Lela’s blog =]

On the 13 of August the most of Te Awamutu Intermediate participated in cross country.  The year 8 girls had to run first while we were all waiting in the ALC in our houses.  The next to run was the year 7 boys, then year 7 girls(me) then the year 8 boys.  When it was my turn to run we had to run around the courts three times to warm up then we all lined up from people who wanted to come in the first ten at the front.  I lined up at the front then we started, I kept with the front people then slowly everybody started to separate and I was coming second.  We were on our way around Hazel mere Crescent and Megan was in front of me.  I started getting tired when I was running up Raikes Avenue and Shanae past me, same with Taylor and I was coming third.  Once we had got up to Sherwin Park I was coming eighth and I saw the end and I sprinted hard and made my way to seventh placing.  I got into Inter-Intermediate cross country which will be on Tuesday.  My grandma came to watch then took me to the library and I got a library card so I could get a book out for my bookreveiw.  Ive already finished it because it was interesting.

I had a great time at crosscountry and can’t wait for next time.

On Thursday I went to Hamilton and stayed till Sunday.  On Friday it was my mums friends Mel and Johns wedding.  At about 11:00 Taylia, Maile(Mel’s children) and me went to Jay Jays and bought some pants and a shirt and then went to farmers and bought me two new pairs of shoes, I was happy about that.  At about 12:00 we had to start getting ready, Talyia gave me one of her dresses to wear.  At the wedding it only took a few minutes because it wasn’t a long one like at a church it was at a court house(or something).  After they went for the photos but mum, Leanna, Aaliyah, Dominic(friends) and me went up town to kill time before the big dinner at Valentines.  Once it was 6:00 we made our way there and when Mel came she was wearing a big cloak made out of feathers, it looked cool.  We had cups that lighted up and we could eat all we wanted.  Once we had finished eating us kids played pool till it was time to leave.  I went home and then everyone started to party, there was lots of beer and the kids played spotlight outside then danced in the lounge.  It was fun and  Talyia who is 20 invited all her friends to party in the lounge, she bought a stereo which had two small speakers, two medium speakers and two large speakers.  It was fun that night.  When it was time to sleep we watched Candyman which is a thriller and I was the only person that stayed awake till the end.

The next day I had to go for a rehearsal for a different wedding next weekend and I have to walk up the aisle first up on to the stage and we also get to go in a limo!!! I can’t wait!!

On Friday I walked down to the netball courts to trial for netball.  Just before we were about to start Mrs Hose came and said for any girls that were going to trial for basketball to come now because there was only one person there so me and Georgia and some other people went to the ALC.  Then we trialled for basketball, we have another trial on Friday.  I think I did pretty well.

After that in the next section we went down to the netball courts and I played goalkeepers against Saige who is really good, I played pretty well and got lots of intercepts.  I thought I had a good chance of getting in because I was already in inter-intermediate netball.  She said she had loads of girls trial and said she would cut the number down and have another trial to find a team for year sevens and eights.  I looked on the hall today and my name was there thankfully.  The next trial is tomorrow on Wednesday so I hope I get in!!

In the first week of the holidays my mothers friend Liana and her kids Dominic and Aaliyah came to stay at my house.  They were supposed to sleep down stairs but they ended up all sleeping in my bedroom and messing up my just finished clean room.  In the second week Dominic, Pare(my friend) and me were signed up for the holiday programme every week day at the museum from 10:30-12:00.  On the Monday we didn’t go because mum said she didn’t book it.  On Tuesday we learnt about the Finn brothers.  We did puzzles and a treasure hunt which when it was completed you got to put your name in a draw to win the amazing ultimate prize which was ultimate because you got to pick whether you wanted the 5 free swims, the Yahtzee pen, $10 for Bees n Butter cups or a pack of cards that came with instructions to play a fictional creature game.  We got our word correct and put our names in the draw.  The word was “Neil & Tim”.  At the end the instructor Alan pulled out a name from the box and Dominic won 5 free passes to the pools.  Later on that day we went to the pools and met this girl and her cousin, we played with them.  Once we had finished swimming we went next door and played basketball.  That was fun!.  The next days were the same and we learned about the history of Maori, birds and we did weaving with flax and I made a headband and a bracelet.

On Friday Dominic and me went to stay at Pare’s house till Sunday.  We fed the chickens and goats and cats.  They have seven cats and two of them are girls and the rest are boys!

They have sky television and we watched lots of movies on it.  I had a fun time and I want to go back to their house soon.

My goals for term 1 are…

1. I aim to get into the netball and basketball team for the really good people by practicing in my hoop at home every day and keeping fit.

I have got into the inter-intermediate netball team and hope to get into the basketball team too by practicing in my hoop at home in spare time.

.2.  I aim to play a proper song apart from Mary had a little lamb on my flute by practicing every night when I have spare time and learning the notes of by heart.

I have been practicing on my flute and now know all the notes off by heart and can play many songs.

3. I aim to pick up from where I left in my karate and hope to grade into my white belt really soon by going to the dojo every Tuesday and Thursday without missing one night.

I do not do Karate anymore because I had too much activities on on Tuesdays and thursdays but I hope that all my sports will take the place of where I used to do karate.

4. I aim to gain confidence when I am speaking in front of the class and speak clear and loud by starting with talking in front of my friends then gradually bigger audiences.

I have gained a little confidence over the two terms I have been at TAI but still need to practice speaking confidently in bigger groups.

5. I aim to know my division of by heart practicing at my house every night maybe when I am doing chores.

I have been learning new strategies at school and know most of my division.

