Spencer -- Blogmeister

I rose from the seat, tired, exhausted, but proud at what I had accomplished. The bright lights blinded me from viewing anything more than a yard in front of me. Even so, I could tell that the sea of people had risen. Was this a dream? I couldn’t believe it! How did I get here?

On a cold December morning, I pulled up to Cathedral Carmel. Representing Paul Breaux Middle, I strode across the floor to where my destiny awaited. There, in the middle of Cathedral Carmel’s gym floor, was a single piano—a digital—and even though I didn’t know it, it would change my life completely.

I sat down and began to play my “remixed” version of “The Flight of the Bumblebee”. I wasn’t nervous. Why should I be? This was only for fun and it’s just like any other competition, right? Wrong. This competition would bring me so much further than a regular competition.

Winning first place that day was just the beginning. I now had an opportunity to go on—to expand my horizons. Never did I second-guess my answer when they asked me to go to the state competition.

Eleven thousand people packed into the Cajundome as they were seated to hear me and my competitors play. I looked out to the crowd from my vantage point, but all I saw was an endless sea of people stretching to some place far in the distance. I wasn’t sure where it ended nor did I know if it ended at all. Backstage, I put on my gloves—trying to keep my fingers warm. I was nervous—not about playing in front of such a large crowd, but because I was afraid my fingers would freeze up. It was my turn. I took a hold of the gloves and flung them off, marching up onto the stage, tall and proud. I had made it this far and I wasn’t turning back now! I got to the piano and touched the keys, hoping for the best.

For the next three minutes, I was no longer at the Cajundome. I was no longer on stage. There were no longer eleven thousand people watching me. I was in my own world. I wasn’t playing for anyone in particular—I wasn’t even playing for myself! I was just letting the music flow from my fingers to the keys of the piano. Unaware of the people surrounding me, I played. Nearing the end of the piece, I increased in intensity—performing the notes with such emotion that I was starting to shake a bit.

I finished. I longed for more time to play, but the sound of applause awoke me from my daydream. I had snapped back into reality. And what did I hear and see? Eleven thousand students giving me a standing ovation. At that moment, I was complete. I had won first place at the Jr. Beta State Convention!

For the next few days, I was in awe. I just could not believe it! I kept asking myself if it had been a dream, but it never was. I was number one in the state of Louisiana. But this story doesn’t end there—that’s just the beginning.

Over the next month, I worked twice as hard to get my piece completely mastered as I, the first person in the history of Paul Breaux’s Jr. Beta Club to go to nationals, prepared to leave. A week before the national competition began, my parents and I departed for Nashville.

I was backstage of the Delta Ballroom, wearing a white suit, sitting. Calmly, I listened to the performances of my competitors, who were extremely talented. The audience was smaller than at the state competition, but strangely enough, it didn’t calm my nerves.

As I sat and waited, I thought of what could happen. What would happen if I won? And what if I were to lose? My thoughts were interrupted as they called number 5—me—up to stage. I rose hesitantly and walked across the stage, trying not to give away my nervousness. Six thousand people made eye contact with me at that moment. That was what made me go on. I couldn’t stop now! Not even if I was afraid of the inevitable. I had to keep going, bringing joy to these people who listened to me play.

I bowed and turned to the piano. The small digital piano from the district competition at Cathedral Carmel had transformed into a massive grand piano. I sat at the bench, barely pressing my fingers to the keys. This was it. My long journey was finally coming to an end. As the applause slowed, I began, my fingers pounding the plastic and ebony keys at an uncanny speed.

My body was in the real world, but my mind was again away. I felt as if I were the only person in the universe, playing my music. The three minutes of real time seemed to stretch forever in this other world. But I liked it, for it was in these three minutes that I completely relaxed, giving way to everything and anything that had happened before, just focusing on music. As I passed hard parts in the song, I knew that the end of this piece was drawing closer. And as I played the last chord of the piece, I was snapped back into reality. For a few seconds, I was confused as of where I was—and then I realized the people. But these people were not just clapping. They were hollering and cheering—for me! As I stood up, dozens of people at a time did the same. Bowing, I returned backstage to hear all of the stories of my competitors, amazed at what I had done.

Then, the hour drew closer—the awards ceremony.

