Cracked Up To Be by Courtney Summers

We all have this notion that popular girls have it easy, that their lives are perfect, untainted and flawless. And our brains are rattled when these girls suddenly throw away everything and destroy themselves. We wonder what have gone so wrong that they decided to abandon their seemingly godly lives. But of course what we do not know is that maybe, all these could just be facades, tough masks to hide what’s buried underneath, like turbulence hiding under the calm surface of the sea. Sometimes, these people are actually the ones who have the cruelest monsters, silently gnawing at their very souls.

Enter Parker Fadley, the girl who has it all. Well, more like had. Parker was cheerleading captain, a straight A+ student, and the girlfriend of the most popular guy in high school. Yes, she is the girl who’s got everything, the one everyone in her high school envies. But then out of the blue, Parker went from being the perky popular girl to a self-destructive loner. She dumped her boyfriend, got intoxicated with alcohol and drugs almost everyday. Suddenly, she was out of reach but in a negative way. She is still popular but due to other reasons. People now shy away from her like she’s garbage and no one seem to bother as to why the sudden change of attitude. Parker cut every connection she had with her friends and locks herself up in her own tangle of emotions. To everyone’s eyes, her life is definitely spiraling down the drain and nothing or no one might be able to stop it.

But here comes Jake, the new student who seemed very interested with Parker. This persistent guy wanted to pierce through the walls that Parker created around her. No matter how much Parker tried to push people away, Jake’s will seemed unyielding. He knew that the old Parker is in there somewhere. He somehow knew that something went seriously wrong for a girl like Parker to just throw away everything she has. But will he be able to uncover the truth and become Parker’s salvation? Is he ready for whatever it is that Parker is so desperately keeping secret?

In this book, Summers was able to weave a beautiful picture of life as teenager dashed with all the awful, harrowing ingredients like sex, depression, drinking and such. In this book, it is possible to love and hate the main character at an equal extent. To be honest, I thought I wouldn’t be able to finish this one because the first chapter was all about the main character’s bitchy attitude. And I just cannot seem to sympathize with that kind of personality. But then as I trudged through more pages, I suddenly understand where she was coming from. How could you live with yourself after experiencing what Parker had? If you knew that someone would be in deep trouble, would you help pr would you let your fear hinder you from doing the right thing? And that is what this story is really about. What would you do if in every waking moment of your life, your conscience haunts you? Will you find the courage to speak up in order to give justice to those who were wronged, or will the silence eat you up forever, knowing that someone’s life would have been better if only you found the courage to be strong? 

All in all, I enjoyed the book very much. The flashbacks really helped the readers get a glimpse of the past Parker, and somehow let us picture the change that happened better. I would give it a 4/5.

The Halfman, The Imp, The Ugly, The Undesired.

Fuck all those names. As far as I’m concerned, Tyrion Lannister is more than twice the man Joffrey will ever hope to be in his best dreams. Damn, if you ask me, Tyrion is the rightful King of the Iron Throne. He was scared to death and hesitant to fight the battle against Stanley’s fleet. I felt the fear in his eyes when he decided to take charge, yet he bravely faced the war. And what did the fake king did? He pissed his pants of fright and run back to mummy. What an idiot coward. Tyrion Lannister will forever be my lion.

Day 16 – Favorite female character

Daenerys Targaryen from the Game of Thrones series by George R.R. Martin

She is also known as Daenerys Stormborn, from House Targaryen, and the Mother of Dragons. She is the daughter of King Aerys II Targaryen—the Mad King—and Queen Rhaella.

Now, this particular series is one of my favorites. One reason is its depiction of the female characters. In the books, not all of them are useless damsel-in-distress type of women. In fact, a lot of them are powerful, courageous, and very strong-willed. Others seem even more mighty than knights and kings. And from them comes my favorite female character, Dany.

She is a heroine of some sort in the story. At the beginning of the series, her brother sold her to the leader of the Dothraki, a group of tribe-like barbaric nomads, Khal Drogo for an army of 10,000 in return. This was all part of the plan to take back what was theirs from the Baratheons, present family that rules the Seven Kingdoms. Of course, Daenerys cannot do anything against her abusive brother’s will and she was forced to marry the fearsome man.

As the story goes, Daenerys captured the heart of Khal Drogo and learned to love him truly. She accepted her duties as the Khaleesi(queen) of the Dothraki. She even learned to stand up against her loathsome brother. All was well until the dreadful death of Khal Drogo. She became devasted but instead of succumbing to her grief and loss, she grew braver and became in charge of the Dothraki. The once fragile and innocent girl grew stronger and learned to be a great leader.

