40 Hour Famine
This year I am eligible for the World Vision 40 Hour Famine Challenge. Unfortunately I am not able to give up food yet, instead I have chosen to forgo furniture, technology and my play for work over two days.
Initially my reasons for taking part were based on helping others in need but since I’ve started collecting for the course my motive has changed. This is due to the fact that I have only managed to collect $9 and cannot see how this will aid any of our targets in Nepal. My currant reason for giving up pleasures is for that very reason, pleasure. While it might seem strange I think it will be fun to go without electricity.
I hope to come out of this experience with a new understanding of the difficulties some people live with and sence that I’ve helped in some way.
I also hope to look back on these next few days with not only a sence of satasfaction but with a feeling that I’ve completed something and contributed to a course dedicated to helping others in need.
Courantly I am 13 hours into the chalange and though I have a saw back I’m finding it relativly easy to cope with my lack of everyday objects.
Book Week 2010
Last week was Book Week. Most years the high light of the week is the book week parade, an Indian file walk around the perimeter of the quadrangle where everyone dresses up as their favourite book character. However this year, due to the weather, the spectacle was moved to the gym. I felt this reduced the fun but perhaps this is simply because I’m to old for it now. I enjoyed our upper primary author visit far more as I was one of the few selected to participate in his writing work shop. The author was Michael Panckridge and he taught me all about how he writes and gave me some great tips about my “target audience”.
My Favourite Piece of Art
Hey guys!
Today I’m writing in to tell you a bit about my favourite artwork for 2010. As you may know I went on a huge holiday this year but you might not know that I got to see quite a lot of art on the way. One of the best pieces of art I’d ever seen was a bone knife from the Saami but I’m sticking to the task guidelines for my High Flyer and I’m not sure whether that counts. Does that stop me? NO! We also visited Holland and Amsterdam where the Van Gough Museum is situated. We had a full tour of all 500 of his paintings with our state of the art head phones that provided a full account of each master piece on demand.
The piece I found most inspiring was called “The Potato Eaters”, one of his first. It depicted a highly detailed family at the dinner table. They all had grimy fingers which they used to pick at their measly meal- potatoes. It showed the family as if they were one in poverty and these were the last of their crops. Unfortunately it was very dark and therefore didn’t gain any respect from the people of his age as this was not the normal style. This however was not my favourite painting. My favourite one was from the short period Vincent spent at a fishing village in the Mediterranean in June 1888. This was after “The Potato Eaters” but before he became seriously depressed. At the time Vincent was busy experimenting with lighter colours and still life painting, a style he’d learnt at an art academy funded by his profitable brother. Although the head phones didn’t provide much information on the piece I liked it. It reminds me of my holidays with family at our favourite fishing spot-Thuruna.
The painting is called
“Seascape Near Saintes-Maries-De-La-Mer”.
->
<- Potato Eaters
40 Hour Famine
This year, like last year and the years before, our school’s year 7′s ( me included ) are taking part in the 40 Hour Famine for World Vision. Usually it involves a lack of food for a full 40 hours but as we are only primary school students we are only alowed 8 hours. Seeking a chalange students have chosen to take on differing versions of ersatz dissabilities. There are some obvious and obviously tricky ones like the ones I’ve picked: I will give up Furniture, Technology (meaning the fridge, TV, oven ect) and Play for a Working Weekend. Others have gone for something less traditional but perhaps more chalanging if not fun. Froggy’s going without his right arm and Little Buiscut is going to wear a blind fold. I think its great that everyone is raising money for a course like this as the communities house people just like us but are disadvantaged in the extreme. My family is courantly sponsering a child in Vietnam and I think it would be great if I could do something for people like him to better their future. I will not stop at the 40 hour famine in fact I will proove my metle in the 12km city to surf were I hope to join a charity group and rais even more money.
lamo
Safety- our school project
Froggy, Sleepy and I are doing a puppet show on an aspect of safety:risk taking. Our play is about a boy called Billy who is tempted by his mate to vandalise the local police station, hence the plays name, Vandalism. Throughout the skit Billy has second thoughts or “positive connections” that help him to realise that what he is doing is wrong. He finally confronts his mate who ends up arrested. I wrote the script and my hand acts as billy’s friend. Froggy typed the script and is the police. Sleepy is Billy. We all made our own puppets with differing results and I made the back drop. In total the play is 70secs long which is smack bang where its meant to be. I think it will be great when we present it!
