Mockingjay is the third book in The Hunger Games Trilogy.
So Katniss has survived the games.. again. Only 3 victors were rescued from the arena after Katniss blew it up - Finnick, Beetee, and Katniss, but Peeta and many others weren't one of them. They were captured by the Capitol. There is no more District 12 as it was destroyed, but Katniss' family & Gale are safe. They've escaped to District 13.
They are now in District 13, where they are hiding underground.
Katniss is now the symbol of rebellion against the Capitol. She now has to star in commercials for the rebel's side. When Peeta was in the Capitol, they made him do an interview. Beetee managed to gain control of the broadcast and show it to Katniss and a few of the other rebels. She is relieved that he is safe - until he sends them a message that the Capitol is going to attack, which breaks into chaos. The camera is not on Peeta anymore, but on the floor, where blood splatters can be seen, and screams can be heard. Peeta is being tortured in the Capitol.
They evacuate the upper levels in result of the bombing threat, and go down to the bunkers. The bombing starts, and they wait several days until the bombing as stopped.
Then, Katniss realizes it. The Capitol is using Peeta and every time she says something against them, they hurt Peeta.
The next day, people send a rescue team to get Peeta, because they know it is worrying her too much and she wouldn't be able to do anything without knowing that he is safe.
When Peeta is rescued, Katniss goes to hug him. To everyone's surprise, Peeta tries to choke Katniss. The Capitol has hijacked Peeta into thinking that he hates Katniss.
They build a squad to go out to kill President Snow. Katniss is included in this, but Peeta was included in it too at the last minute. They believe that he was sent so that he could kill Katniss.
Will Katniss and Peeta ever go back to lovers? Or will someone die as a result? Will they fulfill their goal of killing President Snow, or will anybody else die because of Katniss' mistake in the arena in the first games? Read the book to find out!
I. Loved. This. Book. I loved the storyline/plot. I loved the character's chemistry between each other. I loved everything about this book! It is a little confusing, but if you re-read it you'll definitely get it the second time.
Resources: http://thehungergames.wikia.com/wiki/Mockingjay_(novel)
Monday, 22 July 2013
Book Review: Catching Fire *DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T READ 'THE HUNGER GAMES' AND YOU DON'T WANT SPOILERS*
Catching Fire is the second book in The Hunger Games trilogy. The rebellion against The Capitol has begun after Katniss decided that herself and Peeta should commit suicide together, which would result in no victor for The Capitol which would embarrass them, and forcing The Capitol to let them both win the games. President Snow threatened her that if she doesn't convince the audience that it was an act of love, he will make sure her and her family suffers.
Now they are off to their victory tour, which goes from District 12 all the way down to District 1. Since they were in District 12, their District will be last because the victor's district is always last. So, they start their tour at District 11, where Katniss' ally, Rue, lived. During their speech, an old man whistled the song that Katniss and Rue used in the arena to know they were safe, and the crowd all did the the 3 finger District 12 gesture to show their thanks to Katniss. Right then, a Peacekeeper shoots the man who whistled in the head.
The rest of the victory tour fell into place. They ate, said speeches, riding on the train, sleeping, etc.). When they have their interview with Caesar, Peeta performs a fake proposal to Katniss, in which she accepts. (Remember, they needed to convince the audience or else their families and themselves are in danger.) When President Snow congratulated them, Katniss raised her eyebrows at him as to ask if they convinced the audience, in which he shakes his head, and says, "No."
Things carry on from there. Now, it's time for the 75th Hunger Games. It's a quarter quell, so there's going to be a special twist to it. What are they going to make the tributes do?
President Snow appears on the television with the wooden box that holds a card that says what the tributes have to do. He then reveals that the tributes will be pulled from the existing victors. One girl victor and one boy victor from each district.
What does this mean? It means that Katniss will have to go back into the games because she's the only girl victor in District 12, and it will be between Haymitch and Peeta. If Haymitch is chosen, will Peeta volunteer for him, or has he had enough of the games? Will Katniss survive? There can only be one winner. If Peeta and Katniss go in together, only one of them can win, if one of them will win.
