3 things during summer I’d Like to do This Summer………

This coming summer is my last summer after high school and my first summer before college. It is a neutral summer. I will no longer be a high school student, but i will not be a college student yet. If I had to do at least 3 things during my neutral summer, they would be very special to make it the most memorable summer ever. First, I love the Harry Potter book series and each of the seven Harry Potter movies. And this year, a Harry Potter theme park was opened in Universal Studios in Florida. It is just like a regular theme park, but the theme is Harry Potter. Going the the Harry Potter theme park will make you feel as if you are in the world of magic. My closest relatives on my mother's side live in Bethel, Alaska and Denver, Colorado. One my uncles in Alaska, my mom's youngest brother and our family on Saipan are planing of meeting id Denver where my mom's second to youngest brother lives. From there we may drive down to Florida. On the way down from Denver to Florida we would pass through many other states. We would be able to see beautiful sites, see different cultures, and look at different types of lane. We would be able to pass through states that we have never been to before.
Next, I would like to take my baby nephew Ethan (EJ) to Hawai'i. He is two years old. He was born here on Saipan and he has never been anywhere away from Saipan (accept Managaha). He sees the same things every day and he does the same thing every day. He is always so happy and can always find a way to have fun no matter where he is. But if I take him to Hawai'i he will be able to see new things and more fun in more places. Hawai'i has a very similar climate as Saipan, so he will be able to get used to the climate there quite easily. And there are beaches there too. Saipan has a lot of beaches, but if I bring him to a beach in Hawai'i he will know what a real beach looks like. He'll be able to try new foods, and see the Hawaiian culture. He loves new things such as toys, shoes and games, but when he sees Hawai'i , he will know what "new" really means.
And finally, I would like to spend my 18th birthday with only my closest friends and family. Most of my birthdays people who I am not that close to come to fairly large parties. it is fun to spend my birthday with a lot of friends, but is more special when it is with the people who are closest to me and move me the most-my family, and our closest family friends. My birthday this year is my birthday that turns my into an adult and I know most teenagers turning 18 like to have huge parties with friends from all over, but I want this to be the most memorable birthday and i can only have that with my family.

if i had a million dollars and no one knew about it, i would......

When it comes to winning luck draws, lotteries, and such things as that, I usually have no luck. But I were to one day win a million dollars and no one, not even my family knew about it, I would be the luckiest person. If I had one million dollars and no one know about it, I would start by taking all of it and putting it in my bank account. Out of the one million dollars in the bank, I would not tough three quarters of it. I would keep it in my bank account and let it save up for later in my future, for college, for raising a family, or for when i absolutely need it. But as for the one quarter of a million dollars left, I would keep it at hand for when I need emergencies, or for when i want or need to spend a little money. With that much money in my bank account, I would start by getting a credit card so i will be able to have that one quarter of a million dollars on me all the time. But I would tell no one about it. Withe the one quarter of a million dollars for spending money, the first thing I would do is take my family and closest friends out for a fund day at the Wave Jungle at World Resort for a family fun day. Then we'd go out to dinner at a place that is good for big families to go to.
Every time someone is asked what they would do with one million dollars, they say they would donate it to a good cause. So to follow that "tradition" i would anonymously donate one thousand dollars the Red Cross. Next, I would take my boyfriend off island to wherever he wants to go and we would do whatever we want to do. And for the final fun thing, I would take my whole family-not just my family here, but my family in the states and in the Philippines-to Orlando Studios in Florida. It would be the first time for all of my dad's family from the states to meet all of my mom's very huge family from the Philippines. There would be so many of us. My mom has seven siblings, who have kids, who have kids. And my dad has one sister in Chicago who has two kids, both of which have kids, who have kids. There would be so many teenagers to hang out together, so many little kids to play with each other, and so many adults spend time with each other. It would be the biggest family vacation ever. People are going to ask, "how was all of this payed for? Who payed for it?" Well, I would have to tell everyone that it was me. I'd have to explain myself, but I wouldn't regret doing what I had done. Bringing us closer as a family is the most important thing in the world and if it means spending a lot of money, than I am willing to do it.
And after all the fun, it would be time to settle down and start using my money for necessities such as college, school supplies, clothes, sending money to my family in the Philippines, and things such as that. And during college, I would be able to pay for my own groceries and things that I need to be at school. After all the fun, the things that I absolutely need come in. And after college, I would be able to get my own place to live, get a car, find work, and eventually start a family. When I start sending my kids to school, I am going to send them to the best schools possible, just like my parents did for me. I would most likely start using the money I have saved in the bank. When it comes to my family, I would do anything. So for my children, i would spend as much as I need to give them the best lives I can. Just like my parents did for me.

