T2 B30: Play time!

Sigh. I can finally get some sleep. No more dragging myself from my bed at 7. No more being exhausted for the whole day. Today, for the first time since forever, I spent my time relaxing and playing games. But hey, it's good for you. You really have to play once in a while to loosen up. Then when you get back to work, you feel nice and refreshed. If I was to get to work for the whole day, I would probably end up procrastinating. I mean, you can only focus on work for a certain time before your mind starts to wander. You need breaks in your schedule. Time to plaaay! I mean, that's what winter breaks are for: to play, loosen up and relaaax!
Enjoy your break,
Dapple Grey

T2 B29: Christmas around the corner

Oh my, Christmas is sure coming fast. It's just next week! Wow. It seemed so far away yesterday. Our present pile is slowly growing bigger and bigger. I can't wait to open them! It sure is a test of patience. Every time I look at my big homework list, I groan because I know I have to do work, and winter break's going to fly past, like it always does. I always seem to be rushing on the last day of winter break. But this year I'm going to change. Really. I'm tired of staying up past midnight rushing homework. I really do need to work on my procrastination skills, they are becoming a really bad habit, and I'll need to change them before they get worse. Sigh. I wish I could be more like Kathy C. She never procrastinates, and always gets her work done. How does she do that? I admire her, and I also admire Mimi. They look so perfect, and get really good marks. I want to be like them. So I'll change. I asked Kathy C why she was so perfect, and she replied, "I don't procrastinate because I'm bad at it." That sure gave me something to think about. Bad at procrastination? How is that even possible? It seems like everyone is procrastinating these days. Anyways, right now, I'm sitting on my comfy couch, right next to the Christmas tree. The lights are dimmed, and the only light is from the soft glimmering lights of the Christmas tree. I'm sitting here with my laptop on my lap, and sipping my warm tea.
Sigh. Just relax. Relax....
Dapple Grey

T2 B28: Movie Heaven

Yes, today was movie heaven. If my parents asked me what I did at school, I would reply: "watch movies" Because that was what I did the whole day. It was really fun. No work. At all. So what movies? First for band, we finished watching the Polar Express. It was really good. Then we got candy canes from Mr. Hurst! Hurray! Then came science. We watched "The Snow Queen". It was really mysterious and kind of scary, especially the parts with the snow queen. She totally creeped me out! Also, it was kind of sad, like the girl's mother dies. Okay, after that we had lunch where me and my friends exchanged Secret Santa presents. I got a big muk muk and a horse stuffy! I was so happy! I finally got a horse stuffy! They sure know that I'm in love with horses. And the muk muk! I don't have any Olympics mascot stuffies, except for a small muk muk keychain, so I was really happy when I got a bigger muk muk :). After lunch came Socials. During Socials, we watched the Twilight zone, which was so creepy. You don't really get the storyline until the end, when it's revealed. To lighten the mood, we watched Rowan Atkinson comedies. They were so funny! I loved them! Then in math, we watched these cartoons. (Not about math, phew!) Yup, so it was all movies. Well, we did get dismissed early, because it was the last day before Christmas break, and we got to leave at 12:30. Before we did, we went to a Christmas assembly thing. It was in the large gym and it was packed. We watched dance presentations, and band presentations, and choir presentations. They were really entertaining. Also, some of the people threw candy into the audience. I managed to get a chocolate. Anyways, some of the teachers got together and they played a couple of songs, and that was really cool as well, seeing my band teacher perform. The problem with the assembly was the getting out part. Everyone was trying to get out of the school. The hallways were really really crowded and packed, and it was so full that it got harder and harder to breathe. Plus, everyone was moving snail speed. It was okay, because I'm now free!
Winter break, here I come!
Dapple Grey