Want to know what happens after? Read the book to find out!
I recommend this book for teens. Once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down! I'd say it was my favourite out of the three, but Mockingjay (the third book in the series) was really good too.
Resources: http://thehungergames.wikia.com/wiki/Catching_Fire
Now they are off to their victory tour, which goes from District 12 all the way down to District 1. Since they were in District 12, their District will be last because the victor's district is always last. So, they start their tour at District 11, where Katniss' ally, Rue, lived. During their speech, an old man whistled the song that Katniss and Rue used in the arena to know they were safe, and the crowd all did the the 3 finger District 12 gesture to show their thanks to Katniss. Right then, a Peacekeeper shoots the man who whistled in the head.
The rest of the victory tour fell into place. They ate, said speeches, riding on the train, sleeping, etc.). When they have their interview with Caesar, Peeta performs a fake proposal to Katniss, in which she accepts. (Remember, they needed to convince the audience or else their families and themselves are in danger.) When President Snow congratulated them, Katniss raised her eyebrows at him as to ask if they convinced the audience, in which he shakes his head, and says, "No."
Things carry on from there. Now, it's time for the 75th Hunger Games. It's a quarter quell, so there's going to be a special twist to it. What are they going to make the tributes do?
President Snow appears on the television with the wooden box that holds a card that says what the tributes have to do. He then reveals that the tributes will be pulled from the existing victors. One girl victor and one boy victor from each district.
What does this mean? It means that Katniss will have to go back into the games because she's the only girl victor in District 12, and it will be between Haymitch and Peeta. If Haymitch is chosen, will Peeta volunteer for him, or has he had enough of the games? Will Katniss survive? There can only be one winner. If Peeta and Katniss go in together, only one of them can win, if one of them will win.
Want to know what happens after? Read the book to find out!
I recommend this book for teens. Once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down! I'd say it was my favourite out of the three, but Mockingjay (the third book in the series) was really good too.
Resources: http://thehungergames.wikia.com/wiki/Catching_Fire
Sunday, 21 July 2013
Book Review: The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games is a science-fiction novel written by Suzanne Collins. It is about a 16 year old girl named Katniss Everdeen who lives in Panem, where the countries of North America used to exist. The districts are under The Capitol's control. The Hunger Games is an annual event where one boy and one girl from the ages of 12-18 from each of the twelve districts will be chosen at random to fight to the death until one person is standing. The older you are, the more of a chance you get to have your name pulled out of the bowl. If your family is poor, you can get some food in exchange of another slip of your name in the bowl.
On reaping day, Katniss' sister Prim, who is only 12 years old, was chosen to participate in The Hunger Games. Her name was only put in once. Katniss volunteers for her sister. The male tribute is a baker named Peeta Mellark, who used to be Katniss' schoolmate. He gave her bread from his family's bakery when they were younger when her family was starving.
Katniss and Peeta are taken to The Capitol. There they meet their mentor Haymitch, who won the 50th Hunger Games and their stylists who have to make them look their best for interviews, etc.
When all 24 tributes do their interviews, Peeta admits that he has loved Katniss for a long time now. This results in them being "star-crossed lovers", which Katniss thinks is a trick to get them sponsors. Sponsors can send food, medicine, etc., to their favourite tributes. However, while Katniss thought it was a ploy, Peeta was telling the truth about how he felt about her.
Then, the games started. Who will win the games? There can only be one victor, unless stated by the gamemakers. Will Peeta give up his life for Katniss, or will it be the other way around? Read the book to find out!
I loved this book. I've read the entire trilogy like 3 times. It was sad, funny, and just brilliant. I recommend this book for teens.
Resources: http://thehungergames.wikia.com/wiki/The_Hunger_Games_(film)
Resources: http://thehungergames.wikia.com/wiki/The_Hunger_Games_(film)
Supernatural Cast at the SDCC (San Diego Comic Con)
Remember, the Supernatural panel is today at 1pm EST, and Jared & Jensen's Conversation For A Cause is at 5pm EST. For the live stream link of the conversation, click here!
