Ellen Hopkins books

If you love books as much as I do, along with some poetry, you know who Ellen Hopkins is and you know about her books.

I wanted to take a post to talk briefly about it because I was finally able to get a copy of one of her books for a deal because ever since she became a Best-Selling Author, her books cost about $20-30 each. I buy most of my books on thriftbooks.com, I strongly urge everyone to buy books there if you don't already. They also sell textbooks for all you college students who need more affordable textbooks for your semesters.

I am currently reading "Tilt" by Ellen Hopkins and of course I'm in love it. My love for her books started when I was still a teenager and I went to my public library way more often to get my books. The first book I found by her was "Burned." I finished that book in three days because I became so immersed in it. When I went back to my public library, I tried to find another book by her but all of her books were checked out. That was when I learned that all her of books were vastly popular and it was going to be hell to get another book by her.

Over time, I was able to buy my own copies of her books and I was more than thrilled because her books are amazingly written to me. Sure, each book is around 500 pages but each page is a poem so each page isn't filled to the brim with words.

Each book is it own story about teenagers and what is going on in their lives. I know some people might say it's dramatic because of some of the situations but it is the teenager's life stories which is why I can't help but get sucked into her books. I get angry, sad, or feel happy at what each character has to experience. A lot of the time I feel it isn't fair but that is their current life; this is real life for not just these character but for teenagers and people who can relate or has experiences similar situations.

I will end things here because I finally started reading another one of her books and I just wanted to share with you guys. I really hope you guys end up picking up a copy of any of the Ellen Hopkins books. Please follow me on TWITTER @midnighthuee and tell me which copy you have. Everything I say here is just a suggestion.

Smiling is great for you and the people around you too. Try to do one good deed a day and until next time, Take Care <3

Get Out

I watched this movie last weekend because of the reviews that I was seeing all over the place. Everyone was saying that this movie is wonderful, despite it being a thriller, because it brings to life how racism does still affect black people in our country. I cannot relate to those struggles as much because I am not considered black. Hispanics are not considered black because we are Hispanic. Everyone calls us Spanish and calls it a day. There is still a group of Hispanic people who do not want to admit that they are black or do not even realize that they are like myself growing up. My culture is Hispanic therefore, that was my surroundings. As I got older, I realized that I am black too because I am not White nor Asian and there are only three races in our world; Black, White, and Asian. 

The only thing, at this point in my life, that I can relate to is not being considered "black enough." I'm already going to give you my thoughts on that and it is that it is just fucking stupid to say to a black person that they are not "black enough" for whatever ridiculous criteria they have for a black person. Being black is not what we are "trying" to be, black people is what we are and black people come in many shapes, sizes, and colors just like White and Asian people. Our Earth is mixed with so many mixed people that it is a shame to hear such comments in modern and developed societies. 

I digress, returning to the movie, it is great and if you have not seen it yet, you better go catch it while it's still in theaters or if you can find it online I encourage that too; save your money. The movie is so well done in the sense that every theme in the movie ties into each other so well such as, white supremacy, racism, slavery, race when it comes to certain jobs, psychology, slavery, history, and how black people may be viewed today. It is so good. This movie tackles so many issues that are still relevant today and approaches them through a horror/thriller movie because all of those issues are scary to and for anyone who can relate to it. I think it is the perfect way to address such scary issues; through a thriller to show how serious these issues really are.

Also do keep in mind that it is suppose to be a thriller and it is. There are some fantasy aspects in  that movie that only does happen in horror films so please be mindful of that fact that is in indeed, a horror movie and it is rated R

I do not want to give too much away about what happens in the movie since it's a thriller; I might practically give everything away. I wanted to mainly discuss the main themes surrounding the movie is all so I will end this here. Please go watch the movie and try bringing a friend for discussions because this movie is going to cause some great discussions in my opinion.

Please follow me on TWITTER @midnighthuee and tell me if you've seen the movie and what you think. Everything I say on my blog is merely a suggestion, I am not telling anyone to do anything.

