Best Day of My Life

~

The following is a short story that I wrote in grade 9. It has been a while since I have shared some of my writing, and I just wanted to share something that I felt really proud of back then. I hope you enjoy, sorry it is a bit long. 🙂

~~~

June. It was the last month of my senior year and then that would be it. I would finally graduate from high school. The sun was rising earlier and shining brighter and brighter each day. This morning, I woke up to the bright orange rays of the sun, with a tinge of dark red peeking through my blinds. The sky was filled with large, puffy clouds making it look like it was going to rain. However, the rain never did fall; it was just the skies’ way of saying “I’m awake, but I don’t want to be.”

“Chad! Wake up. You don’t want to be late for the bus,” yelled my dad.

I groggily got out of bed and went to brush my teeth. It was 6:45 and my alarm had already rang, but I dismissed it. My bus would be here in twenty minutes; I would be late. After brushing my teeth, I rushed back to my room to put on a freshly washed pair of dark brown pants and a light blue shirt with white stripes. I went back to the washroom to comb my hair and put some deodorant on. There, perfect. I glanced at the clock; it was now 6:54, I only had twelve minutes left to pack my lunch and walk to the bus stop. I knew this day would get off to a bad start by the way the sky was looking at me. I lumbered down the stairs with my heavy backpack in hand. I walked into the kitchen to find that my dad had already prepared my lunch bag. Finally something good was happening.

“Good morning, Chad! I made you lunch. Balogna sandwich, just the way you like it.”

“Thanks, Dad! I got to go catch the bus.”

“Wait, son. You didn’t take your medication”.

“I don’t have any time. I’ll take it when I get to school.”

“Alright. Have a great day. But don’t forget!”

Rapidly, I stuffed my lunch bag into my backpack, put on my black leather coat, sneakers and ran out the door. I couldn’t afford to miss the bus now. I glanced at my watch; 6:57, I had nine minutes to get there. I can make it. The bus stop was so close, yet so far away. It usually took me about ten minutes to walk there, but if I ran, surely I could get there in half the time.

The sky was now awake. The sun was up and shining its bright rays into my eyes, I wish I had worn sunglasses. The birds were chirping their happy morning song, which I found rather irritating. My neighbor was already out walking his dog early in the morning with a big smile on his face. Everybody seemed to be having a great morning that is everyone, except me.

What is that horrendous smell? Where is it coming from? I looked down in the grass and it was me. I accidently stepped in some dog poop and now it was stuck on my shoe. Great. Could this day get any worse? I had to find something to scrape it off. I can’t go to school smelling like this.

There it was, driving right in front of my eyes, the large yellow bus. I ran as fast as I could to catch it. I was almost there. My heart was beating faster the more I ran. Sweat was starting to drip down my shirt and my hands were getting clammy. Finally, I made it on time just before the bus closed its doors. I couldn’t believe it; I almost missed the bus.

“Good morning, Gus.”

“Morning. Now get a move on it!” he exclaimed back.

“Well somebody’s a little moody today.” I thought to myself.

I quickly walked to the back of the bus and found my seat. I looked out the window, and my mind drifted off to a girl named Laura. I couldn’t wait to get to school and see her. She is the best soulmate I could ever ask for. She really knows how to cheer me up on days like this. The words that she says just makes my day go wild. I remember when we first met back in the 9th grade. It was our first day of school and I was heading to class. As I was walking, I accidently bumped into her and all her books fell to the ground. I immediately knelt down to help pick up her stuff. Her hair twirled in the air and her eyes sparkled. While we were picking up the books, we grabbed the same one and our eyes met. That was the moment I knew I was going to fall in love with her. Little did I know, she was new to the school and we were in the same class. So being the guy I was, I showed her around the school and we had lunch together later on that day. We were just friends at that time until it was the last day of school where I asked her out on a date.

As the years had gone by we spent more and more time with each other and shared special moments that I never imagined would happened. Every year we were in the same class until this year, where we were separated from each other. Every moment we had, we would spend it with one another. There was never a day where we wouldn’t see or talk to each other. If we ever got into a fight we resolved it, never leaving one mad at the other. We made a pact that we would always have unconditional love for one another, until the day we died. I couldn’t imagine what my life would be without her.

The bus was driving slower and slower as we were approaching the school. I turned my eyes outside the window to see if Laura was outside waiting for me like she always would. There has never been a single day this year that she wasn’t outside waiting. Even if it was really cold, she would have dealt with it, just for me. Today, however, she wasn’t there. If something went wrong she would have texted me, but not today. As I got off the bus, I started to wonder, “Did she wake up late and miss the bus like I almost did this morning?”

While I was entering the school, everyone was talking loudly in their little groups. But the moment I stepped in, people from my grade fell completely silent. They stopped what they were doing and had their eyes on me, even some of the teachers. I was the center of attention, but why? What’s going on? Why didn’t I know about it? Slowly, they went back to their pods and started whispering.

“That’s Chad. The guy that got dumped by that girl Laura.” I heard a guy whisper.

What is that supposed to mean? We’re still together
 aren’t we? As I kept walking deeper into the hallway, more people kept noticing me, stopped talking and laid their eyes on me. I was still the center of attention. I couldn’t help but wonder what was going on and where Laura was. When I reached the lockers, they were all empty, except mine. There was a sticky note waiting for me. “Meet me in Clarkson’s room at lunch. Laura.”

Why would she not see me in the morning and leave me a note instead? I didn’t understand. I crumpled the message and stuffed it in my pocket. I tried to open my locker but stumbled the first time. I couldn’t help but think about the note and what the guy said. “The guy that got dumped by Laura.” The thought echoed in my head. I grabbed my chemistry binder and started heading to class. People kept giving me looks as I passed them; everywhere I went, I was turning heads. If only Laura and I still had classes together, I could figure out what was going on.

The moment I stepped into class everyone fell silent like they did when I walked into the school. I couldn’t help but notice everyone’s eyes were trained on me. Was my hair okay? Are they looking at my shirt? Do my shoes smell from the dog poop from this morning? Why does everyone keep looking at me? What’s wrong with me? Just like what happened in the hallways, my classmates slowly went back to their conversations whispering to each other quietly.

“Dude. What happened to you and Laura? I heard you guys broke up,” exclaimed my best friend, John, as he came into class.

“What? We didn’t break up. I don’t know what’s going on between us.”

“So the rumors aren’t true? You guys are still together?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t see her this morning, but she left a note on my locker.”

“What did it say?”

“To meet her in Clarkson’s room at lunch.”

“Not even a, ‘Love Laura’? WOW. Maybe you guys are breaking up.” John smirked. “I’m just kidding.”

Buzz
