I am a bit of an X Factor fanatic. I love The X Factor. And the funnier and sillier it gets, the more I find myself enjoying it. Now, I'm not usually one for celebrity gossip, but I have to admit it can be great fun, so I'm going to conduct an investigation into a conspiracy that has been aloft on the show lately- whether Sam Callahan and Tamera Foster are...awh...in loooove. (Of course in reality I'm sure they're not, but that's not the point of gossip, is it? *Insert evil cackles here.*)

• Tamera's first diary dare was to be Sam's PA for a day. Ooh, nice. Here, take a look at the video!


• At the end of one of the joint performances of all the finalists, Tamera rested her arm on Sam's shoulder- as if he was a piece of furniture in her house. This is a true sign that they belong to one another, if you ask me. No one's asking me? Oh, well.

• Caroline Flack, one of the Xtra Factor presenters, kept seeming to think Sam and Tamera were getting married. "There were rumours"... Sam denied it, blushing, but Tamera has a cheeky side (which I hugely admire her for, BTW) and made fun of it by announcing that they were getting married after the X Factor had finished. Well, now they're both out of the competition, so we'd better listen out for wedding bells!

• When Sam left, he was asked who he was backing to win, and he paused and said Nicholas- "Nicky", who's in his category, or Tamera. Sweet.

• And when Tamera left last Sunday, she said she was going to meet up with our Sammie as soon as she could.

So there's some juicy fried nuggets of gossip for you. Gosh, I sounded like a Daily Star writer... Hum. What do you think of this rumour or any others that are on the show at the moment?

-Barista Sabita-

Image: Screenshot from a video-diary video on YouTube Read more »

You have just come to the realization that you've indeed run out of makeup remover. You take one look outside and shudder at the snowy weather. There's no way in heck you're running outside in the freezing cold to get the makeup off your face. But at the same time, there's no way in heck you're sleeping with a face-full of makeup on. No way. You've run into a dilemma. But there's no need to fear. Unbeknownst to you, there are some natural makeup removers right there in your kitchen!

Olive Oil/Almond Oil

The best thing about olive oil and almond oil is not that they're cheap makeup removers that can be found in the kitchen, but it's that they are waaay softer and nicer on your skin than your average eye makeup remover.

Plain Yogurt

Yogurt can get rid of all your face makeup while moisturizing your dried up winter face. Aaaand you could even scoop up some of the extra yogurt and stuff it in your mouth. Yum.

Aloe Vera

Ah. Aloe. I love it. It isn't greasy, it smells nice, it tastes good, it's a great moisturizer, and now, it's a great eye makeup remover too!

Milk

This is a good time to reuse that almond oil (not olive oil) to remove that old makeup off your face. Just a few drops should do it. If you don't have any almond oil at home, don't worry. Plain milk works well too.

Please, PLEASE don't forget to wash your face thoroughly afterwards! Although all these products may be natural, it is absolutely NOT a good idea to keep all that on your face. Trust me.


-Barista Mia-

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Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Publisher: Books/HarperCollins

Synopsis (via Goodreads):

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, Tris also learns that her secret might help her save the ones she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Review:

(spoilers ahead)

Because the movie will be released very soon, I thought it might be a good time to release my review of the book-version of Divergent. I had heard about it a lot, but I didn't have an opportunity to read it until about a month ago. It was a bit late, but I'm not sad that I was late to pick this book up. Why? It wasn't as good as everybody claimed it to be.

People around me kept telling me how awesome this book was. Well, it isn't. The entire book is a prolonged initiation process. The initiation process could have been shortened to, maybe, a third or, even better, a quarter of the book and the rest of the two books could fit in the remaining 350-400 or so pages and voila. A complete series in a single 500 page book. Yay! But no. Sigh. It was REALLY disappointing to see that this entire book revolved around this single test that doesn't seem to matter for the rest of the series. (But I could be wrong. I can't be bothered to read the rest of the series. It's just a guess.) Yikes. The only good thing about the plot is the last few chapters. The action finally picks up at the very end. Ms. Roth, don't you see how much better Divergent might have been if you had cut the initiation process by, like, A LOT and fit more actual action into the book? As the book is right now, it's depth-less and absolutely POINTLESS until the last few chapters. Sorry.

Some things in this book just didn't make any logical sense:
* I mean, what's with the train jumping? What is that supposed to prove?
* Aren't adults supposed to be leading wars and such? What are stupid teens doing leading other stupid teens?
* From my experience of encountering people, it makes more sense that EVERYONE IN THIS FREAKIN' BOOK be Divergent!
* The reason the factions came to be makes absolutely no sense. The leaders were just plain stupid. Yay for segregation, eh? Did we learn NOTHING from the Civil War?

