Allegiant, Insurgent, and Divergent.

Yes, I'm aware I put the order of the series backward. 

SPOILER ALERT. 

Okay, for those who who are still reading on, the Divergent trilogy is by Veronica Roth. The book is generally speaking, fast paced. I like how Roth gives Allegiant two points of view, not one. That is unique. Tris dies. I can't believe that they would have to kill her off. Yes, yes, she was selfless for her friends and family, blah, blah, blah. But still. WHY? Why let poor Four have to suffer in life by himself? 

I don't know why but after reading The Hunger Games,  Battle Royale, Gone, The Lost Survivors, Oryx and Crake, Enclave, Incarceration, The City of Ember ect; with these Dystopian or Utopian themes, it just feels all the same. Then add the romance in all of these books. Most of them do work out, but at a cost. Someone dies, whether it be one of the pair or another key character, it frustrates me to death. 

Why can't authors write a book with a happy ending with no deaths? I understand it doesn't sell well because there is no action, no emotional pull, but really, really, for once make some happy dystopian ending. 

Okay, back to the series, the society is very much based on one choice, which is the choosing of their "tribes". In some ways, it is taboo to switch tribes in the coming of age ceremony.  These transfer kids are bullied constantly. Then, there is the oh so common problem of someone not being happy, thus creating a revolution.  in this case, the Erudite "tribe" kills off the Abengation so that they can find the secret.

Abnegation " People die, the rest are divided, blah. They make a discovery, blah. Changes people more, blah. Main character and company try to fix it, but fail. Later on, with support, they win. In Insurgent, then a different underground group, the Factionless take over. Their reign is also temporary as dissent grows. And more this, and more that. Then. Tris and her friends find out that they were an experiment. This undoubtedly upsets everyone. And it's a bigger blow when everyone except Tris is found to be genetically flawed. So, they hatch up another plan, which somewhat succeeds but results in Tori dying. At least Four gave her a proper send off. 

I need to read a different genre of books.

Guilt Tripping

Have you ever been persuaded by those commercials that want you to help a poor child or animal?

Yeah? I feel sorry for those poor children and pets. The problem is. I don't have money for it.

Though, when I have classmates bothering me to donate to their club, I usually can find money. Weird isn't it?

So, in person guilt is more effective than TV commercials? Or is it? Now I'm curious.

Meal Plans

College meal plans are quite expensive. If you calculate how much each meal costs, it will cost $7-8 a meal. Sure, at your standard restaurant, that's the lower end cost of entrées, but it's not realistic to eat out at a restaurant at every meal for a college student. Depending on the school, $5,000-6,000 is the cost of their premium gold meal plans. That means that 19 (or more depending on the school) meals will be served a week.

But the problem with this usually mandatory plan is that it's not cost efficient for the student. Nor is it a profit maker for the school, surprisingly. I would have thought that they would make more money with those unused points and uneaten meals.

If I were to take the money that the average student had to pay for a week's worth of cafeteria food and spend it elsewhere, here's how I'd spend it:

• One three course meal at a upper scale restaurant
• Two bars of dark chocolate (Dark chocolate is wonderful.)
• Seven boxes of pasta
• One jar of pesto sauce
• Three bags of bagged spinach and/or kale
• 2 quarts of yogurt 
• 5 pounds of oranges
• 2 florets of broccoli
• 2 boxes of granola bars
• 1 family pack of chicken
• 2 dozen freshly baked cookies (a must)
• 3 cans of baked beans (why not?) 
• 1 bag pretzels (I like salty food.) 

Yes, I threw in the fancy restaurant part just to point out the ridiculous extra amount of money that's being spent unnecessarily on the overpriced meal plans. I'm sure that I would have at least $10 leftover every week from buying must own food instead of depending on the college cafeteria.  If I didn't go to the hypothetical restaurant, I'd probably have more than $70 saved a week. $70 x 35 weeks = $2, 450 saved. Then again, I'm splurging, so if I cut back even more, I wouldn't spend more than $1,000 on food a year. But living a life like that is not enjoyable. 

So, if I can, I'd opt out of these meal plans. I don't need an extra $3,000 a year in debt. I'll go the frugal, debt free route.

Is USSD a scam?

USSD, also known as the United Studios of Self Defense, is probably one of the most well known chain dojos around.

If nothing else raises a red flag, that the head instructor, Mr. Villari, has a 12th Dan which is impossible. Or at least rare. Because 10th Dan is the highest possible rank in most martial arts. And are usually give to people older than 60 years old. For a lot of grandmasters, the rank will be given maybe less than ten years before they die. Or even posthumously. I can't find out how old Villari is, but if Sensei Cerio died in 1988 and Mr. Chow died in 1987, we can assume that Villiari can't be older than 60. On a side note, Chow did have a 15th degree black belt by the time he died. So, an influence maybe? A seventy plus year old with a 15th degree black belt... I honestly give up on this.

Another thing, now that I'm nitpicking, is that, in the pictures, I've seen quite a few kids with incorrect fists. Maybe it's the style, I don't know. But their thumbs will get caught in something and break.

SHODANS AND NIDANS BEING SENIOR INSTRUCTORS... *SIGH* Now, this, is just simply the USSD spreading out their influence by getting any possible person just to start a new school... Sigh again.

Though their DVDs and Student Manual seems so wonderful. *sarcastic spaz* All joking aside, they seem useful to the students as memory aids. So, I'd like some of that instruction material please. But I won't pay that astronomical amount.

Okay. Enough ranting. McDojos exist everywhere.

March

It's March already. And I haven't posted much blog entries. Shame on me. But then again, I have nothing to say.

Enjoy March.