Why I Hate Valentine's Day

I hate Valentine's Day. All the pink, all the lace and frills and hearts, all the couples debating in high voices what they're going to do...it drives me nuts. You could argue that I'm just a bitter, jealous girl who scorns relationships because I'm not in one. That's really not it. I just think, what is the significance of the day? If you like a guy/girl, and a guy/girl likes you, what grain of effect does Valentine's Day have on your relationship? You like each other the same, just as any other day.

I try to ignore Valentine's Day as much as possible. So imagine my horrified surprise when some guy says, "Oh yeah, it's Valentine's Day on Friday, isn't it?" and a bunch of girls reply in shock, scandalized by his mistake, "It's on THURSDAY!"

My French teacher laughs, and says, "What girl DOESN'T know when Valentine's Day is?"

Ahem. Me! I'm sure my face turned bright red. 

So while I am trying vehemently to ignore everything about Valentine's Day, here is how I am being hindered:

• Overenthusiastic announcements on our school TV and in the caf, "Valentine's Day is coming up! Show your love by buying all your friends a Candy Gram! Candy Grams are only 50 cents each, and they are sure to show everyone just how much you care about them!" Yeah, right. I care about you so much that I bought you a fifty-cent, red, heart-shaped lollipop that tastes like a hyperventilating hippopotamus threw up on it.
• Excited girls everywhere, squealing and gushing and giggling, gossiping about what outfit they're going to wear, how they're going to color-coordinate ("I am TOTALLY wearing pink. Omg, ___ you should so wear red! It looks so pretty on you!! Omg we can be, like, twins!"). Yeah, cause wearing pink on Valentine's Day totally indicates love and happiness.
• Advertisements on TV, telling me I have to attend Justice or Abercrombie because of the mega-super-awesome Valentine's Day sale they're having. "You get 2% off EACH ITEM YOU PURCHASE! What a deal! What a deal!"
• Valentine's Day (more like Valentine's Month, really) specials. "See Lauren and Conrad in this Valentine's Day special filled with MORE drama, spice, and never-before-seen scenes!" Seriously? I don't even watch TV, and each drama is literally shoved in my face from fifty feet away where some member of my family is watching the talking box.
• Blog updates, all giving me new DIYs for Valentine's Day and suggestions as to what I should get for my nonexistent spouse, my best friends, my mother, my father, even my teachers. "Valentine's Day is coming up, and here's why YOU should be excited!!" Hell no! I don't give a pig's nostril!

Okay, so maybe that was a bit much. Valentine's Day is pretty dumb, but there's one thing about it even I can't complain about: chocolate. The chocoholic inside me is drooling at the thought of all that yummy stuff, even if it is wrapped in shiny pink foil and shaped like a heart.

So Happy Valentine's day, everyone, and I hope you have a good one!

The Problem With Proverbs

How many times has an adult quoted some old wisdom upon you? Isn't it annoying? Especially when they make no sense! Here are some "wise quotes" people will tell you, and why they're completely false.

"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." Ever heard of polio? I mean, how many people narrowly escape death and become stronger? I think this quote should say, "What doesn't kill you will give you PTSD."

"No pain, no gain." While this can be interpreted several ways to make sense, there are also many ways that it makes no sense. For instance, when you are exercising, pain does not necessarily indicate gain. Pain, in general, indicates an injury. An injury is hardly gain. Many people strain themselves following this saying, and then are surprised when they don't see results.

"Money can't buy you happiness." Try saying that to a homeless person. It cannot be argued that pleasure and comfort, which can both be bought with money, can bring you happiness. What this quote should be is, "Happiness can be achieved without money."

"Failing to plan is planning to fail." Any saying that instructs you, that tells you exactly what you must do, is inevitably wrong. For instance, when writing, different things work for different people. I have planned about two essays in my life, and those were the only ones that I got below an A on. Of course, don't take the wrong idea from this example. Planning is good. Just don't plan like me.

"You are what you eat." I don't remember eating any tall Indian girls in my lifetime. Oh wait...there was that one time...no. Just no. A more accurate saying would be, "You are how much you eat," although that isn't necessarily true. For instance, I think I eat quite a lot per day. I am nowhere near the amount of food I've eaten in my lifetime.

