Maria's Guide: Winter Boots!

Uggs, Bearpaw, EMU, all those brands have never been in more style than they are now. So here is a guide to choosing a style of boots, buying boots, and taking care of them.

Choosing A Brand. Now, I know this is a guide about Uggs, but there are more alternatives than Uggs. So, assess the following brands, and figure out what is right for you.

• Uggs. Before you have your heart set on getting Uggs, assess your financial situation. Are you, and your parents willing to spend over $100 on a pair of shoes? If you can, then keep reading. Uggs are obviously the most popular brand, and probably the easiest to find. However, don't dismiss the other styles first. Uggs start at $100, and can even get to a mind-blowing $900.
• Bearpaw. Bearpaw is the most recognized brand for having Ugg-like boots, without actually copying Uggs. Bearpaw is famous for having uggs that will genuinly keep your feet warm, while in style. I personally have Bearpaw boots, because they aren't cheap knockoffs, yet look great. Bearpaw shoes can be found at prices between $60-$80.
• Emu. Emu is often dismissed as a cheap, knock-off brand. However, it's actually got a very distinct style, and has lower prices. While they are original with their styles, they also have original prices, which range from $150-$200.

Choosing A Style. All brands come in different styles, yet there are three factors you must think about.

• Sturdiness. Do they keep your feet warm? Are they water-repelant? Do they make your feet hurt? This is where sturdiness comes in. When looking for warmth, always go for a thicker sole, and fur on the inside of the boots. If your looking for boots that won't make you sweat, opt for one that can roll up and down, with minimal fur embelishments.
• Height. Height is a big deal. Knee-highs are cute, at a very expensive cost. They can be rolled down to reveal a fur-embedded inside too. Mid-lengths look great, feel great, and come at a good price. The ultra-short ones come very cheap, and typically aren't as warm.
• Color. Uggs can come in all colors. There are the natural colors. From dark brown, to light brown, black, white, grey-blues, and brown-yellows. There are also fancy colors, with everything from sparkly gold, sparkly silver, and every bedazzled and neon color of the rainbow.

Choosing A Price. Now, the time comes to buy. Price depends on what brand, what store, and what carrier. Online prices are often cheaper than real-life ones.

• Online. If you want the real-deal, newest, and potentially cheapest boots, look online. The UGG website tends to have bigger prices, with the newest models. Bearpaw and EMU offer cheaper online prices, and free shipping.
• Shoe Stores. Places like Priceless, Famous Footwear, and Journeys will oftentimes carry boots. If you want genuine Uggs, then Journeys is your best stop. Famous Footwear carries EMU and Bearpaw brands, while Priceless carries cheap knockoffs.
• Aeropostale. During Black-Friday sales, Aeropostale tends to carry a limited range of Uggs. American Eagle, Hollister, and even Costco carry brands.
• Department Stores. Big stores like JCPenny, Target, and even Walmart are catching on with the trend of boots. If your in a serious financial situation, and can't afford $120 on boots, then have no fear - Walmart carries Ugg-like boots for as low as $12.

Whatever you decide to buy, good luck, and stay warm and stylish!

Maria's Guide: Winter of 2012's Fashion Trends

It's winter of 2012, and if you should be very happy. Unlike last winter, the trends actually look like you could wear them without freezing your butt off. This fashion-guide isn't based off of those far-out clothes that you see on the runways. No no, this list comes from a normal person who isn't looking to spend $1,000+ on a sweatshirt, or anything insane like that.

Onwards, here are the trends, from head-to-toe!

HAIR: Sadly, hair is going into a difficult direction - a natural look that takes a lot of work and effort. And styling materials. In order to get the most out of this guide, the most important style tip will be highlighted. Note: If you have curly hair like moi, you're screwed.

• Messy Buns. Thank God that messy buns are still in style, otherwise I'd go insane trying to do my hair every morning. Yes, you can go out the door with a messy bun, and it'll look great.
• Pin-straight hair. Pin-straight hair has never been dominating more often. Long gone are the days of beachy waves and dip-dyed hair. Now, it's all about dead-straight hair.
• Short hair. It's not like last spring, when bob cuts were all the rage. Any type of short-hair will do. If you have super long locks though, don't chop it off. This is a minor one. If you have short hair currently, then feel free to embrace it :3

CLOTHES: Do you remember last year, when skirts and heels were all the rage for the winters? Lucky us, the Hollywood stars have given in to sweatshirts, jeans, and normal boots for this winter.

• Sheer Blouses. We haven't officially gone into winter-mode... yet. So, if you feel like staying warm while showing some skin, go for sheer sweatshirts.
• Comfy Sweatshirts. Yes, you can go out in a sweatshirt and it'll be a fashion-statement. I promise.
• Colored Skinny Jeans. This is a big one - colored skinny jeans have been around for a while, never popular until now, and since it's winter, now is the perfect opportunity to stay warm, and stand out from all the white snow.

