The (Incredible) Invention of Hugo Cabret

I just finished reading this book called The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. This is an amazing young adult book that I guess you can classify it as a graphic novel. Brian Selznick tells his story through the use of words, amazing pencil drawings and photographs. It is a very quick read too, but it is VERY satisfying. Hugo Cabret is a boy whose father dies in a fire after telling Hugo about an automaton he found in the attic of the museum in which he works. Hugo's uncle takes him in and forces him to learn about clocks and to fix those train station. His Uncle goes missing and he is basically left to fend for himself, continuing to fix the clocks and stealing just to survive. He slowly befriends a girl who is the goddaughter of the man who runs a toy shop in ght station in which Hugo steals items from. He slowly finds pieces of a puzzle that reveals his connection with the girl and her goddparents. Its a great book and you should most DEFINATELY read it. These are some of the drawings from the book.


This is very entertaining for children and is a good idea for some family time together. It cna be read in one day, don't let the length fool you (over 500 pages). Its a great way to spend quality family time together, it doesn't cost lots of money, and you spend time with the people you love.

Melodical Exposure

Welcome to a new edition of Music Mondays. Well, it used to be called Music Mondays, and it used to come out on Mondays, but now I have decided to change the title and the day it comes out. I still don't have a specific day yet of when I want to post some music I want to share, but we'll see what happens.

Now, for this edition of Melodical Exposure, I thought I would put up Fall Out Boy. I was in the shower this morning and this song came on my phone. It is so catchy, you just can't help but dance when you hear it. The intro melody (before the wind instruments kick in) reminds me of Scissor Sisters' first album. Anyways, This band is really talented. Their guitar riffs are great, their tunes can be haunting and lovely at the same time. Their music just doesn't let you sit still too long without getting up and dancing and singing. Its kind of like dance rock, only it doesn't have that fixed beat in the background: there's variance. Plus the titles of their songs are a mouth full! Makes for some added fascination.

Just a little trivia: The band is named after "Fallout Boy," the sidekick for Radioactive Man, a comic book character from "The Simpsons". Cool :)

Enjoy the tunes!

You Better Shop Around

I have always wanted to get a mannequin, but they are NOT cheap. I have been keeping my eye out for these, to see it the prices were ever affordable, but they never have been. Ah, but bliss hath ventured my way. As a department store was closing here in my town, I noticed these two girls walking around, trying to carry a mannequin, but it was a full bodied one (not full body as in "plus size" but full body as in she had the torso, arms to about right below her elbows, and legs to just below her knees. And no, they did not grab a "plus size" mannequin, they grabbed the skinny-never-eats mannequin). I excitedly asked where they got it and they pointed me in the direction. It was sad looking, like a bunch of not wanted, half figured people in a back corner, some were white, others brown, some eggshell, a few men. Some of the girls even had their breasts smooshed in. It was a weird sight for sure. But, I searched and searched. My mom helped me pick her out. I chose to go with a full figured, or what is known as "plus size" mannequin. I think she looks WAY more feminine than those other sticks. I am not just saying that because I want to "be the change I wish to see in the world" (Gandhi), but I truly believe she looks more feminine. Anyways, I have not named her yet, but I am thinking of a really classic, old fashioned, cannot-mistake-her-for-an-unclassy-lady name. Maybe Clementine, or Virgina. I don't know yet.

Well, the waiting definitely payed off. Instead of paying upwards of a few 100 dollars for her, it was the second to the last day and I got her for a steal! Only $25! Good things come to those who shop around.

Great Movie

I am a SUCKER for those romantic comedies, or girl power movies, or what is otherwise branded as "chick flicks". They are just so enjoyable to me. I know things like that never happen, but I think that's why I like them so, they are a break from reality. They are like dreams that you can enjoy for an hour and a half, and when you get up, you can still remember them! But, they do have one side effect: they make you hurt. They end up giving you a false hope, that fairytales do come true and there is a prince charming and blah blah blah. There are VERY few of us who will end up with thier true love, and they are very blessed for that. All us others have to settle, or don't even try to find it cuz girl, it ain't gonna happen!

