Heroes of Olympus Book One: The Lost Hero was a bit of a disappointment after the Percy Jackson series. Why? Well, let's start with the main characters Jason, Piper and Leo who I didn't think were as well-developed as the previous main characters Percy, Annabeth and Grover (The Percy Jackson and the Olympians series). Author Rick Riordan left too much undeveloped in the first book of the new series (Heroes of Olympus) leaving much of it for the next book, unlike in the first book of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series book, The Lightning Thief where you really knew all of them by the end of that book.
I thought Jason, who was a son of Zeus was a little too talented, solving problems without enough effort. All the greatest heroes were sons of Zeus and it just seems like it's been done a hundred times before. I like the idea of having Percy Jackson as the main character be a son of Poseidon (in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series) much more than having a son of Zeus, because it leaves a lot more room for him to learn and grow and be creative. Riordan has a way of writing Percy that makes him think and have to figure things out on the spot. For example, when Percy was forced to clean a thousand pounds of horse manure from a stable (in the fourth book), he had to use his brain and a little help from a naiad to figure out how to call to the sea, whereas Jason already has most of the fighting skills he needs from the beginning. All Jason has to do is use the skills that he already has to beat monsters whereas Riordan makes Percy learn as he goes, making it far more interesting.
The fact that Jason starts out with no memory and no idea where, or who he is should have made it more interesting, but it somehow didn't. The other two characters, Piper and Leo try to jog his memory, which makes an interesting beginning, but Jason still seems too amazing.
Piper was basically a less interesting version of Annabeth. At the beginning of the book she has just had a dream that reveals to her terrible news about her father. She thinks that Jason is her boyfriend and is very upset about Jason's memory loss, because he now doesn't remember her. She is a daughter of Aphrodite, but hates being one and doesn't like her cabin mates at all. Even after she is claimed by her mother she doesn't change much, but you can notice subtle changes in her as she starts to care about her appearance. Her back-story just isn't as interesting as some of the other characters. She and Annabeth quickly become friends, even though Annabeth is only in the book at the very beginning.
Leo was probably my favorite character. He put life and energy into the book. He had a lot of interesting back-story especially about his mom. He reminded me of Tyson (The Percy Jackson and The Olympians series) a little bit. He was a son of Hephaestus, which was very interesting because instead of using a sword or spear he simply used "a universal remote and a screwdriver" and whatever happened to be around him. Instead of using a weapon and physical strength, he uses his brain.
So that's what I have to say about the main characters and that's just my personal opinion. There are a couple other things that I will say about the book. In The Lost Hero, Chiron wasn't in the book very much, which I think was a mistake and he also sounded like he was much older than in the previous books, although he is supposed to never age (as long as he is still training heroes) and it was based only a couple months after The Last Olympian (the fifth and final Percy Jackson and the Olympians book).
I don't know if you prefer to listen to or read books, but I listen to books when I'm "reading" with other people and this particular book is one I listened to. If you have not already listened/read the book I highly recommend reading it because the narrator in my opinion didn't do a very good job at all. Some people said that the narrator for the Percy Jackson series didn't do a good job, but in my opinion he was much better than the new narrator. I found his voice made me feel like I was listening to a documentary rather than a fantasy novel, and the voices were all too similar.
Even given all of this, the book was not a bad book but Riordan's writing was not quite as good as the Percy Jackson series, so I would give it ★★★1/2 stars (/5) as a rating and I think it is worth reading. I also think that you should read the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series first (don't bother with the movie it was really bad).
Comments welcome.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Competitions
Competitions can come in many different varieties. The most important thing, I think when you go into any kind of competition (especially one for sports), is to learn during the competition not just in practice or training.
I've been to five speedskating competitions, three in America, one in Amsterdam the Netherlands and one in France (where I live).
My first competition was in New York state U.S.A. I was ten and had been skating for nearly two years. I was a little nervous because I had never been to a competition before (at least not one that I had competed in) and was at the beginner level (Novice). In the end I came in third out of four skaters, but it taught me how a competition works. You have to work as hard as you can and you have to set specific goals and you have to want to achieve them. As long as you know what you want to get from the competition and work hard to get it you will be able to.
My second competition was held in the rink I started skating in. It was only a couple months after my first competition and was a big reminder of how easy it is to mess up. One kid broke his ankle and got taken away on a stretcher, another teenager (around eighteen), fell in the exact same place almost every race he was in and one of my teammates fell while I was racing against him. One of my best strengths in speedskating specifically is that I don't fall very often (or at least not anymore), but I did fall a couple of times in this competition. One of the key things to winning a speedskating race in a competition is to know that people are going to fall and its your job to make sure that when they fall, you don't fall, too. It's not about who falls, but about who doesn't, because those are the people who, if they have enough focus, determination, practice and skill will win.