SHOES: Shoes are the only thing that have made an official step from summer to winter. So, here goes:

• Uggs. Uggs are reigning nowadays. Seriously, this is obviously the biggest trend of the winter. If you aren't comfy spending $120+ on boots, then there are alternatives. Payless has knockoff Uggs for around $50, and other stores carry Uggs are great prices. See my Uggs style-guide on how to buy, wear, and handle your Uggs here for more.
• Moccasin-style TOMS. If you aren't fully in winter-mode yet, then get a pair of TOMS! These are great, since they can be worn in basically every season, yet are in style right now.

MAKEUP: Makeup hasn't changed a whole lot, there's just one basic rule you need to follow with makeup. Either go little, or go big all the way.

• Light Eyebrows. If you have light-shaded, light-colored, or thin eyebrows, then don't stop - eyebrows are practically extinct this season. However, if you are of spanish descent, and have naturally thick eyebrows, then embrace it. Like this season's rule of makeup states - "Either go little, or go big." There is no in between.
• LOTS of Foundation. Do you remember the times when you would only apply concealer on dark circles, and foundation on your blemishes? Well, those times are over, because perfectly smooth, clear, and single-colored skin is officially in.
• Light Lipstick. Nude colors, or very light pinks are good in this case. However, if you feel like today is a bold red day, then don't stop. The rule of "Go little, or big," applies here the most.
• Smokey Eyes... or not. Smokey eyes are making a bit of a return. Just a bit though. So until it becomes an official trend, avoid the Taylor-Momsen raccoon-eye look.

JEWLERY: The days of large, extravagant jewelry are over. Now, it's all about accessorizing with very simple pieces, and lots of them.

• Thin and Silver. If it's thin, and silver, then there's a good chance that it's a good trend. It applies to all jewelry. Silver stud earrings are easily the best type of earring. 
• Tribal Prints. You can count on the Mayans for more than the potential apocalypse this winter - the Aztec/Mayan patterns are coming in style.
• Multiple little piercings. Multiple little piercings  on the ears are now very-much in-style. Don't go crazy with this one though - a tiny piercing in the cartilage will do.
• Cross necklaces  With all of the end-of-the-world talk, people are getting religious, and this is being exhibited through jewelry. Don't force a cross-necklace if you aren't religious, but if you are Christian, then let go ahead, let the cross hang from your neck :)

That's all! In short, the trends are straight hair, colored skinny jeans, Uggs, and thin-and-silver jewlery. Stay strong, stay pretty, and stay warm this winter!

Maria's Korean Lesson #3: Major Consonants

Remember in the last lesson, when I said that you should try to memorize those 6 letters I gave you? Yeah, you really should, because the next tidbit of info might overwhelm you.

There are 3 types of consonants in Korean, with a subgroup. They all function as consonants, Here are the remaining Korean consonants, sorted by where they appear on the Keyboard. Note: if you haven't downloaded a Korean keyboard, this is a tutorial for Windows 7 users, this is a tutorial for Mac :3

TOP ROW:
ㅂ is /b/ and /p/
ㅈ is /j/
ㄷ is /d/ and /t/
ㄱ is /k/ and /g/
ㅅ is /s/

MIDDLE:
ㅁ
ㄴ
ㅇ is silent and /ng/
ㄹ is /r/ and /l/
ㅎ
BOTTOM:
ㅋ is /k/
ㅌ is /t/
ㅊ is /ch/
ㅍ is /p/

I know, I know. There are bolded, gray, and blue letters. Let me explain why:

The bolded letters make two seperate sounds. Let's use ㄱ - it can either make the sound /g/ or /k/. In korean, some letters share sounds - that's just the way it rolls. Like in english, /c/ either makes an /s/ or /k/ sound - you just have to recognize when you make the /s/ or /k/ sound.

With one of those bolded letters, ㄹ, it's easy to tell. Remember how ㅇ becomes 'ng' when at the end of a character? ㄹ makes an /l/ or /r/ sound - when at the begining (eg: 렌) it makes an /r/ sound. When at the end (eg: 엘) it makes an /l/ sound.

In short: bolded letters make two sounds. ㄹ makes /r/ when at the beginning of a character, and an /l/ at the end.

The blue letters are letters that are only used when writing english words in Korean. See how ㄷ is t? That only when writing Korean - if you were to write the name "Tina" - you'd write the T as ㅌ, since 'Tina' is an english word. Same with ㅋ and ㅍ.

In short: blue letters are used for english words. All of these letters are on the bottom row of the keyboard, so it shouldn't be too hard to remember.

The gray letters are letter that have been already introduced!

There's no way for me to "teach" this part of Hangul, you just have to practice it yourself. Some big things I would consider doing:

1. Write your favorite K-pop stars names in Korean! Not the English-based ones, like "G-Dragon", but the ones who go by their actual Korean name, like Taeyeon.
2. Write your friends' names in Korean! This gives you good practice with recalling letters, not so much with knowing the rules. If your friends' names are English names, then there are certain rules that have to be followed. Nethertheless, go ahead and try. Save what you write now - you'll laugh about how badly it is later on once you've mastered Hangul. I know I did XD.

Maria's Korean Lesson #2: The Mystery ㅇ

The previous lesson talked about ㅇ mysteriously popping up in Korean. Read on to find out what ㅇ is :3

You know how in English  you say "an" instead of "a" when the following word starts with a vowel? 'An egg", "An astronaut," "An oval," etc. Korean has something similar to that too.

