Category Archive
The following is a list of all entries from the specialities category.
Change the Conversation. Make a Difference. Together, we can stop Poverty!
Three sentences.’Change the Conversation’. Make a Difference. Together, we can stop Poverty! Do they ring any bells? Poverty. Even to say the word stings. It hurts. Imagine someone, a child, deserted from their parents, set to live on the street, beg for food,mine for water.What can be worse than to be separated from your family and left to live on streets? We can stop this! I have registered my blog in the blogaction day website .You can register your blog by completing the Registration Form - which just asks for a few details. There, we can find a solution and make a difference to stop poverty, because we know we’d never want to live under such poor circumstances, and it would be awful to see others feeding on the worst and living in Poverty, others who share our world. To begin, I start with the meaning of poverty, for those who are not aware of its meaning.Though before you read on, make sure you watch this slide show carefully. It might be useful!
World Aids Day, December 1‘ ‘Help‘
POVERTY= a simple 7 letter word holding so much meaning! Poverty is when someone is set up for a horrible life in the street, no money, no food, no water or shelter. Someone who is thrown out of their house, left being miserable and poor for the rest of their life. If they smell the freshest cake baking across the street, they will envy all who buy them. Even kids experience this tragedy and might even be vulnerable to diseases so powerful it could kill them in seconds… Some of the poorest countries in world are in Africa. This affects children in all sorts of ways. Often, they don’t have enough: Food, Water, Shelter, Money and Education. In Zambia, Africa, for example, 8 out of 10 people are living below poverty average! Another big problem for these poor countries is that they owe massive debts to countries which have lent them money in the past. One out of every 2 people is ill because of poor diet. 7 out of 10 people in Malawi, live in poverty! More than three million kids in Malawi have too little to eat. Doesn’t that break your heart? Another case is:
No money = no school
People in Africa are desperate for an education! If they don’t have the money, then there’s no school for them. Children who do go to school must walk for hours! They have to get there really early, and wait 3 whole hours for their lessons. Isn’t that sad? Isn’t that unfair? How can we sit watching TV with the most scrumptious ice cream cake in our hands while kids and adults are suffering the streets? In Africa war has been going on for 27 years running and some kids have been forced to compete in the war and die when they don’t even know what the war is about… children as young as 7!! Kids can be taken from their families and fight in the war, maybe never come back. In Rwanda, Africa, 300 000 kids have no parents because they were killed in a civil war in 1993! 7 out of every 10 kids in Congo have died before their second birthday and more than 70 000 in Angola have lost arms and legs. Can you imagine yourself like this? Would you like to be treated this way?
AIDS is the biggest killer of these children. It is said by 2010, 27000 people will have died from it. In Ethiopia alone, 250 000 kids under 5 have AIDS. Delifa, and 11 year African orphan has to take care of her 4 siblings in a run down house in Malawi. They eat only 1 meal a day, don’t go to school and struggle even to find clothes to wear. On this website, I found this:’1 billion children live in poverty (1 in 2 children in the world). 640 million live without adequate shelter, 400 million have no access to safe water, 270 million have no access to health services. 10.6 million died in 2003 before they reached the age of 5 (or roughly 29,000 children per day). At least 80% of humanity lives on less than $10 a day ‘ Visit This Website and read some of the articles about Poverty! There are many terrible facts…
Around the world, 27–30,000 children die every day. That is equivalent to 1 child dying every 3 seconds, 20 children dying every minute, a 2004 Asian Tsunami occurring almost every week, or 10–11 million children dying every year. The silent killers are poverty, easily preventable diseases and illnesses, and other related causes. If you take a look at this Girl Effect Video, it will teach you alot and you will gather up how much you need to help these people in poverty. Ten days to go! Now or never, our actions count. Have your say by joining the biggest global mobilization against poverty and inequality and for the Millennium Development Goals. Go to this site for more information! If you want to join a campaign against Poverty, click here by pressing “Next” at the bottom and follow the instructions! This is what you can do everyone, to stop poverty, join a campaign and stop poverty! But don’t forget you need parent permission first. Do you want to save these people? Act now!
Stay tuned for part 2 of this Poverty Product for more. In my next post I shall mention as Miss W puts it since I have already mentioned what students could do in social action to prevent Poverty ( I hope?):
- How education helps lift people out of poverty
- What schools and student life is like in poorer countries
- My special opinion about the crisis of Poverty and pictures
Blog Action
Normal Nadine’s Typical School Day
This would probably be the toughest part of the competition, writing about my usual school day! But here goes: Me, just a normal 12 year old Year 6 student striving hard at school! Here is my Typical School Day below. But first, my school.
