Jack's Strings to Being Alive.

I just finished reading "Prey" by Micheal Crichton, which takes place in the future. A cloud of nano particles which are micro robots which has escaped from the Nevada laboratory in the desert. Jack, who has just been out of a job due to being fired for discovering an internal scandal. He takes the position as a house husband. His wife, Julia is a very high employee at a nano robotics company called Xymos. He begins to suspect things when Julia starts to act strange; coming come late and possibly lying to him. Jack is offered back his position in the company when an "urgent" arises. He now works in the same company as Julia. Strange enough, he finds out stuff that's being hidden away from him. In this blog post, I'm going to write about Jack's relationships with his family and co-workers.

One of Jack's important relationships is his children. Because he's stay at home dad, he is around them all the time.His children ,which consist of his eldest daughter, Nicole, his son, Eric and his littlest daughter, Amanda.  When he leaves for the company, his sister, Ellen, takes care of them. His children do not like her and complain to Jack when he calls home. One thing that shows that he cares about his children is when nearing the end of the story, he is trying to get away from Ricky, who's trying to kill him. He thinks this, "I thought of the kids, waiting for me to come back. I saw them sitting around the table waiting for dinner. And I knew I had to go on no matter what. So I did." This shows that even though his children are very far away form him, he thinks of his children that need him. Because it seems like Julia does not seem to care for her children any more, he has to take good care of them. In my opinion, I think that Jack's relationship with his children gives him hope throughout the story. Without his children, he wouldn't have had the sudden "hope" to fight off the nano-particles.

Another of Jack's relationships is at his job. He develops several kind of connections with his co-workers. One is with Mae who helps him through out the whole thing. She is very suspicious of the whole thing, taking DNA of anything that come sin contact with the nano-particles. Jack and Mae continue to build this relationship when they are on this mission to find out what had happen to their fellow worker, Charley. She helps him find more about the nano-particles than any one else. In addition to being helpful ,she helps him escapes which shows that she does care about his safety, than just finding out what's going on at the company.

These good and well relationships help him stay in the game while many nano-particles are chasing him down. These strong attachments help him build a strong exterior around him, so he doesn't break down while in the process of trying to get rid of the particles. In my opinion  I feel like Jack is being really strong in his situation because like the first victim, Charley, he broke down as soon he saw the first swarm of nano-particles.

This book is really well-written because I'm able to understand what's going on even though I'm just an amateur reader. I hope, I hope, this does not happen in the near future, or the future because it can hurt a lot of people.

Influences on One Protagonist

In the "Case Histories," by Kate Atkinson, the backgrounds of each protagonist all tie up when understanding where each come from. There's a lawyer, Jackson Brodie who everybody in the story have some relation to. The two sisters, Julia and Amelia, only one of Mr.Brodie's clients, come to him with a problem. Their younger sister, Olivia, was kidnapped about 25 years ago. They only came to him now because her favorite doll, The Blue Mouse has been found in their ceased father's desk. This raises suspicion for the sisters. In this blog post, I'm going to be talking about Amelia and the influences on her.

When Amelia is first introduced, she sounded like a really old lady. She is described by Jackson on page 58 as, "one tall heavy, hair graying and falling out of a kind of topknot..." I see old ladies as grandmas sitting on rocking chairs while knitting sweaters for their grand-children. In fact, the "graying" tells me that she's reaching the old age, which completes the "old lady" image. She also proves this when she is compared to her sister, Julia. Julia seems more like a cherry on top of an ice cream person because she seems more of the "flirty" type according to Mr.Brodie. Moreover, Julia and Jackson seem to influencing Amelia to change up her "old lady" nature. For example, at the time being, Amelia is not yet married( she's like forty-ish) she takes a sudden interest in Jackson. When she "invites' him over, she says," Please, Jackson, please come, I need you," which is showing that she's desperate. She's usually not "desperate" which is showing that the sudden appearance of Jackson in her life, she changes her nature for him, so he would take "interest" in her. Another example would be that she pampers herself when she "thinks" that Jackson would be coming by. This shows that she is anticipating that he's coming and she's getting ready for his arrival. In addition to Jackson's influence on her, Julia has some how motivated her to be more out going. This shows up when Amelia thinks that Julia is trying to flirt with Jackson, she feels "concerned" with her status with Jackson. It's like a wolf is in someone else territory, causing the owner to feel threaten. Both Julia's and Jackson's appearances pressure Amelia to change her nature because she feels that she needs to step up her game if she wants to get Jackson.

Over all, Amelia feels threatened that someone is in her territory, which is Julia. Because Julia seems more of a vivid person, Jackson takes more of an interest in her than her sister. In my opinion, I think Amelia is trying to prove her self worthy to Jackson, while trying not to over do it. The influences on Amelia are not bad because they are making her to change up her nature, which is making her realize that she shouldn't be so restricted and should be more outgoing.

(Yea, that's about it. :))

The Interesting Character of R&J

In class and at home, I've been reading Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. We are introduced with the Capulets and Montagues. The rivalry between the two families are very well known. Tybalt, Juliet's cousin and Capulet's kinsman is always trying to start up and fight, while Romeo's cousin, Benvolio is the one trying to keep the peace between the two foes. The character I find most interesting so far is Romeo's friend, Mercutio. The thing I find really intriguing about him is that he has two sides to him. There is one where he is really serious about the matter Romeo and he talk about. Then there's the funny and outgoing side to him.

