Dear My Lovely Little Sister, Lilly,

Dear my lovely little sister, Lily,

As I know, by the time this letter reaches you, you will have been well informed of that fact that I am missing. What I'm sure, is that your confused. Mom, dad, Asher, Fiona, you, and everyone else. They are confused, curious. You must be wondering why? Why I left, right? After I started my job, I began to realize the flaws that the community has; freedom, choice, colors, and feelings. None of that existed in the community, the community we all live in, pretending to live happily. From running away, I believe, that community I can help remove all this scars and can be saved from all the...... imprison.

" "Yes, I understand that they'll need you," Jonas had said at the end of the lengthy discussion and planning. "But I'll need you, too. Please come with me." He knew the answer as he made the final plea.

"My work will be finished," The Giver relied gently, "when I have helped the community to change and become whole."

"I'm grateful to you, JOnas, because without you I would never have figured out a way to bring about the change. But your role now is to escape. And my role is to stay."

From the days I have Received the memories from the current Receiver of Memory, I have learned many things about this community. Most of things I have learned is abysmal. The community you are currently living in is empty, blank. First of all, there are definitely no proper feelings! I am aware that you must think I have gone mad. No feelings? Am I right? Well, even though I'm well conscious of "The Evening Telling of Feelings", the citizens, including you, can only name feelings, not actually feel them. When we share our feelings of the day, do you ever feel the feeling? Feelings have to be felt, not said or described. I, for one, have felt these feelings. I have felt happiness, sorrow, sadness, angry, grief, hunger, and so forth. Some emotions go deep, and hard to describe yet easy to feel.

"On this unexpected, casual holiday he felt happy, as he always had on holidays; but with deeper happiness than ever before. Thinking, as he always did, about precision of language, Jonas realized that it was a new depth of feelings that he was experiencing. Somehow they were not at all the same as the feelings that every evening, in every dwelling, every citizen analyzed with endless talk.

"I felt angry because someone broke the play area rules," Lily had said once, making a fist with her small hand to indicate her fury. Her family - Jonas among them - had talked about the possible reasons for rule-breaking, and the need for understanding and patience, until Lily's fist had relaxed and her anger was gone.

"But Lily had not felt anger, Jonas realized now. Shallow impatience and exasperation, that was all Lily had felt. he knew that with certainty because now he knew what anger was. Now he had, in the memories, experienced injustice and cruelty, and he had reacted with rage that welled up so passionately inside him that the thought of discussing it calmly at the evening meal was unthinkable.

"I felt sad today, " he had heard his mother say, and they had comforted her.

But now Jonas had experience real sadness. he had felt grief. He knew that was no quick comfort for emotions like those.

These were deeper and they did not need to be told. They were felt." (Pages 131 to 132)

Our community, the very one I grew up in, has taken away a quality. It's called "color (s)". The Chief Elder mentioned it at the Ceremony where as I was selected to become the new Receiver of Memory. She called it being able to "See Beyond". This, just like feelings, have vanished. Back, back, and back. When humans were still able to see them, there was not only one color, there were more. Each had millions of shades too. There were; Red, Orange, Yellow, Light Green, Dark green, Light Blue, Dark Blue, Purple, and Pink! There are millions of more that you'll soon be able to see. Every object, every creature, every thing, has a colors. Similar to something having a shape, size, and color. Colors aren't gone though, the citizens just can't see them. From looking back all I've learned from the memories, I suspect that having feelings, or have the potential to feel, has something to do with being able to see. Feelings (as you will soon learn) have a sensation you will, and as I recall, when looking at colors there is a sensation to be felt. Or something close to that, for all I know it that this wonderful capability, is to die for. Once you see it you will never want to let it go. Without luck, we had to let that power go as well as being able to feel the feelings.

"The Giver sighed. "How to explain this? Once, back in the time of the memories, everything had a shape and size, they way things still do, but they also had the quality called, color. " " (Page 94)

"Jonas wasn't interested, just then, in wisdom. It was the colors that fascinated him. "Why can't everyone see them? Why did colors disappear?