 The bell rang and class started. I couldn’t pay attention to what Mr. Peterson, my chemistry teacher, was saying. All I could think of was Laura. Are we still together? Or are we not? Is that why everyone kept staring at me? Just because they heard rumors of Laura and I breaking up. Or did we actually break up and I wasn’t told about it? I don’t know what’s going on anymore.

“Chad. Wake up. Class is over,” whispered John. “Good luck with Laura. Later dude.” He smiled and walked away.

I got up from my desk and started heading out the door until Mr. Peterson stopped me.

“Didn’t get enough sleep last night?” he asked.

“No, I don’t think so. I sort of slept in this morning and almost missed the bus.”

“Well, make sure you get some sleep tonight and don’t forget about that test tomorrow. If there’s anything bothering you, feel free to come talk to me, Okay?”

“Sure. Thanks.” I replied and walked out the door.

One more class left until lunch and then I can finally see Laura and figure out what’s going on. If only I could find her during this quick break. I started heading to math class and then I saw her. She was walking in the other direction and held hands with some other guy. He looked familiar but I couldn’t tell who it was. I was furious. I couldn’t believe this is happening to me. I ducked down low behind the people walking by and walked away as fast as I could. I couldn’t have her see me now!

I strolled into math class and waited until it was time for lunch. I didn’t learn anything. All I heard were blurry math terms and people screaming at me in my head. “Sixty-seven divided by thirty-three.” “You don’t deserve to live.” My schizophrenia was starting to take place. “Geometric sequences.” “You have a big head.” I couldn’t handle all the people talking to me at once. All the words I was hearing were making me dizzy. What’s going on? Where am I? I have to shake my head out of this mess. I needed to take my medication that I forgot this morning.

BUZZ! Class was coming to an end. I could finally go see Laura and figure out what’s going on. Time to go to Clarkson’s room. Unfortunately, his classroom was on the other side of the school. It was going to take me a while to walk through these long hallways and dodge all the people walking towards me. Fortunately, people weren’t staring at me wherever I was going anymore. It was so awkward having people watch my every move. I still don’t know why that happened, but maybe I’ll find out from Laura.

Here I was, in front of Mr. Clarkson’s classroom. It seemed so weird standing in front of his room and going inside to see Laura. It was like I’m standing outside of her house, taking her out on our first date. I took a deep breath and walked through the door. There she was, sitting on a desk waiting for me, but she wasn’t the only one there. My best friend John was there too, kissing, who I used to call my girlfriend, Laura.

“Chad. This isn’t what you think it looks like,” explained Laura. “Okay. Maybe it is.”

I just stood there staring in disbelief. I was speechless; I didn’t know how to react. It was like the world is collapsing on top of me.

“I’ll leave you two alone,” John said as he was heading out the door.

After he left, I was still in shock. Nothing like this had ever happened to me before, so I didn’t know how to start talking to her. Luckily, Laura started walking towards me and put her hands on my shoulders and around my neck. Like she did when we first danced together back in grade 10. I would then put my hands on her hips and we would gaze into each other’s eyes. That was the first time we ever kissed. But this moment wasn’t the same, it was the opposite of what had happened that day.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think we should see each other anymore.” she started saying, “You are such an amazing person, but you deserve someone
 better than me.”

Tears started rolling down my cheeks like they did at my Aunt Lucy’s funeral. I couldn’t believe this was happening to me. I never thought that we would ever break up. I always believed that we would get married and have kids. All these years I’ve been with her, sharing our greatest moments with each other, and this was how it was going to end?

“Thanks for being there for me all those rough times. I hope we can still be friends,” whispered Laura while gently wiping the tears off my face.

“I’ll see you around.” and with that, she walked out of the door like nothing had happened.

I felt a mix of emotions pouring in, anger, fear, sadness, embarrassment. I was feeling them all at the same time, like a wave crashing over me. I couldn’t go back to school. I couldn’t face the people who knew this was going to happen before I did. I can’t believe Laura never told me this before the entire school knew. She was such a horrible person. We couldn’t ever be friends anymore, not after how she betrayed me for my best friend. John, he didn’t even tell me all this was happening, and we were supposed to be best buddies. Nothing could make me feel better after what had just happened.

I decided to take the city bus home and call it a day. I couldn’t handle going to class to face all the people. I walked out of Mr. Clarkson’s room and into the hallway where there was hardly anybody left. Luckily, it was lunch time and everyone was in the cafeteria. I didn’t bother going back to my locker to grab my stuff to study for tomorrow’s test. After what had happened today, I could never go back to school again. I would never graduate from high school or go to college to pursue my dreams of becoming an engineer. After today, there would no longer be a Chad Dylan Ferguson.

Writer’s Seminar ~ Michael Grant

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http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Technology/Pix/pictures/2009/4/16/1239884061616/Michael-grant-001.jpg

 

Who is Michael Grant? Well let me tell you, he is a bald and cranky old man who lives in Tibourn, California with his wife and two children. Not only is he just some ordinary guy living in America, but he is also well known as a young adult fiction author of the thriller series “Gone” and “Magnificent 12”. Isn’t that amazing?

For my writer’s seminar, we chose Michael Grant because he writes a lot about futuristic topics and adds a lot of dry humor in his writing. When there is a tough situation going on, he likes to add a little humor in to lighten up the plot lines a bit. His stories all get right to the point and he doesn’t like to spend much time on the description and symbolism. The plots of his stories are very action oriented as they progress through conflict.

Some of his advice for aspiring authors in writing fiction would be to work hard, read often, and to ignore what people say about writing. There really is no method to writing fiction, according to Michael Grant; all you have to do is just tell a story using words, as simple as that. Another one of his advice would be “manage to be born with some natural talent. Talent isn’t enough by itself, but if you don’t have at least some natural talent you won’t have a career as a writer. Not fair? Spoiler alert: Life isn’t fair.”

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For the emulation piece we chose this excerpt because it shows how he uses the dry humor. We then asked our classmates to write something funny and can make us laugh like Mr. Grant here.

The kids looked at Sam.

“Mom’s not home? What do we do?” The older one asked

Sam shrugged. “Stay inside for some time. Have a bit of ice cream. Maybe a cookie.

He began to walk off, Astrid following him.

“That’s your solution? Have a cookie? In a new world, that’s the best you can do?’ Astrid asked. 

‘No, my solution is to run down to the beach and hide out until this is all over,’ Sam said. ‘But a cookie never hurts.”

This is my emulation piece that I was able to create during the time in class. I apologize in advance if it isn’t well written. I am still working on my emulating skills.

“Hey Joseph, you look tense, do you want to hear a joke?” asked Annie.

“NO!” Joseph replied back aggressively.

“Okay, so why did the guy put the girlfriend in jail?”

“But I never asked you for a joke.”