“Special talent,” the announcer said. Mrs. Reamer, my parents, and I sat at the edge of our chairs. “5th place . . .” I was calm. I didn’t know what there was to worry about. “4th place . . .” I clapped for winners. “3rd place . . .” They haven’t called my name yet. Should I be afraid? “2nd place . . .” My heart is racing. The seconds ticked, but they ticked all too slow. The gap between second place and first seemed to be never-ending.

Then finally, “1st place . . .” she calls out. She holds for a dramatic pause—either that or she couldn’t read the name on the paper, I don’t know—and then, “Spencer Leger from Paul Breaux Middle School in Louisiana!” The crowd applauds as I make my way, shakily, to the stage where I claim my title as first in the nation—my heart swelling with pride and joy. I felt accomplished, finally relieved of all of the stress of the competition. It’s funny to think that a competition with no great importance, like the district competition, can have such tremendous outcomes.

In the second half of Red Scarf Girl, I can really feel Ji-Li’s pain as she sees that her family is being torn apart. Her father is detained, her mother is forced to tell the people at her office that she is a landlord’s wife, and her grandmother is forced to sweep the alley twice a day (179; 225; 226). Her and her siblings are being picked on by almost everyone that they know (148). It is a really sad time for the Jaings. For things to get even worse, there was even an article in the newspaper about the rich Jaings in the north (210). Later, their house is searched for a second time (247). With all of this stress, you would think that Ji-Li and her family would have given up—but they didn’t! It just gave them more of a reason to come together as a family and fend for each other. Ji-Li is a huge reason that her family stayed together through these rough times. She cooked and cared for all of them. When her mom had Ménière’s syndrome, she became the “mom” of the household (193).

Ji-Li had the opportunity to abandon her family and start a new life, without the troubles of being a part of a “black family” (190). While a part of her wants to do it to get away from the criticisms, she never did this because she knows that she can’t leave her family! If she left, her family would not be able to survive. She would never be able to forgive herself if she would leave her family. I feel connected to her because of this since I grew up in a family where everyone is close to each other. We stick up for each other and never abandon our relatives! I believe in “family comes first” and Ji-Li obviously does too. This is how I feel connected to Ji-Li in Red Scarf Girl.

"Young Samurai: The Way of the Warrior" by Chris Bradford is truly one of the best books that I have ever read. It has an unusual plot and theme that can really change the reader. The setting takes place in old Japan. Jack, the main character, is the son of an English sailor. When trying to find the Japans, they get bombarded by ninjas and only Jack survives. He is then rescued by Masamoto and is later adopted by Masamoto himself.

This book demonstrates the challenges of being different, for Jack doesn't know Japanese or anything of the Japans. He then has to deal with it by taking lessons. This is a good life lesson if you think about it since it is a comparison to our daily struggles of being different.

The message behind this book is a really good one. It explains that rectitude, courage, benevolence, respect, honor, honesty, and loyalty conquers all evils. Many people think that to win a fight or battle, blood must be shed. This book goes to show that that isn't true in most cases.

Another great thing about this book is the different events that happen. Bradford makes the book interesting by making many good and dramatic cliffhangers that keeps the reader turning the pages. The events are also unexpected and unusual. This makes the book so much better.

Finally, the book is based on factual information. Bradford must have done a lot of research to write this book. Everything that the book teaches you of Japanese etiquette, language, culture, etc. is true! This, for me, made it really good because as I'm reading a good action book, I am also learning about a different culture.

All of these things and more make "Young Samurai: The Way of the Warrior" by Chris Bradford a really great book.

"Found", the first book in "The Missing" book series by Margaret Peterson Haddix, is one of the best books that I have ever read. Haddix explains everything adequately, although she did not explain the characters well enough. This was one of the only bad things about the book, since I couldn't really picture what was going on as well as in other books. Even so, the plot was well thought out and Haddix never left the reader bored. I literally could not put the book down, which means that the book was really good, since I am not the one to always be reading. The book also had another great aspect. In a way, this book is a mystery. There are clues in the book so that the reader can figure out the outcome, as in all mysteries.
What sets this book away from other mysteries is that even though Haddix gives us good clues, the reader can't figure out the outcome as easily as in other books. I, personally, didn't figure out what was really happening until right before they said it in the book. This left me thinking the whole time while I was reading. I have to also say that the outcome is something of the sort that I have never read of before. In a regular mystery, someone would steal something and they had to figure out who, blah, blah, blah. Those get boring after a while! Haddix takes it to the next level and thinks of a mystery that is out of this world! Literally! The only thing that I think is sad is that since the outcome is so complicated and well thought out, I don't think that a lot of other readers will be able to follow. I even barely understood it, since there was so much that you had to think of at once.
Another thing that got me was how well the author transitioned into the next book. I haven't read the next book, but I already know basically what it will be about. At the end of "Found," the characters are faced with a decision. I will not post the decision on here, as it will be a spoiler. None-the-less, the way that Haddix dealt with the dilemma on trying to meet the needs of what the reader wanted to happen and what the characters in the story wanted to happen was superb. Somehow, she found a solution of the story so that the reader is happy and will want to read the next book and that the characters in the story can still stick with what they said in the story, even though what the reader wants and what the characters want are two completely different things. These are just some of the reasons that Haddix's book "Found" is one of the best books that I have ever read.

