zawan's blog

Back to Wordpress again

2009-01-04T06:44:00.001-08:00

Hi guys

I’m back to Wordpress again. Updates will be there:

http://zawan.wordpress.com

Twilight – Stephanie Meyer

2009-01-03T17:16:00.001-08:00

Just to satisfy my curiosity, I finally got a copy of Twilight yesterday.

You probably know the plotline, but in a nutshell, Bella is a clumsy yet independent teenager who moves from sunny Arizona to cloudy Forks in order to live with her father. At her school, she spots a bizarre family at the cafeteria: The Cullens. She is drawn to Edward, the tall and handsome Cullen; but is shocked and angry at how repulsed he seems when next to her. She also finds his (also the other Cullens’) features out-of-the-ordinary: he has marble white, smooth skin; his eye color changes depending on his mood… And after he saves her life, which was practically impossible for any normal person, she urges him to tell her about himself and they fall in love, even though Edward warns her that they shouldn’t be friends because he could suddenly lose control and risk her life, or even kill her, putting in consideration the he is a blood-thirsty vampire. But Bella, who is so charmed by him, makes it clear that she will risk her life for him rather than stop loving him, which gravely endangers her life.

The story is pretty absorbing at the first 2 or 3 chapters, but after that, it just keeps dragging on monotonously. It is ridiculously repetitive and even after reaching more than half the 500-page book, nothing happens. What’s even worse is that in the middle of the story, there are many moments when your heart starts racing in excitement that something is going to happen, but nothing does, as a beguiling strategy from the author to keep you reading.

Bella is intrigued by Edward and his past, which he gives her in small portions throughout the story, but the rest of his family’s history wasn’t interesting. Sometimes it makes you want to skip lines or pages out of boredom.

On the whole, the plot was dull, hasty, and unimaginative. While reading, I would think back and wonder why I’m going through all this, and I’d remember that it is because an impulsive, conceited 17-year old decides to risk her life for an attractive, mysterious vampire. She loves him so much that she is actually willing to let him turn her into a monster - putting no regard for her family - just in order to be with him. The plot is not convincing at all.

And after long, unbearable hours of reading, comes the point when the villain appears, and my eyelids are still drooped. Also, the moment of action to protect Bella was so silly: “you get in the car; I’ll go with him; you got with her; you’re staying with him; we’ll take the jeep; you take the other car, etc”.

I couldn’t believe that Bella was actually tricked with the not-so-real voice of her mother with a VCR, then blackmailed and almost brutally killed. That happens in an action movie, like Bourne Ultimatum, not a classic vampire love-story. The plot was supposed to be clever.

Yet with all those terrible flaws, how come the novel’s so popular and successful? I’m thinking it’s because of the consistent dose of romance in the book, which is what high-school girls want, regardless of whether the plot is good or not. Twilight really can’t be more romantic or sensual that it already is. It’s also exaggerated, causing fans to crave for more of the irresistible, charming Edward Cullen, resulting in the other trail of books: New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn - plus another one on the way.

Twilight is a crappy novel. But after it sinks its venomous, you can’t put it down.

The Fray’s new single and album

2009-01-02T07:29:00.001-08:00

The Fray will be releasing a new album called “The Fray” on February 3 (US).

The band has some very popular and good songs like How to Save a Life (2005).

Their single, You Found Me, is available on iTunes. I’d give it a rating of 10/10. It’s one of my favorite songs.

According to NME, the album track-listing is as follows:

'Syndicate'
'Absolute'
'You Found Me'
'Say When'
'Never Say Never'
'Where The Story Ends'
'Enough For Now'
'Ungodly Hour'
'We Build Then We Break'
'Happiness'

The Fray is a band from Denver. Most of their songs have been premiered on Grey’s Anatomy.

I like them because they don’t rely on popularity. They sing high-quality songs, which makes them a unique band.

WATCH “YOU FOUND ME” MUSIC VIDEO
lyrics

The Fray’s official website

The Dilemma of Wordpress and Blogger

2009-01-01T06:12:00.001-08:00

http://www.thingstocome.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/Wordpress_vs_Blogger.gif

I’ve been switching between Blogger and Wordpress for a long time until I finally settled on Wordpress then went back to Blogger again! However, both of the blog services are very disappointing.

First of all, I like Blogger because it’s simple and easy-to-use. Adding and editing Page Elements like inserting pictures on your blog sidebar or making a list are straight-forward. Blogger also provides fun and useful widgets; you can also add your own html script.

But on Wordpress, in order to just simply add a picture to my sidebar I had to go through many complicated tutorials, and deal with html. That was very upsetting.

Although Blogger doesn’t provide many templates, I could change my template any time and activate any downloaded template from the web for free. Whereas on Wordpress (which has more templates), you have to upgrade your version in order to activate a downloaded template or change the color of the background of your blog. Thumbs-up for Blogger on this feature.

Many people have switched to Wordpress because it is more professional; it has a powerful blog-statistics and comment moderation feature which Blogger does not have.

Also, the Wordpress community is better connected and livelier than Blogger’s. On Wordpress, you can easily search and find other Wordpress blogs and know the most popular Wordpress posts. It’s a worthy chance to get to know other bloggers.

Wordpress’ dashboard is handier than Blogger’s: it has Support, Forums, and other.

Wordpress has a more advanced categorizing system for your posts. You can add categories which are narrowed down to tags. On blogger it’s just categories. On Wordpress, you could add a tag or category cloud.

I think the best feature on Wordpress is the ability to add pages. Blogger users cannot do that.

I found it effortless to create my first blogs on both Wordpress and Blogger.

Another thing I’ve realized is that most Blogger blogs are abandoned by their owners after writing just one or no posts. Some are dated back to 2006.
I’ve noticed that people who don’t write useful things for the community, like filling posts with family pictures or writing diaries in colloquial speech, lean towards Blogger.
Most Wordpress users are more serious with their posts, but I’m not saying that all Blogger posts aren’t useful.

Blogger has more image storage than Wordpress, but you could upgrade your storage on Wordpress.

My conclusion:
Wordpress definitely has more powerful features and options than Blogger, but things like cornering you to their plain templates unless you upgrade or making simple tasks difficult make you stop and appreciate Blogger.

Currently, it’s difficult to advise one between the two; it depends on how you blog and the services you prefer.

There is room for improvement for both of the blog providers.

If you’re concerned with how your blog looks, try Blogger. If you’re more into writing and don’t really mind the look of your blog, go for Wordpress.

But what if I want you want powerful features AND a pretty blog (like me)? That’s a sticky situation.

Another good comparison: http://rob.orangejack.com/2006/03/02/comparing-bloggercom-to-wordpresscom/

ِAnimal Farm – George Orwell

2008-12-31T16:36:00.001-08:00

http://www.strategicpoliciesinstitute.org/Images/Reading/animalfarm.jpg

book: Animal Farm

Author: George Orwell

Number of pages: 141

THE SEVEN COMMANDMENTS

1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy

2. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend

3. No animal shall wear clothes

4. No animal shall sleep in a bed

5. No animal shall drink alcohol

6. No animal shall kill any other animal

7. All animals are equal

Because of being mistreated and underfed by human the human race, the animals of Manor Farm decide to create a just, progressive world for themselves. They start a rebellion and take over the farm (chasing away all the humans), calling it Animal Farm.

The pigs, the smartest animals of them all, lead the rebellion. The two main leaders are Napoleon and Snowball, who are always in disagreement with each other.

Later, Snowball disappears and Napoleon remains the leader of Animal Farm.

Above are the seven commandments agreed upon, but when the pigs start to fiendishly punish and kill animals, editing the Seven Commandments each time to make excuses for ruthlessly breaking the rules and acting like humans, the other animals start to contemplate on whether life was better off before their revolution.

The style of the book was simple and straightforward, so it was easy to read.

Memorable characters in the story included Boxer, the diligent, determined horse whose slogan is “I will work harder”; and Benjamin the pessimistic donkey whose opinion is firm throughout the story until the end: that life is unfair.

After reading it for the third time, Animal Farm still continues to be my favorite book.

Most of the parts in it were ironically funny, and Orwell didn’t put exclamation marks or present the novel in a way that that made you feel he forcefully wanted you to laugh.

Animal Farm is called a ‘fairy story’, but like Orwell’s other novel, 1984, it is an anti-totalitarianism novel; yet Animal Farm can be enjoyed as a classic novel.

Switched back to Blogger

2008-12-31T14:49:00.001-08:00

I’m very sorry to confuse everyone, but I’ve switched back to Blogger again. This blog which you are reading is now is the one which I will be updating.

http://zawan.blogspot.com/

a new home

2008-12-31T14:47:00.001-08:00

I haven’t been posting or responding to your comments lately because we have just moved to The United States the day before yesterday! My father and I are staying at a place called Ithaca in New York state, since he’s coming as a visiting scholar at Cornell University.

I’m very excited to be here and I’m also curious about how different my school will be from that in Sudan. The schools are on holiday here, so we will search for schools after the holiday.

We’re currently staying at my dad’s friend’s house till we get to buy some stuff for our home.

I’ll tell you once we settle.

Oh, and I’m turning 13 today! It sure will be an unforgettable birthday.

2008 books

2008-12-31T14:41:00.001-08:00

This is a list of the books I’ve read in 2008 (in no particular order). Click the title to see my review. Sorry, most of the reviews are linked to my other Wordpress blog.

The Catcher in the Rye – J. D. Salinger
The Film Club – David Gilmour
The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini
A Taste of Melon – Borden Deal
Season of Migration to the North – Al-Tayyib Saleh
Love in the time of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
One Hundred years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – J. K. Rowling
Tess of the d’Urbervilles – Thomas Hardy
Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte
Shopaholic Abroad – Sophie Kinsella
Dubliners – James Joyce
The Thief and the Dogs – Naguib Mahfouz
Atonement – Ian McEwan
Blackbird House – Alice Hoffman
Thirteen Reasons Why – Jay Asher
The Diamond Girls – Jacqueline Wilson
The Secret – Rhonda Byrne
The ABC Murders – Agatha Christie
Murder on the Orient Express – Agatha Christie
The Picture of Dorian Gray – Oscar Wilde
Heart of Darkness – Joseph Conrad
Youth – Joseph Conrad
The Alchemist – Pablo Coelho
The Reader – Bernhard Schlink
Animal Farm – George Orwell

The Reader – Bernhard Schlink

2008-12-31T14:15:00.000-08:00

The Reader is a book by the German author, Bernhard Schlink.

On his way to school, a 15-year old ill with hepatitis named Michael throws up and is assisted by a stranger old enough to be his mother.

After Michael gets better and pays a visit to the stranger, whose name is Hanna, he and Hanna fall in love with each other. Soon, Michael is obsessed with her and starts visiting her daily at her apartment.
Hanna doesn’t tell Michael a lot about herself, and after Michael betrays her, she disappears.

In part two, Michael is a law student, and Hannah is being tried for a crime regarding the Nazi.
As Michael observes the hearings, he realizes that Hanna has been concealing a secret – one that she considers more shameful than the Nazi ones - all this time.

This was a haunting and mysterious read, yet it is written simply.

The Reader is absorbing and unputdownable. It makes you want to finish it in one quick read.

The story was very wise and you could feel the guilt and perplexity of the protagonist. It leaves you thinking even after you’ve finished the book.

This is a book you should add to your reading list.

The story is now a motion picture starring Kate Winslet (Titanic) and Ralph Fiennes.

My rating: 9 ½ (a memorable, worthy read)

Buy at amazon

The Reader movie site

Switched to Wordpress

2008-12-18T00:52:00.001-08:00

Hello readers,

I’d like to announce that I’ve switched my blog to wordpress.

I’ll still keep this blog, but I’ll be updating my new one.

My new blog address is http://zawan.wordpress.com/

please visit me there

thanks
Zawan

http://zawan.wordpress.com/

CNN Business Traveller: reading

2008-12-15T06:21:00.000-08:00

This month's edition of CNN Business Traveller (hosted by Richard Quest) is about reading and books: the things I'm most interested in!

I watched it twice on TV, and it was very good. Anybody who is a traveller or an avid reader (or both) should watch this edition.

It will introduce you to some historical bookshops such as Shakespeare & Company (in London).

