CHRISTMAS EVE!!!!

YAY!!! CHRISTMAS IS JUST 'ROUND THE CORNER!!!! YAYY!!! I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH YAYS AND YIPPES CAN EXPLAIN MY EXCITEMENT!!! PRESENTS AND PRESENTS AND PRESENTS!!! SANTA! YAY!!!!! I'M SOOOOO EXCITED FOR 2MORROW. I PROBABLY WILL NOT FALL ASLEEP 2DAY!!!! CHRISTMAS IS HEREEEEEEEE!!!!!!! I CAN HARDLY WAIT, I'M PRACTICALLY ABOUT TO BURST OFF TO MARS RIGHT NOW, WITH ALL THIS SPIRIT!! I DO NOT HAVE ANY PLANS 2DAY...EXEPT FOR GOING TO THE MALL FOR CHRISTMAS SHOPPING!! YAH-HOO!! I WILL SERIOUSLY POST MORE 2MORROW, LISTING ALL MY PREZZIES!!! HEHE... :D :D :D :D...

Breakfast at Starbucks...

20th of December. It's a bright Sunday morning........Sleep-ins every day....that's what breaks are meant for... "I need a break from cooking too!!" Mom declares...so...our solution...?

BREAKFAST AT STARBUCKS!!!! (Instead of Tiffany's :P)

It's 9 o'clock right now...I am in Starbucks, typing.

The table beside me is littered with...

Toffee Nut Latte

Cappuccino

Hot Chocolate

Mini sandwiches

Oatmeal raisin cookies

All empty...devoured by my family and me!!

I love going to Starbucks for breakfast because the food there tastes great and it's relaxing to just chat with my family and eat and blog...the store's empty so it's really quiet. Break is great.....!!!!!

GO....BROMO!!!

Thursday, December 17th was Madness Day! Go Broooooommmmoooo! There was no classes today. Only fun! :D First, we had 2 activities to do. I had Badminton and Wacky Relay. Badminton was held in the lower part of the Big Gym. 

To be honest, I was hopeless at Badminton. I couldn't hit the ball over the net. I screwed up all the time. But my other two Bromo teammates were awesome at badminton. Especially this 8th grader, he was so good. So we played against Salak and Merapi, and won both of them. With Salak, it was a close match 21-20. But we killed Merapi for 23-18! At the end, we were tied with Krakatau for 1st place! Go Bromo! Yay!

My second activity was Wacky Relay. Now, this was fun. We had a crab-walk relay, an egg-and-spoon relay and a wheelbarrow relay. Now, Krakatau was really good at this. C'mon, Bromo! Beat Krakatau! I had to go twice for crab-walk. The whole time I was cheering for Bromo! I think Bromo did a good job. We came 3rd or 4th for crab-walk, came 1st or 2nd for egg-and-spoon relay and came 1st for wheelbarrow. Pretty good, eh?

After the two activities, we had a students-against-teachers basketball game. This time, I switched my gears to "Go 6th Graders!" 6th Graders creamed the teachers. 8-0. But I was surprised. Some teachers were really good at basketball, like Mrs. Schwartz and Mrs. Clark. I would have never thought of them playing basketball. But they were pretty good. Maybe even better than me, and I join GYBA(Girls Youth Basketball Association) every year. It was a thrilling game.

At last, the awarding of the cup! Who will get the Volcano cup for December 2009!!! Drumroll please! This was really a tense revelation! I crossed my toes, arms, fingers and legs and hoped that Bromo won the cup. Please, please, please! I closed my eyes and prayed for the best. And the cup goes to...Agung! Noooo! I was so disappointed-Bromo tried so hard. Noooo! I was dejected. But Bromo came third, and that counted for something, didn't it? The winning order was this:

First place: Agung

Second place: Krakatau

Third place: BROMO! YEAAHHH!

Fourth place: Salak

Fifth place: Rinjani

Sixth place: Merapi

At least Bromo came third and tried their best! Next time, Bromo will win!!! 

