Last Blog Of The Semester...

Firstly, Mrs. Stephanie Scott, it was my pleasure meeting someone as amazing as you. You made me feel so welcome into your class. You have a great personality, very helpful when requested and a positive attitude towards all your students. I have definitely enjoyed being in your class. I was always looking forward to coming to your class everyday because I knew you always had something new and fun to teach us. Your learning techniques are great. There was never a boring moment. Who knew that by the time the semester was ending I would enjoy reading novels. This I will continue to do even after the semester is over.

Overall I loved the class, the group discussions, blogs, projects even the quizzes. Weird, but you changed me in a very positive. I have learnt so much about myself that I did not know. I did not even know I had a creative side somewhere within myself until I did the Liar movie poster. You are an inspiration to me. You define what it means to be the perfect teacher. If I am here next semester, I have requested to be in your English class because you made my learning experience a very memorable one. I’m glad to say my anti-social self made new friends.

Lastly, I WILL MISS BLOGGING :-(

Review On Thirteen Reasons Why

I have finally finished reading this novel. Another amazing book I must say. I never knew that I could read a book and totally see myself in the story. Reading thirteen reasons why has made me discover something about me I never knew until today. At some point in my life I was actually a depressed teen “go figure.” I did go through a lot as a teenager but I just thought of it as a phase in life that I had to go through. After reading Hannah Baker’s story I realized how it feels to be depressed and feel alone. Unlike her, I did not know what I was going through then and it did not reach a point were I thought of committing suicide or even talking about. Also, I had amazing friends who were ready to listen to me complain about my life and encourage me to be stronger than my problems. I think if she had someone who could listen to her, she would have not died. She had mentioned at some point in her story that, if only she had some sort of encouragement, she would have thought of giving life another chance. She really wanted someone to listen to her but she just couldn’t tell her story.

The novel is a real life summary of what happens in many high schools of this century. When I think about it, things like sexual harassment, bullying and depression happened in my high school too, but they just seemed normal to most people, more like a part of life. A phase everyone just had to go through at some point of their lives. It made it so easy for me to read the novel because I could visualize the story. It brought back a lot of high school memories. I finally realized that the things that happened during my high school year were not normal because a lot people got hurt in the process somehow. Even just spreading rumors about people hurts them emotionally and can end up with them committing suicide. There is a very thin line between depression and suicide.

Was Hannah Baker Worth a Praise or Criticism For Her Actions???

Hannah was known as the girl who committed suicide for no reason. Her death left everyone who knew her puzzled because they all wondered why she killed herself. For a few lucky ones, they had a chance to listen to her thirteen (13) cassette tapes and discover the reasons to her suicide. They also had a chance to explore her favorite and memorable places that either brought a negative or positive effect to her life. Some places brought with them clues to this unsolved mystery.

My conclusion is that, what Hannah did is not worth a praise or criticism. Life throws a lot of experiences that are most of the time hard to handle. There is a period in life when things just don’t go your way and feel harder than ever. For some it starts when you are in high school, but for others it only hits them when they are in college. This period is rough, but it’s at this same point when you decide whether to go harder than the pressure or give up. Though, this doesn’t give anyone the reason to commit suicide. Through the scriptures, suicide is sin no matter the reason behind it.

Hannah was going through so much both at school and at home. They had family problems of down sizing because her parent’s business wasn’t doing as good as before. At school, she was constantly bullied, used and invisible to others. The pile up of all these things caused her to break down. I won’t call it a praise because it’s not but I like the fact that she left a memory behind before her death. Everyone says when some one dies they die with their secrets but she decided to share hers with those who were once close to her. She got to say goodbye before her last breath was taken away.

Thirteen Reasons Why

This is such an amazing book. Thirteen reasons why was written by Jay Asher. It’s a about a girl called Hannah who committed suicide. Before she died she left thirteen cassette tapes of recordings to clues of what caused her death and who contributed to her decision. In addition, she also made a list of people that needed to listen to the tapes because not everyone would have understood what was going on. In order to clarify her recordings, Hannah made a map to all important places that could be visited by the people on list so they could understand the connection of that place to Hannah.