“Come on, just answer it! It’s really funny,” Annie smirked quietly.

“I don’t know, why?” Joseph sighed.

“Because she stole his heart! I told you it would be funny,” Annie laughed.

***Awkward Silence***

In conclusion, Michael Grant is a significant author for his style of writing as it is very literal and he doesn’t spend much time on description. He likes to get right to the point of the story, not to mention the use of dry humor in his writing.

To find more about Michael Grant, you can visit his website or check out this video below!

Website: www.themichaelgrant.com

Video: (Viewer Discretion is Advised) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpqrpdzohZA

 

Never Lose Hope

~

We were all born the same way, but we all turned out differently. Some of us had hair growing already, while others were bald. Some of us were quiet in our little beds, adored by the people around us, while some were crying and weeping, longing for the comfort of a mother. They would cry and weep, but a mother was always there, right by their side. Unfortunately, some children weren’t born this way. Instead they were taken straight from the hospital and put in a foster home; they would live there until someone wanted to take them home. I am one of those people, and I’m still stuck in the same house ever since that day.

I guess living here all my life makes this my home and somehow become a part of who I am. However, I just long to be a part of a family, just so that I can be loved like everyone else. It just isn’t the same living in a group home with a dozen other people of different ages. Sure, it’s like having a lot of brothers and sisters, but I don’t get to know them very well. One day they’re here and the next they get adopted into a family. I wish I could have that, to be a part of a family that would love me for me.

My life is a mystery. I don’t  know who I am, I don’t know why I was born here or why my parents didn’t want to keep me. I would often ask people at the orphanage if they had any answers, but they didn’t. I suffered from depression most of my life because I wanted a family so bad, but it just never happened. After coming home from school, with hope, I would always ask Maria, the head of the orphanage, if anyone wanted to adopt me.

She would always reply, “Not today my dear.”

I remember one day she said there was this family who was considering me, but wanted to visit me first before making any final decisions. When they visited, there was this elderly couple with another younger couple who appeared to be their children. My heart started racing as I thought this family was going to be the one. I was going to have brothers and sisters to play with, and help me with my homework. After their visit, they said they were going to think about me and would come back for me one day. Every day I would wait for them to come, but ten years have passed with no sign of them coming back for me; I began to lose hope and that’s when my depression began.

My other group friends say I’m just lying about my depression, but I wouldn’t really call them my friends. They are just other kids in the orphanage who are always lucky enough to find a home but somehow make their way back here. They never really understood why I wanted a family and I never understood why they didn’t. A family is a place where you are loved every day and cared for until you are all grown up. There’s no worrying about being left behind or forgotten about. But here, I always feel that way, alone and forgotten.

Living in an orphanage is like living in a jail cell. There is no one to talk to and no one who understands what you’re going through. I’ve seen the kids walking home from school, the ones who always have a smile on their face because they will always have a home to go to and a family who cares for them, and put food on the table. They walk out from school and run to their parents, giving them a big hug and saying “I love you.” That is all I want, to be able to go home where I feel safe and loved. Is that really too much to ask for?

Most of the time, living in an orphanage means being invisible; no one really cares about you or would notice if someone went missing. They say I’m different and don’t have the ability to do anything in life, just because I am a foster kid. The other kids, they have people who believe in them and care for them; why don’t I? I just wish for a family and a hand to hold. I wish, I wish with all my might. Won’t somebody ever want to adopt me?

I am seventeen now, and am almost an adult; it’s been ten years since a family wanted to adopt me. Since then, no one came to see me, not even the family that said they would. What have I done that the world would want to be so cruel to me?

“John dear, can you come down for a moment please?” exclaimed Maria, “There are some guests that would like to see you.”

“Visitors,” I thought to myself, “When on earth have visitors ever wanted to come and see me? Could it possibly be happening? All my wishing and hoping all these years, is there truly a family wanting to see me?”

I quickly ran out of my room and downstairs; I just couldn’t wait to see who it was. As I ran down the stairs I could hear voices of a man and a woman.

When I found the courage in me, I walked into the living room and there they were the same people that came to see me back when I was seven. This time, there was no elderly couple; it was just the younger ones, who didn’t seem so young anymore. What did they want with me this time I thought; to break my heart again? As if that day still doesn’t bury a hole deep inside my heart.

“John dear,” uttered Maria, “Meet your biological parents.”

Photo Credits: http://foster-adoptive-kinship-family-services-nj.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Helping-Your-Foster-Child-Who-Has-Been-Sexually-Abused.jpg

Return to the Throne

~

Every morning when I wake up,

you were there not to greet me,

but to hurt me.

You were there every day,

 putting weight on my shoulders

dragging me down

and telling me how I wasn’t meant to be.

You were the one,

who would tell me

how I wasn’t good enough,

smart enough,

or cool enough,

leaving those voices in my head

making me feel bad about myself.

You were the one,

who trapped me in a corner,

locking the door behind you

because you couldn’t face me anymore.

You were the one

 who made my dark days

even darker,

even when I tried turning the light back on.

You were the one,

 who would mock my face

 and make fun of the way I dressed,

 even though I go to uniform school.

And I believed you.

I was ready with a knife

ready to take my life.

Just so that you could be happy.

But then I wouldn’t be happy.

I wouldn’t of been able to

live the life I wanted to,

without you constantly pulling down on my back,

telling me what to do

 day and night,

do this do that.

And to think that all these years

 I fell into your trap

 sacrificing my entire life,

 just so that you could be happy.

You were the one

 who would push me back down,

 not to see me stand back up again

 because your days of being King are over.

You made me feel

 invisible to the world,

 when in fact

there was always someone right beside me,

telling me how much they loved me,

how much they cared about me.

How I was the one

who brought joy to their life.

How I was the one

who brought them back up.

No matter how much you tried

pushing them back down.

So, you so called BULLY.

Your days of being King are over,

now it’s my turn

to take back the throne.

You may not be a fan of my flaws,

but I didn’t say I was perfect.

And neither are you.

Photo Credits: http://i.huffpost.com/gen/2063534/images/o-DEPRESSION-facebook.jpg

It Hurts When You’re Not Smiling

~

For my spoken word poem, I decided to write about something that I felt was very important to me, which is smiling. But I found that with all the stress and homework that comes with high school, it was really hard to do this. So I decided to write about how smiling is a beautiful gift and we mustn’t forget to do it, as a little reminder to myself; because it hurts when you’re not smiling. 🙂 

