So...What are the values of the major world religions?

What are the values of the major world religions? 


To me, it really does depend on what you believe in. All to do with the religion. If your Muslim, Christian, Catholic, Hindu, Buddhist, Atheist; we're not that different because we all believe in values. Personally, I don't really see what is up with war these days. It's like looking at a person and saying "Oh. Someone he might know died in war." It's just not phasing anymore, and I can't see why we're not doing anything. Okay, so maybe we are, but it's not affecting the world. Most of what previous wars has been about religion, and their main disputes are about values. I mean, I know everyone has different values as someone in a religion, or no religion at all, but  making wars about of it, I don't think that's the answer. Some values can be.....

• Cherish your life
• Be neutral- choose the "middle path"
• Treat others the way you want to be treated
• Help people, whether they're different skin colors or follow different religions
• Do want you think is right
• Go to other people for opinions, not direction 
• Push yourself to achieve the highest you can be
• Your family's always there, no matter what.
• Don't harm yourself, because there's probably a chance you'll change something for the better
• Always have self-confidence in yourself, because in the end, you're the only one who matters

So yea, these are basically what I believe in, sorta. Sometimes I doubt my values, but I know that this would be the same thing that keeps me going through the day. It's the same with religion. Values are how you live your life, if your kind or mean, harsh or soft, caring or inconspicuous. It's what  you believe in, and it's one of the things that no one can tell you to do. It's your own free will. 

-R  

Positive Attitudes and their Tyranny

 Me. That’s what I believe in. Being me. I know, I know, EXTREMELY cheesy. But, I’m actually being serious. If you were in my position, you would understand. Reading all those stories and listening to what they have to say was sorta inspirational, if you ask me. Unlike them, I’ve never really had anything really hit me, like “BAM! This event is going to make you a better person and enjoy life!” I’ve never been like that, all serious. My life is what you call bipolar. It’s on two sides. Sometimes I single out the good things, sometimes I single out the bad things. It just so happens that when something bad happens, something good comes out of it. But when something good comes, something bad comes out of it. Let’s just say my life, myself, and the whole general idea, well it’s very bipolar. Usually, people like me like to brand things. Like, dislike. Love, hate. Good, bad. Hero, villain. It’s just the way I roll as well. But positive attitudes, someone named Barbara Held changed my mind about them.   This is my take of: Combating the Tyranny of Positive Attitudes.

Barbara Held, a psycho-logist/therapist living in Maine has a little thing against positive attitudes. She believed that positive attitudes are overrated and you should never tell someone to keep one when they feel down. This, I strongly agree. When I heard this, I was having a bad, bad day so obviously I had to agree. No one really likes to be around happy people when they’re sad. It’s just plain depressing. “The problem is this demand for good cheer brings with it a one-two punch for those of us who cannot cope in that way: First you feel bad about whatever’s getting you down, then you feel guilty or defective if you can’t smile and look on the bright side. And I’m not even sure there always is a bright side to look on.” She says, in a recording of her essay. When I heard this, I was hooked. I seriously thought to myself: “Hey! I can relate to this!” And I did. She says so many things, psychological things, and philosophical things. Personally, the average person would shoo this away in disgust. But this is where I’m different. I may be bipolar and hypocritical, but I sure can relate to what people say, and how they say it. It’s not saying that I’m super-duper over achiever, but I like listening to these things.

But for this “This I Believe”, it was on fear. Listening to more of the recording, I learned that she had come down with the flu years ago, and with headaches after. The fear that brought her to this site was presumably the basis of this statement: “He reassured me that I would make a full recovery, but I was left traumatized by the weeks of undiagnosed pain. I really thought I had a brain tumor or schizophrenia. Being a psychologist didn’t help; I was an emotional wreck.” This was her pain. This was her fear. Being mentally ill. As a therapist/psychologist, it doesn’t help at all. You’re always debating what’s the right option, how mentally and physically you are dealing through the fear of being mentally ill. That’s the hardest part. Trying to take decision on what is the best choice for yourself, and on top of all that, the fear of making things worse. She was terrified. She had no one to turn to, except when she asked her psychiatrist-neighbor if she was schizophrenic. The reply she got was: “‘Professor,’ he pronounced, ‘you are a mess, but you are not a mentally ill mess. You are just terrified.’” This all, was true of course. This lightened up her mood a little, but one thing bothered her. She told him that her friends were telling her to lighten up, so he told her to say that, in plain words, “I would love to be cheerful, but right now it’s rough so leave me alone.”  Saying something similar to that helped lift the weight off her shoulders, and released her fear. That person, Aldo Llorente, helped her redeem herself and make her realize the unnecessary fear she had. And that, dear reader, was what made her go against positive attitudes and go on This I believe, so someone like me would eventually find this needle in a haystack. 

-R

DomiKnow Profile - One less H

In for the last two classes, we have been discussing and experimenting with DomiKnow profiling. I turned out to be slightly different profiles then last year. I have H, and previously i had HH, which mesans a series of different things based on how physically we comunicate to options.  

