New Year's Celebration Party

Did you ever celebrate the new year with a party? Well I do, but this year I did it a little early. Instead of celebrating it after the new year or o the new year we celebrated it on 12/28 (Also my mom's birthday). There were many kids at the party ( Around 16) and we played many things.

First we played with electronics.  Some kids were allowed to bring their iPod or their iPad so we played Minecraft. I connected with other players so that we could play together. I invited other people to my world so they could help me. It was my first time playing multi player so I accidentally got so excited that I started to kill everybody. Soon the adults said we couldn't play with electronics so all of the kids went outside.

We played basketball outside. My team was winning till I got bored and started to do something else. I took a scooter and rode it down the host's driveway. A lot of people saw me and started doing it too. Soon it became a race. The first person who reaches the end of the driveway wins the race. We kept on doing that until we had to eat dinner.

When it was dinner time we saw a lot of delicious food. I saw steak, dumplings and noodles. I ate a lot of dumplings, 6 pieces of steak and some noodles. After dinner us kids just went to play more. We played until 11:45 P.M. and were really tired once we were home.

Going to an Art Class

I love drawing, so today I went to an art class where people draw pictures using a lot of different techniques. Some beginners were using markers while the really advanced people were doing acrylic. I was to good for the beginners but I couldn't draw as good as the advanced people so I ended up drawing and shading 3-D figures.

Since I just started I wasn't going to do really hard things such as tables, chairs or even bottles. I had to chose something easy like drawing 3-D figures. I drew a picture with a cube, cylinder and a pyramid. They looked really easy but they were actually really hard. You had to master the hand position, shading detail and shape rotation.  The teachers helped me correct my hand position so I could shade better and make the shapes look more straight.

Finally after I finished drawing the outline of the shapes I had to start shading.  There were so many pencils to chose from. Some of them were really light while others were really dark. I used B and 2B because those pencils were the exact darkness of  the picture. You have to shade in one direction so you don't make the shading look messy. After I shaded my picture it looked pretty good with darkness on one side and light on the other side.

Bolt (2008)

Bolt is a movie about a dog who thinks he has super powers. He is working for a TV show company but he doesn't have a clue that everything is fake and his powers are actually made by computer programming. One day they make a episode about Bolt's owner getting captured. He goes out to save his owner but eventually he gets lost in the countryside.

While he is roaming the countryside he meets a cat and a hamster who always stays in his plastic ball. The cat's name is Mittens and the hamster's name is Rhino. They help him realize that his life was a fake and they tried to help him become a real dog by playing games with him and teaching him ways to beg. Soon the TV company found out that Bolt escaped so they found a new dog to do the show.

One day Bolt goes back to the TV company and saw that his owner liked a different dog so he got sad and walked away. The crew was filming a episode but then suddenly fire was every where. Everyone was evacuated but Bolt's owner. Bolt rushed into the building and saved his owner from dying by barking loud enough so the fire crew could here him and rescue them both. Soon his owner quit the job and lived happily after ever with Bolt and his friends.

Christmas 2013

Have you ever went to your relatives' house for the holidays? Well I went to my cousin's house for 3 days of winter break. We had a party, celebrated Christmas and I got a really bad injury.

On Christmas Eve, my uncle, cousin and I went to play basketball. It was my cousin and I vs. my uncle. We were losing by a few points but we made a lot of baskets as well. When I was going to steal the ball my uncle accidentally bumped into me and I landed face first on the blacktop. My lips were bleeding, some of the skin on my face was ripped off, my knees were bleeding and there were some openings of blood on my hands. We had to stop the game and go home. My parents helped me clean myself and stop the bleeding. Today I still have blood stains but I feel way better than 2 days ago.

On Christmas day the first thing I did was go downstairs to look at my presents. I got a Speedo backpack and a North Face hoodie. Now that I had a real swimming backpack I could use it instead of some random bag I found around my house. Also I immediately wore my North Face hoodie because it was my first ever North Face item! My sister got Color Splasherz and some Nike shirts. Soon we had to get ready for a party.

