Ice-Breakers - T2B7

Ice-Breakers: tasty mints or bye-bye tongue?

I mean, I know ice breakers are so full of flavour, mostly the sour type, but they also really scorch the tongue. I sucked on a few ice-breakers earlier, and now, my tongue's deep purple with a pink pain mark in the center. The rash stays with you for around 4 days before you can eat or drink anything without feeling the scratching pain. (esp. gum) now I can't enjoy my coconut pineapple gum - WAHHHH! That was one of my favourite flavour. That, berry, and green apple.

Anyway, I kinda messed up this morning. I forgot to check my agenda, and thought today was day 1. Lucky me, I knew most of my science test stuff, so i didn't freak about the test. Now, I'm all set for the english test on Tuesday. The day swaps saved me about 45 minutes of studying...! Yay!

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas tree... T2B6

Today, daddy put up the christmas tree and all the colourful lights around the living room. He wanted to wire them outside, but I insisted. We didn't have enough to circle the front of the house, and it look much more festive along with the rest of the indoor decorations. The christmas tree I have at home is different than any other. It is covered in glittery butterflies that light up to different colours according to the rhythm of the christmas carol it plays. There are no bulb decorations, or reindeers, or Santa Claus. It's one of a kind - I've never seen it in any store here before. This christmas tree also has sentimental value. I got it in Panama when I was 8 years old. Daddy and I picked it out and designed it. It was a very special Christmas - the first one in a foreign country... I'll probably upload a picture sometime in the winter holidays - once I find my camera...

It's still November, but it's never too late for some Christmas spirit, is it?

Science Experiment Numero Deux - T2B5

Earlier today, I restarted my science fair project. Last week, my science fair project was a complete, utter failure. My beaker and test tubes were knocked and broken. Annihilator: my brother. I guess this was partially my fault as well. I should have known better than to place any fragile homework or glass experiment in any of his reach zones. Anyway, that's OK. It was an accident, but now, I'm behind by 27 days.

My topic: Does temperature affect the speed of change in the Ph value of juice? In many ways, redoing the experiment is a good thing. I now know how to avoid all the mistakes and mishaps in the first trial. I'm trying to look at situations in a positive way here. So... Thank you?

BTW: In English, we're starting to study The Pearl, by John Steinbeck, as a novel study. I just finished reading the first two chapters. It's so beautifully written that I forgot I was reading it. ^------^

Square-Dancing - T2B4

In PE we just finished our basketball and indoor track units. On Tuesday, our class will begin to learn square dancing. Oddly enough for a lot of people, I think it'll be fun. I mean, I know a lot of kids are still amateurs about dancing with someone of the opposite sex, but just watch, it'll be interesting, and for the most part - funny. I think that's its biggest selling point. This is not the first year I've squared danced in PE class. Last year, our student teacher put the whole class through it, along with a bunch of other folk dances - macedonia... That was one heck of a funny picture: when you see to 5 feet tall boys arm in arm, skipping in circles. I laughed for 20 minutes straight.

Mr. Olsen, about the self evaluation and CCRAP sheets, are they for term 1? I emailed them to you, but I got no reply. I don't know if you received it or not. I hope you didn't mark me as "not-handed-in" cause a did...  Peace out for now:)

Today's Highlight - Gr. 8 Indoor Track Meet - T2B3

Today, for the entire last two blocks, was the annual grade 8 indoor track meet. It's when all the grade 8s at Churchill are divided into teams and compete against each other in fun relay races. You've probably heard that all schools have a Sports day, usually around June. Well, what happened today was kind of like that, except all the participants are grade eights. There were different choices of races we could pick to sign up for. I was in the Shuttle race, Skittle race, Rugby Dribble Race, and a tug-of-war, but there were other selections as well: equipment transport, balloon pat, balloon pop... oh that one was fun to watch. (You have to sit on the balloon to pop it. One of my personal favourites was the circle relay, but I didn't get to do that since the sign-up slip was already filled. That's okay - all the races were fun. The purpose of the events were simply just spirit, teamwork, and fun. Overall, I thought I did pretty well - I screamed, cheered, danced, and ran around in circles (don't ask why). My cheeks were flushed deep pink and I was sore from smiling. I felt so warm that I walked home in the snow in my gym shorts. I BARELY FELT THE COLD!!! Of course, eventually, the temperature caught up to me, but that was later on - as soon as I got home.

