Skywriting

HELLLLOOOOO HAWAII!

2011-08-29T17:17:00.000-10:00

I'm BACK! HOME IN MY TROPICAL WONDERLAND! Oh how I've missed it. LA is nice but my home is perfect. I traveled all over the world. From Paris, to Italy, to LA to Gary, Indiana. And there's no other place on Earth I'd rather live than this:

Ask Skylar!

2011-08-19T11:12:00.000-10:00

Well, once again, I haven't posted in awhile. I'm sorry! I'll post more often when I get back home. But right now I'm in LA. And yesterday I shot six more episodes of Ask Skylar, my new web show. It's like an advice show for teens! Anyone can send in questions. :)

Reading over the questions before the shoot.

On set. :)

Irene creates awesome outfits. A talent I just never seemed to have. :P Love her.

Whit helping me with my microphone.

Beth, Irene, Me Amber

Thanks Guys!

Oh and if you want to see what we make during these sessions, here

is the first episode out now! :) (This one's called episode two because technically the first one was just me introducing myself.) :P

LA!!!!!!!

2011-07-26T14:06:00.001-10:00

Hi guys!

So sorry I've been a bad blogger person! I was all over the world and sometimes remote Italian towns don't always have good internet.

Anyway, I am now in LA! Oh yeah.

Italy

Under the Eiffel Tower

Looking into a CHEESE STORE! Oh how I love Europe.

Anyway, I hope all you guys had a great summer! I sure did!

Bye House!

2011-06-03T20:06:00.000-10:00

Tonight's my last night in my bed for a long time. So, bye house, bye beach, bye palm trees, bye windmills on the mountains, bye Taekwondo, bye bed, bye room, bye piano. I'll see you in five months!

Oh! And by the way, I finally got my red belt last weekend! Here's a new YouTube Video with some Taekwondo in it for you guys to see. :)

P.S. I might be blogging a lot less during the summer. But I'll give you guys updates every once in a while!

corner view "M is for..."

2011-06-01T15:03:00.001-10:00

~ Music ~

One of my favorite things in the world. I don't think I've gone a day in my life without listening to music. :)

All of these people inspire me in music in their own ways...

My Dad's Mom

My Dad

My Brother

Then there's me, I don't inspire myself, but you know.

If you guys don't know what I look like, there you go. :)

Michael Jackson

My Sister

Glee :)

My Dad again, on the set of his music video, Forget to Remember.

Chris Colfer

Of course there's many more musical inspirations, like The Beatles and such, but these are all the pictures that I had right now. :)

What kind of music do you like?

For more M's, go to our host, Francesca. :)

corner view "room"

2011-05-17T21:04:00.000-10:00

One of my favorite rooms in the house is the Music Room. It's also my Dad's lair. :)

Old Music Room

Modern Music Room :)

For more rooms, go to our host, Francesca.

corner view "motion"

2011-05-10T22:21:00.000-10:00

Yup, it's so very true. Life's MUCH more fun when it's in motion. :)

For more motion, hasten your way over to our host, Francesca.

corner view "by the sea"

2011-05-03T22:52:00.000-10:00

Looking out to water that seems to go on forever.

For more corner views, go to our host, Francesca.

Music Lessons

2011-05-02T17:16:00.002-10:00

Oh Daddy, thanks for teaching me instruments! And you've taught me from the beginning, starting me out in all the instruments I play now!

Piano

Guitar

Drums

So thanks dad for all you've taught me in music. And it paid off. If you want to see some of my music, go to my YouTube Page!

Oh and don't think he taught me with no experience, here's some of his awesome music too!
Dad, you're the best. Love Ya!

corner view "home"

2011-04-13T21:07:00.000-10:00

At my home there's a lot of...

Creativity

Cooking

Laughs

Water

Love

And Music!

For more homes, go to our host, Francesca.

corner view "reflection"

2011-03-29T22:25:00.000-10:00

Upon Reflection...

For more corner veiws, click here to meet our lovely host, Francesca.

7 Facts About Moi

2011-03-24T20:35:00.013-10:00

Thanks Debbie, for the Stylish Blog Award. :)

The rules for accepting this award are:
1.) Give thanks to the person who gave you the award, and link back to them
2.) Mention 7 facts about yourself
3.) Pass it on

Seven facts about me....hmmmm.....

1. I love Acting and Music. And I happen to be very dramatic. I don't know if that's good or bad. :)

2. I'm kind of a nerd in a computery type of way. Lots of my free time on weekends is spent figuring out little things, like how to change your iTunes artwork to anything you want.

3. Most of the time, I really like to be alone. Though I do like people and going out exploring in the world. But a lot of the time I love to just lay in my bed, listen to music, watch a movie, or just think.

4. I love outer space. It's the coolest thing ever. Just how big and beautiful it is. I've loved it since I asked for a NASA book for my sixth birthday. :)

And yes, both of these pictures are real. :)

5. I'm pretty goofy. It runs in the family. Just ask my Dad or my Grandpa. Oh and I like using lots of smiley faces. :D

*
And, sometimes I have trouble putting on swimwear.

I'm a genius.

6. I love my brother and sister sooooo much! They're my best friends. And so are my Mom and Dad. They understand me more than anyone else on the planet. My sister Annabel - she's the best. She always cheers me up. I know I'm really lucky to have such a great family.

7. Ahh yes, and last but not least, I love to make things into swings. Like tying bikes, skateboards, lawn chairs, strollers, etc. to trees.

Picture for proof. :)

Three more people I would like to give the most stylish blog award to: Francesca, Theresa, and Ladybug-Zen.

corner view "four legged"

2011-03-22T22:03:00.001-10:00

I've always wanted a pet, but my Dad's allergic to just about everything with fur. A while ago, we went to our friend's house and stayed there for a while. They had two horses and two cats and three kittens. My favorite was Callie.

But, a kitten will never happen, so I guess I'll have to settle with dreaming about owning chickens one day.

For more corner views, click here to meet our lovely host, Francesca.

Recording

2011-03-21T10:14:00.000-10:00

Over spring break, I did some recording. I recorded a new single! My dad's the best producer ever and I had a great recording engineer! I'll post the song as soon as I can!

Newest YouTube

2011-03-07T09:46:00.000-10:00

Here's a song I did from High School Musical. A little different form what I normally do, but it was really fun to sing!

corner view "on my kitchen counter"

2011-03-01T22:43:00.001-10:00

Since I don't have a house, therefore I don't have a kitchen which means I don't have a counter, so I'll use my desk instead.

I'll tell you what I'm not used to. Going to basic clothes stores and having nothing fit me! Nothing's comfortable and nothing seems to be my style. So today, I took some clothes that were a little too big for me and hemmed them with my trusty sewing machine!

I hemmed some of my shirts and to my old jeans. I cut the jeans into shorts. And then, being kinda quirky, I took the remainders of the jeans and turned them into fingerless gloves. And then they turned out nice so I took some of my mom's old shirts she didn't want and made them into gloves too. Recycling! :) Of course I'm not very good yet. All I can do is make gloves and hem things. But I'm hoping to get better! If any of you have any tips, I'd love some feedback!

Here's an example (of the shirt gloves):

What I Woke Up To This Morning

2011-02-16T19:56:00.000-10:00

Sorry I didn't do my corner view, I had a bad cold. So here's a post to make up for it. :)

corner view "my favorite actor"

2011-02-08T22:47:00.002-10:00

Well this is a fun one! I already told you about Robin Williams and Tom Hanks. Those are two of my favorite actors. If there's a new movie with either of them in it, I'll see it. But currently, the actor I'm really into is Zac Efron. Some of you Europe people probably haven't heard of him. He's more of an American boy. :) It's good for me to be remotely into what other kids are into. Or at least that's what my mom thinks. He's 23 years old and has been acting since he was my age, 14. He said the kids in school used to call him "the theater dork" and he considers himself a bit of a nerd. I love nerds! :) He got small guest rolls on TV shows for a while.

Here's a picture from his first guest spot. The TV show was Firefly. He was 14 here.

Then one day in 2006, he found his breakthrough. "High School Musical." In the first movie, Zac's singing parts weren't sung by him (he was lip syncing to someone else's voice) because he wasn't quite good enough of a singer yet. But the second and third "High School Musical" movies he did all of his own singing. "High School Musical" is more of a kid film, but my whole family and I enjoy it. There are three movies in the series.

In High School Musical One

Right now, Zac's doing more dramatic acting because he already showed us he can sing and dance. :) He recently made a movie called "Charlie St. Cloud." Charlie's younger eleven year old brother was killed in a car crash when Charlie was fifteen. (Charlie is now 23.) Every day, Charlie meets with Sam, his younger brother, in a graveyard and plays catch with him even though Sam has died. The story's about how Charlie has to let go of his brother to live again. It makes me cry every single time I watch it. I'm a sucker for movies like this. And Zac did prove he is a really good actor.

