Exam Prep

The first point the website that sourced made was that you should give yourself adequate time to prepare. This is important because if you don't get started early and keep putting it off then you could leabve yourself open to a last minute rush. This could cause great stress and that is not a good thing especially during exams.



Another tip they had was to break down all the information. This is important because if you don't know all the specific information you must revise you could miss out on areas or waste precious time on unneeded areas.


One of the other tips given was to keep youself healthy by having aduquate sleep and eating well. This is extremely important because during study and exams you will not be able to concentrate or perform well if you have low energy levels.


I chose the site below as reputable site because Jack Turner went on it first and he is the most reputable person I know. If it is good enough enough for him it is good enough for me. Haha. Na it was reputable because it was published by King's University College.

http://www.uwo.ca/kings/Student_Services/academic_support/ExamPreparationTips.pdf

Science Fiction

I believe boys generally find books in the science fiction genre more appealing because most boys have short attention spans. Because of the huge range of exciting things on television and the internet, boys just cannot sit down and read a book if it isn't packed full of action. Boys also like this genre because you can get into a fantasy book alot more than other genres. Speaking from a personal view, a boy cannot read a whole book on something like a love story. It has to be something that keeps them interested and on the edge of their seat.

I don't really think this relates to me that much because I have only read one fantasy novel. Although I enjoyed it, I cannot say without further experience that my favourite genre is science fiction. This relates to others I know as alot of my friends really hate reading. Nobody would be able to make them read if they didn't enjoy. That is why when they find a good book that compells them and has alot of action they are generally going to want to read and finish the book.

My favourite genre would have to be anything to do with sport or anything with kids my age, dealing with issues that I myself am dealing with. This is because I can relate to these types of novels and I can get something out of them.

Catchya

Poetry!

I believe poetry has stayed popular over the years because people are always going to want to express themselves. Whether it be in a diary, poem, story, blog or song. When people express these feelings they always want to make them more interesting, so they add elements of poetry like rhyme, rhythym and personification. I believe the most popular forms of poetry today are in song lyrics because I doubt whether you could find anyone that doesn't listen to music. Most people would listen to the radio or CD's on a daily basis. I think poetry takes ordinary stories and expressions and makes them interestying for the readers. For example one of the most popular fields of music these days is rap which is just rhyming words and rhyming words are an element of poetry. Good poetry is susually catchy and stays in our minds. Ispiring poems usually appeal greatly to people as they read them and they feel a change in themselves and their minds go crazy with different thoughts. I mainly enjoy the poetry in song lyrics, in particular rap. These lyrics are extremely catchy and stay in your mind.

One poem that always sticks in my mind is the poem on the back of the toilet door at my Grandparent's house. As there is not much else to do while on the toilet, I always read it. I'm not sure who wrote it but it was entitled "Life is a Flower." There reason it always stick in my mind is because I read it so many times. The poem has six line stanzas and four versus and talks about all the inspiring parts of life and how life is a gift from God.

Dead Poets!!

I think this quotation means poetry is one of those elements in life that we enjoy and actually want to do. If you are not in school you are not forced to write poetry like you are forced to work. I am not quite sure however if I totally agree that poetry should be put alongside beauty, romance and love as a reason why we live. Thats like saying I love the big plays, hard hits and... ...the mowing of the grass in sport. Love, romance and beauty are always going to be on the minds of people everyday but I don't necessarily think poetry is. However poetry is a huge element in some people's lives and this is only my opinion.

I collected two examples of poetry last night for homework. They were both advertisements on television, one was for Nicorette and one was for Mrs Mac's. I believe they were made as poetry as to keep the message catchy and in people's heads. If the adds are played often enough people will remember the tunes and the words so next time they think of a product they need, the certain store will pop up in their head.

Catchyas Next Week!

FRIDAY 14th SEP!!!

The clip we watched on youtube opened my mind about our increasing dependence on technology and the rate at which it is developing. It got me thinking about how easy it will be to get out of date with current technology just like our grandparents when they say "so, what's this internet thing?" I was particularly surprised at how many text messages are sent daily. My grandparents don't even know what a text message is.

I believe that this constant, huge shift in technology is not given the attention it should be. Children should be taught at school what could possible in the future and they should also sometimes learn in new ways to see if current methods are outdated. This would be hard however because it is hard to imagine what will be next. Just like when the first computers and storage devices came out. Nobody would've imagined that these things could become so small and compact. To get the storage space that a current, top of the range ipod has, the ealriest computers would have to take up a whole room.