My cousin's family had planed to have a party on Christmas. They said they were only going to invite 2 families but they ended up inviting 4-5 families. Some of the families had kids and some didn't. All of the kids who came were younger than me but we still could play games together. First we played Hide and Seek. I was always the last one to be found because I was a good hider. Then we played Hot and Cold. One person hid a ball and the others had to find it. The hider would have to give clues to the seekers by saying if they were hot or cold. After that we just watched my cousin's iPad and they went home shortly.

It was a good visit but for future visits, I should try to avoid getting injured.

Houses

Humans are probably the most intelligent beings on the planet. That is why we have the best houses on the planet. Animals' planets aren't sanitary or as efficient as ours. Not only that but us humans can make sturdy houses out of cardboard rolls (the cylinder things on inside the layers of toilet paper) and adapt to our environment quickly.

Recently I saw a video about an architect describe how strong cardboard rolls are. He says they are sturdy, waterproof and can be fireproof sometimes too. He uses the cardboard rolls to build emergency shelters, churches and camps. Sometimes people think he is crazy because he is using such a common and random thing to build buildings. But after he shows the people what he has done and they are amazed of what he built. He often wants to help society so he goes to a country that had recently had a large natural disaster and builds camps out of cardboard so they can be easy to take down once everything is repaired.

Another thing that makes us the smartest being on the planet is that we can adapt to any environment as long as we have materials. One place in China the land is scarce so some people just made an under ground village. Then more people started to join in and soon the whole city was probably living 7 meters under the ground. In Africa there is this town that lives on water. People travel around in boats and have shops in boats. Sometimes sellers row house to house selling things that people need. Public space is scarce so they have a floating school that is like a city hall. Finally I will tell you about an abandoned tower. It was a originally supposed to be a commercial building but then the person who had the ideas died and the plan was abandoned. Soon people started moving in and it became a 42 story high apartment building. All you need to do is find so curtains to make a rectangle and customize your house.

Humans have the knowledge and power to build and create things. But to make rare and awesome things you need creativity.           

New Inventions

What would it be like if we had technology so good that we made inventions we couldn't possibly think of? Well using our current technology today people have made things like interactive paper, cars and other things that are controlled by motion sensors, and wireless controls.

If we had the best technology every person could think of life would be really easy and we could be driving flyable cars. Sadly we don't have that kind of money,equipment or technology to have that. Instead us human beings are most likely the smartest living things on Earth. Since we can be creative and invent, many people hack or take parts out of another thing so the can install it on something else to help their life.

For instance during 2010 the X-Box Kinect was released. It wasn't really sensitive for some people so many people hacked the Kinect and attached it to things like carts, cars and other things with wheels. When they did that it should have made their life a whole lot easier. Lets say that someone installed a Kinect on a wheel chair. You were on one side of the room and the chair was on  the other. If you could just wave or do something it could recognize you and will come over to you. That will save you a whole  lot of time of walking to that side of the room and coming back with the chair.

Also people can invent things using creativity. I recently saw a video about a person who made interactive paper. The paper was connected to the person's iPhone with Bluetooth 4 so the response was fast. One poster they made was your favorite cake.  You just touch you favorite flavors and frosting by just touching the paper.  After you made your choices you will get an email about a recommendation of a type of cake you should like. Also they made music instruments on paper as well. They made a DJ station and a piano on paper. You just touch the icon and sounds will come out.

We have made a lot of progress in technology but we still are far from finished. Who knows what will be next???  

My Winter Concert Day

What would it feel like if you have to perform in a concert three times in one day? Well I recently did that and by the end of the day I sang eighteen songs, played my flute six times and had to listen to twelve more songs during that day. When I got home after all the concerts I had heard enough music for one day. We had a concert in the morning, afternoon and in the evening.

When I just got to  school everybody was getting their instruments ready so we could began the concert. First the orchestra played (violin,cello,viola etc.) three songs so we could enter the stage. When the band (woodwind,brass,percussion etc.) played their first song (Spinning Game) all the flutes(including me) had to go stand in front of the audience and play the song by ourselves because we took up most of the song. When we finished that song we sat back down and played a Christmas song that was made out of other Christmas songs. Then the saxophones played their song called "Old Saint Nick".