But! There are other good things that come out of it, like the fashion! I'm not a huge fashion guru by ANY means, and I don't go around shopping for names or only wear things because whats-his-face designed it. All I know is, if I like it and it don't cost me an arm an a leg to buy it, I'm grabbin it! I just bought Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 and watched it probably a 3rd time. I LOVE that movie. I don't know why, but its entertaining to me. The girl I take fashion advice from it Amber Tamblyn's hippy-punk/chic character Tibby Rollins. This girl can DRESS! (or at least the costume desingers know what they are doing). I just LOVE her style. And, the thing of it is, her style can be mimiced for pretty cheap. Similar clothing items can be found in thirft stores and other second hand stores for a fraction of the cost of any other style in movies. I spend HOURS searching online, looking for her wardwrobe just so I can get some ideas and pictures. I ended up on a website called Premier Props. This webiste has countless movie memorabilia for sale. Yes the prices are ridiculus, but you can get some great ideas for your own closet.

You should check it out. The fashion is great. PLUS! They have REALLY great man-candy :).
Enjoy!!

First edition of Music Mondays!!!

I thought it would be a great thing to share some music with ya'll weekly. Music is inspirational. You can listen to a song and you can be filled with all sorts of emotions. You can even listen to a song and feel emotions you have no idea why you are feeling them. Music is awesome. Without it, life would be quite monotone :). Anyways, this is what I would like to share with you today, one of my favorite bands, The Kooks!

The Little Stone

This is a little story I wrote back in April. I like to get a little fancy when I write whats on my mind. I have to hunt for the perfect word because using the right word can make or break your story and correctly express your feelings.

A little stone, porous, irregular and uneven. It sits in the dark, surrounded by silence and forlornness. Floating right up there, in the recesses, up in that corner. Do you see it? Do you feel it yet? Its presence is unbeknownst, for without consciously seeking it out, it would flutter from existence.

Suddenly, a great heavy mass surrounds the stone, threatening all its force upon it. There is little darkness left between the stone and the great mass. Drudgingly, this eminent peril engulfs the remaining nothingness that once held that stone so delicately. The stone’s lowly and meager life is at stake. There is nowhere for the little stone to go, it cannot escape this ostensible
destiny that is deliberately eating up the freedom it held just moments ago. The mass draws near, dawdling...

Darkness. The little stone is hurled into darkness! No more naïveté. No more bliss. No more sauntering. No more……….nothing. The great mass has won! Yet another lowly life, swiftly and
selfishly taken. Ah, but do not fear, for patterns can be broken. But is it true? Can this little stone defeat this hungry giant? Can it change what has happened oh so many countless times before?

The great mass presses its strength in on the little stone. It pulsates inward, surrounding the little stone with all the force it can muster. Over and over again it squeezes the lowly life force,
breaking its will, its felicity, our confidence. ....

Then, heat. Radiating heat from the center of the great mass. It starts out warm, a pleasant, comforting sensation, one that calms and relaxes those in its presence. It sluggishly increases its power to a temperature that begins to become uncomfortable for its occupants. Then, a blinding light. Nothing is visible. Nothing is heard. Just….feelings. Again, feelings! A blanket of light covers that place, that recess, up in that corner. Nothingness. But this time, a good nothingness. The silence returns. The forlornness accompanies. But this time, oh this time, something has changed. Is this, appreciation? Yes. Regard. Esteem and respect. Yes. But for what? For whom? For the great mass? Maybe. No, not maybe, yes. Definitely yes. With time it becomes a yes. Not its existence, nor its actions, nor its hunger for the little stone. No no no, not for any of those reasons. But because of what it caused the stone to become. For through all this toil and trouble and expenditure, this enfeebled stone emerged.

