Movie Review: Hunger Games: Catching Fire

       Okay, so whoever knows me and my family has an understanding of our LOVE of books. Fiction. Non-fiction. Sci-fi. Fantasy. Classics.We love reading! And I am soo glad that our library is only a few minutes away from us.  :) Anywho....
       Before the Hunger Game books were popular, our family had finished them. So, when the movies came out, we were super hyped.  I know I didn't do a Hunger Games 1 movie review, so I'm doing this one.
       I believe, like most of my family, that CF was so much better than the HG. This movie was very well made and I am pretty sure that most of the people who also saw it would agree with me. (If you don't agree with what I just said, please say so :) This movie was action-packed, funny, heart-pounding, and suspenseful, as in the book. So, I say, "Yay, Francis Lawrence!"


Rate: 4/5

A man named Charles Osborne had the hiccups for 6 years.

Color Count

       So, this month, I took a poll and asked people what their favorite colors were and why. Here are some people's feedback 

• RED!  Why?  Because it is a color symbolizing intensity, fire, courage, passion, desire, strength..... and because it is the base color for every gorgeous sunset He created.
• I absolutely LOVE orange because it is a calming and beautiful color! It is also the color of God's many AWE-inspiring
• (neon) GREEN!!! ...Neon colors catch everybody's eye, whether you like neon colors or not. Think about it, if people wear a new, black shirt people won't always realize, but if you wear an old neon shirt, people can't help but comment. They say, "Wow! That's a bright shirt!!"
• Blue, the ocean is blue, blue spray paint makes everything cooler, and I like playing the blues.
• For all of these reasons is why I like the color turquoise so much . Green, because it makes me think of my favorite candy flavors and the beautiful greenery in the mountains.  Also, blue, because it reminds me of one of my favorite sights (the ocean) which reminds me of how amazing God is! 
• I would say white because it's the color of purity.
• My favorite color is a shade of purple called lavender mauve.  It is the color of a sterling rose and it's my favorite because my husband used to buy and bring me a single stem, sterling rose whenever he'd visit me when he was courting me.

       YOU'LL NEVER GUESS WHICH ONE IS MINE:) HA HA HA HA!! Nah, I'm kidding... You probably will - if you know me. 

       Anyways, here are the results of the poll. Drumroll, please. (duh duh duh duh)
Red            1
Orange       1
Yellow        1
Green        4
Blue           2
Purple        3
Pink           0
Black         2
White        1
Brown        2



And the winner is...... Green! Congratulations! :)

Happy Thanksgivi-kuh (Thanksgiving/Chanukkah)!!!!

Our church is Christian Hebraic, which means that we embrace the Jewish roots of Christianity. So, we celebrate Chanukkah- an EIGHT-day celebration in which each day we re-dedicate part our lives to God. Hebrew days are from 6 pm one day to 6 pm the next, so each 'day' starts in our 'evening.' Here are each day's re-dedications:

1. Re-dedicating our SELF
2. Re-dedicating our FAMILY
3. Re-dedicating the CHILDREN 
4. Re-dedicating our HOME
5. Re-dedicating our FINANCES
6. Re-dedicating our WORK
7. Re-dedicating our RELATIONSHIPS
8. Re-dedicating our RESPONSIBILITY TO THE WORLD

Every day, we light candles on a hanukkiyah (commonly known as a menorah), which has a candle for each day. Also, the central extra candle, which stands out from the rest, symbolizes JESUS, our true light. We first light the central candle, also called the shamash, which we then use to light the other candles. In the bible, this eight-day celebration is called the Feast of Dedication (John 10:22).  

One cool and significant note about this Chanukkah is that it coincides with Thanksgiving! The last time this has ever happened was in 1800s and the next time this will occur will be in the year 79,811!! 

Luis de Torres, a Jewish physician who accompanied Columbus in 1492, gave the turkey its name. Upon seeing the large wild owl for the first time, de Torres exclaimed "Tukki!" which is the Hebrew word for peacock.

Sugary Goodness!

Hey everyone! So, for my most recent ump-teenth birthday, I also got a lot of puzzles (YAY!!). This one, pictured below, is one of the fun ones I received. It is a picture of sweets stores. According to Julian Smith, a guy on YouTube, "The trees hate(d) me!" I mean, really! The trees took me the longest and were so complicated! Altogether, this was my second time doing this particular puzzle, and it was still super fun! I love doing jigsaw puzzles because it calms me down and I get to be a little detective-ish (if that makes sense :) Keep Calm and Puzzle On!

