Back to School with M-L #2

          Hey hey hey! :) It's time for another Back to School with M-L! You know, to be honest, there are so many things I want to discuss about with the subject "back to school". We can talk about school supplies, homework, morning routines, night routines, teachers, students, friends, drama, classes, outfit ideas, heck, even breakfast and lunch ideas!! These are all of the things I cam think of right at the top of my head! Imagine if I took the time to think! I've been thinking of "smushing" a couple topics into one post so that I can get as many topics covered before school actually starts! You feel me?

So today let's talk about school supplies!



Alright, of course, we gotta have pencils. It's probably the number one thing to have for school, am I right? Anyway, there are so many types of pencils. There are mechanical pencils with 0.7 mm lead, or 0.5 mm, or regular pencils that require to have a pencil sharpener. I personally like mechanical pencils because I don't have to carry a sharpener with me, but I do keep one regular pencil in my pencil case because in my art class we need to use that kind of pencil and not a mechanical.Whichever kind of pencil you prefer, use it. You should maybe have as much as your school supplies' list tells you to have, but because I don't want to carry ten pencils in my pencil case, I usually have two to three pencils and keep the rest at home.

Pencils already have them, but you should also carry erasers with you. I don't know if I'm the only one, but I hate using the erasers on the pencil. I dunno why, I like them being new and unused! If I do have to use the eraser though, I'll use a bit and that's it. But yeah, get a bigger eraser for school because you're gonna need it. Just one is enough. I only carry one in my pencil case. May I suggest the Staedtler brand for your eraser? It is a lifesaver and it works really well!

Pens galore! Pens are important too, don't forget! At my school, for handwritten paragraphs or essays, we have to use either black or blue pens. Pens are like pencils, and it can help you write notes. You can use as many colors as you want. I think, and I don't have my pencil case with me by the way, but I think that I have black, light blue, dark blue, red, and green... yeah... I used to have a purple one, a brown one and an orange one, but I don't have them anymore because I lent them to people who either lost it, or they lost the cap of the pen which dried the ink up..! Oh well, it's my fault for even thinking about lending it to them. So yeah, pens are good to have.

Highlighters are a must! In my opinion. They help you so much with reviews and notes when you study! But if it doesn't help you, you don't have to use it or else all of the colors in your notebooks might be even more confusing for you. About three or four highlighters will do. I have four because that was on my school's supplies list. I have them in the colors blue, yellow, pink and orange. But, I can mix blue and yellow together to make green! So I have five colors! Smart, eh?

The basic art supplies. Pencil crayons, you should just have at least all of the colors of the rainbow,
black, grey, and brown. I don't think the color white is that important. Pink is good too, since it's not one of the colors of the rainbow. Just a small glue stick will do, and a pair of scissors.

Oh, bring a ruler and a calculator for your math class! Some teachers don't have their own rulers and calculators to borrow so you need to bring your own! It's pretty self-explanatory.

Post-Its can be pretty important. If you forget your agenda, you've got little post-it note to write it down on! I never used post-its notes before during classes. This next school year though, I'm going to bring a pad of post-its so that I can see if they will help me with school.

You need a pencil case to carry all of these! I suggest using pencil pouches, and not those boxes. If you drop your pencil box, it will probably crack or open. But if you use pencil pouches, it uses a zipper so it won't open on its own. And since it's more of a fabric, you can probably fit more stuff than if you used a pencil box.

Binders and notebooks. It's pretty self-explanatory. Duo-tangs can work too.

I hope you enjoyed reading! Enjoy your back to school shopping!

Keep Smiling,
M-L

Back to School with M-L #1

          Hello friends! How are you all? Can you believe that we're almost going into August?! That is why I want to start on all of those back to school topics here! I've been looking forward to doing these posts so much and now I can do them!
So first off on the list of the Back to School with M-L is what to bring in your survival kit in case of any emergencies!

This is probably obvious but we all need tissues. I'll be frank and say that I have at least two packets of tissues in my backpack right now. :) We all need some, okay? I walk home from school and it takes me about twenty to thirty minutes to get home so having tissues with me is very important. For example, once, my nose was pretty runny and I had to sneeze. When I did (this might sound very disgusting by the way, but it's what happened to me), snot kind of "shot" out and luckily I had tissues with me! That's why tissues are important!

Another thing we need- well, not really need but kind of what we should probably have, are mints or gum. It's useful for more than one thing. You can eat it if you're hungry, or you think your breath smells, or you use it as a tool to remember stuff during an exam. I have lots of mints and gum in my backpack! Not only because of the reasons I just listed but because it's good.

Band-aids or a small first-aid kit are essential. Obviously you don't need a whole kit with alcohol and gauze but just enough band-aids and hand sanitizers ought to do the trick.
Speaking of hand sanitizers, you need that too! Who knows if you'll have to tough something totally dirty filled with bacteria? Or you have to go to the washroom and the bathroom ran out of soap? Handy dandy hand sanitizer is there to save the day.