The Giver shrugged. "Our people made that choice, the choice to got to Sameness. Before my time, before the previous time, back and back and back. We relinquished color when we relinquished sunshine and did away with differences. " He thought for a moment. "We gained control of many thing. But we had to let go of others.
"We shouldn't have!" Jonas said fiercely. " (Page 95)

"Days went by, and weeks. Jonas learned, through the memories, the names of colors; now he began to see them all, in his ordinary life (though he knew it was ordinary no longer, and would never be again)." (page 97)

From all that you have read so far, I believe your still confused as to why I had to leave. My memories, the memories from back, back, and back, needs to free. Free for all the citizens to reach. The only way for that to happen, is for me to either die or go far enough from the communities so the memories will leave and go back. Although you may not have well structured feelings, I'm under the impression that you, or anyone who knows me well enough, would want me to arise from this world. Oh, you probably won't even the feel the sorrow of me dying. Let me explain to you about an emotion unremembered from long ago when it was alive in hearts of everyone, it was called love. I am sure you have heard of this feelings and educated not use it for it, I believe it is not Precision of language. Even called meaningless! If you knew, or if you felt such a feeling.... Oh, Lily! Sadly, it is something the committee gave away, as likely as not, for our own good.

" "Father? Mother?" Jonas asked tentatively after the evening meal. "I have a question I want to ask you."

"What is it, Jonas?" his father asked.

He made himself say the words, though he felt flushed with embarrassment. He rehearsed them in his mind all the way home from the Annex.

"Do you love me?"

There was an awkward silence for a moment. Then Father gave a little chuckle. "Jonas. You, of all the people. Precision of language, please!"

"What do you mean?" Jonas asked. Amusement was not at all what he had anticipated.

"Your father means that you used a very generalized word, so meaningless that it's become almost obsolete," his mother explained carefully.

Jonas stared at them. Meaningless? He had never before felt anything as meaningful as the memory.

"And of course our community can't function smoothly if people don't use precise of language. You could ask, 'Do you enjoy me?' The answer is 'Yes', " his mother said.

"Or," his father suggested, " 'Do you take pride in my accomplishments?' And the answer is wholeheartedly 'Yes." "

"Do you understand why it's inappropriate to use a word like 'love'?" Mother asked.

Jonas nodded. "Yes, thank you, I do," he replied slowly.

It was his first lie to his parents. " (pages 126 to 127)

Despite the fact I was scheduled to leave a bit later, most probably on the day of Ceremonies, I didn't. The motivation that drove me to take off in my journey was Gabriel. Something else I've learned about the community is the truth about release. Unlike the stories (and lies) Father and Mother tell us about Elsewhere and how the people who have been Released go to Elsewhere. Instead they are killed! Injected with some of sort poison. I know very well you won't believe me, and assume I'm making this up, but unfortunately I have seen evidence with my own eyes, and you will not believe who was caught, it was Father. Call to the memory of Father retelling us, at dinner about the twins. Well, I was curious to see the Ceremony of Release for the poor, maybe lucky, child getting released. Instead what I saw, was the shocking truth behind all these murders. But, do not panic, Father was (sadly) instructed to do so. It was a part of his job, and as far as you read now (unless your skipping ahead) you should at the very least understand that he can't, and he didn't have feelings to feel for the hapless infant. I, differ from Father, I actually felt something in me for Gabriel when I absorbed the knowledge that Gabriel was voted to be released. I just knew I had to save the little kid, I felt love for him.

"It had happened at the evening meal. The family unit was always eating together as always: Lily chattering away, Mother and Father making their customary comments (and lies, Jonas knew) about the day. Nearby, Gabriel played happily on the floor, babbling in his baby talk, looking with glee now and then toward Jonas, obviously delighted to have him back after the unexpected night away from the dwelling.