"He who laughs last laughs best." Does this even need an explanation? No...he who laughs last didn't get the joke. I know because my brother does that. HOWEVER: I do realize that this can be interpreted as "having the last laugh"--meaning no one can top you.

"All things come to those who wait." What, all things come to those who wait till the last minute? No, I don't think so. Nothing good has ever come of procrastination: other than the project being cancelled at the last minute.

"Easy come, easy go." Acne comes easily. It does not go easily, unless you have a cortisone injection, which happens to be a steroid, therefore rather expensive. I would not consider that easily either.

"Silence is golden." I can think of so many examples that prove this wrong. What of the woman suffragist movement? Or even the Civil Rights movement? Marin Luther Kind, Jr.? Look what silence would have brought them!

"After the storm comes the calm." Hardly. Hurricane Sandy? The earthquake in Haiti? Those were storms, and the calm certainly didn't return right after.

Furthermore, there are quite a few popular proverbs that blatantly contradict each other. I mean, how can you take one seriously and not the other?

"The pen is mightier than the sword."
"Actions speak louder than words."
------------------------
"Many hands make light work."
"Too many cooks spoil the broth."
------------------------
"You're never too old to learn."
"You can't teach an old dog new tricks."
------------------------
Clothes make the man."
"Don't judge a book by its cover."
------------------------
"The best things come in small packages."
"The bigger, the better."
------------------------
"A miss is as good as a mile."
"Half a loaf is better than none."
------------------------
"Look before you leap."
"He who hesitates is lost."
------------------------
"If at first you don't succeed, try, try again."
"Don't beat a dead horse."
------------------------
"The early bird gets the worm."
"The second mouse gets the cheese."

So next time a proverbial saying makes you want to bang your head on a wall, let 'em know just what you think about proverbs! 

5 Everyday Questions--Answered

Nerd that I am, many questions enter my mind at every second. But several continue to plague me, and probably several of you too, so here they are: answered.

Why do we sound better singing in the shower?

The shower is a small, enclosed space. You are surrounded by hard, smooth surfaces that cause your voice to bounce back quickly, giving your voice more power than it would ordinarily have. Also, the sounds are bouncing around so much that sometimes they take longer to reach your ears. That way, they sound longer and fuller than they usually would be. 

If you drop a feather and a brick at the same time, shouldn't they fall at the same time?

Yeah--if there was no air. Air resistance acts more against a feather, because it is lighter, causing it to fall slower than the brick.

When you look at a clock, why does the second hand seem to freeze and then continue?

This illusion has been creatively named the "stopped clock illusion". The reason it occurs is because whenever you shift your eyes, though it usually isn't noticeable, you experience a momentary break in vision. When you shift your eyes to the clock, your vision is readjusting, and in that moment, your brain just fills in the blank with the second, so it seems to last a lot longer than it actually does.

Why do we cry when we chop onions?

Cutting up an onion releases a chemical, syn-propanethial-S-oxide, that irritates your eyes, causing them to tear up. What do you think they put into tear gas? Something similar, no doubt.

What happens to body fat when we lose weight?

My brother asked me this at some point, and it bothered me that I didn't know. "Doesn't the skin get all saggy there then?" he asked. "Plus where does that fat go?" I remember knowing this some time ago, but I forgot. Well, it bothered me so much that I decided to look it up. When you lose weight, the fat cells shrink. They don't fall off. They don't disintegrate. As to what happens to excess skin, well, that depends on how old you are. Your skin is elastic. But as you grow older, it doesn't retain its elasticity as well. If you were, say, 10, and you lost weight, the skin would tighten relatively quick. But if you were 41, your skin would have stretched and settled to suit your previous fat. It will show stretch marks, just like after pregnancy. It will be loose, but may tighten after a while, depending on several factors. That's why it's important to drink water, to maintain the elasticity of your skin.

I hope that was both informative and slightly entertaining. I certainly didn't cover every single question that plagues me--just the ones I could remember. I'll post a follow up when it comes to mind. What are some questions that plague you?

My Favourite Online Games

More ways to waste time! Who doesn't want those? Yep, it's here, a list of the most addicting games, bound to keep you hooked.