These massive changes excite me and make me wonder what could be possible in another 10 or twenty years.

Drugs in Sport

First of all, when talking about drugs in sport, we have to establish whether the drugs are performance enhancing or just plain recreational. From what I have heard the Andrew Johns case was claimed to be only recreational which I do not believe is as bad as if he was using performance enhancing drugs. If they are recreational then I believe that it is his personal life and should not be looked upon with the anger and disgrace at which it was. If he was not using the drugs to give him an advantage over his sporting opponents then it is no one's business but his.

However, an extremely high profile sporting star such as Andrew is looked up to by many children and if this information is released into the press, children may think it is ok to take drugs. This sort of thing should be strictly kept in his own personal life and it would be his problem as a person, not as a rugby superstar.

I do not think the sporting players should be tested for recreational drugs that do not give them an advantage over their opponents. As I have already said, it is their personal lives that are effected by recreational drugs, not their sporting lives. I don't condone recreational drugs but I believe it is everyone's personal choice and they have the right to make that choice for themselves.

PEACE OUT YA'LL

BOOK VS MOVIE!!!

What Is Better? A book or a movie based on a book?

That is the question.

The answer is debatable.

Many people have searched for this answer and finally one man has the final say.

ME!

There are many pro and cons on each side of this fence but I believe that the answer is clear. I believe that a movie outweighs a book because of many reasons. First of all I do not overly enjoy reading so that is the first tick for movies. I also believe that I take in alot more information when it is visual.

Books are good however for developing people's reading and writing skills. Reading can also increase your vocabulary and help you at school.

For example I read the novel Holes in English a few years ago and lost interest halfway through the book. Then later in the year we watched a movie based on the book and I loved it. I have now watched it many times and still enjoy it whereas I couldn't even read the book once.

The best thing about movies is that even if the movie is bad you still get the visual image of what is going on whereas if the book is bad you sometimes can't even picture what is going on. I also enjoy watching movies with family and friends but I do not enjoy reading with other people or having a book read to me. However, reading is more of a private thing and can be good when you want to relax and have some peace and quiet.

Overall though I believe a movie is better than a book.

HANDS IN THE BACK RULE!!!

This year the Australian Football League has introduced a new rule regarding putting your hands in another players back during a contest. The old rule states that you cannot push another player in the back but the new rule states that you cannot even put your hands on their back, even if you are not pushing them.

I believe that this rule is a stupid rule because it is eliminating some of the best "hangers" (when a player takes a mark up another player's back) in our game today. One example of this is when Brett Burton took a spectacular mark up his opponent's back which is legal but because he used his hands in his opponent's back to steady himself, the mark was not paid. This was regarded one of the worst decisions of the season and this crazy new rule is to blame. Brett did not push his opponent at all which is the most annoying thing. This mark could have been a contender for mark of the year and Brett could have had an easy shot at goal but instead the ball was turned over and the opposition cleared out of defense. Spectacular marks are one of the most appealing skills of Australian Rules football and we should not be making it harder for our players to create such magic!

Another downside to this rule is that it is making it impossible for backmen to defend forwards. The forwards are so protected now by the hands in the back rule and backmen are having a lot more trouble stopping them without giving away free kicks. I believe this rule should be seriously reviewed by the AFL board and maybe even scrapped entirely.

HOLIDAYS BLOG!!!!

Dear Mr. Choonglau,



I have recently read a manuscript by Michael Panckridge and would like to reccommend it to you for publishing. It is titled "Clearing the Pack" and is a part of a four book series called the "Legend" series. They are all about different sport comopetitions in a school and this novel focuses on Aussie Rules football. A group of young boy's are competiting to become the school's "legend of football" which is determined through various activies like a quiz on football, a skills test and performance in games. The main character of the novel, Mitch, has a good chance of becoming the legend of football but is forced to pull out of the competition when a bully threatens to bash his friends. Mitch must either choose his friends or the football competition.

I believe that this book will appeal to children and teens, especially boys who like footy as it has a really sporty aspect to it and even takes you through a few footy matches. This book should be published because it is short and an easy read, therefore it will appeal to young people because it is something that they can finish easily even if they don't have great reading skills. Other books by Michael Panckridge have previously sold well including others in the 'Legend' series and this book should be no exception. Michael has great writing talents and has even co-authored with Australian cricket superstar, Brett Lee. When being read, this book creates a great visual image in your mind of what is going on and this will also be great for young children. If it was up to me I would definately publish this book and I highly reccommend you doing so.

