And you know what that means? Less frequent blog updates! (Even though those already existed in summer...) Actually, no. That's not going to happen this year. This year, I'm going to plan what to post, when to post, etc. And I'm going to be SUPER PRODUCTIVE AND AWESOME AND YES. THIS WILL HAPPEN. But let's talk about school and what courses I've got this semester. |
Monday - Twisted Two |
Tuesday - Writing Journey |
Wednesday - Inspiring Art |
Thursday - Book Reviews |
Friday - Movie and Show Reviews |
Saturday - Game Reviews |
Post-wise, we are going to be uploading all the posts on their respective days at 6:00 AM CST.
Also, I have said previously, our blog is still kind of under construction. We're finalizing our pictures and rewriting things that desperately need to be rewritten. We'll probably do a blog post where we've finally say "IT'S ALL DONE!!" and celebrate with virtual cake or something, I don't know. Somethin' will happen.
Additionally!! (There's so much that I want to say, I'm so sorry!) Bianca and I might still post from outside of our schedule if we deem necessary. Bianca has told me that she's got a post coming up that she wants to put out before our schedule commences, so that's probably going to happen. So be on the look out for that.
It's a new year and that means new goals and a whole lot of new opportunities~ This past year, I regret doing so little regarding everything I did. School, I could have put a whole lot more effort into that, my Japanese class, I could have had a higher grade than my 96%, and I could have used my Bujo a lot more. Also, I regret not posting on the blog when I had the chance. I spent so much of my free time on YouTube or on Instagram that I didn't even have the decency to say, "Just A Quick Update!". That is why, this year, I'm going to change a WHOLE lot in my life.
My Goals:
- (1) - Finish my easy classes immediately. Charisma and I figured out that if we finished our easy classes in the first month of school (there are only 5 or 6 units in this semester's classes), then we would only have to worry about the difficult classes with more attention.
- (2) - Blog more often. If I can follow through with the first goal, I will have a LOT more time on my hands and that's just helpful in every case.
- (3) - Study Japanese for an hour a day. Last semester, I barely studied, if at all. I passed with a high grade in the class, yes, but I need to do more studying now before this coming semester starts because I remember only a few things.
- (4) - Reading 50 books (or more this year). If you popped into Book Reviews recently, you might've noticed that (to the right) I had set a 2018 Reading Challenge through Goodreads. I have a goal to read 50 books and I am so pumped. I already finished one book (which is the book by Diana Wynne Jones - The Islands of Chaldea. I make a post about the books I'm currently reading and my top 10 most anticipated 2018 releases.
- (5) - Set up a Redbubble. Since Charisma and I are turning 16 this year, that means we're going to be setting up a Redbubble and, goodness, are we excited! Over the past couple months, I have been editing Unsplash images to create a product line when the fateful day arrives.
- (6) - Becoming (half) a Bookstagrammer. It's hard to describe, especially when images are available, so I'll probably do a post about Bookstagram in the future. But, if you want to know what it is now head over to storygramtours on Instagram!
- (7) - Get the supplies for a business I'm starting. Basically, I have to create my plans for the business, but I am planning on trying to find bulk supplies. I hope to get the supplies sometime during the summer.
- (8) - Line-edit Jorge McGregory and Hawthorne's Manor as well as my two Biology short stories. I'm planning on being published by the end of next year (December 2019) or at the beginning of 2020. With this goal in mind, I need to start editing my books.
- (9) - Use my bujo more. I stopped doing bujo halfway through the school semester and I realized that, when I was actually using my bujo, that I was a lot more productive in terms of completing school work.
And those are my resolutions! I'm so ready for this year. I feel as though it's going to be a great year and I really think that my goals are actually achievable.
What are your goals for 2018? Tell us in the comments below!
I was talking to a friend of mine and he said that he had "no life" because he played a lot of video games. And I thought about this. When I think of somebody that has no life, I think of someone who is a couch potato and watches shows and eats all day long. But he told me that his "no life" was spent by playing video games.
Playing video games = "no life"?
Sir, I think not.
