Uncategorized

Important Announcement

Sunayna Prasad

I would like to thank everyone who liked, commented, shared, or even just viewed my blog posts. I now have a crucial announcement to make.

First, there is some bad news. Unfortunately, this website will be taken down at some point due to the broad level of topics. Good news? I will have separate websites for each different niche. So, now is your chance to save your comments and stay on the lookout for my new blog sites to come.

Currently, there is one called, “Cooking with Sunayna”. If you love cooking, you can follow me on that site.

The other sites will be:

Art with Sunayna

Travel Time with Sunayna

Sunayna’s Writing Life (with writing tips and original fiction)

Sunayna’s Entertainment (with discussions on movies, TV shows, and books)

The other sites will come soon. I am not sure yet. But this current site will be gone by January 31st.

I hope to see you follow my new sites.

Thank you all for your time. Have a happy and safe new year!

fiction

Harry Potter Mystery: Are Wizards Immune to Hypothermia?

Sunayna Prasad

Anyone who has read the “Harry Potter” books and/or have seen the films must notice the lack of safety in the wizarding world. From the forbidden forest and deadly creatures at Hogwarts to Quidditch, wizards and witches seem to care little about safety.

That includes going into the water in cold weather. A good example is in “The Goblet of Fire”, when the Tri-Wizard champions have to compete in the black lake and each save one individual. However, they do it in February, where the weather freezes.

Although the novel doesn’t specify the champions’ outfits (I’m pretty sure, according to what I remember), in the movie, they wore summer attire, while everyone else wore winter gear. Fleur wore just a bathing suit, while the boys had knee-length shorts and tank tops. How were they not cold?

You’d think they would have worn long-sleeved wet suits, or did something to get the champions warmer. Do charms that prevent hypothermia exist in the “Harry Potter” universe? If so, does the black lake at Hogwarts have them?

Even if the answer to both questions is yes, there couldn’t have been any in that pond Harry jumped into in “The Deathly Hallows”, after stripping himself. After he leaped into the water, he didn’t seem to suffer one bit.

Lots of people point out that if there is a potion to regrow bones, there should be a spell or something to fix Harry’s eyesight. That way, he wouldn’t need glasses. So, could magic keep magicians from freezing and experiencing hypothermia?

movie

Most Memorable Moments in Disney’s “Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas” and “Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas”

Sunayna Prasad

Warning: contains spoilers***

These Disney holiday classics have some memorable moments, aside from not being full-length films. Rather, they are broken up into short specials. So, without further ado, I will list the parts that stand out to me.

First with “Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas”

1: When Huey, Dewy, and Louie opened presents early

This is bad manners in real life. But on screen, it was funny. Huey, Dewy, and Louie get so excited on Christmas morning that they open their gifts early. Then Donald Duck comes and says to them, “Shouldn’t you wait for the family?” Shortly after that, Daisy, Scrooge McDuck, and some other character whose name I don’t remember arrive, wishing the boys a Merry Christmas.

2: That same special resembling a plot of “The Fairly OddParents” Christmas special, “Christmas Every Day”

Although this was released before “The Fairly OddParents” first aired, the plot of the special above reminded me, as well as another friend of mine, of “Christmas Every Day.” There, Timmy wishes it was Christmas every day, but that made it unfair to the other holidays. In “Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas,” Huey, Dewy, and Louie also wish it were Christmas every day, but upon a shooting star. It also recycles the same events that happen on the actual day of Christmas.

Now onto “Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas”

1: The fact that it’s CG-animated rather than 2D

Who hasn’t had enough of CG-animation, especially since that’s pretty much the only type these days, except the occasional stop-motion? Anyway, the sequel came out in 2001, when 2D animation was still common, whether with Disney or other companies. Not only did this surprise me, but it also kind of disappointed me, too. I miss 2D animation.

2: The special where Donald Duck wants peace and quiet during the holidays

I totally do not blame him for that. In fact, I can relate a lot. Not to sound like a grinch or anything, but I get overwhelmed by Christmas music and even the spirit at times, too. Sometimes, I will go to the Kosher deli, Ben’s, where you won’t hear Christmas music. That is a save haven for me when I experience the Christmas overkill.

That being said, I still appreciate Christmas. When I was little, I used to get jealous of houses that had lots of Christmas decorations, and mine had none.