Confection Street by Charles Wysoki

Mario, of Super Mario Bros. fame, appeared in the 1981 arcade game, Donkey Kong. His original name was Jumpman, but was changed to Mario to honor the Nintendo of America's landlord, Mario Segali.

Movie Review: Ender's Game

       Hello everybody! So, for Thing #3's birthday, my immediate family (& our grandma) went to Ward theaters to watch the new movie that just came out- Ender's Game. I have to admit that at first, I thought it was going to be kind of cheesy, but it really wasn't.
       This movie was fantastic. The setting (futuristic, like most sci-fi movies), the suspense, the characters, and the other elements that make a great movie, to me, were very realistic. Very clean and family-friendly, I recommend this movie to all!
       Although a teenager, the main character, Ender, was very unlike a "normal" one portrayed in movies nowadays. He was very humble, patient, and soft-spoken. He looked out for his team and was a great leader- instead of being rebellious, hateful, etc..
       The twist ending, in which was expressed that Ender's  'game' was real, was very surprising. It jumped out at me, as I totally unsuspected any sign of it happening. Some of you probably suspected it, though, as my mom did.
       One scene that I had to close my eyes (because of shock and pain- nothing more), was where Ender and actor Moses Arias  (who I thought was too short to be taken seriously :) (sorry, I forget his character's name) were fighting. This time, I could very much foresee what was going to happen next. When MA hit his head on the floor, I could not watch. It looked too painful to observe. My head hurt just thinking about it. Ouch..
       Overall, this movie was excellently made and I give the people who wrote the script a round of applause because of their work. *clap, clap*


Rate: 5/5

The word "lethologica" describes the state of not being able to remember the word you want.

Movie Review: Thor 2:The Dark World

P.S.- SPOILER ALERT!!!!! If you don't want to know, DO NOT READ ON!

On Sunday, myself, my siblings and a few of our friends went to see Thor 2: The Dark World. It was AWESOME! Usually the sequels of movies aren't fantastic, but this one was totally phenomenal. The story line, the action scenes, Loki's very funny lines, and other things made this movie very creative, captivating, and CRAZY GOOD!!! I have to say, though, my favorite scene was when Thor and Loki were walking down a hall, and Loki was changing into different people. Especially into CAPTAIN AMERICA (my all-time favorite superhero!)!! Everyone in the audience was cracking up at that part.  Oh, and I was totally surprised that Loki (falsely) betrayed Thor. Knowing Loki's true character, I seriously thought he was betraying Thor. I was WRONG! Now, I sorta-kinda-ish like Loki's character. And the ending scene (where Loki was actually Odin, but was an illusion) got me all confused. Now, I don't know if Odin is still alive, or Loki killed him. We all know Loki would if he had the chance.  I think the scene that really creeped me out was at the very end with the "Collector." I mean, wouldn't the Asgardians be smart enough NOT to give a tesseract cube to the Collector?!?!?!? And the dark elves were just plain... creepy...*shudder*.... especially their all black eyes and super pale skin. Overall, I have to congratulate Marvel Studios. This movie was excellently made and very fun to watch!

Rate: 5/5 

During WWII, the Germans designed an exploding, chocolate-covered, thin steel bomb designed to blow up seven seconds after a piece was broken off.

Book Review: House of Hades by Rick Riordan

Hey guys! So for my birthday, I received House of Hades written by well known author Rick Riordan (Here's his website). He is a great author, writing three mythological series (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, the Kane Chronicles, and the Heroes of Olympus) aimed toward tweens/teens. I have loved reading his books for the stories, filled with mystery, suspense and fun!

Although I enjoy Riordan's books greatly, his newest book in the Heroes of Olympus series disappointed me. Starting off the book, he did an awesome, spine-tingling  job describing tartarus, the birth pit for all monsters.  He then continued his story. But then, something he wrote disturbed me. He put in his story two, not one, but TWO homosexual characters. As a christian, I love the homosexual community-we are commanded to love our neighbors as ourselves (Mark 12:31). But this book was geared for kids, and he straight out said that a minor male god was in love with a male human, and that one of the male semi-main characters had a crush on another main male character. I was enjoying the book, but when I read that, I wanted to stop reading the rest of the book.  Eventually, I did finish the House of Hades, and gladly discovered there was no more talk on that subject. And then I realized that he had never brought it up in ANY of his ELEVEN other books.

