Guadalupita, Doctor Who and Harry Potter.

Hello!

Let me start by saying I've been meaning to blog for quite a while now, there has been some stuff going on lately that means I actually have something to talk about, or at least I think so.

Anyway, I'd like to start this new blogging phase by telling you about my weekend, because it was pretty awesome.

Friday was a bit uneventful except for the Jo-Oprah interview, I had some issues with the interview, but would talk about it later, I know of some people who haven't watched it yet so I'll wait.

On Saturday I woke up really, really early, I mean 4:45 am early. Because we (my family and most of my old school) went on a pilgrimage to la Basílica de Guadalupe, this is something we do once a year. Right before you get to the church there is a little market when you can get a lot of Catholic related things, and I got a new purple rosary to my ¨collection¨ (I'm not sure if I can call it that). I saw la Guadalupita and then took the bus back to my school.

After some breakfast we went to buy some stuffs I needed for school; cake bases, baking gloves to name a few; then we went to buy my sister's Jonas Brothers concert tickets.

While she was in line I went to ask if they had the DVDs of Doctor Who or Torchwood, the guy who I asked first look at me like I was crazy or something, then smiled and almost shouted ¨Yes, I do!¨ after double checking with his computer he went on ¨I don't have Torchwood, but I do have Doctor Who season 1, I thought it was going to end in the back-store, I'm glad this amazing show finally has an owner¨ my mom kept looking at him like he was crazy, she just found someone who talk as happy about the show as I do. LOL!

It was on sale, and it had been so long since I asked my dad for something else than a book that he bought it. I've been watching the DVDs with my mom, and she is liking the show, and started asking questions ad stuff. Guess I've made a new fan, and if not at least she can understand why I like the show so much.

Today, I went with my family to a torture exhibit that my sis had to go for a homework. I couldn't handle it for long so I ran out of the exhibit and to the bookstore that is next door to the museum.

I waited for my family there, and started looking at the books, I found one that has Greek poems translated to Spanish for my sister, so she can do some extra-work for one of her classes.

And saw a book about Nahuatl poems translated to Spanish, but I forgot my wallet and parents said they wouldn't buy more books until I'm done with the one they last bought, which I won't start reading until I'm done with my Harry Potter re-read.

Because I am doing so, I just found something that has me thinking. Do you remember in which book, before HBP, a vanishing cabinet is mentioned?

If so, is that the same one as in six, and so is it in this moment when it ¨breaks¨?

If you know the answers to the ones above, say it in the comments.

BEDA #9 Uni and story

Hello!

Today I woke up without having a place to study and I end today having one. Remember that story I was saving for later? Well here it is.

A few years back I was helping (working with) my dad to help this project come to life. The outcome of this would mean that the family would have to move to the US, 'cause that's where the project was going to happen, and so I started  looking for Unis in the US and applied to them and did all the paperwork.

That summer as a gift for saving the class I was failing and being able to get up the stage and get my diploma, my dad payed the school trip to London that my English department teacher had planned for the summer.

While I was there my dad was informed the project was taking a pause. So I could go to CA and also was to late for me to find a Uni in Mexico. All of this happened in 2008.

Last year I applied for the same Uni again cause everything was coming back to life, then again it died.

This year I haven't heard from them since February, and my dad putting all his work and that big project didn't take any major work 'cause might have to just leave in short notice. (meaning there was no money for me to go to school).

This time I found a school with the career that I want that is not as expensive nor as intensive as the one I had entered to in first place, but that is better than nothing right?

I am REALLY scared that after 2 years of not doing anything (well yes I started taking french lessons but it is not the same) I wont be able to do it.

This is why I ask all of you to send me good vibes, right now although family and friends have confidence I can do it, I don't feel the same.

-Steph

P.S. I missed all of my HP people all day long and my phone refused to let use Internet. Also I was so freaking nervous all day long I couldn't do something for Andrew.

BEDA #8 IHOP, family, traffic, craziness

Hola!

Today was a crazy day. I woke up at 6:15 am and left my home at 6:45 am so we could avoid traffic, cross the city and be with my uncle before 10am, so we could get back early and let him carry on with his patients (he is a pediatrician/my family doctor). Wouldn't it be nice if things went as planned?

So yeah, It took us 2 hours and a bit more to get to the, are you ready for this?, IHOP where we were going to have breakfast, it was until today the only IHOP in Mexico and mom & I love it there, so if we were making a long drive might as well have a nice breakfast, right? RIGHT!

We reached my uncle's house around 11:30, probably would have gotten there earlier but dad made like 4 wrongs turns on our way there. Anyhow, we hang out with him for a bit in his house, then went buy some medicine my mom forgot (the main reason we went to see him in the 1st place) then he did the procedure and after feeding his lovely birds we dropped him off at his office.

Then he FINALLY checked my ear, did I tell you that for the past ...uhm 2 months my ear has been bugging me, sometimes it sounds like I have a mosquito buzzing inside my ear, or else it sounds like I have a broken speaker inside of my ear that ends up giving me headaches, turns out its just an infection and he sent medicine.

