Friday, July 20, 2012

Mass Colorado Shooting

 As my viewers may know, I am an aspiring newspaper columnist, so I will be starting to put out "News stories" as written by me. These are completely my own writings, and have not been copied. I do most of my reasearch online or on newshows.

 For my first one, I am to adress the tragic shooting last night in Aurora, Colorado.


12 killed and 38 injured in Mass Colorado shooting


 Moviegoers of whom were going to see the much anticipated midnight premiere of The Dark Knight Rises at the Century 16 theatre in Aurora, Colorado had a much worse path ahead of them.

 12 people were killed and 38 people were injured last night in what appeared to be one of the worst shootings ever in American history. A gunman armed with a gun and canisters with gases opened fire from the front of the theatre at about 12:30 am.

  At first moviegoers thought the smoke and shootings to be part of the show, as it was in the middle of a shooting scene,  but then quickly realized it was worse than that. It was a frantic and chaotic escape as people tried to get out.

 "Every few seconds it was just boom, boom, boom," Jennifer Seeger, one of the witnesses, said. "He would reload and shoot and anyone who would try to leave would just get killed."

 The shooter was identified as 24 year old James Holmes.

 15 people with variying injuries were sent to the local Aurora hospitable and the hospitable treated victims smoothly and efficiently. 5 people are currently in critical condition and most of the patients have been discharged.

 Police are carefully investigating the apartment of Holmes, after recognizing that there are explosives in the place. They say that this process could potentially take days, or even weeks.

 The premiere of The Dark Knight Rises was to be one of the largest and most populous of the summer, but now it had caused the premiere in Paris, France to be cancelled.

The studio has heard about the shooting. "Warner Bros. and the filmmakers are deeply saddened to learn about this shocking incident.” They say. “We extend our sincere sympathies to the families and loved ones of the victims at this tragic time."

 President Obama was to be presenting a campaign speech this morning, but cancelled it and instead took the time to address the incident.

 "As we do when confronted by moments of darkness and challenge, we must now come together as one American family," he said. "All of us must have the people of Aurora in our thoughts and prayers as they confront the loss of family, friends, and neighbors, and we must stand together with them in the challenging hours and days to come."

 Police have concluded so far that this was an act Holmes did on his own in the theatre but are unsure of what prompted him to do so or if there were any other persons involved in the preparation of this incident.

 The FBI has stated that there seems to be no terrorism connection.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Bella's Cafe and Bistro review

This is a review for Bella's Cafe and bistro in Amherst NS. I made it for a Pathfinder module:

 For a family member’s reunion, we all went to Bella’s CafĂ© for lunch. There were several types of sandwiches available- but because of my picky taste buds, I settled on the simple grilled cheese sandwich. 

 There was a choice of either whole wheat bread or multi grain bread, which showed a restaurant putting out healthy food. Still, I would have preferred white bread. I chose whole wheat, and it was fine.

 The Grilled Cheese was delicious! It had a lot of cheese on it, which resulted in a yummy taste! It was grilled perfectly too.

 One thing I did find annoying however was the slice of dill pickle on the other side of the plate. I really don’t like dill pickles, and the awful smell kept nagging at me as I ate. I kept thinking I was tasting dill pickle, but I was really just smelling it.

 The restaurant was fully packed, which showed its popularity. However I think the room had an echo effect, for it was really loud. There was also this weird bass music playing that really annoyed me.

 Overall, it was a fun lunch to meet up with people again. The waitress who greeted us was quite nice and pretty. I give Bella’s 3.5 stars.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Winter Sonata (anime)

 Heya! So there's this anime I've been watching recently called Winter Sonata. It IS originally an acted out korean drama tv series, but so far I know it by the anime.
 I must say, it is tragic. There is a relationship between two people in it, and they truly love each other, but there are a number of incidents that are always trying to keep them apart. (This is what I meant by tragic.)
 The first episode seems like a mystery when you first start watching it. It starts off with a woman rushing to the airport, trying to stop a man she knows from getting on a plane. But she is too late.
 This entire episode consists of the man in New York and the woman in Paris thinking of each other. You see little blips of brownish memories of their time together when they were young. At one point, the woman writes a letter to the man that she knows she'll not send, but it expresses their relationship without really saying what it is. Basicly what we get from it is that he thinks that she'll be better off without him hurting her, but she doesn't think that. We also see later in the episode that the man may be sick or dying, as we witness him having blurred vision and falling.
 Yes, this first episode may seem a bit complicated from what I just wrote, and it really is perplexing when you watch it. It makes you very curious, though, and makes you want to know more. This episode took a risk being so mysterious, but it was executed perfectly! And when you think you might have a story formed in your head about these two people, it takes on a twist! And then an unexpected turn! When I say it's a drama, it's a drama.
 I won't say too much more about the series itself, but there's an overview of episode one. Once you get onto this series, you get addicted (it does actually get into their past, just to let you know. It doesn't always refer to them thinking of each other all the time.) You come to love certain characters and hate others.