Why would immersing yourself in another world that our universe doesn't contain "not a life"?! How does learning important skills (some of which we will cover later on in this post) that can be taught in the comfort of you home "not a life"?!?! How is experiencing a life beyond your own, one that has different emotions, one that possibly bonds with creatures or plants, and watching them develop as a being "NOT A LIFE"?!?!?!
*clears throat*
And now, my fellow Twisters, here are the few reasons why you should play video games:
Experience a World Beyond Your Own
I believe that everyone has wanted, at least one point in there life, to be taken to another world where they can do anything. Like shooting some bad guys, saving the world or universe (depending on the game), whatever it might be! It's just something we naturally desire.
Still not convinced on experiencing that otherworldly world? Here, let me show you some pictures of some games that have truly immersive environments.
The first four pictures are from the game Destiny, a sci-fi shooter that lets you travel across the universe to fight the evil that haunts it. It is one of my favorite games, one of the reasons being its environment. It's truly submerging you. Just look at all the detail and the creativity that it all has! It's truly inspiring. I've always escaped into the realm that it was presenting to me.
The next four pictures are from the game Horizon Zero Dawn. I haven't personally played the game, but I knew that it was one that had spectacular environments and landscapes. Instead of it having more of a looming presence like Destiny has, Horizon Zero Dawn has more earthly, mystical vibes to it.
These are only some of the possible worlds that can be experienced. I tried to find some that had a haunting feel to it, but it was hard because I had a particular image I wanted to show and I couldn't fine what I was looking for...
In short, there is a world for you all to experience! They are unique and different, all with changing elements to make you all go through something all its own.
Important Skills
In the world of video games, there are moments when it's going to get tough. And in those moments, you can't just look down at your controller and spam whatever buttons because you're confused (though this will happen many, many times; this has happened to me waaaaaay too much). So, as you continue to play video games, your hand-eye coordination becomes better. You've memorized what button is where, what each of those buttons do, and when a difficult situation arises, you will have everything down. | Another thing that is very evident in the world of video games are the puzzles. There are a lot of puzzles. Too many, in all honesty. One of the key features of the Legend of Zelda is the puzzles contained inside. And trust me, they do get tough (just try beating Hero Mode). In these types of situations, you'll need to think and use your knowledge that you've gained from the game and just basic logic (both will soon grow) to solve them. Puzzle-solving is also very wonderful if you ever want to tackle an escape room. These are known for being very tricky and you need to think outside of the box to solve them (just like in Fetch!). |
*throws hands up into the air pointing at the skills* See! Important skills!
A Visual Story
Have you ever read a book and bonded so much with the characters you felt as if you were travelling alongside them? Have you ever wanted to see what was actually happening and what the places actually looked like? Playing a video game lets you see all those things.
A video game is a book and a movie combined. It's a playable movie; it's a visual story. You still get very attached to the characters. You still get to cry with them. You still get to laugh with them. You still can experience heartbreak and sadness with them. But you can also see (in clear high definition, hopefully) what it was like for them. How it all, those emotions, those experiences, their position in life, came to be.
You're definitely not getting cheated out of an experience. Not at all.
You're getting an enhanced version of one.
Have you played video games before? If so, which one is your favorite? If you haven't, do you want to? Tell us in the comments!!
How are you all? Sorry we haven't been updating the blog. I could give you some lovely excuses about how we're busy - which is true - and how we don't have the time, but we do have the time. We procrastinate, so yeah. We got time. It's just not in the front of our minds. Hopefully from now on, though, when we want to procrastinate and be distracted, we'll try and update the blog! (And trust us... we get distracted a LOT!)
Buuuuuuuut! Yesterday, Bianca and I was interviewed for our first job! We applied to the Chick-fil-A where we live, because our older sisters worked there (one is still working, the other has moved on), and we know some of the people there, so we thought it would be the best option. (We also need money for our next semester for Japanese, which is a hefty amount of money!)
We rode our bikes there, because our mother and oldest sister had taken their cars, and that was... a journey. I'm a casual biker and we needed to get there in about 10 - 15 minutes, so I was just struggling. Not too terrible, but a passerby could probably see my struggle.
