The Ocean is Formed by Many Rivers

Sometimes you learn from a person
That is one important way
Sometimes someone needs to help
Guide you on the learning highway

Sometimes you need written records
Something made by someone learned
When you need to learn that way
Do it, or you'll be burned!

Sometimes you learn through watching
A person doing something
That is also an important
And easy way of learning

Sometimes you need knowledge
And then you need to see
When done right
It is a cup o' tea

Sometimes company helps you
Being surrounded by those who are good
If you know great people
Use this way! You should! You should!

Do these all
Every way to learn
If you study hard
All knowledge, you shall earn

And so you can see
Many rivers create
A vast ocean
Whose thirst no amount of knowledge can sate

(Translated from the following Kannada poem from Someshwara Shataka - A work from 13th century - as explained to me in simple words by my dad)

ಕೆಲವಂ ಬಲ್ಲವರಿಂದ ಕಲ್ತು ಕೆಲವಂ ಶಾಸ್ತ್ರಂಗಳಂ ಕೇಳುತಂ |
ಕೆಲವಂ ಮಾಳ್ಪವರಿಂದ ಕಂಡು ಕೆಲವಂ ಸುಜ್ಞಾನದಿಂ ನೋಡುತಂ ||
ಕೆಲವಂ ಸಜ್ಜನಸಂಗದಿಂದಲರಿಯಲ್ ಸರ್ವಜ್ಞನಪ್ಪಂ ನರಂ |
ಪಲವುಂ ಪಳ್ಳ ಸಮುದ್ರವೈ ಹರಹರಾ ಶ್ರೀ ಚೆನ್ನಸೋಮೇಶ್ವರಾ ||

Snow-mobiling

On December 25, 2009, my family and I visited Lake Tahoe. But that is not what this is about. Anyway, at Lake Tahoe, on the 26th, we went snow-mobiling. My parents filled out driving forms while my sister and I grabbed safety gear. We had large helmets and sunglasses that see in yellow. The gloves were hard to control. The jackets were cozy. But I had no trouble with any of those things. I had trouble with the BOOTS! At first, when I stepped out on the snow, I thought that the snow from the ground was so cold that it went through my boots. But when my mom got her gear, I made a startling revelation... ALL THE BOOTS WERE FILLED WITH WATER!!! And in this cold, water becomes ice. So we had to live with that. We bought some hand warmers too. Sadly, I didn’t feel their full effect through my gloves. Anyway, when instructions were given, I listened carefully to every word. My dad drove with me. It was quite dangerous, with sheer drops on one side. At one point, my dad accidentally crashed into a small snow hill a little bit ahead of another crashee (is that a word?). I saved us by screaming,” THE REVERSE BUTTON, THE REVERSE BUTTON!” Someone would have come backed anyway, but hey, I did it, didn’t I. Anyway, when we stopped the halfway point, I was almost knee deep in snow. My mom recommended that we put our heat packs in our boots. I guess I was too numb to feel anything (and what a PAIN, my toe hurt so much), but it heated up my mom’s entire leg. By the time we hopped on our snowmobiles, I was almost crying from cold. I just envisioned warmth, like my mom recommended, and my toes didn’t break off because of frostbite. I got rid of my equipment when we were finished, and fortunately, I survived until we reached the heated car. I loved the experience and all, but let me make a point of the cold of Lake Tahoe, CA:

I AM A CALIFORNIAN. AND IN CALIFORNIA, WE CALL THIS SUPER-ULTRA-MEGA-UBER-HORRID COLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Swathi’s Birthday Party

December 7 was my little sister, Swathi’s, birthday. Her celebration was on the 20th, though. I was the party’s official videographer (A.K.A. The guy with 2 cameras). My motto was: (drearily) Smile. Say cheese. Also, I got paid 25 bucks! Anyway, as people came, they heard my motto: Smile. Say cheese. The adults were discussing their recent social activities. My video camera caught everything... in a blurry, spinning, unprofessional way.

The party kicked off with my mom teaching the visitors how to make cookie bouquets... with real live cookies (advertisement: Cookie Bouqets: Tasty tidbits that look like flowers)! Sadly, the flowers burned.

While those bouquets were slowly burning, the girls went and made dolls. 1 camera disappeared (Dad...) and the other one ran out of power, so my job was toasted and roasted.

Next up: group skits. My group had my 2 friends, Sanjana and ditto (I mean, literally, Sanjana and Sanjana). We were supposed to pretend to be making a teacher luncheon. I... err... improvised a bit. Our dialouge:

Student 1: Come on, we’ve got to finish this picnic
Student 2: Yes, yes, yes
Mr. Idontgotaname: (comes out) Get into History class!!!!!!
Students 1&2: Yes, yes, yes
(Mr. Idontgotaname leaves)
Student 1: Hurry, hurry, hurry
(2 seconds later)
Mr. Idontgotaname: Get into History class!!!!!!
Students 1&2: Yes, yes, yes
(Mr. Idontgotaname leaves)
(2 seconds later)
Mr. Idontgotaname: Get into History class!!!!!!
Students 1&2: TADA! Your very own luncheon!
Mr. Idontgotaname: Get into History class!!!!!!
Student 2: You’re supposed enjoy this.
Mr. Idontgotaname: (Softly) Yes, I’ll enjoy this once...(YELL) YOU GET INTO HISTORY CLASS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mr. Idontgotaname (geddit): Abhi Ramaprasad
Student 1:Sanjana
Student 2:Other Sanjana

It was very humorous. I changed things a bit onscreen... I couldn’t stop laughing! And, as my mom always says I write: We ate. They left. We slept.

P.S. I still got paid!
P.S.S. Keep on going to see Swathi’s birthday poem


9

Swathi, you’re ‘Nine’
You should feel better than fine
It’s your time to shine

I wish you a great birthday
On a special Monday
It’s going to be a super fun day

You are always so cute
Your cheeks look like they’re filled with fruit
And you are chubby, to boot

You always talk to me
‘Sooper’ nice, ye be
And that is something anyone can see

You always are mega smart
As sharp as a dart
You always do your part

December 7th is a special time
You should feel sublime
I really can’t find another rhyme

:-)


HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
HAVE A GREAT DAY!!
Love,
Abhi
(and Mr. Smiley :-))

Monday, Dec. 7th, 2009

Happy Birthday Ma...Dec 10th , 09

Happy Birthday, Ma
Ta-da...
You're a great mom
Always really calm
You always do everything
Before we can even say 'Ding'
You're full of good advice
And constantly really nice
Ultra Smart, Super Cool
Mega Awesome Ma
Happy Birthday Ha-Ha

My Sister's Silly Picture

On November 15, 2009, my mom, my sister Swathi, and I were looking through a picture album from when I was in pre-school. We found a really funny picture of my sister from when she was 1 year and 2 months old.

Here’s a poem describing the picture.

Less than 2 feet tall
She’s so short, you’d think someone couldn’t be so small
With a big pack
That covers her entire back
A water bottle in her hand
Which looked like a fat white band
As if she was in a cartoon
About the good ol’ Looney Tunes
Really chubby, really cute
With a huge suit
That.......
Makes her look fat!

I thought it was hilarious. I made up a tune for the poem, and sang it. Click the play button to listen.

Sick Day

Today, November 13, 2009, I skipped school because of sickness for the first time in 2 years. Last year, I didn’t have a single sick day. Two days back, I got a cough. I had eaten some popcorn. By 3:30 P.M. after school yesterday, it had developed into a fever. I had a headache, my sinuses were clogged, and I had a horrible cough. I had to skip school because I felt even worse this morning. I had wanted to go because we were starting a report, but I couldn’t. By noon I felt better. But halfway through the afternoon, I got a fever again and I had to skip my laya class. However, right now, at 7:46 P.M. on November 13, 2009, I think I’ve made an improvement. I think it was good to skip school today because I could have made others sick and I might not have improved so much, but I still wish I hadn’t been sick at all. I really hated getting sick, but I got a lot of reading done and I finished the book The House of the Scorpion, which I had for less than 2 days. I really, really, really hate the feeling that I’m missing things because of some coughs. But I’m happy I’ve recovered.

