(Novia) Its a blog…I think you already knew that…

I wonder whether you can tell me why it is important that people always try so hard to hide their real feelings? How is it that I always behave quite differently from what I should on other people’s company? Why do we trust on another so little? I know there must be a reason, but still I sometimes think it’s horrible that you find you can never really confide in people, even in those who are nearest to you. (Page 139)

1. Write a letter to Anne answering her questions.

Dear Anne Frank,

People try ever so hard to hide their feelings because they believe that they are judged for what they do and look like. They do not want to be known as someone bad, sad, angry, and mad, etc. so they try to camouflage it with fake laughter and smiles. Sometimes after keeping it in so long one day they will break down and get really low and depressed. Some people may even go to the extent of trying to commit suicide, however I really disagree with that for you only have one life but you can pick up countless problems around the corner. Many have lost themselves by being pressured by the public society or maybe because of media or close relations. Many things can affect one person’s behavior and so trying to cure someone depressed is difficult for there are numerous variables that may be causing them to act like this. However some do not want to be known as “the person who seeks help” so they hide it under layers of fake attitudes and characters. Though it only makes them because they feel suppressed and locked up inside. This is probably why you act so different from what you should in other people’s company. You don’t want to be known as a dumb, stupid, careless, sad little girl, so you put on an act so that you become the ideal little princess. Life is like a play, every now and then you change character, sometimes you’re good at playing it and sometimes you’re not, though you keep rehearsing until you finally get it, and when you forget your lines you are out of character, like if you mess up and act clumsy then you are no longer a poised character. So in life many people are always on their toes, trying their best not to forget when they exit and enter and what they should say and do. We trust each other so little, for we do not open up to each other and really talk, we talk with set invisible lines that say nothing about us, but only obvious facts. We only say what is necessary and treat words like glass which can easily slip so we must be careful with what we say or it may break and shatter into a thousand pieces and it would take a lot of work to repair and fix until its ok, but there will always be some dents or hurtful memories that bring back pain and dismay.  At times you cannot fix what you have said and all is lost, ruptured and crippled for as long as we live. We communicate with masks on us and we do not show our true colors and paint over it with something different and unfamiliar. We are too afraid of what we really are an don’t want other people too know, so we decorate it and plaster it with materials and disguises, then we practice our act and try to get in character. Later on we get used to it and start feeling comfortable with it and use the disguise often. People then forget the old you and go along with the new you, though some friends who do not agree drop out on your friendship and you gain new friends who don’t like you for who you are but who you are pretending to be. However when you seek for your old self, you are afraid your new friends will leave for they are not true so you stick with what you are acting as. Soon enough you forget your true identity and become “the mask” and then you are lost, so lost you are too scared to confide in anyone in fear that you get even more distant from the self you once knew, and so you hang on tight and play your part until the one day of which you forget your lines and get sent back to rehearse and audition for a new part once again.
Yours Truly,

