Mag-Lev

I've seen many parts of China, especially Shanghai, where we go every other year for summer vacation. If I were to pick one word to describe it, then that word would be: crowded. Almost everywhere we went, there were at least five people unintentionally surrounding one person.
But here, at the tracks of the Mag-Lev, were about ten to fifteen people, all spread apart. It was like 15 people at the tracks of a train. I wondered why that was so. "This is called a Mag Lev," stated my Dad, "It's extremely expensive; not too many people are lucky enough to use it because it's a business class of transportation."
That would explain the men in suits and holding briefcases. I felt like the oddball with my t-shirt and shorts, and the only kid standing at the tracks of the train. 

At least the train would reach the airport quicker. It's a good thing that we can reach the airport quicker to pick up my mom and sister, Alex. Since my mom got the plane tickets, I had to go with my Dad, and Alex with my Mom. I left a day earlier, and they did so a day late. Today, they're arriving.
My dad continued his lecture, saying that the Mag Lev stood for "magnetic levitation", meaning that the train was about an inch off the tracks, levitation using a magnetic force. This is how the train goes so fast; because it's not rubbing against the tracks, so it has no friction.
When the train came, I looked carefully at the bottom it.  It doesn't look like it is levitating, I thought to myself, I hope they didn't rip us off. This train is about thrice as expensive as a regular one. 

Though it was a long train, few people got out. But then again, only a few people got on. 

I walked through the indigo carpet covered floors. Finding a good seat was easy; the blue seats were all spread apart, almost looking like an airplane, but everything all spacious. I'd bet that there were several carts with no one it it. I took my seat as the train started to move. 

At the end of every cart, there is a space where a wide door would have been, and at the top, there was an electric sign with many red pixels to form words, and the speed of how fast the train was going. Since I was in China, I wasn't accustomed to using kilometers instead of miles.

At first, the sign read from 1 to 32 km, but only in minutes, it had reached 100 km. 200. 300. 400. 

By the time it reached 410 km, the scene outside was a blurred vision, and my Dad said, "I think that this is the fastest the train is going to get. Go stand under that sign, and I'll take a picture of you."

I stood unwillingly, and walked under the sign. If there weren't  other people in the cart, I would  have done so enthusiastically. But I smiled anyways. Not many would pay 30 yuan to ride an extremely fast train, so I was lucky. 

He took out my favorite black Nikon as I flashed a small smile, and I pointed to the sign above me, which said "410 kilometers". Somewhere in the back of the cart, a person laughed and I flushed in embarrassment, and as myself, I'm usually good at covering my embarrassment. That person took out his own camera and started to take pictures. But I looked at my dad instead, trying to forget about the other irritating dude.

Once he was done taking my picture, my dad put away his Nikon as I took my seat. The train started to slow, and the outside scene became clearer. Soon, it was only 30 km. And slowly... slowly... the train stopped.

The doors slid open quickly, almost unnaturally, and I started to stand up. Quickly walking down the aisle, out the door, and through the small group of people waiting to board the latest form of transportation.

I know that this story seems a little random, but I figured, it's not something everyone experiences, and it's been a while since we published stuff on this blog.

Sarah Palin...if you did this in the LA debate...

You have probably seen and heard Sarah Palin and her, shall we say, interesting interviews and debates (unless you happen to have never even heard of her...we won't mention any names, Jill). You may notice that she doesn't always answer the questions that she is asked, but usually she will just repeat herself and bring up something that has almost no connection to the question. But you haven't seen the last thirty seconds of this video yet, particularly the last five seconds...