Remember to smile because it causes you to feel that much more happier when you're having a bad day, smile to a stranger and until next time, Take Care <3

Relationships

Okay everyone, this one is going to be a toughy because everyone has different relationships and everyone may have a different definition for relationships.

I wanted to touch on this topic a bit because I am dealing with what feels like a bunch of emotional stuff right now and channeling it somewhere productive could help with organizing it.

But I'm confident that we can all agree on having a healthy relationship is extremely important.

So what does a healthy relationship look like? I'm asking this to get you thinking so that you can pay attention to the first thing(s) that comes to mind for you. Some people might automatically think about romantic relationships when I am talking about all types of relationships we have.

I know when we hear the word relationship, we automatically think of a romantic one because we were programmed by our society to automatically think about romantic relationships when we have and will have so many different kinds of relationships. We need to be considering our other relationships because they're important to our everyday living; it's creates a sense of peace when you have a healthy relationship with everyone around us that we see on a daily or weekly basis.

Starting with our parents, that is the first real relationship we have. It is very important because that is the first relationship we develop in life. I know, right off the bat, that everyone does not have the best relationship with their parents or even have one with their parents. I think it is important to be aware of what kind of relationship is there and to accept it as is and don't let it ruin you future relationships because everyone is different. That is factual. You can and will meet someone you can have a healthy relationship with even if you didn't start with one.

Relationships with your friends are the next kind we will encounter when you start school or however early our parents were having us interacting with other kids. Most of the time, more deeper friendships start to form however we start our education. Since we were very young we are taught how to interact with other people our age and how to speak with them; how to have a conversation with another human being.

I know a lot of people might not pay too much mind to this but our environment(s) does play a role in how we interact with other people. As we get older and head to different schools, some people interact how they usually do with some but some might switch things up depending on where they are and who is it specifically that they're conversing with. An example is how high school boys are with their male friends and how different they may interact with a female friend if he is interested in her romantically. Those three relationships that one high school boy has are very different from one another. The relationship he has with the boys in his life are different than the women he has in his life along with both of those relationships being different than the one he has with the girl he is romantically interested in. Nonetheless, all three of those relationships matters because it shows a part of his trail through life.

The third kind of relationship, the romantic one, is one that can occur at anything throughout our lives. 

Here I am going to start point out what healthy relationships include across the board.

Communication. We were taught since we were really young how to talk to one another about what we are thinking and how we feel. Learning how to listen is very important because you want to give the other person time to express themselves and also for them to feel comfortable enough to speak their thoughts and emotions. We also learn how to express ourselves in a way that the other person can understand what we are trying to express and why we feel and think the way we do.

Growing with each other. When all go through phases throughout life. Even when we are adults, we are still learning about things everyday and we continue to find ourselves. It is important to be with people who realizes that we do not finish growing when we become adults. Our habits and how we view the world changes a little everyday. Therefore, we change a little everyday. When our friends support us with however we want to change our appearance for example, it helps us find ourselves much sooner rather than later. I know I appreciate my friends for accepting me when I started wearing makeup more and supporting any new hobby I recently discovered because it makes me feel that much more complete and comfortable in myself even if I might switch things up next month.

Spending time together. I know this is an obvious one but it's called quality time, not quantity time for a reason. You can spend a lot of time with someone but if you do not feel your relationships growing, if you do not feel like you're learning more about the other person then that might not be the person for you. There are some people who are just fine with doing the same thing with the people in their lives everyday but others are not. Some people truly feel if they cannot learn from the people in their lives, they do not want to interact with them much. This includes going out to museums for example, anywhere they can learn something new. Having in-depth conversations about topics related to social constructs and current events for example can help broaden our horizons too.

Those are three main qualities everyone should search for in any relationship because you want to feel comfortable in all of your relationships enough to be yourself. You also want the other person to feel the same way to; you want them to be comfortable enough that when they do need something or just want to talk about their day to you, that they feel more than welcome to come to talk with you and vis-versa. 

