It's a new decade.

It's a new year and I don't feel different at all. I never did on a new year. Everyone else makes a huge deal about everything, & the way I was raised, I believed in everything about the new year. From the partying to the believing everything's going to get better and all that junk. Now I only go along with it to please everyone else.
The biggest thing I don't get about it is why people talk about getting wasted and partying until you pass out? Why in the world would you want to start off your year like that? I get the celebration part, but it bugs me how people need to get trashed to have fun or to start their year. I dunno, it's just always got me.
I can't forget the topic of resolutions. They're a stupid list of things you want to achieve in the new year. No one ever follows through with them anyway. The most common thing I hear from everyone on each January 1st is "This year I'll actually do my resolutions!" Haha, we all know you won't. The way I think of it is, why do you need January to improve? I mean just because it's the start of the year doesn't mean everything's gonna become good all of a sudden & you're going to improve everything. It is all just an excuse to continue your bad habits until January.
What bugs me even more than resolutions and the talk of getting wasted is the way people say Happy New Year. They make it plural, so it's "HAPPY NEW YEARS!" Ahhhhh!!! It just gets on my nerves. 'Cause it's like they're talking about more than one year. Also It's hard to say it without making it plural. So I don't know if I am saying it right by making it plural or not? Hmmm, now I just killed m night thinking about it, but it's sooooo annoying. & I don't even know if I should capitalize it when I sat "the new year" so please don't take points off for that Mr.Fielder. (:
What I'm trying to get at here is people make the new year sound glamourous and everything is just automatically gets better after the clock strikes twelve. In reality though, the new year is nothing more than the new year. And a new year is just a brand new revolution around the sun. Nothing special. It makes me have so many questions about the whole controversy of the new year, and why people act like there's so much to it.

Class Debate on Rwanda Genocide.

The people that Uganda is blaming for the Rwandan genocide is the MRND. We're blaming them for using the radio station to promote violence against the Tutsis. They pretty much planned their attack to their fellow Hutus of the radio. They encouraged them to go on this killing spree.
We're also blaming The UN & The U.S. for their lack of actions in during the genocide. Even though the U.S. just got done with Somalia, it doesn't mean they shouldn't do anything for people whose lives were being put at risk. We thought America was all about the protection of people & would be against the whole cause of the genocide. The UN also didn't play much in the genocide. Apparently because they "didn't have enough troops"? Haha, okay. We think that They should have helped the innocent people regardless of any costs. I mean, people are dieing here.
Uganda was being blamed for "harboring terrorists". Us Ugandans beg to differ. We were a base for the RPF because we supported their idea of self defense for their kind; the Tutsis. Hundreds of thousands of Tutsis were being killed & the Rwandan government & rest of the worl did nothing to help. Their only hope was us and the RPF. We helped them by being a hiding place.
Another big part of the genocide was Belgium. While they had control over Rwanda they favored the Tutsis, but when Rwanda became independent They just changed their mind magically and favored the Hutus. The Hutus Wanted to get back at the Tutsis now thaat they were more powerful, and Belgium just sat back and watched this fight begin to happen.
We all had part in the cause of the genocide, but us Ugandans must speak up for the RPF and Paul Kagame. It was all self defense for them. YOu can call them terrorists but we know they aren't.

The American Scholar.

Emerson's argument in The American Scholar about American society still holds true today.
What Emerson was saying in Man Thinking is that people in today's society only focus on one thing--their thing. People don't think outside the box, they only know what they can or were taught to do. It's like we all have our own specific role in the world, and don't realize we have other purposes. In this quote, Emerson is getting at that point,"The old fable covers a doctrine ever new and sublime; that there is One Man,--present to all particular men only partially, or through one faculty; and that you must take the whole society to find the whole man. Man is not a farmer, or a professor, or an engineer, but he is all." American society can not be based on only one thing. People become so into their one thing ,they begin to look down on other people's "one thing. " It's just like joining a sport. Let's say, soccer. You spend your time on that one sport and then you forget or have no idea how to play softball.