Located in South Western Sydney, it stretches throughout a whole street, but I have no idea how big it is. All I can say is, it is pretty big, and when I say big, I mean huge. There is Area 1, the first area entrance in my school, then move on to Area 2, where there is a Basket ball Court along with a small playground, further down, are the Toilets, Area 3; no need for any more information about that. When you go still further down, Area 4 there is a little area for the Kindergarten students- Year 2 students fitted with mini wooden tables, silver seats, and a colourful canteen… after that there is a ash- felt playground with handball courts, Area 5, followed by a medium sized grass field (Area 6) for the Kindergartners- 2nd graders, and last but not least a GIGANTIC Grass Field for the Year 3-6 students which is used on certain sunny days to play Football, Touch Footy, Soccer or just walk around with mates. Wow.. I’ve used just a giant paragraph already to sum up my school! Oh, and I almost forgot, it is a Public school full of wriggling kids who are ready to start the day anytime, ranging from Kindergarten to Year 6.
Typical Friday At School! Note: You do not need to read this all, because you are under risk of being absolutely bored… though please read it as a favour?
7:30-8:00 Mum orders me to wake up… and I jump out of bed, exhausted. Wash my face, brush my teeth, throw on my uniform, socks, any special accessories for the day, move on to the Bathroom to do my hair…. which takes around 20 minutes! Brushing does get tough…sometimes I screw up my face in struggle!
8:00-8:15 If there is any medicine for me to put on or take, this is the time… a quick Breakfast and a bad attempt to ignore my arguing siblings on the table. As soon as I’m done (You’d be surprised by how slow I eat!), I straightway wash my bowl, put on those shoes because we are strictly “Not allowed to go upstairs in shoes”.
8:15-8:30 Rush around getting 100% ready, drink some water, collect my recess and Lunch money, and get hold of my bag. Anything just to waste the time!
8:30-8:45 Off to the car I go, my bag on my shoulders. My brother is dropped off at school, but traffic slows us down as usual. Then comes us, my sisters and I.
‘untitled‘
Rush Hour! Beep Beep! Honk Honk! Let me through!
8:45-9:00 Walk up to the school entrance and meet our friends.Bathe in the heat of the sun if sunny, and take a seat on the floor to chat with Katherine and my little sister, Diala. We blabber away until the bell rings.
9:00-10:30 Run off to the class I am meant to help line up, and listen to any morning announcements…. I walk over to my teacher, Mrs Pericles, along with the rest of the Prefects and have a meeting about school events. Discussing… At 10:30 we prepare our assembly sheets, awards, and slither down to the Hall. We take a seat on the stage, set the assembly sheets, ready to begin. ( On a Monday, at this time, the Arabic Students and I have chemistry lessons with our Arabic teachers, doing exciting experiments! all the way till 11:00)
‘“Making Good Choices” Assembly‘
10:30-11:00 We, the Prefects and I, hand out awards, sing the School Song, National Anthem, listen to announcements and continue with the basic assembly until we dismiss the classes and we all wander off! As soon as the bell rings at 11:00 we take down our lunch, brains, pride, lunch money and friends down with us to Area 2 to play… I either play skipping, just chat about anything, or eat my noodles beside my friends.
11:00-12:00 I line up and rage up the stairs to class. All the time we spend either on the computers blogging, writing about a picture on the board, do Maths work. Basically either fun, or work work work. And so on it goes! If we are lucky, we go out and have some sport, any game like Dodge ball, Skipping, Softball, Beat the Ball… From A to probably V.
Year 6 in the ICT Suite at+Fair+Field+School‘
12:00-12:45 Work Work Work, Fun Fun Fun, Maybe Art Art Art… RIIIIING!! Yay! The bell goes at 12:45 and Sokeina, Momtahina and I rush off to pray in our teacher’s office. When we have finished, we run down to the canteen and buy food, jelly and if we feel like it, ice cream! We wait for our class to go outside and follow them down to either Area 7 or just ordinary Area 2. Let me speak of Area 7.
12:45-1:45 (Lunch starts actually at 1:00)So my friends and I choose Area 5 to relax in, play a few games of handball and on and on the day goes while all the rest of the kids play around on Area 7 with their mates.Bell Ring, lining up once again, up to class or off to play sport. A pretty normal day, pretty boring really from my point of view but put yourself in my shoes, you’ll be having a good time.
1:45-3:00 We do anything from anything, either computer room, playing the Wii if we are lucky ducks, reading, doing fun work. Day ends…. my sisters and I meet and wait around in the shade of the office for either our mother to come, or my father.