It compared the new books of the future: Sony's e-Reader and Amazon's Kindle. And 3 city guides were laid side-by-side to see which one showed you the most exceptional of places.

Did you know what "readers in residence" and "writers in residence" mean?

You can watch the 30-minute show below.

Visit the CNN Business Traveller site to learn more and know when the show airs.

The Catcher in the Rye

2008-12-15T01:52:00.000-08:00

https://www.stanfords.co.uk/stock/the-catcher-in-the-rye-129247/

Title: The Catcher in the Rye

Author: J. D. Salinger

In The Catcher in the Rye, an odd teenager called Holden Caulfield narrates his experiences in New York after being expelled from his fourth prep school, Pencey.

Holden states that he is undergoing mental treatment, and throughout his narration he criticizes and judges people and likes to stand out from the crowd. He alienates himself from the world: he says he doesn't like the adult world because it is full of deception and betrayal, even though he's a lying fiend himself. He prefers the innocence and honesty of childhood.

Holden wants to find an identity in New York, but he falls into a lot of trouble. He misinterprets people's actions and irritates everybody he meets.

His little sister, Phoebe, is an important character in the story because Holden accepts her advice and she shows the reader Holden's faults.

Some people were offended by the slang in Catcher in the Rye, but I think it's ok. It also makes the book stand out among others.

This is a very good story because I could empathize with the phases Holden goes through, especially loneliness and being rejected by people. Holden Caulfield is a very unique, memorable character. He is naive yet intelligent, but the people around him don't understand him nor appreciate him for that.

I think that any teenager should read this book because they can relate to it and the narrator, a teenager himself, speaks very openly.

The Catcher in the Rye SparkNote

Amazon

The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini

2008-12-12T05:43:00.000-08:00

image via wikipedia

Yesterday, I finished reading The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, which is definitely a favorite of mine.

During their childhood, Amir and Hassan shared an inseparable friendship, despite their different beliefs, ethnicity and status.
Hassan is supposed to be the son of Amir's father's servant.

After a kite fighting tournament, Amir witnesses Hassan being raped by the bully, Assef, and doesn't defend him, which haunts him all his life.
Now Amir is an adult living in the United States and he has a chance to atone for what he had done in his childhood.

The Kite Runner is set in Afghanistan during the period of its invasion by the Soviet Army and the ruling of the Taliban.

Gripping and poignant, The Kite Runner is very well written. The twists and events in it are totally unexpected and moving.

Khaled Hosseini successfully manages to put you in the state of emotion of his characters. I like the way he portrays many different feelings, especially panic.

While reading, the story shifts to memories from the past very neatly.
I'm also very impressed at how the characters and events all link together in the end.

The story is heart-warming yet it is very realistic.

The Kite Runner is not just a dramatic story of a long-lost friendship; it vividly shows you through the eyes of the protagonist the effects the war left on Afghanistan.

The Kite Runner is a stunning read about friendship, betrayal and guilt. It also gives you an insightful understanding of the writer's homeland and its people.

If you haven't, you must pick-up this book and read it.

My rating: 10/10 (outstanding!)

I'm very eager to read Khaled Hosseini's other book, A Thousand Splendid Suns, and I'm also looking forward to seeing more from this author.

The Kite Runner has been made into an Oscar-nominated movie. Visit the official site.

Khaled Hosseini's website

Buy the book at amazon now

Love in the Time of Cholera

2008-12-09T04:46:00.000-08:00

Buy the book at Amazon

After impatiently reading the last pages, I've finally finished Love in the Time of Cholera.

The story begins with the accidental death of Dr. Juvenal Urbino, the husband of a woman named Fermina Daza.

Then it switches back to the past, when Fermina is a young teenage girl who keenly falls in love with Florentino Ariza, a telegraph boy, and soon their correspondence with each other through letters becomes an obsession.

But when Fermina Daza unexpectedly marries the prestigious and wealth doctor, Juvenal Urbino, Florentino is devastated, but has a strong will to wait for the death of the doctor.

After fifty-one years, nine months, and four days of patience and long-suffering for Florentino, Dr Juvenal Urbino is finally dead. Florentino and Fermina are now in their seventies. Will Florentino be able to win back Fermina's heart again?

Right from the first page to the last, I've been absorbed into Marquez's captivating world of love, devotion and wit.

Not only does he make you eager to know what will happen to the two lovers in the end, but he will lure you into his magical world of brilliant, unique imagination.

Through his humane stories and characters, Gabriel Garcia Marquez again proves to be a master storyteller.

I've read three books of his now, and I think he's the most talented and powerful writer ever.
I am sure you will treasure this book as much as I have.

I am also looking forward to watching the 2007 movie adaptation of Love in the Time of Cholera.

Read my review of One Hundred Years of Solitude, by the same author.

A book site for teen readers

2008-12-07T09:23:00.000-08:00

image: http://telescope0.logika.net/b/scope?u=www.teenreads.com/&c=voxwunnllvkwvykpnmqpquvpqvkztmkr

TeenReads is a wonderful site for books for teens.

It's focused on the newest and latest Young Adult books with reviews and author interviews.

There are lots of contests and giveaways on TeenReads.

What I like the most is their 'Ultimate Reading List', which includes over 300 titles of a good combination of classics, nonfiction, young adult books and modern fiction, which you can read from during the summer holidays. The list is regularly updated with the latest, best titles.

Also, at TeenReads you can know which books have been made into movies and keep up with the latest.

http://www.teenreads.com/

The Thief and the Dogs

2008-12-02T14:07:00.000-08:00

The Thief and the Dogs is a popular novel by the Egyptian author, Naguib Mahfouz.

After being imprisoned for four years, Said Mahram is finally out of jail; he is seeking revenge.

All those who have betrayed him are now leading their own lives.
His wife and his once best-friend, Illish are now married and estranging him from his daughter, Sana. She is now six years old and doesn't remember him. Rauf Illwan, who was once his partner-in-crime and mentor, is now a wealthy businessman who wants nothing to do with him.

Driven by revenge, Said wants to take vengeance on all those people even if it the last thing he does, but eventually everything goes terribly wrong: he shoots two wrong people, gets caught stealing, and is being chased by the police.

Was revenge really worth it?

This was a very thoughtful, absorbing novel which is worth buying. It also has a very good message behind it.

My rating: 10/10 (highly recommended)

Naguid Mahfouz is a well-known, nobel prize-winning Egyptian author (passed away in 2006).
He has written over a hundred short stories and many novels.

Dubliners - James Joyce

2008-12-02T11:21:00.000-08:00

photo via Wordsworth-editions

Dubliners is a book of 15 short stories written by James Joyce, which is about the life of middle-class people living in Dublin. It is set in a period where people were searching for a sense of identity.

I thought the stories were very ironic and realistic. My favorite stories were A Little Cloud, a story of a man who thinks he leads an unsuccessful and unhappy life because of his family, and The Dead, about a man named Gabriel, who later discovers how insecure he is and something else he didn't know about his wife.

Some of the characters and events in Dubliners, particularly those in The Dead, were actually based upon Jame's own life.

Basically, the stories in Dubliners are about people discovering themselves.

I loved this book because each story leaves you thinking long after you've finished reading it.
The conversations between the characters were fun to read.

I read it as a Wordsworth book, and the introduction gave me a very good understanding of the stories.

Read the full text of Dubliners online, free

my rating: 9/10 (must-read)

update: Stevie pointed out the sequel to The Dead, The Ugly, written by a young Irish writer called Anne Pignone in 2007 (click here to read it)

Atonement - Ian McEwan

2008-11-14T11:13:00.001-08:00

image via wikipedia

Title: Atonement
writer: Ian McEwan

On a summer in 1935, Briony Tallis, a thirteen year-old aspiring writer, accuses her elder sister’s lover and gardener of a crime he did not commit. He is sent to jail then is sent off to fight during the war, where he is separated from her sister, Cecilia.

Then the novel switches to the future, where Briony is working as a nurse instead of going to Cambridge as a sort of penance. Robbie is at the war and corresponds with Cecilia through letters.

The book tells the story of how Briony tries to atone for the unforgivable, lifelong ruin she has done to Cecilia and Robbie’s lives.

There isn’t a lot to say about Atonement; it was beautifully written. Ian McEwan has writes elegantly and the plot nurtures very smoothly.

It’s was heart-warming, good read that I highly recommend.

My rating: 9/10

Blackbird House - Alice Hoffman

2008-11-05T09:49:00.001-08:00

Author: Alice Hoffman

I read this book because it was the only interesting one I had.

Blackbird house is a story that spans for about 200 hundred years, about the families living in a house in Massachusetts called Blackbird House.

Once Coral Hadley loses her sons and husband at sea, tragedy strikes all the next generation of inhabitants of that house. And a bird witnesses all those tragedies.

Each chapter in the book tells the story of the families living in that house. I loved the stories and thought they were very imaginative and delightful. Alice Hoffman is a very good storyteller.

I think this book is similar to One Hundred Years of Solitude, since it does not have a particular plot but it consists of many happenings. In contrast to One Hundred Years of Solitude, it is much shorter.

However, the end didn’t make any sense to me and I didn’t enjoy how it ended.

Blackbird House is a good, short read that will lighten you up.

My rating: 6/10

Click here to read what I thought about One Hundred Years of Solitude

Thirteen Reasons Why - Jay Asher

2008-11-02T09:03:00.001-08:00

Author: Jay Asher

genre:young adult novel

Although I don’t read teen novels much, I’ve always longed to read this book because according to the review everybody seemed to like it.

Thirteen Reasons Why is about Hannah Baker, a teenager who has recently committed suicide. Before she did, in a set of 7 tapes, she explained the reasons why she ended her life. The tapes should be passed on between the people who impacted on her life, causing her to kill herself; and Clay, her classmate who had a crush on her, is one of the reasons why.

You will be reading what the tapes say, which is in italic, and Clay’s thoughts, which is a normal font. This made it very confusing. After every few lines of the tape comes what was on Clay’s mind, and I often found myself reading on, still thinking it was Hannah on the tape when instead, it was what Clay was thinking.

Another thing I didn’t like about this book was that some parts were longer than necessary, and I sometimes thought of giving up on reading the book.

note: it gets more exciting near the end.

However, what was good in this book was that the idea of the tapes was unique. The book shows what high school is like: the people there and their intentions.

Although Thirteen Reasons Why has good things and bad things, I generally enjoyed reading this book. I think it was a very good story. The ending was also satisfying.

I think everyone liked this book because it was different.

I have learned from it that you should go ahead and say/do whatever in your mind before it’s too late, and that when someone impulsively does a stupid thing to a person, no matter how small, it can affect that person deeply, so you should think twice before doing anything.

If you have read this book, please tell me what you think.

visit the official website of the book

My rating: 8 / 10

Shopaholic Abroad - Sophie Kinsella

2008-10-24T04:38:00.001-07:00

image via FantasticFiction.co.uk

Shopaholic Abroad (also called Shopaholic takes Manhattan) is the second book in the best-selling Shopaholic series, by Sophie Kinsella.

This time, Rebecca Bloomwood, the shopaholic, moves to New York, where her boyfriend, Luke, has made a deal. She also has a chance to work there.

New York is a shopping paradise for Rebecca, but can she pay off all her debts and stay with Luke?

Will Rebecca be able to keep her job when Alicia, who works for Luke at Brandon Communications, tries to ruin Rebecca and Luke’s reputation?

Near the end of the book, things start to get more thrilling and you’ll become excited to know what will happen to Rebecca.

This is the first Shopaholic series book I’ve read, and even though I don’t like these types of books, I enjoyed this one. It was downright funny. Even though I wanted to, I couldn’t laugh hard at school or else I would have looked awkward. I adored how the author, Kinsella, wrote the book in Rebecca’s point of view. It was very realistic too.

This was an exhilarating read, but I didn’t find the end satisfying. I also thought some parts were unnecessarily long.

Sophie Kinsella's website

Quizlet - great for studying

2008-10-17T03:45:00.001-07:00

Today, I've discovered a highly efficient website, Quizlet, which allows you to create your own flashcards and study them or play other flashcards created by users in order to prepare for tests or quizzes.

I'm giving this site 5 stars and it deserves to be linked at my sidebar. It's also very easy to use.

There are lots of ways to study and help you to memorize things at Quizlet.