~~~

Remember when you were little, like baby little?

How you would always have a smile on your bright shining face.

No matter what you were doing, you were always smiling;

showing your two front teeth.

Oh how excited you were when those teeth fell out.

You just couldn’t wait to put it under your bed

and wake up the next morning,

finding a gold coin instead.

The joy it brought,

feeling a gold coin in the palm of your hands,

it just made you so content.

But day by day,

the older you got,

the more your smile chipped away.

What happened my dear friend?

Did you forget how to smile?

Because it hurts when you’re not smiling.

Oh how you were born with such a gift God could ever give,

and you just throw it away like this.

A smile is a gift we all get

and you must use it to your full extent.

So what made you stop smiling all these years my dear friend?

Was it the monster under your bed,

who put fears into your head?

Or the tiger and the shark rocking the arch?

Oh how it hurts not seeing you smile.

When there’s so much joy the world brings.

The parties and the piñatas.

Don’t you recall such a thing?

Is there stress running through your body?

Or an anxiety attack or two?

I promise all this will be over,

if you just share a smile or two.

It hurts when you’re not smiling.

Don’t you want to smile and live a long life?

Or maybe even save someone’s with the big smile you grew.

Would a chocolate bar help you smile?

Or a dozen bucks or two.

What can I do to make you smile?

Please I’m begging you.

Won’t you start smiling again my dear friend?

Like the days before you grew old.

Isn’t your life missing something you wish you didn’t misplace?

The baby teeth made you smile,

even on those dark stormy nights.

Oh how I wish you didn’t lose the little grin,

because money cannot replace such a thing.

Wake up from your old misery my dear friend.

Everything will be better,

you don’t have to pretend.

It’s the tough time like these

where a smile can put those days to an end.

Put all your worries behind my friend.

Because the world loves you,

and it hurts when you’re not smiling.