I think I learn best when I am alone, the door closed and the room silent. I believe this because once, there were two people in my room, and it took me three hours to finish my homework, when I only had a blogpost to do. In a classroom, I think I learn best at the front of the class, at the left side. That's because my left ear is facing the board, so I can listen better and pay more attention. I'd rather have my back toward the back of the classroom, not the front. I think the best way for me to learn is in a quiet class room, where there are no distractions, one person talking, and no music. These things are my strategies that will help my learning. Besides, on the paper that says things about my profile, its says: " Quiet time alone is especially beneficial."I would like my teachers to know that even though I prefer quite places, I can work in places that are noisy, too.

50 word Summary of Chapters 1 and 2- Theseus

For this blog, we have been assigned to make a 50 word summary of how much we read of a Greek Myth book, weather it's a few chapters or the whole book. In my table group, we have been assigned to read Theseus, who slayed the Minotaur. We did something similar in class, but with 20 words and the story of Daedalus and Icarus.

~

Theseus Summary:
 Aegeus wanted a son, he went to Medea and she put an incantation; the first time Aegeus holds a woman, she'd bear his child. Aethra, the woman he held, gave birth to Theseus. In later years, Theseus, 17, killed Perphetes by picking up and boulder and throwing it at Periphetes.

-50 words-

Yea.. Seems like some pretty lousy stuff, huh? :P

-R 

Bio Poem

Radhika

Who is... enthusiastic, a bit of a nutjob, and fun.

Who is... the sister of Tanya Sharma.

Who loves... oreos, cake, and books.

Who feels... sad, happy, and confused.

Who needs.... her best friend, a puppy to love, and a peaceful world.

Who gives... help to others, time to people at a time of doubt, and tries her best to save the Earth.

Who fears... losing everyone she loves, the world to end in our hands, and things that would risk her life.

Who would like to see... a world without war, a green planet, and everyone happy.

Who shares... advice, opinions, and food (maybe).

Who is.. ambitious, trustworthy, and loyal.

Who is a resident of..... Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sharma

-R 

Where did it all go, may I ask?