Once we got there, we freshened up in the bathroom, and had the most chill interview I've ever had. It was amazing! We were interviewed by a friend and he was really just asking us questions about us and how we thought we would fit into the job. It was very nice. :)
After that, we biked ourselves back home (our older sister biked with us there, but she started work at 3 and our interview was at 2, so she just decided to bike with us, which was SUPER nice of her!) and kind just pooped ourselves back into this world. Hehe.... Yeah. After that, I ate, then slept.
I was tired.
But all in all, it was amazing! Great way to start off our first job interview!
Have any of you been interviewed? If so, what's the story? Did you like it? Tell us in the comments!
Guess who's back! It's us! Or, me rather. I apologize for not writing for such a long time. I've been consumed with school, writing (preparing for Camp NaNoWriMo!), and I'm an assistant at a Summer Art Camp which runs for eight (8) consecutive weeks, five days a week, from nine (9 am) in the morning to twelve (12 pm) in the afternoon.
*sigh*
I've been busy.
Okay, let's go down the list and explain:
- SCHOOL - Charisma and I have been doing summer school (Human Geography and Personal Finance) so that we can graduate from High School early. The class is super laid back and it's a go-at-your-own-pace deal, which is super nice. I'm hoping to finish Human Geography this week.
- WRITING - I just finished a short story (I'll elaborate over at My Writing Journey) and it took a LOT of energy from me. Even though it was only 5,000 words (which seems little to be, but apparently the number of pages makes it seem very long to other people), it's a very complex and descriptive story. Also, I'm trying to write a 10,000-word short story in July for Camp NaNoWriMo and I haven't finished planning that yet... so I'm freaking out just a tad.
- SUMMER ART CAMPS - Like I stated before, it's five days a week, from morning till noon, and it's for eight consecutive weeks. I'm an assistant to the teachers and I'm usually with the 1st - 2nd graders (occasionally, I get the 3rd - 5th, but I don't get them as often as Charisma). Each week there is a theme so that way the classes are all directed in a specific manner and not random 'LET'S DRAW WHATEVER WE WANT' mayhem.
- The morning is divided into three things: Class -- Snack -- Class. With the 1st - 2nd graders, I go upstairs to do Visual Arts (drawing, painting, sculpting, etc.) for about an hour and fifty minutes and then we go down to the basement (?? I really have no idea what it is. It's not really a basement, but like, it sort of functions as one and a lower level. It's hard to explain...) and have a twenty minute snack time, then we go to Performing Arts which is in this room called the Black Box (it's literally a black room) and we have that for an hour and fifty minutes. After we finish we PA, we head upstairs to the main lobby and wait for the kids to be picked up by their parents. VOILA. That is a full day.
Welcome (I guess) to my busy, busy summer!
I missed blogging.
Oh, yeah! Before I forget, Charisma and I have Instagram accounts... So, check them out!
My Japanese is going well, although I would like better sources for vocabulary and grammar (those are the two things I'm currently working on). Or maybe, I don't know, a teacher? As some of you might know, it's my goal to take a college course for Japanese at my local community college while in 10th grade. That is why I must get all A's on my report card. I'm an over-achiever when it comes to school. If I don't get an A or a B, I will be absolutely shattered, but I would still tell my parents that I got a low score, because they'll either help me, remind me of my goal, tell me to get help from a teacher if I'm really struggling with a certain concept, and a whole lot more.
I'm digitally editing a character that I drew! And let me tell you, *laughs*, I don't have anything fancy. No SAI, no Wacom Cintiq or Intuos, no Photoshop. Nada. Zilch. Nothing. All I've got is my handy-dandy, scanner, Paint (which is already installed on every computer), and my imagination. And truthfully, I am terrified. This is the scariest experience of my artist life. (I have several lives: Writer's Life, Artist's Life, Blogger's Life, Over-Achiever's Life, Crocheter's Life, Reader's Life, OTAKU's Life, Family Person's Life, and Outstanding-Amazing Friend's Life. I have nine lives unless someone can see more of my lives that I can't see... One might say I have nine lives. :D) Since I've never done this before (and since I have ZERO LAYERS. I didn't know what layers did before, but now I know that layers ARE A BLESSING!!! Do not take those beauties for granted!) I'm watching my sister (who is digital editing too) while she gives me tips, and I'm re-doing everything for the Umpteenth time. Though, I will survive.