Michael Jackson Should Get a Nobel Peace Prize

Michael Jackson should most definitely get a Nobel Peace Prize! The king of pop is the most influential musician in history. I'm not gonna lie, at one point in everyone's life they fell in love with his music. He can reach out to people of every age with his lyrics.
People want him to get nominated for a peace prize so bad, that over 15, 000 have signed a petition for it to happen. more on the petition here.
He has seriously made a difference in the world. He loved kids and he dedicated his life to them. He wrote songs that spread a positive message to everyone in the world. An example of one of his songs is "Man in the Mirror". It has meaning, and can motivate anyone.
Michael has supported 39 charities, some of them include Make A Wish, Volunteers of America, YMCA, and AIDS project. you can check out the other ones here.
Though a lot of people diss him, you've got to admit, everyone has loved Michael Jackson's music at one point. It's all catchy and fun. You really can't deny a musical genius like him. He's got the moves, and the voice.

He also worked very hard to get where he was and he succeeded. He has been dedicated to music ever since he was a kid. He had some amazing talent and it paid off very well for him.
He decided to use his fame and fortune for good. His whole career he dedicated to charities, wrote moving songs, and he even made an amusement park for kids. It's called Neverland.

Michael is so loved that even President Obama had something to say about him. He said that Michael will "go down in history as one of our greatest entertainers." want more on that? My favorite thing that he said is, "I’m just like anyone. I cut and I bleed. And I embarrass easily." He shows that he is human, and thats another reason why he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize.

Michael Jackson is the greatest man in musical history. He's made people from all over the world fall in love with him. I know this because every music artist I listen to say that Michael Jackson has influenced their music. Ever since before I was born he was so big and right after I was born he still was. Michael Jackson and his music will never die out. He's made too much of an impact on the world for that to happen.

It's Fall!

Fall is actually one of my favorite seasons. Summer is too hot and humid, Spring is too rainy, and Winter is too lifeless and dead, but Fall on the other hand is perfect weather. Also It's so colorful outside, you know all the leaves all over the place! In fall you have all sorts of fun events. Like Halloween, MY BIRTHDAY(:, Thanksgiving, and you can never forget going to the cider mill and apple orchard! OH, AND THERE'S NO MOSQUITOES OUT TO BUG YOU!

I love the weather in Fall so much. When It's 50 degrees out, I get a nice big smile on my face because I know that's my signal to grab a blanket, a warm drink and cuddle on the couch! In Winter I seriously hate wearing a big puffy coat, so that's another thing that makes me happy about fall... I get to wear hoodies. So for you're wardrobe, you have the perfect amount of layers. Jeans, a tee, and a hoodie. It couldn't get anymore simpler than that.

Fall is so festive. Everybody gets their pumpkins out on their front porch, along with their scarecrows and Halloween decorations! I love seeing everyone get excited for Halloween, I love dressing up too. You can't forget Thanksgiving either! Spending some quality time with your family is good, even if you can't stand them sometimes. What's even better though, is the food! This year I became a vegetarian, so compared to my family, I'll have a little less variety. One thing I'm bummed out for though, is the fact that I didn't go to the apple orchard yet! That's the first thing I look forward to when Fall comes.

Now that I've said most of the things I love about Fall, of course there's some that I hate. Like raking the leave in the front yard. It take forever, but I guess you get a workout out of it. haha. Also I don't like the fact that it's mostly night in fall. I like it light out so when I am with a friend, I don't have to come in early because "it's too dark to be walking around." Those are the only bad things about fall though, it's great!

Wait. I forgot another good thing about fall... THE PUMPKINS. (: They're fun to carve, they have the best seeds to eat, and you can actually make a pie with them!

