The Fame.

"Andie, Andie Hunt! Over here!"... "Smile for the camera!"... "Who are you wearing tonight?"... "Can I have your autograph?" I turn and look at the girl, and smile. Taking out my sparkly, pink Gel Pen, I lean over to sign her notebook.
"I want to be just like you when I grow up," the girl says, giggling with excitement. She is only about seven years old- about the age when I realized that this was my destiny.
'You are a star on the rise,' I write. 'I'll see you in Hollywood soon!" Again, I smile at the girl, and she grins back at me so wide that her mouth will probably hurt for a few hours. Then, I wake up.

I have big dreams for my future, and I have these dreams an awful lot. I know there are so many people out there with the same ideas. There are girls my age who are similar to me, but have come farther, like being on popular TV shows and working with the 'Teen Dream' of the moment. I wonder why those people - and the others, who haven't been quite as fortunate - chose the life that they did. Did they do it for the money, the fame, the designer sunglasses?

There are a lot of reasons why I aspire this life, and they do not include those I have already listed. There is a little girl, named Rachel, that I babysit from time to time who lives just down the street. Rachel smiles and hugs me every day that I see her. Rachel has my picture, clipped out of a Sears ad, up on her wall - right beside my own idols, Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez. Rachel looks up to me as a role model. I wish I could be a role model to other kids too, in the same way. And wouldn't I be, if I was well-known, like Taylor or Selena? Imagine for example, being on stage, and drinking in the screams and shouts of "WE LOVE YOU!", feeling on top of the world for that moment. I could be just like them, connecting with my fans through Twitter and making them super happy just because I replied to their comment. I would give back to my fans and use my seat of power to set an example, maybe give more money to that earthquake in Haiti. If I did that and told my young fans to, they could follow my lead. Being famous isn't just about the money or having people know your name.

andie, xoxo.

Barnaby & Bellie Boogly

Well hello there, my name is Barnaby Boogly and I am Andie's imaginary BESTEST FRIEND FOREVER. I enjoy Piña Coladas, getting caught in the rain, and long moonlight walks on the beach. Yes, I am a boy, but I have had a very strong feminine influence from my twin sister, Bellie Boogly. She is slightly mentally unstable but my parents think she is really super, so I can really relate to Andie and her relationship with her strange brother Dawson. That's what we usually talk about, but we can talk about anything with each other because we grew up together and are now very close. Also, I am physically close to Andie, because I live in a house right beside hers. This has come in handy a lot! We can even talk to each other from our windows, and sometimes we attach a rope ladder to both ends and then we can sneak back and forth like super spies or ninjas. I love it when we pretend to be ninjas!

My sister Bellie is also very good friends with Andie, and together we're like the three musketeers. With our strengths combined, we always stick up for Andie when people pick on her for having "imaginary friends" and talking to herself all the time. I am fairly certain that all Bellie really likes to do is paint her nails, do her hair, read magazines and gossip, but apparently that's what Andie likes in a friend because she's the one who dreamt Bellie up. I think I'm supposed to be the caring friend, and Bells is meant to be the fun friend. Oh yeah, sometimes we call her Bells. She says it makes her feel special, and I like to make people feel special. I always go out of my way to make sure people are happy, because who wants to be around a grumpy pants? Not me!

The kids at school tell Andie that she's too old for imaginary friends, but she doesn't listen to them, and it makes me feel very good about myself. I don't want Andie to ever abandon me! She says she won't ever leave me and Bellie because she will always need someone to be there for her in rough times when her 'real friends' just can't help. This makes it difficult for us Booglys. We want to help Andie fit in and make other pals, but we never want to lose her! But since we're such great buddies, we help her make friends at school anyway, and that's how Andie dreamt us up. She dreamt of me on her darkest day to bring her sunlight, and I will stick around forever to keep her life sunny and happy.

barnaby, xoxo.

*Andie Hunt is now 14 years old (HAPPY BIRTHDAY!) and she still hangs out with her imaginary pals, me and Bellie Boogly, every single day. This is a completely true story. Trust me. Or you can ask Andie. She will never let go of her imaginary friends.

andie, xoxo.