What I though was really interesting was how the different teams decorated themselves to show team spirit. From the Yellow group, there was this girl in streamers and yellow ballet tutus, from the black group - ninjas. From the Red - face paint and long scarves, and from the green - long knee socks and bandannas!

Is God Left-Handed? - T2B2

Well, here we go - moving on the fast track. About the Brain project - my topic is left-handedness: origin, causes, and consequences. Today at the library, with some help from the librarian, I found 2 really interesting books based on this topic. There was also another religious book, but it didn't seem to cover much information. It had questions like: "Is God left-handed?" Questions like this is more on the humour side. Who knows if God even has a hand - besides, it can be an offensive generalization for other beliefs.

I really actually enjoy this project. It different for any other assignment I've ever did - it's not dead work and researching info like writing a report of JFK. These topics actually engage the students - it's interesting and fun. I found a couple of really cool questions I will probably include in my presentation. This project is entirely a whole new branch of creativity. That's amazing, considering all of the possible topics occur in what people call the "old coconut".
1. Do Left-Handers die younger?
2. Health vs. Left handers
3. Stereotypes....

New Term - No More White Winter? You're kidding... - T2B1

Wow, a regular Tuesday - but also the beginning of a new term. This is my very first blog post of the Second semester!!!!!!!! Last term, I missed a couple of blog posts, so for the next three months, a small goal would be to keep on posting this blog everyday. To me, the blog is not just a simple reflection of the day or moment. For the most part, Synergy kids usually don't find posting on an online journal difficult. It seems to be more about time management and the continuous trend to post everyday that's a challenge, practice, and assignment - so I'll be keeping that up...


HEY YOU! MOTHER NATURE! YUP THAT'S RIGHT! I'M TALKING TO YOU: WHAT HAPPENED TO ALL THE SNOW? ARE YOU SERIOUS? THAT'S IT? WHAT HAPPENED TO A WHITE WINTER?! WE ALL HAD HIGH HOPES OF A WHITE WINTER WITH NUMB FINGERS, WET GLOVES AND FROZEN FEET! WELL, YOU'RE HALF WAY THERE - WHEN I WALKED TO SCHOOL THIS MORNING, MY LEGS WERE SO COLD, IT WAS PAINFUL. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? IN THE SUMMER, LOW TEMPERATURES IN ANTARCTICA ARE AROUND 10 DEGREES CELSIUS. RIGHT NOW, WE ARE -4 DEGREES HERE IN VANCOUVER. PENGUINS COME HERE AND SAY: "WOW, IT'S COLD. LET'S LEAVE!" I DON'T REMEMBER BEING FREEZING LIKE THIS ANYTIME IN THE PAST FEW YEARS. MOTHER NATURE'S TRYING TO PACK THREE YEARS OF COLD TEMPERATURES INTO THIS WEEK. OH GOODY. WITHOUT THE SNOW, THE COLDNESS IS JUST NOT WORTH IT. ONE OF THESE DAYS, SOMEONE'S GONNA GET HYPOTHERMIA.

Daddy's Coming Home! - T1B66

Yay! My dad's coming home tomorrow. He's flying in from Hong Kong on the 23rd at noon. Remember how I blogged before about him in September? He came that time because of my brother's surgery. I was unhappy because he ignored me and didn't look me straight in the face for the entire visit. He was caught up with all the doctor's appointments for my brother. Well I communicated with him, and he said he would spend more time with me during this week, so I'm pretty much in a happy mode. I'm gonna try to score bonus points with him, see if he'll take me skiing or to see the new Harry Potter movie Part 1. I need to make more deposits in my EBA for dad.

I've heard rumours that lots of people say the new Harry Potter movie is horrible. That's probably just because the 6th movie was such a disappointment. I think the Deathly Hallows will be better. It's hard to make it worse than last time. *I think that was a compliment...* Advice: read the book before watching the movies - they drown most of the excitement away. I think that a drawback with the HP movies are that (a), they skip a lot of parts, and (b), all the scenes are dark and in the shadows. It gives you a dull gloomy feeling. I'm more of a funky colour kind of person. all smiles. I can't wait till tomorrow after school. Welcome home, dad!