I will end things here. Finding healthy relationships might be hard to find but once you do find people who love you for you and encourages you to be the best version of yourself, hold on tight because it's going to be a wonderful ride. Everything I say here is just a suggestion hence the name of my blog. Please follow me on TWITTER @midnighthuee and tell me about your enriching relationships.

Smiling helps your body feel more happier compared to when you are frowning. Try to do a good deed each day and until next time, Take Care <3

Are we sticking to our New Year's Resolutions?

I wanted to make a post about our resolutions because I see that some of my friends are giving up, some of my friends are staying on track, and the rest of my friends are actually adding onto their goals which encourages me to keep going.

Considering my living situation, I can only do so much to exercise and eat as healthy as I prefer; I am doing the best I can and little by little add on whenever I can. That does not mean that I am going to give up all together though. It also means that I am not going to beat myself up whenever I do not eat my greens on some days because at least throughout most of the week I had my fruits and vegetables.

I also don't beat myself up if I am not exercising as much as I used to when I was a teenager. I'm currently a working adult with a nontraditional work schedule. The only time I can really exercise the recommended amount is during the weekends and of course, all I want to do is relax.

I have a hell of a schedule right now and I know there are plenty of people in the same shoes as me who are doing their best but all they wanna do is sleep and rest up for work. There are others who feel that they have to give up on their resolutions for currently important goals which is more than okay because you can always pick it back up on a later date. 

I am saying that we do have a lot of time to get our goals completed but that does not mean to slack off on our goals because with that mentality, it'll never get achieved or can get accomplished on a much later date than planned. When one goal is reached, another one can be created or another one is created automatically because one thing gets done and now it's time to move onto the next thing that needs to be completed at a certain amount of time.

I mainly wanted to bring up our goals because shit happens throughout out lives; schedules change, life happens with our friends and sometimes things can get out of our control. The important thing is not to beat yourself up, recognize that something didn't get done on the day you wanted to get it done and reschedule to get it done on the next available day.

The whole point of our goals is to reach them at our designed pace because everyone does not work at the same pace. Setting goals isn't mean to rush to complete them. Goals help us grow as a person; you have something to work towards and to look forward to. Having goals is suppose to be a positive and enriching experience, it's not suppose to be something to stress over and feel anxiety over because you see other people completing their goals at a much faster speed than you for example.

They are your goals and you will finish them at your pace.

I will end things here and encourage those to keep moving forward because you're not done yet. There are still plenty of things to be done and even if you wanted to finish today and you're not, you still have tomorrow morning, afternoon, and night. Don't sweat it too much.

Follow me on TWITTER @midnighthuee and tell me what your goals are and if you're almost done or just getting started.

Smile a little more, try to do a good deed, and until next time, Take care <3 

Everyone needs to see the movie Hidden Figures

I think Hidden Figures is a movie that everyone should see to become more aware of how much our society as grown as a whole. People need to continuously educate themselves on history because history is vital for the growth for our country and as a society. 

It’s very similar to slang. 

There are phrases that was relevant in the 1940's-1960’s for example that are no longer relevant. New slang means the same as slang from the 1940's or 1950's but we word it differently.

Our society was one way in the 40's and now in the 2,000's our society is much different in comparison. Sure, plenty of past issues are still relevant but I would like to think that we treat those issues a lot differently than before.

It also shows how important words can really be.

I know when a lot of us were children, we used to hear the phrase “sticks and stones may hurt my bones but words may never hurt me.” I think, for some, that as we got older, we realized that words can most definitely hurt.

Also in the workplace; there are phrases and words we just do not use or say because there is a time and place for everything. We cannot curse at work for example because it takes aware your professionalism. This too applies to when we are interacting with people because we are not always interacting with the same people.

