I finished reading Speak earlier today. Yeah, it wasn't very long. But it was a very good book. I could really relate. Which is probably why I finished it so quickly. In most cases, I'll read the first few chapters of a book, say something like "Okay, I'll continue reading later" and then, you know, never open it again. I have dozens of abandoned, half-read books decorating my room as proof. Apparently I'm quite picky about my reading material. Too bad I didn't get a say in my English classes.

But anyway, Speak is really good. I originally planned to write a little review here about the book and my opinions and stuff, but after reading it I've decided not to. Because I really relate (for the most part, anyway) to Melinda (the main character), I feel that if I gave a review, I would give out my own personal experiences of hell AKA high school. And personal info is a big no-no on my blog. Especially since I know some of the people who visit. If strangers find out about my past and inner thoughts, who cares. But people I know?! Oh, God, no. So because of this, no review. But I will, however, give you my two favorite quotes from Speak. They might not make sense if you haven't read this book yet, but oh well. Your loss.

"The turkey floats in the sink, a ten-pound turkey iceberg. A turkeyberg. I feel very much like the Titanic." - Melinda (main character)

"When people don't express themselves, they die one piece at a time. You'd be shocked at how many adults are really dead inside - walking through their days with no idea who they are, just waiting for a heart attack or cancer or a Mack truck to come along and finish the job. It's the saddest thing I know." - Mr. Freeman (coolest Art teacher ever)

Yup-yup, good quotes. I love the turkey one. That Thanksgiving scene has to be one of the most humorous chapters in the entire book. I laugh every time I read it. And then the second quote by Mr. Freeman is very true & good, so I added it too. Yup... and that about wraps up this entry. If you've read Speak and want to chat about it, by all means look me up. Other than that, see ya.

Today was a pretty good day. Was able to go to Borders and Wal-Mart, which is always nice. I swear, Borders has got to be one of the coolest places around. Too bad parking there is such an annoyance. Although... it might just be me. ^^; But anyway, my journey to the neighboring mega-corp stores did not come without triple-threat souvenirs. Hm... what'd I get? In music I got the new LifeHouse cd (which is actually still new); in books (yeah, I actually bought some books. How out of character is that?) I got Cloud of Sparrows by Takashi Matsuoka and Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. One's new, ones not, both look pretty interesting. Finally, I am the semi-proud new owner of the Pokemon Pinball RS game (...SHUT UP! It's a fun game. Besides, those commercials were pretty cute. ^-^)

So like I said, today was a pretty good day. And who knows, if I can hone my semi-good driving skills into fooling the driver's license test giver lady into giving me a driver's license, maybe I could work at Borders. oOo! Then I could get discounts! Oh yes. That sounds like a good plan. But what's that? Borders is destroying the countries locally owned bookstores and coffee shops with their wall-to-wall books and stuff, like in the movie "You've Got Mail"? Yeah, that's true. Oh well. That's life. Very unfair, but quite convenient! ^_^;

Oh, and I lied. I don't plan on making a new layout any time soon. I've actually been avoiding using the computer, believe it or not. I must really not want to finish that Jade*Island layout, lol. It is rather crappy. But the little sprites I made to go with it are soo cute! Actually... they're kind of crappy too. But in a cute way. Sort of. ANYWAY. Don't plan on seeing a new layout. And be SURE to watch the premiere of Smallville on October 1st. 'Cause you know it's gonna rock.

I have no life. *sighs*

...I still have this layout up? Yikes. No wonder I don't write here anymore. Nothing against Vashu-kun, but three months is too long. Seriously too long. So in an attempt to make myself useful, I shall start making a new layout. Yee.