Mercutio gets serious with Romeo when he's giving advice to him. Well, he's not technically serious and straight-faced, but he is sincere about the advice he gives. For example, in the play, Act 1 Scene 4 pages 43-45, he's trying to get Romeo to go the the Capulet party because Romeo's love, Rosaline is going. (She was his love before he met Juliet.) He gives advice to Romeo as Romeo tries to counter what his friend is trying to help him. Romeo says, 
"Not I, believe me. You have dancing shoes
With nimble soles. I have a soul of lead
So stakes me to the ground I cannot move." In response, Mercutio responds, "You are a lover. Borrow Cupid’s wingsAnd soar with them above a common bound."

Mercutio is trying to help Romeo by trying to boost his confidence. While Romeo feels down and lonely, his friend is giving  him a boost of self-confidence so he's not moping around. Basically, Mercutio is helping out a friend which I can connect to everyday. When I'm comforting a friend, I'm not all giggly. I would be trying to convince them that they're who they are and no one should be stopping them.

On the other hand, Mercutio has this really funny and out-going side to him. Even when he's being serious, he has this really fun side to him. For example, Act 2 Scene 4 page 93-99, he is making fun Juliet's nurse, who comes by to deliver a message to Romeo. Mercutio repeatedly makes fun of the nurse,
"Good, Peter, to hide her face, for her fan’s the fairer face."
"'Tis no less, I tell you, for the bawdy hand of the dial is now upon the prick of noon."
"A bawd, a bawd, a bawd! So ho!"
"No hare, sir, unless a hare, sir, in a Lenten pie—that is, something stale and hoar ere it be spent."
"Farewell, ancient lady. Farewell, lady, lady, lady."
He's making fun of the nurse shows me that he spends his times having fun and relaxing when he's not helping Romeo out with his problems or in an argument with the Capulets. I can relate to  his fun side. Whenever I'm not trying to help my friends out in any kind of way, I'm always goofing of with them. I mean everybody had those two sides them.

In my opinion, that's exactly what I think of a normal person, a person who has a fun and a serious side. But in the play, the characters seem to have only one side to look at. Romeo has the most romanticist side ever. Tybalt seems to be in an aggressive state while Benvolio seems to be the nice person. I mean Mercutio seems to be the only person I can really relate to in any way. 

Keystone Pipeline: The Goods

The article, "Keystone is responsible oil sands development: Column," by Alison Redford is an opinion piece discussing a decision President Obama might make. (Just want to say that Alison Redford is the Premier of Alberta, Canada.) The Keystone Pipeline is pipeline that will  transport oil from the oil sands in Alberta, Canada to several destinations in the USA. Redford talks about how she is very appreciative of what the President is going to do. "I'm proud to say Alberta applauds and shares the president's strong desire to address climate change and we're already taking action," Redford says.  The President in addition is making a choice that allows two countries become better "friends," he's also making a good decision for the environment. The Keystone Pipeline is using clean energy and equipment so greenhouse emissions can be reduced by 32 million tons. The Premier says, "We were the first place in North America to require by law all large industry across all sectors to take action on greenhouse gas emissions... We take the revenue generated from this levy and direct all the money into a clean technology fund." She is very sure that the equipment used for the pipeline will have a great effect on the environment.  In all, Alison Redford wants to thank President Obama for choosing the Keystone Pipeline to be the line supplying the USA oil. 

Alison Redford, in my opinion, wants readers, especially USA citizens to feel very grateful of Canada's resources. She shows in her article by repeating how "green" the pipeline is going to be and how it will reduce greenhouse emissions. She says, "Through our policies and our actions past, present and future, Americans should feel confident that Alberta is the safest, most secure and responsible energy supplier to the U.S. The same cannot be said for the other foreign countries and regimes that currently feed U.S. energy demand." She's saying that Americans should feel confident. It makes me think that she's very confident that we will be approving of the Keystone Pipeline. Redford wants us be almost thanking them for creating a "such-new and improved" pipeline. I mean, of course every county would try to persuade the USA to become a partner, but the Premier has this ego that gives her all the confidence about the pipeline, but not us. Also, Redford wants readers to think that Canada is a great partnership to be in and there are benefits. She's almost sounds like she's posting an ad for Canada's businesses. For example, she says, "We want to be an enabler of good solutions that achieve the outcomes that all Americans and Canadians are looking for. I'm proud to say, Alberta is already leading the way...Over the past several months Alberta has taken a number of strong environmental actions. " She is giving the world of how Canada is going to be helping the USA with oil and the environment. Basically, the Premier wants readers to know that Canada is open for businesses and the Keystone Pipeline is just an example how. 

After reading this article, I learned much from it. I see many beneficial outcomes if the Keystone Pipeline is approved. Canada is helping the USA and themselves in many ways that include county relations and oil. After hearing Alison Redford's view on the Pipeline's good, I feel like I see the benefits of the pipeline, but I actually want to hear the outside of the argument. What are the bads of the pipeline? If it benefits both countries, what would be the disastrous things of it? In conclusion, I learned that the Premier is very grateful for the President and the government for taking the possibility of the pipeline in consideration. 

Bibliography: Redford, Alison. "Keystone Is Responsible Oil Sands Development: Column." USA Today. Gannett, 25 Feb. 2013. Web. 26 Feb. 2013.

Fainting

Jodi Picoult's "The Pact" is an interesting book. it is about two people, Emily and Chris,they've been inseparable since birth. They fall  in love, which was what their families wanted.But a tragedy brings an end to the families. The death of Emily Gold leaves the fingers pointing to Chris, her boyfriend. The families break apart and there are only 2 sides to the event: Chris's and the accusers. Even after finishing the book, my mind is left with questions. The who, what, when, where, why and how questions are in my head. But one of those questions stuck to me.

