The Tag of Happiness

OMG MY BLOG TURNED 2 ON SUNDAY.
Hello there fellow wanderlusters!
I saw this tag on Noor's blog, A Little Bit of Sunshine, and right away I knew that I must do it!

THIS WAS VERY NECESSARY.

Rules:
Take the banner and put it in your post
List as many things as you want in each category
Come up with more categories if you wish
Tag as many people as you want

Some songs that make you happy
+ In My Life by the Beatles  // My school is doing Beatlemania for the sixth grade musical, and I'm auditioning to do a solo for this song. I absolutely love it, even more the Lindsey Saunders version (this is the version we're following.)
+ Waka Waka by Shakira  // Who does NOT feel like dancing when they hear this song. 
+ Best Day of My Life by American Authors  // Science actually proves that if you have the mindset that today is the best day of your life, it will be.

Some books that make you happy
+ Counting by 7s Holly Goldberg Sloan
+ the Harry Potter series J.K. Rowling
+ Fish in a Tree Lynda Mullally Hunt
+ the Alice series Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Some movies that make you happy
+ the Harry Potter series 
+ Despicable Me 
+ Blended
+ Moms' Night Out

Some foods that make you happy
+ Cupcakes
+ Oreos
+ Chole bhatoora // This is Indian food.
+ Chicken biryani // This is Indian food.
+ Strawberries

Some words that make you happy
+ "challenge" // I love the sound of it.
+ "hope" // Just say it ten times over. Doesn't it sound beautiful?
+ "smile" // Saying this word and thinking about it just makes you feel all cozy inside.

Some scents that make you happy
+ Coconut oil
+ Cow manure // I'm kidding, I'm kidding! Wait, did you ACTUALLY believe me?
+ Aloo Bath // This is Indian food.

I tag YOU!

Girls Don't Have to Like Pink

After observing the data below, Stanley concluded, "I don't think very many girls took this survey." Why do you think he would say that? 

Students' Favorite Colors 
17 students chose red.
12 students chose blue.
8 students chose green.
4 students chose pink.
41 students took this survey.

What would you put as the answer to a question on a sixth grade math test such as the above?
I was shocked. My jaw dropped open and I was this close to ripping up the test.
I'm sure 99% of the class put, "Since most girls like pink, and not that many students said pink was their favorite color, Stanley probably thought that not many girls took the survey."
You want to know what I answered?
"Although not all girls like pink, Stanley probably doesn't understand that and thought that not many girls took the survey because pink was not popular among the students." I underlined "all" five times and wrote in the corner of the page, "I don't feel so great about this question," and boxed it twice. And I don't honestly care if points get taken off because part of my answer was "unnecessary." It was one of the smallest, gutsiest things I've ever done.
(By the way, yes, sixth grade math can be lame. I would've liked to do more advanced math but I go to a public elementary school so that's not an option.)
Do stereotypes like these really have any place on an elementary school math test, for God's sake?
Girls are constantly picked on for their interests. They grow up believing that no boy will like them if they like pink or aren't a star basketball player. They push themselves toward these hobbies, but only for one reason: They want to be liked.
But what if they like pink and prefer to engage in activities other than athletics? What do they do when society tells them they can't be who they are? That's when their confidence drops.
So did there really have to be a question on my math test asking me whether all girls like pink? I was literally shouting expletives and arguing with this Stanley kid in my head.
What do you think?

NOTE: I recently read an Israeli study that proved that (in Israel at least) there IS a gender-based grading bias. The study was on a handful of sixth grade boys and girls. The girls did not score as well when the teacher knew their gender, but when the teacher actually did not know whether they were a boy or girl, the girls outscored the boys.

Memories

A few days ago, I found myself looking through old photo albums and scrapbooks. The memories made me laugh, and cry, and smile. I couldn't help but roll on the floor laughing at pictures of my mom's crazy 90s shaggy boycut, which my sister said was a trend back then, pictures of my sister in an astronaut suit, and others of my sister poking my mom's eye (my mom looked pretty scared.) I'd like to share some of the memories I was able to reminisce on, my family's past, this part of me, with you all.