In other news, I updated Musogato.com, and am currently mid-way through finishing a new layout for Jade*Island. *does a happy dance* The old layout is starting to bug me too. Though strangely... Musogato.com's layout, "Truth", has been up for almost 3 months now and I still like it very much. It must be because I don't see it often. (ha ha ha... ugh)

...So it's been two years, huh? Wow. I'd say time flew by quickly, but in all honesty it feels more like it just, kinda, blurred together. I woke up this morning and didn't even notice. I didn't realize it 'till I looked at the paper and on the front page was a picture of people paying their respects down at the WTC. I thought, "That's nice, but why are they mentioning it today?" ........yeah. Surprise! I feel bad that I didn't acknowledge it sooner. Maybe it's because I'm so far out in the middle of nowhere. I mean, New York, D.C., and Philly are almost a half-a-globe away from where I live. I'm American, but living out here on the islands... it doesn't always feel like it. But one day, that'll change. Because one day I'll move away from here, to somewhere where I'm needed. And that somewhere starts on that big beautiful Western continent.

Cho~! It seems like I haven't written in quite some time. I wanted to keep this layout up a bit longer since I like it so much, but I guess I... actually I dunno. I'm too hungry to think up an excuse right now. Although if I was asleep right now like I should be, I wouldn't be hungry. Oh well. Maybe I should get a snack................

....... *five minutes later - still thinking about it* ........... Nah... I'll eat in the morning. Of course lately my "mornings" have taken place in the mid-afternoons, but still. When ya wake up, it's morning. No matter what. It's morning. ^_^'

I'm listening to the Ecruteak midi right now. And yes. Ecruteak as in the Ecruteak City theme from Pokemon G/S. Bite me. It's a nice song. I also downloaded the Tal Tal Hights midi from Link's Awakening. It's a very dramatic remix version. Mwahaha. I crack up every time I listen to it. ^-^ And since I'm loving these game midis so much, I'll plug VGMusic.com so you can listen to them too. Mwuah.

I took my driver's licence test today, err, yesterday. It went well... kinda. I failed. Miserably. But hey, at least I didn't crash into anything! ^_^ That's always something to be proud of! I actually did okay, except for the... *coughs*speeding*coughs* What can I say? 25mph is just way too slow. Ya know? But anyway, I can try again for the test next week. Not sure if I will though. What if I have to do something in reverse? That would be bad. Maybe I'll try next month or something.

But anyway, something good DID come out of this. There was this super cute black kitty down at the driver's thing place. I think she was only a month or two old - green eyes - such a cute little kitty! ^-^ I think she was a stray. Actually, there were like 5 other stray cats on the other side of the street, so she probably "belonged" with them. So I guess it wouldn't have been a good idea to take her home with me. But I named her Kuroneko (after... kuroneko.. o.O) and she seemed to like that. Such a sweetie!

But anyway, I've lost sight of my point. MY POINT IS that I just got Soul Calibur II!!! ^______^ Well, not really "just" got it, I've had it a few hours ago and have been playing it ever since. Link is so incredibly awesome. He kicks ass and looks great doing so. ^-^; I have yet to master his specific fighting techniques, but my style seems to be working just fine. What's my style? Why, pressing the attack buttons repeatedly and randomly, of course! It actually works quite well. The arrow/boomerang/bombs annoy me greatly though. Especially since they don't do a lot of damage. But there was this one attack that I would really like to learn - it's when he jumps up on the opponent's shoulders and bashes them in the head with his sword, and they can't do a damn thing about it. I did that once and I was like "Hey - how'd I do that?!" It was so cool. x_X

Today was pretty cool. I finished the third chapter to my story which has taken my site by storm, and you can read here. I'm very happy that I finished it. So happy in fact, that I might start writing the fourth chapter tomorrow. =0

Then I went to see Step Into Liquid with me Dad, which was pretty nice. Some of those waves were so BIG though! Very scary. Beautiful, but very scary. After that we went to K-Mart, where I got the Evanescence cd. It's pretty good. A little... disturbing sometimes, but overall it's good.

And now, the Mummy is playing on tv. Sweet! Today totally rocked. The only way it could get better is if by some chance someone could go read my fic and leave a review of my story at Fanfiction.net. You wouldn't be that someone, would you? *gives big puppy-dog eyes*

"What he said to me was...."