VPA concert

15th of December...2009! The Annual(?) VPA concert!!!! I'm in Strings, so naturally I'm a performer. Michelle and Maya are in Strings too, so we'll all go to FAT together. We're playing the Harry Potter theme song and this other song. I'm a little nervous...but not really. I'm not, because the Advanced Strings is playing too, so they sit on the outskirts of the Orchestra, facing the audience. Besides, I've practiced a lot. I will not make a mistake. I hope. I am performing at 1 and 6 p.m. today. It's English now, and as soon as I finish eating lunch, I have to get changed and go to FA6(Dr. Eng's office) and get my cello tuned, and then sit and PERFORM! Luckily, I'm not in Movement or anything so I don't have to change. The only thing I'm worried about is my shoes. I forgot them, and my Mom's not here right now and my maid doesn't know anything about my shoes(there's in a different closet) so I can't bring them to school. Michelle wore purple shoes today, and she brought black shoes so she said I could borrow her purple shoes. Thank God! Purple's a really dark color so hopefully Dr. Eng will not notice. I brought my clothes(black&white) and my rockstop so that's nothing to worry about. I think. So my one o'clock plans are set. But for my 6 o'clock, it's not so I'll set it right now. After VPA, I'm going to go to Maths lesson. It starts from 3:30 to 4:3o. Then I'll come home at about 5. I'll eat a really quick snack, then go to FA6 with my cello before 5:30. Then I'll perform again and then my VPA day would be finished. I can't wait till it finishes. I always hate concerts. They are sooo annoying. Really. I hate concerts. Because you need to wear Black&White, which I always forget, and I always need to bring my good cello to school! My cello weights like, a ton and it's not very pleasant to walk up the slope of the ramp with a heavy backpack, a folder, a shopping bag containing clothes and a heavy cello! It really sucks. :(

Vocab picture meanings 2

Lagging

Dejection

Malevolent

Revelation

Adhesive

Embezzle

Embankment

Eclectic

Traumatic

Pleadingly

 

Break Time!!

Winter break is almost here! I can't wait for the sleeping-in days to begin again. It makes me happy just thinking about it. And for 3 weeks too! I am going to Singapore and Bali, and it will be relaxing, relaxing relaxing!!! YEAH! :-D. But this week's filled with tests. For example, I had a Math Summative today, have my Hydrocycle project due tomorrow or Friday, and a science test on Friday. That's what I hate about just before break starts. About three weeks before break starts, tests and projects practically pours itself on you. I had 4 projects and 3 tests coming up at the same time. It was very stressing. That's the first 2 weeks. Now it's a bit okay. Phew! Oh well. My mom keeps saying that I have to get used to it but it's still a little hard on me. In 5th grade, you barely had any homework. You had a three-page long packet that was not due until next week, (and that was only assigned about once in three months) and sometimes a page of math homework. But other than that, just reading. Maybe PIE was too easy on me. Hehe. Poor 5th graders. They will have to get used to MS when they come up. Just like we will have to for 7th Grade! Speaking of 7th Grade, some seventh graders told me that when you go up to 7th grade, you wish you went back to 6th grade. How is that possible? I mean, 6th grade is already hard enough, people. I don't need more homework or tests. And that's FINAL! Don't you agree, diary? At least that makes two of us. Anyway, back to my glorious, homework-free break imagination. I'll sleep in until 9 every morning, read, go on the computer, read more, do a teeny bit of my math homework, eat lunch, play,...etc. AND THEN! I WILL GO TO SINGAPORE AND BALI! THE BEACH! THE POOL! THE SHOPPING MALL!!! Aaaah! I can hardly wait. I'll probably come back from Singapore, my hands ladyn with shopping bags and from Bali, even more tanned then before. Yeah. I'll still write, like I am doing now. Yup. I'll sign up for the break writing. Although if Dad doesn't bring his laptop, that might not happen. But oh well. Everybody needs and wants a break. I am one of those people!

5 definitions

1. Pavilion

2. Jubilation=

3. Pensive=

4. Fixated=

5. Seminary=

Questions for Social Studies 2

1. List the main reasons for water scarcity.

 The main reasons are low rainfall, variations in climate, land degradation, population growth and water pollution.

2. What is a drought? What type of hardships do you think that a drought could cause if you were living in a village in a poor country such as Ethiopia?

A drought is the opposite of a flood-it's when there is precipitation below average. If I was living in a poor country like Ethiopia, a drought would be terrible. Nobody would get enough water, and because Ethiopia is poor, they would not have very good dam systems and stuff, which would cause to lack of water for everybody. People could even die if a drought continues too long.  

3. How does land degradation affect the supply of fresh water?

When land is degraded, the soil loses its ability to absorb water. So, when rain comes down(fresh water) the fresh water will run off a lot, because the soil cannot absorb, due to land degradation. The fresh water run-off would go to rivers and seas, and we would be losing our fresh water.

4.
a) What is El Nino?

El Nino is the Pacific Ocean getting warm every 3-5 years. 

b) Why does El Nino often cause drought in Australia?

During El Nino, the wind going across the Pacific Ocean changes its direction. There is also reserved air pressure across the Pacific, which leads to high pressure systems over Australia. This pressure stops moist air from coming into Australia for a long time, which can cause droughts.

5. Observe the map showing the global effects of El Nino in 1982-83.

a) What effects does El Nino have on the availability of fresh water?
El Nino causes droughts, which cause rarely any rain. Rain is fresh water.

b) Name the countries and describe the problems that arose from decreased rainfall caused by El Nino.

Africa-decreased corn crop. China-Agricultural under serious problems from small amount of water and floods. Philippines-Decreased rice harvest. Indonesia-Forest fires and air pollution. Papua New Guinea-Failure of food crops. Australia-Wheat exports failure. Peru-Fishing problems. 