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4476649n

100 Degrees: An environmentalist story Continued

I was in a daze for that whole school day, reading passages in English, and getting to the middle of a paragraph, realizing that I hadn't understood a single sentence I had read. Doing half of my Math problems wrong, and not sparing a thought to what I did in Science because I knew that everything we did while not caring about the world was wrong. Eating one bite of food without realizing that you may be living off of tropical fruits in just a few years was terrible. It was edging towards impossible to live through the school day knowing that only palm trees could grow in people's yards just because we didn't care. I went through the school day, my ears turning each lecture into a slurred monotone, thinking about what I could do about the world.
I didn't say one word on the bus. I couldn't think about anything besides how unfair it was that a few important people's non-caring lives could make the world be like this...60 degrees for the coolest winter in the United States. That always seemed like it was normal; how it should be. But, as I had learned in school which, at the time, had seemed to be useless information, it had to be 32 degrees or cooler to snow. That was the freezing point of water. The coldest winter temperature would have to half in order for it to ever snow again. I was eager to see snow – more than eager – but wouldn't it be a bit...frightening for it to suddenly be 32 degrees for an entire season, an entire three months? It would be like living in a freezer for a quarter of a year. Was that what it was like in the winters when it did snow? How long ago was that? I had so many questions about snow on my mind, but I had one burning question that made me freeze when I even asked it to myself: Would it ever snow again?

Words from My Brother

My brother loves science. So, here is a small bit of information from him to you (from here on it's his words only that I typed).

Mars has the most hugest volcano in the Solar System. Its name is Olympus Monz, named after the mountain of the Greek Gods. But Olympus Monz is three times bigger than Mt. Everest. And right now Olympus Monz is extinct because it's never erupting again. Olympus Monz would be safe to climb up because Mars has less gravity than Earth to pull you down. And Olympus Monz could have once been very, very active, and it may have also had life on the very bottom of it. Olympus Monz would make all of the other volcanoes on Earth look like babies. And it would fit 2.5 Mt. Everest's to go up and down Olympus Monz. If you don't believe in this, Olympus Monz has a crater inside itself. And Mars is a very interesting place where you can see Olympus Monz. And Olympus Monz still has a lot to be discovered.

So, those were my brother's words of wisdom to you. Use them wisely!

The Airport Disaster...

Chapter 1: The News

The agent informed my dad of the news of our flight from Shanghai to Toronto. Though I didn't understand the words of the discussion in Chinese, I could tell that he wasn't happy about it. When they finished their discussion, I asked my dad, "What was that about?" wondering what could have made him this upset. Usually, small things would pass, since he is good at controlling his anger, unlike the other three quarters of the family.
"Our flight," he began, "is going to be delayed by four hours, from a a typhoon in Hong Kong. That's where our airplane is coming from. So instead of going at 5:30 p.m., we leave at 9:30."I was just about to protest, but he clearly wasn't finished." Then, after we take our long flight on the airplane, and arrive in Toronto at 11:00 p.m. which will not take two hours because of the time difference of 12 hours, we would have missed our connecting flight to Newark by two hours. And the next flight to Newark, is at 6:30 a.m. so, they promised us a hotel to sleep at until our next flight comes, which by the way, is not booked yet. And if it were, then it would be a very small, bumpy, and noisy airplane."
But for those of you who do know me, you all know that I don't take small things that could anger me the slightest bit very well. So imagine that, except in a huger situation like this one. I didn't see myself, but i think that i blew up; exploded, hiding in the bathroom to scream as softly, but as high pitched as I could. 

After i calmed down, I asked, "Why didn't you book the 6:30 a.m. flight?" I knew he probably asked, since he follows the rule 'when life gives you lemons, take it, and ask, "what else have you got for me?"' so what made the lady not book it for him?

"She said," he replied, "that I would have to book it when we go to Toronto, and since we have to wait until then, we may not get a seat on the airplane." 

So, I had to wait a long time before I went onto the airplane. The only good part was that the airport had internet connection, and because of the Beijing 2008 Olympics, they renovated the airport so that there were flat screen televisions on top of some of the seats so people could watch the closing ceremony, and I got to email a few people, including my mom, who was probably already in the U.S. while I was stuck here in the airport, waiting for my flight, and the rest of my doom.

