7th Grade Reflection

7th grade has been so much more different than all of the other grades I’ve been through. It wasn’t what I had expected at all.

 

When I first arrived here in August, I expected a busy schedule with lots of homework and projects and essays. It seemed to be that way at first: on the first day of school, I had to write an essay for English class. But slowly, when not many projects and assignments came flying in my direction, I started to realize that it might not be so bad after all. By November my life was filled with doing the things I loved like basketball and playing video games. Some afternoons, since I had no homework, I had nothing to do! My dad would notice this and he would ask me if I wanted to do something “fun”. I would quickly refuse and go shoot hoops or read—my dad’s version of “fun” usually involves math.

 

Eventually I figured out that there was not as much homework as I had anticipated. In fact, there seemed to be around the same amount as sixth grade. Maybe I’m just getting a lot smarter, or school has just gotten easier (I hope it’s the first one). But still, in 7th grade I’ve learned a lot:

– In science, I’ve learned all about the cell, from the golgi apparatus to the mitochondria. I’ve also learned all about the human body, from the nervous system to the cardiovascular system.

– In Latin, I’ve learned everything from noun endings to complete words to complete sentences to complete stories.

– In English, I’ve learned all about writing expository essays and narrative essays. I’ve also learned thousands more vocabulary words to add to my mental dictionary.

– In Texas history I’ve learned all about Texas’s history, from the Alamo to the progressive era to the current days.

That is a lot more knowledge in my brain! I can’t wait for eighth grade!

May 8, 2014 Book Thoughts No Comments on 7th Grade Reflection

Night Owl or Early Bird?

As soon as my eyes would pop open, I would hop out of bed. I cannot stay in bed when I wake up. I am most definitely a early bird.
 
My mom hates me waking up early and always tells me to get more sleep (I think that she just wants to wake up first). But whenever I get back in bed, I cannot fall back asleep. My mom is also an early bird and I think I inherited my early bird genes from her. Every morning, when the rest of the house is still dark, I would be inside the restroom and brushing my teeth. After I would finish, I would creep down stairs and greet my mom, who was making breakfast (she has been waking up earlier to get head of me). As I waited for my lazy sister and Dad to drag themselves out of bed, I would finish my homework or read. When they finally came downstairs, we would all eat breakfast and I would go to school.
 
So in conclusion, I am an early bird. I cannot stay in bed in the mornings. What about you? Are you an early bird or an night owl?

April 29, 2014 Book Thoughts 4 Comments on Night Owl or Early Bird?

0 4 Tongues Made of Glass

if only
our tongues
were made
of glass
 
how much
more careful
we would be
when we
speak
 
—Shaun Shane
 
I really like this poem because it uses a metaphor to explain that we need to watch our words when we speak. Some people talk without thinking, and they end up hurting others. In this poem, the author says that if our tongues were made of glass, we would be more careful with it, because glass is fragile. In real life, even though our tongues are not made from glass, we still need to be careful with our words so we don’t hurt anyone else.

April 22, 2014 Book Thoughts No Comments on 0 4 Tongues Made of Glass

Challenge Week 5: Childhood Pillow

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When I was little, I had a pillow that I needed to go to sleep. The pillow was made out of silk and it was the smoothest cloth ever. It had a checkerboard pattern of red and blue and it was cool to the touch.

 

I am pretty sure that my family bought the pillow in China. One afternoon, as I was playing in my parents’ bedroom, I found it. Then as fast as my little, chubby feet could carry me, I brought the pillow to my room and exchanged pillows with my parents. I used to attack me pillow and pretend that my pillow was an enemy invader. Using my short arms, I would spin the pillow over my head around and around. Whoosh! The pillow went as it flew across the room. I had deafened the invader. When it was my bedtime, and I had to go to sleep, I would always use my pillow. As soon as I had I laid my head on it, my eyes would close instantly and I would fall asleep. I loved my pillow and used it every day and night.

 

Now that I am older, I do not need a special pillow to go to sleep, and I don’t fight imaginary enemies anymore. But still, sometimes, on warm nights, I wish that I still had my pillow.

Photo Credit: “Bed Bath & Beyond.” Silk Pillows. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2014. .

April 7, 2014 Book Thoughts 3 Comments on Challenge Week 5: Childhood Pillow

Challenge Week 3: 5 Useful Apps

Everyone has apps on their phone or tablet. I have around 50 different applications on my iPad. Each one is useful in its own way. But since I cannot describe all 50 apps, here are my most favorite, most useful apps.