Here are some pictures from 'Charlie St. Cloud."

And of course it doesn't hurt that he's absolutely adorable. :)

I've never met him, but here's the magic of Photo Editing.

I also thought it was funny how much we looked alike when we were younger.
Plus we're wearing pretty much the exact same outfit. :P

Baby Me :) Baby Zac

For more actors, go visit my mom, Theresa and her sidebar. :)

Happy corner viewing!

Annabel: My Bestest Friend

2011-02-04T22:50:00.001-10:00

Annabel is turning 12 tomorrow. I KNOW! I can't believe it either!

And to honor her on this very special of days, I've decided to do a blog post for her.

These are five of the MANY special qualities of my sister and best friend. :)

1. Most of the time, we never fight. It's pretty rare and usually about something silly. And even when we do, we don't stay mad at each other for more than twenty minutes.

2. She always knows the right thing to do. Usually when I'm thinking of doing something I don't know is right, I ask my trusty Annabel.

3. She's very loyal and always sticks up for me even if it's putting herself at risk.

4. She's brave. Probably the most fierce out of all of us. When it comes to certain things that is. Like kicking a boy's butt in sparring or standing up to a bully! You GO girl!

5. And lastly, she's the sweetest, kindest, most generous, awesomest, coolest, person I know. And we'll always be best friends!

Love Ya Annabel!

P.S. 12 was one of my most favorite of years so far. Out of the ones I can remember at least. :)

corner view "evening sky"

2011-02-01T17:46:00.001-10:00

Here's my evening sky I see from my window every night. :)

Sometimes gray and filled with light

And sometimes pink and orange. More tropical, don't you think?

For more evening skies, go visit my mom, Theresa and her sidebar.

corner view "my favorite artist"

2011-01-26T12:23:00.000-10:00

I have many favorite artists. Of course the classics, Monet, Van Gogh. My Dad turned me on to them a long time ago. :)

But I do also have some friends that are artists, both of them are very amazing.

The one I met first was Dario. I met him probably before the age of two because he's one of my Dad's best friends. He's amazing at photo realism. Here's his website for more of his art.

And then there is Juel. I knew her in kindergarten and then I just reunited with her about a year ago. She's an AMAZING artist. Here's some of what she's done. She's only 14!

She drew the first one in pencil and the last two on the computer. But she doesn't trace it like I do, she just uses her eyes and copies it! How amazing is that? Here's Juel's blog if you want to check her out. She'd love your support. :)

For more artists go visit my mom, Theresa and her sidebar.

corner view "organic form"

2011-01-19T10:49:00.000-10:00

All of these shapes are unique. So different. But, I can see them all in my backyard, or within five minutes from my house. :)

For more organic shapes, go visit my mom, Theresa and her sidebar.

corner view "winter"

2011-01-11T21:51:00.000-10:00

Here's my winter. No snow. Little rain. Lots of sun!

For more winters, (more frosty ones) go visit my mom, Theresa.

My Personal Eh Hem Style :)

2011-01-04T23:08:00.000-10:00

Ok, so I'm finally feeling brave enough to put a picture of my new hair cut up. Personally, they cut it a little too short for my taste. It's longer than it was when I first cut it, if that's possible to believe.

In this picture, I'm leaning on my imaginary friend, William. ;)

And with a new hair cut come new openness to skirts. Dum de dum. I try to mix it with my tomboy style as much as I can. But since it's hot here, the black leggings aren't always comfortable so I've only worn this outfit twice. Plus my favorite shirt (above) is getting too small on me. Boo hoo. By the way, thrift stores are ALWAYS the way to go. Just a little tip. You can find everything plus more there. Once, I found a brand new Calvin Klein jean jacket there for like five bucks! (I think Calvin Klein is a really fancy company because my mom seemed impressed.)

Oh my by the way, I put a new video on YouTube, if you want to check it out :)

Being Here (On Earth)

2010-12-20T10:59:00.000-10:00

Isn't life just beautiful?

corner view "traditions"

2010-12-14T22:26:00.000-10:00

Since it's close to Christmas, I'll talk about the family Christmas traditions. Every year, we get a tree. (We now have a fake tree which saves money and trees.) Then when it's time to decorate it, we put on Christmas music (our favorite is "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree") and Mom picks out the ornaments one by one for the kids to put on the tree.

By Theresa Marks

For more traditions, visit my mom, Theresa.

corner view "improvising"

2010-12-07T16:21:00.021-10:00

I guess you could call me spontaneous. I love surprises! I love last minute outings or trips (especially if it's ice cream or something).

I also admire different kinds of improvising. There are a lot, if you don't know, so I'll just talk about a couple, my two favorites.

Number one, Musical Improvisation. That's when you stay in a scale and hit any of it's notes at random. Sometimes you'll get little snippits of cool sounds and may be able to create a new song out of it if you're lucky. It's usually best to record your improvs so you can listen back to them and find songs. Probably the person who's best at this is Keith Jarrett. Pretty complex, but if you really listen he is a genius beyond genius. Another great musician in this field is more unknown, Art Lande. He was my Dad's musical mentor. He goes into different times like instead of 4/4 time he'll go into 13 or 11 or 7 or 5!

Keith Jarrett

My other favorite type of improv is Comedic Improvisation. It's my favorite type of comedy and seems to be Robin Williams' too. He's my favorite. You know how we have two funny bones? I think every bone in his body is a funny bone! :)

Here are two quotes from Robin. :) Ain't he great?

If it's the Psychic Network why do they need your phone number?

When you create, you get a little endorphin rush. Why do you think Einstein looked like that?

For more improvising, visit my mom, Theresa.

corner view "rain"

2010-11-30T15:06:00.000-10:00

Some people don't like the rain.

I love it! Whenever it rains I go outside. (It's always warm here.) I take an umbrella and my iPod and I go out for a walk.

Usually it looks like this.

But sometimes, you'll catch this.

P.S. For more thoughts about the sky, see my blog post below.

For more corner views, visit my mom, Theresa.

2010-11-26T22:54:00.001-10:00

Can you believe we are in there, somewhere?

As even amateur nerds know, light travels at 186,000 miles per second. Much faster then even my Dad's car. :)
The Moon is 1.3 light seconds away from Earth.
The sun is 8.5 light minutes away.
Saturn is 84 light minutes away.
Pluto is 250 light minutes away.

Now here's the wild part...
The next sun beyond ours is 4.2 light years away.

I really like the name of this cluster of stars -- The Dumbbell Nebula. Named because the disc-like shape reminds the eye of a dumbbell (not because the nebula is dumb). If it was dumb, we'd never know it, because it's a thousand light years away.

The Blinking Eye Nebula probably sees the light of the Dumbbell nebula the same time we do because its two thousand light years away.

The Bug Nebula and the Red Spider Nebula are four thousand light years away.

The Rotten Egg Nebula and the Boomerang Nebula (I kid you not) are five thousand light years away.

Moving right along, the Black Eye galaxy is 17 light years away from our fists, but it got beat-up anyway.

The tadpole Galaxy hasn't quite found its way out of the pond. In fact, it's 420 million light years away from the nearest known pond.

Three billion light years away is a galactic cluster called Abell 2218; which makes you wonder, is there a Cain 2218? Or don't they have a choice between good and evil three billion light years from us?

Finally I leave you with Hubble Ultra Deep Field Galaxies -- the most distant galaxies known. Formed when the universe was a mere eight hundred million years old. An infant compared to it's present age of more than thirteen billion years old.

If we could get our hands on the Hubble Ultra Deep Field Galaxies, would we figure out a way to turn them into the Hubble Ultra Deep Fried Galaxies? Traveling long distances does make us hungry.

Thanks to my Dad to turning me onto all the weird names and inserting some of his weird humor.

Unlike a lot of the things humans say, everything I just wrote is true!

Here's looking at you, kid...

Regards,

From the Red Eye Nebula:

corner view "different perspective"

2010-11-23T21:50:00.000-10:00

For my corner view, I think I'll talk about the different perspectives of children and adults.

To children, the world is big and wonderful. There are so many new sights to see, people to meet and things to try. Everything is an adventure.

To most adults, the world can be a pain most of the time. Work, rushing around, errands, driving everywhere. They lose the child-like innocence. They've seen most of the things children get so excited about like the ocean or a mountain or bubbles floating in the air, but to an adult, these things are nothing special. But you can always, no matter what age, see beauty in everything and keep that child-like innocence forever.

