Here’s to Blogging 101… and New Friends!! :)

Blogging 101 is over, guys. It’s sad, but everything must end sometime, right? It was one of the best experiences I have ever had.

Something to have in perspective: I gained more views/followers this past month than the ones I did on 2014. Granted, I began blogging in August, but still, it’s something to consider. Having feedback from other bloggers made me realize that I have my own writing style, and that some people are actually willing to listen to what I want to say.

My blog also looks way better! 😉

A lot of my fellow bloggers followed every single one of the assignments (Something I sadly couldn’t do), and won lots of followers! I want to congratulate them. I did get some myself. I feel good, I feel… accomplished, even if I do have a long way to go.

I learned so much during these past few days. I met lots of amazing people that I will definitely keep in touch with, and became a better blogger because of them. (I want to believe that)

I also want to acknowledge some of the best people I met during Blogging 101. They were always there to support me, and to give me some much needed feedback. My new friends:

• Sam Rappaz
• Desley Jane
• Faraday’s Candle (I must admit I read it like “castle” the first time I saw their UN)
• My Lost Lexicon
• A Girl in Glasses
• Jonathan

… And many others that I sadly can’t remember right now!! Last month was amazing thanks to all of you. I hope you stay here and that we all get to read more of each other’s writing… ❤

LoveLoveLove,

Nat x

Silent End: My First (And probably last) attempt at Poetry.

Hello! I wrote this for an English assignment last semester, and I thought I could share it with you. It’s not good, I’m aware. Poetry is not my forte…! 😀 But still… I wrote it, and it’s related to my biggest fear: being alone. My classmates had some other interpretations…

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Your heart is racing

Your muscles are tingling

But you just can’t run away

You’re paralyzed.

Your breaths are shallow

Your mouth is dry

No words can fall out of your mouth

You are just standing there

Your life is about to end

Yet your mind cannot work its way out

No last words

No one to hear them, anyway.

You’re alone

In the end of the world

Your biggest fear

Right in front of you.

Your time is almost done

There is no one left to hear you

So you just stay silent

Waiting for the nightmare to begin.

Short update!

Hola!

This is a really short update… So I guess this is new enough for my assignment of Blogging 101… xD

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Well, I’m here. Back from my first week (or two days) back at Uni. News? Well, I’m taking classes with all but one of the professors I took classes with last semester. That’s nice. They already know me, I already know them, and I know what to expect. (except for my Chem lab professor. I really need to imporve my performance there.)

I also haven’t completely realized that I’m actually back. A month and a half of freedom can do that to you. I have basically been chilling, watching TV shows and procrastinating. I need to “break the cycle”, as my English professor said today. I need to go back on track.

And I will. Soon. I promise.

The Versatile Blogger Award

I have been recently nominated (3 times :D) for the Versatile Blogger Award. Seriously, I can’t even start to thank you for appreciating this piece of my soul I’ve been sharing with you all. It’s nice and kind of incredible to know people remember my posts and possibly like them. 🙂

So… I was nominated by The Girl in Glasses, Dropping the Brick and Hannah Haynes. These bloggers are so special and they deserve so much. *hugs all of them* I am so thankful.

Anyhow, here are the rules!

• Show the award on your blog.
• Thank the person who nominated you.
• Share 7 facts about yourself.
• Nominate 15 blogs.
• Link your nominees’ blogs, and let them know.

FACTS:

1. I like my middle name, but I dislike people calling me by it. (Possibly because my parents called me that while they were mad with me XD)
2. I have worn glasses for about 13 years now. I can’t remember having to deal without them.
3. I am severely afraid of being alone. Of losing my family.
4. I deactivated my Facebook a month ago and it feels better than I thought it would.
5. I tried to write a novel once, but I gave up because I thought I wasn’t good enough.
6. Pizza is my life.
7. I’ve never been in a relationship before… and I’m afraid. :3

Well… Time to nominate some people!

Very Bangled | Recursive Words | Expressive Ponderings | Stay and Watch the Stars | Sapple Likes Adventures | Faraday’s Candle

A New Semester…

Well, hello, people!

As you probably know, I was on my Christmas break… and now it’s over. I go back to Uni tomorrow. This past month was definitely harder than I expected. A lot of good things also happened, though. This break was a learning experience. I learned to stick with my family, as they will always be with me, no matter what. My family has been blessed with unity and love.

I have also been able to blog a lot these holidays, and I’ve gained a somewhat bigger and more supportive community thanks to Blogging 101! I will try to keep up with my assignments for the remaining days of the course. (I still have to do tonight’s!) My blogging experience has improved incredibly ever since I joined the course. I will definitely try to keep blogging constantly, since that’s the key to a good blog. I hope you stick with me as I figure this timing thing out. I definitely won’t give this one up.