This is towards girls and it is pads for that time of the month. There's not much to say but yeah. Bring those and it will make your life easier. You won't have to ask anyone for some and it won't be awkward because you'll already have your own!

Money is a very important thing to have just in case you might need it. You don't need like, twenty dollars but you also can't have five cents. Just enough like five or ten dollars will suffice. If, for example, you forgot your lunch, you can buy some food from your cafeteria or vending machine. My school is somewhat close to Safeway so you can maybe take the bus or even walk to a store near you to buy some food and eat it before lunch ends. Maybe if your friend doesn't have enough money, you can lend some of yours to them and they will pay you back.

If you want, you can carry some lotion. For me it's annoying when my hands are very dry. Sometimes it even hurts. That's why I have a small tube of lotion in my backpack in case my hands are irritated. Although I barely use it because in the morning before I leave for school I put on some lotion and it's a very good lotion so my hands are soft pretty much the whole day. But still, just in case!

Have a few pencils, erasers and pens in case you lost or forgot your pencil case at home or something. It's "every man for himself" at school and so you are alone in a situation like that. People mostly might only have one for themselves or they just don't want to lend you one. Especially since you change classes regularly, and they're worried that you'll lose the thing they lent you.

If you have one, it's vital to bring your phone too. I suggest leaving your phone in your backpack at all times so that you don't lose it or break it or forget it. I keep mine in my backpack because I don't need to use it that much. All I need on that phone is to call, and that's it. But definitely have your phone with you in case you need to call someone. I walk home with my friend all the time after school, but then he crosses the road and I continue walking so usually I spend the next ten minutes alone until I get back home.

A few beauty products that could be of use are oil blotting sheets, if you wear makeup then a few of your makeup products, lip balm, elastics and other of your choices.

I hope you enjoyed reading! Happy Thursday!

Keep Smiling,
M-L

The Summer Sun

          Hi! It's been a while but I'm back with another post!

I was trying to find a pretty interesting topic to talk about on the blog, that's why I haven't posted anything. I wanted to save those "back to school" posts for August, because we're still in the middle of July. So, I'm going to write about something else.

Lately I've been going outside more often, especially in my backyard, mostly to just relax and listen to calm music. It's very simulating. Just yesterday and the day before I was outside from noon to later in the evening. And although I did put sunscreen, I'm certain that I did get darker! While I was outside, I relaxed, watched videos on my iPad, wrote or continued writing my stories, did my summer homework, read a book, ate, and I just did a lot of thinking. I thought about a whole lot of stuff! It makes time go by really fast. At least in my opinion.
What I'm trying to say, I guess, is that there's a lot of stuff you can do outside. If you're bored, just take a walk, run around with the sprinkler on, read, sleep, do anything you want in your backyard or somewhere outside. Enjoy the summer sun while you can because you won't see it for another year.

This post was pretty short, compared to my precedent ones. I will be back though, so don't fret! I'm still thinking about how often I should write on this blog. Once a week? Every three days? Every two days? Or maybe when I feel like it? In August though, I will post more often. It'll be sure that I post back to school topics because we all know and love those kind of stuff! Like, organization, lunch ideas, friends, post-gym class must haves, crushes, classes, teachers, you get the gist. So yeah! Have a great week!

Keep Smiling,
M-L

M-L's Review on Ashes

          Hey friends!

Hope you've been enjoying your summer so far! I am!.. but I'll be honest... I have a hard time enjoying the summer heat..! :') Other than that though, it's been a thumbs up!

Today, I wanted to tell you about this new thing I want to do on my blog. I wanted to write reviews about things that I've tried the last few days or weeks, and share my experience with you and discuss about how I feel about them, good or bad. I've been thinking about calling them M-L's Review on insert thing here. I am literally going to review on so many random things...
So I'll be doing a review today! Since I'm just starting off, I'll start with a novel that I LOVE and have read for probably more than 5 times! I've had this book for almost a year now, and it's actually a trilogy! It's called Ashes, from the Ashes Trilogy by Ilsa J. Bick.

Starting off with a brief summary, Ashes is about a seventeen year old girl named Alex who is an orphan and has a brain tumor. She runs away into the woods and wants to release her parent's ashes in a lake. But suddenly there's an EMP, an electromagnetic pulse, that causes older people to die, electronics to go out, and teenagers and adults to turn into zombie-like creatures, or Changed. Alex is a Spared, and teams up with an eight year old girl named Ellie and a 21 year old (I believe) soldier named Tom who are also Spared to survive and make it to what they believe to be a sanctuary place, Rule.



I really like this book because first off, I really like post-apocalyptic novels. I also like mysteries, sci-fi and dystopian novels, but we'll save that for later. Anyway, I also like this book because of how well the author describes how the story goes! It's so descriptive, and it's like you're actually in the story! The way she describes the setting or a character, the way she describes the way something sounds, the way something feels like, the way something tastes like, and especially the way she describes the way things smell like, it's AMAZING.

