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? :]

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

How to Get Inspired

Writer's block is one of the most annoying things. Ever. Especially when the desire to write is there, but the ideas aren't. How to get inspired?

Notice the little things:

This is probably the most important thing of all. Open you eyes to everything around you. It's amazing how many new stuff you'll discover and notice. Notice the ladybug on that plant you're passing by, the sound you make when breaking an egg, the way you move your toes when you're nervous. Just notice anything and everything. A simple thing can lead to an epic idea.

The colored buttons on a remote control, for example, might inspire you to write about a very emotional character that goes from angry to happy to sad in no time.

Read:

I guess reading just really stimulates the mind. And you don't really see the effect of reading on writing, until you start writing. That is when a simple word, incident, or sentence in a book begins to inspire you to create something of your own. Besides, it's so much fun!

Go on a walk:

Except if it's way too hot or way too cold. Best weather is a little breezy, maybe a little cloudy and a little sunny. Take a walk to just look around, breathe fresh air, and of course notice everything around you. The sky, the dried up river, the trees, the ugly cockroaches... 

Have ice-cream:

Give yourself a treat for working hard. Enjoy it. (Vegetables with Hummus is a healthier choice, but it's okay to have ice-cream every now and then!)

Laugh:

Learn to love life. A positive attitude not only makes you happier, but it also makes everything around you nicer.

Feel beautiful:

Mainly because writing is a beautiful thing to do (as everything done with passion), and because every single person is beautiful in his/her own way. And because when we see the beauty inside us, we start seeing it all around us. It's contagious, just like that. And it will transfer to your work.

Start writing:

Don't just sit and wait for the inspiration to hit out of nowhere (although sometimes it does and it's just the most beautiful feeling ever). Start writing. Just put your hands on your keyboard and type, or grab a pen and a notebook. Write whatever comes up to your mind, the editing comes later.

You don't have to be writing to do those. You could be working on a painting, a presentation, a design... 

I'M 16!

Well, while I was randomly surfing the internet, I randomly came across a website, and I ever so randomly signed up for an account there.

That's not the cool thing. The cool thing is that you have to be at least 13 years old to sign up! Now, how amazing is that!? I'm sixteen, and this feels so damn good because you have to be 13 to register; not 17 or 18 or 99! Yay :)

Okay Bye.