100 Degrees: An environmentalist story

“And it used to snow every winter, Emma, every winter. Back then.”
“I don't believe you. I've never seen this 'snow' you keep talking about,” she said, weaving the quotation marks into her voice. “My teachers haven't even seen it. And some of them are your age.”
Mom chuckled. “I can imagine.” She sighed, and ruffled my hair. “The only reason I've ever seen snow is because when I was your age, my parents took me to a mountain top. That was the only place that snow still existed, back then.” She looked into space, as if she could see the scene, but far away. “But when Gramom was just about your age, it snowed every single winter. It was much colder then.”
I pouted, and slumped over on the couch. It seemed so exciting to have little flakes of ice swirling around you, all white and soft, and then that big blanket of millions of those flakes on the ground...just like in those old, old movies, where Christmas and Hanukkah and Kwanzaa were covered with that icy white blanket. I think there was one -- what was it called? -- Home Alone, that was it! Christmas with snow. Even a cold Christmas was impossible to imagine. A Christmas that wasn't just like springtime...
I wished I could see this “snow”. But mom said that there was none left at all anymore, not even on the mountain tops. She said that it disappeared completely about ten years after they went to the mountains.
“But how? If it was as wonderful and glorious and...especially...as irreplaceable as everyone said it was, then wouldn't anyone try to keep the world cool?”
She sighed again. “I think they did. But the people with the power, like the presidents and people in the government, well, most of them...just didn't care enough.”
Stupid. I thought. Stupid, stupid, stupid . Who would be stupid enough to think that we wouldn't care? That we wouldn't make a fuss about, well, I don't know, one of the world's greatest phenomena disappearing into thin air?
“Huh,” I said. It was all I could say. Nothing seemed to make sense about that snow. Mom put so much detail into her description of snow that I could start to believe it, but I still didn't like the idea that the people who were ruling our world -- our presidents, prime ministers, and, well, everyone else that really had a say in anything -- didn't care about something as huge as the disappearing of snow. Didn't they have enjoyment, too? Didn't they also love the snow? Or were they really just all business?
The next day at school, I came in, and having been elected as class president the day before, wrote on the board 9/8/2208. Why couldn't I just write '08? I thought. It's not like anyone thinks it's 2008.
* * *
WHO KNOWS? This could be the actual, real-life, honest-to-goodness scenario of a girl some 200 years from now. Do we want it to be? You decide. Your decision can make a difference if you try.

The Tale of Derperaux

Have you ever felt that you were different than everyone else? Well, that's what Desperaux Tilling, a small mouse with a big heart, feels everyday of his life. He falls in love with music, and stories of a brave knight who saves a beautiful princess. But most of all, he is in love with a princess named Pea. But he is not the only factor to this story. Roscuro, a rat who loves light, is forced to live in the dark dungeon, and he is a big part of this story. And lastly, it involves Miggery Sow, unintellegent as she is, she clutches to a longing wish, that is impossible. They will all enter an adventure that takes them through a caliginous dungeon, and up to the light and where all of their desires await.
The Tale of Desperaux is a great book, full of adventure and new points of view. Be sure to add this book to your reading list!

Homecoming

Homecoming (written by Cynthia Voigt) is about a girl named Dicey, a very responsible, intelligent girl, and her four younger siblings, Maybeth, Sammy, and James, who unfortunately, are the oddballs in the neighborhood. But it gets worst, when their mother had run away, abandoning her children after losing her jobs.
By leaving her children in a parked car in a shopping center, she then puts her troubles onto Dicey's shoulder. Dicey must travel to her Aunt Cilla's house, seeking a place to stay. Along the way, they must camp out at beaches, stores, and, besides her siblings, she has no idea who to trust. She must take charge of her family, fearing that she and her family may be separated for life. Only her grandmother may be able to help them now. But will she?
This book is exciting from the beginning to the end. It is as equally enjoyable as to how lenghthy it is.