Previously I was reading Liar by Justine Larbalestier which seems so similar to thirteen reasons why. This is because in both novels; someone dies, there are hidden secrets to the death, suspense of how and when the death occurred and it is based on student life. Some of the things that happen in these novels can be seen in real life situations. Apart from that, I am learning how to read novels in a different way. For example in liar we had the before, after, history of me, family history and school history. In thirteen reasons why, we have the real life conversations that are happening between people, for instance, Clay and his mum and the recordings of Hannah. I never knew reading would be such a challenge because I am used to simplified and straight forward reading but I am adapting, enjoying and making good use of this new experience. At least now I know they are different ways to read a novel.

Significance Of The Title - 13 Reasons Why.

I have only started reading this book and I can't seem to put it down. I am now starting to have a fancy for fiction books.Who knew I would even be into reading so much. I have not gone so far with the book but from my prospective I think the author titled this book thirteen (13) reasons why because of the cassette tapes that Hannah had left behind, for people on her list to listen to after her death. These apparently will review why she died. I think this was a great title for the book because you get an idea of what the book is about even before you actually get into the reading. In my mind, I simplified it as thirteen (13) cassette tapes to show or illustrate the thirteen (13) reasons that made Hannah have to commit suicide. As at now, I personal think that is the best title the author could have named that novel. Maybe that will change as I get into the reading, who knows.

1st Blog After Spring Break.

I was not so happy about how Liar ended because I still had so many questions unanswered. So during my spring break, I decided to explore the internet and read some reviews on the book. I went to http://justinelarbalestier.com/blog/ which is the author of Liar, Justine Larbalestier's official blog page. Here you will find many reviews of the book, how people feel the ending should be and their personal opinions. I got a chance to read some of the reviews and well that kind of comforted me. Justine herself actually said the reason she has no specific ending to the story is because she wants all her readers to create their own ending stories in that way no one is disappointed by the way the story ends.
The other cool part of the website is that you get to learn about the author herself through interviews she has had, bibliography and frequently asked questions, asked by her fans. If you have any questions or comments about the book you can go to the website and write to the author herself. She will not answer any blog comments or questions that have to do with spoiling the storyline behind Liar.

HISTORY OF ME AND MY FAMILY

Hey, my name is Micah Wilkins. I went to a small, progressive high school which costed a lot of money but not as much as the uptown schools. The white kids were rich and the black kids were on scholarships. I’m not a racist, that’s how it was.

My Father’s name is Isaiah Wilkins and my mother is Maude Bourgault Wilkins. My father is black and my mother is white. I have never met my mother’s relatives because she was adapted and hated her family so she decided to run away. Dad grew up with two crazy white ladies. He went to France when he was eighteen, worked his way over as a merchant marine, which he hated. He met mum and brought her back to New York with him. Mum is now a French school teacher and dad is a magazine writer (journalist).

I had a brother, Jordan but he died when he was 10 and I was 12. Jordan and I had a relationship most siblings have with each other. We hated each other literally. I killed Jordan like I promised him I would but I din’t mean to, it was an accident. I blame my alter ego, the wolf in me. I’m sure every one has one but my takes a lot of control over me.

I would like to tell you that I have good memories of Jordan but that would be a lie. He was such a brat. I wondered why my parents loved him so much. Even after his death, they still loved him as much as they did when he was alive. They still celebrated his birthday with a cake shaped like a dinosaur because he loved dinosaurs. One thing they din’t realize was that at the age of six, he had moved on to loving pirates. By the time he was dying it was all about superheroes especially batman. There was always cake whether we could afford it or not. I had to wish my dead brother happy birthday, eat his stupid cake and pretend to like it. OMG the anniversary was worse. We never wear black but instead wore bright colors. This meant that I was stuck wearing one of mum’s summer dresses that day.  We ate his favorite food, hot dogs, and then share our memories of beloved Jordon. I don’t miss a single thing about him, so every year I have to come up with something new. They love him more dead than they’ve ever loved me, even if I am the living child. I know you think I am jealous of the relationship he had with my parents, maybe I am. My parents said they loved me, kissed me goodnight, let me live in their home and eat their food, but it was all pretend and that hurt me most. My parents stopped loving me a long time ago. Apart from his birthday and anniversary, it was like Jordan never existed.

