New stuff

I WANT AN iPad SOOOOO BADLY!!! :)

Dance

Last tuesday during luch, a lot of kids went down to the Bali Stage for the Clubs Fair. The Club Fair is basically a chance to sign up for anything that you want to do afterschool like horseback riding, scuba diving, frisbee, and a bunch of other other stuff. Teachers set out a bunch of tables with sign-up sheets on them and we just write in our name, ID number, cell number, and something else.

The top 3 clubs that I were thinking about were: (1) Drama Club (they get to do this production type of thing) (2) Improv Club (playing a bunch of games the whole time, like in drama :D) (3) Dance club :)

Val and I signed up for Dance club. I signed up for it because (A) Drama club was already full by the time I got there (B) I like to dance (a lot) (C) Val was thinking about doing it as well (ok, well not exactly. I kind of made her sign up.)

Today we have auditions. On the announcements, they said that nobody would get kicked out (which made Val kind of disappointed :D), the auditions are only for seeing what level you are and what group you need to be put in. We can also pick the days we can attend, then Ms. Parent will put us in the group that rehearses on those days. I'm doing Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday because (1) I have KUMON on Monday and Thursday (2) Nora has basketball on the same days and we can hang out by the buses together. Val is doing Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

Point is, today is auditions and I am REALLY EXCITED AND NERVOUS. Wish me luck!! :P

Why Is Haiti So Poor? - Haiti History

1) Haiti has been a big victim of hurricanes since 2008.
2) 80% of the population is living in poverty.

3) Two thirds of the population is living off substience farming are vulnerable to tropical storms that ruin their crops and erode the land

4) Most of the population works in the farming division.

5) Not a lot of industries are found around Haiti, so to make money, most citizens have to sell old clothes, soap, and pencils

6) In the 17th and 18th centuries, Haiti was one of the richest countries in the world.

7) Haiti doesn't trade with other polity outside the country a lot.

8) There isn't a lot of coherent cash crop in Haiti since the plantations were separated into individual land parcels.

9) Haiti has a considerable lack of human natural resources.

10) The Haitian population doesn't have gread industry skills, therefore, Haiti wasn't allowed to trade with the rest of the world.

Blue And White Day Video

Here is a video of me and my friends going all out last Friday for Blue and White day. Enjoy!!

10 Vocab Sentences

1) Grimy sculls have been rotting for thousands of years inside the underground catacombs.

2) The arsonists burned down the building on purpose.

3) I manipulated my sister by telling her to ask my mom if we could have ice cream when I already had some.

4) Most businessmen feel very submissive when they are near President Obama.

5) In 1776, cobblestones were a very practical way of paving streets.

6) The assailant led the attack on the captain when the ship got maroooned.

7) To be a mountain climber, you have to be very meticulous because if you forget something, you can be in grave danger.

8) Calvin and Hobbes are inseparable.

9) You normally feel obliged to do something for someone if they have done something for you.

10) In soccer, it is very easy to decieve someone by going one way, then suddenly changing direction.

DOG!

For a long time, I have been bugging my parents to get me a pet. I was really laying it on them last week when my mom suggested that I write a 'proposal.' She said that a proposal would: (1) strengthen my persuasive writing skills :D (2) how that I was responsible enough to take care of one by telling her what I would do to take care of it. So I did a little research.

I always thought cats were cute and all (and I really wanted one for almost four years.) But my mom brought a few things to my attention: (1) Here, the cats are small enough to crawl through the barbed wire on top of the walls and can go into someone elses yard (2) If the cat is let outside, it has an opportunity to go through the garbage can (3) can jump the pool fence and drown :( (4) will take a long time to get trained to the litter box. And as you have probably guessed, I don't want to walk around my house stepping in cat poop. So I looked at dog breeds.

There was this really informative website with this HUGE list of dog breeds. I wanted a German Sheperd, BUT my mom said that it might not be good when we have guests over AND the dog I picked couldn't be huge. So I picked a small dog that looked kind of like a German Sheperd with a funny name: a Shiba Inu.

THEY ARE SOOOOO CUTE!! They make good guard dogs but can be agressive. Shiba Inu's are also hyper a lot (like me) and need a lot of exercise. I thought about this and made a really good four-page-long (including cover page) proposal and sent it downstairs.

The next morning, my mom and dad came to talk to me about it. They said it was really well written and sounded like I was going to do a lot to take care of it. BUT...they said I had to pick a different breed because they could be a bit agressive with strangers

:(. I guess I have to keep looking.

Haiti Disaster 2

There is no other word for it: Chaos. Thousands of Haitian's are being dug up from meters of concrete near broken buildings. Orphans are being sent to the US for better protection because no one can protect them with the crisis around them. US troops are doing the best to provide healthcare, but wounded citizens are dying right before their eyes: "It is a if living in a nightmare." 

Many Red Cross workers state "It it a very tough situation. Thousands of Haitian's on the streets need care immediately or they will die of bacterial infection or major blood loss. There are over 20,000 people waiting for food, water, and medication. I hope with all my heart that we will be able to help them, but so little time." 