It emerged smooth and polished. Restored to an even better state. It is not hard in that it has no feelings. It is strong, ready to face another day, ready to face the next great mass that is sure to
come its way. Yes, it is inevitable. Yes, it will come again, maybe even soon. But the little stone will prevail. It will become smoother, stronger, and better. It will not become perfect, for if it did, well why would I waste time telling you this story? That’s now how things work out. That’s not reality. But it will become all the wiser. It will live on and retell this story to others who need
to hear it, when they need to hear it

Don’t believe me? Why don’t you ask?

Go on.

Reminiscing

I was just surfing the web, getting rather bored with it, when I came across a movie that me and my siblings would watch ALL THE TIME (not to mention many others. My mom must have gotten aNNOYed with us lol). Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. I have not seen this movie in God knows how long. But I was on YouTube and I found my favorite part of the movie (well, one of them anyways. Who am I kidding, the whole thing is awesome!)

Haha this is so catchy!
And now that I am reminiscing, lets get some more Dick Van Dyke on here:

That was another one of our favorites.
And can't forget the dirty chimney sweepers (my fave)

*sigh* this can go on for pages, but I will (with great reluctance) end it here. There will be more to come in the future though, rest assured.

A Great Addition to Our Body-Conscious Society (moslty centered on women): Advertising

So I was stumbling (if you haven't done it yet, either get it or don't. I can't decide if I want to recommend something so addicting to someone or not... ) and I ran across this wonderful blog post that challenged the norm of beauty. Everywhere we go there is advertising. Most talk about or hint at the way a woman's body is "supposed" to look if she wants to fit into the status quo of beauty. The blogger did this for a project in school and she and her professor were satisfied at how it turned out. I think she did a wonderful job. Heres a pic from her blog (click on it to get a bigger pic). You can see more here.

Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson. How can I NOT mentioned him? He was an amazing person, with unmatched talent, a heart for children and helping and changing this world for the better. He is an inspiration for us all. He donated money to and helped countless charities (I remember hearing somewhere that there was over 39 he contributed to). He lived like a child, with animals all over his property, visiting Disneyland and enjoying the company of people. He was remarkable. People say that his couplings were "odd" or "strange", like for instance him and Liza Minnellie, or him and Brooke Shields, or him and Diana Ross or Macaulay Culkin or whoever. But the very fact that he hung out and created these "odd couplings" pays homage to his person: he was like a child, he did not care who he hung out with or who he befriended, just as long as they were good people and he enjoyed hanging out with them. That's all that mattered. That's all that does matter. He knew what was going on. He wanted to change the world, and as he said "It don't matter if you're black or white". It doesn't matter. We shouldn't even have picture captions and articles stating "odd couplings" or the like. It doesn't matter.

Brook Shields spoke at his memorial today. I think she did a fantastic job. She brought his person down to earth, made people see the "Man in the Mirror" as he would say. She painted a picture of the real Michael Jackson, joking, laughing, happy, playful, like a child. He was WELL loved and look up to. He did great things for this world, bringing people together, helping others, and influencing others to do the same. I hope he is remembered for the greatness that he has done. I know he is going to be greatly missed, but when the Big Guy upstairs calls its time to come on home.


This just shows how caring and loving he really was

Happy 4th!

We celebrate Independence Day today. A day in which we are to be grateful for our independence. We celebrate the best way we humans know how: we pig out! Ever notice how wonderful eating is!? It is brings people together, and with a great tasting meal, it is VERY effective. Great, all American food brings the talkative side of people. Today, all across the country, Americans will be firing up the grill and slappin on the hamburgers and the hot dogs. Bring out the beers, cut up the watermelon, whip up some potato salad and light up them sparklers, its time! When I think of a "typical" good 'ol American celebration, I automatically think of The Sandlot. When Smalls and the rest of the team enjoy the fireworks (except Bennie, he takes playing ball VERY seriously. What a dedicated 12 year old). So let us enjoy our delicious food and be grateful we are independent. This is a VERY inexpensive celebration that brings people together and having a good time outside, enjoying God's green earth. Even watching the fireworks is free! You get a free light show just for being American! How great is that! HAHHA! :)