After all of this we got back to Mexico city around 4pm. After dropping my dad off at the factory his going to remodel after the flooding, we headed south again, so we could go to the gym.

We left the gym around 7:15 I got home, took a shower, finally ate and now I'm doing this.

So there you have it my boring day in a few paragraphs.

-Steph

P.S. The butter pecan syrup at IHOP is better than I remember it was.

BEDA #7 TCA, power lost, teens

Hey!

I'm sorry this is so short but I was out most of the day, then TCA, and moments after it finished I lost power, so I'm doing this at 11:30 pm.

The Teen Choice Awards gave me a lot to think about, about teens now and my teen years and my older cousin teen years.

I see girls liking Justin Bieber and going all crazy about him, and I wonder if I seem that irrational to my older family members and friends.

I mean Justin Timberlake can sing, and can dance and he is really cute *cough hot cough*. I really don't see JB like that (also saying that someone that is 5 years younger than you and who is a teen that he is hot is kinda sick).

Something else is the way some teens (like a certain family member) get all crazy about someone wining  (and trying to explain it without names was dumb so here it goes) Taylor Swift apparently stole Taylor Lautner from Selena Gomez, according to some magazines, and Taylor S. named both Taylor L. and Selena in her acceptance speech, which got my family member really mad, I mean she was having a RAGE.

I'm not even going to talk about shinny vampires 'cause I am sure that was not just teen voting some older people voted too.

The happiest moments of the nigh were GLEE wining, obviously, Vampire Diaries wining, ... yeah. That was it. I guess this means I'm old?

Anyway  I must leave you know, I must wake up early tomorrow, like 6am early, to go visit my uncle/doctor. Good part, apparently they just opened an IHOP on the north part of the city, and we have to go through there to get to the, is it turnpike or toll motorway, to get to where my uncle is.

-Steph

P.S. Oh that's right 2 cast members of Gossip Girl won and Sandra danced with Betty and Chris Colfer was as sweet and BA as he always is.

P.S.S. I don't mind if you comment, I don't know how bad I am, so feel free to tell me.

BEDA #6 - Nicholas Sparks, making up your own mind

Hey!

Not too long ago Maureen Johnson posted a link to an interview with Nicholas Sparks, and soon after this a lot of people I know that had said they hated Sparks were like ¨Yeah, he is brilliant I'm going out to get one of his books right now¨.

This really bugs me; not that they are going to read Sparks, I love his books and I'm glad they are giving him a chance; what bugs me is that they were going to read something they didn't even liked because someone else said so or on the contrary stop reading something because someone told you to.

I mean if Maureen or John or Jo Rowling came tomorrow and told you that The Lord of the Rings or any other amazing book of choice was stupid or the author was a joke would you stop reading it. I don't mean to put M.J. or John or Jo on the spot, pick an author you admire and put it there.

People should decide on their own.

Now lets go to a happier place. I love Sparks, that is the kind of story I've always liked when it isn't fantasy.

The power of those relationships, the amount of love spent there is between two people is so big, that it doesn't matter if they just had together a couple of months like in A Walk to Remember or days like in Dear John or even years like in The Notebook, it lasts for as long as the other person is alive.

Not all the books have a death in the end like The Rescue. His books are pure drama that is feed by the most essential and yet difficult thing to find LOVE.

Maybe the reason I love those books so much is because I'm a girl. But I find that difficult to believe.

Also maybe I like his books so much because the first complete book I read by him was A Walk to Remember and I read it on the plain home from Chicago two days after my grandad die, or at least that is what my mom says.

If you haven't read a Sparks book give it a chance, you don't have to love it. Take your own decision if you like it or not, don't let me or anyone else influence you into liking him.

-Steph

P.S. Skype chat, remember I logged off early 'cause I was sleepy, well I woke up at 1:30 am don't know why and couldn't go back to sleep until around 7am. At least I had a chance to work on this a bit.

BEDA #5 - Nail Polish and a boring day

Hey!

Today has been a really slow, relaxing day. Besides napping this is what I did:

Today my mom went out to buy breakfast and she got me two new nail polish one is lilac (like the one Amy uses in Doctor Who YAY!!) and the other one is bright purple. So yeah I'm nerd that as soon as she was done with breakfast went and paint her fingernails lilac.

I rented 500 days Summer the other day and watched it today, it was different. LOL! I know that doesn't say much, it's just not my usual type of movie but it was good.

I'm sorry this is such a short blog, but I've been staring at this for almost 2 hours and words simply wont flow. I promise I'll make a better blog tomorrow.

-Steph

P.S. I'm craving cookies thanks to Jessie. Allie needs to finish that rug. And I miss people from the chat, where did you go girls?

BEDA #4 Uni in States and Mexico

Hello!

I'm really good mood today I started the day with ALL CAPS music as my alarm, followed it by a yummy breakfast and then a slight melting moment while looking at pictures of Joe Walker and Joey Richter, so now I must write this before I leave to visit my cousins.

Having my melted problem I asked the chat what should I talk about and Allie suggested to talk about differences between Mexico and the US.

I think one of the big difference is in the education, the US divides the school grades differently but still there are 12 years in all for both countries. The difference I'm talking about is Uni or College.