http://www.fotosearch.com/photos-images/sibling-rivalry.html

SIBLING RIVALRY

http://www.life123.com/parenting/toddlers/siblings/causes-of-sibling-rivalry.shtml 
http://www.lifescript.com/Life/Family/Parenting/Dealing_With_Sibling_Rivalry.aspx?gclid=COnF5JCj2acCFYvsKgodU1sd-A&trans=1&du=1&ef_id=u9ZNL9GDAAAAwI8:20110318233248:s http://www.calmerparenting.com/siblingsLandingPage.html

MY HIGH SCHOOL EXPERIENCE

The first two days of my freshmen year in high school I was a boy thanks to my English teacher Indira Gupta. It all started on my first day of English class when she called me Mr. Wilkins and I din’t bother to argue with her and tell her that I was a girl. I was not surprised that she called me a boy because I had been mistaken for one before. This is because I wear my hair natural and short, cut close to my scalp. That way I didn’t have to bother with relaxing, combing and straightening it. Everyone believed I was a boy. Tayshawn Williams, Zachary Rubin and Will Daniels even befriended me and asked if I could play ball with them after school. I accepted because I am not your usual girly girl. I preferred running and playing basketball to going shopping and having an interest in clothes.

http://www.omghaircut.com/short-hairstyles/razor-cut-short-hair-styles.html

At the end of the second day, my secret had been blown. Sarah figured out that I wasn’t a boy when I laughed at Brandon slip off a banana peel in the cafeteria. As a result, my first and second weeks of my freshmen year in high school were bad. I was called to the principal’s office to explain myself. I told him that it wasn’t my fault but my English teacher’s. Either way I was punished to write an essay on why lying is bad.

After this incidence, Tayshawn was the only person talking to me. He actually found that funny. Will was less happy and Zach totally ignored me. Tayshawn had so many questions to ask and so I decided to spice up my explanation by telling him that I was born a hermaphrodite. Incase you don’t know, a hermaphrodite is an animal or human born with both the male and female private parts. I made him promise that he won’t tell anyone but I was hoping he did. Tayshawn kept to his words and din’t tell a soul. I then decided to tell someone else who would spread the news. Next thing I knew I was back in Principal Paul’s office explaining myself. Why would I want anyone to think I was some kind of freak? Because I wanted them to pay attention to me. My parents were contacted and they confirmed that there was nothing wrong with me. My second punishment was an essay on the virtues of honesty.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hermaphroditus_lady_lever.jpg

Zach and I never spoke to each other in school. The first time we met was in central park, under a bridge. Winter of our junior year, middle of the day, a week day, a school day. Of course I remember all that, not because it was the first day we met but because it was the day of my first kiss. Zach and I were a secret. No one knew about our relationship because he had a girlfriend.

Zach is now over ignoring me and wants answers to why I lied so much, about being a boy and born as a hermaphrodite. This was the one person I did not want to lie to because he suddenly meant so much to me. We were curled up on his bed when he interrogated me. I tried to give him answers but most of the time avoided his questions. We got closer every time we were together but I could not tell him everything about my life, I wanted to but I didn’t know how.

ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS

http://www.avert.org/teens-relationships.htm 
http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200109/can-men-and-women-be-friends http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/recognizing-the-signs-of-true-love.html

