Chewing Gum

It was a foggy night when kyosuke looked out of his bedroom window. He recalled the memories when every one was talking about how good his brother was in the soccer champions league. He just hated that.

The Big Game against Ginho High was tomorrow. As a team member of Orange Hill High, he would not want to lose for the second time. The last game was close, so close that Kyosuke will never forget. It was a few seconds until full time when Ginho High’s captain used an easy strategy against them. This trick made Orange Hill High’s defender puzzled, scoring a muddled goal for the opposition.That was it. They need to win tomorrow, no matter what it takes.

It’s early in the morning when Kyosuke woke up for a quick stretch just before breakfast. There was Mikki (Kyosuke’s girlfriend) standing in the fields, thinking of how the match would end. “Why are you always so worried when I play a match?” asked Kyosuke. She did not answer.

As Kyosuke entered the game field, he looked around carefully…getting a close look of the grounds. He was a great forward and can play really well when he concentrated. Then, they went to the change rooms where he put on his Number 9 jersey. When he came out, the other team was already there…waiting for them. The roar cheering was so loud that Kyosuke couldn’t hear himself think of a good tactic.

The game started and went by really fast. Nearly two times Ginho High scored a close goal, but Kyosuke would never let that happen. It was half time and still it was Nil all. They needed to think of a tactic…and fast.

After a while, they were back on the field. Kyosuke can hear Mikki cheering for him. All of a sudden, when Kyosuke was dribbling the ball, he tricked the other players and performed a fast attack. But, since the opposition’s captain is also a good defender, he blocked it and the ball was kicked all the way to the other side of the field.

Kyosuke ran after the ball. What all the spectators could see was Kyosuke and his orange hair, running so fast that they nearly couldn’t see him. The stadium’s clock showed that there was only 2 minutes left. Since Kyosuke was a phyically active person, he dribbled the ball all the way back to the oppsition’s side, dodging all the tackling.

As soon as he knew that he was close enough to the goal, he performed a power shot and the ball was sent flying into to the goal. The whistle blew and Orange Hill High won this season’s game. It was a memorial moment for him, which he wanted to share with…Mikki.

It was the worst day of my life today. What’s so good about felt-tip pens…it’s not like I can’t afford one.

It was just after lunch when our teacher Mrs Olive was reading down the roll to check who had received a felt-tip pen from her or not. Everybody got one except for me and another girl-Linda Losley.

She said that we had to write the alphabet perfectly. Linda kept on writing “Z” backwards and just cannot change this bad habit. As for me, my Os are always the other way around, and somehow the teacher always knows. Just after she read down the roll, Linda burst out crying. “But miss, I will never be able to get the pen because writing “Z” backwards is my thing!” she said. Mrs Olive replied, “Oh sweetheart, I know you have tried very hard.” Then, she went over to Linda, rubbed her on the head and gave her a blue pen.

I yelled out, “But miss-it’s not fair!” Mrs Olive gave me that look as if she was trying to tell me, ‘Go on…if you cry then I’ll give you a pen as well.” I was thinking to myself ‘get that look off your face.’ I ended up not crying…you should have seen the disappointed look on her face!

As soon as i got home, i went to the stationery shop with my dad and FINALLY i bought my first pen. School the following day was very hilarious. I took out my new pen in class and purposely showed it to the teacher. She couldn’t do anything about it. I scribbled on my book, then the table, and even on my pencilcase.

But, since I was left-handed, the ink was smeared all over my book when i wrote…making it look messy. I then thought of something splendid. I went to the stationery shop again and bought a rubber pen…so now, i have a normal pen and rubber pen.

How would you know, the teacher even gave me the felt-tip pen she gave to everyone else.

Roald Dahl (1916-1990) was best known as an author who wrote children’s stories. His stories were based on quirky and dark funny tales which made him a popular children’s author during the 20th Century. 

He began his career as a salesman for Shell Petroleum in Africa but this career was interrupted by World war II; this event made him join the Royal Air Force as a pilot. From there, he met CS Forester who encouraged him to write about the war. His experiences of the air force were written down in his book “Going Solo.” Dahl’s early tales were mostly short stories for adults. He began to write stories for children in the 1960s. His first book was James and the Giant Peach which was published in 1961. From then on, he continued his children story writing career and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory became his best well-known book.

Roald Dahl married twice. His first marriage was with actress-Patricia Neal but divorced in 1983. He then married Felicity Crossland the same year.