T2 B27: Circle the cat

Applied skills party was today. We had our go workbooks to do, and then we headed to the computer lab. At first, I thought we were going to work on our Brain projects there. I was so bored of researching and taking notes. I dreaded that next computer lab visit. But, when we got there, Mr. Olson told us to search "circle the cat" on google. At first, I thought that it was this weird thing that we had to do, but it was turned out to be a very addicting game, and the best thing....we got to play it for the rest of the class! It was so addicting....Really. I tried so hard to circle the cat, and by the end of the class, I circled it 10 times. But Mr. Olson gave us challenges, like trying to capture it in a heart. Alot of people could do it, but for me it was pretty hard. After a while, I just got bored of trying to trap it in a shape. Also, today was the last day of square dancing. We held it in the large gym, with all the other classes. So I got to dance with the grade 9s. They were way better at dancing than the grade 8s. Phew! I'm just glad I got that over with. Okee, now I think you want an update from our Christmas party this tuesday. Ok, so on tuesday, after lunch, me, Mimi, Leslie, and Carina walked to Oakridge for the movie there. Sadly, it was sprinkling, but we were ok, I guess. At least the walk there wasn't long. We sure had a lot to talk about. When we got to Oakridge, we had a really quick lunch, then headed to the theatre. We met up with the other Synergy kids and fooled around then. The movie was really good. I haven't watched a lot of Harry Potter movies, so it was pretty cool. I wouldn't exactly descibe it as scary, but the only scary part was when the huge snake leapt out at the screen, and then at that moment, Judy (I was sitting with her) suddenly grabbed my arm because she was scared. Oh my, having my arm grabbed so suddenly scared me more than the snake did. But that Christmas party was sure fun. Oh yeah, there was also Secret Santa. I was Leslie's Secret Santa and her present was a big teddy bear with candy wrapped around it. I didn't really know what she would like. And I found out that my secret santa was Gabriel. His present turned out to be chocolate. Yum! Last thing, I won't rant on anymore. Yesterday in band we watched the Polar Express. It was a cool movie, the last time I saw it was in Grade 3. It was really nice, I loved that movie when I was a kid.
Okay, no more ranting, I promise.
Dapple Grey

T2 B26: Socials Test!!

My tip of the day? Follow your instincts, your gut instincts. Seriously, you should, it really is right most of the time. Like today, but noo, I just didn't listen. Today was the Socials test on the Punic Wars. Everyone was so stressed about it, despite the fact that Mr. Sale post-poned it so many times. It was even funnier because at the Christmas concert last night, almost all of the synergy strings kids had their notes out, and they were studying when they weren't performing. When I got home, it was already late, so I barely had time to look over my notes. Good thing that I studied before. So then comes the test. I was prepared but there was this question that I wasn't sure of. My gut feeling said that it was option A. So I circled A. Then when I was double-checking, I turned that answer into a B because I thought that that might be right. But when Mr. Sale was telling us the answers in the end, it turned out that the correct answer was option A. See? Your gut instinct is actually pretty correct about most things. Also, I got my first christmas present! It's a gift from one of my friends. I have now placed it under the Christmas tree, and it looks perfect under the tree. Surprisingly, I'm not tempted at all to open it or even shake it. I like to be surprised by Christmas gifts. Ok, while I was desperately searching for a book to bring home for the holidays, Ms. Anderson asked me if I liked Hunger Games. I said yes, and so she recommended me this book called the Maze Runner. It looked pretty cool, so I took the book home. Ahahaha, turned out not to be a good idea. I had no homework that day, so I started to read the book right after school. It was so fastpaced, and action packed that I couldn't put it down. I had only torn myself away from it when I had to go for dinner. Then I ran back into my room to finish it. I finished it late at night, well, not that late but still, almost 12. The ending was very...disturbing, and it featured the characters turning on the lights and finding dead people hanging from the ceiling. I got the creeps for the whole night, and I could barely sleep. In the dark...shivering in my covers. Eventually, I drifted off to sleep...
At least I can relax after taking that socials test.
Relax.....
Dapple Grey

T2 B25: Concert

Okee, we watched a movie during french today. It was a cool movie, but it was in french. Luckily, it had English subtitles. It was about this conductor, and he was going to teach at this school for boys. The school was really harsh, and it punished the boys a lot. As a result, they were all troublemakers, and not welcoming to the new teacher. The conductor tries to teach them music and set up the choir. The choir is successful, but the headmaster wants to shut it down. It gets more complicated after that, but there are some sad parts. Also, because I was in band, we had a Christmas concert today. It was really awesome, because it was my first time seeing the orchestra, senior band, stage band, beginner band, and all the levels of choir perform. It was amazing, since I've never seen the rest of our music groups. I had friends in strings, band and choir, so I watched each of them perform. It was just a fun night, and I stayed after our band finished, so me, Katniss and Kathy C watched the more advanced players perform. And wow, they were fantastic. They make our band sound really beginnerish. They were just so good. Also, when the stage band was going to perform, the curtains lifted and we had such a surprise! All the band players had santa hats on, and the best part was, Mr. Hurst was in a santa outfit! That sure gave the audience a surprise.
Out of air from blowing so much into my flute, so tired....
Dapple Grey

