Living The Dream.

Everyone has some sort of dream in their life, big or small. One quote at the end of the book that i really liked was, "At the end of life, all you have is what you felt as you were going through life". Little materialistic things that may seem like the most important thing in your life at a time aren't what is really important. They aren't always there. What is really most important in your life is how you lived your life, who you live it with and what you experienced. There is a song in the Hannah Montana movie called the climb and I think it's a very inspiring song for anyone. Some of the lyrics are, "I can almost see it. That dream I'm dreaming, but there's a voice inside my head saying 'You'll never reach it'". A lot of people in their life will have a huge dream that may seem out of reach, or impossible, and they give up. The chorus of "The Climb" is, "There's always gonna be another mountain, I'm always gonna wanna make it move. Always gonna be a uphill battle, sometimes I'm gonna have to lose. Ain't about how fast I get there, ain't about what's waiting on the other side, It's the climb." If they continue to reach for their dreams and work hard to try and accomplish that one thing they really wanted to in their life, I believe that you can. It may take a few weeks or maybe it will take years but once you do accomplish, and reach it, you can look back and everything you did would be worth it. What really matters in life isn't the little materialistic things, but the things you worked for and the experiences you went through. "You'll never find your dream if you don't reach for it as far and as high as you can"

Everything Happens For A Reason

Another quote that stuck out to me was, "Faith is having the strength to trust in something that you can't see with your eyes or prove scientifically. You believe because your heart tells you that's where you should go or who you should be. Your heart tells you what is right." I think this quote stuck out to me because faith isn't something that everyone has. If it's just faith that you're going to pass a test, or something that could completely change your life. To me it kind of goes with the saying "Everything happens for a reason", which is something that I seem to always say. At this point in the book Miley is talking about a dog named Sheba that just so happened to be the same name and a dog that looked exactly like her dad's old dog. The lady that had her was living on the side of the road, and she didn't want to accept money or anything from them. After seeing her for a second time she accepted a little money from them and she continued living on the streets because thats what she wanted to do. Following your heart in situations doesn't always seem like things will turn out for the best but everything happens for a reason, although you might not know what that reason is at the time or for a long time afterwards.

About Face

When you look at magazines you see all the celebrities that look flawless. It's like it's almost too good to be true. Miley talks about dealing with bad skin and seeing pictures of herself in magazines and then she would look in the mirror and see the real deal. Not the airbrushed and photoshopped picture she saw. Another quote that stood out to me when reading this time was, "Beauty is the enemy. We try to conquer not feeling beautiful all our lives. It's a battle that can't be won. There's no definition of beauty. The only way to acheive beauty is to feel it from inside without breakingit down into individual physical attributes." I can guarantee that every teenage girl at some point hates just about everything about themselves. Waking up in the morning and looking in the mirror picking out every single tiny little flaw. But those flaws are what make you who you are. If everything was perfect you wouldn't apreaciate anything in life. You have to learn that even if you just want to crawl back into bed, life keeps going. At times it can feel as if a little acne is the end of the world but you have to step back and realize that life could be ten times harder. As you grow up you begin to feel comfortable in your own skin. You realize your likes and dislikes, what is important in your life and whats not, etc. "You deal. You survive. You grow up and you build a career. And you remember these big/little hardships. They make you human."

The Climb

Throughout Miles To Go there are a lot of really good quotes. One that stood out to me while I was reading was, "Fear is the only obstacle that gets in the way of doing what we love. People are scared to travel, to try new things, to follow their dreams. Fear holds us back from living the lives we were made to live." Miley was talking about when they were filming the Hannah Montana movie and they had to jump off a cliff into the water. I think this stood out to me when I was reading because fear is such a big obstacle in everyones life. If it's something small like trying a new food or something big like jumping off a cliff. Throughout life, everyone faces challenges that may seem impossible to get through, but by facing your fears you can acheive something you never thought possible. I went to Mexico for spring break and I have this love-hate relationship with the ocean. I love the ocean, but when I get to a point where i can't touch the ground I start freaking out. The fact that fish scare me doesn't help my fear. At the resort they had it marked off really far out and one day I was with three friends and we began swimming out for fun. The farther we got the more i started freaking out, but i knew that you don't have a million chances to swim out in the ocean in Mexico so i didn't back down. And not only could i not touch but it was extremely windy, creating huge waves. We made it really far out and back and now when i think back on it I'm happy that i faced my fears. Swimming out in the ocean isn't going to change how my life goes on, but it's a fear that I faced. Everyone has a fear, and for some it could be keeping them back from living out their dreams. "It's about working for what you want. It's about the climb."

The Beginning of Hannah Montana

Miley got the final callback and got the part of Hannah Montana. From then on her life was forever changed. She finally got her escape from "sixth grade social hell". After she flew back out to L.A. they filmed the pilot season for Hannah Montana, and once the show was picked up filming began. Miley also brings you back to her childhood, growing up as Billy Ray Cyrus' daughter. She talks about all these times she was with famous singers and musicians like Carl Perkins, Johnny Neel, and Ed King, but those experiences weren't what made her decide she wanted to be a musician herself. In every persons life they go through different experiences, good and bad, that help shape you as a person. One single experience doesn't tell you what your going to do with the rest of your life. As you grow up each of those experiences add up and create who you are. "We become what we experience."

