Be an Upstander and Stop the Bullying!

What is bullying? Well, bullying is a form of rude behaviour meant to hurt the feelings of others. We need to understand that bullying is not cool and it has to stop.

Who is a bystander? A bystander is someone who watches bullying happen and doesn’t do anything about it. You bystanders out there go help a victim and don’t be afraid of what anyone thinks just help every victim you can find.

Who is a victim? A victim is someone who gets bullied. Hey victims stand up for yourself you can stop a bully every day

Those are 3 main people in a bullying situation. But how should I stop a bully he/she might hurt me? Well just go to the bully with high shoulders and arched eyebrows and speak with a non-playful tone and tell the bully "STOP’’. If the bully still doesn’t stop tell the teacher immediately. Bullies often are mean because they live in an environment with mean parents , brothers and sisters to so in other words the bully is showing his anger to someone else.1 in 7 kids are either bystanders or bullies. There are many people you can talk to such as your parents ,your teacher or your guardian. Remember don’t be a bully, be an upstander the opposite of a bystander. Have you ever seen a smarties pack it has a kids help phone number on the back call this number if you need help. If you’re a bullying victim and you’ re in trouble just call kids help phone and they’ll be there on the DOUBLE. Don’t worry you are never alone.

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) - Good or Bad?

Schools this year have started an initiative called Bring your Own Device. But is this really necessary? Taking your device to school allows kids to get information immediately while being taught in class.  Children will learn to use various apps & websites like cool math, edmodo, eeko kids which will develop their knowledge. Your child will learn how to use the internet responsibly. Further the teachers will monitor your child's activity on the net so parents can track and see what is being done.

On the other hand bring your own device can cause certain challenges. One, if the kids lose their device it’s not the schools’ responsibility – this brings in not just the cost factor but also students looking after their device. This may be difficult for younger grades.

Further, the schools must ensure that kids do not misuse the internet. Also he internet will also use up the devices giga bytes based on what the kids download – this could reduce capacity of the device..

I do not have enough information on this initiative to comment further, but I think it is not going to be easy for a teacher to  monitor every student while they are using their devices.   But educating students and teaching them responsibility maybe a good way to start.             

Minecraft

Minecraft is a game of creation and it is a lot of fun. Minecraft has 2 modes you can play in such as survival and creative. In the game you can construct almost anything from houses to traps and big worlds. There are mobs or if you like to call it monsters there are zombies, skeleton archers, creepers and spiders. All of them Attack you so you shouldn’t go near them unless you are in need of resources. You might also go mining for rare minerals to get better swords, armour and blocks. You should also download other free apps if you’re starting to like minecraft. Get minecraft from wherever you get your apps.

Happy mining!!

Thanksgiving 2013

Thanksgiving, for some, is just another holiday to celebrate harvest, the change of season. And for others it means turkey and parties. But to me it means you give thanks for all you have and be satisfied. You also have to pray for people who are less fortunate than you.
It is a time for family and friends and all that is good. So this thanksgiving we had a 3 course dinner with my family and cousins. We played Mario Kart wii, we unlocked Dry Bones.
What did you do this Thanksgiving? Did you have fun?

The summer of 2013

What did I do this summer? A lot.... a lot of picnics, biking, trails, hikes, out of town trips and lots of fun. That meant time with my buddies Kynan and Nathan :)
I watched Percy Jackson & the Sea of Monsters and Despicable Me 2.... awesome!!!!

This summer was also special because I got my first job as a garden caretaker. I got to water the garden and pick tomatoes... over 50!!!! At the end of it I earned $25 (yes I was really happy).

All in all a great summer - one that I thoroughly enjoyed.

My 'Real' First Job

Today I started my first job as a garden caretaker for my neighbours, Donna and Danny. They are away on vacation for 5 weeks. I get to water their garden which has vegetables and flowers. He has plants like lettuce, zucchini, tomatoes and mint.  I even get to keep the ripe fruit and vegetables. My first job is awesome. It even pays! And this is only the start for more awesome job to come :)

Miss-Koka

This past Saturday, we left to Muskoka for a weekend trip. We started at 6pm, the drive was nearly 3 hours long but the drive was very scenic - so much of greenery! As soon as we got there we bought tickets for a ride in the oldest operating coal-fired steamship in North America. She was called Segwun "Spring Time"
In Gravenhurst, we headed to the beach where we built Atlantis in the sand. We swam for a bit and then headed back to hop onto Segwun. The Captain let me steer the ship for a bit and then dad got me lemonade which made the ride even more sweet. We saw many many pretty cottages along the ride.
We then headed to our 150+ year old hotel "Inn at the Falls" in Bracebridge. The hotel is made up of 7 cottages , we stayed in the Rose Cottage - it even had a Jacuzzi! The architecture of the cottages was impressive and the rooms were HUGE. Great place to stay.
I had a great time over the weekend and spent time in the evening with my friends in their cottage playing Minecraft. We are back in Mississauga but I miss MISS-KOKA.

Community Service... a Must do for ALL!

Yesterday, July 6, I joined the Knights of Columbus for a street cleaning event. The event was organized by my dad (no pressure to attend). My 2 friends, Nathan and Kynan, and I helped clean the street from Derry to Aquitaine. It took us about an hour to collect 2 full bags of garbage.
This summer everyone should put in some time towards community service or even a street clean up. It helps Mother Earth a lot! The environment is very fragile and is disappearing from what we know it as. We must stop littering. The earth is only ours to borrow.

