Sat up all night with sick toddlers in their arms, wiping up barf laced with Kraft dinner and wieners, birthday cake, and cherry Kool-Aid saying, "It's OK honey, Mommy's here."
Who have walked around the house all night with their babies when they kept crying and wouldn't stop.
This is for all the mothers who have shown up at work with spit-up in their hair and milk stains on their blouses and diapers in their purse.
For all the mothers who have run carpools and made dozens of cookies for school teas and sewn Halloween costumes. And all the mothers who HAVEN'T because they're at work trying to keep on top of the bills.
This is for the mothers who gave birth to babies they'll never see. And the mothers who took those babies and gave them homes and all their love.
This is for all the mothers who have frozen their buns off on metal bleachers at hockey, baseball or soccer games any night of the week instead of watching from their cars, so that when their kids asked, "Did you see me?" they could say, "Of course, I wouldn't have missed it for the world," and meant it.
This is for all the mothers who have yelled at their kids in the grocery store and swatted them in despair when they stomped their feet like a tired 2-year old does, who wants ice cream before dinner, and then hated them- selves for "losing" it.
This is for all the mothers who sat down with their children and explained all about making babies. And for all the mothers who wanted to but just couldn't.
For all the mothers who read "Goodnight, Moon" twice a night for a year. And then read it again. "Just one more time."
This is for a ll the mothers who taught their children to tie their shoelaces before they started school. And for all the mothers who opted for Velcro instead.
This is for all the mothers who taught their sons to cook and sew and their daughters to be brave and strong (and sink a jump shot.)
This is for all mothers whose heads turn automatically when a little voice calls "Mom?" in a crowd, even though they know their own offspring are at home.
This is for all the mothers who sent their kids to school with stomach aches, assuring them they'd be just FINE once they got there, only to get calls from the school nurse an hour later asking them to please pick them up right away. And they do.
This is for mothers whose children have gone astray, and who can't find the words to reach them.
For all the mothers who bite their lips sometimes until they bleed when their 14 year olds dye their hair green.
What makes a good Mother anyway? Is it patience? Compassion? Broad hips? The ability to nurse a baby, cook dinner, and sew a button on a shirt, all at the same time?
Or is it the heart? Is it the ache you feel when you watch your son or daughter disappear down the street, walking to school alone for the very first time?
Or the terror in your heart at 1 AM when your teenager with the new driver's license is an hour late getting home.
The jolt that takes you from sleep to dread, from bed to crib at 2 A.M. to put your hand on the back of a sleeping baby? Or to feel the dull ache as you look in on your sleeping daughter or son the night before they leave for a college in another city.
The need to flee from wherever you are and hug your child when you hear news of a fire, a car accident, a child dying?
For all the mothers of the victims of all the school shootings, and the mothers of those who did the shooting. For the mothers of the survivors, and the mothers who sat in front of their TVs in horror, hugging their child who just came home from school, safely.
This is for mothers who have tearfully placed flowers and teddy bears on their children's graves. Whose children have died from illness, accidents and the worst of all and hardest to comprehend, suicides.
This is for young mothers stumbling through diaper changes and sleep deprivation. And mature mothers who have learned and are still learning, to let go. For working mothers and stay-at-home mothers. Single mothers and married mothers. Grandmothers whose wisdom and love remains a constant for their grown children and their children's children. For Mothers with money, and Mothers without.
This is for you all. So hang in there.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
I don't really even believe in cliques, but the internet is filled with jewels of trivial knowledge
7 Common Roles Girls Play in Cliques
1. The Queen Bee: Through a combination of charisma, force, money, looks, will and manipulation, this girl reigns supreme over the other girls and weakens their friendships with others, thereby strengthening her own power and influence.
2. The Side Kick: She notices everything about the Queen Bee, because she wants to be her. She will do everything the Queen Bee says. The Queen Bee, as her best friend, makes her feel popular and included.
3. The Floater: She has friends in different groups and can move freely among them. She has influence over other girls but doesn't use it to make them feel bad.
4. The Torn Bystander: She's constantly conflicted about doing the right thing and her allegiance to the clique. As a result, she's the one most likely to be caught in the middle of a conflict between two girls or two groups of girls.