My Science Camp Experience

Science Camp - Day 1
October 19, 2009

Today, we left to Science camp. All the 6th graders in our school came late at 8:45 am to school. We packed all out stuff in a luggage truck. At 9:00 am or 9:15 a.m. we left for the science camp. We arrived at the Semperviren's Outdoor School located at Boulder Creek around11:10 a.m. This is where we were to spend the next five days.

I ate a lunch of 2 potato sandwiches. Then we were put in our cabins. I was in the Garter Snakes cabin. Then we went on a hiking tour. We saw banana slugs, newts, and salamanders. Then we had recreation time. I sat and relaxed in my cabin.

It is 5:20 p.m. right now. We are going on a night hike and have a campfire tonight. Dinner is in 10 minutes.
Science Camp - Day 2
October 20, 2009

Yesterday's night hike was kind of scary. We got separated from the trail twice.Today morning. had pancakes for breakfast. Then our group went to Natural Bridges State Park. We went on the Monarch Trail and through a wetland. We then climbed a rock wall and waded though the water to get to the beach.

We had a lunch of apples, pretzels and custom sandwiches. We then played 'Crab Tag' on the beach. Then we created our own animals in sand. Mine was called the Titan Dragon, formally known as "Draconius Aquarius Ursus". It could spit poison, fly, swim, walk, camouflage itself, eat anything, live in Carribean coral reefs, and kill many things in many, many, ways. We went into water for five minutes. Then we went back to camp. At teacher time, I got a letter from my sister and mom. I was really happy to get the letters.

For dinner we made delicious burritos. We are going to the "Town Hall Meeting" now. It is now 7:12 p.m.


Science Camp - Day 3
October 21, 2009

Yesterday at the 'Town Hall Meeting', I played the role of a Semperviren teacher at camp. I helped make an important decision about a marsh. Today morning, at breakfast
I ate a bunch of potatoes with ketchup. Today my group went to a hike that promoted co-operation and solitude with "Turtle Tag' and the 'Solo Hike', respectively. Then we got back to camp from the forest. The only change in today's lunch was that, instead of pretzels, we had gold fish crackers.

Then we headed off to the garden at the camp. I did some weeding and chopped up some tomato plants. At the chicken coop, I overcame my fear of chickens, and caught the fastest one, Roadrunner. And at the goat pen, I played with Willa and Tracy, the goats. Frankly, I liked Willa more. I walked (well..., more like ran!) her down the camp's hill and I fed her a lot of acorns. We then had some cookies to eat.

It is recreation time right now. Tonight we're having Pizza for dinner and the 'Barnyard Boogie'. It is 3:50 pm now.
Science Camp - Day 4
October 22, 2009

Yesterday's 'Barnyard Boogie' was okay. However I had lost my voice so when we limboed, danced the polka, and sang, I did not enjoy it much. Also, I got a letter from my dad and grandmother. I also sent a reply letter to them.

Today I went to Big Basin State Park. To tell the truth, it was kind of boring. I also joined the 'Hardcore
Club' by eating every part of an apple. We also met Marble, the corn snake. I really liked her. I also played with the chickens during recreation time. Tonight is 'Skit Night'; I wrote our cabin's skit. It was about the life cycle of a Garter snake.

It went like this:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Life Cycle of a Garter Snake

(5 snakes appear on stage.)

Narrator: This is a small family of Garter Snakes. Normally, they live in families of 16. This looks like a peaceful day in the forest... or is it....

Owl comes on screen and eats 3 Garter Snakes. 2 Garter Snakes hide. Garter Snakes find and eat baby Bullfrog, Red-Legged Frog, California Newt, and Pacific Tree Frog.

Narrator: As you see, Garter Snakes eat baby Bullfrogs, Red-Legged Frogs, California Newts, and Pacific Tree Frogs.

(Summer comes. Garter Snakes sleep.)

Narrator: In summer, Garter Snakes estivate, or enter dormant periods.

(Winter comes. Garter Snakes sleep.)

Narrator: They also hibernate in winter.

Narrator: The 2 Garter Snakes have grown old. They are having a peaceful day in the forest. But something’s coming to finish what it started....

( Owl comes. Owl fights and eats both Garter Snakes.)

THE END

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Credits:

Nathan Graham: California Newt

Raymond Doug: Baby Bullfrog/ Pacific Tree Frog

Donnovan : Red-Legged Frog

Rayshan Rayner/John Mappala/Ryan Bunyard: Snakes eaten in the beginning

Tyler / Jacob Hernandez: Main Garter Snakes

Abhijit Ramaprasad (Me): Writer/Narrator/Owl

Everyone at camp thought it was good!

Sadly, tomorrow we leave.

Science Camp Day 5 - Going home

October 23, 2009

Today is the last day at the Science Camp. We woke up at 6:35 am and packed up all our luggage. We had a breakfast at 7:30 a.m. It was cereal and milk. We had only 4 oz. of food waste! Then we headed off to our cabins to clean it up. BTW, on Thursday, we won the Golden Dustpan Award!

After cleaning up, we went on a hike and read the story "The Table Where Rich People Sit". Then we signed our cards for our counselors. At the graduation ceremony, we talked about memories, sang songs, and ate a lunch of grilled cheese sandwiches. Then we went to the bus for the trip to go back home.

Home:

October 24, 2009

Now, don't het me wrong. I loved the Science Camp and wanted to stay. But it was comforting to sleep in my own bed last night. But no matter what, the memories I sealed in the camp's memory stick (an actual stick), will always be with me.

My 11th Birthday

On Saturday, September 12, 2009, I turned 11.

I had been waiting for a week. My parents told me a few of the things that would happen.

Any way, first of, I got awesome gifts. I got the 5 books I wanted, which were: The Search for Truth, The Sea of Monsters, The Titans Curse, The Battle of the Labyrinth, and The Last Olympian. I also got the new WII Sports Resort. I also got a cell phone. It is a LG Neon.

My friend, Stephen, came at 10:00 A.M. My other friend, Ankith, came at 10:30. We played on the computer for some time. At 11:00, my other friend, Sanjana, came. We started talking. Later, a few other friends came. We ate some cake, which was delicious. Then we played a few games with lemons like the Lemon and Spoon Race and Lemon Basketball. Then we ate some pizza. Then we created our own ice cream. We got delicious Haagen Daz vanilla ice cream, strawberry syrup, cashew powder, and M&Ms. It was delicious. Afterwards, we watched the movie Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa.

In the evening, I had a birthday feast with my cousins, aunt, uncle, and family. After eating, I played WII Sports Resorts. I skydived from a plane, flew into a volcano, and fought hordes of swordsman.

Anyway, I had an awesome birthday. I hope my next birthday is just as good. I’ve been using my phone every day and I’ve been really happy.

My Mount Madonna Adventure

On September 7, 2009, my sister, mother, my grandmother, two cousins, my uncle, my aunt, and I went to the Mount Madonna Center. It is a kind of Indian resort/retreat. It has a temple, a picnic area, cabins, a yoga area, a cafe, and more! It was really new, too.

We left our house at 10:00 A.M. I don’t know when we arrived. I was kind of skeptical about mountains since we went up and down a horrible one called Mt. Hamilton sometime ago. We got mountain sickness, headaches, hunger pains, and more there. I just crossed my fingers and hoped Mt. Madonna was nothing like that. And it wasn’t. It was covered in beautiful greenery. It was much safer there, too. The turns were gentle as well. I knew right then that it was going to be a great day.

The first thing we did was go to the temple. It was new, clean, warm, and shady. It had huge shade-like thing at the top. The floor was a mixture of carpets, tiles, and rugs. They were all soft and warm. The mixture of all the different colors of the rugs and carpets was incredible! There were also little statues everywhere. I really liked it.

