Matainui

I have started a new blog for our class writing, a story of survival that intertwines with everyone in my class's.
It is for my Matainui story, and to visit it, click anywhere on this post!

New blog

I have created a new blog for our class topic: Sustainabillity. It is for all the work we are doing in class, my own environmental endeavors, and some information about sustainability, our environment, and the economy etc...
To make it easy to access my new blog, you could visit my profile and follow the link to my new blog, but to make it easier, this whole post is a link to the website.
If you want to visit it via the address bar, just enter "sustainabilityinnz.blogspot.com".
Quote of the day: When a thing ceases to be a subject of controversy, it ceases to be a subject of interest. - William Hazlitt

Mobile Blogging

I have been meaning to try mobile blogging for a while, and I just managed to get round to setting it up. It is a feature where you send a photo to Blogger and they post it straight on to your blog, unfortunately, I believe this also reveals what you sent it from (Email, Cellphone, etc ...). I did not want this to reveal my details when I did so, so I configured it to save it as a draft so I can edit it before it posts. Mobile blogging seems like a great tool, and you can set up “Mobile Blogging Agents” who can post from “the field” (Winged Hussars blog, Blog Field Resistance comes to mind), by sending a picture to the address [classified].

If you set it up through your dashboard, in the top right hand corner there is a small music player thing that plays a cool jingle: *snap a photo and type some text, send it to Blogger and we’ll do the rest*.

I hope to be mobile blogging soon and I hope at least one of the readers of my blog will be looking forward to it!!

Quote of the day: The road to hell is paved with adverbs. - Stephen King

Traits of a Successful Learner

In class and at home we made a presentation about successful learners, their traits, and all the other things that make up great/intelligent people. Ours was a PowerPoint, and we made one about all the different types of learners (Leader, Quiet, Risk-taker, Team Player, ME). Unfortunately, I can't figure out how to upload that to Blogger, though I am working on another way to get it on the web...
There are numerous ways to recognize great people, from all throughout the ages. Renzulli’s triad of multiple intelligences, the 16 Habits of Mind, the NZ Curriculum Key Competencies, Blooms Taxonomy (classification, not stuffing animals).
This post may seem a bit weird, but it was set as homework by my teacher, Mr Woody. There are numerous examples of brilliant people nowadays, but now people only excel in one area, back in the time of Leonardo Da Vinci, or other such people, there were geniuses who dabbled in a little bit of just about everything.
Renzulli’s triad ties in with this quite a bit so…

The 16 Habits of Mind are super important for this so here they are:

Persistence, sticking to it and remaining focused and being willing to follow it through to the end. Managing Impulsivity, not calling out or being disruptive and thinking before acting. Listening, being understanding of who you are listening to and empathise to make an effort to perceive another's thoughts. Thinking Flexibly, look at a problem or challenge differently and be able to change your view or way of thinking. Now I’m sure that I could go on like this and bore you to death, so I’ll skip to the next paragraph. To view the rest of the Habits of Mind, CLICK HERE!!!
One of my modern greats would have to be Barack Obama, who won the US election late last year, and was sworn in as the first black president of the US in January this year.

Quote of the day: History is the version of past events that people have decided to agree upon. - Napoleon Bonaparte

More about my Aim

If you are a long-time reader of this blog, you will know that I set an aim to get as many views as possible from around the world. This aim is coming along nicely, and I am slowly becoming a bit more recognised globally. Last time I checked, I had had views from about 7 countries worldwide, most of whom I knew (As I told Bubbles, "I have sent my URL to friends and family round the world, and hopefully they still check their emails. I sent it to people from Aussie, Ireland, quite a few in England and NZ, Germany, Canada, and also other places that I can't remember"). Although there has been a few mystery views, like my dot from the US and A, who must have got on to my blog somehow.
Quote of the day: If not actually disgruntled, he was far from being gruntled. - P. G. Wodehouse

SCIENCE!!!!

To science we owe a lot. If no-one discovered science, we would be without most technologies such as: TV, Computers, Microwaves, Fridges/Freezers, CDs, DVDs, Electricity, and probably even Toasters.
Science is a hugely vast subject, it's offshoots include: Astronomy, Chemistry (Organic, non-Organic, and a couple more), Mechanical science, Engineering, Electronics, Biology, Microbiology, Marine Biology, Natural sciences, Medical science/Health science, Mathematics, and hundreds more.
Without science the world would be nothing, I don't know if we would even have concrete. So I say it again: WE OWE SCIENCE A LOT!!
Some may blame scientists for causing environmental disasters, but I thank them for the things they have done. Some people have called scientists "evil", but without them we wouldn't have the technology that so many people use so often. Cellphones, TVs, printers, the lists go on and on...
Scientists are the coolest people ever, but not everyone is a scientist, so say "Hi" and try to be helpful if you see one doing an experiment, survey, or simply walking around.
Quote of the day: Football is a mistake. It combines the two worst elements of American life. Violence and committee meetings.
- George F. Will

Incredibots

I play this cool as game called Incredibots, and you build robots to either do challenges, or just to play with. If you do the tutorials it will explain the whole game. If you go into "Sandbox mode" and "Load robot" you can play with a bunch of other peoples robots, and some are even games and stuff. I hope this appears as a link not a bunch of HTML:

Play'>http://www.xgenstudios.com/play/incredibots">Play Incredibots

This did not work properly, I have included a widget with the link below.
Quote of the day: Fall not in love, therefore; it will stick to your face.
- National Lampoon

Silly Census

Warning: This post may contain incorrect information, and I am sorry if I offend anyone.
Have you ever done a census? Unless you are under the age of 4, you should have done one before. You know, one of those things where you put your name, age, D.O.B. and lots more. Do you remember that part where you have to put your religion? Well here in NZ we only get choices of the usual ones, like Christianity, Buddhist, Muslim. In some other countries, like the US (I think, not quite sure), there are much cooler religions to choose from. You could be a Jedi Knight, and worship the Force, or Yoda (or something). You could be a Spaghetti-ist and worship the Spaghetti Monster. Like Winged Hussar said, you could be a Pastafarian. There are so many cool religions on offer, and none of the cool ones are in NZ!!! May the Force be with you.
Quote of the day: There are three rules for writing the novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are. - W. Somerset Maugham

My Cats!!!

