The Hunger Games (Book Review)

As I finished this book and feel the hunger of waiting to know more of the story, I knew this book is different. I can fully relate to the heroine aside from having the knacks on devouring books with the ladies conquering the story.

I can see myself in Katniss Everdeen. I was the same age gap as what Katniss was from her youngest sister. I was thinking if I woud be brave enough to volunteer to save my sister. The book centers about the annual Hunger Games held in Panem in what is left of what formally known as North America. It is now divided into twelve districts with each has their own industry to offer. The yearly games has the Reaping wherein each districts selects two tributes between the age of twelve and eighteen; one female and one male. The Hunger Games was a reminder to every citizen of Panem of the Dark Days and how they should be thankful to the government of what they have right now.

At District 12, we can find Katniss Everdeen who volunteered in place of her sister Primrose Everdeen when the latter's name was picked. The main industry of the district is coal mining where Katniss lost her father on an explosion. She was force to mature and take care of the family her father had left when her mother drowns in depression. She learned the harsh reality of the life she had. She learned to hunt and trade for food so she can keep her loved ones alive or at least get through one day with a full stomach. She also get a help from Gale, a hunting friend who also supports his younger siblings.

Peeta Mellark a son of the town's baker was chosen as the male tribute. Katniss has never ever talk to this boy even that day he threw a loaf of charred bread to her way when she was exhausted and desperately searching for food for her family. And so they were chose as tributes for their district and was transported to the Capitol to compete with other 22 tributes from other districts. . Katniss and Peeta were mentored by the former victor from their district, Haymitch. He was the first ever victor from their district who was now a drunkard. Before the games the tributes form each district has their own stylist;they have Cinna and Effie led their prep team to make them look pleasing to the crowd. They should be able to atrract sponsors to help them as they enter the battle field. Katniss and Peeta won the crowd by playing as the star-crossed lovers. The plot has some poignant moments like when the young district 12 tribute Rue died. Katniss saw Prim in her and in the middle of the game they form an alliance. Poor Rue died in her arms when she failed to save her from another tribute. Each tribute in the Game has something to offer. Like Tributes from District 1 and 2 were trained in combat at a young age. The game is manipulated and crowds get to bet on the Tributes

"If I'm gonna die. I wanna still be me", says Peeta. Katniss was determined to stay alive and survive for Prim. The game gave a twist of honoring two victors this time as long as they belong to the same district but they took it back in the end. But instead of the game manipulating them the two manged to survived in the end and making it as the first ever two Victors of the Hunger Games.

The book is scary and engaging. It shows you how the innocents lost it or manage to deal with the harshness of life has to offer. Everyone is a survivor in their own way. It is just matter of wits and staying pure to your heart. Anything can change us in a minute. Anyone can influence us but it is how you stay true to yourself and nevr letting anyone stole that from you.

Confessions of a Bullied Kid

Anyone can be a victim. Anyone can be a suspect. Or anyone can be the one in between. As we grew up to be the person that we are right now, one way or another we get to encounter someone like them. I am talking about the bullies. I am a victim and these are my confessions.

Sometimes when I look back I wonder how I grew up to be this kind of person. I remembered entering kindergarten, I was my always meek and quiet self. Thank goodness, I always have my mother to protect me. Parents always know when someone is belittling or making their children's life miserable. I remember living in a small neighborhood and there was this hyperactive kid. He likes pushing around, battling his way here and there like I was as strong as he is but I was stick thin you know. I learned to ignore him. He is just a fat, hyperactive kid who feels like he is a superhero. So I enter grade school, I had an average height but there would be girls taller than me. There is this one incident that I was quietly eating my favorite baon; pandesal with cheese. Then there is this bunch of tall girls who approached me and said I should not be eating pandesal for it is already late in the morning. I just look at her while I'm still chewing my food and just shrugged off my shoulders to her.

As you see, you may think I am a coward because I do not fight back and just totally ignore them. I did not that me not fighting would make my Mom mad at me. I went along grade school days,almost unnoticed but thankfully, I got to win some Friends. I was always the timid and quiet girl in class. I was obedient to everyone and as gullible as you think I can be. I know I am smart but I was also too nice to everyone that makes me stupid in many ways. Back in grade school I was at the school paper so we had some activities in the afternoon.So I have this girl classmate who ask me to accompany her every time we go home after school to the jeepney stop.But one day I do not want to do it anymore so what she did to make her follow her is to snatch my umbrella. I went home without my umbrella ans as I tell the whole story to my Mom, you know she was really furious. She told me that I should not let anyone do that to me. I did not want my Mom to scold my classmate and be called a "sumbungera' but my Mom would not let this things just pass by. So the next day my classmate got some serious scolding from my Mom and I got my umbrella back. I got to bully someone too. I remembered making a boy cry back in Grade One in the middle of our class because he is making up stories and I told everyone he is lying.

