This is just a little text of my writing at different times from when I started 7th and when I got closer to the end of the year. We can all see the difference. I have always loved writing but, I wasn’t always good at it.

First of all the length difference is immense. Another difference is the quality of my work. I used to write poorly and know I think, look over and analyze.

Writing is really fun but I just never knew how to show it properly. I thank my English teacher for showing me how to write properly and show my work efficiently and have lots of quality. Thank you Mrs. Kriese.

One of the many subjects in 7th grade is grades. We all have them, most of us don’t like them either. When I first arrived in August, grades were my biggest worry, I always had to get above a 90 on a test or my class average grades had to be above a 95. In other words I expected to excel with A+’s in all my work. I stood corrected but I still keep my grades to steady A’s.

Soon I realized that having near or actual 100’s in all my classes means I work all the time and I can’t have friends. By October, my grades were dropping lower than I wanted them to, as well as my sleep hours. Sleep had suddenly become more important than my grades. No sleep meant no good grades. Eventually, I figured out that my sleep cycle needed to lengthen but with all the extra curricular activities it was almost impossible. I learned that even though I’m a teenager, it doesn’t mean I should go to bed later for the fun of it, it only means that I get moody and annoying :).

In seventh grade, I learned:
– shortcuts to get me to class faster
– that I can boss around my 6th grade sister at school
– that drama comes often in my life from friends to grades
– (and learning) a new language (Spanish)
– that I am a great writer when I set my mind to it
– that I have to work hard to get good grades
– that 7th grade is stressful but fun
– that I have to keep an open mind on people
That is a few of the things I learned in 7th grade from drama to friends to grades, I’ve seen a lot and some of it was fun, some was not. I’m glad I experienced every single moment because now I can give good advice.

To conclude the crazy thing that I call 7th grade, I’m going to give some advice to future 7th graders. You should put yourself out there because you never know when you have stumbled along a good friend. Always work hard and DON’T slack off. Lastly just be the best person you can be and have lots of fun.

Leadership is not just something for power, it’s for people who believe they can help the world.  Most of us have been leaders in the past, and we all know how to act like one. So, if there is some problem or some belief that you have in something good then step up and be a leader.

A great example of leadership in my own school is WEB which stands for Where Everybody Belongs. This program asks for to be 7th and 8th graders to help with the incoming 6th graders. WEB requires that all of the to be 7th and 8th graders are great leaders. Some characteristics of leadership are patience, honesty, respect, a lot of focus and passion.

Being a leader is harder than it looks, you need self discipline. You also need to know how to make unbiased decisions, especially when it comes to friends. We all have friends that we care dearly for, so when it comes to leadership, you have to hear other people out because they may have great ideas too.

Not all leaders are necessarily good leaders. One example is Adolf Hitler, a heartless and cruel man, he was a leader and as we all know, but he wasn’t a good one. Another example is in the book Animal Farm by George Orwell. Napoleon, one of the leaders of Animal Farm, turned bad on everybody without really telling them, he promised better times for all animals yet he violated rules and made times only worse. He was very cryptic when he changed the commandments so that it would look better to all animals but only be better to the pigs and dogs.

Short or tall, shy or outgoing, boy or girl, we are all leaders. we all have one thing in common: knowing what’s right. So know that you have seen that being a leader is not so bad, try it.

Photo Credit: @Doug88888 via Compfight

A Dream Within A Dream

(Me as a small toddler watching Blues Clues)

As a little child, I just couldn’t do without Blues Clues, a TV show for toddlers. That program would pop my curious, joyous eyes out of my head. It was a great show that any child could ask for, in fact, it was my favorite.

My little mouth made a loud scream throughout the house for my mother to turn that confusing box that little children could not understand, otherwise known as  the TV. My mother finally turned on the TV where Blues Clues was on and waiting for my attention. As a toddler almost anything would get me excited, but this show would animate my mind and help me do something that all parents want from kids: imagine.

While I watched, my eyes would stay glued on this show for kids. Bubbly laughter burst put of my mouth. My eyes grew in anticipation. My heart bounced out of my chest and before I knew it, a happy connection grew between me and that show. It had all the building blocks for a child my age: teaching new things for kids and interactive. The show would teach me new material and make me a better educated child :).