If a word starts with a vowel, let's take "an" for example, then you can't simply write ㅏㄴ, it doesn't work that way. You need to add ㅇ to the beginning of the character. It doesn't make a sound, it's just a placeholder. To practice, I'll teach you two more vowels.

ㅔ is /e/ as in "eh"
오 is /o/ as in "oh"

Let's practice!

1. 엔
2. 옴
3. 앟
4. 넹

Ready for the answers?

1. 엔 is 'en' -  ㅇ + ㅔ/e + ㄴ/n = 엔
2. 옴 is 'om' - ㅇ + ㅗ/o + ㅁ/m = 옴
3. 앟 is 'ah' - ㅇ + ㅏ/a + ㅎ/h = 앟
4. 넹 is 'neng' - ㄴ/n + ㅔ/e + ㅇ/ng = 넹

If you guessed "ne" for the last one, then no, you're wrong. The ㅇ does different things/makes different sounds based on where in a word it is.

When it is the last part of a character, like 넹, read n + e  + ㅇ, it makes an "ng" sound. How about some practice?

1. 홍
2. 망
3. 앙
4. 앟에

Ready for the answers?

1. 홍 is 'hong' - ㅎ/h + ㅗ/o + ㅇ = 홍
2. 망 is 'mang' - ㅁ/m +ㅏ/a ㅇ = 망
3. 앙 is 'ang' - ㅇ +ㅏ/a + ㅇ = 앙
4. 앟에 is 'ahe' - ㅇ +ㅏ/a + ㅎ/h + ㅇ + ㅔ/e = 앟에

If you guessed "ahe" for the last one, then yes, you are correct! There is a tiny bit of rule changing when the ㅇ is in the middle of a word(not character), like in 앟에. But that doesn't come into play until later.

For now, I would suggest solidifying your knowledge of the letters that have currently been taught. The next lesson will cover a lot of new letters. Here are all the letters we've learned the past 2 lessons.

Consonants:
ㅎ - /h/
ㅁ - /m/
ㄴ - /n/

Vowels:
ㅏ - /a/
ㅔ - /e/
ㅗ /o/

Maria's Korean Lesson #1; H-A-M-A-N-A!

Let's take four letters of Korean and see how far we can get with them. I suggest writing down each letter in a notebook as you go along to remember everything :3 Consonants rarely have a change in pronunciation, but the vowels are typically pronounced differently. Below are four basic letters and their pronunciation.

ㅎ- /h/
ㅁ - /m/
ㄴ- /n/
ㅏ- /a/ as in 'father'

Remember, korean is read top to bottom, left to right. For example:

하 is 'ha' - ㅎ/h + ㅏ/a = 하/ha.

한 is 'han' - ㅎ/h + ㅏ/a + ㄴ/n = 한/han.

See?

Here are a few practice letters. Don't be afraid to look back at the previous letters to figure out what they say :3

마
남
함
안

Ready for the answers?

마 is 'ma' - ㅁ/m + ㅏ/a = 마/ma
남 is 'na' - ㄴ/n + ㅏ/a = 나/na
함 is 'ham' - ㅎ/ha + ㅏ/a + ㅁ/m = 함/ham
안 is 'an' - ㅏ/a + ㄴ/n = 안

Did you get tripped up on 안? That beginning letter is not an ㅁ/m, it is indeed a circle. However, it's an interesting character. Read the next lesson to find out what ㅇ is.

Maria's Korean Lesson #0: Intro

Hello! Whatever your purpose for wanting to learn to write in Korean, be it hobby, professional, life, either way, it's VERY easy. Let's just get a few things out there that you must know about Korean before embarking on your journey.

1. Korean has an alphabet. Korean is not like Chinese or Japanese, where each character means one word. It does have an alphabet, and it's really easy to learn.

2. There are 26 letters. Same amount as the english alphabet. And there aren't capital letters either. So there are exactly 26 letters to learn, not 52 like English.

3. It works in syllable form. Take the word 한글. There are two parts, 한 and 글. 한 is han, and 글 is geul. Han is one syllable, geul is one syllable too. That's how it all works in Korean. :3

Interested? GREAT! I am avaliable EVERYWHERE! If you want personalized instructions, contact me through my deviantart, my twitter, my pokefarm, or my email! I'm always up for it ^-^

Maria's Howto; Handling Curly Hair

Think about that girl - the one who comes to school everyday, with dead-straight hair. She can put it in a bun, a braid, ponytail, pigtails, any style she pleases, yet complains about having straight hair that can't be curled.

Girl is WAY too lucky.

As somebody who's lived their entire life with curly hair, and refused to give into straightening it daily, here are my tips for dealing with the curls.

1. Determine your hair type. Maybe your blessed with thin hair, or you have ringlet-curly hair. Maybe you have very thick, wavy hair. It's just a part of figuring out your hair type.

