Quote Friday, Friday, gotta get quotes on friday...

I'm beginning to think this is a sign to stop blogging. Serioiusly. -_-

But, I'm here again. Sorry for this bad excuse for a blog.

My excuse explanation: I had not forgotten about you guys. Honest. I had actually planned this awesomesauce blogfest but something personal happened in my life, and my family and I had to go take care of that.

But, hopefully, this post will make up for that. I come bearing a sneak peek, a character profile, and some inspirational quotes to keep you going!!

Sheila's POV

Name: Sheila Quartelle
Age: 14, but I have no idea how old I was in my former life.
Acquaintances:  Autumn. Nelle and Ivan (the 'rents)
Looks: Um.... this is kinda shallow, don't you think? What does that have to do with anything?
Personality: Vegan, free-spirited. Strong Believer.
My POV

That's pretty much right except

Looks: Half-white and half-African-American with a little bit of Native American rolled in. She has green eyes and long, wavy hair. She's very tall and very awkward, and she has a crazy love for life, which you can see in her eyes.

****

Quotes:

A diamond with a flaw is better than a common stone that is perfect.

      - Chinese Proverb

Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be.

       - Thomas a Kempis

No one is perfect. That’s why pencils have erasers

      - Author Unknown

Gold cannot be pure and people cannot be perfect

      - Chinese proverb

They say that nobody is perfect. Then they tell you that practice makes perfect. I wish they’d make up their minds.

      - Wilt Chamberlain

 

As long as you live, keep learning how to live

      - Seneca

Have no fear of perfection-you’ll never reach it

      - Salvador Dali

 You see, when weaving a blanket, an Indian woman leaves a flaw in the weaving of that blanket to let the soul out

- Martha Graham

*****

I'm literally overjoyed. Like, so happy to have you guys! I still have four followers *dances*

NEWS FOR DECEMBER:

I have more reviews coming, more sim hauls, more rants, and hopefully more me.
I'm also contemplating whether or not to join inkpop again.... I just thought it was time to leave, but it keeps reelin' you back in.

****
And *tackles Daisy* Haha! Thanks for the promo!

Until next time, my lovlies.

Jia :)

*chorus of bells* I'M BACK

Hola everyone! I come bringing sneak peeks, and a character profile :) A few lines from my book (how am I doing that without adding to the counter thing? Because I can't write a consistent page, for some reason)

1. Sometimes it's like I exist, I go to school, I eat, I breathe, but I'm not living.

2. Filling myself up with You would fill up my empty heart. It takes me away to that promised land overflowing with chocolate and caramel...

3. What a conversation starter. Oh, my cuts? My mother likes to abuse me. Don't worry about it....

Well, that's all. Gotta keep the mystique *fades into mist*

And the character profile:
(This is a semi minor character, by the way)

Dulcie's point of view...
Name: A series of frequencies I was supposed to memorize since I was younger. It just now caught on.
Age: 200 going on 16
Address: Here
Acquaintances: People who I hang out with.
Looks: Perfect
Personality: See above

My point of view:
Name: Dulcie Grace ... (still working on a descent last name)
Age: 15
Address: New York
Acquaintances: Autumn, Rachel, Victoria... not a very likable person.
Looks: Hazel eyes, curly brown hair with a feather extension, dark olive skin. Mixed.
Personality: She blames her snarkiness on her new yorkness. She's also arrogant and brutal, but honest and cofident. And she's very freespirited and doesn't give a rat's tail who says what or what people thinks. But she hates other people getting judged.

I'm working on character development now... what do you think about her? :)

Jia

Sorry I've been so scarce (again...)

Days are gettin' shorter and my headaches are comin' into cue. So I can't do everything like I want to do. So three quote fridays missed? I apologize. I can't gurantee I'll be on that day, unfortunately. Or any other day. Am I going to stop blogging? NAY!!!!!!!!!! But I'm gonna continue and try to get through things. I've been so scarce because everything is piling up and I'm setting up my book and my upcoming sims 2 version of... MAXIMUM RIDE. So, I'm still working on it, but I'm going to try even more to juggle everything. Okay? Okay.

Nikki Grimes Blog

Okay, I am a very very BIG Nikki Grimes fan. Let's get that out of the way first, m'kay? I read 'The Road to Paris' when I was younger, and I loved it. It was such a beautiful story *coughs*

I check her site monthly and follow her blog. Again, m'kay? So, I check out her blog, and what happens?
She. Spoke. The. Freakin. Truth.