Still, I do have my goals, and my mom helped me make a schedule. It might help me, as I really need to organize myself as much as possible. I have a severe procrastination problem, you see. I need to fight it, and to do my work as soon as I have it! As for reading, I had to set a lower goal in my Goodreads challenge, even if I did surpass it last year. I don’t know if I’ll be able to read as much this year if I want to improve my GPA. I have to start looking into graduate schools already and I have to look good for them! *insert wink*

Well, wish me luck, and I hope to see you later on this semester! (I will definitely be here for you.)

x

Nat

The Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award

I have been wanting to be nominated for this award for a while. Seriously, have you seen the logo??

It’s flawless!! I was finally nominated… (3 times!!!) on the past couple of days, and I feel so honored!! I will definitely answer all the questions. It will be a long post, guys..! That’s how grateful I am. *nods*

I was nominated by Bridget, alekhaachugani and Carefully Callie.

Okay, the rules are:

1. Thank the blogger who nominated you, linking back to their site. (done. :D)
2. Put the Award logo on your blog. (Done.)
3. Answer the ten questions sent to you.
4. Make up ten new questions for your nominees to answer.
5. Nominate seven blogs.

Okay… the questions!!!

First, Bridget’s!

• What’s the saddest book you’ve ever read?

P.S. I love you. I couldn’t stop crying throughout the whole book! (I want to read it again.)

• What’s your favorite animal, and why?

Dolphins, because 1) They are too cute for words 2) They are so smart!

• Would you rather write a best selling book that everyone loves but you, or write a book that only you love?

This one’s hard. I would choose writing a book only I love, because, even if I wouldn’t gain money, I would have fun writing it, and I would probably learn so much about myself writing it!

• What’s your opinion on potatoes? (Yes, this is a very important question. It’s for research purposes.)

*is uncomfortable* Well… potatoes are delicious. *hides*

• What’s the longest amount of time you’ve spent marathoning a movie/ TV series?

About 13-14 hours watching HP 1-6

• Why did you decide to start blogging?

Well, I had blogged for a while, but I stopped, and then I realized I wanted to share my thoughts and feelings in a place other than FB and Twitter 🙂

• If you could choose one superpower, what would it be?

Time travelling.

• What’s your favorite word? (The way it sounds, the meaning, whatever. Just your favorite word, for any reason.)

Oligodendrocyte. It’s a cool word, that’s all. 😀

• If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go? (Disregarding costs and such)

London, definitely London.

• What’s the last song you listened to?

I Know Places by Taylor Swift.

Now, for My Lost Lexicon’s… (If I already answered the questions, I will skip them! :D)

• What is the most favorite thing about your blog?

The fact that I can be honest with myself and my feelings. It’s my safe place.

• What do you think would be the hardest thing for you to give up on?

My dreams… and the people I love the most.

• If you are given a choice to pick any job in the world, what would it be?

I would want to work at a book publisher… 🙂 But working to be a pharmacist is so much fun…!

• Which is that one book which you would want to re-write or write?

Are you asking me what do I wish I had written or..? If that’s the question, I wish I could have written the Graceling trilogy… and written two more books about Katsa and Po. ❤

• What is your favorite Movie quote?

“Houston, we’ve got a problem!” XD

• Who is your shrink and why?

My best friend, Jessica. She’s the only person at Uni that has seen me cry. She absolutely understood. That’s hard to find. I will miss her.

• So any secret talent?

I wish! :3

• What is the cleverest word you know?

Sternocleidomastoid. (I’m kidding.)

• What is the best piece of advice anyone has ever given you?

To stop following people that don’t make the effort. 🙂

Last but not least, Callie’s questions!

• What’s your favorite term of endearment? (To call or be called)

Dear, dearie. *shrugs* Original, I know…! haha

• Who is your biggest inspiration?

My mom. She has gone through a lot thoughout her life, and she’s still going strong. She still has a lot of fight left.

• How do you like your coffee? If you aren’t a coffee drinker, what is your favorite beverage and why?

French Vanilla..!

• What is your favorite genre of music and your favorite artist?

Pop, Pop Rock, I guess. My favorite artist is most definitely Taylor Swift. She has been for a while.

• What do you do for a living?

I’m a college student… studying to be a pharmacist someday.

• What has changed about you in the last five years?

Not much, I guess. The people I hang out with, the fact that I don’t want to be a doctor anymore… *shrugs*

• What’s your favorite movie? Why?