For more perspectives, visit my mom, Theresa.

corner view "anything goes" or as I like to say, "randomness" :)

2010-11-16T16:37:00.009-10:00

Earlier this month, I decided to do some art. I'm not very good at drawing, I'll admit. So sometimes I go on Photoshop, take a picture and trace over the picture section by section, color by color. Let me tell you, it's very time consuming. There is a name for this kind of art work, but I can't remember the name. Something that starts with a "T". Anyway, since I'm really into Robin Williams at the moment and I was frustrated at my many attempts to draw him on paper (they didn't turn out well) I decided to turn to my trusty computer. :)

It took me a while, but it was worth it. What do you think?

To see more random corner views, go to my Mom, Theresa.

The Faces of Shawn

2010-11-15T13:50:00.001-10:00

I have to tell you something about my little brother. He's awesome. Really! He's one of those people with that special spark. He's very strong, very cool, and VERY generous. Every so often he will give me free Pokemon cards (something he and my sister, Annabel are very into right now). And, usually, even if he's in a bad mood, he'll give me a hug. Well, sometimes he says, "I'm not mad at you, Skylar, I'm mad at mom." :)

Here are the diferent faces of Shawn...

Regular Shawn

Thinking Shawn

Goofy Shawn

Stubborn Shawn

Loving Shawn

Musical Shawn

Super Shawn

Rockin' Shawn :P

Video Game Shawn

Helpful Shawn

And my favorite... Hugging-Sister Shawn

You rock, dude!

Love,

Skylar

corner view "autumn"

2010-11-09T21:56:00.004-10:00

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. ~Albert Camus

Where I am, we don't have seasons. It's summer all the time! :) So I take advantage of it when I can when we travel in Autumn, which is rare.

I've always imagined sitting in front of a fire on a chilly autumn night. But if we sat in front of a fire here? Yuck!

My best Autumn memory was in California, one November. My mom came out with my little sister and me and we jumped in piles of leaves for hours. :)

For more Autumn (real Autumn) go to the side bar on my mom, Theresa's Blog.

corner view "famous"

2010-11-02T22:19:00.002-10:00

Me, well, I've told you people that I have admirations. Or obsessions, if it's necessary to call them that. But for me, I'm picky. Probably the first one was my Daddy. :) Then came Cathy Rigby after watching Peter Pan so many times that my sister and I could recite it from beginning to end. Then came the Beatles! Oh yes, an obsession that lasted 2 1/2 years. The longest one ever! Then came Amma. Robin Williams came when I was ten -- such a funny dude! It wasn't really an obsession at that point. Then Tom Hanks. Then Michael Jackson, one of my bigger ones. And now, Robin Williams again. Except this time, it's more of an obsession, plus, I can now see the PG-13 movies. :) Back then, I couldn't see much. And I couldn't see his stand-ups, he's not exactly...clean. But I love him anyway... :)

Anyway, all of these people changed my life in big ways and subtle ways. Whether it was teaching me music, making me want to learn gymnastics, teaching me joy and harmonies, teaching me compassion, or how to take on different characters when I act, or how gentleness and power can be combined into something brilliant, or how make people laugh. I wish I could personally thank them for all that they've done for me. Maybe, some day, except for Michael, *sniff sniff*. Of course, I thank my dad all the time. :)

Thank you Google for the Pictures :)

So, these are my favorite famous people! For more famous people, go to my mom, Theresa.

Happy Halloween!!

2010-10-31T09:59:00.000-10:00

Nanu Nanu! :D

Annabel is Piper, a character from the book, The Lost Hero, by Rick Riordan.

Shawn is also a character from that book. He's Leo. :)

Happy Halloween, Everyone!

corner view "pondering"

2010-10-26T22:44:00.001-10:00

I have to say, Annabel's the ponderer in the family...always daydreaming.

Of course, I like to daydream too. Who doesn't really? It's like a little escape to another world.

For more pondering corner views, go to my mom, Theresa's Blog.

corner view "holiday"

2010-10-20T22:16:00.000-10:00

I loved going to L.A.

But, I have to say my favorite holiday was going to Europe. :)

My Grandpa

2010-10-16T09:46:00.000-10:00

My Grandpa is quite a character. I only have grandparents on my Mom's side, but they're the best ones anyone could wish for. Grandpa loves history and he seems to know everything about it. Every time we go to a lake or a building Grandpa has something to say about it.

This summer when my cousins and my family were visiting my Grandparents house, Grandpa asked all the kids to come outside. Grandpa made a beautiful rock path with hand-picked rocks a couple years ago and he's very proud of it. He shows it to us every year. "Come kids! I wanna show you how rocks can be very pretty when they're wet!"
So the kids tramped outside. Grandpa started telling us about how the green rocks are very rare.

He just loves the attention we give him when he tells us all about Grandpa things. Same with the history of lakes and buildings and certain museums. He really does seem to know a lot. And he really does know how to pick out rocks!

Halloween!

2010-10-15T13:47:00.001-10:00

It's always been a cool holiday. You get to dress up in things your parents would totally never let you wear in real life (like rainbow suspenders) and go out and beg for candy! How fun can that be? Usually, being a health conscious family, we don't get to eat the candy. WAHH! We have to trade it in for healthy candy. :(

And our family isn't into the whole vampire, ghost thing. So, we're always really different things for Halloween. One year, when I was six, I was Cathy Rigby. Then I was Paul McCartney. And I was Robin Williams when I was ten. Last year, I was Annabeth from the Percy Jackson series. My sister begged me. She was obsessed with that series. She was Percy and my little brother was Grover, the satyr. :) That was funny.

This year, I shall be Mork. I have the pants and I ordered rainbow suspenders and I'm going to get like six different colored shirts and sew them together to make a shirt like this one:

I'll need to work on my sewing... and cutting... and bribing. It takes some skill to bribe my mom to go into town. :)

But I'm SOOO EXCITED!

corner view "green"

2010-10-12T23:17:00.015-10:00

My mom is the type of mom that gets an idea in her head and sticks with it. Not only does she stick with it, she drags the whole family along too. Composting, for instance is one of these examples and is not one of our favorite chores.

Recently, Annabel and I took the job of doing the laundry every day. But we don't just wash it and put it in the dryer, like everyone else, we have to wash it, go out, hang it, let it dry, fluff it in the dryer, fold it and put it away. Maybe some of you folks in Europe do that and all of your friends and neighbors do that, but where I live, no one does that. They just pop it in the washer and then the dryer and call it a day.

Pictures from Google

We also have to do the compost. YUCK! Pardon if I'm offending any compost fans out there, but it's gross. You put rotting food and rotting grass together and it creates food for plants. Thank goodness it isn't food for people - though it started that way, now didn't it?

But one thing I really don't mind, is recycling. We have to separate all of our paper and cardboard here, but in some places, there's no sorting involved. Over a period of months, not sorting saves you lots of time, ladies and gentlemen.

Upon further reflection, the laundry and recycling isn't all that bad. Especially if you're listening to music or if you have someone to talk to. And you're helping the earth at the same time! (It's the compost no one likes.) But, I guess I'll get used to it. :) Looks like he did...!

corner view "orange"

2010-10-06T18:43:00.001-10:00

corner view "the incredible, the mysterious, mustache"

2010-09-28T18:35:00.000-10:00

When I think of mustaches, I automatically think of my Uncle Peter. He's had a mustache for as long as I can remember. He's my Dad's older brother.
Whenever we would go over to visit, he would always tell us to feel his mustache and then he would wiggle it and tickle our fingers.
He also loves golf and always let's us drive his golf cart. Last time I saw him in his home, I was really little. So, of course, he had to help me drive the golf cart. However, this summer, I got to steer all by myself, but he had to man the brakes for "safety reasons". He also swore I was ready for the car. :)

For more corner views, hop over to Jane. Or Cate, who's hosting corner view for now.

Saturday, Saturday

2010-09-25T17:17:00.002-10:00

Monday, I sprained my ankle. Humph. I've been limping around, looking pretty pathetic and feeling quite sorry for myself. But there are some things that have been cheering me up and making me remember that life's great...
I got to go out today. I saw a movie with Annabel and Shawn. We saw Alpha and Omega in 3D. Oooooooooh!
I imported some of my new Michael Jackson albums. They had some new songs and I've been listening to them 24/7.
I am recording my fourth album. This time, under different circumstances. I'm am the recording engineer this time. It surely isn't the most entertaining job for me, but, I am a computer nerd, so then again...
I'm also doing the graphics for my album. Oh Photoshop, one of my greatest friends!
And I've been watching lots of Robin Williams. Jack, Bicentennial Man, Mrs. Doubtfire, and don't forget, Mork and Mindy!

