her eyes and caressed her provokingly, as if luring her to follow an infernal plan of revenge. It is no surprise that she listened to her diabolic conscience. She then poured her rage out into a disgraceful fire; burning her entire school along with those who were present to witness her humiliation.