The Best Medicine (8)

Would you agree with me when i said "Laughter it the best Medicine?"

     Not only is it the best, its free! It takes a group, or just you and yourself. When reading the article "Laughter is the best medicine", it talked about how laughing, or even smiling can reduce stress and increase happiness and help in relationships and is good for your health.

     Laughter relaxes the body and boosts the immune system which help fight diseases. Laughter also causes endorphins to be released which is a chemical that makes you feel good. It gives you a sense of well being and can take away pain for a period of time.

It helps you turn that frown,

 Upside down.

Your don't want to be sad and stressed your whole life.


Ever been really stressed and someone makes you laugh and that stress magically goes away? Thats because laughter helps you to relax and see something from a different perspective. It allows you to see something more realistically which makes you see that there really is nothing to stress about. In relationships, when things get tight, try adding some humor or more laughter to the relationship. This causes you to be able to let go of defenses and be more spontaneous. it also helps you let go of what you are helping back and just let you be able to have a real conversation with the person. Don't try to hold those emotions in, let them come out because you will regret it if you don't.

If you think that sometimes you can be too serious, smile. It will help you think of the good things that have happened in life and all the reasons you have to smile. Of course, there is a time and place for everything, but who doesn't love a good smile? It can brighten up the mood and make you feel more relaxed and at peace.

It takes you to a whole new world.

It brings a sense of joy and playfulness that nothing else in the world can. It could help you get through the day. When your down, try to smile. You'll never know what may help until you try.

As Segal and Smith said in the article "As laughter, humor, and play become an integrated part of your life, your creativity will flourish and new discoveries for playing with friends, coworkers, acquaintances, and loved ones will occur to you daily. Humor takes you to a higher place where you can view the world from a more relaxed, positive, creative, joyful, and balanced perspective."

Define Yourself (7)

Fashion. The building blocks of life. Something that makes you who you are and adds to your personality.  You pick what you want to wear. You decide. Would you wear jeans and a cute shirt, with your most elaborate handbag?

Or would you be the one to rock that cute new lace dress that just came in stores?

Which ever one you would be, its your own style. When reading the article “Clothes that Never go out of Fashion”, I learned that some clothes really do never go out of style. Take jeans for instance. They’ve been around since dinosaurs roamed the earth. You can always dress them up, or dress them down which makes them a suitable pant for almost every top. You can make them your own with how you accesorize them. 

One of my favorite lines from the article is “Fashion should betreated like any other fairground ride – hop on and have a few laughs. Lingeruntil you feel giddy, but don't stay too long or you'll end up feeling sick”(Laverne). This explains the art of fashion. You can make your own personal style and it reflects on you. You are always free to change up your fashion whether that be getting a completely new wardrobe, or borrowing your friends top that isn't exactly your style but u want to give a try. My advice would be to go for it. Why not change it up sometimes? Like the quote says, if you don't change it up every once in a while, you make get sick of it. So be adventurous. The clothes don't define you, you define the clothes. 

Parenting (6)

Today I read, “5 problems you cant blame on how you were raised”. The most important line is “Explaining this idea to siblings who think everything has to be fair can be difficult, but parents can take heart knowing that even if they fail to explain themselves properly, they probably won't scar their kids for life.” The whole article talks about how you can’t blame your parents for certain things once you grow up. The number one reason was parenting. Did you know that your genes affect how your parents treat you? When the genes are passes along from a parent to a child, the genes of how a child acts and connects with others are a way this is affected.

         I think that in the real world, we can see how a parent treats a child. Going over to someone’s house doesn’t show us the real thing though. Its when we see them in a hard or stressful time is when we see how they handle those things and that could affect their parenting. I know tat I don’t have experience with parenting but I’m almost positive that if my parents had risen to differently, I would be who I am today.

If you want to find out the other four reasons, check out the rest of the article!

Read more: http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-problems-you-cant-blame-how-you-were-raised_p2/#ixzz31DYik0EX

Here is a graph of what parenting is. Do your parents feel this way?