Well, the end is near. I never really wanted this to happen. Where did the time go? The laughter, pain, sorrow, joy? Why will it all have to disappear? The journey was tough, but now we all, just have to let go. My experience in 6th grade has definitely been memorable. I can remember when I first laid eyes on the campus, as a scared little Middle Schooler. It's reflection time again.....

~~~~

One of my favorite pieces of work that we have done this year, out of the many, would be..... *thinking, thinking, thinking*.... MY LITERATURE CIRCLES!!!! Very weird choice, I know. Well, I must have expressed my neutral feelings about the Literature Circles before in my blog, all the pros and cons of them, and I must say, I have rather enjoyed them! From having tiny paragraphs, to enormous pieces of evidence and quotes, it would be an understatement to say that I have very simply improved. just really like how I get good grades for just expressing how I feel. All I can say is, that I have grown as a writer. Not only fictional, but at reasoning too! I mean, if I haven't grown at reasoning, than how can I write this post as the way it is now? Think it through. I bet you will understand. Maybe we won't have Lit. Circles in 7th grade, but still, I will write the way I write now, or if not better. But, all this, I have to thank one of my peers, Sunny. She was really the one who showed me a better way to express writing.

My greatest challenge, I think would be my problem with procrastination. I seriously always leave work to the last minute. How do you know that I'm not working on this blogpost on a Sunday afternoon, the day before it's due? Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. It's not that I'm not organized, I'm pretty much fine in the category, but I just need to get myself motivated to do the work. Some times I am motivated, but most of the times, I'm a big couch potato. It can be fun, laying on the couch, watching T.V and eating junk food, but I know the importance of getting my work done and why it matters. I think this will be a goal for me in 7th grade, where we will be getting 500 times the work we get now in 6th grade. Maybe I still do get good grades when I do my work but procrastinate. I just really hate how I can't spread out my work. Is it that hard for me? Well, I'm sure I will be testing that out the last 3 weeks of 6th grade. Who knows how it will turn out?

As we have been talking about growth a WHOLE LOT this year, I know that I have grown. In the Learner Profile assignment thing/ blogpost that we did, we have written down how we work, where we are most comfortable, and what do we want our teachers to know about us (which is very little, social-wise :P). What I've learned about myself, is that I need a very quiet environment to work in, with only the accent of the keys and the scratching whisper of a pencil to hear. I really do have a problem with noise, because I can never concentrate. Another thing that I have learned about myself is my level of persistence. I can really challenge and enjoy myself in class, and I always try to do my best. I think that my edge for learning really is one point of me that I will really tend to enjoy throughout my life, weather it stays with me or not. A small pointer I will have to add, is that I really do think things through very easily. I can be very wise at times, too. Weird, that coming from a 12-year-old. :)

MY WORK HABITS!

a) Behavior

Could be improved
Satisfactory

Perfect- Model Student-

I wouldn't call myself perfect-- no one is. I just think that my enthusiasm in class is worth stating. I have heard I am very proactive in class form my teachers, and I can work will socially and academically. I am more of a leader, as most of my fellow classmates know, and hopefully my future peers will comprehend that too.

b) Participation

None
Satisfactory

Actively participates in class-

I think that I can be very active in class. I like helping out my teachers and my classmates, and I always try to volunteer to do things. I try to cheer people up, and help them find a solution to a problem.

c) Organization

Needs serious help

Satisfactory-

In class, I tend to forget things sometimes and it causes trouble. I think that I am pretty much organized, but I now and then I show a lack of excitement. I think that it's not that serious, that I just have to motivate myself to keep on going. I know this will be something I need to improve on more to reach my overall goal- To be the best I can.

I'm super Organized

d) Effort

Needs serious help
Satisfactory

I alway go above and beyond what is required. -

My effort in class is what is a great thing about me. I am very persistent, and I will never give up. I try to do many things and lead people in the right direction. I think I show a lot of pride and commitment to any problem I am facing, and I do my best to solve it fairly.

MY GOALS FOR 7TH GRADE:

My goals in Grade 7 are easy: To fight my procrastination and to ask my teachers more questions.

Procrastination: As I have said earlier, my procrastination is doing me no good. Since there is so much more work next year, I really have to get ready to do things on time and well. This goal will continue for the rest of my life, so I can carry on trying to have everything in order to help me with my work. I will set a goal of not procrastinating in the last 3 weeks of school, and that will start from Monday, 23rd of May. Maybe I should have a priorities list to guide me through my assignments...?

More Question-Asking: In the Student-Led conference, my humanities teacher told me it would be a good idea to ask my teachers what they expect from the work that I will produce, so it will bring my stress level down. I do believe that that, was a very good suggestion for her to make. Along with that, I have to ask my teachers more questions if I don't understand the assignment or what we are doing. By doing that, I think it will help me be not so quiet and try to reach out more in class.

Since you 7th grade teachers have about 40 of these to read, I'll break what I want you to know down for you because I'm a nice person :)

• I mainly am a good sport in class.
• I always have a good attitude, even though I may feel bad now and then.
• I like to write and read.
• Math may not be my best subject, but I try my best at it.
• I'm not as athletic as I hope to be, but I do try.
• I'm a good listener.
• I can lead a group of people well.
• I like to help out people with their problems.

Well I that's what I want you to know, other than what I have already told you.... Or than what your will possibly find out.