He has two Norwegian parents. He was named after a national hero Roald Amundsen. In 1920, his 7 year old sister passed away due to appendicitis; approximately a month later, his dad died of pneumonia at the age of 57. Roald Dahl first attended Llandaff Cathedral school where he and four of his friends were caned for putting a dead mouse in a jar of lollies at the local sweet shop, owned by an old woman named Mrs Pratchett.

After that, he was sent to many boarding schools where he met many unpleasant experiences in his life. He was so homesick that he wrote a letter home to his mother almsot every day. But, sadness swept over him when his mother died and he realised that she had kept all the letters in a small bundle. His adolescent years and summer holidays were spent in his parents’ mative Norway. His childhood life was sritten in his book-”Boy.” Roald Dahl’s work should be greatly appreciated and cherished.  

http://www.answers.com/topic/roald-dahl

Steve Irwin (1962-2006) lived his life with pride and honor. He grew up at his parent’s wildlife park, when he took over it her renamed it Australian Zoo; everything went well according to his leadership. 

Steve’s famous cry “crikey” made him a famous celebrity as well as a crocodile hunter. He was a hero as well as a role model for many and the biggest of the daddies for the crocs. His passion affected a lot of people’s thought about life and some have changed their lifestyles to become one of him.                                       

 Steve Irwin hosted many wildlife shows which provided a wide forum of educational information for children as well as grown-ups. Australia had been through a lot of memorable moments through his life and should stay for a long period of times, his name may be unknown to many but to the people who know him, he holds the most passionate, fearlessness and heroic manners. But what made his life even more worthy was that he met his true love and had two children with her. His life included his most important people-wife Terri, daughter Bindi and son Robert, or best known as Bob for many. In 2004, he was criticized for feeding the crocodiles while holding his son in is hands, but he proclaimed that his Bob was never in danger. 

But a tragedy ended his adventurous life as he was hosting a show for his daughter-Bindi. On September the 4^th, just after Father’s Day, he was killed while filming marine life in Cairns, Queensland. A stingray barb was penetrated into his heart, causing a fatal wound which led to his death. 

Through this event, many were shocked and didn’t believe that their hero had passed away. It proved to the world that life doesn’t always have so many people who are as brave, fearless and as passionate as him. There might not even be a second person like him. They should love nature, just like he did so that we can preserve the world we’re living in for future generations. 

This event led me to understand that life is very short and every second may be our last moment of life. We should appreciate our family and friends as well as what we have throughout and during our life. 

http://www.answers.com/steve%20irwin 

Monday-the worst day of the week! It was a rainy day in the morning and the clouds were covering the whole sky. I didn’t feel like going to school…actually, I never feel like going to schools on Monday.

Mum was nagging me as usual, “hurry up and get dressed, you’re late for school!” I yelled back, “but mum! I have Mondayitis…I can’t go to school.” Mum came up and said that she’ll give me ten more minutes to get dressed. I had to think of something…and fast!

I went to the bathroom and had a quick shower so that my body temperature will rise (just like I’m having a fever). Mum came in ten minutes later to check if I was ready yet. “Mum, I’ve got the fever,” I said. She came and felt my forehead and said that it was a bit hot. She took my temperature and said that I did have a bit of a fever.

It was all good that I didn’t have to attend school. Later, mum came in and put an ice-pack on my head. She told me to lye in bed and stay still. But…after a while, I got bored of it. I wanted to go to school now. I went downstairs and realised that nobody was there. Maybe mum went to do shopping…I sneaked some food up to my room to eat.

It was annoying-nothing to do…since mum thinks that I’m sick now. I fell asleep. When I woke up, mum told me to take a shower and then have dinner. I looked at the clock-fifteen minutes to eight. I took a shower, then went downstairs to eat.

When I got down, mum and dad were staring at me in a weird way. “Honey, are you feeling alright?” mum said. “Yes..,” I replied. Dad gave me a mirror. I looked at my reflection and gave a scream. “I’ve got the chicken-pox!” Now I really don’t have to go to school.

Last Wednesday-on the 26th of July during periods three and four, years 7, 8 and 9 had a chance to watch a drama performance in the hall.

They started with a drama performance-”Black Makes Me Crazy.” The drama was alright but I thought it was a bit childish. The thing that annoyed me the most was when the toys/dolls kept on repeating the part-black makes me crazy…

Every time after a performance, students chatted eagerly to each other. The next performance was a dance by senior students which I thought was good because the dancers kept in time with each other. The dance lasted 2-3 minutes and it got boring a period of time.

