IRJE 5#

Prisoner of Tehran, is memoir written by Marina Nemat, a young girl, age 16. She lived in Iran for the first few years of her life, before being accused of political crimes she didn’t commit. She gets sent to a torture camp, and stays strong the entire time, not selling out her friends. But the guards have enough of her stubbornness, so they blind fold her and a couple other prisoners, and drive them to the middle of nowhere. They are lined up, and tied to poles. They are then shot one by one. She accepts her fate, and has deep thoughts about her life when one of the prison guards, an older man that was in charge of torturing her stops it. He had fallen in love with her and said that if she married him, he would keep her alive. She is sixteen, he is twenty eight. Obviously this is wrong, but with a choice between survival or death, she chooses survival. She has to give up her faith as a christian to become muslim for Ali (The guard that she married) and learn to become quiet. through years, she learns about Ali’s family, and struggles to hate him or care in some way for him. Eventually, high up guards shoot Ali due to “Being soft on a prisoner”, and he dies. Marina, pregnant at the time (against her will), miscarries, and is grieving. Around a year later she is released with the help of Ali’s parents, who warn her not to give up her new religion, as the muslim “government workers” wouldn’t appreciate her leaving it behind so soon. She is released, but finds no comfort at home. Her parents don’t understand the horror she went through and witnessed. She eventually converts back to Christianity, and secretly marries her now husband, Daniel. They raise money with a teaching job Daniel gets, and Marina becomes pregnant. again. they eventually take a plane to Canada, and are free at last.(this next part is page 87, and Marina is talking with Soheila. )

Akbar. Allaho akbar…” It was time for morning namaz, which had to be said before dawn. Sarah and most of the girls got up and headed toward the bathroom for the ritual of vizor, the washing of hands, arms, and feet, which had to be done before very namaz. I could finally lie on my back. Someone touched my shoulder, and I opened my eyes. It was Soheila

‘Don’t you want to get up for namaz?” she asked

“I’m a Christian” I smiled.

“You’re the first christian I’ve ever seen here! We had…I mean have Christian neighbours. They live right next door to us. Their last name is Jalalian. I’m friends with their daughter, Nancy. They once invited us to their house to have Turkish coffee with them. Do you know the Jalalians?

I said I didn’t.

She apologized for waking me and asked if Christains prayed. I explained that we did but that unlike muslims, we didn’t have to say our prayers at specific times.

This is very important to the development of the story, because when the guards find out she is Christin, and they themselves are devote muslims, they torture her for no reason other than hate. This does however, gain her attention with other christian prisoners that become her friends later in the book.

 

 

Pw#5

I had my wisdom teeth surgery this week, and honestly I was way more stressed about it than I needed to be. I kept imagining all these horrible things, but once I got into the room it actually wasn’t that bad. The dentist and the nurses were super nice, and they kept talking to me so I wouldn’t freak out. When they gave me the anesthesia, it felt a little weird, kind of like my brain was going slow-motion, but in a funny way. I remember trying to say something, but I’m pretty sure it didn’t make sense. Then suddenly the doctor said, “You’re all done,” and it felt like no time passed at all. After the surgery, I was pretty out of it. My cheeks were numb and a little puffy, but it wasn’t nearly as painful as I thought it would be. Mostly it just felt like someone stuffed cotton in my face. I had to bite down on gauze for a while, which was annoying, but I survived. When I got home, I crashed on the couch with ice packs and watched random shows. I had smoothies for dinner because that was basically the only thing I could eat. Overall, the whole thing went way better than I expected, and I’m glad it’s over now.

IRJE#5

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton is a story that takes place in the 1960s and follows a 14-year-old boy named Ponyboy Curtis. He’s a Greaser—one of the kids from the poor side of town—and he often feels underestimated because he’s younger and quieter than the others. After a violent encounter with a group of Socs, Ponyboy and his friend Johnny are forced to hide out, and during this time Ponyboy begins to understand his friends, his world, and himself in a deeper way.

“‘Stay gold, Ponyboy. Stay gold…’ The pillow seemed to sink a little, and Johnny died.” (p. 148)

I chose this quotation because it is a very emotional moment in the book, and it shows how much Johnny cared about Ponyboy. It’s sad but also meaningful, because Johnny is reminding Ponyboy to stay kind and hopeful even when the world around him is rough. I thought it was interesting that Johnny remembered the poem Ponyboy read earlier—“Nothing Gold Can Stay”—and used it to encourage him at the very end. This moment really shows the bond the two boys shared.

IRJE #5 – Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë tells the story of a young woman named Jane who is forced to live a hard knock life due to the harsh conditions she’s being raised in. After losing both of her parents at a young age, Jane is sent to live with relatives who treat her cruelly and create a sense of abandonment. Instead of being protected as a child, she is constantly punished, judged, and treated as inferior to.

A few years later, Jane becomes a governess at Thornfield where she meets
Mr. Rochester. As they continue to speak with each other and challenge their opinions, their relationship turns into something deeper than just an employer and worker. Although, no matter how deeply she begins to care for him, Jane refuses to lose herself in the relationship, and chooses her dignity and independence over anything else.

I do not think, sir, you have any right to command me, merely because you are older than I, or because you have seen more of the world than I have; your claim to superiority depends on the use you have made of your time and experience.

This quotation exemplifies how Jane refuses to accept authority based on age, gender, or experience. Instead, she believes respect must be earned through how a person uses their knowledge and power. This ties to the idea of
self-worth in our society, and how many people can still struggle to hold onto their identity and personal values.

IRJE# 5 – Good Girl, Bad Blood

In a Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson, Pip tried to find Jamie’s password, but they failed repeatedly. As she talked with Jamie’s mother, Joanna, and Connor, Pip found the password. Pip searched through Jamie’s messages and found that he had been talking to a girl named Layla Mead. In the text, Layla Mead stopped talking to Jamie for 3 days, but when she came back, her first message was asking Jaime if he could do anything for him, which was creepy. Pip gathered people to help her search for clues of Jamie. They found a knife, it was the one that was missing from Jamie’s house. As they kept researching, Pip heard the news that Max Hasting is confirmed innocent. Pip broke Jamie’s house window and painted “Rapist I will get you” on his house. She also found out that Layla Mead is Jamie from Luke’s interview. He also said that Layla was saying the word child broomstick. Layla Mead was looking for a very specific person. The guys she was talking to all were the same age and had brown hair. Layla was looking for Child Brunswick. Child Brunswick’s father, Scott Brunswick, was the murderer who used his son to commit murder. Child Brunswick did assist in the disposal of the bodies, he was sentenced too. Child Brunswick is Stanley Forbes. 

Osborn Correctional Institute. Pip knew someone at that prison. There was Howie Bowers had been sent after pleading guilty to his drug-related charges. He startedd his sentence in early December. This comment had to be about him. Which meant Howie Bowers knew exactly who Child Brunswick was. And that meant…wait…Pip’s mind stalled, peeling back the months, shedding them, searching for a hidden memory. 

This quotation shows that when Howie Bowers was in Osborn Correctional Institute for drug charges, he discovered the real identity of Child Brunswick.