5. The Pleaser/Wannabe/Messenger: She will do anything to be in the good graces of the Queen Bee and the Sidekick. When two powerful girls, or two powerful groups of girls, are in a fight, she is the go-between. However, the other girls eventually turn on her as well. She'll enthusiastically back them up no matter what. She can't tell the difference between what she wants and what the group wants.
6. The Banker: Girls trust her when she pumps them for information because it doesn't seem like gossip; instead, she does it in an innocent, "I'm trying to be your friend" way. This is the girl who sneaks under adult radar all the time because she can appear so cute and harmless.
7. The Target: She's the victim, set up by the other girls to be humiliated, made fun of, excluded. She can be part of a clique or outside the clique. Either way, she feels isolated and alone.
- http://parenting.ivillage.com/tweens/twsports/0,,ppdebate_j733,00.html
-What would I be?
I'd always like to think it's better to be on the outside looking in than being on the inside looking out. Because at least it wouldn't be like you're trapped behind bars.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
A clarifying metaphor for depression
A ship, sailing in calm waters, is going along nicely with a following wind. The crew, who know they lack some of the more tricky skills of dealing with bad weather, are perfectly happy in such good conditions.
But then a storm blows up. The crew don't know what to do and so sail right into the middle of the storm. Once in it, they lose their way, not knowing how to set a proper bearing and stick to it.
They go round and round within the storm, getting sicker and sicker, and the ship getting more and more battered. They try to do what they know but nothing seems to work, and after a while they become so exhausted they stop trying.
Eventually, the storm dies down and calm returns. After a time, the crew recover, and sail the ship onward, albeit in its slightly worn state.
They realise that if another storm comes along, they are going to be in the same position again, and so decide to put into the nearest port to learn the skills of coping with bad weather.--------------------------------------------------------
So the crew above (the depressed person) realise they don't know how (haven't learnt the skills) to take a ship through a storm (a life crisis, or difficult situation.) Once in the storm (the depression), they don't know how to set a proper bearing (get themselves out of depression.)
Once storm abates (life circumstances change), they decide to learn the necessary skills (balanced thinking styles, meeting basic needs etc.)
What the equivalent of them using drugs would be - who knows? Pouring oil on the sea?
But then a storm blows up. The crew don't know what to do and so sail right into the middle of the storm. Once in it, they lose their way, not knowing how to set a proper bearing and stick to it.
They go round and round within the storm, getting sicker and sicker, and the ship getting more and more battered. They try to do what they know but nothing seems to work, and after a while they become so exhausted they stop trying.
Eventually, the storm dies down and calm returns. After a time, the crew recover, and sail the ship onward, albeit in its slightly worn state.
They realise that if another storm comes along, they are going to be in the same position again, and so decide to put into the nearest port to learn the skills of coping with bad weather.--------------------------------------------------------
So the crew above (the depressed person) realise they don't know how (haven't learnt the skills) to take a ship through a storm (a life crisis, or difficult situation.) Once in the storm (the depression), they don't know how to set a proper bearing (get themselves out of depression.)
Once storm abates (life circumstances change), they decide to learn the necessary skills (balanced thinking styles, meeting basic needs etc.)
What the equivalent of them using drugs would be - who knows? Pouring oil on the sea?
Thursday, February 26, 2009
This essay got me 7 marks out of 8, and helped me get my scholarship X-P
QUESTION ONE(8 marks)
Sickle Cell Disease [SCD] is a human genetic disorder resulting from a mutant form of the Hb gene, which is located on chromosome 11. The Hb gene codes for the protein haemoglobin, which is found in red blood cells and transports oxygen. The mutant allele Hbs produces haemoglobin that differs in one amino acid from the normal haemoglobin. Red blood cells that contain the abnormal haemoglobin collapse into a jagged sickle shape in a low-oxygen environment. The Hbs allele produces pleiotropic effects in individuals who inherit it.
The sickled cells may clump and clog small blood vessels, often leading to other symptoms throughout the body. Individuals with sickle cell disease can suffer severe anaemia, pain, organ damage, and even paralysis. In Western countries, frequent blood transfusions can be used to treat individuals with SCD. This alleviates the symptoms and reduces the chances of organ damage.
