Hullo, 2011. Sorry for the MIA.

I haven't posted anything since October. That's a long, long time. I can't say I was supremely busy but yes, I've been busy.

A lot of things happened in these three months of interlude.

My sister got married, I went to Phuket in Thailand and Kuala Lumpur, I turned 16, I attended a hell lot of parties and a lot of stuff.

I could've posted.. but that feeling I used to get when I used to write and post was missing. I didn't want to write in something which was not from my heart.

But then, who else but Mahima Jaju to break the block? :)

Anyway, I just finished reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows which completes the Harry Potter series for me and end of a big phase of my life.

All the clues, hints and characters woven from the previous book put forth in the last book, each having their own special place. This is one book that won't last for just a decade, but for ages.

Harry will surely join the likes of Alice, Huckleberry Finn, Tom Sawyer and Frodo.

Aside from that, I turned 16. I don't really feel any different. It feels just the same actually. The only difference being the +1.

I will be entering 11th grade this year. Higher Secondary School. It just seems time passed away too soon.

It feels like just yesterday when I was riding my tricycle in my lawn and now, I'm choosing my subjects which will determine the course of my life.

For once, I wish time would just stop and let me take in this moment.

There are no problems in my life. I am totally carefree. No responsibilities, no tension and no pressure.

All is well.

Just a few more months, and there'll be all these changes.

But well, Change is inevitable, Growth is intentional.

you can either accept it, or you'll be left behind.

My sister was going to be married. It was very, very hard at first.. but then you've got to accept and know that it is in her happiness, that lies your happiness.

It is in your loved one's hands, that lies your happiness.

You give your love with all your heart. You get back more. Warmer.

There's just one life to love.

Dumbledore taught me that.

Twilight better than Potter? REALLY, now?

I find it totally ridiculous how people can even dare to compare the Twilight saga to the epic Harry Potter books.
But there's still hope left in this world. Recently, the Facebook status of one of my friends was:

Nayantara Sam ‎"Harry Potter isn't Twilight, you know. It doesn't sell sex."

Yes, I couldn't agree more.
And then, I found a wonderful comment in the chain which perfectly distinguished and proved (Harry Potter doesn't even need to be proved) that Harry Potter is majestic while the Twilight books are grotesque literature.

Here is the comment (which is just a copy-paste of a random comment she found somewhere but I guess the former few lines are by her) :

Arushi Khosla
It would probably sell more if it sold sex. Maybe some of us would read it.
Instead it sells bullshit about sparkly vampires and girls with no self esteem.

What I believe is so alarming about Twilight is the fact that it causes impressionable teens to think impossible things. No one, absolutely no one, in the Harry Potter series that is worth liking (besides Fleur, but that's a stretch in itself) is described as attractive. The main characters are total geeks in the beginning. It's way more realistic. Cho, who is described as attractive, is one of the biggest mistakes Harry makes. She has terrible choice in friends, and doesn't prioritize in a sensible manner...also, if anyone caught in book 7 she tried to sneak Harry away. Cedric pretty-boy Diggory is seen for what he is in HP: a mindless and yet handsome face.

In Twilight, all of the characters are flat and hollow. None of them truly changes, and it does promote sexism in that Bella is completely dependent on Edward. (And yes, I have grounds to speak because I've read both series and watched all the movies.) It is frightening that Bella doesn't think before she acts, and puts her life on the line for a boy. I know it was for emphasis on her so-called "true love", but honestly? Also, Edward i s abusive in that he restricts Bella's communications with those she loves and cares about.

Twilight also demotes age...Bella's worst fear is getting old, while in Harry Potter, Albus Dumbledore and Bathilda Bagshot, both well into their lives, were seen as icons of wisdom and bottomless pits of knowledge. Twilight also promotes the fear of death and darkness, while Harry Potter puts all the cards on the table and shows how foolish it is to fear such things, and what the fear really is: the fear of the unknown. It is also more realistic, and releatable. Harry Potter's teen society shows what happens in real life: bad dates, awkward situations, mourning, confusion, and laughing when things are really, really funny.

Twilight was also poorly written. The language was repetitive, and the story line had no overall meaning. It was an empty love story, and that is all. It's upsetting Harry Potter fans because Twilight fans keep insisting that Twilight is anything more. Twilight fans like the story on the surface...just its story. This also relates back to the fan base. Harry Potter fans are, generally, heavier readers, and no offense, a tad more intelligent an d intellectual. Harry Potter fans look deeper than the surface, and were terribly disappointed to see that if they scratched the surface of Twilight, it's cavernous beneath it. Harry Potter is rock solid for miles.

If reviewers hadn't suggested that "Twilight is replacing Harry Potter," none of this would have happened. Personally, it's simply disappointing to see that people of any intelligence level can't recognize great literature when it's dancing naked in front of them.

So you see, I needn't say more. Everything is self-explanatory.
BTW, ^^She is very cool. She has this great blog - http://fabblab.blogspot.com

Well, that's that.
HARRY POTTER IS LEGENDARY. THANK YOU SO MUCH J. K. ROWLING.