Summer

I'm sitting on my boat in the middle of the lake. There is a hazy glow of sun gently touching the skin of my face. Summer is here, no need to think of due dates, or tests, early mornings, or essays. All I need to worry about is whether I want to go swimming to sunbathing.

Summer is my favourite season because I love how the weather is, warm during the day and then cool at night. I love never having to worry about the time, because there's just so much of it. The trees are electric green and flowers are blooming. The sun is glowing, shining high in the powder blue sky. Without a puffy cloud in sight. What's your favourite season?

This summer I'm going to Hungary for my cousins wedding. I am wearing a silver dress with nice ruffles. I am also spending two weeks at Muskoka Woods, one week I will be hanging out with my best friend Lena! I'm super excited! But what I'm really excited about is lounging by the pool with a cool tropical drink, tanning and when I get too hot submerging myself into the deep undersea world and leaving all of my thoughts behind.

Have you ever just sat in the sun and not had a care in the world? In the summer this is all I do. I just get to hangout and not care what day it is or if that thing I had to hand in is due tomorrow. Summer is just too short for all the things I want to do. If you've ever watched Phineas and Ferb you will have learned the valuable lesson to not ever waste a perfect minute of summer sun!

I commented on Alex Garcia's blog.

Blogging.

Blogs are a weekly event in the grade 8 classes, and for most people, a huge hassle. As I sit here writing this blog I am 2 blogs behind, and am currently using the spare time given after our LA exam to cram this in. We're all busy, whether with extracurriculars or just other homework, and no one wants to have a weekly hassle of having to write 3-5 paragraphs of original creativity.

Though the majority of grade 8s would disagree with me, I think blogs are a good thing and have helped me a lot throughout this year in improving my writing skills. As most experts say, practice makes perfect. And just like in sports where we practice every week, we should also practice our writing.

At the beginning of the year I was getting low 70s on all my blogs, and about midway through the year I began getting high 70s. Recently all my blogs have been marked within the mid 80 range, and I am extremely proud to have made that progress. Though I don't plan on becoming a writer, I am extremely glad that I acquired this skill and it also just motivates me knowing that I accomplished something like improving my grade in writing.

Though students may not like it, I highly recommend blogging as a weekly task as it has helped me enormously. Remember, it will start out as a pain in the butt, but no pain no gain!

Starbucks Vs. Tim Horton's

Everyone knows and loves a good hot chocolate or coffee from Tim Horton’s or Starbucks. It’s the world’s boost of energy when they start their day. But which one is better?

Starbucks. It’s known around the world for it’s unique drinks and nutritious goals. Starbucks supports good causes, such as fresh water in developing countries, helping cure HIV/Aids, Youth Action, and it has a whole section of the company devoted to making the Earth more green and saving the environment. They support recycling and saving energy, so when you buy a drink from Starbucks, not only are you quenching your thirst, you are also making us one step closer to solving world issues. Though Tim Horton's is delicious, it doesn't come close to having the same greatness as Starbucks.

As a Canadian, I’m proud to have Tim Horton’s, a restaurant that sells sandwiches, bagels, doughnuts, hot drinks, and their signature Timbits, and it is unique to Canada. But if told to choose, I would definitely go with Starbucks over Tim Horton’s. The selection at Starbucks is much wider, and every drink is unique. They also have tons of healthy food there, as well as cakes and muffins. It’s the package deal and people all over the world love it. One day Tim Horton's may rise to the top and become the most popular beverage/snack company in the world, but for now, Starbucks claims that prize.

I commented on Harley's blog.

Facebook

You tell yourself you're just signing in to check your notifications, you'll be in and out in 5 minutes. You know you are lying to yourself though, and sure enough, one of your friend has posted some new pictures that you just HAVE to check out. You notice a girl you don't know in one of those pictures, so you decide to check out her profile. Soon you are caught in a frenzy and have to force yourself to shut off you computer after what was supposed to be 5 minutes, turned into an hour.