*My sister asked to keep her face hidden and her identity private, so none of the aforementioned pictures will be shown.

I freaked out when I saw this. A REAL LIFE COPY OF MY PARENTS' WEDDING INVITATION! It's over 20 years old!

This picture was the very beginning. This picture, at approximately noon one day in November 2004, was me crying as a helpless little baby. I wonder if this little baby knew she would learn to love music and have a passion for acting and being in the spotlight, if she knew that she would cherish writing, if she knew that a decade later she would have her very own blog with amazing friends from around the world. 

This picture was the little paper by the side of my hospital bed. It was all my birthing details. I grinned when I saw this picture because I finally found out my baby weight and height: I was 1 ft. 7 in. long and my weight was 6 lbs. 5 oz. 

[the woman on the left is my mom]

Some more pictures upon my bulletin board

Interview: Noor from A Little Bit of Sunshine!

Hello there fellow wanderlusters! I'm doing an interview swap with Noor from A Little Bit of Sunshine. You can see my interview on her blog here!

1.     Introduce yourself! Name, age, country (state/province if you want), your blog name/URL, maybe include a few hobbies of yours.

I'm Noor! I'm 11 years old, I live in the lovely USA! I blog over at A Little Bit of Sunshine! I love to blog, read, write, hang with friends and jam out to Fall Out Boy!

'Sup, Past Me?

Back in February of 2014 I wrote a post kind of like a letter to my future self. Of course I wasn't supposed to respond to it until I was twenty, but I'm doing it anyway. Same thing for the time capsule I made in third grade (I feel a need to constantly replace the pictures, which kind of defeats the purpose).
Looking back at posts from fourth grade, to be honest, I think I was pretty conceited when I was eight and nine :)

DIY Notebook Covers!

Remember those DIY notebook covers I talked about in my September DIY To-Do List from Tuesday? I actually got the chance to drop by Michaels and buy the necessary materials! So in this post, I'll be teaching you how to make DIY notebook covers that could work for any type of notebook, including spirals. I found that I was able to make 5 notebooks cute by DIYing them for the price of 2 cute notebooks from Target DURING the back-to-school sale.

My September DIY To-Do List/Goals

New Blog Design + Second Look Update + More School Questions!

I'm working on a new blog design! Here's a sneak peek as to what it looks like:

I'll be done quite soon, actually. I've decided to keep the rest of the design secret and just show you the header and navigation. ;) I'm really sorry - my blog will be going crazy as I put in my design.
I really like what I've come up with so far, so I think I won't be changing my blog design for at least a year. How do you like the preview?
Second Look is going really well! We already have a couple Google Friend Connect and Bloglovin' followers, and we have a blog review submission for which the review will be published sometime in the coming week. Go ahead and share your own feedback with the blogger who submitted her blog, Edie Rose from Minty Perfections.
I asked, in the last post, if you all were excited for the coming school year. So, as a continuation to those questions, I'm wondering: What's school like where you live? Are you taking on a new school (middle school, high school, relocation, etc.)? What subject do you think you've been missing most? And, finally, do you prefer school over summer, or vice versa?

Inspiring Quotes!

Hello there fellow wanderlusters!

I've decided that every other week I'll do a post with some inspiring quotes. Quotes like these always get me motivated, so here are a few of my favorites. I scrounged around Google for these pictures; they're not mine. 

I've seen this quote around so many times, and I love it. When I found this great graphic, I couldn't resist sharing it with you. 

Keep working at your dreams, fellow wanderlusters! If you set your mind to it, you can achieve anything. 

Take risks and explore. Fear can't stand in your way. Nothing can stop you!

You'll never know until you try - and if it doesn't work out, it will pay off in the long run!

Keep dreaming big and believing in yourself!

That's it for today. Which quote was your favorite? Any favorites of yours I should feature next? 