And here, finally comes the time where I see you, THE NEW 6TH GRADERS!!!! *applause and cheering in the background*. Well I want to start what I want you to know with this. 6th grade is not that hard. Most of you won't believe me, but once you enter 6th grade, you will know that you will pass this grade as easy as pie. Yes, there will be many bumps in the road for you, but don't let that stop you from doing your best (my best attempt to not sound cheesy)! Oh and by the way, there will be: So. Much. Drama. Even if you may not be the most popular kid in your class/team/grade, you still will have drama with a lot of people. There is no way to push it out of the way, because it will keep coming at you. Just try to, I don't know.. embrace it? Just try not to get yourself in the middle of too many things. Oh, and do as much as you can do! What I mean is, try everything! You should always venture out to things. I mean, that's what middle school is about, right? Trying new things? And if you don't want to do too many things this year, try it next year in 7th grade. That's what I'm doing. But always remember, before you make a decision, think it through so you won't rue your choice. It is only wise to do so.

"A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool."

"Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them."

"There is no darkness but ignorance."

- William Shakespeare

Dear Fiona.....

My Dear Fiona,
Hello. Though it pains me to say it, this will be the last time you would ever hear from me. I willingly have decided to leave the community. Yes, it may seem absurd for me to think this way, having the assignment of Receiver and all, but you have no idea what I have been through. The love, the pain, the memories. But, of course, this means nothing at all to you. You wouldn't understand. Neither did I at first, but then the memories of the past taught me. All I ever wanted was to be with you. I do realize that there was a possibility that you don’t feel the same way. But once, in the past few months, I had dreamt of you. From the memories I have received, in my eye, my dream was unusual. To citizens of the community, it is just a sign.

The dream was that we both--just you and me--were in the bathing room at the House Of Old. There was a tub, but it was different, because there was only one. It was damp, so I had taken off my tunic, but I didn’t put a smock on. I was perspiring, because of heat in the room. We were standing next to the tub, but you were laughing at me. The reason of your laughter was that I told you to get into the tub. I felt the wanting. It was like a need. Well, more of a desire. I did feel almost angry, in the dream, at you. You weren’t taking me seriously. And, I apparently didn’t like that. To tell you the truth, I felt uneasy--very uneasy--when I told my parents this dream. I never wanted that dream to happen. Never in my life. But there was a small part of me that did.

My parents directed me to take pills every morning. At first I didn’t know how they would help. Would they stop giving me these dreams? Well, they actually did. But after months and months of training, I decided to stop taking them. Yes, I did choose to do that. But why, you may ask? It was because I knew that they were stopping me from falling in love with you. But I already had, before that dream, before being selected for being the Receiver. While reading this letter, you may be confused. What is love? That question may be going through your mind. But, before you ask your parents, let me explain. Let me explain everything.

Love, is that feeling where you--so to speak--get “butterflies” inside your stomach. When you see that special person, your feel your heart skip a beat. One of the memories, though I am banned from telling you anything but I still will, was of a family. Everyone was there, the Old, the parents, and the children. They were all in a family unit, celebrating a special occasion. There were so many lights around the unit, or what people used to call it, a house. There was a tree with decorations on it, and boxes under it. The Giver told me this is what they called Christmas. The old were the parents of the parents, and the parents were the parents of the children. A long time ago, before you, or me, this is what life was, at the end of every year. They cherished being young, they hated being old.

There were so many things that were different before, if only I could explain it all in one single letter. There was the feeling of pain, there was real war, and there was blood. Blood, before, was this red liquid that comes out of your skin once you get hurt--of course, you don’t know what the colors are, but I wish you did. You know, one of the first times I saw color, was when I was riding with you, and you hair changed from no color, to red. It was different to me then, but now I can see all colors. Every single object has a color, it seems like it has a life. I am hoping, that you might be able to see colors after you have read this letter. But if you can’t, most of my explaining would mean nothing at all.

This, is all I have time for. I want so badly to explain more, but there is no time on my side. I have to go. Please, do not show anyone this letter, this is for you, and for you only. Just remember that I love you, and if you don’t feel the same way, well then, I have written this for nothing.

Sincerely,

Jonas

"Freedom and choices are yet to be discovered, but only the power of fear holds them back from unraveling the truth."

In Lit. Circles 4, it was all about pain, emotion, friendship, and knowledge. What our goal for this blogpost, is to write about how chapters 16-18 and the quote below in The Giver, relate to the theme of freedom and choices.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

" Gabriel's breathing was even and deep. Jonas liked having him there, though he felt guilty about the secret. Each night he gave memories to Gabriel: memories of boat rides and picnics in the sun; memories of soft rainfall against windowpanes; memories of dancing bare-footed on a damp lawn.

"Gabe?"

The new child stirred slightly in his sleep, Jonas looked over at him.

"There could be love" Jonas whispered.

The next morning, for the first time, Jonas did not take his pill. Something within him, something that had grown there through the memories, told him to throw the pill away"

(PAGE 128-129~ The Giver By Lois Lowry)