Anyway, as Donald Duck tries to get a break from the Christmas spirit, different characters and objects play, “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” which gets him to change. The fact that even inanimate items would play that song cracked me up a bit.

Bonus:

The endings of both movies

Both films conclude with the sensational six, as well as a few other characters, like Goofy’s son, Max, singing a Christmas melody, combining the songs, “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” “Deck the Halls,” and “Jingle Bells.”

Writing

Why I Chose to Write Fantasy

Sunayna Prasad
Image from Pixabay

I have always enjoyed fantasy more than most other genres. I read the entire “Harry Potter” series in my early teens. In fact, at that time, it was the only thing I would read for pleasure.

I have always been attracted to magic, fantastical elements, and supernatural ideas, for as long as I can remember. I am a highly imaginative person who likes to create and brainstorm.

The idea of my book’s main character dates back to when I was in elementary school. Then she returned to my mind in my adolescence and I developed everything about her from there.

One thing about fantasy is that you can have more freedom with your stories since there is worldbuilding involved as well as other enchanted elements. Of course, the literary devices should still be believable and make sense.

When I first published the sequel of my “Magical Missions” series in 2016 as “Wizardry Goes Wild,” there were still a lot of flaws, including with credibility. One struggle involved having my characters react to magic in a believable way. 

After pulling the original edition from the market and fixing the issues, I decided on a change. Instead of trying to get the characters to react to extreme situations more credibly, since I still had trouble with it, I made certain situations milder, as long as they didn’t need to be severe. For example, there is a scene with a magical robotic bee. But that was originally a fake shark that functioned like a real one.

Basically, I just love fantasy and being very creative, which is why I like to write in that genre. I probably wouldn’t try horror or science-fiction, though. Horror scares me and science involves more research as well as math. Yet, with fantasy, I have more freedom along with fun.

cooking

The Best Ways to Make Mexican, Latino, or Spanish Food the Ways You Like

Sunayna Prasad
Image from Pixabay

Just recently, I discovered some techniques on making Latino, Mexican, or Spanish food to my taste as well as satisfy my dietary needs. Below is a list of dishes in those cuisines:

1: Rice

One recipe said to cook the rice in oil before adding the spices and sauce. I, however, could not use the traditional tomato sauce since I am allergic to tomatoes. So, I pureed jarred peppers and used that instead. Guess what—it still came out delicious.

2: Taco meat

I prepared a seasoning with various spices and stored them while using a little at a time per maybe half a pound of ground meat. It tasted as good, if not, better than the premade seasoning mix.

3: Homemade tortilla chips

Don’t have a bag of tortilla chips? No problem. You can cook actual tortillas by either, frying, baking, or even microwaving them. They still come out good, not to mention that they don’t have the extra ingredients that bagged chips contain.

4: Onions in quesadillas

I used to mix salsa with my cheese in my quesadillas. But thanks to my tomato allergy developed in 2017, I can no longer do that. While just cheese is okay, I discovered that chopped onions make it taste better and even a bit sweeter.

5: Plantains

I just learned that it is better to let plantains blacken before you cook them. Then they’ll be sweet. Cook them too soon and they’re not sweet and taste more like a potato.

I hope you enjoyed this post.

fiction

How Magic Shapes My Characters

Sunayna Prasad

What is fantasy without magic? My “Magical Missions” does not differ from that.

However, the magic laws and culture do stand out from other fantasy books. One is that they are set in modern-day America, and the other is that wizards have their own enchanted technology far more advanced than the regular kind. 

How does this shape my characters? The protagonist, Alyssa, has grown up not believing in magic… until the start of book 1, “The Frights of Fiji.” Of course, she reacts with surprise as do the other characters. Or they don’t believe her. Those that do witness wizardry are either amazed or scared.

In the sequel, “A Curse of Mayhem,” Alyssa has already gotten used to magic, even though it hasn’t interfered with her life for the past 6 months. Unlike then, though, she is performing it against her will and longs to remove it. Of course, it involves lots of complications.

While Alyssa’s friends stand by her as does her guardian, most of the characters fear and misunderstand her, especially her school principal. He sees her sorcery as threatening and dangerous. Therefore, he gives her detention several times. Alyssa also ends up at risk for expulsion. Of course, I won’t spoil anything.

Wizards and non-magical people (there is no specific term for them) share the same world, although magicians hide their supernatural culture and skills differently. They will either blend their buildings in with security charms, put invisibility shields around them, or disguise things around ordinary people.