Counting by 7s: A Summer Blogger Book Club Review

Hello there fellow wanderlusters!
I just realized I haven't ever done a review on my blog. Then I thought it would be a good idea to do a review on the book I read for the Summer Blogger Book Club. Maybe I'll put it out on Second Look, the collab reviewing blog I'm doing with Oakstar and Amelie, but I'm not sure.

Counting by 7s Holly Goldberg Sloan

Age Recommendation
The content would be appropriate for kids 8 & up, but I think it would be best for the 10-13 age range. Younger kids might not understand the concept or might be deeply affected by the deaths in this book, but they can go ahead and read it.

Is it inappropriate?
No, not much inappropriate content. There's no swearing, and just a few references to giving birth without being married and fertility, but it's mostly clean.

Summary

Willow Chance is a 12-year-old genius, obsessed with nature and diagnosing medical conditions, who finds it comforting to count by 7s. It has never been easy for her to connect with anyone other than her adoptive parents, but that hasn't kept her from leading a quietly happy life... until now. Suddenly, Willow's world is tragically changed when her parents both die in a car crash, leaving her alone in a baffling world.

Rating
5 stars!

Review
This is, in all honesty, my favorite stand-alone book. Willow is such an amazing character, and the way that Mai and Dell and Quang-ha and Pattie (who all choose to care for her following her parents' death) show her compassion is beautiful. The book has fantastic messages about how we cannot be defined by one label. Would I recommend this book to a friend? Definitely. It's quite funny, too!
This might not be such a great review in the sense that I gave the book five stars, since you might find something you dislike in the book making this inaccurate, but it's such an incredible summer read.

Oakstar's Takeover!

I don't know about you, but I've been highly anticipating this post! So here we have it - Oakstar's guest post! She's going to be discussing some pretty cool stuff, so keep reading. My post for her blog will be out today or tomorrow. Show her some love in the comments and check out her blog if you haven't already.

NOTE: Oakstar sent this to me a while ago, so information from Scenario 4 may be out of date.
ANOTHER NOTE: This is my first guest post!

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Hello, readers of Nerd Glasses and Wanderlust! It’s Oakstar from Amazing Case of Wanderlust here
today. GirlRadio and I have been corresponding a lot through e-mail, and when we decided to do a post swap, we thought it would be a bit of a boring idea to just do, you know, a swap.
So, we bring you our newly created hashtag, and our posts that will be about embracing diversity and
difference.
My post, to start it off, will be about dealing with people’s differences of opinions. Being in high school and also very well in tune with the world around me through social media and the news, I have a lot of experiences that have to do with dealing with someone who has a different opinion than mine - about something more important than just a favorite color or book.
Through my experiences, I’ve learned a lot and I’ve grown to accept and embrace people’s different
opinions - while I may disagree with, or even, in very hard cases which I will get into later, be appalled by their opinions, I can still love and appreciate them as a person.
When I first went into the seventh grade, I was much younger in body and mind, and I hadn’t yet been introduced to people of many different belief systems, upbringings, and backgrounds.
Some important things to remember while disagreeing with someone:
-Stand up for your beliefs, but don’t shove them down someone else’s throat
-If someone else’s opinion is downright malicious or really not okay (ex: someone says they hate
everyone with a darker skin color), it is out of what you should deal with and you should talk to a
adult about it
-Be respectful while telling them you disagree
-If someone is really stubborn, it's best not to bring up controversial topics at all. If they are standing up for a view that is completely and utterly the opposite of your beliefs and values, it's best to put some space between you and them or keep topics light and fluffy

Scenario 1:
Situation: I’m in the girls’ locker room after gym on a Friday, and me and a friend I’ll call Laura have started a conversation about our new science topic, evolution. I mention how I find the topic truly
fascinating, how we’ve originated from apes. Laura scornfully replies, “Pshh. It’s so obvious we don’t come from monkeys. It’s stupid. They’re animals, we’re humans. We come from Adam and Eve.”

My reaction: “They’re not monkeys, Laura. And you think coming from monkeys is stupid? What about seven billion people coming from only two? It just doesn’t make sense.”  Laura gives me an angry look.

