Do you listen to the radio?

Hey everyone!! Hope all of you are having an awesome weekend so far...did you enjoy Thanksgiving? :) My sister and I threw ourselves a mini-sleepover that night and guess how we partied? By listening to the music--the radio specifically, which is coincidentally, the topic of discussion for my blog today!! ;)

Radio is a great way to "discover" new music, whether it be different songs (which normally ends up being the most popular ones at the time), different genres, or different (and sometimes new) artists. Both my sister and I "discovered" our favorite bands and artists through the radio actually...and we're thankful we listened the day that we did (those songs are still on our favorites!!)

And of course there are a lot of local ones (for example, in my area, HOTZ95 is a popular one) and then, there are a lot of national ones too....for example:

Radio Disney (www.radiodisney.com <--covers all of your favorite Disney artists + more!!)
Kidd Kraddick (www.kiddlive.com <--Morning radio show, but they bring a lot of popular artists to interview (Jonas Brothers, Ashley Tisdale, Miley Cyrus, Colbie Caillat, and a lot of non musicians like Ashley Greene from Twilight) )
Radio shows like Ryan Seacrest's AT 40 countdown play the top 40 songs based on radio airplay...it's a great way to listen to new songs and every once in a while, artists host or co-host the show :)

Radio is definitely a great way to find new music and/or artists...and you never know, what you thought you didn't like three years ago may be your new favorite genre. You'll never know, unless you expand your horizons and listen to other types :) Let me know what your favorite stations are and why you love them...or if you discovered a favorite artist through radio, let me know also.

I'll catch you guys next week!

-Labanya

Going Green Tips:

Hey Ya'll!
I wanted to remind every single one of you that no matter how old you are you CAN make a difference!
3 basic tips about how you can go green:

• Decrease the time limit of your showers daily
• Recycle electronics, plastic, paper, cans etc.
• Save energy, unplug or turn off any electronics or lights that you don't use

xoxo,

Amelia's Book Room: Manga!

Hey, guys! I was thinking about what I should review this week, and thought of a manga that I like. I started considering that, and then came up with a whole bunch of graphic novels for you guys, so that's what this review will be about!

First up, I just have to mention my all-time favorite classic Japanese manga artist(s): CLAMP. CLAMP is a group of women who have created awesome series' such as Cardcaptor Sakura, all about young Sakura Kinomoto and the magical cards she finds in her basement. They're also known for Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, which features older, alternate-universe versions of Cardcaptor Sakura characters. This ALSO crosses over with xxxHOLiC, which can get kind of confusing!

I could talk about CLAMP all day, but they're not the only artists/writers out there. If you're a fan of vampires, but are getting tired of Twilight, you should check out Blood Alone, by Masayuki Takano. Interested in something more American-made? I'm loving Bone, a science-fiction/fantasy graphic novel series by Jeff Smith. It's goofy and compelling at the same time!

And perhaps, like me, you have an inner (or not so inner) gamer; if so, you might like the manga version of the Legend Of Zelda games, starting with the Ocarina Of Time.

I hope you liked this change of direction--not all books have to be thick and filled with words! Have a happy and tasty Thanksgiving, and those of you not in America, have a good week! We'll probably be having our Dekoposh Book Club meeting some time next week. Happy reading!

Amelia's Book Room: Manga!

One Pimple is One Too Many - Thanksgiving

Hello everyone!

This week is a time where most of us all come together with our families and celebrate all that we are thankful for. What are you thankful for?

Sometimes it can be hard to find something to be thankful for -- but remember, there's always something to celebrate. You just have to look for it. The fact that you're reading this column is proof that you have something to be thankful for. You're alive. You can read. You have access to an internet connection.
Don't let people, obstacles etc. keep you down. You are a peculiar treasure -- one worth celebrating. Find other people to celebrate as well. There's no feeling quite like giving help to someone who needs it.

Enjoy the time you spend with your family. For those who are far away from your family -- remember -- you are not alone. Find others who are far away from their family ((or have none)) and celebrate together. We all have something common, regardless of our different races, beliefs and backgrounds, we are all human and we are all capable of respecting each other.

Have a happy Thanksgiving everyone!
I'm thankful for all of you -- you are amazing just as you are.

Ariel <3

Are YOU ready for Turkey Day?