HIS DEATH, A DAY IN HELL

January, 25, I went to school with my father’s mask on and a forged note saying I had a rush and it needed to be covered. It was black leather painted with silver and unfurls at each corners like a fern. If someone told me that, that day would be the waste day of my life, I wouldn’t have even bothered listening to them. But guess what; yes it was the waste and longest day of my life. Principal Paul Jones came to class and announced that Zachary Rubin, my boyfriend, was dead.  Every girl in the classroom cried apart from me. My eyes were as dry as sand. After the announcement, we were all summoned to Jill Wang, our counselor. She told us that we were there to talk about what had happened and how we felt about it. During the session Brandon thought that it would be the right time to tell the whole class that I was Zach’s girlfriend. Zach and I actually kept that as a secret because he had an official girlfriend, Sarah, who everyone knew.  All eyes were on me. When the session was over, I ran to the bathroom, locked the door, lowered the seat and sat on it. It hit me, Zach is dead, his gone, I will never see him again all that’s left are thoughts and memories of us. A knock on the door, it’s Sarah. I opened the door, she stepped back and startled. I walked to the sink and rinsed my hands trying to avoid her. As soon as I was done she moved and stood against the exit door. I went over to the dryer and dried my hands trying not to hear what she had to say. After I was done I walked towards her and she moved away. School has always sucked for me but that day was a day in hell. Everyone was staring at me, the seniors, the freshmen, the teachers and even the administration. I even got the ‘slut’ coughs as I walked past some students.

During this period, I developed an interest in the decomposition of dead people. This is what happens, the blood and oxygen stop flowing through the body. Gravity causes the body’s blood to drain from the capillaries in the upper parts to the lower blood vessels causing parts of the body to go pale and dark. Next the cells cease aerobic respiration and energy production is stopped. Calcium ions leak into muscle cells, preventing muscle relaxation, which causes rigor mortis. Reading about the decomposition actually made me feel at peace. It was comforting. I was not in denial about Zach’s death, I was just afraid that I would forget him. His touch, his lips, his face and even his hands on my skin. I don’t want to forget him. I sometimes think of joining him in death. But I can’t, something in me won’t let it happen. Our bound was so strong because I slept with him not once but many times. We explored every inch of each other’s bodies. It was like a pull of magnets, we couldn’t keep our hands off each other. He was my first.

DEATH OF A LOVED ONE

http://www.righthealth.com/topic/Death_Of_A_Loved_One?p=l&as=goog&ac=519&kgl=19823662

http://www.healthyplace.com/depression/grief/helping-yourself-and-others-deal-with-death/menu-id-68/

http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/10things/10-tips-for-dealing-with-change-in-the-workplace/257

LEAVE THE PAST BEHIND AND LIVE IN THE PRESENT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkVSUPcNQIo&feature=fvst

This link is to a video that is similar to what I went through in my past life.

I went to trial for the murder of Zach and even went to prison for a couple of months. I wanted to escape because I couldn’t handle it. Before I knew it, I was being transferred to a mental hospital because the judge found out about my past Jordan incidence he anticipated that, that was what was right for me.

The hospital was a much easier place to escape from but the question was once I get out where do I run to? My parents did not want me; I had no money, no shelter and no food. After some time of thinking and planning my escape I finally did it. My first destination was to head to my high school so I could talk to Yayeko Shoji, my biology teacher. She was the only teacher I could trust. When I arrived at my high school, I tried to avoid everyone. I stood a street away and waited for Yayeko to step out of the school doors. I followed her till she turned onto west Broadway when I decided to approach her. She was shocked to see me because I was a mess and my parents had told her that I was in an accident and in hospital. Out of self pity, she allowed me to stay with her for a while. I met her daughter and mother. It wasn’t long enough till I was back in that hospital and this time I just decided to stay there and deal with it because I had no life outside. My mother wrote to me but I never wrote back. I have friends and family here, I call them cousins because I cannot remember all their names. My room was tiny. The kitchen was along one wall, the bed along another, a desk and a bookshelf along the third wall.

I am happy now. The injection I take every three months make me feel brand new. I am the person I wished I had been before but I guess things happen for a reason. I am now in college, studying biology and dating a new guy. Who knew that I could fall in love again? This doesn’t mean I have forgotten about my high school love Zach. Like I said before, he was my first. I loved Zach so much. Every minute of everyday I ached for him but it is now time to move on.

Tayshawn and I stay in touch, he is at MIT. Sarah doesn’t write to me but I know she was accepted to Harvard.