Urgent Question - T1B65

Fews questions I'm gonna ask all at once. Anyone... feel free to answer :P  :
1. Are we supposed to reply the email about synergy self evaluations? Is it a broad generalization over all the courses or just Applied Skills?
2. Will we be getting a posting of our applied skills term grade?
3. Is there an Applied Skills finals exam?
4. How many percent of the term are blogs?
5. Why is snow white? (sorry - just suddenly randomly popped up.)

I'm clear for now.

If it's snowing down here in the mainland, the mountains must be blinding white! It'll be perfect for skiing and snowboard. (btw, we should have a Synergy camp or a Synergy winter Whistler.) I can't wait until next weekend to head up Seymour with my dad, who will be coming home soon. EEEEEEEEK!

The Tips of My Finger - T1B64

Yup, that's right. The tips of my fingers, I can't feel them. What's Mother Nature trying to do? Pack three years worth of cold temperatures in to these two days? This morning, I wore two sweaters and a jacket. After half a block, I lost all the nerves from wrist below, and felt this unpleasant prickling of needles on my arms and legs. Holy cows... It's so cold out there, it's painful. These weekend, I will drag my mom to take me shopping. I need to get: earmuffs, scarves, boots, and a desperate need for gloves. Where can I get them  for sale? Right now, I'm having a very hard time typing - many backspaces. My fingers are all numb. beybey - whoops byebye

For the Love of Socials - T1B63

I'm so happy, we're gonna have social studies again tomorrow. Our current - or to be unit right now is the fall of Rome, in relation to Hannibal, Brutus, and the death of Ceasar and stuff. We watched this really cool video clip of how Ceasar died. Wow - 23 stab wounds? He's got some heartless senates beside him. You're trying to kill the guy, not flip out his interior!... Sheesh history is brutal.

I love history - in general. It's interesting, sometimes clever, and it's about famous moments with famous people. This class is fun because it's like listening to stories - and they're easy to remember since they are usually logically structured and have meaning. The thing I don't get about famous ancient people in history is that they love to marry someone in their family. I know it strengthens power, but isn't it weird to be married to your mom's brother in law's daughter's cousin's father's grandfather's niece? Then usually what happens in the end is that one of them runs off to marry someone else leaving the other to die tragically by commiting suicide with a poisonous snake bite. I don't know, just saying. I learned last year that marrying someone from a different family gives you a healthier life and child. They say it's diversity and variety. Your child gets the advantages from both of you. Besides, families should already stick together and support. You don't need to be married to join forces better, do you?

The Da Vinci Code - T1B62

Grade 8's the first year I was introduced to adult-like books -  mostly encouraged by the Independent Reading Program. Right now, I'm really crazy about this mystery novel called the Da Vinci Code. It's so tense and full of action. With these kinds of books, I literally forget who I am when I'm reading it. It's kinda like those pensieve movies where you step into a memory or dream and watch the whole story infront of you. The first chapter really hooks you up. Check this out, this Lourve Museum curator is murdered, but before he dies, he knows he must find a way to pass on a mysterious hidden secret. Then Harvard symbolist Robert Langdon comes along and checks out a photo of the curator's specifically positioned dead body. He thinks it looks familiar to some kind of ancient symbol he's seen before. eh?eh? suspenseful, huh? Well, bye for now. I've got a whole book ahead of me. Peace.

The End of IRP - T1B61

I can't believe it... I passed my IRP with the full 10%. Hip Hip Hooray! It was a close call. Three cups of tea was an inspiring book with many yet-to-be lessons, but there were also many pages of really boring detail. That's definitely challenging language - I tell you. I spent the past few nights before November 18th (last book test date) reading, nodding off, then shaken awake, then nodding off to sleep again. After reading this novel, I learned one thing - I have so much more patience, and is so much better with mystery, humour, and action stories. The thing about Three cups of Tea is that it's hard to sit through. There are many Pakistani language, emotions, lessons, and dedication. It is an adventure and testament to the power of the humanitarian spirit. It shows manpower, and you've probably heard this many times, but it also is the best example of how one person can make a difference. I  mean: 1person=building 55 schools. That's incredible - not just an extraordinary outcome physically, but also a huge amount of energy and input at heart. This novel made me cry at points. Anyway, I was kind of nervous about all the details earlier. I mean, with all the weird city names and the many Pakstani villager's names, so I'm really proud I completed my Independent Reading Program with all the necessary credits. Well, that was the end of the IRP. We won't be doing it next term, so I'll miss you... Peace for now.