 

Wolfram Alpha: Wolfram Alpha is probably one of the most powerful calculators available to you and me. Using it, you can solve simple arithmetic to complex equations. Need help on your math homework? Wolfram Alpha can get it done for you. Type in whatever you want, press enter, and poof all the different solutions, graphs, and extra information are there in front of your eyes. Wolfram Alpha can also solve not only math but science, literature, and lots of other topics. Also, there are funny things like, “What are two things that are infinite?” And Wolfram Alpha will reply, “The universe and human stupidity.”

 

CalenMob: CalenMob what keeps me organized through out my busy day. You can set it to automatically receive all of your homework for the day or you can type it in yourself. It also allows you to sync it with your Google Calender so you don’t have to keep on typing the same thing over and over. CalenMob lets you set different color, time or all-day, repetition, reminders, and much more. With CalenMob, you can keep organized throughout your busy life.

 

Skyward: This useful app allows me to check and manage my grades in school. Some schools don’t use Skyward, but for the schools that do, this app is really handy. it shows all if the missing assignments in red so you can easily tell what you need to work on. A simple 4 digit pass-code can bring all of your grades in front of your eyes, without having to tediously and slowly type in your username and password. Now I can check my grades as only as I have my iPad with me.

 

DocAs: DocAs allows you to convert any thing into a PDF in DocAs. Then you can highlight things, write things, and much more. If you need print, you can convert it into DocAs and then print. If you have an electronic paper, and the teacher is requiring you to highlight and write other notes in it, DocAs can do whatever you need. Its simple format allows you do everything you need to do quickly.

 

Super Stick Man Golf 2: Ahh, finally done with all of my homework. It is now time to relax with some games! Super Stick Man 2 golf is an extremely fun and simple game where you try to hit the ball into the hole with the least number of strokes possible. Various traps like acid and lasers make it challenging and engaging at the same time. This game also has lots of power-ups like the Nitro Ball and the Super Ball. Different clothing and hats also giver different results. For example, the Viking hat lets you have no penalties for hitting the ball into the water.  SSMG2 is a great game if you got some time to relax.

 

These five apps are the most useful to me. There are a lot more but I strongly recommend you trying some of these apps.

March 26, 2014 Book Thoughts 1 Comment on Challenge Week 3: 5 Useful Apps

The Phantom’s Lair (From the “Phantom Of The Opera”)

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     The lights blurred into gray as Christine and the Phantom stepped thought the mirror. Streaks of black flew passed them as they traveled at warp speed. Suddenly, an oval of swirling gray opened up in front them. The Phantom’s icy, cold hand grasped Christine and pulled her through. They were here, the Phantom’s lair.
     “Welcome to my lair,” the Phantom said, his voice ringing musically across the stone walls. A few lonely candles flickered, causing the shadows in the lair to move about. A grand pipe organ, make of stone and painted black, stood in a corner of the lair. The candles’ fiery gaze swept over the organ and caused it to look dark orange. Toward the opposite side, a huge lake sat, disappearing into the darkness. A pile of bones was left in the shadows, almost completely hidden, but Christine’s keen eyesight caught it.
     “Please make yourself at home,” the Phantom told Christine, as he strolled over to the pipe organ. The Phantom sat down on the stone bench and raised his hands to the keys. Slowly at first, one note after another, came from the pipe organ. But soon the notes speed up, accelerating away. A few second later and the notes were coming like a downpour, rushing down. It was beautiful and enchanting at the same time. The Phantom’s hands struck what seemed like every key on the organ. And the Phantom began to sing…

Photo Credit: morguefile.com

March 5, 2014 Book Thoughts No Comments on The Phantom’s Lair (From the “Phantom Of The Opera”)

What Makes A Great Leader

To become a great leader you need many skills. All the great leaders in the world have them. Some people are born to become great leaders, while others are not. If you do not have the skills, you will never be able to become a great leader. A great leader is made of these several skills.

 

Great leaders need to believe in other people. Without it, you will never accomplish anything. For example if a war General does not believe that his army will win the battle, his army is doomed to lose. Same goes with life. You need to believe in your partner that he will do his part and not let you down. It is not possible to do everything by yourself. Without the help and support of others, you won’t succeed, much less become leader.

 

Having endurance is also important. When everything looks down, and looks like a dead end after all you been through, you need endurance to get through. You cannot just quit on yourself and others. Thomas Edison took over 1000 tries to make the light bulb. Usually, other people will just quit after around 20 or less failures. Even if someone gets to 100 failures and doesn’t quit is good. But Edison took over 1000 tries to make the light buld. You have to never give up.

 

There are several different needed skills to become an awesome leader. A leader need all of there skills to become successful.