• Determine the wave. Do you have waves, slight curls, or ringlets? Maybe when it's wet, it's ringlets, but when brushed, it's curly. Determining your hair type is the e
• Determine the thickness. Very rarely is curly hair thin, but it is possible. If it only gets frizzy on a hot day, then feel free to dismiss it as being "medium" thickness. If it spawns into the infamous "triangle" position after a few hours of washing, then you have thick hair. Figuring this out helps you decide what shampoos, conditioners, and other hair products are best for you.

2. Go hair shopping! Your hair going to be with you for a long time - it's worth the extra dollars to keep it looking good.

• Shampoo less. It may bseem like Garnier and Tresemme are everywhere, but multiple reports claim they don't work well. Herbal Esscences, Pantene, Suave, and good 'ol Dove do the trick. If your looking for salon-quality hair, go Paul Mitchell. I personally use Pantene.
• Deep-condition more. Deep conditioning will help leave your curly hair nourished, and should be done once a week at most.
• Mousse it. For hair that won't stay down or has frizz - you should mousse, hairspray, or gel it.

3. General hair care. There are general things you should do to prevent hair damage, breakage, and keep it soft.

• Wash less. Consistently washing your hair can dry it out, and damages curly hair even more. Try to wash every other day at most - and when you do, make it count.
• Brush less. Brushing gives hair, no matter what type, frizz and volume, which is okay for straight hair, but not curly hair. Plus, it makes curly hair wavy. So only brush to untangle and style.
• Style less. Curly hair is thicker, so when you put it in a tight bun, pigtails, etc, more strands of hair break. So don't be afraid to keep your curly hair down.
• Do not get bangs. Unless you plan on straightening them every single day, do not get bangs. It will look weird and creepy, so please, don't.

That's my guide! This will not prevent straight-haired people from playing with your hair. So have fun rockin' a fro!

Maria's Howto: Back to School!

We see back-to-school guides everywhere. They range from how to reinvent yourself for school, how to adjust from summer to school, how to get ready for school, what to buy for school, everything. This is a quick guide that doesn't tell you exactly what to do - it gives leeway for you do develop your own style.

1. BE. HAPPY. You don't have to be happy-happy constant smiles, but for the first two weeks, its a good idea to attempt to be positive. If you get upset when something relatively bad happens, other people get this "depressed" and "downer" kind of vibe.

• Smile! Never sacrifice your emotions for how people might view you, but smiling naturally brings up feelings of happiness. If you're feeling down, smile for strangers, and then rant about it to your close friends, who know you're not a downer.
• Stay positive! In the event of a relatively bad situation, remain positive. You failed a test - not a big deal. It's the first two weeks, you have plenty more assignments and tests to bring up your grade. Your teacher doesn't like you? Who cares? You only have that teacher for a total of 5 hours out of 168 per week, you can live!
• Look confident! As much "swag" as some of us may have, we all are insecure about certain things. In the face of bullying and insecurity, act like you have no idea what they're talking about. Fake it 'till you make it.
• Have fun! If your not the most confident person out there, and even if your a bit of a downer, nothing is more pleasing than just having fun.
• DON'T: Be fake. When serious tragedy strikes, don't cover up your emotions with fake smiles. Friends will know what you're going through and stay supportive, but strangers might not get it. In cases like this, screw strangers. They don't know your story, so why should they judge?

2. Talk to people! There are multiple ways to befriend, talk to, or just make small talk with people.

• Ask questions! Don't overdo it though. People love to talk about themselves, and because it's the new school year, there are plenty of good conversation topics. "How was your summer?" "What did you do?" "Have you talked with ___ lately?" "Who do you have for Science?" Things like that will get the conversation going.
• Compliment people! If you feel like somebody is very shy and couldn't hold up a conversation, start by complimenting them! If you don't know the person, compliment their physical attributes. "You're hair is so pretty!" "I love your sneakers!" If your complimenting a girl, don't ask "Where'd you get it?". Girls can be defense, and not want others to copy them.
• Be open to friendship! Sometimes, the most opposite of people can end up becoming your best and loyal friends. When somebody
• Friendly, not friends. Not everyone is willing to be friends with everyone, but everyone is okay being friendly with people. Don't force yourself to be friends with everyone, just kind and friendly. And you don't even have to be friendly with everyone. It's okay to have a distaste for the preppy kids or the gothic emo ones.
• DON'T: Gossip. It's one thing to say "Do you like ___'s new hair color?", but don't say "It looks like ___ gained weight!" Gossip does seem like a bonding activity, but in reality, it makes you look shallow. For the most part, stick to kindness. And don't say anything about somebody, that you wouldn't say to somebody's face.

3. Prepare yourself. Mentally, and physically. Having all of your school supplies is useless if you're still in summer-mode. And if you're wide-awake by 6am, have reviewed everything you learned last year, and already planned your after-school schedule, but don't have your materials, you're pretty screwed.

