pride and foolishness

 as with all of my blog posts, this may be a SPOILER

We've all had an experience like this: when we know that we can do something,but when we attempt it, we cannot do it at all.  For example, today in band, I looked at the new song that we got, a West Side Story compilation, and thought to myself, 'wow, this is going to be an easy song.'  only, when I started playing it, I totally messed up.  I seriously underestimated the difficulty of the song.

I am currently reading The Book Thief  by Markus Zusak.  Liesel, the main character is still learning how to read.  When the teacher says that there is a reading test, she tests everyone but Liesel.  Liesel, out of pride, decides to read in front of he class anyway, which gets her in trouble. 

I think that this really shows something about people, and about pride.  Proud people will do things, foolish things,  without really thinking  about the results first. This always ends badly.  I guess what I am trying to say is to think before you do something, or it may turn out badly.  I think that most of the worlds problems could have been avoided if people did this. 

But then again, maybe it's good that Liesel did this.  It all lead to her beating someone up and gaining respect from that.  Had Liesel not done that, fellow students would have kept teasing her about her inability to read, maybe eventually leading to bullying.  It can be important to do things like this sometimes, but none the less, think them over first. In the end, it's all up to you. 

the worst job of WWII

(If you haven't read"The Book Thief", spoiler alert)

For the past three months, It has been sitting on my bookshelf, waiting for me to read, and yet I never end up reading it.  I had bought is for summer reading, but I never got to reading it, so it's just been waiting there for me to read it since June.  But now I have finally decided to read "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak.  seeing as I started reading it about a half hour ago, I have gathered very little about the plot, but there are only two things that you will need to know for reading this blog post.  The first of those things is that it takes lace during World War Two. The second thing, which I am just assuming, is that (SPOILER ALERT) it is narrated by death (at least I think it is, from what I have read).

 On the back of the book, It has a line that says: "Death has never been busier, and will become busier still".  This line just made me think, death would have to be in so many places at the same time, and he would never be able to take a break.  According to Wikipedia, over 60 million people were killed.  World War Two lasted for about six years, meaning on average about ten thousand deaths per year.  Death would never have a break. 

just to go back to a slightly lighter topic,  this is very much like Santa Clause.  Santa supposedly delivers presents (or coal, depending on if you were good or bad)  to every child in the entire world on one night: December twenty fourth.  This is totally impossible, just like death being able to pause and notice things during World War Two.  In order to do these things, they would need many little helpers to do their job.  I know the idea of having little mini deaths running around everywhere seems crazy, but that would be the only possible way.

It is impossible for death to do his work and still pause, just like it is impossible for Santa to deliver all of the presents i one night.  None the less, these (supposedly) happen. How do you think death dose it?

By the way, happy christmahanakwanzaka!

Why I Didn't Cry for Dobby

Unless you didn't go on the trip to Harry Potter,  you can read this post. Otherwise, SPOILER ALERT.

Now as we all know, in the movie "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", Dobby, a house-elf (whatever that is), is killed. If you were sitting near me during the movie, you would know that I sighed, after the many screams when Dobby dies.  A few people came up to me after the movie to ask me why I enjoyed Dobby's death.  One person actually had the nerve to go up to miss Robbin's and tell her that I was happy that Dobby died. Let me make this clear now: I was not happy when Dobby was killed, albeit I was not particularly sad either. 

First of all, "Dobby" is a fictional character, not a living (or in this case, once living) creature.  That would be like if Margaret Wise Brown decided that the 'Quiet old lady who was whispering "hush"' were to be killed half way through "Goodnight Moon". There is no doubt that I would be disgusted, but nothing to scream about, seeing as I know that It is not real. All she is is an odd knitting rabbit sitting on a ricking chair.  Not real.  Now, do you mind telling me when the last time you saw a house-elf was? never? Oh my, well that's odd, neither have I! Actually, I don't know anyone who has!  Odd, right? I am very sorry if I just ruined your favorite children's book for you with graphic images, I just wanted to prove a point.