Hint: keep a Google tab or other educational tab open right next to your game, when your parents walk by just switch to that tab really quickly and stare at it until they leave. Hope that they don't notice. Hope that your computer doesn't freeze.

I'm not talking about MMORPGs. I'll write a separate post for those: I used to be obsessed. These are just no account, quick games that you can play anytime, anyplace. *cough, cough*

Here it is!

This is the Only Level TOO. Play as an elephant. Think outside the box. Be fast. Read the level title for clues. I beat this game. http://armorgames.com/play/5351/this-is-the-only-level-too
Chain Reaction. I beat this game. Click anywhere to start a chain reaction. Meet the goal. There are only 12 levels, so it's unfortunately short. But still, nice. yvoschaap.com/chainrxnadvanced/
The World's Hardest Game. You just gotta have quick fingers for this one. I think my highest is like...20? I forget, I haven't played it in forever. http://www.addictinggames.com/action-games/theworldshardestgame.jsp
The Impossible Quiz. Think outside the box. Also be quick. Expect surprises. No, it is not a logical quiz. I think my highest is question 89...?  http://www.addictinggames.com/puzzle-games/theimpossiblequiz.jsp
Google PacMan. Like the original, but cooler. I haven't gotten past the second peach. google.com/pacman
TypeRacer. There is NO better way to practice your typing skills. I swear. play.typeracer.com
Cat Mario. Oh my god. This is impossible and addicting! And everything's in Japanese. When you die, the evil monsters mock you IN JAPANESE. I mean, what is more infuriating than that?! You need Java to play. Also don't bother translating it. http://www.geocities.jp/z_gundam_tanosii/home/applet/Main.html
Run. There are 50 levels. I have gotten up to 49. Loads of my friends have beat it. There is a normal, fast, and impossible mode, but the impossible is only unlocked once you beat all of the levels. Alien-pigs are pretty awesome. http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/games/run

Of course, the list of games is constantly growing, so I shall definitely add another list when it comes to mind.

Until the next post! :)

More Addicting Apps

Remember the last time I posted one of these? That was a long time ago. But apps keep changin', and so do my opinions. More than is healthy, I think. So here's an all new list of apps you have to get!

Just a little note: I have the oldest iPod in the world. I swear, it's like a dinosaur. So there are probably other addicting apps out there, but these happen to be the ones I can actually download on my iPod.

If  I have indicated that there is a free version, that means that there is a paid and a free version. It also means that I think the paid version is worth the money.

Here are the must-have paid apps for your iDevice.

• Fruit Ninja. Whether you love fruit or you hate it, no one can refuse that slicing fruit isn't fun. Especially when it makes an awesome noise and explodes all over the place. That's exactly what Fruit Ninja is. The objective: slice as many fruit as possible. You can complete achievements, get powerups, and unlock blades and backgrounds. There is a free version.
• Unblock Me. Are you a lover of puzzles? Do you like for your brain to be challenged? Unblock Me is definitely for you. It starts off extremely easy, but there are innumerable puzzles to keep you and your brain occupied. There is a free version.
• Cut the Rope. More puzzles! Meet Om Nom, possibly the cutest monster ever. Find a way to get the candy to him by cutting ropes and activating stuff. Tons of challenging levels and achievements. There is a free version.
• Pinger or Textfree. Made by the same company, these are probably the coolest apps ever. They let you get your own number, text any number in the US and Canada, no limit, for FREE. This whole app is FREE. There are no catches. NONE. Also you can log in and text your friends from the computer at pinger.com/tfw. You can call for free too, but you have to earn/buy minutes. Fantastic app.
• Traffic Rush. This one's an oldie, but it's really great. Prevent the cars from crashing by swiping. There isn't a free version. But it's worth the money.

I hope this list was helpful to all who read it. Feel free to mention your own favourite apps! Also, keep an eye out for my next post: best online games.

Sleeping Tips

Who doesn't love sleep? It's funny how we hated sleep time back in elementary school, when plenty was available to us, but after that even a few hours of sleep is a treasure. That doesn't mean you can't get the most out of your shut-eye. Here are seven must-know facts about sleeping.