Smile! It's what life is for.

corner view "humor"

2010-09-21T22:16:00.002-10:00

This topic is just perfect for right now! Because right now, I'm really into Robin Williams; someone who can ALWAYS make me laugh! So, I put together a little video montage of some of my favorite Robin Williams moments. I tried to keep it clean so he only swears a couple of times. Cuz, well, you know Robin... :P

This video starts with Robin's interview with Johnny Carson about his soon-to-be-released movie, Good Morning, Vietnam.

corner view "seven"

2010-09-14T20:32:00.004-10:00

Seven is considered a lucky number. It's also my Dad's favorite number because of his hero, Mickey Mantle. There's a store called 7 Eleven but I've never set foot in there because my parents wont let me.

Seven of my favorite things right now...(Annabel's Idea)
Sugar
Michael Jackson
Robin Williams / Mork and Mindy
Computers / Nerd Stuff
Cheese
Sunflowers
Two different colored Socks

Seven of my least favorite things right now...
Homework
Chores
Running out of Hard Drive space.
Walking up and down the stairs for NO reason. It's extremely boring and tiring.
Yelling at people (unless it's your little brother of course!)
Getting sick on the weekends (Especially if you were REALLY looking forward to something like... GOING TO YOUR FRIEND'S HOUSE!)
Getting dressed up in a SKIRT and a GIRLY shirt by your little sister who just does it for pure pleasure!

Oh I could go on...

***

For more Corner Views around the world, visit Jane!

Missing Annabel

2010-09-10T20:18:00.001-10:00

Annabel's over at a sleepover. Even though she's only been gone for about an hour, I miss her already! We usually play together on the weekends. Laugh a lot. Sometimes we watch movies together. I want her to have fun, but I can't wait till she comes home!

Miss Ya!
Your Big Sis,
Sky <3

One of My New CD Covers

2010-09-09T15:56:00.005-10:00

I was thinking the first picture was going to be the cover and the second picture was going to be the back.

What do you guys think?

corner view "school"

2010-09-07T14:57:00.002-10:00

First things first, I wouldn't have such a great school if it weren't for my parents and my awesome teacher, Miss Yvonne. I'm home-schooled with my sister Annabel. This means, we can experiment with different types of learning.

Miss Yvonne is a new kind of teacher. On the first day of school, she made a list of the differences between my sister Annabel and I and our similarities too. So, she really got a feel of who we are. We go to a math website called IXL. Every time you get 100%, you get a virtual medal and the longer you practice, the more prizes you get. It's really fun! It goes up to eighth grade but high school is coming soon so for now, I'm just reviewing. So that's new, math is FUN!

We also do vocabulary. We look through some books that we're reading (it can be magazines or whatever) and find some words we don't know. We look them up and then teach them to each other. Then, every time we use the word in a sentence, we get a point. At the end of every two weeks, we have a test and get little stones and things for prizes. :) So fun!

Even though we don't have seasons where I live, I can always imagine the back-to-school thing. When I grow up, bundling my children in their scarves and hats and mittens, packing their lunches and watching them walk to school, waving goodbye to me. As they walk away, a gentle wind blows, rustling trees, forcing the little red-orange leaves to say farewell and fly off on a new adventure. (I don't know if this is really going to happen, I might home school my kids, I was just trying to be all mature and 'wisdomatic' and stuff.) :)

Picture form Getty Images

Busy Weekend (Even Though it Just Started)

2010-09-05T10:50:00.000-10:00

Yesterday was a busy Saturday. First, the family went to the beach. The we drove home and hightailed it to town because of an orthodontist appointment. Then we got lunch.

When we got home, Mom thought it would be a good idea to clean out my closet. So we spent two hours doing that. Oh joy. Then Mom and Dad went for dinner, I babysat. Eggs for dinner, I cleaned the kitchen while Shwn and Annabel watched Pokemon on YouTube. I cleaned the kitchen by myself because it's simply, the babysitter's job. Once again, Oh Joy. But then, when Mom and Dad came home, I was watching a Disney show. Mom thought it was pretty funny so I showed some of my favorite show, iCarly. So that ended the night with a happy note. :) Good ol' iCarly!

How was your weekend?

P.S. I'm excited for Corner View to start up again! :)

Chambers is COMING!

2010-08-17T08:59:00.001-10:00

Our acting coach, Chambers Stevens is coming!!! We are all so excited. We're looking at places with big stages like school auditoriums and stuff to work at and we're finding kids to be part of the programs. Chambers is really funny. He has a little boy named Twain and Twain likes the Beatles. We went to work with Chambers in LA twice this summer. We did skits and commercials and scenes. There were other kids there too, but the three Marks' were the youngest. Chambers really likes to have interesting and unique conversations at lunchtime. He's really funny. :D

He's a really good director and he's GREAT with kids. I can't wait until he gets here!!!

Chambers

Tom Hanks

When Chambers was a little younger, I think he kinda looked like Tom Hanks. Don't you think? Just a random thought. :)

School Day and Computers

2010-08-17T08:44:00.000-10:00

Today's our first day of school. We have a new teacher. She's really nice. She had kinda new methods so we're going to have some fun. I get to blog more, and do more music, and online math. Anyway I think it'll be fun!

On the other hand, my computer's kinda broken. I ran out of space on my hard drive. So, I ordered a new one! YAY! It should come any day. When It comes, I'll put all of the stuff I don't need on my computer on the hard drive. And when I plug it in to the computer, I'll be able to access all of it!

Sorry if this post was boring. :) I couldn't find a picture. Oh well, I'll do one that's more interesting. ;)

Henry

2010-08-01T05:49:00.000-10:00

My little cousin Henry is the youngest of the cousins. He's two. Last year when I saw him, he didn't talk at all. The only thing he said was bahhhhh! Like a sheep. This year he's begun talking. He told me to come out in the garden with him. His dad has a big garden with lots of greens to eat. I showed Henry the arugula and the kale. He did this thing a couple of weeks ago where he likes to feed me things, so he was feeding me the vegetables. I swear, he's got to be the cutest baby on the planet!

corner view "me"

2010-07-21T04:05:00.003-10:00

Well, what can I say. I am a girl who loves music, art, and nature. I am a tomboy at heart.

I love to pretend that I'm an orphan or an animal, or from a different country. That way I can appreciate my life more. I like to sit alone and imagine, write, create, listen.

I love my brother and sister more than anyone could ever know. They are two of the few people I can always count on to be there for me no matter what.

I like to appreciate the little things that go as quickly as they come.

And I like to aim high and set particularly high goals for myself. Even though it often leaves me disappointed, I always end up learning the most.

***

For more "me's" around the world visit Jane.

LA

2010-07-16T09:46:00.000-10:00

How's Everyone else's summer going?

Old Friends and Family

2010-07-16T09:04:00.001-10:00

Sorry I haven't been blogging! We went on a long road trip and I've been busy.

Lately, we've been hanging out with some old friends. Hayden, Josh and Jordan and their mom, Dawny. Dawny has been my mom's best friend since they were eleven. I've know Hayden his whole life. He's almost twelve. Josh is the middle child, he's really funny. And little Jordan. In fact, they're all funny! We have a similar since of humor.

Little Hayden and Me

And here's all of the Menge and Marks kids now. We call ourselves the M&Ms!
From left to right: Jordan, 5 1/2, Annabel, 11, Me, 13, Josh, 9, Hayden, 11 1/2, Shawn, 7

And here's what happens when they have to go:

And then there's the cousins, Emma, seven and a half, Elijah, five, and Henry, two.

And we're staying at an awesome house with an electric dirt bike!
I got a little wild ;)

And all of the kids have gotten into acting. Annabel's kinda the actress in the family. Can you tell?

Happy Summer everyone!

Remembering Michael

2010-06-25T05:46:00.011-10:00

Exactly one year ago today, Michael Jackson was here and a second later he was gone. And now that he is gone, billions of people, including me, are now realizing how amazing he really was.

I admire him for is genius, and intelligence and talent. For his integrity, perseverance and will. But I mostly admire Michael for his heart. For the love he had for his family, children, fans and for the world. Michael donated millions of dollars to charity. His second world tour, The Dangerous Tour, raised about $125 million. All of the profits were donated to various charities.

But Michael's reputation was destroyed over the years. Reasons? Tabloids, lies, jealous and greedy people. But look at the picture above. That's the kind of person Michael was. But this Michael wasn't known as well as the Michael seen in the magazines and looked at in a different way than I see him. There were in fact, many things, good things, that Michael did but the press didn't cover. He visited children's hospitals. He brought toys and music, games, puzzles, and he'd stay for hours. Michael was extremely busy, but these children mattered to him. Many were dying.

