Update

Hey, guys!

Sorry that I haven't posted anything in a while. Unfortunately, I have to send my laptop back to the manufacturer for repairs. This in addition to approaching final exams means that I won't be able to post anything more until after finals.

Like I said, sorry about this, but a lot of stuff gets in the way sometimes and I'm sure you guys understand. I'll let you know on Facebook and Twitter when I've started posting again.

Until next time.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Another great movie

Hey, guys!

So, a few months back, I went with my best friend to see How to Train Your Dragon 2. I've never seen the first movie, but it didn't affect my viewing experience at all and I don't think you have to see the first one to enjoy the sequel.

What you need to know about the first movie, though, is that the Vikings of Berk hunt dragons. Hiccup, motherless son of the chief, believes that peace is possible between humans and dragons when he shoots down a dragon and discovers that the dragon he later names Toothless is a kind, intelligent, and gentle creature.

Bottom-line: he convinces everyone in Berk that there is no reason to fear dragons. By the beginning of the next movie, everybody has their own dragon and the shops that used to sell dragon hunting equipment now sell saddles.

With Toothless for help, Hiccup has been discovering new worlds, which brings him in contact with dragon hunters that are building a dragon army. For what, they don't know, but Hiccup is determined to find out.

Also (I should say spoiler alert, but this was in all the movie trailers), in his quest to stop Drago Bloodfist - the man behind the scheme to build a dragon army - Hiccup finds his long-lost mother, who is a dragon rider like him.

This movie is adorable and it made me want to cry a couple of times. Toothless reminds me of a puppy. This is just an overall feel-good movie. Great for kids, though I know that I am not the only young adult who enjoys a good Disney/Pixar or Dreamworks film. Just know that this movie comes highly recommended.

That's all for today. Until next time.

Happy viewing!!

Writing Prompt: Free-Write

Hey, guys!

Sorry, this post is late, but it's been a rough weekend. Better late than never, though.

Anyway, for this writing prompt, I thought that another free-write would be in order. That being said, open up your journal or a Word Document or flip a legal pad to a fresh page.

For this free-write, imagine that you were born as the opposite gender. What would you want to do as the opposite gender that you wouldn't be able to do now? As a personal example, I'm curious about how difficult it could possibly be to pee standing up.

How do you think your personality would have changed, if at all. Would you have been raised differently? Would you have different friends? Would you be treated differently by peers? How so?

This would be interesting as well: what would you look like as the opposite gender? Examples: hair length, physique, etc. For example, my hair is pretty short for a female because I prefer low-maintenance hair, so I don't think that would really change if I were a dude (fun fact: I'm mistaken for a man all the time!).

I thought this would be interesting, so have fun with it. Until next time.

Happy writing!!

Dragons: the Third

Hey, guys!

I know you've been waiting for this, so here's the review for the third installment of The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini: Brisingr.

Also, for those who have not yet read Eragon or Eldest: spoiler alert.

As a farmer turned Dragon Rider, Eragon is a pretty popular guy right now . . . he's also pretty infamous. To the Varden that is desperately trying to rebel against the tyrannical King Galbatorix, Eragon is their only hope of victory.

Galbatorix sees Eragon is a threat that must be disposed of. Although Galbatorix is also a dragon rider, he has exploited this sacred bond for his own gain and plot of revenge against those who killed his original dragon.

To Galbatorix's knowledge, Eragon and Saphira are the only Dragon and Rider not under his control. But despite the existence of a much older and wiser Dragon and Rider pair, Eragon and Saphira are the only ones who stand a chance against the evil king.

According to Roran, his cousin Eragon is the only one who can help save his bride-to-be, Katrina, from the horrible Ra'zac and the rest of their village from Empire soldiers.

Arya the elf princess, however, sees Eragon as a young, inexperienced underdog in puppy love with her. As an elf who has lived several years and seen so much more of the world, how could she take his affection seriously?

In fact, how can anybody take Eragon seriously? Because, in truth, Eragon is a young and inexperienced underdog who still has much to learn before he has any hope of standing a chance against Galbatorix.

