Popularity

Gorgeous blonde hair falls down past her waist. Piercing, but pretty, ocean blue eyes search a sea of faces, trying to find at least one to mock. Her baby blue dress looks great on her flawless figure, bringing out her matching eye shadow. Soft pink lips twist into a snare as beauty flutters past, flanked by at least a dozen girls. Even though she has her own hundred friends, she still shoots a glare at her rival before flouncing off in the direction of the flashest college in town.  

Popularity, like her name say’s, is the most popular person in school. Everybody likes her, but, what she doesn't know is, they only really like her because she’s rich, and gets whatever she wants.

She’s always flashing her new technology, or wearing her brand new designer clothes. She invites her friends to her mansion, just so they can see her many belongings. She shows off her massive bedroom and walk-in wardrobe, her pure thoroughbred and its expensive tack, the indoor pool complete with diving board and her mother Charms huge kitchen and metre wide fridge. So Popularity has a lot and she just keeps getting more everyday.

Another reason why people like Popularity is the fact that she is good at sport. She does gymnastics, netball, horse riding, swimming and many more. She wins all her individual events and it’s not very often that her team loses either.

People like Popularity, but I really don’t know why. She is a spoilt brat who gets whatever she wants when she wants it. Everybody that hangs around her should open their eyes and see what she really is. Just because she shouts you free ice cream and invites you to her house for a swim in her Olympic size pool, doesn't mean that she’s actually your friend. All she wants to do is show off and show you that she’s better than you.

Popularity turns nice people mean. She pretends that she really likes them, but all she wants to do is prove that she is rich and has everything any girl could ever ask for. Popularity is the blonde girl that isn't sweet.

Jealousy

Jealousy works at the beauty parlor, which is ironic. She is far from beautiful. She has a permanently turned up nose and her frown never goes away. Her eyes look just like her mother’s, bright green and harsh. She has a thick mop of curly brown hair that she wears out, it hardly ever gets brushed. To top it off, she has thousands of freckles all over her face and arms. She wears the same clover green dress and black sandals everyday, and is most certainly not the prettiest girl around.

She is the daughter of Envy and Hatred, which kind of explains the dirty looks she gives to people that are prettier than her. She wants to be just like beautiful, blonde popularity. Popularity goes to the beauty parlor Jealousy works at every day, forcing her to look at her perfect face.

But it’s not just peoples looks that Jealousy envies, it’s everything about them. Their belongings, personalities, even their cars. One of the things that she gets really wound up over is other peoples homes. Everyone seems to have great big estates with mansions on them, that is everyone but her.

She lives in a small cottage in the poorer part of town, though the houses around hers still tower over it. Her curtains are always drawn, so she doesn't have to see everyone elses many belongings. There is barely any paint left on the walls of her home, and the steps that lead up to her tiny verandah are nowhere to be seen. She has beds of weeds almost covering her miniscule property. The lone tree at the back of her house has been stripped bare from lack of sunlight. The inside of her cottage has the same story as the backyard. Unlike the three bedroom homes around her, Jealousy only has one room that has to serve as kitchen, dining, lounge and bedroom. Unless you count the tiny outhouse under the tree and all the necessities, that house is the only thing she’s got.

Jealousy looks at people wishing she had everything they've got. She never counts her blessings, or gives anything to anyone else, which is still selfish even if she has so little. She jumps at the chance to steal things, however small or unmeaningful that something might be. No one likes Jealousy, not even kindness who will usually be anyone's friend, but you really can’t blame them for that.

If you let Jealousy in, she will turn you into something far worse than you could ever imagine. Her horrid ways will rub off on you and you’ll start looking at what other people have instead of focusing on the things that you are lucky enough to own. Jealousy is the horrible person without a single piece of good in her.  

Green

Green is freshness.

It is like mint ice-cream on a hot summers day,

swirling in your stomach,

refreshing your body.

Green is luck,

changing your future for the better,

shaping your life.

Green is calmness,

soothing you in the roughest of times,

like a mother to her crying baby.

Green is honest,

never lying,

never breaking promises,

always true.

Green is safety,

like a blanket in the cold,

never letting anything hurt you.

Green is trust,

so strong nothing can break it.

