JUNIOR YEAR...OVER**

I cant beleive im officially a senior! wooop! I have began to notice alot of freedoms i now have that i didnt as of about two years ago. Its great! My best friend Deirdre, and I drove to Missouri, Jonesboro, and Conway by ourselfs just these past few months. Im getting a job this summer and i have been babysitting. I also find school work easier to do because i see the bennifit of it in the long run. Im hoping my senior year will be a little less stressful than my junior year was but if its not, it will be ok. After all, senior year does prepare me for college. So...bring it on LIFE!

The Wrestling Match

Buchi Emecheta's short story, The Wrestling Match, is a tale of a small town in Nigeria, Africa who is having some problems with their young. The elders dicide to use their knowledge on things such as these and devise a plan to prove a very important point to the younglings. That point is, "In a good war, nobody wins." In the end that point is proved and widely understood. This book had an ending i would have to say i did not expect, but was pleased with.

Night

Eli Wiesel's novel, Night, was a heart wrenching tale of this Holocaust survivor himself. It told of his starvation, work, blood, sweat, tears, and loss of beloved family. In the end he was alone. It was only him, and his testimony. Reading this book really put the holocaust into perspective for me. How harsh those times where! I had no idea. God bless those who had to go through that.

Pretty Little Liars

Sara Shepard's novel, Pretty Little Liars, is the first book of a series. I greatly enjoyed reading this book. It is based in a small rich town called Rosewood Day. The main characters are five girls who are the best of friends. Suddenly, out of the blue, one of the girls named Alison goes missing. Now the police are on a huge search for where she could be. Is she dead? That is the question that haunts each of the girls every day. When the girls start receiving texts signed "A" from an unknown number, they begin to wonder if Ali really might still be alive. Then, their worst fears are confirmed. Ali's body is found. The police question the girls on anything, and everything they know. The only problem is, the things that they know that might help, they cant tell because this information could be quite self incriminating. Now its up to the girls to figure out who did it since they cant give the police any information on their dark secrets. Who is "A" if Ali is dead? Did "A" kill Ali? If not, then who did?

WEB TECH TOOL*

My favorite web-tech tool that I have used this year is Google. I know its what everybody uses, but its so handy! All one has to do is simply type in a question, topic, or key word, and hundreds of sites come up all in one place. Its an easy way to find the best sites on a specific topic. I used Google on every project we were assigned...all year! Thanks Google, for making it so easy!

FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE HOLOCAUST

THE HOLOCAUST WAS EVEN MORE TERRIBLE THAN I HAD EVEN THOUGHT. THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE DIED JUST BECAUSE ONE MAN DIDNT CARE FOR THEM. THAT WAS SO WRONG. I GENUINLY HOPE THAT NEVER HAPPENS AGIAN. RESEARCHING THIS TOPIC REALLY OPENED MY EYES TO HOW HARSH THING REALY WHERE.

<3*P*R*O*M*<3

THIS WAS MY FIRST YEAR TO GOT TO PROM. I HAD A GREAT TIME! ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS CAME DOWN FROM MISSOURI TO BE MY DATE. HE BROUGHT HIS BEST FRIEND DJ WITH HIM TO BE DEIRDRE'S, MY BEST FRIEND, DATE. ISNT THAT CUTE?? AWWWW! HAHA. WE GOT DRESSED AT MY HOUSE AND TOOK PICTURES ON MY DECK BY MY POOL FIRST. THEN WE ALL GOT IN GRANT'S SUV. GRANT IS MY DATE'S NAME. WE WENT TO EAT AT ITALIAN GRILL BEFORE GOING TO THE SCHOOL. RISKY IF YOU ASK ME! WE COULDA GOT SPAGHETTI SAUCE ON OUR PRETTY OUTFITS! LUCKY FOR US WE DIDNT. AFTER EATING, WE WENT TO THE SCHOOL TO GET OUR GROOVE ON. HAHA. ME AND KAYLA DANCED AND HAD FUN. DEIRDRE, HOWEVER, WOULD NOT DANCE. THATS MY SHY LITTLE BEST FRIEND. I LOVE HER TO DEATH. WE TOOK PICTURES WITH FRIENDS AND THEN LEFT AFTER ABOUT THREE HOURS. WHEN WE GOT BACK TO MY HOUSE MY MOM HAD LOTS OF SNACKS FOR US AND WE GOOFED OFF ALMOST ALL NIGHT. THE NEXT DAY WE HUNG OUT SOME MORE, BUT THEN THEY HAD TO GO HOME.