Well, that’s it! Not very interesting eh? If you could think of something you do at school that is more fun than what i do at school, then you are most welcome to share! Try and out-fun me, we’ll call it!!
Nothing much exciting about my day’s life at school. If I could fly or be invisible, that would fire my day up, trust me, and I would be as happy as a woman who won the lottery and was living happily ever after. You’d think my day is quite boring, I made it sound so! But mark my words, it isn’t as bad as it sounds!!!
Beneath her solemn face, holds a greater power than hope…
stubc08
A Place I Call My Own
Where I live is in Sydney, the capital of NSW in Australia,where there is always a bustle. If you go to this website ( To zoom in, scroll up, to zoom out, scroll down), you will be able to search any street or city in Australia, just type it into the search box and in the picture you get, there are tabs, click the one that says “Street View” and you will see everything on that street so clearly!!
If I leave Australia, I always feel a pang of homesickness, because it is a place I can call my own! Here is a map of Sydney, where you can look around at towns, and play around. In the search box search Sydney and you’ll be looking at my home:
Sydney has a temperate climate, with over 340 sunny days per year. Average rainfall is approximately 1210mm per year, and the summer season (Dec to Feb) can have strong sunny days, so wear a hat and sunscreen between 10am and 3pm!!
Summer average temperature: 22 Celsius, Winter average temperature: 13 Celsius. Note: The seasons are reversed from the northern hemisphere - Summer here is December to February, Winter is June to August. Guess what? The population in Sydney is 4,297, 100! Luckily in Sydney, there are no Earthquakes or Torpedoes, or Volcanoes… In Sydney, we celebrate many things like: Sydney Royal Easter Show, New Years Eve, Australia Day, and many more.Powerhouse Museum (science, technology and design), the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Australian National Maritime Museum, are all the special museums in Sydney, so many artefacts and specialties.
Sydney’s most popular attractions are definitely:
Sydney Wildlife World
See koalas, wallabies, frilled neck lizards, and over 6000 animals housed in 9 separate habitats from semi arid grasslands to tropical rainforest.
laugh kookaburra, laugh kookaburra,‘
Aussie Kookaburra lying on a metal pole.I’m afraid it has spotted the camera and might just peck it!
Taronga Zoo- Taronga zoo is just across the Sydney harbour on the north side and it commands a beautiful view of the city. Home to over 2,000 animals that live amongst the lush forests. Opportunities for photos with koalas, view the Flight Bird Show, take the Sky Safari and listen to the many talks and animal shows all day long;
‘comfort‘
Going south from Sydney is the famous Bondi beach; Clovelly is good for children as it has some shelter and Cronulla a good option as can be reached by train. Coogee beach is south of Bondi beach;Blue Mountains and Katoomba;
Breathtaking, Brilliant Blue Mountains
Luna Park
A restored 1930’s amusement park with views of the harbour very recognisable by the huge smiling face seen across the harbour. Entry is free and tickets are purchased for each ride taken.
Luna Park! He’s gobbling people! Aaaahh… Run! 
The Harbour Bridge
The harbour Bridge is definitely something else, with its beauty at nights, such dazzling lights! The bridge is locally nicknamed The Coathanger[1] because of its arch-based design. According to Guinness World Records, it is the world’s widest long-span bridge[2] and its tallest steel arch bridge, measuring 134 metres (429.6 ft) from top to water level. It is also the fourth-longest spanning-arch bridge in the world. It carries Trains, Motor vehicles, pedestrians and bicycles! Here is a website about it, if you want to check!!
Sydney Harbour Bridge & Luna Park‘
The Harbour bridge outlined at night, dazzling…
Performers inside the glamorous Opera House!
From outside the Sydney Opera House looks remarkable and if you get up close you will be able to see several of the million or so ceramic tiles which cover the Sydney Opera House shells, The Opera House hosts 4 auditoriums, showing music, ballet, theatre and film performances. Sydney Opera House also has a number of restaurants all serving fabulous food and a small gift store where you can buy your souvenirs, Although only having been open since 1973, it is as representative of Australia as the pyramids are of Egypt and the Colosseum of Rome..
Harbour Bridge silhouetted at sunset…
My Recommendation: The best places for you to visit would be all stated above, you’d be looking at such amazing things that they’d stick to your memory forever! You will have fun, experience many things, meet new people and learn more about Sydney! You will be visiting and looking at popular sightings that people wish a million years to visit!! Here is a Tourist Site about Tourist Attractions etc where you can book a flight, check out the accommodation, hire a car. go on cruises and visit most popular Sydney Places.