After I had thought thoroughly about the pill, I think I know what it does. Like it says on page 129 of the book: " 'There could be love' Jonas whispered.". He takes the pills, because he likes Fiona, I'm guessing a lot, and the pills stop him from really falling in love with her. Jonas wanted to love, so it was his choice to throw it away. When he threw away his pill he had the feeling that it is preventing him from falling in love, and in the real world, Jonas would love Fiona by now. Love, is the very reason that brings people together, but it is also love that tears brothers and sisters apart. No, I don't mean DNA-related, I mean as if everyone in the world were brothers and sisters. As if they were family.

Love is the very reason war is created, but in the end, people forget why. All the bloodshed, and the loss. The hunger and the deaths of who they care about. Nothing like that matters in war. Power and greed, murder the essence of the innocent tries of love and peace. War is where even the purest person, can loose sight about who or what they are fighting for. I don't understand why, anymore. Is there a reason besides from love? Not everyone creates war for love, or do they? Could it be that they enjoy war? Those crazy people in the past, Adolf Hitler, for one. He was power-hungry, greedy for destruction, and, he even wrote a book about it. This is what happens, when freedom gets released into the world. Chaos.

"Gradually, when nothing happened, nothing changed, the children looked at each other nervously, and went away. He heard the sounds as they righted their bicycles and began to ride down the path that led from the field.

Only Asher and Fiona remained.

'What's wrong, Jonas? It was only a game,' Fiona said.

'You ruined it,' Asher said in an irritated voice.

'Don't play it anymore,' Jonas pleaded.

'I'm the one training for Assistant Recreational Director,' Asher pointed out angrily. 'Games aren't your area of expertness.'

'Expertise,' Jonas corrected him automatically.

'Whatever. You can't say what we play, even if you are going to be the new Receiver.' Asher looked warily at him. 'I apologize for not paying you the respect you deserve,' he mumbled."

(PAGE 134~ The Giver By Lois Lowry)

You see? Sometimes freedom isn't too "swell". Sometimes, it creates happiness. Sometimes, like I have mentioned before, it creates destruction. You loose your friends, because of who you are, and what you know. To me, the definition of freedom is to follow what YOU believe in, not anyone else. To make your own path towards the future, not letting destiny or fate control you. It is what you make your life to be. The problem with my definition, is that in real life, not all that is possible. I mean, there is war, and not much peace. The people who are trying to create peace, are the ones who are following the harmful people that threaten the outside world. Well, you must admit that they are a little bit crazy. Like what's happening in Libya. NATO, and the rest of the world, is trying to end Qaddafi's rule and plot to taking over Libya, and maybe the world... Yes, that does sound very much like a mad scientist to me, but it might be true, you never know.

I do realize that the above quotes and paragraphs have been about freedom, so I, will carry onto choices. On pages 126-127, the question about love pops up.

" 'Father? Mother?' Jonas asked tentatively after the evening meal. 'I have a question I want to ask you.'

'What is it Jonas?' his father asked.

He made himself say the words, though he felt flushed with embarrassment. He had rehearsed them in his mind all the way home from the Annex.

'Do you love me?'

There was an awkward silence for a moment. Then Father gave a little chuckle.' Jonas. You, of all people. Precision of language, please!'

'What do you mean?' Jonas asked. Amusement was not at all what he had anticipated.

'Your father means that you used a very generalized word, so meaningless that it's become almost obsolete,' his mother explained carefully.

Jonas stared at them. Meaningless? He had never before felt anything as meaningful at the memory.

'And of course our community can't smooth function smoothly if people don't use precise language. You could ask, 'Do you enjoy me?' The answer is 'Yes,' ' his mother said.

'Or,' his father suggested, ' 'Do you take pride in my accomplishments?' And the answer is wholeheartedly 'Yes.' '

'Do you understand why it's inappropriate to use a

word like "love"?' Mother asked.

Jonas nodded. 'Yes, thank you, I do,' he replied slowly.

It was his first lie to his parents."

(PAGES 126-127~ The Giver By Lois Lowry)

Jonas chose. Well, thats a first. Jonas chose to do that, Jonas chose to the this. Wow. By reading the book, I think, that is one of the most ridiculous sentences referring to anything related to The Giver. But, Jonas did choose to ask his parents about love, and if there really was love in the community. I know that he didn't really know what to expect, like myself in many situations, but he really didn't assume the reply would be amusement. Another thing Jonas chose, was to lie to his parents. In the real world, lying would get you into trouble, and it would too, in Jonas' world. But in Jonas' case, he is allowed to lie, as it says in his instructions to be the Receiver, so now, his parents don't know if he is telling the truth, or speaking a lie. That's what Jonas chose.

Graphic Sources: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_NNTbeoaZ0Nc/TH5oKok6QhI/AAAAAAAAAAU/YNe_AoUP8ng/s200/_wsb_184x161_the%2Bgiver22.jpg

Who did I comment on?

Hey Mrs. Narsiman,

The person I chose within my group for commenting on their blog was Zara :). She chose me as well, so uhh... yea.... here's the link to Zara's absolutely fabulous blog :D

- http://sparky-zara.blogspot.com/

It's pretty darn amazing, if you didn't know already ;)

Bye :)

-Radhi XD

The Giver #2 - Utopia :)

Okay, so this time in Humanities, we're have just finished our 2nd Lit Circle. For this blogpost, we had a chance to choose one of these questions: 1. When Jonas learns all about colors, he claims "it isn't fair that nothing has color". Why does he say this? 2. Why does Jonas find the instruction about lying so disturbing? 3. Why does The Giver say that making choices would be frightening for people? Out of those, I would either choose question 1 OR question 2. It was a tough decision, but in the very end, with some help from friends and a 2 minute debate with myself, I finally chose question 2: Why does Jonas find the instruction about lying so disturbing?