1. Hour naps keep you alert for 10 hours afterward. Have to pull an all-nighter? Never fear! Get a good hour of sleep just before, and you're good to go. Be warned, however, you may experience post-sleep grogginess by exceeding 45 minutes of sleep. A solution I always go for is splashing my face with cold water. The shock wakes up your brain. Hopefully.
2. Don't work/study in your room if you can help it. By doing so, you are associating struggling, stress and tension with your room. This can have a negative effect on your sleep--you will start stressing out in your sleep. Of course, this isn't possible for everyone.
3. If you're going to exercise before bed, do it at least 30 minutes before. That's exactly the time it will take for your body to feel tired. Any less than that, and your body will still be alert, and you'll have trouble falling asleep.
4. Stay cool. I find that curling up in my blankets, unless it's really really cold, often has me up in the middle of the night, sweating and sweltering hot. Not good. A cool, relaxed temperature helps for the best sleep.
5. Don't drink caffeine right before bed. Actually, don't drink anything with sugar. This should be self-explanatory.
6. Those who sleep more are less likely to gain weight (and acne). It's true! Sleep deprivation can lead to stress, which can trigger your hormones to start storing fat. Stress also leads to acne.
7. Try to have a regular sleep time and wake-up. Your body works well on a routine. Bathroom stuff comes regularly, wakefulness is much improved, you'll feel less sleepy at other times because your body knows it will get sleep later.

Hope these helped anyone who needed them. What are your best tips for having a good sleep?

Merry Christmas

Well, it's that time of the year again. That time where carols and remixes are drilled into our head. That time when we are already tired of decorations before the whole thing is over. Yeah, it's Christmas again.

My parents have this weird way of telling us that they forgot to get us presents ("Oh, Aditi, we didn't have time to go out and buy presents this time."), and then acting all surprised when the presents magically turn up on Christmas morning ("I wonder how that got there!"). Really? REALLY? Well, I still love 'em for it.

I always break out in pimples around Christmas because of all those candy canes. Geez. My sugar addiction is gonna be the death of me someday. The days right before winter break, I probably eat about 3-4 candy canes a day. What is with the addiction of those things? Maybe I shouldn't have moved to America. I mean, the chances of overeating and getting fat and all that are so high! Plus, we use all these crappy measurement systems that make no sense and that no other country uses. I mean, a measurement system based on Queen Victoria's elbow? You know, a NASA project failed because the US used yards and the other party used meters. Anyways, this has virtually nothing to do with Christmas.

Speaking of Christmas, most schools give us students a winter break. Also schools are not allowed to give us homework over winter break. Well, if there's plain holiday and no homework, then what are those of us who aren't on vacation supposed to freaking do? When we were in elementary school, any break from school was a welcome relief. Now? There's nothing to do! When I'm not practicing piano or dance or working on projects, what am I supposed to do? Mess around on the computer like I'm doing now? Actually, there are quite a few ideas.

• Start a blog. Sound familiar?
• Visit a museum. You could learn quite a lot about something you thought you already knew.
• Draw comics. I did this once when I was bored. My friend nearly peed his pants laughing. 
• Write a short story. Nothing like writing stories to improve your skill.
• Write a poem. The same can be said for poetry.
• Teach yourself something new. There are so many tutorials out there on the web. Learn how to cook. Learn how to make a friendship bracelet. Learn a magic trick.
• Look at old photos, old notebooks, old papers. You'll be surprised how entertaining it can be to see a younger version of yourself. Thoughts include, but are not limited to: 
• "Man, I was so stupid in 5th grade!"
• "Was that me? Seriously?"
• "HAHAHAHAHA!"
• "I hope no one decides to show this to my future spouse."
• Get outside your comfort zone. Go hiking. Listen to new music. 
• Set small challenges. Today, I am not going to check my Google+.
• Make a list (or two). Lists are fantastically fun! Make a list of things you hate, of things you love, or things that annoy the hell out of you. Anything.

Of course, if all else fails, sleep! Nothing like a little extra sleep. God knows I need it. Once again, I have gotten completely off topic. Or maybe this was my intention. I'll never know. Frankly, my brain works in a weird way. 

