Looking Through Candy Eyes: Little Women

There are many versions of Little Women but what I like most focuses on the the story of Jo. Jo is the most unladylike of all, she is some sort of a tomboy. Most think that Jo will never marry, that no man can tolerate her rowdy behavior, and that she will grow old alone. Jo doesn't like what normal ladies usually like. Instead of knitting, playing the piano, and other stuff for ladies, Jo likes to play sports, she likes studying, and dreams of becoming a teacher. She did not let other people hinder her from doing what she wants. She went on with her dreams and was determined to reach her goals. Jo's bestfriend fell in love with her but she only sees him as a friend. Jo was too busy investing on herself, studying, and just exploring everything. Jo's sister, Beth, likes Jo's bestfriend and so she did not even consider her bestfriend because she did not want any guy to get in their way. When Jo's other sister became sick, she's the one who attended to her and her needs. Jo takes care of her and gives her everything that she needs. She dedicated her life to her sick sister until the sister dies. When Jo became a little older, she went abroad to stuudy and to fulfill her dream. There she met an older guy who is full of wisdom and knowledge. Jo then knew that this professor is the one that she wants to marry. The book ended with her and the professor getting married and later oln building a school exclusive for boys.

This is a very popular children's book. It teaches the readers to reach for their dreams and to never let other people say that they can not do anything. Jo did not allow herself to be put in a box and be stereotyped. She showed that women can do so many things and that women should not be restricted to homes. This book encourages women's power and shows that women can do so much and are equal to men.

Looking Through Candy Eyes: Little Prince

The Little Prince is about a pilot who gave his career as an artist when people could not understand his drawing of a boa constrictor that ate an elephant when he six years old. The adults could not understand the drawing and told him that it looks like a hat. Then adults told him that he should set aside his passion for drawing and concentrate on matters of consequence. It was the beginning of the narrator’s comprehension that adults weren’t really all that smart.

Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s The Little Prince is a story of a man’s journey of life, from birth until death. Even with the perfection of his planet where he was his own man, a master of none, he was not satisfied for there was a lack of experience, of wisdom. He wanted to experience life, he wanted to understand. He knows that life has so much to offer and he wants to get the most out of it. He wanted to know more than what his little planet offered him. And so began his journey. All the characters represent something--the good, the bad, the best and the mediocre in human character.

The Little Prince is story of values and kind-heartedness. Most adults are so preoccupied with wealth, power, and other material things while children are more in touch with the more important things in life. The child can see clearly the goodness and the beauty in everything. Children see things with unbiased eyes and clear heart.

Looking Through Candy Eyes: Hope For the Flowers

The only way is to go up.

Hope for the Flowers is a 1973 children's book written by Trina Paulus. It is about the story of a caterpillar named Stripe who has lived normally for his entire life. Everything he did is as expected from a caterpillar: eating and growing bigger. But then Stripe got tired of his routinary life and though that maybe there is more to life than eating. He took a leap of faith and left the tree he considerered as his home. Stripe wandered around trying to explore what was around him and trying to learn and absorb everything he could. He was amazed with the things he saw but he still feels like there is something more to explore, that life has something more to offer. Then he found a caterpillar pillar rising up the sky with the top impossible to see. He was so curious about it thgat he wanted to go up and see for himself the top of the pillar. That became his goal which turned into frustration. He met another caterpillar named Yellow in the pillar. Yellow wants to climb the pillar as well but she feels bad about stepping on the other caterpillars and huurting them. Stripe and Yellow was so frustrated that they could not reach the top. Then they saw a butterfly and they had an idea that maybe they were meant to fly. Yellow realized that they need to be a butterfly and fly to satisfy their curiosity and be able to live a full life. Yellow and Stripe got separated. Stripe was deeply saddened when they got separated. He longed for Yellow so much. On the other hand, Yellow built a cocoon and became a butterfly. Stripe then saw Yellow and built a cocoon so they can be together and fly together. The book ended up Stripe and Yellow flying together.