Um, I don’t watch a lot of movies… Maybe Silver Lining’s Playbook, because 1) Jennifer Lawrence 2) It’s perfect.

• What’s your favorite hobby?

Reading. 🙂 It relaxes me.

• You find $100 on the floor in the grocery store, what do you do?

Honestly, I would give them to the cashier. Someone else needs them more than I do.

• How do you keep yourself calm in stressful situations?

Reading and taking a shower. Not exactly in that order. xD

So now… my questions:

1. What’s the last time you hugged someone?
2. Do you consider that you have a good life?
3. Have you made any of your dreams come true yet?
4. What is your favorite TV show? Why?
5. What’s your favorite song right now?
6. What’s your idea of happiness?
7. Favorite quote?
8. What’s your favorite food?
9. Favorite drink?
10. If you could go anywhere at all right now, where would you go?

So… I nominate: (Only 5 people because I’m lazy xD)

Young & Twenty | Theodora Zheng | Femmes in STEM | A Cup of Hot Cocoa | Nyan Cat

Inspiration from a neighbor: “Don’t be afraid to be wrong.”

Today’s assignment from Blogging101 was to find a post you liked or that made you think, comment and then writing a post about it. I had a hard time with this. I love commenting on posts, but it is sometimes hard for me to look for something to comment further on. I prefer reading personal blogs, and it would be kind of funny/morbid/sad to comment on someone’s happiness or suffering… So I looked around the blogging101 tag…

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… And I found something. I found this blog that made me think… a lot. On the post Why saying “I feel like…” isn’t the best way to express yourself, A Cup of Hot Cocoa expresses how afraid people are of being wrong. And it is true, but we’re human! We’re bound to make mistakes by NATURE. How many times have we been afraid to speak up because people would laugh, or just judge our opinion? Well… if they didn’t speak up, and by some chance they were wrong… They wouldn’t have the chance to correct their mistake. And everyone should have the chance to speak up without judgement… and be corrected with respect if they were wrong.

I’m saying this because I’ve gone through it. I have been afraid of speaking my mind for a while now. It’s one of the reasons I started this blog.

I think I have been one of the people that have done this, and I fe- sorry, think I must correct it. Feeling is not the same as thinking. A Cup of Hot Cocoa expresses this very well on her post:

I understand the allure to use these words incorrectly. No one likes to be told they’re wrong, and it is true that you can’t tell someone their feelings are wrong (…) Thoughts, on the other hand, can 100% be false. I can think my coworker can’t do their job, but this is not undoubtedly the truth of my coworker’s abilities.

No one should be afraid to speak their minds. Communication will always be the best form of learning, but it is important to express ourselves the right way. The world’s biggest disasters (human disasters) have been caused by miscommunication. So, people, respect! If we all respected each other, no one would be afraid to think they could be wrong, but actually look forward to learn something new.

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I want to thank A Cup of Hot Cocoa for sharing that amazing blog post. I can’t wait to read more from her. 🙂

Life is… good!

Hi, there! These past few days have been… good! *insert the song Miracles Happen from The Princess Diaries*

This is Kiara 🙂

Okay, as you probably know, my family has gone through a lot during the past month, but everything’s coming together in the best way. My uncle recently woke up after being intubated for about 2 weeks and is going to be sent to a normal hospital room soon. My family’s so happy right now. Now we’re waiting for my other aunt to get better. We have faith. 🙂

Yesterday, I went out with my friends after spending a couple of hours at college officially enrolling myself in my courses. We were going to watch The Hobbit, but the mall’s cinema wasn’t showing it. It was sad, but we spent some time at the mall’s bookstore. It was amazing. I also saw Kiara from Oh, Read it in A Day again. 🙂

(By the way, guys, another miracle happened. My schedule for next semester was a bit crazy. I had to spend 13 hours at Uni on Wednesdays because of my Organic Chem lab. I wasn’t able to change that until Monday night, when my friend tweeted about the system being open… And I checked. There was a space on the section I wanted and I basically don’t have to wait until 4pm to take my class. Which is great!)

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You might notice that the theme’s different. I’m trying new things, and the theme is one of them. I kind of like it, but I have to get used to the pink highlights. I was thinking about a new header, but I’m still working on it. I have a few ideas, though.

Anyhow, I have been catching up with the Blogging 101 assignments and commenting on a few posts I like. Discovering new blogs and making friends is one of my favorite things ever.

Just a reminder: if you want me to write a guest blog post for you, or want to write one yourself, you can comment on any of my posts, tweet me or send me an email. My info is in one of the widgets at the sidebar! 🙂