Video: https://www.dropbox.com/s/hqxcie7vhjjltqf/It%20Hurts%20When%20You%27re%20Not%20Smiling.mp4?dl=0

Photo Credits:

http://media4.popsugar-assets.com/files/2014/01/02/804/n/24155406/578a1afcd0742d96_tooth-fairy-main.jpg.xxxlarge/i/Tooth-Fairy-Gift-Ideas.jpg

My Symbolic Journey

~

At the beginning of the creative writing course, we got to learn about ourselves more by doing a writing exercise by Carl Jung. Before we started, we weren’t really told as to why we are doing this or what all this meant. At the end we found that each section we wrote meant something about our life. Here is my Symbolic Journey that I have chosen to share with the world today!

~~~

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The world was a fairly large place filled with trees and bushes. I could hear the birds chirping and the sound of the waterfall. The farther I walked into the forest, the more trees I could see. As we got closer to the waterfall, there was mist flowing in my direction. There were bugs flying all around in my face. I just wish they would fly elsewhere as I hate bugs. The sky was a hue blue and the trees were like a giant to me. Its large branches and leaves provided a nice shade on the sidewalk for me, as the sun was shining bright in my eyes. It was a nice feeling being able to spend time in the forest with Mother Nature. Not having to think about anything but the fresh breeze coming towards my face.

There is a bear lying down in the middle of the forest. He is scratching his big fat belly, looking for some food to eat. His brown fur blends in with the tree trunks of the mighty forest, but not as well, as I can still see him. Fear starts running through my body. I am terrified of bears. I don’t know what to do since there’s no place I can hide. I am stuck in the middle of the forest, trapped by an old hungry bear. I keep walking slowly, trying not to draw attention to myself. I hope the bear doesn’t see me; I don’t want to be his lunch for the next few days.

I keep on walking and luckily the bear is gone. Maybe that was just a figment of my imagination. As I continued my stroll, I noticed something shiny on the sidewalk. It was a key that looked like it opens up a treasure chest. I got intrigued as I wanted to find the treasure chest filled with gold coins so I could become rich and famous.  I wondered if there was a treasure map near by, or if there was a pirate in the forest who happened to leave me a wonderful present. I hope he doesn’t come back to find the key, or me.

01ffd35b64a3b9ac264665e255d72e8f0110b24db3“There it is!” I yelled to myself, “The waterfall that I’ve been hearing all morning.” It keeps on flowing and flowing and never stops flowing. I used my hands as a cup and took a big long sip after a long walk in the woods. It tasted so fresh and rejuvenating to my body, like I have never tasted water before in my life. The waterfall’s water was as clear as mud. It was so clear that you could see the rocks at the bottom of the lake. There were no bugs or any garbage surrounding the lake, just the river flowing like it is supposed to be. Nature’s gift to the world, fresh free water!

After taking a big long drink of water, I noticed a cup just sitting by the rocks. I could of used that earlier to drink water. I picked it up and examined it. It was a very shiny miniature cup, the size of a shot glass; which looked like it was made out of gold. Shinier than the key I found earlier. I looked closely and saw some engravings on it; “P.P.” it says. What does it stand for? Who does it belong to? Maybe it belonged to the pirate that was here earlier, the one who dropped the key. I stuffed the cup in my bag and continued along my journey.

As I continued on my journey, I noticed that the amounts of trees were slowly shrinking and the forest came to an end; but the pathway still continued into the flat lands. There were no more trees or hills, just green grass and a sidewalk. The smell of the forest wasn’t as fresh as anymore. It was more of a polluting smell. I noticed that the sky wasn’t as blue anymore; it was getting a little darker and grayer than usual. There were some rabbits coughing and hoping to and fro. “What is it horrible place?” I wondered to myself.

Processed with VSCOcam with hb2 presetThe farther I walked away from the forest; I noticed a house like figure. The closer I got I could see some windows and a door covered with some cobwebs. I wonder if anybody lives in there. Maybe it’s the pirate’s house, and he’s keeps his treasure in there. It was a fairly small house that can probably fit a bed and a kitchen with a small toilet. It was a red house, with a blue door and a green roof. I tried knocking on the door to see if anyone was home, but no one answered. Maybe they were on vacation.

I will enter I decided. It looked like nobody was home and I do need the rest. I knocked on the door once again to make sure the house wasn’t occupied. No one answered so I twisted the doorknob to see if it would budge. Luckily, the door was unlocked and I entered the not so small house.

For a small house it was quite big on the inside. It was like a palace, three stories high, and so many rooms to explore. A room for every activity there was in the world, desserts, sports, arts and crafts, you name it. The house was a light castle sky blue. There were glass stairs and many windows, more than you possibly thought there was on the outside. There was even a crystal chandelier hanging from the roof and a water fountain when I walked in. Talk about “judging a book by its cover”.

Symbolic Analysis journeyI walked to the window and looked outside. It was nothing like I thought it would be. There wasn’t green grass and a sidewalk outside like where I was earlier. It was like a small village I saw from the highest building in the town. There were many small huts in the village and even an open marketplace where people went to trade goods. This was nothing like I’ve ever seen before.

 

Photo Credits: ME

http://www.wallpaperup.com/40709/trail_path_sidewalk_walkway_macro_wood_trees_forest_woods.html

My High School Experience

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My life has been filled with many memorable experiences ever since I was born; from being able to traveling to the United States or going on a Disney Cruise to Alaska. But one experience that was extra memorable would be when I first started high school. Although this experience isn’t as big as getting to go on a Disney Cruise, high school will be where I spend the next 4 years of my life.

