SEKRET by Lindsay Smith

SEKRET by Lindsay Smith

When I go to the library, I can almost never find a novel that I think would satisfy my emaciated brain. Browsing through the books at the library two days ago for an hour, I finally found a respectably interesting cover and a summary I did not know I probably craved so much before. (I trust my choice of also judging a book by its cover) The color scheme of the book’s cover was dark copper red, with aged paper background. Bringing it home that night was probably a major mistake because by the next day I finished all 345 pages of it. It was that good! The most delectable aspect of Sekret is the descriptions of the emotions and the settings, although the interwoven storyline was also savory. Let me give you the synopsis!

In 1960s Soviet Russia, seventeen-year-old Yulia who was struggling to keep her mother and brother alive is captured by the KGB to work on a team of teen psychic spies. Her attitude resembles that of Katniss’ from the Hunger Games: defiant, defendant, and strong headed. Not only does she struggle with who to trust, but is also caught between Sergei and Valentin, also two psychic spies with totally different personality and dreams. On top of that she has to run away from a notorious brain-scrubber—that just might turn out to be someone she loves dearly!

This book strangely relates a lot to The Hunger Games, except this time in the past. First, both Katniss from the Hunger Games, and Yulia both have a mother and a sibling they had to take care of. Both goes to the black market to trade. Both are in a love triangle. Both are captured and put through a challenge, revolving around life and death. Both does something game-changing. Although there are similarities, differences exists. Smith really writes the story fluidly, considering this is her first novel! and in a language that would not be like the sibling of the Hunger Games. It is totally different in a way that you will have to find out.

Since book is brand new, and I absolutely cannot wait for a second book (which I believe there will be, based on the major cliff-hanger)!

21 Day Challenge to Become a Better Human:

Hello guys!           

                                               

What is one thing that you want to accomplish desperately by the end of summer? Right after I took my last final the day school let out, I wanted to do nothing over the break but to relax and stop my—this is really sad—balding and deteriorating eye sight (from school-stress-- you know). Alas, hardly a week after I laid idly on the carpet (and sofa. And chair…) I decided to challenge myself, this time not for school purposes, but for my own development. To be honest, doing nothing feels so gross. I cannot find another word to suit that feeling. The more I lounged on the potato sofa, the more I felt like I was never going to get back up. Have you guys ever had that feeling before? Okay. So, I came up with some 9 challenges I thought would be beneficial to all of us. Here they are, listed in no particular order. I chose 21 days, because that is how many times you must do something before it becomes your habit! Ready to do this with me?

1.       Give back to nature (i.e.: Turn off the lights when you are not using it, unplug everything before bed, do you admit to not flushing the toilet after one use? Limit media time to 1 hour each day, walk around in the garden in the morning)

2.       Connection to people: (i.e.: Compliment people and let them know how much you appreciate them, use kind words only)

3.       Meditate (or spend time stretching or admire yourself in the mirror)

4.       Make the best use of your time every day (Please do get off the couch and do something. Just by forcing yourself to get up and actually doing what you want to be done makes you feel really eggs lent)

5.       Be happy (Do something that makes you feel…gooooooooood)

6.       Exercise (Go for a 30-60 minute walk every day, preferably before breakfast, or after dinner. Move around often if you cannot make time for exercise)

7.       Learn one new thing every day (non-textbook)

8.       Sleep at 10, wake up early (You will feel like a master)

9.       Drink a lot of water (You will fart a lot, which is actually eggs lent too)

Let’s see how this fares!

How to study!

How to study! (Wait—what?):

I have a problem. Since I am still a student in high school, I cannot say I cannot avoid studying. This seems a bit odd in my part. Although nobody should ever dislike studying, sometimes it is hard for me to actually find the point or see whether or not it makes me a better human. I am weird aren’t I! I find that I cannot ever effectively study! The reason, which I am beginning to realize, is that I do not enjoy what I do, and that it has no other purpose than to help me receive a good grade. Of course, there are other things to learn about in life, not just what is in the textbook. I wanted to find out what exactly can help me study well. Here I compiled a list of tips (some from somewhere I cannot recall) to help us effectively study:

•       Humility: Studying without a sense of humility is like pouring water over a stone, there’s no penetration. This means that we should not allow ourselves to be self-satisfied when we study. We learn more with a humble attitude, while satisfaction makes it difficult to hold onto anything.

•       Alertness: If you are not alert, you won’t be able to absorb the material in your textbooks. Then you won’t be able to apply it.

•       Perception: Lack of perception results in empty rationalizing. It has no practical use.

•       Application: When we study seriously, we must allow what we learn to affect us. We mull it over and reflect on it. By actually putting it into practice, we can truly obtain the benefits of studying.

Okay everybody that is all for today! Have a wonderful summer day, and whether you need these tips or not, please let me know what you think of them!

Hello all!

Recently, I have been loving Food52. It is a website full of amazing recipes-- but this time is different from the ones I usually see. This website is full of high quality, avant-garde pictures of the masterpieces written by amazing people. They take you step by step  Check it out! It is really worth it. Food52.com  My favorite recipe being the ginger pear muffin (and maybe also the Mango Lassi drink recipe)!

Hello everyone! 

I created this blog in hopes of sharing my everyday ideas that runs through my head in addition to experiences that I went through that may help brighten up your day. Whether it be a completely random new fact about how to eat a jack-fruit or a fantastic philosophy of mine or even one of my weird travels, I would like to share it all with you! I am just a 16 year old, living here in this rainy Seattle. This title of my blog reflects its intentions, where everybody can vent out or share their feelings and discuss-- under the Drusy tree. Now, you may be thinking, what a Drusy tree even is. And what a Drusy even is. Well, let me tell you. It is.... whatever your imagine it to be because I don't even know either. Hopefully, this blog/tree would grow healthily with daily doses of happiness! Please comment to let me know what you guys would like to see here more often!

My interpretation of a Drusy