News for you guys if you're still alive

Okay, so I decided blogger is a pain in the butt for me to log into to update this blog, so I'm doing something interesting here- I'm moving it onto a different platform! Yep, you guessed it. Tumblr. I figured I could just make a sideblog and post stuff on there. Of course, it won't look the same or maybe even have the same vibe as this one- I've changed and, also, my main Tumblr looks similar to this one. Also, it's not gonna be like a normal Tumblr; it's gonna be something like this, and that would be kind of awkward, but I'll try to make it feel more tumblr-esque. Good thing is, I won't have to worry much about short blog posts! Well, good thing for me.

So far, I've got the URL and now I just have to take the time to find a nice theme and make the blog look pretty. Then I would have to claim it on bloglovin'... start posting, of course... and that's basically it.

Stick around for more news about the great blog transfer!

Book Review: "Let it Snow: Three Holiday Romances" by Maureen Johnson, John Green and Lauren Myracle

Hello, dear readers. I understand I have not posted for a while, but let's not waste time on that crap; today I am posting something and that something is a book review! Yay! -_- I mean, I did promise you one, and here it is :) Although it's not much, I did it. I guess I'll improve with more practice. Below is my full review, which probably looks a bit... out-of-context? It was pasted here from my Goodreads version and *slightly* edited because I'm lame, so that's why. Anyways. I decided to review "Let it Snow", which was on my to-read list in the last post, so I feel kind of accomplished. For now, at least.

Without further ado, I give you my review...

Original Title: Let it Snow: Three Holiday Romances
Year of Publication: 2008
Original Language: English
Format: Paperback
Description: An ill-timed storm on Christmas Eve buries the residents of Gracetown under multiple feet of snow and causes quite a bit of chaos. One brave soul ventures out into the storm from her stranded train and sets off a chain of events that will change quite a few lives. Over the next three days one girl takes a risky shortcut with an adorable stranger, three friends set out to win a race to the Waffle House ( and the hash brown spoils), and the fate of a teacup pig falls into the hands of a lovesick barista.
A trio of today's bestselling authors - John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle- brings all the magic of the holidays to life in three hilarious and charming interconnected tales of love, romance, and kisses that will steal your breath away.

My rating: ♥ ♥ ♥

My review: This was, by all means, a three-star book. According to Goodreads, I liked it. It's true; I did like it. I liked it more than "The Selection", to which I gave the same rating as this one, but for different reasons. But, we're here to talk about "Let it Snow" and I will now talk about "Let it Snow".

Why did I read "Let it Snow"? Probably because John Green was involved in it (and I made it my mission to read everything that is written by Mr. Green), and I thought it would be cool to check out these other authors. I've heard about Maureen Johnson before, she seemed cool. I've never heard about Lauren Myracle and I doubt anyone else who read this did. But I was like, y'know, let's check her out, see if she's good, maybe check out her other works?

Anyways. I decided to review this story by story, because it's easier and I'm not capable of writing a full review that connects all these stories perfectly. So let's begin.

The Jubilee Express by Maureen Johnson - This was a fun read. I would give it four stars if grading it separately. I liked Jubilee; yes, she seemed like an annoying nerd, but I liked her. The first page of this story started with her explaining to the reader how she wasn't a stripper and how Jubilee sounded like a stripper name, and it wasn't as "ugh-tastic" as it sounds. Without giving out the rest of the plot, I'll just finish saying the story was cute and I was so glad she didn't start a romance with the first guy she saw (he already had a girlfriend, but I was still suspicious. Johnson didn't disappoint me). Although I've heard her novels aren't that great, I will still be sure to check 'em out.

A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle by John Green - My first reaction based on the title was "oh-so-cheesy", but I read it anyways. It was really good, although I felt like I was reading "Looking for Alaska" all over again. Nicknames? Check. Insecure intellectual male main character? Check. Male friend of Asian descent? Check. The one-of-the-guys sleazy feminist love interest (that I can strangely relate to)? Hell to the check. Don't get me wrong; I LOVED the Duke. She hated cheerleaders! She believed hash browns were what mattered the most in the world! How could I NOT like her? (No offense to cheerleaders, though. I just know some really nasty ones. There are nice ones, of course, and I don't doubt it.) But... the Duke was very familiar to Alaska. Except for the alcohol & cigarette addiction, I guess. The story was interesting, nevertheless. And the ending was cute. Oh, young love... *awkward bitter-single-person smile*