Father glanced down toward the toddler. "Enjoy it, little guy," he said. "This is your last night as visitor."
"What do you mean?" Jonas asked him.Father sighed with disappointment. "Well, you know he wasn't here when you got home this morning because we had him stay overnight at the Nurturing Center. It seemed like a good opportunity, with you gone, to give it a try. He'd been sleeping so soundly."
"Didn't it go well?" Mother asked sympathetically.Father gave a rueful laugh. "That's an understatement. It was a disaster. He cried all night, apparently. The night crew couldn't handle it. They were really frazzled by the time I got to work.
"Gabe, you naughty thing," Lily said, with a scolding little chuck toward the grinning toddler on the floor."So," Father went on, "we obviously had to make the decision. Even I voted for Gabriel's release when we had the meeting this afternoon."
Jonas put down his fork and stared at his father. "Release?" he asked.
Father nodded. "We certainly gave it our best try, didn't we?"
"Yes, we did." Mother agreed emphatically.
Lily nodded in agreement, too.
"When?" he asked. "When will he be released?""First thing tomorrow morning. We have to start our preparations for the Naming Ceremony, so we thought we'd get this taken care of right away.
"It's bye-bye to you, Gave, in the morning." Father had said, in his sweet, sing-song voice. " (Pages 164 to 165)

Lily, it is my time to leave now, so I shall end this brief letter to you. I wish very much indeed that I could have given a proper farewell to you, but for the sake of the community's future I have to. I am heading out of the community, off to Elsewhere, with my head held high for I know I'm leading the community and it's people to a better future. I hope, after every else realizes for what reason I have left, that I did it for their better and shall at the very least, in their hearts become proud of me. Lily, you have, and always will be, my lovely little sister, whom I am writing this precious letter, who are one of the individuals that I have taken a life-taking risk. Lily you shall always stay in my heart and my desire is that you too, shall treasure me in your heart with love.

With all the love,

From your one and only brother,

Jonas.......

Picture Sources:

Corlors - http://www.smashingapps.com/2009/02/05/23-magical-photography-to-believe-that-are-not-photoshopped.html

Love - http://loveblindornot.ibibo.com/gallery/album/112909/10363/88664

Freedom and Choice, Lit. Circle 4

"There was no answer to Jonas's whisper. Gabriel was sound asleep.

"Things could change, Gabe," Jonas went on. Things could be different. I don't know how, but there must be some way for things to be

different. There could be colors.

"And grandparents," he added, staring through the dimness toward the ceiling of his sleepingroom. "And everybody would have the memories.

"You know about memories," he whispered, turning toward the crib.

Gabriel's breathing was even and deep. Jonas liked having him there, though he felt guilty about the secret. Each night he gave memories to Gabriel: memories of boat rides and picnics in the sun; memories of fall against windowpanes; memories of dancing barefoot on a damp lawn.

"Gabe?"

The newchild stirred slightly in his sleep. Jonas looked over at him.

"There could be love," Jonas whispered.

The next morning, for the first time, Jonas did not take his pill. Something within him, something that had grown there through the memories, told him to throw the pill away. "

(Pages 128 to 129, The Giver, Louis Lowry)

Throughout the chapters, 16 to 18, Jonas feels the pleasure of freedom. While the community restricts freedom and choice, although they may not notice, they also cut off the vibrating emotions of feeling feelings. Through memories, Jonas and other receivers feel the succinct sensation of freedom. The freedom of being an individual, the freedom of walking away at their own will, the freedom of riding across a meadow to a place where you choose to do things, the freedom of walking down the street without having to hide anything, and so forth. Most of the memories, not all though, contains this; contains freedom; but in it's own different way. When Jonas received the memory of having a birthday party, he felt atmosphere where a child could feel the joy of being a special and unique person. Not just that, he received countless memories that embrace happiness.

" " There are so many good memories," The Giver reminded Jonas. And it was true. By now Jonas had experienced countless bits of happiness, things he had never known of before.

He had seen a birthday party, with one child singled out and celebrated on his day, so that now he understood the joy of being an individual, special and unique and proud.

He had visited museums and seen paintings filled with all the colors he could now recognize and name.