Individuals can have the following genotypes / phenotypes:
HbHb have normal red blood cells•
HbHb• s have sickle cell trait with some of their red blood cells being sickled
Hb• sHbs have sickle cell disease [SCD] with all of their red blood cells being sickled. The severe physiological effects that result often cause death before the individual reaches reproductive age. SCD kills about 100 000 people annually throughout the world.
HbHb
All red blood cells are normal
HbsHb
Mixture of normal and sickle red blood cells
HbsHbs
All red blood cells are sickle-shaped
The frequency of the Hbs allele
The frequency of the Hbs allele varies between populations around the world, with the highest frequencies of up to 20% being found in Africa. In comparison, New Zealand has a very low frequency of less than 1%. In the USA the frequency is similar to New Zealand in the general population, but can approach 10% amongst black Americans.
Malaria is a major global disease with most cases seen in Asia, Africa, and countries bordering the Mediterranean [Fig 2]. About half a billion people annually contract the disease with about one million dying from it. Most of the fatalities are children under the age of five, most of whom live in Africa. Malaria is caused by Plasmodium, a unicellular parasite, which is transmitted from person to person by Anopheles mosquitoes. The plasmodia enter the red blood cells where they repeatedly reproduce to release large numbers of new parasites.
The mutant Hbs allele provides some protection against malaria because the parasites are unable to reproduce inside the sickled blood cells.
Discuss the genetics, inheritance and frequency of the Hbs allele and evaluate whether modern biotechnological applications could, in the future, provide a cure for sickle cell disease.
[For copyright reasons, this resource cannot be reproduced here.]
MY ANSWER!!!
The mutant Hbs allele appeared in the gene pool through a random mutation, and passed down onto subsequent generations by inheritance. The Hbs allele shows codominance over the Hbs gene, therefore creating a combined phenotype: I.e. in the HbsHb heterozygous genotype, proteins that cause red blood cells to be sickle shaped and proteins that cause blood cells to be normal co-exist and form a combination of both normal and sickle blood cells in the body in equal volumes.
The mutation is located on chromosome 11 so is likely to have been an error made while replicating DNA in the formation of gametes; or caused by mutagens and carcinogens such as radiation, pollution and toxins in the gonads causing the gene to be spread down the lineage and passed onto subsequent generations.
The inheritance of the gene is most likely through the heterozygous individual who contains both the normal Hb allele and the Hbs sickle celled allele, as a carrier. The receissive allele and the dominant allele co-existing through co-dominance creates a lesser effect than homozygous recessive, by having both sickle celled and normal blood cells. The individual can then have enough normal blood cells to carry out general functions sufficiently and carry oxygen around the body as usual with less efficiency but the difference between the sickle cell trait and the sickle cell disease is that many affected by the homozygous recessive SCD die before reaching reproductive age. Through natural selection, this allele combination is selected against, and those alleles disappear from the population. However the alleles don't increase in frequency but remain in the population because those with sickle cell disease reach reproductive age and passes the recessive gene onto the carriers of the next generation.
In Western populations, where Malaria is not as common, the allele isnot so frequent, being less than 1% of the population in New Zealand and USA. This reflects the inheritance pattern described above, where HbsHbs is selected against but HbHbs is retained in the population as it is not significantly affecting the individual's health and they can reach reproductive age.
However in African countries, Malaria is more widespread, affecting half a billion people contracting it from Africa, Meditaranian and Asia combined.
In the areas where Malaria is caused by Plasmodium, there is a general geographic pattern that favours the presense of the sickle cell allele. E.g. Central Africa has the greatest concentration of the sickle cell allele, and is also an abudance of malaria in individuals. Having the sickle celled allele is beneficial to those in the malaria-stricken areas and therefore increase in frequency, being an added survival advantage. Most of the fatalities are children who live under the age of five in Africa, and coupled with the lack of access to healthcare resources for malaria, the sickle-cell allele is their best advantage for survival and is increased in frequency due to natural selection. The individuals with the genotype HbHb are likelier to die out due to the lack of protection against Malaria, and HbsHbs as they're incapable of carrying oxygen around the body as well as having no access to blood transfusions as Westerners do, will die from anaemia, organ damage and other illnesses caused by the loss of oxygen. The abundance of the genotype HbHbs will increase the frequency of the Hbs allele reflective of the 20% found in Africa.