Friday, 19 July 2013
Clay Review: Cold Porcelain/Craft Porcelain
Cold porcelain (also known as craft porcelain) is an air-dry clay that can be made with home ingredients.
For a good tutorial on how to make cold porcelain, click here. It consists mostly of glue and corn starch. You can make it in the microwave or on the stove. I chose to make mine in the microwave.
I personally like this clay because it is very durable. I think it is more durable than polymer clay. It's cheaper than polymer clay, and you can colour it with paint, markers, chalk pastels, etc.
For a good tutorial on how to make cold porcelain, click here. It consists mostly of glue and corn starch. You can make it in the microwave or on the stove. I chose to make mine in the microwave.
I personally like this clay because it is very durable. I think it is more durable than polymer clay. It's cheaper than polymer clay, and you can colour it with paint, markers, chalk pastels, etc.
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| This is how I store my clay. You want to put it in an air-tight container so it doesn't dry out. I didn't have an air-tight container, so I wrapped mine in cling wrap, then put it in a ziplock bag, then put it into a container. |
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| This is the consistency you should get when you pull it apart. It should form a tear drop shape. |
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| As you can see, you get a lot more cold porcelain than polymer clay when you make it yourself. |
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| Cold porcelain is translucent, as you can see when I hold it up against light. |
Cold porcelain has a very nice consistency. It is soft and smooth. However, since this is an air-dry clay, I find that it dries way too quickly for my liking (or maybe I'm just used to taking my time because I use polymer clay). Also, the size of the creation shrinks by 18%, so you'll never know what size your creation will really be when it dries. The colour also gets darker, so again, you never know what colour your creation will be when it dries. I also find it very difficult to take the clay out of mold putty molds, as it is very soft, thus ruining the shape of the creation. It takes around 1-2 days to fully dry, but it depends on the size and thickness of your charm.
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| Here is an example of how much the clay shrinks. The original size is the mold in the middle, and the 4 biscuits are made out of cold porcelain. |
I will only recommend this type of clay for cabochons or simple charms (that's what I use it for). I like to make tart molds especially because of it's translucent-ness.
Clay Review: Polymer Clay
Polymer clay is a type of hardenable modeling clay based on the polymer polyvinyl chloride (PVC). There are different brands. Some of them include Premo Sculpey, Sculpey III, and Fimo. It won't dry out unless you bake it in the oven, however it will lose it's clay-like consistency and become crumbly over time. Despite of this, you can purchase clay softeners at craft stores like Michaels to bring the clay back to it's original consistency.
Polymer clay is fairly more expensive than other clays. Prices can range from $3.50 - $4.00 for a 2oz block in Ontario, Canada. So far, I've only seen polymer clay being sold in Michaels. Once a month at Michaels, the clay usually go on sale for 3 for $5.00, but it does depend on where you live.
In my experience, Sculpey III is the most softest out of all the brands I have listed above. However, this can get a bit annoying if you make really detailed charms, as the colours squish together more easily. Also, this clay gets really sticky if your hands are warm. This brand doesn't get as crumbly as quickly as Fimo, but if you buy an old block at Michaels, it is usually the worst out of all the brands. You can pinch the sides of a block to see if it is soft or not. If it makes an indent easily, that means it's good. I find that Sculpey is the best to mix TLS (translucent liquid sculpey) with to make frostings because it is very soft.
For the Fimo brand, I use FimoSoft. There are different brands of Fimo, like Fimo Effect, and Fimo Classic. It is soft, but not as soft as Sculpey when you first open the package. Although, I find that this clay becomes sticky as well if your hands are warm. This can come in handy. However, I dislike this clay brand the most. It gets crumbly the fastest out of all the brands.