I think that teachers and students will really benefit from this site. The good thing is that you could join a group (such as your classmates) and study or edit your flashcards.

Did you know that Quizlet was created by a high-school student? read the Quizlet story

Andrew Sutherland, creator of Quizlet

I'd say that Quizlet is superb for studying vocabulary, definitions for any subject and facts of points. I've already created an account and made flashcards for the new words I've discovered and for my Geography test.

Please share Quizlet with your friends.

http://quizlet.com/

Book meme from Booking through Thursday

2008-10-10T10:15:00.001-07:00

Hello, this is my first meme which I found on Books Worth Reading. Click here (Booking through Thursday) to do it youself and find other memes.

I’m tagging Meghna and the authors of Taking it further.

What was the last book you bought?
The last e-book I bought was Atonement by Ian McEwan. Actually I used my dad’s credit card…

Name a book you have read MORE than once
The only one is Animal Farm by George Orwell: one of my favorites

Has a book ever fundamentally changed the way you see life? If yes, what was it?
I don’t know… maybe Tess of the d’Urbervilles, One Hundred years of Solitude…

How do you choose a book? eg. by cover design and summary, recommendations or reviews
By recommendations and reviews; and for classics: my dad knows the good books

Do you prefer Fiction or Non-Fiction?
I prefer fiction… but I’d also like to try different genres including biographies

What’s more important in a novel - beautiful writing or a gripping plot?
The size is very important. I hate those terribly long books, especially classics like Great Expectations. But Harry Potter is an exception.

I think beautiful writing is important, but so is clarity. I don’t like those books when you have to read a sentence twice to understand what it says. A gripping plot is also crucial. I think the best examples are Harry Potter, Agatha Christie books and The Hound of the Baskervilles.

Most loved/memorable character (character/book)
Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot, because he’s witty, and has a bizarre character, and is very fond of himself.

Which book or books can be found on your nightstand at the moment?
What’s a nightstand?

What was the last book you’ve read, and when was it?
The last book was One Hundred Years of Solitude… I finished it the day before yesterday at school when typically, the teacher didn’t appear in class

Have you ever given up on a book half way in?
No, I don’t even risk reading un-known books which are bad

One Hundred years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez

2008-10-08T09:22:00.001-07:00

Today I have accomplished a great achievement – I’ve finished reading One Hundred Years of Solitude, a novella by the noted Colombian author, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, who has written other great works including Chronicle of a Death Foretold – which I’ve already read and appreciated, and Love in the Time of Cholera.

I found One Hundred Years of Solitude quite a long book, and I wouldn’t have read it all if it wasn’t an amusing, clever story.

One Hundred Years of Solitude was not like any other novel I have read: it had no particular plot; it was rather a series of events that have happened in the fictional town of Macondo, which is similar to where Garcia Marquez grew up. The story covers more than a hundred years (according to Wikipedia), as you read about the lives of the Beuendia family through generations.

Although the story is purely fictional and has the wittiest happenings I’ve ever read – even wittier than Harry Potter – it seemed so real and magical.

Lots of parts in the book were skillfully hilarious and bizarre.

What confused me was that members of the Buendia family were named after each other, since the story went on for about seven generations; sometimes I couldn’t identify who was who.

As you read One Hundred Years of Solitude you’ll encounter war, amnesia, spirits, solitude, heavy rain, incredible Gypsies and supernatural amusements. The story also contains a shade of mystery behind it.

This surely is a book to read. It’s a very long book, but you’ll never regret reading it.

Visit Wikipedia to read more about One Hundred Years of Solitude.

Bookreporter.com - a site for booklovers

2008-10-06T07:23:00.001-07:00

image via bbc.co.uk

I'd like to share a site called BookReporter.com with those who love to read or those who are interested in books.

It's a simple book site with reviews, author information, interviews, recommendations, content for book clubs and more...

On BookReporter.com, you'll find thousands of book reviews of mostly modern books books of different genres. It's a community for bookworms to delve into the world of reading and discuss books.

The only thing that I find impractical about the website is that if you want to search for anything, you'll need to open a whole new page; you cannot find a search bar on top of every page.

Other than that, I highly recommend readers to open this site. I'd give BookReporter a rating of 4/5.

Visit bookreporter.com

Stardoll is fun

2008-10-03T09:56:00.001-07:00

Whenever I’m bored, I visit Stardoll and dress up my favorite celebrities including Hilary Duff, Avril Lavigne, Jennifer Hudson and others.

credit: http://www.cnet.co.uk/i/c/nws/software/stardoll/stardoll1.jpg

Stardoll is a site where you can dress famous celebs, actors and actress, singers, and other well-known people. It’s a very easy-to play-flash game, and the clothes you can dress each celebrity with are those which they’ve worn in real-life.

But Stardoll is much more than just dressing people. After becoming a member, you could become a ‘superstar’ after paying some money to get exclusive advantages and dolls to dress. Although you could also buy stuff and do numerous things, I still stay on the shallow end and just have fun dressing dolls!

Visit stardoll.com

Be part of an online drama at To be Continued

2008-10-02T08:46:00.001-07:00

BBC Switch is hosting a very interesting site where those over 16 and under 24 can direct, write, and act their own film as part of a drama called To Be Continued. There are certain outlines and characters of the drama that you can learn more about by visiting the site.

Those who want to be part of this would write their script and edit it at the Studio, which is on the site, and share the film with the community.

According to the site, the people behind To Be Continued will decide when to release each act.

Remember that you have to be the age stated to join To Be Continued. After becoming a member, gather your crew and start working on Act one.

You could do all this at the site, http://www.bbc.co.uk/tbc/

This activity looks fun and will engage people in creativity.

If you're younger than 17, you shouldn't be a member, but you could still create your own drama series and post it on YouTube.

visit to be continued

visit the BBC Switch YouTube channel

The Diamond Girls - Jacqueline Wilson

2008-10-01T05:58:00.001-07:00

image via http://www.readingmatters.co.uk/book.php?id=258

A classmate lent me The Diamond Girls by Jacqueline Wilson (thanks); I’ve just finished reading it, so here’s the review.

The Diamond Girls is a heart-warming story about 4 sisters, Martine (the eldest), Judy, Rochelle, and Dixie (the youngest), who live with their mother, Sue, who is pregnant with a boy. They call themselves the Diamond Girls, but they’re not prosperous as their name suggests. All of the girls have different fathers who are not living with them. The Diamond Girls have just moved to a new home, hoping to live happily ever after, but things turn out totally different from what they’ve expected. Devastated and disappointed, Martine, Judy and Rochelle start going their own ways. Read the book to find out how Dixie tries to bring the family together and make things better when she finds out that the baby is a girl, her new friend is abused by her mother, and that Martine, the eldest sister, storms out and goes to their old home and her boyfriend Tony.

I loved reading this book because it deals with all sorts of problems that happen in people’s lives including abuse and teen pregnancy. Jacqueline Wilson sure has a talent of telling the story from a child’s point of view.

However, the only thing that annoyed me about this book was that the author made the story unnecessarily longer by adding too many details on Dixie’s imagination and the way she thinks. That made a book a bit tedious for older people to read, even though the book looks suitable for those a little bit older than tweens.

Other than that, The Diamond Girls is a very good book with an uplifting ending.

I highly recommend this book for those aged 9 to 12.

My review of Google Chrome

2008-09-27T08:56:00.000-07:00

image: http://www.downloadgooglechrome.org/google-chrome-official-logo.html

Google Chrome, the web browser by Google, has pros and cons.

First of all, it’s very neat. Unlike Internet Explorer, Google Chrome’s tabs are smaller and the interface is spacious. It’s fun to use because it gives you the freedom to drag and drop effortlessly. I read that Google Chrome is also stable. Whenever it crashes and closes, which barely happens on me, you can reopen all of the tabs that were working before the crash. The URL box, which is called the Omnibox, could be also be used as a search box.

What I don’t like about Google Chrome is that you cannot organize your bookmarks easily. For those who were using Internet Explorer, Google Chrome may first seem impractical because there is no drop-down menu on the Omnibox, but actually you can drag any web address on the toolbar as a shortcut.

Google Chrome is still on Beta stage, and it is not integrated with some services, including StumbleUpon. Right now, it is only available to Windows users.

Overall, I'm impressed and delighted to be using Google Chrome because it is very practical once you get used to it, and is definitely more stable than Internet Explorer.

Although Google Chorme is not available in all countries, read this post to know where you could download it wherever you are.

Some useful links:

Download Google Chrome as a zip file

Google Chrome blog

Google chrome comic book (read all the features of Google Chrome)

Google Chrome on Wikipedia

The Inspiration Behind The Logo Design of Google Chrome

A Blog on Google Chrome Web Browser (this site has lots of Google Chrome tips and tricks)

Another Cinderella Story (2008)

2008-09-26T02:23:00.001-07:00

image: wikipedia

Another Cinderella Story, starring Selena Gomez and Drew Steeley, is a modern “Cinderella” style movie, just like Hilary Duff’s A Cinderella Story.

The Plot is like any typical Cinderella story. Mary (Gomez) is a maid who works for her evil employer and guardian, Dominique, along with her silly, wicked stepsisters. She dances with the popular star, Joey Parker, in the school dance disguised behind a mask, and when the clock strikes, she hastily leaves before revealing her identity to him and drops her “slipper”, a Zune. Joey wants to know who the spectacular mystery girl is but his ex-girlfriend and Mary’s wicked stepsisters stand in the way. Her best friend, Tami, is always on her side.

The music was great, and both Selena and Drew’s voices and dance moves were astounding. I loved the songs Tell me Something I don’t Know and New Classic because they were very energetic. Selena’s clothes were cool too.

The only thing that bored me in the film was the tedious storyline. The parts of Mary’s ugly stepsisters were dull because their personalities sounded too ridiculous and brainless.

A Cinderella Story is not a favorite nor is it worth buying, but it was an entertaining teen drama.

Visit the official site

Watch the music video of Tell me Something I don’t Know

my rating: 3/5

The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho

2008-09-22T10:30:00.001-07:00

The Alchemist is a best-selling book by the Brazilian author, Paulo Coelho.

Its concept is to follow your dreams, heeding omens and listening to your heart on the way.

Santiago is a young Spanish shepherd who dreams to finding treasure on the Pyramids of Egypt. The story follows his journey to Egypt, where he encounters several wise people who guide him on his journey and teach him many valuable things about life, especially achieving your dreams.

The story says that everybody has a Personal Legend or a goal in life, and no matter how difficult that legend is you will fulfill it if you remain persistent and recognize small details or omens, which will lead you to your objective.

I loved this book because it was very simple, and the message behind it was filled with wisdom and it was inspiring. It’s not a very long story either; it’s worth your time and money, and teaches you great lessons, too.

Kung Fu Panda (2008)

2008-09-22T07:01:00.001-07:00

Kung Fu Panda is an animated movie starring the voices of several well-known actors including Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, and Jackie Chan. It is directed by John Stevenson and Mark Osbourne.

Kung Fu Panda tells the story of an unlikely hero who shall become the warrior of the Valley of Peace.

Po is a light-hearted panda who dreams of becoming a kung fu master; but he works with his father in a noodle restaurant.

After being unexpectedly chosen as the Dragon Warrior instead of the highly skilled members of the Furious Five, he has to bear the burden of defeating the evil enemy of the valley, Tai Lung, who has just escaped from prison.

Although the movie wasn’t realistic, I enjoyed how simple it was. It taught many lessons such as believing in yourself at all times, and not underestimating others.

The story was beautiful and humorous at the same time.

It doesn’t cause the type of tension you feel when watching action movies, even though the theme of the movie was based on martial arts and fighting. Instead, the fighting and action scenes were mild, focusing on the touching story and good personal values. The music, composed by Hans Zimmer, added a touching feeling to the movie and the detailed animation made the movie very enjoyable to watch.

Kung Fu Panda is a very good movie that has a poignant story behind it; and you shall learn lots morals from watching it.

My rating: 4/5

According to Wikipedia, there will be a sequel to Kung Fu Panda.

visit the official website

Ebooks and e-newspapers

2008-09-20T08:55:00.001-07:00

I have no choice but to read ebooks because in Sudan there is no access to the latest books and Amazon service is not available here. Thankfully, most ebook websites allow even those living in Sudan to create accounts and purchase ebooks.