T2 B24: Sciencefair shopping

Yay...I've finally got half the materials I need for my science project. Yup, all I got today was a bunch of different kinds of hair bands. Basically I'm stretching them for two weeks to see which kind of hairband is the most reliable...ack. I don't want to think about sciencefair anymore. It seems farther away, but it's closer than it seems. I don't like that idea. Let's just say that it's a long time until sciencefair projects are due. Okay, we had a really amusing science class today. Ms. Smedley was teaching us about the Kinetic Molecular theory, and then she made us rap. I've never really rapped before, but it was almost like speaking, except with a beat. Most of us fell behind, but you really should have seen Ms. Smedley. She was rapping super fast, right on beat, and she barely missed anything. It was just...amazing. So amazingly cool!
Rap on,
Dapple Grey

T2 B23: Christmas Tree

Yee! Yippee! We finally put up the Christmas tree! (Hey! that rhymes!) Yup, so we finally put it together. We have a plastic one, but it's lasted a loong time. It's still in perfect condition. Did I mention that I love putting up the Christmas tree? I love putting on the christmas lights, wrapping it around and around the tree...then you slowly put the ornaments on. Then comes the best part....you turn on the lights, take a step back and admire your masterpiece. I could stand there for a looong time, just standing there looking at the glowing lights....flashing...so bright and beautiful...
Okee, moving on. I finally got some Christmas shopping done. I can't believe how fast Christmas is coming. It's around the corner and it's sure moving fast. I made a homework list today, so I wouldn't forget any, and boy, there is sure a lot of homework (especially projects...) Anyhoo, want to know what I got during shopping? Here goes: I got my dad a starbucks gift card, I got my mom a fancy scarf, I got my grandmother a pretty shawl, I got my grandfather a nicely decorated photo album (he's a photographer), I got my sister a big pack of Christmas coloured gumballs (she's crazy for candy) and I got my brother a huge candy cane, and a handfull of his favourite lollipops (also candy crazed). It's always fun to go Christmas shopping. I call it "the quest for the perfect gift" It's like going treasure-hunting. You hunt through favourable stores to find the ultimate treasure.
I think I'm going to collapse from exhaustion from running through the mall,
Dapple Grey

T2 B22: Badminton

Hiya! Last week of Badinton classes, so we had a party. We had like 6 boxes of pizza, but I don't think anyone would eat so much before playing a tournament (kind/queen of the court!) Yeah, I had a pizza and a cup of pop, but I don't think I would risk throwing up later, or something like that. The teacher mentioned that there we're prizes, but I don't think I really care. I just like playing Badminton for the fun of it. Oh, and I loove king of the court. So we played, and then at the last match, I was in the queen position, and me and my opponent were tied. Then we had this last rematch. Whoever scored the next point, won. It was so nerveracking, because everyone was staring at our court, and I could barely bring myself together to play. But I won! And guess what I won? a bag of candy....typical. Kids like candy, so you reward them with it. Anyways, it was just fun, and I never expected me winning, being a beginner and all.
Hurray! Candy! Good thing I don't get hyper on it. Sigh...that reminds me of my super energetic friend last year. I really miss having her around...
Dapple Grey

T2 B21: The awesome french class!

Soooo, maybe people were away at science world, so there were a total of 10 people at french today. Turns out that the teacher won't give us a lesson because it's too important for the others to miss. So she let us go back to our lockers and get homework and a book to read. Oh, it was like a free block! It was so awesome! I finally caught up on all my applied skills go workbook excercises, and all my english homework. Then I had like 45 minutes of free reading time. The class was so silent, I haven't had a chance to read in such a peaceful environment in a looooong time. I hope we have more of these classes. Anyhoo, I finally managed to get my blog embedded into my google site. I still don't really know how I did it. I just randomnly clicked around at buttons, and tada! It was on! I'm pretty sure it has something to do with gadgets or something like that.
Sorry for the short blog post but I don't really have anything else to talk about.
Cya!
Dapple Grey

T2 B20: Last day of riding...