Most Memorable Literary Hero

To me, the most memorable literary hero is Jared, from the Spiderwick Chronicles. Jared likes adventure and has a great imagination when he and his twin, Simon and their older sister Valarie movie with their mom into their great aunt Lucinda's house, he finds a book in the attic what is sealed and signed with a letter warning the reader that there are terrible consequences to face if the book is opened. Jared has a knack for going against rules and going on adventures, so he opens the seal of the book regardless of the warning. Once he opens the book, its secretes are revealed. Once the book is open, creatures such as goblins, which cannot be seen through the naked eye are aware that the book is opened and come out of hiding. They are told by their horrible leader to get the book which holds all the secrets to the unknown world. The goblins are told to get the book from Jared, but when they bring him to their leader, it turns out that they have captured Jared's twin brother, Simon. It is Jared's job to rescue his twin. Simon tells the goblins' evil leader that he knows where the book is, so he is released to get it and bring it back to him. There is a circle around the house that none of the creatures from the unknown world can pass. But the circle will be broken after the full moon. Jared brings Simon home and convinces their sister that there is a real world outside the circle, and it is his job to protect his family.
I believe that Jared is the most memorable literary hero because he risks his life to protect his family with who he does not want to live with. He is constantly fighting with his sister, he is always mad at his mother who made them move into the new house, and is always upset with his twin because he never sides with him when he gets into fights with their sister. He even finds out that their father has started a new family without telling him. Jared says he hates his mother, but when the full moon ends, the protective circle around the house is broken and Jared risks his life to save his brother, sister, and mother from the trolls, goblins and their evil leader. He does everything he can to protect his family by using the information inside the book. The book that he was not supposed to open.

82nd annual Oscar awards: March 7, 2010

The Academy Award, more commonly known as the Oscars are awards presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to recognize the excellence of film industry professionals such as directors, actors, writers, and motion pictures. As most of you may know, the 82nd annual Oscar awards took place on March 7 of this year. There were 24 awards to give, 5 nominees for each award, but only 1 out of each could win. There were so many nominees, some of which were nominated for more than one award.
There was an award for best picture, directing, actor and actress in a leading role, art direction, foreign language film, film editing, documentary feature, visual effects, music (original score), cinematography, sound mixing, sound editing, costume design, actor and actress in supporting role, writing (adapted screenplay), makeup, short film (live action), documentary short, short film (animated), writing (original screenplay), music (original song), and animated feature film.
One of the 2 movies that were nominated for more than one award was “Avatar” directed by James Cameron and Jon Landau. It was nominated for best picture, directing by James Cameron, art direction by Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg, film editing by Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua and James Cameron, visual effects by Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R. Jones, music (original score), cinematography by Mauro Fiore, sound mixing by Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson and Tony Johnson, and sound editing by Christopher Boyes and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle. Although it did not win what seems to be the most important award-best picture- it did win awards for art direction, visual effects, and cinematography. Many people said it was the best movies they had ever seen. The other movie that was nominated for so many awards was “The Hurt Locker” by Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, Nicolas Chartier and Greg Shapiro which won the award for best picture. People were expecting “Avatar” to win the award for best picture.
There were different actors nominated for awards as well: actress in a leading role, actor in a leading role, actress in a supporting role, and actor in a supporting role. Sandra Bullock won the Oscar for actress in a leading role in the movie “The Blind Side” and Jeff Bridges won the Oscar for actor in a leading role for starring in “Crazy Heart”. The Oscar for actress in supporting role went to Mo’Nique for starring in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” and Christoph Waltz won the Oscar for actor in supporting role in the movie “Inglorious Basterds”. There are so many more details about the Oscars and for more information go to http://oscar.go.com/.

