2015

Hi guys! I hope you had a very merry Christmas and a happy new year. It is 2015 and I am now beginning my last year at Te Awamutu Intermediate School. I am excited to see what this year has in stall for me. I am really looking forward to camp. My class is going to Wellington. I think it will be a really fun experience. This year I really want to get involved in as much as possible. I am doing band again and am really looking forward to the camps that come with that. Last year was a great year, but I am determined to make 2015 even better. I want to learn more, get involved in loads and most of all have heaps of fun.

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.