Speaking of food though, my dad and I ate at this fantastic restaurant up in Sacramento, CA. We went up there to pick up my awesome cousin Vicky from Utah. She took the Amtrak train all the way over. Fun trip :). Well, we got there 2 hours early so we can look around the city a bit. We did and got back to the train, and then they said it was delayed for two more hours! So what did we do? (After we moaned and groaned for a little while) We ate! We went to Old Town Sac and ate at this LOVELY place called Joe's Crab Shack. Oh man talk about awesome atmosphere! This place was busy, the staff were REALLY nice, EXCELLENT customer service (which is VERY hard to find these days) and they are laid back. Its not too expensive and its very entertaining. Every few hours, they put on the spot lights in the restaurant and they dance to Car Wash by Rose Royce. EXCELLENT! Relieves the stress of the employees and some free entertainment. They also have a great mix of music playing throughout the place. Recent pop, oldies, classic rock, its amazing. When you order crab or, as we did, crawfish, the server comes out and ties a paper bib around your neck. Let's Get Crackin! Haha my dad is happy and ready to dig in! :) Now back to the customer service one more time, they were good. Not too busy for the server AND the manager to stop by a few times and ask how we were doing and if the food was good. Which we were and it was!!!! This was my favorite shirt they had in their shop. They are hilarious.


Well, its time for me to get the food ready to eat up. I am listening to this song right now BTW. :) Enjoy :)

Welcome!

Welcome, one and all (most likely just a few one's...). This is my VERY first blog and my VERY first entry/post. I'm not sure what I'm going to be focusing on here in my blog, but all I know is that I want it to be positive. I believe there is way too much negativity in this world, from people blasting everyone's thoughts and expressions, to damn-near every-single-celebrity blog out there! I mean, come on! Every one just nit picks and makes fun of the famous as if they are made of stone and have no feelings. They are people to ya know. Why do you think they have breakdowns? People torment them and expect WAY to much from them. As Beth Moore said "People were made to worship, not to BE worshiped". People need to go back to their childhoods and learn the basics: treat others the way you want to be treated; if you can't say something nice, don't say nothing at all; don't eat yellow snow, etc etc.

I also want this blog to center on good 'ol fashioned family, friends, togetherness activities and hanging out that does not cost an arm and a leg. There is NOT enough of that in the world either. Especially our society. Our whole society is built on narcissism, the individual, and it's getting a lot worse. No wonder we are sicker and die younger than most other developed cultures.

Now, people can't be positive ALL the time, but they can be much more so than they are now. With that said, there are times when I will become upset and a good 'ol rant and the occasional ripping apart of instances (and maybe people, who knows) is in order. I will try my best to keep this to a minimum (it's tough, believe you me), but sometimes, it just can't be helped.

So I guess I answered my question: this is a positive-, gathering-oriented blog, with articles and findings on the internet and other places with bases on such topics. I hope people find this uplifting and pass it along. I know I am one stone thrown into the sea, but that one stone can create a ripple, and I hope there is a MASS ripple effect, as others learn and start throwing their own stones in their own seas and making their own ripples to effect others around them. Haha, I can be poetic sometimes. :)

It's also going to include all things beautiful, which include those thought to be "imperfect", hence the name of my blog. We need these things in our world, and we need to change the way our society deems things as "perfect" (well, there are no things "perfect" on this planet) and "pretty". Sure, the things we say are pretty and beautiful are in fact that, but its the things that are left out that need to be changed.

Inspirational items and blogs and whatnot from EVERYWHERE will be included. So if you have any suggestions, I would LOVE to hear 'em! So what do you say people??