*screams loudly* NOOOOOO!

I hate cliffhangers. Very badly. I can't believe I have to wait till next week to find out what happens. The Rurouni Kenshin cliffhangers are criminal, I swear. *grrr*

I came here to say that I actually updated Jade*Island, and I was so proud of myself for doing so because I never do, but now it seems silly. Kinda pointless, ya know? Like there's nothing more important going on. Of course there is, there always is. Maybe that's why I suddenly got interested again in a story I started almost 4 years ago and never finished. Whenever something important is going on that I should be worried about, I always return to that story. When I was nearing graduation, I became desperately involved with a webcomic idea I had called Yume. Actually, I haven't thought of a name yet, but the main character is called Yume. Almost a month before graduation and until the day I got my leis and goodbye hugs, that webcomic idea was the #1 thing on my mind. But a few days after graduation I moved past the idea and haven't worked on it since. Okay, so it's not the same thing I'm working on now, but still. It's like grabbing a book and running to the cellar when a hurricane comes. Just bury yourself in something else and wait for the storm to blow over. I would have never thought of myself as a wimp, but now, I can't believe I didn't see it sooner.

My driver's permit expires in a little over a week from now. I haven't gotten my licence yet, and I won't turn 18 till december.    ..... Is that bad?

I should write something important here. Something meaningful... deep... something that reflects my opinions on what is happening around me and around the world and how in someway that will and is affecting me. "The flapping a butterfly's wings in America can alter the course of hurricane in China" or something like that. I ♥ Adams' work. But the thing is.... I have nothing to say. No opinions, no news, no nothing. Even with all these events happening, I have no current opinion or thoughts on how they will affect me and my future and the future of those I care about. And that, quite frankly, scares the stuffin outta me. I'm sure that if I sat down and gave it some good time to think about it, I'd form some kind of opinion on the matter, but the fact is, I'm not. And I find that very frightening. Be it I'm subconsciously hiding from reality or I simply don't care, I don't know. But I do feel that it's not right. I'm sick of living in this hole, this do-nothing in the middle of nowhere. Maybe that's why I don't care about what's going on in the "outside", why I'm not giving it any real thought. Because it won't matter. Even if I catch up on everything that is going on in the world, all the wars, politics, and crazy-ass weather, it won't do me any good 'cause there's nothing I can do about it. Nothing from here, anyway. oOo, I could write an essay on what I think about it. Lovely. Dammit.... get me the heck out of here.

"Look, in order to win that contest, your project needs to be original -- just like that one!"

Because random quotes make the world more fun. Don't get it? That's too bad. It's hella funny. Don't ask where it's from though, even I don't know that. Just popped in my head and only God knows where I picked it up from. Maybe I made it up. Maybe I found it written on a package of cheeeeeeeeeese. Yum.

*sighs* And so ends Trigun. But it'll start back up again tomorrow night. ^-^ I love seeing all the episodes over again, it's like I understand certain scenes a little bit more every time I see 'em. Especially since I seem to miss certain scenes repeatedly. Like the beginning of Paradise, the ep where.... the beloved Mr. Wolfwood.... *cries* ... Even though today marked the fourth time I've seen the entire series, I have never seen the beginning of that episode. Wolfwood was such a cutie as a little kid! =^-^= Tragic, but adorable nontheless. I wonder if the manga explains more as to what happened to him in his early years, and why he followed Vash. I know for a fact that WolfWood's end in the anime doesn't happen in the manga. But then again, I also heard that there's nothing going on between him and Milly in the manga either. So sad, they made a pretty cute couple. But anyway. I look very forward to buying the manga. VERY forward. In fact, if I hadn't promised that I would go to sleep early (...11pm is still early, right?) I would probably scour ebay for some good deals. Although I would really have to buy a Nelson Chinese Character Dictionary (IT'S THE BEST!) before gobbling up the manga. I heard that Dark Horse publishing or something is going to manage or produce or at least have something to do with the english translation of the Trigun manga, but as if. I'm going for the original deal, in the original language. I'd rather translate it by myself, for myself, then let some company do it for me. *nods head*

