welcome to JULIA’S BLOG!!!

everything is so hard/ there is no more reason to try/ cuz all i wanna do is cry/ until there are no more tears left to drop

it might as well be the end of the world/ why should i keep moving on?/ why should i keep holding on?/ when all i want to do is lie down curled

maybe cuz i never tried/ maybe cuz i always cried/ maybe cuz all i did is hide/ i feel so empty right now/ maybe cuz i never tried/ maybe cuz i always cried/ maybe cuz my soul has died/ i feel so empty right now

everything is black and white/no more colors to be seen/ nothing will ever be clean/ as it was before i crashed down

swimming in a endless ocean/in a slow motion/ people around me never cared/ as i just drown

maybe cuz i never tried/ maybe cuz i always cried/ maybe cuz all i did is hide/ i feel so empty right now/ maybe cuz i never tried/ maybe cuz i always cried/ maybe cuz my soul has died/ i feel so empty right now

wanna wake up and realize its just a dream/ maybe a nightmare but it never really happened/ wanna wake up but i just dont/ and i cant help but scream

maybe cuz i never tried/ maybe cuz i always cried/ maybe cuz all i did is hide/ i feel so empty right now/ maybe cuz i never tried/ maybe cuz i always cried/ maybe cuz my soul has died/ i feel so empty right now

… Because even the biggest tragedies can lead into something good.

Once upon a time I was a little girl unaware of the world. My best friend was my mom, who cared and loved me. I loved her too. She was someone I couldn’t live without. My life would be nothing without her. Who cares if I didn’t have any real friends in school? I had my mom. Who cares if my only best friend there didn’t want to play tag with me? I had my mom.

I thought I would always only be friends with girls, maybe I was wrong… maybe somebody I didn’t even care about in first grade would be my friend in the future.

It was summer vacation. I was having a great time in my grandparent’s house. My mom, my dad and my brother, my grandparents and me. All together in a small farm where anyone could escape from the stress. I was asleep, still a little girl unaware of the world, when I woke up and came downstairs. My mom was sitting on a chair, throwing up blood. I thought she had a fever, no big deal. I cleaned up the floor and woke my dad up. They went to the hospital and I stayed on the hammock sleeping. A little girl unaware of the world.

Turns out my mom had cancer. Nobody explained to me anything. I saw her weak. I saw her trying her hardest when she couldn’t. I saw her trying to be my old mom when she knew she couldn’t. I saw her sleeping endlessly in the hospital.

It was the last day of summer vacation. I was on my mom’s friend’s house. My dad came and said,  “Do you remember how yesterday your mom was sleeping? Maybe she will sleep forever now…” and that was how I learned my beloved mom has passed away. After 2 years fighting, she gave up and opened her arms wide for heaven. I now she’s in heavens, she was the kindest person I ever knew. I had just turned 7. The only thing I did was cry. I was a little girl aware of the cruel world.

I moved to Campinas, to my grandparent’s house, where it all started. I studied in Indaiatuba, a small city 30 minutes away from Campinas. I was happy there. I can’t say I was a good girl, because I always fought with my grandma over the TV. I had a friend in second grade that I thought was my first real friend. Her name was Ana. We ate our snacks together, sat together in class and always did everything together. Yet, that friendship didn’t last. One year later a friend said ana hated me, so I said, “ well, I hate her too.”

The 2 girls I thought would never be my friends became my best friends, and I still talk to them. The first girl that talked to me after the biggest tragedy of my life became my best friend. The girl that studied in my old school that I didn’t care about became my best friend; our family is friends and she always went to her grandparent’s house that was 5 minutes away from my house.

After 3 years studying in Indaiatuba, I thought to myself “I have found happiness.” I was always looking forward to the next day. I was always looking forward to the next craziness we would do. I understood that my mom was now happy in heaven and the only way to make her proud is for me to be happy. I was content with my life.

My dad had found a new person to love. She was kind and funny, and since the day I met her on McDonald’s, I knew my dad had a little crush on her. I liked her so much, I invited this stranger to my birthday party. They dated for 1 year. Nami and my dad were really happy. I was really close to the top of the world.

But then my dad announced we would move to Japan. At first I was happy, it was always my dream to live in Japan. But then I remembered: what about my family and friends and the wonderful life I had? The only thought that made me happy was that Nami and my dad were getting married.