What I should’ve said: “I disagree. I believe in evolution. It’s not cool that you’re dissing my beliefs.
That’s not respectful. I’m going to go now, bye.” This would’ve let her know that I don’t think it’s okay what she said, but I still get to be respectful, and I don’t stoop down to her level.

Lesson: Instead of attacking someone back and stooping down to their level, I’ve learned to keep my
calm and be the bigger, better person. I don’t speak to Laura as much anymore, but I still love her as the human being she is. I don’t mind if someone has different beliefs, but I can’t allow anyone to insult mine.

Scenario 2:
Situation: I’m talking to two of my close friends - Rachel and Kerry - in a quiet corner at our school dance.
Rachel’s drink spills. She swears under her breath and Kerry and I gasp. A few younger passersby chant, "She said the s-word!" repeatedly.
“Oh wait - oops. Girls shouldn’t swear. It’s not proper. Boys can get away with it," Rachel says quickly.

My reaction: I open my mouth to say something, but then close it again. I want to say something, but I can’t. I’m too appalled.

What I should’ve said: I’m a feminist, meaning I believe that women and men should be treated equally. I should’ve said what I wanted to say, stood up for what I believed. I should’ve said: “Sadly, that is what society thinks. I believe in equal treatment, though, and it makes no difference whether a boy or girl swears. Neither is polite, but the politeness doesn’t change.”

Lesson: I’ve learned to stand up for what I believe in. I won’t hide my true self anymore. I’m still friends with Rachel, but I look at her in a different way. If a feminist topic ever comes up again, I will be sure to say what I believe.

Scenario 3:
Situation: I’m in the library with Rachel and Kerry. Kerry is talking about how she adores the Rick
Riordan books, and she’s grown interested in Greek mythology because of them. She says how she
thinks he is super talented. Then, Rachel cuts her off and says: “No, he’s not. He’s not creative at all. He’s just stealing the creation of the Greeks. The money should be going to the Greeks.”

My reaction: I’ve never been a huge fan of the Percy Jackson series, but I still thought that he deserved the credit. “I disagree,” I said. “There are plenty of other authors who have used mythology in their books, too, and they are still creative. He works hard and his characters and situations are plenty creative. Plus, the Greeks that created what’s used in his works died a long time ago, and it’s not the property of their great great great grandchildren.”

What I should’ve said: I’m proud of what I said, and I stand by it. I was mature, not unreasonable, and I gave my opinion.

Lesson: If I give my opinion while holding my tongue at the same time, I can achieve a lot more satisfaction. Yay me!

Scenario 4: The Toughest, But The One I Am The Most Proud Of
Situation: It’s June 26th, and it’s a pretty good day for me because I’ve just heard America has finally legalized same sex marriage. I call my best friend the next day with the good news. She replies with a shrug, then goes on to say that she doesn’t really support same sex marriage, but she will never speak up against it because it is not her place.

My reaction: I’m surprised, but I tell her calmly: “I believe that love always wins and God would want people to marry who they want. I’m pretty passionate about this, but your friendship means way too much to me to get into an argument, especially when it is about faith and things so personal that will never change. I disagree with you, but I love you.”

What I should’ve said: This was the most difficult one for me. It was an ethical dilemma. Should I choose my best friend, who I love to death, who shares a super close bond with me and we have so many memories together, or do I choose to defend a topic that I believe so strongly in to the bottom of my heart? I chose the medium. I told her I disagree with her, and that it is a topic really close to my heart, but I chose to keep a precious relationship instead of ruin it. I am really proud of what I chose.

Lesson: There is a medium to strive for, and it is possible to find it. She and I are still just as close. Picking what’s important is hard, but it is possible to find a way to make it work. This may seem like a reflection on my actions, but even if your beliefs are different, there is a lesson in this for all of us. Even if you share Rachel’s and Laura’s beliefs, you can still choose to embrace the diversity, agree to disagree, and love each other just as much. Talking about personal things is tough, but even when you disagree, with respect and love, your relationships don’t have to change.