Read this: http://www.nikkigrimes.com/blog/?p=145
You'll be happy you did. I couldn't agree more... do you?

Jia (this discussion ISN'T over)

Sims 2 Hairstyle Haul

So, I just noticed that I haven't done any Sim-related posts. So, I have a Sims 2 Haul! I have been downloading so much content, I have to share it with y'all.

(What Sucks: I have most of my content on a separate computer, so I can't show ALL my content. And the Sims 2 exchange isn't working. That's where I have most of my saved Sims. What sucks even more is that I can't upload them to the computer I'm always on -_-)

Theme: Hairstyles!

This is from Butterfly Sims. It comes in different shades of red, brown, blond (as shown) and black. (like an ebony to a blue black). To me it's very pretty and very Hannah Baker. *coughs to hide a smile* It's a donate, but I found it for free at the awesomest site on earth: http://paysites.mustbedestroyed.org/booty/ts2/butterflysims2/
It's called: b-flysims2femalehaircf018.zip



    Yet another from Butterfly Sims. I downloaded this one because it's very Iggy (from Maximum Ride). Donate, again, and can be found at the same link as above. This one is called: male_034_q.zip.

I loved the headband on this one, and how it's very shiny and kind of wavy. This one is from Raon sims, another donate, but can be found here for free: http://paysites.mustbedestroyed.org/booty/ts2/raonsims/femalehair/
The file is the first one, called: femalehair101.zip

This has to be my favorite male hair. I am in LOVE with this kind of curly hair (like Aaron Johnson curly). When I saw it, I almost passed out in my chair. I downloaded it so quick... lol. The only downside is that the back is flat, not curly like the front. After loading body shop, I realized that it would be perfect for a Dylan (from Max Ride... again)
This one is made by Peggy, it's a donate but can be found here: http://paysites.mustbedestroyed.org/booty/ts2/peggy/malehair/hairmesh07908/
It's called: hairmesh07908.zip

If you couldn't already tell, I really really want to make a Sims 2 version of Th1rteen R3asons Why by Jay Asher (first, though, I need the book -_-), and Sims 2 version of  Maximum Ride by James Patterson (reviews coming soon!)

Note: You need WinRAR (windows) or 7-zip (Mac) to download these. Windows 7 comes with an extracting... thing already. I highly recommend getting one of these programs if you don't already have one because this gives you access to more content.

Well, I bid thou adieu. I have to leave some things for future posts!

Jia :)



Sorry :3

I couldn't do quote friday last week. *headdesk once*. Cuz I had a headache, and I had a break off from school. And that I've been so scarce. Sometimes, I just don't have the inspiration. The inspiration to write, to review, or to do anything. I try--really, I do-- but I just can't do it sometimes.
I'm thinking of more blog posts. Stay tuned.
*turns back, secretly evil smiling*

Jia

More Ideas *headdesk*

I have a lot of ideas at one point. It kind of sucks, because I can't stay focused on any single story plot. Or a single character.

This new idea I have, I think it's interesting. It's about a girl who watches people and wants to figure them out. And she's a journalist. She wants to lets people know about the
Current Title (in this case, titleS): Facades, Ex[pos]ing, Com[pos]ision

Another idea: A girl runs away from home, and meets a very interesting woman, who becomes her mentor. They are both artists, and that's all I will expose :)

Current title: Muse

Writers: Can you stay on more than one idea?

Jia :)

Review: Viola in Reel Life by Adriana Trigiani

I'm marooned.

Abandoned.

Left to rot in boarding school . . .

Viola doesn't want to go to boarding school, but somehow she ends up at an all-girls school in South Bend, Indiana, far, far away from her home in Brooklyn, New York. Now Viola is stuck for a whole year in the sherbet-colored sweater capital of the world.

Ick.

There's no way Viola's going to survive the year—especially since she has to replace her best friend Andrew with three new roommates who, disturbingly, actually seem to like it there. She resorts to viewing the world (and hiding) behind the lens of her video camera.

Boarding school, though, and her roommates and even the Midwest are nothing like she thought they would be, and soon Viola realizes she may be in for the most incredible year of her life.

But first she has to put the camera down and let the world in.



First Thoughts: Okay, my Moms bought this for me a few summers ago. I thought it would be pretty good, and I liked the cover. I felt like it was suiting and sophisticated. So I gave this a shot!