The Patron Saint of Pigs by Lauren Myracle - Now, I don't want to hate on the author, but... why? This anthology was going so well and then Addie had to come along and ruin it with her disgusting annoying bitchiness. Ugh. That's what I think about Addie: "Ugh". Sums it up perfectly. What kind of whiny-ass idiot shaves off her hair and dyes what is left of it pink because of a breakup? Well, I've got an answer for ya. :)))))) Also, yes, I know she was SUPPOSED to be bitchy and annoying, but she was also SUPPOSED to undergo a transformation near the end that would make her less self-centered and whiny and, honestly, I didn't see it. It was in her writing, but I didn't see much improvement in the character. Myracle would make us know Addie's now a good person by adding something along the lines of "The old me would... but the NEW me is better than that". Gawd. The only character (that is Myracle's) I liked in this story was Tegan. Honestly. And probably Nathan. Adeline was a whiny self-absorbed bagel who didn't even change properly. She talked more about changing than she actually did change. And, for heaven's sake, would you stop it with mentioning her hair?! I GET IT!!! SHE HAS PINK HAIR stop mentioning it every two pages. You might as well leave out the hair part, it was completely unnecessary and the story would be better off with her just throwing Jeb's gifts into the trash or something like that. Holy Shiz. Plus, as if that wasn't enough to annoy me, the previous characters were mentioned in here, but they were completely OOC. Also, I noticed the author has a thing for italicizing half of a word. I guess it's just a style choice I will never understand.


... and with that I conclude my first ever book review! Tune in for more crap that I call blog posts by me later this month (I hope)! Thank you for reading and have a nice fabulous day! 

(Also I'm sorry about the whole background jazz going on here I have no idea where that came from blogger is fudged up when it comes to copying and pasting)

Books I Want to Read in 2014

Ah, in just a few hours, it will finally arrive. Already arrived for some people, though. Happy New Year if you are one of them!

Today I wanted to compose a list of books I want to read next year. I recently made a Goodreads account (private, though) and have come across some reads I decided I wanted to try out. Of course, some of them have been on my reading list for ages but I haven't gotten to them yet. I will next year! (I hope.)

BTW, my goal for next year is to read 50 books. Starting small. Let's see if I can make it. You will probably be getting a lot more (lousy) book reviews.

1. "The Hunger Games" series by Suzanne Collins

I want to read these sooooo bad! People I know have been raving about them for quite a while and I heard they're really good. No doubt about that! I'm just bummed that I won't get to create Katniss in my mind; I will just keep picturing her as Jennifer Lawrence.

2. "The One (The Selection #3)" by Kiera Cass

Beautiful cover, isn't it?

Despite the Kiera Cass controversy, I made it a a goal for myself to read the whole "The Selection" series. I am currently reading "The Elite" and, although the covers are breathtaking, I wouldn't really call the series a good one. It is still addicting, however.

3. "Paper Towns" by John Green

I can't learn to respect myself as a reader until I read all John Green books ever written. (And this one sounds quite interesting.)

4. "Will Grayson, Will Grayson" by John Green and David Levithan

What did I say? (Can't wait to read this one.)

5. "Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances" by John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle

I'm sorry, guys. (Must get while it's still winter...)

6. "Boy Meets Boy" by David Levithan

Extremely pumped about reading this one. If I manage to get my hands on it, that is. (My mom is very homophobic. Ugh.)

7. "Divergent" series by Veronica Roth

Another one of those books people are raving about all the time. Let's see what all the hype is about...

8. "Flowers For Algernon" by Daniel Keyes

I couldn't wait to get my mittens on this ever since I've read the short story in class!

9. "The Siren" by Kiera Cass

I kinda still wanna read this, even after the Kiera Cass controversy. This was written before, anyway.

10. "It's Kind Of A Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini

Adore the cover design...

Nooo, it's not too late to read this, it's not too late to read and appreciate this...

11. "Uglies" series by Scott Westerfeld

To be honest, I'm not quite sure if I wanna read this anymore. I guess I'll just read the first book, then decide if the series is worth my time.

12. "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett

What can I say, I really enjoyed the movie!