The reason why sickle-cell allele is less prevalent in places like Asia or less coastal areas of the mediteranian or Egypt is to do with socioeconomic development rather than a biological one. Individuals there have greater access to Malaria cures and preventions and do not rely on the pleitropic effects of the sickle-cell allele as a survival agent.
That also explains why the poverty stricken West of North Africa has a higher frequency of the sickle-cell allele than the East, in Egypt, although Egypt has greater incidences of Malaria than the West. The frequency of the Hbs allele increases in the West because of lack of knowledge about the condition, and also gene flow from the surrounding Malaria stricken areas.
African Americans retain the gene from their roots, as immigrants to the country from Africa, however the frequency is levelling out, decreased to 10% after many generations since their arrival due to better access to healthcare, interracial marriages and an absense of Malaria.
The nature of sickle cell disease is that it is a genetic condition, not an infection or a cancer, therefore there cannot be a direct cure such as there is no direct cure for genetic illnesses such as cystic fibrosis. Currently blood transfusions are used as a treatment that alleviates the symptoms of the disease, but because a fault in a gene causes the wrong protein to be made, the resulting error in a process cannot be a reversed – the same genetic instructions are present in every bodily cell and therefore when replication of DNA happens, the wrong “message” is passed onto the new strand so all newly formed cells will contain the mutant gene, creating the difference in physiological structure.
But treatments such as the hormonal treatment for cystic fibrosis can help make living easier for the affected individual with SCD, by injecting a hormone that encourages the sickle-blood cell to carry oxygen and perform normal duties as a red blood cell however it is unknown whether this would be possible, as the sickle cell shape would prevent oxygen transport, therefore the hormone treatment wouldn't function.
The only other option for a genetic disease is not just to treat the individual, but the entire population, as the gene is spread to subsequent generations. Modern biotechnology have effective ways of genetic screening, through amniotic testing, a sample of amniotic fluid from the womb of a pregnant mother would give genetic information of whether the child has the gene or not, through gene mapping or karyotype and the position of the gene is identified and checked for its presense or absense. In the case that the sickle cell allele is found, the child can be aborted. While this method has moral implications in human society, it is an example of direct selection, a variance to natural selection that doesn't rely on mate selection to choose favourable genes; and ensures that the allele frequency will decrease, as well as the prevalence of sickle cell disease. If cure is not possible, then prevention should be implemented.
-1074 words in 1 and a quarter hours :O
Sickle Cell Disease [SCD] is a human genetic disorder resulting from a mutant form of the Hb gene, which is located on chromosome 11. The Hb gene codes for the protein haemoglobin, which is found in red blood cells and transports oxygen. The mutant allele Hbs produces haemoglobin that differs in one amino acid from the normal haemoglobin. Red blood cells that contain the abnormal haemoglobin collapse into a jagged sickle shape in a low-oxygen environment. The Hbs allele produces pleiotropic effects in individuals who inherit it.
The sickled cells may clump and clog small blood vessels, often leading to other symptoms throughout the body. Individuals with sickle cell disease can suffer severe anaemia, pain, organ damage, and even paralysis. In Western countries, frequent blood transfusions can be used to treat individuals with SCD. This alleviates the symptoms and reduces the chances of organ damage.
Individuals can have the following genotypes / phenotypes:
HbHb have normal red blood cells•
HbHb• s have sickle cell trait with some of their red blood cells being sickled
Hb• sHbs have sickle cell disease [SCD] with all of their red blood cells being sickled. The severe physiological effects that result often cause death before the individual reaches reproductive age. SCD kills about 100 000 people annually throughout the world.
HbHb
All red blood cells are normal
HbsHb
Mixture of normal and sickle red blood cells
HbsHbs
All red blood cells are sickle-shaped
The frequency of the Hbs allele
The frequency of the Hbs allele varies between populations around the world, with the highest frequencies of up to 20% being found in Africa. In comparison, New Zealand has a very low frequency of less than 1%. In the USA the frequency is similar to New Zealand in the general population, but can approach 10% amongst black Americans.