Parents gone wild (5)

Every blog post i have written has been about the help, but i decided to try something different this time considering everything were doing in school. I decided to do this post about an article i read. The article is called "Where did my little girl go" by Dave Berry. While kids may not to be able to relate to this very easily, i think that almost every parent can at least relate to this somehow. At least once in their life, every daughter hears their parents say 'You've grown up so quickly' or 'Where did my little girl go'. I know that i personally have heard my parents say this many times. I think this article shows just how crazy and paranoid our parents can get about everything that happens in our life mainly because they remember similar things happening to them. They do all of these things to protect us even though we may not agree or like it sometimes. They just do it cause they love us.

"To read "Where did my little girl go" click here

Another article that i read is called "Preschool Panicking" by Dave Berry. This article as well shows how crazy and stressed parents can get about making sure they start planning our future before were even out of the womb. It talks about how Dave went to his daughters preschool presentation and how parents stress about what preschool you need to go to so they can start preparing you to go to Harvard. My favorite line from this column is "I think I speak for every parent in the room when I say that I came out of there truly believing that, whatever choice we ended up making for our daughter, it would somehow be wrong and she would NOT GET INTO HARVARD." Parents will always try to do whats best for us so that we can be prepared for our future. They may make mistakes along the way or we may get mad at them along the way, but just remember they have our best interest at heart. 

To read "Preschool Panicking" click here

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/02/24/3957035/preschool-panicking.html#storylink=cpy

Krista Ramsey (4)

Krista Ramsey Article

This article by Krista Ramsey is called "Raising kids to embrace the world, then they do". Its about how parents raise their children and always tell them to follow their dreams and they do, leaving the parents behind to have mixed emotions of them leaving and being happy, but being sad because they are gone and out of their hands. 

My favorite line that is well written is "Why, out of all the things we told them – get good haircuts and keep a half-tank of gas in your car, pay off your credit card every month and get a flu shot – did they lock onto the stuff we said about following their dreams and listening to their heart?" (Ramsey) This line has an impact on the reader because it is the exactly what the article is talking about. I also think this is impactful because adults can relate to this because they probably think the same exact thing and teenagers or young adults, can think about what this says and see how our parents might feel when we leave, and how we may feel if we someday have kids. The diction and syntax in this line is good. I think how she uses commas to show how much parents really do tell us and how she separates what we actually do with a dash. I think it really adds to the syntax. 

Ramsey's writing style sounds very experienced and like she is writing from personal experience or something she has seen happen. Everything that she writes about seems to be something that you or anyone would be able to relate to but she gives her opinion at the same time. It almost seems to be like a Dear Krista column where she is giving advice or sharing her learning's or informing you about a topic. In "Raising kids to embrace the world, then they do" says "On our best days, we silently congratulate ourselves for raising children who really were ready for the world. On our worst, we want to clarify that we meant the world within a two-hour drive of us" (Ramsey). This sounds like she has had these thought and their from experience. In "For better vision, kids need time outdoor" is says "Your teenager at the dinner table, waiting for his checkup at the orthodontists office, sauntering to his car- continually haunched over his smartphone or iPad" (Ramsey). This sounds like something she has seen her kid r other kids do and she almost has an irritated tone of why do they keep doing this. In "Super Bowl Qb's score points for great style" it says "The amazing thing isn't that two super jocks know how to dress well, but that they actually seem to want to" (Ramsey). She is giving her opinion at the same time of sharing information throughout the article. 

Questions:
1. How do you get your ideas on what you want to write your articles about?
2. How long have you been writing for?
3. Do you get your ideas from experiences?

The best thing... (3)

The best thing about my book is how it is written. Each character has their own time to tell the story am their story from their perspective. While at times this could get confusing because you don't know what character is talking, i think it helps the flow of the story and it helps you see how all the characters connect. The main characters that are mostly writing are all what the book calls "The Help" or the maids. They each write about what is going on in their life, but all of them somehow come together and meet in the story or can at least relate to each other.