The Ever-Glam Grammys

It's an event looked forward to for months, as celebrities plan flawless outfits, performances and acceptance speeches and gear up for the night of the year. The 'normal' people count down the days until the big night and prepare their voices to scream, shout and sing along excitedly from their own living rooms. This event is the Grammys, a celebration of the biggest successes in music. It will have you on the edge of your seat, or maybe rolling on the floor in my case, crossing your fingers anxiously for your favourite artists to be recognized. And as presenter Stephen Colbert stated, it is the greatest honor in music besides getting your song remade on 'Glee'.

For me, the anticipation and betting on who will get certain awards is nail-biting, but the best part has got to be the incredible performances. For such a big event, they pull out all the stops. Everything is super over-the-top: lighting, sets, costumes. This year, one of my favourite performances was by P!nk. Singing completely live, she hung from a ribbon doing acrobatics and spinning around, no cables attached! It was dangerous, but it was so artistic and everyone's eyes were glued on her the entire time. Of course, the fabulous Lady Gaga never fails to impress either. Not with visual appeal, but with pure talent... Oh, and her extreme costumes do help too. And her voice paired with Elton John's as they sang 'Speechless' had everyone, well, speechless. I was shocked that Lady Gaga only won two Grammys. I mean really, Taylor Swift is cute and talented and lovable, but she didn't have FIVE NUMBER ONE HITS like Gaga did, and therefore I think Gaga got shafted in the Album of the Year award. She deserved it for sure.

This has been the most spectacular Grammy ceremony in a very long time. I am willing to bet that a lot of other people are already preparing for the next ceremony, and counting down the days, and I am definitely one of those people.

andie, xoxo.

It's a Bird, It's a Plane!

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's an egg-salad sandwich! NO! It's... Andie..?

If I was a superhero, I might not want to be the flashy kind that's always in the public eye. I think Spiderman and Batman made a wise decision, keeping their true identities hidden. If your enemies knew who you really were - and they were smart - they would obviously use it against you. Maybe they would burn up your house or take your loved ones away, and I would never risk that. I wouldn't let people see me all the time, either, because then some crazy person who is crazy enough to intensely dislike superheroes might try to kill me or something. I would work in the shadows, helping people secretly. And if I was working this way, I would need a super power that was discreet, like mind-reading. I think it's the perfect ability. I would want it even as a normal kid, because I could know at any time what all the answers were in social situations, and in superhero duties, what my nemesis's next move would be .

If I did want to be a stereotypical, flashy superhero, I think I would be Bubble Girl or something like that. I could have a lot of fun with bubbles. Maybe I could use them as force fields to keep some people in bubbles safely, whether they be innocent victims or my dangerous enemies. The enemies would be kept in a different kind of bubble though. A Trouble Bubble! I could also have a soapy spray to squirt into people's eyes and blind them temporarily. I would probably call it a Bubble Blast. I could even fly while I was in my own personal bubble! That would be cool, flying above the city in a bubble, keeping an eye out for trouble. Bubbles would make a pretty fantastic costume too. I would make sure that it was as iridescent as they were, and maybe it could allow me to turn invisible!

But when I'm back to my secret identity 'normal' self, would I be able to keep my secret? Hannah Montana makes it look easy, but I sort of have a big mouth. I might just want to leave the super work to someone else, and work on being a good citizen. Because when the bubble bursts, I'm still just me, a normal kid who needs to make an impact in my first life.

andie, xoxo.

Who Would You Like To Be For a Day?

Imagine being eight years old and having one of the biggest, best wardrobes in the country, meeting every huge celebrity and having people wait on you hand and foot. President Barack Obama’s daughters Sasha and Malia lead the lives of princesses. I’m pretty sure they are the luckiest little girls in North America; let me count the ways.

Not everyone gets to fly on Air Force One of course - that would be an incredible experience – but mostly, I’m jealous that these two girls get PRIVATE CONCERTS. Just this Christmas, they got a private show from the one and only Justin Bieber, and my heart was pounding out of my chest as I watched it on YouTube. How did they get so lucky as to be born as the daughters of Barack and Michelle Obama? It was only chance. I could’ve been born as either Sasha or Malia instead. What made these fetuses so special?

I wish so, so much that I could take their place. The only downsides to their entire lives that I could think of would be an invasion of privacy and the question of safety. Who would want the Secret Service surrounding you on your first date? And as for safety…well there would always be the risk of someone kidnapping or harming the girls for political reasons. There would always be danger, everywhere you went.

Besides those concerns, theirs is a charmed life. Who wouldn't want to be them?


andie, xoxo.

"Did You Know?" Now I do.