Malaria is a major global disease with most cases seen in Asia, Africa, and countries bordering the Mediterranean [Fig 2]. About half a billion people annually contract the disease with about one million dying from it. Most of the fatalities are children under the age of five, most of whom live in Africa. Malaria is caused by Plasmodium, a unicellular parasite, which is transmitted from person to person by Anopheles mosquitoes. The plasmodia enter the red blood cells where they repeatedly reproduce to release large numbers of new parasites.
The mutant Hbs allele provides some protection against malaria because the parasites are unable to reproduce inside the sickled blood cells.
Discuss the genetics, inheritance and frequency of the Hbs allele and evaluate whether modern biotechnological applications could, in the future, provide a cure for sickle cell disease.
[For copyright reasons, this resource cannot be reproduced here.]
MY ANSWER!!!
The mutant Hbs allele appeared in the gene pool through a random mutation, and passed down onto subsequent generations by inheritance. The Hbs allele shows codominance over the Hbs gene, therefore creating a combined phenotype: I.e. in the HbsHb heterozygous genotype, proteins that cause red blood cells to be sickle shaped and proteins that cause blood cells to be normal co-exist and form a combination of both normal and sickle blood cells in the body in equal volumes.
The mutation is located on chromosome 11 so is likely to have been an error made while replicating DNA in the formation of gametes; or caused by mutagens and carcinogens such as radiation, pollution and toxins in the gonads causing the gene to be spread down the lineage and passed onto subsequent generations.
The inheritance of the gene is most likely through the heterozygous individual who contains both the normal Hb allele and the Hbs sickle celled allele, as a carrier. The receissive allele and the dominant allele co-existing through co-dominance creates a lesser effect than homozygous recessive, by having both sickle celled and normal blood cells. The individual can then have enough normal blood cells to carry out general functions sufficiently and carry oxygen around the body as usual with less efficiency but the difference between the sickle cell trait and the sickle cell disease is that many affected by the homozygous recessive SCD die before reaching reproductive age. Through natural selection, this allele combination is selected against, and those alleles disappear from the population. However the alleles don't increase in frequency but remain in the population because those with sickle cell disease reach reproductive age and passes the recessive gene onto the carriers of the next generation.
In Western populations, where Malaria is not as common, the allele isnot so frequent, being less than 1% of the population in New Zealand and USA. This reflects the inheritance pattern described above, where HbsHbs is selected against but HbHbs is retained in the population as it is not significantly affecting the individual's health and they can reach reproductive age.
However in African countries, Malaria is more widespread, affecting half a billion people contracting it from Africa, Meditaranian and Asia combined.
In the areas where Malaria is caused by Plasmodium, there is a general geographic pattern that favours the presense of the sickle cell allele. E.g. Central Africa has the greatest concentration of the sickle cell allele, and is also an abudance of malaria in individuals. Having the sickle celled allele is beneficial to those in the malaria-stricken areas and therefore increase in frequency, being an added survival advantage. Most of the fatalities are children who live under the age of five in Africa, and coupled with the lack of access to healthcare resources for malaria, the sickle-cell allele is their best advantage for survival and is increased in frequency due to natural selection. The individuals with the genotype HbHb are likelier to die out due to the lack of protection against Malaria, and HbsHbs as they're incapable of carrying oxygen around the body as well as having no access to blood transfusions as Westerners do, will die from anaemia, organ damage and other illnesses caused by the loss of oxygen. The abundance of the genotype HbHbs will increase the frequency of the Hbs allele reflective of the 20% found in Africa.
The reason why sickle-cell allele is less prevalent in places like Asia or less coastal areas of the mediteranian or Egypt is to do with socioeconomic development rather than a biological one. Individuals there have greater access to Malaria cures and preventions and do not rely on the pleitropic effects of the sickle-cell allele as a survival agent.
That also explains why the poverty stricken West of North Africa has a higher frequency of the sickle-cell allele than the East, in Egypt, although Egypt has greater incidences of Malaria than the West. The frequency of the Hbs allele increases in the West because of lack of knowledge about the condition, and also gene flow from the surrounding Malaria stricken areas.
African Americans retain the gene from their roots, as immigrants to the country from Africa, however the frequency is levelling out, decreased to 10% after many generations since their arrival due to better access to healthcare, interracial marriages and an absense of Malaria.