I do explain on my website how wizards hide their secret world. But this is how magic shapes my characters.

You can also buy Book 2 here and Book 1 here.

travel

My Ideal Trip to a Winter Resort

Sunayna Prasad
Image from Pixabay

It’s another game of make-believe for me. Here, I will describe my ideal winter resort trip and what I would want.

Remember, I am not necessarily planning this, even after the pandemic. This is just imagination.

Now let me get started.

Activities

Snow tubing – I did this at a dude ranch before. Although it was tedious to go up the hill, the sliding part was fun.

Skiing and snowboarding – Not that I’m passionate about these, but others would love it. After all, what’s a winter resort with just snow tubing and no traditional activities?

Indoor heated pool and possibly a hot tub – Ah, warmth. Who wouldn’t love this on a cold day? Perhaps, a slide and even ropes to swing on. Maybe even an entire indoor Waterpark, catered to all ages.

An arcade/game room – This would make a great place for fun and entertainment. I would love skee-ball, mini bowling, pool tables, and much more.

A shopping village – It could be outdoors or indoors. It could have places that sell food, treats, clothes, souvenirs, and lots more.

Fitness Center – Health still matters. I would go on a treadmill or elliptical and watch YouTube videos, such as Disney and mature animation, like “South Park” or “Family Guy.”

Dining

Buffets – Who doesn’t love buffets? Breakfast could have the usual foods, as well as waffle making and an omelet station. Lunch could have hot foods and special stations. For dinner, how about a carving station, seafood, mashed potato martinis, and delicious desserts, like ice cream sundaes and chocolate cakes? Yum!

Seating service – This is okay, too. There could be different cuisines, like Asian, Spanish, Italian, Greek, and much more

Accommodations

Traditional hotel rooms or even suites – there would be warm and comfy beds, nice bathrooms, and excellent Wi-Fi as well as cell phone signal.

Location

Probably the US – Canada would be okay, too, although I would have to have Canadian money as well as a passport to enter the country. Staying within the US would be easier.

So, there you have it. Doesn’t this sound like an exciting idea?

TV show

Let’s Get Digital with This Evaluation of “The Fairly OddParents” Special, “Channel Chasers”

Sunayna Prasad

Warning: Contains spoilers***

In the past, I didn’t usually review or evaluate individual TV show specials. However, that has changed since I have watched that “Fairly OddParents” TV movie, “Channel Chasers,” earlier this year. So, let me get reviewing.

The premise begins 20 years into the future, where Dimsdale has been destroyed. The mysterious guy in the black outfit chases two adults, Chester and AJ. He has to go back in time to stop the evil dictator, Vicky, from ruling the world.

The scene switches to modern-day Dimsdale, where Vicky is her usual self. The news plays and discusses children imitating violent television. Timmy is one of them. He unintentionally bounces into his parents’ offices and gets grounded for it, thus being forbidden to watch TV. So, he comes up with a loophole and has Cosmo and Wanda create for him a remote that takes him into the TV channels. Things go smoothly, and then get crazy, as well as intense at times.

I have to admit how re-watching this reminded me of “Avengers: Endgame”. If you’re an MCU fan or have seen “The Endgame”, you would likely know what I mean. This also teaches the importance of respecting the boundaries of what’s acceptable in real life and what stays on the screen. I used to have a bad habit of imitating television as a child, too.

The TV programs Timmy goes on are all parodies of real ones, including those like, Rugrats, Peanuts, Sesame Street, and even The Simpsons. While I admired that as a kid, as an adult, I feel that it was kind of lazy and the creators could have come up with more original ideas. But maybe they intended that—I don’t know.

Another pitfall is the toilet humor and the amount of defecation jokes used, even in that Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer special. Also, when Timmy discovers how much longer he can have fairy godparents, he skips ages 13 and 14. He can have fairies until age 18, although I personally feel 13 or 14 would be more appropriate, as you’re not a little kid anymore. Therefore, you need to learn to deal with your own problems more maturely. Plus, most bigger kids want more freedom and independence, so having fairies follow them around might not please them.

Timmy does eventually acknowledge that he needs to grow up and will one day lose Cosmo and Wanda as his fairy godparents. He spends most of the episode not wanting to age.

Speaking of which, it was a good twist for that mysterious guy in the black suit turning out to be adult Timmy. I also appreciate how Timmy grows and changes where he starts off resistant to his grown-up self to missing him when he doesn’t make it past the end credits of “Karate Cows.”

