Massacres

           Hey. So this is going to be a more-so sad post as I will be talking about 2 massacres. Wow, just typing that on my phone send chills done my spine o.o
         
*****CAUTION: If you are uncomfortable with me talking about a topic like this, feel free to not read this blog post. Check back on Thursday for a new post. Thank you*****
         
          To start, the most recent one: Colorado Theatre Massacre. I'm sure you've heard about this the past 2 weeks. It is unbelievable and unfortunate.
         Firstly, I just can't believe that it happened at a movie theatre. I mean, when you think of a movie theatre, you don't associate it with a massacre. You relate it to a movie, popcorn, drinks and candies. But now, it will make a mark on all movie-goers and theatres.
          As for the many who have been murdered or injured, my heart really goes out to them and their families. That could have easily been any of us. Well, after reading a few reports, the basic act of the murderer was that he entered through a fire escape door, headed into a movie venue showing "The Dark Night Rises" and from there on, used gas, bombs, and weapons wildly. Just trying to visualize that scares the heck out of me.
          All of these Batman fans are watching this movie with glued eyes on that one screen, and you come in and do this? The murderer has either been claimed or they are still checking if he is a psychopath or mentally ill. If that is so, the incident really couldn't be helped and a tragedy.

          However, after reading a report about the theatre massacre, it stated that that was the deadliest massacre in that area since the Columbine High School. And of course, me being a scared-but-curious person, I read about the Columbine High School massacre and it was truly horrific.
          I'll just to give you a brief summary so that I don't scare some of the readers. What happened was that these two senior guys decided that it would be the best revenge on their peers, who may have called them names and made them feel like outcasts, by firing guns wildly at students and bombing places around the school.
          These two massacres had around the same number of people killed and injured. I read a detailed description of the activity of these murderers and it was utterly disgusting. The whole plan of it at the school and everything. The victims that were killed were innocent students. And at the end, the murderers sucided.
          The whole massacre was ridiculous. It is even more ridiculous because they did it on Adolf Hitler's birthday, supposedly an idol to them. <- Just typing that, felt wrong.
           Things like this is what makes me question society and it's people. Who in their right minds would do such a thing? Especially to another human or living thing? Don't you feel remorse? I get that the 2 seniors were treated as outcasts, but haven't alot of people felt like that once in their life? I just can't believe that people would do this to one another.
               As I was reading about the second massacre, many other massacres were listed to be similar and that is just atrocious. Now I get why there is a quote that goes like this, Guns don't kill people. People with guns kill people. It is tragic that that quote it is actually true....
             This post was very difficult to write because I don't usually want to talk about these things on my blog and am not very comfortable doing it really, but because this has happened and is real, I had some thoughts on it and had to tell someone. Or, just type it on my blog, yeah, same thing.
           OH. I forgot to mention: One thing that is disappointing is that the theatre massacre maybe could have been prevented or at least reduced, if events like the previous massacres, made governments enforce their security laws and access to weapons.
          
         To end this post off with a more happier note, the Olympics are amazing so far. I watched like 5 hours straight for the past few days :P

Bloomed-> Blooming~
-Melanie

Katy Perry 3D Movie "Part of Me" Thoughts

           Monday is here. My post wasn't written at around noon (so that you guys could see it during the day) because that was when I woke up and from then until now, I pretty much just watched the Olympics and had a nap. However, I do have a post today.
          About 2-3 weeks ago, my cousin and I decided to go to the mall on my birthday: July 13th. (I know, it was Friday the 13th, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't celebrate my birthday too). It was also my other cousin's birthday too! Except Vivien is exactly one year younger than me xP
          Anyways, before we went, we had to decide if we just wanted to go shopping or watch a movie. My cousin wanted to both, so then we looked at what movies were in the theatres. "Part of Me", Katy's Perry's documentary was in the theatres. I really wanted to watch it. 

           Although I didn't know much about her other than her many songs, I was still interested because she is a HUGE artist and celebrity with many hit singles. Also, since I had watched Justin Bieber's documentary through the screen of a bus on our way back from a class trip to Montreal, and found it to be quite good, I was even more excited about another documentary of a celebrity, like Katy Perry.
            Documentaries are meant to be realistic and I think that's what I like about them. They show their fame, but at the same time, they show the world that their life isn't actually as glorifying as it seems because they have struggles too.

