Ultra-Super-Mega Post

Hey guys! So I know I said a while ago that I would get caught up with my posting, and the reason why it has taken so long to get that going is that my laptop broke and I have had to bum off the other computer that my brother uses a lot so I haven’t had a chance to write this post, but here it comes! A three for one deal!

So without any further ado…

Parts One and Two: Freestyle Featuring a Novel by John Green and Thoughts About Writing, People and Characters from Knox College Campus (sort of)!

The other day I had the pleasure of reading my second John Green book, Looking for Alaska, which for the record I loved. The book gave me great insight into myself and my own life. The protagonist, Miles (aka Pudge), is a character that I can really connect with in a special way, more so than I could connect with Hazel, and it only made my experience of the book better. Without giving away any spoilers to anyone who hasn’t read the book, which I recommend you remedy, the book in the end helped me to overcome so emotional hurdles because I feel like I went through a similar situation (though not the same) relatively recently in my life and it gave me some real closure, especially the ending. It really amazes me, John’s ability to create characters that are so real, and bigger than their story. Ironic when you think about how one of the things in The Fault in Our Stars is the idea that characters are merely within the pages and do not exist outside the pages. Before the beginning of The Fault in Our Stars, John reminds the reader that it is both unproductive and unfair to the author, the reader and the book to wonder if characters in the book are based on real people or events or places based on real events and places. I agree with him one hundred percent. Almost all characters have some connection to someone an author has seen, known or read about. It doesn’t give the story anything extra to wonder who a character might be based on because they are their own character, and the job of the author is to make characters real enough that they take on a life of their own beyond any real people that might have contributed traits to them. Also most, if not all characters contain bits of the author himself or herself, that’s not the important part. The important thing that the author should work to achieve, and the reader should try to do, is make a connection between their life and the story and the characters. Take Miles for example, a nerdy, skinny, awkward high school kid. It doesn’t matter to me who John based Miles on if he did. What matters is who Miles represents to me in my life. I identify Miles with myself. He is most like me. Alaska, the reason why Alaska is such a powerful character is not because John based her on someone from his own life, but because the reader can relate her to someone in their own life. That’s the job of the reader. Take the story and ground its characters, symbols and themes in their life to make it stick more, mean more.

I may not be at school anymore, but I was thinking near the end of the year while I was people watching (I’m a writer, it’s a thing I do : ) ) about characters and why people write and the nature of relationships and John’s writing has gotten me thinking about that subject again.

I had more thoughts on the subject, but I can’t remember them now. They’ll come in a later post I guess.

Part Three: Food

I love food, but my stomach is less than enthusiastic at times about being bombarded by food. I’m lactose intolerant, so I can’t eat or drink anything that has dairy in it. It sucks sometimes, but I’ve gotten used to it. The only thing I really miss is pizza, because I used to not have such a severe case of lactose intolerance and could eat small amounts of dairy.

So some of my favorite foods?

Rice and Chicken: One of the basic sources of carbs that my family eats, or that I can get at Knox, is rice. One of my favorite midnight snacks is microwaveable rice and chicken breast strips with broccoli if we have it, with olive oil mixed in. Simple, but it’s amazingly good.

Filipino food: While I was living on Kwaj, a couple of my friends were Filipino and I got invited to their parties where all the Filipino families on the island got together and made tons of food. My favorite dish from those parties will always by lumpia, which are kind of like egg rolls, but can be made with lots of different things.

Hamburger: American favorite, I like my hamburger well-done and with lettuce and tomato, I used to like mayo on it too, but lately I haven’t been able to stomach it as well. Oh and the fries that come with the burger. Can’t forget those.

Pasta and Fake Meat and Mushroom Sauce: This is one of my favorite meals that my mom makes. It’s exactly what it sounds like. She usually makes it with egg noodles. It’s really good.