My Diary,I mean Journal

Hey Guys, 
I have just finished writing my book called "My Diary Journal" and here is a little -sneak peek- of the first page.

Hi, I’m Sam.

Here are a few things you should know about me,

I’m a 13 year old boy,

I LOVE ice cream and I DESPISE my 16 year old annoying sister, Michelle,

I have never had a girlfriend and probably never will,

And I’m not exactly the kind of person that comes to your mind when you think of ‘popular’.

Well, actually, I’m not anywhere near the kind of person that comes to your mind when you think of popular.

Ok, now that we have that out of the way, you must promise me, that what I tell you, stays between us. Got it? Good.

Romance

Romance

Romance is very old fashioned. He loves writing poems and never types emails, all the notes he sends to people are handwritten. All the letters he sends are in a light beige coloured envelope with a rose stamp, and his script is impeccable.

Romance loves his family with all his heart. His Mum, Love, and his Dad, Passion have always taught him that when life gives you lemons, you smile and offer it some homemade lemonade with three cubes of ice, a straw and a little floral paper umbrella. His sister, Friendly, also taught him many things but the most important lesson he has learned from her is that if you be nice to everyone around you, the world will reward you.

Romance loves art, drama and music and he is flawless at playing the piano and guitar. Unlike his best friend Charm (who adores pop music and whatever song is trendy at the time) he likes playing and listening to classical music and he idolises Beethoven and Mozart. He speaks very formally and has a very wide range of vocabulary.

Some of Romance’s favourite things are flowers, vanilla and rose scented candles, nature, restaurants and most of all, writing. Although Romance doesn’t hate anything, there are a few things that his dislikes, like bullies, when people are mistreated, Hate, the harshest, meanest kid in school and Disrespect, the kid at his school who laughs when his elders fall over, or when the cute animal dies in that movie.

You can always catch Romance wearing a nice ironed tie or bow tie. He even has a special drawer full of nicely organised ties. Romance also made his own cologne that smells like heaven and drives the women crazy.

Something else that makes Romance stand out in the crowd is that me is forever holding his favourite

diary, which has roses on the cover, where he writes poems about love and nature.

Romance is a complete gentleman and has never believed in the “Girls have cooties” stuff back in Primary school, in fact, all of his friends are girls.

Romance is the impeccable ruby rose, without any thorns.   

Perfection

Perfection

   He walks the hallways like they’re his own,

Although he his humble personality never lets him see it.

His brown slightly shaggy hair playfully sways in the light breeze.

His light summer tan makes him seem almost glistening.

His tall, thin figure shows off his tan muscles.

His skilled fingers glide up and down his grand piano flawlessly,

As his eyes glitter with euphoria.

He loves art and has impeccable script,

Which is helpful considering writing is his favourite subject.

His humour can make even the strictest and mature people laugh,

While his personality can lighten the darkest emotions.   

His smile is flawless,

It is enough to make any girl swoon.

His laughter is as beautiful as the birds,

Singing cheerfully in the morning.

His eyes are as glimmery,

As the morning dew,

Reflecting the rising sun.

He is perfect.

Perfection is like a warm sunny day,

After a month on snow,

Or the shower of rain in a desert,

Awakening the hibernating flowers.

Perfection,

Is the rainbow,

After the hurricane.

Lazy

Lazy

Lazy is one of the more disliked students at his school. He hates physical education, doesn’t help anyone, doesn’t work hard at anything and is always late. Lazy always has a rip somewhere on his school shorts, permanent stains on his previously white uniform top and has messy, unkempt hair. Unfortunately for everybody who was around Lazy, he has a major problem with B.O since he forgets to shower most days, never puts dirty clothes in the laundry and can’t be bothered brushing his teeth in the mornings.

Lazy doesn’t like exercise, but he does love food, so he is very unhealthy and unfit. Lazy’s favourite hobby is watching T.V and sitting on the couch eating takeaways.

Lazy has very, VERY messy handwriting and a limited vocabulary list. He loathes mathematics and only likes school for it’s recess and tuck shop. During recess he sits with his best friend Clumsy and complains about teachers and P.E while Clumsy complains about how dangerous is the thing that he stepped on today (every day there is a new story).

Lazy’s mum, Messy, and his Dad, Dirty get along very well., but their house is a mess and smells like a public bathroom. All of their house is coated with mould and dirt, all, that is, except for Lazy’s sister’s room. Lazy’s sister, Tidy, is the only one in the house who has an impeccably clean bedroom and who’s ensuite smells like lavender. Tidy hates what her parent’s house looks like, but she adores her parents and secretly when they go out for takeaways, she cleans as much of the house as she can and makes herself a salad, that is organised by colour of course.

Lazy loves the words never, and give up, unaccomplished, or failure, for he hears these words all the time.

Lazy is the job, that you can never finish.

Blue

Blue

Blue is a strong feeling,

like depression,

loneliness,

desolation,

Blue is the water,

the same water that you waste daily,

the same water others can’t afford,

the same water others never have enough of,

Blue is the ocean,

the lake,

the river,

that is home for undiscovered creatures,

skimming the sand,

in the unknown depths below the glistening blue surface,

Blue is coldness,

discreet winter wonder,

Blue is smooth,

cold,

like ice beneath your fingertips,

Blue,

is cold,

desolate,

mysterious.

Teen Smoking

Teen Smoking

In this generation more and more young kids are starting to smoke. The average age that Maori youth begin smoking is 11.5 years and the average age for non-Maori youth smokers is 12.7 years. Also evidence is emerging that smoking addiction can be influenced by genetics. Younger kids brains are supposedly more susceptible to nicotine addiction. After just one cigarette people can get addicted and it’s worse for younger teenagers. Also, if a child’s parent and/or caregiver smokes, then that is the most effective predictor of if a child will smoke.