Stripe has a goal: to reach the top of the pillar, and that makes him similar to each one of us. We have a particular goal in life: to attain perfect happiness. Just like Stripe, who gets tired of his everyday routine, we also get tired of what we keep on doing and thinks that there must be something more to life out there. We wanted to go out and discover, to find out something interesting, to find the most perfect thing that would satisfy us. Well in this case, the most perfect material thing, because once we get that thing, we would still eventually be unsatisfied, just like Stripe when he found things that was fascinating, yet unsatisfying. The most perfect goal would be perfect happiness, and just like what stripe thought, we will find the perfect happiness on the top, up there where we came from, up there where we always wanted to be: beside God, in the arms that nurtured us from the very beginning. And also to be with the arms of the one we love.

Looking Through Candy Eyes: Loser

Loser by Jerry Spinelli

Loser by Jerry Spinelli is about the childhood of Donald Zinkoff and challenges he has to face as a child. The book centered on Donald's life from the first grade to sixth grade. Zinkoff is usually the last person picked for athletic teams, he raises his hand even if he does not know the answer, his flute consistently hits the wrong note during concerts, and he is always too eager at the wrong times.

First grade is when Zinkoff is introduced to school. He loves school but he sits at the back of the classroom because the class is arranged alphabetically. When his team does not want him to participate in that year's sport's day because of his poor performance during last year's sport's day. This saddened Zinkoff so much. Sixth grade is Zinkoff's first year of Middle School, where he reunites with his former neighbor from second grade, Andrew. Andrew has changed his name to fit his new lifestyle and because it sounds "cooler". Andrew has become Drew, a sixth grader who has confidence in the crowded halls and a cell phone in his book bag. This gave Donald an idea and made him realize how much of a difference there is between him and his peers. Even though his peers call him loser, he's not. Donald is a very loving boy and has heart of gold. He does not judge and is very appreciative. This is shown through his interactions with his parents and the lonely, elderly lady in his neighborhood, and when spends hours looking for a little girl from his neighborhood who becomes lost in a snowstorm.

I like this book because I know that somehow there is a Donald in us. I realized how simple a kid's life is but has its own set of problems as well. Being a child is uncomplicated. Children like Donald take pleasure in the simplest of activities, from spending the day with his dad pretending to deliver mail, to biking all over his neighborhood and checking on the waiting man. The book teaches its readers (not only kids!) that we should stay optimistic and maintain a positive self-image. Although Donald is constantly rejected by his peers, he never fails to try to become accepted and be part of the crowd. While this does not happen, the book ends on an optimistic note, which seems fitting for Zinkoff's positive philosophy on life. Although Donald remained a Loser, he never loses a hold of who he is and he continuously believes in what he can do. For me that is more important, that you know who you are and you do not let society and what they say get into you.

Looking Through Candy Eyes: Love, Stargirl

"Our hearts yearn backward. We long to be found, hoping our searchers have not given

up and gone home. But I no longer want to be found, Leo. Do not follow me!

Let's just be fabulously where we are and who we are.

You'll be you and I'll be me, today and today and today, and let's trust the future to tomorrow.

Let the stars keep track of us. Let's ride our own orbits and trust that they will meet.

May our reunion be not a finding but a sweet collision of destinies!!

Love and Love and Love Again,

Stargirl

Love, Stargirl is the sequel to Jerry Spinelli's bestselling book, Stargirl. For the first time, we finally get a view of Stargirl's mind as this book is written in her perspective. The book is known as the "world's longest letter" written in diary form. The book started on New Year's Day when Stargirl started writing to Leo through her diary. There she wrote everything that happens to her, her experiences in her new town, her longing for the lost love, and her suffering as she goes through her first heartbreak when Leo abandoned her.