Next time you face a challenge similar to some of my scenarios, document it and reflect. I’m not perfect, but I’ve definitely improved on embracing diversity in the past year. If we all took something out of these lessons, the world would be a much better place.

Together we can strive for a world with more compassion and love, no matter what your beliefs.

#togetherwecan

-Oakstar
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Wasn't that amazing? Thank you so much, Oakstar! I can't wait until you put out my post!

Do voice your opinions about #TogetherWeCan in the comments!

Independence Day Weekend

Canada Day, which took place on July 1st, celebrated Canadians and their nation. But tomorrow, as my American pride gets the best of me, I'll be celebrating the USA's 239th birthday! Yes, it's the Independence Day long weekend, and in this post I'll be sharing some fun facts about the US and some ways to commemorate how much it has blossomed as a country. Feel free to use the following graphics as part of my RedWhiteBlue blog party, but please do not take them as your own.

Have a great weekend!

Profile: Part 2

I'm back from Peru everyone! I'll be doing more updates, as I have only done one, but in the meanwhile I've seized this opportunity.
In my last "Profile" post, I imagined what my one-page spread profile, if I were a Discovery Girl in the magazine, might look like. Discovery Girls is coming up with better ways to let readers learn more about the group for that issue, introducing two-page spreads this year. Here's what my two-page spread, if I were a DG, might look like.

Sneha
Age 11*, California
"We've all had those moments in our lives where we feel like we're not worth it, but I think we can all find inspiration to overcome these feelings somehow. The arts are my inspiration."

I'm full of spunk and creativity, and I think I can use these qualities to innovate and help people around the world. This is just one of my goals for the future - I love performing! I started singing and acting when I was young, and since then I've been in eight shows and have performed in various competitions. My main pursuit in life is to score a career as a singer and actress.

I also love writing, which led me to create a blog when I was eight. Blogging has helped me shape some amazing friendships and collaborations, even with some other bloggers within the Discovery Girls community. It also gives me a place to express myself and my emotions. Discovering blogging is one of the best things that ever happened to me, and it's fostered not only better writing skills, but an incredible sense of satisfaction within me. I want to stay a blogger for the rest of my life.

Fun Fact: I once did an activity in Peru, a country I visited, where I was slingshotted up 405 feet in the air. I'm the youngest person in the world to have done it!

Traveling is something else I'm passionate about. I've been to 4 continents, 12 countries, and 24 states, all with the intention of learning about new cultures, languages, places, people, and traditions. One of my dreams is to see every wonder of the world, and I'm thinking about achieving that soon. Travel has also brought me to the amazing experiences of ziplining, parasailing, horseback riding, and slingshotting.

Favorite Book Series: I love the Harry Potter series. Hermione's my favorite character! I even dressed up as her for Halloween when I was nine.

There is no reason that you should be anyone other than you. We all have our insecurities and doubts, but we can't let them get the best of us. When I feel down, I remember that I'm still young and have so many more opportunities to find my true self and see the world. I want to explore. Grow. Take risks. For me, life is like a long process of trial-and-error - you'll never know if you never try!

*I'm on the younger side - I'll be turning eleven in the fall, thus if chosen to attend the Summit my age at attendance would vary based on when the Summit is held, but I would be eleven, maybe twelve, for sure by the time my issue was on newsstands. 

Spread the Love!

If you haven't seen Amelie B.'s latest post, it's about spreading love on the Internet, using the YouTube dislike button as an example. As she wrote: "My guess is that the people who click that button and write those comments are quite often just taking their negative attitude out on others." This is very true.

I will be joining her challenge of Internet positivity. Let's go #MakeItHappy! So now, armed with this idea, put a smile on someone's face by emailing "4 people giving them 4 heartfelt comments each." What else can you do? "Reply to the next negative comment you see" or "Send the following picture to at least 10 people (or post it on your blog)":

Thank you so much Amelie for bringing this amazing concept to us! 

From now on, when I tune into my favorite music videos or laugh the day away with Superwoman and I scroll down to the comments, I hope to see something like this:

I hate this song; she is literally the worst You are amazingly talented and you rock!