I would say that high school is the climax of my life because this is the point where I start to get out of my shell and start exploring the world some more. Ever since I was little in elementary and middle school, I was always a shy kid. I never really talked to people much, as I always kept thoughts to myself. I would never raise my hand and answer the teacher’s question, unless I was called upon. At recess I would just be sitting alone at the playground just watching the other kids play and have the best time of their lives. I would be contemplating to myself, wishing I had friends and could be like the cool kids. Other than that, it was just me, myself and I.

When high school came I decided to change that. I decided that it was time to start a new beginning and make some new friends; do something new and get out of my comfort zone. I didn’t want to be lonely anymore. As grade 9 flew by, I did just that. I joined Student Union and the yearbook committee and did tech for the musical as well as One Act. These experiences were the best things of my life thus far. Being able to step out of my comfort zone and be a part of these communities has really changed who I am today. I made new friends and learned experiences where I could never learn anywhere else. I loved how I got to make new friends from different grades and I am able to interact with people and discover things about myself that I have never known before.

I think that one thing that really changed my perspective on high school would be LINK Crew. Link Crew is an organization at our school filled with dedicated people who makes the grade 9’s transition from middle to high school much easier. I would say that this really helped out a lot. At the beginning of the year there is an orientation where all the grades 9’s meet up with their Link Leaders and get to know each other a little better and learn some survival tips of the high school. They also told us that we should be ourselves and not to be afraid of trying new things. I will always remember that day as I got to learn some very important life lessons. Throughout the year, as well, we got to meet up with our LINK Leaders again and had follow up discussions. Being able to go through this really helped build the community within our school. We were able to learn things not just from our teachers but our peers.  Now, here I am in grade 10 as an honorary LINK Leader in Training due to my great enthusiasm for wanting to be a LINK Leader and pass on what I learned in grade 9 to the future grade 9’s of this school.

Photo Credits:

https://iampierremenard.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/child-alone-in-playground-006.jpg

http://mhs.molineschools.org/vhays/files/2013/03/Link-Crew-logo.JPG

 

The Interview

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For my interview, I decided to meet up with one of my grade 9 teachers. I found that when I was in his class he told some stories about how he fought for what he believed in, and how it was just recently that he became a teacher. So I wanted to investigate further and get the full story. Take a look.

Q: Tell me about yourself.

A: That’s a pretty broad topic. Well I am married and I have two children. I am a high school math and science teacher. I was born and raised in Edmonton; I lived there until I joined the air force at 18 years of age. I was in the air force for 11 years and during that time I visited every province and territory in the country. I think that is quite an accomplishment to actually have seen the entire country, including the Northwest Territories and the Arctic Ocean.

Q: Do you have any brothers or sisters?

A: Yes, so I am the youngest in my family. I have living, 2 sisters and a brother. I have lost 2 brothers in my life. My brother Ed, who was my hero growing up, died in a fire about 25 years ago; I was still in my 20’s when he died. My oldest brother John, passed away two years ago, he was ill the most of his life. He led a productive life, he worked in the post office for 25 years, but the end of his life was spent in the hospital for several years, it was time for him to move on.

Q: When you were younger, what did you want to be when you grow up and why?

A: I wanted to be a pilot, that’s why I joined the air force. Probably from age 12 when we flew to England for a family holiday, the whole sensation of flying and the idea that we flew around the North Pole from Edmonton to England. Looking down at open space was really cool. So that was my plan to be a pilot, but it unfortunately it didn’t work out.

Q: What sorts of jobs did you have before becoming a teacher?

A: Many. So because I failed my air force pilot training, it was the best thing that ever happened to me, they introduced me to this brand new technology called “the internet.”I wouldn’t have been a good pilot. But I turned out to be pretty good at communications and dealing with communications and electronic system. So that was my job in the air force, fixing them and building & designing new communication systems. That’s why I traveled all around the country, was to check out radar stations as a part of North American Air Defense (NORAD), the guys that tracked Santa Clause. So I did that, I was a captain in the air force, which meant that I usually had a lot of people working for me; lots, from 5 to 20 people. Usually they were older than I was, because I was still in my twenties. People, who were working for me, were often older and more experienced than me. And I learned very early that they are the people that you should listen to, and I should never assume that I know more than them, just because I am their boss. So, I left the air force after 11 years and then we moved to Calgary. My wife and I, we started our family here. And I worked in high tech electronics, so building communication systems again for the army this time, but I was no long in the military. I was working as a civilian in Calgary, for the company called “Computing Devices Canada” so the Canadian company did great stuff. And again I was a project manager, so I had people working for me, and it was fun. And then actually I left that job and started my own business at home, but I wasn’t very successful at that, so I decided that it was time to go back to school. And that’s when I started working at becoming a teacher. So it was very recently in my life actually, the past 5 years I guess in the teaching profession. Before that I did lots of other different things.

Q: Why did you want to leave your old job?

A: Well, President Bush kept dropping bombs on innocent people and I was really still part of what’s known as the “Military Industrial Establishment.” So I was part of the people who build bombs and make war and I didn’t want to be part of that anymore. We were at war and I didn’t really think we should be. I thought that we were in an illegal and unnecessary war. So I left that business, I didn’t want to be a part of that any more.

Q: What inspired you to become a teacher?