Now hear me out, Rick Riordan is a fabulous writer. He uses vivid imagery and develops his stories quite well, and this book was very good. However, I fell very disturbed, shaken, and sad knowing that he wrote this in his book. I am hopeful that his final book of the series, the Blood of Olympus, will not include any of this.

Rate: 3/5 stars

A shrimp's heart is in it's head.

Auto Shop

Hey y'all! So as homeschoolers, our parents are our teachers. On Thursdays, my Dad teaches us kids and another family's oldest 5 out of 8 kids Automobile Shop Class, which started today. This shows that we homeschoolers can start classes in the middle of a school year :) . Today we learned how to refill the oil and about all under the hood of the car. It was really fun! I am a girl who doesn't mind getting dirty, especially when learning something new, so this was cool! Next class topic- Changing a Tire! 

The king of hearts is the only king without a moustache

P.S.A.T. = Personally Scary And Troublsome

Hello pals! Today was quite nerve-racking and I'll tell you why. I took my first PSAT!! AAAAGGGHHHHH!!!! I mean, it wasn't that hard.  I beat Thing 1 taking practice tests for the PSAT, but Thing 1 had done it before and I hadn't, so Thing #1 knew what it was like during the ACTUAL test. This morning we took the Preliminary Standard Assessment Test. We woke up at 6:30 this morning and ate breakfast, read our bibles, prayed, and then we were off. It had begun. We got to the school at about 6:45(We live super close to the school we were taking the test at). In a line, we had to wait to sign in. Then we went into our designated rooms, and the pressure was on!! I'll tell you-that was the scariest time of the whole test - the wait BEFORE!!!! Anyway, we went through the whole test, and I felt pretty good about it. It was just THE MATH SECTION that KILLED ME !!! Not to brag, but I do pretty well in the writing/reading sections, but the math section?!?!?! Forget it. Thing 1 is the opposite- good at math, not so good at language arts. Said that if we cut our brains in half and gave each other a half of our brains, we would BOTH ace our tests ;) . Anyways, I felt good about it, overall. Thank you, Lord, for being there with me all the way through!

In the average lifetime, a person will walk the equivalent of 5 times around the equator.

Helloo.......... X)

Hi guys! I just wanted to pop in, cause I know I haven't written lately (which I almost always do- not write in a while). Some updates:

• We started school. Yay. Well, seriously, I am pretty excited about this school year. I kinda actually like school... :)
• Our church's second missions trip team- Team New Zealand- left two weeks ago to spread the gospel in NZ. They come back in three days. I am very hyped up to hear all of the praise reports that they have. Although I did not go on this missions trip, I am OK about that. I know that God sent those specific people for that missions trip and left the people He wants here for a purpose and a reason. 
• We got a new living room! Well, not really, but we did get new floors in and rearranged our living room. So it seems like we have a new living room.
• WE WENT SURFING YESTERDAY!!!! FINALLY!!! YEA!!!!! Can you tell that I am happy about that? ;)

Well, to end this off, I will just say "Give all glory to God!!!

The Baby Ruth candy bar was actually named after Grover Cleveland's baby daughter, Ruth.

Homechool ROCKS!

Hello everyone! As you know, my siblings and I are homeschooled, which means that we start school whenever we want to in the year. Well, our family started today. This year, I am taking Geometry, Biology, a Bat Mitzvah course (although we are not Jewish) and many others from my teacher, Mrs. Mom. And overseeing us is our principal, Mr. Dad. My classrooms are the living room, dining room, and my bedroom. I am actually pretty excited about starting this school year. I cannot wait to see what God will do through me, for me, and with me this upcoming year (not just with school:). Thank God for homeschooling!!!!!!!!!

The numbers '172' can be found on the back of the U.S. $5 dollar bill in the bushes at the base of the Lincoln Memorial.

Sharky....

'Ello Mates! I have been soooooooooo missing the water. Since the recent shark attacks and sightings  in Oahu and Maui, we haven't gone surfing. BOO HOO!!! WAAAAAAAAAAAA!! I am so sad, because I have only been surfing on my new board once :( Go away sharks!!

A car that shifts manually gets 2 miles more per gallon of gas than a car with automatic shift.