My Holocaust Haiku...

In memory of
those past and persecuted,
we write this haiku.

*SpRiNg BrEaK*

I had the most amazing spring break this year I think I will ever have! When I learned that we would be writing this blog on reflections on spring break, I was so excited because I knew that I would be able to write and write and write about it and never run out of interesting things to tell.
First, I am going to tell you were I went and why. Then, I am going to expand on that and tell all the fun and interesting detail that went on during my stay.
My family and I decided that this would be as good a year as any to go to Singapore. Why? My cousin, whose name is Lance, lives there and works at a Singaporian school as an elementary teacher. So, we were going to visit him. He had always wanted us to come see him in Singapore, but as you can guess, that is a very long and expensive trip that cannot be planned on a whim. However, this year, after much saving and planning, we were able to go to the far away country of Asia!
Our treck started in the Memphis airport at around 6:00 am. We flew from Memphis to Minapolis, which took only two hours. Then from Minapolis to Tokyo...this trip took all in all, 12 hours. Ughhhh! It was horrible! Next, we flew from Tokyo to Singapore, this last flight took 7 hours.
After all those hours of travel on an airplane, we were a mess. My cousin picked us up at the Singapore airport around 2 a.m, their time. We then went back to his apartment, where we would be staying for the following week.
The next day, we went and did many thing that were much different than here in the U.S. We went to the market and bought fresh fruit, we went to the HUGE Singapore zoo, we walked everywhere, and we also went to the movies. The movies was my favorite activity because it was the nicest movie theatre i have EVER been to! All the seats were recliners and in between every seat was a small table. On this table the was a button the call your waiter...yes, we all had our own waiters. Neat huh? They served us our meals and deserts and drinks and candy. It was fun.
After spending a few days in Singapore and meeting Lance's native friends, we took yet another plane trip (this one only an hour) to Phuket (Poo-ket), Thialand. I have to say that Thialand was my favorite place that we went the entire trip. We stayed at a hotel right off the town square, just a five minute walk from the beach. Phuket is far different than the industrialized city of Singapore. It has only small shops in the square as appose to Singapore's Prada and Gucci stores. Much to my liking, we spent most of our time there at the beach, drinking yummy tropical drinks.
A more exciting thing we did while we were in Thialand, was go scuba diving. My dad, my brother, and I are the only certified one of the family so naturally we were the only ones to go. It was amazing! I saw annimonies, and tons of fish! I even saw a Sea Urchin! Well, to be more specific, I actually saw about five hundred sea urchins.
After we were finished scuba diving, I went and got a henna tatoo right on the beach while my mom got a thia massage on the sand. We stayed there on the island we scuba dived off of, almost all day.
After three days in Thialand we returned to Singapore. That next day my mother and I went to a local taylor and had me measured for a custom designed prom dress. In two days it was finished! It fits me perfect and I love it.
The very next day we were back on our way home to Batesvegas! We took the same torturous plane ride home.
Now I can officially say, Asia is great, but im glad to be home.

"The Great Gatsby" by Scott Fitzgerald

Scott Fitzgerald's novel, The Great Gatsby, is a classic novel that has been read, taught, and spoken about for years. This is the novel my English 11 teacher, Mrs. Gillmore, had chosen for us to read this past nine weeks.

This book was not so much my type, but being a classic, a did not despise it. It seemed alot like a sop opera to me. With the married couple who is falling apart, the cheating husband, the day dreaming wife, the stalking neighbor, the secret, forbidden love. Its all a bit much if you ask me.

The last few chapters of the book however had me gawking. I was shocked at the accurence of such things as what happened to Mertle and Gatsby himself. It was all so unfair!

I suppose i would recomend this book to anyone that enjoys classics and/or sop opera-ish writing styles.

"13 Reasons Why" by Jay Asher

Jay Asher's novel, Thirteen Reasons Why, is an real eye opener. It really brought me to realization as to how careful we should be even during our daily lives. Anything said or done on a passing could hurt someone far more than ever anticipated.

This novel describes one girls struggle with the hardships and trials of teen years. Her only problem, things keep adding up and she decides she cant take it anymore. Before committing suicide, she creates tape recordings of herself telling the 13 reasons why she is dead. These tapes are sent to specifically chosen people who will now and forever know what their actions have caused.

