Summer Vacation, Japan Trip, Part 2

Part 2 - Kyoto

Sorry for the late update, but there wasn't good wifi, so I'm posting this after the vacation.

After Osaka, we took a train to Kyoto 
(which is basically 30 minutes away).

I heard a lot about Kyoto being the heart of Japan's culture and traditions. We were extremely fortunate to arrive during the 'Gion Matsuri' festival, which is one of the biggest festivals in Japan.

During this festival, there is a huge parade, with floats decorated with lanterns. Everyone wears Kimonos.

The floats were decorated and ready to be paraded along the streets of Kyoto.

We then visited the ancient capital of Japan: Nara. 

Nara is known for it's three famous temples and parks. Something that's special about Nara, is the deer. After World War 2 - the government set free a lot of deer in the park. They roam around everywhere! 

The Todaiji temple, a five story pagoda and the Nara park filled with deer.

Next, we explored a street that had been preserved since historical times and saw a famous temple. Everything was extremely pretty. It felt we were in a different world altogether.

Famous temples in Kyoto and a few shops in the street we explored. 

We stayed in Kyoto for three days and I can say that it was an extremely cultural and spiritual experience. We headed to Tokyo next - by bullet train. 

The train station and the railroad.

Summer Vacation, Japan Trip - Part 1

Part 1 - Osaka

This summer, my family and I went on vacation to Japan (though, I technically can't say we went, because I'm in Japan as I'm writing this blog post). So, I decided to write about what we did in each place and all of my must-see places here. 

1) Osaka Castle
One of the most famous castles in Japan. It's located in a park and rises over five stories high. It overlooks the city. Inside the castle, there are a few exhibits about it and Osaka itself. 

These are some of the pictures I took on my phone. From left to right: Osaka castle, The view from the top of the castle and a close up of the castle.

2) Shitenno-ji Temple
This temple is located next to Tennoji park (a massive park with a zoo and a bonsai garden) and is really beautiful. Its a temple complex consisting of a couple of buildings and a park. 

A few pictures of the temple complex and the various buildings.

3) Tennoji Park
I mentioned this before, but it's a really nice park. It's super pretty, and has a few attractions, like the zoo and a bonsai garden with a little lake. The park is also located in a popular area with lots of shopping and restaurants around it. 

A couple of pictures of the flowers and the bonsai garden. 

4) Harukas 300
Is the tallest building in Osaka, which is over 200 meters high. It has a 14 story departmental store at the bottom and an observatory on the 60th floor. This is where you can see the whole of Osaka's city skyline. 

The city skyline of Osaka from the observatory.  

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The End of G7, Summer Reading and The Fault in Our Stars

I feel like there is a lot to catch up on, starting with: THE END OF SCHOOL! Yayy

I am so glad that school is finally over. The past few weeks have been stressful. This bit might be a bit late to acknowledge it, but still. 

Grade 7 was one of the best years ever! I really liked my mentor group and felt that we were really close and comfortable with each other. My teachers were amazing, and I actually learnt quite a bit. 

Now that we are done with Grade 7, it's summer! *gets ready to rant about everything*

Let's start off by saying: summer starts off with everyone being super enthusiastic about it. You can practically feel the excitement. But about a week into it, there's one word to describe it. Boring. Okay, not for everyone - but for people like me who don't have a social life. (i'm socially awkward. woohoo)

This is the reality though. So, I decided to fill my time by reading books, watching movies, blogging and catching up on TV shows while eating a lot of food. Starting off with books: I went ahead and made a summer reading list. I am currently reading: 'I Am the Messenger' by Markus Zusak. I chose this book, because Markus Zusak also wrote 'The Book Thief' which we read in class. 

Once I finish this, I am planning on reading 'The Catcher in the Rye' or '172 Hours on the Moon'. 

Next: Watching movies. So far, I've already seen 'Maleficent' and today I watched 'The Fault in Our Stars'. I loved both movies. I cried a lot during 'The Fault in Our Stars'. It was so sad! It's probably on my list for the best movies ever. 

But, coming back to summer, I am travelling to Japan in a week and I'm super excited! So, I hope whoever is reading this has a great summer! I will try and blog since I have nothing else to do. 

My current favourites - Maleficent, TFIOS and I Am the Messenger 

Divergent, Insurgent and Allegiant.

Yes, I'm doing this.