Facebook. Everyone has it, and those who don't have heard about it. It was launched in 2004, and has already become the most popular social networking site in the world, with over 400 million users! Facebook was originally meant for university students to stay connected with their family and friends, but quickly evolved into a site for people of all ages. Though the minimum age to use Facebook is 13 years old, many kids even younger than that use it!

Facebook is used to connect with friends, whether you are having a live chat or just posting on each others walls. There is also an application called inbox, which is just like emailing. So really, if you have Facebook, there is no need for MSN or an email account. Facebook is also used to post pictures of you and your friends, and you can tag everyone in it, so that everyone knows exactly who is in the picture. There are many other applications on Facebook that suck up your time and attention. Though Facebook is really useful for staying connected, it also has many downfalls.

Too many students spend all their free time on Facebook, and then never get their homework done. I am one of them. It's addicting, and I can't help myself. On average I would guess that I spend about 2 hours on Facebook every night, and about 4 hours on all social networking put together. Social networking, especially Facebook, has gone crazy in the past few years, and something needs to be done about the amount of time teens spend online.

I commented on Maddie's blog.

Justin Bieber-King of Pop?

Justin Bieber. Two words that have caused girls around the world to cheer, cry, and even faint. Every girl worships him for his amazing singing voice and extremely good looks. But is he good enough to be the King of Pop?

Lately people have been comparing Justin to Michael Jackson, and saying he is the new King of Pop. Michael Jackson was a legend who will be remembered forever, and is Justin? I don't think so. Sure, Justin has and great voice, but he isn't even in the same league as Michael Jackson. People are saying Justin is the King of Pop solely

based on his good looks and age.

Justin Bieber has produced 2 hit albums and some awesome singles, but in comparison to what Michael Jackson has done, that is nothing. Not only did Michael Jackson sing (from a very young age), he also helped out charity a lot. Michael Jackson had some troubling events in his life, but in the end he was an amazing person and a great role model.

Justin Bieber also started singing at a young age, and is on the right track to stardom. With lots of support and help from his fans one day in the future he might become as great as Michael Jackson, but for now, Michael Jackson still holds the title of King of Pop.

I commented on Andie's blog.

Dance

Dancing is a high energy sport that requires flexibility, strength, and balance. I do dance for about 8 hours a week, and it really pays off. Some people say that dance doesn't qualify as a sport, but I think they're wrong.

There are lots of different kinds of dance, for example jazz works your fitness and energy, and ballet works your strength, flexibility, and coordination. Different styles of dance all have different routines. Not only does dance help you physically, but it's also really fun. You get to get exercise while hanging out with friends and competing on a team. There is really cool costumes for each dance you do and you wear lots of costume make up. Dance involves a lot of glitter, hairspray, and gel.

But dance isn't all just glamour. I do a lot of sports and dance is by far the hardest. You have to work for long hours to learn and perfect the techniques and moves. And once your good at certain things, you move on to harder things, so its a constant learning and working process. Dancing can be something that you continue all through your life, no matter what your age is. I know plenty of adults who dance competitively!

I believe that a sport is something that you do to get some exercise, gain fitness, and have fun whether it's competitive or not. Dancing meets all of these requirements, so I really don't see why it isn't a sport.

I commented on Cassie's blog.

Goals.

Setting goals is a really important ingredient for planning your future and having a successful life. If you don't have a goal, or something to aim for, you'll never get anywhere. Even if it is just a small goal that you can build on, it is better than nothing.

It may seem like an impossible task to set a goal, or maybe you have too many things you want to do and you can't decide which to aim for. Some people feel that if they set a goal and work towards it, they may change their mind and end up with nothing. The most important thing is to stick to your goal. Even if it gets you somewhere that doesn't help your circumstances, at least you know you have the ability to reach it.