The author has Chris, the "supposed" killer of Emily, he faints three times throughout the timeline of this book. In the next three paragraphs, I'm going to explain why I think Jodi Picoult repeats the scene three times throughout the book.

The first time Chris faints is right after the shot that killed Emily, on page 3. I feel like the reason he fainted was because of being shocked and confused. Well, mostly shocked because his love of his life has just been shot in his arms. I mean, some events are actually really mind-triggering that make people want to go away. Emily has been with Chris for a very long time, and in the book, Chris's mother says this line, “He cuts himself,'...“And she bleeds." Chris and Emily are inseparable and since one of them got hurt during the "killing," the other feels the pain and automatically they can't do anything  The reason why I think the author had Chris faint after Emily's death is because she wanted the readers to feel that they were really close and that whatever happens to one of them, it happens to the other. 

The second time he faints is on page 215, this is where he finds out that Emily was pregnant with his child.  It is really sad that he didn't know about the child before hand. He says that he would have married Emily if he knew. But then, he thinks, "Maybe Jordan has been right; the pregnancy had been the thing that made her so depressed. But why? They could have gotten married and had the baby; they could have gone together for an abortion. Surely she would have known that they'd figure it out together.  Unless that was exactly what she was afraid of. All of a sudden a powerful rage shuddered through Chris. How dare she depend on him for one thing, but not the other." These lines come after his second fainting. I think that Chris is starting to get angry at Emily for not telling him. He htinks that he might have fixed it, but instead she decides to solbve it herself. Jodi puts the seocnd fainting after the news is out because she wants to give the readers somethig to think about. I mean, everybody in court thinks Chris killed Emily because he didn't want the baby. But now that the readers know, it'll twist the story plot.

Third, on page 386, nearing the end of the book, the judge declares Chris "not guilty." Chris faints after this. The reasons to why I think the author repeats it there is to stress how the trail has been on Chris. He did not if he was going to be convicyted of murder or let go. I mean, all the evidences points to him killing Emily, I mean, hell, if I was one of those 9 juries, I would have voted for "guilty." But Picoult also put the last fainting there to show that the decision could have went either way. Chris had no idea that he was "not guilty." In the end, Chris had a burden on his shoulders, not guilty or guilty, he stills feels the "jail smell " wherever he goes.

In the conclusion, I think Jodi Picoult repeats the event of Chris fainting several times throughout the book, to either stress how Chris is feeling, let the news seep into the reader or to create suspense. Over all, I think Chris has changed a lot throughout the book, form a young higher-schooler to a mature man. the author has done a great job writing the book, and honestly, I think she's one of my favorite authors. 

I Knew You Were Trouble by Taylor Swift

“Once upon a time a few mistakes ago 

I was in your sights, you got me alone 
You found me 
You found me 
You found me-e-e-e-e”

That’s just the beginning of Taylor Swift’s I Knew You WereTrouble, which has recently been released and it hit big.  This song contains a lot of repetition which makes it really catchy.  On the other hand, it doesn’t contain much rhyming, but the repetition gets to the listener’s head. She writes off her songs about the love life of girls.  On Good Morning America on October 8, 2012, Taylor said, “The song is about being frustrated with yourself because here you are heart-broken and you knew when you first saw that person you saw all these red flags and you just went for it anyway, so shame on me.” Personally, I think the song is about how sometimes the going after a person is not right and in the end; you’re just going to be mad at yourself. Overall, I think this song is trying to tell us that sometimes it’s our fault for falling for something or someone.

In the song, there is a lot of repetition that makes the song really catchy. One line would be, “Cause I knew you were trouble when you walked in 
So shame on me now 
You flew me to places I've never been 
'Til you put me down, oh 
I knew you were trouble when you walked in 
So shame on me now 
Flew me to places I've never been 
Now I'm lying on the cold hard ground”

In my mind, I just think the singer, Taylor is saying that she knew the guy is liked was a bad-boy and she took her chances. This is her fault for going after something that signaled “trouble” for her. She’s blaming herself for going after him even though she knew. In addition to that line,

“I guess you didn't care, and I guess I liked that 
And when I fell hard you took a step back 
Without me, without me, without me-e-e-e-e 

And he's long gone when he's next to me 
And I realize the blame is on me.”

The line, “I guess you didn't care, and I guess I liked that,” tells us that Taylor indeed know what she was getting into. As a fan of her music, I can understand what she means when she says, “I guess you didn't care, and I guess I liked that.” Sometimes for other girls, it feels good to be finally “being” with someone and they forget that they’re with that person for the wrong reasons. Lastly,

“And the saddest fear comes creeping in 
That you never loved me 
Or her 
Or anyone 
Or anything 
Yeah,”

This part is where the truth finally sinks in. Taylor finally realizes that the guy didn’t really like her. He was just there and she happened to be there as well. Basically, in the end, even though she was heart-broken, she knew that she was going to end up like that.

The message that sometimes it’s our fault for falling for something or someone does apply to the real world. Girls sometimes fall for the wrong guys. Like in the real world, people tend to go for people “out-of-their-league.” Or maybe they just happen to be there at the same time. Whatever the reason are, being in a relationship with someone who you know will cause pain to you afterwards, you’ll end up blaming yourself for it. It’s actually quite unhealthy to do that to yourself, even though it may feel good for a while, it will cause pain afterwards. So basically I’m trying to say that the song I Knew You Were Trouble is mainly trying to tell us sometimes it’s our fault for falling for something or someone that isn’t right for us. 