Then came the charges. They were all lies. Everyone who bothers to research the truth now knows this.

And if you watch something like Michael Jackson's This is It, you'll see the real side of Michael. And as Kenny Ortega said, Michael Jackson was like an angel walking the planet.

So today is a day of remembering Michael and all of the good he did for the world. Join me, or not. But I'll always love him.

We will always miss you and love you Michael. May God bless you forever, for he truly knows your heart.

corner view "noticing"

2010-06-23T05:36:00.001-10:00

I've been noticing the little things God gives us every day that we don't notice.

Like, how many blessings I have. That I'm able to walk and talk and see and hear. And how there's too many blessings and not enough appreciation in this world.

For more things people are noticing, visit Jane for more corner views around the world.

Florida

2010-06-23T05:03:00.001-10:00

Well, here we are in the second hottest place in America. The first hottest, is where I live. After being in chilly California, Florida's a relief. We're visiting my Uncle and Aunt. Uncle Peter's my dad's older brother. He lives in Florida but his house is like a meet freezer. He must like air conditioning. We're going to see them later. Here's three things about my Uncle.

- He has a golf cart in his garage and all of the kids get to drive it around the neighborhood. He said I'm ready for the car but Annabel and Shawn are speed demons.

- He's hilarious. He spent hours yesterday asking us questions about different things like what does din mean? It means a loud, unpleasant, and prolonged noise. He also asked what was the symbol for America. I got that one. A bald eagle. He also let us watch a hilarious show called Wipeout. A whole bunch of people have to run obstacle courses while having paint and shaving cream flung at them. There's water below and there were some pretty hilarious falls.

- He's eight years older then my Dad so there were some funny family stories to share.

Sorry I've taken so long to blog but traveling's busy!

Talk to you guys later!

California, Here I Am!

2010-06-02T22:26:00.002-10:00

We just landed in California about two hours ago! We're meeting Dad tomorrow at Amma's and I miss him SO much! Mom said that she's never traveling without him again! He's such a huge help!

So I guess you should say that my summer trip's officially started!

Happy summer, everyone!

Katie's Photo Contest

2010-06-01T11:11:00.003-10:00

Here are my three photos!

I don't know exactly when the pictures were taken, but they were pretty recent! Thanks Katie for having the contest!

Fun with Photoshop

2010-05-31T13:52:00.000-10:00

Some of my recent creations. The first one of Shawn I just did a couple of minutes ago.

*

2010-05-26T08:56:00.001-10:00

Just time for some pictures. I have so many, I thought I should share. :)

We're leaving for summer vacation next week! Wish us luck. I'll be blogging during summer, maybe not as much as usual, but stick around!

corner view "collections"

2010-05-19T19:05:00.001-10:00

Well if you don't know already, I'm the kind of person that collects lots of different things. My Mom calls them knick-knacks, my Dad calls them junk or geegaw. Little glass figures, candles, buttons, pretty stones, beads, crystals, shells from the nearby beach.

Last year when we went to Venice, Italy, we saw some glassblowing. We each got a set of little glass creatures. My brother and sister were nice enough to give me theirs because my birthday was soon after and they had collections of their own.

To me, collections are little irrelevant things that just make you happy every time you look at them.

Little collections of joy!

Thank Francesca for the great topic! And for more Corner Views around the world, go to Jane!

Animals

2010-05-11T21:00:00.001-10:00

Just some cute pictures I took of animals. :)

corner view "garden"

2010-05-05T08:04:00.002-10:00

Whether it's your garden or another's,
you can always find something pretty to look at, or something good to eat!

For more corner views, visit Joyce! She's babysitting Corner View while Jane's gone.

Favorite Blogs:

2010-05-04T18:41:00.001-10:00

Mom
Francessca
Juel
Annabel
Katie aka Grammer Girl
Jane
Juanita de la Vega

Just some of the many blogs I love to read!

P.S. Hope it's okay that I linked everyone! If you don't want me to, just tell me and I'll take yours off.

Sibling Update

2010-05-02T22:09:00.004-10:00

What ever would I do without them? I'd be so lonely. I'd feel so empty. I'd probably be way more impatient.

Best of friends since 1999. My goofy lovely pal. I can tell her anything, trust her with my life. Even though I can be a little bossy or mean sometimes, like making her touch the slimy tofu because she was being really annoying about it. :) But most of the time we're like a knot.

My giggly brother. He only poses for the camera when I tell him he can pretend to be a basketball star named Shawn Tristan. He likes to whack things really hard. Including people with a foam sword. But even though it's foam, it has a metal rod inside, so it feels like you're being hit with a bat. But that doesn't happen too much. He likes yellow, orange and red because they're the colors of fire. But mostly yellow. My favorite color used to be red and Shawn started to copy me when he was about three. So I told him that yellow was a much more powerful color because it was the color of the sun and the sun's huge. He bought it and it stuck. :)
And now, Shawn's on YouTube: Shawn's Drumming!

We're the best of friends and will always be!

corner view "animals"

2010-04-28T09:17:00.001-10:00

What would this world be like without animals? I don't wanna know. Probably empty. Probably dead. The human man is an animal, but we are more capable of certain things. We have hands and feet. We can put things together, we can invent. We can reason, we have free will. Animals live by instinct.

But we're not better. Killing some animals for food is part of the food chain. But killing animals for fur and oil? Killing elephants for their tusks? We can live without those things. If we can invent a computer or a light bulb, invent your own fur. Invent your own oil. Sculpt your own tusks!

So many species are going extinct because of different reasons. But most of those reasons are caused by Man.

Cutting down trees, global warming, killing animals... Do we want to destroy these wonderful creatures and make this world unrecognizable to our children and grandchildren? No animals? No forests? No arctic life? We create that for ourselves. We cut down the trees. We pollute the air. Oh, we say, they'll take care of it. They who? It's us!

If we don't make a difference, our children and grandchildren will never see these beautiful creatures like I do.

All of the animals listed above are endangered. There will be none left on the face of this earth if we don't help them!

And the gorilla. There's only about 700 left in the entire world! I live by the ocean. I see whales swimming in the waters. I've been on a boat and seen whales up close. I've also gone scuba diving and seen turtles. These are wonderful, beautiful animals.

This beautiful creature is almost extinct. There are only about 30 Amur Leopards left in the world. This little baby might die in extinction. We have to stop this! We have to make a difference.

And there are none of these left in the wild! Only in zoos.

The panda, the tiger, the rhino, they're all endangered. Help them. Look for somewhere you can donate to help save the animals. Don't buy fur coats to support people that kill animals. Let's make our difference while we've got the chance.

corner view "earth day"

2010-04-20T17:16:00.002-10:00

Earth Day. A day to celebrate and respect the world we live in. To me, every day is Earth Day. There shouldn't be a day of our lives where we aren't aware and thankful to Earth. It gives us a home, fresh air to breathe, food and water to keep us alive. Some people don't care. They don't respect Earth. They don't realize that if we don't save our world, Earth will die and so will we.

Humans are selfish. Some more than others, but almost every human being, including me, wants good things for themselves. But at an early age it's important to develop awareness about our home. First there were the seas, the animals, the wonderful trees and plants and flowers. But humans came along and over time came cars, planes, factories, garbage, plastic, gasoline, oil, and guns and bombs. We cut down the trees. We pollute the air. We kill the animals for coats and fur. We throw garbage in the ocean and kill dolphins and whales. Drive cars too much when we could ride a bike for a short distance.

What about all of the important things in life? What about all of the other species, they have just as much of a right to be here as we do. But most humans don't care. We are lazy and careless and greedy. We want to have everything for ourselves.

My little sister, Annabel and I did a video for a contest about saving the planet.

What we learned is that just doing little things can help. Turning off the water when you brush your teeth or taking shorter showers, or turning off the lights when you're not using them. Also unplugging things like cell phone chargers, TV's, computers and radios at night can help save a ton of energy.

I really hope that one day, if I ever get anywhere with my music, that I'll be someone who tries to help others and not just myself. Here's a good example of someone who did that. I'm sure he loved Earth Day. Even though he's no longer with us, he left this to remind us of what he stood for.

On April 22nd, I hope each of us find some way to help our wonderful home. And maybe, if we all try to make a change, every day can become Earth Day. Remember, it all starts with the Man in the Mirror.

For more suggestions about helping the earth, go to Jane's blog.

corner view "one year old!"

2010-04-13T20:30:00.001-10:00

Happy birthday, corner view!

I haven't been in it as long as some others, but I'll post some of my favorite pictures from the corner views I've done.