But like I said, I'd have to buy a kanji dictionary first. I heard that there are some online, and there's a partial one on my NJStar Japanese wordprocessor, but I'd rather have the book in person. It just.... feels good to have the book in my hands, to know I could look through it at any time, to find all the info I want, whenever I want. You know? Besides, the downside of using an online kanji dictionary is that, A) your computer has to be on, B) You have to know where the online dictionary site is, C) if the site server is currently down then you're out of luck, and finally D) having the book in person is One Million times Better. So you see? I should buy the book. And Nelson's is the best. You know what is the number one thing I miss most about High School? The kanji dictionary (yes, it was Nelson) that was in my Japanese class. Okay, maybe it's not the number one thing I miss, but it certainly is in the top five. Happy? Good. Now I should go, I'm 11 minutes past my promise.

I saw Freaky Friday .... uh, yesterday. *blinks* Anyway, despite the commercials, it was actually a pretty good re-make. The music, of course, really helped it. I must buy the soundtrack. *nods head* I still think the whole fortune cookie thing was stretching it a bit though. I mean, really! A fortune cookie? Please. The talismans from the old movie were much more believable. Although.... I guess it wasn't really that long ago. When did the first one come out? Early 90s? I don't remember. But anyway.

I just saw the teaser posters for Spider-Man 2 over here and OH MY GOD! ^_____^ They look so incredibly amazing. When those posters are displayed in theaters, I swear to God I'm gonna steal one. Or... ask to have one. Whichever is easiest. ^-^; But I am so going to have one. The Spidey one looks scrumptious, but in all honesty, the Octavious one is kinda cool too. *laughs* I can't wait to see this. 330 days left people! Next July! Mark your calendars! :)

Ah, another late-night entry. I really should stop writing this so late, but I can't help it. I'm a night person, I guess. But anyway, I saw SeaBiscuit today. Excellent movie, and it was quite nice to see Tobey on the big screen again. Although while sitting through the previews before it started, I was thinking about how much I wanted to see Pirates again instead. But I guess I'm glad I saw this instead. Tomorrow we're going to see Tomb Raider. Looking forward to that, I guess. *would rather see Pirates* But oh well. Next week my uncle and aunt are coming over to visit for a week or so. Guess that means I'll have to do my laundry or clean up my room or something.

In Neopets news, I am very happy! This is because I finished my basic pirate collection, which includes this adorable but expensive plushie which I just got an hour ago. Yee! Here's a piccy.

Awww..... Well, that's all. I plan to update Musogato, maybe tomorrow or something. We'll see. G'night!

For all of you wondering what I meant when I mentioned earlier about how horrible Disney really was, here's a site that tells much of Disney's dark side. Not opinions, mind you, but actual facts. Ugh. I've always hated Disney, and gee, now I know why. I'm never going to DisneyLand as long as I live!

You know... with all this talk about POTC, you'd think I would have made a layout of it, instead of using Trigun as the eyecandy. But nope. I have strange timing like that. Maybe I'll make one for December, when the dvd is suppose to be released. Yeah, I think I'll do that. 'Cause if I make a pirates layout now, I'll be just like all those other obsessed fans. ^-^; And you know how I hate being like those other obsessed fans.

And that about wraps up this entry. Don't I have any news non-relating to Pirates? Ha! Of course not. Except..... my friend's birthday was on the 28th and I COMPLETELY forgot to wish her a happy b-day. Whoops. See, this is reason #142 why one should write these things down. Will I learn from this mistake and be better prepared next time? Ha, of course not. Who do you think I am? One of those other obsessed fans?

