“What person real or fictional would you take to a desert island?” 

asked my younger sister the other day. At this point all my book-worminess burst out to the surface and I spent the rest of the day weighing out the pros and cons of which literary character could get me off the island fastest and kept on muttering on about other bookey stuff like how brilliant it would be if they made the Chrestomanci series into movies (it would be very brilliant in fact). I gave the matter enough thought to compile a list of the best fictional characters to bring to a desert island

1)

Name: Will Parry

First book to appear in: The Subtle Knife by Phillip Pullman

Will is one of the fictional characters who would get you off a desert island quickly, providing he has his knife with him. I always wanted to own the subtle knife and use it to travel to different worlds. If he, on the other hand, did not have the knife with him, I can imagine lying with him on a desert island beach watching the world go by. He went through so much for a twelve year old boy: he had to look after his mother and he worried about where his father disappeared to and then once the men came into his house everything just got worse. He deserves the weight being lifted from his chest.

2)

Name: Chrestomanci   

First book to appear in: Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones

The man of my mutterings himself has to make an appearance in this list. As the most powerful enchanter in all the different worlds, he'd certainly get you out in a jiffy and he's certainly not a boring person either!

3)

Name: Hermione Granger

First book to appear in: Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone by J.K Rowling

I always wanted Hermione to be my friend growing up. Like me, she was smart and she read a lot but she's also courageous and is a witch (although I'm still hoping my Hogwarts letter's delayed). Also, in the Deathly Hallows, she could cook meals for Harry, Ron and herself out of what she could find, so starvation seems less likely. Not to mention the fact that she can disapparate off the island and could take me home with side long apparition.

4)

Name: Leo Valdez

First book to appear in: The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

I could make a whole list of characters from the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series and the Heroes of Olympus to take to a desert island but I've limited myself to one. Leo would not be the person who'd get you out fastest, but everything about his character is amazing and he is one of those fictional characters that you feel upset about when you remember that they're not real.

HOUSE OF HADES SPOILER ALERT!!

I finally read House of Hades! Now the thing that is creepy now is that Leo got stuck in Ogygia. Apart from being the sweetest, most heartwarming part of the book Ogygia is a desert island. I never found any spoilers (at least for that part of the book) but I am finding this seriously creepy. I must be psychic or something!

-Barista Ellen-

Image: Brian Johnson & Dane Kantner

Read more »

Everything comes and goes. Especially in fashion. Fashion fads are the worst things ever to catch up in. It seems one day, a flowy blouse is popular, but the next day, it's suddenly ew-worthy. What the heck happened in 12 hours?! Huh? Okay, I guess that's a little bit of a time exaggeration, but I have two points. I promise. Point #1: Fads don't last very long and it's unbelievably hard to catch up on the next fad unless you're some kind of fashion goddess or fortuneteller. Point #2: Who the heck cares about fads anyway? No more conforming to what your friends consider cool, no more asking Google what is "in" and what is "out". It's time to do stuff on your own. Yay!

Here are three items that I wear very often even though they're considered horrifying by the general public. And guess what? I don't care. I like them and I'm comfortable when I wear them, so leave me the heck alone.

Bootcut Jeans

No, they do NOT make me look like a cowboy. In fact, worn with heels, they look absolutely perfect. These boot-cut jeans make my legs look longer and thinner and ugh. I love them. I wear them almost every time I go outside. It's my "thing".

Collar Necklaces

These were in a while back, but they have been out of style for a little while now. Nobody seems to wear these anymore. But come on! They're cute and they complete a super simple outfit into something more fashionable! What's not to like?

Flatform Boots

Don't hit me! People really seem to hate these, but I think they look cute! They make my 5'3 stature taller without making my feet hurt like crazy after three hours. Sure, they're clunky, but come on! They're adorable.

So what does your unconventional wardrobe look like?


-Barista Mia-

Image: Vincent Boiteau Read more »

Maybe once upon a time, when you were a kid, you could do the splits, but try doing it now in your stiff teenage body. Ugh. It hurts and it seems impossible to get pass the 90 degree mark. That is your limit, you decide. That's it. I can't do the splits. Not anymore.