And I guess, that was the reason why I really liked her character. It shows us that even the most abused and quiet person can do great things if only one learns to believe in their own self. She also proved that women can handle things and that they need not to be beside a man, just watching and observing at the sidelines. She took it upon herself to continue her deceased husband’s goal. Even when she knew that she’ll be facing armies and armies of men, Daenerys did not cower in fear. She did not let her pain and sadness weaken her. She used it as her strength. She went on with her life. Other than that, she was able to melt the coldest of hearts, her husband’s as one proof. Her kindness spread like wildfire throughout the Dothraki tribe. Even if half of the Dothraki men think that it was weakness, the others respected her for her pure heart.

I really hope that she won’t die in the series. I’m just halfway through the second book and from what I observe, Martin doesn’t care if the character is well-loved by the readers. Even Ned Stark, someone who seemed to be an important character, died. And I don’t want to lose this great female character.

Day 15 – Favorite male character

SEVERUS SNAPE from The Harry Potter Series

He was the first male character that popped into my head when I read this day’s challenge. And I have several reasons as to why Snape is my favorite male character. There’s just so much about him that every reader admires.

In the first 6 books of the series, Snape was considered by many as the vilest and most hateful character, except perhaps Voldemort. Even for me, he was the worst possible professor Hogwarts has ever met. He is so biased of his house, unfair with students, unapproachable, unfriendly, and very cold. From the very beginning, he seemed to hate Harry for no apparent reasons. Every part of the books just depicts him as an evil man.

But then, we come to the 7^th book, the last of the series. And there, we all witness the revelations about the life of Severus Snape. Every truth hidden behind his despicable actions were revealed and suddenly, the readers were slapped with the realization that this hateful man was actually the bravest and most loving man in the book. We came to understand that his aversion to Harry was because of his past rivalry with James, Harry’s father. His attraction to the Dark Arts and Lord Voldemort was actually an act in order to save Harry, the son of Lily—the girl Snape loved his whole life. And we also got a glimpse on his relationship with Lily during his childhood years. In that, we realize how painful it was for Snape to watch his great tormentor snatch the only girl who really accepted him as a friend.  

I guess I just admire Snape because I can feel his struggle with himself in protecting Harry, the son of the girl he loved the most and the man who made his life miserable during their years at Hogwarts. A normal person would have let Harry die, given that kind of circumstance. But Snape disregarded his hate and anger, and focused on preserving the only living reminder of Lily. He let his love overpower all the negative feelings he had to the point of sacrificing his own life, being the spy to the most evil wizard known to the magical world. His everlasting love and true bravery was a big key to Harry’s survival. Even though he knew that people would look at him like some scum and forever shun him, he still continued to play the role of Voldemort’s lap dog.

Severus Snape gave everything just to show his deepest love for Lily, even though he knew that it will never be consummated. And he even tried everything he could to prevent Lily’s death. After so many years, his love for Lily never withered. It was the kind of incredible love, a love very rare that nothing can ever compare.  And I think that these reasons are enough for me to love his character. Truly, he is worth my respect and admiration.

The world is not a safe place but that does not mean we have to be afraid all the time.

I think everyone knows that this world, the place we live in, is never a safe place. Crimes, accidents, tragedies, pain, hurt, death—these things are everywhere, no matter where we go. These are inevitable fragments that constitute life. It’s not easy to deal with these things, but that does not mean we have to live in fear. How are we suppose to actually live this life truly if we are stuck in our cage of anxiety and dread. It would be a waste of existence to spend every single day worrying about our fears and trying to avoid them. Wouldn’t it be better if we try to live like nothing would get it our way? After all, we cannot be entirely happy with life if we are always constrained and held back by our own self-preserving attitudes. 

I am me, that’s what I am.

Gay. Nerd. Ginger. Lesbian. Dork. Ugly. Homo. Geek.

These are just a few names that some people throw at others who are quite different. These are labels that they make to identify each and every one of us. But are they really important? Do they really say everything about the person in you? Is that all there is to us?

That’s What I Am is a story of a 12-year old boy who will learn about an important truth about life. He will understand that no matter what people say or how people appear to be, there’s a lot more going inside. That being different does not have to be a big deal. This movie tells us that no matter how people see us, we still have the choice to be the person that we want to be. It tells us that whatever prejudice the society have against us, we should be able to ignore them and do what we want, for it is our lives to live. It’s the confidence and courage of standing up for ourselves and showing people that we can do things that matter most. It is about accepting who we are and being proud without being afraid of the judgment people we give. It’s about we fight all the bullies in our life to find the freedom to live fully and wholeheartedly.  

In time, you’ll realize that everything you encounter is unavoidable. Good or bad, you don’t have the power to control them. It’s part of living. All you can do is let them unfold and learn from them.

Well, the only consolation I get is that I know I’m prettier than her.

I won’t dare try to see whatever happened. I don’t want to feel anything. I won’t cry. I won’t be the same girl who easily crumble and fall down. This time, I’ll be strong.