One other really good thing about my book "The Help" is that it is written in a southern way of talking, which i thought i wouldn't like, but its actually really cool to read it that way. One other thing that i like about the book is in the back, the author out her own story of growing up in the south and how her life can relate to the things happening in the book.

I highly suggest reading this book. I think the quote of the front explains it perfectly. It says "This could be one of the most important pieces of fiction since To Kill A Mockingbird...If you only read one book...let this be it" (NPR.org).

(This picture is a scene from the movie "The Help", which i suggest seeing)

Why you should read "The Help" (2)

     "The Help" looked like a very interesting and well thought-out book. I was interested in picking this book because the movie for it was coming out and i had heard really good reviews on the book. Whenever i see that a movie is coming out for a book, it always makes me want to read that book before i see the movie. Then i can compare the two on which one was better and i can see the book come to life. I can also see what details are missing from the book or what details were added in the movie. I think that books are always better because you can put more detail into books and add more characterization into the story line and make the story more alive. I feel like movies sometimes let us down because the people that choose to play the roles of the character or the way they act out the story line is not the way we thought the story would play out so we just end up liking the book better.
     One other reason why i chose to read the help is that the cover was bright and yellow and drew my attention. I know that people say don't judge a book by it's cover, but the cover of a book really does help in the decision of whether you will read that book or not. Sure, books that don't have amazing covers could still be amazing books, but ones that have more amazing covers are more likely to be noticed and read. The bright yellow cover made me notice the book and wonder what it was about. One other thing that made me pick the book is the reviews and the all of my friends saying that it was really good. most likely, if my friends like a book, i usually will. I would suggest reading the book because i think you will love it.

Meet Kathryn Stockett (1)

     Prompt: Write a blog post about the author and include some research about their life and/or other works. 

     Being an author can be challenging. Having to come up with a story and keep people interested could be hard, especially if you want it to become a hit. Kathryn Stockett did just that though. Her hit book was "The Help". Kathryn was born in Jackson, Mississippi in 1969. She lived with her grandmother and five siblings and of course, her parents. It seems like a great life right? Her life wasn't all happy though. When Kathryn was a teenager, her parents got a divorce and her life fell apart. There was one person there for her through it all though. That person was her families black maid, Demetrie. 
     As Kathryn went through this hard time she said Demetrie said, "You are beautiful. You are smart. You are important."
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/you/article-1199603/This-Life-Kathryn-Stockett-childhood-Deep-South.html#ixzz2xCRtLMzb

Kathryn says this meant the world to her and showed her that someone cares. Kathryn says that Demetrie was the main inspiration for her book. With her growing up with her in the circumstances, it made her curious to learn more about the life style and how she could put out a message about it in a way. Her book is written in the perspective of different black maids and its about their day-to-day lifestyle. It explains how life isn't always fair for them, but through it all, they are still there to help. They can be there for you when your down or going through a hard time, just like how Demetrie was there for Kathryn. Kathryn says that she had the most intimate relationship with Demetrie out of all the people that weren't related to her. 
      I think that Kathryn's book can serve as a book of information on how others can be treated just as fair as you, even if they seem different on the outside, they can be just like you on he inside and will always be there for you when you need them. 

This is a picture of Kathryn Stockett, author of "The Help".

Honors English 1A Blog Reflections (11)

            This year blogging I think went really well. I think that blogging has helped me break down exactly what I’m reading to understand it more. I read 10 books this trimester meaning that I did not meet my goal of 15, but I was close. I think that I thought I would read more books than I did because I usually read at night, but once all the homework started piling on, I just wasn’t able to read as many books. I still think that I read a good amount of books for me though. Some ways that I got ideas on what books to read was asking friends what books to read and also looking at what movies were going to be coming out soon and reading those books before the movie came out. I think one strength that I had while blogging was making the blogs interesting for people to read and using text evidence to support what I said.