Bintaro Lama Movie

Hi, this is a video I filmed back in my field trip to Bintaro Lama last week. It shows what kinds of station I went to and how the local people cleaned water. Hope you enjoy!!

Trip to Bintaro Lama

On November 12th, the P module went to Bintaro Lama, to see how local people cleaned water. I went to station 2, 4 and 6. Even though the local people didn't have all the filters and machines like the water treatment plant, they could still make it clean. I thought that was pretty smart.

Station 2.

Station 2 was where the people taught us why we had to wash our hands. The water was mostly contaminated by open-waste, and people who drank and used the contaminated water afterwards got diarrhea. The WatSan people told us that babies under five would die in two days after getting diarrhea, and that millions of babies die every year because of contaminated water. They showed us a diagram of how the water was contaminated, and how people became sick. Washing our hands is important!

Station 4.

Station 4 was where the WatSan people demonstrated how they cleaned the water by using Pur, a packet of chemicals they put in to clean the water. It was really quite simple. All you had to do was pour in the Pur, then wait for 30 minutes. Between the 30 minutes, sedimentation happened. Then, you pour the water through a filter made out of a handkerchief, and voila! The water was drinkable. But the Pur was only for emergencies, like when there was a flood. The other way to clean water was through this filter, but it took 12 hours to clean water using the filter.

Station 6.

Station 6 was where AquaTabs and AirRahMat was introduced. AquaTabs were these tablets to put in the water. The tablet dissolved, and cleaned the water while dissolving. The tablet was used to clean flood water. One AquaTab can clean 10L of flood water, and 20L of ground water. The AirRahMat was a liquid. You would put in a few drops of AirRahMat, then shake it for 15 seconds. Then it was drinkable. AirRahMat was 3,000 Rp., and AquaTabs were 1,000 Rp. per tablet. 

The way of cleaning water was really smart. I learned how to clean water three different ways. From both trips to Bintaro and the water treatment plant, I thought how fortunate I was to get clean water so easily. After the field trips, I think I now know a bit more about how important clean water is. 

Preparation for pg.227, no. 1-6

1. What percentage of the world's supply of water is fresh water?

Only 2.5% of the Earth's water is fresh. 

2. Where is the world's supply of fresh water found?

Fresh water is found in ice on land, groundwater, soil, atmosphere, rivers and lakes.

3. Even though the supply of fresh water is abundant it is still a problem. Why?

It is a problem because water and people are unevenly distributed and some people don't get as much as they would need and want to.

4. Observe the map of world average annual precipitation (opposite).

a) Describe the changes in rainfall that occur as you move from the southern to the northern tip of Africa.

There isn't much rainfall at the southern and northern parts, but there's a lot of rainfall between the southern and the northern tip. There is more rainfall as you get to the middle of Africa.

b) Describe the changes in rainfall that occur as you move from the western to the eastern tip of Australia along the Topic of Capricorn.  

There is more rain at the eastern part of Australia than the western part.

5. Observe the map above of water availability per person.

a) Which parts of the world appear to have a large amount of water available per person?

Mostly the Northern parts. Russia, Canada, Australia, Africa, South America

b)Which parts of the world appear to have a small amount of water per person?

Some parts in Asia, a couple of Northern tips in Africa, the southern tips in Australia and the Middle East

6. Observe the diagram of water use.

a) What are the main uses of water?

Agricultural use

b) Which uses have increased the most over the last century? 

Reservoir losses from evaporation and seepage

Trip to the Water Treatment Plant

On November 5th, all the P module went to the water treatment plant for a field trip. There we had a quick tour around the treatment plant, and learned they cleaned the water. Then, we watched a movie about the steps.

1. The first step was taking out all the floating garbage in the water. Often garbages like plastic bags and diapers flow in with the water, and they need to be removed. There are big iron gate-like fences, which lets the water flow in, but not the garbage. It hooks the garbage, removing it from the water.

2. The second step was adding minerals and oxygenating, once the garbage was removed. This was done for aeration, letting some oxygen mix with the water. Adding good and healthy minerals for us was also done in the second step.

3. The third step was adding chemicals, which also included allum. Allum was put in, and all the big pieces of dirt floated upwards, making a hay-and-water sort of gooey mixture called floc. It was the first step of removing dirt from the water, and to clean it. 

4. The fourth step was taking out the floc. A lot of people just think floc as a waste and throw them away, but the water treatment send the floc to a waste tower, where they make a paste using the floc. The paste is used to build houses and stuff. So, the water treatment plant was being nature-friendly! 

5. The fifth step was filtration and disinfection. The remaining water passed through a layer of very fine sand for last removal of any dirt left, and then more chemicals were added for disinfection for one more time. This was part was one of the most important step, because they had to make sure the water was clean.