My OWN surfboard!!! XD!

Hello mates! My surfboard which I was making since my Dad's paddle-board is finally DONE! COMPLETED! FINISHED! It looks beautiful, although I keep saying it is a signal for the sharks. ;) Here are some pictures:

The front of the board. The sticker says "Core Hawaii"

Back of the board. Guess who the sticker is...........

I was so excited when I got it today. It is so pretty! All I want to do now is surf, surf, surf! 

1 in 5,000 north Atlantic lobsters are born bright blue.

DAD IS HOME!!!!!!!!!

      Hello peeps! For the past year, my US Marine Corps Recon father has been deployed in Italy, doing missions in Africa. This was the first time I had been without a Dad for that long. So, this last year has been pretty difficult for my whole family. Although I am sure that my Dad has been missing us more, because we had each other, and he didn't. When he arrived in the airport, we were there at the gate waiting for him with a "Welcome Home!" sign. A full YEAR has gone by and GUESS WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? MY DAD IS HOME :) :D XD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
     So, since he was gone so long, we decided to make something for him as a welcome home present.  About 3 weeks ago, our uncle started teaching Thing 1, Thing 3 and I how to MAKE a stand-up paddle board (which is in our living room right now, waiting for our Dad to see it). Here is is:

Isn't it a beauty? So, now we know the process of making a paddle board! :)

    Anyways, I am soooo glad my Dad is home! I can actually sleep now, knowing he is safe. I love you Dad!!

The average person makes about 1,140 telephone calls each year.

Junior Lifeguard

       Hello again! Ok, so I know now that I can't blog every week. I am just too busy. So, I WILL blog minimum once a month and more if possible. 

       So, two years ago, our family learned about the Junior Lifeguard (JL) program, which you can go to HERE to check it out. The first year, Thing 1 did JL at Ala Moana Beach Park, then the second year at Makaha Beach. This is my first year, Thing 1's third year, and we are going to do it at Ehukai (aka Pipeline). 

      Right now, I have mixed emotions. I am excited to do this. I am nervous about this. I have PAIN training for this. I can do the swimming part, but the running on sand part- no. I am not a runner, not even on the sidewalks. Well, I guess I am pretty excited. It's just..... I have just never done anything like this before, so my nerves are high. I am praying that I will have the strength to finish this out and NOT QUIT. That is my goal! Philipians 4:13- I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

American car horns beep in the tone of F.

Brrrrrrr..........

       For whoever is reading this, your reactions will be according to where you live. If you live somewhere with cold weather all the time, you will be envious of this weather. But, if you live somewhere like me, in Hawaii, it is COLD. I know all you live-in-cold-weather people might be thinking, "What? Is that girl crazy? Hawaii can never get cold; all it is is sun, sun, sun." Well, let me tell you something. That is true, but living in all that sun for my entire life, 60 degrees Fahrenheit is FREEZING!!." AND, we are going into summer, and it still feels like winter (Although us Hawaii people don't really have true winters :). 
       Right now, Thing 1 is watching a movie, and Thing 3 and I have been playing Connect 4 with our mom. (Just to let you know, if you play Connect 4 with me, you have a 99.99% chance of winning). We are having hot cocoa and popcorn, yummmm. Well, I don't have anything else to say. Happy Resurrection Sunday! Jesus is risen from the dead! HALLELUJAH!

In Lander, Wyoming, it is illegal for adults to take a bath more than once a month once the cold weather arrives. Children cannot take a bath at all during the winter.

A Website That Reports REAL, SHOULD KNOW News

       Hello my peeps! So today I am going to share something that most people wouldn't. Media nowadays gives very fluffy stuff. The latest fashion, who's dating who, who broke up with who, and stuff that aren't that important when it comes to life and death. As a God-loving christian, all these things don't really matter to me. What I see and hear from the media don't relate to the Kingdom of God, only worldly, earthly junk. SO, how will I know what is happening to the Church and body of Christ around the world? Well, my pastor recommended this site to me, and I recommend this to you. 
       Now, I don't personally know all of whom is reading this blog, if you know the Lord or not. But even if you are or aren't a christian, it its good to read about real-life, life and death situations, how God is using His people to work in the world. This website is called Worthy (Christian ) News, and are doing a great job with what they are putting on their website. So, I urge you to check their website once in a while and pray for those who are suffering for Christ. I will be doing the same. Our God is mighty and He can do great things, not just in towns,  not just in cities,  not just in communities,  not just in countries,  not just in continents, but IN THE WORLD. So, stand up for what you believe and God will stand by you wherever you are, as long as you are doing His will and none other.
      So many brothers and sisters in Christ around the globe are being persecuted for just even owning a bible. Pray for them, that they will have strength through His Word, and that they will not stop believing in Him. If you personally know someone that is going through this, take time throughout the day and PRAY FOR THEM!