13. "Fangirl" by Rainbow Rowell

I've read a free sample of "Fangirl" this fall and I can't help connecting myself to the main character, Cath, who is a huge fan of Simon Snow, which is obviously a parody of Harry Potter...

14. "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison

Sadly, I can't help but relate to this main character, either.

15. "Crank" series (and all the others) by Ellen Hopkins

Ellen Hopkins will be my guilty pleasure of 2014.

16. "The Lovely Bones" by Alice Sebold

My mom absolutely loved this one; can't wait to read it!

17. "The Catcher In The Rye" by J.D. Salinger

Hey, it's a YA classic. Can't skip this, can I?

18. "Hard Luck (Diary of a Wimpy Kid #8)" by Jeff Kinney

It's not a proper year without a little Greg Heffley!

19. "To Kill A Mockingbird" by Harper Lee

I doubt this will actually teach me to kill a mockingbird, but it's still worth a read.

20. "The Grisha" series by Leigh Bardugo

I'm a sucker for anything with Russian elements in it...

...and last but not least...

21. Absolutely Anything Written by Agatha Christie

...really. I've read a couple of her works and I can't deny that I'm hooked. I will definitely be reading Agatha Christie, if nothing else.

And that wraps it up. I might find the desire to read more. In that case, you'll just be getting book reviews. Just don't be harsh... I'm amateur ;)

So, what are some books you want to read in 2014? How many are you setting as your goal? Tell me in the comments, I'll be glad to hear :)

Again, wishing you all a very happy New Year! I hope for all your wishes to come true and wish you health, love, happiness and more health because if you're not healthy, you die (as my P.E. teacher likes to say),

Toodles,

Amee

Things to do When You're Bored

I have finally risen from the ashes and I'm here with a long list of ideas to try out the next time you feel like you're bored. There's just so many things you can do, so why would you even want to say that infamous sentence aloud? Here are some of the many fun things you can do at home, and - best of all - they're all FREE!

• Stream music from the Internet (sites like Spotify, SoundCloud, 8Tracks let you do that for free and if you have Windows 8, you can try out Xbox Music, which is pre-installed). Tips? Check out Charli XCX's "True Romance", Lorde's "The Love Club" EP (they're both amazing!) or just browse through artists until you find something! Don't feel like sharing your music taste with your house members? Headphones!
• Grab a notebook and jot down something. Anything - a short story, a poem, a saying you made up, a new blog post, a song, the start of your novel or just sketch something. It doesn't have to be perfect, that's the beauty of a rough draft ;)
• Research something you've always been interested in on Wikipedia or wherever. Tip: you can try out scholar.google.com for more relevant info
• Read a book
• Read a magazine
• Read something
• Feel like you have too much time on your hands? You can find interesting courses and sign up for them on sites like Coursera.org, academicearth.org and openculture.com and you also have access to textbooks and resources! Did I mention it's free and college-level?
• Scroll through your Tumblr dashboard or search a tag. Also works with any other social media ;)
• E-mail a friend and have a nice chat. Just don't be nosy - if they don't feel like mailing, don't make them
• Take a selfie! And edit it on picmonkey.com. You can design an album cover or something. Take a picture of other stuff and upload it to your computer! Design a book cover or something. Or just spice up a photo.
• Give your blog a makeover! On beautiful-solutions.co.uk you can find tutorials on how to spice up your blog template and layout and links to cool backgrounds :) 
• Also, if you wanna start a blog, the site above also has some cool tips on how to.
• Play a board game with your family/siblings/friends/online!
• Play a verbal game (associations anyone?) with any of the above mentioned.
• Record yourself singing an original song or simply cover your favorite; you don't have to share it anywhere ;)
• Record a goofy video with your webcam
• Open a paint program and draw something!
• Download a new app and try it out
• *currently* Google Play is giving out Kanye West's "Yeezus" and CHVRCHES' "The Bones Of What You Believe". Grab (at least one of) 'em and give a listen. I'm not much of a rap fan, but the second album is pretty rad.
• you can submit a guest post to me on kikigirlxoxo@gmail.com and may as well publish it ;)
• you can also message me on any of the social media I'm on (links on the side!)
• Create a set on Polyvore; don't have an account? You can create one easily for free.
• Go on YouTube and play some karaoke or watch something. Or just check out some music videos.
• Go on goodreads.com - you can create an account and browse through recommendations to find new books you can read. You can also read reviews, write some about books you've read, etc.
• Window shop on the web
• Go out for a walk
• Go out for a jog or exercise
• Play a pilates/yoga/zumba workout video on YouTube and workout to them (more fun if you convince your sister/mom/friend to do it with you!). Feel the burn!
• Grab a cookbook or find a recipe on taste.com.au (or any culinary blog you please) and prepare yourself a nice snack/dessert/meal.
• If you're not skilled enough, a good start would be microwaving that mac & cheese from the pantry.
• Dance!
• Record a short movie (you'll need some assistance for this). Everyone loves a good indie flick.
• Watch something on Netflix, if you have it.
• Watch TV.
• Sleep
• Take a bath/shower
• Paint your nails!
• Play some dress-up/makeover games on the Internet. Ahhh, the good old days.
• Grab your fave book and film a short movie adaption of fave scene. Or just act it out.
• That homework won't finish itself
• Make a list of New Years resolutions.
• Make a list of things you want, so you don't get stuck the next time you're asked what gift you would like.
• No, seriously, Charli XCX's new album is rad.
• Search for lyrics of songs on metrolyrics.com
• Have you thought of following my blog?
• Have you thought of following any blog? You can find a bunch on bloglovin.com
• Explore YouTube for new channels to subscribe to.
• Go to friv.com and play a game
• Browse through how-to's on wikihow.com
• Listen to personalized radio on pandora.com or download the app
• Find a playlist tailored just for your situation on songza.com or download the app
• Read extensively long comics on mspaintadventures.com (ha, I just tricked you into reading "Homestuck")
• Read the news online. It's about time you got caught up on what's happening today.
• Type in what you wrote before on iwl.me to find out what famous author you write like!
• Really, do anything that pops into your mind.