I had a pretty fun time at the water treatment plant. It was really cool how they transformed the murky, dirty brown water to a perfectly drinkable water. I never knew this much steps were done for my shower water and stuff. I think I'm really lucky to get all this clean water quickly, whenever I want it.  

Where the Sidewalk Ends

This is me reading a poem called 'Where the sidewalk ends'. I chose this poem because I like how calm and smooth the poem makes me feel.

Water Cycle

1. Evaporation

This picture shows evaporation. As you can see, the water on the ground is heating up. Soon, this water will become water vapor, and will evaporate into the sky. Evaporation is the first step in the water cycle.

2. Condensation

This is condensation. Condensation is when water vapor changes back to liquid. Condensation might appear as fog, mist, and other things. The water droplets on the picture is when the water 

 evaporated, and then came back down as the form of liquid. Condensation is the second step in the water cycle.

3. Precipitation

An  example of precipitation is rain. Precipitation is what happens when the water vapors meet together and form a cloud. As more water evaporate, more water vapor is added to the cloud. Once there is too much water vapor together, it will get heavy and the water vapor cannot hold itself together as a cloud. Then, the water vapor falls down, and according to the temperature, it may come down as rain, snow or hail. Precipitation is the third step of the water cycle.

4. Infiltration

Infiltration is when water soaks down into the ground. When rain starts, the water falls steadily to the ground. Mostly the ground soaks up the water. But when there is a flood, a lot of water doesn't get soaked up by the ground. This water just stays around, because it has nowhere to go. When the flood stops and the sun is up again, evaporation will begin and it will be the start of a new water cycle. Infiltration is the fourth and the last step of the water cycle. 

Personal Narrative

01/10/09

FRACTURING MY WRIST

I was halfway down the covered area at PIE, looking around. It was in the early morning, and my class was playing some games. Nobody was running after me. I started running again and picked up speed. I was almost there, when…BAM!

Suddenly everything was dark-my eyes had closed instinctively. I couldn’t see a thing. What was happening? I knew this was my class was playing octopus, and I heard the ‘it’ calling “Octopus!” The last thing I saw was somebody running in front of me...I must’ve collided with the person in front of me. But there was no pain-for a little while, anyway. I was numb from the sudden impact, so I couldn’t feel anything. My brain froze in panic. This was like a blackout. All pitch black, and you couldn’t really see or feel anything. It was such a short period of time, but it felt like forever for me. I couldn’t feel anything at first, but as time passed, I felt myself doing something like a somersault on the rough floor.

After I was sure that I was safely on the ground without moving, I fluttered open my eyelids, to feel breaking agony along my left wrist. It was like a giant stone was pressing down and somebody twisting it around and smashing their fists on my wrists. It hurt so much. I looked down at myself, to see bright red blood oozing out of my knees and pinky, obviously scraped on the floor. It hurt like crazy. I started crying and I couldn’t stop. Mr. Barakat, my 4th grade teacher asked my friends to help me to the nurse. She gave me some ice packs and bandages, but my wrists were still throbbing with pain.

After lunch, I was in Bahasa class, searching for my folder in the basket. I was kneeling, sifting through folders after folders. My wrist was still treated carefully. I spotted my folder, when somebody pushed me. I toppled over, my wrist banging on the carpet. The pain was overwhelming.

After school, my mom and I drove over to the hospital, and got my X-Ray taken. While I was waiting, I hoped it was nothing like broken bones, where pain was involved to fix it. I was lucky…sort of. The doctor said I had fractured my wrist. I was so relieved and was taken aback at the same time. I never thought of my wrist was actually damaged enough for a cast or something like that. But I was so relieved that all I had to get was a simple little cast.

Exclusive Interview with Roald Dahl's editor!!!

This is a little pretend video I did with Roald Dahl's editor, from the book 'Matilda'.
Hope you enjoy it!

Uh-oh, break's ending!

I was really excited for the break, and now I'm all sad again. This is the official last day of our break, because tomorrow's the weekends and we always get weekends off!! I really enjoyed my nine-day break, but now I want a longer vacation! Sigh. Oh well. One thing I thought that could've gone better was that if I actually had a schedule for my day. Nine days passed by like a blur-unlike school days(LOL) but I don't really remember anything except reading, typing and homework. Next time when there's a break, I think I'll try to plan a schedule and spend my break wisely, unlike this one. I mean, this was very nice and relaxing too! Don't misunderstand me, people!!!   

P.S. How come breaks pass by a blur and school days practically drag by???

Cool iMac

After I came back from my lessons, I booted up my computer, and went to Photo Booth. I tried Photo Booth once, but then I only used the normal one. Now I found out there were at least twelve different effects and backgrounds!! My sister and I fooled around, and tried almost all different kinds of backgrounds. So at the end, there was a picture of me and my sister on a roller-coaster, picture of me near the Eiffel tower, the Yosemite falls and on a beach. It was so much fun. I had seen these effects on my friends' laptops, and I really liked taking funny pictures, so when I got my iMac, I'd hoped I had Photo Booth. The background I liked the most was the roller coaster. The screen actually moved, so it was as if we were actually riding the roller coaster when we took the picture. It was cool. And now I'm going to take another picture at Photo Booth!