Another factor is the I have not read all of the books.  I don't think that I have met one single person who says that they do not like Harry Potter, and nearly every single person who has read the seventh book claims that they cried when Dobby dies.  Weather this is true or not, I am afraid that I shall never know, and I really don't care anyway. I don't think that the people that had not read the book had such a connection to Dobby as the book readers. I find that in a way, you cant experience a story in a movie the way that you can in a book.  I have a feeling that if I read the books, I might have felt like screaming myself! 

Basically, I did not wish for Dobby to die, rather I had few feelings for him at all.  Dobby is a fictional character, and nothing more.  I, and most people, find that reading a book is a totally different experience then seeing a movie.  I hope that now you understand  why I sighed at Dobby's death.

On Cats and Food Rations

Meow.  Meow!  MEOW! Gosh, when a cat needs food, they will never stop pestering you.  A few minutes ago, while I was standing in the kitchen waiting for my tea water to boil, Elliot, my cat, comes sprinting in and does just that, pesters me for more food.  Being the lazy person that I am, I didn't bother leaning down to fill up the cat bowl, I just poured the food from about three feet away from the bowl, scattering food everywhere, as well as in the bowl.  But Elliot, instead of eating from the bowl, decides to eat the pieces of food that lay all over the floor.  This made me wonder: is Elliot tidying up her eating area, or is she reserving her resources?

I am reading Life of Pi by Yann Martel.  At the moment, Pi, the main character, is stuck on a lifeboat with a tiger in the middle of the Pacific Ocean after a shipwreck (as he has been for a long while).  Pi, being more or less alone on the boat meant for 32 people for 3 days, appears to have a bonanza of supplies and food, but i have a feeling that this is not so.  If Pi's calculations are correct, the food and water would only last him for about 100 days.  By looking at the Wikipedia article, I saw that (SPOILER ALERT) he was on the boat for well over 100 days, in fact, more then twice as long.  He appears to be consuming more then the recommended rations per day.  He has no idea how long he will be on this boat.

Maybe Elliot was being smart by only eating food off of the floor.  Perhaps she was being cautious. What if suddenly me and my family went away on a random vacation without feeding her? Had she eaten the food in the bowl, she would have no food for later (seeing as I probably would have swept the floor before leaving), but by eating the stuff on the floor, she saved food for later.  What I am trying to say is less that you are being frugal, but that you should be ready for everything.  Last year, I remember having a math test that I didn't know about.  I was saved by the myriad of notes in my math notebook (I cannot say that I have the same for this year – gulp!) which I used for last minute studying saved me. 

To sum this all up, be ready for anything.  Don't waste, like I feel that Pi is doing, but save.  You probably have what you need, so don't waste it before that's the thing that will save your life.  like the Boyscout motto (I am not a boyscout, but I just know this): Be Prepared.  What seems useless now may one day save your life!


Just telling you, this does not mean that you should hoard all of your used candy wrappers and broken shoelaces &c.  Also, I do not think that my cat was really (consciously) being frugal, seeing as a cats brain is about 5cm large.

God, that sucks!

Just warning you, if you are planing on reading the book "Life of Pi", and you have not read it yet, DO NOT READ THIS POST! Okay?

Everyone has problems and difficulties.  There is always something in our life that just doesn't work out.  But the thing is, I could bet that the problem that Pi is facing  is almost automatically worse then yours.  Unless your problem is somehow worse then being stranded in the middle of the pacific ocean in a lifeboat with sharks in the water, no way of contacting anyone, and on top of that, having a tiger share the lifeboat with you, I think you are better off then Pi. In the book "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel, Pi and his family sell the zoo that his father owns and decide to move to Canada.  the get onto the cargo ship that the animals are on and head off to Canada, but the boat sinks.  That's how pi ended up in a life boat with a tiger. 

Life is not Easy.  As I said before, everyone has problems.  But the thing is, compared to some people, we have a really great life!  my social actions picture book that we have to do in E.L.A. is about poverty, so I had to research a lot about it.  Some of these homeless people can't even get food! From our perspective, life is really hard, but from another persons perspective, our life is a piece of cake!  We take many important things in life for granted.  Life is not this easy for everyone. 

