Wordle! ♥

My Identity! ♥

My parents have always had my back since the day I was born. My identity and the person I am today is hugely impacted by my parents. They have given me so many opportunities and continuously shared their thoughts and wisdom with my younger sister and I. When I was younger, my mom always signed me up for different activities and gave me constant encouragement. Sometimes I needed a little boost because I was not willing to attend practices that my clubs held. At the age of three and four, I had joined the jazz & tap dancing, ice-skating and ballet club. As I grew older, I stuck to ice-skating and ballet, and my parents supported me the whole way. I was able to participate in ice-skating competitions with my team, and my parents were there to drive me all around the state. When I moved to England, I continued with my ballet, and actually went to a ballet school for five years. My parents attended every single one of my performances for extra support. Later on, my dad signed me up for private lessons in golf, and to help with my confidence, he sat through my lessons with me. All this support and the opportunities they've provided me have helped shaped me today. I am now confident in myself and do try to strive for the best. I am not afraid of failure and always try to work with my best effort. My parents have taught me how to be respectful of others, responsible (taking care of my sister), friendly (to make the best of friends) and open-minded to accept different cultures and ideas (because we move around a lot). I am a happy person with great goals and strong values, some shaped by my parents as well. One of my most important goals is to be successful in my academics. I think that when I was younger it was more my parent's goal rather than my own, maybe because I was too young to care. But even then I was able to be successful, and now that goal has become my own as well as theirs. The values that I have chosen have most definitely been influenced by the same values of my parents. They value optimism, friendliness, diversity, respect, excellence and courage. And since I have been brought up with those values, I have been accustomed to them and now I believe in those same values. I think that even as I grow older, I will always stick to those values but maybe add on a few. I am grateful of my parent's love and support and do believe that if they hadn't had my back these past fifteen years, I would lack an identity and my strong values would be missing!

English Throughout My Life! ♥

English has always played a major role in my life. During school hours, I speak English with teachers and students. I learn in English, do my homework in English, think and dream in English (most of the time), and much more. My family and I are Iranian-Americans, so after school when I am at home, I mix English and Farsi together while speaking to them. Farsi is my second language after English, but I am able to speak Farsi fluently as well. The only time when I do not speak English at all, and only speak Farsi, is when we are visiting relatives in Iran. In my opinion, speaking two languages fluently is quite an advantage because there is more privacy and convenience while speaking. For example, if I am with my friends who speak English and my mom who speaks both, I can tell her things I don't want my friends to hear while they are still in our presence by switching to Farsi. I have also been studying Spanish for the past four years and I am currently in Spanish IB level. I want to become fluent in Spanish just like in Farsi and English because I think that it will help me in the future since I will most likely be living in the United States where the population of Spanish speakers is constantly increasing. Since I am living in Japan, you would think that I am learning Japanese, but unfortunately I am not. I go to an international school so all the students and teachers speak in English. I think it is pretty cool how I am in a foreign country but can still use my mother tongue language all the time. I live on Rokko Island where there are many foreigners, and mostly everything is also in English. This is extremely convenient, but at the same time a disadvantage because I am not able to learn Japanese. I am 100% sure that in the future even after I finish high school and college, I will continue speaking in English because it is such a big part of me. My Farsi will also stay with me, but my English will be more important in my life.

I'm unique! ♥

My Literary History! ♥

Throughout my lifetime, I have read many books. Three, however, had more of an impact and were more significant to my life than the rest. Each book appealed and related to me in some way, which made them even more special. These books are Chalk and Cheese, My Sister’s Keeper and The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens.

Chalk and Cheese
By Adele Geras

When I was six or seven years old, in the first grade, I read a book called Chalk and Cheese by Adele Geras. I remember this book appealed to me for several reasons. Firstly because it was a chapter book but also included many pictures, which I enjoyed. Also, it was about two sisters who are completely different, one being a girlie-girl and the other a tomboy. The girlie-girl loved ballet while the other was into judo. They argued quite a bit but in the end they came together and helped each other, which was one part that made me love the book even more! This book related to me and for that reason it was very appealing and meaningful. At that time, my little sister was born and so I felt like the book made sense and fit my situation since it was about two sisters as well. Along with that, I had just started taking ballet lessons, and just like one of the sisters in the book, I had many performances and practices to attend. Chalk and Cheese was significant to my life because it was my first chapter book as well. After I had read this book, I was no longer afraid of chapter books and from there I started to read thicker books with less pictures. Out of the many books that I read during my elementary years, this book is one that I will always remember throughout my life!

My Sister’s Keeper
By Jodi Picoult

Over the summer holiday, I read My Sister’s Keeper, as many of my friends had recommended it. My inspiration basically came from them and their mothers since they all really enjoyed reading it. I also wanted to read it because I had heard that the movie would be coming out in theatres, so I decided I would read the book then watch the movie, and I did. The story is about two parents that have a daughter called Kate who has a rare case of leukemia. In order for Kate to live, the doctors need a bone marrow match, so the parents decide to give birth to another girl called Anna. After years of donating bone marrow, Anna decides to sue her parents and not donate the kidney that her sister needs to survive. It is a very heartbreaking story and it was even more emotional for me because I have a younger sister and I cannot imagine anything that happened in the book. It also made me realize how strong a bond between sisters can be and made me feel bad that I fight and argue with my own sister quite frequently. I rarely cry from reading a book, but My Sister’s Keeper made me cry quite a bit because I had so much empathy for the younger sister, Anna, and the whole family in general. I think it had an impact on me, because it made me realize that this story has the possibility of being true and could happen to any ordinary family. Also, the love shared between the two sisters and their mother was very touching; it made me want to change my attitude towards my sister and mom. Although it was very depressing, I really enjoyed it and consider this book as one of my favorites. I know that when I grow up and have a family of my own, this story will still be significant in my life!

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens
By Sean Covey

Another book I read over the summer was The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens. My mom had just bought it for me because she wanted to get rid of some of my bad habits through reading the book. This book was appealing because inside it included pictures, quotes and poems along with stories of teenagers, my age, facing similar problems. You would think that it would be boring and a waste of time, but I really enjoyed going through each chapter and learning a new great habit. At the end of each chapter there are goals, tips and advice written and since it was made for teenagers, I feel like I can really relate with all the matters it talks about. After reading this, I felt like I should really work on changing myself in the ways suggested, or just simply following the advice. And it has helped me with one of my worst habits, procrastination. There are all sorts of quizzes inside too, that help you get to know your character and personality better. I now feel that if I ever have any problems I can look back at a certain chapter and just read what they advise me to do or look at a quote, picture or poem. Basically my whole book is highlighted because I like it so much! Soon I think I will read Sean Covey’s father’s book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People!

Expectations of G10 English:
Overall, I am quite excited for a whole new year of English! I like the different types of assignments we will be doing such as playwriting, poetry podcasts and commentaries. I hope to improve my writing skills especially with commentaries and articles because those were my weaknesses in the past. I want to learn more but have fun at the same time! Other than that, I’m looking forward to my English class!

Musicblog! ♥

A history of rock icons: WBNS

As longtime friends who first met randomly in an unemployment line on the outskirts of Rolla, Missouri, WBNS climbed to the top of the rock scene in 1994 with their debut album, Rozz Tox. The band's latest album, Where they have left things, combines Jason Powell's blue-collar vocal work with back-to-basics riffs to generate a record full of rock songs in their purest form. With standout tracks like "Manifesto," the music of WBNS appeals to rock fans and non-rock fans alike.