Yours Sincerely,
Todd Fischer

~~~~~~PEAK ADVENTURE~~~~~~

Next week I am heading off on Peak Adventure to go rock climbing in the Grampians. I chose to go on this activity because I enjoy the novelty rock climbers that you see at shows and carnivals and I thought that this would be a good chance to experience the real thing. The main thing that I believe will be hard is cooking for myself for a week. I have never even cooked a main meal! The fact that we will be climbing massive rock faces, up to 90 metres high may also be a little bit challenge. Just a little bit. I also think that I may struggle with the cold. It will be freezing in the Grampians!

I believe that the best part of Peak Adventure will be cooking your food each night with your partner. You will also find out things about your friends that you would otherwise not have known. It is important to challenge yourself and come out of your comfort zone because if you never put yourself to the test you will not know your limitations. You may find out strengths about yourself that could help you in the future.

Shakespeare

Hello bloggers today I am going to write a post about Shakespeare. I have never read one of his poems or plays and I have never been to one of his plays so I can't really say that I know much about his work. I have seen the movie "Ten Things I Hate About you" which is a modern version of Shakespeare's work and seeing that I haven't seen any of his work I can't tell if I have seen any other modern versions.

All that I know about Shakespeare is that he was born in Stratford-upon-Avon and that he wrote many plays and poems. I have heard of some of his plays like Julius Caeser and Shakespeare in Love but have never had the chance to watch them.



I would not really be interested in acticng in the Macbeth play as I only like acting in things like comedies. Supposedly, saying the name "Macbeth" inside a theater will bring bad luck to the play and anyone acting in it. The only exception is when the word is spoken as a line in the play.

BOOKS AND BOYS

After reading then books and boys blog I believe that it was created to raise awareness to the importance of reading and to try and interest boys by using popular subjects.

The slogan that they use is "readers are the leaders others follow" and I believe that this means that people who read gain intelligence through the books and better english skills which sort of gives them an edge over people who don't.

I believe that boys who want to start to read more would be interested in this blog because it talks about ways to make reading more fun and gives good recommendations on novels that boys might like.

I read the entry on the 'National Turn off T.V. Week' and it talks about a week in the year where people are encouraged to turn off their televisions and "READ A MOVIE." It also lists some interesting novels that may interest young boys.

I found this list particularly interesting as I am looking for new books to read and browsing the shelves isn't working too well.

I did not feel inclined to post a comment because they way that the writer wrote made me feel like he was talking to a large audience and not me personally.

BOOK HUNTING!!!

The species of animal called Todd does not venture out of his burrow often to go book hunting but when he does it is a memorable occasion. The Todd uses quite odd yet modern methods while hunting for the tastiest book in the wild. He starts off by thinking what is on the menu to hunt for, whether it be a sporting book or a funny novel and proceeds to sneak up in front of a catalogue and uses it to its full potential. The Todd likes to write things that interest him into the subject box and waits to see what pops up. For example he might write in Aussie Rules and find out where to find books on this topic. Another technique that the Todd likes to use is by just using his sharp eyes and browsing for a delicious novel. The Todd tends to choose prey on their front covers and he listens to fellow species who recommend certain novels. He uses these methods as that is the way the rest of his pack hunts for books and because he does not know know any other techniques.

The techniques that the Todd uses are not always successful as he judges prey on it's cover. This oftens leads him to finding prey that is not tasty and boring. He also never tries any new subjects which also prevents him from finding a good feed. He persists with these techniques however, because he is a lazy species and cannot be bothered learning any new methods.

The novel that the Todd is currently feasting upon is a tasty one about Aussie Rules and how to play your position. He found this novel in the jungles of the catalogue and is enjoying reading it. The Todd would recommend this to anyone who loves footy and he would go about this by telling his pack as his friends also like footy.

Harj

Hello fellow bloggers,
I hope you have all been keeping yourselves safe and happy!
Well today I am goin to tell you about a boy called Harj who is the main character in the book Two-Timer by Bali Rai. Harj is a teenager who is always thinking about girls but he usually doesn't have much luck with them. He lives in England and I know this because of some of the descriptions in the story and because he says the word "fit" all the time, which is what people from England use instead of hot or beautiful. Harj has friends who get girlfriends all the time but he never can until one week where he gets asked out by two "fit" girls. He couldn't say no to either of them so he has to try and sneak around as a two-timer.

