Sunday, October 30, 2016

OOTD: Halloweekend 2016

Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't posted in more than a week, I had 4 tests this week! I feel like when Halloween is on a weekday, the weekend before is when everyone celebrates it. Tomorrow, October 31, is actually Halloween, but my friends and I went to a party on Saturday and dressed up. On Halloween, my class is being Rosie the Riveter at school (there will possibly a post about this).

                                I was a devil for the Halloween party, and my friend was an angel.


My outfit:
Lace Up Shirt from H&M - $17 (about)
Tennis Skirt from American Apparel - $52
Lace Tights from H&M - $12
Steve Madden Boots
Horns from Ricky's - $3.50

I don't like to buy costumes from Halloween Pop-Up shops, so it's fun for me to make my own costumes, and of course go shopping to do so.


Question: If you celebrate Halloween, what are you dressing up as?
                                                                        xx
                                                           Christina Madeleine
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Sunday, October 16, 2016

Book Review: I Am The Messenger

Hey everyone! This time I am going to do a book review on I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak. He is the writer of one of my favorite books, The Book Thief. I have been meaning to read this book for a long time, and I am glad that I was finally able to. This book took be a little more than a week to read. I think I am going to start doing more book reviews because I have read many books this year due to the GoodReads Reading Challenge (I am on book 25 of 30).


Synopsis from Amazon:

By the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Book Thief, this is a cryptic journey filled with laughter, fists, and love.

Ed Kennedy is an underage cabdriver without much of a future. He's pathetic at playing cards, hopelessly in love with his best friend, Audrey, and utterly devoted to his coffee-drinking dog, the Doorman. His life is one of peaceful routine and incompetence until he inadvertently stops a bank robbery.

That's when the first ace arrives in the mail. That's when Ed becomes the messenger. Chosen to care, he makes his way through town helping and hurting (when necessary) until only one question remains: Who's behind Ed's mission?


My Thoughts:

 This book, right off the bat, has different vibes than The Book Thief. Does that make this book bad? Not at all.  The two books are completely separate and shouldn't really be compared. This book has the same sort of feeling as Looking for Alaska by John Green, because both main characters are lanky boys who kind of have the odds against them in a sense.

The main character, Ed Kennedy, is a very funny character to me. He didn't go to university, and he drives a cab around. He lives in a shack with his 17 year old dog who loves coffee, and is called The Doorman. Ed Kennedy at first seemed like a character with no potential, and I felt like I would get bored of him very easily. I was pleasantly surprised how he gets himself together to complete tasks that seem impossible at first. He is smarter than he is made out to be, and Zusak emphasizes on how many books Ed has read, which is always a very good thing.

The other characters that are involved with the messages that Ed receives, make this story very unique. Without giving too much away, each character has something wrong going on in their life that which needs to be changed, and Ed is the guy who is destined to make the lives of these people better. The characters seem almost real because of their circumstances such as abuse, abandonment, loneliness, poverty, and just being down on yourselves.

This book also has the underlying theme of mysterious because the whole time you ask, "Who is sending all these messages and tasks to Ed?"

I really liked this book, and I do recommend it from teenagers to adults because it isn't written in a too complex way, and it's an interesting read that makes you think.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Some Favorite Quotes:

“Sometimes people are beautiful.
Not in looks.
Not in what they say.
Just in what they are.” 

“It's not a big thing, but I guess it's true--big things are often just small things that are noticed.”

“You can kill a man with those words.
No gun.
No bullets.
Just words and a girl.”

“Only in today's sick society can a man be persecuted for reading too many books.” 

“People die of broken hearts. They have heart attacks. And it's the heart that hurts most when things go wrong and fall apart.”
 

Questions: Have you read this book? Also, what are some books that you recommend?

                                                                      xx
                                                        Christina Madeleine
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Tuesday, October 11, 2016

International Day of the Girl 2016

Hey everyone! Today is International Day of the Girl, along with Coming Out Day. I feel like these are two important days of the year and show how much we have grown as a more accepting world in the 21st century. I wanted to do a post today on the the importance of being a girl and how awesome it can be. I've been inspired today because of all the positive posts and videos that I have seen about being a woman.



I am a feminist, so to clarify for those of you who don't know the right definition of feminism it is...the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men. Feminism to me means that I want all genders to be equal. I, personally, advocate for the gender pay gap to be closed because I don't understand why I shouldn't be paid the same amount of money as a male for the same job. I also advocate for men and women to not be forced in societal standards. Why do we use terms such as "man up," "you run like a girl,"or the use of a word that has made a lot of headlines lately due to Donald Trump.

Girls need to be supported in everything we do. The world was run by white males for thousands of years, and females became the oppressed sex. Girls are still seen as sex objects in many countries, and are forced into prostitution before they even understand their own body. For many centuries, girls weren't even allowed to have an education because their jobs were to clean the house and raise children. To this day, girls make up 2/3 of the amount of people in the world who are illiterate. Less than 40% of countries in present day do not give equal education for boys and girls. I am blessed that I was born into the life that I have because I get to have an education, and will be able to graduate from college and get a job. The United States is one of the countries that has made a leap (not a big enough leap, but a leap all the same) to give girls equal education because for every 100 boys in University, there are 103 girls.There are girls around the world who even if they want an education do not have the financial means to or are not allowed to by their family, government, or other forces. In countries such as Nigeria, school girls were captured by extremist groups just for wanting an education. How is this fair to girls? Why is it seen as illegal in many countries just to receive an education?

Girls deal with problems that nobody should be subjected to. Rape is a problem in all genders, but when we have political figures trying to stop non-profits such as Planned Parenthood, we fear for our future generations. Without getting too political, girls need a round of applause for dealing with a choice shaming society for whatever they do. I've seen stories of girls getting shamed for getting an abortion even though it's their own body. I've seen stories of girls getting shamed for keeping a baby no matter what the circumstances. How can a girl develop and prosper in a world where whatever their decision they get shamed?

I can go on and on about the statistics of women in the world and all the injustices they face, but now I am going to talk about the pros of being a girl and the empowerment we deserve.

Women received the right to vote in 1920 in the United States. At the time, this right didn't include all women, but it was a step in the right direction. This is important for me because in the year 2020, I will be able to vote for the president of the United States.

Women can be in the Olympics, and win medals in the sports they compete in. If you haven't learned anything from the Summer 2016 Olympics, then you should look to see how many women won medals in the sports they competed in.

Girls are the future. There is not a job or thing we cannot do. Just because people use the insult "like a girl," that doesn't mean that you can't do something. Yes, I am a girl and I can run, finish college, get a degree, be an engineer, be a soccer player, be a CEO, and anything else I set my mind to.

Everyone should work to build each other up because that's how we make progress. We live in a time with computers, iPhones, and technology that can send our message out in minutes. We need to raise awareness for those who are suffering from injustice, and support those who are trying to beat it. You don't have to be a girl to support other girls, but by not using derogatory terms to put others down is a step in the right direction.

Here are some videos that can explain the importance of celebrating girls:

Hurdles: Narrated by Emma Watson

"Like a Girl" by Always


"The Woman Card"

Emma Watson speaking at the UN in 2012 on Feminism and the #HeforShe Movement.




If you get anything at all from this post, it is to support girls because they are the future when it comes to progressing in society. It is the end of an era of oppressing women. Spread the word about International Day of the Girl, and fight for it to become an even bigger thing. 

                                                                   xx
                                                      Christina Madeleine

*If I said any things that are politically incorrect, it is not my conscious intention to do so*

Start a conversation below in the comments about feminism, the importance of girls, and whatever else in the comments below.


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