Despicable Me Prequel Coming Soon

Despicable Me Prequel Coming Soon

            In 2010 Despicable Me became the third biggest opening grossing for an animated film. The movie made a total of $543,010,705 worldwide. Its sequel, Despicable Me 2, was the next big thing when it came out in 2013. The sequel made a total of $918,557,955 worldwide. This was the most profitable film in the hundred year history of Universal Studios. It is obvious that this series is very popular and had nothing but good reviews. One thing that all Despicable Me fans adore is the minions. They are the protagonist’s main sidekicks that are absolutely hilarious. Where did these oval shaped cute little creatures come from? This question will be answered in the newest prequel to Despicable Me, known as The Minions. The release date was announced to be July 10^th, 2015.

            This movie will consist of mostly minions, and the main character Gru will not participate. So far what we know from the movie is that it will show how the minions were created from yellow single celled organisms. They were existent since the beginning of time to serve the most ambitious evil villains as their only purpose. After all of their masters were destroyed, including Dracula and T. Rex, they decide to start a new life in Antarctica. By the 1960s, the minions become in a state of depression, due to their lack of masters. Kevin and two other minions set out on a journey to find a new one. Their adventures eventually lead them to a villain convention. They take interest in Scarlet Overkill, whose goal is to be the first female super villain, and to dominate the world. The whole movie will be about how they compete to become the henchmen for her.

            After seeing the first two movies, people can predict that The Minions is probably going to become a big hit. Despicable Me fans are probably going to be very excited to see how the minions came to be. A lot of people who watched the series liked it only because of the minions, so those people would love to watch this movie. Everyone will just hope for this movie to become a success.

-         Bilal Syed

Thoughts on The Alchemist

My Thoughts on the Alchemist

The Alchemist is one of the most inspirational books that I have ever read. It teaches

readers how to follow their dreams and to never give up. The book was written by Paulho

Coelho, and it sold millions of copies worldwide. The New York Times said "This Brazilian

wizard makes books disappear from stores."

The Alchemist is basically about a boy named Santiago. His dream is to travel the world,

which led him into getting the job of a Sheppard. One day he has a dream that a child tells him

that he must travel to the pyramids and obtain a valuable treasure. He sets out on his journey to

Africa, and enters a whole new world. He is then faced by a series of events that teach him how

life really is, and how he can connect with the soul of the world.

I recommend everyone to read The Alchemist, for it is truly inspirational. There

are a lot of dreams we had as children that we gave up on. It is not too late to accomplish them.

This book will make you want to get up and accomplish all the things that you forgot about. I

was truly inspired, and I am sure you will too.

- Bilal Syed

Paper Folding

Paper folding is a cheap and fun art form. A stack of real origami paper (about 100 sheets) will go for about $6.99. If you don't want to buy origami paper, any paper that can hold a crease can be used as origami paper. Models in foil paper look really cool.  Beginners can start off with simple models like the Crane, and the Fortune Teller (which most of you should have seen somewhere). Experienced folders can try out modular, crease patterns, and complex Star Wars Origami models.

Origami originated from Japan, when papyrus was used to fold animals and the environment. Modern origamists use tweezers for very complex models. You may have noticed the origami sculptures on the shelves of the South Brunswick library. These are modular origami, which uses multiple sheets of paper to create models. This method can be tedious and time consuming, but the finished models will look very nice. Diagrams for the Millennium Falcon are found http://www.flickr.com/photos/matayado-titi/sets/72157629344531435/

I fold paper because it is fun and challenging to fold complex models. It's like sculpting. I occasionally fold paper toys like Cootie Catchers for younger kids. I first started folding when I was 8 years old watching Activitytv.tv, which provided video tutorials of Micheal Lafosse folding basic models like ducks. Then I folded paper airplanes for a few months then left the idea for a few years. In Grade 6, I read Tom Angleberger's The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, which contained instructions on how to fold a simple Yoda. It was interesting and I wanted to attempt harder Star Wars models. I moved on to advanced characters like Fumiaki Kawahata's Jedi Master Yoda  http://www.spitenet.com/origami/pdf/Yoda-JediMaster.pdf. Then I moved on to the iconic Star Wars Ships like the X-Wing and the Millennium Falcon. I use foil paper because it is easy to fold and looks aesthetic. 

Origami can help children improve their creativity and Geometry. Because most models are 3-D, this can help them improve three-dimensional perception, which is better than the 2-D world of the TV. 

Diagrams for the Millennium Falcon are found here:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/matayado-titi/sets/72157629344531435/  .

Sincerely,

Jay Manchiraju