Then, we watched another drama where people found a soccer ball but didn’t know what to do with it. They thought it was something to do with love. Everyone fought over the ball…when finally a girl snatched it off everyone else and gave it to a guy. The guy said “I’m gay.” The girl said, “but I love you.” At the end of the play, they said something about love, then it ended. I thought that the play was funny, especially when the person said he was gay.

Another dance performance was performed, and this time I thought that it was boring. The one before that was better. We then watched a different drama performance where a girl was sweeping. She daydreamed that her true love will come and dance with her. It was boring. It didn’t have much action in it-only words…I was thinking, how could she remember that much? Finally, it finished. I was very relieved that it was over.

Other dances were performed and then at last-after 10 million years, something interesting was performed. Girls wearing gold hats came out and they kept in time very well. Their dance was very entertaining but something annoyed me. The boys behind me kept on talking and distracted me from the performance. I wanted to tell them to be quiet but couldn’t be bothered.

Other dances and dramas were performed. Then, it ended. We had a chance to look at the artwork put on the wall. I recognised a piece of artwork that I drew last year and I thought that I could have done better. Masks that we made in art classes this year were also put on exhibition.

I thought that the performance was really good and hope to see something different next year. The performance that I liked best was the girls in gold hats. It was a really good experience for me, seeing how hard it was to choose dance or drama as a subject.

It happened! International Day was held on the 19th of July in Carlingford High School. International Day is a special day where different cultures and nations came together. Food stalls, karaoke, fashion shows, games and many other activities were held; a range of crafts were performed by different countries. The hosts were Sarachina Trikha and Amelia Dominy. 

A concert was held in the school hall. First, it was a fashion show and people from their countries wore costumes that represented their culture. There was an Indian Fashion show next-where Indians wore costumes that were from different parts of India. Three teachers from the school dressed up in Indian clothes as well. Duets were performed; the piano was played; Indian dances were shown; the choir sung; cheer leading was performed and other instruments such as the Korean flute were played. 

There were Germany stalls in B Block that sold black forest cakes, sausages and gelatos. An Italy stall sold garlic breads; lasagna and spaghetti. The scent of food filled the air-and nobody could resist. 

Carlingford High School’s A Block was stalls from France that sold crepes, lolly bags and sour lips. Stalls that sold chocolate sticks, kites and fish bread were held. An activity, that was-throwing a ball through the hole to get prizes was sadly, unpopular. The canteen had a basketball competition and many of the boys were very interested. Another activity was to pop balloons using darts. The balloon popping game was very popular since there was a prize behind every balloon. 

E Block was stalls of India and Hong Kong. The China stall was located outside the block. They sold sticky rice, chicken skewers, wantons and drinks such as chrysanthemum. The quad showed the lion dance, one sock competition-where the competitors had to knock down their opposition without touching the ground with their foot, cake stall and can stall. An activity called “hit down the cans” was held. The player had to knock down all the cans to get a free cupcake-but if you can’t, then they’ll just get the number of lollies depending on the number of cans they hit down. The game was surely very popular, and a lot of interested people gathered around. 

International Day was a really good day for hanging around with friends and try tastes of different countries. Surely, many people had new experiences and it seemed like everyone enjoyed it-including me. I’m sure that many people didn’t get around to all of the stalls and activities because they didn’t have enough time, but apart from that, everything else were very well prepared and played. International Day was indeed a very successful day.

The latest film that I watched was called Wild Striker or otherwise known as Hungry Heart. It is a really exaggerated animate and contains many tense and emotional situations, covering a lot of action. The main character was a guy called Kano Kyosuke who is a really talented and talkative person in a sport called soccer. He eats a lot and hides a lot of secrets which gives him a strong and unpredictable personality.

The storyline shows how the team organiser from the high school-Mori Katsuto asks him to join the team but he refuses because of a secret he hides. Mori asked him at first because he saw how powerful the power shot Kano gave out when he was angry. The ball hit the traffic light and it broke. Mori thought that he’ll make an excellent Forward. Later, the team captain from the girls soccer team-Mikki comes and try to convince him to join. But he refuses for the second time. Mikki thought that there must have been a problem that he didn’t want to share with other people. She decided to make him tell her what the problem was so that she can help him solve the problem. After a while of nagging, he thought that she was rather annoying and told her what had happened. Kano’s brother was a soccer star and was one of the best midfielders in the whole soccer world. They use go to the same primary schools and the principal had high expectations on Kano because of his brother’s fame. He soon got tired of the whole expectations issue and decided to not play soccer anymore in his whole entire life. Kano played other sports and was really good at each and every one. But, he can’t find the same leisurely feeling he had with soccer. He soon became a young man who acts strong in the outside but has a deep and unknown truth in the inside.              