Since I don't have a laptop, I have to read my ebooks on a desktop computer, which is very uncomfortable. A disadvantage of ebooks is that you cannot print them out because they are protected.

I wish I had a kindle.

Some months ago, I made an account on ebooks.com. I downloaded The Film Club, The Shack, and Atonement. Something very strange happened when I downloaded The Shack. I received the wrong cover! The picture looked scanned and it said "So you don't want to go to church".

In my opinion, diesel-ebooks, another place to purchase ebooks, is much better than ebooks.com. It definitely has newer ebooks and a wider collection that ebooks.com.

Two excellent programs to read ebooks on your computer or laprop are Microsoft Reader and Adobe Digital Editions. Both of them are free and they're clear and easy to use.

The iRex Digital Reader 1000, is the same as the Kindle except that you read newspapers instead of ebooks on it. Read more

read this also, about e-newspapers in general: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/08/technology/08ink.html?scp=1&sq=e%20newspapers&st=cse

updates

2008-09-19T02:59:00.001-07:00

hello readers,

Come back soon because there will be a new movie review on my blog later today.

I'm also reading two books at the moment:

The Alchemist
The Seven Sins of Memory

...so expect some book reviews soon

thanks, and don't forget to come back

On the Lot

2008-09-15T08:32:00.001-07:00

On the Lot is a reality tv competition developed by directors Steven Spielberg (The Color Purple) and Mark Burnett (Are we there yet) where chosen filmmakers compete in certain movie tasks until everybody is eliminated and one person wins a deal with DreamWorks Studios.

Although On the Lot focuses more on drama, like the conflicts between the competitors, I still think it gives newbies an idea of what filmmaking is like, and shows you examples of good films and bad films.

The judges, didn't seem to give criticism for the competitors' works; they just said "I love it, it's awesome" or "I don't think that's good".

But other than that, I think it's a pretty good show for those who are interested in directing films.

On the Lot shows on Dubai One on Saturdays at 12:30 KSA, which is 12:45 in Sudan.

If you're interested, you can check the schedule on the Dubai One website.

Visit the site on tv.com

The new Apple ipod: Nano Chromatic

2008-09-11T05:39:00.001-07:00

Apple has released a new ipod nano, called Nano Chromatic. It's available in 8GB and 16 GB, and in 9 different colors. One of its interesting features is that if you give Nano Chromatic a shake it will shuffle your music. You could also control your ipod by turning or tilting it. Learn more

ad:

thanks to thecolmexguy for posting the ad on YouTube

visit Apple to learn more about the features and tech specs of Nano Chromatic

Free magazines online at Mygazines.com

2008-09-05T02:37:00.001-07:00

Mygazines.com is a mag-sharing site where users can scan and upload full magazines or articles online, where they are converted digitally so that they are easy to read. Users can share and rate magazines and articles, post comments, create custom magazines, and save their favorite magazines after making a free account.

There are thousands of magazines of all types: Books, sports, kids and teens, fashion, etc...

Mygazines.com has a system that allows you to zoom in while reading magazines, flip through pages easily, and search for articles inside a magazine.

Although some people say that this site is illegal and are trying to shut it down, I think it's ok to read some magazines online in a place like Sudan, where there are no English magazines at all (except Newsweek) that teens are interested in.

visit mygazines.com

read New magazine-sharing site escapes copyright laws abroad

The Taste of Melon – short story by Borden Deal

2008-09-04T07:55:00.001-07:00

The Taste of Melon is one of the set texts of the IGCSE 2010 syllabus.

It’s about a person who recalls his inconsiderate doing as a sixteen year-old of stealing a watermelon.

The boy had just moved to a new home with his parents and had stolen a watermelon from the fiery Mr. Wills, whom nobody dares to touch his crops.

Mr. Wills had raised the biggest watermelon in the country and was guarding his patch with a gun.

When the boys and his friends passed by Mr. Will’s patch one night, the boy successfully manages to steal the great seed melon and enjoy it with his friends.

Mr. Wills soon discovers about his stolen watermelon and becomes desperate and angry; the boy is touched when he discovers that Mr. Wills wanted to give it to his sickly wife to make her feel better. He decides to collect the seeds and go confess to Mr. Wills with his father, expecting Mr. Wills to try to shoot him.

Instead, Mr. Wills makes a deal with the boy that they’ll grow together next year instead of this one, which is ruined.

I’ve found The Taste of Melon a very entertaining 16-page read.

The end is very ironic and witty. This short story is worth reading.

Click here to read the story.

Google chrome not available in your country? Download this zip file (link)

2008-09-04T06:44:00.001-07:00

Google Chrome, the new Google browser has been released on the 2nd of September, but it is only available in "100 countries", and Sudan doesn't seem to be one of them.
I think Google Chrome is available in only a limited number of countries because it is still in BETA stage.

But if you want to download it as a zip file (no matter which country you're living in), click this link to download it as a zip file from Rapidshare.

I've already downloaded it and it's working perfectly

Download Google Chrome (zip file)

P.S. If the download link is blocked by the National Telecommunication blabla, visit 8day.info, and paste this url (http://rs531.rapidshare.com/files/142129854/chrome_installer.exe) on the bar which you will find in the site:

update: you could also download Google Chrome from FileHippo (click here)

Season of Migration to the North – Al-Tayyib Saleh

2008-08-31T09:43:00.001-07:00

My rating: 3 3/4 out of 5

Season of Migration to the North is a mysterious novel by the well-known Sudanese writer, Al-Tayyib Saleh.

It was originally written in Arabic, but is translated into English and French (I read the English version).

It tells the tale of a young Sudanese man who had come back to his local village after spending seven years in England, studying poetry at a university there.

Among all the people who had greeted him, he spotted one, Mustafa Sa’eed, a stranger whom he did not know. All the villagers knew very little about him, only that he had a business in Khartoum.

One night, after the young man hears Mustafa narrating some English poetry when he was drunk, he grows more suspicious and curious about him until he urged Mustafa to tell him his true identity, which Mustafa had never told to anyone before.

It turns out that Mustafa Sa’eed was a brilliant student who was sent to England on a college scholarship, where he had complicated relationships with various women. Mustafa Sa’eed does not tell the young man his whole life story, but instead gives him a key to a ‘secret room’ in his house for the young man to explore and learn more about him.

After Mustafa Sa’eed unexpectedly dies, the young man opens his secret room to discover the past of the stranger who had settled in his village.

I enjoyed reading Season of Migration to the North, but I took pleasure in the little hilarious bits and dialogues more than the actual story. To be frank, I didn’t understand some parts of the novel, especially when the young man enters Mustafa’s room.

While Season of Migration to the North is more of a “Dorian Gray” ghostly novel, it depicts in depth what the Sudanese society was like in the past and how ignorant villagers used to think and treated their wives.

In 2001, Season of Migration to the North was selected as the most important Arab novel of the twentieth century. (Read more on BBC)

This is an enjoyable, entertaining novel that will cover some History, African studies and culture.

Read another review

Blogger names crisis

2008-08-29T07:53:00.001-07:00

Before launching my new blog, The School Episode, which I’ve been thinking a lot about, I started brainstorming for a blog name. My dad suggested ‘nine’, which was great since I was a ninth grader, but when I typed it in it was already taken. I visited the blog called ‘nine’ to find only two posts made up of two sentences dated 2001.

I tried a dozen names including “Grade nine” and “class nine” but they were all taken and the funny thing was every single one of them was outdated and contained no more than two posts that were ‘tests’.

Even the names “yellow ochre”, “avocado” and “lime green” were taken and not even containing any useful posts or were outdated!

The Blogger team REALLY has to go over all the blogs in their database and delete the empty, outdated ones because it is completely unfair to be denied the blog name you want while some person made a new blog of that name years ago and got bored of it and just leaves it there.

I’m very lucky that my name isn’t very common otherwise the address zawan.blogspot.com would’ve been already taken.

The Blogger database must have millions of junk blogs that must be deleted.

Four BBC sites for young people

2008-08-28T07:14:00.001-07:00

Here are 4 BBC sites I've discovered that you may like:

Blast

Blast is a BBC site for young people interested in art and design, dance, film, music, writing, games or fashion.

Each category has a sub-site where you can discuss topics related to your interests, read about events, see submissions by other young people and submit your own, get advice from experts, download tools and lots more.

It's a great place to explore and be inspired by other young people.
Bloom

Bloom, an interactive flash site, shows you how to "make smarter decisions about the things you can do to become more climate-friendly" by helping you find suitable actions depending on your lifestyle that make a difference in the environment.
Each time you make an action, click on its seed and it'll bloom into a flower. The more environment-friendly actions you make, the more flowers will bloom in your garden. It's a great way to track your progress.
Also, read facts, opinions and debates to see how much of a difference you're really making.
learn more
GCSE Bitesize

If you're preparing for the IGCSE exam, then this is a highly recommended site for you. It has summaries and useful skills on all of the subjects of the exam including Spanish, physical education and ICT. Download free audio related to your subject and play games. It's easy to become a member and discuss subjects and experiences with other people.
Slink

Slink is an online magazine for young teen girls where you'll find advice on everyday life, information, entertainment, health, games, fashion and beauty tips, and lots of other stuff.
It's a fun and informative site to check out.

Free papers at printablepaper.net

2008-08-27T06:39:00.001-07:00

Have you ever needed graph paper for school or music paper?

If so, then you'll love printablepaper.net, where you can download hundreds of detailed types of paper such as lined paper, dot paper, score sheets, hexagon graph paper and much more.

It is very simple to download papers: just click on the type of paper you want and it will be downloaded as a PDF document. Print the paper then use it!

Visit printablepaper.net

free music paper, lined paper grids etc...

The Sims 3 release date + Sims 3 Collector's Edition

2008-08-24T05:33:00.001-07:00

The Sims Label has just announced the release date of The Sims 3, which is February 20, 2009.

"The Sims Label, will be available at retailers worldwide and available by digital download on February 20, 2009."

A limited 'The Sims 3 Collector's Edition' will also be available on the same date which will include the full game and other collectible goodies:

"The Sims 3 Collector’s Edition will include:

The Sims 3 Game for PC
The Sims Plumbob USB Drive with matching Green Carabiner
Exclusive In-Game Italian-Style Sports Car
Tips and hints guide
The Sims 3 Plumbob Stickers "

Sim fans will love this!

Read the press release

Don't forget to check out the official Sims 3 website for updates.

click here to read my other posts about The Sims 3

from tag thesims3

(more..)

How to access blocked YouTube (without Proxy)

2008-08-22T03:54:00.001-07:00

YouTube has been blocked in Sudan since July 22nd for various reasons. People using ISP of the national telecom for connectivity such as Sudani and Zain cannot access YouTube, but Canar Telecom users seem to have no problems accessing the site.

Blocking YouTube prevents people from expressing their opinion online, and not everybody visits YouTube to watch porn videos. Some visit it for educational purposes and for fun.

Here's the easiest way to access YouTube that a classmate told me:

Instead of typing http://www.youtube.com on the address bar, type http://youtube.ca. I think this is the local site for Canada. The videos stream well and I don't see any problems that way.

visit the links below to read more:

YouTube blocked in Sudan?

Group protests Sudan Telecom's YouTube blocking

The Film Club - David Gilmour

2008-08-19T10:07:00.001-07:00

Title: The Film Club
Author: David Gilmour
Genre: non-fiction

Could you imagine a father who lets his teenage son drop out of school as long as he watches 3 movies a week?

That’s what David Gilmour, a re-married former film critic did. His 15-year old son, Jesse, a heavy smoker and drinker, is miserable at school; so one day his father asked him whether or not he wanted to go to school. After Jesse mentioned that he hates school, his father told him that he’ll let him quit school under those conditions: 1- That he watches 3 movies a week selected by him and 2- That he quits drugs.

As you read along, you’ll know what ups and downs occur in David and Jesse’s lives and what Jesse learns from watches over a hundred movies.

The 3 years of film school was a great moment for David and his son because teens don’t spend that much time with their fathers at that age.

The Film Club is a truly entertaining read that you’ll never get bored of. It is written as a memoir on the point of view of David, where he writes his observations on his son in a hilarious and amusing way.