IRJE #5

“The Let Them Theory” by Mel Robbins is a book that quote-“A life changing book that millions of people can’t stop talking about it”- This book focuses on a life-changing tool called “let them” that places you in a mindset of stopping trying to control other people’s actions and how that gives you the benefit of having to only focus on yourself and frees you from the stress of worrying about what other people think and do.

“Other people hold no real power over you unless you give it to them” Pg. 18.

This quote portrays the first realization you should have when wanting to free yourself by using the “Let Them” theory. When you realize that all the times you have been affected by a person’s actions were because  YOU made yourself react and feel that way, you’ll have the complete base to using the “let them” theory properly. By knowing that you need to let them and surrender that feeling of control because the way that situation would make you feel or makes you feel, YOU YOURSELF created those feelings and thoughts in your mind.

Overall so far, “The Let Them Theory” by Mel Robbins has helped my gain habits with techniques that can end overthinking way faster than letting yourself continue the train of thoughts.

IRJE#5

The book which I am going to write this IRJE about is the one I finished the most recent. I started reading it about a year ago but only read half of it, during the summer holidays I realized that I didn’t finish it but because I forgot almost everything I had to start again and then I came here and while looking through m e-book collection I realized that I still didn’t finish it even though I really liked it so now after one year I am finally done. The book is called “The Book Thief” by Markus Zusak. It is about a girl called “Liesl Meminger” who is a half-orphan. After her mother is arrested she comes to her foster parents called Hans and Rosa. Important to know is that the whole story takes place in the Nazi Germany so Liesl grows up with all the propaganda. With her Max, a jew, also accommodates in Hans’ and Rosa’s house. With his and Hans support Liesl, who was and an alphabet before, learns to read and soon shares her passion for books with Max. The thing which I like the book the most for is, that the narrator is the death, not a dead person, the death. The part which actually made me cry in this book was the end where Liesl’s street gets bombed and she only survives because she fell asleep while writing her diary in the basement and Rudi, her best friend, tries to tell her that he loves her but he dies before he can finish his sentence.

IRJE #5

Someone is Always Watching by Kelley Armstrong is about Blyth who is struggling to understand her best friend Gabi as she goes through what seems like a psychotic episode, while Blyth Tucker and Tanya sneak out after finding the hospital Gabi was in they find alot out and get a basic lay of the land. The hosptial was surrounded by a giant corn feild where they thought they had seen someone, and was a nice home at the top of a really long drive way and the only thing that seemed less at home where the bars on the windows. Blyth said it gave her alot of pheranoia being in the corn fields, seeing the bars on the window and the supposed person she genuinley thought shed seen but brushed off as seeing things. When things are feeling like they are slightly working themselves out they get a call off Tanyas phone from Blythes that was given to her sister. Her sister called them saying how her head hurt and she smelt smoke and sounded like she had no idea what was going on. She was found in a closed drain pipe with her face in a puddle and bleeding leading to a higher feeling of uneasiness in all the teens and a motavation to find out what was going on

its breezy tonight. one minuet i smell the fire, and the next i dont, so? a few more steps, and the breeze changes, and the smell of smoke serges… but its diffrent. And its coming from the wrong direction, (p.118)

the quote i chose was a part of the story that really stuck out to me beacuse this is the first time somethibg bad is happening outside the school to anyone whos trying to get closer to gabi but it is showing a pattern.

IRJE #5

 I lately started reading The Girl from Venice it is a novel by Martin Cruz Smith. this story happens during the last months of World War II. The story follows Cenzo, a simple fisherman who wants a quiet life. One night, he finds Giulia, a Jewish girl, floating in the lagoon. She is running from the Nazis. At first, Cenzo doesn’t want to get involved, but he realizes she will be killed if he leaves her. Even though helping her puts him in danger, he decides to protect her.

“He knew helping her could cost him everything, but leaving her wasn’t an option.”

In this moment, Cenzo is struggling between keeping himself safe and doing what feels right. He has always tried to avoid trouble and follow the rules, but now he sees that the rules won’t save Giulia. He understands that sometimes you have to choose kindness even when it’s risky. This shows how Cenzo begins to change, he stops thinking only about survival and starts thinking about what kind of person he wants to be.

PW#5 Snowmen!

Before I get into doing this personal writing I shall say that this is going to be the first personal writing that I have done in a while that is going to be on time.  On the edge of a quiet snowy forest stood a snowman named Pearl. Pearl had been built by three kids that had walked through the forest on the way to school, the children built the snowman on the coldest morning of winter. They gave Pearl a carrot nose, two eyes made of pinecones, three buttons, and a hat made of ferns. Each night that passed and the moon shined its light on the snowman, it began to move a little bit each time. When the snowman would move he was only able to move enough to look around and Pearl could see the children’s warm cozy cabin across the way. Pearl had wished that he could enjoy the warmth of the cabin with out melting. Okay. So now what I have to say is that I lied and this post has once again been late because I could not think of what else I could add to the lovely snowman’s story. The End. Now for the last couple of words that I need to finish this personal, I swear not that many so….. I hope you had fun reading this and have a good day.

IRJE#4 The War that Saved my Life

The War that Saved my Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley.  This book is a story that takes place in England during World War 2 and it follows a 19 year old girl named Ada. She’s known to be a clubfoot. Her mother is a very cruel person who wants and proceeds to keep Ada locked in their tiny London apartment and tells her that she a disgrace. So when the city must be evacuated due to Germany bombing the city. Ada escapes with her younger brother Jamie, they end up getting taken by this lady that never expected that she would have to take care of children.

The man didn’t seem put off by her tone. “Well, that’s very nice, I’m sure, he said,” but am I supposed to put down on the form? The government wants proper brith days. There isn’t a spot for ‘don’t know” “Write down April 5, 1929, for Ada,” Miss Smith said. After asking me how much I could remember about Jamie being a baby (pp. 132-133)

I chose this quotation because it could be kind of funny that they don’t know when Jamie was born exactly, but Miss Smith just told Ada to try and remember and come up with the best date that she could remember. I would have thought to ask Jamie when he was born but I guess both things work.

PW#5

I want to write about Christmas because it makes me so excited to go back to Mexico and see my family and friends again after three months without seeing them. At the beginning of the year I didn’t miss home that much because it felt like a vacation—with school. But as the weeks went by, I started missing everyone a lot. I miss my family weekends, hanging out with my friends every Friday and Saturday, and even my school in Mexico. Things are really different here, but I like it a lot and I’m enjoying every single day.

What I’m most excited about is having Christmas dinner at our vacation house in Cuernavaca. My whole family goes there because we all live in different countries or in different parts of Mexico, so it’s super exciting to see all my cousins since I don’t get to see them that often. After Christmas, I’m going to our vacation house in Acapulco to spend New Year’s there. I’m also really excited for that because a lot of my friends have vacation houses there too, and we always go to the beach all day or go out on a yacht. We always have so much fun whenever we’re there.

I’m going back for a month and I’m leaving next week, but I’m also a little sad because a lot of the friends I made these past few months aren’t coming back after winter break, and I’m going to miss them a lot. Nothing is going to be the same without them, but there are also new students coming, and I’m excited about that too.