But time is running out. The Varden and the Empire cannot remain at war forever and Galbatorix, though immortal, cannot hunt Eragon for the rest of time. Something has to give and something needs to happen soon. But with all these promises he's making, Eragon practically has his hands tied no matter what he tries to do.

How can Eragon maintain all these loyalties while continuing his training to defeat Galbatorix? He's just recently grown into manhood and still has much to see of the kingdom and much to learn. Will this underdog win the war?

Find out for yourself.

I said it before, but I was not really into the first book of the series (possibly because of my age). The more I read of this series, however, the more interested I become. Let me say right now that Brisingr is a long book . . . really long. But the action paced throughout the book kept those pages turning.

I would recommend this for high school or college level readers, especially fantasy fanatics. Dragons, old-time kingdoms, evil kings, sword fighting, a magical ancient language, dwarves, elves . . . this book has something for every nerd, if you ask me.

Definitely give this book (and the rest of the series) a try if it interests you. Until next time.

Happy reading!!

Writing Exercise: Free-write

Hey, guys!

Sorry, I don't really have anything planned for a post for today, but I won't leave you with nothing.

Instead of following an exercise or prompt for writing, this time just start writing. What are you thinking right now? What ideas are keeping you awake at night? What's your favorite song right now and why? What's your mental state? What stories/poems/scenes do you want to write? Try writing them.

Basically, write about whatever you want. I find that a free-write is a great way to get you thinking creatively about just about anything. Even if you're writing nonsense words or writing that you don't know what to write about, it'll still get you thinking.

Give it a try.

Happy writing!!

Love this movie!

Hey, guys!

I went to the movie theater last Thursday night with my friends for a late night showing of the new Disney movie Big Hero 6. As a total Disney nerd, let me just say how much I loved this movie.

On that note, for those of you who haven't seen it yet, let me tell you a bit of what it's about. Hiro is a super-smart kid living in San Fransokyo. He graduated high school when he was thirteen and now spends his time fighting and betting on robot battles. His older brother Tadashi, however, has bigger dreams for Hiro.

Tadashi and Hiro lost their parents when Hiro was only three. Now, Tadashi attends a renowned tech institute where the students work on inventing cutting-edge technology. Tadashi, for example, invented a health-care robot named Baymax.

After a suspicious accident involving an invention that Hiro created to get into the same institute as Tadashi, Hiro and Baymax must find who is responsible for such a horrible crime if Hiro is ever to have any peace again.

With some new upgrades for Baymax and his and Tadashi's friends from the institute, Hiro is ready to confront the villain so that he can understand why bad things happen to good people.

I will say right now that the movie gets a little sad and heart-breaking in some places (one of my friends cried when we saw it), but it is still such a cute movie.

Baymax actually reminds me of Wall-E's character. I mean, who doesn't love robot characters who portray human emotions. Baymax's human emotions are actually very subtle, which I applaud because it makes him so realistic. Besides, who would argue that Wall-E and the huggable marshmallow Baymax are not totally adorable. I ask you.

Any kid (or adult) who loves robots and technology or who loves cute and lovable characters, I would highly recommend this movie. I don't know how long I can wait to watch this movie again with my family.

Hope you'll see Big Hero 6 and that you'll love it as much as I do. Until next time.

Happy reading (or movie-going)!!

Writing Prompt:

Hey, guys!

Sorry this post is late, but I completely forgot that I needed to make a writing exercise for today. Oops.

So, keeping with the theme of forgetting, that's what this writing prompt will be about.

You can either create a character specifically for this exercise or use one that you've already made and really like (or really hate). Now, give that character something important for him/her to remember.

Now, create an obstacle for your character that will make him/her forget that important thing he/she had to remember. What are the consequences of this carelessness? How would this affect the plot of a story?

If you need an example, think of The Shining by Stephen King. Warning: possible spoiler alert. In the novel, Jack Torrence was the caretaker of the Overlook Hotel and the one thing he had to remember above all else was to knock down the pressure on the boiler every now and again so that it doesn't blow up.

However, Jack was distracted by everything going on with his wife and child and his need for alcohol. So, he forgot to knock down the boiler and this drastically affected the outcome of the entire novel. It actually aided the resolution for some of the characters.

Try to apply this idea to your own character. Don't forget to be creative and to have fun with this!

Happy writing!!