Reading
This term our class is doing a book club activity were we read our book for 20 mins then do our literature circle role and to conclude the lesson we discuss our findings with the rest of our group. My group, me, Froggy, Zappy and two others are assesing the first book in one of my favourite series: Rangers Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan. Its a very well written book about a young boy who, suprisingly, is picked as an apprentice for a legendary Ranger, the heros of Araleun. The ranger’s name is Halt and the boy’s Will. Together they go on many quests defending the kingdom, the first being to slay the infamous Kalkara. I’m already past the first 14 pages in the first lesson but I’ve read it before.
- it’s heaps good!
Amsterdam times!
Hey guys! In Amsterdam now and its 35 degresse! We’re not doing the Red Light District but we will hire bikes and see the chees factory and stuff. So farwe’ve already been to the Van Gogh museum and seen all of vincints paintings and done a cool canal cruze. We are staying at the Stayok Hostel ( the one with the no marajuana sign on the door! ), its way better than the Hostel Rudolf in Helsinki! Im almost out of money so I gues it is time to go but Im not happy about it! Thanx to lolly for the last comment and chatty for hers- keep em coming guys! will be half glad to be home- Amsterdam is more polluted than the Torrens!
C’You soon 
Hey Again-Again!
Moi! writing again from my Great Aunts and am dissapointed to see no ones commented! any way-
Since I wrote from Turku we have still been at Uncle Penti’s villa and have only just got back to Helsinki. While we were at the villa Penti and Annalisa’s son Kuri drowned saving someone . Its very sad but everyone has done their best for us. Dad’s aunt’s husband, Mouri, took us on his jumbo quad bike, Dad’s aunt Lisa let us souna at her island, Dads aunt Hellavi let us souna at her villa and we’ve swum at everyones lake! Every one in Finland seems to own at lest one house two villas or a lake! We had great fun with Dad’s cousin’s son and daughter Samsa and Yasmin picking the wild strawberries ( Mansika ) and blueberries ( Mustika ) that grow literaly every where! Mansikaa ja mustikaa on huuvaa! They are the best Ive ever tasted! Mum had her B’day on Friday so we got her some pretty coom prezzies. Grampa’s older sister Sinica took us to see the Rouma Luko’s home ground where we had Maxilatiko without the livver. I gotta go now- about to have my first shower in 12 days- hope youre not too cold coz its 30 over here! Nakamin! PS this place is infested with poro! (reindeeer) keep the comments coming-Im getting lonley!
News from Finland
Hello again! this time I’m writting from Turku. We are staying at my great Uncle Penti’s lake side villa near Rouma and are only visiting Turku for the day to see its castle. Since I wrote last I caught ( believe it or not ) a 73 cm pike. That was when we stayed at my Dad’s cousin Merja’s island and were fishing on her husband, Nikkuu’s boat. Yesterday we went on my dad’s cousin Petry’s boat out in the Finnish archepeligo and got sooo sunburnt- Its 30 degreese! A change from last weeks 10! I can now speak beter finnish than I can german. Lainio seems to be a verry commen name over here; in fact we own a river, a village, a company and a camp! All the fatty food is killing me and I’m trying to get back into shape in my spare time. Thanks to chatty for the comment-keep ‘em coming! I cant wait to feel a basketball again but it will be sad to leave all my family and new friends. I have spent around 200 dollars and have around 180 left. Next week we go to holland ( too bad they lost ) but before that we go back to Helsinki and stay a little while more at the villa. My time’s up so I gotta go- C ya or as thery say here “tereve”!
Hello from afar!
Hey guys! I’m writting to you from my Dads Aunt Merja’s house in Helsinki-The capital of Finland. So far the major events have been ( in order ) :
Flew to Singapore, Flew to Amsterdam, Flew to Helsinki, Took a train to Rovenheimi. In Rpvenheimi we saw santa and I bought two wicked knives for 60 dollars.We took part in santa sports, went to a cool pool, went bobsleighing then went to Lainio where we fished for 22hrs and I caught a 52cm pike. We drove to Kiruna then took the train to Rovenheimi and to Helsinki. In Helsinki we went to Serena ( like wet’n'wild ) and went cross cuntry skiing and went to the beach. We are going to the Linnanmäki in 20mins- an ammusment park like Dream World.
We have still to go to Merja’s Island Villa, stay at my great Uncle Penti’s villa, visit a castel, stay in Amsterdam and flu to Singapore.