 Also, one thing I noticed right away about this series was the MUSIC. I fell in love right away with the soundtrack. It mainly consists of this, tragic, loving, violin and piano duet. I often have favourite sountracks from shows like Doctor Who, Torchwood, and Sherlock (Love ya Murray Gold and Ben Foster!!) and this show slided up right beside it.

 I really do recommend this anime!! I haven't watched the original drama, so I don't know what to say about that, but watch the anime for sure!! Right now I'm on episode 17!

And if you want to know where to watch them... they are on YOUTUBE!! That's right! Livedream95 has them all!

 Leave a comment! :D

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Sever ARC

http://www.laurendestefano.com/blog/?p=423

 

Lauren Destefano's giving away an ARC of Sever! And I must say, what a GOREGEOUS cover. The link to the ARC contest is above.

 

 

 

 This brings to mind something that happened to me before in an ARC contest. I had entered an ARC contest on Goodreads for 'Shatter Me' in say, August/September of 2011. And guess what? I won, alongside 20 other people. I was so excited! It was the first ARC I had ever won too.

 Now, it is June 2012, and do I have the ARC?..... no.

 I have tried contacting Harper about it, but it's actually quite difficult. They didn't actually leave much information on how to contact them when I won. They said that if it didn't come in about a month, to push a button on a link given to me saying I hadn't recieved it. I did just that. Did they follow up about it? No.

 I'm quite disapointed. I was really looking forward to a free early copy of a book that had such great reviews. Now, whenever I see it at bookstores, I itch to buy it, but then I think of the ARC and it screws with my mind. So, that is the reason why I haven't been able to read that book. It's quite depressing.

 All well. I hope I win this ARC! Good luck to you guys too! :D

Summer Vacation is Here!

Wow! School is ending soon, and so much stuff is going on that I think my head will burst!
 Two weeks ago my school band had a very successful band concert! I was so proud of us, and I'm so pumped for band next year! I play clarinet in concert band and Tenor Sax in Stage.
 I recently got a bookload at the library! I started reading the manga "Nana", which I throughly enjoyed! It is very interesting... I can't wait to see how the two Nana's meet.
 I also got Vampire Knight #11. I got introduced to Vamp Knight by the anime... so this is a first, reading the manga before the anime, because #11 wasn't a part of the Guilty season. It was still a great volume though, and it left at an intense part. Sadly, my library doesn't have #12, (yet!) so I'll be waiting a while. The only thing I don't like about manga books is that I find the volumes to be too short.

 I also got 'The Gathering' by Kelley Armstrong, 'Bloodlines' by Richelle Mead, and 'The Phantom' from the Vampire Diaries Hunters series. I have to read Bloodlines first because it's an inter-library loan. Then I'll probably read The Gathering.
 I really don't know how I'll like 'The Phantom'. Incase you didn't hear, this book wasn't written by L.J. Smith. It was written by a ghostwriter hired by the publishing company, because they didn't like the direction Smith was going to take the book plotwise. I thought that that was absolutely ridiculous, because an author should be able to do whatever they want with their plot. However, the publishers do legally own the books.
 Bloodlines going great! If you are hoping for it to be like the kickass Vampire Academy series, however, you may be a bit disapointed. The thing is though, this is NOT Rose, it's Sydney. Personally, I LOVE IT! I love reading about how Sydney's way of life. I won't give any spoilers, but I definately recommend it. And who knows, maybe the series will develop into a badass plot! We'll just have to see. I am currently about halfway through the book.
 I'm also borrowing 'Divergent' by Veronica Roth from my cousin. I have been bombarded with recommendations from Goodreads, Youtube, and from friends. Someone I know even said that it was even BETTER than the Hunger Games! I don't know what to say to that, but I guess I'll just have to read it and see!
 I also just recently read 'Plague' by Micheal Grant, which is part of the sick and awesome Gone series. I think I'll make a review on it later.

 I would also like to apologize to whoever reads my blog before I finish this. I have not been blogging for the past year, and it's because I've just been too busy. I've also not had alot of time to read books! But now it's summer vacation, so I believe I'll have a bit more time. I have also been thinking about blogging not just about books, but other things in my life as well. I'm young and getting into High School, and getting involved in alot of stuff! I'll probably blog about Girl Guides, the Canada Cord Award, and the Duke of Edinburgh Award. What do you think?

Leave a comment!