Finally, Premo. This is my favourite brand of them all. It is a bit harder that Fimo, but it is still pliable. I find that this brand doesn't get crumbly as quickly, and it doesn't get really sticky
Some polymer clay colours can stain your fingers, but all you need to do is wash your hands. For example, I find that the colour red stains my fingers very badly. Also, polymer clay attracts a lot of dust. Wash your hands before and after using the clay, or if you are going to switch colours. The clay itself isn't toxic, but it is recommended that you always wash your hands after you work with it. Also, don't let anything that can go into your mouth get in contact with polymer clay. Don't burn the clay because it is hazardous to your health.
Here are some of my creations:
Polymer clay is fairly more expensive than other clays. Prices can range from $3.50 - $4.00 for a 2oz block in Ontario, Canada. So far, I've only seen polymer clay being sold in Michaels. Once a month at Michaels, the clay usually go on sale for 3 for $5.00, but it does depend on where you live.
In my experience, Sculpey III is the most softest out of all the brands I have listed above. However, this can get a bit annoying if you make really detailed charms, as the colours squish together more easily. Also, this clay gets really sticky if your hands are warm. This brand doesn't get as crumbly as quickly as Fimo, but if you buy an old block at Michaels, it is usually the worst out of all the brands. You can pinch the sides of a block to see if it is soft or not. If it makes an indent easily, that means it's good. I find that Sculpey is the best to mix TLS (translucent liquid sculpey) with to make frostings because it is very soft.
For the Fimo brand, I use FimoSoft. There are different brands of Fimo, like Fimo Effect, and Fimo Classic. It is soft, but not as soft as Sculpey when you first open the package. Although, I find that this clay becomes sticky as well if your hands are warm. This can come in handy. However, I dislike this clay brand the most. It gets crumbly the fastest out of all the brands.
Finally, Premo. This is my favourite brand of them all. It is a bit harder that Fimo, but it is still pliable. I find that this brand doesn't get crumbly as quickly, and it doesn't get really sticky
Some polymer clay colours can stain your fingers, but all you need to do is wash your hands. For example, I find that the colour red stains my fingers very badly. Also, polymer clay attracts a lot of dust. Wash your hands before and after using the clay, or if you are going to switch colours. The clay itself isn't toxic, but it is recommended that you always wash your hands after you work with it. Also, don't let anything that can go into your mouth get in contact with polymer clay. Don't burn the clay because it is hazardous to your health.
Here are some of my creations:
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| Mockingjay Pin from The Hunger Games |
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| Rilakuma Ice Cream Cones |
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| Supernatural License Plate Pin |
I recommend polymer clay if you like to work with clay. Although it is a bit expensive, it does go on sale, and the things you can create with it are endless. You can make pins, charms, miniatures, pendants, and more.
I have an instagram based on my creations, @_ksaarms_ .
Resources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polymer_clay
Wednesday, 17 July 2013
Movie Review: The Purge
Characters:Mary: mother
James: father
Charlie: son
Zoey: daughter
There aren't much spoilers in this, so read on!
The Purge is around 10 years into the future in America where once a year, for 12 hours, everything will be legal, including murder. The purpose of this was to keep a safe and quiet town for most of the year, and on that one day, everyone can unleash their wrath and anger. All emergency services will be unavailable at this time.
The only rule: "Level 10" government officials must be unharmed and any weapons above "Class 4" is forbidden.
After everybody has locked up and the annual Purge has begun, Charlie notices a stranger who was begging for help and was covered in blood. He then deactivates the security systems and lets the man in, despite not knowing him. Will he be dangerous?
This then resulted in 12 hours of terror because the man disappeared in their house. Later on, a group of "Purgers" threatened the family to have the man out of their house because he is their target. If not, they will kill everyone inside the house.
I like fairly scary movies because I find them interesting. I thought this movie would be entertaining, but it honestly wasn't. It was slow in the beginning, and it was predictable. I also thought that the ending was way too quick.
Although, I think it just depends on your opinion on scary movies. My sister doesn't like scary movies, but she enjoyed the movie because it wasn't that scary.
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