The nature of sickle cell disease is that it is a genetic condition, not an infection or a cancer, therefore there cannot be a direct cure such as there is no direct cure for genetic illnesses such as cystic fibrosis. Currently blood transfusions are used as a treatment that alleviates the symptoms of the disease, but because a fault in a gene causes the wrong protein to be made, the resulting error in a process cannot be a reversed – the same genetic instructions are present in every bodily cell and therefore when replication of DNA happens, the wrong “message” is passed onto the new strand so all newly formed cells will contain the mutant gene, creating the difference in physiological structure.
But treatments such as the hormonal treatment for cystic fibrosis can help make living easier for the affected individual with SCD, by injecting a hormone that encourages the sickle-blood cell to carry oxygen and perform normal duties as a red blood cell however it is unknown whether this would be possible, as the sickle cell shape would prevent oxygen transport, therefore the hormone treatment wouldn't function.
The only other option for a genetic disease is not just to treat the individual, but the entire population, as the gene is spread to subsequent generations. Modern biotechnology have effective ways of genetic screening, through amniotic testing, a sample of amniotic fluid from the womb of a pregnant mother would give genetic information of whether the child has the gene or not, through gene mapping or karyotype and the position of the gene is identified and checked for its presense or absense. In the case that the sickle cell allele is found, the child can be aborted. While this method has moral implications in human society, it is an example of direct selection, a variance to natural selection that doesn't rely on mate selection to choose favourable genes; and ensures that the allele frequency will decrease, as well as the prevalence of sickle cell disease. If cure is not possible, then prevention should be implemented.
-1074 words in 1 and a quarter hours :O
Creative Musing
No, not Creative writing, because that sounds way generic and lame. Creative Musing sounds much more intellectual, which is ironic because these Creative Writing samples from English are far from intellectual. These were written in like 5 minutes so excuse the bad grammar, punctuation and generally, writing!
Description: Drinking a very hot drink in 4 sentences -
This is satisfaction. Every cell in my body was being ignited, awoken from the blunt inactivity that winter brought. I closed my eyes and wrapped my fingers around the cup, alive with warmth in my thawed hands, steam rising and tickling the frozen cavern of my nostrils. I hesitated not, and took a drink.
Breakfast without an "e" in about 10 sentences
I am hungry. But I'm also too fat. So what do I do? I munch on a carrot and savour that slight flavour. Yum? Probably not. So I push on with a loaf of sourdough and jam. Still no satisfaction! Raiding cupboards madly, I find junk upon junk. My stomach is a void, I'm inhaling with vigour: donuts, with syrup; and bacon dripping in lard. My passion for consumption is my pain, I cannot stop my own body, my hands or mouth from the compulsion to fill to brim. At long last my body is unhollow. I wash my bowls and go to school.
Description: Drinking a very hot drink in 4 sentences -
This is satisfaction. Every cell in my body was being ignited, awoken from the blunt inactivity that winter brought. I closed my eyes and wrapped my fingers around the cup, alive with warmth in my thawed hands, steam rising and tickling the frozen cavern of my nostrils. I hesitated not, and took a drink.
Breakfast without an "e" in about 10 sentences
I am hungry. But I'm also too fat. So what do I do? I munch on a carrot and savour that slight flavour. Yum? Probably not. So I push on with a loaf of sourdough and jam. Still no satisfaction! Raiding cupboards madly, I find junk upon junk. My stomach is a void, I'm inhaling with vigour: donuts, with syrup; and bacon dripping in lard. My passion for consumption is my pain, I cannot stop my own body, my hands or mouth from the compulsion to fill to brim. At long last my body is unhollow. I wash my bowls and go to school.
17 Rockerfeller Drive, Teenage-hood
In spirit of myself joining the Magazine committee as an editor i decided to publish this article i wrote last year about Cambridge English:
Cambridge English '08!!!
"But my heart will not bleed poetry. Not a single drop to stain the blueprint of our past's tomorrow"
What a tumultuous year of varied ups and downs it has been for the Year 12 Cambridge English class!