Friday, November 11, 2011

Doctor Who Parody Comic


Thought this was pretty funny!
 Also, did you hear about Doctor Stew?? Family Guy was going to sue them because of copyright so they had to stop and delete all the episodes.
Here is a website I found recently-
Comic Who- pretty funny! Should really check it out. :D

Thursday, July 21, 2011

hush, hush by Becca Fitzpatrick and more :D

Hey all,
 I just read this AMAZING book by Becca Fitzpatrick called 'hush, hush'. It was SO addictive. Only took me one day to read.
 In this book, there is an ordinary girl named Nora Grey. She has a friend named Vee, and last year her father was murdered. When the seating plan gets changed in biology class, she gets paired up with the mysterious and cocky transfer named Patch. Patch isn't some ordinary guy- it almost appears as if he's stalking her, as they keep running into each other. Nora isn't happy with the situation- but deep down, that guilty bit of her is pleased. :D Oh, Nora. I'm loving the romance.
 This book is really quite addictive, and keeps you reading on. Lot's of stuff happens in this book that'll keep you on edge. I loved it, and I can't wait to read the second book, 'cresendo'. They better make out in the next book though! :D
 If you would like a 'silence' widget (third book in the series) I have put one on my blog down on the right. Click 'Share this' to get a URL.

 Before 'hush, hush', I read 'Darklight', the second book in the Wondrous Strange Trilogy. I loved the romance between Kelley and Sonny, although I wish they were together more. Another great thing was getting to have more contact with Mabh. I liked her character.
 And my heart broke so much at the end, when Kelley lied about not loving Sonny and him leaving when he overheard. Oh, Kelley, you love him so much, you'd say that to protect him.... it's interesting, how Kelley can lie and all other fairies can't. Better keep it secret!

 Lately, I have decided to start collecting old Nancy Drew books. Turns out, collecting is a real hassle! There have been SO many printings of them, so many different editions, it's hard to keep track! However, I have been racking my brain searching through so many sites, and I think I've got it. Now, as soon as can get to the used bookstore....
 Did you know that there is this thing called Original Text and Revised Text in the Nancy Drew books? It's a funny thing. Books 1-34 were published from 1930-1956, with what is called original text. However, starting in '59, the books were re-written for a more modern audience and for other reasons. This I found very interesting, and I found out that I actually owned 3 Original Text books! So I have decided to compare the texts. At the library today, I got the revised texts of those 3 books, to compare. Now I just need to finish my other books first!
 Two very helpful sites that I thank very much:

 http://www.series-books.com/nancydrew/nancydrew.html

 http://www.nancydrewsleuth.com/


 Today I went to the library. I got the revised Nancy Drew text books, 'hush, hush' 'Tempestuous' the third book in Wondrous Stange Trilogy by Lesley Livingston, (It's so shiny and new! I think I'm the first to read it! :P) 'What I saw and How I Lied' by Judy Blundell, and 'elixir' by Hilary Duff. I'm planning on reading 'elixir' next- although it annoys me, the huge picture of Hilary Duff on the back of the book. I hate it when books have that. And I was never a huge fan of Hilary, either.