Novia

2. Write a post to your readers persuading them to open up and share their ideas, thoughts, and feeling with the world.

People should learn to open themselves to many things and share their knowledge with the world. I believe that many people sometimes feel that their ideas may be stupid or not worthwhile, however if they have some strong supporters they may be a great person one day. Our world practically thrives on opinions, for opinions lead to great discoveries, which leave such great impacts on the world today. Do not be afraid if not all people agree with you for opinions never really have a right answer and are always open for comments. Ideas are another thing many people fear of talking about. They are maybe too self-conscious of what other people may think or are worried that their idea may be useless and so people will judge them through that. Sadly though, in our world today that is mainly true, so many have been keeping their ideas in. The world has been growing and expanding in many ways to finally reach the state it is in today. Imagine that years back we used to think the world was flat and if we were to go too far we were going to fall off the edge and die. Though a great sailor name Christopher Columbus disagreed with this and stated that he was going to sail around the world and prove the world to be round and so he did. Now for the people’s questions of why didn’t Christopher fall of the bottom of the globe, it was answered thanks to the discovery of gravity. Also guess how gravity was found out…it was because one day a normal person just like me and you was sitting under an apple tree, when suddenly an apple fell and there came the gravity theory. All these ideas and discoveries all came from little incidents and brave people having their own opinions and trying to state themselves right with ideas of theirs. A mistake many people make is that they think that their idea must be ideal or the best of the bunch to be able to be expressed, however they are greatly mistaken. Maybe the ideas you give out are not the greatest nor the most perfect, though if everyone hears it and builds on it, as well as corrects it you are set to go and have one idea that had been built on by many others including you. The world today has become more open towards new ideas of others because in the past they have learnt that when one is free to think the results are great and helps many people globally. There have been creative writing workshops and teachers having been pressing students to express their true feelings and try to translate their thoughts into words as accurately as they can, which also helps a student grow in word choice and sentence fluency as well as many others of the 6 traits. All this free thinking can be started as young as 3rd grade for that is when you start being able to put what you feel into words and being able to express what you are trying to say onto paper. Adults sometimes think that maybe these ideas are not as valuable, though great things come in small packages and in order to achieve something huge, you need to start somewhere. Beautiful things take time and so do great ideas so to hone them you should practice and remember to give out small little comments or pointers to the topics. The world needs you to help contribute to help the world go round and continue its progress in technology, learning, and education.

911 Article

The 911 struck all as a terrible shock and disaster. The 911 was when four planes all crashed right in Washington DC. This damage was made by some hijackers and cruel deeds. These terrorists had used fear to make the pilot and passengers do as they say, they would kill some of the people on board and probably a pilot or two, to show how serious and deadly they were. The hijackers were heartless and unlike what many people think of terrorists, they came from a well to do backround. Many in the building died and countless were severely injured. The death toll shot up and many children were left parentless and sent to a relative;s house or sadly, an orphanage. Now as cruel as they seem, they did not kill for no reason. They killed for they believed that America had sinned greatly and was in need of punishment. One sin would be that the US supports Israel, which is one of Iraq’s rival’s. There are many more reasons though many still feel such punishment is too harsh and by taking away someone’s life is something really against the law and human rights. This scene on September 11, 2001 has now been commonly known as the 911 and has left a great imprint on the world, for now security will tighten and airports will be more careful as to not let any more hijackers aboard. We hope that in time people will recover over their losses and move on with their lives.

Your are a teacher who teaches all those you love,

a doctor to those who are sick,

a strict discipliner when I am in wrong,

a nutritionist for my daily diet,

a cook for all my hunger needs,

a comedian for my laughter,

a babysitter to those who cannot look after themselves,

I would cry a river if you were to be gone,

a lost soul wandering this distant Earth,

without you I’d soon forget myself for in you I see me,

away without you, so lost and lonely,

even in times of which you scald me with your hot words,

I remain yours forever more,

so much pain I may have caused you,

I repent…I am sorry,

we share the same meat,

we eat the same meals,

we exchange glances,

you may get dry and terse to me at times but I love you,

and you do to,

I need you, I want you…without you I would have been nothing,

For without you the world would be without me so thank you…mom…

An original poem is one with true meaning,

acknowledging…admitting,

Differences and dilemmas we’re faced with everyday,

people come up to us and say are you ok,

but they don’t really mean it,

So we say we’re just fine,

but sometimes we just want someone to look us in the eye,

and say do you really mean it,

is it really true,

are you fine or are you really just blue,

its none of their business so you don’t really say,

and in the end all was useless,

at the end of the day.
<Sigh>

(Edited by Sai)

On November 7th, 1942, Anne starts becoming more mature and starts realizing that the world doesn’t revolve around her. I believe that there are many ways for me to compare myself with her for I have two younger siblings, one brother and sister. It seems that Anne is very eager for love from her father and wants everyone to care for her and not make Margot anymore special than her, for when they see Anne next to Margot Anne seems inadequate. In the sentence “They took Margot’s part at once, as though she was the victim of some great injustice” and the sentence “Now Margot is just the prettiest, sweetest, and most beautiful girl in the world” I probably won’t feel this way in my family because my brother always gets in trouble, and probably he is the one who feels like how Anne feels, however my mom would give more attention to my brother and sister. Though I don’t mind because I don’t really need too much attention pointed towards me. I want to be independent, for in life to be dependent is to be vulnerable and if you come into the world weak and reliant, you deserve to be bullied therefore I find being independent is very important in life.