The good part of being bullied is that eventually you learn to fight for yourself or just learn to accept that some people really do want to bully to see their power over somebody else. The worst part is you became a scared and meek person all your life, you lose your self-esteem and will forever be under the shadows of those bullies. Another thing is you learn to take grudges on everyone who belittles you and you take revenge just to get even. It is always either way. Either you take the good side or the evil side. There are a lot of psychological studies why someone bullies or how someone respond to bullying. They say no one will do bullying of you would not let them or the bully themselves had experience it also. On my part I do not fight back. I have mastered the response of just ignoring them. I hate fighting and besides what good will it bring me. I would just feel bad in return. I think people just have to know how to respond and not give out an abrupt reaction. It is hard to stay true to our hearts and be kind to everyone around but someday soon our kindness will change someone or something in the world we lived in.

Making a Difference (KONY 2012)

I don't usually go on with the fad on some videos being posted on social networks. This video documentary struck the heart of many. It is gripping. It is heart wrenching. It is a mind-opener.

I was the 11,624,970th viewer of this video on YouTube. It is not only a fad that everyone talks about. It is something worth each and everyone's time. We should all take time time to see this video. Everybody is posting it and spreading the message of this documentary. It is not everyday that we opened our eyes to something as serious as this, for all we know this is just one of those videos that will be eventually forgotten and long gone inside our heads. But just like how we loved to click on many times the like button on each videos we watch that made us laugh, amaze us or made us cry; this video won't take too much of the 30 minutes of your life.

The difference it would make to our everyday lives. The emotion that will wrap inside our hearts. The thought it would create inside our heads. It is not just supporting the main cause of this documentary, the fact that we made ourselves aware of something like this is really happening can make a change. We can make a stand. I can make a stand. For all we know, there are a lot of Joseph Konys out there, but what is essential is that there are a lot like us who are willing to shape the world into a better place.

Post Hearts

It is never too late to share some love before the love month ends. No matter how love hurts and will have us crying; we can never deny the joy and contentment it brings to humanity. So here goes the statements I had realized about Love. It does not actually need some experience but the fact that everyday and everywhere you look Love is indeed all around us.

* Love is the morning. You never really know what will the day brings you. Will it be bad or good? It is love when you wake up in the morning. It is the feeling that keeps you going.

* Love is waiting. Like when you were at the bus stop. You never knew if there is really a bus arriving or will you be able to ride on it. It is waiting by the window hoping that he would take time to notice you.

* Love is dreaming. Dreaming that you will share sweet kisses with him. That you will live together for the rest of your lives. That one day you will hear him say the words you long to hear.

* Love is taking a risk. Dare yourself to move to tell someone what you feel. It is like walking on a tight rope or walking on fire. Love is a carnival.

* Love is the adventure. Climbing the steepest hill, swimming the deepest ocean. It takes you on an adventure you have never been before. An adventure of a lifetime.

* Everyone has their own meaning of love. Love can be between two persons. Love can be for the entire human race or love can be summed up to one word: GOD.

* Love is sometimes a failure. Not making it to the finish line. It is like not passing your exam. It is like the moment you ask the question,"Do you love me?" and all you hear is a heartbreaking "NO!"

*Love is letting go. You already learned to fly so this time you need to fall on the ground. Let others fly because the sky is too crowded for you. Let that someone go because you had your time of him seeing you on his sky.

* Love is a sweet surrender. Giving yourself a pause. Giving yourself a pat on the back and saying "At least you told him". For you know you would never get to somewhere just to an empty nowhere.

* Love is selfless. It is just fine to be in pain. Just so not let others be hurt because that would make your love selfish. Accepting the fact that you can never have someone. Maybe fate does not ring a bell for you and him.

* Love is going back. Never be afraid to see who is behind you. To see who has been there all along. To accept what you had let go before.

* Love is triumph. When you finally reached the finish line. You finally touch the sky and leaned to fly again. When you know that someone will be there with you till the day fades away.

* Love is fate. No matter how long it will keep you apart as long as you're destined for each other. It is worth the wait.

* Love is heaven. You never knew how it feels to cry, to be in pain and to be hurt anymore. All you know is the loving feeling that you know will help you get through each day.

* Love is GOD. Knowing that you put God first is enough to keep you moving along. Love is from HIM who brought you and the person meant for you together.

