You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go

I absolutely love Miley Cyrus. So much so that I love this (shudder) country style song. A lot of times songs get old quickly for me, but this one never seems to.

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Reading and Writing Reflection #4

Book: Night
Author: Elie Weisel
Pages Read: finished!

Reading Reflection 

I finished Night by Elie Weisel in three sittings! It was a short book, less than 200 pages I believe, so it wasn't a huge feat, but oh well! I enjoyed the story, but I must say, the ending was not what I was hoping for. I wanted to hear about what happened after his liberation, how great he felt (or not), how long it took for him to recover, where he moved to, anything. The final few paragraphs were quite solemn, as he describes himself looking in the mirror for the first time in years, and not recognizing the emaciated face looking back at him. It ends there. I was expecting a nice, round ending with tied knots. I didn't feel happy for his liberation, I just felt pity.

My question of whether his sister and mother survived was not directly answered, but I assume that they did not make it out. His father did not see the day of liberation either. I took the book home, so I don't have it with me now, and I can't remember what I wrote for post-it notes. I will update this post possibly tonight! (after I watch Dancing With the Stars with my mom!)

Writing Reflection

At first I thought the "Moment" assignment would be tough. There have been so many moments in my life, none all that important, how was I supposed to write a story from nothing? But then I started writing about my newly adopted puppy, Eli, and what happened before we brought him home. It came easily, and words were spilling out, but I don't feel like there is a clear message to mine. It is supposed to be along the lines of: "When one door closes, another opens" or "Have patience and faith in God's timing" "Don't rush into things" or something cheesy and unoriginal like that. :P All those messages work.

Solitary confinement was helpful, it kept me focused on the task in front of me. It was difficult to stay away from classmates, since there were so many of trying to find a secluded spot on only one level of the building. Once I found a spot and decided what to write about, I wrote a page and a half on the joy (and heartbreak!) of adopting a dog.

The Dog (Personal Addition)

How can I get frustrated at that face! (easily)

Five Things I've Learned From Having A Puppy
prompt taken from Ms McLauchlan

1. Patience is a virtue.
2. Never tolerate behaviour you deem unacceptable.
3. There's more to a day than scrolling up and down Facebook and Pinterest.
4. Instant graification is not always possible.
5. The world actually does exist at 5:45 in the morning.

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Personal Addition

Not having to do with English class, but, I adopted a puppy on Monday night! We've only had him for less than a week, but it seems like months. They wear you out! And he has a strict 10pm to 6am sleeping schedule, which I do not like or want to get used to. He will go up stairs but not down, and he loves to get those fry-pan paws muddy and leave pawprints on the floor, but I love him. :)

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Kony 2012

While reading at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/09/kony-2012-video-criticism-uganda_n_1334549.html, I came across a quote that explains how I feel about the buzz on Kony 2012. "'There is no historical context. It's more like a fashion thing,' said Timothy Kalyegira, ..." and "It said that many nuances of a 26-year conflict are admittedly lost or overlooked in a half-hour film." I agree. Although the video is certainly inspiring and interesting, it doesn't tell you much about the history behind Joseph Kony's rise to power, and it seems like a big trend to me. If you don't repost, you don't have a heart, kind of thing. So naturally, we all heard together and follow the person in front of us. On the other hand, I feel bad for this man. He put a lot of heard work, dedication, and skill into a video that is being torn apart (despite its popularilty).

I support the efforts of Invisible Children fully, which most of us do, but in reality, I doubt I will buy one of those packages, or anything much else. That sounds bad, but really, how many of us are going to? I guess thats what I mean by it being a trend. But, as a class, perhaps we could pool our money together and buy a few. Power in numbers!

It takes four letters (kony) for the video to appear in the search bar in YouTube, which seems weird to me. And even then it isn't a top hit (only after you put a space after it). I put the video on when I started writing this blog entry, and it was at 72,433,716 views.

6-Word Memoir #4 - My Heart Lives In East Tennessee

A photo of my best TN friend and I (summer 2011)

This is my favourite six-word memoir, and the most sentimental. I pretty much grew up in Tennessee, I don't remember much before my family moved. It holds my favourite memories, friends, and scenery, too. I love my life where I live now, and I don't think I would trade it for another, but I do wish travel was easier and inexpensive. I wish things were simpler! I had most of my firsts in Tennessee. Real friends (that I chose, not because they were my parents' friends' kids), crushes, ..... corndogs! Oh, corndogs. Only in the South. In many ways I'm "a true Tennessee girl at heart" (a memoir draft!). I keep in touch with my three best girlfriends, and usually fly out every summer to visit. Those are the happiest times.

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6-Word Memoir #3 - I Wait Every Year For Summer

Photo taken and edited by me :)

Who doesn't? I always think summer break gets boring, which it does, but I love the carefree feel. Sun, sand, tans, shorts! This photo is one of my favourites from my trip to Mexico. I took it at Tulum, at the top of a cliff! A little nerve wracking, but worth it. Although this was taken in the dead of winter, it was a scorcher that day. This six-word memoir also relates back to my life in that this year's summer break will be my last real one. I plan to make the most of it! I can't say much more on this, it is self explanitory ;)

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6-Word Memoir #2 - Always Fearing, Yet Always Facing Change.

As my mom always says, I'm a malcontent. I want things to change, and I am looking forward to being an independent adult, but I fear it just as much as I crave it. It's desirable, but I don't want it. I chose this photo because, primarily, I love bokeh! I can also make up a deeper description. The light is a bright future, but I'm choosing to put it out of focus, and stay on the sidelines, leaving it just out of reach. But no matter how much I push it away, I'll have to face it sooner or later. I am already moving forward, I am graduating high school, I have applied for college, and I am adopting a dog (a dream of mine since ever!)! That is enough for me at the moment. Sometimes I feel like change happens without me noticing, or without any warning. Sigh, all part of growing up!

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6 Word Memoir #1 - My Wish Is To Travel Everywhere

I decided to use this six-word memoir at the last second. When I found this photo, I just had to use it. How gorgeous does that city look! It reminds me that I really want to see new things, experience new cultures and such. The farthest I've been away from home is Mexico. I visit the United States frequently, but it is not as exciting as it seems. Unless I'm going to Tennessee! I want to go away with someone (future husband, perhaps?), and maybe, one day by myself. I would love to visit a poor area of the world, see how different everyday living can be in other places. On the other hand, I'd also love to go on a gorgeous beach vacation, similar to when I stayed at that resort in Mexico. It was a dream come true! Traveling is important to me, because you shouldn't live your life in a shell, which is what I've been doing all my life for the most part. I want change, I'm just a little timid. Which bring me to my next six-word memoir...

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