PW #5

When the park closes down. The lights are gone, and the mass of people has vanished. Nothing but darkness is seen. The once sparkling rides are now dark and empty. The brightest light is the moon, barely visible under the clouded sky. The ice cream machine is no longer a hot bright pink but a dark cold grey. The bright colored balloons are now pitch black dots floating in the air. The air feels heavy and thick leaving a moist smell as it flows. People walk away as take their overwhelming smell of sweat mixed with dried out fragrance with them. The scent of fresh made butter popcorn slowly fades into the warm breeze of the night.

The benches are no longer warmed by the last person that used it but cold and unwelcoming. The cacophonous shouting is replaced by the silence. If you listen closely you’ll catch the sound of water slowly crashing down into metal due to an unclosed sink. The taste of excitement with your mouth is no longer there, and you’re left with a dry mouth. Your mouth yearns for water but instead of water you taste the blood in your mouth from bitting your tongue to hard on the rides. You feel the breeze rush through your body. The humid warm air leaves a discomforting feeling. It makes you want to get out of there as quick as possible.

PW #5 – Archie

In this PW, I will be sharing a poem that I found was very inspirational.

The Power of One
by Ashish Ram
One song can spark a moment
One flower can wake the dream
One tree can start a forest
One bird can herald spring
One smile begins a friendship
One handclasp lifts a soul
One star can guide a ship at sea
One word can frame the goal
One vote can change a nation
One sunbeam lights a room
One candle wipes out darkness
One laugh will conquer gloom
One step must start each journey
One word must start each prayer
One hope will raise our spirits
One touch can show you care
One voice can speak with wisdom
One heart can know what’s true
One life can make the difference

You see, it’s up to you!!

This poem is very inspirational, and I found that it stood out to me because it shows that you have to start somewhere. Even with the largest tasks, the smallest thing can spark a huge difference and mark a start to a huge thing.

PW # 5

There are 8 days until I leave to go home, before I go to Nigeria for christmas, and I can not wait. I get to see my extended family again, after an entire year. I look forward to the 2 day journey and getting to see my grandma and all my uncles, aunties and cousins. I will stay with my grandma for about a week then i will go somewhere else in Nigeria and just stay in a hotel where all of my other cousins will be too. It is going to be very fun to reconnect with old friends and family after so long. I also look forward to eating all of the food again. It is also going to be very hot, which is a very good change from my home in canada where it started snowing over a month ago. The full trip will take me just over 5 days, because we will be making a couple stops for day trips and visits. It will be nice to be back home in Nigeria. It is about time school closed.

PW#5

I am really excited to go home for Christmas. I’m having a great time here, but there are so many things I miss from Spain. The most obvious one is my family—being far from them has made me appreciate even the smallest everyday moments we used to share. I also miss my friends, the ones I’ve known forever, and of course my lovely pets, who probably have no idea why I’ve been gone for so long.

But honestly, what I miss the most is the food. Even though the school offers a lot of variety and there are many places to eat nearby, nothing compares to the flavors of home. I miss real Jamón Ibérico, the kind that basically melts in your mouth. I miss the tortillas de patatas, especially the ones my mom makes, and all the different kinds of croquetas—jamón, pollo, setas… Just thinking about it makes me hungry.

Going home for the holidays feels like going back to a place where everything tastes, smells, and feels familiar. I can’t wait to walk through the streets of Barcelona, see the Christmas lights, eat with my family, and catch up with the people (and animals) I love. No matter how much I enjoy being here, there’s nothing like home during Christmas.

PW #5 Listing animals

In this PW I will write the name of an animal and then one fact about it and then I will write the name of an animal that starts with the last letter of the previous animal.

1. Giraffe

Fact: Giraffes have been known to engage in homosexuality.

2. Elephant

Fact: Elephants can and do put like cats.

3. Tiger

Fact: Tiger pee apparently smells like buttered popcorn.

4. Rainbow Slug

Fact: Rainbow slugs have over 700,000 teeth.

5. Gnat

Fact: Gnats are repelled by the scent of lavender, peppermint, and eucalyptus.

6. Turtle

Fact: A group of turtles is called a bale.

7. Eagle

Fact: Eagles live for 25-49 years and mate for life. A group of eagles is called a convocation.

We are now switching g things up and I will be listing what a group of a certain animal is called. For example, a flock of birds. I will put the name of the animal on the left, and the name of the group on the right. Also some of these have alternate names, these are just the ones I found to be the most interesting.

1. Snail – Walk

2. Giraffe – Tower

3. Butterfly – Kaleidoscope

4. Panda – Embarrassment

5. Bear – Sleuth

6. Alligator- Congregation

7. Ape – Shrewdness

8. Jellyfish – Smack

9. Narwhal – Blessing

10. Raven – Unkindness

11. Penguin – Waddle

12. Flamingo – Flamboyance

13. Goldfish – Troubling

14. Polar Bear – Aurora

15. Wombat – Wisdom

16. Cricket – Concerto

17. Zebra – Dazzle

19. Gorilla – Whoop

20. Humming Birds – Bouquet

21. Caterpillar – Army

22. Camel – Caravan

23.  Cheetah – Coalition

24. Dog – Cowardice

25. Ferret – Business

26. Lemure – Conspiracy

27. Parrot – Pandemonium

28. Salamander – Maelstrom

29. Squirrel – Scurry

30. Swan – Wedge

31. Sloth – Bed

32. Owl – Parliament

33. Elephant – Memory

34. Wildebeest – Confusion

35. Rattle Snake – Rhumba

36. Wild Cat – Destruction

37. Pug – Grumble

38. Raccoon – Nursery

39. Cat – Glaring

40. Barracuda – Battery

 

 

PW #5 – His name is

Once upon a time, there was a human. Let’s call him Bob. Bob was interestingly normal. The normal part comes from the fact that he was a stereotypical human. The interesting part came from the fact that he had 46 arms. Now, you might be thinking that Bob was great at arm wrestling. So, did I get it right? Were you thinking that? Anyways. Bob was not good at arm wrestling. This is due to the fact that Bob no longer has any arms. When Bob was a child, the doctors were so bad at their job that they didn’t know how many arms a normal person should have. So, all of his arms were cut off.

Today, Bob works in a paper-making factory. The bosses love Tom because he never gets paper cuts on his hands. However, Tom still gets fired. Why do you think that is?

a) He can’t make paper

b) He never showed up to work

c) The boss felt like it

d) It was the end of WW1, and there was an economic bust along with major layoffs

The correct answer is none! Tom robbed the company of 2 pieces of paper. ‘With what arms?’ you might ask. The answer to that is the arms he grew after reading a classic book called ‘Sadlier Vocabulary Workshop Achieve’. Specifically level E. (Totally not the one we are doing in English). Back to the main story. When Tom stole the 2 pieces of paper, the boss sent the cops after him. Since Tom was very slow, the cops caught up in no time and arrested him. But the moment the cuffs touched Tom’s arms, they fell off. Guess the vocab book is not good at restoring arms.

So that’s the end of the story. I bet you are wondering why I changed the name like halfway through the story. If you were reading it carefully you might have noticed I never said Bob was his name. I just said I would call him Bob.  But his real name is Tom. It suits him better.