In one ecstatic memory he had ridden a gleaming brown horse across a field that smelled of damp grass, and had dismounted beside a small stream from which both he and the horse drank cold, clear water. Now he understood about animals; and in the moment that the horse turned from the stream and nudged Jonas's shoulder affectionally with it's head, he had perceived the bonds between animal and human.

He had walked through woods, and sat at night beside a campfire. Although he had through the memories learned about the pain of loss and loneliness, now he gained, too, an understanding of solitude and it's joy."

(Page 121 to 122)

Along with freedom, comes choices. There are so many choices in our society, we never pondered about it, or what it would be like with having them. In the community Jonas lives in, choices, as well as freedom, is banished. Even though this is a negligent performance that the committee has dispatched, I'm sure they have no clue as to what it has done. Maybe the person or the group of people who choose this knew, knew that the older generations would feel pity on themselves, but this may have been done for the good of the people. They might have thought they were helping the people. For example; in the mornings, you wouldn't have to spend time on choosing clothes, or choosing breakfast, for there wouldn't a choice. Or contemplate all your life over what job would suit you, and on and on. To be able to make your own choices, first there must be freedom. Freedom to make choices. When Jonas first learned about colors, he started to question the community's control, the limitation of seeing colors, or choosing. He began to become curious of what it may be like if there the freedom of choosing.

" "Well..." Jonas had to stop and think it through. "If everything's the same, then there aren't any choices! I want to wake up in the morning and decide things! A blue tunic, or a red one?"

He looked down at himself, at the colorless fabric of his clothing. "But it's all the same, always."

Then he laughed a little. "I know it's not important, what you wear. It doesn't matter. But-

"It's the choosing that's important, isn't it? The Giver asked him.

Jonas nodded. "My little brother --" he began, and then corrected himself. "No, that's inaccurate. He's not my brother, not really. But this newchild that my family takes care of -- his name's Gabriel?"

"Yes, I know about Gabriel."

"Well, he's right at the age where he's learning so much. He grabs toys when we hold them in front of him -- my father says he's learning small-muscle control. And he's really cute. "

The Giver nodded.

"But now that I can see colors, at least sometimes, I was just thinking: what if we could hold up things that were bright red, or bright yellow, and he could choose? Instead of the Sameness."

"He might make the wrong choices."

"Oh." Jonas was silent for a minute. "Oh, I see what you mean. It wouldn't matter for a newchild's toy. But later it does matter, doesn't it? We don't dare to let people make choices of their own."

"Not safe?" The Giver suggested.

"Definitely not safe," JOnas said with certainty. "What if they were allowed to choose thier own mate? And chose wrong?"

"Or what if," he went on, almost laughing at the absurdity, "they chose their own jobs?"

"Frightening isn't it?" The Giver said.

Jonas chuckled. "Very frightening. I can't even imagine it. We really have to protect people from wrong choices."

"It's safer."

Yes," Jonas agreed. "Much safer."

But when the conversation turned to other things, Jonas was left, still, with the feeling of frustration that he didn't understand.

(Page 97 to 99)

When I come to make up the conclusion, these chapters, chapters 16 to 18, related to freedom and choice because Jonas gets to wander through memories that represent the delight of having freedom, and the pleasure of being able to make your own choices. Not only that, but feeling the different aspects of freedom.

“Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.”

Sources:

Freedom Picture - http://umattr.info/

Quote - http://thinkexist.com/quotations/freedom/

Choice Picture - http://monkeywong.com/2009/02/10/life-is-a-matter-of-choice/

By, Zarafsha :)

I commented on Radhi's Blog

Hey Mrs. N,

For our last Blog Post, I recall we had to comment on someone's posts. I commented on both of Radhi's Lit. Circle Blog post. Her blog post are just as amazing as always, and I have commented more on her blog, so you could check it out.

