SORRY....

I haven't posted lately.  I've been super busy with my quality project, and not to mention school work.
This is kind of a random post, but I just wanted to keep you guys updated since theres no one to do that if I'm not here..... :-/
ANYWAY, I had a really good dinner tonight.  Oh my god.  Everything was top-notch.  Lol, is that how they say it in Britain?
I had seasoned steak, chicken linguine (Castagnola's own recipe), and Kalua Pork from Young's Fish Market.  It was all so delicious.  My favesss ^^^^^.

Quality Project Cooking Blog! *VISIT*

So, my quality project blog is up.  You can either click the link in the previous sentence, or visit
http://cookinginthekitchenwithkylie.blogspot.com/.  Either way, check it out! :D

A Post About My Quality Project

Hey guys, good news....

I finally found out what I'm doing for my quality project! *Excessive and loud clapping and cheering for the girl who spent hours trying to come up with a good proposal idea*

After having the idea of a bake sale in the quad shot down by the deans (they didn't allow anyone except for school-approved clubs and AUW run bake sales in the quad), I spent days trying to come up with another idea. After much consideration and ponderation, I have decided to make my quality project on cooking.

For my project, I will be cooking dinner/meals at least seven times throughout the next two-three weeks. I will be keeping another blog (not like two is enough) about my project. Each entry will include pictures of each step of the cooking process. At the end, I will include a picture of the finished product. At the end of the entry, I will add the recipe and a list of techniques and skills I have learned from cooking that meal. I will then write a paper about reasons to why cooking is important and should be learned in each household. The significance of this project is to acquire a competent skill in cooking while learning why learning how to cook is important. One of the dinners I will be cooking is the dish you see in my sidebar (yes, I still didn't cook it even though I said I was two weeks ago). The link of my quality project blog will be posted shortly (or just added to this post).

Mockingjay *FINISHED*

So, I just kind of finished Mockingjay, the third book in the Hunger Game series. I don't really know what to say or how to respond... other than CHORD OVERSTREET SHOULD STILL PLAY PEETA MELLARK INSTEAD OF JOSH HUTCHERSON.

Mockingjay lacked that "familiar" vibe you got from both The Hunger Games and Catching Fire. In the first two books, Katniss (KATPISS SADKFJ ALSKDFJAD) had a home to go to. She had her mother, Prim, Gale, Peeta, Cinna, Madge, and everyone else who might have been special to her. In this book, all of that changes. Cinna, we learn, had died while being harshly beaten by the Capitol. Madge had died during the District 12 bombing, and Prim was killed during President Coin's planned children-murder scheme that just didn't make sense. Other important people that were killed include Finnick (decapitated by the lizard/human mutations), Boggs (excessive bleeding due to bomb in Capitol), and many, many, many others. The first 80 pages of the book are slow. In summary, Katniss, Gale, Prim, the Mother, and thousands of other of people that aren't Peeta live in District 13. Oh wait, did I tell you? Peeta was being held by the Capitol for most of the book. When they finally got him back, he was brain washed. In other words, he wanted to kill Katniss and was at high risk of losing every loving memory they've had together. Ugh. That reminded me of some stupid, twisted, cliche'd Korean Drama. Overall, I thought the book was very good. I don't know how else to describe it. It's not like it was THE BEST BOOK I HAVE EVER READ, but nor was it THE WORST BOOK EVER. It was just way better than I expected it to be. On a scale from 1-10 (1 being some really bad book [can't think of any] and 10 being Hunger Games [of course]), I would rate it a 6. Honestly, I felt like it was a huge waste of a story. The whole idea of the hunger games, Panem, and the Capitol is genius. Suzanne Collins could've constructed such a better ending to the series than the ending to Mockingjay. I mean, Mockingjay had a very captivating storyline (although I feel like it could've been better), but to end the series like that just disappointed me... BIG TIME. After I finished the book, I literally threw it on my bedroom floor, got out of my chair, and cooled down by watching Spongebob. I was pretty mad.

Another thing that I've been annoyed about for the past few hours was how depressing Mockingjay was. I mean, everyone dies. That's kind of the story. Meet a new character. BAM. Dead. Meet a nice person. BAM. Dead. Meet one of the best friends you ever had. BAM. Dead. You take your sister's place in the Hunger Games so that she doesn't die and she can live a full life because she's one of the most amazing and understanding people of your life. BAM. Your sister's dead.

Hey, sorry if you didn't read the series yet because I just sort of ruined it for you.

P.S. If you're mad at me for spoiling the whole series for you, another thing you should know is that Peetah and a mentally insane Katniss get married and have children. Oh yeah, and Gale practically ditches her, gets a nice job in District 2, and forgets about her.