Green is acceptance,

never leaving anything out,

always including everything.

Green is growth,

new life,

like rose buds sprouting.

Green is generosity,

always giving,

never taking.

It’s the charity that everyone takes for granted.

Green is harmony.

Everything about it blends together,

like the sound of the wind,

and the moo of a cow on a cold spring morning.

Green is optimism,

never believing the worst will happen,

always hoping for the best.

But green is jealousy.

It’s envious of everyone and everything around it,

it’s only major flaw.

Green is gracious,

like grass swaying in the wind.

Green is good.

My Speech

“Have you seen that new movie?”“Yes, it is so dumb”“I know right”I really liked that movie, but I can’t say that, they’ll think I’m stupid.”Its not even funny” Ever had moments like that. When you lie just to fit in, or because you think that if you don’t agree with someone they won’t be your friend. Why? Be yourself! You’ll be a whole lot happier.

First let’s talk about personalities, beliefs, and opinions. Personalities. Everybody has a different personality. We all like different things, and we all act differently. Whatever your personality you should stick to it, even if someone thinks you’re weird or stupid. That’s their problem. Don’t make it yours. Say you are a really loud, and confident person who always likes to be a leader, but everyone thinks that you are really bossy. What you do? I’ll tell you what you do. You don’t listen! They have no right to tell you what you are, or who you are. So personalities. Keep your own, not someone elses. Beliefs. Other people should not judge your beliefs. You are allowed to believe in aliens and unicorns, and you are allowed to be religious. If you believe in something that someone else doesn't, like say you believe in fairies and they don’t, too bad!Don’t let anyone tell you that what you believe in is not true, because chances are they probably believe in something that you don’t.Beliefs. If you believe in something don’t let anyone tell that it is not true or real, because if you think it is, it’s allowed to be. Opinions. You are allowed to add your opinion to any conversation you are a part of, unless of course it’s going to hurt someones feelings. But in any other case you can say whatever you think about the topic, even if that means saying the complete opposite of what everyone else thinks. If someone really likes something, but you think it’s actually pretty dumb, don’t be afraid to say so. They are allowed to to like it, but that doesn't mean you have too. Opinions. Don’t be afraid to offer them.

Okay we've covered that. Now let’s talk about appearance, clothes, hair etc. Let’s start with clothing.Everyone has clothes that they’re comfortable in, and clothes that they’re, maybe, not so comfortable in. Here’s my advice… stick to the comfortable stuff. Just because someone’s wearing this, and someones wearing that, it doesn't mean you have too.You can wear what you like, as long as it’s appropriate. If you see a famous person wearing those shorts that you really hate, and soon enough all your friends are wearing them. If you start to regret throwing them out, stop! You have to be comfortable, and if that means wearing something different to everyone else, too bad! You don’t have to wear what your friends are wearing, or what anyone else is wearing. Clothing. Wear what you want.Hair is basically the same as clothing. Just because someone has a certain haircut doesn't mean you have to have it too. You can have your hair however you want too. If you want it long, short, or medium length, you do that. You can tie it up, or you can have it down just remember to make sure that you like it. Say you have very long hair, but someone else has very short hair. You should not judge each others choices. Hair. Have it your way.

Finally, let’s talk about people judging people. No one should judge who you are, what you do, how you act, or what you're interested in. If someone does judge you, just ignore them. You shouldn't have to lie, just to make them like you or be your friend. Don’t let people judge you. What’s almost more important is the fact that you shouldn't judge other people either. Just like you they have the right to be themselves. Judging people is bad. It can prevent them from being themselves, so don’t do it, and don’t let anyone do it to you.

After all that I've said I hope you understand why you would be better off being yourself than pretending to be someone, or something, else. Stay true to your personality. Don’t be afraid to state your opinions, or beliefs. Wear what you want to wear, and have your hair how you like it. Don’t let anyone judge you, and don’t judge anyone else. Most importantly don’t lie just so people will like you, be yourself and the right people will love the real you.

Running Wild

Title: Running Wild

Author: Michael Morpurgo

Genre: Memoir

Will is riding an elephant along the beach, when a tsunami comes and it runs off into the jungle.