Well, the truth is, that for Lit. Circle 2, our reading instructions were pages 26-64, but the instructions for Jonas were on page 68 of the book. For some strange reason, I found the fact slightly amusing.... But that's beside the point. To me, lying is not a very great thing to do. What I mean, is lying will never get you out of anything. See, if you tell a lie, like for example a rumor about someone else, or something supposedly like that, that person may find out, and never speak to you ever again. Or, if you borrowed some money from someone, but you truly aren't supposed to borrow any money, the lies keep on building on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on until, you tell the truth.

From my experiences, lying has gotten me in L-O-A-D-S of trouble. Once (and this was recently), I forgot my end-of-trimester report card on the bus, and only had realized when the bus was pulling away. My friend, well, she just called me an idiot. And I truly felt like I was. What I thought was that I would get in a lot of trouble for not being responsible-- but hey, I forget things. Everyone has to. So I just came up with the "I left it in my locker" excuse, and my mom and sister believed me. So, I had no school the day after, but my elder sister did, because she's in High School. So, knowing we were sisters, the bus monitor gave the report card to her. I guess I didn't think that through well. It's not like me, so I'm guessing I was just panicking.

I have been writing about examples about how lying had got me into trouble, but I haven't talked much on Jonas's situation. So in the book, lying was against the law. A rule never to be broken, or you simply had to be released. That rule, is basically the only rational rule to me, for I wouldn't want to get my bike at the age of nine, I just think that it would be really, really late. I mean, I learned how to ride when I was four. Four years old. All the other rules, like button-down jackets, or jackets with pockets, all symbolize growing up. Well, growing up in the community. It's just the rule I respect: No lying whatsoever.

Jonas, avoiding to lie all his life, just suddenly has been ordered to lie? I don't think that it's very natural for anyone, weather it's a community citizen, or someone here in the present; to change their ways. It's hard, and takes time. And now, Jonas had to hide things from everyone, his parents, his sister, his friends, and even the Elders he has laid his trust with. Sort of. Is it possible to do that? If I were Jonas, then I would be scared if I would make a mistake, or maybe slip something out. I just would try my best, and I'm hoping that's what Jonas wants to do too.

Graphic Sources:

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4rvjBnWbm-VNVv56EP02D9YeGKbbm-wywCzCB7M91QrqSPTb55aWv0kxIIfS4c7r7J1gGHMBfLxOLy3xcBBVB1R0NBget6pco9UZ06U7XP5XHsRIC1wYxnFezAzzTXTmfXyRw10CYuw/s320/TheGiver.gif

The Giver #1 :)

This time in Humanities, we are doing Lit Circles again! So, there are two books, The Giver By Lois Lowry, and The White Mountains: The Tripods by John Christopher. I am reading The Giver, and so far, it is a very, very good book. I do suggest you read it, if you haven't already. Well, enough of this stalling, let me get to the point. For this blogpost, we are supposed to pick a question out of three: 1. Would you want your future to be decided by others ? Why or Why not? 2. How do you feel about the "standard practices" and "rituals" in the community? 3. Why is interdependence fostered in the community? Out of these, the most appealing to me would be: 1. Would you want your future to be decided by others ? Why or Why not? I guess I chose this because when I have this, I have a story to tell.

1. Would you want your future to be decided by others ? Why or Why not?

No. Not at all. I mean, who in the right mind would want that? Maybe people who are insecure. Lonely. Shy. But, no, not me. I would say that life is a place for choices. Your choices. But in another way, your choice may be to have other people make your decisions, so you wouldn't have to be thinking all night long about weather to say yes or no to a job offer, or buy a new phone. Well, I'm more of a.... I'm more of a quick thinker at times. Well, if its life or death, or about my future, I would make a plan. And if my plan falls a part, then, there plenty of time to make a new one, rather than sitting at home and thinking how much my life sucks. It doesn't take that much time.

One reason I would NOT like to have someone choosing my future is that, I already have a plan. And a back up plan. And a plan C. Like I have said before, I make plans instead of worrying about what will happen. That doesn't help at all. My plan A: Go to a GREAT university and become an infamous lawyer. Plan B: Become a famous singer. Plan C: Become a writer. There. If someone messed up my life, then they would have a lot of trouble coming to them later. This is a fair warning to anyone who is reading this. You mess up my life, you pay. I would never, ever, ever not have a plan for at least something big in my life. Well, any moment of your life, something could happen to change you entire life. Just. One. Little. Moment.

Another reason why I would NOT like to have someone choosing my own future is that I like to make my own decisions, and that I sometimes would like to be something people wouldn't expect me to be. I mean, if someone told me that I have to be a surgeon, I would never say "Yeah, okay. I'll be a surgeon!" The truth is, I hate the sight of a lot of blood, and any thing that's inside someone else's body. It's not very nice, in my opinion. I just can't accept the fact that I won't be able to run my own life, that someone else is controlling it. Another thing is ordering me around. That never helps. I mean, if it's something I'm not good at, like Four Square, I would let my friend (who is VERY good at it) tell me what I should do. But, if it's something like writing an essay on the Greek goddess Athena, I would probably lead.

Like I keep on saying, I hate people choosing my decisions, ordering me around, and running my life. I really don't know how someone would be able to cope with that. As you know, I wouldn't. If Jonas and his Utopian-Community was real, I first-second go there and probably show them what it is like here, in the 21 century. Well, these were the reasons why I wouldn't want anyone messing with my future. I guess if it's fate or destiny, or something superstitious like that, I would let it pass, because I can't mess with it, obviously, and I don't believe in coincidences, so it's meant to be.

Well this is why I would hate having someone decide my future. I hope you enjoyed and learned a little more about me!

Graphic Sources:

http://i.treehugger.com/images/2007-3-7/books-th-kk-007.jpg

Hatshepsut iMovie Reflection.. :)