We moved to Japan. At the airplane, I couldn’t sleep. I hadn’t slept for days, always crying. I couldn’t breath, I really couldn’t breath.

Japan was new to me. I wanted to enjoy it, but everything was strange to me. Just 2 days after arriving in Japan, I had to go to school… I was tired and it was really cold, not like warm Brazil. The streets were all clean and organized, not like rebellious Brazil. The people were all robotic, not like lively Brazil. I missed Brazil.

YIS was all modern to me… computers, canteen, people speaking English, no uniform… I would have loved this new experience if I knew how to speak English… I had no basics in English. In my old school, we did have English classes, except we always learned the same thing: “How are you? I’m fine, thank you, and you? I’m fine too, thank you, blahblahblablahblahblah…”

It was irritating. I didn’t know what to say, I didn’t understand and when I thought of something to say, the words didn’t come out of my mouth ( and I still have this annoying problem). The teacher would ask me if I knew where I lived and I would say “I don’t know” really awkwardly, and she would understand it as “ I don’t understand what you mean”. I wanted to express myself, but knew not how to. I wanted to ask question, but knew not how to. I cried…

But thankfully I had 2 translators that knew Portuguese and English. One was a girl in 4^th grade, and the other was a boy in my class…

Concidentlly, that same boy who was the only boy in my class that understood me, was my neighbor… It was weird, and I really didn’t know what to talk about…

I thought I lost myself forever. I’m a really crazy, hyper girl that gets addicted to anything I really like.

He left… Just before the Spring Break. I wasn’t sad. He was only my translator. But a few months later I felt a bit empty. I didn’t get to know him, I didn’t know what he liked, I never got to say thank you properly.

5^th grade to 6^th grade, 6^th grade to 7^th grade… as time passed, everyone grew up and matured. I was again, so close to the top of the world. I had my friends, I had a family and a new mom, I have found a new home. And, I had a facebook account…

I don’t check facebook so often, but one day there was a message from that boy, who was my translator and my neighbor. He asked me if I still remembered him, which was funny since he came to my mind sometimes. I texted back to him, and he texted back to me and we texted and texted…

This winter break, I went to Brazil. My family were invited to this BBQ in my old city Indaiatuba, so we went. My BFF came with me, but I now wish she hadn’t.

He was there. So… well, we didn’t know what to talk about. Yeah, we talked about YIS, we talked about where we studied before YIS… he studied in the same school as me in first grade. We talked, we joked… it was awkward and I regret some things I did and said and wish I had said something else. But, I don’t know… it’s like, everything was weird after it. I couldn’t help laughing and I always wanted to go online on facebook and I always waited to hear what my next letter would be about….

Remember how I thought I could only be friends with girls… remember how I said that somebody I didn’t even care about in first grade could turn out to be my friend…

Sometimes I have wild dreams, sometimes a fairy tale. My life feels so good now, the closest I’ve been to the top of the world… I feel like I’m in my own fairy tale book. I feel like nothing could let me down. A little girl aware of the wonderful world.

-Thank you [Woosh]-

So here we are, forced to write a blog for the “Middle School English Blogs Project”… This is all wrong! You know why blogs were created? So that people that feel useless and small could raise their voices. And you know what? I think that you should write a blog when you want, when you feel like it and when something’s on your mind, not for an English class assessment.

Anyway, I thought that some people might have some struggles writing an blog when they are forced to, so I thought that maybe I should write about “How To Write An Blog When The School Makes You Write One”!

Here are some tips I came up with:

1. Keep it simple. Loooooong blogs are never read, unless they are just wicked awesome. Keep it short but not too short, like don’t write only one paragraph ‘cause then you’ll get an ugly grade.

2. Separate the blog into paragraphs and keep it organized. By the way, the two words that any English teacher loves is organization and paragraphs, so…

3. Don’t write every single thing that’s on your mind. You know, you might be thinking something inappropriate, so don’t write every single thing, but try to write whatever thing you can that is appropriate.

4. Don’t write lik this cuz teachers don’t lik when u write in abbreviations. BTW, some ppl might not understand, so even though its boooooriiiing writin’ formally, write lik u r writin’ 2… IDK… some1 lik ur skwl principal.

5. Don’t swear (e.g. don’t write @3$% or !@@#^&* or *&^%$###@! and especially don’t write %*^&_#$+!)

6. This is a serious assessment that goes into your serious report card, so seriously, take it seriously.

7. If your teacher is open-minded, then write the blog in your voice. Write with the words you use and the expressions you use.