The book is basically about Stargirl's encounters with new people in her life and how she deals with her everyday problems and blues. Stargirl is still Stargirl. Eccentric but sweet in her own way. In this book, Stargirl shows how humane she can be, how she exchanges lives with other people, and what she did to find herself and help others find themselves as well. Stargirl becomes friends with a 5-year old girl named Dootsie who thinks she can be invusible when she shuts her eyes. Dootsie shows how much a child can offer. She shows Stargirl the world how a 5-year old sees it. Through Dootsie's character, Stargirl realizes how selfish adults can be and how willing children are. Dootsie befriends everyone, talks to everyone, and appreciates almost everything. Dootsie and Stargirl continues to share experiences together and share the world with anyone as the story progresses. Next, Stragirl befriends with a tomboyish girl named Alvina who she helped with her preteenage issues. Stargirl made her realize that way pass her awkward stage, she is still beautiful and that she needs to come out of her shell so she can get the most out of life. Stargirl becomes fond of a boy named Perry. Perry acts like he own the world, steals, and has disgusting habits. People didn't like him but Stargirl didn't judge him. She later on finds out that Perry is not that bad after all, She learns that Perry's mom has a new child so he steals so he won't burden her mother. Later on, Perry and Stargirl becomes close and Perry steals a part of Stargirl's heart. The most moving character in the book is an agoraphobic named Betty Lou. She never goes out of her house because of her phobia. Since she is confined inside her house, Stargirl and Dootsie visits her once in a while and brings her doughnuts. Betty Lou liked gardening and has a certain love for this flower. It is sad that Betty Lou appreciates the flower from her house window. Stargirl then invites her to her Solstice celebration wherein people would gather to witness the winter solstice which signifies a new beginning for everyone including Stargirl. She told about her experiences to Leo through her letter. The novel ends with Stargirl still struggling over the uncertainty of her past and future relationship with Leo. Archie, however, has brought Stargirl a letter from Leo, that simply states "YES," effectively answering Stargirl's question of "Will we ever meet again?", what she has been wondering since their separation. Thus, a year and a day after she began the letter, Stargirl concludes with happiness that she will live in the moment until Leo comes back into her life, and decides that she will send this letter on to Leo so that he can know her feelings.

I love this book because I always wondered about what's going on in Stargirl's head. This book showed that Stargirl is human like all of us. She gets hurt, she longs for someone, she falls in love again, and hopes for her true love. Love, Stargirl contains all of Stargirl's feelings towards Leo that is yet to be discovered. Love, Stargirl shows that things can get better and that there is always a new day for everyone. This book tells the reader that there is always hope, that it is never too late to start anew, give thanks, and appreciate the world around you. Appreciation played a key role in this book. The writer himself paid the much appreciation to the people who made the book possible. In the beginning it says, "Much thanks to Alveena for lending me her name and my wife for lending me her life." Love, Stargirl is a great book to follow Stargirl.

Looking Through Candy Eyes: Stargirl

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

Stargirl is about a boy named Leo Borlock who went to Mica Area High School in Mica, Arizona. Leo was your typical junior. He ate what everyone was eating, he did what everyone was doing, and was just trying to blend in and be normal like what entire school did. For a long time, Leo has been facinated by porcupine neckties. He got his very first pocupine necktie as a going away present given to him by his uncle when he was 12. Ever since he's been collecting, only his collection never grew. Leo has been breathing air in and out for most of his life, nothing really special has ever happened to him. Not until Stargirl entered the picture. For Leo Stargirl is part fantasy, part reality, part dream come true.

Stargirl wore kimonos, floor-sweeping dresses, and brought ukelele everyday to school. She would decorate her desk with flowers and would sing happy birthday to strangers. She was a breath of fresh air. She named herself Pocket Mouse before she named herself Stargirl. At first, people were curious about her. They wanted to befriend her, watch her, talk to her, and talk about her. They did everything they could to get a better hold of Stargirl, to pin him down in a corkboard, and to have a better idea of her. Some time in the story, Leo and Stargirl fell in love. They would walk around and observe people, go to the dessert and meditate, play with Stargirl's pet rat, and just enjoy each other's company. Just when things were about to change from good to better, the entire school saw Stargirl as a threat to their lifestyle. They could not understand her behavior and started to get tired of her antics. They thought of her as a joke, anything but real. Some had theories that she's planted by the school, that she's an alien, that her parent's were travellers, they just had the need to put her down and label her. From being the most popular girl in school, Stargirl was sudddenly ignored. The sad thing about the story is that Leo was not mature enough and was not able to handle things well. He could not take the pressure and broke things off with Stargirl. He loved Stargirl but was scared to go out of the way and be ostracized by the school. At the high school dance, the most popular girl in school approached Stargirl and slapped her, telling her that she ruined eveything. Stargril returns Hillari's anger filled action with, yet another, act of kindness - a kiss. The story ended when Stargirl disappeared morning after the high school dance.