Some competitions are just very badly organized (like my third speed skating competition) and not very eventful and really just worth forgetting about. So I'm going to go straight to France
In this competition, I was a little more nervous because it was the first competition with my new team, it was in France, all the announcements were in French and my coach, who spoke English wasn't there (only the assistant coach who didn't speak English was there), but the whole thing went pretty well. All the kids in my team were really supportive and helpful (as was the assistant coach). That competition was a reminder of how hard you have to work to be good. I came in last in almost every race. Right after that competition I decided that I was not going to come in last anymore. When you make a decision about yourself that you want to live up to and are willing to put the effort in to make it happen you can MAKE IT HAPPEN. So after that I stopped being the slowest in my group and started getting better and better. The good thing about me being the slowest at the time was that I had all these teammates (in practice) that drove me to get better. Even though I was this new kid who didn't even speak their language, all of my French speedskating teammates made it so easy and so enjoyable to be there, which made it easier to compete in these foreign countries.
Now, the most recent competition I went to was in Amsterdam NL and that was a reminder of how quickly anyone can grow in a sport. It was the first two-day competition I'd ever been to and I think I learned more in those two days then I had learned in the rest of the year. Also, in case you are wondering, I didn't come in last in a single race. I still wasn't the best, but considering how much progress I made I know that soon I'm going to be winning a lot more. Also, in that competition I decreased the amount of time I took to complete all my distances from what they were in prior races. It was definitely one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had. My speedskating coach made being and competing there very easy and fun so a specific thank you to him. Also, my relay team and I won the semi-final and came in third out of four in the final, but that was also an amazing experience so thanks to all my teammates.
Some people don't like competitions (and I can understand that), but my advice is not to be afraid of competitions, but to learn from them instead.
Comments welcome.
I've been to five speedskating competitions, three in America, one in Amsterdam the Netherlands and one in France (where I live).
My first competition was in New York state U.S.A. I was ten and had been skating for nearly two years. I was a little nervous because I had never been to a competition before (at least not one that I had competed in) and was at the beginner level (Novice). In the end I came in third out of four skaters, but it taught me how a competition works. You have to work as hard as you can and you have to set specific goals and you have to want to achieve them. As long as you know what you want to get from the competition and work hard to get it you will be able to.
My second competition was held in the rink I started skating in. It was only a couple months after my first competition and was a big reminder of how easy it is to mess up. One kid broke his ankle and got taken away on a stretcher, another teenager (around eighteen), fell in the exact same place almost every race he was in and one of my teammates fell while I was racing against him. One of my best strengths in speedskating specifically is that I don't fall very often (or at least not anymore), but I did fall a couple of times in this competition. One of the key things to winning a speedskating race in a competition is to know that people are going to fall and its your job to make sure that when they fall, you don't fall, too. It's not about who falls, but about who doesn't, because those are the people who, if they have enough focus, determination, practice and skill will win.
Some competitions are just very badly organized (like my third speed skating competition) and not very eventful and really just worth forgetting about. So I'm going to go straight to France
In this competition, I was a little more nervous because it was the first competition with my new team, it was in France, all the announcements were in French and my coach, who spoke English wasn't there (only the assistant coach who didn't speak English was there), but the whole thing went pretty well. All the kids in my team were really supportive and helpful (as was the assistant coach). That competition was a reminder of how hard you have to work to be good. I came in last in almost every race. Right after that competition I decided that I was not going to come in last anymore. When you make a decision about yourself that you want to live up to and are willing to put the effort in to make it happen you can MAKE IT HAPPEN. So after that I stopped being the slowest in my group and started getting better and better. The good thing about me being the slowest at the time was that I had all these teammates (in practice) that drove me to get better. Even though I was this new kid who didn't even speak their language, all of my French speedskating teammates made it so easy and so enjoyable to be there, which made it easier to compete in these foreign countries.