I have now finished the Divergent trilogy (yay). Altogether, I actually enjoyed the books quite a bit, but I liked the first one the best. Here's what I thought about each book.

Divergent: 
Action-packed. Definitely, it was very plot based and moved along really fast. In the background, Tris had sort of an inner voice that would respond to each situation differently. I found this really interesting because I read a lot of plot based books, but giving that inner voice made me think about the character's perspective as well. All in all, the idea was really interesting and I found the book amazing.

Insurgent: 
Disappointment. This was what this book was for me. It was quite boring. They start off in the Amity compound, and for about ten chapters, the author described their lifestyle in the area before they escaped somewhere else. I found the book very dull and lifeless. The only page turning bit was near the end (I'm literally talking about the last 50 pages or so). So far, this book was not my favourite. 

Allegiant:
Interesting-ish. I guess I could say. This book was where they revealed everything about their city and why it was in the state it was in. It had a lot to do with genetics and the obsession over genetic purity. I found it interesting, but the author didn't portray a rebellion, but more of small acts defying the government. I think she could have described it better. The ending was a big let-down for me, and I think that the people who have read it would understand. But yes, it wasn't too bad. 

To sum it up, I didn't mind the trilogy. It was quite eventful and interesting. If you haven't read it yet, I would recommend it, but not as one of the best trilogy's that I have read. 

Bloggers Block - Ranting.

I feel like this post is overdue. I have had a lot of homework, but that's not the reason that I haven't been blogging. I just couldn't think of what to write. It's a case of bloggers block. I hate this. 

Okay, since I couldn't think of anything to write about, prepare to hear me rant about the insignificant (maybe, maybe not) things that have been happening in my life. 

First off, is it just me or has the homework just suddenly increased? At least once a day in school, I slump down in my chair and say that I want to sleep. I can just think of things that are due or coming up. My humanities essay, a spanish test next week, a science test next week and much more. I even have a music performance tomorrow, which I am dreading since my group abandoned me to sing alone in front of the class. Thanks guys *cough* Trisha and Florence *cough*. 

I also feel that we are so caught up in doing this stuff, we have forgotten to notice the beautiful things around us. This also applies to BTC in which my group is doing an action project about spending time in nature. But more about that next time.

Over spring break, I went on vacation to Koh Samui. If you haven't heard of it, go search it up. Google is here for a reason. Anyways. It's one of the prettiest places I have been to - and I mean everything about it. My parents and I were walking down to dinner when I noticed that the sky looked amazing. For a moment, I just stood there and looked up. It felt as if I was frozen in time. The picture I took is below. I swear that there isn't a filter on it. 

Sorry about the disjointed and random post, but there you are. 

The 31 Day Blogging Challenge - Day 29, 30 and 31

Day 29 - Are you a lefty or a righty?
I am right handed. Okay, that was a super short answer, so I'm going to do day 30 as well. 

Day 30 - What's something not many know?
I don't really understand this prompt, but I don't think a lot of people understand or know the consequences they have on other people. Someone may say something and think it doesn't affect anyone, but in reality it does - and I think we need to realise this. 

Day 31 - My favourite hobbies and ways to spend my down time?
Yay - I'm on the last day of my blogging challenge that was supposed to last a month, but I started it in August? I don't even remember, so the last day - here goes. 

1) Listening to music
2) Reading
3) Writing
4) Going on my laptop and doing random stuff
5) Blogging

And, we're done! I'm so proud of myself, I mean I procrastinated so much! 

The 31 Day Blogging Challenge - Day 27 and 28

We're getting closer to the end! Anyways..

Day 27 - Something I Miss
Something I miss is, the freedom to be myself. I know it sounds weird, but the moment you enter Middle School, it feels like that freedom is taken away from you. You can either be the "perfect" stereotypical person or no one at all. It feels like the minute I am myself, I can feel people judging me from everywhere. Even the people I know really well. Well, I guess that's the thing with middle school.

Day 28 - Top 5 Moments in Your Life
I feel really productive today so I'm going to do day 28 as well.

1) My first piano recital. I was around seven or eight. I was absolutely terrified. My mum convinced me to fit into a floor length dress that looked horrifying on me. I was so nervous that I slipped and fell on the way to the piano. Everyone was laughing, and I was performing to a crowd of 300 people. I made it through my performance without messing up and I was really happy.

Oh god I can't think of anything else. I think I will leave that at that. My mind just blanked out for a second. Sorry.