Evening

Spring

To see the woman who started corner view in the first place, see Jane!

Michael Jackson

2010-04-02T22:06:00.008-10:00

Michael Jackson was a celebrity and that can be difficult. Reporters and people can say things about you, things that aren't true, and everyone can get the wrong idea of who you are. Even if things are true, sometimes you don't want the world to know every ounce of your business.

Michael was one of those people that most people would look and say "wow." He was an amazing singer, dancer, songwriter, choreographer, entertainer, musician and person. And that's a lot of things for one man to be. I have obsessions. And when I get into something, I get really into them. I read books, get to know everything about them, talk about them constantly, and just think about them night and day. But, other than The Beatles, Michael is the biggest obsession yet. And I've never felt so connected to someone I've never met before.

There are so many reasons I feel connected to Michael. One, he was a child who was very different. He wasn't like other kids his age. Two, he got bullied. I got bullied by my peers, he got bullied by the world. People were and are still constantly misjudging him. And it makes me sad especially because I know how that can feel. It's especially hard for people who want to be themselves and aren't just trying to do what everyone else does.

My obsession all started when Dad saw "This is It." It's the movie that they made from Michael's rehearsals for the biggest concert in the history of the world. In these videos, he was 50. But man I'm telling you, this guy could move. It looked like he was 20 years old. And not only was he one of the greatest dancers in the world, he made up almost all of his moves and he choreographed it too. And on top of that, he wrote songs, sang so beautifully, and was the greatest entertainer of all time (in my opinion). Anyway, Dad kept going on about how great this movie was and how we had to see it. So finally it came out on DVD and we rented it. That night Annabel didn't want to see it. Shawn was a bit more open and I have to admit, I was kind of excited. I didn't know hardly anything about Michael Jackson and the only song I'd ever heard of his was Billie Jean and I loved it.

So, the whole family sat down and watched the movie and I fell in love with Michael Jackson and his music and his heart. In this movie, it shows who Michael truly was. And honestly, he's one of the sweetest people to ever walk the earth. Now I'm not saying I've met him or hung out with him, but I usually get a sense of people. And this is what my sense of him was. Michael was a very humble, sweet, sensitive person. He was in charge of this whole concert and created everything. But Michael never got frustrated. He was very calm and would say something like, "Could you make the bass a little louder? I couldn't hear it."

And they would reply, "Of course, Michael,"

And he would bow his head, and say, "Thank you, God bless you."
That was the kind of person he was.

But one of the things I admire most of all about him was his message. His message was very simple and had two main things. Number one, "It's all for love, L-O-V-E." Number two, "Heal the World." Those two messages are so powerful. And of all the famous people in the world, 90% of them make really bad choices of what to do with their fame. But 10% of them choose to do great things and help others with their fame and Michael is the person to admire most for doing that. And what makes me sad is that so many people believe everything they read in magazines and think he's some weirdo but he's not. He was an absolutely beautiful soul.

Michael could be sweet and soft, but he was so cool. It seemed like everything he did was cool. Every movement, every word. He loved animals and children because he said that they didn't judge you. They liked you for who you were.

And he was smart, but funny. He said, "Why not just tell people I'm an alien from Mars. Tell them I eat live chickens and do a voodoo dance at midnight. They'll believe anything you say, because you're a reporter. But if I, Michael Jackson, were to say, 'I'm an alien from Mars and I eat live chickens and do a voodoo dance at midnight,' people would say, 'Oh, man, that Michael Jackson is nuts. He's cracked up. You can't believe a single word that comes out of his mouth.'"

Michael had a real sweetness about him that was just amazing. He would say on stage in front of hundreds of thousands of people, "I love you." And some people have never had someone say, "I love you," to them.

Every human being makes mistakes and Michael did too, he wasn't perfect. But it's important for people to be able to accept people's mistakes and move on to love them.
I admire Michael for so many reasons - his compassion, his humility, his genius, his presence on stage. I wish so much to have those qualities like he did. And if there's one celebrity I want to be most like, with out a doubt or second thought, it would be Michael Jackson.

Michael, God bless you, I hope so much that you are happy wherever you are. And I hope you know how much so many people miss you, how many people you inspired, and how many hearts you touched.

corner view "spring"

2010-03-30T17:58:00.001-10:00

Spring, a time when all of the flowers are in bloom, the birds are singing, the sun is shining. At this time where I live, I'm lucky to have spring year-round. We don't really have seasons here, but below are some pictures to show you all what our garden looks like today.

Our Beautiful New Lemon Tree.

We've had the Tangerine Tree for a while but it's starting to bear more fruit!

Anyway, that was a small glimpse of spring in my yard. For more beautiful spring adventures go to Jane's blog!

corner view "typical architechture"

2010-03-24T10:20:00.002-10:00

Typical architecture in my neighborhood is like this. People like colored tiles on their roofs. They like bright blue skies, they like sprinklers. Not that interesting. But when we went to France and Venice, there was some really interesting architecture there!

Blue

2010-03-13T16:16:00.003-10:00

After training hard, breaking boards, learning a little Korean, practicing punches and kicks, and going for about two and a half hours three times a week, I got my blue belt in Taekwondo.

Taekwondo has helped me learn a lot of things and helped me get very strong mentally and physically. It's made me more brave and more confident. I don't know how my life would be without it, so thank you Mr. and Mrs. Donald for teaching Taekwondo to everyone and for bringing it into my family's lives.

corner view "miniature worlds"

2010-03-09T21:45:00.000-10:00

Little things, harder to see, but when looked at closely become a whole new world where you can be.

corner view "coffee companion"

2010-03-02T21:17:00.001-10:00

Well, first of all, not trying to break the "coffee mood" but I don't drink coffee. Not because I'm one of those people that says "It's so unhealthy" or something like that. In fact, I'm just 13 so drinking stuff that will make me really wild and annoy my mom is really not an option. If I did drink coffee, I think I wouldn't sleep for about three days because I'm wound up enough already as a person. Ask anyone.

Anyway, back to what I was saying. I'm not sure by what you guys mean by "companion" exactly because some of you wrote about sunlight, sugar, cream. If my coffee companion is a human, it would probably be someone I haven't met yet. I don't think any of my current friends would grow up to be the kind of person with a Starbucks constantly in their hands.

Therefore I guess if I have to choose someone I know now to be my coffee companion, it would actually be two someones, my life companions. I mean if they're life companions, they might as well join me for coffee eventually. So it would be these two guys, my biggest companions in the world!

Always Been...Different

2010-02-26T08:19:00.006-10:00

When I was a little first grader, I started to notice something. It was that I wrote with a different hand than everyone else in school. I used to sit and see who else wrote with their left hand too. I found one boy of thirty kids who was like me.

Then I started to learn piano when I was six. I loved to hear the music floating from the keys and my fingers. I wanted to learn piano because my best friend knew piano and so did some other kids I knew. So, for a little while, I was the same.

I got older. Music still held onto me tightly, I couldn't let it go. I went to second grade. I started to become different in another way, I used to play piano like everyone else, now I started to write my own songs. I made a CD when I turned eight in a little studio up the road from our house. I learned guitar as well.

Then I moved on to third grade. It got harder. My teacher who I had since first grade, seemed very unhappy. She got angry and upset easily and started to show her true colors. She would yell at me almost every day about something and I started to dread school. Every day I would cry before school and try to hide so I wouldn't have to go. Then when I was brought to my classroom, I would cry, so my teacher locked me in the bathroom for as long as four hours at a time because crying was disruptive to the class. My Mom and Dad didn't know this because I didn't tell them and neither did my teacher. I thought I deserved to be locked in the bathroom because I was throwing a temper tantrum. There was a certain boy who picked on me constantly. This teacher never dealt with it. The thing about this boy was that I think he really didn't know how to behave and didn't know how to get positive attention. Even though I was young, I had to learn that it's very important to forgive. I forgave a lot. He'd come to me and say he was sorry. I always said, "Thank you for your apology, I forgive you."

As I moved into fourth grade, things started to change. I got a new teacher, Julie. She really helped me. She was kind and very sensitive, like me. She took care of the problem with the boy who was mean to me and he started to stop being mean to me and stand up for me. I slowly started to come out of my shell.
Then one day while I was getting my lunch box, this boy stood up in front of the class and said "I'm really sorry for being so mean to you guys all of these years. And do you know what they did? They laughed at him. I came out and heard the laughter and a girl came up to me and told me what happened. "It was so funny!"
"That's not funny," I said. The teacher came and asked what happened.
"I apologized to everyone for being so mean," he said crying, "And everyone laughed at me, except Skylar." He pointed to me. I was surprised that he remembered that I was one of the few who didn't laugh. I guess because even though he was mean to me so many times, I forgave him and I'm really glad that taught him a lesson he'll remember. I saw him recently, he's polite, he remembers me and we get along like we were best friends always. That taught both him and me the power of forgiveness.