Recently in Humanities, we were assigned a project to do with a partner. The project was to research a certain pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. What we had to do was look for a whole lot of information about the pharaoh, write a script and find graphics, then make an iMovie. The pharaoh for my partner and I was Hatshepsut, the first female pharaoh. Below is the iMovie Interview about Hatshepsut we made. In this blogpost, we're supposed to answer some questions about Ancient Egypt and what WE think about it. Well, I hope you enjoy the movie!

I believe the Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt built monuments because of many different reasons. The reasons may be that the Pharaoh wanted to show people their beliefs, that THEY ruled Egypt, and just the sake of having accomplished a monument! Some monuments could be temples, statues, or obelisks. It depends on what the Pharaoh made. The Pharaoh could want to express their beliefs of what gods they worshiped, like maybe Isis, goddess of motherhood, magic, and fertility, or Osiris, god of afterlife, the underworld and the dead. I think some Pharaohs also wanted to let their reign last forever. Not literally of course (or then they would be immortal. But they would have to find a way.. magic??), but they wanted to be remembered, and one way to do that, is to make a monument! I assume some Pharaohs just wanted to build a monument just for the sake of it. Just to have a great accomplishment in their life, instead of being the Pharaoh.

Like I explained before, Pharaohs wanted to be remembered, and wanted for their monument to stay strong and literally now, last forever. The problem nowadays, is that we humans run-down old buildings, and create new ones. But that's not very exciting, is it? New buildings? Nope. Old buildings, on the other hand? Yes please! There are HEAPS of examples of monuments similar to ones of Ancient Egypt, but sadly, I'm only going to name a few. You've obviously heard of the 7 wonders of the world, right? Some are tombs, some are defense-wise, and some are just amazing. The Great Wall, Taj Mahal, and The Great Pyramids are just 3 of the 7. But obelisks can be another matter. What obelisks are, is a 4 sided building, with a pyramid-shaped top. Maybe you've heard of Cleopatra's needles, well, if you haven't, then basic information: there are two of them, and they are located in London and New York. But, what they all have in common, is that their creator, wanted to make it last forever.

Using Google Docs helped a lot. When I mean a lot, I mean a WHOLE LOT. We both (My partner and I) could do many, many things with it. We could edit each others work, but I don't think my partner was too happy about my-ah-improvements. Let's just put it that way. I could see what my partner did, and what we needed to add to our facts. The best thing about Google Docs, is that every 2-5 minutes or so, it updated and you could see the changes anyone had made. Google docs is so much easier than anything, believe me. It makes your life easier by far.

I learned a numberless amount of facts learning about Hatshepsut. But I actually learned a thing or two about partners. You see, my partner and I are most likely the same in one way. We both want our way, and when it comes to that, we argue. A lot. Next time, I'll try to be more careful. But more importantly, the facts about Hatshepsut. When I first started off, the only thing I knew about Hatshepsut was that she wore a fake beard and men's attire. Now, I think I'm near to being close to an expert. Did you know that she actually re-established the trade systems in Egypt? She also led an expedition to Punt, an African Civilization. But, I think that you can find out more about her by watching our movie, so I don't bore you too much.

There were countless challenges in the way of us and success but I think we coped really well. If Finding information for Hatshepsut was not very much a challenge, but all went wrong on the pictures. The day we were going to record, we noticed that our pictures were pix-elated. So, on that night, I spent looking for pictures. Now, that I think about it, the main problem wasn't finding facts or fuzzy pictures, it was my partner and I. We argued about changing each other's lines, what pictures to put, how many pictures to put, and too many others. I lost a lot, and I won rarely. Which is kind of weird, because I usually win arguments. Guess I wasn't that prepared.Our school has SLR's= School Learning Results. They are 6 of them, but the most evident was to collaborate constructively. I mean, it's a partner project. But I guess we could have done much better without the arguing. Like I mentioned before, it was a problem. A big one. Now I say,"Thank gods it's over".

Well this is where, again, my blogpost unfortunately comes to an end. Hope I didn't bore you! :P Seriously, I don't really want a boring blogpost. That would be not that great.

The Great Wall of China

The Taj Mahal

Pyramids of Giza

This here is the link to the movie about Hatshepsut: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGg0BnFUxOc

Graphics:

http://www.metrolic.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/When-Was-The-Great-Wall-Of-China-Built.jpg

http://www.worldhistoricalsites.com/images/tajmahal.jpg

http://www.canaryzoo.com/Wonders%20World/1%20pyramids%20giza.jpg

P.S: Bye! :)

City Connections Reflection :)

For Humanities this time, we have to write a reflction on a presentation we have recently done. This presentation was about the place you call home. For me, its K.L, since I have been living there for around 7 years. But there was a catch. You had to present about the environmental factors, statistical information, and historical factors, not just random facts. Well, I should leave you to read about how my presentation went. It might have been a mess, but, you'll see!

After I presented my powerpoint, I thought I did a mess of a job. But a few days later, I looked at my grade, and I was fine then. I actually got a really good grade on it. The reasons I thought that I would get a not-so-good-grade, was because of one thing. Ok, maybe not only ONE thing, but all the other reasons are connected to it. I spazzed out. I had a nervous breakdown. I thought that nothing would work out the way I planned. But I had something that saved the day. My script (Hurrah, hurrah!). But throughout my powerpoint, I stuttered and sometimes I didn't keep to the script. Now that I think about it, I think I did pretty well on my environmental factors, and I added additional information to the statistical info. But, I think the best thing I did was talk normally to the audience. Not the mono-tone voice some people had, I had kind of a casual voice. I think that it calmed me down a little. Generally speaking, I actually think I did well!