One of the most dangerous consequences from smoking is the diseases and physical problems from nicotine. Smoking kills 5,000 New Zealanders every year! On average, smokers die about 14 years earlier than non-smokers. Just one cigarette can start an addiction, while an addiction can rob you of about 14 years of your life.  Smoking can start a range of different types of cancer and many, MANY other smoking-related diseases. Smoking is also the single leading cause of preventable deaths, not only in New Zealand, but internationally. Some teens think that there are safer cigarettes like ‘light’ or ‘mild’ cigarettes. That is not true at all, roll-your-own tobacco isn’t any safer either, in fact, it was found that ‘rollies’ (roll-your-own tobacco) actually has more nicotine, tar and carbon monoxide which makes you have a higher risk of developing a large range of cancers, than smokers with tailor-made cigarettes.

Unfortunately, younger kids are more likely to get addicted to smoking than older people. 1 of 5 teens who are addicted to cigarettes smoke 13-15 times a day and about 30 percent of teen smokers will continue smoking and die early from a smoking-related disease. For kids, teenagers are really cool and the big sister or big brother of a young child is a role model to their younger sibling and the child’s friends, so the younger sibling of a teenager who smokes all day with his friends ends up being a bad role model, showing the kids that smoking is a really cool ‘grown-up’ thing to do, and kids love acting like a ‘grown up’. Also the gradually growing lungs of teens who smoke will not develop fully, which puts them at a higher risk for lung disease.

Another big problem with smoking, is the costs. Just one pack of cigarettes costs $14.50 and many people buy about three packs a week, which is $43.50 and $174 a month which is $2088 a year. $1199 is the cost of the new 32G iPhone 5s. So if that teenager saved up all the money that they used for buying cigarettes they could buy an iPhone 5s in about six and a half months. Imagine that! Stop smoking, get healthier, and get an iPhone 5s! I think that is a pretty good deal.

In conclusion, do you really think that smoking is a reasonable way to spend your gradually minimizing life? If you smoke, than the annoying habit of smoking will steal your life and the only thing it can actually give you is diseases. Not the best way to end life. Think about smoking as a hole that you jumped into, and every day, the deeper you fall, the air gets tighter and one day, you will reach the bottom from such a high speed, that you will finish your life’s short journey, just because as a teenager, you jumped into that hole. Unfortunately, it’s not just adults that make stupid mistakes. Adults have influenced silly teens to start smoking. As if cigarettes aren’t bad enough, not only do they burn holes in your lungs, they also burn holes in your wallet. Have you ever seen those homeless people who sleep on benches and smoke? Those cigarettes have burnt holes in their wallets. Do you want to end up coughing and wheezing all day, walking around all day in the same clothes you wear every day, sleeping on park benches, talking to ducks, and begging innocent people for their money? No. Then either don’t start smoking, or if you already do, STOP SMOKING!!!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Murrays Bay

Murrays Bay

On Monday 11th August, a group of young, eager, and musically gifted students from the Te Awamutu Intermediate’s Symphonic Band got involved in our annual event where we travel up to Murrays Bay, Auckland, to share our talent with the Murrays Bay Intermediate’s band. Before the event we had been practicing and getting ready for weeks! Our band deserved a fantastic trip to extend our knowledge in music and reward us for the hard work and effort put into our weekly band practices. Most of our senior band players (students who have been their instrument for over a year) participated in this event, as well as a few talented year sevens who had been involved in music before 2014. We arrived at school at 8am, kissed our parents goodbye and excitedly chattered with our friends. After a 2-3 hour trip on the bus, we arrived at Waiwera Hot Pools where the swam in warm pools, watched a movie in the movie pool, rode on the hydroslides and enjoyed the lazy river. After about 1-2 hours at the pool we left and drove to Murrays Bay Intermediate. At Murrays Bay Intermediate the students from our school who were getting billeted met their hosts and went to their hosts house while the students who weren’t getting hosted stayed at Murrays Bay Intermediate. The students getting hosted stayed with their hosting family for three hours and had dinner there. I personally, was taken to BurgerFuel for dinner. After our three hours was over we walked back up to Murrays Bay Intermediate to have a band practise from 6pm-8pm. At 8pm the parents of the Murrays Bay Intermediate students took their children and the students that they were hosting. My family took me out for ice cream at a dairy and we went for a walk down by the beach. I had heard later that some others did the same. After a good night sleep at the hosts house or the school, everybody got their instruments ready for the next rehearsal which started at 9am when class started at school. We practised right up until morning tea where Murrays Bay Intermediate provided all the students participating a bag of chips, an apple and a juice box. After morning tea we practised until lunchtime where we were provided with hotdogs, chips, canned sparkling juice and lolly cake. Some kids who brought money also bought themselves and a few friends a treat from the school’s canteen. Everybody who brought money bought themselves, and maybe their friend, some spicy wedges with ketchup and slushies!!! We were very fortunate as the slushie maker at their school was broken for a long time and was only then fixed the day after we arrived, meaning that we got to enjoy a delicious, refreshing mango/lime slushie. Unfortunately, after lunchtime, it was time to head back home. After we waved goodbye to our new friends at Murrays Bay Intermediate we packed our bus and prepared ourselves for the long trip ahead. Luckily some of us are still in contact with the lovely people that we met at Murrays Bay Intermediate due to the fascinating presence of social media. We sure do miss the amazing views from the Auckland Harbour Bridge though!!!