PW#5- Christmas

I love Christmas, it’s my favourite holiday. I love that I get to spend time with family and cherish them. The food is always very good, whether it’s turkey, ham or both. It always tastes really good. I do like that I get presents, and I really enjoy creating my list, but my favourite part is quality time with my family. My grandparents come down from Campbell River to see us, and sometimes so will my aunt and cousins, but they live in Calgary, so it’s rare for them to come down. When they get here, we spend time baking together and also going out to dinner. My family likes hockey, so we watch games together, and it becomes a family night. My parents used to get a close family friend to dress up as Santa and surprise me, my sister, and my cousins on Christmas Eve, but they have recently stopped that. Originally, the close friend dressed up as Santa would gift us matching pyjamas, but now they just give us pyjamas without the whole Santa thing. Overall, I love Christmas because it allows me to celebrate different traditions with my family that I don’t normally see due to the distance.

PW5 Why commas are the best thing you’ll ever see

This is my opinion on commas, since I feel like this isn’t important, but it’s a topic I’m willing to write about. lets begin by comparing the two periods and commas,

Periods.

Periods are aggressive, rude, obnoxious, and look like a decimal. No one likes them and “they’re better than letters,” according to Nik, “boo,” according to Camille, “they’re intersecting, I’ll tell you that,” according to Suzy. No one likes periods,  in any shape or form.

Commas,

Commas are beautiful; they look like a wing to a butterfly, and when someone messages you with a comma, you don’t get a feeling they’re mad at you. “Comma rhymes with diploma,” says Lyla, which I take it she means that with commas you can get diplomas.

With deep consideration, I will not be changing my decision, and nothing you say will make me change my decision. So that’s that, and commas are amazing cause they’re also not in math

i only use period’s in this because its proper punctuation, because i use something doesn’t mean i like it

 

 

IRJE #5

In 《The summer I turn pretty》 by Jenny Han, telling the story of Isabelle” Belly “Conklin, a teenage girl who spends every summer at a seaside villa with her mother, mother’s best friend, and her two sons Conrad and Jeremiah. The story is set in summer and tells the bittersweet essence of nostalgia and change.

“It’s not just that we’ve been friends for so long. It’s that we’ve grown up together. We’re like family.”

This sentence captures the essence of the close relationships and deep bonds formed between characters throughout the summer. By saying ‘we are like family’, the characters acknowledge that their relationship goes beyond simple friendship. They feel a loyalty, understanding, and unconditional love, just like family members have experienced.

IRJE# 5 The Housemaid is Watching

A little while ago I finished The Housemaid is Watching, written by Frieda McFadden. The book is a fast paced thriller that continues Millie’s story from the other Housemaid books. In this book, Millie is trying to build a normal life with her new husband. She buys a new house, new car, and gets a fancy new job. However, the peace doesn’t last long. Her strange neighbor’s, hidden secrets, and suspicious events begin to pile up, making it clear that something is wrong in their new lifestyle. My favorite thing about McFadden, is how she plays with perspective. Just when you think you understand a character, the narrative flips and reveals a new layer. I literally fished this book in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down.

Millie realizes that every friendly smile in the neighborhood hides something sharp behind it. She can’t shake the feeling that someone is always watching her, studying her, waiting for her to slip. The quiet streets and perfect houses suddenly feel like a trap she unknowingly walked into (p.142).

In this quotation, Millie begins to understand that the neighborhood she moved into is not as safe or friendly as it first appeared. She notices that the people around her seem to be acting weird, and their kindness feels fake. This is the moment when her sick feeling turns into real suspicion. She starts to think that someone is watching her always and waiting for her to make a mistake.

IRJE #5

Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know

I am now reading another  part of the book like between 171-190, and this section I’ve been reading  focuses on how dogs understand time and how they react to the things we feel. The author explains that dogs don’t experience time the way humans do. They don’t think about “yesterday” or “tomorrow” they live mostly in the present moment. I found this interesting because it helps explain why dogs get excited even if you left the house only five minutes ago. For them, every time you get back feels new, this makes me thing imagine how long the days are for them.

Another part that made me pay attention is how dogs read our emotions. According to the author, dogs use small signs like our posture, our smell, and even tiny facial expressions to understand what we are feeling. This made sense to me because sometimes my dog comes close to me when I’m sad or stressed and I was like why does “Charlie” my dog always get close to me in those situations, even when I don’t say anything. The book says that dogs can sense changes in our body chemistry, which is something I didn’t know before, I just knew a little bit about they can analyze and understand us but  I didn’t know like that deep.

“Dogs live in the world as it unfolds, guided not by clocks or calendars but by the constant flow of smells, sounds, and signals around them.”
— Horowitz, A. (2009). Inside of a Dog (p. 175). Scribner.

I decided to choose this quote because it shows how dogs experience life in a simple but powerful way. It reminds me to pay more attention to my dog and to understand that he reacts to what he senses right now. Reading this part made me feel that I need to get closer to him, and it helps me see why dogs are so emotionally connected to their owners, and that they’re not just dogs they are living beings, that they feel everything , that makes them just more than a pet.

IRJE # 4

I just finished chapter 45 of “The Silence of the Girls” and it made me feel a mix of sadness and frustration. The way the women in the story are treated leaves a weird impression on me, like things are unfair but no one is doing anything about it. It also made me feel uncomfortable, because the silence in these chapters isn’t just plain quiet or silence, it feels like something forced on them, something they’ve gotten used to because they have no choice but to accept it. That realization made me think about how easy it is for people’s pain to be ignored when others decide it doesn’t matter. The whole section gave me a kind of slow, sinking feeling, like the more I read, the more I noticed how trapped everyone was.

“See how the gods defy me” pg. 244

At the same time, these chapters made me feel some respect for the characters, because even though they don’t get powerful or heroic moments, they still find ways to keep going. Their strength isn’t loud or dramatic, but it’s there and visible, and it made me think about how surviving tough situations can be its own kind of courage. When I finished reading, the feeling of voices trying to break through the silence, even if no one wants to hear them, really stuck with me.

IRJE#4 – Black Boy

I finally finished reading Black Boy, and overall, I’m really glad I read it. This book was intense, emotional, and sometimes even frustrating, but in a way that made it feel really powerful and finishing it gave me a better understanding of what he went through and why his experiences shaped him the way they did. I personally thought the first part of the book was stronger than the second. I found  Part I had more emotional impact because it focused on Wright’s childhood and the challenges he faced growing up in the Jim Crow South. The moments of violence, fear, and confusion he experienced as a young boy were described so vividly that I felt like I was seeing everything through his eyes. This part was more emotional and meaningful to me because it showed how he slowly learned about racism, power, and survival, all while still being a child who was trying to understand the world. Part II was still interesting, but it didn’t feel as intense or personal as the first half. It focused more on politics, work, and Wright’s involvement with different groups. Even though it was important to his journey, it didn’t hit me emotionally the same way his childhood experiences did. Still, it helped show his growth and how he tried to find his place in society, and I still really enjoyed it. What I liked most about Black Boy was how honest and fearless Wright was when telling his story. He didn’t sugarcoat anything, and he explained the realities of racism, poverty, and violence in a way that felt really raw and truthful. His determination to educate himself, and the way he questioned the world around him as well, him trying to find freedom, both mentally and physically, made me really admire him as a narrator.