I love this book because it is life changing. It has changed my view on things and my perspective on friendship, love, and life. It has taught me the importance of non conformity. Sometimes we really have to go out of the way, to be different, and be out of the ordinary to be able to appreciate things more. Stargirl encourages readers to celebrate individuality, that each of us are different in many beautiful ways. I just have so much love and sentiment for this children's book. It has taught to be happy even things do not go your way, when everyone has turned against you, and when you're in the middle of nowhere scratching and searching for who you are.

Looking Through Candy Eyes

Many wonderful stories were told to us when we were just kids. Our bed time stories consisted of damsels in distress waiting for their prince charming come slay the dragon, a princess who almost slept for forever, or something of that sort. These books were written purposefully for children; to help them imagine, explore, or to even help them go to sleep. When we become older, we leave our children's books behind thinking that we have outgrown the magic and left fantasy land. What most of us do not know and realize is that children's books have a deeper message that not only caters to children but to people of all ages.

The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland may seem like a cutesy and colorful story to read but when read by an adult, the darker themes of the story may surface. I always wonder about the versatility of children's books. How it can suite and cater to people of all ages and provide ideals from one spectrum to another. But I can't help but think, is the book versatile or are we versatile and ever-changing? It is amazing how our perspective on things and life change as we mature, how we become different from our original beings--the one that doesn't judge, the that is unfabricated by society, and the one that goes beyond the complications. As children, we were all so carefree. We never had a problem too big to handle. I like reading children's books as an adult because it is nice to see things differently. It is nice to see things in an unadulterated eyes and just read and experience the world as it is, without the complications. Children's books are more than just bed stories but they are a work of art that reflects culture, values, history, and life. The children are just very lucky because they get to absorb everything and read everything without being biased, judgmental, and without an adult's eyes. In the words of Orson Scott Card, "one can make a good case for the idea that children are often the guardians of the truly great literature of the world, for in their love of story and unconcern for stylistic fads and literary tricks, children unerringly gravitate toward truth and power."

The Midterms Rush: Study, Study, Study

STUDY, STUDY, STUDY!!!

Duh. Isn't this the most obvious? I can't stress it enough...Study! Study! Study! This is the most useful rule but the most taken for granted, LOL.

Let me tell you why studying helps, why it is the best tool out there, and why even if you fail, this is still the most important thing (and that's not only in the confines of your academic life, but in your real life as well). To begin with, studying makes you prepared. It will arm you with all the things you need in answering your exams or responding to what your panel might throw at you. Aside from that, studying will duh, of course, increase your knowledge. By reading or by researching you will learn of things you do not understand or you do not know to being with. Now I know that this may come off as a cliche but isn't the feeling of actually knowing something really really good? It's like you become smarter by an inch than the rest of those who do not care about their studies. Another benefit of studying is the passing factor. If you pass then you know it is because you prepared for it, you studied for your lesson. It means that you did not choose to go the evil route and copy from someone else or bring cheat sheets with you. It actually makes you a good person, a better one actually. Being honest and hardworking has its results I tell you. You may not get the perfect score but you know you did things with your integrity intact. In relation to this, one of the things I like most about studying is the reassurance it gives you when you pass or when you fail. Because when you fail, you can still proudly say that you've given your 100% because you prepared for it. Saying that you failed because you did not study just spells out L-O-S-E-R! Most students would say that if you passed because you study you become a loser. But really, isn't it the other way around? It makes you a winner, it makes them the loser. Take that!

More than anything, you must realize that studying is always a win-win situation. If you pass then you pass! Hooray! If you fail, you still win. Why? Because you know you've spent a considerable amount of time in making things work, you just fell short in reaching it. And even if you failed, the knowledge you have instilled in your mind is already there. It can't be taken away now, you can use it the next time you take an exam or even outside the halls of your classroom. Lessons are there for a reason, they're not just there to be taken in like a medicine. They serve a purpose greater than your academic goals.

Wasn't that just too geeky? I know. I don't care. I'd rather be one than a dumbass.