Here's a link to her blog -

http://rsharma17.blogspot.com/

-Zara

The Giver: The Instruction About Lying

Recently, in class we finished our second literature circle, on the book The Giver, by Louis Lowry. In this book, Jonas has just been selected to become the new Receiver of Memory. Jonas actually lives in a over safe community, where pretty much everything you have is chosen for you, your job, your spouse, the day you die, your child, your name, your house, your appearance, and, well, everything. Every year, on December, there is a Ceremony. At this ceremony, you turn older, and you get something new depending on your age. When you are twelve, you get your job. The Elders choose the job for you. The Elders have observed you to make sure you get the right job. Jonas, a peaceful, calm and intelligent boy, who usually stands out because of his lighter eyes, he just got selected to become the new Receiver. This in fact, is the most honored job in the community. The job keeps the current Receiver distinct from the others. The career also includes a set of rules for the trainee:

" 1. Go immediately at the end of school hours each day to the Annex entrance behind the House of Old and present yourself to the attendant.

2. Go immediately to your dwelling at the conclusion of Training Hours each day.

3. From this moment on you are exempted from rules governing rudeness. You may ask any question of any citizen and you will receive answers.

4. Do not discuss your training with any other member of the community, including parents and Elders.

5. From this moment you are prohibited from dream telling.

6. Except for illness or injury unrelated to your training, do not apply for any medication.

7. You are not permitted to apply for release.

8. You may lie. " (Page 68)

Jonas was startled by most of the rules, but he seemed to be highly disturbed by the last rule. Members of the community were taught since early age, not to lie. It was a rule that was well respected, and if it wasn't followed, then like all the times mistakes are made, some was to give you a chastisement. This rule kept the citizens trustworthy and honest. No one would turn betray one another, or hide anything from them, and the community would be organized and in order. This last rule disturbed Jonas exceptionally.

Jonas finds this particular thought disturbing, for all his life, he had strictly taught NEVER to lie. It makes him wonder what might be happening during his training that would be so secretive, or why would there ever be a purpose in his ever-so safe community to lie? Even before, he was starting to question the protection of his community. When the plane flew over the community, the apple, and now the instruction that allows him to lie. This thought almost frightened him, since he was positive no one lied. Asher didn't lie, Lily didn't lie, and obviously he was certain that he hadn't lied in his twelve years of living. He didn't think there ever was a time where was even tempted to lie. At thinking this thought, he wondered if his parents lied, or if any other elders did not tell the truth. Maybe every citizen, when they have become a Twelve, received the same alarming sentence in their set of instructions.

"He had never, within his memory, been tempted to lie. Asher did not lie. Lily did not lie. His parents did not lie. No one did. Unless...

Now Jonas had a thought that he had never had before. This new thought was frightening. What if others -- adults -- had, upon becoming Twelves, received in their instructions the same terrifying sentence?

What if they had all been instructed: You may lie? " (Page 71)

As I had mentioned before, why would there ever be a need to lie? In a community so safe, so ordered, so perfect (or so he thinks), so trustworthy. Well, could all that be a lie? Adults might lie, but there is no way of finding out if they do so. But then again, there would not be anything in their community to lie about. Their life there is so ordinary and upright; there are no secrets to hide or crimes to hide. For the committee can see everything you do, for example when Jonas took the apple room with him from the Recreation Center to examine why it changed.

"It had happened during the recreation period, when he had been playing with Asher. Jonas had casually picked up an apple from the basket where the snacks were kept, and had thrown it to his friend. Asher had thrown it back, and they had begun a simple game of catch.

There had been nothing special about it; it was an activity that he had performed countless times: throw, catch, throw, and catch. It was effortless for Jonas, and even boring, though Asher enjoyed it, and the catch was a required activity for Asher because it would improve his hand-eye coordination, which was not up to standards.

But suddenly Jonas had noticed, following the path of the apple through the air with his eyes, that the piece, that the piece of fruit had --- well, this was the part that he couldn't adequately understand --- the apple had changed. Just for an instant. It had changed in mid-air, he remembered. Then it was in his hand, and he looked at it carefully, but it was the same apple. Unchanged. The same size and shape: a perfect sphere. " (Page 24-25)

All in all, Jonas did not feel comfortable with that instruction. The main reason was that, all his life he has been taught not to lie. Never in his life. He had been scolded into doing so and there really wasn't any reason to lie about. No conflict in his life, or secret to hide or anything. Like I remarked before, life in the community is very ordinary, simple, and honest.

