HALLOWEEN!!!

Hey everyone!! Hope all of you had a fantastic Halloween!!! In honor of Halloween, I decided to dedicate this blog to Halloween...and of course, the music played during the occasion :)

Well, we all know that spooky music is definitely played on Halloween...but there are a lot of songs that aren't necessarily considered "spooky" that are sometimes played on Halloween, or in honor of Halloween. One song (which I had almost forgotten :P) that our band performed was from Ghostbusters. An amazing song, and an amazing performance. My personal favorite, however? Thriller by Michael Jackson (<3). We had our senior pep rally this past Friday and all of the senior football players' moms performed to it and then later on that evening, the cheerleaders performed to it, while our band played it. It was definitely amazing to watch such a large group perform the routine. I remembering learning the dance freshman year in my Dance 1 class. I loved it then and I will probably love it forever <3

Of course everyone has their own opinion as to what songs are the best and which may not necessarily fall under the "best" category. But according to about.com, the top 10 Halloween pop songs are as follows:

10. White Zombie-"I'm Your Boogieman"
9. The Who-"Boris the Spider"
8. Talking Heads-"Psycho Killer"
7. Squirrel Nut Zippers-"He**"
6. Specials-"Ghost Town"
5. From the 'Rocky Horror Picture Show' soundtrack-"Time Warp"
4. Mike Oldfield-"Tubular Bells Pt. 1 (theme from 'The Exorcist')
3. Michael Jackson-"Thriller"
2. Bobby Pickett-"The Monster Mash"
1. DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince-"Nightmare on my street"

What about you guys? Do you agree with about.com's top 10 Halloween songs? Which ones are your favorites?

Thanks for reading guys!!

Until next time,

Labanya

Learning Curve: Halloween

Hey guys!!

Tomorrow is one of my favorite holidays of the year: Halloween!! As a college kid I'm sure you're thinking that you're too old to dress up, trick or treat, or really do much of anything for this holiday. Really there's a lot your can do on Halloween.

HauntedHay Rides
Haunted Houses
Costume Parties

This year Selena Gomez is encouraging her fans to trick or treat for UNICEF. Instead of getting tons of candy ask the people around your neighborhood or dorm to donate a few dollars to the organization.

There's so many other options for the holiday. I hope everyone has a safe & fun weekend. I'm going out with my mom tonight (we seem to be doing that a lot lately. I don't mind. I like spending time with my mom) and then to my sister's last marching contest of the season tomorrow! Another BUSY weekend!! :D

Love you guys!!!

<3 Jen

Amelia's Book Room: Goosebumps & Un!

Boo! Did I scare you? Oh, I didn't? ...Well, these books will!

In this special Halloween book review, I've got two spooky series' for you. The first is one I'm sure we've all heard of: Goosebumps! One of the most memorable horror writers, R. L. Stine, has written over fifty of these creepy tales. The one that sticks most in my mind is Night Of The Living Dummy. Slappy the Dummy (one of Stine's favorite characters to write!), as expected, comes alive in #7 of the series to torment sisters Lindy and Kris. I remember this one giving me nightmares; just the cover makes me shiver at the memory of going against my instincts and reading it alone at midnight!

It's not all living dolls, though, if that's not quite your thing. There's also man-eating hamsters, swamp monsters, mysterious summer camps, and of course, ghosts. You'll definitely want to pick one of these up on Halloween night if you're tired of movies and want a good scare!
Next up is not exactly a series, but I like to call it the 'Un!' series. With titles like Undone!, Uncanny!, and Unbearable!, Paul Jennings tells an array of creepy, weird, and sometimes downright gross short stories. Zombie parakeets, anyone? A stuffed fox that's a little too lifelike, locked in a closet for years? Or how about ice cream that makes you smart?