Having been thrust out of the world because of my race, I had accepted my destiny by not being curious about what shaped it.” pg. 28

This quote stood out to me because it shows how deeply racism affected his view of himself. When he says he accepted his destiny, it shows how society pushed him into feeling powerless and unimportant. It represents how he was taught not to question anything because of his race. I liked this quote because it represents the impact discrimination can have on someone. However, reading this quote also makes his later curiosity and determination even more meaningful since he had to break out of that mindset on his own.

IRJE#4

I started reading “regretting you” because  Gisela made go tho the cinema and watch the movie but i really liked it and I bought the book, I haven’t finished reading it but this is what i think about the pages that I’ve read, honestly, the first 150 pages of regretting you, hit way harder than I expected. At the beginning, it really feels like Morgan and Clara are living two completely different lives even though they’re in the same house. Morgan is trying so hard to be the “perfect mom” and Clara is just over it. She wants freedom, and Morgan keeps freaking out every time she even looks at Miller.But then the whole accident happens, and everything basically explodes. The second Morgan finds out about Jenny and Chris, you can tell her whole world just collapses. And Clara has no idea why her mom is acting so strange, which makes everything ten times worse,their relationship goes from “we don’t get along” to “I literally cannot talk to you.”One thing I really liked is how both of them are hurting, but in totally opposite ways. Morgan is trying so hard to stay calm, but half the time she’s  losing it,she even says, “I don’t know how to be a person without him.” And Clara is just angry at everyone, especially Morgan, because she feels like her mom is hiding something from her:

“I’m tired of being treated like a kid when everything in my life feels like it’s falling apart.”

Also, the way Miller shows up for Clara is super sweet. He’s like the only person she can breathe around, and she even admits something like, “He’s the only part of my life that doesn’t feel like a disaster.”

Overall, the first part of the book feels messy in a very real way. Iit’s that kind of emotional chaos where everyone thinks they’re doing the right thing and still ends up hurting each other. And honestly, that’s why it’s so good.

PW#5 – Mercury Retrograde

im not completely sure whether I believe in Mercury retrograde or astrology in general. I’ve always thought star signs were interesting, but I’m not sure if it’s something real or something people just try to convince themselves of. At the same time, it’s strange how many of the listed qualities for each zodiac sign actually match the people I know. Maybe it’s a placebo effect as we tend to notice things because we expect them, But honestly, some things feel too specific to be just a coincidence.

Recently, I learned about something called Mercury retrograde, which is supposed to be a period when Mercury appears to move backward in the sky. People say that during this time, communication gets messy, technology breaks, plans fall apart, and everything feels a little chaotic. I’m not sure if I fully believe it, but after the last month, I’ve begun to reconsider it. Ever since retrograde supposedly began, my luck has taken a turn. It started on the very first day. I was doing my makeup when my desk suddenly broke for no reason. The drawers collapsed, breaking some of the makeup inside. I brushed it off as an accident, but then more things kept happening.

A few weeks later, I got hit in the face with a volleyball. Which was strange as I wasn’t even playing, I had moved away from the net and was talking to a friend on the other side of the gym with my back turned to those actually playing. Suddenly, I turned around for one second, and out of nowhere, a ball came flying at me and landed straight on my eye. I felt like I was blind; my eyes were fully open, but all I could see was pitch black, and my eyes got really red and swollen. Then came the AirPods. I lost one and spent weeks looking for it, which was really annoying becauseI use my AirPods every single day, especially while studying because it allows me to focus better so losing one was horrible as I couldn’t use the noise cancelling feature therefore When someone finally found the missing one, I was relieved and I thought maybe my bad luck streak was finally over. But that same day, after I finally had the full pair again, I somehow ended up losing the other one. I fell asleep with both of them inside my own house, and when I woke up, it had vanished. I still haven’t found it anywhere, and as if that weren’t enough, that very same night, when it disappeared, my iPad somehow broke. I was using it that same night and woke up to it just refusing to turn on for no apparent reason.

With all of this happening right during Mercury retrograde, I can’t help but think about whether it might actually be real. Especially because I found out that the signs that this retrograde affects the most are Geminis, which is my sign. Maybe these are all just unlucky events, stacked one after another. Or maybe it is the retrograde. I still don’t know for sure, but after everything that’s happened this month, I’m definitely questioning whether the universe is trying to send me a message.

PW #5 – Hey Happy Café

Ever since school started, Rachel and I have made going to the Hey Happy café our unofficial weekend plan. It started as a random trip one weekend, and now whenever we go downtown, we always make sure to stop by and make a vlog or taste test of whatever we order.

We always joke that the barista must recognize us by now because we order the same things every time; unless there’s a seasonal drink that we have to try. Somehow, our order number is always 4, which is both of our angel numbers. The first time, we thought it was the craziest coincidence, but now it happens so often it feels almost meant to be.

This weekend, we’re finally trying the new Christmas drinks they released. It might sound silly to be this excited over seasonal drinks and treats, but that’s honestly what makes it so special to me. What I love most about these weekends isn’t even the drinks, It’s the way we can just sit there talking about everything from school drama, to random thoughts and future plans. Somehow, going to a café every weekend turned into one of the most meaningful parts of my year, and became a tradition I didn’t even realize I needed until it was already part of my life.

PW#5

My favourite seasons are winter and summer. They are very opposite seasons, but I enjoy the pros and cons of each one. Summer has a nicest weather, with little rain, and long daylights hours. I also like how peaches come out during the summer. I can go to the beach and enjoy the warm weather. I usually travel back to Korea to visit family members and friends, but I prefer Canadian summers more than Korean summers. Summer in Korea is insanely hot. I also like winter because of Christmas. Although I’m not really a big fan of cold, and rainy weather, I enjoy the decorations and the mood Christmas brings around. I also like snow, making snowman, is one of my favourite activities to do. I like the excitement of waking up in the morning, and seeing snow outside the window.  and getting excited. When I was younger my dad used to take me to go skiing. I stopped skiing as I got older, but I still have great memories of spending time with my dad.

PW #5

This week, I could help someone in several practical ways by paying attention to small needs around me. I could offer to assist a classmate with organizing their notes, planning out assignments, or breaking down tasks that feel overwhelming. Checking in on a friend to see if they need help catching up on work or managing their schedule is another simple way to support someone. I could also make everyday moments easier by holding the door, helping someone carry their things, or offering to pick something up for them if I’m already heading in that direction. Sharing useful resources like study guides, links, or tips I’ve found helpful could make a difference for someone who’s struggling. I might also help tidy a common room so it stays comfortable and welcoming for everyone. Keeping the helping someone clean note, I can help my roommate a little extra to keep the room clean so we can thrive in our environment. And yeah, those are some things I could do this week to help people in my environment.

PW#5 – Camille

Tip-toe past my side of the bed
Curse as you trip while putting back on your tights
Fumble to turn your dress back inside in
Hold your hair while you slip on your heels
Try to rub off the smudged lipstick from your mouth
“Cleaning your brush is never as beautiful as your painting”
This quiet wind-down where you try to hide yourself from me
Oh, honey, what made you believe I ever stopped looking?