What do you like to do when you're bored?

Things That Annoy Me (more than they should)

I am a very negative person. I am annoyed by a lot of things, including but not limited to:

• when people are obsessed with a boy singer/boy band just cause they're hot
• when people bother me when I'm reading
• when people call me girly because I wear a dress or a skirt sometimes
• when people try anything to get attention
• when people post statuses every minutes about their doings, as if we care
• when people waste the teacher's time on purpose by asking dumb questions
• when people try to force their opinions on others (yeah, I know I'm being hypocritical)
• when girls keep combing through their hair with their fingers--are you itchy or what?
• when guys flip their hair like Justin Bieber
• when people put down their parents in public (and additionally, expect us to be sympathetic)

What do YOU hate?

The Types of Chatters

I have a lot of different types of friends, and as I chatted with them, I couldn't help noticing that they all have different styles. I also noticed a bit of a correlation between time spent online and chatting style.

• The Smiler: This person adds an emoticon onto everything. Everything. Even when it doesn't make sense. 
• "how are you? :)"
• "is she bothering you? :)"
• "aww, i'm so sorry :)"
• The Txtr: This person leaves out as many letters as they can. Their words are virtually illegible. 
• "wht r u up 2?"
• "is lf ok rt nw?"
• "thts so wrd!!"
• The Queen of Hearts: Just like the Smiler, the Queen of Hearts tags on a heart to every line. 
• "i'm reading harry potter <3"
• "i like to eat <3"
• "i'm going to the bathroom <3"
• The Novelist: This person writes paragraphs. All the time. I confess, I do this a lot. It's not all that bad because it's usually not boring. But still. Most of these examples are quite dramatic, so I shall refrain from providing an example.
• The Newsperson: This person provides you with updates, accurate to the very second, on what they are doing. Hooray! Free news!
• "i'm drinking water now"
• "doing my homework"
• "i have to pee!"
• The Lol-er: Either this person says "lol" in awkward situations, or they actually think everything is funny. 
• "i saw a pig on the way home lol"
• "i have to eat dinner sorry lol"
• "i failed my math test lol"
• The Ghetto Speaker: This person talks in ghetto language. It's actually kind of funny. They emphasize every accent and syllable.
• "naw, dat ain't no right answer!"
• "das dayum weyurd!"
• "yo dawg, how's the man?"
• The Random Typer: Whenever there's an awkward pause, this person decides to break the tension by smashing their hands onto the keyboard and pressing enter. It's not very effective.
• "asdfghjkl;"
• "asilhvjanerjerlhvjalnvwuoeghuergbe"
• "$*#&(*$)HNWHD"

7 Reasons Chocolate Should Have Its Own God

Lots of religions have gods for multiple things. They all have different names, of course, but they are essentially god of the same things. There are gods of love: Venus, Aphrodite, Kama, Hathor, etc. There are gods of the sun: Apollo, Surya, Ra. But what about gods of chocolate? I'll give you 7 reasons that chocolate should have its own god.

1. It is essential to life. Seriously, who can live without chocolate?
2. It is a topic of research. People are trying to find out more.
3. It is a controversial subject. Just like love!
4. It tastes good. Water tastes good, and it has its own god.
5. It is found in many different forms. Bars, shakes, smoothies, coffees, syrups.
6. It looks awesome. Doesn't it? 
7. It's chocolate. Isn't that technically reason enough?

How To Annoy People...A Lot

I really need to try some of these.

1. Insist that your drive-through order is TO GO.
2. Go to a restaurant and throw a bunch of ketchup packets on the ground. Stamp on them.
3. Signal that a conversation is over by clamping your hands over your ears.
4. Staple papers in the middle of the page.
5. Wave randomly at strangers. If they ask you about it, say, "I saw you at ___'s house!" Insist that it's true.
6. Walk into a restaurant and refuse to be seated. Just stuff all their mints into your pockets and walk out.
7. Yell, "Do you hear that?!". When they respond, reply with, "Never mind, it's gone."
8. Ask people what gender they are.
9. Attend a poetry recital. Then ask why the poems don't rhyme.
10. Ask people random questions and write down their answers in a notebook. Mutter something about "mental health".