Besides Twister, POTC is the only other movie that I can watch more than once in a single day and not tire of it. I loved Spider-Man to bits, but to see it even twice in one week completely ruins it. Strangeness. Maybe the sequel will change that. Talking about sequels, I did stay for the credits and saw the special clip at the end. But I don't see how that sets up Pirates for a sequel. So th- *spoiler has been omitted* -in, big deal. How is that going to affect the characters later on? What's he going to do? Scare them? Please. Although I wouldn't mind if there was a sequel (ha, like there's really a choice. Almost every movie has a sequel, even the really crappy ones. *Scooby Doo comes to mind* *shudders*), as long as all the original characters come back. Like Depp, Bloom, Rush, and everyone else. Even the pirate with the fake eye! Hopefully he'll get that glass eye in the next one. Wooden eyes aren't very nice. Poor guy. Aaaaaaaaaaaand that's it. Happy first of the month everyone! *pinches ya*

You know life is good when you can see Pirates twice in one day. Mwahahaha. And yes, this shall be the main topic for quite some time. Don't like it, come back later then. Savvy?

Ah, my desktop is now complete with a wallpaper bursting with Captain Jack Sparrow awesomeness. God, I love those pirates. Mwahahaha. Other than that, nothing is truly new. Except that I've learned that I am horrible at mini-golf, sunburns do not feel nice, and that there is a Dance Dance Revolution Extreme master living in my town. The scary part? He's a little shrimpy kid probably in middle school. Must have practiced every week. Hmmm. Well, that's all my news for today. Except I *seriously* need to see POTC again. And this time I'm sitting through the whole credits. Apparently the real ending or whatever is at the very end. Figures. Okay, I'm out. Trigun's a startin'!

Ahhh... I love the smell of new layouts early in the morning. Whew! It's very early in the morning! Oh, and I was so looking forward to writing my big dramatic movie review! Hmph. Well, if you think I'm going to let a little lateness get in my way, think again! Mwahahahahaha.

Hi there I'm Jade, and in case you didn't know, I dislike Disney. A LOT. That corporation disgusts me, and it sickens me even more to think it works mostly for the "benefit" of children. But I didn't always feel that way. Like when I was really little. It's kinda hard to strongly despise something when they are behind one of your biggest fandoms. I mean, what child wasn't insanely obsessed with movies like "The Little Mermaid" and "The Lion King"? Admit it or not, they were great movies.

However, part of growing up is discovering that everything is not what it seems. That everything has a darker side. And surely, you have heard about the "extras" the animators hid in the movies I mentioned above. I was rather naive back then, so I never noticed those "extras" when I watched them like 4-5 times a day. (no joke) But when I heard about it, I turned into killer robot mode in about 1.5 seconds. I loved those movies! And to find out that some sick animators put that shit in a movie targeted at CHILDREN was what pushed me over the Disney edge. I later found out even more disgusting facts about what the Disney Corp had done in other films, and how they've taken the rights to many anime films just to keep 'em locked up. Just thinking about it makes me shake in anger. Despicable.

But I didn't come here to talk about the evils of Disney, because that would ruin my evening. Then why did I bring all this up? Like people, even nasty corporations have the tendency to redeem themselves every once in awhile. You see, something has happened. Well, actually it happened a few days ago, but who's counting. What happened? I saw...

Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl! Hell yeah! Now that's what I'm talking about! That movie ROCKED out LOUD. It's way up there with Spider-Man on my Greatest Movie List Ever. I haven't actually written that list yet, but when I do, you know POTC will be up there. ^_^

You see that? 10 seconds ago I was raging mad about Disgusting Disney, and then *blam* I'm totally perky when Pirates comes to mind. Only I would start off a review like this. Oh! the review! Gosh, this entry is so long, I don't know if I have enough room for the review! ^-^; Whoops.

Okie, here's the quicky review. Johnny Depp = total hotty as a pirate. Did I really just say that? Damn right! Because he is! Much better than that Edward guy. *shivers* Orlando Bloom was pretty cool too, but some of his lines were a little cheesy. The girl (what's her name?) did pretty good for her first big movie. Nice chemistry with Bloom. Story was good, music was good, effects were good, Depp was very good. ^^; In short! Awesome flick. Gotta see it again. And again and again and again.... Mwahahahahahaha!