A: I found actually when I was working as a project manager and even in the air force, what I liked to do was talk with other people and work with them to solve problems. I was never the person to tell people what to do or how they should to do it. I was the person to try to get the group to come up with a solution. So a bit of a leadership role, I definitely considered myself a leader. What I really enjoyed was leading the group towards a solution. And most of the time it had never been done before. Most of the things that particularly my company did had never been done before by anyone in the world. We were building brand new technology, in new ways. So it was about discovery, new ways to do things and new ways to new solutions to old problems. So what does that have to do with teaching? Well one of the things I try to do is lead the class as oppose to direct the class. I want the class to discover their own ways; in particular individuals to discover their own way. I love when we get into discussion about different stuff and people go “Oh I get it now.” That big “aha moment” is the best part of teaching to me. I really dislike telling students what to do, now grade 9 students often need more direction but I hope that one of the things that they learn in my class is to be more self directed and figure out what they need to do to be successful.

Q: What do you love about becoming a teacher?

A: One of the things that I really loved, that I didn’t expect and was quite emotionally for me actually, was this year when I came back to the same school, and I saw students from last year. That was really, heartwarming for me; it was like “Wow. I miss these kids.” and “Oh yeah they do remember me.” There was a whole relationship over the whole year and even though all those students moved on to a new grade, we still know each other; we still have that whole year that we experienced together. So that was a surprise to me, I didn’t know that I would feel that way. I loved the energy of any school. One of the reasons I wanted to go back to university is because the vibe in a school, in a university, in a high school, in any school, there’s a high energy. There’s always something going on, an uplifting feeling compared to any business where you have to work harder to have fun. School is more fun, I think.

Q: What would be one positive thing that your last boss would say about you?

A: So I’m going to go back to a boss that would say something positive about me, cause my last boss, before I came into teaching, wouldn’t have anything nice to say about me. We left on not very good terms. So I’ll go back to the one before. When I was at the engineering company “Computing Devices” I think my boss would say that I’m courageous, that I would speak up when the emperor wasn’t wearing clothes. When there was something wrong, I wouldn’t hide it from my boss or the customer. I addressed it, I brought it up and I said this it wrong it needs to be fixed. Certainly not to blame people but to say “Hey, things aren’t working the way they should. What can we do to change it?” whereas often times people are afraid to give the boss bad news. And I learned very early, do not try to hide bad news. Get it out there quickly so you can deal with it and turn it into good news.

Q: What was the most difficult decision you’ve made in the last 2 years or so?

A: Let’s actually go back to the boss that I left on bad terms. There was only two ways to do things in his mind. There was his way and the wrong way. So any ideas that I came up with was the wrong way, and I didn’t want to work for him.  I quit that job, and I’ve never quit a job before without finishing it. I’ve always finished a job that I’ve taken. I may have moved on afterwards but that job I quit and I really felt, like a quitter. I felt like I was doing the wrong thing by leaving and so at the time it was a very difficult decision because I didn’t want to feel like a quitter. I wanted to be successful and wanted to do the right thing. Looking back now, it was the right thing; he and I just didn’t get along. There was no way he and I would get along. So I needed to quit. I needed to leave that job. But at the time I felt really bad, I felt like a failure.

There may be times where we all feel horrible about ourselves and think we’re failures, but looking back we may not be after all. All that matters is that we follow our dreams, and stand up for what we believe in, even if we are standing alone. This is what I have learned after conducting this interview, and I am very happy that I have. Because there is no other place I can learn these simple life lessons than here. Thank you so much for agreeing to do this interview, as it has inspired me. Even the quietest people have a lot to say.

Until next time, Andrew 🙂

Photo Credits:

http://idealistcareers.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/interview-in-progress-sign.jpg

https://www.careeraddict.com/Leadership2.jpg

http://www.movemequotes.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/20140106-155425.jpg

Who Am I? ~Another Person’s View

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Something that I have always wondered about myself is what people think of me. Do they think of me as a really cold hearted person who doesn’t care about others, or a really weird, boring and dull person to talk to? I know that other people’s thoughts of me sometimes don’t matter, but there is just that part of me that’s curious. I guess that’s just a part of who I am. Well the truth is finally being unveiled as I went around asking my classmates and friends to write a little anecdote of their thoughts on me. Take a look.

Hi Andrew! You are super cool and enthusiastic. I can tell you are so loving and fun. You love life to the fullest and you appreciate every scenario. You are so friendly and welcoming to everyone. Love you! ~Cayleigh

Hi Andrew with a “W”! You brighten up the mood, always filled with joy and enthusiasm. The first time I met you, you greeted me in open heart. I appreciate seeing you in the halls; you add a special characteristic to my life. Never forget who you are. I cherish still the rock you made me!! ~Alisha

I LOVE YOU A BUNCH!!! You are so cute and funny and kind, I can’t believe you’re a real person, honestly. I am so infinitely thankful that you are in my life and I hope you remain in my life for a long time. I love you. ~Claire

The one and only Andrew: You are such a charm and being able to hang out with you makes my day. You are such a charm. I love you so much. You make your “mother” and “father” proud. You are so sweet, funny, and a joy to others. ~Sunvy

Andrew, It was fun working on our poster project together. You’re always a light spirited, funny person! I read a lot of your writing on the blog, and am impressed by your vocabulary and overall style. (I love your handwriting, by the way) ~Katherine