Another thing that Anne talks about is how her parents simply jumps into conclusion as she states “Is it just chance that Daddy and Mummy never rebuke Margot and that they always drop on me for everything?” I can really relate to this because sometimes when I just didn’t notice something, my parents would probably say I just ignored it or because of some bad reason, and if I try to reason with them, they would just cut you off and stick to their conclusion. They are ever so sure of themselves reasons from you don’t really matter. However afterwards when they are not lecturing you they tell you if they ever scold you, you should reason with them. Though if you reason with them, they say you are impolite and interrupting them and if you don’t say anything they say you are not listening. Sometimes it just gets so frustrating, that even though you really didn’t do what they accused you of, you just say ok and apologize for no odd reason just to get it over with. Finally in the end you just become passize and give in to what ever they say and what ever they say is right and if they’re wrong read the first part of this sentence again.

Anne states how she wants to be unique and have a strong character, however everyone wants her to be like Margot who has a ladylike, soft, delicate, quiet, and poised character. She states this point when she says “I’m not jealous of Margot, never have been. I don’t envy her good looks or her beauty. It is only that I long for Daddy’s real love: not only as his child, but for me…Anne, myself.” I sometimes feel that way too, because my mom wants me to want the things she wants and to be the things she is, but what if I don’t want what she wants or I’m not what she is? What if I am just different? Can’t she just take me for who I am? I guess its for the best as they say, but I don’t know, I just don’t know.

We come into this world different and unique. Striving for a great future and a better life. Working your way up the ladder, but in the process why do people discriminate against you? Why do people want you to be like everyone else? If there is so much pressure to be like everyone else why say you are unique? Why do we in the UN say accept everyone for who they are so we can have peace. Why accept it when everyone is forced to be like someone else. Be like her…be like him…all voices rushing through, never taking a second to listen just blindly following voices. Maybe thats just life, maybe its something you just have to go through, then in the end you are not you but just in general, just like everyone else…

A reflection of the past, a reflection of the future,

everything in order, everything like nature,

things come and things go like a scarce bit of wind wisping through the air,

a reflection from a mirror, you are there and then you’re not, and no one to care,

your reflection in a camera, which prints out a picture,

just a fading image in everyone else’s future,

the ground portrays but blur shadows of you,

though in darkness no shadow appears, its gone, no more, leaving not a clue,

gripping on to stay in fantasy,

but nothing was true, and now you’re back in reality.

the ground portrays but blur shadows of you,

though in darkness no shadow appears, its gone, no more, leaving not a clue,

your reflection in a camera, which prints out a picture,

just a fading image in everyone else’s future,

gripping on to stay in fantasy,

but nothing was true, and now you’re back in reality.

I believe that if my family were to bring me into hiding and give me just a mere duffel bag for me to stick my stuff inside, I would me seriously freaked. I mean I wouldn’t know where we were going or how long were we going to be there though I think I would pack more towards necessities and material rather than memories. By then my mind would only be channeled on survival and being able to keep up with my current life style. However such a small bag will not support needs and serve my every whim and way, so I will pack the things most important.

