Guest Post | 10 Best Harry Potter Quotes

Hi!

It's Leen, Sena's sister, big Harry Potter fan! (I'm sure Sena mentioned this on her blog before)

Harry Potter is the best series there could ever be, so here are ten quotes from the book:

It was very hard to only chose 10 quotes, and that is why I will add an 11th one:

And... that's it. Bye! :)

@KhateebLeen
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Thanks to Leen for taking the time to write this post! I'm a huge sucker for quotes! ("The Hunger Games" is the best series, though. Really, no kidding! :P)

If you would like to guest post on my blog, contact me via:
Facebook: Snapshots
Twitter: @SenaKhateeb
Kik: @SenaKhateeb
Email: sena.khateeb @ gmail . com
Or by commenting on my posts!
I hope you all had a great weekend! :]

The Book Thief

Topic:

Tuesday, September 24: Review a book, place, or product.

I decided to review a book I recently finished reading:

Title: The Book Thief

Author: Mark Zusak

Paperback Edition: 554 pages

First Published: January 1st, 2005

GoodReads Average Rating: 4.36/5 stars

The Book Thief tells the story of a girl, Liesel, who lives near Munich in Germany during World War II in 1993. Liesel learns how to read and write with the help of her foster father, and soon becomes so attached to books that she steals them. She is friends with a boy named Rudy, and soon becomes friends with Max; and Max is a Jewish man who hides at their house in fear of being caught by the Nazis.  It also shows the indecency and brutality of war and of the Nazis, it reveals the torture Jewish people (and anyone who sympathizes with them) faced. Liesel loses so many people she loves during this war, and there are very hear-touching scenes; such as when her foster father gets whipped after throwing bread for the Jewish, or when she recovers the dead bodies of Rudy and her foster parents... Overall, the book is very emotional (I read too many emotional books!), and something I really liked about it was the fact that it was narrated by Death. (yes, Death.)

The book is very well written, the events are realistic, the characters are easy to get attached to.

Check my GoodReads review of The Book Thief here.

Lately, I...

Topic:

Monday, September 23: A "life lately" post. What you're up to, how you're feeling, how you're doing on your goals, etc. 

Hmm... Life lately...

• I've been eating healthier for a while now, so no more chocolate and cakes during recess time, but carrots and cucumbers instead. I used to walk (twice everyday, actually, in the morning and afternoon) as part of the healthy lifestyle I'm adapting, but I stopped. I don't even know why.
• I bought new glasses, and that is actually a huge relief because I don't have to take my glasses off whenever someone talks to me while wearing them (that's how old-fashioned my old ones were!).

• I started school a few days ago (I'm still getting used to waking up and getting dressed in the morning. It seems like no matter how early I get up, I'm always a little late).
• Today was our first history period and it was such a letdown. I usually love history, but this period was seriously boring. The "I-would-rather-sit-and-watch-an-empty-living-room-for-45 minutes-than-sit-in-history-class" type of boring.
• I have to study well and concentrate in all classes because this is a critical school year. I actually feel nervous and a little scared when I come to think of the official exams I'll have to go through, but I guess that is just normal.
• I have to take my SATs as well, and I should have studied for them in the summer. So I feel bad. (It's not a nice feeling FYI).
• I'm still working on Rawafid's library wall, coloring it is taking so much more time than I thought it would take! But it's loads of fun.
• My room is neat, (really neat. It was never this neat before.) And not because I'm forced to clean it by my mom, but because, apparently, I'm neat right now. Kinda.
• Our two kittens died not too long ago, Fluffy was sick and Beaky was hit by a car. :(

• I haven't worked on the book I'm writing for a while now, and I miss the characters and I miss writing, but it just feels like I need to be in a specific mood to write. And I'm caught up in so many things, and working on my book is not one of those things.
• I'm happy that Fall is here! I love the rain and chilly weather, hoodies and sweaters...
• I recently finished reading The Hunger Games Companion and The Book Thief. I want to start on The Host or Me and Earl and The Dying Girl, both books seem nice. I miss being able to read all day long and not have anything else to do. :(

• Internet has been exceptionally slow, and it keeps coming and going. It is such a struggle. 
  
  

Really, I could go on forever, but I think that's enough LOL. How has your life been recently? 

Comfort

Topic: 

Friday, September 20: React to this term: comfort

What is comfort to me? Comfort is...

...Time spent with family,

TV with my dad,

Cracking jokes with my mom,

Nights on the balcony with Leen,

Taking silly pictures with Amin,

Drawing with Rafah,

Singing with Yaman,

Friends I can trust,

And people I can discuss ideas with..