Plot: ♥♥♥
This plot is so-so. It's cliche but it's not, if that makes sense. There's nothing really unpredictable about the plot. Viola finding romance, Viola not wanting to go but she finds herself loving it etc. (I'm not spoiling. It's all in the front and back flap) Ordinary, except that Viola's parents are Richies trying to get rid of their delinquent daughter. And there is a minor twist in the end.

Characters: ♥
This is where the ranting shall begin. Hang tight to your socks....
Viola is the only two-dimensional character, and she isn't even that greatly fleshed-out. No one is. Everyone is too happy. Like I said in another review, there doesn't have to be anything horrible going on like depression or suicide. But everyone has a dark side and a light side. Granted, there is something going on with Suzanne, BUT, that's it. Everyone is happy. Suzanne is a 'natural beauty, doesn't care about anything superficial' SUPER perfect girl. So is Romy, except she is SUPER DUPER happy, and Marisol, a SUPER easily pleased girl. And I thought they were acting unrealistically. If a girl is being a witch to you, you do, what, welcome her with open arms, thinking so optimistically? I don't think so. And there's Caitlin, Viola's Indian best friend, who thinks EVERYONE is wonderful. No. ma'am.

Writing Style: ♥♥♥
Viola's voice shows wit and occasional puerilism, but it's just too sophisticated to be an authentic 14 year old voice. So, I couldn't exactly relate to Viola. Or think, 'Hey! That happens to me too!' Not to say it was bad. It was alright.

Other: N/A
Hmm... there aren't really an extracurriculars. Just regular writing, with beyond boring characters, mixed with a semi-interesting plot. But the cover is nice :)

Overall: ♥♥♥
This book is okay. Okay writing, with nothing that makes me want to get up and party and yell for everyone to read this book or I will send an army to your house. Maybe this is your kind of read, but it's not for me.

Jia

Quote Friday

I have spread my dreams beneath your feet. Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.
W.B. Yeats

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.
Henry David Thoreau

Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.
Harriet Tubman

Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul. Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal.
Pamela Vaull Starr

All men dream but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity; but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes to make it possible.
T.E. Lawrence

Our truest life is when we are in dreams awake.
Henry David Thoreau

So often times it happens that we live our lives in chains
And we never even know we have the key.
Lyrics from Already Gone, peformed by the Eagles for their 1974 On the Border album

These quotes are so deep, so inspirational. Am I only the only one who feels like I could take on the world?

Update: I HAVE AN IDEA!

I have an idea for my Sims 2 movie! AAAAAAAAAAAAAH! And... I HAVE AN IDEA FOR A BOOK! AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!

Two ideas at one point... oi....

HOW I GET MY IDEAS

Believe it or not, most of my ideas come from when I'm about to fall asleep. Not in a dream, but falling asleep. I think that's because I have time to think and question everything. Think of different scenarios.

For my Sims 2 movie, I started thinking about the fragilities between real and fiction, time and space, past and present. All of a sudden, I hear voices by the MC's, I see what they see, smell what they smell etc. Then, I get struck by lightning! I have to find a paper and pen quick before I lose it.

This one deals with time-traveling, the 19th century in an alternate universe, and present as well.

Current title: 'M is for Mirrors'
I am working on the synopsis. Will keep you posted!

****

Jia's writing a dystopian. Get the duct tape.

Dystopians are by far the worst to plot. Well, maybe not the worst. Next to fantasy. But still. It's not good. Not good at all. This one after the mc. But when I had the MC, the idea took off. It is roughly based off the story in Revelations. If you're a christian, you know when the devil will have his mark on your hand or forehead? So, I was wondering, what if someone were living in this time? What would it be like? Granted, I have to change it around a bit, but I think you get the point :)

This girl, Sayla, came into my head as a vision, too. Sayla stared at me with her slanted eyes and dark hair, and talked, but she moved her hand as well out of habit. Sayla was deaf. When she told me that I was like, "WHAT!?!?!?" I don't know how to write in an authentic deaf voice so I told her that's not good. She told me *I'm serious* Take it or leave it.


If you're an author, you won't think I'm crazy.

Current title: 'Branded'

Autumn (my MC in my focus project) is cursing in my head right now. But I don't care. I'm so excited.

Will keep you posted!

Jia :)

Quotes Friday

Quotes are one of the things that keep me going. They are inspiring, beautiful, meaningful. They can also be destructive, dangerous, and careless. But just the right ones can make your heart lift up and sing. So, I will have a Quote Friday, a post filled with quotes I will select through the week.

To kick it off, I have a special quote from someone you may have heard of:
"Get a good idea and stay with it. Dog it, and work it until it's done and done right."
            -- Walt Disney
 
Deep, no?