Think Outside The Bowl

At the beginning of Miles To Go, Miley talks about her life before Hannah Montana. Going through the auditions and also her life at home and school. You hear first hand how she felt when she was being bullied and having who she thought was her best friend turn against her. I think almost every girl can relate to a time in their life when this happened to them, or at least something similar. Having to go to school every day knowing that who you thought were your friends are exactly the opposite. She talks about how at the time, getting the part on Hannah Montana seemed like her escape. She also tells you about the audtition process for Hannah Montana. Miley followed her dreams and worked hard to get where she is. The auditions for Hannah Montana went on for months and she was being called back, then rejected again and again. As she was about to give up she had one choice: Cheerleading or Auditioning. I think that everyone has a time in their life where they have a big decision to make, having to pick between two things you love to do. "There are multiple sides to all of us. Who we are--and who we might be if we follow our dreams."

Miles To Go

I'm reading Miles To Go by Miley Cyrus. It's an autobiography about her life so far. I picked this book because everyone has these impressions that celebrities lives are easy and they aren't like 'normal' people and it's cool to see how 'real' they really are. It's fun to read what she has to say about situations that have happened to her that you saw in tabloids and heard about on the radio, but reading them directly from her. It's also really cool considering she is the same age as me and how much she has already accomplished in her lifetime, even though she is so young. It's interesting to read about her life before the fame and her personal thoughts that you would never hear in interviews or in tabloids.

90,000 sex offenders removed from MySpace

Recently about 90,000 sex offenders were removed from MySpace. The amount of sex offenders that they originally estimated was at least half of that. Althought, some weren't very suprised by the number. All social networking sites are targets for predators. With many people including many younger kinds it's an easy target. All these sites, like MySpace and Facebook are working hard to try and keep them as safe as possible. Facebook has not had any sex offenders found yet and hopes to keep it that way, while MySpace is still working to try and get rid of all and keep more from registering.

Life's a beach with dream Australian island job

Australia's Tourism Queensland is getting a lot of attention saying they have the best job in the world. All you have to do is explore the island to see whats there and then inform others weekly of what you find, clean the pool, feed fish, and collect mail. Very little to do, and with it you're getting a free house and a salary of about $100,000. Australia has always been my favorite place in the world. I can't imagine how fun it would be to live by the Great Barrier Reef and get paid a very nice pay check. A 60 second video of why you should get the job and it could be yours. Sounds like a pretty awesome job to me!

www.cnn.com
Written by Glen Scanlon

Jonas Brothers to Perform at Inauguration Festivities

As everyone knows, the inauguration is next week. Barack Obama will be sworn in as president along with many celebrities performing at the inauguration. Obamas daughters, Shasha and Malia, fellow Jonas Brothers fans will get to see them in concert along with many other stars including Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, Rihanna, Bow-wow and more. The Jonas Brothers have been taking over already performing almost everywhere, being on the cover of Rolling Stone, and in the works of a World tour, what better way to start off the new year other than headlining Kids' Inaugural: We Are the Future concert?

www.people.com
Written by Michelle Tan

Blistering cold temperatures hit Midwest

The past couple days temperatures dropped extremely in the Midwest especially Minnesota. Today the temperature dropped to about -50 degrees breaking many records in many years. One man has died from sleepwalking and ending up outside a short 190 feet from his house the next morning. Many people are also suffering frostbite from being outside for not even 20 minutes. All over the Midwest this week temperatures are dropping way below zero and aren't forecasted to be heating up soon. I think how cold temperatures are getting recently is insane. Walking from the parking lot into school i'm already freezing and that's only a couple hundred feet.

www.cnn.com

6-year-old crashes family car after missing bus

A six year old boy in Wicomico Church, Virginia missed his bus to school and decided to take his families car, but crashed. Virginia police are saying that he only suffered minor injuries and nothing major. Once he was looked at and check up at a local hospital he was driven to school. "It happened around 7:40 a.m. Monday on Route 360, about 61 miles east of Richmond." Police are saying that the kid missed his bus so he took the keys to his families car and started to drive to school while his mom was sleeping. He got about 10 miles away from his home until he hit a utility pole only a half a mile away from his school. Police are also saying he had swereved off the road mulitple times before hand and was not wear a seatbelt.

www.Kare11.com

The Obamas Move to Washington

On Saturday, January 3rd Future first lady and daughters flew out to Washington DC the day before Obama. The reason they flew out the day before was so that daughters Malia and Sasha could have a smooth transition into their new school. According to The Washington Post they will be attending Sidwell Friends School at the beginning of the new semester. They will be in school with future vice presidents grandchildren. Until the inauguration they will all be staying at Washington's Hay-Adams Hotel.