This is a heavy read. Its sad and it definitely tugs on those heart strings, but it is still completely worth your time. Read this novel and open your eyes to what is really going on around you. You'd be surprised at the signs you see.

"The Oath" by Frank Peretti

Frank Peretti's novel, The Oath, surprised me with its intense ability to draw the reader into the story. I literally could not put this book down! It had me hooked from the very beginning.



"She ran, tree limbs and brambles scratching, grabbing, tripping, and slapping her as if they were bony hands reaching for her out of the darkeness". This is the very first sentence of the book. Intriguing? Most definitely!! It only gets better with every paragraph.



This novel is simply chalk full of twists, turns, and unexpected triangles. There is absolutely no predicting the end and that end is certainly no dissapoinment.



This novel depicts the stuggles of a man dealing with himself in the midst of great trials. When he finally comes to realizations as to what he is dealing with,

The Kite Runner: Bullying

In the novel "The Kite Runner" Amir is the ultimate bully to a young boy named Hassan, who just happens to be his best friend. It is completely evident that Amir and Hassan were made for each other. Amir has a superiority complex that he takes out on his friend because he cannot take it out on anyone else. Hassan has a submission problem so he just lets Amir do and say what ever he wants and treat him how ever he wants without complaint. Amir i think bullies because his dad is big and tough and expects Amir to follow in his footsteps. 

The Crucible: Characterization

In the novel "The Crucible" there are tons of characters, but there are only a few main characters.  Those characters are, Abigail Williams, John Proctor, Elisabeth Proctor, Rev. Parris, and Rev. Hale. There are others but these seem to be the most crucial. The first of these is Abigail Williams. She is Rev. Parris's niece and lives with him and his family because her family died. She is totally and completely self centered and spiteful. She cares for no one but herself and does whatever it takes to get what she wants. John Proctor is a good, kind, and honorable gentlemen. He made a mistake with Abigail but he is truly sorry and plans to never let anything like that happen again. He refuses to be a part of Abigail's scheming and turns himself in instead. He will not let Abigail get her way again. Elisabeth Proctor is wary towards Abigail and has every right to be. She never lies but is forced to do uncharacteristic things to protect her husband all because of Abigail. She is humble and takes what Abigail dishes out without retaliation. Rev. Parris complains all the time and thinks everyone is against him. He accused everyone of sin and always preaches about hell, fire, and brimstone which makes everyone resent him. Rev. Hale at first thought he was well informed on evil spirits and such but when he came to salem to fix their "witch problem" he was surprised by what he found. He knew Abigail was lying but no one would believe him. He was with John and Elisabeth. He knew they were the honest ones but they where alone in there knowledge about Abigail's lies.

Half over all ready??

I cannot believe my junior year is already half over! I had so much fun this past semester with my best friends Kayla Vise and Deirdre Keyes. I know already that without them, this year would have been awful. My courses are pretty hard this year and without them, it would have been all work no fun. =[ That would not have been good! Even though im not even a senior yet, im already feeling that good ol' senioridous. Im so excited about graduating and it gets closer and closer with every passing day. This past semester has been great, I hope i can say the same about this one at the end of the year.

The Crucible

The classic and renown novel, "The Crucible" is absolutely full to the brim with instances of bullying on many characters part.  The most obvious of these characters is, of course, Abigail Williams. Her incredible lack of concern for others is completely shocking.  She is the perfect example of teen selfishness, on a slightly higher scale...i should hope.  She uses the extreme suspicion of the time towards witches and witchcraft to her favor a totally sick manner that is taken way to far.  She accused innocent people,whom she has grown up with, of witchcraft all to just make her accusatory story towards Elisabeth Proctor more credible.  She wants Elisabeth's husband, so she decides the easiest way to get her out of the way is to have her killed, and what better way to do that than accuse her of witchcraft? 

The Kite Runner

In the novel "The Kite Runner" a young boy named Amir learns that the past always catches up to you and the only thing you can do is use every resource you have to make it right.  Amir was extremely lucky to have a friend as compassionate and true as Hassan.  Anyone else would have turned and left Amir to his own arrogant self, but Hassan didn't.  Even though Hassan was caused all sorts of grieving and pain on Amir's behalf, when it all came down to it, Hassan still trusted Amir to handle everything and make it all right.  After reaping the consequences of his mistakes, Amir was made a much better and wiser person.