Come fifth grade, a new assistant came to teach language and grammar. New children became a part of our school. One girl I made friends with. We became very close and hung out all of the time. I became a part of a little three-way group. She invited me to her birthday, which was my first sleepover. I went to her house, she came to mine. We hung out almost every week. Then something strange happened. There was a girl with no friends, she got picked on. She wasn't small like me, she was big and tall. So, I invited her over. Well, I don't think my other friend liked that very much. She got very sarcastic and mean. She started to make fun of me and one day after recess, she came in with the seven other girls and sat around me in a circle. "We'll write on your face with Sharpy," because I hated the smell of the permanent marker. "We'll wrap you in newspaper and pour sour milk all over you." I was allergic to milk and didn't like the smell of newspaper. "We'll make you eat peanut butter." I didn't like peanut butter.

I had a small class and there were only eight girls in it. I didn't have many friends to choose from. The only person who hadn't made fun of me with the rest of them was a girl doing her homework in the corner. I knew what they were saying was supposed to be some sort of "joke", but it didn't feel funny.

I hated school so much, I quit and found a new teacher and started home schooling privately with her. I started to like learning again.

This year, I have a great home school teacher and also met a new friend. Her name is Juel. We both like photography. She's an amazing artist and is very serious about it, I'm serious about my music. We both like computers and are obsessed with Tom Hanks. We are both different too.

What I've had to learn is that everyone is different from each other but there is a "really different" bunch in the world. I'm probably one of them. And many people say, "You're weird" or they don't understand you because you're so different from them. But you know what? That's Ok.

corner view "street photography"

2010-02-23T15:11:00.001-10:00

Busy people, here and there, we don't stop and notice all of the little things around us. I hear their talking, feel their energy and problems. They rush here and there to do who knows what and all I do is try to block it out, ignore the noise and try to live alive and joyful. Coming, going, trying new things. I want that! We say too much. When our needs are fulfilled, we go and want something else. New possessions, money and stuff, do we ever stop and appreciate the things we have?

Mom, it's an ice cream store, c'mon, can I get some? I promise I'll eat a good dinner!

Stop at the street and watch for those big metal machines that were made for us to help us rush around and get through the day.

Coffee every morning, without it you will surely collapse at work. Bring it fast and bring it hot! Don't forget the sugar. We need that too. In candy, in juice, in smoothies, isn't fruit sweet enough? But no, as we get older, do our taste buds wither and die? We need the wonderful taste of sugar before we get old and can't taste at all. For when that happens, we'll be stuck eating wet, mushy, bran for the rest of our years.

Oh the pies and cakes and pastries, more sugar, it tastes so good, I need it every day. After every meal and NO, Mom, I'm not addicted to it, I can stop anytime I want to, starting tomorrow.

All of that crossed my mind as my family and I wandered the streets of town. And yes, I'm dramatic. All of the begging for sweets and ice cream I didn't make up. I hear that every day and half of it comes out of my mouth.

For more corner views, visit Jane's sidebar.

The Past

2010-02-22T12:41:00.005-10:00

I convinced my mom and my dad to get a Mac computer. I feel so proud. :) My mom has over 5,000 photos and believe me, you can't send that many pictures by email or transfer them with a flash drive. I called Apple, desperate for help and there was this really nice lady telling me that I could use my iPod. So, I transferred all 5,000 of them, safe and sound. I noticed that my mom had so many photos that I hadn't seen in a while so I transferred about 1,996 of my mom's photos to my computer. Here are some of them from a long time ago.

Annabel and I before one of our first concerts. Feel the fear, people!

Little Shawny at about three years old.

He's just about to throw a stick in a pond nearby and just almost make a swan really mad.

Annabel and I singing in a park for some of our relatives.

My family and me in a hotel before going to see Amma.

My adorable little cousin Emma and me. We were discussing an art project.

Best friends forever and always.

Annabel being adorable!

Here we were fighting over a hammock.

Kind of a dumb thing to be fighting about but hey, it was really comfortable.

My best friend Alizee and me before she moved away.

Miss you a bunch, buddy!

But the past was then and this is now, and it's hard to believe I was ever so young and how different we all were. All of those things, the good and the bad, all taught important lessons and led me to this day, happening just the way it was meant to be.

corner view "wisdom from an elder"

2010-02-16T20:23:00.001-10:00

I think Amma is the wisest person I know. She's given me lots of wisdom. Once I asked her if I should try to meditate and become at peace or try to become a famous musician so I can help the world with music. I told her I just wanted to help people and make them happy but I was worried that if I became famous that I would gain ego and become distracted with my spiritual life. She told me to do both and that if I had no ego then I wouldn't be able to survive in this world.
Also just being around her and knowing her has taught me so much. I've become more kind, patient, loving, giving and peaceful. Every year Annabel and I make a charity box with about $200 of money we've worked for and we give it to her. Just knowing that the money will help someone who is starving more than it will help us buy a new toy makes us feel good inside. That's what Amma has taught me.

I also think Swami Dayamrita (one of Amma's monks) is one of the wisest people I know. He's the kind of person who is quiet but when he speaks, his words have meaning. When I asked him how to resist getting irritated, he told me that I should pretend that the person I'm irritated with is someone I respect and I would never yell at. Ever since then I feel like I've become just a little bit of a better person.

***

For more corner views, visit Jane's sidebar.

Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T13:19:00.001-10:00

I don't know if you all have Valentine's Day in Europe or other places you live, but just in case you don't, Valentine's Day was a day created by Saint Valentine about love and friendship. So for all of the people who read my blog, here's a Valentine Card for all of you! (I made it on Photoshop. I think I'm obsessed.) :)

Percy Jackson: The Movie A+

2010-02-13T17:35:00.001-10:00

Today was Annabel's dream day. She's obsessed with the book series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians. I love them too but not to such an extreme level. :)

Anyway, today was the second day of the movie being out and the whole family went to see it. I think everyone in the theater rated it A+. The critics were rating it C- because they were comparing it to Harry Potter. All of the kids who saw the movie would be pretty mad at them, I'll tell you that!

The special effects were great, the movie had great actors and overall, I bet they're going to make the next four! I'd be so excited for that!!

Happy Birthday Annabel

2010-02-11T15:55:00.002-10:00

You are special, a gift to the world,
singing to the wind, the trees, the sky.
Making peace with pain and sorrow,
accepting life like just a snowy day.
Coming and going like a pearly-white moon,
making your appearance to this world magnificent.
Making your way though life as a humble dot of life,
but you are a living joy, constant peace, a golden star.

Happy birthday Annabel, another beautiful year being around you! Hope you like the poem. I'm no Dr. Seuss, but I tried. :) You're now eleven! Welcome to the "lovely" world of preteens!

corner view "re-purposed"

2010-02-10T08:08:00.005-10:00

I guess one of the things I've created out of something else is a mobile from Lincoln Logs. I don't know if they have them in places other than America but they are these logs with crevices on the ends. The crevices make them easier to stay where they're put.

Anyway, about a couple of years ago, when I was eight, I wanted to make a nice gift for my brother, Shawn's, fourth birthday. So, I took some Lincoln Logs and some nails and I went to my workbench and I came inside with this... a Lincoln Log airplane mobile.

Shawn really liked it for a while and then one summer we had to pack it away. We just dug it up a couple of days ago and just in time for corner view!

For more corner views visit Jane or Francesca (who made up the idea of re-purposed).

P.S. I got Photoshop for Christmas and I'm making my new CD cover. I have two and like them both.

Feedback? Which one do you like better: A or B? It's called Next Color.

To hear my other CD's go here.

P.P.S My younger sister Annabel took the pictures of me. She's only ELEVEN!

corner view "sweets"

2010-02-03T15:44:00.001-10:00

Today Mom was in a playful mood so she offered to take us kids for ice cream partly because I didn't have any pictures of "sweets". So we went for ice cream and I got all inspired because sugar's real inspiring if you know what I mean.

For More Corner Views please go to Jane's blog.

P.S. Does anyone know how to make a fancy background on the blog or add music? Thanks!

corner view "my favorite hangout place"

2010-01-26T21:52:00.001-10:00

My favorite hangout place would probably be out on my porch. That's where I write my songs. It's very inspiring to me and it feels like the ocean's right in front of me. In the day, I watch the sky and the clouds move and in the night, I see the stars, beautiful, mini, blinking suns and every once in a while, I'll see fireworks or even a shooting star.