Hehe....^_^   

Yay!! It's Break time!

It's the first day of the official term break!! Yeah!! I slept in until 9. :-D I could've slept more, but you know........my mother and sister would've woken me up anyway. So I mooched around the house, going on the computer, reading...It was so nice without homework, or school!!! I'm not going anywhere, so my day looks like:

Wake up

Eat breakfast

Read/go on the computer

Start my lesson homework. Yawwwnnn...

Eat lunch

Free time

Go do some whatever lessons I have

Play some more

Eat dinner

Read/go on the computer

Go to sleep

I love it!! It's such a nice little break. Mr. Smith, we should have more of these stuff more often. Hehe :-)

Earthquake!!!

Yesterday, there was an earthquake!! I was taking an shower when I felt dizzy. I swayed side by side, and I thought it was just me. I didn't even think it was an earthquake. It was like I was glued on  the floor, and somebody was pushing me side by side, except the whole bathroom moved with me. I was just about to turn off the shower when I heard my maid screaming. She started to shout out something, and I knew it was an earthquake. Last time the 7.2 earthquake hit, the maid told us it was an earthquake too, so now I knew it was an earthquake. I threw on my clothes and rushed down the stairs with my mom and my maid. It was so scary. I started panicking, and I almost cried. There wasn't any more shaking or anything while I was running down, but I was still terrified. I had a feeling of trepidation at the pit of my stomach. Until now, I always wanted to experiment an earthquake, because I was curious how it felt. But now I do not ever want to experience an earthquake again, in my LIFE!!!!! 

Vocab Meanings #2

1. seizure: When your muscle contracts, but never expands back out. Serious case of cramps

2. knead: Rolling, squeezing, playing it around with your hands

3. trepidation: A feeling that something bad is going to happen

4. swarming: Crowded, clusters of people moving in and out in an irregular pattern

5. virility: Sexy in a manly way

6. venture: Journey, trip, beginning of a new thing

7. Hispanic: People who are from Spanish-speaking countries

8. dignity: Mature, in control

9. illuminating: Light up. Also used when you get something, when you get an idea

10. jittering: Small, jumpy, quick movements  

Vocabulary Sentences

1. The fee to watch the worldwide famous ventriloquist perform was very expensive.

2. I wouldn't want to make friends with people who are malicious, or selfish.

3. "Anna! Will you please stop bellowing inside the classroom!" Ms. Marrello scolded.

4. Everyone in my family is mortal, unlike the immortal greek gods.

5. The sight of the aurora in the clear sky was simply overwhelming for me.

6. Breaking your wrist is not a blunder-it's a serious problem!!!

7. An old woman was idly drinking coffee.

8. The homework he gave us to do was very perplexing-I didn't understand anything!

9. The flu is always a rampant, unfortunate sickness.

10. The outer space is vast, and is filled with mysteries. 

I and Me Grammar

1. My friends and I went to PIM to watch a new movie.

2. Making my bed is a chore for my sister and me.

3. My family and I paid for the tickets to watch a ventriloquist perform.

4. "Why didn't you do your homework?" Mr. Hughes asked Sara and me.

5. My brother and I screamed-we were in mortal danger!!!

6. The sweetness of the vanilla scented candle overwhelmed my classmates and me.

Princess of Gossip

by Sabrina Bryan & Julia DeVillers

*****

Avery is stressed! She'd just moved to L.A., and she's a total nobody with no friends. All her friends back home are not texting, chatting, or calling her. Life in L.A.'s really boring-until now! Avery learns about a talented singer named Marisa, and she starts a blog in MySpace for Marisa and people love it! People are visiting Marisa's page and leaving positive comments! And BAM! Avery is mistaken for Marisa's assistant, and is invited to a launch party with all the famous celebrities! There, she snaps a photo of two celebrities as a couple! Avery sees this as juicy gossip, and makes a gossip blog, her identity shown as the Princess of Gossip. People reads this gossip blog, and it's a huge hit! Suddenly, Avery is super famous, and is determined as a music industry insider by the people. 

Avery gets free dresses, phone, makeup, spa gift certificates, chocolate... everything, because of her Princess of Gossip blog! And then, the hot nephew of one of the famous designers asks Avery out because she was wearing his uncle's clothes, and Avery falls for it! She hosts a beach party using the gift certificate delivered to her to host a beach party at a luxury hotel, when the hotel managers and the officers come over to find the Princess of Gossip, to see a teenage party! Then the Princess of Gossip's identity is revealed! Uh-oh. Avery is in major trouble, and to make it worse, the photos and the gossip she had written was a fauxmance-meaning, fake romance! It was all fake! Avery is hated from many people, but she saves her reputation by Marisa's blog! At a on-line party Avery made to apologize to people, Marisa comes and announces that the blog made fourteen hundred dollars for charity! Avery is saved!