I read a variety of good books this summer (don't worry, I'm gonna do some Book Reviews before school starts) and now I have found my favorite Female author: Katy Towell. I love her so much, that reading the two books she published were satisfaction for a week. Her books are all the scary, friendship, terrifying-suspenseful moments I could ever want in a book! :D Her website is called Skary and, I believe, she's working on another book (oh am I excited!).
I've had one for a while know but, I'm finally on Miiverse! I've put several posts from my gaming experiences on Demo's and full games, although they're all from Nintendo. I've posted some Style Savvy: Trendsetters and Fashion Forward, some Pokemon X and some other games as well. I'm trying to earn the money to buy some games (Animal Crossing: New Leaf is NEXT on my list. Unless someone convinces me otherwise), yet that's taking a whole lot longer than anticipated.
So yup! This is life. I hope all of you have a great rest of summer break!
みなさん、こんにちは!
Schools starts August 17th for me and Charisma. I am so steamed. I wanted school to start on August 15th and then I totally forgot about this 'stagger start' thing. Ugh. When I want school people, I want school. But, now that I think about it, I'm actually quite thankful. I can get ahead in Science (the subject that doesn't love me and I don't love it) and so that way I can better understand the content that I'm being taught and then I can get an A! :3 I'm ready school (except I don't have my planner just yet....).
My Japanese is going good. I'm trying to find a teacher on the site called iTalki, I have the teacher (is she a tutor?) that I want to study with but a one hour session cost 9 dollars. I'm not worried about the nine dollars part, I'm just worried that my mother won't let me use iTalki.
Capital Kings, an American pop, electronic and Christian pop group, released an album called (II) last year in October and I absolutely love this album. My favorite song so far has to be Northern Sky, then it would have to be Live For The Drop.
I haven't been writing lately, that's the reason I haven't updated My Writing Journey in quite some time. I'm thinking about editing Another Imagination soon, I just don't know how I'm going to print it... Why is that still a problem for me?
Surprisingly, I have NOT read much of anything this summer. I've read some Pokemon manga, but that's it. Well, now I've got something to do. I need to go see what books I can get at the library...
Well that's pretty much it! How's your summer going?
Every time summer rolls around I feel like doing absolutely nothing. Which is bad because I want to learn Japanese, I have a blog to keep updated (which reminds me, I recently watched X-Men: Apocalypse several days ago and did a movie review about), and I work for a lady from my church. Ugh, it's terrible.
I got my school report card! I have all A's and one B (thankfully, this B is in Science, not math). Like I've been telling you all, if I get most to all A's in 9th grade, I will be able to take a college course of Japanese in 10th grade. Eeeh~! I'm so excited.
My Japanese is going very well. I'm proud of my progress and I am planning on taking the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) N5 next year (2017), but I have to run it through my parents first. Although, it's going to be tough because the JLPT only does it once a year (not twice like in Japan and some other countries) and it's ONLY on the first Sunday of December. That's going to be a big problem for my family. (Kemushi-chan/Loretta did a video about the JLPT)
I haven't done any writing at all lately. I'm thinking about doing some this week or some time next week. I just want to write. I want to edit Another Imagination, but it's like 48 pages and no one is willing to print it for me. I've got to find some way to print up those pages, that way I can print and edit that fantastic book. Honestly, I don't remember much about the book, so it's going to be a lot of fun re-reading a book I wrote. :3
Oh! Me and my family decided to start watching Once Upon A Time. Let me tell you. This show is greatly terrible. The only reason I say terrible is because this show is way messed up. But I love it none the less. One of us should have a show review for it soon.
Well, that's it for today, thanks for reading!
Who We Are
We are twin sisters who like to do almost anything! Inspiring people to get out their creativity is our forte and we strive to travel on magnificent journey through words on a page. Exploration is the doorway to opportunity and the endless possibilities of helping and reaching out to others is something that we endeavor to create. This crazy blog of ours is one of the many ways we hope to achieve that goal.
So, you ready to get crazy?
Twisted Two - Every Monday
TBD
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The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
Eleanor Roosevelt