Hm, quite a lot of these. If I get enough, maybe I'll make a separate page of things you need to do. Haha. You know what, if I actually do one of these, I'll post a video of it. Sound good?

Coolest Interactive Tools Ever

So I was browsing around when I stumbled upon some really cool interactive things. I made a list.
Note: I use Google Chrome and I haven't tested these on other browsers. They work best on Chrome.

• Ball Droppings. All right, that's a weird name, but it's incredibly cool. There are lots of tiny little balls dropping from this tube off the screen. You can draw lines with your mouse. The balls bounce off these lines and create sounds while doing so. With the right lines, you can make a tune! http://balldroppings.com/js/
• Sound Matrix. This one deals with sounds as well. There's a huge grid of squares and you can click on a bunch of them to start a tune. http://www.sneakytime.com/sound/
• Silk. This one is graphic. It's really pretty. You can drag your mouse around and it'll create this silky, smoky, colourful mist that's easy on the eyes. It does create sound as well; based on what you draw. The sounds are relaxing and soothing. http://new.weavesilk.com/?ika/
• Google Gravity. This one's nice; it's basically Google, except everything falls down and crashes. Results come crashing down from the top. Fun to play around with. This guy has a blog, too. And there's other cool stuff on his website. This one, Google Gravity, just happens to be my favourite. http://mrdoob.com/92/google_gravity
• Touch Effects. This one's by Microsoft, but don't get scared away. It's pure eye candy. Click, and the dots follow your mouse. http://ie.microsoft.com/testdrive/Graphics/TouchEffects/

Have fun! And don't get distracted!

Apps You Need to Get

Hey...I was playing on my iPod touch earlier. It's a really old version, but I was still pleased by how the apps manage to keep me from being bored. So I wanted to put together a list of really awesome apps, for the bored people out there. Some of these you will probably know.

Warning: they are quite addicting.

Warning: I mean, really addicting.

Warning: Like really really really--

• Temple Run. This one is pretty obvious. You swipe left, right, up, and down. Some of the high scores on Game Center are staggering. But just to disillusion you, there is a cheat that a lot of people use in Temple Run. Highlight to read: Play in Tutorial Mode. When it tells you to turn, quickly swipe in that direction not once, but three times. Swipeswipeswipe--then the game should shift to an unending bridge. Sometimes there will be powerups, sometimes not. What you can do now is plug the device in to charge and leave it in that infinite mode. Next morning, check it. Surprise! You have, like, 20 million points and counting! Yay!

• Jetpack Joyride. Not many people have heard of this one. But it's just as addicting as dear old Temple Run. You press down to rise up, and you try to avoid obstacles such as zappers and lasers. Also you get to kill scientists.
• Surviving High School. Play as several different characters as you try to get through a time period in high school. Go through relationships, friendships, grades, and competition. There are mini-games within the game. It's super addicting, and the best part is, they add a free episode every week!
• Pocket Frogs. Now, for me, this one was really fun at first. After a while, it became really old. Basically you start out with a couple of frogs. You can buy new ones, or breed the ones you already have. You can also take one of your frogs at a time to a pond; here you can find gifts, or other frogs to breed with. There are levels of frogs, ranging from common to rare to legendary.
• Animation Desk. For budding animators, this app gives you a lot of freedom to animate. You can make as many frames as you want, set it to a speed, and choose from over 50 colours. After that, you can email it to yourself. It costs money, though.
• SpyMouse. This is the most addicting game ever. You play as a mouse, trying to collect all the pieces of cheese in each level without getting beaten up by the cats. You can hide in the shadows, you can eat peppers to make you go faster, you can buy a bunch of utilities like rollerblades. The only thing that sucks is that if you press the home button in the middle of a level, the game never loads again. That happened to me quite a few times, but I always managed to get it to load. Not this time. It's gone for life, but I haven't tried re-downloading it. I'm scared that my progress will be deleted.
• Logo Quiz. Truly an app for puzzle-lovers. This tests your knowledge of logos from everywhere. There are endless levels. It's fantastic. And if you get stuck, there's an app called Logo Quiz Cheats to help you out.