            Anyways, in Katy Perry's documentary, she shows the struggles to fatigue and the balance between her year long tour and her marriage with Russell Brand. Props to her for getting through and finishing her tour. 

           Furthermore,  in this documentary, they talk about how she writes her songs, her performances, backstage meetups, the costumes, the concert arenas, her marriage, how her career got started,etc. 

           I actually cried at one part in the movie where her husband filed a divorce with Katy and she had a  mental and emotional breakdown. Before this was shown in the documentary, I already thought that their relationship was in jeopardy because she would always be the one flying back, on her ONLY days off from the tour, to where he was, just so they can see each other, while Russell Brand didn't seem to make much of an effort.

            Onto the 3D glasses:

           These glasses were designed uniquely and look amazing! They're much better than those plain black ones. Katy Perry personalized them quite well. All I know is that I'm keeping these 3D glasses :D
            But, while I was trying to look up a picture on Google for these glasses so that I wouldn't need to take my own, I came across these 3D Glasses for Katy Perry's movie that had heart shaped shades and I am very jealous of them >.<
           To end this post off, I hope you guys will go out and see a documentary of your idol or someone you're interested in because you will discover a lot of things that you didn't know about them. Like me, I didn't know that she was even married OR that she was on tour.
Now go~

Bloomed -> Blooming~
-Melanie

* On the side note, my cousin and I went running twice in the past week or so and ran around 2km each time ^.^ Starting to get motivated to go by myself soon :D
         

Rant #5: No Life

          Okay. So, I wasn't planning to post another thing today but a dispute just occurred between my dad and I and I just had to rant about it. Let's get started.

         I'm sure that I've mentioned this already but I'll mention it again: I am sooo boring. Like, there is no depth within my personality. During the school year, I volunteer and attend my badminton games after school. Those are the only 2 reasons as to WHY I would stay after school. (If neither happen, I'd just go home.) Once after that, I'd head home and eventually get my homework done. Homework done by the end of the day is pretty much the goal. On top of that, I help prepare for dinner and I clean the entire 3 floors of my house on Saturday. That's even more than you can expect from someone, right?
          WELL, my dad tells me after I play like 5 minutes of Temple Run that buying a phone has negatively affected me. Okay, let me tell you something fellow lurkers: I am not your stereotypical phone-addicted, school failing, party girl. That is what my dad thinks I'll become. Wait, correction: he worries that I won't get fricken 90's on all of my school subjects. SMFH.
          I am a slacker, no doubt about it. However, I have limits to them and will get my work and any duties completed on time. That man who I call a father can go suck something because if he thinks that 100% of my time should be on reading(they're fiction books btw), he is a jerk. I have a life you know. Even if it is just texting my cousin or watching YouTube videos. Plus, by the way he uses his free time, it looks like he has a LIFE too! I feel like he thinks that I have no value unless I'm intelligent, yet the irony of it is that he didn't even complete high school -.-
          So, my message is that everyone deserves to have a well balanced, (work, social, health/ fitness, &amp; spiritual) life. So, to my dad, just because you give me a book, it doesn't mean that I'll read it. I work through self-motivation. Thanks for reading and my next post should be up on Monday. Till then~


Bloomed->Blooming~
-Melanie

Itchy Arms While Watching the Olympics?

          Hey GUYS :3 So, since you guys normally like to see blogs about my daily life and activities, I will grant you that wish -waves wand-
          So, unless you have been living under a rock, I'm sure that you know that the Olympics start today at 2pm Eastern time! I hear that the swimming competitions are today ^.^ I am always so amazed by their skills because I'm not that strong of a swimmer o.o
          Yesterday, I watched the opening ceremonies, which lasted 3 and a half hours -.- Don't get me wrong, it was pretty awesome with Mary Poppins and J.K.Rowling, but it sure was time consuming. Also, when Paul McCartney ended the ceremony with "Hey Jude", I was really confused because I thought that he died >.< Turns out, he's 70 years old and still has a great voice! Sorry >.<
           Anyways, over these past 2 days, I've been getting random itching all over my arms. It is sooo irritating! I think it is because of the leaves on the plants in the garden, but who knows? Hopefully, it'll end soon. I've been using a bag of ice and some Asian cream to help with the itching. All is well, for now and as for you, Watch the Olympics! 

