Review for rar_ara
Main Categories: 43/50
Sub Categories: 39/50
Total: 82/100
Intelligence: rar_ara displays an intelligence rare for her age group. Not only does she get good grades and study hard in school, but she often makes comments regarding her motivations, the actions and reactions of her peers, and the behavior of society in general which demonstrate an advanced level of maturity and intellect. This journal chronicles the thoughts of someone struggling with mental illness while trying to maintain a semblance of normalcy. As such it's interesting; you see the author at her best and at her worst.
10/10
Emotional Value: I found the journal difficult to read because of the intensity of emotions exhibited within the entries. Her struggles to maintain a normal life and break free of behavior patterns she knows to be self destructive were heart rending. She writes often about her conflictng thoughts and emotions as well as about how they affect her and those around her. The depth exhibited in these candid entries is downright painful to behold in someone so young. I wanted to reach across the screen and somehow extend any bit of comfort I could. She doesn't post traditional mood icons but the titles across each entry do match the contents of the journal.
9/10
Creativity: This is a beautifully customized journal, well thought out and blended to suit both the personality of the user and also the overall theme of the contents. She designed her theme around the book Hope for the Flowers by Trina Paulus which, according to Amazon.com's review, is an allegorical tale of the life struggles of a butterfly and a caterpillar. The colors look well together but I had trouble reading the tiny font and found the cursor changes distracting. It made it difficult for me to click on links. She also exhibits creativity within the entries; I saw two poems and several drawings and she mentions being active in ballet and other dance modes as well.
9/10
Individuality: Were it not for the clarity of thought coming from someone mentally ill and the candid comments about self and others, rarely encountered online or elsewhere, this would likely have been just another teenager's angsty journal. Some of it certainly reads as such but the majority of entries speak of a person mature beyond her years discussing things some adults don't even consider closely. She never lapses out of that semi-analytical personality.
7/10
Courtesy and Grammar: The grammar, punctuation, and spelling on this journal is excellent. She obviously takes the time to record her thoughts neatly and precisely and has good command of the English language. The journal does utilize frames, which I found a little annoying as some browsers can't handle them properly and mine apears to be one of them. Her subject headers also often serve as emotional indicators but most journal entries have them.
8/10
Bio: The biography on this particular journal doesn't tell much about the author, but it does in one small quotation tell you about the overall theme to be found within. A link to an alternative biography, carefully concealed, tells you more about her. It does pique interest and makes me want to read the journal.
4/5
User Pics: This is a paid account and she has fifteen icons which is the maximum allowed for this type of account. The icons were created from her copy of the aforementioned book. They match rar_ara's personality and the contents of her journal well.
5/5
Contactability: She lists a LiveJournal e-mail address, an AOL alias, comments are enabled, and she has a link to her Deviant Art website.
5/5
Impression: She presents the impression of someone in need, someone struggling to stay afloat without a life preserver who is hoping that one will eventually be thrown. I greatly admire her strength and perseverence in trying to deal with these problems alone.
5/5
Sense of Humor: She mentions having a sarcastic wit but it doesn't really come through in her journal entries. Because of the depth and complexity of the content, I couldn't honestly say the journal was entertaining to read; it nearly broke my heart.
0/5
Style: The entries flow surprisingly well even when she's wrestling with her inner demons. They remain coherent and linear while she describes the maddness assaulting her. This is consistant throughout the journal.
5/5
Openness: rar_ara demonstrates a guarded openness. The journal is friends only and some entries are inaccessible even on that level. She admits to paranoia and the alternate biography which tells about her was carefully hidden behind a link so insignificant I nearly missed it. Within the context of friends only, she's fairly open and candid about her difficulties and how she feels about what is happening to her.
3/5
Quantity: She posts sporadically throughout each month and sometimes the entries are little more than a single statement. The majority of entries, however, are long enough to get the point across without being long winded and the quantity is consistent with her.
3/5
Live Journal Involvement: She has a paid account. She lists eighty interests and has fifty-three friends. She belongs to twelve communities and has eight RSS feeds. She mentions in the alternate bio that one of the communities is hers. She does not belong to any official LiveJournal communities. rar_ara has made 1154 comments and received 704.
4/5
Bonus: Bonus points awarded for the heart wrenching content of the journal and for the respect and admiration I feel for this young lady. It took a lot of courage to open up journal entries as raw and painful as some of these were to a complete stranger who would be reviewing them critically.