These are some of the best and craziest short story collections for kids, and great if you like surprise endings and, well, disgusting stuff. Jennings also has a lot of other fun books you should check out. I hope you enjoyed this Halloween-themed review, and have a good time this Saturday! Also, don't forget to read Melissa Walker's book Violet On The Runway; we're reading it for November, too, so you have until the end of next month, when we'll have our Dekoposh Book Club meeting! Happy reading!

One Pimple is One Too Many - Confidence

Confidence.

You can see them from a mile away.

They walk with their head high and their face forward.

They are friendly, polite and have good ideas.

But confidence isn't something that you're born with - it's something that you learn.

The first step, is believing in yourself.

What do you see when you look in the mirror?

You gotta swim out of your comfort zone to catch the wave that's going to change your life. - Surfing Wisdom

It's true. I'm not saying you shouldn't be grateful and content in where you are in life - by all means! However, I am saying that if you want things to change in your life, you have to act on it. Instead of complaining about the "jiggly bits", ask your doctor about an exercise plan. Acne problems? Drink lots of water and ask a skin expert (a dermatologist or the physician at your local pharmacy) for tips and referrals on products that help clear your skin. One of the marks of a confident person is someone who when confronted with a problem, doesn't wallow in depression but looks for a solution.

A candle loses nothing by lighting a candle. - Erin Majors

Maybe you are confident in who you are. Spread it around. Encourage the people around you any chance you get. "But what if they seem to have it all together Ariel? I doubt they need encouragement." Maybe so. Maybe you're friends with the most confident person on the planet. Still - we all need that little extra push in the right direction, or even affirmation that we're doing a good job. Like the quote suggests, you lose nothing in spreading love and encouragement to others.

I guess the thing I learned is that I may never completely figure out who I am. And maybe that's not so important. - Melody Carlson from her Diary of a Teenage Girl Series - Caitlin

Confident people aren't people who've got it all figured out. They've simply learned how to be comfortable in their own skin. You don't have to be a supermodel to be confident! I say this all the time but that's because it's important - half the battle is in your mind. If you believe that you are a confident, strong, secure person than you will be.

I have an assignment for you.

For the next week, every morning when you wake up look into a mirror - bedhead, morning breath and all - and say this:

"I am fearfully and wonderfully made."

"I am confident and secure in who I am."

"I am a peculiar treasure."

"I am beautiful//handsome."

"I will learn from my mistakes - not focus on them."

Add in anything else that makes you feel like the confident and beautiful//handsome person you are!

Say it outloud every day for a week. It might seem a little weird at first, talking to yourself, but trust me - it works. Hearing yourself say the words - and taking the inititave to believe them - will boost your confidence immensely.

Keep on rockin'!

Ariel

postscript: I know Halloween's this weekend so just a little reminder to be safe. Pranks may seem like fun at first but remember that your and everyone else's safety is the FIRST priority. :)

If you need advice on something I haven't covered yet you can @reply me on twitter (@arielsmiles) or contact me at arielsmiles(at)rocketmail(dot)com. :)

Amelia's Book Room: Leven Thumps & The Gateway To Foo

OK, folks, it's time for some fantasy. In Obert Skye's whimsical series, we meet Leven, a fourteen-year-old orphan living with his terrible aunt and uncle. He doesn't fit in well at school, his guardians hate him, and he's made fun of for the odd white streak in his otherwise midnight black hair. There's definitely something different about him... point proven when a tiny, strange creature named Clover appears and tells him he's got a destiny: to save not only this world, but another one, too!

We also get to know Winter Frore, a girl living not far away. There's something different about Winter as well; I don't want to spoil much, but let's just say things can get a little chilly around her! She doesn't know how, but she knows she has to find Leven, and she sets off to do just that. They begin their journey to save our world and the world of Foo from the evil Sabine. This is a really fun series, starting with Leven Thumps and the Gateway To Foo, if a little bit confusing at times.

You can visit the book website here. (I love the site music!) I hope you enjoy this week's book! I'm gonna try to find you guys a good spooky book for Halloween next week. What is everyone dressing up as? I will be a Sorceress! Happy reading!

Happy October