6. I aim to read more books then I usually do by taking ten or fifteen minutes out of my spare time at home and read, maybe before I go to bed.

I have really improved on my reading and read many books now before I go to bed and when I wake up.

7. I aim to get all my work done on time by making a schedule at home and not mucking around in class.

I haven’t got one highlighter mark since the first term because I have been making schedules and working on my homework a couple of weeks before it is due.

8. I aim to learn the opening and closing karakia off by heart by taking a copy home and practicing infront of my mum.

I know the opening and closing karakia off by heart now because I learn maori with Donalda and Jess and practice it at home.

9. I aim to learn how to say one whole sentence about myself in french by practicing and listening when Mrs Shaw is teaching us french.

I have improved a lot in French with Mrs Shaw and I know how to say my name, my age, how to spell my name and how to ask others about themselves.

At school we are having a science fair and everyone has to participate.  My science fair question is “what effect do salt levels have on water boiling times?”. I finished it on the day that it was due but it was because it was due on a Monday and in the weekend I lost my conclusion and had to print it off again at school.  Today we set our boards up in the ALC and im glad that I finished it on time.

Today I also finished my report on Tibet and im happy because I don’t have anymore work to do for the rest of this term! 

On the 26th of June Te Awamutu Intermediate held a school 70’s disco.  I went dressedwith a greeny wavy top with black tights and my friend wore a big orange jumpsuit with a black wig, she won one of the best costumes.  I had two dollars to spend and I bought chocolate.  At first I was didn’t really dance but after a while I was dancing with my friends.  I had a great time and once it was 9:00 me and my friend were afraid that our parents would come in and “bust a move” so we ran away.  I had had an awesome time and can’t wait for the next one!

On the 19th of December I am going to be flying over to Tonga to visit my nana and grandpa.                 My dad who lives in Australia is going to pick pick me up also with my stepmother and two                 half brothers, and we are going to fly there together.  I am really excited but it is still half a year away.  The last time I went to Tonga was 3-5 years ago and the last time I saw my dad was 2 or 3 years ago so I am looking forward to seeing them all!! In Tonga I always get badly sunburnt and my skin peels off and I can’t get to bed because it’s so painful.  Most of the time it’s because I forget to put sunblock on.  Sometimes my skin will peel off in little pathches and it will look absoloutely terrible.  This time I hope I won’t get sunburnt!

Title: the Lake at the end of the world

Author: Caroline MacDonald

Publisher: Viking O’Neil

N.0 pages: 184

Genre: adventure

ISBN: 0 340 42721 3

This story’s about a boy Hector who lives in a city of 102 people in darkness underground and manages to find his way up to the outside where he meets Diana, a girl whose family is the only people left alive from the terrible disease that has spread everywhere.  Hector lives with them for a couple of months and gets used to the life styles of which they live and realizes that some things need to be changed down below where he lives.

My favourite part of this book is when Diana and Hector first meet, because they think so little of each other and are scared to go near each other because of what they have been told of the disease, but that changes throughout the story and they become great friends as if they were brother and sister.

My favourite character would be Diana because she is kind and adventurous and was caring towards Hector, like when he first arrived at her house she looked after him till he was healthy and fit again.  I also like it how she was the only person out of 102 people that was underground to have the courage to stand up to the evil counsellor that was ruining all their lives.

The character that I disliked would be the counsellor because he is selfish and greedy and only thinks of himself.  He ruins happy families and persuades people to stay underground but will imprison them down there FOREVER.  I think that this is terrible and he deserved to die after he took lots of lives and made everyone obey him as if he were king.  I think that he is a evil genius and actually killed himself, because he is the culprit who flooded the underground city which killed himself.

 The event that hooked me into this book was the big flood. It got me thinking “were they going to survive?’, “If they die will humans be extinct?” it was all exciting and made me want to read more.  

I like this book because it was really interesting and in every chapter there was something new and exciting to read about.  Once you understand it, it hooks you in like a fish. 

If there was one thing I could change in this book it would be the beginning, because I couldn’t understand it properly till the next chapter.  But from then on it was great!                                                                                                                 

On the 15 June Te Awamutu Soldiers went to Minogue Park for a netball competition.  Our first game was against a mostly boys netball team and we won with about 10 goals difference, our next game we won with 4 or 5 goals difference against Raglan then 1 goal difference against Paterangi which took us into the semi-finals.  We played TAI Demons, it was the hardest game we had ever played! Once the buzzer for the end of the game had gone it was a draw, we had to keep playing till one team was two goals up.  The first to get a goal was their team, then we got a goal, then they got a goal and both teams were playing as if our lives at risk.  No one could make a mistake or else it all would have been over.  We got a goal and tried so hard not to let the other team get the ball.  When the ball was down in our goal circle their defence was trying really hard to get the ball but our team was trying harder, Kendal got the ball and tried to shoot a goal and she scored!! My whole team was crying (except for me because I don’t cry in public) and was so happy that we got into the final.  We had played on another 15-20 minutes and had our final 5 minutes after that.  We were tired but still went on.  One of our players couldn’t't play because she had a black eye from the semi-final.  For the final we played Okapu juniors. In the first half we were up 4 goals and it went quite quickly.  They weren’t as hard as the previous game but in the second half they were much harder.  The final went so fast and we won it.  At prize giving we won a hat and a drink each and the team won sports bag.  On the way home we had a ice-cream from Mac Donald’s then I fell asleep at home.