Like the title said, today I had my last riding lesson. Well, there is a teeny tiny chance that I might continue with riding, but I really doubt it. Anyways, the last lesson is always the most fun. So we did some cantering, and almost galloping, but I couldn't get my horse to go fast enough....Mostly it was my fault because I was so tensed up, thinking I would fall off. Now I kinda regret it, it would be so fun to try galloping. Anyways, I cantered over poles, which almost has the same feeling as jumping. It was so...thrilling! As I expected, I didn't past Green yet, but I'm close. This is due to the fact that I ride, then stop. Then I randomnly start again. But I need to to get used to it again. Sigh. If only I could just keep riding forever. My instructor said I just needed one more round of lessons, then I'll pass! Just one more!!!!
Okee, enough with the riding. Today was the District Testing for the grade 7s, so my sister was pretty stressed about it. She was so nervous, she couldn't even sit still. Well, good luck to her. Another thing is, we finally finished Gladiator. It was so sad. So very, very sad at the end. But Mr. Sale lightened the moment by telling everyon (haha, especially the boys) that it was okay to shed some tears, and not be ashamed by it. It was really funny at the moment, because a lot of people were crying. Okay, last of all, Mr. Hurst gave us some new songs for band. (oh noes, sight reading!) But the songs were really cool, like we get to play the Simpsons! The first time we listened to it on the tape player, I was so scared becuase it sounded really fast. Of course we played it at a waaay slower speed, but it's still hard. It's really fun to try the new pieces though.
This is the longest blog post I've had in a while. Hurrah!
Dapple Grey

T2 B19: New blog header

So, I was experimenting with blog headers and templates. I'm still trying to figure out the templates, but I figured out how to get blog headers. And now presenting...the new Christmas blog header! I hope you like it. I spent the whole night trying them out and figuring out how to do certain things. But it's pretty fun, just really time-consuming. Ok, so at school we had our french presentation. I was really nervous because our teacher made us memorize the script, and our script was pretty long. Anyways, I managed to live through it and not mess up. As for P.E., I'm glad to say that I'm finally getting used to squaredancing. I just ignored the askwardness and concentrated on getting the moves right. The instructions given to you in the song aren't always clear, and you really have to listen carefully to get all the moves. And the moves are one after another, and they go really fast. You can't mess up, or else it gets really confusing. I guess most girls are naturally better at dancing, because for the whole dance class today, almost all the girls were leading the dance. The guys were just following, when it was supposed to be the other way around. We didn't really have a choice though, we just had to get all those moves right. After all, we were marked for every dance class. Ok, after the P.E. class was something even more exciting: our first Mac lab class! It was so cool! I just don't have a chance to hang around Mac computers much, so I had a lot of discovering to do. It was just so....different! I didn't know where some things were, and there were some things I didn't like, but it just fascinated me! It was just that cool!
Maybe I'll ask my parents for a Mac some day...
Dapple Grey

T2 B18: Report Card

Hiya!
 Report cards today. I was quite nervous the whole day, and I was dreading that last block and the visit to Homeroom. I was just scared that I was going to get bad grades for certain subjects that I haven't known my percentage for. I mean, it's the first report card for high school, and I'm not sure how I would do. Also, for grade 5 to 7 I never had grades. The only year I had grades was in grade 4, and that year I never even cared about my marks, because I was too young to understand what it meant. The reason for my non-existent grades was because I was in MACC, and it was awesome becuase instead of marks we got checkmarks and things like "fully meeting" and "exceeding". But in grade 7 it changed to "mastering" and "extending" and things like that. Still checkmarks though. So I'm just not used to seeing an "A" or a "B". But today, I was sitting in Homeroom waiting for the announcement. Honour roll announcements came first, and guess what? I got on honour roll! I was so happy because I didn't think I would be able to get in! I was really proud of myself! Mostly because it was one of my goals, and I've finally achieved it. So I only got 2 Bs. They were both expected, and now I know what I have to concentrate on. Ok, I'll stop obsessing over my marks. You've probably heard enough from me, and everyone else.
Celebrating! Oh yeaahhhh...
Dapple Grey