Comfort is...

....Books, books, books,

Sitting near the fire in winter,

Hoodies and pajama bottoms,

Autumn and rain and red tree leaves.

Doing what I like,

Coloring, Reading, Writing, Drawing..

Knowing that there are people there for me.

Comfort is living healthily and positively,

Comfort is envisioning a bright future,

Comfort is dreaming..

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What is comfort for you? What comes up to your mind when you hear the word comfort? :]

12 Before 12 (Updated)

School is on the doors! It's my last year! (Can't wait till I'm over with high school. Really.)

I'm so sad summer's over, it went by so fast :( And, I'm not excited for school. At all. Especially because of the pressure of grade 12 and official exams.

There is so much I need to do before school starts, below are 12 things I should accomplish before I head to grade 12:

1. Clean my room: Typical end of summer activity. Boo  Done: Friday. Sept. 13th
2. Finish working on Rawafid's library wall: In case you didn't know (I'm sure you didn't), I'm working on a huge drawing (which is practically little drawings around a quote) for Rawafid School. I still need to color it. I'll blog about it later! (It's taking so much more time that I thought it would!! And I can't work now, anyways, I'm too caught up with school :/)
3. Put all the healthy recipes I've been collecting and bookmarking and taking screenshots of together in one place.
4. Work on my book. I haven't worked on it for a while now, like a week. :(
5. Spend a day out with Leen.
6. Get back on track concerning my daily walks.
7. Finish reading at least 3 books.
8. Update my gallery on Snapshots. (I did start on this before school, I really did, but my laptop ran out of battery and the rest is history..)
9. Buy new glasses! The ones I have are too old-fashioned. (Can't go back to school with the same old fashioned glasses, now can I?)
10. Practice what I learned about InDesign and Illustrator this summer. Really need to do this but the CD I got won't work. (CD isn't working)
11. Buy new school supplies! Each year, I wait until after we start school to buy my notebooks, and that leaves me with tons of pages to copy. Not practical.
12. Decorate my converse. They're getting old anyways, and I saw this great tutorial about decorating converse shoes.

I'll update this post after school starts; hopefully I'll finish doing all those things. Other than those 12 things, I'll be mourning the end of summer! Are you happy to get back to school/ work/ college? Did your vacation end yet? :]
So I finished 5/12. Not good. (But I did start school earlier than I expected I would, since I changed schools.) 

Blogtember Day 6: Make it Happen

Topic: 

Tuesday, September 10: Describe a distinct moment when your life took a turn.

(Yes, I do realize that I spelled 'either' wrong in the picture, but I don't have the original picture saved- courtesy of Google images- and I don't feel like looking for it and editing it again. Okay. To the topic now!)

I think my life changed when I read the book, The Secret. I have always considered myself positive, or at least more positive than all my friends, and even they admitted so (I had some pretty pessimistic friends). But the way I viewed everything, the way I viewed the problems I faced, the people I met, the things I saw… the way I viewed my life and surroundings, changed: I could see, or at least try to see, the bright side in everything. I started believing that I could do what I put my mind to. I still tell my best friend that “your thoughts become things” whenever she has a negative thought (it was mentioned in the book).

And one change led to another change, and I became more organized. I began to value time more; if we’re going to Beirut and I forget to bring a book with me for the one hour and thirty minutes drive, I feel so bad because I can’t simply waste this much time doing nothing!

One of the quotes that really stuck out to me from the book was one by Henry Ford: "Whether you think you can or think you can't, wither way you are right."; and I think- no, believe- that everyone should live by this quote.

When was a point when your life changed? :]

Blogtember Day 2 | Getting Away

Topic:

Wednesday, September 4: If you could take three months off from your current life and do anything in the world, what would you do?

I wish, more than anything, that I could take a few months off and go to a place so far from here, to get away. I love city-life, and if it weren't now, I would challenge myself to go skydiving, I would go all over the world: to Australia, France, Brazil, UAE, Italy, Switzerland... But right now, if I could leave, I'd go to a secluded place, a tree house somewhere far maybe, near a lake and trees, because I just feel like I need it. It would give me so much time to read and write and draw, to do things I love, things that make me happy, and to stop thinking about anything else.

I'd take long walks, and pray, and sing. It would be so peaceful and relaxing and serene and calm...

But in reality, I have school in two weeks.

Where would you go if you could take some time off from your current life? 

Happy Birthday John Green!