After expressing his feelings to Mikki, he felt much better and soon they got very close together. Mikki told Morri to try and convince Kano again. This time, it convinced him because even the coach came.

The first day was a fine and sunny day. A great day for Kano to put on his orange jersey with honour and pride as he steps onto the green grass. The coach went up to Kano and told him to to play as back left. He refused to play because he played as Forward throughout his whole entire soccer life. They got into a fight and he made a quick decision that he’ll not play and left the field while taking off his jersey with anger. The following days, Kamata-who played as back right went to have a talk with Kano. He told him that the coach does everything a planned way and that he will not out a talented person like Kano in a position that is not good for him. They had a long chat. Kano decided to go back and play the type of soccer that he had in his dreams.

The coach was certainly glad to see that Kano had made up his mind and have decided to come back. They did some training and Kano was not very good as be a defence. But slowly, he knew the positions and got into the game. They went through a few weeks of training and then came the tournament. On the day, the coach told Kano to be a forward. Kano got into a fit and because what was the point in being a back left when he have been a forward all along? They had a short argument and then it was time for the match.

They played a rough game and Kano scored 3 goals. He was able to do that because the coach planned out everything so that he would know what tactics defenders can perform. It was the end of the match and the team defeated the opponent 3-0. It was a very happy and shown-off day for Kano.

During the year, they played a lot of games and won all of them. Mostly, the person who scored the goal was Kano. It was time for the Year 12 students to graduate and so they found a new captain for the team and 3 more team-mates. They played another half a year and then something unfortunate happened. Kano broke his leg. The other team performed a evil slide attack and hurt Kano in the leg. He groaned in agony. Kano had to go into hospital and couldn’t play soccer for 4 months! The team played 4 more teams during that period and lost all of them.

Kano was watching the news one evening when he came across an interview wit his brother. His brother was coming to Japan to play a game-it was quite a shock. 2 months later, Kano met his brother in the hospital. Kano Seisuke was his brother’s name. They met in the garden. They both had a bandaged leg. Seisuke came to see Kano and had to perform a leg operation because he had hurt himself in the world cup. They had a long talk and their relationship became more close together in those 2 weeks.

Four months later, Kano was able to play soccer again. He stepped onto the field with great pleasure, feeling the wind’s soft breeze on his face. The feeling was extremely good. That day, he scored 7 goals and beat the opponents 7-0. The next 3 matches were very good as well because he broke a world record of the most goals scored in 4 matches. He was famous on television.

He then received the news that his father was in hospital so he quickly went to see him. His father told him a really sad secret that he had in his heart for the past 20 years. Kano was not his son. Kano’s father was a soccer legend who had unfortunately passes away in a car accident. His last will was for him to take care of Kano. Kano felt a feeling of frustration, sadness and anger all at the same time. He dashed for the door. He needed time to think about the situation.

A while later, they had to play the finals against a really strong team. That night was a rainy night and Kano’s brother came as an audience to watch. First half was nil all. By the second half, the opponent shot in a goal. The the whistle was blown for the whole match. Kano fell to his knees. His brother was proud.

During the week, 2 of the people from a soccer team asked him to join their team. That soccer team was really good around the world. Kano agreed. He had to leave the following month. He went to tell Mikki. She was a bit upset. What do you think happened next?

Wild Striker is a really good animate and I will strongly recommend you to watch it. It has some effects such as when Kano broke his leg…they put a crack that filled the whole screen and the noise it made shows horror, sadness and some tense moments. It had sound effects like every time Kano scored a goal, they put the theme song in. When the opponents scored a goal, they put an evil and unhappy tone into it. The characters are also filled with human motions and can really show their feelings. Their colour range is also very good because in happy or funny moments, they added merry music and when the sad moments occur, they add sorrow music.

Wild Striker is definitely one of my favourite animates. I guarantee that after you watch it, you’ll agree with my thoughts as well. Hope I convinced in watching this fantastic animate. You’ll certainly regret it your whole life if you don’t watch it.