T2 B17: Gladiator

Ok, okokokokokok. Calm down. Take a deep breath. I'm still shaking from watching Gladiator. Oh, remind me to hide in the back of the class whenever Mr. Sale mentions another movie. Gladiator has got to be one of the most violent movies I've ever watched. And that's only because I normally don't watch violent movies. Why am I so scared of Gladiator? Hmmm, well I was sitting at the front row, becuase that's where my seat is. Also, I was the closest to the speakers, and you wouldn't want to be there when you're watching Gladiator. It was just so bloody, and violent and.......it's just too much. Well, at least Mr. Sale warned us. But I should have taken the hint when he showed us a video of when Julius Caesar was violently murdered, oh yeah, and the trailer for that new movie, "the walking dead". Good news is that my friends all sit near the back, and one of them have a big backpack that I can hide behind. But Gladiator is a long movie. I just hope I can survive the remaining classes.....
Still shaking...
Dapple Grey

T2 B16: When I grow up.....

Hmmm, the Go workbook and excercises have got me thinking. I've never really given serious thought about who my career in the future. So who do I want to be? Well, for starters, I would love to become a large animal veterinarian, but I still cringe at the sight of blood. What kind of veterianarian is scared of blood? Anyways, maybe that'll change as I grow older. Or, maybe I'll become open a rescue ranch for hurt and abused animals. Then, again I would like to be a horse trainer. That always sounded cool. Or instead I could be the eventer! But I don't know....I still have to give this some more thought. But I know for sure that I would want my career to revolve around the world of animals and horses. I'll love to spend all my time with either one of them.
Still thinking...
Dapple Grey

T2 B15: No Art Classes

Hmm...something's missing in my usually busy Sunday schedule. What could that be? Oh yeah, art classes. It's one of those things that you don't know how much you love until it's gone. And now it is. Gone, i mean. And now there's a unusually big gap of time on my Sunday schedule. So, what to do? How to spend the time? Hm....since I've finished all my work yesterday, I figured I would fool around on the computer. Relax. Spend the rest of the weekend having fun. Haven't been doing that in a while. Oh wait! I have to go to piano lessons soon. So much for a relaxing weekend. Ahh..Winter Break's just around the corner. Let's see. About a week left. Hope you're having fun!
-Dapple Grey

T2 B14: Volunteering

Yes! I don't have piano lessons today! That means more time to do homework and play! Piano lessons take up a big part of my Sunday. It's a total of...let's see..4 hours! First my brother has theory and piano lessons for one hour, then my sister has piano lessons for an hour, then my sister and I have theory lessons together for an hour, then I have piano lessons on my own for an hour. It's an extra hour for my sister and I while we wait for our brother, but we usually bring homework to do. So lessons are from 2-6, meaning that I can't really do much for most of my Sunday. Anyways, my piano teacher was away at this awards ceremony for a piano competition, since she was an organizer. But guess what? The big news was that she asked me to go along to help! Of course I said yes, so away I went on my Sunday morning. I helped set up the refreshment table and set up the trophy table. Believe me, it's more work than it sounds, but it's a ton of fun! Anyways, there was also another volunteer there, so we talked, and helped out. Also, we got to watch the piano recital. They're really good, especially the duets, two pianos and two piano players! Oh and the best part was the quartet, I totally enjoyed that! It was two players per piano, with two pianos, so four players in total! They were really good, and the song they played sounded really awesome with four piano players! Play on!
-Dapple Grey

T2 B13: Piano pedal

Siiiiigh. I've spent most of the day trying to finish my homework. I try to cram it in on my Saturdays, because I know I'll never get anything finished on a Sunday. On Sundays for some reason, I would get really tempted to play, and so Saturdays are now known as my work day, and Sunday as my play day. Anyways, I only took little periods of rest between my homework-doing periods just so I wouldn't be tempted to fool around when I get bored. The only semi-big rest I had was when I went to practice piano. Okay, that doesn't really count as resting. But anyways, I was practicing my piano, and all of the sudden I got really bored and fooled around with the pedals on the piano. That was when I noticed something really cool. There is a soft pedal on my piano, and I use it for at least one of my songs. But I didn't realize the cool thing about it until now. When you press the soft pedal, all the pedal keys come down and it makes the keys a little harder to press then more. When you release the pedal, all the keys bounce back up. Cool, right? Okay, sorry if it's not really interesting. But it was fascinating to me when I was experimenting with it!
-Dapple Grey

T2 B12: Jello!