The Wonderful World of Childhood

2010-01-26T21:51:00.001-10:00

One day when Shawn was sitting in the living room building with blocks, I thought to myself, he's having so much fun with little pieces of wood. And that thought got me thinking. When you're a child, curiosity is endless. You're constantly exploring, discovering new things. Boredom doesn't exist yet. If you find a flower growing in the grass, you'll sit there for minutes at a time touching it, feeling it, and when you pick it, there's more to the discovery. How does it come off? What is it and what does it do? The world is open to you and your eyes catch everything. Blocks can be so fascinating and when you grow up you look at it and say "Oh, that's not interesting, it's just wood." You forget the fun you had with it the previous years when joy was easily found. But childhood innocence is a beautiful thing that you don't want to lose, so hold it tight and never let it go.

Nature's Natural Beauty

2010-01-26T21:50:00.002-10:00

Sometimes you're walking and you see something and you want to remember it forever and share it with the world. One day, my mom was out in the garden planting some flowers and I spotted a beautiful bright-red ladybug on a leaf. I ran inside and started wildly looking for my camera and when I found it, the ladybug was gone. With the camera hung around my neck, I started searching through every leaf and finally depressed, I sat down. I looked over and there she was sitting on the basil. Sitting right in front of my eyes was the miracle of life.

Fun with a Wig

2010-01-24T16:12:00.001-10:00

Today was kind of a boring Sunday. Well not for Annabel, she has a friend over right now. So, I'm left with my blog.

Annabel likes to play a goofy version of American Idol and we all pretend to be total weirdos. I dug up an old wig and Shawn and I had some fun.

These were taken by me and are supposed to be Shawn as a teenage rock star.

Shawn is in a wig and my mom's sunglasses which are prescription and are quite hard to see in.

So, now you know what we do at home when we're not entertained well.

corner view "my style"

2010-01-20T10:41:00.002-10:00

Well I'm really a tom-boy at heart. No pinks. Lavender's good. Blues, grays, whites, browns. I always have my hair up. Usually in a bun. I've gotten a few comments like "It makes you look like and old lady" or "It makes you look like a dork, no offense." Shawn's funny, he thinks just because you say "no offense" after or before you insult someone, it makes them feel better. I don't think he's a fan of my bun or my tom-boyness.

I like sneakers and shorts and jeans.

Kinda boring, but it's me.

Thanks for reading!

For more corner views around the world visit Jane's blog.

corner view "holiday"

2010-01-13T16:18:00.001-10:00

There are lots of holidays, Christmas, Hanukkah, Easter, all on a specific day. But how I see it, every day's a holiday for each day of living is a true blessing each of us is lucky to have.

Swami's Visit

2010-01-07T14:03:00.001-10:00

I'm sure some of you have heard of Amma, or The Hugging Saint. Well she has Swami's and bramacharis (bra-ma-char-ees), people who train under Amma's spiritual teachings. Well, one of her Swamis, Swami Dayamrita, is coming to stay in our house and he's gonna stay in my room! I'm so excited to see him because we only get to see him in California. He's come to our house before and we go for walks on the beach, and he likes french fries and pesto. He's Indian so I don't think there are french fries in India. :) He's coming on Monday and we're going to pick him up from the airport.

ABOVE: I didn't know he knew how to work a camera!

The Holidays

2009-12-31T12:44:00.000-10:00

I'm so sorry I haven't posted in like 15 days but my internet's been broken. :(

Anyway, I love Christmas time, the joy in the air, the feeling of giving. My mom is really into decorating this year so we're filling the house with a Christmas-like feeling!

We live in a smaller place than I realized. We ran out of Christmas trees real early this year so we bought an artificial one. We'll save money every year and we'll save a tree too!

The artificial ones are starting to look so real.

Loving the different settings on my Camera! :)

corner view "books"

2009-12-15T22:59:00.003-10:00

I love books, they can bring so many different feelings. Joy, sorrow, suspension, excitement, there are so many things you can say about books. Annabel is probably the biggest reader in the family, she loves a good story.

She's always in her room, at her desk or on her bed, exploring adventure, magic, and fantasy.

Rainbow

2009-12-09T09:37:00.002-10:00

It almost never rains where I live and so rainbows are pretty rare. But there was a really warm rainy day and there were rainbows all that week.

A rainy day can start out like this...

And end up like this...

Teacher, Gum and a Dog.

2009-12-09T09:25:00.001-10:00

Sometimes, when Shawn's school has random days off, my mom teaches some first grade students at our house. And it gets VERY loud. So, to focus better, Annabel and I go to my teachers house to study. It's fun. Sometimes we get mint gum at the end because she has a stash of it in her car and last time she had a puppy there she was babysitting! His name is Sora.

Ain't he cute? :)

corner view "evening"

2009-12-09T08:54:00.002-10:00

Evening's the time where the day's kind of winding down,

dinner time, family time, time to finish up the old day and get on to the new one.

How Sweet is Shawny?

2009-12-09T08:36:00.001-10:00

In Shawn's school, when the children do something good, they get fake money. There's a school store where the kids can pick out prizes. One day, when Shawn had been saving up for a really cool racing track, he went into the school store with more than twenty "dollars". He saw a white rabbit and knows I love stuffed animals. He came home with something behind his back and said "Sky, close your eyes and put out your hands, I have a surprise for you!"

I did as I was told and something quite big was placed into my arms. I opened my eyes and before me was a white bunny with a green ribbon around it's neck. I gave Shawn a big hug and told him thank you. How sweet is Shawny?

But then I noticed that it had a battery slot so I put in new batteries in and we all a a really good laugh...

I hope it'll give you all a good laugh too! :)

Tom Hanks

2009-12-07T20:39:00.001-10:00

Over the weekend, I saw Big for the second time. Then I saw Sleepless in Seattle. Then I saw You've Got M@il. Now I love Meg Ryan too. I really want to see Forrest Gump, but it's PG-13 so I might have to see it with my mom and dad. Oh well, here are some facts:

Tom was born on July 9th 1956.

Tom Hanks has done 70 movies and/or TV shows!

In 1980, he was placed in the TV show, Bosom Buddies.

He was 24 in his first film. It was He Knows Your Alone and he played a small role. (I've not seen that. I think it's a horror film).

His first major film was Splash at 28 years old. It was about a mermaid. It's Funny! I'm going to see it soon! And when he did Big, he became an Ultra Mega Star and got an Oscar nomination!! He was about 32 then.

Then he did Forrest Gump at 38 and became really really really famous.

He kinda reminds me of my Dad. I think they'd be great friends. :)

corner view "corners of your home"

2009-12-02T16:06:00.001-10:00

Love surrounds my home, making it cozy and warm.

Warm because of the good vibe,

and warm because we live on an island that's 90 degrees in December.

Both of those reasons. :)

Skywriting

HELLLLOOOOO HAWAII!

Ask Skylar!

LA!!!!!!!

Bye House!

corner view "M is for..."

corner view "room"

corner view "motion"

corner view "by the sea"

Music Lessons

corner view "home"

corner view "reflection"

7 Facts About Moi

corner view "four legged"

Recording

Newest YouTube

corner view "on my kitchen counter"

What I Woke Up To This Morning

corner view "my favorite actor"

Annabel: My Bestest Friend

corner view "evening sky"

corner view "my favorite artist"

corner view "organic form"

corner view "winter"

My Personal *Eh Hem* Style :)

Being Here (On Earth)

corner view "traditions"

corner view "improvising"

corner view "rain"

corner view "different perspective"

corner view "anything goes" or as I like to say, "randomness" :)

The Faces of Shawn

corner view "autumn"

corner view "famous"

Happy Halloween!!

corner view "pondering"

corner view "holiday"

My Grandpa

Halloween!

corner view "green"

corner view "orange"

corner view "the incredible, the mysterious, mustache"

Saturday, Saturday

corner view "humor"

corner view "seven"

Missing Annabel

One of My New CD Covers

corner view "school"

Busy Weekend (Even Though it Just Started)

Chambers is COMING!

School Day and Computers

Henry

corner view "me"

LA

Old Friends and Family

Remembering Michael

corner view "noticing"

Florida

California, Here I Am!

Katie's Photo Contest

Fun with Photoshop

*

corner view "collections"

Animals

corner view "garden"

Favorite Blogs:

Sibling Update

corner view "animals"

corner view "earth day"

corner view "one year old!"

Michael Jackson

corner view "spring"

corner view "typical architechture"

Blue

corner view "miniature worlds"

corner view "coffee companion"

Always Been...Different

corner view "street photography"

The Past

corner view "wisdom from an elder"

My Personal Eh Hem Style :)