Stop # 2: The Anjaneya Cafe. It was a little, comfortable place. It was also near

some private picnic tables.

Moving on. The next place we went to was the picnic area. However, most of the tables were reservations only. However, I found two tables with no reservation required. I ate some chitraanna, madurvade, and potato chips and drank some pink lemonade. It was delicious.

Next, we had a photo spree at the picnic table. We took a picture of everyone climbing on tree stumps and moss and a lot of other things.

Finally, my father, sister, cousins, uncle, and me went on a 1 mile hike. We saw redwood trees and huge, fallen, moss covered logs and one of the less nice aspects of the hike: HORSE DUNG! It echoed all around and I made a few noises exploiting the echoes.

Finally, at 2:00 P.M. we went home. We took one of our cousins with us and my sister played with her on the way back.

We returned home, tired but happy, at 3:30 P.M.

Mt. Madonna was an AWESOME place. My family has even decided to stay there for a day in spring. Anyhow, I LOVED our trip picnic at Mt. Madonna. It was GREAT. I hope we go there more times.

Complete works of Sir. Arthur Conan Doyle - A report

For my book report, I read Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Novels and Stories, Volume 1 by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The publisher is Bantam Classics. It doesn’t seem to have a copyright date, or at least inside of the book, probably because Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who died over a century ago, never copyrighted the stories. It has 1,059 pages.

Sherlock Holmes is the main character of all the stories. He is very tall and has very keen powers of deduction and observation. It can even seem as if he can read minds because he can observe the expressions of a person. He uses these powers to solve various mysteries that would never been solved without his help. He actions show how he is felling at the time, though only his friends would be able to understand them. One example is that when a case is going badly, he is always running around, smokes incessantly, eats at strange hours, and does many other strange things. Holmes also has a brother who is 7 years older and named Mycroft who has even keener powers of observation and deduction.

The setting is between the late 1880s to the early 1900s in London, England.

This book has many different stories about Sherlock Holmes. It is divided into 4 parts. It starts with the story A Study in Scarlet, where Dr. Watson is introduced and meets Sherlock Holmes. They solve their first mystery together. It is a very strange mystery, because a rich man was killed, but nothing was stolen. The word RACHE was written above the body in blood. However, there was no injury on the body. A Sherlock Holmes point out that rache is German for revenge. However, Holmes solves the mystery. The next story is The Sign of Four. When this mystery is solved, Dr. Watson gets engaged to Holmes’ client.

The next division of the book is The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. Most of the stories in this division are mysteries that Holmes’ solved before he met Dr. Watson. Some of the mysteries are such as The Yellow Face and The “Gloria Scott”. The last story in this division is The Final Problem. In this one, Holmes’ appears to die, but takes the biggest crime lord in London, Professor Moriarty.

In The Return of Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson discovers that Holmes didn’t die, but was hiding from the late Professor Moriarty’s crime empire, which saw him hide after killing Moriarty. By the end of the first story in this division, Sherlock Holmes is safe from the gang because he captures the top member of the leftover group.

The last story in Volume 1 is The Adventure of the Second Stain, where Holmes averts an international crisis.

This book is like Agatha Christie’s books because both series are about strange mysteries and Christie’s characters Poirot and Miss Marple are like Holmes.
*Read page 781

I recommend this book highly to anyone who likes mysteries. On a scale of 1-5, I rate it a 6.

Return to California...

On August 11, 2009, at 2:00 (India) in the morning, my sister, grandmother, and I were in Banglore International Airport preparing to go back to California. We had arrived in India a month ago on July 5, 2009. We had a lot of fun in India, but now we had to go.

We were flying on Dragonair Airlines. Before we left, we had some issues with luggage weight. I was already tired when we got into the plane. The flight was delayed because of paperwork. I decided to sleep because it was taking so long. I slept for about 2 hours. I didn’t do much during the flight besides sleeping and having a light snack.

When we got to Hong Kong, it was lunchtime. My sister and I ate our brunch and we got ready to go to California. I also did a short Sandhyavandanam. After our luggage was searched, some complications were aroused that almost made us miss our flight. I’m not going to go into detail of the events because I don’t think any of us would want to be reminded of those grueling and terrifying 45 minutes. Luckily, we got to the plane in time.

This time we were flying on Cathay Pacific Airlines. Since I had already gotten a lot of sleep, I wasn’t tired at all. Anyway, for once, the plane left without delay. I watched some TV and a few movies during the 12-hour trip. My sister and I ate some pasta for our Lunner (like brunch, except a mix of lunch and dinner instead of breakfast and lunch). We also drank a lot of apple juice.

When we got to San Francisco International Airport, we were really happy because we would be able to see our parents again, who had left India 2 weeks earlier. It didn’t take long to go through customs because my sister and I are U.S. permanent residents and citizens. We picked up all our suitcases, and right when we went out, our parents came.
They told us they had just come. It was good to see them again. We went home, I did my Madhyanka, we ate lunch, our parents returned to work, and me, my grandmother, and my sister relaxed for the afternoon.

Today is August 17, 2009. We have been in California for 6 days. I have no jetlag, aside for the fact that I didn’t get a second of sleep on the first night back. I already miss India, but I’m having fun here. On the 20th my 4th cousin (my cousin’s, cousin’s, cousin’s, cousin) Vignesh is coming to visit from Dallas. I only remember him from when we visited his house last year. School is starting on the 24th.

I had a really great visit to India.

My Munji experience

(Some posts are out of order due to internet unavailability from time to time)

At a certain age, boys of some Hindu cultures have a 2 day celebration called the munji (upanayana or sacred – thread ceremony). Different families have it at different times. It is a number of rituals to a help a boy attain spiritual enlightenment. A special mantra is taught as well, called the Gayathri Manthram. They also give the boy a Yajnopavitam (or sacred thread) to symbolize his right of passage. This year, I had my munji.

The first day of my munji was July, 12, 2009. I woke up at 4:00 A.M. I dressed up in panche early in the morning. We went to the temple where I would have my munji at around 7:00 A.M. I recited a lot of mantras. They were all prayers to the gods to give me good fortune. My parents and the priests at the temple also did many things. We had many homas, which are fires used to pray to the Gods. We also put things like fruits and clothes into the homas to give a fragrant smell. My eyes burnt because of the smoke though. We had a break sometime in the afternoon. After that, we had a music concert (flute) & Mahabharata epic singing.

On the second day of my munji, July, 13, 2009, we did some of the same things as we did yesterday, such as making homas. That day, I was given the Gayathri Upadesha by my dad & the sacred thread was put around my body. I memorized some of the mantras I would need to know. I got some money, Wee game, a few board games, a cool watch, and a few books as gifts

Today, July, 14, 2009, was the first day after my munji. I did my sandyavandana, a bunch of rituals I have to do every day, my madhanka, which is like a sandhyavandana, and today evening, I’m doing the rituals again. The mantras I memorized went like this:

Keshavaynama
Narayananamaha
Madhanayanama
Govindayanamaha
Vishnavadanamaha
Madhavayanamaha
Trivikramenameha
Vamanyanamaha
Sridharayanamaha
Rishikeshayanamaha
Padmanabyanamaha
Dhamodarainamaha

My munji was complicated, but rewarding. Looking forward to practicing it all.

My Experience at Cubbon Park

On July 29, 2009, my sister, grandfather, and I went to a place called Cubbon Park. My sister was really excited and said there were motor boats and roller coasters, but said I was a baby just because I don’t like speed and heights (And I’m older than her by 2 years!). My first thought at arriving at the park was that this was either a city in a metropolis or it was a township in a city! The park was at least 10 acres long and wide! The trees were huge and the place had a playground, a train, at least 3 ice cream parlors, a planetarium, an aquarium, and I think there was even a Museum of Industry, among other things!