I would rate this special 5 out of 5 stars.

TV show

“The PowerPuff Girls” Theory: Is King Morbucks Afraid of His Daughter, Princess?

Sunayna Prasad

This focuses on the original series of “The PowerPuff Girls”, starting in the 90’s and until 2009. Other adaptations won’t be included since I am not familiar with them, nor do I really want to be.

Anyway, for those who’ve watched a big portion or all of the show, we know that Princess Morbucks is not only one of the villains, but a huge spoiled little girl. She brags when things go her way and throws tantrums when they don’t. Her dad plays a big role in giving her whatever she wants and whenever she desires them. He even bought her the mayor’s office in the episode where she legalized crime, probably because Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup would not let her be a PowerPuff girl.

In another scene, Princess screams for a glass of water, and her father holds her hand and walks with her as she thanks him. However, if anything happens to his stuff, he will ground Princess for a long time.

In the Christmas special, when Princess and the PowerPuff girls are at the North Pole with Santa, Princess throws a tantrum about how her daddy says she gets whatever she wants and whenever she wants. But I am wondering if he really chooses to spoil her.

Except for that brief parade of villains in a certain episode that I don’t recall the name or plot of, King Morbucks’s face is never shown. I also don’t think he gets any spoken lines. However, I can get a glimpse of his personality where he isn’t too enthusiastic, but rather the opposite. Of course, I could be wrong.

Yet, from what I notice, he doesn’t seem anything like Rancid (an uncle who has a spoiled niece) in “Very CatDog Christmas” or Mr. or Mrs. Salt in either “Willy Wonka” film adaptation. Although the audience doesn’t get much of King Morbucks’s traits, he seems exhausted and likely stressed. That is why I wonder if he gives Princess what she wishes for because he fears her, kind of like how Vicky’s parents are afraid of her in “The Fairly OddParents.”

I will confess, though, that while I did see a lot of episodes of “The PowerPuff Girls”, I didn’t see too many post-2004 ones. So, the reason King Morbucks spoils his child could be explained in a later episode. But I am not sure.

Do you support this theory?

travel

Hotels vs. Airbnb’s – Which Do You Choose?

Sunayna Prasad
Image from Pixabay

It might not be a good idea to travel now. But when things return to full normalcy, you can think about overnight trips again, either hours away via car or plane.

For much of my youth, my family has stayed in hotels, often fancy ones. Later, that became rarer. We stayed in cheaper hotels, suites, or once, I stayed in an Airbnb. That is when someone allows you to rent a space for a certain amount of time.

So, let’s weigh the pros and cons of hotels and Airbnb’s.

Hotels

Pros:

Less work to do – there are housekeeping workers who will clean your rooms, usually in the afternoon, as well as chefs to cook your food, and so on. You can be easily pampered or spoiled by it, depending on your lifestyle and preferences.

Nice décor – Whether it’s a cheap chain, like Holiday Inn, or a luxurious one, the décor is always something to admire.

Cons:

Not much control over food quality – If you stay in a hotel, you could get a microwave or kettle, but nothing to really cook in. So, you’re left with commercially-made food. Of course, this is okay on occasion, but don’t let it spoil you. It already did to me. I reversed it and lost a lot of weight from home-cooked meals. A good number of my shirts became big on me in just a few weeks.

Less control in general – Less work to do means there’s little to nothing you can control. Sure, you can watch TV, use your computer, and so forth. But hotel rooms are usually nothing like homes.

Can be expensive – This is certain if you stay at an upscale one. But even lower-key ones, like Holiday Inns, aren’t necessarily affordable for everyone.

Airbnb’s

Pros:

More control – You can stay in a place similar to your home. Sometimes, you can even cook. You also don’t have to leave to make room for housekeepers.

Cheaper – While this varies, Airbnb’s tend to cost less than hotel rooms. But their décors are still acceptable, as they are often part of people’s homes.

Cons:

No one to do your chores – in Airbnb’s, you’re responsible for making your beds, cleaning, and so forth. So, remember to be careful, otherwise, you might need to pay a fine.

No amenities – That means no room service, phone service, or anything a hotel could provide. But that is not necessarily a bad thing.

Of course, everyone’s tastes differ. So, one may favor hotels a lot, while others dream of an affordable Airbnb.