8. Write amazing adjectives and descriptive adverbs. Make your plain blog interesting by using precise words. Wise teachers simply love when you early make the formal blog entry descriptive.

9.End with a conclusive ending, not just a big THE END.

So yep! I guess my work here is done! Use the tips I gave you wisely and get an “A” for your English grade!…

9.1. I’ll give you one exception: if it’s too hard to find a way to end the blog entry, then you can write a big THE END.

The end!

   Emily Rodda’s book, “Rowan of Rin” is puzzling, yet logical and clear. It is about a coward and weak boy living in a village where water that is needed for the bukshah (animal) to drink, is not flowing from the mysterious mountain. It is now Rowan’s work and 6 other members to work out how to make the water flow again. He recieved a magical map, that in each step they make, a poetry appears that in a enigmatic way, tell them how to solve the dreadful adventure they were about to face.

   The poems are at first, not easy to decode. It makes the book awfully engaging to know what the perplexing rythms means. The words, looks quite obvious, but Rodda explored more and made definite senteces into a full of secrets, unduly senteces. The way Rowan solve’s is unexpected.

   The book is acutely engaging, but the ending was mildly lucid. Readers, halfway the book, already knew what the expected happy ending would be. But Rodda made sure that Rowan solved the complication in his way, where he would be brave, heroic and calm, tranquil, again, making it unpredictable.

  Readers that love to be surprised, would certainy appreciate this book. It will give them thrill to keep reading it.

Rowan of Rin saves his Village.

           Two days ago, when the water that flows from the Dragon Mountain stopped, the Rin Village stated to worry, because without the water, their bukshah (animal that they keep, related to the cow) would soon die and the village would starve to death.

              Rowan, a small and weak boy, took the guide to the mountain and saved many people by facing the Drangon.

              The 6 bravest people volunteered to go find what’s wrong in the mysterious mountain never explored, but none of them were ready to face what they saw. “I had to give up. Swimming is my weakest point.” said Allun, one of the people that went to the mountain. Before going, they visited Sheba, an old wise woman, she secretly gave Rowan the map when he went to give her some cheese as an gift. The map contained a magic that only if Rowan touched it, the map showing the mountain way would appear. “He’s not ready. He’s not like his brave dad, but he has to come to show the way.” Said Strong Jonn, who promised to take care of him while climbing up the mountain.

              But today, they came back to the village using the river as a transport. Strong Jonn looked exhausted, but he still proudly said: “I promised that I would bring him home. But it is Rowan that had brought me home. He made me go on when I would gladly have fallen and died. He fought cold and fire for me, when he could have saved himself. He faced the Dragon alone.”

              After a bit of rest, the tale that Rowan and Strong Jonn told us seemed almost impossible. It seems like the map would show some poems that seemed useless, but actually it was a hint to help them. They fought Spiders web, muddy places with fog and the spirits of whom they loved, caverns, icy cold water, really small tunel to go through and the Dragon.

              Rowan, now feeling warm by his mother had to tell hundreds of times how he got past the Dragon. “Well, it was snowing on top of the mountain. The Dragon that used to melt the ice with its fire had a bone stuck on his mouth, which must’ve been a pain. I took it off, then saved Strong Jonn and we came back.” The only thing he wants to do now is spend some time with their bukshah and Star, his favorite bukshah.

   What’s up Kelly? Still doin’ that creepy face (because it is seriously freaky…). I’m fine, just so you know, I have been sad lately but right now I’m happy because I’m writing this incredible task that amazing Mrs. Clifford gave us!!!

   I’m writing for you now because I read this book and I thought that you might like it. It’s one from the phenomenal book collection by R. L. Stine… Goosebumps!!! It’s called “Attack of the Jack-O’-Lanterns”, I really enjoyed reading it and it was kinda scary… especially the end, but I know that you  L-O-V-E books of the genre horror if they have something to do with Halloween! Like all Goosebumps book, the story is told in past tense by the main character. This book’s main character is called Drew Brockman. She is really little for her age with short black hair and pointy chin and nose, you would not want to mess with her for she has a really bad temper and she’s really though. The story starts in her neighborhood, Riverdale, with her friends Walker Parkes and the twins Shane and Shana Martins trying to revenge on Tabby Weiss and Lee Winston, two popular kids that ruined Drew’s favorite holiday twice: Halloween. So the four friends plan to do a revenge on them. The twins have this plan that is so simple and easy that nothing could go wrong, so they put the plan into action on Halloween night, Drew’s job is to invite Tabby and Lee. In the most wanted night, while they are tricking or treating, two people with pupkin masks appear, they bring the kids in to this unknown neighborhood by the woods where there are hundreds of little houses, perfect place to trick or treat. But after they get tired and refuse to walk more, the monsters force then to do it forever and when they tried to run, it shoot fire to block their way and they discovered that thre wasn’t anything actually holding the pumpkin and they were actually mosnters…