BUT THERE'S NO NEED TO FEAR. All may not be lost.

I'm 18 and I can do around 200 degrees of splits.

Right, you say. You've probably been doing it all your life. That's no help at all.

But will it help when I say I only started doing the splits when I was 15 years old? Yeah. I started doing the splits in my stiff teenage years when I could only do 90 degrees worth of splits. Maybe even less and that is no exaggeration. I couldn't even do a full split when I was a kid either. I sucked at flexibility.

So how do you manage to do the splits when you're as stiff as a board?

Step One: Stretch before doing it

Doing the splits is going to put a lot of strain in your muscles and it is not a good idea to just suddenly do the splits without warming up your muscles first. This step is especially important in the winter when your muscles are all scrunched up. Getting a muscle strain is not fun. You could also take extra precautions and put leg warmers on.

Step Two: Practice it every single day

Don't miss a single day or else you'll end up not being able to do the splits. One way that helps you remember to do the splits every day is picking a time to do the splits. I personally did it at night, but any time of day is absolutely fine. On the floor, practice your splits. Go as low as you can and stay in that position for 15 seconds. I heard staying in the position for 15 minutes is the right way, but who the heck can do that? Just do 15 seconds. Every single day.

Step Three: Be persistent

I'm serious. Doing the splits is going to hurt like crazy. But it's not only the pain you need to deal with. You need to persist through time as well. It took me over a year to get the 180 degrees splits right. Keep your goal of accomplishing the splits in mind every single day and persist through everything! That's the only way to actually manage to reach your goal.

What are you doing still on the computer. Go practice and claim a victory over the impossible splits!


-Barista Mia-

Image: klndonnelly Read more »

Hey girls! If you're anything like me, you have some favorite celebrities that you like to emulate. Maybe it's their awesome hairdo, or their super singing ability. Some things are nearly impossible to impersonate, but something very fun that you can do easily is get their look. The best part about it is that you don't have to have Gucci shades or a Prada purse to get your point across. You simply have to figure out your fave celeb's signature style and get a decent approximation.

One of my favorite celebrities is Taylor Swift. I love how she keeps it classy and always seems to have some sort of retro vibe going on, so those are the distinguishing trademarks I'm going to focus on. Taylor has worn skirts, pants, and dresses so the options are wide open. My favorite look of hers is when she wears a simple, forties-inspired dress, so that would be my starting point. Then I would pair it with some simple shoes, maybe ballet flats, and from there I would make the style my own with some accessories. The point isn't to try to pass for the celebrity, but to have an 'inspired by' style. If you really want to get into the look, you can do hair and makeup as well. For Miss Swift I would definitely apply red lipstick- a signature of hers- and give my hair loose, flowy curls.

You can do this for any celebrity you like; you might be surprised how simple it is to do when you figure out what it is exactly about their style that you love. However, some celebs are harder than others without a lot of altering. But even if your fave celeb is Lady Gaga, you can still accessorize like her!

I hope you have fun figuring out your celeb's look! Fashion can be tricky, so if you have someone's style you like, you can use theirs as a template to help you find your own. They don't even have to be a celebrity; maybe your sister, neighbor or schoolmate is a fashion queen! Just remember in the end that you're a unique person, and to be yourself and have fun.

I hope this helps inspire you fashionistas out there, and I'd love it if you tweet me a pic of you in your new inspired outfits!

-Barista Nicole-

Image: Taylor Swift's Twitter

Read more »

Yes, yes, I am a Twilight fan. Or, more to the point, I'm not one in the countless seas of people who follow the "I hate Twilight" trend. I'll stand up for it, partly because I don't like it when people go hater on fandoms, (as books and movies are always good, even if not in a way some of us are able to enjoy), partly because I did really enjoy it, and partly because, well, it is a good series and I believe it should be enjoyed for what it is- a cracking good saga.

The world has got it all wrong!

Here are some things in popular belief that...sorry...just aren't strictly that true.