The best part of this book was at the on-line party, when Marisa came as a surprise and gave the party her private concert! It would be so awesome to have a singer give a concert at your party! And, I liked it because Avery has a happy ending! She is saved by Marisa, who comes up to the stage and announces the news. Then the concert begins, and all the avatars that represented the people at the party, started going wild! The tech part was cool too, because they used this satellite connection for Marisa to go to the party herself, using her picture. It would be cool to have a on-line party like Avery did.      

Princess Diaries #2

by Meg Cabot

*****

Mia Thermopolis is back! With more problems! Her mother is pregnant with her Algebra teacher's baby! And now they're going to get married! And she takes a interview with 24/7, a TV program and sounds like a total idiot, gets one of her teachers in trouble, and makes people think her school's some crazy out-of-control schools! How could Mia be so stupid?And worst of all, her grandmother's getting involved in her mother's wedding, and it's getting out of control! First, her grandmother invites the Thermopolis grandmother and grandfather, and invites celebrities and kings and queens all over the world, to Mia's mother's wedding, when Mia's mother only wanted a small, simple wedding! Oh boy, this is getting big. Oh, boy.

The best part was the wedding, because there was this surprise, of Mia's mother and her algebra teacher not showing up. It was also the best part because it was the first time that her grandmother wasn't so fierce and in-control! She was actually embarrassed!!! And, I liked that part because it was a wedding with celebrities for the guests! If that was my wedding, I'd faint right before my eyes because, it's so cool having celebrities for guests, and you're the center of attention, and the celebrities are congratulating you, they're sending presents to you, and they're doing something for you, unlike the usual times, when people do things for them. 

Matilda

by Roald Dahl

*****

Matilda Wormwood is a brilliant 5-year old, who is a genius. She can do any multiplications in her head like lightning, and she reads adult books written by Charles Dickens. But most of all, Matilda has the power to move things with her eyes and mind. She can make glass tip over, lift pots and other things. Matilda is simply amazing.

Matilda has a kindergarten teacher named Miss Honey, who is very poor and lives in a cottage with practically nothing, but she's a woman who's very kind and thoughtful. Matilda learns that the principal of the kindergarten she's going to, is the aunt of Miss Honey. But Miss Trunchbull(The principal) is just a nightmare! She grabs a girl with pigtails and flings her over the fence, and she locks children up in a small space with glass pieces and nails sticking out. And she learns that, Miss Trunchbull stole Miss Honey's house, Miss Honey's wages and every cent of Miss Honey's rightful money. Matilda decides she has to do something. She practices that magic power of hers for a long time, and finally she is able to do it anytime, anywhere, with anything. So when Miss Trunchbull comes over to her class, Matilda pretends she is Miss Honey's dead father and writes a creepy message for Miss Trunchbull using the magic eye power. The threat works, and the next day, Miss Honey gets back her rightful possessions.

The best part was when Matilda wrote the creepy message to Miss Trunchbull while she came over. It was so cool, because the chalk just floated up and wrote a message. It was freaky at the same time, because I knew that is was Matilda, but for Miss Trunchbull, it must've been scary because actually, Miss Trunchbull killed Miss Honey's father, so it must've been terrifying for her. If that happened to me(Which will never happen because I won't murder anybody.) I would go crazy because of fright. And, I envy Matilda. Matilda's so perfect, so special and great. I would be over the moon if I had Matilda's brain and powers. 

 

Characterization

Meg Cabot is the author of the Princess Diaries series. Mia Thermopolis is the main protagonist in the series, and she has some pretty interesting personalities and life.

Mia has low self-esteem, and she cares a lot about her looks. Mia thinks she is a freak, and at a part she says,"I know I am hideous, and all of that,". Which explains that Mia herself thinks that she is hideous and ugly. And she also thinks that she's too tall, and that her feet her huge. Mia wants to look like her mother, who is very pretty.

The most main problem in Mia's life is that she's a princess, and not just any kind of princess, she's a princess that 's worth three hundred million dollars! Mia has a lot to deal with when she's a princess. On her diary, she writes that she "Can't go anywhere without a bodyguard, and I must maintain neutral opinion on important topics such as the meat industry and smoking and the Taliban, and have to take princess lessons with grandma." In the first book, she practically goes crazy when she learns that she's a princess, and she was totally stressed and worried about being a princess.

Mia loves animals a lot, and she's a vegetarian. And when she grows up, she knows she has to rule Genovia but she wants to work for Greenpeace, and save baby seals and whales. For instance, she says "...but really, it's ridiculous how scared that dog is of me. And I love animals!". She especially cares a lot for her pet cat named Fat Louie.