David Gilmour, like any father, worries that whether letting his drop out of school is the right decision.

The Film Club is definitely a must-read that you will love.

Read about David and Jesse

NYTimes book review

The Sims 3 - A brand NEW website

2008-08-19T09:26:00.001-07:00

EA Games has re-made the The Sims 3 website, with loads of stuff including wallpapers and buddy icons, a community section with a place to chat and read the blog, more pictures and deeper insights on the game!

You've got to see the screenshots!

Visit the website now

5 new websites + what's coming up

2008-08-14T02:51:00.001-07:00

I've discovered 5 cool websites (including bogs) you might be interested in checking out:

Disney updates: free song downloads, downloads of Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Hannah Montana, The JB Living the Dream, The Cheetah girls, HSM 3, Camp Rock, and lots of other episode downloads and pictures
Episode Disney: new song downloads, Wizards of Waverly Place episode downloads, and other Disney downloads and stuff
Connect with your teens through pop culture and technology: this is not a new site but it's updated regularly. Here you'll find some updates about stuff teens are interested in: new movies, books, music, tech, news and also The Jonas Brothers
Teen Reads: a website for young adults and teens who love to read: authors, interviews, recommendations, starting your own book club, and what's new in books and movies
Adobe e-book mall: a page with links of e-book and e-magazine websites

Right now I'm reading the e-book The Film Club and I'm really enjoying it. A review will be coming soon.

Have fun! and for more links see my link list

Which is better: e-book or print?

2008-08-13T04:37:00.001-07:00

There's a NY Times article called Online, R U Really Reading?, which centers around a 15-year old called Nadia who shows no interest in books whenever her mother takes her and her younger sister to the library. Instead, she prefers to to chat online, watch music videos on YouTube, and post and read stories on Quizilla and FanFiction.net.

The New Generation prefers reading online, which is either e-books or just doing stuff online.

With the Amazon Kindle, a device that lets you read e-books on it, people started focusing more on ebooks.

However, e-books haven't totally dominated the reading revolution.

If I had to choose between printed books and e-books, I'd go for printed books because they give you the 'feel' of reading: the cover illustration of the book, the type or glossiness of the paper and etc.

But because you cannot order books via Amazon from Sudan, I'm thankful for e-books and I've just created an account on e-books.com.

When reading an e-book, I think a laptop is more handy than a desktop, because you can read wherever you want on a laptop. A good screen is also essential.

On the other hand, reading a printed book doesn't require anything at all (except light if you're reading in the dark).

Regarding the NY Times article, I don't think that doing stuff online can actually replace reading even though whatever you're doing online you are being subjected to some text, because when you're not reading something online, you don't read as if you're reading a book: you skip long words and even whole phrases.

I also prefer reading books because since I spend most of my time in front of the screen, which isn't really good for your eyes, reading gives me some time off the screen. I've also read that by reading on screen too much you could have difficulty reading text on paper, so that why reading books makes a balance for me.

"But others say the Internet has created a new kind of reading, one that schools and society should not discount. The Web inspires a teenager like Nadia, who might otherwise spend most of her leisure time watching television, to read and write".... that's also another point.

E-books can also be a solution for those who live in places where there are no bookstores in their area.

Also, after purchasing e-books online allows you to download the book immediately, but if you order a book the shipping might take some time. E-books are cheaper too.

Both e-books and books have advantages and disadvantages.

I think that after some time, e-books will replace printed books (just like ipods have replaced CDs and mp3s).

If U can't beat 'em, join 'em!

image credit: http://www.intertechpira.com/

Listen to Radio Disney on iTunes

2008-08-12T02:48:00.001-07:00

Everybody loves Disney, so in this tutorial I'll show you how to listen to Radio Disney on iTunes, even if the iTunes store isn't available in your country.

Open iTunes
Click Radio

Note: If Radio is not on the list, go to Edit - Preferences and check the Radio square

So, when the Radio screen appears, you'll see all the radio genres.

3. Click on the arrow next to Pop

4. Scroll down to R and double-click on Radio Disney

Note: There's a station called DIS Radio, this is not the one

That's it! Now you can listen to Radio Disney!

Drag it to your favorite playlist so that you don't have to search for it next time.

If you have any questions please post a comment.

Radio Disney official website

A Little Bit Longer album review - The Jonas Brothers

2008-08-11T02:52:00.001-07:00

Artist: The Jonas Brothers
Album: A Little Bit Longer
my rating: 5/5

If you're a fan of the Jonas Brothers, this album will not let you down.

The Jonas Brothers have put all their latest talents in this album, which is something completely different from their previous albums, Jonas Brothers and It's About Time.

Songs such as Video Girl, Burnin' up, Don't take my heart and put it on a Shelf, and Tonight are packed with energy and rhythm that will make want to sing and dance along. They'll "get you going crazy"!

The album cover is cool too.

The 3 brothers will rock your sox with their awesome guitar moves and Joe and Nick's breathtaking voices.

Kevin sings lead vocals in the song, "Sorry".

And of course our favorite, A Little Bit Longer,which is Nick's song where he plays the piano, is a single from the album.

Honestly, all of the songs from this album are in my "favorite songs" playlist.

If itunes is available in your country, do the Jonas Brothers a favor and don't download the leaked album. Appreciate all the hard work they've done.

If there's one album that you will buy this year, it should be this one.

Click here to listen to samples and buy the album.

from tag thejonasbrothers

(more..)

Ratatouille (2007)

2008-08-10T08:35:00.001-07:00

Directed by: Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava (co-director)

Starring: Patton Oswalt, Lou Romano, Peter Sohn, Brad Garrett, Janeane Garofalo, Ian Holm, Brian Dennehy, Peter O'Toole

my rating: 5/5

Ratatouille is a Walt Disney Pixar animation that follows a story of a rat called Remy who dreams of becoming a chef and loves to enjoy the pleasure of well-prepared food, which is tough for a rat. Remy, unlike his dad, brothers, and the rest of the colony who eat garbage, tries his best to add flavor to his food.

He finds out that his idol, chef Gusteau has recently passed away after receiving a negative review of his cookbook and his restaurant by the difficult food critic, Ego.

As the rat colony has no choice but to flee after being discovered by an old woman, Remy gets separated from the colony and accidentally finds himself at his idol’s restaurant, which is now run by Skinner, the former assistant of Gusteau.

Linguini, a young adult who is having difficulty finding a job, comes to the restaurant and is hired by Skinner as a garbage man.
He has no cooking skills at all and as he spills a pot of soup by accident, he tries to cover it up by randomly adding ingredients. Before escaping from the restaurant, Remy is determined to fix the mess. Unfortunately, Skinner spots him and orders Linguini to get rid of the rat; however he couldn’t stop the soup from being served and is stunned when a critic praises the soup.

After much hesitation, Linguini decides not to kill Remy, who has just saved his job. They become friends and make a secret team: Remy hides inside Linguini’s chef hat, directing him in the kitchen like a puppet by pulling his hairs.

Adventure and drama take place as Remy reunites with his family, Linguini tries to conceal his secret and the ambitious Skinner hides Gusteau’s will after finding out that Linguini is Gusteau’s son.

The graphics are amazing, the story is creative and convincing and so are the characters and dialogue. The music is superb too.

This is a film that is packed with laughter and adventure, and I’ve enjoyed every single moment of it… the best animation I’ve ever seen yet!

Ratatouille has won an Oscar and several awards.

Visit the official website and buy the film.

High School Musical 3 trailer and website

2008-08-09T00:45:00.001-07:00

Visit http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/highschoolmusical3/ to watch the High School Musical 3 trailer and other videos, see pictures, read about the movie, download stuff and play games.

High School Musical 3: Senior Year is going to be shown in theatres October 24th.

Trailer:

High School Musical 3 website
High School Musical 3 soundtrack

Camp Rock (2008)

2008-08-08T12:52:00.001-07:00

Camp Rock, which is supposed to be the next High School Musical, stars our favorite band, the Jonas Brothers, and Demi Lovato, a new rising star.

Mitchie (Demi Lovato) is a talented musician who’d love to go to a music summer camp called Camp Rock. Her mother can’t afford it, but she decides to do the catering there and will take Mitchie as long as she helps around in the kitchen.

At Camp Rock, Mitchie meets the “Queen bee”, Tess Tyler (who is also the camp diva), and her fellow bees, and in order to fit in with them, decides to hide her true identity and pretend to be one of them, dumping her friend Caitlyn.

Shane Gray is a popstar and a band member of Connect Three along with his mates Jason and Nate (Kevin and Nick). Because of his bad attitude, he is forced to instruct in dance classes for one month at Camp Rock.

When Shane hears Mitchie singing her song, This is me, by coincidence, it reminds him of how music used to motivate him. He becomes determined in finding out who the person singing the song was.

Shane soon becomes interested in Mitchie, not knowing that she was the one singing that song. This causes Tess the diva to become jealous. After discovering Mitchie’s real identity, Tess takes the advantage to humiliate her in front of Shane and the whole camp body.

Although the plot of Camp Rock was the same as any typical tween movie: When a cute talented girl gets attention from a boy, it causes the popular mean Plastic to become jealous and plot to ruin her life, it seemed more original and unique.

I thought the setting of the movie, which was a camp in the open woods, was really good because it gives you a spacious feeling.

The ending of Camp Rock was a copy of Raise your Voice (Hilary Duff), but it’s definitely better than High School Musical.

Demi and Joe Jonas have great voices and are much more talented than the stars of High School Musical. The songs This is me, Who will I be, and Gotta Find You are truly amazing.

The lesson behind Camp Rock is just be who you are and don’t hide your identity. It’s also about peer pressure and gives an insight on girl cliques and the whole popularity thing, like Mean Girls.

Apart from being great singers, The Jonas Brothers are great actors too.

Gary March, the Disney Channel World president, has confirmed that a script is being written for Camp Rock 2 (which is intended to be released on June 2009), including a special appearance from The Jonas Brothers’ youngest brother, Frankie!

Camp Rock is a pleasant family movie that you’ll enjoy watching.

Camp Rock official site
Camp Rock soundtrack site

Image credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Camp_Rock_DVD.JPG

Cool plug-ins for Windows Live Writer

2008-08-08T02:07:00.001-07:00

Visit gallery.live to download Windows Live Writer plug-ins and goodies such as inserting files, Digg, what you're listening to on itunes, facebook photos, emoticons, related posts and much more.

If you're using WLW, you've got to see this.

Visit the WLW plug-ins gallery

New to Blogging? (updated)

2008-08-08T01:08:00.001-07:00

If you are a newbie at the blogosphere or you've recently created a blog, here are some tips and links (chosen by me) to help you get started in blogging:

What is a Blog?
Take the Blogger Tour
What is a Blog?

Blogging service
The most popular blogging services are Blogger and Wordpress.
Both are good services, but I personally prefer Blogger.

If you're a newbie and not into really into html, I highly recommend Blogger.

Also, if you want to host your blog on a custom domain, Blogger makes it much easier for you.

On the other hand, Wordpress has more options than Blogger, like creating pages and categories; but you can still do those on Blogger in some way.

Blogger and Wordpress comparison chart

Tutorials
There are great tutorials for Wordpress and Blogger on the web.
Here are the best Blogger tutorial sites I know:

Bloggertricks.com (tutorials and templates)
Bloggerbuster.com (tutorials, widgets, templates)
Blogger's YouTube channel
Blogger Help center
Blogger Help group

How to add a category roll on your Blogger blog
How to add Digg to Blogger posts

If you are an absolute newbie, this video will show you how to create a blog with Blogger

Tutorials for hosting Blogger on a custom domain:

Set up your Blogger custom domain

custom domain questions on Blogger Help

How I set up my blogger custom domain

Video: Setting up a custom domain on blogger (shows you how to fill the Advanced Blog Setup form on Blogger)

Widgets
A widget is an add-on for the sidebar of your blog that makes reading your blog more enjoyable.

