Moving out

Hello Everyone, 

In case you didn't know, I moved back into my room in the UNM dorms and started classes again. There has been a huge increase of work and reading that I have to do since last semester, but I have just enough time to get it all done. As long as I am willing to work hard. And don't get too stressed. 

I have been moving in an out of rooms for a while now, and while I haven't always been too good at packing and making priorities, I am much better at it than I was. One tip I have learned is when packing, with almost every item (apart from underwear), ask yourself, do I need it? Have I got anything else like it? This is especially useful when you have too many things to fit into your case, or need to lose some weight from it. If it isn't completely necessary, then don't take it.

Less is always more, if you can buy something where ever you are going, do that. This means you have more room in your suitcase for things that you may not be able to buy.

Hand-luggage is pretty important. If you can, have one smaller bag with everything you're going to need for the travelling, inside a larger bag, and once you are on the plane, or whatever mode of transport you are using, take it out of the larger bag, leaving you able to stow it out of your way for the entirety of the journey.

I hope these couple of tips help you if you're packing for a trip at some point.

Motivate Monday

Review: The Blood of Olympus

Hello Everyone, 

I have finally got my hands on the last of the 'Heroes of Olympus' series, and I have to say I loved it. It was a remarkably adult finale to the series considering its firm position in the children's section of the bookshops and libraries. The story line, although fantastic, is not the starring point of the series. That is reserved for the development of the characters. I will outline my favourite and my most problematic characters that I found throughout the series. 

Looking back on the characters of Percy and Annabeth, who are the only ones to continue to this series from the last in any major capacity, Annabeth is the only one who is not allowed as much development space as the others. Percy on the other hand remains an incredibly relate-able character for young boys wanting to branch out their reading to some more adult books. Annabeth's lack of development for me was because she was not allowed as much text space as the others.

Jason was a bit of a hit-or-a-miss character for me. Most of the time he seemed a bit unrealistic, there was too much confusion in everything he did. He simultaneously had too much responsibility, and too little. The only times I truly appreciated him as a character was when he interacted with both Percy and his girlfriend Piper. In these moments, he was really vulnerable, letting his walls of 'Roman-ness' you could call it, down. His relationship with Percy was founded in the fact that they were both sons of the 'Big Three', meaning that a lot was expected of them, which I related to the most.  

The most intriguing character has to be Nico DiAngelo. He represents that dark questioning insecure part within ourselves that we all have. He is truly a tragic hero that I have ever read about. He gives us the truest message in the entire series. In acknowledging yourself for who you are, warts and all and accepting it, you will push past the darkness of despair, and other will accept you too.

The entire group reflected any group of friends in the modern world with all the different dynamics and histories. There are the couples of course, with all the stresses that causes . And the girls, being the minority group, are especially close as only girls can be. In fact, the boys are more clique-ey than the girls, with district groups, but with more camaraderie that guys have. They rag on each other more and jesting insults, hiding their feelings. Going between all the groups is Piper- smoothing feelings and working through it with her peace making abilities and empathy and love for everyone involved. (Every group has to have one person like that).

Leo, the most likely to be in trouble (also the most likely to get out of it) is the best character. With an upbeat sense of humour, and his inability to let anything go, he is the highlight of the group. His ending leaves more questions than answers (and with Percy and Annabeth heading to college in New Rome, so out of the picture for a while) so is Leo going to be the future for the Percy Jackson universe? Or perhaps Reyna, the Roman Praetor with a mysterious past who must look past the camp's boundaries to find love.

How to survive a Road Trip

Hello Everyone, 

I recently went on a road trip from Allentown, Pennsylvania to Albuquerque, New Mexico. This is about 28 hours of driving. That's a long time to be stuck in a car. So, I've compiled a few survival techniques that I picked up to get someone through this, or another long road trip. 

1. Don't rely on electronic devices. Eventually they will run out of charge, most likely the least opportune time for this to happen. Have with you an actual book, or a set of cards to play with someone so as to save charge on these things.

2. Snack. Often. You are unlikely to have normal meal times as it will depend on where you are able to stop, so make sure you have lots of snacking items to keep you going until you are able to stop. 

3. Have a really good playlist. This is especially important for the person driving, as it is the only thing they can do to pass the time while driving. It gives the passengers something to bond over, and don't be afraid to turn the volume up loud and sing along. 

4. Swap seats/move around. Do this as much as possible as it breaks up the journey if you are in different places. Sitting in one place slows the time down, and you are much more likely to get bored. 

5. Toilet break. Every time you stop is an opportunity to take a toilet break. By doing this, you are much less likely to be caught short at a point in the journey when there aren't any rest-stops/service stations nearby for you to use. 

6. Get as much sleep as you can. If you do what we did on my road trip, and drive through the night, it is imperative to get as much sleep as possible when you can, as tiredness on the road can be fatal. 

7. Have fun. Road trips can be an amazing bonding time for you and your friends. Make sure you take advantage of it. Be silly, laugh often, and the time will fly by.