Without this show, my eyes wouldn’t grow wide, my laughter wouldn’t be present and I wouldn’t be so happy. Blues Clues is an amazing show for the little toddler’s developing mind. That is why Blues Clues was my favorite TV show.

“I can see the brown-tinged water rushing through one pipe, disappearing into the machine and emerging clear. Both of us watch the purification happen, and I wonder if he is thinking what I am: that it would be nice if life worked that way, stripping the dirt from our lives and sending us out to the world clean. But some dirt is destined to linger.” Insurgent by Veronica Roth in Tris’s point of view.
(Tris is the main character and she is talking about her problems in life.)

This quote captivated my imagination since the moment I laid eyes on it. This quote has a very true meaning to life. We are all “dirty” or have “dirt” in our lives and no matter how hard you try, stripping it all does not work.

My favorite part of this amazing quote is “But some dirt is destined to linger”. It shows that the author, Veronica Roth, understands how life is not simple. She shows that life is a bowl of cherries meaning cherries are nice and sweet but they do have pits. The pits are the “dirt” that Veronica Roth talks about in this quote.

If she had just ended the quote without that last bit, it would have been still a spectacular quote but it would lack the effect that it gives the reader when they get to that part of the book. The quote made me think of real life situations all around the world. Like, all kinds of people steal, cheat and pretend they are someone else, that is our “dirt” in the world. We all have “dirt” in ourselves from doing bad things and we all must try hard to bring this “dirt” to a minimal.

I chose this wonderful quote because we can all relate to a time where we have had some “dirt” creep into our lives. This quote taught me to understand that people are not perfect. It opened my eyes to a new meaning of life. We all need to understand that we have “dirt” in our lives and we have to accept it and eventually start to get rid of it.

“…that it would be nice if life worked that way, stripping the dirt from our lives and sending us out to the world clean. But some dirt is destined to linger.”

“But some dirt is destined to linger.”

“Here’s a spot where we could sit down!!” I yell over the deafening sound of people shouting, screaming and singing obnoxiously loud to their favorite song. We start to hurry towards our newly found spot when some random people have to take it, all of us groan in disappointment. First come, first serve I thought in my head, I mean this is ACL after all. Austin is very well known for it’s amazing music festival and this is my absolute favorite Texas event, it’s a blast!!!

One of the big reasons I love ACL is that I just find music extremely appealing. Why wouldn’t I? I mean come on, my dad taught himself how to play the guitar and my sister and I are thriving in orchestra. There is always music in our house. I personally love the violin, it is my favorite instrument. So music is a huge part of our lives. ACL really helps with our music fascination. ACL is also so diverse in it’s music and usually always has something for everyone. Music has always been with me at all times from humming during class to playing an elegant song on the beautiful violin. So if that is the case for you then come on down and visit Austin, Texas for ACL.

Secondly I love ACL for it’s liveliness. Over 200,000 people attend this festival throughout the weekend. Everyone comes with a different interest and personality but, they all share something important: their love of music. All the people that arrive here come in a good mood and go in a good mood. They will come in crazy gadgets and funky clothes, as well as diverse foods, anything at all!! This is a festival that is definitely worth all the hassle. All the colors is overwhelming as well as the amazing music. More 100 bands play at this extraordinary event. It is so spectacular!!

I love ACL and when y’all come down you will too. It is such a diverse event that you would probably not see anything just like this anywhere else. The brilliant sun shines high in the sky as the music booms over the dancing people. It is an event that is so worth to see. This is my favorite event that I have ever witnessed in Texas so far, I love it!!!!!

CHRISTINE:
The chamber was like an icy cold shower of dread and sorrow over my fragile spine and into the deepest, darkest parts of my bones. Every footstep sent a shiver through my body. The darkness was truly a fearless beast. The dark was like a big bully with a magnifying glass over the sun and I was the puny and most definitely unlucky ant.

The place was so vast that the tiniest sound echoed very distinctly and made me cringe. At first I was in a melancholy trance, but now I am comprehending this like it was a horrible punch to the face. Running seemed like a wonderful option all of a sudden. Did I really want to walk this lonely pit of darkness? No, but what choice did I have. It is where I am destined. Not only those the Phantom seem cold and unfeeling, but so was this horrid place he called…home. Home…I never truly thought it was the Phantom that felt like he had to live here…like this was where he was destined…I can’t think about that, he killed so many and hurt so many… This dungeon was truly made for sadness yet it had an eerie beautifulness that really horrified me. My very life depended on this darkness. At that thought I saw my life flash before my eyes and as fast as it happened, it was over.