Is it possible to die by information overload? This video can blow your mind and open your eyes, and it reminded me of the size of the universe. It reminded me that in the space of the universe, the Earth that we believe to be so large is really just a speck of dust, and humans much smaller than that. I feel more insignificant than I've ever felt after watching this video.

The most interesting part to me was about the supercomputer. I find it unlikely that a computer will 'out-compute' the human brain by 2013. Also to be taken into consideration, is that it is believed that humans use an average of only 10% of their brain daily. I wonder if this has been addressed in the supercomputer statistics. On the same note, the computer will only "exceed the computational capabilities of the human brain", meaning that it can think in a whole other way and still cannot think for itself or make decisions. Computers will not be able to take over the earth.

Although these facts are rather astounding to some, like me, they are believable. Our knowledge as a species and as a population has grown rapidly and increasingly and will continue to do so. Some people say that this video was so intense that it was scary to think about all at once. But if they don't get this through our heads, it's all going to blow up in our faces one day. I think those people should get ready, because this is what's happening right now.

andie, xoxo.

Adventure of the Seas

This November, I got the opportunity to go on a Caribbean cruise with my family and some close family friends. I would miss school and get to go to a few different islands - Aruba, Dominica, Curacao and St. Thomas - with my three friends, Courtney, Tim, and Matt.

The first day on the ship, Adventure of the Seas, was a Sea Day. It gave us time to settle in to the new environment and explore the ship a little bit. We checked out the Optix Teen Program quickly and then found the secret route to the helipad on the bow. It was difficult- going there was permitted, but discouraged, so it was fun to try and find it. We also checked out the ice cream shop. They actually had a Ben & Jerry's on board!

Every night we ate dinner in the "Vivaldi" dining room at 6:00, and after that, we'd see that night's show. One night it was the ice skating show, one was a comedian. But my favourite was the ventriloquist, Ronn Lucas. He had three different puppets with very different personalities. It was probably the funniest show I've ever seen, and Ronn was INCREDIBLE.

Courtney and I always looked forward to going straight to the Teen Club again after. We met some other kids there, and we formed a club of English-speakers: Kyle, Gus, JP, Robert, Adrianna, Alex, Tim, Courtney and myself. Almost evening, we would go to the top floor in a private game room. We would stay there for hours just listening to Gus play the piano. He was incredible. We'd stay until something interesting was going on in the Club, because every night there was some kind of dance or party (or karaoke!).

Our first stop was to Aruba. Although the sun was shining and the beach was bustling, the waves were strong and tall. Courtney and I played in them for a few hours, I think, until they started getting even larger. Soon we invented a game: You had to stay standing through each wave no matter how strong, and whoever stands longest would win. But neither of us could hold on for as long as we thought we could. Nearly every time, the water would come up to our necks or over when we had been standing knee-high moments before. Then it would suddenly push us down to the sand and threw us backwards onto the beach. One giant wave hit me so hard that I scraped my hip against the sand and cut it. It was just sand, but I had hit it so hard! And after Courtney got a bloody nose, we were forced to swim in the pool instead. Later, the bartender told me about a big storm that was happening on a nearby island causing the waves, and that they were the biggest they had seen on the island in twenty years.

Curacao was next, and that was where I had my first kiss. It was with a young and energetic dolphin named "Kayena" at the Curacao Dolphin Academy. She was amazingly fast. Once, she got spooked and rammed into my mom and I so abruptly that we fell off the platform!

The marine life was teeming in Dominica. We were snorkeling on the side of a volcano! So the sand was actually volcanic and very black compared to the perfect white snow on the other islands. I also checked out some neat caves, and we saw a few sting-rays in the water below us.

St. Thomas was so gorgeous and sunny. The water was cool and refreshing and clear as can be; you could see every shell or piece of coral right at the bottom. Even the sand was perfectly white with no stones and soft on your feet. But the very best part of it was going snorkeling at 'Champagne' Beach. It's world-famous for it's cool lava springs, just like swimming in a giant glass of champagne! I think it must have been the most beautiful natural phenomenon I've ever seen.

I don't know if I could summarize the trip any more than I already have. There was just so much to do and explore and experience every single day. We were never bored, but always busy and completely engaged in whatever activities we were doing. I could try to pick out my favourite parts, but every part was my favourite. I know that sounds like a cheesy Disney ending, but what else can I say? Everything was breath-taking, mind-blowing, and jaw-dropping.

andie, xoxo.