She speaks her truth to the night
Because no one will listen
You spread your lies into the light
You taint her with the truth you make her leave untold, unheard, unspoken
I wonder how long she will carry it
The uncertainty of if she is ruined
Of if it was a future she deserved
Her words could kill
But you know they never will

You’re all for believing women.
Until it’s my word against his,
Until my mini-skirt was too enticing,
And my spaghetti straps were too thin.
Until I smiled and he thought it was an invitation.

Okayyy, so, those are three different poems I wrote. They do not have titles. The first one is inspired by Hozier’s music (specifically the songs “Be”, “Talk”, “Movement”, and “Moment’s Silence (Common Tongue)”), and the other two are inspired by female rage. 🎀🔥

IRJE #4 – Red Queen

I am still reading Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. If you want more background, look at my previous IRJE. But for now, things are crazy. The royal family escorted Mare Barrow out of her house and took her to the royal palace. Normally, something like this would end in death. However, instead, she was given a job. From there, a bunch of stuff happened, and she found out she had powers even though she wasn’t supposed to. She didn’t know it either. So when she found out, she had to run. Not long after, she was captured and brought to the king to decide her fate.

“You are no longer Mare Barrow, a Red daughter of the stilts.”

“Then who am I?”

“You are a Silver, a lady of a lost High House, a noble with great power, and one day, a princess of Norta” (pg. 84)

I chose this quote because when I first read it, I was so shocked. They literally took a girl and made her royalty in 2 seconds because it was convenient for them. I also felt really bad for her in this moment because she was just forced so much responsibility, and she will probably never see her family again.

Pw #5

My best friend Elizabeth has one of the most comfortable houses ive ever been too. Her house is not one of those over decorated or super over “aesthetic” houses, she has 2 younger siblings who share a room and her grandma lives downstairs. Her house was one that I stayed at the most over the summer and her family has become a second one to me. Elizabeths whole house feels like a space where you know your not going to be judged and beacuse there is still so many little kids in the house they still celebrate everything like how you woulve when you where younger and one of my favorite parts of there house is still how much time they spend together but how much they still respect the fact that we are teenagers and need out own space to do our on things without little kids on us all the time. not only do i love elizabeths family i love where they live, they live in millstream in a neighbourhood filled with so many little kids where ive bascially become a celebrity to them. right by elizabeths house theres a park thats fenced off from the highway but if you move past the fence there a spot that over looks the highway and a bit of milstream that is a place to sit and listen to music then its not freezing outside.

PW #5

 

I want to write about how I celebrate Christmas. Each year it is different sometimes I go to Spain to see all my family from there or sometimes I go to Germany to celebrate their Christmas. Sometimes I just go to Germany to spend the beginning from my winter brake and the other rest of my winter brake I celebrate it in Spain because in this time there is the birthday of my grandma from Spain that is 94 so it’s something really important for my mom that all the family is  there on her birthday. I think I prefer to celebrate Christmas in Spain because we do it more unique instead of a tree we have like a piece of trunk. And to do it in this way I always feel nostalgia because it reminds me a lot of when I was little. One thing that is for me important is that in winter is my Birthday I like it more to celebrate it in Spain because my Spanish family celebrates the important days more unique even dough if I must celebrate it without my father what I really doesn’t like but I think is fine for me because I am reunited with my cousins, uncle and aunts which I don’t see so often.  

PW#5

I am so excited for flying home for Christmas. Although I didn’t miss home much when I first came here, in the last two weeks I realized that I do now. My life here is so different to the one I have back home, almost the complete opposite but there are so many new things to experience that I almost forgot about that. One of the things, or the thing, I miss the most is just being at home doing nothing special, sleeping in my own bed, getting woken up by my brother, cooking as the whole family, talking with my mom and dad. But also being in the environment I am used to, the people I know, the nature I know, the traditions I know, all things that I love. I also miss doing things which I can’t do here, like skiing or going out alone, or having a sleepover with your best friend. I think that everything I miss is what I am used to since 15 years, things that make me feel safe, things that make me feel that I am at home. First I was worried that I might not want to come back after winter break but now I think that I just need it to show me that my life at home is waiting for me and that the people are there for me wherever I am and that I come back with a great feeling.

PW#5 Christmas!

Christmas has always been one of my favorite times of the year, not just because of the gifts, but because everything feels a little bit brighter. Even though the weather is freezing and it gets dark way too early. Every year, my family and I have the same traditions, and even though they never change, I still look forward to them.

One of the best parts is decorating the Christmas tree. Me and my parents have recently put it up, and I hate it, its so tall and skinny but the lights are beautiful. Somehow, the same ornaments we’ve had since I was little still end up on the tree, even the ones that are chipped or kind of ugly. I think that’s what makes it feel so familiar.

Christmas Eve is always my favorite night. My fam9ly gets matching PJs and we make hot chocolate, then we watch a movie we’ve seen a hundred times, and we try to stay awake. There’s this feeling of excitement that I don’t get any other time of the year. In the morning, when we open our presents, the house feels so full, I love it.

To me, Christmas isn’t just a holiday. It’s a time where everything slows down, and I actually get to enjoy the people around me. Even if the day goes by quick, the feeling of it stays with me long after.

PW#5

I will make a ‘non school day’ as a brand new celebration aimed at providing students with a completely independent study holiday. This day is set on the first Friday of June every year, encouraging students to put down their textbooks and enjoy freedom and fun. The main purpose of ‘non school days’ is to provide students with a relaxed and pleasant environment, enhance friendship and family relationships, and promote physical and mental health development. On non school days, schools and communities will organize various activities, including outdoor adventures, sports competitions, picnics, and art workshops. Students can run freely in the park, participate in team games, or showcase their creativity by making handicrafts. In addition, social activities can enhance relationships between classmates, teachers, and families, and strengthen community interaction. This holiday not only helps students release stress, but also encourages them to develop teamwork spirit and social skills. Through joint activities, ‘No School Day’ will become a day full of laughter and joy, endowing everyone with precious memories and infinite happiness.

IRJE #4

In the book “The Hate You Give” by Angie Thomas, she shows Starr’s trauma, pressure and guilt of what she experienced. An example of this is,

My eyes are  filled with tears. I’m so sick of being this damn weak. Khalil may have lost his life, but I lost something too, and it pisses me off.

(Chapter 10 page 165)

The use of short sentences highlight Starr’s raw emotions. As well as the aggressive language vividly portrays her anger. This allows the reader to understand how mad Starr is and how much grief she carries for Khalil and the situation. However, the short sentences soon turn into longer ones, showing how she’s also reflecting about the moment and how she is trying to pass through that trauma. In the longer sentences, Thomas contrast the idea of Khalil loosing his life and Starr being the one that lives through that death, which not only refers to losing a friend but also that she lost her innocence. She no longer feels safe anywhere, highlighting how the trauma has reshaped her completely. This moment reinforces how difficult it is to heal when someone is still drowning the guilt, fear and how those emotions cause can grow stronger in someones personality.

 

PW #5

I was diagnosed with ADHD and OCD 1 YEAR AGO ,  and both of these things make reading much harder for me than for most people. When I try to read, my mind doesn’t stay focused on it . With ADHD, it’s like my thoughts keep repeating  around my mind. I can look at a whole page read it completely and then realize I didn’t understand anything because I was thinking about something else completely different. Sometimes I have to read the same sentence three or four times just to follow what is happening, and some times o don’t even get it yet.

