Hawaii Photography

So, this winter break (last week) I was in Hawaii. The Big Island is absolutely beautiful and the newest of all the islands.

I loved the vacation so much. There is so much variety in the plants and flowers and the colors are vibrant.

The part that I enjoyed the most was wearing flip flops, sandals, and shorts unlike I can where I live. Although it did rain on one of the days for a few hours near the top of the island, the weather was still warm and humid. I also loved learning about the Hawaiian culture and the creation of the islands. Those themes were very well incorporated into every part of the island.

Some of my favorite places to visit were the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden and Hawaii Volcano National Park. I got to see a few turtles and some whales and dolphins. I did take pictures of the whales and dolphins but they were too far away to get a good shot of seeing.

Anyway, I hoped you loved looking at the pictures as much as I loved posting them. Let me know your experiences Hawaii or if you would like to visit it.

Pinterest Find #2 | Feb 22 2015

Here are some more amazing things that I found because of Pinterest. Click on the header to be taken to the pin:

Favorite Pair of Booties:

I can't decide which I love more: the booties or the cute socks. I love the color of the boots and the texture. Wishing for a pair like these.

Favorite Metallic Toes:

This drew my attention because I never thought about metallic nail polish on my toenails. But this picture clearly shows how cute it looks.

Favorite Macaroons:

I love macaroons and these make me crave them even more. *Sigh* 

Favorite Arm Game:

My arm game inspiration! Lovely bracelets and cuffs and I am super envious.

Tell me what you think about my Pinterest finds!

Things All Aspiring Journalists Have Had to Hear Before

As an aspiring journalist myself, I have to hear a lot of ridiculous ideas and misconceptions about what it's like to be a journalist. I thought it would be best to address some of the ones that I find funny, mildly annoying and amusing.

No one reads the newspaper anymore. All my news come from the internet.

Granted, the internet is one of the primary sources of news nowadays but online news is still very much journalism. Journalism can come in more forms than just the daily newspaper.


Can you really make money with that?

Look, journalists don't make as much money as most doctors, engineers and lawyers do but most journalists can definitely make enough money to live comfortably.


Isn't it boring? Just sitting there and writing?

Well it would be, if that's all that journalists did. Traveling, talking to interesting people, and going to exciting events all are a part of journalism.


That must be easy.

Well, why don't you try it out? Just try managing interviews, writing, and editing within very strict deadlines. No job is ever "easy."

Are there even any famous journalists?

Oh...

Umm...

Yeah.

I mean... I guess there are a "few." Winfrey, Colbert, Stewart and Cooper are only some of the famous journalists you will find.

And now for the most ridiculous, common and flat-out hilarious comment of all:


I heard that journalism is dying.

Um... no. Journalism is far from dying. People will always need to hear about the news and having people to report on it is crucial.

Let me know if there are anymore ridiculously funny things that you have heard by being an aspiring journalist.

The Healer By C.J. Anaya

General Plot:

A girl, a prophecy and two warring gods equals destiny!

Seventeen-year-old Hope Fairmont longs for a normal teenage life, but with a gift like hers, normal equals healing illnesses and injuries instantly. Keeping a secret like that isn’t easy, but a small town is the perfect place for her to heal those who can’t heal themselves, and an even better place for her father, James Fairmont, to hide his daughter from the rest of the world.

Life takes an unexpected turn when two handsome strangers move into town and begin unearthing other secrets concerning Hope's future and past, revealing to Hope that her gift for healing may be the fulfillment of an ancient, Japanese prophecy gone wrong.

Staying away from these mysterious newcomers would be the smart thing to do, but Victor's gentle, easy manner, and Tie's mixed signals and strange mood swings draw her hopelessly closer to revealing the secret she and her father have been so desperate to hide.

Hope's life is complicated further with visions of a previous life and the arrival of an unknown enemy sent to assassinate her before she learns what she is truly capable of.

With the support of her father, the fiery loyalty of her best friend Angie, and the child-like love of Kirby, a ten-year-old patient, Hope must fight against the forces of a relentless demon god while unwinding the tangled pieces of her past, proving to herself and those she loves that destiny isn’t determined by some cosmic reading of the stars, but by the individual choices one makes. 

Upon reading the vivid description that C.J. Anaya provided me, I could not help but be delighted to read and review the book for her.