Jia :)

First Review: Notes from an Accidental Band Geek by Erin Dionne

Notes from an Accidental Band Geek by Erin Dionne

Elsie Wyatt wants to be an orchestra superstar, like her dad and grandfather. The first step? Get into a super-selective summer music camp.
But in order to qualify, Elsie must "expand her musical horizons" by joining her school's marching band. Not only does this mean wearing a plumed hat and polyester pants, but it also means she can't play her own instrument, can't sit down, and can't seem to say the right thing to anyone... let alone Jake, the cute trumpet player she meets on the first day. Plus, everything she does seems to cause a diaster. Surviving marching band is going to be way harder than Elsie thought!










First Thoughts: I have read Erin Dionne's other works, and they are very similiar to this story. I was like, "Okay, this author has written 2 books. Surely she had to grow." Right?

Plot: ♥ ♥♥
The plot in the story doesn't really match the written synopsis on the jacket. I was expecting something different. I was expecting a story that I could get my nod of approval. I was expecting a realistic high school. A realistic heroine. A realistic everything that Erin Dionne has failed to do in her previous novels. Unfortunately, I was sadly mistaken.
A girl with [insert-talent-here] has to go to a regular high school and do something so degrading that she hates... the rest will be a spoiler, but I'm sure you have heard the story before.
Granted, there were a few 'twists'. A few very very very MINOR twists. I mean, really? Aren't twists supposed to change the entire course of the story? And the 'growth' of Elsie isn't realistically portrayed. She really had a change of heart overnight.
And the antagonistical dad... I felt like she just threw him in. If someone is going to be an antagonist of the story, he/she should be put major obstacles, not giving disciplines to someone who truly deserves it.
Wait, isn't that for the characters? Oh well. I needed to get that off my chest.

Characters:♥♥
The characters in this book can only be described as effervescent... and stereotypical.
The stereotypical cocky 'almost-famous' heroine, an emo guy (named PUNK, what is this?), a cute boy who is toooooo sweet for words and a boy who is obsessed with some type of geeky phenomenon.
And the other characters are out of the ordinary... but everyone is just too happy. Especially these days, everything isn't solved by a hug anymore. Granted, it doesn't have to be deep and dark about depression and stuff. But every character has a story. So those story need to be portrayed somehow.

Another problem I have with this (and other books in YA) why is the daughter allowed to stomp up the stairs and slam the door and not face any consequences? Where are the responsible authority figures who will show the child who's boss? And why are the disciplinary parents to someone who needs it portrayed as ABUSIVE? Come on!

Writing Style:♥♥♥
I am so-so with Dionne's writing. There were some very imagery sentences, but the rest of the book was generic. Ordinary. And THERE WAS NO DIALECT, NOR WAS IT ORIGINAL.
Now, I know you are thinking, there was no dialect? No one talked?
I mean, there was dialogue. But there was no dialect. Meaning no one talked like real and actual teenagers. Especially in high school. There are cuss-words and a lot of crude references in high school. This is way too clean. Making it too happy. And too generic.

Other: ♥♥♥
So the cover is great. That must have been a siren call for me. I thought the french horn symbolized something... when, in truth, it symbolized nothing.
There was also no setting. I had no idea where this story had taken place in anywhere else beside a town with a school in Boston, using Context Clues.
Nothing else to really discuss here.


Genre: Contemporary fiction, humor
Pages: 280 (+Acknowledgements, 282)
Age Group: 9-12

Overall: ♥♥♥
An okay read. Depending on the subject, I doubt I will continue to read Erin Dionne's works.

Okay, that was my review. It took me a long time to write -_- But it's the first! It's a milestone!

Jia :)

Welcome!

Hola and welcome to my blog! I'm Jia. I am a thirteen-year-old girl with lots to say about books, Sims and the world. A brief description of me would be:

Is nerdy, indecisive and most-of-the-time honest. Lover of food, books, tiaras and ladybugs. A true belieber of Justin Drew Bieber who was born on a Tuesday.... Watcher of a few 80s movies. Writes. Reads. Dreams.

All in all, I'm me :)

This is my first blog post (first blog ever) so bear with me. It's currently under construction! The 'Writing' tab and 'About me' tab will be done soon, most likely over the weekend. Once I get this up and running, the sky's the limit. Be prepared for book reviews, updates on projects, and other ramblings of a thirteen-year-old girl.

Feel free to leave a comment! Hope to see you around the 'net!

Jia :)