In the US the usual as that you move away from home and go to a different city or state to study, in Mexico the usual is that you stay in your city or state. This also means that you still live with mom and dad. Most universities that are in the states are like ¨divisions¨ from the ones in Mexico City or Monterrey.

The biggest University here is UNAM and thousands of people make the exam to get in. They find out through the newspaper if they got in or not; they don't send letters. UNAM publishes your digit ID (a series of numbers) and your score. And for private you need to go make your exam and then go back on a determined day and they let you know if you are in or not.

There are some that after written exam you have an interview then another test and then another interview.

In my case I made my exam for the California School of Culinary Arts. I made it online 'cause I was in school and couldn't fly there and 30 minutes after I finished the exam I called  my admin. rep. and he told me I had a great score and that I was in, he needed to talk to the teacher that handled the English department so she could tell him about my grades and conduct and such and that the next step was to go there pay what needed to be pay for and visit the school.

I was the first of my class to get into a Uni and I was the only one that had entered a Uni that couldn't start school :( But that is a story for another day.

If this was too confusing or too boring let me know and I won't blog of this type of topic again. But if you want me to talk about something else and see the differences in them. Let me know. :)

-Steph

Now I go back to Joe and Joey fangirl mode.

BEDA #3

Hello!

Today a really good friend of mine left to start Uni, she is going to study for 3 semesters in this city and then will go to the campus in Monterrey (where she went today). She is going to study medicine and the Uni she chose is based in Monterrey and all the new medicine students go there on the weekend prior to starting class to get their white coats.

I'm telling you all this because this makes me a bit sad; we both had some problems with starting school when he were supposed to (the problems will be told in an other blog :p); this means she is finally going to school and this also means that I'll be seeing less of her.

I have a lot of fun when I am with her. We are really silly and laugh at at anything, which gave a hard time to our french teacher 'cause we were either speaking when we weren't supposed to or else laughing at another classmate 'cause they said something dumb, or made stupid questions.

If you could, please send good vibes to her so she has a great start of Uni.

Sorry this blog is so short but I'm kinda sad/proud with all of this, and my mom is rushing me because she wants us all to watch a movie she rented.

Allie, thanks for my kitchen. Lori where have you been. Jessie what is the level of kreepines needed to reach the corner. Silvia get Allie to give you a bigger space.

-Steph

P.S. This movie better be funny!

BEDA #2 Bookstores & translated books - A Rant

Today I spent an hour looking at books in Gandhi (only big bookstore that has books in English) the one that is in the same mall as the gym I go to.

This particular Gandhi has the smallest English section I had ever seen, and has no order at all; fine it is arranged according to the authors last name; but it has all the types of literature mixed, which makes it hard to find a book.

Anyway I went to ask for some authors and books I've been reading about in twitter or in friends Goodreads updates and I was answered that those authors didn't exist. The list has Maureen Johnson, Suzanne Collins, John Green at first but I told the guy they had Looking for Alaska *facepalm*.

After about 30 minutes of getting ¨you are crazy/lying looks¨ I went to the fantasy section (they had no idea what YA was!) I found a couple of books like Eragon, Nicholas Flamel series, the 1st Percy Jackson book and Northern Lights (The Golden Compass) series, all of them in Spanish.

This brings me to the second part of this blog, translations drive me crazy! Why? You may ask, well because the translations are rarely made in Mexico, they are normally translated in Spain or Chile or Argentina.

The 3 of them as well as Uruguay speak the same kind of way, in Mexico we say ¨tu¨ or ¨usted (if you are

talking to someone older or with respect or if you are being rude)¨ and in the ones above they use ¨vos¨ as well as some food/dishes are called differently and they can mean different things meaning you could get an idea wrong if that particular part is important.

The other bugging part for me is that there are books that have some of it translated in our country and the other part in another so it makes it confusing.

Anyway my point is, the bookstores here drive me crazy and I need a good 2 hour search to find a nice translated fantasy book if I ever hope to read The Lord of the Rings and Eragon before I turn 21. And I need a trip to the US to by all of Suzanne Collins books or I'll get spoiled during LeakyCon.

Also I need to send a letter to Maureen Johnson and her people to get her books in here, and if they have to be translated for the to get translated by the same person that translated Looking for Alaska 'cause it is the best translated book I've read in long while.

Enough ranting.

Skype chat I am craving Red Vines.

-Stephanie

BEDA

Hey!
It is August 3rd and I just decided I want to participate in BEDA (should this be called BEDA1 or BEDA3?).

The girls at Skype chat talked me into doing this, apparently I was the only one not doing a BEDA or VEDA (except for Allie ik) so I decided to give it a go; I might do a VEDA (looong shot as I don't like to appear on camera but might steal Lori's idea and show you a recipe for a Mexican dish).

I have a couple of ideas of what I want my blogs to be about, but for now I'll keep this one short (I don't want to use my ideas in the first blog there are still 28 days to go).

-Steph

P.S. To those that were last night in the AVPS skype chat thanks for being there, I hate watching stuff on my own and singing along or typing quotes was really fun.

Also I ramble a lot it is on the title so you've been warned, lol! =D