"Here (in Pakistan and Afghanistan), we drink three cups of tea to do business; the first you are a stranger, the second you become a friend, and the third, you join our family, and for you family, we are prepared to do anything - even die." - Haji Ali, nurmadhar, Korphe Village Chief, Karkoram Mountains, Pakistan...

Mould - T1B60

That's what happened to my science experiment yesterday. I forgot to check on it for 6 days and a 7mm layer of mould covered my juice beaker. I'm gonna start my experiment again. Remind me to keep it under 16-20 days, or else the cleaning process will be extremely unpleasant. peace out!

Winter Travel Dreams - T1B59

I was in China over the summer. Every day was composed of 3 things: sweat, ice, and coke. That was a truly wonderful experience at one extreme. I miss visiting China a lot. It was the most fun-filled travel tour I've been on, and trust me, I've been on a lot of them. Now that it's snowing here in Vancouver, I realize there are 2 places I really want to go to right now. 1. China: Beijing and Harbin. In the winter, the temperatures are at another extreme in China - beyond cold. But that doesn't matter. China becomes a palace of ice - with its amazing annual ice sculpture festivals. I really really really really really want to go to China over the winter holidays, but our family lives on a budget. I guess that would be kind of selfish.

Another place I'm dying to go to is Ottawa. Skating over the St. Lawrence river would be so cool! It's the world's largest outdoor ice rink. To be honest, I've never skated over a frozen river or pond. It seems much more exciting than an ice rink (which I hope we'll get to go Synergy Skating in December).

SNOW!!!SNOW!!!SNOW!!!SNOW!!!SNOW!!! - T1B58

YAYYYY! FINALLY A WHITE WINTER! WE'VE ALL WAITED LONG ENOUGH! EVERYONE LOVES WINTER - BUT THE BEST PART THAT BRINGS THE MOST SPIRIT IS FROM THE SNOW!!!! Last year's winter was pathetic. It looked like a giant slushie outside. It would snow for about five minutes, then rain for half a night. I'M LOOKING OUT HTE WINDOW RIGHT NOW AND ITS ALL SO PRETTY - EEEEEEEEEEEEK! ALL YEAR, THIS IS NATURE'S MOST BEAUTIFUL SCENERY -  AND I TRAVELED HALF-WAY AROUND THE WORLD THIS SUMMER.

IT'S SNOWING!!! I JUST CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF SAYING THAT, MOSTLY BECAUSE IN THE PAST FEW YEARS, THERE HAVEN'T BEEN MANY OPPORTUNITIES WHERE WE COULD SAY THAT.  I'M SO GLAD WE HAVE SNOW. WITHOUT IT, WINTER SEEMS TO BE MISSING SOMETHING MAGICAL. IT'S WHAT THE SEASONAL SPIRIT'S ALL ABOUT. I LOVE IT!!!!!!

It used to be a tradition to go snowballing with friends in our elementary school. I hope we get a chance to have a school wide snow convention. It'll be amazing, mostly because we've never had one before.

\

Achooooo! - T1B57

Don't you just hate it when you suddenly wake up one morning with a sore throat? That's what happened to me.  It usually happens once in a while - randomly. Normally, the soreness goes away half an hour later, but today, my voice croaks, my throat hurts, and I have a bad case of coughs. I normally don't get sick - maybe once every 2 years. My dad says it's because I forgot to wear a sweater outside, but my science teacher told us the coldness does not cause people to get sick, unless you're hypothermia cold. I didn't know that before. It seems so funny now knowing that people have been assuming cold weather=weak body for centuries. Still "Achoooo" and *coughs* can be deadly. bye for now! gotta go for a drink of water - mom's orders.

Body Worlds - T1B56

Science World - a resourceful location most of us go to every year for research and educational field trips. I been to almost all the different sections in the main exhibits before, but this is the first time I went to see the annual Body Worlds Exhibit. It's a special additional program - and much more exciting and unique. This is because the exhibit is put together by real live dead bodies. Generous body donors who have decided to donate their bodies to these displays are plastinated after they're dead.