As for the characters... I guess they were a little more bearable than the plot. One thing that bugged me is the whole overdone "I found my one true love" card. -________________- And what's more? Her one true love has a tragic, hurt past and only Tris can help him. Oh my. And Tris. Well, Tris. Hm. She was self-centered, annoying, stupid, and judgmental. Need I say any more?

*pants*

Okay. I'm done with the criticism now. On to the good parts.

It's pretty hook-y in that it kept me reading. Also, well, I hate to admit it, but it's mindless fun. So if you want to read a book that you can read without thinking much, I would suggest you pick up this book at the library.

It's FUN. Pointless, but fun.

I guess I would have given this book a 4/5 if I had read this book when I wasn't in the mood for thinking, but Divergent caught me on a wrong day, so...

2/5

Now on to trying to find a book that I actually like. (I've been having bad luck recently.) Any suggestions?


-Barista Mia-

Image: Divergent (Harper Collins) Read more »

We charge our phones overnight, waking up to a fully charged, beautiful smartphone. You go about your day with the phone in your pocket, constantly checking your friends out on Facebook, looking up words in the dictionary, and playing games when you're bored. And guess what happens. Yup! You guessed right. You get a dead phone that you can't use for the rest of the day. Sucks.

This has happened to me countless times, so I researched all over the Internet for an answer to my horrifying question: "How do I stop my phone from dying?"

Answer #1: Just stop using your phone

Sorry? What did you just say, Answer #1? No way. Nuh-uh. There is no way in heck that I'm just gonna stop using my phone even when there's absolutely no need to. I mean, I need to go on Twitter and check out my Twitter feed, don't I? I need to go on Google Chrome to obsessively check out the colleges I'm applying to, don't I? I need to go on Tumblr to check out winter fashion from time to time, don't I? And what about when I'm standing in a subway all alone with no one to talk to? I need my phone then, don't I?

That being said, if this is possible for you, DO IT! It is the most effective way to prolong your phone's life. I actually did this a couple times when saving my phone battery was super duper crucial for me to survive the day, like when I HAD to call my dad to come pick me up at, like, 1 in the morning after a concert (THANK YOU, DAD!). In those cases, I turn off my phone for a good portion of the day to keep my phone alive until the time I have to make the important call.

Answer #2: Take a charger with you at all times

This is probably the most practical of all the answers. If you carry a bag with you all the time, GREAT! Just stuff the charger inside and you don't have to worry about it until the time comes for you to use it. But there's just ONE teensy problem: not every place you go has a power plug socket. Especially when you're outside. If you're in a building, that's kind of great news. The only problem for you now is FINDING a power socket, which, I'm telling you, is puh-retty difficult.

Answer #3: Don't use the vibrate function

Yeah. Really. Don't. Either put your phone on complete mute (a BAD idea, if you ask me. Unless you want ten missed calls from angry people.) or just use your ring tone. But if you do put your phone sound on, be sure to put the volume as low as possible so the sound doesn't drain out all the battery power.

Answer #4: Turn off your bluetooth

Bluetooth is cool. You can share almost everything with your friends with it. But it will kill your battery much sooner than it is meant to. Please. Set your priorities straight and put the life of your phone's battery above the needs of your friend who desperately needs that shirtless picture of Zac Efron.

Answer #5: And speaking of, also turn off WiFi and GPS

These functions drain out your phone battery much more than you think. I get that WiFi is essential for daily life, so follow my tip: Use it only when necessary. Your friend calls you, telling you that he sent you an important email that needs to be read ASAP. Then you whip out your phone, turn on your WiFi and voila. You can check your email and accidentally do other things on the Internet that would be classified as unnecessary. Whoops. And as for GPS... who uses it anyway?

Answer #6: Put the brightness of your phone WAY low

Pretty self explanatory. The brighter your phone is, the more battery your phone uses up.

Answer #7: Avoid using animated backgrounds

Not only do they make your phone lag, they're also horrifying for your battery. I get it. It's cool having things move in the background of your phone, but don't they make you dizzy? It sure does make me feel like throwing up to be honest. Besides, like I said a couple sentences earlier: It kills your battery... so STOP IT. Use a normal one like a picture of your imaginary boyfriend or a picture of your shoes or anything.

Well, now that I've shared with y'all all the answers I received, I'm out. Peace!


-Barista Mia-

Image: Ged Carroll Read more »

 

I'm seriously not an expert at this, but I've had a couple interviews and now I'm pretty sure I know exactly what to do to prepare for my next interview, whenever that is.

First, my background story...