First are some casual clothing for me to change into if I get dirty. Clothing also helps you blend into the scene, and since we are hiding it will help blend or hide me so I do not attract so much attention. Also there are many seasons so I bring different types of clothing. Such as thick for the cold and thin for hot. Yea, and another reason, I know it might sound stupid but I just love clothes and I love to try on many types just for the fun of it! It give me confidence to know I am dressed up right, for people will usually look on the outside of someone rather then the inner side and will quickly judge. This is because its like war going on outside and no one is really going to take the time to get to know you. One quick glance is all they need to judge you and everything. Therefore I find clothing extremely important if we were to flee and hide away. Second I would bring some food like hot cup, apples, chips, water and candy in case there wasn’t enough food or enough time to cook the food. Heck, I don’t even know if we can cook the food in the place we are staying at. Food is important for a living and helps get strength to do things such as hiding and thinking of ways to conceal our hiding place. Later I would bring a notebook, some papers, and a few pens so that I can record things such as daily events or maybe organizing things like chores or maybe schedules to tell where to go daily and so we do not mess up and blow our cover. I believe that writing will also help we gain knowledge in English for I learn to write in many forms or expand in my creativity if I do things like writing stories or poems. Last but not least I will bring a camera so that I can take pictures of important things and it could also be used for me to prove things if people do not believe it will be just a snap shot away.

So these are the things I would bring and as you can see I seem to be very materialistic and practical. I guess it is because I am not a person who dwells over the past or I’m just not interested. All I want is a better future, a place where you don’t have to hide in little places and have a little bag with little bits of things to put in and little things to eat that you have to buy with a little bit of money. I want a big future, one where you are free to roam and discrimination is only of the past. Also I am not so fond over memories for I find not much use for them, I mean yea Anne Frank managed to get her diary published with her great hopes and dreams, though she died didn’t she. She died in a concentration camp and a diary, her only imprint left in this world has now been translated in numerous languages and sold world wide. Her imprint had left a great impression of all those other people who too suffered and hid away.  However I am not like that, I just want to get through life and try my best to stay alive while making way for a better…a new and improved future.

My Casual Clothes

My Food

My Note Book, Paper, and Pens

My Camera

I believe that courage is the ability to face danger,difficulty, or pain without being overcome with fear. The act of a person with courage is to be courageous and in order for them to accomplish this they should believe in themselves. Trust and confidence are some traits that a courageous person needs to show they are brave and can face problems without falling out or backing down. Courage is something all people need in order to get through life because you need to stand up for your rights and take every opportunity that passes your way. However in order to achieve this you have to have the courage, the confidence. It is something of which you need to believe in your self or others and with that you shall succeed with flying colors. Many tend to think of courage as probably jumping off a cliff or risking your life to save others, however you can be courageous in small ways too. An example is public speaking in the yearly MUN or doing a class presentation these things needs courage in order to perform, so these are my views on courage.

This post exhibits my knowledge of the ESLRs.  As a brief overview we studied the book, Lord of the Flies.  We learned a lot about symbolism and changes in a character.  We also took a Myers Briggs personality test to see what kind of a person we are.   During the studies, Mr. R tried to group and mix us properly according to our personalities respectively then to observe the results. We learned many things and these are some of my views and knowledge to share on the ESLRs.

I demonstrated being a self-directed learner because I accepted responsibilities for my own learning.  I strongly believe being a self-directed learner is essential for all learning, so that I can be independent and not to rely on others too often.  When Mr. R was talking to the class about LOTF I would record down what I have learnt on pieces of paper and keep them nicely in my folder for future references.  After completing my work as a normal practice I would self edit to make sure all my work is done correctly according to Mr. R’s expectations.  I also identify my needs and apply appropriate learning strategies. I have several ways of applying my learning strategies for example, first, I will take down all my notes during class, second, before starting my work I would have brainstorm session or draw a mind map.  I believe that I am lacking organizational skills therefore I utilize these strategies to manage information and structure my writing.  By doing this I am able to perform my best on all my assignments.  I also have an organized planner to manage all my homework so that I can hand in all my work on time.
However, I realize that I should be participating in more co-curricular programs and activities which develop social, emotional, and physical talents to further improve on my self directing skills.  A self-directed learner can multi-task and can do things proactively.  When in need for assistance they will not hesitate to ask to gain further understanding.  If you concentrate too much on one skill of being a self-directed learner you will not grow with the other ESLRs.  For example if you only focus on developing physical skills then you will not grow in social nor emotional.   Self directed learner is similar to the ESLR, academic achiever, for both means achieving the best and setting goals to improve themselves.  On the whole I believe myself to be a work in progress.  I would be a good self-directed learner if I put more effort into concentrating on my studies.  With this I can improve and manage to be an accomplished self directed learner.