I'll add more later on. Hope this is helpful, and hope you enjoy the apps! :)

Things You Should Definitely Do

Here's a list of things you should DEFINITELY do, to make life a little more interesting. Note: I don't take responsibility for any trouble you may get in. :P

1. Hire two private investigators. Get them to follow each other.
2. Wear a shirt that says "Life". Hand out lemons on the street.
3. Get into a crowded elevator and say "I bet you're all wondering why I gathered you here today."
4. Get a Ph.D. Change your last name to "acula".
5. Get a parrot, and teach it to say, "Help! _____ turned me into a parrot!"
6. Run up to someone and say, "You're one of THEM!". Run away as fast as you can. Pretend to trip and fall down. Get back up and keep running.
7. Look into the glass wall of a store, and if someone else is on the other side looking back, yell, "Oh my god! I'm hideous!"
8. Go to McDonald's and ask for directions to Burger King.
9. When you're tardy to class, tell the teacher your pet rock had a seizure.
10. Go up to people at the mall, show them a picture of yourself and say, "Have you seen this person?"
11. Throw a ball at someone and say, "Stupid Pokemon! Get back into your Pokeball!"
12. Follow a stranger around in a store and spray everything they touch with disinfectant.
13. Hide in a broom closet and when someone walks in, say, "Ah, young one, welcome to Narnia."
14. Buy a packet of birdseed and ask how long it will take for the birds to grow. VARIATION: cheerios and donuts.
15. Go into a dressing room, wait 5 minutes, then say, "Hey, there's no toilet paper in here!"
16. Go hug a tree and then say to a stranger, "Sorry, I was having a moment."
17. Get into a taxi, point to a car and yell, "FOLLOW THAT CAR!"
18. Hide in the clothes rack at a store and when people look through the clothes, say, "Pick me! Pick me!"
19. Buy a HUGE diaper, then go up to a stranger and say, "You dropped this."
20. Go up to a lady with a daughter and say, "Your son is adorable."

Hehehehehehe. Hope you like it...and please, please don't try the majority of these.

Harry Potter

I dunno if I've mentioned that I love the Harry Potter series before. Well, I do. I've loved it every since I read the first book in 6th grade. Since then, I've read each book about 20-something times, discovering hidden meanings in each book.

 Harry ponders over his scar in the mirror.

But a few days ago, I questioned myself. It takes some really good writing for me to appreciate any book.Why, I asked myself, why, why, why do I love the Harry Potter books so much? 

So I decided to make a list.

1. It's fantasy. And that helps me throw the real world out the window and take a bite of the fresh writing.
2. It's realistic. I know I just contradicted my previous sentence, but in all honesty, Harry and his friends go through experiences similar to...well...Muggles. Other than all the spell-casting and wand-waving, they have emotions and feelings, and that helps people relate to them.
3. It's well-written. That seems obvious, right? Who would love a book that wasn't well-written? You'd be surprised. A lot of books are trash, but because of their exciting/romantic plotlines, people read them anyway. Not Harry Potter. 
4. It's thrilling. No one--well, not me, at least--wants to read a book without ups and downs, twists and turns.
5. It's full of substance. Like I said before, a lot of books pretty much rely on romance. They have angsty love triangles and fairytale romances. Ew. Ew ew ew. Thankfully, the Harry Potter series doesn't have romance until the ending books, and even that is lighthearted; if a reader skipped over those bits, the book would still make sense; it would still be interesting.
6. It's dark, but it's still happy. Not many books can pull that off. Harry Potter's tale is sad. It makes me cry. But it has a happy ending, and it leaves us with the nice feeling that despite tragedy and murder and all that, life can still be happy.
7. It's like a puzzle; everything fits. Everything. The spells are named after the Latin/French word for their effects, the names are based off of old English words, etc. And not just that, but all confusions are cleared up logically at the ends of the books, and you feel like, "Oh, why didn't I see that before?"

So yeah, seven for luck. By the way, the sketch up there? It's from nocturnalsoldier.org/Tealin/harry.html. He's got some fantastic artwork.

5 Creative Anti-Smoking Ads

These anti-smoking ads are both creative and effective. Ugh. Imagine brushing your teeth with cigarettes.