Reaching goals gives you the confidence to set new, bigger and better goals. When you feel like you can do something, you're more motivated to do it. If you continue to accomplish things you can set more and more goals until you are extremely successful. For example, you set a goal to get to level 5 in piano. Once you reach that goal you feel like you can accomplish other things like playing guitar, or even singing. And motivation from all these things to keep trying and moving on to better things.

When you have a goal, you have a place to go. There is a destination ahead of you and when you reach it you will feel the pride of getting there and know you can keep moving forward. Without a goal you're just wandering around taking what's given to you and hoping for the best. But you will never be the best or truly good at something unless you aspire to do so. Without a goal you are always second best, you will never go above and beyond.

If you don't know where you are going, you will get lost. I believe that everyone should have a goal so they never get lost in life. Goal setting is the key to success in all things you try.

You got to be careful if you don't know where you're going, because you might not get there.
-Yogi Berra

I commented on Olivia's blog post.

The Lone Nut

Have you ever wanted to start something, but you were too afraid to? Were you unsure if people would follow and catch on? Most people feel this way when they want to start something, but if you are too afraid to start it, chances are other people will be too and nothing will happen.

Everyone thinks that the person who really makes a difference is the one who starts the trend or idea, and sure they may have started it, but it would be nowhere if it weren't for the first followers. Once there is some followers people may realize it is "cool" and they will catch on too. The people multiply after that and soon it becomes uncool to not follow.

For example, one day a girl comes to school wearing a pink ribbon to support breast cancer research. Everyone thinks she is weird at first for wearing this ribbon because it's not making a difference. She keeps wearing the ribbon anyways, despite a group of people who make fun of her. Soon, some friends join in and wear the ribbons, and then friends of friends until a whole bunch of people at the school are wearing it. Now so many people wear these ribbons that the group who made fun of her before start wearing them too. It has become the new fashion trend. And this is how it starts. The leader is the spark of the fire, but the first few followers are the gasoline poured on top to make the whole thing ignite until it is spread to everyone.

So in my opinion, being the first follower is just as good as being a leader, and you should never be afraid to be these things, because sometime soon, whatever you start will become the big thing, and people will look back and connect it to you. Don't be afraid to make a difference :)

I commented on Maddie's blog post.

American Idol

American Idol is a show where your dreams come true. It can make or break your career, fulfill or crush your dreams. It also happens to be one of North America's favourite shows.

Everyone watches American Idol, and if they don't watch it, they've definitely heard of it. The winners and contestants are talked about constantly in schools and workplaces. People look up to all the singers as their "Idol".

American Idol is on their ninth season. They have 4 judges, Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, Kara DioGuardi, and their newest judge, Ellen Degeneres. Ellen is replacing Paula Abdul who left at the end of last season. The host is Ryan Seacrest. Simon is known for being the brutally honest one, and Kara is the kind and sweet one. We don't know what kind of judge Ellen will be yet, but I predict she will use a lot of humor.

Contestants show up at auditions in many of America's biggest cities, and they all have a story of their own. Whether their story is sad or happy, it all comes down to how much talent they have in the eyes of the judges. Basically, if you can get Simon to like you, you've got it in the bag. Then there is group day where you perform in groups and some more judging, and the rest is down to how you perform solo for the rest of the season.

American Idol has made many stars, such as Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Jordin Sparks, and David Cook. The last season came out with 2 new stars; Kris Allen and Adam Lambert. These peoples' careers are very successful and it all started out with American Idol. American Idol is a very inspirational show and I encourage everyone to watch it.

If I Won $1 Billion

You all know the sensation when your parents give you a lot of long-owed money, and you just know there is no problem with running out of money right now… Well multiply that sensation by about 1 billion, and you would know what it’s like to win 1 billion dollars.

If I won 1 billion dollars, I would probably take a day to recover from the shock first, and then I would go straight to the bank and put it all in my account. I definitely wouldn’t want it kicking around my house because I would definitely lose it.