Now, the most recent competition I went to was in Amsterdam NL and that was a reminder of how quickly anyone can grow in a sport. It was the first two-day competition I'd ever been to and I think I learned more in those two days then I had learned in the rest of the year. Also, in case you are wondering, I didn't come in last in a single race. I still wasn't the best, but considering how much progress I made I know that soon I'm going to be winning a lot more. Also, in that competition I decreased the amount of time I took to complete all my distances from what they were in prior races. It was definitely one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had. My speedskating coach made being and competing there very easy and fun so a specific thank you to him. Also, my relay team and I won the semi-final and came in third out of four in the final, but that was also an amazing experience so thanks to all my teammates.
Some people don't like competitions (and I can understand that), but my advice is not to be afraid of competitions, but to learn from them instead.
Comments welcome.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Tour of Place de la Concorde and the Louvre
About two months ago, I went on a walking tour of the area of Paris that starts at Place de la Concorde (in the eighth arrondissement/district) and ends at the Louvre (in the first).
The tour wasn't about seeing famous sites; it was about seeing things that most people don't notice.
For example, in Place de la Concorde there is a column on the Hotel de Crillion that is darker than the other columns, because it's made of different stone that was used to replace the original after being destroyed by a tank in world war II. There was also a notice on a building (near the Place de la Concorde) that was put there during world war II as a call to arms. Then there are the sundial marks with the Obelisk of Luxor at the center of the sundial (also in Place de la Concorde).
In the Tuileries, there is a uprooted tree made completely of bronze. The way the roots were made and the detail of the bark, it looks like a tree, but if you take a closer look you can see that it is bronze. The tree is black like iron though it's made of bronze.
Around the outside of the Louvre, you can see carved initials on the walls that indicate which king or emperor built that section. If you look closely you can see N for Napoleon, or L for Louis XIII and XIV, or H for Henri IV, or C for Catherine de Medici (who was Henri's wife), and D for Diane de Poitiers (Henri's mistress).
Near the Louvre there's a stone gargoyle on the outside of a church with the world in its mouth. If you look closely you can see that the world has rats crawling into it to indicate the end of the world.
This is very interesting to me, because I enjoy seeing things that other people haven't seen yet and teaching them about it. Yes, if you go to somewhere like Paris you're going to want to see things like the Eiffel Tower and the Mona Lisa, but I find it just as interesting to explore somewhere new and see unusual things: like the amazing architecture of Paris (and other European cities), or the buildings that have been around for hundreds of years. So I am going to learn and see as much as I can about the world, not just one place.
I hope that when you go somewhere new this helps you to think about what you want to do.
Comments welcome.
The tour wasn't about seeing famous sites; it was about seeing things that most people don't notice.
In the Tuileries, there is a uprooted tree made completely of bronze. The way the roots were made and the detail of the bark, it looks like a tree, but if you take a closer look you can see that it is bronze. The tree is black like iron though it's made of bronze.
Near the Louvre there's a stone gargoyle on the outside of a church with the world in its mouth. If you look closely you can see that the world has rats crawling into it to indicate the end of the world.
I hope that when you go somewhere new this helps you to think about what you want to do.
Comments welcome.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Recipe blog
This is one of my favorite recipe blogs.
http://glutenfreesoyfreevegan.wordpress.com/
Because I am vegan and gluten-free, this blog is great for me.
These recipes are the ones I have tried:
Twice-Baked Potato Stuffed with Broccoli
This one I have made more than once. It can take a little while to prepare and bake these, but they are great for almost anyone's taste. You can adjust the recipe to add more garlic or red pepper or less of either, depending on how spicy you like your food. I prefer them exactly as the recipe says but change them a little if you feel like it. I just wouldn't add too much of anything spicy. Also the recipe is for one person so I always have to double or triple it.
Dosas
This recipe is another one I tried, but I only made it once (not because it was bad, but because I haven't had the ingredients for it in awhile). I recommend using coconut or extra virgin olive oil, not grapeseed oil.
When I made the Dosas I made them with this Dal recipe below, which was good, although if you have a different Dal you want to try, then go ahead. I used red lentils in the Dal but I don't think it matters. I didn't use the green chili or the cilantro but it's your decision. Spinach Dal
This recipe is one of the best I've ever eaten and is great even if you're not used to vegan and gluten-free food. Vegetable Fritters
Be careful with the cayenne, I used a little bit less than it called for, but again it's up to you.
Also I use olive oil when it calls for other oil or you can use coconut oil.
Happy cooking and let me know how you like them.
Comments welcome.
http://glutenfreesoyfreevegan.wordpress.com/
Because I am vegan and gluten-free, this blog is great for me.