Everyone that is now a part of my new life knows about my past. That’s the only way to start a new beginning. I know you are wondering about my parents, well they are not a part of my new life because I am not ready. I haven’t spoken to them since the day they abounded me in that hospital. I do not want to be associated with their negativity. I always wish them the best. I do not hate them. I just dislike the fact that they never loved me. I live in Buffalo now so I have an excuse not to feel guilty about it.

http://photobucket.com/images/couples/?sortby=sevendaysview

http://view.buffalostate.edu/main.php?g2_itemId=28137&g2_a=24369

Buffalo Community College

My new boyfriend & I

Secrets, Lies, Murder & Betrayal

Hands down, liar has been one of the most fascinating and amazing novels I have ever read in my entire life. It is the first novel that gets you thinking a lot. My brain was spinning a lot doing my reading sessions. Usually when you read novels you can easily estimate the ending or have an idea on how it will end. Whether it will be a happy ending or a sad one. Whichever way it goes, it has an ending. Liar didn't have that. Everyone who reads liar has to make their own ending depending on how they interpreted the book. With the way the novel leaves me in suspense, I would really have loved a part two of the book or even a movie to help me understand the story, a little bit better. When you think you have figured out where the novel is going, its takes a 360 degrees turn on you. Its like taking a roller coaster ride.

My ending of the novel is as follows; One thing I have finally accepted is that Micah is psycho and emotionally broken down caused by an incidence with Jordan or Zach. She is in a mental hospital and she has all these visions about what she wished her life would be like which involves the werewolf illusions, the love relationships and relationship with her parents. The pill she takes helps to keep her on a normal state. The cage she had mentioned is her small room in the mental hospital where she is placed whenever she doesn't take the pill. The hospital is upstate were she claims is the Greats' farm, the is no noise, no electricity, no technology. The greats are probably her nurses at the hospital and her uncle Hilliard and cousins are the nicknames she has given to the other patients there. Something else I have realized is that everything she says is true, is a lie so I'm thinking everything she says is a lie must be the truth, it's more like reverse psychology.

Significance Of The Title - Liar...

I personally think Liar was one of the best tittles the author could come up with for this novel because it is the one word that best describes everything written in the novel. It gets you thinking how so many people can lie to you and you will never know unless they confess.
I think I have finally figured out this novel. Not everything about the book is about the author's life. The main reason the author wrote this book is to show how people can easily fall for lies. The novel is not about the lies told but about how easy it is to tell a lie and get away with it for a while and have people believe it is actually the truth. Not only the characters in the book but also the people reading the book. The beginning of the book makes you believe and visualize because such things happen even in real life. But, as you continue to read the book, it makes you feel foolish for believing what you read before because it is all a lie. If the novel didn't switch from a romantic story about Zach, Micah, Sarah, Tayshawn, Brandon etc to a fictional story about werewolves and their lifestyles just maybe it would have reflected a different story line of the novel.
Apart from that, the author is also trying to put us in the shoes of a liar. Like when she mentioned how when something happens in your life, the brain cracks, can't accept the truth, and it makes its own. Weaving lies is one thing; having them weave you is another thing.

MY LIFE

Hey, I’m Chanda Foster Chiluba. Born and raised in Lusaka, Zambia in Africa. I am the last and only girl of my family. I have two elder brothers; both are in Lansing, Michigan state. Being the only girl, my mother has always been my sister and my bestfriend. She is the one person in my life that I trust a 100%.

I am an International Freshman, currently studying Banking and Financial services. I have huge goals in my life, just to name a few, I aim at working in a bank and owning my own event planning company. Everyone tells me I aim too high but hey the sky isn’t the limit so why not. I may seem anti social at times but this is only because I want to observe the situation or environment before I do or say anything. I am very friendly, noisy depending on the people I am with, like to have fun, hang out with friends, go out dancing, eat junk food and sleep a lot. I’m a laid back kinda person always up for anything worthwhile but not too crazy.

Social networks: Yahoo-chanda2603@yahoo.com, Facebook- Chanda Ceecee or you can follow me on Twitter-ceecee26

LIAR by Justine Larbalestier

One Myth I had about reading was judging a book by it's cover. Liar is one book cover that has changed that. I thought the book would be boring but I have been proven wrong. This book has been the most intriguing and interesting book I have read so far. The writing style was new to me because I'm used to "the before then the after" reading. I found myself going further into the book to read for instance the next before from the one I was reading. After trying that out for a while I decided to adopt to the way the book was written.