• Friends aren't as avaliable. School-year sports start, people have homework, and don't forget the 6 hours that are spent at school. Weekends are prime time to hang out - but also recognize that some people may want to rejuvinate and relax by themselves after a stressful week. Internet friends aren't avaliable either. Alot of times, schools in Europe constitute entrance exams, then beginning-of-the-year exams. And yes, while you were on at 10:00pm, while it was 4am for them, that probably won't happen during the school year. If your friends live in Asia, then figure out a schedule so that both of you can study, and talk.
• Buy materials. The basis of school - having materials. Remind your parents that the days of having a notebook, a few pencils and an eraser for school are long gone. Don't be afraid to spend good money for the materials that you truly need. Buy a nice outfit too!While not neccesary, if you can afford it, then a good outfit will go a long way! Especially since you're growing, and last years jeans maybe don't fit.
• Meditate. You have your clothes, materials, schedule, and 6am alarm, but you still aren't ready. Simply relax - this isn't your very first day of school, you know what to expect.
• Start going to bed early. This, out of everything neccesary for school, is definetely the hardest. But you can't keep up your "go to bed at 2am, wake up at 2pm" routine for school. Start setting your alarm.
• Prepare for the day. Yes, it's going to be mega stressful, and you may screw up, but here are a few things to do in advance, to prevent less mistakes. 1) Set out your clothes in advance 2) Pack your materials in advance 3) Set your alarm WAY in advance.
• DON'T: Freak out. It seems stressful, but once again, as previously mentioned, you know what to expect. Even if your moving from elementary school to middle school, or from middle school to high school, switching schools, moving to a completely different school/state/country, or even crossing the language border, know that it's okay. Schools are built to learn, and having friends and being in clubs is just the benefits of being there.

I won't say good luck, because I don't believe in luck, but my blessings go out to everyone who is reading this. Have a great school year! Study hard, and play harder!

Maria's Howto: Last Minute Cosplay!

As promised/mentioned in my Last-Minute Con Howto, here is my last-minute Cosplay Howto!

1.  Go for Closet/Hot Topic Cosplays. Closet Cosplays are natural clothes that can be easily worn on the streets, found in a normal persons closet, or even in a store. They're easy too. Hot Topic cosplays are cosplays with outfits that can be easily found at stores like Hot Topic. Gothic Lolita is also sometimes confused with this.
2. WID, go hair over clothing. It's much easier to make an outfit than order a wig and expect it to come on time, dye, or even temp-dye your hair. Seriously.
3. If you don't know where to start, look at realistic animes. Can anybody name a fantasy anime that isn't filled with over the top outfits? Exactly.
4. Find your own character! If you want to cosplay someone with your specifications, go here! You just plug in your hair color/length, eye color, and some other things and it gives you a list of easy cosplays!

CLOSET/HOT TOPIC COSPLAYS SORTED BY HAIR:

• Short blonde hair:
• Satoko Houjou from Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni
• Meiko Tachibana from Snow
• Ann Otobe from Lucky Crosse
• Rin Kagamine from Vocaloid
• Misaki Tokiwa from Welcome to Pia Carrot
• Jessica Ushiromiya from Umineko No Naku Koro Ni
• Mana Ayakawa from Nozoki-ma
• Rico from Gunslinger Girl
• Nao Enochika from Bifronte ~ Kugaitoukitan
• Kokoa from Konboku Mahjong

• Medium-length Blonde Hair:
• Winry Rockbell from FMA
• Sasara Daikinzan from Ruru to Sasara no Sensei Oshiete
• Llya from Fate Stay Night
• Aya Houjuuin from Moe-Moe Ryoujoku
• Mai Tsuyama from Ano Aoi Umi Yori
• Louis Ebusu from Tsuukin Kairaku 2
• Sara Mudo from Angel Sanctuary
• Sana Horiushi from Welcome to Pia Carrot
• Yumiko Mukai from Nami no Mani Mani
• Karen Himeno from The Best Extremly Cool Student Council President
• Haruna Arutonenn from Bishoujo
• Misa Amane from Death Note

• Long Blonde Hair:
• Chii from Chobits
• Ino Yamanaka from Naruto
• Serori Hiiragi from Nee, Chanto Shiyouyo
• Karen from Triptych
• Utau from Shugo Chara
• Shion from Nanatsuki
• Rumi Kinoshita from Welcome to Pia Carrot
• Rion Senie from Sakura Machizaka Stories
• Sarah McDougal from Lova Hina
• Sayaka Kusunoki from Hitozuma Sekkan Club
• Fujisawa Ruri from Lovely Idol

• Short Orange/Brown Hair:
• Rena Ryugu(outside outfit) from Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni
• Meiko from Vocaloid
• Mai from Ghost Hunt
• Misty from Pokemon
• Kyoko Mogami from Skip-Beat
• Sachi Hashimoto from ChuChu Heaven
• Kazuki Arisaka from Tonagura
• Henrietta from Gunslinger Girl
• Michiru Isumi from Age MANIAX
• Chigusa Lino from Green Green
• Hilary Tachibana from Beyblade
• Nami from One Piece
• Nana Komatsu from Nana
• Yumi Omura from Chobits
• Rika Sasamine from Akai Canvas Series