Article written by Bethany Lye

John Travolta 'Heartbroken' Over Son's Death

Recently John Travoltas 16 year old son died and a source close to the family says ""He never dreamed of this – their relationship was so close,” says family attorney Mike Ossi, who is in the Bahamas with the actor. "He always said 'I'm happy as long as my kids are happy.' He is heartbroken … To bury your son is the worst thing you can ever do."" It has been said that his son, Jett has had a history with having seizures, and the police have said that he had hit his head on the bathtub earlier that morning and was later pronounced dead. John and Jett had a very close relationship and close family and friends are saying he is taking this very hard and he tried everything to keep his son alive. John is heartbroken and his life will never be the same.

Article written by Liz McNeil

Australian couple loses home via Facebook

I read an article on Kare11.com called Australian couple loses home via Facebook. An attorney in Australia used Facebook to contact a couple with the paperwork claiming that they have lost their home. The supreme court in Australia approved this action because several other attempts at contacting the couple were made. "Australian courts have given permission in the past for people to be served via e-mail and text messages when it was not possible to serve them in person." McCormack said that he found the facebook page by using information that he had like birthdate and e-mail address. He also said that niether had any restrictions to keep them from looking at their page. "It's somewhat novel, however we do see it as a valid method of bringing the matter to the attention of the defendant," said McCormack, who represents a mortgage lender."

Indian navy captures 23 pirates in Gulf of Aden

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081213/ap_on_re_as/piracy;_ylt=Aj2bjYWi88JKVyMgyuARwowDW7oF

Written by Jermiah Marquez

Pirates from Somalia and Yamen were captured by the Indian navy after being threatened. The Indian navy were bringing merchant ships into the Gulf of Somalia when they recieved a distress call from men on the MVGibe saying they were being attacked by two boats. A few other boats had been attacked by these pirates previously but no one knew exactly who or how it happened. "It was not immediately clear what would happen to the pirates captured by the Indians, or where they would be taken. The statement said only that the prisoners and their weapons would be "handed over to appropriate authorities ashore."" The pirates were said to have had riffles, machine guns, grenades etc. "U.S. Vice Adm. Bill Gortney told reporters that it is difficult to identify pirates, and the potential for killing innocent civilians "cannot be overestimated.""

'Four Christmases' wins slow weekend at box office

http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Movies/12/07/boxoffice.ew/index.html
Written by Joshua Rich

Post-Thanksgiving weekend is a slow weekend for movie theaters. Four Christmases stayed at the number 1 spot. While the highly anticipated Twilight took a near second making $13.2 million. The top five hasn't changed much recently with Bolt, Australia, and Quantum Of Solace taking the 3rd, 4th, and 5th spots again. Punisher: War Zone took in only $4 million which is a huge drop from when The Punisher premiered a couple years ago. Another new movie, Cadillac Records, took in about $3.5 million only being played in 686 theaters. "Overall, the slow box office was actually up more than 6 percent from the same, even slower frame a year ago, when The Golden Compass produced disappointing returns."

Zoo To Give Polar Bear Knut the Boot

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20244777,00.html
By: Charlotte Triggs

The worlds most famous polar bear name Knut turned two recently but instead of celebrating the zoo in Berlin is trying to find a new place for him. The zoo officials say that he is getting to big to stay in his current surroundings. Knut, now weighing 450 lbs is getting close to being too big to stay where he is at. As of now Knut is staying at the zoo but in a couple months he will proabably be sent to a new home. Because Knut brings in a majoraty of the buisness the Zoo recieves it will be a loss but they can't do much about it. They are hoping to keep Knut in the city but somewhere he will have enough room to live.

Customers injured in crush suing Wal-Mart

www.cnn.com
By Kristen Hamill

Two men are suing Wal-mart for injuries that were caused on black friday by the mad rush of people. Not only were many injured, including these two guys, one store employee died when he was unlocking the doors at opening. Some lawsuits are claiming that their injuries were caused because of "carelessness, recklessness, negligence." Others are claiming that Wal-mart could have prevented all these injuries and even death by being more prepared. For example they could have had barriers, and security to help avoid the mosh of people. It is being said that police had come many times throughout the night to help keep all the custumors in order. They had not been called until 5 a.m. when the stampede had already happened. It is said that once doors were opened many fell to the ground, but the store employee was trampeled by hundreds and later comfirmed to be dead, while other workers fought to get out of the way.

Infamous

Infamous by Cecily von Ziegesar

In the middle of this book Brett decides to invite Sebastion over to try and help show Bretts boyfriend and his family her families true colors. In the meantime back at Yvonnes apartment, Tinsley gets advice from Jenny to go for Julian and try to win him back. But all her chances Sleigh is there to constantly try and top her. Jenny trys to stay calm and not get attached to Casey no matter how badly she wants to. She ends up saying something stupid and later that day Casey was gone with not even a goodybe. The morning after Yvonnes big party, Tinsley continues to go after Julian and they end up going sledding but unfortunatly for Tinsley, Sleigh joins them. Meanwhile, Callie decides to spend the day with a guy she met the night before, no feelings attached, and go around the city. When they return she realizes she lost the ring that Easy had given her in the envelope with the letter and slowly starts to freak out. It gets worse when she realizes she's late to meet him.