I think Meg Cabot described Mia pretty well, about her being the regular teenage girl who has the same problems as normal people such as hating and flunking Algebra, sitting at the reject table and getting the evil eyes from popular cheerleaders. I like how Meg Cabot characterized Mia, with her not being all posh even though she's a royalty.

Dial L for Loser

by Lisi Harrison

*****

The Pretty Committee(Massie, Dylan, Alicia, Kristen and Claire) are off to Hollywood to audition for the new teen blockbuster, Dial L for Loser! They're going for the part of a loser, and Massie can't imagine a better actress than her. But when she actually auditions, Claire gets the part! Claire, the actual loser in the real social life back in Westchester! And now Claire is so famous, she gets free designer clothes and have interviews with famous magazines while Massie has to just sit and stare. Claire's the mini celebrity, and Massie can't just sit while her alpha seat is taken. Massie is jealous, and she'll just do anything to torment Claire. 

The best part was when Massie, Alicia and Claire auditioned for the play, because right before the audition, Massie and Alicia played a trick on Claire and Claire had this huge water stain on her T-shirt, and she had a total loser haircut. The result was really surprising, because Massie was the usual alpha, the usual popular, pretty girl. And I think it would be so cool, you being a loser and then bam! You're some celebrity who meets the most popular people on Earth. I thought that was really cool, and I would definitely trade spots with Claire, when she got picked for the movie.  

Revenge of the Wannabes

by Lisi Harrison

*****

This book was about Massie, Dylan, Alicia, Kristen and Claire(A.k.a. The Pretty Committee). But now Alicia's just plain tired of Massie being the alpha, she wants to start her own clique. So she makes a clique with one of her dance class friends, and is now on a fight with Massie. Massie paints a mural saying mean things about Alicia, and Alicia is totally on revenge, but things keep twisting. Massie gets herself for modeling for Teen Vogue when Alicia was actually the only one, and Massie swipes the dress Alicia wanted to buy for the shoot, right before the actual shoot! And Alicia has to decide if she would keep her clique, or apologize and go back in The Pretty Committee.

The best part was at the very end, where everybody got in a huge fight with each other in the set. This was also the part where Massie and Alicia made up. Everybody was like crazy, stuffing fake snow in each other's face, actually hitting and pinching, and throwing the fake present boxes near the Christmas tree. I liked this part because in words, it was totally hilarious. 8 girls going crazy with fake snow, destroying the set and making a complete chaos. I couldn't imagine it, and it was really funny, just reading the words and thinking about it.  

What Holly Heard

by R.L.Stine

***

Mei Kamata's parents are sensible doctors, and they approve sensible people. But Mei has a not-so-sensible boyfriend named Noah, which the Kamatas disapprove. Mei holds a party and there, Dr. Kamata banns Mei from meeting Noah. The next day, a girl named Holly accidentally hears Mei and Noah talking about killing her Mom so they could meet together. And then Mrs. Kamata is found dead, next morning. Holly and her best friends Ruth and Miriam suspects it's Mei and Noah. The next day, Noah looks at Holly with such hateful, cold eyes and Holly's afraid. And the next day, Holly was found dead. There were bloody notebooks in Ruth's bag, with horror poems. Miriam is getting freaked out. Was it really Mei and Noah?

Then Miriam goes over to Ruth's house and discovers dead hamsters and an another poem. When Ruth goes over to call the police, Miriam discovers a bloody hammer and a bloody T-shirt in Ruth's closet. Miriam discovers that is was Ruth all along, and Ruth tries to kill Miriam to dispose the evidence, but fails.

The most scariest part was when Miriam found Holly's body. Miriam was having a phone call with Holly, when Holly was unexpectedly cut off. Miriam went over to investigate, to see Holly's body. Her green eyes were rolled back, her body was pale and lifeless, and her favorite blue scarf was tightly wrapped around her neck, choking her. It was scary and uneasy to forget. Ruth had choked her, with Holly's scarf. She choked her until Holly was completely dead. It was a complet horror moment, and if this book was made into a movie, this part would be like the highlight/scariest moment.  

The Princess Diaries

By Meg Cabot

****

This book is about a ordinary teenage girl named Mia, who is actually the heir to the next throne of Genovia!!! Mia's life is pretty tangled, she has so much to deal with! 

1. Her mother is dating her Algebra teacher-Yuck!

2. She is failing Algebra

3. She has to take princess lessons with her grandma-Ugh!

4. She has to deal with everybody staring at her while a bodyguard trails around her-embarrassing much?

5. She's fighting with her best friend

6. She has social problems-including dates for dances

Mia is stressed and worried about her life, but she balances it out. She earns herself a D for Algebra, she makes up with her friend and she handles with the date problem!