Walk Two Moons

Salamanca Tree Hiddle, a country girl at heart, is a teenager who goes on a trip with her Gram and Gramps from Euclid, Ohio to Lewiston, Idaho to visit her resting mother. Along the way, she tells her grandparents about her experience with Phoebe Winterbottom, her missing mother, and the lunatic. In Sal’s story, Mrs. Winterbottom runs away after loosing her job, receiving a few strange letters from the lunatic, and being mistreated by her daughters Phoebe and Prudence. Sal plays a big part in Phoebe’s life, going to the police with her, tracking down the lunatic (who, Phoebe thinks, kidnapped her mother), and keeping Mrs. Winterbottom’s absence a secret. Sal realizes that Phoebe’s situation is very much like her own experience from a long time ago, and learns that you can’t judge a man until you’ve walked two moons in his moccasins. Understand life in a better way with Sal and her story.

Beach Soccer

Have you ever heard of beach soccer? Surely you've heard of regular soccer, or in other countries, it is known as football. But beach soccer? Here are a few different things about these to similar but different sports.

• Beach soccer is played without soccer cleats, shin guards, or socks. They either play with special beach socks, or bare feet.
• Naturally, beach soccer is played on the beach, on the sand, but it is very hard to run on.
• The ball is lighter than a regular soccer ball. It is about as light as a volleyball.
• There are no offsides, so you can go as far behind the defence as you want, and you can score from any part of the pitch.
• The pitch for the game is measured 28x37 meters. 
• Usually a goal in the game is scored every 3 to 4 minutes- 11 goals per game. 
• When the ball is out of bounds, you can either throw it or kick it in, unlike regular soccer, you can only throw it, and throw it a specific way.
• You can't score from the sidelines.
• Instead of two halves of a game like regular soccer, the players can either choose 1, 2, or 3 periods of play per game. 
• Beach soccer started in Brazil, and has grown to be an international game.

Beach soccer is such an interesting sport, combining good old soccer or football, and the challenge on the beach. So next time when you go to the beach, bring a volleyball, and try dribbling and kicking it with your own bare feet. It's not as easy as it looks.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Leprechaun Day

On March 17th every year

We hear the greenest ever cheer,

From the young and the old,

In the warmth or the cold,

We look for a leprechaun near!

~Anna

Did you know that:

• The Chicago River is dyed green on St. Patrick's Day
• Many of the legends about St. Patrick are not true
• Paddy's Day is short for St. Patrick's Day
  ?

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Remember to wear green! This guy also wants to wish you a happy St. Patrick's Day...

-Happy St. Patrick's Day! Remember to lend me a pot of gold...

And wear green!

Drawn By:

Anna

With 103

I'm sick in bed
With 103
Poor me,
Poor me,
I can barely lift
My head
Too bad for me.

My Piece

This is a peice I wrote yesterday. I know it's probably not so good, but can you please read it?

Good thing, too. If she hadn't’t put the Herbs on, oh, what could have happened! Her arm would probably be so painful…
To be precise, *some name* would have wailed in pain, and said “Oh, please, now can I have some?” And she would have sat down, kneeling, pleading, with her hands exactly two feet above the floor. She would beg them for exactly thirty-eight seconds before her parents gave in, and took two minutes sharp to bring up the little pinprick of a jar to her. And yes, until they gave in, her arm was so painful. But only six and three quarters times as painful.
Yes. *some name* confirmed, it would be much worse, much worse in that other world. Where was it, anyway? Where was that place, where she would not take the Herbs, where her father did not accept the job offer, where she even cheated on a test? She knew it couldn't’t be near, though. Probably in a whole different universe.
But now, in this world, not in another universe, not in another galaxy, not even in another town, *some name* was about to go to sleep, here on Earth.
Suddenly, she woke up. Or was it she who woke? Somebody woke, somebody who did not deserve to have the power even to wake. Somebody in another universe, in another galaxy, in another town.

If it's not to much trouble, could you leave a comment about my peice where it says Comments at the bottom of the entry? Especially what I should name my character. Thanks so much.
~ Anna