Ploughing through 29 poems, a 522 page Victorian novel, a Shakespearean, a Victorian drama, and a Bollywood-esque update on Pride and Prejudice... We discovered the true value of hard work, the challenge of juggling NCEA and Cambridge assessment, and our hidden vocal talents reciting page by page our texts in class with utmost enthusiasm.
We developed an aversion to water fountains and the excessive consumption of muffins [insert blatant innuendo here], and discussed relevant societal issues paying close attention to the presentation of predictable retaliation from the very masculine Hamish Roake during our often emotionally saturated classroom discussions of which, typically had underlying feminist connotations (haha) in a class with only three boys.
We grew together through our weekend tutorials in the ESOL room, savouring the biscuits and coffee kindly donated by Ms Baumberg and sacrificing Thursday lunchtimes for the fulfilling pursuit of a greater literary knowledge, pen in hand, analytical mind at the ready.
We bonded with each other was we:
- Suffered with Maggie and her misfortunes...
- Joined the "seamen" on the "deck's smooth face" (Lauren Hall)
- Enjoyed our own bit of Bunburying,
- And learnt to pat the light bulb and screw in the dog!
We would like to thank the very sagacious Ms Baumberg for being our saviour, our everything, our ever-raging resident feminist! And we wish all the best for next year's Cambridge class, may fate deal you an even better hand than ours this year!
"One thing then learnt remains to me, - the Woodspurge has a cup of three..."
By: troubadour Lily "Lillian Moonbeam" Zhang with some hearty contributions from her partner-in-crime Kerri "Kerrimel Square" Bell.
Cambridge English '08!!!
"But my heart will not bleed poetry. Not a single drop to stain the blueprint of our past's tomorrow"
What a tumultuous year of varied ups and downs it has been for the Year 12 Cambridge English class!
Ploughing through 29 poems, a 522 page Victorian novel, a Shakespearean, a Victorian drama, and a Bollywood-esque update on Pride and Prejudice... We discovered the true value of hard work, the challenge of juggling NCEA and Cambridge assessment, and our hidden vocal talents reciting page by page our texts in class with utmost enthusiasm.
We developed an aversion to water fountains and the excessive consumption of muffins [insert blatant innuendo here], and discussed relevant societal issues paying close attention to the presentation of predictable retaliation from the very masculine Hamish Roake during our often emotionally saturated classroom discussions of which, typically had underlying feminist connotations (haha) in a class with only three boys.
We grew together through our weekend tutorials in the ESOL room, savouring the biscuits and coffee kindly donated by Ms Baumberg and sacrificing Thursday lunchtimes for the fulfilling pursuit of a greater literary knowledge, pen in hand, analytical mind at the ready.
We bonded with each other was we:
- Suffered with Maggie and her misfortunes...
- Joined the "seamen" on the "deck's smooth face" (Lauren Hall)
- Enjoyed our own bit of Bunburying,
- And learnt to pat the light bulb and screw in the dog!
We would like to thank the very sagacious Ms Baumberg for being our saviour, our everything, our ever-raging resident feminist! And we wish all the best for next year's Cambridge class, may fate deal you an even better hand than ours this year!
"One thing then learnt remains to me, - the Woodspurge has a cup of three..."
By: troubadour Lily "Lillian Moonbeam" Zhang with some hearty contributions from her partner-in-crime Kerri "Kerrimel Square" Bell.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
I have youtube account!
Now all the hijinks i get up to in my spare time can be documented for the wide world to view!!! Yay!!! thank goodness for technology and rich parents who buy you a digital camera for Xmas :)
www.youtube.com/lilyisdabomb not many vids up yet but they are coming it just takes ages to upload on my excuse for an internet.
www.youtube.com/lilyisdabomb not many vids up yet but they are coming it just takes ages to upload on my excuse for an internet.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Stuff to think about
Me and my friend Emma were sharing stories at Ohiwa a few weeks back on the little grassy knoll overlooking the vast expanse of sea. These were lifted from actual books. The 'sad stories' are from Affluenza which is about consumerism, and the riddles are from 'the tenth circle' which is a Jodi Picoult book that everyone goes ape for right now. They're not grammar'd and spell'd good because they're lifted from my memory.