Not Many People Know This...

But my idol is Demi Lovato. I know she's been known for her comedic and jovial roles in Camp Rock and Sonny With a Chance, but on the inside, she's been a wreck. Demi's outgoing personality on camera could not protect her from the detrimental effects of child bullying. When Demi asked why all of the kids at school bullied her, they would just respond by saying, "Well, you're fat". A few months after the bullying persisted, Demi developed Bulimia, which continued throughout her childhood. Bulimia is an eating disorder in which a person purges themselves after meals in order to "lose the food/fat" that they had just ate. Even after psychological help, Demi started self-mutilating (or "cutting") herself at the young age of 11. She felt that it was "a way of expressing [her] own shame of [herself] on [her] own body". Sometimes, the emotions built up to a point where she "didn't know what to do. The only way [she] could get instant gratification was through an immediate release on [herself]". Hearing her words to describe her thoughts at the age of 11 is very frightening. People should not have to feel this way, especially at such a young age. After being cast as the female role in Camp Rock, people paid more attention to her. It wasn't long until a photo of Demi's cut wrists circulated throughout the media. She was terrified. She felt as if the world "saw her inner most darkest secret". After this incident occurred, she became more sneaky and continued to self-mutilate herself in places that nobody else could see it. Throughout the next few years or so, Demi's life appeared perfect. She starred in her own television show, Sonny With a Chance, and the sequel,Camp Rock 2, was the most viewed cable movie in 2010. Her albums shot to the first place spots on the Billboards, and she started dating Joe Jonas. Throughout all of this, her cutting intensified. During the tour Joe Jonas and her were both on, their relationship ended, but their love duet on stage didn't. Finally, there was a turning point. Years of self abuse could no longer be ignored. Demi was losing her voice to purging and she had gotten to a point whereshe was so emotionally unstable, that she physically punched one of her dancers. After the incident occurred, she felt sick to her stomach. Her family members sat her down to an intervention and she was admitted to a rehabilitation center for treatment. After three months of intense therapy, she had been diagnosed herwith having bipolar disorder. Even now, she is shocked, yet understanding to the outcome of years of self abuse and self mutilation. Starting from age 7, Demi has had suicidal thoughts, which led up to manic and depressive episodes. In one of her recent interviews, she says that she's "thankful now that she's feeling", that and she doesn't push her feelings aside like before. Now, the cuts on her wrists have healed, and healing words now cover them. Demi had gotten the mantra, "Stay Strong" written across her wrists to remind herself to stay strong.

Throughout her early Disney stages, I hadn't really been a Demi Lovato fan. Now, after being secret addicted to her empowering songs throughout the past year or so, and after reading this, I've become one of her strong supporters. I cried while reading Demi Lovato's tragic childhood story. Even though I don't know her personally, I feel some sort of strong connection to her, ask if she and I have both had to deal with mental issues concerning Depression and eating disorders. I feel as if I can relate to her depressive feelings. It feels as if you're all alone, and that you'll never be good enough for the world. Ever since, I have felt as if there is hope for me, and even though it might seem like hell right now, that I'll get through it some day. Even now, I look at my own wrists and see the imaginary engraved words, Stay Strong. It helps me remember that even though it may feel as if the "walls come crashing down", all I need to do is stay strong until the storm passes.

Nails Nails Nails!

I don't think I've told you this, considering we've know each other for a short amount of time. But, I love painting my nails. I started the beginning of last summer before summer school started. Ever since then, I haven't stepped out of this apartment with naked nails. It sounds kind of lame, but I get a giddy feeling every time I buy new nail polish. I get a joy out of combining different nail polish colors and creating some sort of intricate design out of it.

So Today Is...

Two Things...
1) The Day Where People Draw Hearts on Their Wrists to Recognize People With Depression*
2) The Perfect Day According to Ms. Rhode Island on Miss Congeniality **

* People shouldn't just draw hearts on their wrists to raise depression awareness. They should actually do something about it. There are at least 100 people you pass everyday. Chances are more than 10 of them are battling depression. Depression is not just some common disorder that attention whores use to call attention to themselves. It's a disorder that means that the person with Depression needs help. The scary thing is... you never know who it is. He/she could be laughing, smiling, emotionless, crying, anything. The only way you'll ever know is if they are brave enough to come out and tell you about it. One thing you can do to help is open your heart and mind to everyone. Don't push people away when they're calling for help. Don't judge anyone, because the truth is, you have no idea what they have gone through. You have no idea what they think, what they do, what they've gone through, what their life is like, and how they've lived it so far. So please, next time you're about to judge someone, think about how you'd feel if you were the one in their shoes.

** I love Miss Congeniality.