Paradise by Coldplay

"Paradise"

When she was just a girl
She expected the world
But it flew away from her reach
So she ran away in her sleep
Dreamed of para- para- paradise
Para- para- paradise
Para- para- paradise
Every time she closed her eyes
Whoa-oh-oh oh-oooh oh-oh-oh

When she was just a girl
She expected the world
But it flew away from her reach
And the bullets catch in her teeth

Life goes on
It gets so heavy
The wheel breaks the butterfly
Every tear, a waterfall
In the night, the stormy night
She closed her eyes
In the night, the stormy night
Away she'd fly.

And dreamed of para- para- paradise
Para- para- paradise
Para- para- paradise
Whoa-oh-oh oh-oooh oh-oh-oh

She dreamed of para- para- paradise
Para- para- paradise
Para- para- paradise
Whoa-oh-oh oh-oooh oh-oh-oh.

So lying underneath those stormy skies.
She said oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh.
I know the sun must set to rise.

This could be para- para- paradise
Para- para- paradise
This could be para- para- paradise
Whoa-oh-oh oh-oooh oh-oh-oh.

This could be para- para- paradise
Para- para- paradise
Could be para- para- paradise
Whoa-oh-oh oh-oooh oh-oh-oh.

This could be para- para- paradise
Para- para- paradise
Could be para- para- paradise
Whoa-oh-oh oh-oooh oh-oh-oh.

Remembered...

I remembered everything. Nothing was erased. It was kept in me. It set met free. It made me weak. It got me stronger. It made me brave. It helped me carry on.

I remembered the time when I cried like a child in the middle of the night, that I could hardly breathe. I remembered waking up everyday fighting a losing battle. I was forcing my heart, squeezing every beat but it was already struggling to survive. I remembered dragging my feet to walk away from someone, making every heavy step until I can finally ran free. I never knew that I could endure that much of a pain again, and almost drying my tear ducts again. I remembered telling myself to be bitter and take all the hurt inside until my whole body felt numb.

Finally, I remembered seeing myself triumphant on overcoming that period in my life. I remembered it is not myself to be mad and held on to some grudge over the pain that will eventually subside. I remembered that forgetting is for the coward. I was able to see each day because I was able to reminisce on the old days. I was able to stand again and learn that in every pain I have dealt with, I was braver to gave it all again.

I remembered meeting new friends, real persons that I was able to speak out my mind and reflect my true feelings. I got to enjoy the long talks and silly laughs over cups of coffee. I remembered that if it is meant to be, time will lead you to the special ppeople that you are meant to share those endless laughs, bitter tears and silly antics. I remembered getting away for awhile with my precious friends and enjoy the spontaneity of life. Being able to escape and just embrace the moment I was facing. I was so happy being able to ran away somewhere else and just let loose. I forgot the uptight side of me. I got to be with different people and remembered the moment how amazed and overwhelmed I was by the feeling of being a trusted and cherished friend. I was so grateful on encountering a variety of people and still got to keep those who kept me real and grounded.

I remembered the long walks at night, the throwing of silly punchlines, the warmth of holding hands and tight hugs, and the sweet kisses. I remembered hearing out and listening through my heart. I remembered to stay as I am no matter how cruel the world gets and no matted how difficult it would be. I always knew that kindness goes a long way, that being sensitive helps broken heart and heal a weakened soul.

I will always remember even if time erases and memories gone. As people come and go, as I was left alone, I will always remember by my heart.

Reflected

I started to wonder, when I leave, does anybody even look back at me? Do they even think of looking back just to see who is looking as they leave?

I was always the one looking back, even though they say that is bad luck. I think that was a voluntary move of me when someone walks away or leave. Maybe because when I look back I would find that there would be someone also looking back at me. But the thing is that when I look back there is no one looking back at me. They were already gone. Far away. I was just there standing still waiting for them to look back at me. Oftentimes, I just saw myself like that.

I am going to be always looking back; looking back to the people, to the places and to the times that had gone by. It is true what they say that when you know how to look back you always know who you really are. You will find what you are meant to be. I learned that as I look back this year of 2011, I even realized that it is not only how other people see you but how you see yourself when you are with them. I was conscious most of the time on how people perceived me to be. I was most of the time paranoid. What if what I was saying does not make sense to them? What if I was already hurting them or saying something offensive?

But eventually I learn to see my reflection on other people's eyes. How do I see me as I go along with them? I get to observe myself if I was really being true to the people around me. And there I saw my reflection . I saw how I struggle to fit it and be true to myself. One friend observed how I was not afraid to speak out my mind at all. Sometimes I think I became a mean person or I was being so blunt most of the times now. But in the end I was just being true. I was braver this time on speaking my mind when before I was always the quiet and timid one.

I finally found the right people and environment that I can reflect my true self. I was able to look back and see those persons also looking back at me. I was able to see a clear reflection of myself from someone I was able to trust. Though sometimes it is the wrong place, it really doesn't matter as long as I am seeing the right reflection on the right people.