My OCD also gets in the way. While I’m reading, I suddenly feel the need to fix something on my desk, arrange my pencils, or check something again. My brain tells me I can’t focus until everything is “right,” so I get up, move things around, and then lose the flow of the story. By the time I sit back down, I already forgot what I was reading.

Because of this, reading becomes a slow and tiring task for me. It’s not that I hate books, it’s just that my mind makes it difficult to stay present. Sometimes I wish I could read the way other people do just sit, relax, and follow the story, something I can’t do, this makes me dislike books and reading.

Even with these challenges, I still try. I go at my own pace, I read again when I need to, and I try to be patient with myself. Understanding my ADHD and OCD has helped me accept that my way of reading is different, but it doesn’t mean I can’t do it. It just means I have to take it step by step and take my time.

PW #5

How to make friends, and why we make friends: a tutorial and guide.

People are scary. They chew loudly, they yell, they smell. Why on earth are our monkey brains so fixed on making friends with them? Well, it’s simple. SURVIVAL. Back in the good old days, when we ate bananas and swung from vines away from dinosaurs (don’t fact check me), we discovered something called death. Death wasn’t fun or edible so we decided to avoid death. And avoid it we did not. Because fuzzy defenceless monkeys are terrible at combat, and die easily. So, our primate counterparts decided to make groups, or tribes, if you will. This was very important to the development of said monkeys, because now they can share resources, protect each other, and shelter fellow apes. And so, throughout the course of human history, our species has yearned for groups, or buddies. Why do you feel scared or sad when you start school in a new place?  It’s because that monkey in your brain is flailing around howling because you have no friends to give you bananas and back scratches. But fear not, because after countless (30 minutes) hours of research and reading, I have come up with the key ingredients to making friends, and making people like you.

Step one: Be confident

Picture this. You are waiting for your next class in the hallway, when all of a sudden a pack of people your age wait next to you. You are in the same class as them, and they all look awkward as heck. You attempt to not make eye contact with any of them, and swing your arms, maybe check the weather app, you know the drill. WRONG. Don’t do that. When faced with scary teenagers (or just a person) act confident. Fake it till you make it, is a common saying. Which works in this case, not in medical school. Be present in your space, ask casual questions. And when I say ask questions, I don’t mean ask them what their favourite colour is, then run away as fast as you can for the nearest exit like you just committed a felony. Ask them if they did well on a test, where they are from, something exotic. (Not sure that’s the right word here but hey, I am confident in my possible wrongness!) Do not show them that you are afraid of them, and hope they don’t ask what happened to your hair that morning, or why you have no shoes on.

Step two: Do things

Who are you more likely to be friends with or get to know? Someone in your toe wrestling classes on Mondays, or the person you sit near in most of your classes? If you answered A, toe wrestling on Mondays, you are very wrong and sick in the head, and I hope you know that I am scared of you. If you answered B, someone you sit near in most of your classes, you are right! And mentally stable! (Good for you) and you know what makes making friends even easier? Existing! Being on a soccer team, a painting class, a swim club, all make you easier to talk to and be friends with, as it makes you interesting. As much as I am sure that you may hope toe wrestling will find you your soulmate, I have to inform you that you need a reality check and a psych evaluation. People that have more hobbies are easy to connect with, too, as they tend to have open perspectives, and diverse and interesting opinions (supposedly).

Step three: Give decent compliments

Giving compliments, especially meaningful ones, can make someone’s day. But wait a minute, what kind of compliment? Telling someone their fingernails look shiny, or telling them that you admire their focus when studying? Although some may be flattered either way, do you know which one is going to win you more friends? That’s right, option B. Here’s a fun little exercise, think of the last time someone gave you a sincere and personal compliment. If you can’t think of any, take that as a sign that although everyone wants relationships and friendships, they don’t really see people for who they really are, so they look for something easy to comment on to engage conversation instead of giving a compliment that’s personal and meaningful. So, the next time you see someone, compliment them on something exclusive to them, not the colour of their eyebrows. Trust me, you’ll see results.

That’s it.

IRJE#4 – Camille

I am still reading 107 Days by Kamala Harris. While I was reading, I saw a quotation that reminded me of a situation I sometimes find myself in.

I did twenty-seven drafts of my convention speech. I knew what was riding on it.
It was my best chance to grab the attention of voters who did not know me. … I needed to tell them who I was, what had shaped me, why I was running. … All in forty minutes. (p. 119)

This quotation reminds me of when I have a really important assignment due soon, and it’s important for your grade, or it will end up on your report card, so you know you have to do it super well. Obviously, Harris’ situation is a more drastic example than mine. Also, needing to write a 40 minute speech that includes so many important topics that also persuades people is very difficult. It’s especially difficult when some media is trying to sway people in the other direction, and your opponent keeps writing you hate letters filled with misinformation and posting them on Chirper, or whatever it’s called now. If she talks about something enough to get the message clear, then she won’t have time left to talk about something else that’s really important, and then people will hate her for not talking about it. It’s an endless cycle, and it can be difficult to find your way out of it.

IRJE #4 – Lord of the flies

“The conch doesn’t count on top of the mountain.”  Jack (Pg.188)

This quote shows the moment when Jack starts to ignore the rules the boys agreed on. The conch is supposed to represent order and fairness, but here, Jack says it doesn’t matter anymore just because they are in a different place. It’s powerful because it shows how easy it is for people to turn away from rules when they feel like it. It also shows how quickly order can fall apart when someone decides they don’t want to follow the system.
To sum it all up, rules only work when everyone respects them.
When people stop listening, chaos starts and the system falls apart.

IRJE #4 War Storm

I am currently reading War Storm by Victoria Aveyard. War Storm is the fourth and final book in the Red Queen series following the life of the main character, Mare Barrow. The first two books in the series are told solely from the perspective of Mare, but the last two books are told from multiple perspectives. The quotation I have chosen is from a chapter written from the perspective of a girl called Iris. I won’t give many specific details about her or her role in the series as to not spoil it for someone else who has just started reading the series. This quotation takes place at the funeral and burial of one of her family members.

I’ve never done this before, and I wish I didn’t have to. But it is as the gods command. Return, they bid. To what you are, to your ability. Bury a greenwarden. Entomb a stoneskin in marble and granite. Drown a nymph.

If I am alive when Maven dies, will I be permitted to burn his corpse?

We push, lowering the board with our hands and our ability. Using our own muscles and the weight of our current to sink the body. Even in the shallows, the water distorts his face. Dawn breaks to my left, the sun rising over the low hills. It flashes on the surface, blinding me for a moment.

I shut my eyes and remember Father as he was.

He returns to the water’s embrace.

This quotation is from page 52. I chose this quotation for a couple of reasons. One of them being that I found it funny when she bluntly wonders whether or not she will be allowed to burn someone’s corpse after he is dead. I also just found it to be an interesting passage in general. (For a little more context, Maven can control fire).

 

IRJE #4- As Good as Dead

As Good as Dead is a novel written by Holly Jackson that follows the plot of a young girl, Pip, who is preparing for college but is haunted by her previous investigation and anonymous death threats. The threats start to become more dangerous, escalating from online threats to real-life surveillance. She starts to see connections between her stalker and a serial killer who was caught 6 years ago, leading her to suspect the wrong person may be behind bars. With the police unwilling to act, Pip must use her investigation skills to uncover the truth and protect herself.