Would you...?

I've just recently finished "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson. This is takes place in the not-too-distant future. Seventeen year old Jenna Fox "illegally" survives the accident that many doctors thought she wouldn't. After awakening from a year long coma, she goes through the recovery of memory lapse. On her journey, she learns a lot about her existence. This not-too-distant future has made biotechnological advances that has made synthetic bodies and brains, illegal. Jenna's father works for Bio Gel, the company that has changed everything. They made everything to possible. Blue Goo is artificially oxygenated and loaded with neurochips. They're smaller than human cell and communicate with each other they same way neurons do but faster. Once you have loaded these neurochips with some basic information, they pass on the information to other neurochips and begin to specialize. The most amazing thing is that they communicate the same way human cells. So you pack a human or a lab liver in Bio Gel and let the neurochips do the rest until it can be transplanted into someone who needs it. And guess what? Jenna is basically only 10% of her original person, meaning her parents had her in Bio Gel so she could live.

Isn't that crazy? Would you put someone you love in  the position as Jenna is in?

Jenna's parents had their reasons. On page 116, Jenna finds out that she is "fake." " 'Jenna, what difference does it make? You're still my daughter. That's all that matters-' " This is the response that Jenna's mom, Claire, says to Jenna when Jenna finally understands why her hands don't entwined right and she can't walk. If I was in Jenna position right that moment, I would freaking out. Why am I not like the rest of the world/ What am I? This is basically how Jenna reacts. "My clumsy feet. My legs. Oh, God no." The fact that she has just found out would be like being able to hear a pin drop in a class. It's just shocking news. But what comes after is really surprising and kind of shocking. Her grandmother, Lily says, "Ten percent. Ten percent of your brain. That's all they could save. They should have let you die." That last sentence just shocked me. "They should have let you die." I mean shouldn't she be happy that her grand-daughter is alive. She should be grateful that the technology they have was able to keep Jenna alive? If I was in Lily's position, I would be hugging my grand-daughter, telling her that I loved her, not trying to keep my distance away from her. Who would be that selfish and conceited to be not at least happy that their loved ones were able to survive a year long coma. I mean, I can see why Lily would chose to act that way. Would you want a loved one to be only less than half real flesh and filled with artificial cells in them? I would rather let them die than let than have to live knowing that they weren't really "human."

In my opinion, I wouldn't really have a side to side with I can see the bad and good of letting someone, artifice, live. Who wants to know that someone sitting right next to you, is only half human. That might creep you out that you can't stand having the world to be crawling with fake humans. But on the other hand, there are good. You can have your loved ones back. Though having your loved ones back, the suffering they'd be going through would pain you. They have to learn that they aren't fully human and their memories wouldn't be there. Jenna has had problems trying to remember and some problems with other memories. Such example would be this line, "Let them go." This line stood out to me. This is where she throws out the backups of her friends that died in the accident. Their voices , she hears them every time she slept. Their voices I think represent the link between her and them. They didn't want to be used as an experiment. They wanted to be freed.

In conclusion, there are many reasons for the substitutions of a real human beings with such substitutes as Bio Gel. If I were in Jenna's shoes, I'd try to understand the concept of Bio Gel and what good and bad it does for me. Then I would try to comprehend everything I could understand. Yea, that's how I would try to live my life at the time. I want to see this future. I want to understand it. I want to TIME-TRAVEL. Muwaaahhh Comment your thoughts:)

Sandy Hook Elementary School

About a month ago, a gunman killed 20 children and 6 educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Now, parents and residents of the Connecticut school are debating on what to do with the school.  The article, "Newtown debates future of Sandy Hook Elementary School after tragedy that claimed 26 lives” discuses the opinions of the concerned residents. The shocked residents are, well, in shocked say that they wouldn’t want to send their kids back to the original Elementary school. On the other hand, others want the school to be renovated and to remove the areas where the victims were killed. In the article, the author includes many voices of both sides.

The author wants the reader to feel that their opinion counts to. They name out all the voices of both sides. For example, they quoted Susan Gibney, who lives in Sandy Hook, “I wouldn't want to have to send my kids back to that school. I just don't see how the kids could get over what happened there.” This gives the reader think that the event that happened at the school is already horrible enough. The reminder that the children will have to go through will be horrifying if the school reopens.  On the other hand, Fran Bresson, a retired police officer who attended Sandy Hook Elementary School, thinks that the school should reopen, but “the hallways and classrooms where staff and students were killed should be demolished.” He says, "To tear it down completely would be like saying to evil, 'You've won,’” This says many to the readers. Bresson wants the school to reopen, but with fresh starts in the places of the old ones. The author shows the reader both sides because they want the reader to understand that there are many decisions to be made about Sandy Hook Elementary School. They include quotes from the parents and residents of the school to give us perspectives. They also include decisions that have been made in the previous years about similar situations. For example, the author tells the reader about Columbine High School’s shooting aftermath. The school reopened several months after the shooting. Crews removed the library, where most of the victims died, and replaced it with an atrium. Another school tore down the original school where the shooting took place and built a new school a few hundred yards away.
The author shows the reader many perspectives and the decisions of similar situations in the past.

