My Weekend

I honestly don't know what to write about, so I'm going to make this post about my weekend. I thought that this weekend was going to be very boring considering I am grounded, but it was actually pretty fun. Here are just a few fun events in my weekend.

On saturday, I woke up and helped my mom cook breakfast, and then we drove off to the the studios to record some music with my friend. We tried to record so many songs, but every single time we tried a new song, it would be messed up. Finally we got a song that was perfect. When we finished that, I got home and helped my mom cook for some neighbors of ours that were coming over for dinner. They are like family to us. When they came over, both families hung around in the kitchen. We ate dinner together, and talked a lot. Once they left, I fell asleep because I was so tired. On sunday morning, I woke up and had breakfast. The rest of the day will be just trying to finish homework and studying. Even though I was grounded, I think that this weekend was pretty good. It also showed me that I don't need to be at a friend's house, or have a friend over to have fun. 

Global Issues Essay: The Abuse of Afghan Women

Over the past week of working on my essay in English class, I have finished a good amount of work. Usually when we have essays or papers due, I get behind in a short amount of time. I never really know what to do and how to do it because I feel like I am not ready to start. A lot of times, I never really am happy with what I am going to be writing about, but I really like my topic for this essay. It means a lot and can change people's lives if it stops.

The subject for my paper is going to be the abuse of women in Afghanistan. These women can't walk the streets of their hometown without a man that she knows by her side. Most of the girls are abused to the point of death during their marriage. Even if a wife tries to walk out the door without a man, she will be beaten by her husband and his family. I have tried extremely hard to stay on task with this project and hope I will be able to make it through during the whole process. 

Essay Work Log:

Monday(23): 45 minutes

Tuesday(24): 60 minutes

Wednesday(25): 15 minutes

Thursday(26): 30 minutes

Friday(27): 10 minutes

Saturday(28): none

Rome!

During Mardi Gras break in the year of 2012, I am going to attend a trip hosted my Latin teacher. We are going to Rome. A few of my friends will be attending with me, as well as my sister and mom. I am very excited to see the places that I have seen in pictures and on movies. This is going to be a once in a lifetime chance. Mrs. Landry has set up a tour led by ACIS. These tours have planned out a great itinerary for us.

We will be leaving on the first day of Mardi Gras break. Our first stop is the New Orleans airport. We will be flying to Atlanta, Georgia. After our long layover in Georgia, we will be on our way to Sorrento. The arrival time for Sorrento is probably going to be very late. Even though I may be tired and exhausted during the whole trip, I am ready for this to come! Even though I haven’t been to Italy before, I know that it is going to be extremely pretty and scenic. Its going to be an interesting week.

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

I had seen this movie a long time ago, but never knew how much I actually loved it. I watched it again for the first time in about two years and it was instantly my favorite movie. Once I fell in love with it, I started thinking about reading the book. The Notebook is about a girl (Allie) who spends the summer in a small town in North Carolina. She soon falls in love with a young man (Noah). No matter what is in the way, Noah and Allie find a way to see each other. Before I started reading this book, I thought that the movie was going to be better than the book. Well, I was wrong.

This book is very descriptive and well written. The author, Nicholas Sparks, describes Noah and how he loves poetry and music at the very beginning. When Allie and Noah first meet, he tries to get her attention, but doesn’t succeed at first. I haven’t gotten very far in this book yet, but it is definitely one that I will be finishing. I love to read Nicholas Sparks books even though they always have a sad ending.  

Reading Log:

Monday (16): 30 minutes

Tuesday (17): 15 minutes

Wednesday (18): 30 minutes

Thursday (19): 75 minutes (45 Norton)

Friday (20): None

Last Summer!

Last year, my parents started planning a cruise just for the five of us. My siblings and I weren't as excited as you think we would be. A few days later, my grandparents from India called in and told us that they were going to come to the States to come visit us. Of course we told them to come right along. So my parents invited both sets of grandparents to come a join us on our cruise. That brings it up to 9 people. One day, we were in the car on the way back from school, and my mom told us that we were allowed to have a friend tag along with us! The next day, I asked my friend Caroline to come with me. We were so excited to go together!

On June 11, we started on our way to New Orleans where the ship was docked. When we got on the ship, we headed straight for the ice cream. It was about 80 degrees outside throughout the trip. That night, we went to the top floor of the ship where the "teen clubs" were. We sat inside there, watching TV, and playing the Wii with a few other kids our age. These were the kids that we would be spending the rest of the week with. Throughout the week, we stopped at the Florida Keyes and the Bahamas. In the Bahamas, there was a place called Atlantis. Atlantis had the biggest water slides I have ever seen in my life. The family got back on the ship after visiting a stop, and just walk around with our friends. At dinner, the waiters would put on a show for us. I'm pretty sure our waiters were the best. We joked around with them, and hugged them after dinner every night, saying thank you. This was one of the best weeks of my life. When the cruise finally ended, I was so upset. I wanted to stay on the ship forever.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I am currently reading The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. The Hunger Games is about a girl named Katnis and her journey through the Hunger Games. During the reaping (when the two "tributes" get chosen), Katnis' little sister gets chosen. Katnis can not handle that. She automatically volunteers to be the girl tribute.  The Hunger Games is a competition for children 12 to 18. In every district (there are 12), a boy and a girl ("tributes") is chosen to compete. Only one survives.

I have finished about a third of the book so far. I needed a book to read so I could write these blogs, so I asked my mom if she could  get me a book that looked good. She went out and got me this book. Ever since then, I try to read as much as I can. It's really hard to put this book down. I start reading it and it seems like I'm watching a movie while reading it. Every part of the book has something that I should focus on.


Reading Log:
Monday (9): 45 minutes
Tuesday (10): 30 minutes
Wednesday (11): 35 minutes
Thursday (12): 15 minutes
Friday (13): none
Saturday (14): 15 minutes
Sunday (15): 20 minutes

The Show Must Go On

I was so scared. My mom had just gotten the email that stated the results of the band that I auditioned for. We sat down together and opened it. We scrolled down, looking apprehensively for my name. This band was for the most advanced students in musical abilities and dedication. I honestly didn't think that I was going to make it. There were so many singers that were far better than me. We saw the email and there it was, my name in tiny print. My heart stopped beating for a second and my eyes grew wide with excitement. The worried face instantly disappeared and was replaced with a wide grin. I turned to my mom and immediately we reached for the phone to inform my dad.

The next week, we had to go into the studios to record a few songs. We learned the songs like the back of our hands. Doug, the instructor in charge of the band, submitted the songs to Jazz Fest. Two weeks later, the Jazz Fest line up came out, and believe it or not, our band was on it along with John Mayer, Florence + the Machine, the Foo Fighters, and the Zac Brown Band. Just the thought of them being there, struck me with sudden fear. What if they actually saw me perform? When that thought popped into my head, I automatically regretted even auditioning! I went for months not wanting people to know. My parents would tell people, and I would get extremely upset with them.

Since our band’s acceptance into Jazz Fest, I have had the chance to perform in many local festivals. Because of all this experience, I feel like I am ready for the pressure. I am much more comfortable telling people about it now. The band is so excited to play at not only Jazz Fest, but also many other festivals and fairs.