Will spends a year there, the elephant protecting and caring for him. He learns how to live in the wild, and befriends some animals. One day Will and some baby orangutans are captured and taken to a village where they are tortured. Someone helps him escape and he runs off into the jungle. There he finds his elephant again, and the orangutans find their mother, who leads them to an orangutan sanctuary. There he stays forever. Running Wild.

I think the main message of this book is to forget the past and focus on today and the future. In this book Will loses his mother and has already lost his father. At the start of the book he often cries about it, but as his life carries on he learns to forget about his parents and focus on the days ahead. This book has a few other small messages like be brave and be grateful for what you've got. I don’t think the author was totally aware that he put these messages in, but to me they were very clear.

At the start of this book, it is set in England but then Will goes on holiday to Indonesia, and it is set on the beach before going in to the jungle, where it stays set till the end. I think the the author described all these places very well. Just enough to allow me to use my imagination and fill in the gaps. The settings definitely contributed to the story line. If the book was set anywhere else it would have been completely different. For example if his holiday in Indonesia wasn't by the beach he wouldn't have been riding an elephant, and he wouldn't have known the tsunami was coming. He would have died. I think the settings change the mood, and I think they change Will.

The main character is obviously Will. At the start of the book he is quite tidy, but he takes some things for granted. He is kind and caring, but has a rather short temper. As you get further into the book he changes, and becomes more grateful and kind. At the end of the book he is very strong, but is rather messy, as he hasn't had a haircut in a year. I think that Will has a very interesting personality. He is very intelligent, but tends to do things without thinking. He is a fast learner and quickly unlocks the key to survival. Overall all he is a very smart boy whose actions usually pay off.

I think the language the author used was rather modern and complimented the story line very well. It was very easy to understand. If it was written any other way I think it would have been really confusing. The author described everything very well, and because it was written in first person, he described Will’s feelings as well. He didn't use very many similes or other things to add impact. I think that maybe more of those would have made it better.

I loved this story. I think it was very gripping and from the first page to the last page it held my interest. This was because at the start it was very sad and I really wanted to see what would happen to the boy. I wasn't sure whether it was going to have a very happy ending or not. I think that it would be impossible to leave this book half read. Another thing that held my interest was the fact that there were no unnecessary words, so I never got bored.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it to anyone that likes memoirs. It was written very well and I can just about guarantee that I will read it again.

Brooke Rm 3

The Old Barn

Rusty cans rest on rotting sawdust,

Damp polythene flaps in the cold draught whistling through holes in the walls,

Baling twine hangs from the rafters,

Softly swinging two and fro.

Hay bales line all four walls of the creaking structure,

Gradually decaying as the years pass.

Abandoned bird nests rest on dust covered shelves

Now providing warm homes for hungry mice,

As the seasons change and the cold weather sets in.

A musty scent lingers in the stale air,

Dark spaces reveal old nails and the head of a hammer.

Cobwebs cling to the ancient iron,

The sound of a farmer chopping wood reverberates out of

Each shadowed corner of the old barn.

A cat’s thin silhouette slinks along.

The sun shines through a hole in the wall instantly brightening the atmosphere.

I stare back into my memories,

Those forgotten memories,

The ones of me,

As a little child leaping from bale to bale.

I can feel the tears well up in my eyes,

As I think back to those days.

Now it stands,

Abandoned, forgotten, and beyond repair.

Healthy rainbow!

Red is for strawberries, juicy and sweet.
Orange is for mandarins, delicious and refreshing.
Yellow is for lemons, sour but yummy in a drink.
Green is for limes, bitter, but sweet squeezed on crepes.
Blue is for blueberries, small with a lot of flavour.
Purple is for eggplant, quite flavourless, but still nice.
Pink is for guavas, perfect for a hot day.

Why Littering is an Environmental Concern?

What is littering? Littering is when people drop their rubbish anywhere they like and forget about what it does to the environment. Littering happens all over the world and is causing things like plants and animals dying.

People go to the beach every day and I can just about guarantee that at least half of them will leave some rubbish behind. This rubbish is then washed way out into the sea. Once it’s out there it starts to pollute the water and kill the sea life. The result of polluted water will be sick fish. Diseases start to spread around the food chain as one healthy fish eats another very sick fish. This doesn’t just happen to fish, it also happens to the plants and weeds too. Some sea creatures need plants to survive.