Dear Andrew, You are such a lovely human being and I love being around you so much. You are always so happy and welcoming and I love how open minded you are. Thank you for your optimistic and hilarious outlook on life. You make my creative writing experience infinitely better. ~Love Madi

To Andrew, In class, you are always a blast to be around, and always know how to be fun. Your personality is amazing and it is only matched by your kindness. Also, your outlook on life is something to admire. I hope “No Red Ink” isn’t a big pain in the butt. ~Lucas

Dear Andrew! Hello there! You are such a bright and optimistic person! I love your cheerful and positive individualism adds so much energy to our class! You are also a very funny person, you should really write some humor piece. Thank you for bringing up my attitude with your amazing one! Always, ~Sheema (The Cupcake Queen)

Andrew! You’re so amazing! Your amazing organizational skills, your slightly over stressful lifestyle, and you never stop working! It’s a trait that I wish I had, being so dedicated to everything. You’re amazing!!! ~Areeb

Dearest Andrew, You have such an interesting personality and I really enjoy your company. I am looking forward to the project as well; I know you will add a personal touch.  ~Kaden

Andrew! Hey! I stole Areeb’s pen to write this! I just want to say that I think you’re a great guy and amazing writer. I can’t wait to read more of your work! You’re also very humorous and I hope we talk more in the future. ~Grace

Hey Andrew! So we’ve known each other for several years now, but in all that time, I had no idea of your brilliance as a writer. Part of the reason I’m so grateful for this class is that I’ve had opportunities, as with yours, to get to know and learn from unique writing styles. Not to mention the fact that you are a wonderful leader and person. ~Love Ziyana

Dear Andrew, I want your tangle. But anyways, we’ve been friends since elementary, you’re really easy to talk to and you’ve got such a great sense of humor. ~Jade

You’re such a perky person. Madison doesn’t deserve you. She’s all whiny and Madi-like, where as you are a gentle soul. You’re the kind of person that would never stab someone’s book and blame it on me. ~Mandeep

Andrew, you’re a really nice and fun person to be around. You’re very energetic and have a certain energy that makes you and the people you talk to feel great. Stay awesome! ~Gavin

Andrew is an incredibly sweet guy who I have had the pleasure of getting to know over the span of two years. He always has a very childish spark in his eyes-something that consistently tends to brighten everyone’s days no matter where he goes. He is also very kind, sweet, and attempts to be strict sometimes but he’s always smiling so it never works. He’s very dedicated and an incredibly hard working and I hope he stays that way. Really, he is one of those people you meet and you can find no bad quality in. “An old soul,” in my eyes. ~Sara

After reading all of these, my heart had a warm feeling inside as I am happy that I bring joy in these people’s lives, as they also do to mine. Without them, I don’t know where I would be today. Thank you to everyone who wrote in my journal! If you didn’t get a chance to share your thoughts about me, don’t worry, just comment below!

Until next time, your friend Andrew! 🙂

Photo Credits:

https://depressionlighthouse.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/i-wonder-how-other-people-see-me.jpg

http://wtfhappen.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/What-Different-People-Think-Of-Me%E2%80%A6.jpg

http://www.sunnyskyz.com/uploads/2013/02/l2s00-winnie-the-pooh-quotes.jpg

4 Non-Fictional Pieces of Writing

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Expository:image1

Fire is an important part of survival when you are camping in the woods, especially when you are using it to cook food and keep you warm.  Here are some steps on how to build a fire pit. Step 1) Gather up some fire wood. Tree trunks are the best to start a fire and not the branches. Put the firewood in sort of a tipi looking shape in the fire pit. Step 2) Light up a piece of paper or a match and place the light up paper into the fire pit on the wood. Step 3) Once the fire has started going,  add in some wood to keep the fire going. Stay away from the fire pit so fire sparks don’t come sparking at you. You can use these steps to start the fire going in your fireplace at home. This is how you make a fire place.

Descriptive:

012a17229d6bdc7b281ef541b34bec5b05ad8204f9The sun is hiding in the clouds, giving me some shade. Every now and then it would come back out and give me the warmth I’ve been waiting for. The trees hang over the bench, dropping a leaf or two every now and then. There are leaves all over the bench. It was like the tree had a heartbreak, crying out all of its leaves, until it had none left. On the grass, the leaves left a muddy trail into the woods. Many people have taken this path, since it leaves a mark. Every so often, the wind would blow, rustling the leaves. It is a beautiful sound to hear.

0139882ca611b2b3d19297029dba7e4f932937961fNarrative:

There is a ginormous black dog swimming in the river, looking at the rocks like a bear hunting for food. The owner threw a rock and the dog ran for it. I think I’m going to call him “Hunter.” Some kayakers are passing by, I wonder how Hunter is going to react. He got out of the river, I am a little sad. Oh back into the river he goes. Maybe he was scared of the kayakers, so he goes out of the river. When he got back into the river he was just staring at the rocks. It seems like he has lost interest in the river. Back out onto the rocks he goes, shaking his whole body. Water droplets from his wet paws got all over the rocks and some on his owner as well. Hunter is such a funny dog. Onward he goes as he continues his own adventure.

Persuasive:

011485e3354397a4241b1608b2b03bb2b790a8d941We should all take some time in our day and stop what we are doing. We should just put everything down and walk to the river as it is a beautiful place to relax your mind. There are so many things that are going on in our life. Sometimes these can lead to stressful times but walking to the river can release that stress. There is no other place that is more peaceful and quiet like the river. It is just nature talking to you and it can ease your mind. We don’t get to go to the river often and we should change that. We spend too much time sitting indoors in front of computer screens and under artificial light. That is not good for our minds or body. Nature and spending time in the outdoors is it’s own medicine.

Photo Credits: ME