In my opinion, I think it is really horrible to think of going back to the school without any changes. I mean, if you had to go back to the school, you would feel like the presence of the victims “ghosts” are still there. Or may the fact that it gives you the willies that you are in the same place where the victims were killed. It’s really hard to explain the feelings and thoughts of a person who had to go back to the school where no changes were made. The author has shaped my mind to think in other ways. I mean, I’d like the school to be either torn down entirely or renovated. But then on the other hand, I wouldn’t want my school to be torn down. It’s like taking your home away. The school has created many memories for many students and residents. Tearing it down would be taking a piece of their memories and throwing it out. It’s would not be fair to the ones who
don’t want any drastic changes to the school. I’d like to know the thoughts of the children on what to do with the school. I really want to understand what they feel about the whole situation. I know some are shocked about the whole shooting, but I’m sure they have opinions about what to do with the school. I’d like to also know the thoughts of the children about guns. Because of guns, the shooting happened. Right now, the issue about guns is very worldly. I’d like to know what the children feel about the controversial topic.

So really to sum up, I’d like the residents and parents of the Connecticut school to really think about what they’re going to do about the school; to torn it down completely, to renovate the areas where the victims were killed, or to reopen with no changes. The issue is really hard to think about while knowing that there has to be serious changes happening.

The Protagonists's Influences

"The Future of Us" by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler gives us a peek into what the "future" looks like to another person in a different time period. It is 1996 and "less than half all American high school students had ever used the Internet." Facebook has not been invented yet. Josh gives his long time friend, Emma his CD-ROM and that's where their adventure in the future begins. Throughout the book, I noticed protagonists; Josh and Emma influence each other through the course of Facebook.

Emma has just logged on to her future to find herself unhappy with her life. She feels like she has it bad compared to Josh (because he lives the “perfect life”.) She doesn’t want to live her “future life.” So she decides to change her future by giving her future husband a call, Jordan Jones Jr., making sure she doesn’t meet him in her later life. This action makes me think that Emma is kind of selfish. Emma is selfish because she wants her future to be perfect. Josh’s perfect life made Emma change her future in my opinion is a negative influence. In the book, she decides to call Jordan up to find out what college he’s in, which shows that she doesn’t want to be stuck with Jordan. This leads us up to the negative impact because Emma tries to alter her future. Josh should not be bragging about his future with his money because it will make Emma upset about her own future.

On the other hand, both protagonists do have a positive impact on one another. For example, near the end, both Emma and Josh realize that they have been too into future Facebook that they didn’t even live the now. Emma notices that whoever she ended up “marrying” in the future, she wasn’t happy with any of them. On the other hand, it seemed to Josh that he was living the life, but he didn’t really seem happy with his family. It seemed like Josh was living by the stereotype. This ends up bring Emma and Josh together realizing the answer was there the whole time. (Oh my god! How romantic! Excuse me, I’m really cheesy!) They realize that whoever else they end up with will not make them happy and they were meant to be together. ©

After reading the book, I realized that everybody has an impact on whoever they’re around. I can relate myself to my friends. Well, the other way around. Don’t fan girl this, but my friends are into One Direction and now I’m sort of liking them too. This isn’t necessary a positive or negative impact, but still I mean, look around you. There are so many influences that sometimes you forget.

In conclusion, Josh and Emma influence each other and they find their way into each other’s arms. Awww©So Cheesy

Am I Afraid of What Others Think of Me?

 "The Miseducation of Cameron Post" by Emily M. Danforth is about a gay teenage girl, Cameron. She rebels against her conservative ranch town and she get sent off to a gay conversion therapy center because her family decides she needs to change her ways.I notice many personalities about Cameron; before the discovery of her being gay and after. I think even though Cameron is free-spirited, but is still aware of what others might think of her.

One way which Cameron shows she's aware is when she felts relieved when her parents died. On page 29, she says, "She doesn't know about Irene and me at all. Nobody knows...Mom and Dad don't know about us. They don't know, so we're safe-..." This shows that Cameron is aware of what her parents might think of her "experiment" with Irene because she doesn't want her parents to find out. This is sort of beyond the whole "aware of what people think of her" part. Cameron is worried that her parents are going to find out. When her grandma tells her that she has some bad news, she immediately thinks of Irene and the kissing thing. This action makes me think that Cameron only thinks of the bad things; meaning only the bad things for her. She doesn't think about what her grandma just told her- her parents just died. If I were here, I wouldn't be glad my parents are dead. I would be in grave despair that I just lost both of my parents.

After a few months after her parents' death, Cameron and her friend, Lindsey start to hang out. When they both end up in a changing stall, evidence shows up of their attraction. Cameron is sort of self conscious when she comes out of the booth. Outside the booth, a group of girls on Lindsey's team are aware of what happened. Because of their "masks of disapproval, sneering mouths and squinty eyes," she ran away from them. She tried to "run" away from her problem. She didn't like the fact that the other girls knew because she thought it was sort of easy for her to pretend like nobody else had noticed anything about her, about Lindsey and her. I feel like Cameron only wants the secret to be between her, Lindsey and God. She doesn't want anybody else involved because she thinks that everything would be better if nobody knew at all. I feel like knowing that nobody knows is a great feeling, but it is still a great burden. Like if nobody knows your secret, you feel safe, but at the same time, you feel like you are in closed quarters. No one knows at all. I believe this is how Cameron feels like because she feels better if only a few people know her secret. But I think that maybe int he back of her mind, she feels like she's going to burst if she doesn't tell.