We went on the 3:30 train ride around the first area of the park. We ate snacks along the way. My grandfather and I thought it was fun, but my sister said it was stupid. Then my grandfather bought us a small cup of vanilla ice cream, which we ate. Then my sister started complaining because there were no roller coasters and things like that and there were only swings, slides and monkey bars. Honestly, I don’t know why she expected what she expected. Anyway, my sister said it was boring.

We went to the aquarium next. We saw lots of fish, small sharks, albino goldfish (albino!) giant gouramis (which are quite ugly), and even a tank full of small, deadly tiger sharks! I thought it was interesting.

Next, we went to the planetarium. We heard there was going to be a celestial fireworks show at 4:30 PM. While we waited, we checked what our weight, in kilograms, would be on different planets. My sister told my mom when we got home that I weighed 109 kilograms and that she weighed only 2.2. But she said what my weight would be on JUPITER (which has a lot of gravity) as if it were mine on EARTH, an, she gave what her weight would be on PLUTO (which has very little gravity) in the same way! Anyway, at 4:30, we went to the fireworks display. It was actually an IMAX show about outer space. However, it was very realistic. We saw supernovas, black holes (simulated, because in real life, it is impossible to see a black hole because not even light can escape a black hole because of its immense gravitational power, and light is needed to see things), and what effects an asteroid’s impact would have on earth (which is bad, bad, bad!). We thought it was really cool. I know my sister even thought that. But she still complained.

I thought my experience there was really fun. We will go again to the other parts of Cubbon Park soon. Until then, stay tuned!

My Visit to Halebidu Temple

On August 3, 2009, my sister & I went to the Halebidu temple from Hassana with our grandparents. It is a very important ancient temple. It is gigantic! There were statues of giant bulls and hundreds of rock carvings!

We left home at about 10:00 A.M. on a bus to Halebidu. It was a bumpy ride. I actually flew a few times!

We got to the temple between 11:00 and 11:30 A.M. My sister and I were hungry, so we ate a small snack. Then we went to the temple. We saw the two giant bull statues. They were the size of elephants. We also looked at the stone carvings on the temple walls. They depicted ancient gods and stories. Sadly, most of the temple’s carvings were damaged beyond repair. The gods were missing a number of hands, and it was rare to find an elephant, tiger, or horse with there head, tail, or legs all still stuck to their bodies.

The inside of the temple was dark. It was very small and plain compared to the outside of the temples.

At between 12:00 and 12:30 P.M., we ate our lunch. We had bhath and mosrana. We gave the leftovers to 2 dogs.

Then we went to the archeological museum. Everything was damaged. You couldn’t find a single peacock statue with its head still on its body. There were Hero Stones and inscribed slabs, as well as statues and archways. My sister and I asked our grandmother to read the slabs, but she said they were in old Kannada, and that she couldn’t read it.

We went to another mountaintop temple. However, it was very small. It took us 5 minutes to see the whole thing.

Then we went home on a bus. My sister and I took some short naps. We got home at 3:00 P.M.

Mysore visit

On July 14, 2009, we left my grandparents house in Benglur and went to my dad's older brother's house in Mysore to visit our cousins. We took about 4 – 5 hours to get to Mysore.

At around lunchtime, we stopped at a really cool restaurant next to a swamp to eat our brunch. We ate idlis wrapped in leaves. We got back in our taxi after about 10 – 15 min.

About 1 – 2 hours later, we stopped near the Kauveri river to see the Nimishamba temple. I did my Madyanka next to the Kauveri river. (My sister accidentally stepped in some dirt and had to leave her shoes behind.) Me and my sister both ate chocolate bars.

When we got to Mysore, we stopped at the famous Mysore Palace. Mysore used to be the capital of Karnataka (now Banglore is), which is why the palace is situated there. It has five gigantic temples next to it that are all the size of a mansion! The palace itself is at least two acres large! Inside the palace, we saw statues made of pure gold, silver and bronze. The doors had ivory carvings on them, and they were worth millions of U.S. dollars. One door was made of pure silver and worth more than $10,000,000. We also saw million dollar paintings and two thrones for dignitaries made of pure silver. We only saw the two thrones (one for elephant back and one normal one) in pictures. They were huge and made of solid gold! My parents also said that the government hid thousands of diamonds, emeralds, and rubies to keep them from being stolen. We bought silk clothes as well. We also saw the residential quarters of the royalty. There were antique phonographs, teakwood beds and roofs, and pure gold scepters and swords, and high class rifles. My parents also bought me an ice cream choco – bar. Sadly, it melted within a minute.

At about 6:00 P.M., we got to my dad's brother's house. We played with our cousins, Hamsini and Shreyas, until midnight. Me and Hamsini had a very uncivilized quiz for an hour.

On July 15, 2009, we went to Sri Chamundeshwari temple high up in a mountain. Sadly, it was too crowded there due to a special event and we couldn't go inside it. We went to the less crowded Nandi temple in the mountains. Shreyas had gotten an appendicitis surgery only a month ago, so he got really tired. We went to a bakery when we got home and bought cake. When we got home, Shreyas had to sleep for some time. We had quizzes and played a little more. At 3:00 P.M., we tried to make a video, but me and my family had to go to my other grandparents' in Hassna. At about 6:00, we got there. Today is July 16, 2009. Tomorrow, we are going to visit the village Kowshika and Hamsini and Shreyas are going to visit us and their grandparents.

Reaching Benglur.....

On July 3rd, 2009, I was going to go to India. The week before, my mom had gone. My sister, dad, and I boarded the plane around 1:00 P.M. PST. The plane was delayed for an hour before take off. We were flying On Cathay Pacific Airlines. We were on the plane for 15 hours. We got sick of it after 3 hours. By the time we landed in Hong Kong, my feet were sore, my ears were pounding, my back ached, my stomach growled, and I had a runny nose. In Hong Kong, my dad bought me and my sister a slice of chocolate cake and a bottle of lemonade. We got onto another plane three hours after landing. This flight was on DragonAir Airlines and was 7 hours long. We reached Banglore International Airport in India at a very late hour. By the time I got to my grandparents house, it was 4:00 A.M.! I ate 2 gulab jamuns and went to sleep. Monday, July 6th, 2009, was our first day in India. Nothing extroardinary happened. On July 7th, 2009, we went shopping, saw our house (the one we've rented out), and we visited one of our relatives for dinner. Today, July 8th, 2009, we went to a relatives house for breakfast and we're visiting another one in the night.


(posting og this blog got delayed since internet connection was broken for a while)

5 Ideas that will Revolutionize Science

Idea 1: Spider Silk

It is a known fact that spider silk is 5 times harder than steel of the same thickness. If spider DNA and blue whale DNA were merged, it would create a spider of gargantuan proportions that would make colossally thick silk. This silk could be used to make cars, planes, houses, and many other things (cars and planes would have to have solar panels). People wouldn’t have to cut down trees or mine for metal and oil. The spider would be placed far from humans and be fed flies that have shark DNA in them.

Idea 2: Mega Weather Farm

1 hurricane could power the U.S. for six months. The power of a hurricane can be harnessed with super durable wind farms. Hurricanes would be trapped on remote, abandoned islands, where the wind farms would use the hurricanes wind to make electricity. Robots could create hurricanes and the wind farms could be controlled remotely.

Idea 3: Garbage Incineration

Burning garbage in earth’s atmosphere damages the ozone layer. However, nothing would happen if the sun burnt the garbage. Giant satellites could be sent in to orbit and garbage could be sent regularly to the satellites. The satellite would propel the garbage towards the sun in smaller satellites. The garbage would be incinerates and nothing would happen to the ozone layer. The satellites could also remove dangerous space garbage.

Idea 4: Evergreen Weeds

Trees create oxygen, a very important gas need to survive, and take away a harmful gas called Carbon Dioxide, or CO2. However, trees are lowering in numbers because people are cutting them down. Thousands of trees are cut every day. However, weeds, plants that impede the growth of other plants, are known to grow very quickly. If weed DNA were added to evergreen trees, the trees would grow like mad. This would create more oxygen and reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere.