She couldn’t talk about it, not to a professional, not to anyone. Because it was impossible, incompatible. It had torn her in two and there was no way to stitch those parts back together. It was untenable. Beyond sense. No one could understand, except…maybe him (p. 29)

In this quotation, Pip is contemplating her own murderous urges in contrast to her desire to uphold truth and justice. She’s referring to Charlie Green in this quote. His advice in book two stayed with her when he suggested that justice often can’t be found in the courts. Right and wrong aren’t a matter of law but of feeling. This flies in the face of everything Pip has been taught to believe, yet she acknowledges the truth of Charlie’s observation.

PW #4 – Sofia

I always like to watch movies or shows, but sometimes I just can’t find anything to watch, so I rewatch some of my favourites. One show I always go back to is modern family. I really like Modern Family and it is a good show for when you are just wanting to watch something normal, like not scary or sad. Another show I sometimes watch is Gossip Girl. It is also a pretty normal show, it just has a lot of teen drama and things like that. Movies depend more on when I am watching them. I like Grown Ups, all of them. Also, during Christmas I like watching Home Alone, or The Polar Express. During Halloween I like to watch more scary movies, like the Conjuring for example. I only like the first one though. Another one is the Scream movies. A show that I used to watch a lot during Halloween was The Adams Family, the animated one. I also really like all of the Hotel Transylvania movies, my favourite one is either the first or the third one. The Hotel Transylvania ones I watch whenever, like it doesn’t have to be at a specific time of year, but I also like watching them on Halloween, specifically the first one.

PW#4 – Gossip Girl

I recently started watching Gossip Girl, and so far I’m really enjoying it I’m already on season five! One of the things I love most about the show is the mix of New York and fashion, both of which are some of my favourite things. It’s set in New York, and the characters go to designer fashion shows, stroll through Central Park, and do all the iconic New York things. It’s really beautiful, and I’ve always wanted to visit the city, so watching the show feels like a little escape. The show is very aesthetic, and I often find myself imagining what it would be like to be in all the scenes.I also really like how the girls are portrayed. They’re smart, complicated, and the show doesn’t just focus on their beauty, which makes the storylines more interesting. Each character has their own problems and ambitions, which makes them feel real. I like that Blair is really passionate she’s smart, cares about school, is well-educated and really ambitious while Serena is fun, kind, and spontaneous. And I do find that I relate to both of them in some ways.  I like most of the characters, though who I root for changes depending on the season. I didn’t like Dan or Blair at first, Dan seemed weird and annoying, and Blair came off as really mean, however my feelings have shifted throughout the seasons. Serena, on the other hand, is kind of a mess, and I don’t really like her anymore since she often makes questionable choices. However part of what makes the show so interesting and addictive is seeing the characters grow and make decisions you don’t always agree with so I do often find myself thinking about them even after I stop watching, and I love noticing the little details in fashion and the setting. One thing I don’t enjoy about the show however is how the friend group constantly dates each other. Almost every character has been with someone else in the group at some point, which can be strange and annoying, but it does add to the drama of the show. Overall, Gossip Girl is a really good show if you enjoy fashion, New York, and dramatic storytelling. Even though it can get messy, I do enjoy following the characters and seeing how everything unfolds as there are many plot twists.

PW 4

In the past two weeks, I feel like I’ve gotten the most tests and quizzes that I have in a long while, and even though it isn’t exactly overwhelming, it’s definitely been tough to keep up with everything. First there were the three individuals and societies tests, one on World War I, another on source corroboration, and a third that I don’t remember the topic of, which took a lot of focus because I had to study for a long time for each of them. Then I had an interesting math test, I actually forgot my calculator, I thought I was going to mess up my calculations, but it wasn’t all that hard at the end of the day. On top of that, I’ve been trying to prepare for my upcoming science test, which keeps bothering me and distracting me from what else I’m working on. English has also given me some quizzes too, especially the vocab quiz that I genuinely forgot everything I revised a minute after entering the class. All of this work has certainly been a challenge, but I can’t wait to get away from it all when I leave over the Christmas break.

PW #4 – Basketball season

Our Brookes basketball season officially starts tomorrow. Our first game is against S.M.U.S. I am very excited, as we are a very strong team, and I believe we can do well this season. We are the first Brookes junior team to ever be in A division, with the rest of the best teams on the island. The season goes until the end of February, and if we make provincials, then we will go to Vancouver in early March. If we make provincials, we will be the first ever Brookes team to make provincials! I’m excited for a good season ahead, and I know there will be lots of lessons learned and progress made with all the other boys.

IRJE#3 One of Us is Lying

One of Us is Lying by Karen M. Mcmanus, is a mystery book that talks about what happens when four high school students become heavily involved in a serious crime investigation after a classmate dies under some very suspicious circumstances. All four of the teens comes from a different social worlds. Also all of them are carrying secrets they desperately want to keep hidden, as specially when the media and the school turns their attention on the four high school teens. the media holding pressure on them to exposing who they really are underneath their reputations. in the book it focuses more on the gossip and the assumptions rather than the twists. In the book there is focus put on how social labels can fold the way that people live their ways. The book high lights how when judgement spreads quickly when its about damaging rumours  it forces people to face the truth, the real truth.

“Good. I hope you’ll hang in here with me. My sense is, of all the kids involved, you’re the most likely to have gotten in over your head with no ill intent.” I blink at her. “No ill what?” “No ill intent. I want to show you something.” She reaches into the bag next to her and pulls out a laptop. Ms. Shaloub and I wait as she opens it and presses a few keys. I suck in my cheeks, wondering if she’s going to show me the Tumblr posts. Maybe the police think one of us wrote them as some kind of awful joke. If they ask me who, I guess I’d have to say Bronwyn. Because the whole thing sounds like it’s written by somebody who thinks they’re ten times smarter than everyone else.

This quotation reminds me of a time when I had gotten in trouble I was defiantly in over my head and there was that ones person who just tells the truth so he won’t have trouble.

PW#4 IDK

Class: English, Day: Monday, Date: November 24, 2025, and lastly the Time: 1:58. Theses are all the details from when i started working on my Personal Writing number 4. This personal Writing is going to be exactly 200 words no more no less, you have my word. Now I must think about what the topic is going to be for my Personal Writing. Time: 12:40, but it’s the next day. Date: Tuesday Nov 25, 2025. I am still thinking of what I should write about for this Personal Writing that is proving to be harder than I thought. What I did last night, I went and watched a basket ball game at royal bay to see our boys team play and we one by like 35. Random topic snow. I love snow it so magical for some reason, I don’t know if it’s because it’s white. Now for the nonsense do I was outside looking across the street at this persons Christmas lights they were doing all sorts of things like blinking off and on then they were flashing faster. like why can’t they just be still it kind of made me think why? its like how the other night I couldn’t figure out how to turn off my Christmas tree like where was the on/off switch. I had pressed the button so many times and all it was doing was changing the pattern, it was like an old guy trying to figure out his new iPhone like wheres my manual at. So thats my nonsense and the end of this personal writing that I will always have trouble finding out what to write about like why is this always so damn hard.