When Cameron discovers her attraction to her friend, Coley, she doesn't feel secure telling her. On page 172-173, Coley says, "We can find you a cowboy in no time. Or two cowboys. Twelve cowboys." In responds, Cameron thinks, "Or how about a cowgirl?" This shows that Cameron wants to show Coley her true self instead of the one she is told to be, but can't because Coley might not agree with her. I think that Cameron has this gut feeling that she is able to tell Coley that she's gay, but then has her 'devil' telling her not to because she doesn't want to 'scare' her away. It shows that Cameron doesn't have a strong "gut-going feeling" because she cares of what others think of her when she tells the world she's gay. It makes me think that Cameron is insecure of herself.

In conclusion, Cameron is really a girl who wants to let the world know who she really is than who she is suppose to be. She feels scared that others will run away from her and ban her to another corner of the world. She wants everybody to know that she is not what everybody wants her to be, she wants to be herself. I feel like that is a big issue in the real world. People should be allowed to be who they are than who they are "suppose to be."

GIRAFFE CAN'T DANCE?

Pictures book are quite entertaining to read for children while messages are hidden within the lines. I've read "Giraffes Can't Dance" by Giles Andreae. There were many messages while one stood out: Don't doubt yourself because others belittle you. Trust yourself.  I got this from when Gerald started to dance. He let himself believe that he was a bad dancer because of what others told him. He didn't realize that he didn't have be what everybody expected him to be. He was own person, meaning that he had his own dancing. 

"Sometimes when you're different you just need a different song." This line comes up in the book when a friend offers Gerald(the giraffe) some advice. I feel like this is very true because everybody is different. Nobody is the same. Everybody has their own sparks in life; they are good at what they are best. Gerald was not good at dancing like his friends. He couldn't dance like the lions, the rhinos, or the monkeys. He felt like he had to dance like his friends, not thinking about how he could dance. When the cricket told him "Sometimes when you're different you just need a different song," Gerald loosened up. He started to dance like he had never before. This shows that Gerald realized his true self.

I also noticed the color of the pictures changed throughout the story. The bright colors I noted was when Gerald was in the middle of the jungle dance floor. The color made me think of how the spotlight was put on him and he felt so embarrassed. All the pressure was on him and there was no one else to comfort him. The dark colors where he was alone in the jungle made me think of calmness. Calmness meaning there was no teasing, bullying, or anything taunting him. He was alone and he could think. The dark color reminded me that sometimes thinking of your problems by yourself helps a lot than having everybody telling you to not do it because you're no good at it. 

Concluding my thoughts, I felt like reading a picture book like an eighth grader was more "meaning" than just reading a regular chapter book. I feel like sometimes the biggest messages can be expressed through simple words and illustrations. 

small and....

I've just finished reading a book called, "Other Words for Love" by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal. Seventeen year old Ari is a fantastic artist. But her best friend, Summer is constantly belittling Ari. This I think is what makes Ari stick in the background; meaning she can't stick up for herself.

One of the lines that show how Summer belittles Ari is on page 183, " 'Oh my God you're kidding me,' ." Summer is referring to Ari's boyfriend who apparently is a "hunk". She says this because she doesn't think that Ari can have a guy like him. She thinks that she is better than Ari and she's the only one that can have a gorgeous guy while Ari can just observe her love life. This makes me think that Summer is just a selfish person. She has no respect for her best friend, which makes me think why is Ari best friends with her when she doesn't have a voice in defending herself. Ari in response thinks , " She meant that Blake was filet mignon and I was Spam, and those two things couldn't possibly go together." She knows what her "friend" means, but she doesn't have the guts to tell her. This is what makes Ari small and scared to speak out.

Another line that I find interesting, which I can't seem to find, but has a lot of meaning: Summer and Ari start to argue. This where Ari realizes that she can have more than one friend, not just Summer. This is where she realizes even though she has drifted apart from Summer, Summer has still stayed by her side. This is where Ari finds her true self. She leaves Summer and finds Leigh and comforts her. This is where she realizes that she has not had a voice in her friendship with Summer. I'm really happy for Ari at that moment but what comes after is kind of "mean". She decides to spend some time with Summer and another time with Leigh. I find this mean because Ari is trying not to confront the problem. She's just trying to hide it so everything feels like normal. I feel like this has made her even more small because she's hiding her friends. She doesn't want to confront her fears, fearing that one day the friends will collide and go away.

After reading the book, I felt like Ari has gone through a significant change from the beginning and end. At the end, she stays friends with Leigh. Even though Summer is gone, she left Ari knowing that she has changed and she is not the same girl who flirts with guys and writes their names down in her dairy. Ari has taught me a lot and I hope her "story" sticks with me when I go off to college.

Relationships and Kid

In "Brooklyn, Burning" by Steve Brezenoff, Kid is a street kid. He has been in and out of his home. Meanwhile his dad doesn't want him in the house, his mom knows nothing about the day his dad kicks Kid out. When Kid is on the streets, he meets new people, his new group of friends. Throughout his friends, each and very one of them is an influence in his decisions. There is Fish, a bar owner; Konny who is wild and does not say to one sexuality; Jonny who seems to be a friendly guy with unlimited supply of drinks and lastly, Felix; him and Kid form a relationship but it doesn't not work out. Scout is later brought into the story, a year after Felix and Kid make flyers to form a band, she shows up on Fish's bar steps looking for Felix. This is the point where Kid's life starts to change. His choices are influenced by his friends and family. His resolutions are dependent on his relationships with each and every one of his peers and family.