Make sure to look at all these sites…
6 Word Stories+ Pictures=Perfect!
Thanks again for voting on the 6 word stories, and so now I will put up my favourites with their picture:
1. Determination glimmers in her eyes…
Click to make bigger!
2. Spurring on till his bones ache…
3. Victory Clings to her Spirit forever
Which is your favourite? What is your favourite picture? If you’ve had any Athletics Carnivals at your school, what place do you come?
Burning with the spirit of Joy
( An extra one).
Pole 2: Flavours Fancy Fiesta….
Your pick? Which do you prefer? But first let us get to the previous pole! The amount of votes they got was:
TV: 0
Computer:7
Thanks heaps to all who kindly voted and shared their opinions of this subject. Now, a trickier one, what flavour do you fancy? Vanilla, Chocolate or Strawberry? Remeber, you can only choose one!!
Reasons to pick Vanilla:
1. It tastes yum and most people like it
2. It is very popular and is fancied by many, usually tastes good as white chocolate or icecream
3. Can be used with any topping to suit your taste!
Reasons to pick Chocolate:
1. Basically, it is the most popular flavour, and is liked by HEAPS pf people!!
2. It is used as many things: Cereals, chocolate bars, icecream etc. It has many different disguises
3. It has a nice taste which melts in your tongue and makes you feel pleasant
Reasons to choose Strawberry:
1. Girls mostly like Strawberry and its nice sweet, sugary taste
2. It can be used as marshmallows, icecream, etc… and is pleasant to eat!
3. It has a sweeter taste than the others, and usually makes you want to eat more and more of it sometimes even for comforting, which will do you good because of the sugar in it!!
Tough choices, but I’m hoping for a good, neat voting process! I wonder what you all think, my vote would probably go to vanilla, just because it tastes DELICIOUS!! Let me hear what you think, and when you have voted, also say in what shape you fancy it ex: Ice cream, a bar… and so on! Can’t wait for your opinions!!
Choosing my Theme ( Fauna) for the Year!
I have taken part in the 2008 Comment Challenge, and so this is something important I have to do, choosing from 5 things to do on a list, I chose to do ” Why I chose my Theme”. So if you are curious, read on! And I hope this post will earn my a good result in the Comment Challenge. Wish me LUCK!!!
Basically, I chose my theme because it caught my eye and I couldn’t help myself. I thought to myself, it would really suit my blog and was the type of design I really liked, as well as it was very popular. But I also chose it first to examine how it looked on my blog, and after a couple of days with the experimenting, I felt satisfied and thought it was the theme for me. I couldn’t possibly change it…
Why did I choose such a Theme out of piles of them which were all as brilliant as mine? Well, sometimes you get that feeling that you must have something out of thousands of others, no matter if they are better. That feeling where you see a precious ash- haired porcelain doll for example, out of many others and feel it must be yours even if it isn’t the prettiest. Everyone has their own opinion, and mine is Fauna…. taking this theme off would be like throwing it away, and I wouldn’t like to do that to it after it has decorated my blog.
So these are the reasons I chose my theme… and not a teeny thing can change my opinion!
A random theme!
Such a Colour As Me Poem
Such a colour as me means a whole amount of thingsA world we live in, bursting with grins, jumps of joy and relief in the eyes of those who feel freedom nesting among their limbs, heart and soul “Just Relax!” the swaying glossy sea of grass chants“Relax!!!” the wind whistles in your ears if you listen close enough
Their tune echoes in your memory for long, it dances whimsically in your heart
You shall forget the days of melancholy, anger, and sadness
Seeping through you will only be the illumination of courage and joy… a long life you’ll live perfectly
It feels like a comfy, warm cloak made of fields of grass concealing the icy chill of the day from you, hushing you to sleep with a lullaby when you are having nightmares It smells like a satisfying fragrance erupting from the prettiest flower, peppermint lingering on your breath, your neck, dissolving on your tongue…it reminds me of the peppermint chewing gum I chew till the salt disappears
Peace and quiet, only your hesitant breathing sounded. It will make you cool, calm and collected in this relaxed atmosphere There would be no special word for its appearance, but I tell you it is like a whispering Oak Tree, singing comfortingly to you in an indescribable language you’ll regret you don’t understand but it makes you close your eyes, dream of heaven, with a beam drawn over your face
This colour is bright, not yellow
But full of might
You may see this colour part of an apple or tree
Why don’t you guess it, a favour for me? T
hink to yourself: Hmmm, I wonder, what colour could it be?
When you’re done let me know soonIn your comment, guess the colour, some time around noon (If you guess it at Noon, you’ll have better luck!)
There are many clues to decipher…
Poll 1: Computer or TV?