I think that this story is very unique compared to other post-apocalyptic stories. It has a twist to it, and has a darker meaning in it, in my opinion. The heroine in the book has cancer, and has to fight off the Changed to live. And I like the fact that the author puts in an 8 year old girl in a situation like this. You get the perspective of a teenager, a young adult and a child in a world like this. It's very creative.

I don't know if this would be a spoiler for you, but beware. This book has a little romance. Not a lot, but I guess enough for you to feel the romance...? :') While I was reading the book, I was kind of in love with the love story going on! I was and am also in LOVE with one of the characters in Ashes! You know how some people have crushes on characters in a book? Like Peeta and Gale from The Hunger Games? Or Four/Tobias Eaton from the Divergent series? Yeah, I have a "crush" on one of the characters from Ashes! If you also have a crush on a character in a book, tell me in the comments!

I would have to say that this book isn't meant for like, kids though. I was twelve at the time when I got the book, and to tell you the truth, I was kind of disgusted by the events that happened in the story. But then again, it is a book about zombies, of course there will be blood and guts and gross things like that. Considering age, I have to rate this as a 13+ novel to read. It does have bad words in the book too. VOYA said that Ashes made the Hunger Games look like a tea party.

Not only do I have and read the first of the trilogy, I also have, and read, the second book too! The second book is called Shadows, and I will eventually write a review on the second novel. The third has come out already too, but I'm waiting for th
e bookstore near my house to sell the paperback version of it, because both of the other ones that I have are paperbacks and I want them to be the same. Plus, they're cheaper. ;) The paperback version is coming to my bookstore in September, so I have to wait 2 months to get it.

I hope you read Ashes because it really is a page-turner. You'll get sucked into the world like that *snaps finger*.
If you have a book you really like, please feel free to tell me in the comments! I've been kind of... "book dead?" lately. Meaning that I haven't found a book that I like. I'd love to hear about some of the books you like so that I can read them for the summer! 

Thank you for reading! Once again, these are my opinions!

Keep Smiling,
M-L

O Canada!

          Happy Canada Day!

Today I wanted to write a blog post that's somehow related to Canada Day, but it's harder than I thought... I mean, yeah, I could write a blog post about how to celebrate Canada Day, or ways to make your outfit scream CANADA, or suggest a few yummy treat ideas to make, or even just talk about Canada's history! But I wanted to write about something that was more... original.

I've been kind of reluctant to write about something like this on this blog, and it's discrimination.

Discrimination is a very difficult problem not only in Canada sometimes, but around the world. It can affect others to feel bad about themselves just because of one little thing about them like their ethnicity, or the colour of their skin, or religion. I mean, okay sure. It' s impossible for people to not judge, we are humans. But as humans, we shouldn't demoralize someone like that. You don't know what other battles they have to deal with. Unfortunately, in my point of view, discrimination is everywhere, and it's difficult to avoid. They're in advertisements, social media, TV shows, books, news, they're everywhere. It's really easy to be influenced by all of this. I think that we should be stronger as human beings and say no when you have to when you see discrimination. Say no to the little kid making fun of someone because of the way they look like. Say no to the man threatening a lady because of her sexual orientation. Say no to the woman insulting another woman because of her ethnicity. Sooner or later, eventually, they'll get the message.
Personally, I've never actually been affected by discrimination. I am Asian, but I've only heard of stereotypes. Well, sometimes someone will pull on the skin around their eyes so it's looks smaller, or they'll say stuff "Go eat some wonton soup!". I am offended sometimes, but I let it pass. But little things like that can ruin someone's day. Even if it was meant to be a joke, it's better to keep it for yourself. Always think first. Ask yourself will someone be offended if I say or do this? Think about the other person first.

Canada today is well known because of its diversity, and it is a bilingual country. Although this country is multicultural, there are still some very offensive people who can be so ignorant by insulting people because of the colour of their skin, or their ethnicity, gender, appearance, religion, you name it. I was hesitant on writing about this topic because it is extremely controversial and can be objective  for others. For some time, I wanted this blog to be all about happiness and fun, but I realized that life isn't like fairytales. Life has its ups and downs. It's a balance between good and bad. All of my posts on this blog so far have been ups, and now I think that it's time for some downs. This blog needs to be looked at with as much positivity as possible, but when necessary, negatively, just like life. As a still growing human being, who is still learning and developing, I feel like I should express my opinion on this touchy subject. I want my words to be insightful for you so that you can make our world a much better place. I hope that after you read this you'll be more perceptive and aware of how you treat others, or how people treat you, or how people treat others.

I know that this post was pretty... sad, considering that it is Canada Day. But I wanted to do something that was more special. Anyway, thank you for reading and next time I write I promise it'll be about something more uplifting!

 

Keep Smiling,
M-L