5/5
0-19 Worst Journal Ever
20-29 Horrible
30-39 Really Awful
40-49 Awful
50-59 Not Too Good
60-65 So So
66-75 Average
76-80 Cool
81-84 Good
85-89 Very Good
90-94 Excellent
95-99 Elite
100 Extremely Elite (Perfect)
Sub Categories: 39/50
Total: 82/100
Intelligence: rar_ara displays an intelligence rare for her age group. Not only does she get good grades and study hard in school, but she often makes comments regarding her motivations, the actions and reactions of her peers, and the behavior of society in general which demonstrate an advanced level of maturity and intellect. This journal chronicles the thoughts of someone struggling with mental illness while trying to maintain a semblance of normalcy. As such it's interesting; you see the author at her best and at her worst.
10/10
Emotional Value: I found the journal difficult to read because of the intensity of emotions exhibited within the entries. Her struggles to maintain a normal life and break free of behavior patterns she knows to be self destructive were heart rending. She writes often about her conflictng thoughts and emotions as well as about how they affect her and those around her. The depth exhibited in these candid entries is downright painful to behold in someone so young. I wanted to reach across the screen and somehow extend any bit of comfort I could. She doesn't post traditional mood icons but the titles across each entry do match the contents of the journal.
9/10
Creativity: This is a beautifully customized journal, well thought out and blended to suit both the personality of the user and also the overall theme of the contents. She designed her theme around the book Hope for the Flowers by Trina Paulus which, according to Amazon.com's review, is an allegorical tale of the life struggles of a butterfly and a caterpillar. The colors look well together but I had trouble reading the tiny font and found the cursor changes distracting. It made it difficult for me to click on links. She also exhibits creativity within the entries; I saw two poems and several drawings and she mentions being active in ballet and other dance modes as well.
9/10
Individuality: Were it not for the clarity of thought coming from someone mentally ill and the candid comments about self and others, rarely encountered online or elsewhere, this would likely have been just another teenager's angsty journal. Some of it certainly reads as such but the majority of entries speak of a person mature beyond her years discussing things some adults don't even consider closely. She never lapses out of that semi-analytical personality.
7/10
Courtesy and Grammar: The grammar, punctuation, and spelling on this journal is excellent. She obviously takes the time to record her thoughts neatly and precisely and has good command of the English language. The journal does utilize frames, which I found a little annoying as some browsers can't handle them properly and mine apears to be one of them. Her subject headers also often serve as emotional indicators but most journal entries have them.
8/10
Bio: The biography on this particular journal doesn't tell much about the author, but it does in one small quotation tell you about the overall theme to be found within. A link to an alternative biography, carefully concealed, tells you more about her. It does pique interest and makes me want to read the journal.
4/5
User Pics: This is a paid account and she has fifteen icons which is the maximum allowed for this type of account. The icons were created from her copy of the aforementioned book. They match rar_ara's personality and the contents of her journal well.
5/5
Contactability: She lists a LiveJournal e-mail address, an AOL alias, comments are enabled, and she has a link to her Deviant Art website.
5/5
Impression: She presents the impression of someone in need, someone struggling to stay afloat without a life preserver who is hoping that one will eventually be thrown. I greatly admire her strength and perseverence in trying to deal with these problems alone.
5/5
Sense of Humor: She mentions having a sarcastic wit but it doesn't really come through in her journal entries. Because of the depth and complexity of the content, I couldn't honestly say the journal was entertaining to read; it nearly broke my heart.
0/5
Style: The entries flow surprisingly well even when she's wrestling with her inner demons. They remain coherent and linear while she describes the maddness assaulting her. This is consistant throughout the journal.
5/5
Openness: rar_ara demonstrates a guarded openness. The journal is friends only and some entries are inaccessible even on that level. She admits to paranoia and the alternate biography which tells about her was carefully hidden behind a link so insignificant I nearly missed it. Within the context of friends only, she's fairly open and candid about her difficulties and how she feels about what is happening to her.
3/5
Quantity: She posts sporadically throughout each month and sometimes the entries are little more than a single statement. The majority of entries, however, are long enough to get the point across without being long winded and the quantity is consistent with her.
3/5
Live Journal Involvement: She has a paid account. She lists eighty interests and has fifty-three friends. She belongs to twelve communities and has eight RSS feeds. She mentions in the alternate bio that one of the communities is hers. She does not belong to any official LiveJournal communities. rar_ara has made 1154 comments and received 704.
4/5
Bonus: Bonus points awarded for the heart wrenching content of the journal and for the respect and admiration I feel for this young lady. It took a lot of courage to open up journal entries as raw and painful as some of these were to a complete stranger who would be reviewing them critically.
5/5
0-19 Worst Journal Ever
20-29 Horrible
30-39 Really Awful
40-49 Awful
50-59 Not Too Good
60-65 So So
66-75 Average
76-80 Cool
81-84 Good
85-89 Very Good
90-94 Excellent
95-99 Elite
100 Extremely Elite (Perfect)