gecko life: iPods and mp3 Players in Between Classes at School

Last school year the school faculty put a new rule into effect about iPods and other mp3 players which does not make students happy. The high school students are not allowed to use their iPods or other mp3 players during school hours. This was not a rule before, but apparently the mp3 players “distract students from school work,” says senior Tyler Yoshimoto. Junior James Kim says using mp3 players at school would set “a bad reputation for the school.”
The rule about mp3 players is enforced in between classes, during morning break, and lunch break. Students are taking breaks from classes and having some time to relax. Mp3 players play music, which entertains and makes people happy-especially high school students who are into listening to music in their spare time. Sophomore Amber Roberts says, “I feel it’s unnecessary since kids aren't doing anything.”
Parents of some students do not like the idea of their children using mp3 players at school because they send their children to school to learn, not listen to music. When asked to put herself in the place of a parent sending her child to SIS and is asked how she would feel about her child using an mp3 player at school, freshman Christine Kim doesn't mind. “I don’t think it disrupts anything,” says Christine. Senior Selyna Leon Guerrero says she wouldn’t mind “as long as the teachers are able to teach easily.”
Apparently students have a very different view about using iPods and mp3 players at school compared to parents and teachers. Using mp3’s during class is definitely something to ban but it shouldn’t be a problem during breaks and in between classes because students do not have anything to worry about. As long as school work is not being disturbed there should be nothing to worry about.

English and ONLY English at SIS

There has been a problem with speaking English for students at SIS who are from outside countries and whose native languages are not English. There is a rule that states that students must speak only English to each other during school hours.

The majority of the students at the school are Korean and it has become the most spoken language at school but never the less there are Chinese students who speak Chinese to each other while in class and probably more than that. The main reason students are being sent to SIS by their parents, besides to get a good education is to get better at speaking English which should be considered a great privilege to students who do not speak English as their first language.

This will be able to help students greatly in their future. Some people take that privilege for granted and do not make the right amount of effort to improve their English and continue to speak their native languages. This is why there is a new very strict rule about speaking languages other than English at school. First there are warnings, which lead to detention, which may lead to suspension, which might just lead to expulsion. This shows how much the staff of SIS wants to help non native English speakers improve their English to help them in the future. As a warning, before saying something, think about what language it is going to be in.

A Movie Worth Watching: Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is a movie a romantic comedy that tells the story of how a few different couples in Los Angeles, young and old, spend their day of romance. The whole movie takes place on Valentine’s Day. Each couple is somehow linked to all the others through friends or work.

Each couple in the story spends their day very different from the others. The scenes switch from couple to couple showing where they are and what funny things they are doing throughout the day even while they are not with their partner. There are funny flaws between each couple such as funny valentine gifts, age difference, high school versus work, funny personalities, weird jobs, and more.

One cool thing about the movie is that all it’s stars are all actors that are already famous and who’s names are well known throughout the country. Country singer and song writer Taylor Swift is one of the many stars of the film, playing a clueless high school student whose handsome athletic boyfriend is played by hunk Taylor Lautner, the werewolf in the Twilight Saga. This is probably the cutest and funniest couple in the movie.

The movie is really funny and is worth watching, comparing every couple to the others and seeing them side by side. Looking at love between high school students next to love between middle aged people and comparing them to the real world is so hilarious. For some people it might just be one of those movies that you can watch over and over again without getting tired of it. If romantic comedies are a favorite, head down to the movie theater before it's gone.