Throughout the story, Fish shows up many times. I think she has a lot to do with Kid's decisions, especially him going home. Many times in the book, Fish tries to urge and push Kid into the right direction. For example, on page 23-24, it states, "When we reached the door, it swung open. I hadn't even noticed Fish walking besides us through the bar. 'Where are you sleeping, Kid?' Fish asked as we passed through, into the wee hours. 'The usual, I guess:Felix's old place,' I said. 'Unless you're going to let me crash in the cellar for once?'...'Why do you want to sleep at the warehouse?' Fish said. 'Why do you even want to sleep in the cellar? Why do you keep surrounding yourself with...'"This quotes from Fish makes me think that she really does care about Kid's future. She keeps pushing Kid to go back home and make up with his parents so that he can live a better live. For example, on page 67, it states, "I felt her hand on my shoulder and cringed a little. 'You know,' she said, her voice calm now and soft, 'you could just go home.'" Every time Kid asks if he can sleep in her cellar, she says the same answer, no. She tries to push Kid home instead of living on the streets. Fish is really a caring person who wants the best for everyone.

Another type of relationship that sort of harmed his path going home is his father's. His father is constantly belittling Kid. He doesn't not acknowledge Kid when he's around because I think he is embarrassed by him. For example on page 119-121, it says, "Ms.Weinberg gave a tight smile and said bluntly, 'I'd like to release Kid to your care.''Who the hell is Kid?' I raised my hand at the elbow, shyly, and Dad chortled and shook his head...'And what if we don't want Kid?' Everyone froze and looked at my dad. 'After all, I never heard of anyone named Kid. Shouldn't be my problem, right?'...'I've got the only kid I know who doesn't know whether to be straight or gay or a guy or a girl or what.'...'You know the last time I let any of the guys down at the plant to see my family? Five years, if a day.'' It seems to me that Kid's dad doesn't want to do anything with. He thinks badly of his son and ignores him. He's saying that Kid is a disappointment to his family. On the other hand, his mother is the total opposite of her husband. She adores Kid and when he left, she didn't now what to do. For example on page 124, " I took a step back, widening the space between us even more. The backs of my legs hit the coffee table.'Dad packed my bag. I came home---late---and my bag was on my bed. Dad stood there and told me to leave. He said you didn't want me in your home.  Mom put her hand to her mouth and gaped at me. She hadn't known; for a year she'd thought I'd run away---run away to drink and get stoned and have sex. She'd been listening to Dad, and I haven't been here to tell her some truth. 'Sweetie,' she said,' I didn't know. I never did.'"  Kid's dad was using Kid's mom so that he can get Kid out of his roof. He didn't want Kid in his house, bringing strangers to his house and doing things. He needed something or someone to get rid of him. So he lied to Kid saying that his mom didn't love him anymore. Kid's mom should not have believed her husband. After Kid comes back home, Kid and his mom pout their heart out to each other and they get a little closer. Now that Kid has his mom on his side, I think Kid will live a normal life.

Kid's relationships with his peers and his family definitely has changed the course of Kid's life. Even though some of the relationships had some bad on him, he still had enough to get by there. Realationships in people's lives are helpful in many ways. In the real world, family members help out each other. Like if my sister doesn't know how to do her homework, I'd help her. I would be like Fish, hinting out hints, helping her and sort of telling her to do it herself. Sometimes if the problem is huge, like a pregnant teen, her parents would help and guide her all the way throughout her pregnancy time. Her parents would get her ready when the time comes. You see reader, connections with other people are good even if they have the bad in it. Realationships with others will lead you to the right route :)

Am I Blue?

"Am I Blue" by Bruce Coville is a short story about a boy, Vincent who gets bullied at school for "supposedly" being gay. His eyes are opened to a whole new world when his fairy godfather, Melvin comes for a visit. There are a lot of real world issues in this story such as illusion, false information usage and reality.

Before Melvin opened Vincent's eyes to a whole new world,Vincent and his world was full of misconceptions. For example on page 12, it states, "You told me the theater crowd hangs in here...Groups like that tend to have a higher percentage of gay people, because we're so naturally artistic...Of course, some bozos take a fact like that and decide that everybody doing theater is gay." It id almost like saying all Asians are good at math. And also like popular people should date popular people. It creates an illusion with false information that sometimes gives others hard times.

After Melvin exposes the gaydar, an automatic sensing system that lets you spot people of the similar persuasion, to Vincent, he is shocked to see what he sees. For example on page 12, it states, "But Mr.Alwain, the fat guy  who ran the grocery store, looked like a giant blueberry-----which surprised me, because he was married and he had three kids. On the other hand, Ms.Thorndyke, the librarian, who everybody knew was a lesbian, didn't have a trace of blue on her." Mr.Alwain is married and has three kids, but he is blue all over. It seems to me that he is hiding and trying to live a normal life as possible. Ms.Thorndyke who apparently is a lesbian, she din't have any blue on her. This relates back to pgae12-13, "Can't tell without the spell...Straights are helpless at it. They're always assuming some is or isn't for all the wrong reasons."

When Vincent and Melvin declare Blueday, it means that all the gay people in the country turns blue. When the people figure out what it means, that's where reality comes in. on page 15, "The reaction ranged from panic to hysterical denial to dancing in the streets." This is where the illusion is all shattered. I wonder what is going to happen to people like Mr.Alwain. I mean, they have a family and then BAM! out of the blue(HAHA, get it blue...) they're blue. I know it is going to be chaos, but this is the day where people are going to recognize their true colors.