I am usually really picky about the YA Paranormal Romance books that I read because they are a risky read. They can either be really boring and typical or super engaging and I happy to say that this book was the lather. The main reason why many YA paranormal romance novels fall short for me is because in some books, there is too much emphasis on the romance part and not enough on the actual plot. But The Healer's breakdown was nice. 60% action and mythology and 40% romance.

Although I am not one for mythology, the way the information was presented made it easy to understand and interesting to learn about. And I am a big fan of fast paced books and this book was definitely quick enough and got straight to the point which made putting it down difficult.

Just as a warning: the ending is a heart-wrenching cliffhanger. I literally sat there dumbfounded thinking to myself, "Is something wrong with the computer? There has to be more." Sigh, the struggles of escaping into a good book only to realize out you have to read the next book.

My favorite part of any book is always the characters. I loved the multiple dimensions that every character in The Healer had. Some great characters were Tie, Victor, Dr. Fairmont, and Kirby who were all very well-rounded and given relatable characteristics. Hope, the main character, was a character that is easy to connect with and putting yourself in her shoes was easy. Sometimes, I would feel frustrated by her lack of attention to detail and I constantly wanted to say "How could you not see this before?" But overall, she was a strong independent girl and a great main character.

The book was also surprisingly quote worthy and I laughed a few times as well.

Final Verdict:

A must read for anyone interested in mythology, romance or intense fight scenes. This book does not drag on making it a quick and easy read filled with thorough character development and amazing descriptions.

You can find C.J. Anaya at www.authorcjanaya.com and read the first chapter of The Healer at www.wattpad.com/story/17997848-the-healer.

Let me know what you think about the book or if you would read it yourself.

Iced Lemonade Online Retail Store

Kate from Becoming Kate, one of my blogging friends, has her own online retail store filled with cute supplies for people to create their own DIY products.

She contacted me and asked that I check it out and review her products and website.

Iced Lemonade is stocked with common items used to decorate household objects or create cute DIYs. The online store has products like twine, clothespin, and glitter tape.

The second I saw the glitter tape, I immediately wanted to start decorating every single thing that I own. I can totally imagine spicing up my school supplies with the wide range of colors.

Everything looks so good quality but the only unfortunate part of the store is that it only ships to the UK. So if you live in the United Kingdom, you should totally check out this store and even if you don't live in the UK, the store is still cute to look at and draw inspiration from.

In case you wanted to check out her store, Iced Lemonade, go to icedlemonade.co.uk. And check out some of the adorable DIYs that Kate created on her blog at becomingkate.co.uk. On her blog, Kate includes a step by step tutorial to create a cute banner with the cute festive pegs that are on Iced Lemonade at http://www.becomingkate.co.uk/2014/11/festive-banner-diy-and-iced-lemonade.html.

Please leave behind your opinions on DIYs and what is your favorite color of the glitter tape that Iced Lemonade carries (this was a tough decision for me too but I ultimately chose the red). There are so many colors so you have to go to the website to see them all.

Super Bowl 2015 | Patriots vs. Seahawks

The Super Bowl, one of America's most anticipated sporting events, just ended with the Patriots winning 28 to 24.

In case you haven't heard, the Patriots have had a little bit of a controversy about playing with deflated footballs. While deflated footballs may help a player keep better a better grip on the ball, deflated footballs are harder to throw so the motives of taking the air out of the balls is confusing. Regardless of the controversy and technicalities of it (all of which is confusing to say the least), the Patriots were still in the Super Bowl.

Choosing which team to support has been difficult especially since I am not a HUGE fan of either team since I am a 49ers fan. But I supported the Patriots even though the Seahawks are a very solid team while the Patriots are the underdogs. I usually like to route for the underdogs so my loyalty would have to lie with the Patriots.

The game was TOO amazing and ridiculously close. One bad play from the Seahawks and one amazing interception from a rookie from the Patriots won the game for them. It genuinely was a great game. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time and completely scared out of my mind.

By the way, the halftime show was pretty good. I liked the tiger or lion (I thought it was a tiger but some people have referred to it as a lion) and those awkward sharks that sang with Katy Perry but overall, it was a bit underwhelming and the stars at the end were a bit odd.

Comment letting me know which team you were supporting, what you thought of the game, halftime show or commercials.

As you can probably see, my blog design has changed quite drastically. I am absolutely in love with it. Jenna from Sparkly Kid was kind enough to design it. And she did such an incredible job! Please give her blog some love.