 Bloomed-> Blooming~ 
-Melanie

DIY - How to Re-size your Pants

Hello. Today, I will be teaching you how to re-size your pants. Here it is:

          First off, you want to make sure that the pair of pants that you are working with is too large for you. (You can re-size your pants if they're too small but then you'd need extra fabric of the same kind. Also, it may not look as well-put-together as one re-sized smaller, rather than larger.)

         Here, I have a pair of light, white, nylon sports shorts. The problem that I had with this was that the waist part was too wide (even with the strings tied tight) and therefore, led the sides and the pant leg holes to be wide as well. I was, however, not concerned about the length of it, as it hit about a little longer than mid-thigh.

I edited the picture to look more appealing :P I also included a  watermark~

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Okay, so for this DIY, you will need: 

• A tape measurer (I used one of those flexible ones, which would be best, since you will be measuring your body. Best if it is measured in inches or centimeters, so that it has small intervals.)
• A pair of scissors  (One that will cut through fabric smoothly. I have used a pair of shears and they weren't that bad, so those may work.)
• Chalk (There is special chalk that is made for fabric uses, but I didn't have any, so instead, I used chalkboard chalk.)
• Thread (It would make most sense to find some that are the same colour)                                              
• OPTIONAL: Tweezers (You can use this to assist you when removing threads in order to break apart fabric pieces or when you have committed an error with sewing.)
• OPTIONAL: Sewing Machine (You will need to know some basic sewing techniques, otherwise, you can get assistance or sew by hand.)

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Now, for my diagram~ 

-opens curtains-

Same picture from above but with lines and words :D

          I decided to name the different seams, so that I can distinct them apart from one another. I am not sure that all of them are correctly named, but it did help me from confusing myself. So, as you can see, there are 5 seams that we will be working with:

Waist Length Seam - This is where your pants normally sit on your waist. You will need to measure this length with the tape measurer. Write the measurement down and label it. With these pants in particular, it has an elastic waist band on it. Therefore, it isn't too bad if it is slightly tighter. However, that doesn't mean that the fabric on the pants is that length, as you will see.

Center Seam - This is an important one because you have 2, possibly different, lengths for the front and the back. So, make sure you measure both ends, from just under the waist band, until right in between your legs. Label them "Back Center Seam" and the other "Front Center Seam". TIP: I suggest that you add three or so inches onto both the Front and Back Seams because my pants came out slightly tighter than I preferred.

Side Seam - Now this is where you measure how long you want your pants to be. Measure from just under the waist band right to where you want your pants to end at (same length or shorter than the original). At this stage, you MUST figure out how thick or thin you want your pant leg fold to be. Do you want them at about an inch? A centimeter? Once you figure this out, Triple it(as you will be folding it inwards, twice, for a hem, in order to cover another hem) and add it onto this measurement. Both side seams should be about the same lengths.

Inseam - This is the measurement that is present in between your legs. This one, you have to also add your pant leg fold too. Triple it and add it onto this measurement.

Pant Leg Seam - Go to the point of where you want your pants to end. Measure across your leg. This can be as tight or as loose as you want. I wanted mine to be fairly loose so that I could run in it :D Add about an inch for the hem in the Center Seam.

          Now, once you have gotten all this information measured and written down, take a look at the different stitches that are used. You can write this down, but it is not essential unless you want a particular type of stitching. After that, we are headed to cutting.

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          I started off by cutting off the pant leg hems. I actually originally hadn't wanted to because the length was perfect, but it later turned out to be much more difficult to take it apart. Soooo, I just cut them off. You will not be needing them once you cut them off because you will be creating new ones.

TIP: Don't cut 2 layers of fabric at a time. Cut a hole and put your scissors through it to cut one at a time.

FACT: These pants
were XL or L when
I found them. I
normally wear a
medium, and even
that is somewhat
loose.

          Next, you cut off the waist band. Any tags can also be removed at this point. After this, I suggest that you start taking the thread apart from the white fabric and the elastic waist band located underneath it.  I don't suggest, however, to take it all apart. Just the ones that are necessary, which are the ones near the raw edge that you had just cut. This will make it easier for you when you sew this back onto the pants and at the same time,you will not have to re-sew the entire fabric-to-waist-band back together. 