Giver Blog Post, One

In class, we have started Literature Circles again! This time we only have two book choices, The Giver, by Louis Lowry, and The White Mountains, by John Christopher. I am reading the Giver along with

Radhika, Norman and Zifan (my group members). For this blog post, we were to choose from these three choices.

1) Would you want your future to

be decided by others? Why or why not?

2) How do you feel about the "standard practices" and "rituals' in the community?

3) Why is interdependence fostered in the community?

I chose the second question; how do you feel about the "standard practices" and "rituals' in the community?

In the book, Giver, by Louis Lowry, there is a community where pretty much everything for the people is decided for them. For example, the job, their spouse, their child, and etc are chosen for them. The community is a totally safe place to live, but a very boring and strict place to live. There are these rituals and standard practices that the people of the community have to practice. So far I have read about sharing their feelings each night at every household and sharing your dreams of the night before, with your family members. "It was one of the rituals, the evening telling of feelings." (Page 5) "Usually, at the morning ritual when the family members told their dreams, Jonas didn't contribute much" (page 34) How do I feel about these rituals? I feel that they are different and sort of weird.

I think these are different because, in our world we don't do anything like this. Well, maybe sometimes we like to share our feelings but not against our own will. In the book, you have to do it. You absolutely have to share your feelings and dreams. It's sort of like a rule. It's also busting someone's personal "bubble". Each morning at breakfast, you have to share your dreams with the other members of the dwelling. Each person gets a turn, and one by one, they retell what they dreamed. Jonas usually does not dream. Sometimes when he dreams he can only grasp fragments of it but he can't put the story together. But still, he has to share exactly what he saw or what he remembers. "He rarely dreamed. Sometimes he awoke with a feeling of fragments afloat in his sleep, but he couldn't seem to grasp them and put them together into something worthy telling at the ritual." (Page 34)

I think these rituals are weird because, it's so different from what I've learned and known. So it feels different for me. For someone in the community it would feel perfectly fine because they don't know any other way of living. Just like us, they've learned that way from the time they were born, so it's just like taking a school bus to school inour world. If they saw this from another prospective, maybe they would have thought this was a bad idea. But at the same time, their way of living is much safer than ours, and more trust worthy. No one lies to you, because it’s a rule there. "He had been trained since earliest childhood, since his earliest learning of language, never to lie. It was an integral part of the learning of precise speech. Once, when he had been a Four, he had said, just prior to day meal at school, "I'm starving" Immediately he had been taken aside for a brief private lesson in language precision." (Page 70)

From the outside all this seems wrong, but the people don't think so. They believe their life is as wonderful as life gets. That's because they don't know any other ways of life. This is because they've never seen anything else but the community life. Even other communities, they are similar to the one Jonas lives in. Even us, someone from outer space or something might think our way of living is wrong. But we haven't seen any other way of living that is better. Now if we had, I'm sure we would have started to live like that, but we aren't. You can't really blame them for living like that. But you could blame the person or the people who started the community (s). And they, they probably thought it was the right thing to do. A safer lifestyle (and it is true), except for... well a lot of things.

The Giver Picture Site

King Khufu Reflection

In class we just finished learning about the Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt. We did a project to end the sub-unit. We were each given a famous Pharaoh and we had to make an iMovie on him/her. We (luckily) were to do the iMovie with a partner, and if your gestalt, you partner up with a logic person. My partner was Aatiqah and we did King Khufu. King Khufu was the builder of the Great Pyramid of Giza. He was the second ruler in the fourth dynasty, he ruled in the Old Kingdom. Now we have to write a reflection on our movie; and explain; why the Pharaoh's created monuments,what monuments in our society are similar to Ancient Egyptian ones, how did using google docs help us, what did we learn from this assignment, what was challenging in the assignment, and which of the school wide learning results were in this assignment.