Idea 5: Ozone Anatomy

The ozone layer is a layer of chemicals in earth’s atmosphere that protects earth from the deadly rays of the sun. Without the ozone, earth would melt. However, recently, the ozone layer has been weakening because of harmful chemicals, such as Carbon Dioxide, that are created by humans. These chemicals are known as greenhouse gases. If scientists could study the ozone layer, they could duplicate its chemicals and protect it from greenhouse gases. If duplicating the ozone layer’s chemicals becomes a tradition, earth could survive for at least 1 billion years, when it will inevitably melt due to the suns aging.

Will continue on this....

5th Grade: The Final Frontier

The 2008-2009 school year ended on 6/11/09. I was in 5th grade. After the dismissal bell rung on that day, I was a middle-schooler. This year, I've done many things inside the classroom.

We had second grade buddies this year. We went to their class about once a week and helped them with reading, writing, art, and many other things. Me and my friend Tiffany's buddy was a second grader named Kyle Wu.

I ran for Vice President in the Student Council of our school this year. I made posters and wrote a speech. Last year, I was unsuccessful in my campaign to become school treasurer and my friends older sister won. However, I still became 1 of my classes representatives. This year I was also unsuccessful and another 5th grader named won. However, this year, I couldn't even become a representative. Another 5th grader who campaigned for Vice President, and a sixth grade classmate of mine became the representatives.

I was also a student valet this year. During some weeks, I had to get to school at 8:00 A.M. instead of 8:15 A.M. I would help people get out of there cars and to school on time. I did it for both sessions this year, went to two student valet pizza parties, and got an award for being a student valet for both sessions.

This year, I was also in the Pomeroy School Newspaper Club. The teacher-in-charge was my sister's, Swathi, teacher, Mr. Gabe Roldan. We each wrote articles for the newspapers. However, there were very few, out-of-date issues. I did 4 articles and 1 interview.

In December, on the day before Christmas Break started, we had an all-day Christmas Party. We had a gift exchange for those who brought gifts, we ate snacks, and we watched a movie. We also celbrated with our buddies. We ate treats, watched the movie The Polar Express, and helped our buddies with some work.

In February, we celebrated the 100th day of school by reading for 100 minutes.

Sometime in March, our teacher, Mrs. Jennifer Grist, had a baby! His name was Aidan Walker grist and we saw him multiple times. We had a substitute teacher named Mrs. Amy Colvin for the rest of the year.

We had a number of field trips. We went to the San Jose Technology Museum and watched a movie about the Lewis and Clark Expedition. We also went to see the play version of the Nutcracker and my dad was one of the chaperones for that field trip. We went to an Oakland A's game as well. I support the A's. The A's were in a baseball game against the Texas Rangers. The Rangers lost miserably. The A's even scored a grand slam! Since the scored a grand slam, if we took our game ticket stubs to a participating Round Table Pizza, we would get a free personal pizza. However, I lost my ticket stub. We also went to the San Francisco Zoo. We also had a picnic with our buddies at Albert Augustine Jr. Memorial Park. Since we had a lot of leftover field trip money, we had pizza, juice, and cookies. On the next day, the 6th graders in our class went on a 6th grade picnic. My class' 5th graders and Mrs. Armstrong's class' 5th graders had nothing short of a party. We watched the movie Paul Blart: Mall Cop , did special art, played board games, watched a taped Oprah Winfrey episode about immigration, and had about an hour of free time. On that day, the 4th graders were also gone for a 10 ½ hour field trip to Columbia State Park in Sacramento from 7:00 A.M. To 5:00 or 5:30 P.M.

We also had an open house on 5/21/09. My family and I went to the ice cream social, my sister's 3rd grade square dancing performance, and some of the school's classrooms.

This year, I was in the Pomeroy School Chorus. I was also in it last year. We sung 6 songs and practiced them for about a month. We also studied our lines for about 3 weeks. Our musical was called Pirates!: The Musical. pirate ship but the pirates laughed at him and kicked him off their ship. However, he stows away on board the ship, gets caught, and must do some things to avoid a watery doom.

I think last year's musical was better, but I still liked this year's musical. We performed in front of our school on May 27, 2009. It was actually a dress rehearsal. On the 28, we performed in front of our parents. On the second of June, we had a pizza party. I thought Chorus was really fun.

We had a Field Day on 6/2/09. We played games, ate ice cream, and had a lot of fun.

On the day before the last day of school, my grandfather was supposed to go to India, but his flight got canceled and he stayed for an extra day. I made him a card. At school, we saw the 3rd (I think) annual yearly 6th graders V.S. Teachers softball game! I support the teachers every year. The 6th graders lost like the Texas Rangers did during our Oakland A's game field trip. We had a party as well and ate snacks while making personal memory pages.

I got many awards this year too, like last year. I got the O.D.S. award which is the most important award at our school. Only students who try their best, behave well, and help people for at least 5 hours get the award. A number of times, I got Student Of the Month awards (Decision making, Responsibility, Education). I also got 5 principal awards this year at the end - of - year awards ceremony. The awards I got were: Outstanding Effort, Outstanding Language Arts, Outstanding Social Studies, and Outstanding Science. I got the DARE most inspirational student award & medal & a medal for Reading is cool program of SJ Sharks. I really wanted to get them.

I woke up at 6:00 A.M. on the last day of school. We said goodbye to our grandfather on the way to school. We were late on the last day of school! We saw the 6th grade graduation, cleaned up the classroom, and then we watched the movie Bedtime Stories. When the dismissal bell rang, I had some teachers and people sign my yearbook and I went home. When we got inside, I half expected my grandfather to come and congratulate and talk to me like he always did. Then I remembered that he left.

It's been a great year! I have one more year at Marshall Pomeroy Elementary School! It will be full of great memories like this year! Right now, I'm officially a

Middle-Schooler!

Night At The Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

On the 2009 Memorial Day, my family and I saw the new movie Night At The Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian.

It starts quite some time after the events in Night at the Museum. Larry Daley, the old night guard, is now the rich CEO of the company Daley Devices. When he goes to the New York Museum of Natural History, he finds that it was closed for renovations. He learned that only the Teddy Roosevelt, Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton, and the magical tablet of the pharaoh Akhmunrah are staying and the rest of the exhibits were being sent to the National Reserve under the Smithsonian Castle in Washington D.C.

He heads home when he gets a frantic call on his cell phone by a miniature cowboy friend of Larry's named Jedediah. He says that Dexter, a cappucin monkey stole the tablet and the were being attacked by Akhmunrah's older brother Kamunrah, who was trying to take the tablet. Larry rushes to get to Washington D.C. With the help of his son, he is able to sneak into the depths of the Federal Reserves and save the tablet. However, just as Larry got it, it activated and Kamunrah captured him. Larry was forced to give Kamunrah the tablet. However, he tricks Kamunrah and says he thought Kamunrah was after the Cube of Rubik, which he said turned all who opposed the user to dust. Larry then opens an octopus exhibit he had stumbled upon and distracted Kamunrah. He escapes with the help of American General General Custer and woman pioneer aviator Amelia Earhart.

Will Larry escape?
Will they win the battle?
Will he and his friends be killed?!?!?!
All this will be answered by watching the movie.

Rating: 10.0

My Grandfather

My grandfather – ‘Viswanath Ajja’ is visiting us this year. He came during the 2009 Marshall Pomeroy Elementary School's winter break on February 17, 2009. It was the first time in 4 years that he came. Since then, he has helped us a lot and we've had a lot of fun with him.

Ajja keeps us working and always encourages us to work hard and always listens when we want to show him something. My mridanga(drum) teacher says that I'm improving. I think Ajja is affecting this because he is praising & encouraging me. He always tells us that we could do better and always keeps us on task. He can also cook very well. He makes delicious French fries for us occasionally.