After band played finished playing their songs everybody had to sing. We sang six songs during that concert. First we sang the national anthem "Star Spangled Banner".Every kid had to stand up and show respect to our flag while we sang the song. Then we sang a round called "Lift Up Your Voices". A round is when parts of a group sing the same song but at different times so no group will sing the same part as an another group.

We sang some random songs and then sang a Christmas song. We sang "Jingle Bell Rock" for our final song.

   

The next two concerts were the same except on the evening concert we were in front of parents and a lot more people. From this day on I will never join chorus again if it is a choice.

Here is Jingle Bell Rock:

How to Use a Snow Boogie Board

Have you ever used a Snow Boogie Board? Well if you don't know what it is,it's a Boogie Board that you use on snow. Instead of using a sled you can use this instead. These Boogie Boards are manufactured  WHAM-O!and are really fun to use.They are lighter than normal sleds so when you climb up the hill it will be easier.

When you start of using the Boogie Board you probably have no idea how to use it.You can ether jump from the beginning to power you or start on the ground. You grab the handles of the Boogie Board and put your knees down.Then put your knees above your butt and you should start to go down the hill.

After you mastered starting from the ground you should try the to start with jumping.You should wear gloves just in case if you get you hands hurt. Hold on to the handles of the board and bend your knees. When you have enough courage you jump and slide down your hill.

Always wear a hat, coat, gloves and skiing pants (if you have any) to protect you. Remember you can start jumping or going from the ground. 

Playing in the "Winter Wonderland"

Today it snowed heavily and everything outside was white. I got to play with my friends. While we played together,we played football, ran around the playground trying not to slip and finally went sledding on a hill.

When I finished my lunch I saw my friends outside. I asked my parents if I could go outside and play with them and they agreed. When I just got outside we played football. Football in the snow is safer than regular football. If you fall down, there is snow to decrease the impact you take from falling. But the bad thing is you sink in the snow and you will become slower than usual. We had to play two hand touch because on of my friend's parents didn't approve of tackling.

After we got bored playing football two of my friends left so I went to get some of my other friends. We went to the park to find something else to do. We went on slides that had snow on them. When you were on the slide you feel like you are in a avalanche. Also when you were on the equipment it would be slippery and you could fall. One of my friends pretended he was an ice skater but ended up falling on his butt. Soon we all had a good idea to go sledding.

My friends brought their sleds but everyone just used these snow boogie boards. I learned how to use the boards really quickly. Occasionally I get snow all over my face when I slide down the hill we named Cluffy. We had a race and I ended up second because one of my friends went ahead of everybody.We did that again and again until we had to leave.

We threw a football, played in our playground and went sledding. What a WONDERFUL DAY!!! 

My GT/Magnet Middle School Test

When do you feel like you have a lot of pressure on you? Well I had a lot of pressure on me when I was taking my middle school test. When I got inside the school I was in a group to take 4 tests. I took the tests in this order, Raven/Logic, Reading, Writing and Math.

I got two raven test packets when I just entered the testing room. One was a green book and the other was a blue book. The green book wasn't graded because it was just to get you used to the problems on the test. When I finished the green book we were told to stop. This test was sort of like the MSA(Maryland State Assessment). When I did the blue book it started easy but it got harder every question. Eventually it got so hard that I had to guess the last question.

After I finished the raven test we had to move on to the reading comprehension test. It was all multiple choice so it was easy. We had to read informational text and answer questions. The text gave me new information that I didn't know. Some questions were confusing so I had to go back and check the text again. I had to write an essay for the writing part of the test (if you want to see it Click Here). We had to extend time for this part of the test because so many people needed extra paper to write their essay.