Well, that's what I could think of for now! You can add on in the comments or make your own blog post about this with your own tips.

Merry late Christmas to my Catholic followers and happy holidays to all of you,

Amee!

I am not dead!

Good day, I just wanted to remind my dear followers that I am indeed not dead, but studying for final exams. I have started a few posts which are currently drafts and am coming up with and thinking of new ideas every day. Just that. That's all I wanted to say.

I hope you are all having a wonderful week and I wish you lots of luck if you too have any final exams or other schoolwork to be done. When will that darn winter break finally arrive? What the heck is it waiting for?

Lots of hugs and chocolate because chocolate is good,

Amee

Homework

The other day, I decided to do my Science homework. It has been waiting for me in my book bag since the start of Thanksgiving break and was due, like, yesterday, but I decided to do it the evening before it was due anyway. Because I'm lazy like that.

Because I always plan to do my work when I get back from school or something, but I always end up getting distracted by something else, something more important like, you know, Tumblr or FanFiction or the activity of just googling random celebrities and reading made up dirt on them on gossip blogs. Mostly Tumblr. (Wait for the "I hope senpai notices me" jokes to roll in.) Whatever it is, I just always feel like there's more important things to do than complete 20 pages of interactive textbook on  electromagnetic waves. And I also live by the idea that it is physically impossible for my homework NOT to be done at least five seconds before turn-in time. It will be done, somehow, and it always is. And if it isn't done, the turn-in date is automatically announced to be moved another day by the teacher. Poof. Just like that.

Anyway, I still decided to be a noble human being and do my homework that Thursday night. Unfortunately, it was almost cut off completely, but after a shower and dinner and an hour on Tumblr spent for no  beneficial reason what-so-ever I actually managed to force my butt to sit on a chair that isn't positioned so I can see a computer screen. Then I realized: I just sat on a chair. I kept sitting, waiting for myself to summon the strength to get up and actually drag my book bag next to me or at least reposition the interactive textbook and my trusty pencil case on the desk in front of me. Sadly, I don't have the ability to levitate, I can barely use my brain to remember NOT to use hand soap instead of face cleansing gel in the morning, or in the evening, now that I think about it. I can't even convince my sister to get off my favorite couch whenever I feel like watching cartoons and eating veggie straws. And we Arieses are supposed to be stubborn!