I think Pharaoh's created monuments because they wanted to leave their trace in history. To show people of older generations their culture, religion, how much of a good ruler they were. For example, King Khufu, he built the Egypt's largest and tallest pyramid. He mainly built the pyramid for his resting place after death, he believed in after-life. He believed that if his body was preserved then he would be able to make to after-life, another that lasts forever.

In our present society there are a few monuments that are similar to the ones from Ancient Egypt, the Taj Mahal, Great Wall of China, and manymore. I think the Taj Mahal is similar to monuments to Ancient Egyptians because it's a mystery how the Taj Mahal was built, and so is the Great of Giza. How King Khufu transported the large granite blocks is one of the biggest mysteries of the Great Pyramid. The Great Wall of China is similar to the monuments of Ancient Egypt, for, the Great Pyramid was one of the largest building in Egypt for a long time, and like The Great Pyramid it one of the World's "big"architectures. The difference is that the Great Wall of China is long in length, while the Great Pyramid is tall in height.

Using google docs helped us mainly in using one document, since we were partnered up, we could use the same document and edit whenever wanted. So if weren't sitting together, we could still work on the project because we both had access to it. If we were to do it on different documents it would have been hard to work out what to do after we were done. Also, because we were working on the same documents we could work out our mistakes and ideas there, adding and deleting stuff.

I learned a couple of things from this assignment, I learned plenty of things about Khufu, and a bit on partner work. King Khufu, like I mentioned before built the Great Pyramid. Until now I didn't even KNOW there was a Great Pyramid. Another fact I learned was, that King Khufu was said to be cruel, and why he was cruel you'll have check my iMovie (the post before this one). I also learned that if your given your part of share finish it early so you can help your partner out on their part because sometimes that's necessary.

What was challenging was finding our facts, you see, King Khufu isn't that famous unlike his monument. He wasn't recognized that well in history. I think this was because he was cruel to his people in his rule, some people say that he slaved his people to build the pyramid. The pyramid took over a thousand men to built, or so the scientist think. What I found really hard was the last question; How do the monuments constructed by your pharaoh reflect their religious beliefs? One of the reasons I found this hard was because I didn't really understand the question. So I looked up the wrong answer and I had to do some last minute research.

In school we have 6 school wide learning results. These are there too help us learn better at school. The most evident in the project was most probably collaborate constructively. I think this because we worked in partners, so we had to collaborate to do the job right. I'm sure I did pretty well on that. We sort of started to argue but we eventually figured it out.

Thats the end of my reflection, if you would like to see the Movie then either go see the post right before this one, or go to this link ›› My iMovie

Sources:

the Great Wall of China - http://www.fadiloktay.net/?p=58

the Taj Mahal - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Taj_Mahal_in_March_2004.jpg

The Great Pyramids - http://www.metrolic.com/travel-guides-the-great-pyramid-of-giza-147358/

The Great King Khufu!

My City Presentation

In class we made a presentation of the city we call home. We were to include the environmental factors (physical features, and factors), historical factors, statistical information, sources, and graphics. I choose Dhaka, Bangladesh because I was born there, both my parents are from Bangladesh and I've lived there for 5 years. I also visit there a lot because most of my relatives are there. Now I have to reflect on the presentation. We have to explain what we believe we did good on the project, what we would improve in future in our presentation/projects, what did we learn from our presentation, what is our analysis from our presentation?

I think I did good in a few things, like my historical factors slide, that slide had a lot of information on it. I talked about, how Dhaka got its name, when the British ruled, when Bangladesh was a part of Pakistan, how they got their independence, and so on. I had done everything on the criteria, the environmental factors, historical factors, statistical factors, pictures and maps, and site my sources. Although my environmental factors weren't good, but that was because no matter much I searched I couldn't find anything. The only things I put on it was, the water source (ground water), and why it's important to have rivers in Dhaka. That was the only slide I don't think I did good on, but other than that I believe I did pretty good.

In future presentations, I think I should try to be more confident and practice how I'm going to present. When I got up to present my powerpoint, I got nervous and just read off the board. I probably used mono-tone when I presented. I also figeted a lot, like playing with my shirt. The audience (thankfully) might not have noticed that though. So next time I might want to make note cards just incase. I should also make my powerpoint a little more interesting. My powerpoint seemed really simple, and everyone else looked really bored. I should have a more attracting theame.