In my previous post I said I’d be putting up a Poll of the Week, where everyone got to decide from 2 things which they’d prefer most. Every week the Poll will be called something new, a different name. Please choose what you prefer, it doesn’t have to be the answer everyone is choosing. Just enjoy this, and remember in your comment write which you prefer and why. I’d really like to know what you all think:
- Computer or TV?
Reasons to choose Computer:
* You can play Games, research and study for exams as well as talk online to family and friends
* You can use it for homework, and if you miss out on any TV program, you can go on the internet and find out.
* It can be used for fun, and important things such as research. Also, downloading songs etc. There are many important things on the internet that we can use which are very helpful!!
One Of These Buttons Will Get Me Out Of Here
Reasons to Choose TV?
* On TV you can watch programs, movies and music channels with the latest video-clips and songs including TV episodes and programs
* It is fun to watch in spare time, especially your favourite TV shows
* You need it when you are bored, and if there is something you like ex: Soccer, you can watch it on TV. There’s always something interesting on TV! Some people say they can’t live without it…
Well, the choice is yours, consider the reasons, and think hard. When you are done, post a comment with your vote and reason why. In the end, I’ll count how many people voted for TV and Computer, and whichever has the most votes wins the Poll… CHOOSE WELL! And you can always change your mind, though no more than twice!!!
12 Candles Are Lit!
Happy Birthday to me I guess! Just last Wednesday, September 10th, was my all time waited for birthday!! After a busy, tiring day at school, I rested my bag by the couch in my living room of my new Double Story House (Just 2 weeks ago my family and I moved out of our house to a new lovely one!!) and sighed…. at school all I got was a sweet birthday card from Sokeina, and a most talented drawing by Momtahina. It was great!! But from others, I received punches, here and there, to say the truth it wasn’t what I was hoping for. Maybe a bit more spice would have done the day. Still, the punches gave me luck, happiness and a splendid birthday.
A chocolate mud cake was awaiting me on the table, chanting to me, calling to be eaten and devoured like never before. I obeyed, with my stomach rumbling and an eager sensation to eat lingering in my stomach. We all dug in, unfortunately no candles, but there were always those 12 candles painted in my head, flickering in the soft breeze flowing through my head, that itself whispered me a satisfying “Happy Birthday!”.
With a rough but soothing pat on the back, my siblings murmured their “Happy Birthday Nadine” sentences to me, chocolate smeared all over their mouths, as if they were the cookie monster who had just gobbled up a new, delicious chocolate cookie…My mother smiled, I grinned, and flopped onto my bed, a huge beam spread across my face. Squeezing my eyes tightly shut I made my wish all tucked comfortably under warm covers, yet I wait intently as every second ticks by, until the time will come that it will be granted. I lie in wait. 12 candles were lit that day, yet when I fell asleep, they blew out cautiously and carefully one by one, knowing their job was done. 12 Candles are lit by day, unlit by night.
I was satisfied… a brilliant birthday, but now I have grown birthdays aren’t as exciting as I thought they were. I can’t believe it, just saying it makes me feel unusual…
I still pray my wish will come true though…
Votes are In! A Thousand Thanks to All!!!
A thousand thanks to all the wonderful voters who’ve helped me decide finally which choice of the 6 word stories is best, you’ve made my day. Thank you. Secondly, the votes are in, it was quite hard to decide and it seemed many had different opinions but a few still agreed. After a tough time sorting through the comments, this is what you’ve decided:
1. She chanted enthusiastically from her heart: 0
2. Triumph is written all over her: 0
3. The determination glimmers in her eyes: 2
4. Spurring on Till Her Bones Ache: 1
5. She/ He cheers with Endless Pride: 0
6. Victory clings to her/his spirit forever: 3 (Including my vote)
7. Striving, supporting, encouraging, you dances joyfully: 1
8. Courage wipes her off her feet: 0
9. Yet she still stands with Faith: 0
10. She represents her team’s vigorous spirit: 2
It was very tough, with a lot of ties between many sentences, yet with a lot of sentences having no votes… I see you all voted well, and I thank you for your votes and brilliant choices that have helped me come to a decision.
I shall do Number 6, 4 and 3 because I felt they were equally excellent and Meghna, Anand and a few other voters are good with writing, so they’d know which gave a good image in your head. Thank you Anand and Meghna, for the awesome advice and help!!! AND OF COURSE TO THE REST OF MY FRIENDS, THANKS FOR THE VOTES YET AGAIN!!!
P.S I have an idea! I am thinking of making Poll of The Week, every week about anything example: Do you prefer vanilla or chocolate? Etc. Do you think it is a good idea? How do you feel about the winning sentence? Do you like it?