 FACT: The fabric on the waist band is much wider than the elastic underneath it. This is created so that the fabric is snug and tight on the elastic as well as having enough fabric for if the elastic were to stretch.

         After that is done, you can either take apart the threads along the front and back inseams and center seams OR if the pants are really loose, you can just cut the hem off. Remember: cut one fabric at a time.

The Front Center Seam and Front Inseam are cut.

          Here you can see the layout of the pants, for all you visual learners out there. At this step, you must continue to either take apart or cut off the hems for the Back Center Seam and the Back Inseam.

Once you've completed that, you will get something like this. 

FACT: This took me approximately 7 hours to make, which included alot of re-measuring -.- 

                  The only difference between mine and yours is that the top left on the left side of my pants and the top right on the right side of my pants, there are needles. You can use a threading needle, which is what I used, OR, you can use one of those meant for holding fabric, like those used to hold hijabs. This is used to hold the fabric in place while you start measuring out the different seams that you recorded earlier, and marking them onto the fabric using your chalk.

TIP: Cutting less off is more easily to fix than cutting more off.

To help you guys out, I have added another picture of the diagram here for your convenience.

QUESTION: What do you think about my editing skills? It took me a few hours to get going smoothly with the editing software, which is Paint.Net. I had to get the 3.0 version (first released 5 years ago -.-) because my computer doesn't have an update from Windows to use the latest version.

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          Once you have marked all of your measured areas on your pants, you're almost set. However, the problem with this is the elastic waist band. My strategy was to put the waist band that was cut off of the pants, around my waist and pull it until it was nice and snug. Then I predicted that I needed it about 1/9 shorter from that. Therefore, with the power of ratios and fractions, I measured the waist length seam that wasn't shortened yet, divided it by nine and shortened it by that amount. Later on, when my mom was sewing it together, she actually found that the pants waist length seam was wider than the waist band, but she made it work. So, I guess just shorten the waist length seam a bit more, but you can always make it work. I think by doing this though, it creates a more puffy illusion. The sides right under the elastic waist band stick out. Change by your preference.
         As for the sewing part, just try to hem the ends nicely on the INSIDES (:P) and adjust it if you find that you've sewed something wrong. And here is the result~

This is me xP

          I hope that you found this DIY- How to Re-size your Pants helpful! This is actually my first DIY(with the help of my mom, for most of the sewing part) but it turned out great! As for now, I don't think I have much to DIY. I mean, I have alot of items that are too big for me, but for now, they are too hard for a beginner to attempt.
          Please leave your comments, questions, and suggestions about this DIY below. It would be very helpful for other readers and I to learn from. As for other commentary, I would like to know how you guys think about my editing, the photos, and what kind of posts you want me to write next. (Realistically though, I do not have a large enough of a fan base to fulfill these questions with answers, but because I have typed those questions, you can tell that I like to think that I do ^.^) and as for the HELLA LOOOOONG post,......yeahh....BYE!

Bloomed-> Blooming~
-Melanie

Btw, Happy 5 1/2 months of blogging to me~

WHAT UP. WHAT UP!?!

Soooo, lately, as in this past month, I have been just plain lazy and have probably lost many of my few existing viewers, other than my friend( you know who she or you are~) and my cousin.
Anyways, alot has happened and I will try to project it into this blog. I can assure you that a DIY-How to resize your pants, a birthday post, friend hangout post, shopping trip post and just plain and sheer days of what I call: My Boring Life during the Summer break.
Anyways, you may be wondering how come I chose now to write a post.
Well, fellow bloggers and/or stalkers, I got a cell phone! I am getting and have gotten mixed reactions to this because some will say,"You're sooo lucky!"and others have been waiting for a while for me to get one. I was originally going to get it in Grade 9 but delayed it until the end of June. I got a Samsung Galaxy Nexus X :).
Sooo, from now on I may do alot of these short posts straight from my phone. However, since I don't have data, I use Wi-Fi and it is pretty weak. Anyways, hope the rest of you are having a great Summer vacation! Talk to you soon-with pictures sometimes!

Bloomed -> Blooming~
-Melanie