The Midterms Rush: Smoke Bloke

SMOKE BEFORE A REPORTING OR EXAM.

This rule kind of applies only to those who smoke. But maybe the non-smokers can try this also. Hahaha what a bad influence!

Smoke before a reporting or exam. Smoke while listening to a song you find most comforting. Smoke by yourself! Do not let others talk to you. They'll just distract you. You need all the focus you can get and all the stress relieving powers that a cigarette can offer you. So put your iPod in the loudest volume and choose not to listen to the horns of the vehicles passing by, choose not to listen to gossip (even for just awhile). Read your notes or make funny sounds or make your fingers pop. Just remember, inhale and puff. Inhale and puff.

Actually even if there's no exam or reporting, it has been a habit for me to have a cigarette once I arrive in school. I know it's a bad habit and I wish to stop it soon but I simply can't help the feeling it gives me when i puff out that nicotine. LOL. For some reason it really takes the stress away. Moreso when there is an exam or a presentation. Usually I do not go to the spot where all people smoke because it becomes very distracting to me so instead I hide somewhere and try to be as calm and collected before judgment time. There have been times when people saw me and wondered what I was doing in that place by myself, I just tell them I'm waiting for someone. Hahaha!

Puff! Puff!

The Midterms Rush: Handy-pals

TALK TO YOUR SUPPORT SYSTEM, THEY'RE THERE FOR A REASON.

In times of stress such as the upcoming midterms, it is still important to talk to your friends and not just bury yourself in your books or your projects. Let them know what's been happening to you. If you want to cry the stress out, go do it. If you need help in accomplishing some tasks (or yeah, homeworks), that's okay. Ask nicely though! If you just need someone to talk to, I'll be there. Ahaha kidding. No seriously, if you need someone to talk to, I'm pretty sure that they'll be there. It is important to seek comfort with your support system because these are the people who will remind you that you are still a human. You are not a machine.

If you feel the need to drink with your pals, by all means do it. Okay I know that that is not the best idea but the thing is, you have to look for someting that will help you. You have to know what will make you recognize your strengths or will let you shrug off your weaknesses. There have been a lot of times already when I looked for a friend in school and ask them to have a drink with me even if I still have a lot of school work to finish for the next day. Ahahaha! You don't need to get drunk! I just figured, it helps me. It feels good to have someone who will be willing to listen to your rants about your professors or subjects. It takes off the pressure even for a bit.

Thank you guys!

The Midterms Rush: Chocolate Mate

CHOCOLATES ARE NOT JUST FOR THE BROKEN-HEARTED, THEY'RE ALSO FOR THE STRESSED.

You know when they say that chocolates help people who have hust had their hearts broken? Well, I do. Haha! And yeah I agree it does. I remember knowing that when I was watching a Cameron Diaz film, The Sweetest Thing, then she opened a pint of ice cream and began eating it while crying. Okay so that's an ice cream but that also equates to chocolates. So if you do not have chocolates, you can also substitute it with ice cream. Then there's also Clueless and Desperate Housewives when the broken-hearted characters ate chips and chocolates while being consoled by their friend. They actually work. Chocolates are happy food. And I love it!

But as I said, chocolates are not just for the dumb people who cry their hearts out over a boy, they are also for us students. Students who are stressed, sometimes depressed, or sometimes victorious. Chocolates apply to all emotions. How great is that!

When I started college I told myself, every time I would feel pressured or stressed and every time I would feel that I have done something worth being rewarded, then I will go to the nearest store in our school and get myself a chocolate bar. At first I bought weekly because I felt stressed weekly. Hahaha! But then at some point I found myself buying Snickers and Twix everyday, all depending on my mood. Sometimes I even bought two for a day. It feels good to reward yourself when you have accomplished something but it also feels good to have something comforting in times of madness such as the midterms. I suggest you guys try it, it really really helps. Do not think about getting fat or the chocolates being expensive, think of yourself. Think of its yummyness! Think of the comfort and smile it would give you! It's magic! :)

The Midterms Rush: Sleep Creep

IF YOU FEEL LIKE SLEEPING, GO AHEAD!

Do not deprive yourself of sleep! You need this!