Here are some pics of my cats :-). The tortoiseshell cat (white, cream, brown and grey coloured) is named Tatty Cat, and the tabby cat (brown and black striped) is named Scooter. Here are the pics:

This is Scooter asleep, and my brother put a little hat on her

Here Tatty is viewing my blog :-)

Here Tatty and Scooter are asleep next to each other, strange, they are normally fighting

In these pictures, Tatty decided to sit in the sheet that was on the washing line, crazy cat

Here Scooter is yawning, she just woke up after her long nap.

I hope you like my cats, they are the best cats in the world, and I love them lots!!! 8-)

Quote of the day: I can resist anything except temptation - Oscar Wilde

Rain, horrible rain!

I absolutely, completely and utterly dislike, show no affection for, or even slightly like the rain. I hate it when it is just pouring down, soaking everything and making everyone miserable. The endless stream of water falling, falling, and still falling that dampens everyone and their spirits. Cold rain that chills you to the core. Hard rain that stings like stones. Drizzle that makes you feel unhappy and sad. Warm rain that takes so long to dry. I hate rain.
Quote of the day: To err is human - and to blame it on a computer is even more so. - Robert Orben

Shiny rocks

I am not the sort of silly person who collects rocks because they are shiny, I collect various types of rocks, and I am more interested in the way they were formed than how shiny they are. I do not mean to say that I don't like shiny rocks, but I do not want it to appear like I am a shallow person who collects 'pretty' objects. I have a large collection of geologic rocks, most of which are shiny, but this is just by coincidence. I weigh my rocks, and they weigh about 1.65 kilograms. I have been collecting my rocks for about 3 years now, and I have a whole lunchbox full of obsidian, quartz, granite (possibly) and lots more that I dont know the name of. My teacher has a box full of granite and quartz and hybrid-strange-rocks in our classroom, there are so many types of rocks that basic geology must be really hard!!
Quote of the day: A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a simple system that works. - John Gaule

Swimming Sports 8-(

Today at school we had swimming sports. I do not particulary like swimming or sports, and I dislike the combination of the two even more. I participated in the first boys race, the freestyle stroke. I had a bad start, and my 'dive' ended up leaving me blinded, and with every one else a few metres ahead. When I was around halfway down the pool (everybody else was about three-quarters) I accidentally swallowed some water, and it got into my lungs. I stopped, and was gagging, choking, and coughing, and by the time I was feeling well enough to continue, all other competitors had finished. So I was floundering along, with a wretching cough all the while, and managed to get to the end. When I got out I developed chestpains, and a sore stomach. By the time I was feeling better (about two hours later), it was final time, and there was no races to participate in, and absolutely nothing to do. After the finals, there was the fun races, widths of the pool instead of lengths. I participated in the freestyle (again, but a width this time), and had another bad start, and tied for last. Overall, I hated swimming sports, did not have a good time there, and I am not looking foward to any similar event next year at high school.
Quote of the day: Never try to tell everything you know. It may take too short a time. - Norman Ford

More about my class

My class is still totally cool, a few days later. We are still doing awesome stuff, and even now I do not understand the awesomeness of our teacher and all my fellow classmates. I seriously recommend that you go into my profile, and follow one of the links to their great blogs. As we are an accelerate (pronounced ak-SELL-ar-at) class, we are all brainy learners. This helps us understand the world, study it, empathise with it, and help make it a better place. This year we shall do just that, and with Mr Woody as our teacher, anything is possible!
Quote of the day: It's not a matter of whether or not someone's watching over you. It's just a question of their intentions. - Randy K. Milholland

Bush Dwellers

On camp soon we are gonna be going on "OVERNIGHT". Overnight is super fun 'cause you get to sleep in tents or shelter somewhere where we are gonna be surviving on our own wits and how much we can carry in our backpacks (insert dramatic instrumental). Just kidding, but we will be tramping and living in the bush overnight. Last year at Port Waikato overnight was so much fun, and I reckon this year at Pauanui will be even more fun. 8-)
Quotes of the day: I told the doctor I broke my leg in two places. He told me to quit going to those places. - Henny Youngman
Anyone can do any amount of work provided it isn't the work he is supposed to be doing at the moment. - Robert Benchley
When ideas fail, words come in very handy. - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Dan Brown and stuff

Have you ever read any Dan Brown books? If you haven't, you should definitely try them! They are really good books and full of action, mystery, puzzles (and maybe a bit of romance). I am currently reading The Da Vinci Code for the 3rd time, and I am still enjoying it. He has written the Robert Langdon series, which consists of Angels and Demons, The Da Vinci Code, and soon to be released, The Solomon Key (I have been waiting for it for ages, and I hope it comes out soon). He has also written two stand-alone novels, which are Digital Fortress and Deception Point.
(Off Topic) You should all check out one of the blogs that I follow called "Green Grass and Rainbows". That Blogger has some really good points and views, same with "dragonrider" and "The Unknown Blog".
Quote of the day: Before I met my husband, I'd never fallen in love, though I'd stepped in it a few times. - Rita Rudner

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

I just created this blog, so im just getting the hang of it, and its awesome