SAD STORY
A workaholic man finds himself with one free day off work for the first time of his life. He is so intensely dedicated to his work that he neglects his wife and their depressed teenaged son so he decides to spend his free day taking his son fishing. So they go fishing and the boy has the time of his life and they really felt a connection to each other for the first time and the boy is lifted from his depression, even though they catch nothing. After that day the man returns to his work and they never share another day together again. However the boy really cherished that day and felt that it gave him the will to live happily again. Many years later the father dies and the boy grows up, but never forgets the day they went fishing together. In his death the father leaves behind the work diaries he kept when he was still working . The boy looks at the entry under the date of their fishing trip and it said “Waste of a day.”
Moral of the story?
ANOTHER SAD STORY
Another Father-son epic fail tale.
A certain boy wants a car for his 17th birthday, which his father had agreed with. However, on his 17th, he receives not a shiny red corvette he'd wanted but a Bible. He considers this to be an insult and leaves home hastily without a word to his parents, and travels across the country to avoid any contact with them. Despite many attempts to contact him again, his parents never see him again. 15 years later the boy is fully grown and receives a message that his father has died. The boy reaches into his bedroom drawer and looks at the Bible he received for his 17th birthday that drove him and his father apart to their deathbed. He opens it for the first time and finds inside a cheque for $5000, enough to buy his ideal car.
These stories are true, BTW.
RIDDLE:1:
A woman meets a man at her mother's funeral, whom she considers to be the love of her life and her soulmate, but she forgot to get his number. A week later she murdered her sister. Why?
Think of your own answer before you scroll down.
The woman murdered her sister in case she would meet the man again at the funeral.
If you hadn't answered like this, congratulations, you are not a psychopath :)
Most serial killers in prisons respond with this answer when the question is given.
RIDDLE:2:
A father and his son go out fishing. However, during their fishing trip the son injures his leg badly and is rushed to hospital in the ambulance. He is sent to the operating table in hospital but the surgeon sees him and goes “Hey, that's my son!”
How is this possible? Think and it will come to you as an incredibly obvious answer. Scroll down if you're desperate.
ANSWER: The surgeon is the boy's mother.
This riddle proves the sexist ideals in the career world
SAD STORY
A workaholic man finds himself with one free day off work for the first time of his life. He is so intensely dedicated to his work that he neglects his wife and their depressed teenaged son so he decides to spend his free day taking his son fishing. So they go fishing and the boy has the time of his life and they really felt a connection to each other for the first time and the boy is lifted from his depression, even though they catch nothing. After that day the man returns to his work and they never share another day together again. However the boy really cherished that day and felt that it gave him the will to live happily again. Many years later the father dies and the boy grows up, but never forgets the day they went fishing together. In his death the father leaves behind the work diaries he kept when he was still working . The boy looks at the entry under the date of their fishing trip and it said “Waste of a day.”
Moral of the story?
ANOTHER SAD STORY
Another Father-son epic fail tale.
A certain boy wants a car for his 17th birthday, which his father had agreed with. However, on his 17th, he receives not a shiny red corvette he'd wanted but a Bible. He considers this to be an insult and leaves home hastily without a word to his parents, and travels across the country to avoid any contact with them. Despite many attempts to contact him again, his parents never see him again. 15 years later the boy is fully grown and receives a message that his father has died. The boy reaches into his bedroom drawer and looks at the Bible he received for his 17th birthday that drove him and his father apart to their deathbed. He opens it for the first time and finds inside a cheque for $5000, enough to buy his ideal car.
These stories are true, BTW.
RIDDLE:1:
A woman meets a man at her mother's funeral, whom she considers to be the love of her life and her soulmate, but she forgot to get his number. A week later she murdered her sister. Why?
Think of your own answer before you scroll down.
The woman murdered her sister in case she would meet the man again at the funeral.
If you hadn't answered like this, congratulations, you are not a psychopath :)
Most serial killers in prisons respond with this answer when the question is given.
RIDDLE:2:
A father and his son go out fishing. However, during their fishing trip the son injures his leg badly and is rushed to hospital in the ambulance. He is sent to the operating table in hospital but the surgeon sees him and goes “Hey, that's my son!”
How is this possible? Think and it will come to you as an incredibly obvious answer. Scroll down if you're desperate.
ANSWER: The surgeon is the boy's mother.
This riddle proves the sexist ideals in the career world
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