John Green was born on August 24th, 1977 (so technically, his birthday was 3 days ago). He's an author (one of my favorites), specifically a Young Adult Fiction writer. He once said that "Nerd life is just so much better than regular life", now how cute is that? He also runs a YouTube channel with his brother Hank called VlogBrothers, and their videos have reached more than 2 million views! Their slogan is DFTBA (Don't Forget To Be Awesome), and their followers are called Nerdfighters.

Blog: (John Green's blog)

Twitter account: (@realjohngreen)

YouTube Channel: (VlogBrothers)

His books which I have read (and loved)

• An Abundance of Katherines (GoodReads Review): A book that will make you LOL. It tells the story of a boy, Colin, who has a thing for girls named Katherine (with a 'K'). One of my favorite characters is Hasan, who is Lebanese and Muslim. But that is not why I liked his character, but because he's very spontaneous and funny.

One of my favorite quotes from the book:

• Looking For Alaska (GoodReads Review): His first novel. And Alaska is actually the name of a girl, not the place. The book tells the story of Miles, a boy obsessed with peoples' last words, who goes to a boarding school and meets Alaska, the Colonel, and others.. Everything changes for Miles, and this book talks about it.

One of my favorite quotes from the book:

• THE FAULT IN OUR STARS (GoodReads Review): The book, which has an average of 4.51/5 stars rating on GoodReads, talks about how Augustus (former cancer patient) changes the life of a girl named Hazel (who has cancer). The story is very sad and tragic, and yet you cannot stop reading it once you start. The Fault in Our Stars is one of my favorite books. Ever. And it's being made into a movie now! Yay, I'm so happy :]

Some of the quotes I loved from this book

All four novels (including Paper Towns, which I haven't read yet) have been bestsellers. (They deserve it!). I hope he keeps on writing books til forever! 

A Book I Read: Inside Apple

Inside Apple by Adam Lashinsky 

(GoodReads Review)

I read the Arabic version of this book, and the translation by Daniel Saleh was really good and easy to follow. The book goes deep into one of the largest, most successful companies in the world, discussing points like:

• The importance of secrecy within the company
• Giving attention to even the slightest details
• Company tactics
• Apple University
• The company going against major business concepts
• Apple's relation with its fans
• Steve Jobs: his personality, temper, obsession with details etc...

The author poses a few questions concerning Apple's future:

• How long will the company survive after the death of Steve Jobs?
• Does the company have what it takes to stay on top?

The language used in the book is easy and interesting, and it keeps you reading until the very end. I highly recommend it especially if you're a fan of Apple products, if you're into technology and technological devices, or if you're simply just curious. Other books I discovered (but haven't read yet) after reading Inside Apple were:

• Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson (A biography)
• Inside Steve's Brain by Leander Kahney
• The Facebook Effect by David Kirkpatrick

Day @ Library

Leen & I helped organize the books for Rawafid School's new library yesterday (on Sat. Aug. 17th).

Expectation: 

• Sit in the library, surrounded by novels
• Add new titles to our to-read list
• Arrange novels on shelves

Reality: 

• Go to a very small storage room
• Separate old books from new books & school textbooks from other books
• Take regular books to library
• Throw old books into a truck fixed under the window
• Get pants & hands dirty
• Build a huge stack of books (twice, it fell the first time)
• Take lots of pics

So, we didn't exactly help at the library.

Old books (duh!)

Making of the "Sena-Leen Book Tower":

Result:

TA-DA! (I had to hold on to it for fear of having it fall again)

I searched for the world record for the "tallest book towers", & came across a few pretty cool records:

• Tallest Tower of Open Hardcover Books: 42 Books- Set by Andrea Watson & her friend from Canada on March 31st, 2013
• Most Books Stood On At Once: 48 Books- Set by a guy from the USA on March 27th, 2012
• Tallest Book Tower Stacked in A Corner: 107 Books- Set by Ferran Carlos from Spain on April 14th, 2012
• Tallest Book Tower Balanced On Chest: 86 Books- Set by Joshua Mallik from Kuwait on March 29th, 2010
• Tallest Paperback Book Tower: 27.5 inches high- Set by someone from Georgia in the USA on February 13th, 2013

Cool, huh?

So many books were thrown away because they're too old and of no use. We saw a book from the year 1970! Who would need a geography book that old? Most of the old books were from the 90's though. What a waste.

Aaaand... we got free unhealthy treats! :P

And looky looky at what we found! National Geographic Magazines! <3

Leen's actual words: "who, in his right mind, would throw these?" (I later figured out that the magazines were from years 1993 and 1994. But still)

And this basically summarizes our day! How was everyone's weekend?