LOVE TO READ!!!!!!!

I love to read its fun and takes you places when you want to leave reality. When I was in Lower School I read a new book every day. Soon finished every book I thought that interested me in the Lower School Library and I moved on to the Middle School Library.

When I moved on to Middle School I did not have as much time and I could not find any books that interested me like books used to read. I just did not have time to look for books my schedule was too full with sports, school and homework. This upset me a lot, but homework comes first and I knew that if I started a book and got really into it I would never get to my homework. So in Sixth Grade I did not have a favorite book because everything I read did not interest me.

This year I thought a head during the summer I made a list of books I wanted to read which I am still using now. This does not help with the time and schedule problem, but it helped me love to read again, Also I found a book series I really enjoyed  The Ghost Bird series by C.L Stone. I realized as I grow up I won't have the same time to do stuff I want and should take advantage of every moment I have.

P.S. This is a website I use to find books http://www.goodreads.com/

Represent

FC Portland game

Everytime the whistle blows to begin a soccer match my heart jumps. The whistle starts ninety minutes of hard work, getting your toes stepped on, going into challenges even though you might get hurt, risk of concussion, ACL tears, and pain just to represent your club, country or school. Each time a person steps on a field, court, track, rink or any sport arena, they are being watched. Playing in front of you club coaches, school teachers, or country scouts can be very stressful and scary.

Sister Dog REV

The Path To Finding My Sister Dog

I’m the last of three, growing up with my brothers has been a roller coaster. But their one thing that got me through that. Lola Theresa Sabi, my sister dog. I was just that little girl that my brothers hated, they would go out of their way to make me mad or jealous. In the summer of  2013 I had a change in heart, I was not going to put up with this anymore. But what could I do? Finally, it struck me when we were in France. I need a Sister Dog!

In Sync

You’re underwater. You’re waiting. Waiting for the right count. The moment to boost out.

This is synchronized swimming. Never heard of it? I wouldn’t be surprised actually. Synchro is a sport in which members of a team of swimmers perform coordinated or identical movements in time to music. A routine is where you swim to music and have different choreography. Don’t even get me started on what we have to wear... You know what Jello is right? You’re supposed to eat it. We put it on our heads. It’s not colored though so you can’t tell but it looks weird.

Mocha

When I was two years old, our neighbor, Susan, who is a complete Cat Saint, and our family noticed a skinny homeless cat on our block. Susan, the Cat Saint she is, fed him and observed him, concluding he would be perfect for our family. We told Susan we would think about it, and fall became winter.

One particularly chilly night, with the weather looking even bleaker for the days ahead, we decided we would take the stray cat in, so we went over to Susan’s, let her know, found our new companion, and brought him home, with supplies Susan had given us. We played with our cat, whom we named Medium Decaf Milkshake With Whipped Cream On Top, Can You Split That Into Two Cups Please? after our favorite milkshake which he looked exactly like, being a siamese cat. We used to get that milkshake a lot. We called him Mocha as a nickname. The night got later, and Zach and I went to bed with Mocha curled by us, oblivious to what the morning had in store for us.

So, whats the Pointe?

So, whats the Pointe?

A pointe shoe is a complex piece of equipment. It may not seem so at first, because on the surface, you see everything we want you to see: effortlessness, elegance, grace, all wrapped up in the light pink satin of the shoe. But if you look closer, you'll see there's much more to it than just a pretty shoe. The inside of the shoe is lined with layers of plaster and netting as well as hard plastic, suede and canvas. It is built this way to support the weight of the dancer. Pointe shoes are one of the most important aspects of the female dancer’s life. I know this from experience. I may not be a principal dancer at New York City Ballet, but I know what it’s like to depend on a pair of pointe shoes, so that is what I am here to talk about today: Pointe shoes, and what I’ve learned from them so far.

The Mind Game

    Chess is a sport, and don’t even think about arguing with me. Chess is about thinking in a placid place and thinking about each move you’re going to make. Chess is can be like meditation or it can be like torture. Patience is the key to winning a game, and if you totally lose it when you lose a game you’re gonna lose all the games you play for the rest of the day.

Fencing a Big Part of Me

How Does Fencing Affect My School Work

By Li 

I am a fencer. You know the sport people have swords and they try to hit each other. Fencing is a big part of my life. If you do sports you know how I feel. Every week I go and fence at the Northwest Fencing Center for 1-3 hours. Fencing takes a toll. Many days I come home at 7 o'clock and I have to do all my homework, have dinner,and play piano for 30 minutes. Fencing is a lot of fun, but sometimes a spend so much time on fencing I can’t do my homework or I am rushed to do my homework. Sometimes I will have a fencing tournament on the weekends that takes up my whole saturday or sunday. During these fencing tournaments I have to do all my homework in one day and that can be very stressful.  