   So Kelly, if you want to read more, you can borrow the book from the library. I know that you would love it cuz the book is quite confusing. You think this will be the end, the nyou change your mind, then the first guess  was right!!! I was really surprised when I read the last pages and discovered the answer. What I like the most about it is that I really wanted to know if the plan was going to work.  R. L. Stine made me guess how it could go wrong and how it could work and what was actually the plan. Besides Pumpkin head mosnsters, there is another creature, not vampires, but one that I believe. The plan was totally not what I thought!

   So I really think you’ll enjoy it if you want to read books full of surprises!

  See you at school!!! Don’t turn into a vampire!!!

   NutCase X]

   The book that I read was called Shocking Shooting. Our task was to experiment different genre, read ones we never thought of reading. I borrowed this book because I always saw this book in the library and never thought of borrowing it. 

  The genre of this book is sports. But it’s actually 3 stories about kids playing in a soccer team called Angels F.C. It tells stories about them in and out the field. The book is told in 3rd person in past tense. The story that I’ll talk about is called Fearsome Free Kicks, it’s about this boy called Jeremy Emery that cannot stand the cold. He’s good at making crazy plans but it doesn’t always work. He really doesn’t want to play as a free kicker and as a centre back in Saturday’s game because it’ll be freezing in the new sport center (Miller Park Sports Complex), so he plans to convince the game’s referee (Mr. Nicholas) to cancel the game by making him think that it’ll snow. He used ice and fleece in his plan and everything got wrong when Mrs. Nicholas (the actual referee) slipped in the ice and started to sneeze because she was allergic to fleece. She was so mad that she revenged Jeremy in the game, but he solved the problem somehow with another crazy plan…

   I recommend this book to boys that like soccer and to laugh at some “everyday in the field problem” told in an inexpectable way.  It is funny how the author (Michael Coleman) can make a problem that various kids experiment when playing soccer an enjoyable and abnormal story. The stories are not completely normal, the problem might be, but the solution is a bit different of how readers would solve it. Making the book full of surprises, I enjoyed the book, especially when everything that I thought it wouldn’t be important, turned up to be the part of the resolution.

   This book is about common soccer problems, but told in a engaging and magnific way. The author makes it interesting by making you guess and reading what you thought wouldn’t happen. I liked it because as I said, I would guess and get wrong and the little things were actually the resolution, making you want to read the other two stories. I was surprised that I actually liked the story in this genre I never read before. 

All right! Let’s start doing our comic! We learned some tips about drawing and speech bubble and captions. Everything is ready except… where do I start? Where should I focus on? The drawing? The idea? The squares around the drawing? You have to know where to focus on, if you don’t know, then the comic strip will be boring and it won’t make sense. If you know where to focus on, the GREAT!!! But if you don’t know, then you need a advice. The best advice I can give is to check out this websites, that tell you step by step what you should focus.

Click on this link to go to the website

Speech balloons are really important. They are balloons that shows what the character is saying, thinking and feeling. Captions are like narration. They explain a picture.It would be very difficult to understand a comic strip without a speech bubble. Example: you are drawing  a cartoon about a boy trying to tell his little brother not to eat what is on the ground. How is he supposed to tell his brother if it doesn’t have a speech bubble?

I did not find a website that tells you how to use it, but it tells what they do.

click on this link to go to the speech bubble website or click on this link to go to the captions website

Had you ever wanted to draw cartoons? I really want to learn how to draw cartoons. And this will be our next English class, draw a strip of a myth. I’m really excited about it. Most of people are looking for it but, how do you draw cartoons? I’m not good at drawing, so how can I make a neat strip? This link will give you some tips. It is not a website that show step by step of how to draw superman, okay?
Click on this link to go to the website