In a country song by Reba McEntire and Kenny Chesney called "Every Other Weekend," there are a lot of things to infer about. I used the clues that each parent trades belongings and their children "every other weekend" to figure out that the parents are divorced. I really didn't need to have any experience to know this. The only thing that may be "experience" is that I know people that have parents that are divorced and I know how there is a "schedule" for going between parents. The first verse,

"Every Other Friday
It's toys and clothes and backpacks
Is everybody in?
Ok lets go see dad
Same time in the same spot
Corner of the same old parking lot
Half the hugs and kisses
There are always sad
We trade a couple words and looks and kids again
Every Other Weekend,"

talks about how the mother packs up the kids and their belongings to "go see dad." They meet up at the "same time in the same spot" to bring the kids to the other parent. They also don't talk much. This happens "every other weekend."

In the second verse,

"Every Other Weekend
Very few exceptions
I pick up the kids in both my arms
It's movies on the sofa
Grilled cheese and cut the crust off
'But that's not the way mom makes it daddy' breaks my heart
I miss everything I use to have with her again
Every Other Weekend,"

Kenny talks about how "every other weekend," he picks up the kids and goes home to spend time with his kids. He is also talking about how he misses having her as a wife and what she would do to help, but now he doesn't have her.

Finally, in the last part,

"Every Other Saturday
First thing in the mornin'
I turn the TV on to make the quiet go away
I know why, but I don't know why
We ever let this happen
Filling for forever was a big mistake
There's so much not to do, and all day not to do it in
Every Other Weekend

Every Other Sunday
I empty out my backseat
While my children hug their mother in the parking lot
We don't touch
We don't talk much
Maybe goodbye to each other
Then she drives away with every piece of heart I've got
I reconvince myself we did the right thing
Every Other Weekend,"

Reba says how without her kids and her husband, that she has nothing to do and she doesn't know why they ever got divorced, while Kenny is saying how when he gives her back the kids, they don't talk and he has to reconvince himself that getting a divorce was the right thing to do. You can also tell from these lines that they both still love each other. Reba says "I know why, but I don't know why, We ever let this happen." This shows that she doesn't know why they divorced and that she still loves him. Also, Kenny says "Then she drives away with every piece of heart, I've got." This shows that it is hard for him to watch her drive away again and again.

I really liked this song. This actually shows how it is for some people. Some people actually go through this and I find that sad. All-in-all, this was a really good song.

Bullying is when a person does something mean and/or harmful to someone for their own joy. I have been bullied and so have many of my friends. Things that can be called "bullying" are gossip, telling other people mean things, fighting, blackmailing, etc. The person that is the victim can tell an adult and they may even try talking to the bully. I also find that talking to a close friend is always good. There isn't really much that we can do to stop bullying. It is almost everywhere and it doesn't show any intention to go away. We can try by telling adults when we see someone being bullied, talk to that person, and maybe even talk to the bully. Really, bullying would be great to get rid of, but it doesn't look as if it will ever go away completely.

I really like this book. It is a bit weirder than most other books that I have read but it is still a good read. The situations and the characters are also not as detailed as many other books, which is kind of a let down since it makes it hard to imagine what the characters look like. So far, the plot is well planned, although the section that I am at is kind of slow-paced, whereas the beginning was very fast-paced. The beginning was a lot better than most other books since other books have slow and boring beginnings. Also, the action usually takes a few chapters to start, but in this book, it started right away. This book is also about a topic that I have never read about before. It is about some "missing" orphans.