Ajja also plays with us when we've done our work. He plays tennis and badminton occasionally We like to challenge ourselves by playing with him.

We also celebrated his birthday on March 12, 2009. He turned 63. I made him a card, poem, and word search. We also celebrated his anniversary on May 12, 2009. I made him a different poem and card for that.

We went to James Lick Observatory on top of Mt. Hamilton with him as well. We have done many things with him, such as helping him take care of my baby cousin Avinash. We played games as well. One of the more recent things we did with him was taking him to a really good restaurant called Saravanaa Bhavan. We ate our lunch there and he said he really liked the food.

Sadly, Ajja is going back to India on June 10, 2009. I'm going to feel very sad. However, at that point, school will almost be over. My grandmother is coming after Ajja leaves. My entire family and I are also going to India for the first time in 3 years. I can't wait for July 3rd so that we can go and visit all our relatives in India.

From February 7th to June 10th, Ajja has helped us achieve our goals. He will be a constant inspiration. I will miss him when he leaves. I want him to visit us again.

June 11, 2009

Ajja left for India today, June 11, 2009. His flight yesterday was canceled. It was me and my sister's last day of school. Ajja left in the morning. However, when we got home, I half expected him to come and congratulate and talk to us like he always did when we got home from school. When he didn't, I remembered he had left. I feel sad, but also a bit happy because he is going to see ajji and the rest of his family in India again.

My Mother's Day wish....

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

My mom is helpful, nice and intelligent

As well as understanding, whole-hearted, and patient

My mom is a great cook

And she doesn't need help from a book

As well as that, she always cleans

And about it, she is never mean

Another thing my mother does is teach

Even when I think the subject is out of reach

Sometimes, when I'm angry, I think she doesn't do anything

But really, I know that she does everything

Sincerely

Abhijit

D.A.R.E (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program

D.A.R.E. is an American program that all 5th graders in the U.S. do. It is a ten – week course. Some responsible people teach the students about drugs, how to avoid them, how to avoid violence, and peer and personal pressure. The students graduate after D.A.R.E. is over.

I took part in D.A.R.E. this year. My teacher was a Milpitas police officer named officer Kevin Jackson. He taught us a lot of things. One of the things he taught us about was the D.A.R.E. Decision-Making Model and how to use it. He also taught us about tobacco, marijuana, alcohol, and another drug called meth. He told us about how you knew someone was your friend. He also told us about laws regulating drugs. We had D.A.R.E. on every Thursday. Officer Jackson was a really nice and funny instructor. He also let us see his police car.s

We had to make two things for D.A.R.E. The first was an essay and the second was a poster. I made my poster really colorful. I also put some short phrases on it. I typed my essay. I wrote a five paragraph essay. The body of my essay was made of three main things. This is a copy of my essay:

******************************************************************************
DARE Report

This is my DARE report. I’m going to write about 3 things I learned during DARE. I will write about peer pressure. I will describe some harmful drugs. I will also describe a few of the dangers of harmful drugs.

Peer pressure has many forms. Sometimes, it is positive. Sometimes, it is negative. Peer pressure can come from anyone. Your parents can positively pressure you to do your homework. A stranger can negatively pressure you to buy harmful drugs. In most cases, though, it doesn’t matter about who pressured you to do what, because your decisions mostly affect only you.

There are many types of drugs with negative effects. Some, like marijuana and tobacco, contain ridiculous amounts of poisons. Some, like alcohol, are extremely addictive. Some, like meth, are toxic and volatile. All the drugs I just mentioned destroy every major organ in the human body and cause certain death. No one should use drugs that have this many negative effects.

Using drugs attracts many dangers, such as the two I just mentioned to you. They cause cancer and coma. You can get addicted to them. You die the first time you use a dangerous drug. You can get addicted to a dangerous drug the first time you use it. You can even die before you use a certain drug. These are just a few of the negative effects dangerous drugs have.

I’ve learned a lot during DARE. I’ve learned about some harmful drugs. I know about peer pressure. I know about some negative effects of harmful drugs. I make a pledge to never use harmful and potentially dangerous drugs and I will educate others on why not to use those drugs.

******************************************************************************

We also had to learn a song called the D.A.R.E. Song. We sung it at our DA.R.E. graduation.

The D.A.R.E. graduation was really exciting. Still I was a bit sad because we would be done with D.A.R.E. We were the last graduating school of the year. The D.A.R.E. graduation even got televised. It was a really exciting event.

There were 4 awards given to each class at the D.A.R.E. graduation. They are the Best Poster Award, the Best Essay Award, the Most Inspirational Award, and the D.A.R.E. Top Student. I was really excited and surprised when I got called up for the Most Inspirational Award. I really wanted to get it. I was given a medal and a certificate. I thought it was a huge achievement and an ultimate honor.

A few days later, I got a personal, handwritten letter from Milpitas, my town's chief of police, and the father of one of by schoolmates, D.A.R.E. graduate, and acquaintance (Nathan Graham), Chief Dennis Graham!

It congratulated me on earning the award. I was really happy. I've never got a personal, hand-written letter. It was a great honor to get the letter. On the whole it was a great experience and life lesson.

Interview with my beloved teacher

For the end of the year edition of the school newspaper, I got to interview a teacher of our school. It really felt good to interview my former teacher, Mrs. Main. She taught me 2 years ago. For the interview, I had to schedule a time. Then I had to go to her classroom after school. I had to ask her some mandatory questions and some questions of my own. I wrote this interview report for the Marshall Pomeroy Elementary School Newspaper.

A Quick Interview With Mrs.Kathryn Main
By: Abhijit Ramaprasad

Abhi: Mrs. Main, can you tell us about your profession?
Mrs. Main: I’m a 2nd and 3rd grade teacher here at Marshall Pomeroy Elementary School.
Abhi: How long have you been teaching?
Mrs. Main: I’ve been teaching for 39 years.
Abhi: What are your responsibilities her at Pomeroy School?
Mrs. Main: I have to teach students academics and important life lessons.
Abhi: What skills do you need?
Mrs. Main: I have to be patient and motivate, lead, and inspire my students.
Abhi: What are some positive parts if your job?
Mrs. Main: Getting to teach children things they need to know for life.
Abhi: What are the negative points about your job?
Mrs. Main: I don’t think there are any negative points.
Abhi: Would you recommend this job to others?
Mrs. Main: Absolutely.
Abhi: Why would you recommend this job to others?
Mrs. Main: I think it’s is a great thing to do. It needs commitment and enthusiasm, and it rewards you with happiness.
Abhi: Can you tell us about your education?
Mrs. Main: I was in college for many years. I have a bachelor’s degree in teaching. I also have the required teaching credentials. I also took many extra classes in college.
Abhi: Can you tell us about some travel experiences?
Mrs. Main: I’ve been to Seattle, Washington, South America, Europe, and Mexico.
Abhi: Tell us about one of your interests.
Mrs. Main: I enjoy seeing my grandchildren, Atticus and Sebastian.
Abhi: Can you tell us about some other family members?
Mrs. Main: Other members of my family include my sons, Jeremy and Andrew, and my daughter in law, Bethany.
Abhi: How do you feel when an old student comes and visits you?
Mrs. Main: I really enjoy it. Once, a student of mine came to show me his report card. I really liked it. I like remembering the past.
Abhi: Do you want to say anything to the students here at Marshall Pomeroy Elementary School?
Mrs. Main: “Pomeroy is excitement personified”.

Mrs. Main is retiring this year, many years after she started teaching in 1970. Many of us, especially her old students, will miss her. Pomeroy staff and students would like to wish her a peaceful and active retired life.

March Madness

Many things happened in March. I will describe them in this blogpost.