My favorite part was when Mia spends the night at Lily's house after the dance, because finally, Mia is happy! This was the part when all the good stuff happened to Mia. I thought this book had a really interesting subject of being a royalty, and I want to try the second book. 

Sealed with a Diss

By Lisi Harrison

*****

This book is about 5 girls named Massie, Alicia, Dylan, Kristen and Claire. This year, they finally get hold of the secret legendary room at OCD(Octavian Country Day School)! And voila! The room is filled with cool clothes, makeup and a Starbucks espresso machine, but most of all...a T.V. and camera system that allows them to see what boys are actually thinking! 

But they have a little challenge before they can actually use the room for themselves! First they all have to find suitable dates for the eighth grade alpha Skye Hamilton's costume party, and Massie has to convince her old crush, Chris Abeley to like the eighth grade alpha, Skye Hamilton!

My favorite part was when they first visited the secret room and learned about the system that allowed them to see the boys' mind becuase I thought it was really cool how the system worked, and that you could read somebody's mind! I wish I had something like that, not to read necessarily boys' mind but my family's mind!! 

Earthquake

A 7.3 earthquake hit Indonesia on September 2nd. In Indonesia, earthquakes happen pretty often because Indoensia is in the Ring of Fire, where the plates underneath gets a lot of pressure, which leads to volcanoes and earthquakes. Although there was no landslide because of the flat landscape of Indonesia, there was a tsunami warning. Indonesia is surrounded by water, so if an earthquake hit Indonesia, there are certain chances that a tsunami might happen. Although people were really surprised by the sudden earthquake, there were signs that an earthquake could happen. For instance, before the earthquake happened, a big snake came out from its underground shelter. Why? The animals could predict the earthquake coming, so the snake came out, trying to escape.

A lot of people got hurt, or even died because of this earthquake. There are a lot of tall buildings in Indonesia, and when the earthquake hit, the buildings were damaged, and things like chandeliers or objects on shelves fell down and broke, possibly hurting somebody. There were also some cracks on the walls too. There were especially a lot of damage at the Kampung village near the epicenter. 

Cathy Cassidy

Cathy Cassidy was born in 1962, Coventry. She first started writing books when she was 8 or 9, starting with a picture book for her little brother. When she grew up, she went to an Art college, and then started working as a fiction editor in a magazine. Then she got married, and moved to Scotland. Now, she lives in the Galloway Hills, and her kids are 14 and 15. When Cathy's not writing, she teaches art in primary schools. 

Cathy has written 11 novels, and I have read 3 of them. (Dizzy, Indigo Blue and Sundae Girl.) They're all great, and I would recommend it to a lot of people. Cathy's stories are usually about a girl with a problem in her life. It's really touching, and it's just amazing. 

Cathy has been a vegetarian for 30 years, and was a vegan for 8 years. But she was a chocolate-eating vegan! As much as she loves chocolate, she also loves old clothes, old toys, cars and books. Her favorite color is moss green, and her hobbies are reading, writing, daydreaming, swimming, and eating cake with her friends. 

Cathy's website is: http://www.cathycassidy.com/     

  

The BFG

by Roald Dahl

****

This book is about a girl named Sophie, and a giant called the BFG. Sophie is snatched from her orphanage by the BFG, and is taken to the land of giants! There, Sophie learns that the BFG doesn't eat humans, but the other giants go off around the world, snatching and eating humans everyday. Sophie determines that this should be stopped, and she stops them with the BFG.  

The main job of the BFG is to deliver dreams to humans, and Sophie gets the idea there. She asks the BFG to make a dream about the giants eating children, the BFG himself, and Sophie sitting on the Queen's windowsill. Then they deliver the dream to the Queen of England, and Sophie sits on the windowsill, so that when the Queen saw Sophie, she would believe the rest of her dream was true too. The plan worked, and the Queen sent the head of the Army and the head of the Air Force to the land of giants, and they buried the giants into a deep hole.  

My favorite part was when Sophie read the labels and looked at the dreams that the BFG collected over the years. I thought it was really cool how you could just pick up a jar and know what kind of dream a person would dream. I also liked the part where Sophie first tasted the frobscottle(A drink that giants drink) because there was a lot of good description. I thought that 'The BFG' was a really unique and clever book. 

Typhoon Morakot

This picture shows the damage the typhoon Morakot did. Houses were crushed and was floating on the flood. Morakot sweeped away all the buildings and bridges so easily. These houses in the picture were one of them. Because of this typhoon, Taiwan had lost so much of their country.

I think this picture shows the component and the process of this natural environment. If it hadn't rained in Taiwan, this would've never happened, and if they weren't so much thick dirt on the mountanis, there wouldn't have been a mud slide.

6th Grade

6th Grade was so busy, and interesting. I have made so much new friends, and the classes are pretty fun. At first I was really sad because all my best friends before was in module Q, but now I made friends called Maria and Gillian and they're really nice. 6th Grade is so much fun!