It can show your recent viewers, comments and posts, most popular posts, and other fun stuff.
Feedjit offers free live traffic feed and page popularity widgets, and other widgets (you don't need to register)
Yahoo! Widgets have great widgets that require you to have a yahoo ID

Blog Post ideas
Tips for great blog posts or if you've run out of ideas for your next post:

Ten Tips for Writing a Blog Post
23 Great Ideas for Blog Posts
101 Blog Posting Ideas
Discover hundreds of post ideas for your blog with mind mapping
10 Killer Post Ideas

tip: Always update your blog frequently, because if people keep visiting you blog and not finding anything new, it gets disappointing and boring

Blogger Templates
Although Wordpress and Blogger offer some pre-made templates, you can download some from other websites, free and paid.
Warning: Some template websites can harm your computer

Bloggertricks.com
70 fresh and modern Blogger templates
50 more beautiful Blogger templates.
freshbloggertemplates.com
btemplates.com
Fresh blogger templates

Desktop applications for publishing posts
Whether you're on Blogger and Wordpress, this is something I highly recommend.
Don't publish your blog posts on that box offered on their websites. Windows Live Writer is a wonderful desktop application that allows you to publish and edit your blog posts, including inserting video, pictures and anything you want.

Also, Word 2007 allows you to create and publish your blog posts once you register your blog.

Read Publish your blog posts from Word 07 and WLW

Digg
Digg allows you to discover and share any kind of content on the web. All you have to do is submit it and if others like it, they'll digg it. Digg some of your posts and make a link to your blog on your profile to get more visitors on your blog. If they like your content, they'll digg it.
It's even easier to allow people to digg your content while they're on your blog; here's how.

I hope this helps. I will be updating this post every time I find good links.

The Secret

2008-08-07T18:09:00.001-07:00

Author: Rhonda Byrne

I’ve heard about The Secret on Oprah. After some time I received it as a gift… Must be the “law of attraction”.

I must admit that the book looks very attractive. The Da Vinci style paper, the cursive font for the title, and the glossiness… It just looks gorgeous!

Within hours after being featured on Oprah, The Secret became a best-seller.

The book is based on The Law of Attraction; which states that your thoughts become things, whether they’re good thoughts or bad thoughts. That is why you should only think positively, because if you think negatively, you will be attracting the negative things that you’re thinking about.

By The Law of Attraction, you can get whatever you want in life: wealth, perfect health and weight, that car you dreamed of, a new home, friends.. anything… The 3 steps you have to follow are:

1) Ask for what you want

2) Believe that the thing is already yours

3) Receive: Pretend it’s in your hands right now. Feel about it the way you’d feel once it arrives

According to the book, legendary scientists and inventors such as Einstein, Shakespeare, Galileo, and Beethoven knew The Secret, which has been passed on through ages.

The author of the book, Rhonda Byrne, says she has found the century-old scraps of The Secret and with a group of experts, gathered and summarized them into this book.

The book includes quotes from experts and well-known people and miraculous stories regarding The Secret.

What I learned from this book was positive-thinking.

Most of the content of the book was unrealistic. It visualized the universe as a wonderful world and as if life’s so great and that you could “experience heaven in the world”. All you have to do is ask, and “your wish is under I-don’t-know-who’s command”.

In the book, the author stated that after discovering The Secret, she didn’t need to read any Newspapers or know what’s going on around the World.

The Secret gives you the impression that you can get whatever you want, even a million-dollar check, by just asking and imagining it’s there. And if you don’t get what you want, YOU are the one who’s doing something wrong.

I disagree with the statement that said you shouldn’t sacrifice anything and just put yourself first – ok - I do agree with “put yourself first”, but sacrificing is a personal value. Maybe you did it to save a life, like this story. You should think of others, and not only of yourself. The book also states that all you have to do is live the good joyous life and have nothing to worry about. You should do something to save some people that don’t get to live a great life.

The book states that you are actually God and you’ve created the Universe and you have the power to do anything to it…

I came across weird unbecoming things, like sticking a million dollar check that you made yourself on the ceiling and staring at it every day and saying “Thank you” a dozen times. This story reminded me of the Pet Rock. It’s something that you know isn’t realistic and you just insist on believing in it and if it happens you say it’s the Law of Attraction method.

Some of the stories were inspiring, but some were awkward… like this guy who visualized a feather with all its details in his head, then as he was walking he saw the exact same feather that was on his head in the street.

I think this book is kind if spiritual, not practical, and the method is not very convincing.

If you’d love to own an iphone, instead of visualizing yourself feeling one and pretending you already own one, as it’s going to appear in your mailbox tomorrow, save some money and go buy it.

I can’t even imagine why this book is called “The Secret”. It’s as if when you read this book, it’s a tablet to paradise or something similar…

I don’t think this book is a must-read. You really aren’t missing anything grand if you don’t read it.

The Secret is also available on DVD.

Visit the website

Reviews:

http://butyoudontlooksick.com/2007/05/book_review_the_secret_by_rhon.php

http://www.billmuehlenberg.com/2007/05/24/a-review-of-the-secret-by-rhonda-byrne/

image credit: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/02/TheSecretLogo.jpg

The Jonas Brothers on Larry King - Canceled

2008-08-07T15:31:00.001-07:00

Unfortunately, the JoBros can't make it to the Larry King Live show due to scheduling problems.

I hope they're going to reschedule...

Awesome Sims 3 facts

2008-08-05T03:37:00.001-07:00

Did you know that in The Sims 3 sims can brush their teeth?

Visit http://www.thesimsresource.com/article/sims3 to read 3 pages of facts about all the aspects of The Sims 3.
This is a must-read if you're a Sims fan.

Here are some of them:

Young adult is the new default age and is changed to represent life between 18 and 30 years
Day/Night transitions over the town.. light changes and shadows move across the ground as the sun goes up/down
Teenagers sneak out at dusk and can be seen around town acting suspiciously
No Loading when changing Lots or families, as the simulator is running for all Sims, all the time
New timeline dragbar which is specific to a few interactions. This lets you control how long a Sim spends on certain tasks like sleeping, fishing etc…
Careers have more gameplay - No longer just sent to work - Can now decide how hard to work - You can choose a less stressful day but will gain less skill - You could sacrifice hard work for doing more socializing at the workplace
Brush teeth is back - Gives a "minty breath" moodlet
You can now choose shoes which will locked to your chosen outfits
Hair includes 4 layers: Roots, Base, Tips, Highlights. You can choose any color to apply to these 4 layers and can be saved as a preset
Stronger moodlets when eating or listening to a favorite
Athletic skills can help Sims stay fitter and even live longer
Water reflection and ripple effect

click here for more facts

from tag thesims3

(more..)

New pictures of The Sims 3!

2008-08-05T03:03:00.001-07:00

New Create-a-Sim pictures have been released on the Sims 3 website.

credit: thesims3.com & http://www.thesimsresource.com/article/sims3

from tag thesims3

(more..)

The Foundation for a Better Life

2008-08-04T13:06:00.001-07:00

The Foundation for a Better Life is a non-profit organization that promotes personal values such as honesty, responsibility etc. that benefit people and make the world a better place.

I found out about this organization after watching their moving ads on CNN, then I checked the site.

Visit forbetterlife.org to be inspired through stories, quotes and examples.

You do not have to register or login to become involved. Just be inspired through writing, graphics and videos and share your stories.

The Foundation for a Better Life is affiliated with The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation, which encourages people to be kind and pass it on to others.

By making an effort to devote yourself to positive values you can make a difference.

Visit the Foundation for a Better Life website

Visit the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation website

Shrek 4 and 5 in the making, (and Madagascar 2)

2008-08-03T11:10:00.001-07:00

Remember the Green Ogre and his adventures in Far-Far Away?

The fourth installment of the movie animation Shrek, Shrek goes Fourth, is going to be released on May 2010.

Dreamworks co-founder Jeffrey Katzenberg confirmed that there would be a fifth film too, which will be released in 2013.

Murder on the Orient Express

2008-08-03T04:41:00.001-07:00

Author: Agatha Christie
Genre: Detective Fiction
My rating: 5/5

In Murder on the Orient Express, a brutal killing takes place, the train is stuck in a snow bank and everybody is trapped.

Hercule Poirot is on the Orient Express on his way from Syria.

A man named Samuel Ratchett, comes up to the Belgian detective and asks him to work for him because his life is threatened, but Hercule refuses to take his case. The next morning, the man is found dead in his compartment, stabbed 12 times.

Poirot, his old friend M. Bouc, and Dr. Constantine investigate the case.

Although the window of Mr. Ratchett’s compartment is open, there are no fingerprints on it. The murderer is inside the train, among all the 13 suspects.

After interviewing each of the suspects Poirot discovers that Mr. Rachett’s real name is Cascetti, the man responsible for the kidnapping and murder of a little girl named Daisy Armstrong, and that the suspects have a sort of connection with the Armstrong case.

He considers the bizarre clues (which lead to more than one killer) and triggers his little gray brain cells before exposing the mystery.

Was it an evil unjust murder or a justice-serving execution?

After reading this story, I found it very satisfying and intriguingly clever.

It’s a must-read!

image credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Murder_on_the_Orient_Express_First_Edition_Cover_1934.jpg

Isn’t The Sims 2 getting boring?

2008-08-02T12:02:00.001-07:00

I've been playing The Sims 2 for about 3-4 years now. The last 2 years I used to play the game daily for up to nine hours, but now I hardly play the game at all.

The Sims 2 started becoming mind-numbing when I discovered all the cheats that get you more money without having to earn it, build skills by just dragging bars, and other cheats. That made the game unchallenging: build the perfect house for your Sims, get them a job even though they don't have to work, get married, have kids, get your kids to grow and make generations (some fires will occur during game play)… the end. It's getting unrealistic because you know that no surprises will arise in your Sims' lives. You actually control everything; if they die and you didn't want them to, just don't save the game.

I think people would've dumped the game long ago hadn't it been for the expansion packs. They do make the game more exciting.

That's why I really can't wait for The Sims 3; it'll be something completely different and new.

For those who don't know The Sims 2, read about it here.

The sequel for The Sims 2, The Sims 3, is coming out later this year.

Update: I've started reading Murder on the Orient Express (Agatha Christie) yesterday and I've read have the book already. A review will be coming soon.

The Jonas Brothers new song - Tonight

2008-08-01T12:17:00.001-07:00

The Jonas Brothers have released a single, Tonight, from their new album A Little Bit Longer.

Tonight is available on iTunes, where it topped the charts.

It's a really catchy song!

Tonight lyrics

Blogs by kids

2008-08-01T10:41:00.000-07:00

A list of good blogs by young bloggers:

KidReviewer (movies, books and games reviews by a kid)

The Writing Pages (About writing, books, authors, reviews, and other)

Delve into the Mind of a Budding Blogger (poems, stories, humor, mystery, fiction...)

Nicole Blogs (pets, music, movies, and t.v. shows)

Andi's Eye (stories and misc.)

Teen Baker (recipes from a 13 year old)

If you know a kid blog, don't hesitate to write a comment.

Publish your blog posts from WLW and Word 2007

2008-08-01T01:54:00.001-07:00

Blogger has this place where you type your new post, which I really dislike because

1. it’s too small and you’ll have to keep on strolling down to continue typing your post

2. It’s on the web. When you want to insert a picture it takes a long time (especially if your internet connection is slow)

3. It doesn’t offer much formatting opportunities. There are very few fonts which you can’t choose from and other problems.

Microsoft has released Windows Live Writer (WLW), a desktop application that allows you to write and publish blog posts to your blog. It also allows you to embed videos, too.

It works with Wordpress, but when I tried to register my blog (on blogger), it didn’t work well and wouldn’t publish to my blog.

A lot of Blogger users have had problems with WLW.

Microsoft Office Word 2007 has made it possible to publish blog posts to your blog after you register your account (click new then blog post).

Yesterday was my lucky day because WLW worked by chance!

When I installed Word 2007… and wanted to register my blog (on Word) it said I had to verify my email (info@zawan.com), and the problem was I couldn’t log in on that email.

I created a new free hotmail account and verified it, so I was able to set up my blog on Word.

I thought I’d give WLW another shot, and it worked!

If you’re a Blogger user or any other blogging service, I highly recommend that you try either Windows Live Writer or Word 2007.

They’re something everybody should use and will enhance your blogging experience.

Windows Live Writer website

The Windows Live Writer team blog

Help with Blogging in Word

Note: I’m publishing this post from Word.

Windows Live Writer

Free fonts at Typenow.net

2008-07-31T14:51:00.001-07:00

I've discovered a great site called typenow.net.