Today, after school, we went to TNT to buy jello. Yes, jello! Our whole family loves it, and we haven't bought any in a long time, so we thought, why not? Anyways, we bought jello powder and coconut jelly, and then returned home to start jello making. First, we have these really big bowls that we pour jello powder in. Oh yeah, we have different jello flavours, so it's one flavour per bowl. Then we pour really hot water in the bowls. Then, we drop coconut jellies into these bowls. Now comes the hard part: waiting for the jello to cool in the fridge. By the next evening, the jello is finished! Enjoy! Oops, hope I didn't make you too hungry and craving for jello!
-Dapple Grey

T2 B11: Horse Show

I'm really excited right now! I've just finished my riding lesson, and guess what? Our barn is hosting a horse show! The last one I've been to was last year. That one, I got to compete in. I was really nervous, because it was my first horse show, and my first time competing. The best I got was a third place ribbon, but I tried my best and boy, did I have a lot of fun! This time, it's for more advanced jumpers. That means I can't compete, but it doesn't mean that I can't watch. It's good to watch more advanced riders, because you really learn a lot from them, especially when you're on the ground. You can see their body position, how they react when a situation arises, how they handle their horse. Also, you have a heads up of what you will be learning when you advance to more advanced ribbon badges. This time, the competition is for jumpers and hunters. What's the difference? Well, both are jumping competitions. However, the jumping competition is judged on the speed and the accuracy of the jump. The rider with the fastest speed and the least faults will win. For the hunter competitions, the judging is based on the elegance, the appearance of the jumping, how graceful it looks, and most importantly, the body positions of the rider in the jump. Finally, if there are tied scores, there will be a great jumpoff, where the tied-placed riders ride a more difficult course and compete to see who is the final winner. I can't wait to watch this competition, as most of the jumping competitions I've watched are on TV. Can't wait to see if there will be a great jumpoff!
-Dapple Grey

T2 B10: Reifel Bird Sanctuary

Reifel Bird Sanctuary: the slight mention of the name is like music to my ears. The first time I visited this place, which was in Grade 6, I had fallen in love with it. I love the outdoors. I love being in the outdoors, and everything included in it. So when I'm on a trip to the great outdoors, I love every single moment of it. The ecstatic feeling is unexplainable. I love the feel of the extra weight on your hand when a Chickadee lands on it. I love the feeling of the grasping claws as the Chickadees stands on your hand. I love the feeling of the little beak that reach down and picks the sunflower from your hand. I love the hungry peck of the beak as the duck looks for food from your hand. I love the wind and the fresh air as you walk the trails of the Reifel Bird Sanctuary. Most of all, I love learning about the different kinds of birds. I've been to the museum twice already, but I'm still amazed at how much I information I haven't learned yet. Right now, sitting at my desk, I can still feel the soft feeling of the otter fur under my fingers. Cheers to the best fieldtrip ever!
-Dapple Grey

T2 B9: Sale Forum

In the midst of all the fun, stress, and homework, I've totally forgotten about the Sale Forum. Oh no! I've missed a lot of Sale Trivias and Food for thoughts, because those are weekly topics. So now I've really got to go on and post more. It's really quite fun once you've gotten started for a while. For example, my first my current event replies were really short, and I didn't really know what to say. Also, I had to do at least 25 of them to get full marks. Anyways, the first 5 replies were really confusing and tiring for me to write, but as I wrote more and more, I realized that I was getting used to replying to posts. Soon I was just typing away, as if I was a master at this. Not long afterwards, I've replied to all the posts that were available and unmarked. I hope my current events replies were good enough to cover the other topics that I couldn't do. Anyways, that was before. Today, I found out that I got an award for "good quality posting"! Hurray! I couldn't belive it! Even if it was a bit last-minute, I'm proud of myself. That's a reason you should never give up, even if it seems like it is almost impossible to finish a unfinished task. So work on!
-Dapple Grey