Better Be Prepared

The sound of my alarm at its highest is what wakes me up this morning. So many questions go through my head, but then I realize only one thing...TODAY IS MY FIRST DAY OF HIGH SCHOOL! I jump out of bed like a 5 year old who just saw candy. I am filled with a mix of anxiety and excitement to be a freshman. I could of swore I almost have a panic attack.
As I finish getting ready, I hear a knock at the door. I instinctively know it is my best friend Glevisa. I open the door and there she is with a smile on her face. I grab her arm and yell, "AHHH! We're gonna be in high school!" She replies with a look of entertainment on her face, "Wow Jos, you're not going to survive today." I laugh and say, "Whatever, let's get to the bus stop." As we get to the bus stop I have already made a fool of myself. When I get on the bus my heart starts racing as fast as it could. Once we get closer to the school I want to go back home as fast as I can.
My friends and I get off the bus and take a deep breath. They deny they are nervous, and they certainly don't show that they are as much as me. We walk up the stairs, go through the door, and suddenly all of my thoughts just ease away. My feet lead me to my locker and I know from then on everything would be alright. I guess orientation did me well because I know my way to all of my classes! There are so many people that go to Stevenson! When it's passing time I can't even breath because there are so many people in the halls, and there's a lot of traffic.
Throughout the day I come to realize that this is it; this is high school. My classes go by so slow that I find myself daydreaming about homecoming and what memories I will gain. Lunch came along, and luckily I have friends in my lunch! I went back to class and went on with my day and then suddenly, I'm taken by surprise when I hear the bell signaling at the end of 6th hour. I thought I was done, but I remembered I have a 7th hour! I thought, "Joy."
I was actually shocked to know that everything on my first day of high school went okay. I actually like it. In fact compared to middle school it's so much better. I really enjoy the freedom that we have, and the way everyone just minds their own business and just makes their way to class. I have my friends by my side, and I am ready for the next for years of it! Ithink i overreacted to the idea of taking a step forward. I guess I really am prepared.

ANARBOR is my all time favorite band. All of their songs are good to me. And I am in love with the lead singer’s voice!
Bobo is my dog. He is a Yorkie and he is really annoying.
Cousins are pretty much my life! i love with all my heart. even though they are annoying with Bobo.
Degrassi is my favorite show ever. I have watched most of the episodes. There is a new season coming in October, and I’m excited!
Emarosa is the artist of my current favorite song. I love the lead singer’s voice a lot too .
Facebook is the first thing I go on when I am on the computer at home. I’m always on it!
Guitar is one of the instruments I really want to know how to play. I want to learn the acoustic guitar.
Home is where I'd rather be most of the time. I am not really the person to go out and about.
I don't like taking pictures. I'm not really photogenic!
Julie is my SUPER ANNOYING sister. She is a year younger than me, and even though we should be friends, she purposely tries to drive me crazy... and it works!
K is a really hard letter and I can't think of anything for it!
Lying is not a skill for me, and I hate it when people lie to me. It just gets you into a deeper hole then before.
Music is my favorite thing to listen to for some down time! I'm always up for listening to new bands and music!
Nothing can change my mind about Arnold Palmers! They are the ultimatley the best drink for summer time!
October 1st is my birthday.
Psychic Investigators is the best thing to watch at night! It's a little bit creepy but it's entertaining. I kinda wanna be psychic now!
Q is a hard one too!
R
Sleeping in is my thing on weekends. I am not very fond of waking up at 6!
Turquoise is my favorite color. I really want to paint my room turquoise.
U
Vegetarianism is what I chose. I watched this video, and now I feel guilty eating meat. But I still eat dairy products.
W
Xylophones were my favorite things to play with at daycare!
Yellow is an annoying color. I don't know why. It's just definatley not my favorite!
Zayd is my favorite cousin. He’s only 3 and he is like his older sister’s body guard. He’s mean to everyone but me. Haha. He calls me his honey!

The First Two Weeks of My Freshman Year.

The morning of my first day at Stevenson, I pretty much had a panic attack. I thought highschool would be just like on t.v., and that I had a lot to worry about. Odd enough though, as I walked through the doors of Stevenson, everything got easy from there on. I new my way around the school, had no problems opening my locker, and new where my classes were. Nothing much happened on the 1st or second day, it was all about rules and the teachers talking.


The people in my classes are okay, I am not friends with them and most of the are new to public school. I think that's a good thing though. It's a chance to make new friends. My favorite part of my whole day though, is lunch. I have it with my 2 bestfriends Glevisa and Dani. In lunch my friend Payal introduced us to this new girl named Brittany, and soon enough we became friends. The best part is, there's no awkwardness between our group. Also, at lunch they have the best fries! My least favorite part of the day is Geometry it is so boring and confusing.


Something I don't really like about highschool is, the hallways are so crowded, and they are so hot from everybody's body heat. I know this because in the morning it is freezing and the second I walk into the school I want to take off my sweater right away. I am also used to the whole middle school thing because there were only 2 grades walking around everywhere, and now there is double that, but I guess I am used to this now.

Despite the how crowded it is I actually like highschool. I am looking forward to my next 4 years at Stevenson, it's really fun!