My first interview was the most horrible experience ever. It was for an internship (yes, it's not a college interview, but it's still an interview so it counts) and I was to meet my potential employer at the airport as he was leaving the country. So I head off early in the morning to meet him. I knew absolutely nothing at all about what to do and how to prepare for an interview. So what was the outcome of the interview? Well, it was the most awkward experience of my life. I explained very little about my background and about who I was. I didn't sell myself at all, but instead, dumbed myself down so that I would look humble. The worst part was when he asked me if I had any questions. I knew absolutely nothing about the company he was working for so I said no. The expression that crossed over his face? Is she for real? Yeah. Not such a good idea to go into an interview with no questions about anything whatsoever. Nuh uh. Needless to say, I didn't get the internship.

My second interview was actually held today. It was a phone interview with an alum at my dream college and I had to be extra prepared. Why? I have telephonophobia. For those of you who don't know what it is, it's a form of social anxiety disorder where a person has an extreme fear of phone calls. Yeah. I reject every phone call that comes my way and if it's an important call that I have to pick up or make, it takes every inch of my courage to do it. My heart beats like crazy. Also, a second reason I had to be prepared is that I knew that awkward silences are worse over the phone. And I was going to do whatever I could to avoid those awkward silences. It turns out with all that crazy over-preparing, the interview went great! I talked so much my throat was all parched up and the interviewer seemed genuinely interested in me. My interviewer also said that I was a very interesting candidate. OMG.

I believe the reason my second interview went so well is that I had learned from my horrible first interview and I knew what I had to do differently. Well, now that I've learned my lesson, I'm going to prepare you guys for your upcoming interviews for college or internships so you don't end up making the same mistakes that I did in my first interview.

1. Prepare

I already said this in the bulky paragraphs above, but preparing is so very important. Over prepare if you can! Get common interview questions from the Internet and practice answering them over and over again. All that prep WILL reward you. I promise.

2. Have the right mindset

This interview will not be the end of your life. It doesn't determine your life path. Seriously. Have some peace in your mind before you take an interview. Go shopping, pat your pet, whatever. Feel good before your interview. Oh, and FYI, I went shopping right before my interviewer called so that I would be in a hyper, I-was-just-surrounded-by-clothes mood. Haha!

3. Have questions ready

This will make you seem impressive and make you look like you have an actual interest in whatever you're interviewing for. And that's a biiiiiiiig positive.

4. Sell yourself

But at the same time, don't look big-headed. Find the balance between the two and practice selling yourself while looking humble. After all, the reason you're having an interview is to get the job (internship) or get into a college.

5. Be yourself

This is very important. Especially for a college interview. Make sure you're not trying to be someone you're not because fake-ness comes through no matter how good of an actor you are. Besides, people want to talk to actual people, not robots who memorized their lines or wannabes who have no idea what they're talking about.

Well. Now that you have my tips... Good luck!


-Barista Mia-

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By now most of you Hunger Games fans will have seen Catching Fire, and the hype is beginning to settle down into a pile of fangirling over memes on the Internet. As it's all so exciting, I've decided to make a list of some of the best things about "The Hunger Games" as a series.

• The characters are really interesting ones and you can get attached to the them easily. (Whether or not it's advisable to become one of those girls who sobs over Peeta every day is up to you!)  Katniss manages to heroically survive the emotional washing machine she's put into by the Evil President Snow (helped by the amazing luck that you only ever find in stories, of course). Peeta, Gale and Finnick are three very hawt and yet different guys in the story. Haymitch is a wine barrel full of blood-red sarcasm. Prim is, in my eyes, the one we readers and watchers are all most like- we're still children at heart and we'd never stand a chance in the Hunger Games.

• The films are stunning. They bring the books to life so well and it's amazing to see the whole dystopia thing in detail. Plus, Effie has hairstyles like glittering fairy cakes with buttercream icing, and who doesn't love buttercream icing...? You can tell me off later.

• Jennifer Lawrence is a huge character in herself, and very relatable to many of us. She's even dubbed a "derp" online. When asked how she was recently, she replied, "I'm great- I just found two Mentos in my pocket!" The similarity between this and the kind of thing I would say is pretty startling.

• The books actually uses good writing. Unlike quite a lot of teen fiction these days, there is plenty of nice, creative language used. I'm one of those people who notices every detail in the way a book is written, keeping a lookout for good metaphors and what-have-you. Suzanne Collins uses words that stay implanted in your mind in a variety of gross, terrifying or cutesy images. So it's possible that if you're the kind of person who is either very squeamish or can get sucked into book-worlds easily, or both, that this series isn't really a good idea for you... Having said that, who doesn't love to escape for a bit of excitement now and then?

-Barista Sabita-

Images: Still from Catching Fire, Theatrical poster for The Hunger Games, Mingle MediaTV, The Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic) Carissa Rogers Read more »