The first thing I would spend my money on is a new house and car. I would most likely get a fancy sports car with butterfly doors and super high speeds. I would get my car in fancy colours and make sure it has all of the top of the line features. Maybe if I was feeling generous I would buy one for my family and friends as well. My new house would be huge with a 6 car garage, swimming pool, hot tub, and it would be right on the beach. I would have a private in-home movie theatre, a sauna and lots of bedrooms and bathrooms. My bedroom would have a king sized bed and a 60 inch plasma screen TV, with a walk-in closet and bathroom with a Jacuzzi tub. I would own all expensive and fancy things.

By now I would be feeling a little guilty about having all this money, so I would donate some to world charities.

Next I would spend some money going on a lot of vacations and travel the world with my friends. I would make sure to stop off in all the countries in Europe and take a vacation to Australia and New Zealand. I have always wanted to go to Asia and Africa so maybe I will go there too. I definitely want to make a stop off in Dubai to see the sites there, and then I will head back to America. When in America I will make sure to get a lot of beach visits and shopping in there and then I will go home to my new house.

Shopping is a must with all my money, so I will make sure I hit all the designer stores possible, loading up on tons of clothes, shoes, bags, cosmetics, and anything else I can get in a bag. Then I will make sure I have everything new and improved, like the new iPhone, Macbook, iPad, and TV.

With my billions of dollars I will have a happy life and never have a care in the world again about making money.

Longer Weekends

I have been in school for 10 years now, and never once was I thankful for a Monday morning to come around. Weekends are too short, and we spend too much time in school. In this blog, I am going to highlight the main points about why weekends should be longer.

First of all, kids and teenagers around our age need a lot of sleep, and when we don't get that amount of sleep during the week, because of too much homework and extracurricular activities, our immune system crashes and that's just a disaster. So to fix it, we need to get extra sleep on the weekends, which is why teenagers are always sleeping too late (yes that's right, it's not just because were lazy.) But we also have other things to do on the weekends, such as sports tournaments, socializing, and spending time with your family. Top that all off with all of our homework, and were completely out of time to do everything! So what do we cut out of our schedule? We wouldn't have to make that decision if we had just one extra day on the weekend.

Another point I have to make is that we spend like half of our lives as kids and teenagers in school. Doesn't that seem ridiculous? If we could have another day of weekend, that would enable us to see our family more, and develop better connections with them.

One major problem teenagers have is stress. Stress from their homework, their extracurricular activities, and their busy lives! Time is very valuable, especially when dealing with stress because the more time you have, the less stress you have.Obviously the solution is a longer weekend. Stress can lead to mental illness and many problems, and we should be doing as much as we can to stop stress in teenagers these days.

With all the extra time we would be able to do our homework and assignments more accurately, instead of rushing through it all and making mistakes. It would give us more time to study for tests, therefore we would get better marks. So it's a win-win situation! The teachers have smarter students and the student have more time on their hands.

Superheroes!

If I could be any superhero with any power, I would choose to be a super fast runner, and my name would be flash. Running fast could be a huge advantage against bad guys, or just in everyday life.

First of all, if a super villain is cornering you, you are most likely going to want to run away. Also, if you are in a sticky situation, such as a teacher coming after you because you didn’t do your homework, or say you dropped something embarrassing from your bag, you can just book it right out of there with your super speedy legs. It is always handy to be able to get out of there fast if you need to.

Another advantage of being a really fast runner named Flash, is that you could play any sport and be the best on the team because you are so fast. You can always get to the ball the fastest and you would always win your race. But the best part is that you can choose your own speed because your so fast, so you can choose to come second if you want, and you will never get tired and out of breath!

Sometimes when you run super fast you could run on water, which would be a really good advantage, and you would also be able to swim really fast with your extremely fast legs.

A disadvantage of being Flash the runner would be that running so fast would wear away your clothes because of the friction and possibly burn them.