My equipment, however, lay in front of me after a few minutes and a short walk. And then I FINALLY started doing my homework. And everything was going just swell until I ran into an obstacle that would probably prevent me from reaching my goal. You wanna know what the obstacle was? A goddamn picture of a goddamn firefly. A FIREFLY. And you're sitting there cozy in your seat, thinking "What's so scary about a silly firefly?" And I'm replying in a British accent: "I DON'T EFFING KNOW".

And it's not even a real firefly, it's a picture. A PICTURE of a firefly. And yeah, I'm scared of insects no matter how they are represented or how unharmful they really are. Just taking a glance at a picture makes me imagine stupid fireflies all around, staring at me with those shiny little googly eyes in complete  malevolence. Wanting to kill me. Someway, somehow. After all, every living creature, no matter how unharmful, is capable of harming. A cute lil' kitten? It can scratch your eyes out with its teeny tiny claws. A tiny cricket? It can mute your hearing with its awful crickety cricket noises. God, I hate crickets. I do love kittens, though, but they are still life-threatening if you are enough of a nut to believe.

What do you mean I sound like the guy from "Tell Tale Heart"? I'm not crazy. I'm extremely sorry if I creeped you out or anything.

Back to my rambling. And I promise I will be less creepy, if that is possible. Anyway, as I stated before, I have an extreme phobia of insects. Photos or realistic drawings of them also apply, no matter how silly it may sound. And that's just me, and there's no way to escape it (I'm talking to you, mother). And, currently, this phobia was keeping me from doing my homework.

And I started panicking, because there was no chance I could finish it now, at 10 PM when I usually feel like I'm high on something when I'm not, and there was no chance I could finish it tomorrow in time for class. The facts hit me like a ton of bricks, and the sudden guilt of being a deadbeat and waiting for the last minute began filling my stomach, making me feel more and more sick. At the same time, the joy-sucking wails of my 5-year-old brother coming from across the hall kept filling in the fear-induced silence and didn't really help in killing the feeling of nausea inside my stomach, which kept grabbing my insides and tossing them around in celebration. I just kept standing there, letting it all destroy me. But it was good somehow. It was better than confronting the firefly. Anything was better than confronting the firefly. And I couldn't help but imagine how much satisfaction I am providing to the firefly. He is happy. He is currently destroying the healthy mind of an innocent thirteen-year-old. And she was letting him do this. She was giving in. Because she had no choice but to stand there, in the middle of her bedroom, while experiencing mental knock-out. She cannot do anything else because she is scared. She is scared of a photo of a firefly in a Science textbook.

Why is she scared? The photo doesn't present any threat. The photo isn't animate. The photo cannot harm her. But she is too afraid to even touch it because it produces animations, horrible animations in her mind. And she cannot help but being the vivid daydreamer she is and imagining the animations play out in front of her. And she cannot run out in screaming terror; where's the dignity in that?! She has to face the image, but she can't. Why? Is it really life-threatening? Is it really as scary as she thinks it is? Is she really afraid of a picture of a firefly? Or is she really afraid of her own mind?

Welcome!

Well. Ain't this nice.

Welcome to my blog! My name's Amee, I'm 13, and you can find more about me and this blog in "About". As you may or may not know, this used to be a Stardoll blog, but isn't anymore and I am developing it into a more personal blog (I decided to keep the URL, though, so I don't cause confusion).

Here you may find all kinds of stuff, articles by me on random stuff that just pops into my head, playlists (oh, yes, I make a hella playlists, in fact, there you see one at the top of this page), lists of all sorts, short ramblings, rants or just photos. I am still debating with myself on posting short stories, so if you think that would be a good idea, you can tell me in the comments! In fact, post whatever you want in the comments. Don't be shy. I don't judge nor bite.

If I keep writing, there won't be anything new left for you to read in the "About" page, so I will just finish this quick.

I guess there's nothing else left to say except that you should feel free to contact me anywhere! The links to my Polyvore, Tumblr and Google+ are on the left sidebar. I don't use Google+ much, but I do check my e-mail frequently. You can message me at kikigirlxoxo@gmail.com . Please, don't be shy. I don't even mind questions, no matter how wacky or random, I will answer them (as long as they're appropriate, of course). In fact, if I get around five different questions, I will answer them all in one post! Please, you can send me a question through gmail or Tumblr (through my ask box, if you don't have one, you can send anonymously and give me a name/pseudonym).

And that was about all. I wish you all a pleasant day and thank you for reading!

Toodles!

((yes, toodles.))