Hello all you beautiful people!! Hope you all are having a wonderful Thanksgiving break (those of you who are on one) and an excellent weekend!! Are you excited about Thanksgiving? I know I am, because this year, my sister and I will be doing almost all of the cooking and I can't wait to get started!! Speaking of the holidays, how many of you guys love holiday music? I, for one, can say that holiday music is one of my faves...and it definitely puts me in the holiday spirit!! :)

In honor of Thanksgiving, which is only days away, I'll be sharing some Thanksgiving songs with you guys!! Personally, I didn't know so many Thanksgiving songs existed...but now that I reminisce on past memories, I remember listening to some of them back in elementary school!! (Wouldn't it be fun to be a kid again?) Two of them include Everyday is Thanksgiving and Turkey Dinner Dance!! :) The songs are definitely silly, but catchy at the same time!! I have a feeling I might be sharing some of those with my little siblings this year!! :)

Also, really quick reminder before I forget, don't forget to catch the 2009 American Music Awards, tomorrow night (November 22)...check http://www.tvguide.com/ for local channels and time listings!! A lot of your favorite stars and celebs will be there, including Taylor Swift, Whitney Houston, Lady Gaga, Jay Z, and more!! Find out which star will take home the awards!! I hear Taylor Swift is up for quite a bit :)

Another quick reminder, don't forget to catch Keke Palmer, Mitchel Musso, Katharine McPhee, Tiffany Thorton, Jay Sean, Boys Like Girls, and much, much more on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade!! The parade will air Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 26, at 9AM (CHECK YOUR LOCAL TIME LISTINGS AND CHANNELS!!!)!! I've watched the parade in the past with my family...you won't want to miss it!! :)

Alrighty, that's all for now friends. Have a safe and fun Thanksgiving with your family!! Eat lots of turkey!! :)

-Labanya

Movie Suggestion: NEW MOON

Ohhhh my gosh, ohhhhhh my gosh! I can't believe it's finally here. 12:01 tonight (or tomorrow morning, really) I'll be sitting in a jam-packed theater with other Twilight junkies watching NEW MOON! A shirtless TLaut, a depressed KStewart, a drop-deep-gorgeous RPatz.
What more could you want?!?!

Gahh! Words cannot express my excitement. So I'll wait and review it later on tonight :)

!!!

Get pumped!
I know I sure am.

Amelia's Book Room: Agnes Parker

One of my favorite series' to keep an eye on a few years ago was Kathleen O'Dell's Agnes Parker novels. Now... I must confess, I haven't read the first two in a while, but I was pleasantly surprised to see the latest book on the shelf at my library; Agnes Parker: Keeping Cool In Middle School. I just finished it recently, so I'll tell you a little about this one.

Agnes's best friend, Prejean, is running for class president, and she wants Agnes to be her campaign manager. But she's not that great at this kind of thing; when Prejean gets sick and Agnes has to fill in for her election speech, things go terribly. She's got the eighth grade boys making fun of her, her classmate Peggy Neidermeyer bugging her as usual, and Prejean to worry about; the only thing keeping her going is her new friendship with Aram from her art class.

This was definitely a fun read. I recommend reading Girl In Progress first, as well as Agnes Parker: Happy Camper?; I remember that one being really great! I hope you guys enjoyed this review. We've got our Dekoposh Book Club meeting coming up, I hope you're almost done with Melissa Walker's Violet On The Runway! Happy reading!

One Pimple is One Too Many - Make a Difference

Hey Everybody!

from [carrotspeak.]
I started Making a Difference Mondays as a way for me to use my once miniscule blogging voice to try and change the world one kind deed at a time. Each Monday, I'll post about something I've done to make someone's day a little bit better, and I invite you all to play along by doing the following:

1. Make your own Making a Difference Monday post, explaining to your readers these rules, and sharing the story of some small act of kindness you've performed in the past week. It could be anything...holding a door, helping a little old lady cross the street, or even just stopping at a red light...

It is with one person and one action at a time that we change to world. Why not try to change it for the better?
~
It's true. One small act of kindness can change a life.
"Just smile and the world will smile along with you. That small act of love that's meant for one can become two. If we take take the chances to change circumstances, imagine all we could do..."
Your voice is important. Be challenged today to make a difference in your life and the lives of those around you. You don't have to be a rockstar or famous to change the world... make the effort to change your world :)


Just one spark starts a fire...


Keep sending it on everybody!


Ariel

UNICEF

Hey all you beautiful people!

Sorry it's been so long since my latest update! Gotta love that flu.

Now I'm sure you all have heard of Selena Gomez, right? She just put out a cd a few weeks back called Kiss & Tell and is on the popular show on Disney, "Wizards of Waverly Place". But what you may not know about her is that she is a big advocate for the organization called UNICEF. She has actually been appointed an ambassador for UNICEF, the youngest ambassador ever. In September she travel to the country of Ghana in Africa. She there learned about all the nessecities that the people there are living without, such as clean water, health care, nouriousment, and education, but she also learned what UNICEF will be doing to help fix those problems.

Selena tweeted photos from her time in Africa and also has them on her official website www.selenagomez.com. She personally inspired me to convince my church to have all the children to "Trick-or-Treat for Unicef". It is such a great cause and she is an amazing person for all that she has done and all the people she has inspired.

So Selena Gomez has officially made the list of Celebrity GOOD Gossip.

Have an amazing and fantastic day! And remember, you are all BEAUTIFUL!

Thanks for reading!
Leah