In the end, being an extreme runner would be a huge advantage and could help you out of lots of situations and problems. I recommend it to everyone.

Winter

Snow, frost, ice, shimmering, christmas time, skiing, snowmen, snowboarding, snow forts... these are some words that come to mind when we think of winter. Most people like summer or spring the best out of all the seasons because its warm, but I think winter is one of the most fun times of the year.

There are so many things you can do in the winter time in canada because we have snow, when some other countries don't even get snow! One thing we get to do a lot is skiing or snowboarding. These sports are really great because they get you outside in the winter time, when usually everyone just stays inside and watches TV. They are also very good for your health, and they are lots of fun!

Sledding is another thing we can do in the winter, and its good because you can do it with lots of friends, and it gives you an exciting thrill when you fly down the hill on a piece of plastic with nothing stopping you.

One of my favorite parts of winter is snow. When the snow comes down in tiny flakes and lands on everything on the ground, coating the trees, houses, cars, and everything else, it makes the world look beautiful in all the same shimmering white colour. Then all the kids rush outside and decorate the area with snowmen, snow forts, and snow angels! Some people may not agree, but i think winter is the most beautiful time of year.

New Zealand

I've spent the past 3 weeks in New Zealand, as i do every Christmas. New Zealand is a small island near Australia and it's made of two different islands. Its a really unique country and its an awesome place to go on a vacation.

New Zealand has around the same number of people as Toronto, so its really widespread and there's lots of open land. It has lots of farmland and really nice beaches, but one thing that makes NZ really different is that they have black sand on their beaches, because of volcanoes.

There is lots of different things to do in NZ as well. They have really amazing sites and places to go in the cities, and if you're in big cities there is good shopping. If you're looking for fun or adventure there is warm beaches with big waves for surfing or boarding, waterskiing or wakeboarding, or even parasailing! There's mountains and cliffs for skiing and hiking, and in one city I went to, you could ride a sled with wheels all the way down a mountain. They also have hot springs, rivers, and lots of forest.

New Zealand people speak with a different accent from us, and their country is very different. I love going to NZ every Christmas to visit my relatives.

Snuggies

When I want to read a book or watch tv, I always find that my blanket falls off if I don’t hold it there. That’s why they came out with snuggies, you can use your hands, and still have the same soft warmness as a blanket.

Snuggies have sleeves and lots of warm fuzzy material so it never falls off! They come in many different colours, and different patterns aswell such as animal prints. They are super inventions and I love them.

Snuggies are the coolest new thing, and even though they don’t look that great, they always keep you warm! There on the top of my Christmas list!

Eva Olssen: Holocaust Survivor

The holocaust was the one of the biggest genocides ever in the world, and was a huge tragedy for so many millions of people who lost loved ones or were forced to work in a concentration camp. Approximately 6 million people in Europe died, Jewish and other religions as well, as a result of pure hate. The Nazis had no remorse for anyone that died, and they murdered everyone in their path, including Eva Olssen’s entire family except her sister.

Eva Olssen is a Jewish woman, and when she was just 19 the Nazis came and took everything from her, including her whole family. They took her to the concentration camp, Auschwitz, where they immediately murdered her whole family except her. The only thing that kept her alive during her time in concentration camps was courage and hope that she would get out alive. And she was released, when she was 21.

Eva’s main message was that being a bystander is just as bad as being a bully. When they Nazis were taking her family the whole town just stood and watched. If you are witnessing bullying and don’t do anything about it, you are just as bad as the bully.

What impacted me the most about her speech was when she talked about how she never got to say goodbye to her mom, and that you should always tell your family you love them, because you don’t know if they’re going to be there tomorrow. I could tell she was very emotional about using the word hate, and she told us instead to use the word dislike.

It was really great to hear Eva’s story, I think it impacted a lot of people who heard it. She has been through so much and she can still break her silence and talk about it after so long, and be a really good speaker, was really impressive and I was happy that I got to listen to her story.