I reckon I learned a bunch of new things from my presentation and others in my class. I found out that most of Dhaka use ground water. Ground water is water that is collected from underneath the surface of Earth. Also from one of my friends, I learned that when you call a cellphone company or any company, the calls get sent to Bangalore. The main thing I learned from my PowerPoint and most other people is to practice. I mentioned this before, but I learned that if I don't practice I will just read off the board, which will be really boring for everyone, including me! I felt bored when other people presented, but some have moving pictures which were interesting and sort of funny.

Overall, I think I did ok. My information was acceptable, but my presentation was probably really boring. But I think my knowledge pulled it off. I hope got an A though. I should really practiced my presentations before I present them, so I don't bore the audience or myself. My presentation theme was boring too. Mainly, I believe, I achieved all that was there in the criteria. Making this presentation was fun and I learned more things about Dhaka that I didn't know.

This is the title page of my presentation.

This is Dhaka city.

Sources-

My presentation (my title page pic) -

https://docs.google.com/a/iskl.edu.my/present/edit?id=0AfLSuReE6-K9ZGc0bnh2enpfNzFna2g0Y3doZA&hl=en

Dhaka city pic-

http://www.bangor.ac.uk/~afs082/

The Break (December 18 - January 10)

News Years Resolution is a or some goals for the year. People make them on the 1st of January each year. They make goals that they'll try to keep. For example: Go on a diet, go for the gym, get organized, or etc. I'm making two new years resolution this year. I'm going to try to spend less time on the computer and read less books. I'm hoping that I can accomplish these goals so I can get new ones next year.


I want to spend less time on the computer because from the time I come home I'm on. I chat, go on YouTube, and search stuff on google. I also might have to glasses soon because I can't read things far away, things other people can see clearly. I should just do my work and do something active. I also want to have experience on other things. Some of my friends tell stories on sports they do, it sounds fun and interesting. I usually don't have stuff like that to tell. I also just want to active things. I really want to try out for swimming. Swimming has always been my favorite sport, especially in the heat of Malaysia.


My second resolution is too read less books. I always have a book with me. When we go out for a family dinner, or when we just have dinner at home, even while I'm eating. My parents ask, even beg me to read when I'm alone or bored. I get interested into the book so much that I read it whenever I can. But then when I'm alone or when I'm bored I don't have anything to read because I would have finished the book. Even though I love reading, I think I read too much, so I'm going to try as hard as I can to read less. Reading less doesn't mean I won't read at all, I will when given the right time. For example, when I'm alone and I'm bored, or in class at S.S.R.

Me waiting outside for the car, at this wedding.

I'm joking around with, doing the hula dance (or trying to).

This Christmas Break I went back to Bangladesh after two whole years! The trip was tiring and irritating. Since we went there after a long time, everyone wanted to met us and talk to us. Everyone threw parties for us, and we hardly got time just to have some time to hang out with my grandparents and my mother brother, Ifti. My brother hated it, since he's only five. Also my Shayyan only wanted to watch TV. I was really bored there, if the TV wasn't


Yawning, I reached for the remote. The small, old fashion TV buzzed on. I quickly flipped through the channels, only to stop at Disney Channel. Since there wasn't anything better to do than watch this. I leaned back into a comfortable position. I might be watching for long time. My mom went out shopping, and brother was playing something in the room. He wouldn't let me in so I couldn't get my book, Blue Skies, by Fleur McDonald. I hardly liked the show, Best Friends Forever, it was in Hindi so i didn't understand it. I was bored to death, like most of the days.

The traffic there was horrible!

The Bangladeshi flag

This is a place outside of Dhaka I went to. It's called Ghorashal.

This a rickshaw. You can see these a lot around Bangladesh.

These are the sources for the Bangladesh pictures (not the ones with me).
jehanara.wordpress.com
globalpoliticsnews.com

dmcbl.com

bnpbd.com

By Zarafsha Ahmed