Haitian orphan's are being relocated to the US and Canada as a result of the earthquake. Many websites; such as Youtube, Freerice, and other charity sites, have been raising money for Haiti from the number of views the site or video receives. Many new families are extremely happy together, mainly because the orphans were toddlers and don't remember their parents very well.

Haiti is holding together with our help, but for how long?? 

Haiti Disaster 1

On January 12, 2010 Haiti was directly above the epicenter of an earthquake measuring 7.0 on the richter scale. Most news stations report that 100,000 people were killed, but they aren't certain. As you can see in the picture above, a lot of injured people have been carried away in the beds of trucks. A lot Haitian's say "It feels like the end of the world." It's a really sad thing to think about because most of the population lives on $2 dollars a day, so I don't think that they can see a good doctor. The Red Cross has been hard at work though. About 1,000,000 people have been helped by them. I hope with all my heart that the Haitian's will have a better future. But we still have a lot to go through before then.

Trust

Yesterday, I was finishing up my homework on the floor in my parents bedroom when my sister asked my dad for a flashdrive. I was jealous for a few reasons: (1) my flashdrive is really old and doesn't have a lot of space left on it (2) has been through the washing machine twice and I don't think works anymore (3) I don't know why my sister needs one anyway. My dad willingly agreed. Then I thought, 'Hey. My sister asked really nicely for a flashdrive and she got it. Maybe if I ask really nicely I can get the laptop that I wanted for Christmas...or better yet, offer to pay more than half the price!' So I asked my dad,

"Daddy, I am willing to pay more than half the price for a laptop or new iPod, since mine is wearing out and all."

Ok. I realize that wasn't exactly a question, but was a pretty good offer. My dad was about to say something when my sister said,

"Oh ya! Daddy? Do you know those new nanos that have the video camera on the back? Can I please have one of those? They have a plug-in for headphones so you can listen by yourself, or you can take the headphones out and it will play through this special speaker! My friend has one and she said they are really cool. Plus they come in different colors!"

Then my dad said to her, "Well, that is something to hope to get for your birthday." Then he looked at me. "Maya, how many times have you lost your phone?" I didn't really like where this conversation was going. "Um...3 times?" "Do you think that you deserve a laptop at the moment?" I was really not liking this. "Um...no?" "I am glad that you are willing to help pay for the laptop, but the truth is, I was going to get you one for Christmas, but your mother and I have decided that we can't trust you." Now I was kind of confused. "What?" "Your mother feels like she has to lock the office door to keep you from using the computer there! Do you know how that makes us feel?" I was a bit shocked. "You have to show more responsibility before you can get things like that. Maybe you should follow your sister's example. She hasn't lost her phone ONCE. So if we can learn to trust you, maybe you will get one." Then he left.

So, I think, the whole point of that speech was to tell me to: (1) get my act together (2) do something that will get my parents trust back (3) to now copy Cecily (4) to not lose my phone anymore. So basically, don't expect anything if you can't follow the rules.

My Vacation

Winter vacation went pretty well for me considering what I did. For most of the vacation, I watched A LOT of movies. Mainly the Harry Potter series. Ok ok ok. I admit it. I had never seen Harry Potter before the break. I already had the first 3 movies at my house but never watched them before. So when my sisters friend Jessica came over, we all watched the 3rd movie. Lets just say we got addicted. Here is how many times we watched each movie this break:

• 2 - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
• 4 - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
• 5 - Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
• 4 - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
• 4 - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
• 2 - Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
  

We have an American DVD player upstairs, so we could only see the first three up there. We kept on harassing our dad to let us see the other ones downstairs, but he watch ESPN or something, and installed a multi-system DVD player upstairs so we could see them all and leave him in peace. The time I went to bed during the Potterfest was about midnight, and because of that, I got up between 9 - 10:00 in the morning. The only other movie we saw besides that was Shrek the Third. That makes up for all the time away from the cinema, don't you think?

Staying home was ok considering the circumstances. As you saw earlier, I watched a buttload of movies and stayed up until I was forced to close my eyes. But it was also a good time for me to read. I read at least 10 books over the break: Hoot, The Legend 

of Holly Claus, The Last Olympian, The Battle of the Labyrinth

InuYasha

Volume 1, InuYasha Volume 2, Ranma 1/2, Savvy, Project Paris, and the Wednesday Wars. I have read so many it will take me a while to post them 

all. Also a good time to exercise...I mean swim. :D My dad, sister and I went and bought these huge inflatable boats (big enough for me to stretch my legs out) with oars and everything and let us use them on our pool. Swi

mming in our pool is usually a lot of fun because: (1) we bring the iPod dock outside (2) my sister and I always come up with fun games and contests (3) it is almost always sunny outside. But these past few days the chemicals in our pool have gone really weird so we haven't been able to swim much. :( but other than that, A GREAT VACATION!! 

Wow

School is starting tomorrow! It is soooo weird. 3 weeks of weekend and BOOM! school starts. (I have to admit though. 2 weeks of vacation is enough for me. :D) See you guys tomorrow!!

Just to let you know...

I think you all should know: I have to grow my nails out before I get my haircut (and of course, that's not working out at all) so I might not have it when we get back in. :(

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR PEOPLE!! IT IS FINALLY 2010!! YESSSSS!!!