Katie xoxo.

Team Building

Team building day at Norval was amazing for me, I learned a lot about my classmates and myself. My team worked really well together and I think it was really great how a bunch of totally different kids came together and helped eachother climb a 14 foot wall! Our group was really good about giving other people a chance to speak and having a leader to follow.

Of course our team had a few struggles here and there, but we always fixed our problems. We took a pretty long time to figure out a plan to get people over the wall, and there was a lot of trial and error. I think next time we should listen to other people more and be open minded. We also had some people fall off the wall but the team caught them, before they could hit the ground, and that shows really good teamwork.

I learned that it is good to have one or two leaders in a situation, and that we shouldn’t fight and argue because that doesn’t get us anywhere. I also learned a lot about being a member of a team, and trusting other people.

This day showed me that achieving goals is really possible when everyone works as a team and makes decisions together. You just have to plan it right and cooperate with your teammates.

At the end of the day I was really happy with my accomplishments, and I think this team building day brought our whole grade together and made us all friends. I also think the drum circle brought the whole middle school together, it was a really awesome experience.

Katie. xoxo

Small But Amazing Things

People always tell you to stop and appreciate small things in life, but I never really have. Until I got this assignment and i started thinking about it. I realized that there are SO MANY small but amazing things in life that no one really appreciates, and I had a really hard time deciding what to write about.

I decided on writing about my dog, Jenny. I see her every day, pet her, but I've never actually imagined life if she wasn't there. She's a pretty good dog and always comes when we call her. I realize now that if i ever lost her I would be devastated, and I'm so lucky to have a dog because it is a good friend and shes always there when i need her.

Katie
xoxox

Tell Me Why Quotes

“Be great in act as you have been in thought” –William Shakespeare

This quote is really meaningful and applies to a lot of people in everyday life. It means that you should do what you say or think you will do, instead of just talking about it and not following through. It means to take action, and not just think about doing something, get up and do it! It could refer to something small like promising yourself that you will do something and making sure you do it, to something big like going out there and making a difference in the world, instead of thinking about it and putting it off.

What Shakespeare says makes me think about when I’m in Chapel or have learned a lesson, I think about putting it into action but I always put it off. I also think about when I’m supposed to do homework and I keep thinking I will, but I never actually do it.

I also see every day people with the ability to help the world, no matter what issue or how big or small, and he or she don’t even bother, they just think everyone else will do it. Or they think of something and believe they can’t pull it off, so they don’t. So next time someone you look up to tells you to help the world, go and do it! Everything you do makes a difference no matter how small, and remember, don’t ever think that an idea is to big for you to accomplish, always give it a try!

xoxo
Katie <3>

Poverty in Africa

I was really surprised by the fact that kids in Africa get sick, and don’t get any medical attention. Then they go to school and all the kids treat the sick one so badly and ignore him.

It also really surprised me when I read about a teenage girl having to leave everything she grew up with, including her friends and school and house, because rebels decided to destroys everyone’s life. Can anyone imagine doing that? Or having someone do that to you? I can’t.

My first reaction when I read stories like this was, how did people handle poverty? I learned that kids in Africa learned to just appreciate the good things in life, like that they had a small water tap, or that they got to go to school, and forget about all the misfortune.

Kids of our same age in Africa are totally grateful to be able to go to school. We just complain about going, and say that it's a waste of time. We take water and food for granted and just waste it all, taking more than we need and throwing away the rest, when people living in poverty are walking for kilometers for water, and working hard to get 2 meals a day. When we get sick people help us and we get immediate medical attention, or medication, but the poverty kids get nothing. Why do we get all this help and attention when we already have so much, and all the sick kids in Africa have so little.

Everyone is aware of these problems, you've all heard it before. But if everyone knows about it and everyone has the ability to help, why don't we? Why doesn't everyone step up and do their part to help stop poverty?