I think the author made Harj a young, teenage boy because alot of stuff happens to guys at this age and they really start to worry about girls. I believe that this age group is a really interesting subject to talk about as I am about the same age as Harj would be. I think the author was trying to aim this book at adolescents of both gender because they can relate to the story.

I think that if the protagonist in this story was a female the story would change a fair bit because girls face alot of different issues at this time e.g they care alot more about their physical appearance and what they wear than guys. I think that this would become a prominent issue if the gender was changed but the idea of trying to get a date would still be in the book as i think that girls worry about this too.

Blogging or diaries?

In class the other day we looked at two different texts, one diary entry and one blog post. I think that people would choose to have a blog because this way many people can read and respond to your entries. This could be helpfull if you were unsure about anything or wanted to hear about other people's opinion's. Having a blog could help you make friend's with others that have common lives and interests.

A blog is different to a diary because a diary is much more personal and private. Diaries cannot be viewed by many people whereas blogs can be read by anyone. When writing a blog I think you would leave out personal or even embarrasing information, whereas in a diary you wouldn't because usually only you would read it.

I read a blog that was written by Lil' Boosie. This blog was basically all about advertising rappers and talking about upcoming albums and concerts. This blog was getting many comments from fans and people who enjoy their music. The blog had an awesome header and layout deign which attracted people to the blog. They did not seem to update their blog very often, maybe once a month.

Peace Out
Todd

Short Stories

The first short story I read was "Two-Timer" by Bali Rai. It is a part of the Barrington Stoke series. It was about a boy named Harj who was watching all of his friends getting girlfriends, while he was left wondering if he would ever be able to get one. To Harj's surprise one day at school he was asked out by one of the most beautiful girl's in his school. As if this wasn't enough, only few days later, Harj was asked out by another beautiful girl from another school. He could not resist and took on the challenge of becoming a "Two-Timer." At first Harj found this to be easy and even liked to think of it as a game. As lies compounded however, he found that he was getting closer and closer to getting caught. Will Harj continue as a successful two-timer or will he be caught out red-handed? You will have to read yourself to find out!

The second book I read was called "Twist Cottage" by Anthony Horowitz. It is a part of the After Dark series and has two short stories. The first story is about a young boy who loves living alone with Dad in a modest house. One day his Dad re-marries with a lady who ends up ruining their lifes. She spends all their money and tries to change everything. One day they move to a cottage which has had a history of all the female owner's dying in horrible accidents. The second story is about a young, spoilt girl who thinks she deserves everything. One day her father decides to sell her to a cannibal restaurant, which his brother owns. Will she be on the menu?

The thing I liked about the first book was how it had a guy in it who was about the same age as me. I liked how it featured parties and girl's. In the second book i liked the first story about the boy because I never knew what was going to happen next and it excited me.

I did have any dislikes in the first book but I did in the second. The story about the girl was just too stupid because I could not see how a father could sell his daughter to a canniball restaurant, no matter how annoying she was. This story was just too unreal and had not many successful features.

I enjoyed reading short stories because you can finish these books in a short time and move onto different books. This was good because I am not the fastest reader and it helped me to not get bored with the story-line. I think that I will choose more books from this section again because they are easier to read than large novels.

Am I a reader?

Reading.... I cant say that reading is my favourite passtime as I rarely find time to fit it in. I also find it hard to get motivated enough to go and borrow a quality book from the library, but when I do decided to borrow a book or get forced by a teacher I find that I actually enjoy it. Usually when it is a good book i can't put it down and spend excessive amounts of time reading.

I enjoy reading the sports section of the paper most mornings and magazines like "zoo" or "FHM", I suppose I don't actually read those last two. Novels that interest me usually have to have sports or people my age in them, I also like reading biographies about people that I know a little about.

The best book that I have ever read would have to be Steve Waugh's Autobiography. The main reason was because it captured sport and other things that interest me. I managed to read this massive book in about 3 days which shows how much I enjoyed it. Well it was either that or the fact that I was staying at my grandparent's house and had nothing better to do.

Well that's about all I have to say about me as a reader so I am going to go and eat or something.