My favorite character of the book was Micah Wilkins. Her and I had something in common. Though unlike her, my attention seeking was mainly in private places (at home) rather than in public. Being the only girl in my family, I loved the attention so when it lacked, I enjoyed lying on my brothers, trying to always get them into trouble so I would be the good child in the family. My little lies finally got me into huge trouble and that made me stop lying completely. Lying is not something that just comes up out of the blues. Like Micah she thought because her dad used to lie to everyone and get paid for it, it was ok for her to lie too.

I have mixed emotions on her character. I don't know whether she is telling the truth or lying all over again. Though for some reason I think she is telling the truth maybe not the whole truth. Whey you lie so much and people find out that you are a  liar, the will never believe you again. That's why it is hard to believe what she is saying now.

I understand she wanted to avoid talking about her family like how her parents fought everytime or her mum being a French teacher and her dad being a writer. That wasn't a good enough reason to lie. I was in such a situation back home. I avoided telling people my last name because I didn't want any association and being related to the 2nd Republican President of Zambia. Though I am related to him, his my uncle (My dad's younger brother). I didn't lie about it but instead I just avoided saying anything about it.

RAT RACE

The child is born and goes to school.

The proud parents are excited because the child excels, gets fair to good grades, and is accepted into a college.

The child graduates, maybe goes on to graduate school and then does exactly as programmed: looks for a safe, secure job or career.

The child finds that job, maybe as a doctor or a lawyer, or joins the army or works for the government.

Generally, the child begins to make money, credit cards start to arrive in mass, and the shopping begins, if it already hasn’t.

“Having money to burn, the child goes to places where other young people just like them hang out, and they meet people, they date, and sometimes get married.

They feel successful, their futures are bright and they decide to buy a house, a car, a television, take vacations and have children.”

The happy bundle arrives and the demand is enormous.

The happy couple decides that their careers are vitally important and begin to work harder, seeking promotions and raises and go back to school to get more specialized skills so they can earn more money.

Their children reach 5 or 6 years of age, and the need to save for college increases as well as the need to save for their retirement.

The above sentences show how our lives sometimes is like a rat race. Our parents tell us what their parents told them years ago, go to school, get good grades and find a safe and secure job. This is not the best advice as generations change because the result will be to end up the way our parents have ended up, sort of like a reputation. It may be a good or bad thing, but I personally would want to live a better life than my parents are living now not repeat what has been happening for years  and years.

Only The Beginning

I have only gone as far as chapter one but I thought I should share a little about the book I am currently reading. It is extremely interesting. Short description, it’s about a girl called Valeria who was dating a guy, who one day decided to kill students at his current high school, Garvin. He fulfilled this by using a list he and his girlfriend created. Yes, it’s the HATE LIST by Jennifer Brown.

Chapter one has already affected me because in life you just never know the person you date completely. No matter how long the length of the relationship. You just never know what’s on his or her mind no matter how much you wonder and ask. I personally have a problem and find it hard trusting people and after reading the first chapter it just cleared my conscious that you can not treat somebody you just met 100%. Apart from that, my opinions vary. Firstly I do blame Valeria for what happened and that she played a part, both directly and indirectly. My opinions might change as I go on to read, don’t get me wrong. This was a tragedy which many students and teachers at Garvin will never forget. It was sad that many had to die in the process. Whatever was going on amongst Nick and Valeria and the other students killed was not so serious for Nick to decide to kill them. Bullying is annoying and frustrating at times but death isn’t the right solution to handle bullies. I was a bully in high school but I learnt from my mistakes when one day someone gave me a taste of my own medicine and I didn’t like it. That resulted in me changing my habits towards people.

The text of the chapters are mainly in speech form, were you have a two or three people conversation, in narrative form because it is a past experience that is being explained and in the present.

I am left anxious to know what was on Nick’s mind the night before the shooting. How he managed to keep his plans a secret even from his girlfriend who he seemed to share most of his ideas with. I’m also hoping I can understand Nick’s character which included always thinking of running away and death. The must be a hidden background to that. 

The story continues…………………………………