I think that Pi would be thinking something very similar to that where I am in the book.  The thinngs that Pi took for granted before that he regrets now are safety and friends or family.  these are things that every person should have, But not every person gets.  Pi used to worry at people calling him names, but now he worries about his own life! Pi truly has to learn from his experiences in order to realize how easy his life was.

To conclude,  everyone has problems and difficulties.  the thing is, other people have it much worse then you! things are not as bad as you think they are.  Compare your life to another person's, and you will see that your life is great.   

Jesus + Muhammad + Trimurti = 3.14. . .?

as you may have guessed, I am reading Life of Pi by Yann Martel.  I would honestly never have read it if not for the recommendation by my friend Clara and happening to find a copy that someone was giving out while I was at Henry's house.  The beginning of the blurb: "Pi Patel, a God-loving boy and the son of a zookeeper," is not exactly the first thing that I would want to read about.  Anyway, this book is about a God-loving boy and son of a zookeeper.  This boy, Pi, is not only Hindu, but christian and Islamic as well.  When people find out about this, no one is happy.

✝ + ☪ + ૐ = π?

Everyone has the freedom to practice religion.  weather you are Hindu, Catholic, Jewish, even Wicca, Religion is a personal choice.  Every religion has been persecuted at one point in time,  but after all, religion is not to be decided by others.  religion is a personal choice.  The problem is that people get to attached to their religion.  They will think it is correct and only it is correct.  that is what leads to problems like these.  Pi believes in all of these religions, but people leading these religions don't want him to be a part of all three.  I think that this would be similar to someone wearing three colors, say black, red, and blue.  If a person wearing only black came up to them and said that black is better then the rest of the colors, would that be a fair argument? Is one color better then the other? Not at all!

✝ + ☪ + ૐ = π?

 "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."  the declaration of Independence, as I know you are aware of.  I mean of course Pi was not American, but everyone should have the right to be what they want to be.  Pi found Islam and Christianity, and he decided that he believed in them, even though they were almost opposites with each other and the religion he already had, Hinduism.  In math, opposites attract; two negatives make a positive.  could this possibly be the same with religion?

Social justice issues in SOLD

Imagine that you are poor.  So poor that you can't even afford a tin roof to keep the rain out, or even a bottle of coca-cola.  What would you do?  How could you get enough money to pay off your debts? To support your family?  I am sure that the last thing that you would say is to sell your family member.

That is basically what Lakshmi's stepfather did.  I am in the book club that is reading SOLD by Patricia McCormick.  This book is packed full with social justice issues, but the one that I chose is poverty.  Lakshmi, a thirteen year old girl living in extreme poverty in a small village in Nepal.  In order to make more money, Lakshmi's greedy stepfather sells her for ₨800, about $11.25 in U.S. dollars, to be a maid in the city.  Her pay would be sent home to her family,  only the stepfather would probably spend it on silly things hats and or use it for gambling.

But what disgusts me the most is the fact that Lakshmi is willing to do this in order to support her family.  she is willing to go away with a strange person that she doesn't know and not see her family for a very long time just to get money for her family.  People will do ridiculous things to help loved ones, but some people will do even worse in order to get money.  The thing with Lakshmi is that she, by being sold to be a "maid", is really causing a lot more issues for herself that she doesn't know yet (I wont mention that issue because, one, it would spoil it for some people, two, it's not what this post is about so it would be a distraction, and three, I just don't want to talk about it). 

This worries me about our current population of people living in poverty in New York.  I would say that the average New Yorker sees about two poor or homeless per day, if not more.  I just wonder, what do they do in order to stay alive?  How do they make money or get food?  Begging is most certainly not enough.  Do they do things as cruel as Lakshmi's stepfather?  Or things as naïve as Lakshmi? Do they know how many things that they might do can lead to many more problems?  Unfortunately, It is a hopeless situation that they cannot solve themselves.  They need help from others.

Lakshmi is faced with a hopeless poverty that she attempts to fix by selling herself, but this only leads to more problems.  The situation on our streets may be no different, for all we know.  Poverty is a long chain of problems that can only be broken by others.  It can be broken by us.  It can be broken by you.