February 11, 2014 Book Thoughts 4 Comments on What Makes A Great Leader

Pep Rallies

We are having a pep rally at our school. Some people can’t wait for it, while others groan. I am in the middle. I think pep rallies have some good and some bad.

 

At pep rallies, someone usually goes up front and hypes everyone up. If you are in a bad mood, a pep rally may just be the thing for you. For example, if you got a bad grade in science, a pep rally can allow you to forget it. There are also some fun games students get to play with a few teachers, like 3-point basketball shooting, and really crazy ones like skateboard racing with toilet plungers.

 

A pep rally is also a good way to take your mind off current situations. If you just need a brake from school, pep rallies are good for that too. Like if there is a huge test coming up, a pep rally allows you to miss about 45 minutes of class, so you probably won’t have a test in that day.

 

However, pep rallies have their negative points, too. Pep rallies at my school take up your advisory period. Advisory is the only free time your get to do your homework. Usually I have a ton of math homework. No advisory equals more–a lot more–homework. Without advisory time, you have a lot more homework to do at home.

 

Sometimes, pep rallies can get a little boring. When they’re announcing everything they have to announce, face it, it gets boring. “And now please greet the boys eighth grade basketball A team. The players are…blah, blah, blah. Also please acknowledge the boys eighth grade basketball B team. The teammates are…blah, blah, blah. Don’t forget the boys seventh grade basketball A team with…blah, blah, blah. Also there is the boys seventh grade basketball B team. The players are…blah, blah, blah. Now to the girls…blah, blah, blah.” Also sometimes the “performance” and “cheers” get really boring.

 

I like pep rallies because you get to miss some of school, but I don’t like the longer homework time required (who does?).  Pep rallies are fun, but they have many cons.

February 6, 2014 Book Thoughts 3 Comments on Pep Rallies

My Favorite Mistake

My Favorite Mistake

My mouth started to water as soon as I stepped into the restaurant. The delicious aroma of food filled the room. The sizzle of fried noodles, the mouth-watering scent of spicy chicken and vegetables, even the sight of the platters of food made my stomach grumble. My family and I quickly stepped in line to order. Luckily, we didn’t have to wait for long.

“I would like a one main and four slides,” I told the waiter.

“Are you sure you can eat it all?” my mom asked my with an unbelieving face. I had ordered the maximum possible combination.

“Sure I’m sure,” I replied. I was hungry–very hungry.

“Well okay then,” my mom said, still with a doubting face. I selected my order, steamed rice, golden shrimp, steak with green beans, sweet and sour orange chicken, and stir-fried noodles. I sat down on the leathery, comfortable seat; my stomach rumbling with anticipation of what it thought was going to be a good, full meal. Unfortunately for me, things were not going to happen that way at all.

 

I took a piece of sweet and sour orange chicken and popped it into my mouth. Orange sauce flooded into my mouth. I closed my eyes and let the taste overwhelm me. Soon the food was flying into my mouth. The delectable tender steak was juicy and flavorful–the flavor burst into my mouth, dancing on my taste buds. The golden shrimp was perfect, spiced up by a variety of herbs. I devour the meal, savoring every bite.

 

Soon, I was starting to get a bit full. But I had said that I was going to finish the whole plate and I didn’t want to disappoint my mom. So I kept on eating. The food now didn’t taste as good as it had started and didn’t seem so delicious as before. I scooped the last bite out of my plate and dumped it into my mouth. I chewed slowly and swallowed. “Ooo,” I groaned to myself. I had done it. I finished eating. It didn’t feel that bad; it actually felt kind of good. Waiter came and took away my plate and asked me if it was good. “Yes,” I replied and I meant it.

 

 

After dinner we went shopping, and I started to regret eating so much. Pain slowly started to creep outward from my stomach. After my family and I picked up some fruits–my stomach felt like it would explode! It was as if someone was pinching, squeezing, and twisting my stomach. My stomache was bursting, almost literally. The excruciating pain was overwhelming. I had over-eaten, no, over-over-eaten. I endured the pain for a long time. I just wanted to go home and lay down, but my mom had so much to buy. It may have just been a few minutes, but it felt like eternity. Soon–no, not soon–a long time later, the pain slowly started to fade away. “Ooo,” I sighed again with relief. The pain was gone, but I had learned my lesson.

 

Ever since, I never again wanted to over-eat. I learned my lesson. Even though how much you need something, food, for example, it is never good to get too much of it. It was a mistake, but I am glad that I made it. This is my favorite mistake.

January 31, 2014 Book Thoughts 1 Comment on My Favorite Mistake
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