Trip to Ottawa

_{On Friday May 20 2013, two families joined my family for a fun 3 day vacation to Ottawa. It was fun and let me tell you all about it .}

_{When we reached Ottawa I was really excited to be in a new place I’d never been to before. I was really hungry so we went to a place called Byward  Market for dinner I ordered poutine. It was so-so. When we got back to the hotel I was tired and just hit the bed. I loved night # 1 of Ottawa.}

_{I woke up to a strange noise which I later figured was the television – the news had mayor Rob Ford on.  I learnt more about his ‘smoking’ video. I watched for 30 seconds then headed for a wonderful breakfast of  boiled eggs and peanut butter with apples . After that we went to the Royal Mint of Canada where I got to see how they made money (coins not bills). The we have a pit stop at the Parliament Hill.   We portraits of  previous Prime Ministers such as Sir. John A. McDonald, Canada’s first PM and Kim Campbell, Canada’s first and only woman PM. It was fun learning about Canadian political history .}

_{I LOVED going to Ottawa and I want to again sometime SOON.}

Time Management

      “The matter of time is so important."

  My mom

Time is a limited resource so use it efficiently. Time that goes by will never come back to you,  so spend it wisely.

Those who do not manage their time experience being late, rushed and stressed. However, if you value your time and PLAN yourself you can be early, set your own pace, be relaxed and happy. That means being successful.

So manage your time before time manages you.

My First Retreat

A 'retreat' is a gathering in a church for praise and worship to your God (e.g. Jesus, Allah, Krishna) and to understand your religion better.
I attended a retreat this weekend and I learnt many new things. Among them was the hymn 'Give me Oil in my Lamp'. The hymn was very catchy and we all clapped while singing. It was fun.
'Pride goes before a fall' - arrogrance and selfishness will take you nowhere. It took King Saul to his death. Long Live King David (no pun intended).
It was a long but educational retreat. Amen.

Soaring the Skies!

Here's a motivation story my dad told me.
One day mother eagle was taking care of her 8 eggs but then she had to fly off in search of some food. When she got back she noticed something was wrong, there were only 7 eggs in the nest. 1 egg had rolled off the tree into a chicken's coup.
The mother hen sat on her eggs and kept them warm. Soon the eggs hatched and among the chicks was one eaglet. The eaglet grew up among the chicks and became another chicken. He could not fly and he often looked at the sky and wished that he too could soar the skies.

The moral of the story is you are who you think you are!

What makes a Winner?

A winner is a person who is not negative. A winner is willing to take risks no matter how hard it is. I am not there yet but I am trying; I have loads of opportunities ahead of me.
Winners are respectful of others and give everything their best shot. It is not easy but the trick is never give up.
So winner attitude here I come!

Pitts-Burgh

This past weekend (Family Day weekend) my parents & I headed to Pittsburgh with another family. It was a 5 hour scenic drive and my friend Kynan, my DS, iPod and some great chatter made for an enjoyable drive.
The next morning, my cousins from Ohio joined us as we made way to the Carnegie Science Centre. We spent the entire day learning about science and even watched a documentary on the Hubble in the Planetarium. It was awesome.
The weekend held plenty of junk food (yum), pop (wow) and mum's shopping (no-no).
It was a real nice trip and I look forward to spending time with my friends and family again.

My Vacation

This year my mum and dad decided to travel to India and Dubai with me. On the 13th of December we boarded our flight to Dubai with a stop over in Amsterdam.

AMSTERDAM
When we got to the Amsterdam airport (Schipol), my mum and dad said, "Why don't we get on the canal cruise?". I said "Sure!"
So we took the train to the city and hopped onto the cruise. I can't really explain much of what we saw because I fell asleep.

DUBAI
From Amsterdam, we proceeded to Dubai on KLM Airbus 303. Fiasco in the airplane: I got locked in the washroom :( I was terribly scared. When we got off the plane in Dubai, it was hot and I was tired because of the jetlag plus it was 2 in the morning. We got to our hotel and I jumped into bed.

Here is a list of what we saw in Dubai - Burj Khalifa, Atlantis, Burj Khalif made out of giant Ferrero Rochers, Mega Aquarium, Malls, Jumeirah Hotel and lots more. That was a lot to cover in 3 days!
We also visited a few of mum's friends and I was meeting all of them for the very first time.

INDIA
Now this was our final destination. When we landed in Mangalore, two of my uncle's came to pick us up from the airport. I visited many of our relatives while there and made many new friends. I enjoyed spending time with my grandparents and cousins.
We also travelled to my uncles beach house in Kerala - I accidentally fell into their pool however dad insists that I did it on purpose :)

That was a holiday I will not forget in a very long time...

Life of Pi

Life of Pi is about a boy names Pi. He is Christian, Muslim and Hindu all at once. He lives with his family in Madras, India but then his family decided to move to Canada.

They go on a Japanese cargo cruise. Alas! The ship sinks. And Pi is stuck with a Bengal tiger. Will Pi make it to Canada?

The book is very interesting – it shows you that anything is possible if you have faith in God and even just in yourself.