One word could not describe my experience there. Perhaps mind-numbing, shocking, horrifying, exciting, and disgusted all at the same time. 2 exhibits really knocked me flat. One of them was the room full of preserved fetus and baby. Those babies were all dead - but what was saddest was that there were so many displayed - like somewhat 15 in glass cases. They were described as "tragic losses"... T__T

Another exhibit I though was pretty cool was the glass case with the entire nervous system placed perfectly. Nerve tissues are really quite hard to rip out of the body. You have to admit, that was one heck of a masterpiece.

Remembrance Day - T1B55

November 11, today, we remember. We remember the soldier who bravely fought for our freedom. We remember the people who died for us. We remember our nation's warriors. We respect you, may you rest in peace. We remember.

Love at first sight - T1B54

I was oil painting earlier this morning. I was thinking about my first time painting this type of art. The first time I laid eyes on all the different colours, and the brand new white canvas still wrapped in plastic, it was love at first sight. I love oil painting, I always had. It is calm, relaxing, enjoyable, and helps express out some of life's greatest emotions. Sometimes, when I'm with friends, we chat - about life, school, and you know, all the other Girl talks. Other times, when I'm alone, it gives me some quite space and thinking time. There's hardly ever a downside, besides the fact that I always get the colours on my clothe (oil painting can't be washed off).  A lot of people don't like art. They say its because they aren't good at it, but that's not the case. Art is not about how accurate, actually, art is abstract, there's no right or wrong. It's not hard, you just spill your emotions on a piece of paper. How could anyone not like a hobby so calming and beautiful. It brings life pleasure and romance: think French artists.

T1B53

Friday, district closure. Kevin and I decided to work and try to finish up as much of our social studies project as possible at my house. We typed, drew a map of the school, measured, designed and watched a few random funny video clips on Youtube. I know these three words are too plain to use here, it was fun.
Generally speaking, whenever I'm with friends, no matter what I'm doing at the time, the place always turns into a party. Homework, projects, or even cleaning can be a blast. You start to realize that the main problem with these are that they can be boring sometimes. However, with friends, the emptiness and exhaustion is replaced with energetic conversations. It's at this kind of time, I'm most glad that I have great friends.

I watched on a TV show once, "if you're lucky in life, you'll find one or two really really close friends that help pull you through everything." Maybe I haven't found that person yet, but I sure do have some great ppl around me. :)

T1B52

I'm clear out of ideas to talk about right now, so I'll be giving a brief description of what's going on at home right now. Starting with my mom. She's watching TV - one of those chinese drama shows, in her room. She's got a bowl of sunflower seeds in her laps which my brother keeps staring at and asking for.  Mom ignores his tantrums. David (my brother) gets mad and switches the channel. My mom gets annoyed. She explains what being polite means, but David doesn't get it, so she moves to the large plasma screen in the living room. My brother starts watching Family Guy although I doubt he understands anything the character says. He's 4 and a half and English illiterate. Mom says for little children, just simply watching cartoons can help them improve English. I guess we'll just put him through this experiment and see what happens. It's probably the best method for him right now.

Judy's Randomness Questionnaire - Flies Fly Away - T1B51

So now that it's beginning to feel like winter, I've been thinking, what are some things that people like more about winter than summer besides snow, winter sports, and Christmas. No flies! They are summer's most annoying pesks. Many idioms, similes, and metaphors use flies to describe unwelcomed creatures.

If you were on vacation in the summer, and flies were a daily nuisance, why would they all suddenly disappearing when the evening wind picked up? What is it, and why? Where do they go?

To answer this, there is is a maximum wind speed above which they will not fly, but the reason also depends on temperature, humidity, and the sex and age of the fly, as well as species. Lucilia Cuprina is the major sheep-infesting fly. Its wind speed threshold is about 20 mph. It is also grounded if temperatures are hotter than 104 degress Farenheit and below about 54 degrees Farenheit. When they are stopped from flying because of these conditions, they crawl into small protected spaces until conditions improve.

Before I found this, I rarely ever noticed the behaviour of flies. Who knew they have a wind limit?