The Next Best Thing: September 2016

Read a Book or Watch Its Movie?

12:16:00 AM

Our English teacher challenged us with an activity. We were asked to write our opinions either supporting beggar-ism or not, or whether reading books is better or watching its movie. This is what I chose and wrote about: Reading a book or watching its movie is a conundrum that has been unresolved since forever. Literary fanatics believe reading to be their course of...

Poetry and Lyrics

All Things Will Die.

4:17:00 AM

Clearly the blue river chimes in its flowing Under my eye; Warmly and broadly the south winds are blowing Over the sky. One after another the white clouds are fleeting; Every heart this May morning in joyance is beating Full merrily; Yet all things must die. The stream will cease to flow; The wind will cease to blow; The clouds will cease to...

Opinions

Pranks You Can Play on Your Siblings.

4:06:00 AM

You sometimes feel it an invisible weight on you, being in the same as room as them. Most of the time, you feel it necessary to throw at them whatever your hands can grab the fast. The rest of the time, you want to bask in the sunlight that is their misery. If you can relate, then this post is for you. Tired...

Poetry and Lyrics

Your Fears.

3:57:00 AM

I don't remember when I wrote this one, but I did write it. It is quite a feat, when with your fears you meet, with no one by your side; no ally, no guide. And it is quite a tale, when even when you fail, you rise, head high, and then, again, try. And it is quite a win, when you know you...

Journal Entries

People Are All the Same.

3:32:00 AM

Betrayal never knocked on my door like it did today. Actually, it crept inside; silently. But, something gave it away: a glance in the right direction. Amusement is what I saw plastered across the face of whom I thought my only best friend. As soon as my slow-at-registering-being-betrayed brain registered what happened, it was too late. He quickly removed any hint visible across...

Book Reviews

Snippets From "And I Darken."

11:55:00 PM

And I Darken is Kiersten White's flawless attempt at rewriting history. Imaginatively. It centers around the escapades of Vladislav Dragwla, Radu Dragwlya, and Mehmed, the sultan's heir.

Born not as what many wanted, Lada is subjected to ridicule and rejection. The same becomes of her brother, Radu. Lada may not have been born beautiful, but with fire in her heart and soul. As she grows, she becomes more and more ruthless and firm, while Radu grows into a man contradicting all of her sister.

The two end up intertwined in Ottoman politics when their father, the king, seals away their fates by inadvertently selling them away to the empire. In exchange for an army with which to return home to and claim a lost kingdom.

Lada and Radu explore themselves in the corners and corridors of their captive's strongholds. They make a friend out of Mehmed, the bastard son of the sultan. A tryst buds in between Mehmed, Lada, and Radu. Both siblings know of what the other holds Mehmed as; it's a triangle involving two of blood and one of promising power.

This book has been highly acclaimed and is a must read for all.

Here are some snippets from the novel that I found quite intriguing, thought-provoking, and relatable.

1. She dressed in chain mail and the Janissary uniform, except for the cap. She left her hair down, a tangled mass of curls in defiance of both Janissary custom and feminine styles. At her hip was her sword, and on her wrists were her knives.

Her spine was steel. Her heart was armor. Her eyes were fire.

2. “These are lives, Lada,” Radu said. “How can you speak of them like they are matters of simple mathematics, a problem to be solved?”

Lada stood, a hand to her side against the pain of her wound. “Because thinking like that is the only way to keep from losing our minds.”

“What about our souls?” Mehmed whispered.

Before Lada walked out, she paused at the door. “Souls and thrones are irreconcilable.”

3. "Some victories are merely defeat wearing the wrong clothing.”

4. "If we were not pushing, fighting, claiming what is ours and challenging what is not yet ours, others would be doing it to us. It is the way of the world. You can be the aggressor, you can fight against crusaders on their own land, or you can stay at home and wait for them to come to you. And they would come. They would come with fire, with disease, with swords and blood and death. Weakness is an irresistible lure.”

5. No. Huma was wrong. First, they needed to destroy the web. Then the spider would be powerless.

6. “Your brother, though. People will pluck out their own hearts to create a place for him. He will never have to get his hands dirty.”

She held her hands beside Lada’s and smiled. “But hands painted red are hands that do what needs to be done.”

7. Lada scowled. “You should have fought them. You should have escaped.”

“To where? I was angry, for many years. And frightened. But there are many ways to be powerful. There is power in stillness. There is power in watching, waiting, saying the right thing at the right time to the right person."

8. Fire burned in her heart, and her wounded soul spread out, casting a shadow like wings across her country. This was hers. Not because of her father. Not because of Mehmed. Because the land itself had claimed her as its own.

“Not Dragwlya,” she said. “Lada Dracul. I am no longer the daughter of the dragon.” She lifted her chin, sights set on the horizon. “I am the dragon.”

Opinions

Websites for Guys.

4:34:00 PM

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You'll find guys obsessing over how there's nothing on the web that meets their interests. They don't read and give preference to outdoor activities the most. Whether it's their car that they'll hang out with, or their friends, they most certainly won't look for much on the web. It depends. This post excludes all studious males, knowledge enthusiasts, and frequent web surfers. But,...

Opinions

Some Forgotten but Amazing Cartoons.

8:02:00 PM

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We all grow up watching cartoons. It is unfair how our favorite ones are subjected to discontinuation and we don't get to see more of them, when new ones take their place. Here are some of our most favorite, forgotten cartoons. 1. Samurai Jack. There was a widespread rumor — it may have been true — that Samurai Jack will return. Well, we've...

The Next Best Thing

Read a Book or Watch Its Movie?

All Things Will Die.

Pranks You Can Play on Your Siblings.

Your Fears.

People Are All the Same.

Snippets From "And I Darken."

Websites for Guys.

Some Forgotten but Amazing Cartoons.

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