If I had a full weekend, I would travel somewhere, either nearby or farther away, to explore the area I live in. I’ve been wanting to visit this abandoned structure by the river that I discovered not too long ago. Before getting there, I would load my bag with food as well as other supplies for the exploration of the building, choose a nice spot, and spend the day there until night. The following day, I would try to go to the movies by myself in the morning, and then I would spend the rest of the day redecorating my room with various items I found at Restore or go to the beach where I haven’t been before.
Author: Marichka
IRJE #3. Holding up the universe
Currently, I am reading “Holding Up the Universe”. This book is about two teenagers, Libby Strout and Jack Masselin, and their complicated lives. This book is for everyone who doubts their place in the world.
Libby once said:
“I think what an amazing world this would be if we all danced everywhere we went.”
“Holding Up the Universe” is more about how there will always be a person who will judge you, but it does not have to stop you from doing things that you like.
PR #2 All Quiet on the Western Front
Two major factors made the book “All Quiet on the Western Front” appeal to me more than the movie “They Shall Grow Old”.
First, I was able to emotionally relate to the book’s main character. I empathized with Paul and his companions as they were going through all the atrocities of the war throughout the novel. The more I read, the more I enjoyed this emotional connection with the characters.
Second, unlike the movie, the book allowed my imagination to go wild and create my own picture of what awful really is. Everyone has a different idea of good and evil, and I enjoyed the creative freedom to paint my own picture of hell. Imagining something that was deeply and personally sad affected me much more than watching the images created by someone else.
PW #3. Fake fall
When I was little, my parents sent me to a camp in the Carpathians for several weeks. We had to get there by train. In the compartment, I met a girl with whom I became friends. Her mother and little sister were also traveling with us. When we arrived at the camp, I had to share the same room with them. On the last day of the camp, when we were supposed to go back, I woke up very early and couldn’t sleep, so I got bored and thought it would be cool to fake a fall from my bed. So I took a blanket and laid down on the floor, pretending to be asleep, waiting for my friend and her mother to wake up. When they did, they started laughing at me. Everything was fine; we laughed and started packing. In the end, when we left the camp, almost all my friends knew that I had fallen out of bed, and in the train compartment, my seat was secured with straps and all so that I would not SUDDENLY fall on the floor.
It was my worst trip on a train that I ever had. And everything because I decided it would be cool to fake that I fell from the bed.
IRJE #2: The Catcher in the Rye
I left off my previous book “Mort” and now finishing another one called “The Catcher in the Rye” about a 16-year-old boy Holden and two days of his life after he got expelled. The first thing that I found funny at the start of the book was that he talked about his school, not in a very good light.
“And underneath the guy on the horse’s picture, it always says “Since 1888 we have been molding boys into splendid clear-thinking young men.” They don’t do any damn more molding at Pencey than they do at any other school.” (p. 4. J. D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye)
“There were never many girls at all at the football games. Only seniors were allowed to bring girls with them. It was a terrible school no matter how you look at it.” (p.5. J. D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye)
The thought of that people from his school would read this book and find a small part about them here made me smile.
IRJE #1 – Mort
I am currently reading Mort by Terry Pratchett. Death’s student and Death himself have a conversation in the quotation I chose when they first meet.
“But you are Death, you walk around the world and kill people.”
“Me? Killing?” Death was clearly offended. “Of course not. People die, but that’s their trouble. And after that, I get down to business. A world in which people would pass away but not die would look idiotic, wouldn’t it?” (pg.21)
I find this quote interesting since it sort of presents Death from a different perspective. While reading a book I am used to seeing Death being described as someone who waits for the right time and then kills but in this situation, he is doing a great job by transporting people’s souls somewhere else where they will be in peace.
PR – They Shall Not Grow Old
I have mixed feelings about “They Shall Not Grow Old” after watching it. The movie is excellent and shows many historical details I couldn’t have imagined. For example, there was a time when soldiers would steal footwear from dead persons if their shoes were in good condition. I was also unaware that troops had time to smoke all the time. I had various ideas and opinions about how the battle would have looked in the past before watching this film. I had assumed that everyone understood what war was, but when I saw how excitedly men and boys went to battle as though it were an exciting adventure, I became confused. The fact that I don’t get overly moved by films and have no idea what it’s like to be at war and constantly hear gunfire is another reason I had mixed feelings after watching ‘They Shall Not Grow Old’. Though I sometimes get terrified when I think of the war in my country, it is nothing compared to what those people have gone through.
PW#1 – Music
One girl recently became very addicted to music. She cannot imagine her life without it. Music is a great way for a girl to distract herself from the world around her and escape from it. She adores the feeling that engulfs her whenever she puts on the headphones. She feels as if all her problems and the world fade into the background. All those small shards of glass that tormented her from the inside disappear, and new feelings arise in their place. Peace and comfort.
Nice to meet you, my name is Marichka
Hello, my name is Marichka and I am from Ukraine. I moved to Canada two years ago and Brooks was the only school I attended since I got here. I like digital drawing, reading, music, and online games.
I love reading, especially horror novels. It’s amazing when books have the ability to drag me into their world and it doesn’t matter whether it’s light or dark. I still like it more when it’s dark and mysterious because, in my opinion, there are more opportunities and more exciting events.
Writing is also one of those things that I like, but it depends on what to write about. I want to sit down sometimes and come up with my own events.