Overall, we should be respectful towards whomever we are interacting with whether or not we like them as a person. We do not have to like or talk to anyone we do not want to, we just have to treat them as a human being because they are, even if there are moments when they don’t act like it.

Just because some people chose to not act like a human being does not mean that we should do the same.

I do not want to talk about what happens in the movie so much because it is an experience, of course, that I think everyone should have because this movie spoke so many volumes to me. Especially since I do have parents and siblings who lived through the time the movie takes place; in the 1960’s.

This movie shows how black people were treated and it is degrading and dehumanizing to me. How the white men and women spoke to the black men and women in the movie and how they treated them overall; like they weren’t living and breathing humans being with their own thoughts and opinions. It is disgusting to see people treat other people like that and it is infuriating to see people being treated like that.

The white people in the movie did not want to admit that they were speaking to other people who were just like them. The white people in the movie treated people of color like they were completely different; like they came from another planet or something but even then we don’t treat people like shit just people they come from a different planet.

I got so angry in the beginning in the movie because of how people of color were being treated. Due to how society was at the time, black people couldn't speaking up and defending themselves. Speaking up for themselves would have huge consequences that weren’t worth it. Considering they wanted to make a living for themselves like everyone else, they kept silent about how they truly felt. If the women of color in the movie did have a response, it was civil and semi-vague. I say semi because not everyone would understand their responses at first.

When it came to the middle of the movie, I felt sadness and anguish because one of the black women couldn’t keep it together anymore and said how she really felt and of course embarrassed all the white men and women she was working with and of course, they had nothing to rebut with.

Towards the end was even more sadness and anguish along with very humanizing and heartwarming moments. The same white people became more humble towards the end of the movie. The three main black women in the movie along with the other group of black women working in NASA showed the white men and women in the movie that they were capable of helping getting a man into space. Getting a man into space was so emotional because those who watched the movie are hoping the astronaut goes into space and returns home safely along with everyone else in NASA.

The movie was just as emotional as I thought it would be because it was the time when former president John F. Kennedy was assassinated as well as Martin Luther King Jr. Two huge public figures were killed because they wanted to make sure everyone was treated equally and had their rights as human beings. 

I think it can be tough for some people to see but everyone needs to know what people lived through and how some people used to live so that it never happens again and whenever it does, it is addressed and solved.

We cannot follow the people before us because we weren't be where we currently are if we were so concerned with following everyone else instead of leading people into a better future for everyone.

That's all I want to say for now about the movie. There is so much more but this movie is definitely a conversation starter that I am sure plenty of people need to have. Let me know your thoughts on the movie if you've seen in and follow me on TWITTER @midnighthuee.

Smiling is good for us even though it causes wrinkles. You're still beautiful despite your wrinkles. Try to do a good deed each day and until next time, Take Care <3

Losing Friendships

This is a hell of a subject. I had lost friends who I thought I'd grow old with.

I've lost friends without realizing the relationship was becoming more distant but I felt I didn't have the power to save it. Would I have mustard up some unknown strength if I had support if I talked about it more? I honestly don't know. This is such a difficult and emotional topic. There are times when you think everything is okay when it isn't and you weren't even given a chance to try to discuss the situation. I think it is one of the suckiest feelings in the world. Most people want, at least, a chance to fix things.

How can we fix something that we don't know is broken? It also goes both ways.

We let go of people that we don't think is good for us whether or not we tell them that we think the friendship should end.

 Breaking up with our friends.

I know it's not a common saying but essentially, that's what we're doing.

Just like when we break up with romantic partners, we tell them that it's over; we can't do it anymore. There are some people, of course, who don't tell they're romantic partners that they're breaking up with them, they just go ghost; disappear.

I think it makes us suck as humans to do that to each other no matter what our personal reasons are.

People stop being friends all the time for whatever the reason may be. Whether something bad happened that they just can’t let go or they let certain situations get in the way of their friendships; friend-break ups do happen and it is terrible when it does.