• Kasumi Tendo from Ranma 1/2 - 2
• Maya Fey from Ace Attorney - 4.5
• Reki from Haibane Renmei - 2
• Nemu from Haibane Renmei  - 1
• Hikari from Haibane Renmei - 2
• Kana from Haibane Renmei - 2.5
• Midori from Haibane Renmei - 2.5
• Kurimori from Haibane Renmei - 3.5
• Cooking Mama from duh, Cooking Mama - 3
• Misty from Pokemon - 4
• Nana Osaki from Nana - 3
• Misa from Death Note - 4
• Saya from Blood+ - 4
• Winry from FMA - 3.5
• Tifa Lockheart from FF7
• Anna from Shaman King - 3
• MALE CHARACTERS:
• Kuu from Haibane Renmei
• Keiichi Maebara(outside and school outfit) from Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni - 2.5
• Light Yagami from Death Note - 2
• L from Death Note - 1
• Luffy from One Piece - 3.5
• Locke Cole from FFV - 5
• Mario/Luigi from Mario - 3
• Yoh from Shaman King - 4

Maria's Howto; Plan a Last-Minute Con!

I've been to three cons in my life. All of which were planned in less than 2 monthes. In fact, my most recent con, Godaiko-con, we made cosplay, got tickets, and did everything in under 1 month. So, if you're stuck in a last-minute con planning situation, try not to mess up. Time, effort, and work is critical, and not the time to mess up.

1. Plan for one con. You don't want to be "still deciding" which con you're going to when the con is in 3 weeks. There are many methods to picking a con, but these are just the things that matter when choosing last-minute.

• Pick the one that is closest. It's almost impossible to buy bus fare/plane tickets/get a car ride to someplace that is over 4 hours away when the con is in 2 weeks.
• Pick the smallest con. If your chances of going to the con are low, then opt for a smaller con. Then if you miss it, you won't be missing much. I mean, missing a small con like JAFAX is much better than missing a big con like Ohayocon.
• Pick the cheapest one. Or, the one that is the most inexpensive, or gives the most time to pre-register.
• Pick what works best, time wise. Maybe your work/school will only let you off one particular day, and it means you can't go to a specific autograph session or a certain panel. Regardless, it's better to go to a con with less than to not go to a con at all
• See what works best for family/friends. If you are doing last-minute, and are having a parent/friend come with you, it's crucial they can also attend. Nothing is worse than planning a con, and with a week until, finding out your friend can't come with.

2. Focus on accomodations. Getting the hotel room, buying badges, getting into the masquerade, potentially getting an artist alley/dealers room table, all of those come first before even thinking about cosplay. Here are my tips on doing all of the above:

• No hotel room? Go to the forums. It's a risky option, and I would only recommend it if you live on your own/know self defense/have a backup, but alot of times, people with hotel rooms with avaliable space will go to the forums to offer to share a room with somebody. Sometimes they require a paid amount of money, sometimes they do it for free, doesn't exactly matter. Try to see if somebody of the same gender who is staying the same days has an open room - who knows, you might even make a friend!
• No money? Pay with your body! I've seen multiple con-goers say that when they can't afford badges, the cons will let them work to pay it off. Though, don't expect a tiny con to do this. The bigger cons have more last-minute goers, and will accomodate people working to pay for badges.
• Don't count on Artist Alley/Masquerade entrance. Normal people plan half a year in advance in the first place, and anybody wanting to get in the Masquerade or work in Artist Alley needs to sign up even earlier. If there is an avaliable spot, perfect! If there isn't, well, just know it was coming.

3. Cosplay is a bitch. I spent over a year finalizing my Hanyuu Furude cosplay, and I would have died trying to do it in less than 2 months. But, it is possible to make cosplay in under two weeks. I am living proof - I made Yuki Cross cosplay in two weeks. And it wasn't even for myself. But I did it, and here is how.

• Choose quickly and wisely. Your best bet is to do somebody who looks the most like you, or has the most similar hairstle. You don't want to expect a nice wig to fit/arrive in under two weeks. Because I love you all, I'll make another post about doing last-minute cosplays that work and/or are easy.
• Work in chunks. Don't try to cram the material buying and sewing half of it into one day. Just work with days - one day to buy materials, one day to make an outline, one day to do the sewing for one part of the outfit, one day to do the sewing for another part of the outfit, then one day for the skirt/pants, etc. It works out best like that.
• Do NOT put things off. If your in the middle of sewing a hard part, and it's 11PM, and you need to sleep, do it all that night. Don't put things off until the morning. It's easy to think "I have two weeks, that's fourteen days! 336 hours yo!" But when you add school, sleep, and con planning to the equation, you have to do it then.
• Think about things in perspective. If they don't have a certain fabric in a certain color, don't think "I'll come back a later time" or "I'll go to another store later,". No, you have to think about things now. "I'll go to the other fabric store during my lunch break tomorrow" or "I'll check again in two days before school" is better.
• Have a backup plan. If your cosplay can't be done in time, or can't be made, or just has too many problems, then ensemble all of your Otaku gear. Find a crappy wig from Halloween a few years ago, find your old tie-dye t-shirt, your rainbow converse shoes, and a black skirt, and just look Otaku-y.

4. Enjoy the con. You worked hard to plan it all at the last minute, and whether it all pulled through or not doesn't matter. You earned it - now go enjoy.

• LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES. Maybe plan your next con over three monthes behind when you get home. Unfortunately, three last-minute cons haven't even shaken me/made me consider planning early.
• Learn to plan last minute. Like me - it's not horribly hard to plan last-minute, if you know what you are doing, and don't get stressed easily. Plus, it's rather fun. :3

Maria's Rants: Weird English in Kpop

There are a LOT of weird english lines in K-Pop songs, but here are just the top 5: In no way are the songs below bad, they just have weird english lines.

4. "Careless, careless, shoot anonymous, anonymous, heartless, heartless, no one care about me," from EXO-K's Mama. This would be fine without the

4. "Click the like it" from Nu'est's Face. The english is perfect, but why "click the like it"... why....

3. "Everytime I speciar" from B2ST's Special. You can tell they're trying to say "special" but it comes off as "speciar"

2. "Don't deny our R squared pie" from U-KISS's 0330. Well, I have no words for this. They literally say that. The context of the sentence does not make sense, and it's just stupid...

1. "If you wanna pretty, everyone a pretty" from Kara's Pretty Girl. ... At least with the others, you can tell what they are trying to say. This one, I honestly can't.

Maria's Howto: How to Ace Your Exams!

Chances are if you're looking at this, then you're:

• A student thats concerned about their grades
• A parent thats concerned for their children's grades
• A person that wants to know for the future how to do better

I'm in the best position to give you advice on exams. I've taken these exams before, I'm about to take these exams, and I know my average score on them.

BEFORE THE TEST:

• STUDY. Study until your eyes fall out, and you can recite your material in your sleep. I don't know what else to say besides study in advance, the night before, anytime. Day or night. Preferrably day.
• Get 9+ hours of sleep! I find that getting a poor night's sleep TWO nights before the Exams makes a good night's sleep feel 10 times better! So if your like me, you probably get up at around 6:30(in my case 6:15). Do whatever you want until 9. By then, you should have your PJs on, electronics off, and reading a book or writing.
• Get a really good breakfast! Give yourself food that YOU know will fill you up. My dad believes that some fruit and toast fills me up - when it leaves me with a rumbling stomach by 3rd period. Make sure your full - working on an empty stomach is like driving a car without gas. You aren't going to get anyhere.
• Look up the average scores. For my exams, the averages for last year's scores were online. I found out that(1 being the best, 4 being the worst) the majority of the people got 1 in Math, 2 in Reading, 2 in Social Studies, 2 in Science, 3 in Writing. When I read that, I was VERY happy. Last year I got all 1, except for a 2.
• Believe in yourself. If you've aced it in the past, have that attitude that you're going to do well. If you haven't done so well in the past, tell yourself your GOING to do better. And scientifically, you will. By looking up how to do better, your brain is remembering these things, and incorporating them into your habits when you take your test - subconciously.

DURING THE TEST:

• Make sure you have materials. A book, a pencil(pencils are provided for my exams), or something to do. I always found that half the class would be done with the exams, and we'd have 45 minutes left to do whatever. I could finish a 100-page book in 45 minutes, so I'd always be twiddling my thumbs, knowing I would do well. So just, do something that is quiet AND productive. The best thing is to review notes that just came to you while you were taking the exam.
• If you don't know the answer - make an educated guess. If it's multiple choice, then get rid of the obvious answers. Then, once you've narrowed it down to two, try to remember as hard as you can to guess. I've always selected the answer that my gut felt was right - and my gut happens to be VERY smart.
• Do NOT rush it. Your future matters more than if you get to play rock paper scissors with your neighbor after the exam. I was always one of the first students to finish a test - and I would feel sorry for those around me. They'd be intimidated by the fast kids, and feel like they were going slow. So take a look around the room. Just because three people are done, doesn't mean you have to be done.
• Don't half ass the end. Work hard on it! In fact, don't even know when the last question is. Trust me, if you know you have 70 questions on one portion, then by question 40, you'll be marking the first one that seems right. But if you don't look at the end, and only know until question 68, because it's on the last page, then you'll do MUCH better.

AFTER THE TEST:

• Do a little happy dance! You're done! Yay! Now go relax and hang out on the computer/watch TV all day!
• DON'T WORRY! If you feel like you are going to do bad, remember - as long as you worked hard and did your best, then you have nothing to be ashamed of. I got an A- on an Geo final, and that felt amazing and much better compared to half-assing an English final, which I got an A on.
• Figure out what works and what doesn't. Think about when you felt best about studying - little bits at a time, or chunks all at once. What time of day, where you were, who you were with, what method. Then, you can do better/just as well on the next one!

Maria's Howto: Making Family Reunions Less Awkward

Oh family reunions... a place where you get pinched by the cheek by that aunt who hasn't seen you since you were a baby. When your out to dinner with all 10 of your cousins, with nothing to talk about/do. A time where moms of toddlers retreat to the spa for 75% of the time, and drop off their kids with you.