I know how hard it is to not feel sleepy especially when you have not had enough sleep for the previous days. You fight to stay awake. That's how we usually roll right. I usually have that feeling whenever I am at home studying especially when I am reading some really heavy stuff...I get sleepy! I remember one time I was lying on my bed reading this handout just after I took a bath, that was around 11 PM but I do not know what happened, the next thing I knew I woke up the next morning already with my notes crumpled. Some of it was on the floor, some torn. I was not able to manage being awake and finish what I should have reviewed. (Again, if I had read earlier, I would not have crammed, I would not have read some boring lesson in the middle of the night) I fell asleep probably because I have not slept properly for the previous nights or maybe I was just too tired to do academic stuff. Don't professors realize that we are humans also? Being a student is really tiring.

So anyway, since then, whenever I felt sleepy or whenever I felt that I need sleep, I do not deprive myself of it even if I have so much to do for the next day or even if I have something to submit. We need sleep for our resistance! Otherwise we might find ourselves fainting because of the lack of it. There are such things as powernaps, you can also have that. If naps are short, powernaps are shorter. You can have them for 20, 15, or even just 5 minutes. Get all the sleep that you can get as much as possible. If it's really crunch time then you can resort to these power naps. Even if you think it will just let you long for more sleep or that it is not helpful, it actually is. At least for a short period of time your eyes will be rested and your mind will be undisturbed. It will make you feel a bit better. Not the best, but at least, better. So the next time you feel sleepy, just go ahead. You need it and that's what you fight for.

Do not fight to stay awake!

The Midterms Rush: Cram Jam

AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, DO NOT CRAM!

Yes. This is the Number One Rule. You can actually forget all rules, just do not forget this one.

I have been a breaker of this rule for quite sometime already. There have been a lot of times already when I told myself that I will come to school prepared or be prepared earlier for an exam or a lecture but I always fail to do so because laziness strikes in. I remember very well this term when we were required to finish a book in my Rowling class, we were given a week to finish it so I told myself I will start early so that I also end early and so that I will have a lot of time to finish all my other homeworks. But then I thought, I have no other homework for my other subjects so maybe I can delay my reading of the book. I ended up cramming for it because a project in one of my subjects suddenly popped out. I hated the feeling of reading the book for 2 days which gave me barely enough hours to sleep.

As much as possible, do not cram. If you cram, your mind will not function properly. Believe me (but yeah of course I'm sure you've experienced this as well). You will write a lot of grammatical errors in your reports, you will forget all the formulas you've memorized, you will lose concentration, you will be pressured. That feeling sucks you know. So if you want to avoid that, do not cram. If you can accomplish things earlier and at once, then do it right away. You don't want things to be stacking up. If you have free time, then do what you have to do. Do not be lazy! Of course I am not saying that you sacrifice your night out with your friends or your TV weekends but make sure you also allot time for your school work.

Time management is the key!

The Midterms Rush

In a few weeks' time, people in school will once again feel the madness of the dreaded midterms week. Why are there so much things going on in July? What's actually weird is that the midterms week is not the most stressful week there is, it's the weeks leading up to it because all professors will try to squeeze in their requirements. It's as if they're the only subjects you're taking. I just hate it! In a few weeks' time people will once again have sleepless nights (but really, it's everyday of the year that we college people have sleepless nights, it's a been a part of system), the biggest zits in the world (is it because of the stress? or the sleepless nights?), no-party weekends (but life is a party? why do we have to suffer?), and of course...people will have tons of homework and exams once more. Come to think of it, what's it all for right? Should our knowledge really be "tested" based on tests?

For whatever reason these schools and these professors have, we should not take it for granted. We should be prepared for it. We do not want our money to just flying off to nothingness right? We also need a testament that we are learning and that we are paying for what's worth our money. The Midterms Rush will be as crazy as ever most especially now that we're nearing the finish line of this college life. And you know what I think...I think that even for once in our college days we can act like the students that we should be. I will be posting some anti-stress tips in the following posts. Some tips that even I break but what the heck...Maybe if I write it down I can finally do it and overcome the bad habits I have when it comes to studying. Hopefully it changes yours also!