Colossians 4:2- Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving)
    

The first person selected as the Time Magazine Man of the Year - Charles Lindbergh in 1927.

10 People in a House + 3 more

Shalom oov rakhah!  For the past 7 days, Thing 1, Thing 3 and I have been living with another familia. So, for the last seven days, there have been 11 kids in one house! How crazy is that?! Every school day and every night, we had something cool going on.
       Day 1- Name Switch Day. For the whole day, everyone had switched names and had to make a sign telling other people what their 'name' was. I put my 'name' on the side of my orange sunglasses and wore them all day. At night- Board Games (Life and Clue)
       Day 2- Rainbow Day. We had to dress up in the most color as we could. Since boys don't really wear bright colors, this day was easier and more fun for the girls than guys. At night- PUZZLES!! :)
       Today- Hat Day. We all wore crazy hats today. Thing 1 wore his Mickey Mouse Wizard hat, Thing 3 wore his Roman helmet he made himself, and I wore my long blue beanie.
       Just in case you're wondering, yes, we have been doing school. Since Thing 3 is close in age to two of the kids in the family whose house we've been staying at, he helps them with their school. Thing 1 is my tutor, and I tutor Thing 3.
       Well, I do hope I get around to tell ing y'all about the rest of my Fiji missions trip. Why don't I do it sooner? IDK......
       To all my followers and page readers- thank you, thank you very much!

There are only thirteen blimps in the world. Nine of them are in the United States.

Happy Heart Day!

       Hellooooooo people! Happy Valentines/Heart/Love/Chocolate/XOXO/whatever you want to call it Day!! Now usually, my family doesn't celebrate this day. This year, we actually did some things.....

1. Dad sent Mom and I flowers! I got ORANGE tulips (so loverly:) and mother got red roses (so sweet)......
2. My brothers made brunch! P.S.- They make yummy omelettes!!
3. I helped with my brothers' chores this morning

     Don't you just love your family!?!? I think today was such a day as that-where you show your love and appreciation towards others. Especially towards our God who made all and loves all and IS love

     
    1 John 4:8

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

    
    1 Corinthians 13:2

If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

So remember, love:

God FIRST

Others second

Then yourself!

                        Over $1 billion worth of chocolate is purchased for Valentine's Day in the U.S.

1000 Pieces of Bear

Completed Puzzle

Today, I finally did it! After two years of trying and failing, I finished my 1000 piece bear puzzle!!! My first try ended with two 4-year olds wrecking it to pieces soooo when I was close to finishing. But, hey, kids can be kids......... I learned not to leave kids alone by themselves and not to let them touch anything fragile. Anyway, after the tragedy, I couldn't finish it. I tried many times. Each time I had to put it back in the box because I would leave it out for a long time. About a week ago, I brought it back out and I finally finished it tonight! I was super-dee-duper excited because it was finished, done, pau, completed! 

The most pieces ever assembled together in a single jigsaw was 209,250 at the Grand Formosa Regent Hotel in Taiwan.

Good Bye 2012, ALOHA 2013!!

Hey everyone, it's me..........

       You guys have been so awesome this last year, and I just want to thank you for just being my friend (and family;) I love you and I am excited to have a deeper relationship with y'all!  Proverbs 18:24- A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

      This past year was amazing with sweet moments and funny stories all packed into 365 days. How is that possible? With the grace of God ;) In November of this year I went to a mission trip to Fiji with my church. So for two weeks we went to different cities, churches, and even at one time went to a prison. We showed God's love and told people about Christ and His gift to us. I learned that I shouldn't hide my faith or be afraid about speaking the Truth to others. I have to be courageous, knowing that I will change the hearts of people. 

       I don't want to waste your time, so I shall say/type it. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! 2013!!! I hope that you all will grow in a relationship with Christ this new year of 2-0-1-3! May God bless you and keep you! 

2013 is composed of four different digits, and is the first such year since 1987.