I speak from experience when I say - "Family reunions are mega awkward.". No matter what, it's at one point going to be uncomfortable/weird. So here are some fixes for common problems at these reunions:

1. The dinner conversations are absolutley silent:

• Give your opinion on a movie that recently came out. If anybody there hasn't seen it, make plans to see it! It's a double win! Your talking, and are going to bond!
• Talk about a sports team/athlete who made a big win/loss recently. Or talk about Jeremy Lin. Either way, make sure your family are all clear fans of one team - you do not want to get into a fight with that uncle who loves the Chicago Bears when your more of an LA Laker.
• Mention something interesting that's happening in your life right now - moving houses, getting a new job, etc. The simple things matter.
• If the weather has been crazy in another nearby location, mention that. Warning: Only use this as a conversation starter. Using it as a middle-of or end-of conversation thing will just tell the other person the conversation has died.
• Tell a funny story. If your brave enough to create some laughs, go ahead and do it! Even better - make sure another family members knows about it. Then they can chip in and help you out.
• Ask another family member to do one of the above; You don't want to be that person who is always starting up the conversations and making the effort. Ask your sibling/spouse/cousin/whoever something like "Did you see the Hunger Games yet?" or "What do you think about Jeremy Lin?" or the one that never fails, "Do you remember the time when..."

2. Something/someone/the weather has cancelled your family plans.

• Make a variation to your previous plans. Were you going a movie? Pop up some popcorn and start watching a DVD. Were you going to a special Mexican ruesturant? The kitchen is now El Taco Central!
• Check your email. You don't want to go antisocial after plans have been ruined - so check your email. It occupys time and works.
• Play a board game/do a puzzle. Typically if you have kids around, they'll warm up to the idea of playing a board game/doing a puzzle.
• Retreat to silence. If the plans that were cancelled were special to you, this is a good idea. Pray, meditate, chill out, do something like that. It also passes time.

3. One person is being annoying/weird/awkward.

• Chances are the person doesn't know they're being bad. Lead them away from their annoying antics. They're probably a child who doesn't realize how loud they are, or something like that.
• If they are being intentional, it's typically towards one person. Close to you or not, you're all family. If your close enough with the awkward person, talk to them about it.

4. You've tried all of the above.

• Resort to other forms of help. Yahoo Answers, friends, stuff like that.
• Remember - your family will always be attached to you. Don't let one awkward moment get in the way.

Good luck! :D

Maria's Howto; Avoid Fighting w/ the 'Rents!

Parents differ in ways and shapes. Sometimes they are too loose with you, because they want you to have fun; and you don't recieve the discipline you need. Sometimes they are too strict with you, because they don't want you to get in trouble; and you get to be happy. Here are ways to AVOID getting into arguments. For what to do if your IN an argument... well we can't really help you there.
1. Don't be afraid. If your want to wear a certain shirt to school but your mom may not like it - don't wear a different one - just ask her about it. "Hey Mom, does this shirt look okay for school?" is fine. Say it with a smile on your face, and have an optimistic attitude. Be ready to accept whatever answer comes your way,

2. Show your growing, not grown up. For most children, they don't have a sudden event where they have to mature and grow up immediatley. So please, act your age. Being right 100% of the time and being super mature is basically saying you want to throw away your childhood. Also - don't expect the "I'm still a minor" phrase to get you out of trouble and excuse you from acting immature.

3. Act like yourself, don't put on an act. By not showing your identity, your showing that you are young and naive. By exploding your identity, your showing that you are young and naive. By showing your identity, you show that you know where the line is,and where the starting line is.
4. Be calm. No matter what, staying calm and patient is the #1 way to not get in a yell-fest with your parents. Holding your fist down won't just work either, you have to look AND feel peaceful. Your sense of calm and leveled perspective will rub off on your parents, and they'll see things the same way you do.
5. Avoid them. If you've tried all else, then avoid the situation entirely. That way, you can at least say you tried.

Maria's Intro; Hello!

Hello! My name is Maria, and these are a few things you should know about me!

1. I ♥ to draw! I primarily draw traditionally, but can/will do digital art. My "style" remains this anime-chibi style! Check out my Deviantart!
2. I ♥ K-Pop! Could not live without it! My favorites are... Girls Generation, 2NE1, T-Ara, Super Junior, Wonder Girls, 4Minute, and IU.
3. I ♥ K-Dramas! Can't describe how much I love them! My favorites are... You're Beautiful, Secret Garden, Stars Falling From The Sky, I Love You, Dream High, Dream High 2, Shut Up and Let's Go, Vampire Prosecutor, God of Study, Creating Destiny, and Heartstrings.
4. I ♥ anime! Because of anime, I'm this girly cutesy-loving person! My favorites are... Pokemon, Higurashi(all except the OVA Kira), Death Note, Tokyo Mew Mew, Vampire Knight, Monster, and OHSHC!
5. I ♥ cute things! If it's pink and cute, it's mine!

That's pretty much me! I'll try to post something every day/every other day. Look out for the following!

Maria's Howto; - my how-to guides! Step-by-step walk throughs on how to do something - ranges from all things. Parent-related, friendship-wise, and just those other little things.
Maria's Storys; - one in many stories! True stories, fake stories, altered stories, it's all here! I'll try to make them as Vlogish as possible.
Maria's Rants; - hilarious rants based on the 100% truth. Expect sarcasm, satire, and a ton of laughs in these.