It has free downloadable trademark fonts of well-known movies, t.v. shows, companies, bands and others...

see the list of fonts

samples of some fonts:

Cnn Font

The Simpsons

Friends

Alias Font

Shrek Font

How to download and install the fonts

A new look for my website

2008-07-31T04:45:00.000-07:00

I've just given my website (zawan.com) a new look!

Check it and tell me what you think. The FRIENDS font of the header and below it is from a website called typenow.net

visit my website

Switched back to zawn.blogspot

2008-07-31T02:52:00.000-07:00

Note: I've switched back to zawan.blogspot.com because my personal website name is already zawan.com.

The problem now is that if you want to visit my personal wesite you'll have to type http://zawan.com without www. I'm trying to solve this.

Thanks.
zawan

Guess who's Coming to Dinner (1967)

2008-07-30T12:33:00.000-07:00

Director: Stanley Kramer
Starring: Spencer Tracy, Sidney Poitier, Katharine Hepburn, and Katharine Houghton
Genre: comedy-drama
my rating: 3/5

An upper class white American couple who have taught their young daughter, Joey, to treat everybody equally despite their race are shocked as she appears one day with a black man whom she has just been engaged to.

Although they were the ones who taught their daughter to respect African Americans (who weren't respected in many areas of their country at that time), they did not expect her to want to marry one.

Joey's parents are put to the test when he says he will not marry Joey without their agreement.

Joey's mother, Christina is supportive about her daughter's marriage from the beginning when she realizes how Joey and Dr Prentice like each other.

Then Dr Prentice's parents arrive, also stunned that their son is engaged to a white woman.

His mother is supportive too.

Only the two fathers show they are not convinced.

In the end, Tracy's father gives an emotive speech and the whole family starts having dinner.

The film takes place in a few locations, mostly Joey's parents' house is San Fransisco.

Guess who's Coming to Dinner is one of the 100 Greatest Movies of the past 100 years.

It has won 8 awards, including 2 Oscars and 20 nominations.

It has very entertaining dialogue and has won a Best Screenplay Oscar.

I think this is a movie that everybody should watch; it focuses on racial issues and the society at the time of the movie.

The ABC Murders

2008-07-30T04:22:00.000-07:00

Author: Agatha Christie
Genre: Detective Fiction
My rating: 5/5

In The ABC Murders, Capatin Arthur Hastings, a friend of Poirot, narrates the story of a serial killer on the loose, murdering random people brutally in alphabetical order of their names and the places they live in.

Before each murder the killer sends letters to Poirot taunting him and giving him clues of the next murder.

Captain Hastings, Poirot, and the rest of the police team follow the clues on the letters only to find out that the crimes have already been committed with an ABC railway guide on top of each dead body, and no evidence whatsoever that could lead to the identity of the killer.

Soon everybody is convinced that this unidentified murderer is insane, but after the killer makes a crucial mistake Hercule Poirot proves otherwise.

This is one of Poirot's most challenging mysteries that tests his cleverness, and Poirot once again shows thats he is fit for the task.

At the end of the book Poirot reveals the murderer whom you would have never suspected and proves all your thoughts wrong...

The ABC Murders is a stirring book that you will not be able to put down until the mystery is discovered.

Agatha Christie truly is the Queen of Crime.

P.S. This book was so gripping that I finished reading it in 2 days.

This novel has been adapted in 1965 and 1992.
The 1992 film stars David Suchet as Hercule Poirot.

Why does Nadal bite his trophies?

2008-07-28T12:28:00.000-07:00

Nadal seems to bite everything...

If I ever get a chance to ask Rafael Nadal one question, it would be why he bites his trophies.

Nadal is recognized for biting his trophies instead of kissing them like all the other tennis players.

A lot of discussion has been going on about this... here are some quotes from discussion boards and answers.yahoo.com:

"A symbol of humbleness"
"To show how delicious victory tastes"
"Marking it as partly his forever"
"In case it gets stolen it will have his dental imprint"

He has never mentioned why he does this act in any of his interviews.

Is it just a trademark, or is there something behind this?

A few probable reasons is that:
1) he wants to record his victory eternally, so whenever you see a dental imprint on a trophy, you will remember that Nadal has claimed that trophy

2) when he becomes an oldie rocking in his chair, whether he claimed the
World Number 1 title or not, the dental imprints will remind him of his lifetime journey of achieving his dream as a young adult

If Nadal ever becomes World Number 1, I'm sure he will be featured on Larry King Live, where questions posted by people are asked on the show. I hope someone asks him why he bites his trophies.

Read Rafeal Nadal has an Oral Fixaation - this will make you laugh...

biting the Toronto Masters trophy(July 2008)

biting the ATP Masters trophy (May 2008)

chewing the handle at the Barcelona Open (May 2008)

pictures credit:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/7527966.stm
http://www.westislandchronicle.com/article-cp166947067-Rafael-Nadal-beats-Roger-Federer-in-Hamburg-Masters-tennis-final.html
http://www.stuff.co.nz/AAMB7/aamsz=275x15_TEXTLINK/4511303a10393.html
http://babolatchile.blogspot.com/2007/08/nadal-en-10-preguntas.html

Teens, Tweens and Blogging

2008-07-27T08:13:00.000-07:00

I think it's great that more and more young bloggers are starting their own blogs, which gives them a chance to have their say.

Sometimes tweens and teens blog in a very professional way that you wouldn't even realize that the content is written by a youngster unless you read their profile.
Also, some bloggers are getting their own domains too.

Bloggers like Carl Ocab, David Wilkinson, Maher Saleh and Jessicah Maha are extremely popular, but one thing I realize is that all of those blogs are either about tech or making money... young bloggers DO need more niches.

Some young girls have their own online diaries, which I don't really enjoy reading because I think people read blogs to get information and entertain themselves, not read about people's lives for no reason.

If you've realized, my blog doesn't have a particular niche; I blog about lots of stuff: movie and book reviews, The Sims 2 (my favorite game), tennis and everything that I'm interested in.

Nowadays, teens and tweens spend most of their time on the computer and have greater computer abilities.
Anybody who has access to the internet can start his/her own blog.

Although blogs run by young people are increasing, there are only 3 that I enjoy and read regularly:

Kid Reviewer
The Writing Pages
Delve into the Mind of a Budding Blogger

What I like most about those blogs is that they have unique content that you won't find in other blogs, like reviews from a kid's perspective and original writing.

It would be a change if someone starts a blog about something other than technology or money.

List of blogs created by kids (kidreviewer.com)
The Youth Blogger Network
Top 30 Bloggers under 21

Blogs by young people are difficult to find, so if you know one that's not listed here I'd appreciate it if you mention it on a comment.

Pet Rock fad

2008-07-25T11:49:00.000-07:00

Fancy a pet that fits in your pocket, doesn't make a mess, doesn't need to be fed and has lots of other benefits? The answer is not a tamagotchi (because after all you have to clean its mess and etc.) - it's a pet rock.

The pet rock was a fad (trend) of the 1970s.

Grey pebbles were imported from a place called Rosarita Beach in Mexico, nestled and packaged in a cardboard box that looked like a pet carrier, along with a Pet Rock Training Manual, and then sold for $3.95.

Soon everybody owned a pet rock, which made Gary Dahl,the man behind this idea, a millionaire.

The Pet Rock Training Manual has instructions on how to take care of your pet rock, including teaching it tricks. 'Sit' 'stay' and 'attack' were easy to achieve. On the other hand, 'come' was obviously impossible.

The pet rock fad disappeared in December 1975, lasting only about 6 months.

Nowadays the pet rock package and the training manual are available on ebay but people usually find their own pet rocks.

There are websites regarding pet rocks too.

Pet rocks are great for those who live in apartments or those who aren't sure if they're ready to bare the commitment of 'real' troublesome pets.
Also, they'll live for eons, so you won't be suffering any loss (unless they get lost).
Pet rocks are the ultimate solution for those who can't afford or don't want to spend much on pets: You're not obliged to buy them any furniture or stuff and they can travel without a ticket.

I own 2 pet rocks, Bloo and Pebble, although I haven't been giving them much attention these last 2 months - but what are Pet Rocks for!

Links regarding pet rocks:
Wikipedia
http://www.super70s.com/Super70s/Culture/Fads/Pet_Rocks.asp
Pet rock net
Pet rock how to's at WikiHow
http://www.virtualpet.com/vp/farm/petrock/petrock.htm

picture credit: http://www.eikongraphia.com/?p=408

The Dark Knight Frenzy

2008-07-22T12:59:00.000-07:00

There's a big buzz going on about The Dark Knight, which is the sequel to Batman Begins, starring Christian Bale, the late Heath Ledger, Harry Potter's Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Morgan Freeman. The film is directed by Christopher Nolan.

In Dark Knight, Batman (Christian Bale) faces his archenemy, the Joker (Heath Ledger), who is causing chaos across Gotham City.

The Joker is a grotesque fictional comic character who looks like a clown, and (according to Wikipedia) is a master criminal and psychopath who "commits crimes and murders people for his own amusement". He has been rated the greatest villain of all time.
The Joker has been featured in several previous Batman films. (A brief history of the Joker)
Jack Nicholson played the Joker in the Batman 1989 film.

According to NEWSWEEK, the dilemma in Dark Knight is whether the protagonist should play the same unfair "without rules" game as his foe while fighting him.

"[The Dark Knight] is not a typical comic book movie"... it is rated PG-13, but many are saying that the movie is not for young kids because of its "violent and disturbing" scenes. Some recommend it for kids aged 14 or older and others for kids 12 or older. (Read an article at Yahoo! Kids)

There is also a controversy going on over whether Heath Ledger should win an Oscar or not. (Read an article)

Also read Besides Heath Ledger's, what other Oscars could The Dark Knight win?

Showtime (2002)

2008-07-20T01:15:00.000-07:00

Director: Tom Dey
Starring: Eddie Murphy and Robert De Niro

Showtime is an action/comedy film about 2 guys with completely different personalities who star together in their own reality-TV show.

Mitch Piterson (Robert De Niro) is a stubborn, blunt detective who is forced to star in a reality-TV show with officer Trey Sellars (Eddie Murphy) after shooting a news camera when Trey mistakenly thinks he's a drug dealer and ruins his under-cover case.

Trey, high-spirited and buoyant, prefers acting rather than becoming a police officer.

During the shooting of the TV show, Mitch and Trey face a real crime.

This movie is extremely hilarious because Robert De Niro starred in it.

If you want a light entertaining action film, you'll enjoy this one.

Showtime was nominated for two Razzie awards for Worst Actor and Worst Screen Couple.

School of Life

2008-07-19T05:20:00.000-07:00

Directed by Jake Polonsky and written by Malachi Smyth, School of life is an award-winning short film that tells the story of a not-so-well liked school student who had to go through the unfairness of life instead of reading it on paper like all the other students.

"This will be the most important lesson of your life. Maybe the only important lesson".
As the teacher hands out to each student the answers to the "Riddle of Life", Stanley has to share one copy with Garth, the school bully.

Stanley feels alienated for being the only one in the whole school who couldn't get the answers to all to his questions about life.

The music is great and I think Nick Stockwell acted the part of Stanley very well.
This is a wonderful 7-min film that teaches everyone a lesson.

Visit main page of the film

I found out about School of Life in this blog but I couldn't locate the original post.

New to Blogging?

2008-07-18T05:22:00.000-07:00

Chech the updated version of this post

If you are a newbie at the blogosphere or you've recently created a blog, here are some tips and links (chosen by me) to help you get started in blogging:

What is a Blog?
Take the Blogger Tour
What is a Blog?

Blogging service
The most popular blogging services are Blogger and Wordpress.

Both are good services, but I personally prefer Blogger.

If you're a newbie and not into really into html, I recommend Blogger for you.

Also, if you want to host your blog on a custom domain, Blogger makes it much easier for you.

On the other hand, Wordpress has more options than Blogger, like creating pages and categories; but you can still do that in Blogger in some way.

The only thing I don't like about Blogger is that it doesn't work with the latest version of Windows Live Writer, a desktop application that allows you to publish content to your blog. Wordpress does.