Yes…I mean what? Speech time is here again? So fast and sudden. What will I choose for my topic? I mean will I have time to think about it? Well, I’ve got the history and science assignment to finish and i had to study for half yearlies. But, while cleaning my turtle’s tank, I came up with an idea.

The topic that I’ll choose for my speech is “snake neck turtles.” Well…it is an okay topic isn’t it? But while having this problem solved, i came up with another problem. I’m not one of those people who is eager to do speeches and i know that i wouldn’t get a good mark. I was positively sure that Sach or Brodie will get the top marks…so what do i do? Nothing..can’t think of a solution and so, i just started to do my speech.

I bribed my brother so that I can practise in front of him and so that he can tell me what things I needed to change. I had to pay him $1 every time he listened. What a rip off! I practised in front of him more than 10 times. Every time, he told me to change this and that until finally, he said that it was perfect and nothing had to be changed anymore.

The day was here..so fast-i mean, too fast! Grace said that she’ll go after I had my go but she was too chickened out. I volunteered to go but Grace held on to my arm tightly so that I couldn’t raise my hands. But, finally she got tired and let go. I quickly raised my hands, but as soon as Grace saw that she banged the side of my hands onto the table. I got Mrs Raynor’s attention so i got up and did my speech.

I was nervous and shaky up there. Nearly 25 pairs of eyes were staring at me…oh God that was freaky. Good morning Mrs Raynor and 8R, my speech is on the snake neck turtle….Sam banged the table when it was 2 minutes as a signal which made me pause for 2 seconds . I stared at him with my evil eyes. I kept talking until I finished. My speech went for 2minutes and 58 seconds. Well, I  thought to myself-good enough.

I quickly raced back to my seat and asked Grace if it was good and she said “yeh.” Now all I have to do is watch the people that haven’t done it yet-suffer….(evil laugh)

Good morning Mrs Raynor and 8R. My speech is on the snake neck turtle. The snake neck turtle is a shy but very active creature which is found along then coasts of Eastern Australia-usually in fresh waters. Its scientific name is the Chelodina Longicollis but is usually referred to as the snake neck or long neck turtle.

This turtle has a long neck which looks like a striking snake once fully stretched out. Sometimes, its neck can be as long as its carapace. Its oval shaped shell can be as long as 300mm long and the most common colours are either creamy brown or black. They also have large web feet which helps them swim easier and strong front claws to he;p them grasp something with better grip.

They are usually found in slow moving waters such as dams, rivers, billabongs and swamps. They like soft sand for the bottom of their banks and rocks or logs for resting on when they are tired. When the weather is hot and humid, these turtle prefer going into the water to cool themselves down. But from May onwards and towards the winter season, these turtles hibernate in mud, dry sand or grass and you’ll only see their large smiley faces again when spring comes.

The snake neck turtle is a carnivore and it hunts during daytime. It hunts on shrimps, insect larvae, crayfish and frogs. Its long neck comes in handy because when it tries to catch its prey, it can strike out quickly. Once the turtle has caught its prey, it quickly draws back its head in an S shape form. Since the turtle does not have powerful jaws to digest the creature mechanically, it digests it with a rubbing action while the creature is still inside the creature’s throat.

Mating usually takes place from September to October and it occurs underwater. The male quickly swims behind the female until it can get close enough that it can rest its chin on the females shell. The male then moves forward until he grabs the females shell using its front feet and then tucks his tail beneath hers. After 2 moths, the female lays her eggs in a hole. Once laid, she lays 20-24 eggs and she can lay up to 3 clutches per year. Before she lays them in a hole, she carefully chooses a slope which rain water can easily be drained because even a few hours of soaking can kill the unborn hatchlings. The hatchlings usually hatch 6 months after rain water has softened the soil. When they are handled or attacked, they give off a foul smelling fluid from their musk glands to scare off their predators. That’s why it’s sometimes known as the stinker.

These turtles live an average of 17-50 years if they are greatly loved or cared for. But in history, it has been known that there was a snake neck turtle which lived up to 92 years old. Now that’s a turtle that you can pass on to your ancestors.

These days, the snake neck turtle is a widely kept and loved pet in Australia. But if wanting to keep one, you’ll have to go and ask for a licence an a record keeping system so that the National Parks and Wildlife Service can keep in touch with the turtle’s behaviour and come to check on them when necessary.

Sometimes, these turtles die at a very young age-mostly when they are still small because of attacks by their predators. But fortunately, as they grow up, they have something which they can defend themselves with.