• "Twilight is cheesy."

The broadest assault on Twilight. I'm not going to deny that there's kissing and pining away for your spouse and typical, maybe predictable main plots. This is true. It has a sincere and beautiful heart, though, that's quite the opposite, if you can look past the style and enjoy the lovey-dovey-ness. Maybe this is why most Twihards these days are either twelve year-old girls or young to middle-aged single American women- they're apparently somehow able to do this.

• "It isn't even written professionally."

Myth. This is a myth! Outrageous myth! Treason! Blasphemy! The books are written cleverly- it does a good job of you in, is interesting, and uses all the "professional" techniques, i.e. metaphors and similes. There are some brilliant symbolic little details along the way. Stephenie tells the story pretty well.

The Twilight Saga (Little, Brown) by Stephanie Meyer. Annafur

• "Kristen Stewart is the worst actor in the world."

You know, I get why a lot of people don't like K-Stew's acting. She's jerky and awkward and if she were in real life it would feel as if she had a chronic shyness disorder or something and couldn't form her words properly. Compare her with Jennifer Lawrence in "The Hunger Games" series, though, and you see the same strange, almost uncertain portrayals in places. Apparently it's the way famous protagonists are these days. Bella Swan is quite an uncertain character, and unsure of herself and whatever's going on; "Oh, and by the way, Bella, I'm a vampire. Sorry, maybe you should have been aware of that before I got you pregnant." And obviously many, including professionals, think Kristen's good- she must have been chosen for the role over thousand of other auditionees for a reason.

Still from Twilight (Summit Entertainment)

-Barista Sabita-

Images: Gaston from Beauty and the Beast LivingShadowDarkMark, The Twilight Saga (Little, Brown) by Stephanie Meyer. Annafur, Still from Twilight (Summit Entertainment)

Read more »

It's freezing outside and the last thing you want to do in the winter holidays is to go out in the snow and do stuff that will turn your lips blue. Nuh-uh. I mean, going outside will just dry up your already flaked up skin and make you sting all over. What's the fun in that? But now I'm going to let you in on my secret to winter trips. Whether it's to the beach, the amusement park, the mountain, or wherever you are going that is still winter, (We're students. We can't afford Fiji.) it doesn't matter. My tips will save you from freezing winter trips.

Cover up from head to toe 

I'm serious. I once went to the amusement park with my friends in the middle of winter. I was wearing a sweater, a parka, thick jeans... everything. BUT! My face, neck, and hands were completely exposed to the freezing wind. I was okay at first. I mean, I'm used to the cold. But then my friends and I went on a ride and all the parts of my skin that was peeking out literally died. My hands stung so much and my face was flaking like crazy. All my friends and I had to cut the trip short due to our dying skin. We were purple with white flakes and cracked skin. Not pretty. It took a while to recover from the sting of the wind. So I'm telling you: Cover the heck up unless you want to die.

Don't go alone

Even if you want to have some alone time, it's best to go with one extra person. Body heat can keep you warm and cuddling up with your friends and/or boyfriend is a really good idea. Can you imagine just standing in the middle of nowhere with nobody in sight to keep you warm? The horror. Plus, trips are all the more fun with people around. Talking and laughing with them alone can keep you warm. No cuddling required. But if you must insist on a solo trip, go somewhere that lets you to stay inside almost all the time. Well, that is, unless you enjoy the feeling of freezing to death.

Move a lot

No, I don't mean let the car or whatever you're riding on move for you. You move. Yes. With your feet. And your arms. Your butt too. Dance to the music that is playing. Jump around in excitement at whatever you're doing. Overreact! Do whatever you must to keep yourself warm with rosy cheeks.

Don't skip the deodorant

Yeah. I guess this sounds a little weird, but, um, your pits might still sweat although the rest of your body is freezing. Yeah... True story. I've *cough* experienced it myself. So just in case, don't forget the deodorant cause, well, you might stink. Shrug. Better safe than sorry.


-Barista Mia-

Image: Martin Abegglen Read more »