What I think I would improve for my future presentations (and I know I'll have plenty more) is that I should be more organized and less distracted. I admit I can forget important things a lot. I forgot my thumb drive 2 days in a row, one in my class room, and once on the bus. To top it off, I forgot my thumb drive 2 days out of the three days left 'till the presentation. Since I finally didn't forget my thumb drive a day before the presentation (I put it in my wallet), I was then distracted from writing my script, by chatting. I knew that I shouldn't have done it, and I tried to stop, but I just ignored the thought as it came through my head. What I plan to do next time though (and all the other times), is to keep focused on my work at all times, and actually put my thumb drive in my bag, not my jacket, where I'll forget it again.

From my presentation, and all others, I believe I have a few things to learn from them. One is, of course, is being prepared, as I said before. Some people read off the slides, so it felt like they could only say what was on the slide, not say a little information about it, and then go to the next slide. Sometimes, it was kind of annoying (no offence) that they read the WHOLE ENTIRE SLIDE. When people did that, it felt like it would last forever. Thankfully, it didn't. From me, I think I should have practiced before-hand more. Also, sometimes it seemed like people were whispering while presenting. So the things I have learned were, being prepared, not reading off of the slides, and maybe to speak a bit LOUDER. But I learned plenty about K.L too, like it's history, rainfall and resources, and the population and average age group.

The analysis on my presentation, was that I did a pretty good job. I mean, I was panicking at a point of time, but then I just calmed down. I had clarity and volume to my voice, instead of speaking quietly and not slurring my words. I mostly speed up when I'm talking, but I've learned to speak slower, instead of having 2 second slides of my usual gibberish. Since I had a script, it helped so I wouldn't mess up that often, which, I didn't. But, what I have to work on is that I needed to practice. Overall, I had a great time doing the power point and I learned a lot about, the place I call home.

~By the way, here's the link to my power point!~ https://docs.google.com/a/iskl.edu.my/present/edit?id=0AZUcPzipaK3iZGczeG1uYzhfNzBjODlqcHJmYg&hl=en

Graphic Sources:

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg-_fe7Qm1Z_StTPeTxlbb4igQY_Cp3zs6KSX6V_Dim48vnKNmHhzV4JIWceGN23USE5i-fMGfQPC1W9fCtenOXAWsX7fWctA1aDt5m5zT6BTdzTRVJ73_sWpHVd7q0rBfTuWNMqQB3Rg/s1600/rain-blog.jpg

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf-YhFkJIQamfxlJkZ9z-kmUZdoE9nrpOkQFo0ywZ7_E8S2rAlSrIjB6-AAJqBGrLcPipDjVl7-s5bwrodp2ij74wgWQOaFHLhjRjbuA78aTEH8MdT_okc0GG0vJw4FBIonEIhM6Tb3A/s205/I+love+KL.jpg

My New Year Resolutions! :)

On the 1st of January, thousands of people made new year resolutions, but I, wasn't among them. At that point of time, I was having a movie marathon with my sister and my two elder cousins. But that's not main idea of what I'm planning to tell you, the reader. What I want to talk about, is my new year resolutions. What my resolutions are now, aren't close to what they were last year. They are more about me, trying to be a better person, and gaining more knowledge. Well, it may sound a little bit nerdy, but it's what I'm interested in. Here you go. These are two of my 2011 new year resolutions!


My first new year resolution, is to be nicer to people that annoyed me in the past year. I want this because if I'm nicer, then there's a possibility that they may be nicer to me than what they were before. Part of this resolution is about my spanish class, really. How? Well, there's someone there that really gets on my nerves, and causes me to get into trouble at times when I tell them off. What I plan to do is  just be nicer to that person, like I said before, and not get on their nerves (because I can get a little annoying sometimes). That, will help me pay more attention and not fool around not only in Spanish, but any other classes.


My second resolution is to learn more about the architecture of Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece. Ever since I read Percy Jackson and The Olympians and The Kane Chronicles, I was hooked on to Mythology. But, when I read a little about the Parthenon, I wanted to know more about it. The reason why I would actually bother to learn about it, is that I love anything to do with History, so with architecture,  you actually see it, it's not the way you have to believe in myths. It's just right infront of you. Sometimes proving, that maybe those myths, aren't actually myths after all.


So there was my resolutions. You finally know. Being nicer and learning architecture. Even though some people won't take my resolutions seriously, but when I achieve my goals, and I plan to do so, I can turn to them and show them that I actually could do it! Take that, disbelievers. But, enough of these resolutions. Let's go onto a quick snapshot of my Christmas break.


For my Christmas break, I went back to India for 15 days. Not the most fun I had, to tell you the truth. What I basically did was move around every few days. Either to my cousin's, my other cousin's, my grandparent's, my other grandparent's and then everywhere else. I just played with my 3-year-old cousin, chatted on Facebook, and went to malls. The most fun I had was when I went to Dili Haat, a market, and got some strands of my hair- how do I explain this- wrapped around in colorful string, went to my cousin's to actually get access to the internet, and had a movie marathon in which I watched Paranormal Activity 2 (scary!!!). 


I also watched Tron: Legacy, and it was pretty good, I must say. But when I came back from India, I was bored, stuck in my room for 5 days. Then, I had to help out new students before school restarted. At least it's more fun than sitting in your room, looking through bad Youtube videos. The thing is, when I left school, I didn't want break to end. But when I arrived in KL, I didn't want anything more in the world, than to go back, to school. So, this is where my blogpost finally comes to an end. I hoped you enjoyed! 

The Parthenon in Greece

The Sphinx in Egypt

Sources:

http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/parthenon-and-the-acropolis-landmark-1.jpg

http://cache.virtualtourist.com/756288-Pyramid_and_Sphinx-Pyramids_of_Giza.jpg