These recipes are the ones I have tried:
Twice-Baked Potato Stuffed with Broccoli
This one I have made more than once. It can take a little while to prepare and bake these, but they are great for almost anyone's taste. You can adjust the recipe to add more garlic or red pepper or less of either, depending on how spicy you like your food. I prefer them exactly as the recipe says but change them a little if you feel like it. I just wouldn't add too much of anything spicy. Also the recipe is for one person so I always have to double or triple it.
Dosas
This recipe is another one I tried, but I only made it once (not because it was bad, but because I haven't had the ingredients for it in awhile). I recommend using coconut or extra virgin olive oil, not grapeseed oil.
When I made the Dosas I made them with this Dal recipe below, which was good, although if you have a different Dal you want to try, then go ahead. I used red lentils in the Dal but I don't think it matters. I didn't use the green chili or the cilantro but it's your decision. Spinach Dal
This recipe is one of the best I've ever eaten and is great even if you're not used to vegan and gluten-free food. Vegetable Fritters
Be careful with the cayenne, I used a little bit less than it called for, but again it's up to you.
Also I use olive oil when it calls for other oil or you can use coconut oil.
Happy cooking and let me know how you like them.
Comments welcome.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Prologue to My Book
The Immortals
Prologue
The War Begins… Again
My name is Rall Tarask.
It all began when I was walking through the forest. I came to a huge plain, where I paused, looked down at my map and then at my compass. I was headed in the right direction. As I started walking toward the forest on the other side of the plain, I saw something out of the corner of my eye. I looked up and coming up over the hills on every side were Zerlock Trolls. This particular type of Troll is about eight-feet tall, with green skin and yellow eyes, but although they are not smart enough to organize an attack, they travel in numbers.
I pulled my sword, Ilarid out of its sheath on my back. Now, I don’t just call it Ilarid for nothing. My sword has a red grip with an orb at the bottom that has red dust in it and is engraved with the word Ilarid. So, does that clear up why I call it Ilarid. Anyway, the Trolls had me completely surrounded. All I could do was fight, even though I was hopelessly outnumbered. I stood my ground anyway.
As they closed in, I swung my sword back and forth with one hand, spinning and slashing so fast that they couldn’t touch me. They fought back with axe, spear, sword and mace. For every one I struck down, there were two more to take its place. I felt a sharp pain in my leg; I spun around and swung at the troll that just stabbed me with a spear.
After that all hell broke loose. I got a huge gash on my back from one Troll’s sword and another one of them rammed me in the stomach with a mace. As I was loosing consciousness, Ilarid got knocked out of my hand and that’s when it happened. I don’t know how I was aware of this, but I was. My eyes began to glow with red light, I levitated a couple feet into the air, raised my hands and a phoenix made completely of fire appeared above my head. There were flames everywhere and I passed out.
©2011 Leonardo Tow
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Foreign Speedskating
I have been ice speed skating for nearly five years. Until this year, I skated in the United States. In February, I started skating with a French team in Paris. I don't speak French well at all yet, so it is a very interesting experience training with a French team. Even though some people speak English here, including my coach, I have been learning French just by being surrounded by it the whole time.
This year, I have advanced at speed skating quickly because I am consistently skating three times a week, which is more often then before and because I am skating with so many competitive skaters. It's been incredibly easy even though I'm in another country where I don't really speak the language.
I have gone to five competitions, three while I lived in the U.S., one in France and one in Holland. It was a lot of fun to compete with skaters from all over Europe. I never get nervous before a competition because I get focused on getting better all the time, but when I'm competing I get inspired by my passion for winning.
Now we are only training off-ice and I'll start roller skating for the Summer.
This year, I have advanced at speed skating quickly because I am consistently skating three times a week, which is more often then before and because I am skating with so many competitive skaters. It's been incredibly easy even though I'm in another country where I don't really speak the language.
I have gone to five competitions, three while I lived in the U.S., one in France and one in Holland. It was a lot of fun to compete with skaters from all over Europe. I never get nervous before a competition because I get focused on getting better all the time, but when I'm competing I get inspired by my passion for winning.
Now we are only training off-ice and I'll start roller skating for the Summer.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Vegan and Gluten-free Food
Just some photos of food I made.
All of the ingredients were bought in France where I live and are completely gluten-free and vegan. The first picture is is tofu with oregano and parsley, the second is broccoli, carrots peas, butternut squash (my personal favorite squash) and tofu with home-made sesame sauce, the third is garlic hummus and the last one is butternut squash, green beans, potatoes, peas and carrots with the same sesame sauce as number two and celery with raw almond butter and raisins.
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