On March 1, 2009, my 2 year old cousin, Avinash, got ready for his first haircut. It was called his juttu. It took place at the Livermore Temple. We came a little late, but we were still the first visitors. The first part was short, and after it, we had a very long break. During the second period, many people showed up. I even sold some chocolate to get funds for my school's 6th grade science camp program. I was present most of that time. However, some of the time, I was looking for my sister and 4 year old cousin (also Avinash's sister), Aditi. After the ceremony, we had lunch. We had finished late and we ate at 2:00. It was a good lunch but we had to leave early because of a conflicting arrangement.

On that same day, I had to go to my mother's music teacher's house for a music meet. It was called a musical potluck. It was a celebration of the teacher leaving and going to India. We had prepared to sing 1 song, but instead, we sung 2. I sang the songs with my sister. There were about 20 students who performed. We were probably were chosen to perform somewhere in the last 7 performers.

On the 12th of March, 2009, my grandfather turned 63. I wanted to make something very special. I wrote him a poem. This is how it goes:

Ajja, Ajja (grandfather)
You're 63
It's a great thing
We're as happy as can be
You love us and we love you
When somebody asks
We say,”We do!”
It's the 12th of March
It's a special day
Wonder why
It's your birthday

I also made him a word search because I wanted to do something original and new instead of just drawing a picture. I put in things like happy birthday and best wishes.'

For my Laya (rythym) class, I was getting ready for a really big test. I couldn't make a single mistake or use my notes. If I didn't pass, I would get kicked put. I had to practice 10 things everyday. I was really scared, but I got ready. It was rescheduled many times, but I wasn't going to take chances. I practiced and I am still practicing.

This year, my sister is in 3rd grade. She had to write a report, like every other 3rd grader, about our town, Milpitas. Part of it was writing a poem. I wanted to help my sister. Instead, I decided she would be cheating and I decided to send it to our mayor to put in a Milpitas brochure, the Milpitas Post, our town newspaper, and my school's (Marshall Pomeroy Elementary School's) newspaper club. I have posted the poem in another post.

One other thing that happened in March was getting our progress reports. I got really good grades and my teacher said I was getting better at writing.

One last thing from March was when I kept coming home angrily. I kept saying I was getting bullied. I still am, but some people have stopped

I also went to my friend Sanjana's birthday party and bowled there.

One last thing happened a week after the exact date that spring started, March 27, 2009. It was Ugadi. It is the Indian New Year and the first day of spring on the Indian calender. My family and I went to the Livermore temple. The trip took about 3 hours. On that day, I also got the learning student of the month award. Ugadi was a spectacular day with many treats. It was a fitting end for this magnificent March and a fitting start for the new year (Indian).

I also interviewed my former 3rd grade teacher. Her name is Mrs. Main. I interviewed her for the school newspaper. I really enjoyed the interview.

March has been an exciting month this year.

It has been awesome and I hope that Every month is like this.

Milpitas, Milpitas

I wrote this poem about my town, Milpitas. I got the inspiration because my sister had to write a poem and I decided to also write one. I wrote it for my school newspaper an tried to get it published in the local newspaper, the Milpitas Post.

Here it is:

Milpitas, Milpitas
What a great place to be
All the wonderful places
And people to see

Chip engineers and the Great Mall, oh my
If you want to see everything, you’ll be on the fly

Most don’t know us and call us insignificant
Yet, truly, we’re actually very magnificent

Our education is the greatest
We’re the best at tests
Wonder what our grades are
They’re A+, A+, and A+ by far

Milpitas, Milpitas
What a great place to visit
If Yoda were here, he’d say
More than you can chew, you have bit

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sankethi Koota

On February 14, we had the first Sankethi Koota of 2009. It was on Valentine’s Day. I had volunteered to help out and perform in to skits.

The first thing that happened was an invocation ceremony. Some people sung a song and there was a short speech. Very few people were there at that time. To me, it wasn’t the most interesting thing in the world. Plus, I was doing a skit and I was already all ready to perform. I was getting very restless.

Next came the interesting part. The first skit took place after the invocation. It was called Karnataka Vaibhava, or Karnataka’s Glory. It was about important people from the history of Karnataka. The oldest person lived some 1,400 years ago. The lines were organized from oldest time to youngest time. The first person was my friend, Sanjana K. She was acting as a sort of timeline. Between times, she would speak up.

The first person to go up was me. I was acting as a king called Pulikeshi. My lines were:” Pallavarana solisi, kanchi nagaravannu vasha padisi kondi dsayithu. Harsha Rajanannu solisi, idée dakshinapattaka arasa enisikondidyathu. Nama rajyada hirimay, yella deshaku hubide. Jay Kowshikambe!”

The next person to come up was a boy name Sudanva. He acted as Saint Basavanna. Basavanna was a great teacher and thought about many things. He was born in the year 1131 AD. Next, my other friend, Sanjana M. went up. She was acting as Saint MahadevI. Mahadevi was a great poet. She didn’t have a very long life and most of it is unknown. After Sanjana recited her lines and sat down, another boy named Gagan came up on the stage. He acted as Saint Purandaradasa. Purandaradasa was a famous Indian musician. He made many compositions. However, he was most known for making the system of beginner songs. He is still celebrated and his system is still used today. Gagan sang one of Purandaradasa’s compositions. Then he prayed and two very young children appeared as gods and stood in front of him. Then they went off - stage.

After Gagan sat down, my younger cousin Aditi came on – stage. She was Rani Shantala. Rani Shantala was a queen. She was also a very good Bharatnatyam dancer. She was also quite intelligent. Right after Aditi sat down, another girl named Prisha came up. She acted as Onake Obavva. She lived in the 18th century and fought the forces of Hyder Ali. She was the epitome of Karntaka women pride. The next person who came up was my sister. She acted as Kitturu Chennama. Kitturu Chennama was a queen. She opposed British rule in India and refused to pay taxes. Finally, last of all, an acquaintance named Aniketh went up. He was Sir M. Vishveshveraya. He was an eminent Indian engineer and statesman. He also received the most prestigious award in India, the Bharat Ratna, and was knighted by the British for his contributions to the public good.

After the skit, a guest speaker spoke. I didn’t catch many of the details because I was put on guard duty. I had to guard all the food. However, the other group made us move. After the move, I had to perform another skit.

The second skit was called the Valentine’s Day Skit. It was about some kids on Valentine’s Day. The setting was in a classroom. One girl had just come from India. Her name was Smitha. She didn’t know about Valentine’s Day. The other kids talked about Valentine’s Day. When the teacher came in, he talked about Valentine’s Day. At the end of the skit, Smitha finally knew what Valentine’s Day was all about. I was myself. My sister was herself. Sanjana M. was Sanjana. Sanjana K. was Smitha. Sanjana K.’s dad was the teacher, Mr. H.

I went back to guard duty in the new location until a dance was done. Then I played with my friends until dinner. I helped serve the food. After dinner, I talked with my friends and we left.

I thought all the children performed very well. Particularly my sister.

On a bitterer note, before the Sankethi Koota, one of our props broke. I lied about it. On a lighter note, I was excused and we got a new prop.

TheatreWorks Workshop

Recently, the G.A.T.E. 5th graders in my school have done an activity called TheatreWorks. A TheatreWorks expert comes and teaches us some basic things about theatre and then they teach us a poem that we enact. Our teacher was Vera Sloan and she taught us how to be actors. She told us how to do some basic warm – ups, tongue twisters, what the actor’s toolbox is (it is the three things you need to act, which are: voice, body, and imagination), and the meaning of the word ensemble and the essentials to be an ensemble. We also learnt a special game about being an ensemble called Pass the Clap or The Clap Game. It had 3 variations and we were the first class that our teacher taught the third variation to.

It was a 2 - week program. During the second week, the teacher brought a poem called “All the World’s a Stage” by William Shakespeare. We were divided into 4 “clumpy clusters”. I was in “cluster” 2. The taller people were in the back and the shorter people were in the front. The front row people had to kneel while the back row people had to stand. Each group got certain lines, which we had to recite while we made gestures associated with that line.