The rusted organ that was sitting in the corner started playing a scary tune with absolutely no warning. I terrified yelp jumped out of my mouth and I sank to my knees and let out a small sob. After wiping a few salty tears off I got up and hobbled weakly along. At that moment I realized a horrible thing, that there was no clear escape, which made me want to cry even harder than I did before. I knew then that I wasn’t going to get out of this one, no matter how lucky I was.

PHANTOM:
This is my home and I very well can’t do anything about it. Okay so maybe this place is a disaster and I never planned my sorry life to be like this… Although I really can’t help it. Darkness is not only my ally, but it is my life and light is the enemy that even if you face it for a second, you want to run away in terror.

The amount of screams of fright I’ve heard is unbearable. I have heard so many of those repulsive sound that my mind rings with the echo off them. My face is so different that I feel out of place or more plainly like freak. My best friend is a tiny, good-for-nothing rat for crying out loud!! I never asked for a life like this and I just want a friend…

I am influenced by this putrid and not to mention pitch-black chamber. People say that this is what my soul is made out of, but honestly I am NOT evil. I just lack something that I and only I lack: compassion.  I want to be loved, I want to be cherished and mostly I want to be looked at nicely… In other words I want to be normal. After many minutes of thinking, I hear Christine’s little footsteps and… are those quiet weeps? Right before she is in earshot I mumble one powerful word “compassion”.

Photo Credit: kakeyzz—- via Compfight

Before I start this post, I just want to say this is my imagination based on the real story of Jurassic Park.

The girl slowly creeped through the forest alone. She did not want to be there, but she knew it was the only way to solve the mystery of the raptor. The deeper she went the darker it was. The branches sighed and heaved in the creepy wind. Soon, the trees got thicker and thicker. Black clouds rolled ominously in. A sense of dread and absolute terror washed over her like an icy shower.

She was near, she knew it. Enormous rain drops fell, but it was all in slow motion… At first it was distant, then soon it sounded like a starting truck right in her ear. – No, it can’t be… No I thought… No… – as she started started to go numb with realization and fear, the “thing” got closer and closer. Every particle in her body was telling her to run, but she wanted so badly to discover the Raptor mystery. – Three seconds more… Two just two… 2…1… –
1…

A second to long. The sound was now like a jet plane landing right by her ear. Against her will of discovering the amazing mystery, she turned and sprinted. – All that for nothing – she scolded herself – so close, I was so close -. As she ran her lungs felt like popping balloons and her legs like Jell-O. She knew this was a fast, merciless, repulsive, greedy and especially hungry monster. She knew it would have no trouble devouring her if she slowed down by even the fraction of a second.

Thump, thump, thump. The ground was vibrating. Slowly, out of sheer curiosity she took a peek. She stopped cold. She knew this was it when she stared into the sinister, cold-hearted, blood-red eye…

The iPad: a tool for education and organization. The iPad: a tool for trouble (you all know it’s true)… The iPad has so many different uses that I would be sitting here making blog post after blog post on how it is used instead of my opinion on it. Now, it is only up to how you want to use it. This is my aspect on the iPad: I find the iPad very fun.

To be honest the iPad keeps me quite entertained. Not only are there a million or less games to keep an (almost) teenager or tweenager entertained for years, but it also has so many apps for education like Khan Acandemy. Though it does have educational games it also has very fun and mind-boggling games like the famous and extremely hard Flappy Bird. The iPad opens you up to  a whole new and fresh meaning and perspective of entertainment. It is such a boost to what we had not even ten years ago. The iPad is truly entertaining and so much fun.

Furthermore, the iPad really helps me get my things organized because trust me, I am HORRIBLE at organizing. I have a huge stack of loose papers that I carry around so if you call that organized well, then I do not think you know what “organized” means. You know how people say “there is an app for that….” or “there is an app for organizing” well whoever made that app I just want to say thank you. We have a lot of amazing things we can do to organize. The iPad is great at putting things together and especially helping to get my things in order.

The iPad is a wonderful tool and resourceful tool yet it does have it’s downs. It does have it’s ups though and that is what I chose to write about.  I think the iPad is very entertaining and organizing.