                      

Fencing also helps me in my school work. In fencing I learned about cooperation skills. I learn to work with my other teammates and help each other in difficult situations such as in a bout when my teammate needs help and I help him. I also feel that fencing helps me with my concentration skills. I have to concentrate in a fencing bout on my opponent and it helps me in school when I am taking a test or listening to the teacher.

Soccer

Soccer is a very big part of my life. Soccer connects and relates to school in many ways. Soccer teaches me lots important skills. I really love soccer and I play it as much as I can.

Soccer helps teach respect. If you are disrespectful to your opponents, then they won't like you and also if you are disrespectful to your friends, then they will not want to be friends with you. But if you are respectful to your opponents and friends, then they will like you. It is the same for coaches and teachers, if you are disrespectful to your teachers and coaches they will won't be as kind to you.

2nd FAME Essay

For your second FAME essay, please write on one of the following:

• What is power?  Who should have it?
• How did cultures in the past handle conflict?  How should that influence how people handle conflict today?
• What are the consequences of trade? (Remember consequences can be both positive and negative.)

This essay should follow the form in the 2nd FAME essay organizer.  Christa and I will also be available for help should you need it.  Wordle is optional for this essay.  Use it if you wish in your editing process.  Don't forget to cite the sources you use.  Or, you could just post your Works Cited page you created in EasyBib and link to it.  You may write on any aspect of your FAME culture, not just your GRAPES.  You may also draw on your knowledge of modern American culture.  Your essay must include at least one image.  More, of course, might be better.

This is an opportunity for you to share your thinking about your research.  Feel free to have fun with the writing.  Essay, graphics, links, and citations should be posted to your blog by whatever date your FAME leaders have told you.  At the latest, posts must be dated prior to 11:20 am on Wednesday, December 17.

Here is a link to the FAME essay organizer

Handtiegelpresse. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Nov. 2013. <http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/Handtiegelpresse_von_1811.jpg>.

Route to the Top Power Image. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2013. <http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120809013533-route-to-the-top-power-posing-fist-getty-horizontal-gallery.jpg>.
EasyBib Link

Trip Planning in your Blog

This is what you are trying to do....

Soccer

By Tali Sauer

I play soccer in the fall, I play soccer in the spring, I play soccer by a wall, I play soccer while I sing. When I’m on the field, my thoughts dont drift, they concentrate into one point, like the center of a whirlpool. My mind is all about the game. I rush down the field, dribbling the ball around everyone else. I leap past the final defender, sending the ball in the wrong direction, but I lash out my foot, making contact with the ball, and it curves right into the goal.

I’ve been playing soccer since before I can remember. I used to play goalie, but I do not play anymore because of my slight height difficulties. I play soccer almost every other week for seven straight days, sometimes even inside my house (not to my dad’s approval). Soccer is a big part of my life, and it helps balance it out so I stay active and in a state of elated happiness.

Maï Savanh Lao

Maï Savanh Lao? What is that? Well, roughly translated, Maï is silk, Savanh is heaven, and Lao is Lao P.D.R. So, Maï Savanh Lao means Heavenly  Silk from Lao. 

This is a silk and tea producing company that promotes fair trade from the making, to selling, to buying. And I was fortunate enough to get to visit their company in Vientiane while I was staying there.

Women, who wanted to work in the spirit of fair trade, started Maï Savanh Lao in 2005. Many of the tradition Lao dresses are handmade and take lots and lots of time to make. The women in Lao would make this to sell, but did not get very much money for the amount of skill and time that went into the dresses. So began this company, one that works and earns the fair amount.

When I got there I did not know what to expect, but I received a very nice tour throughout the factory and was taught about the process of making silk. The people in Maï Savanh Lao were very generous to give us this tour and let us take pictures.

The first thing to making Lao silk is the silk worms. They are feed on mulberry leaves, until they are ready to make their cocoons. 20,000 eggs makes 12 grams of silk.  







Next is boiling and hand reeling. But nowadays, people use machines to reel the ends of the silk worm cocoons. The part that people use for silk is actually only the cocoon, but also use the worms for dried snacks. Yes, sadly the worms die through this process. This picture on the side is reeling, but not directly from the cocoons. I did not have the chance to take a picture of the machines reeling directly from the cocoons. The women is this picture was our guide and she is from France. She is also one of the people that started Maï Savanh Lao in Vientiane.





Next is dying the silk. Maï Savanh Lao uses natural dyes made from flowers and other various plants. This process is dangerous, because you have to heat the dye up to it's boiling point for the colors to transfer. Again, it it done by hand. 

Next is reeling it back into rolls to be woven into dresses.  





    

Next is the weaving process. The women working here will then take the rolls of silk and weave them into Lao traditional dresses or sîn. Sîn is what Lao people these traditional dresses.  

The final process might look something like this. But the dresses come in very MANY styles

Sources: http://www.silkliners.com/product_images/uploaded_images/silkworm.jpg

http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/01/4d/a3/b6/traditional-lao-dress.jpg

And my trip to Lao, and my camera/