Melvin has exposed Vincent through new lens to a different real world. He saw himself and maybe you'll see yourself in a way you've never seen yourself before. I'm not saying you are gay, just saying you'll find your true self one day. :))

The Drummer Boy of Shiloh

"The Drummer Boy of Shiloh" by Ray Bradbury is about a boy who is in the Vietnam War. This is his first time in war. Throughout the story, there are many meaningful lines. In my opinion, I think the line "After that he turned the drum on its side, where its great lunar face peered at him whenever he opened his eyes", is one of the most important in the story. In the time of war, nothing seems to stay put. For example, "A moth brushed his face, but it was peach blossom. A peach blossom flicked him, but it was a moth. Nothing stayed put. Nothing had a name. Nothing was as it once was." This tells us that nothing in Joby's time of war stayed the same. So the drum, his drum was the only constant in his life. It says that the drum's lunar face peers at him whenever he opens his eyes. Saying that, the drum is always there with him. It gives him a feeling of a bit secure knowing that he has one familiar thing to hang on to.

Relating to the knowing of hanging onto one familiar thing, I know a few stories. I remember the day I transferred to a new school. You know why I transferred? Because I was smart. Haha. But back to the story. I was new. I had no friends. Everything seemed so foreign. New faces and new teachers. No offense, but I felt like I was the only Chinese person there. It's scary to be in a place where no is like you. I didn't really know what to do. The familiar thing that keep me going was not really that familiar. It was actually my teacher. Yea, I know I don't really know her, but I felt like the teacher was my guide throughout the year. And she was. Many and plenty times she helped me out.

Really, to sum up, even in lonely new times, you'll always find some familiarity hanging around somewhere. :)))

Because I am Furniture

 "Because I Am Furniture" by Thalia Chaltas, a book in verse, is mainly regarding the point of view of a teenage girl, Anke. She is observing how her father is being abusive towards her siblings and not her. Throughout the book, she finds herself through volleyball. She learns to stand up to her father and in the end, the feeling of fear is lifted off everybody her house.

The title, "Because I Am Furniture" is sort of the main theme of the book. I say this because Anke is invisible to her father and because she seems like a ghost, she's able to overcome her 'quietness' and tell her father off. I see this happening when she first begins her volleyball lessons.On page 49, when she learns to shout "MY BALL" she realizes that she has a voice. This is her turning point. This is where she starts to understand her role. It's almost like when a child have learned how to write a full sentence. They get really excited and they start to feel many emotions.  Anke, when she 'hears' voice, the hair on her arm stood up and felt like they were going to go on fire. Her lungs were calming the expanding space in her body. She, suddenly, felt, ALIVE! I can sort of relate to this feeling. When I received my bike on my eighth birthday, I frustrated because I didn't know how to ride it. I began teaching myself. I used gates to steady myself. I need this many, many times over the next 3 years. And one day, my dad took me to the park. When I got on that bike, I rode. I FREAKING rode the bike. I felt like all my hard work finally paid off.

When Anke begins to realize that she has voice, other things start to happen. Her 'supposedly best friend' Angie is under the spell of Anke's father, (he is apparently very, very handsome). When Anke catches her father about to rape Angie, she realizes that he has gone to far. Anke's father has put a weight on the members of the family, that nobody wants to say anything. For example, on page 146, when Anke's brother, Darren comes into the kitchen with black eyes, it's obvious that his father did that to him during their 'talks', he doesn't say a thing. The fact that Anke's father has done so much damage to the family, they are too sacred to say anything. This is true because when Anke's mother sees her husband doing abusive actions, she doesn't do anything to stop it. His actions has put the family in sacred and frighten mode.

I am sort of, no, GLAD, that Anke stood her to her father, even though he broke her leg. He had got arrested and now the rest of the family is relieved. For example on page 328, when her mom tells Anke that she threw her father out, she pulled a petal of the rose she was holding. I think that petal she ripped out represented the father. All the petals on the rose represent a family and because she finally kicked her out, that one petal is out of their lives. Everybody is now so glad that he's gone. I think they'll grow closer and depend on one another then keep their secrets to themselves.

The Ruby Key

I've recently over the summer finished a book called "The Ruby Key" by Holly Lisle. So this is part of my response but not entirely, so just like ignore this part.

In a world where humans and nightlings never encounter one and another, an evil human, Caer Banris has made a deal with the nightlings' kailord(who's like their king), Letrin Trikantis. With that, a journey is set out for Genna and Dan to seal their deal and save their people in the village before it's too late. Throughout the book, I see many issues that can be related to the real world.

One issue I see in the book is the relationship between communities. In the real world, a business relationship is developed between two countries. For example, the United States exports and imports to India. In return, India does the same. In the book, on a certain day of a year, humans would give offers to the nightlings, but they must do this by sunset. During the night, the nightlings would come out of their forest homes, take these offerings, and then leave the humans things in return. This is almost like a business relationship. The humans give the nightlings something and the nightlings give something back in return. 

Another issue is secruity and safety. In the book, when Genna and her friend begin their first offering of the life, the adults let them go first so that they can  return home first. They do this because they know that nightlings prefer children over adults, meaning that nightlings like to "kidnap" children. In the real world, parents would protect children first. They'd put their children first then their own life.

In addition, some people want to change their status. When I'm talking about status, I mean like either their wealth or the position in government. In the book, Caer Banris made a deal with Kailord, Letrin because he wants to live forever. In order to earn his eternity, he must do a list of things, which also include to marry and sacrifice the children( meaning Genna's mom is the woman he 'wishes' to marry). In real life, people are trying to become a higher status than they already are, are either becoming 'famous' or doing something really MIND-BLOWING!

Even though the book and the real world are completely different worlds, one which is where humankind is about to disappear, and one's reality, there are many similarities.  And I think I'm done.