 Now- some news from Cassandra Clare's Blog!
  •  'City of Lost Souls', 5th book in the EPIC mortal instruments series, is now set to come out May 8, 2012! Yipee!! Just in time for my birthday! :D
  • New teaser from 'Clockwork Prince':
The fog was thick, muffling sound and sight; whereit parted, Will Herondale could see the street rising ahead of him, slick and wet and black with rain, and hear the voices of the dead.
Not all Shadowhunters could hear ghosts, unless the ghosts chose to be heard, but Will was one of the few who could. As he approached the old cemetery, their voices rose in a ragged musical chorus: wails and pleading, cries and snarls. This was not a peaceful burial ground, but Will knew that; it was not his first visit to the Cross Bones Graveyard near London Bridge. He did his best to block out the noises, hunching his shoulders so that his collar covered his ears, his head down, a fine mist of rain dampening his black hair.
The entrance was halfway down the block: a pair of wrought iron gates set into a high stone wall. Any mundane passing by could see the thick chain that bound the gates shut, and the sign declaring the premises closed—it had been fifteen years since a body was buried here. As Will neared the gates, something no mundane would have seen materialized out of the fog: a great bronze knocker in the shape of a hand, the fingers bony and skeletal. With a grimace, Will reached out one of his own gloved hands and lifted the knocker, letting it fall once, twice, three times, the hollow clank resounding through the night like the rattling chains of Marley's ghost.
Beyond the gates, mist rose like steam from the ground, obscuring the grave markers and long, uneven plots of earth between them. Slowly the mist began to coalesce, taking on an eerie blue glow. Will put his hands to the bars of the gate; the cold of the metal seeped through his gloves, into his bones, and he shivered. It was a more than ordinary cold—when ghosts rose, they drew energy from their surroundings, depriving the air and space around them of heat. The hairs of the back of Will's neck prickled and stood up as the blue mist formed slowly into the shape of an old woman in a ragged dress and white apron, her head bent.
"Hallo, Mol," said Will. "You're looking particularly fine this evening, if I do say so."
The ghost raised her head. Old Molly was a strong spirit, one of the stronger Will had encountered. Even as moonlight speared through a gap in the clouds, she hardly looked transparent: her body was solid, her hair twisted in a thick yellow-gray coil over one shoulder, her rough, red hands braced on her hips. Only her eyes were hollow, twin blue flames flickering in their depths.
"William Herondale," she said. "Back again so soon?"
She moved toward the gate with that gliding motion pecu liar to ghosts. Her feet were bare and filthy, despite the fact that they never touched the ground.
Will leaned against the gate. "You know I missed your pretty face."
She grinned, her eyes flickering, and he caught a glimpse of the skull beneath the half-transparent skin. Overhead, the clouds had closed in on each other again, black and roiling, blocking out the moon. Idly, Will wondered what Old Molly had done to get herself buried here, far from consecrated ground. Most of the whispering voices of the dead belonged to prostitutes, suicides, and stillbirths—those outcast dead who could not be buried in a churchyard. Although Molly had managed to make the situation quite profitable for herself, so perhaps she didn't mind.
She chortled. "What d'you want then, young Shadowhunter? Malphas venom? I 'ave the talon of a Morax demon, polished very fine, the poison at the tip entirely invisible—"
"No," Will said. "That's not what I need. I need Foraii demon powders, ground fine."
Molly turned her head to the side and spat a tendril of blue fire. "Now what's a fine young man like you want with stuff like that?"
Will just sighed inwardly; Molly's protests were part of the bargaining process. Magnus had already sent Will to Old Mol several times now, once for black stinking candles that stuck to his skin like tar, once for the bones of an unborn child, and once for a bag of faeries' eyes which had dripped blood on his shirt. Foraii demon powder sounded pleasant by comparison.
"You think I'm a fool," Molly went on. "This is a trap, innit? You Nephilim catch me selling that sort of stuff, an' it's the stick for Old Mol, it is."
"You're already dead." Will did his best not to sound irritable. "I don't know what you think the Clave could do to you now."
"Pah." Her hollow eyes flamed. "The prisons of the Silent Brothers, beneath the earth, can 'old either the living or the dead; you know that, Will Herondale."
Will held his hands up. "No tricks, old one. Surely you must have heard the rumors running about Downworld. The Clave has other things on its mind than tracking down ghosts who traffic in demon powders and faerie blood." He leaned forward. "I'll give you a good price."
He drew a cambric bag from his pocket and dangled it in the air. It clinked like coins rattling together. "They all fit your description, Mol."
An eager look came over her dead face, and she solidified enough to take the bag from him. She plunged one hand into it and brought her palm out full of rings—gold wedding rings, each tied in a lover's knot at the top. Old Mol, like many ghosts, was always looking for that talisman, than lost piece of her past that would finally allow her to die, the anchor that kept her trapped in the world. In her case, it was her wedding ring. It was common belief, Magnus had told Will, that the ring was long gone, buried under the silty bed of the Thames, but in the meantime she'd take any bag of found rings on the hope one would turn out to be hers. So far it hadn't happened.
She dropped the rings back into the bag, which vanished somewhere on her undead person, and handed him a folded sachet of powder in return. He slipped it into his jacket pocket just as the ghost began to shimmer and fade. "Hold up, there, Mol. That isn't all I have come for, tonight."

The spirit flickered while greed warred with impatience and the effort of remaining visible. Finally, she grunted. "Very well. What else d'you want?"
Will hesitated. This was not something Magnus had sent him for; it was something he wanted to know for himself. "Love potions—"
Old Mol screeched with laughter. "Love potions? For Will Herondale? T'aint my way to turn down payment, but any man who looks like you has got no need of love potions, and that's a fact."
"No," Will said, a little desperation in his voice, "I was looking for the opposite, really—something that might put an end to being in love."
"An 'atred potion?" Mol still sounded amused.
"I was hoping for something more akin to indifference? Toleration . . . ?"
She made a snorting noise, astonishingly human for a ghost. "I 'ardly like to tell you this, Nephilim, but if you want a girl to 'ate you, there's easy enough ways of making it 'appen. You don't need my help with the poor thing."
And with that, she vanished, spinning away into the mists among the graves. Will, looking after her, sighed. "Not for her," he said, under his breath, though there was no one to hear him, "for me . . ." and he leaned his head against the cold iron gate.

  • I have also added a 'Clockwork Prince' widget to my blog at the bottom. Click 'Share' to get the URL
  • Cassie has posted Jace's letter to Clary that came with some of the 'City of Fallen Angels' books. (Unfortunately, not mine D:) I was going to post it here but the 'Browse' button won't work! Grr.... well here's a link-
http://www.cassandraclare.com/cms/jaces-letter

Well that's all! Have a great day! :D

 -Chelsey