Then it was time for math. We had 20 min. for 50 questions. Some people felt rushed because we only had 20 min. If you wanted to do all the questions on time you would have to do 2.5 questions per minute. I finished all the questions and had time to double check my answers. Some questions were easy while others took more time to solve. The questions asked you to find which column was greater. You chose A if column A was greater, B if column B was greater, C if both columns were equal and D if there wasn't enough information given.

I finished the test that included, Raven, Math , Reading and Writing.

What I Wrote at the GT Magnet Middle School Test

When I was taking my middle school test today this was the prompt for my essay (or something like this): What goals do you have? Why is it a worthy goal? Below is how I responded.

My goal is to become an inventor. I can invent things to help mankind and make life easier.

This is a worthy goal because I can help other to complete their goals. Don't you feel great when you help others? Well if I make an invention and it becomes useful, a lot of people will use it and it will make their life easier all because I invented it.

When I invent something I will make it so that it will help the common good. I could invent a robot that helps the elderly and disabled. It can help carry the elderly and get things without the person bending down. Also it can help disabled people. If a person is blind, the robot will have earphones attached to it and it will tell the person where to go. If a person is mute, then the person can type what they want to say. And finally a person that is deaf can take a device and put it to the person that is talking and then the person having the device can read the text.

I want invent things to make peoples lives easier. I could invent a device that helps a construction worker. It gives the worker instructions on what to build and caution notes when the worker can be in danger. Also I could invent goggles that tell a swimmer what their rank is. Swimmers aren't aware of their rank until the finish the race. You could program the goggles to a board that has the rankings so the swimmers can try harder to get in first.

When I invent things I will make them useful and better for mankind.

Benjamin Franklin

Ben Franklin was one of the greatest Founding Fathers of all time. He signed and edited the Constitution, Declaration of Independence and wrote an almanac called Poor Richard's Almanac. He also got a successful career in printing newspaper. Also he invented many things like lights and hospitals.

When America had just won the Revolutionary War we had a bad government. People had to create the Constitution to organize and create a better country. Ben Franklin was one of those people who revised, edited and signed the constitution. He sign the constitution even though he wasn't completely satisfied with it.

Ben Franklin was also an inventor. He invented many things such as bifocals, the Franklin stove and swimming. He also extracted energy from lightning to power many things. Some useful inventions we still use today are lightning rods,lights and hospitals.

Here are some fun facts of Ben Franklin. When America had shortage of coin money Ben Franklin was hired to print paper money. Instead of the bald eagle he wanted the turkey to be the national bird. Unlike other founding fathers he didn't wear a wig. He published Poor Richard's Almanac under an fake identity as a poor man named Richard.

Ben Franklin was amazing man who invented things,helped America become a better country and did random things to help America.

Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs was an amazing man who brought new ideas to our world. His inventions (such as the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad)affected many people by making their life better.

When he invented the Mac (also known as the Macintosh), it was based on it's own software, not Windows. It gave some people thought that they can change the world with new inventions. His other inventions such as the iPhone were also successful. Who knew that when Jobs put a computer into a phone, it would change the whole world. Soon the iPhone was so successful that it influenced other people to make devices like tablets and smart TV's.

Jobs inventions changed the world. Many people these days rely on his inventions to help them strive. Without him, people wouldn't have been creative and made apps like Facetime or iTunes. His inventions also affected me. I own an iPod and I treat it like treasure. It has a ton of fun games to play on it and I can listen to music anytime. Steve Jobs was a great man but he died on 10/5/11. When he died Apple had just introduced the new iPhone one day before.Who know what else will change the world???

5 Paragraph Essay Key Points

-Has to be 5 paragraphs

-Paragraph 1 includes a hook and a thesis

-Thesis briefly introduces the main idea in paragraphs 2,3,4

-Paragraphs 2,3,4 have a range of 4-6 sentences 

-Stay on topic

-Last paragraph is the thesis rewritten

-Check grammar and spelling (proofread)

-Good sentence variety,short,long,complex and phrases

-Think or use a thesaurus to make sentences more complex

-Transitions words

-Sensory details

-Don't start with the same word for more than 2 sentences

-Can be Informative or Persuasive