I was an effective communicator during this quarter because I demonstrated creative talents to convey my ideas and concepts.  I have done this by making my journal creative and colorful so that it is interesting and will captivate the audience’s attention.  I also incorporated technology as a tool of communication, especially when I am in need of additional information I make use of MSN to ask my friend for assistance to scan and send some files to me for reference.  In addition I have demonstrated being an effective communicator when I exhibit the skills of effective collaboration.  During the group discussions of LOTF I would continuously participate and try my very best.   I contributed valuable points that would help the group to learn and flow with the topic, to do this I would create a more interesting learning session by putting in inspiring points of views.  I would then organize and convey my ideas appropriately to ensure no misunderstandings or misinterpretations of my comment or question.  A way I could improve on this ESLR skill is by working on respect and ask questions to facilitate understanding and achieve insight.  I should listen and contribute more to other’s comments and questions. Sometimes I think a lot about what I am going to say next and then I end up repeating or saying something completely different.
In order to be a good effective communicator you also need to be able to be an involved citizen.  If you have really good points, but don’t know how to put them to use, because you are not so involved in many things your skills cannot be perfected nor heard.  I believe that an effective communicator will be able to express their ideas in many forms and to make it so that the audience will understand.  An effective communicator should also be aware of whom their audience is and so they will use the appropriate type of communication structure.  At the same time they must know what they are writing about so their formatting and language are well fit for the subject.  An example is that I wrote my journal to fit one of the characters in LOTF personalities. When I had to write for Simon, who was one of the characters in LOTF I would try to stand on his side and think how he would feel during the time where Jack killed the sow.  Over-all I think that I am a good effective communicator, however I just need to improve on not interrupting and respect the person who is talking by listening and thinking over what they said.  These are my thoughts on the ESLR effective communicator and how I have demonstrated being the effective communicator over this quarter.

I believe that I have been an academic achiever for this quarter because I would set high goals and put my best efforts into achieving them.  An example for this is when I saw my grade before the project and it was a B and since I needed an A I did my best on the project to get the best possible grade in order to get my overall grade boosted up.  Over the quarter I accessed information from a variety of sources.  Some examples of these sources are computers, I would surf the net for additional information and take notes on it to guide me through my work.  I would also look through reference books and try to improve on my vocabulary by reading books with a higher level of grammar.  Moreover I will ask assistance people who are good at that particular area to help me through my work or assignments.  The ESLR academic achiever is similar to critical thinker because both strive for higher marks and urges you to set higher and more challenging goals.  I believe that being an academic achiever is essential for improvements.  In summary I certainly need to be more of an academic achiever and motivated so that I don’t really have to revise my work so many times or in other words to avoid double work. These are the things I will do to be more of an academic achiever and these are my thoughts on this ESLR.  Over this quarter I think I have grown in this area and will continue to expand in this area to help my self be more of an academic achiever.