Another common case of littering is people throwing their trash out the window as they are driving along. This could land just about anywhere. Normally it would land on the side of the road and a bird comes along, takes a bite and chokes to death. If it lands in a paddock the same thing could happen to a cow or even a horse.The consequence of this will be a lot of grass that farmers can’t get rid of because over the years all their cows have been dying from eating rubbish.

To stop people littering, we could increase the amount of rubbish bins not only in common places but down streets that not many people drive or walk down. Of course rubbish bins won’t help unless people actually cooperate and put their rubbish in them. Another way we could help is by decreasing the amount of plastic food packaging and buying lunch boxes that don’t require you to wrap all your food in glad wrap. We need to get at least half of the people in this world to stop littering.

As a result of everybody stopping littering and putting their rubbish in the bin, pollution will start to stop and then global warming will start to stop, which will save a lot of animals and creatures, and if we all cooperate and stop littering forever our world will simply be more tidy, happy and safe for both animals and humans.

Why Skunks Stink?

Once upon a time, at least a hundred years back, there lived a skunk. This skunk was called Lola. Lola lived in the forest with all the other small and harmless animals. Life would have been perfect if it weren't for Frank. Frank was a fox. He lived in his den which was located at the foot of a mountain not very far away from Lola’s home. Every night Frank came out of his den and hunted down one of Lola’s many friends. Frank would eat anything from skunks to rabbits, from rabbits to birds. Over the years the creature population had gone down from one hundred to fifty. Frank was very greedy and would eat more than one animal each night if possible. Lola considered herself very lucky to be alive.

During the time Frank was out hunting Lola sat in her home trembling as did her bush mates, the rabbit and squirrel she shared her home with. They sat there till morning and didn't ever get a second of sleep for they were afraid that Frank would find them. They were so tired that they napped nearly all day except for meals. Lola always dreamed in her sleep and her dreams were usually about her somehow stopping Frank eating all her friends. She knew this would never happen so she didn't try.

One day Lola was out collecting berries. She was extremely tired, for today she hadn't been able to get to sleep, and she had no idea why. Suddenly her eyelids began to feel droopy until her eyes were closed completely. She wobbled on one foot before falling backwards into a deep sleep. She drifted off into a dream. Heroically she was fighting Frank. She was standing up to him, telling him to either leave the forest or stop eating her friends. Then it stopped. She was so tired she couldn't even dream anymore.

Paws padded along the leafy forest floor. Lola’s nose twitched and her eyes fluttered open. She peered up through the trees at the moon. She turned to run home but it was too late. There ,towering over her, stood Frank. Snarling and baring his teeth he slowly walked forward until his front paws were nearly touching Lola’s. Lola laughed nervously hoping Frank would let her go but he just growled. A low growl from somewhere inside Lola answered back to Frank and he looked very surprised. Lola realized it was her stomach and not wanting to die hungry she took a bite of a berry.

Lola turned around to vomit. Whatever she’d eaten it definitely wasn't a berry. Lola jumped. She’d expected to vomit but instead it came out her tail end in the form of a very stinky gas. This conveniently went straight up Frank’s nostrils causing him to vomit and then run off home. Lola just stood there shocked. What had just happened? How did she do that? She watched a green insect crawl up a tree and suddenly an idea popped into her head. Instead of a berry she had eaten a stink bug and she’d defeated Frank, and gained some self defense.

Since then it’s always been that, year after year, generation after generation skunks have always had there stink.

Abseiling

I can smell the dampness of the bush floor mixed with the sound of excited chatter. Trees and ferns don’t seem to match the sight of the clear lake. Shaky fingers tighten my harness, and I nervously walk towards the instructor waiting for me. My stomach churns. He fixes the anchor to my harness and then explains what to do. I lean back into thin air and take one tiny step down. Beads of sweat gather on my forehead. Fear catches in my throat. My eyes widen with terror, as I take another step down. My mind is blank, but somehow I keep going. “One foot after the other” I say to myself. As I spread my trembling feet apart, the feeling of fear starts to melt away, and I begin to grow confident.