Wanderlust + Band Performance + Girls on the Run 5K

Wanderlust
Ah! I can't wait to go to Los Angeles for Monday and Tuesday! We're not doing much, just some sightseeing if time allows. On Tuesday (for sure) we'll be heading to the California Science Center. We just got some snacks for the road, so I'm excited to devour those.
I invented this random contraption from a shoe box. On road trips, when I'm not reading, I'll watch movies and listen to music. My little weird invention allows me to have a platform supporting my device, so I can sit back and relax without having to hold the device. It's something convenient I thought of, and while it's pretty practical, I didn't take the time to decorate it and it's quite the eyesore.

Band Performance
On Wednesday, we had the band wrap-up performance! I will definitely return as a second-year clarinetist next year, and since I won a district clarinet in a lottery, I had to return it after the performance. :( I had hoped to practice over the summer, but I guess I can't.

Girls on the Run 5K
As you may know, I am a Girl on the Run, and today was the 5K for my region! We all gathered in a county park (it started really early in the morning) and did a few fun activities before the race. I spray-painted my hair, which didn't show up well because my hair is a deep brown. Along with a few other girls, I decorated those really tall science boards with pictures from the meetings and a few cute sayings and doodles. The 5K was thrilling and I really enjoyed the experience! One of the boards (faces, name tag, and school name pixelated):

Summer Bucket List Tag

If you haven't seen this recent post by MorningTime4, it's about a summer bucket list tag. I decided to do it, so I'll be writing 10 (I can't think of 15!) things I would love to do over the summer!

Just like Morning, I tag anyone who would like to do this. Post in the comments below what your bucket list is or blog about it!

IMAGE IS NOT MINE.

1. Blog four times a week.

Now, I blog once or twice a week, but four times? I've never done that! So it's my new goal to post new content four times a week, because I'll have so much to blog about! I'll also try to add more photos to my posts.

2. Perform in another musical.

This is definitely a priority of mine, and I'm leaning toward auditioning for Mayzie La Bird in Seussical.

3. Try something new.

I would absolutely LOVE to do a baking class over the summer, due to some books I read that really inspired me. I've never touched any baking equipment before, but I'm excited to start from scratch and try something new!

4. Successfully bungee jump.

As I mentioned in my last post, I'll be experimenting with bungee jumping in Cusco, Peru. I've done parasailing, horseback riding, and ziplining, but bungee jumping sounds like an awesome (but scary) experience.

5. Spend 300 minutes each week reading.

I can't exactly set a goal for how many books I can handle, but I will commit to a time goal. So 300 minutes means five hours a week.

6. Spend as much time as possible with my friends who are going off to private school!

Two of my best friends will be going off to private school, and I can't imagine school without them! I really hope I can meet them some time ...

7. Learn a new programming language.

I have only one or two in my toolkit. I'd like to learn how to code iOS apps and perfect my JavaScript!

8. Attend the Discovery Girls Summit.

This I really have no control over, because the selection process is subjective, but I really want to attend this year after two failed attempts! I've read the web diaries and know that it's an amazing opportunity to write for a magazine, meet wonderful new girls, and discuss topics close to our hearts.

9. Go to a few writing workshops.

I stopped attending workshops frequently last spring, but I loved that habit! I had regular workshop friends and there were so many writing styles we covered. We also got to meet authors sometimes, but I've only met Ally Condie, author of the Matched series.

10. Release my collab blog with Oakstar and Amelie, Second Look. 

I would love to kickstart our blog! We're using a platform that's kind of new to us, Weebly.

Blogging Ideas!

Hey guys! This post is kind of targeted toward the residents of blog land: would anyone like to do a group blog with me and possibly some others? Please respond if you want to join by emailing me at nerdglassesandwanderlust@gmail.com or commenting. Thanks!

As of 3/19/15:
Thank you! I am now collaborating with Oakstar & Amelie (see my Blog Buddies page.) Feel free to join in! Oakstar will be doing an announcement on her blog too, so you can sign up there. I will be sure to post the link to our new blog on here when it's available!