So far, I think that this is one of the best books that I have ever read. The story is very weird and unusual, which I think is good, since most other action books follow pretty much the same plot. I can already predict that the two adopted children were part of the babies on the mysterious plane. It still makes me wonder when I think about the plane. How could it have gotten there off of radar? Where did it come from? Where was the pilot? What was with the weird symbol on the side of it? What was with all of the babies? So many questions that I wish could be answered. I guess that I'll have to wait for that.

I kind of agree with the actions of the characters. I feel that Jonah is acting too old for his age and Chip, a little too young. Chip kind of freaked out when he found out that he was adopted, which I think is fine, but he went a little overboard. I don't agree with Chip's father. I think Chip should know whatever he wants to know about the topic, since it is about his life. I think it was smart of them to dig through his father's safe to find his birth certificate. He had a right to know. I would have done the same as him and called the number on the post-it. The only thing that I would have done without the help of Jonah is to stop the call when the FBI answered, since it would have struck me as weird and I wouldn't want to be in legal trouble. Also, I think it was right of Jonah to ask his parents about the topic, even though they didn't give much information. I hope that they end up calling the adoption office after all.

The only thing is that I can't find many ways that I can relate this to my life. I like mystery and adventure books so that may be one way. I'm not adopted and I was never flown on some strange plane when I was a baby, so that is out of the picture. I do like adventures, even though this is one that I would never have attempted. I don't even know anyone that was adopted, so there aren't many ways that this can relate to my life at all.

This six weeks, I have chosen to read "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix. It is the first book in "The Missing" series. I think it is going to be something about the random plane found at the airport. Apparently the plane just appeared and was never seen on the radar. Also, the plane didn't seem to have a pilot at all. It is kind of mysterious. Maybe the plot will have something to do with the plane coming for someone or maybe the people "driving" the plane want someone. The plot may also be that some people know too much about the plane and will get in trouble.

So far, I would probably get along well with Angela since she doesn't like a person that is too bossy and that acts like she should know everything. In her case, that would be Monique. Also, I would also have done like she did and go up to the plane instead of doing like Monique and doing nothing. Angela actually took action to go up to the plane to see what was in it, even though she wasn't directed to do so. This was brave and courageous. I would have done something of the sort.

I predict that there will be something ahead for Angela. There will probably be something very shocking in the plane and it will probably have a great impact on the story. I also don't think that these will be the only characters. I haven't gotten too far into the story, but I think that this is one of two parts of the story that will end up crossing paths in the end. So there will probably be some conflict to merge the two stories together.

Some connections that I can make to the book is that I have read books like it. That is why I think that there will be two different stories that will merge into one. The book is also a mystery/action book. I usually read these books so I can easily make connections to other books that I have read, even though I don't really have mystery type stuff happen in my life. So I can mostly just make connections to stuff that I have read, not to what has happened to me in life.

This was one of the very best books that I have ever read! I like how the author, Anthony Horowitz, has such a well thought-out plot. Once you think that everything is fine, he thinks of some twist to make the book even more interesting.
The story actually is three different adventures in one. At the beginning of the story, Alex, Sabina, and Edward all get trapped at the bottom of the Loch after Desmond McCain tries to rid of them by shotting one of Edward's car's tires therefore making the car swerve and fall into the Loch. The second adventure is at Greenfields, where Alex barely makes it out alive and gets MI6 the information that they wanted. The third adventure is when McCain kidnaps Alex and Alex barely escapes, with the help of an Indian spy, Rahim, and they end up killing McCain and Leonard Straik.
One other thing that I found interesting is McCain's reasons for his "charity" called First Aid. He was actually cheating people of money by making huge disasters and then being the first people to help, therefore raising millions from people willing to donate. And to think that without Alex, McCain would have started another plague!

"Believe you can and you're halfway there."
-Theodore Roosevelt

I think hat this means that by believing in yourself, then you can accomplish anything. This also shows that without believing, you can't do what you want to do. If you believe in yourself, then you have already done half of the work.

I think that this can be applied into not only my life, but into everyone's. If everyone believed in what they want to accomplish, then this world would be a lot better, and we would be even more advanced in everything we do than we already are. Everyone should believe in themselves. The way that I can apply this to my life is by believing in everything I do so that I can succeed in life.

This could be done to positively change a person's attitude. If the person believes in him/herself, then they will have a greater chance of succeeding, therefore they will be happier and it will have a positive affect on their mood.