            One of the quotes that I used in the “Allegiant” blog was:

“The train slows down when we get closer to the fence, a signal from the driver that we should get off soon. Tobias and I sit in the doorway of the car as it moves lazily over the tracks. He puts his arm around me and touches his nose to my hair, taking a breath. I look at him, at the collarbone peeking out from the neck of his T-shirt, at the faint curl of his lip, and I feel something heating up inside me” (88).

            The quality of my writing has improved because I have become better at adding evidence from the text, like the above example. One other example of a quote from the text is:

"He saw the figure long before he reached it, for at this point in the journey the road climbed straight up a hill, as if it had been drawn with a ruler. Someone was huddled by the roadside, brown and gray like the dirt, and for a fraction of a second he was afraid there might have been an accident, that an injured person was lying there. But then the figure sprang up, and he saw the typical gesture. Someone wanted a ride" (Boie 74).

In the beginning of blogging, I didn’t even use quotes until I got that tip from Mrs. Bowman to start using them so the reader can have an example of how the author writes.

One other thing that has improved the quality of my writing is adding pictures of videos in my blog so the readers can get a clear picture of exactly what I’m talking about or describing.  One thing that I think I have improved is ending the blog with a sentence that is not too plain or simple.

Before: This video is a song written by Troye Sivan after being inspired by 'The Fault in Our Stars'. I hope you enjoy!

Now: If you want to find out how Tobias and Tris solve these problems, go read ‘Allegiant’.

            Even though the ‘now’ one is shorter, I think that it leaves the readers with something to think about, being of they should read the books or not. The original ending sentence just told you to enjoy but never really gave you something to think about.

I think that overall my blog has been doing very well and I have been able to turn them in on time and not have them take that long. I think that I will continue to improve my blogging and just keep getting better.

Blizzard Bag (10)

        In class, we are reading Romeo and Juliet. Some things that i am enjoying while reading this is learning more about the story that i didn't know happened or guess had happened differently. I also like watching the book come to life in the movie because it helps you understand the text more. I interested to keep reading on in Romeo and Juliet and learn more things about the book that i didn't know. I think one of the things that i found interesting was that Romeo had a love before Juliet, which I had never known before.
        I am also interested to see what the love between Romeo and Juliet is like since we known that they both die in the end. It's weird to be how quickly they fall in love and how quickly Romeo is able to get over his previous love. I'm looking forward to finishing this book and finding out exactly what happens.

Problems in Allegiant (9)

In ‘Allegiant’, the main conflict in the book is trying to figure out exactly how the world you were living in was being control. All of the characters that have ventured outside the fence are finding out exactly how their world was being controlled and why the things that happened, happened. When Tobias finds out exactly what his genes are like, he thinks that something is wrong with him because they are not pure. This is a problem for Tobias because he starts thinking he’s not the same person anymore. He doesn’t listen to Tris which causes him to get into a group with the wrong people causing death and separation between him and Tris. I think this causes him to re-think exactly what he is doing and what he’s going to get out of doing it. He also needs to re-think who he’s going to trust and listen to because if he just listens to everyone, he’s going to help cause a lot of trouble. One problem that Tris has is always thinking about benefiting for her and not how she is risking everyone else’s life. If you want to find out how Tobias and Tris solve these problems, go read ‘Allegiant’.

(Tobias and Tris from the movie shown above)

 

Letter to the author (8)

Dear Veronica Roth,

I am currently reading the third book in the ‘Divergent’ series “Allegiant” and it is one of my favorite series. I love how much detail and suspense you put into the book. Whenever I read the book, I always want to keep turning the page and not put down the book. The engagement that you were able to keep for readers is amazing. There is always a surprise when you turn the page or something that you didn’t suspect would happen. I can’t wait for the movie to come out and I’m sure you can’t either because it means that your book is coming to life. I think that this book has received so much popularity because of how good the story line is and how engaged it keeps you. Thank you for writing such a great book, and I can’t wait to read another book written by you.

From,

Ruth Davies