Just like romantic break ups, people need their time to morn. I was friends with people for about ten years that I’m not friends with anymore. One of them I would not hesitate to help but as for the friendship we had, it is no longer a reality and it is still hard for me to say that just because of how important she was. She still is important but the friendship is no longer what it was.

It hard and from my experience, I haven’t met a person who didn’t understand. I think we can all understand that when we lose a friend, for whatever reason, it sucks no matter what. We don’t like losing friends. We don’t like the idea of any type of relationship becoming severed but I think there are legitimate reasons to stop being friends with someone no matter how hard it may be to let go.

I did have friends who took me for granted and I felt took advantage at a point. When you have friends who only call you when they need something, you are not friends; you’re their therapist they call once a week.

When you are genuine friends with someone, you ask about their day because you’re interested and curious about how they are doing; you want to make sure everything is going well in their life. If things are not going okay then as a caring friend, you try to help in whatever way you know you can.

A healthy friendship is one where you can both grow and be yourselves with each other with no negative judgment because they care about you; they're there for you when you want to try someone new and they support you for example.

Losing a friend suck. If you really care about someone, I think it is possible to salvage friendships but of course, it something that requires effort and dedication because yes, both parties got hurt but it is possible that one was more hurt than the other in the act of the friendship ending; you have to show them, all over again, that you care and genuinely want them in your life again.

Getting over certain friendships may be harder than some, just like romantic relationships; everyone isn't going to effect or impact you the same way.

People do feel hurt, some do cry and it does cause heartache. If you really care about the person, I say try talking to them to see what happens and work with what they give you.

If you see that the other person is better off without you, even if you’re not, I think it is best to leave them alone because if you really love and care about someone, you let them do whatever makes them happy even when that includes being without you.

Those were some of my thoughts on losing friendships. I know some people may not agree with me and that’s great because I’m not right all the time.

Follow me on TWITTER @midnighthuee and tell me what you think or how you felt losing a friend.

Smiling causes you to stay happier longer compared to frowning so smile at a stranger, try to do a good deed each day, and until next time, Take Care <3

Them Lazy Days

Honestly, today I feel so lazy that I decided to make a post about it. I have other posts on the ready but I did not get a chance to proofread them so of course their not quite ready so hopefully next week I feel less lazy.

It is actually good for everyone to have at least one lazy day where we barely do anything. Especially for people who have a full schedule such as working six days a week. Those people definitely need a lazy day and they should feel no shame at all.

I live in a city that moves so fast and before we know it, it is two in the afternoon and we don’t know how it happened. I work in the afternoon and before I know it, it would be seven pm and sometimes I just think “damn, time flew and escaped from me.”

It also sucks because we could want to do so many things in a day such as binge watch our favorite shows or just go for a twenty minute jog but because we lost track of time, the day is gone.  As much as we want a lazy day, try to pay attention so that you can be lazy efficiently. If that make sense.

You want the most of your day so pay attention to you clocks so that you can do the tasks you might not be able to do for yourself throughout the week because of you other responsibilities.

If you want to sleep in, by all means do so. I know that is exactly what I do but that means you have less time to binge watch a show for example or finish that book you’ve been so intently into so try to be somewhat mindful.

There isn’t much to say on this topic aside from make sure to keep track of time or even set an alarm if you want to do a lot of things for yourself before the work week starts up again tomorrow.

On a side note, Mondays aren’t that bad. They become bad if you let them be. Mondays can be the best day of the week if you want them to. It’s all about perception and if you change yours a little bit, everything can change.

That is my small suggestion for being lazy and I hope it changed you perception a bit on Lazy Sundays and Sucky Mondays. Also, everything I say is only a suggestion; I never intend to tell anyone what to do because everyone is free to make their own choices and decisions.

Follow me on TWITTER @midnighthuee and let me know which day of the week is your favorite. Mine is Friday mainly because I can see my best friends.

Remember to smile when something cool happens and try do to a good deed for someone. Until next time, Take Care <3