“Almost half way there” the instructor cry's. Battling the sun's blinding rays, I peer upwards. A look of shock and astonishment spreads across my pale face. My eyes change directions, so I can see the bottom. There's still at least fifteen meters to go. My feet slide down, and I frantically try to regain my footing. Thankfully we only get to do this once. The harness begins to hurt my legs causing the butterflies to return. Aching heels somehow move down the cliff face. My neck aches like I've been looking upwards since the day I was born. I anxiously peer down to find I’m almost done. I let out the sigh of relief I've been holding for what feels like forever. Toes hit the ground first, then the pain seems to shoot out of my legs. Thank goodness that’s over.

Flying Fox

The instructor checked my harness one more time before giving me the go ahead. I lifted my trembling hands up to grab the flying fox before jumping on to the rubber disc. I counted myself down from three to one before pushing off the fort with my feet. Two seconds later I was whizzing through the air and wishing it would never end. I was flying through the air so fast my hair was blowing back off my face and my lips were beginning to feel numb. All to soon I bounced off the tyre at the end and was sent backwards to a stop. An adult untied my harness from the flying fox and I reluctantly leaped off. I slid off my harness, gave to the next person in line and then went and sat down. I wanted to do it all again.

Golden Puppy

Her smooth ears look as though they are made of gold. Her big, brown eyes give you a look you cannot resist. Her tiny white paws pad across the concrete into your arms. Her fur is like snow with patches of sunlight dancing across it. Her cute figure is enough to persuade you into buying her and the look on her face just finalizes your decision. What would you call her she doesn't deserve a name like spot. She is golden, golden like honey. That's it you will call her honey. "Here honey" you call her to you just to test the name and to your delite she comes trotting over and rests at your feet. Her tail waggs and once again you fall in love with that golden puppy.   

Swimming

"Go" the clappers went and I dived into the water. The coolness of the water refreshed my body and I began to swim hardcore. "One,two,three,four" I counted every stroke before I took a breath. When I did I could plainly see I was losing. Almost half way now. My legs kicked frantically and my aching bones hurt even more every time I took another stroke. Every body else was nearly finished now. I pushed forward even though I knew there was nothing I could do to change the fact that I was losing. I was the only one left swimming. One metre to go. Done.

Walk, trot, canter and gallop.

I feel the sway of her body beneath me as I urge her into a trot. She slows to a walk as we carefully make our way down a hill. We come down onto flat ground and she paws the ground anxiously waiting for me to signal her to canter. As soon as I do she lurches forward into a gallop but steadies back into a rocking canter as I gently pull on the reins. I feel free and I can also feel her quickening beneath me. I desperately try to slow her but fail. I have no choice. I must go with her.

Horse

Hooves pound across the rough terrain.
Oblivious to the fact that some one is watching.
Running free no place to go.
Shots from a gun sends it to the ground.
Ever to be remembered by the grass, water and dirt it set it's hooves in.

Week 3

This week I found that we do a lot more writing than at my previous school. I love writing I may not be good at it but I love it. Another thing I love is the fact that our focus this year is writing. Tech arts is super cool. We are doing science and the teacher is really fun. I am in band and am doing the flute and keyboard. This school is much more challenging and I think that I am going to learn a lot over the year and I will probably learn quite a bit in the next few weeks. I am looking forward to see what else this school will offer me.

Week 2

This week I learnt about some of the many things you can get involved in here at this school. I find that the work here is much more challenging than the stuff I had to do at my previous school. I am missing some of my old friends but am making loads of new ones. The teachers here are great and there is way more things to get involved in than at my other school. This year sounds great and I can't wait to find out about some of the other opportunities I might be able to seize and do good at.

Week 1

This week I learnt that this is a great school. There are so many different opportunities and things to get involved in. At this school I will need to be more organised if I want to reach my true potential. I am really looking forward to this year and what it has to give. I am also looking forward to the tech arts programme it sounds really fun and from what I've heard the teachers are really cool. This year is going to be a great year for me. I just know it.

Welcome to my blog

Hi this is my new blog for 2014 at Intermediate School.