Blogger and Wordpress comparison chart

Tutorials
There are great tutorials for Wordpress and Blogger on the web.
Here are the best Blogger tutorial sites I know:

Bloggertricks.com (tutorials and templates)
Bloggerbuster.com (tutorials, widgets, templates)
Blogger's YouTube channel
Blogger Help center
Blogger Help group

How to add a category roll on your Blogger blog

If you are an absolute newbie, this video will show you how to create a blog with Blogger

Tutorials for hosting Blogger on a custom domain:
Set up your Blogger custom domain
custom domain questions on Blogger Help
How I set up my blogger custom domain
Video: Setting up a custom domain on blogger (shows you how to fill the Advanced Blog Setup form on Blogger)

Widgets
A widget is an add-on for the sidebar of your blog that makes reading your blog more enjoyable.

It can show your recent viewers, comments and posts, most popular posts, and other fun stuff.

Feedjit offers free live traffic feed and page popularity widgets, and other widgets (you don't need to register)
Yahoo! Widgets have great widgets that require you to have a yahoo ID

Blog Post ideas
Tips for great blog posts or if you've run out of ideas for your next post:

Ten Tips for Writing a Blog Post
23 Great Ideas for Blog Posts
101 Blog Posting Ideas
Discover hundreds of post ideas for your blog with mind mapping
10 Killer Post Ideas

I also use dictionary.com (thesaurus and dictionary) when writing blog posts

Blogger Templates
Although Wordpress and Blogger offer some pre-made templates, you can download some from other websites, free and paid.

Warning: Some template websites can harm your computer

Bloggertricks.com
Suckmylolly.com
freshbloggertemplates.com

I hope this helps. I will be updating this post every time I find good links.

UPDATED version

The Sims 3

2008-07-17T23:49:00.000-07:00

I can't wait till The Sims 3 comes out in 2009!

This is the third sequel to The Sims games and I'm sure it will be awesome.

I read that you can have your Sims explore the neighborhood and outside their houses without loading screens.

Also, personalize your Sims more in Create-A-Sim to create unique Sims by modifying their shoes, clothes, height, etc... and also choose between dozens of personality traits for your Sim that will distinct it from any other Sim.

Customize everything in your house to get the perfect house you had in mind: wallpapers, window shades, patterns...

Another thing which was not available in The Sims 2 is that players can choose their Sims' favorite music, color, food, and more.

If you're a Sim fan, like me, I'm sure you'll be very excited about The Sims 3.

Visit the official website of the The Sims 3 to learn more about it, see pictures and watch video the new video.

Click here to learn about the Sims 3 at Wikipedia.
If you are new to The Sims, I suggest you read about The Sims 2 here.

Some screenshots of the Sims 3:

See more pictures

Venus Williams on Larry King Live

2008-07-17T04:24:00.000-07:00

Venus Williams appeared on Larry King Live, her first interview since she beat her sister Serena at the Wimbledon Finals, which is her fifth Wimbldon title.

She says she and her sister are coming to the Beijing Olympics!

Also, photographer Koto Bolofo made a book called Venus Williams that has wonderful black and white photos of Venus.

Thanks to dancinwaters1334 for the videos.

Some photos from the book:

click here to see inside the book

The Jonas Brothers' new album

2008-07-16T02:19:00.000-07:00

The Jonas Brothers are releasing their new album, A Little Bit Longer, on the 12th of August.

The album includes their hit single, Burnin' Up, and Nick's song, A Little Bit Longer.

Track Listing:

1. BB Good

2. Burnin’ Up (watch music video)

3. Shelf

4. One Man Show

5. Lovebug

6. Tonight

7. Can’t Have You

8. Video Girl

9. Pushin’ Me Away

10. Sorry

11. Got Me Going Crazy
12. A Little Bit Longer

Make an Internet call - for free

2008-07-14T12:12:00.000-07:00

Skype is a free program that allows you to call for free anyone in the world over the internet.

If the person you want to call is a user of Skype, then you can call him/her over the internet for free, no matter how long the conversation or distance is.

If that person does not have Skype downloaded on his/her computer, you can make mobile or telephone calls from your computer or from your mobile for some kind of fee.

Video conversations are even possible if you have a webcam; so are group conversations.

Skype is available in many languages and platforms.

Check the many features of Skype by visiting the website, http://www.skype.com/.

Connect with people no matter where you are!

Download the software

visit the website

skype running on Windows Vista

The Blue Planet (2001)

2008-07-13T12:18:00.000-07:00

The Blue Planet is the greatest BBC nature documentary I've ever seen.

This multiple award-winning documentary is about the world's oceans, including never before seen footage of recently discovered creatures and the deep sea abyss.

The Blue Planet is both deeply entertaining and educational.

The DVD set contains 8 episodes that covers the ocean from its deepest seas through its Frozen Seas to the Coasts.

According to Wikipedia, The Blue Planet took 5 years to make in nearly 200 filming locations. It is narrated by David Attenborough, who also narrated many other BBC documentaries, and produced by Alastair Fothergill.

I highly recommend this documentary which will keep you thrilled from the beginning till the end.

A clip from the documentary (The Deep Sea)

BBC homepage here
learn more about it at Wikipedia here
Purchase it at Amazon here
Discovery Channel homepage here

The Picture of Dorian Gray

2008-07-13T04:33:00.000-07:00

Author: Oscar Wilde
Genre: Classic Gothic Horror Fiction (according to Wikipedia)
My rating: 5/5

The Picture of Dorian Gray tells the story of a young man called Dorian whom a well-known painter, Basil Hallward, paints a portrait of.

Basil is obsessed with Dorian Gray's beauty and chooses not to exhibit the painting because it would reveal his inner feelings towards Dorian, even though his friend Lord Henry describes it as a masterpiece.

When Dorian arrives at the studio, Basil introduces him to Lord Henry.
Dorian is fascinated by the outspoken Lord Henry's view, which is that the most valuable aspects in life are youth and beauty, which are fading day by day.

As he becomes influenced by Lord Henry, Dorian grows terrified of growing older, hoping that the portrait would age instead of him.

His wish comes true; as he does wrongdoings throughout his life, his portrait grows more and more hideous.

This is a thrilling story by Oscar Wilde that is gripping till the end.

Tween Sensation High School Musical

2008-07-13T00:46:00.000-07:00

Everyone talks about High School Musical.

I had to watch it because everybody used to awe whenever they heard that I haven't watched the movie.

I thought I was missing something huge.

But after watching 1 and 2 I wondered, "Is this what I've been missing?'

I disliked 1 because it had "A perfect plot" and everything was perfect in the end.
It had an extremely "unreal" ending where everything ended perfectly at a situation where it was impossible to get everything right. They actually tinkered the basketball board to make it in time to do the singing show and the Math competition (or Chemistry or whatever)! What makes it more unrealistic is that it they won everything.

The actors sung better than the way they acted.

Although High School Musical 2 was a little bit better because some real dilemmas occurred in the plot, the ending was still ridiculous; Troy's friends made the perfect surprise for him to meet up Gabriella in the end. It was like a fairy tale where everyone lived happily ever after.

The movie sounded fake and I didn't like the songs, even though they were good for karaoke singing.

I think this movie is fun for 10 year olds or younger kids.

My advice is that if you haven't watched the movie, just watch it because it's a tween sensation and at least you could give your opinion during chat groups instead of saying you haven't watched the movie at all.

According to IMDb, High School Musical 3: Senior Year will be released on 24 October, 2008.
I hope it's going to be more real.

Disney Channel is working on High School Musical 4, too.

Mean Girls (2004)

2008-07-12T06:45:00.000-07:00

Mean Girls, starring Lindsay Lohan, is about a 15 year old who enters a public high school in Chicago where she must learn to survive “Girl World” after being home-schooled and raised in Africa.

The movie is based on the non-fiction book, Queen Bees and Wannabees, which talks about girl cliques and other stuff about girls in high school. It is directed by Mark Waters and stars Lindsay Lohan.

When Cady Heron joins a high school in Chicago, she makes friends with Janis and her friend Damian, who are both ‘left out’.
Then she meets The Plastics, the three mean and popular girls of the school, who let her into their group.Cady wants to join the group, but is doubtful because she still wants to keep her other friends.Janis is enemies with the “Queen Bee” of The Plastics, Regina.
She and Damian convince Cady to act as a member of The Plastics and then report to them everything that happens inside the clique.
When Regina seeks revenge on Cady by getting her ex-boyfriend, Aaron Carter back from her, Janis gets her chance to take vengeance on Regina and encourages Cady to retaliate against her.The three friends make a plan to destroy Regina and her status.
As Cady lives her double life and spends more time with The Plastics and less time with her friends, she eventually becomes a Plastic herself.It is up to Cady to make things right.

An interesting character is Gretchen Wieners, the Plastic who is a little left out and not treated very well by Regina but tries her best to fit in because she knows it’s better not to be treated very well in the clique than not to be in the clique at all.
SPOILER: At the end she joins The Cool Asians clique, where he fits in.I liked the idea behind the movie because it gives you insights on cliques and “Girl World” and it shows the struggle of fitting in.It also shows how easy it is to become mean and lose your friends.Some parts were really funny and others were supposed to be funny but they may be offensive to some people.

CONTAINS SPOILER: I didn’t like some parts of the way the movie ended because it was like a fairy tale and everyone lived ‘happily ever after’. I didn’t think the Spring Fling speech was really meaningful or necessary because it wasn’t realistic; and she didn’t have to break the crown into pieces and share it or praise the way some people dressed.

The movie had some really funny parts.

I think this movie is useful for older kids (from 11 and up) and teens.In my opinion the rating is good: PG-13, which means you should only watch it with a parent if you’re under 13.

Mean Girls does have a moral ending. One good lesson was that revenge is not good and it won’t get you get what you want. Overall, I liked the movie and it teaches you many valuable lessons.

zawan's blog

Back to Wordpress again

Twilight – Stephanie Meyer

The Fray’s new single and album

The Dilemma of Wordpress and Blogger

ِAnimal Farm – George Orwell

Switched back to Blogger

a new home

2008 books

The Reader – Bernhard Schlink

Switched to Wordpress

CNN Business Traveller: reading

The Catcher in the Rye

The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini

Love in the Time of Cholera

A book site for teen readers

The Thief and the Dogs

Dubliners - James Joyce

Atonement - Ian McEwan

Blackbird House - Alice Hoffman

Thirteen Reasons Why - Jay Asher

Shopaholic Abroad - Sophie Kinsella

Quizlet - great for studying

Book meme from Booking through Thursday

One Hundred years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Bookreporter.com - a site for booklovers

Stardoll is fun

Be part of an online drama at To be Continued

The Diamond Girls - Jacqueline Wilson

My review of Google Chrome

Another Cinderella Story (2008)

The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho

Kung Fu Panda (2008)

Ebooks and e-newspapers

updates

On the Lot

The new Apple ipod: Nano Chromatic

Free magazines online at Mygazines.com

The Taste of Melon – short story by Borden Deal

Google chrome not available in your country? Download this zip file (link)

Season of Migration to the North – Al-Tayyib Saleh

Blogger names crisis

Four BBC sites for young people

Free papers at printablepaper.net

The Sims 3 release date + Sims 3 Collector's Edition

Related Posts

How to access blocked YouTube (without Proxy)

The Film Club - David Gilmour

The Sims 3 - A brand NEW website

5 new websites + what's coming up

Which is better: e-book or print?

Listen to Radio Disney on iTunes

A Little Bit Longer album review - The Jonas Brothers

Related Posts

Ratatouille (2007)

High School Musical 3 trailer and website

Camp Rock (2008)

Cool plug-ins for Windows Live Writer

New to Blogging? (updated)

The Secret

The Jonas Brothers on Larry King - Canceled

Awesome Sims 3 facts

Related Posts

New pictures of The Sims 3!

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The Foundation for a Better Life

Shrek 4 and 5 in the making, (and Madagascar 2)

Murder on the Orient Express

Isn’t The Sims 2 getting boring?

The Jonas Brothers new song - Tonight

Blogs by kids

Publish your blog posts from WLW and Word 2007

Free fonts at Typenow.net

A new look for my website

Switched back to zawn.blogspot

Guess who's Coming to Dinner (1967)

The ABC Murders

Why does Nadal bite his trophies?

Teens, Tweens and Blogging

Pet Rock fad