I feel that I have been a critical thinker this year because I would take a problem and really look into it.  I would also try to analyze and synthesize and interrogate it in different views, as opposed to just knowledge, comprehension, and application.  A way I have been a critical thinker this year is when I look at my work and try to edit it to see if there are any missing things that I had forgotten to add.  I will also keep improving my methods till they are ideal and when they are I will try to improve on other things too.  Some other ways in which I proved myself to be a critical thinker is when I built meaning and understanding using prior knowledge and new information.  I would think of all the discussions from the past and I would include them to what I currently had.  I would review my old work and see if any of it could be helpful to my work and so by doing this, I am using a source effectively, which will prove me to also be an academic achiever, for I access information from a variety of sources.  My old notes, work, and prior knowledge are the many sources, because of this, I believe that critical thinker and academic achiever go hand in hand and work well with each other.  One more way in which I am a critical thinker is how I apply problem solving skills to facilitate learning, for when I was reading the book I would replace the character’s names with symbols such as anarchy and intelligence.  By doing this I am viewing the book in a different way with the hidden meanings revealed.  Then colors also happen to play a role in this book for each color represents a meaning, for example black symbolizes evil, fear, and darkness where as creamy pink is innocence and femininity.  These are problem-solving skills for after I do this I understand the book more than before I knew about these symbols.  It is important to be a critical thinker so then you will be able to go far in life, for critical thinking is a skill that makes you think out of the box.  Therefore your knowledge will not be limited and you can do many things with the knowledge in the future.

In my opinion I have been an involved citizen for I constantly participate during group activities.  I also contribute ideas and help the group move on and frequently discuss what to do and what we will have to do in the future.  I also do my share of the job and if some members are unable to perform their part I will help to make sure it gets done on time.  Involved citizens play an important role in the ESLR’s for they help a group and the individual achieve what they want and help improve.  Being an involved citizen is when you work together and when you do you manage to make something successful. Being an involved citizen also means demonstrating care and concern for the environment.  I do this by recycling the paper and having my work printed back to back.  Another thing I do is demonstrate awareness for people’s rights for if they wanted to say something I would listen and if I notice there are others who hardly speak I will encourage them to share their ideas to the group.  Everyone should be helping each other and when something doesn’t work the group would discuss and come to a conclusion of which everyone agrees on.  Also an involved citizen would come up with ideas to help the group, not to take over the group.  Some other ways that I had been an involved citizen is when there are discussions of LOTF I participate constantly and share good points worth discussing and this helps discussions move on smoothly. This is was involved citizens would do they would cooperate and try to come up with the best thing to do in order to help the group grow, progress, expand, and improve.  I believe that this ESLR best relates to effective communicator for even though you are involved, to show that you are you should be able to present your ideas and try your best to make it clear, concise, yet still be able to capture the audiences attention and give them needed information. Overall I think I was a good involved citizen because I help out and respect my peers and treat them with equality and try my best to be understanding and respectful to them and their ideas.

I believe that all ESLRs are essential for helping a person go far in life.  If a person lacks in one ESLR they will tend to lack in other ESLRs and therefore a person needs all ESLRs to be a successful person.  Some people are weak at some ESLRs and therefore they are in need of practice.  To practice they will have to act more like an self directed learner set goals like an academic achiever.

6 Traits~
Word Choice-I changed word choice by changing (I think, I thought) to (In my opinion, I believe) to make it sound more definite.  I also changed my language into more literal form rather than verbal.

Conventions-I made my work split into more paragraphs, for example the self- directed learner when I talked about what I needed to improve on I did a separate paragraph.

Sentence Fluency- For the part in self-directed learner for the fragment “ , so to be ……” I just took out the comma and erased some words to make it so that there is on independent sentence and dependent sentence into one independent sentence.

Voice-For voice I changed my language into more literal form rather than verbal.  So I would use more words than I would usually not say when talking to someone.
Organization- For organization I would make sure I put in how I believed I was that particular ESLR then what is it to be in that ESLR and all these patterns follow in each of my paragraphs.

Ideas- For ideas, I let my ideas flow from one topic to another and keep them in order, I also try my best to keep them in an organized fashion.

Dear Viewers,

Thank you for taking your time to see this site. My name is Novia and I welcome you to look at all the works I have written and hope that you can leave a comment or two. This site is to help people share their ideas and expand in their learning abilities in hopes of improving student literature and various writing structures. I wish you a pleasant read and that you come again, thank you~

~Novia~