On the day of the performance, some parents, TheatreWorks officials, and most of the 4th grade, 6th grade, and non – G.A.T.E. 5th grade students came to see us perform. We did our warm – ups, then we recited our tongue twisters, and then we stated what the actor’s toolbox was.

After that, we played a game called Machines. We had to make a group scene that made us look like we were a machine. We each had to make a different sound, perform a different repeatable activity, and have a different level (height) from everyone else. We also got two parent volunteers for this game. The volunteers were my friend my friend Divyesh’s mom and my mom. After we finished, someone in the crowd was supposed to name the machine and its use. Someone called it the Funny Machine. It had done what it was supposed to do because everyone laughed.

Later, after we played Machines, we played Pass the Clap V (variation) 1 and V2.
The last game we played was called Pantomime. It was a little like Machines. However, there were a few differences. Instead of some random person starting of doing some random action, someone would be taken into a place called “The Cone of Silence”. They would be told that they had to act like they were in a specific place. Then that person would have to enact an activity you would do in that place silently. The other people would have to guess where you were and then raise their hand to be sent into the scene as well. They would be judged to see if they really knew where they were by the teacher by the look of the activity they were enacting. We also had 2 adult volunteers for this game as well. After the scene got crowded, someone in the crowd had to say where we were. Someone said that we were in the snow and they were completely correct.

Finally, we enacted “All the World’s a Stage”. After that we were lead outside and given awards. That was the end of the TheatreWorks workshop.

At first, I felt embarrassed about Theater Works. However, in the end, I had fun. I started to miss it a little bit after it was over.

And Then There Were None - A Book Report

'And Then There Were None' is a story written by Agatha Christie. It is also known by the name 'Ten Little Indians'.

Eight people are invited to an island called Indian Island to meet two people who go by the names Mr. U.N. Owen and Mrs. U.N. Owen. The names of these people are Vera Claythorne, Anthony Marston, Justice Lawrence Wargrave, Phillip Lombard, an ex-Inspector of Scotland Yard named William Henry Blore disguised as a South African, and General Macarthur, Dr. Armstrong, and Emily Brent. A man named Fred Narracot takes them to the island. There, they meet the servants, Mr. and Mrs. Rogers. Mr. Owen was not there at the time. They each went to there rooms. Each of them saw the children’s nursery rhyme, Ten Little Indians. It goes like this (big hint)

Ten little Indians went out to dine

One choked his little self and then there were nine nine

Nine little Indians stayed up very late

One overslept and then there were eight

Eight little Indians traveling through Devon

One said he would stay and then there were seven

Seven little Indians chopping up sticks

One chopped himself in halves and then there were six

Six little Indians played with a hive

A bee stung and then there were five

Five little Indians going for law

One got in Chancery and then there were four

Fpur little Indians going out to sea

A red herring swallowed one and then there were three

Three little Indians going to a zoo

A bear hugged one and then there were two

Two little Indians sitting in the Sun

One shriveled up and then there was one

One little Indian all alone

That night, they were having dinner and found out everyone had a copy of the poem in there rooms. They saw 10 china Indians on the table as they ate. They suddenly heard a record accusing each of them with murder. They were all spooked. Mrs. Rogers fainted. Rogers said he started the record because Mr. Owen told him to. They asked him what this Mr. Owen even looked like. He told them that he had never me him. Mrs. Rogers came to and Dr. Armstrong gave her some sleeping pills. They started to want to investigate who this guy was anyway. Justice Wargrave asked everyone about the murders they were accused with and how they even got invited. They all got the stories from each other. They also learned Blore’s true name because the record said William Henry Blore and there was no Blore among them and that he was hired by Owen to watch the others. All the murders seemed accidental and/or coincidental in exception for the one for which Phillip Lombard was accused. They also said the invitations they got were either from Una Nancy Owen or Ulick Norman Owen, both U.N. Owens. After examining the pronunciations of the names, they found that U.N. Owen sounded like UNKNOWN. They deduced that there was no Mr. Owen and that a homicidal lunatic had lured them to the island. Anthony Marston said he was ready to investigate. He drank something in a toast and his face became purple; he choked, and then died. The doctor found some traces of Potassium Cyanide in the cup that Marston had drunk from. They thought it might have been suicide because everyone else’s drinks weren’t poisoned. However, they all thought it was hard to believe because he was so young and so full of life. They decided they would leave the island with Fred Narracott when he came tomorrow to deliver bread and milk. They all went to their rooms. Rogers stayed behind to clean up. He saw 9 china Indians on the table instead of 10 while he was cleaning. That struck him as odd. Upstairs, in her locked room, Vera Claythorne examined the poem in her room and said that this terrible murder was just like how the first Indian disappeared.

The next day, Rogers woke up Dr. Armstrong and told him that his wife wasn’t waking up no matter what he did. Armstrong examined her and declared that she was dead. Rogers told him that she hadn’t been sleeping well and that she hadn’t taken any pills except the ones that he had given her. He said she might have either done suicide or had cardiac problems. They started walking to the beach. They found out from the others who were already there that Narracott hadn’t arrived yet. Rogers said that was strange because he normally came quite early and he would send his brother if he was sick. Rogers went into the house, and came back and told Dr. Armstrong about last nights disappearing china Indian and said now there were only 8 of them on the table.

After that, the guests who slept longer came to the beach. It was breakfast time and everyone but General MacArthur went inside to eat. He decided he wasn’t going to leave the island . . . ever. After breakfast, Lombard, Blore, and Armstrong decided to see if anyone was on the island except themselves. While investigating, they passed General MacArthur. He seemed . . . strange. His eyes were out of focus and he seemed to be daydreaming. They went to see if there were any caves in the cliff on the side of the island. Blore said he had seen Lombard with a revolver. Lombard told him that he was really hired to watch the 10 people on the island. Blore went to get some rope for a little while. Lombard went for a few minutes to test a theory, which was incorrect. When Blore came back, Armstrong went down and saw no caves. He deduced no one but their 10 selves were on the island. While they were doing that, Vera Claythorne and Emily Brent were taking a short walk together. Emily told Vera about the murder she was accused of. She said that a girl who seemed nice came to her house but she turned out to be a sinner. Emily kicked her out of her house and the girl threw herself into a river. Vera seemed afraid of Emily now. The gong soon sounded for lunch. They all went to the house. They noticed General MacArthur wasn’t there. Armstrong went to fetch him. Soon, he ran back and exclaimed the MacArthur was dead. Rogers ran to the table but Vera told him what he suspected had already happened. There were only 7 china Indians.

They were all afraid now. Armstrong said that MacArthur was hit by something like a life preserver. Rogers said that someone had stole bathroom curtains and Emily said someone had stolen her wool. They ate lunch. Then Wargrave told everyone that the murderer had to be of them and that they had to be careful and that no one could be eliminated from the suspects list. They told each other what they had been doing. They learned from Rogers Fred Narracott still hadn’t arrived. That night, after dinner, they each locked their doors and slept.

The morning, Lombard woke up Blore and told him Rogers hadn’t come by yet. They woke up the rest and started looking for Rogers. They couldn’t find him. The fire wasn’t lit, the tea hadn’t been made and Rogers hadn’t woken them up. They made their own breakfast and saw that there were only 6 china Indians now. After breakfast, they found Rogers. He had been the tool shed chopping up firewood with the small cleaver when some one Must have snuck up on him and hit him with the big cleaver. Now Rogers was dead. They wondered who would be next.

That afternoon, they ate lunch. They finished and Emily said she would wash the dishes. Everyone else went to the drawing room. Wargrave stepped out for a second. In the kitchen, Miss Brent was getting drowsy. A bee stung her. She was dead. After a long time, everyone went to see how Emily was doing. She looked fine, but didn’t notice them. When they saw her face, her lips were blue and blood covered he face. They saw a bee on the site. There were only 5 china Indians.

Well, that’s the half - point. Oh, by the way, there are 2 - 3 versions of the endings. This is the end of my summary.

Who is the murderer?

Why have they killed these people?

Why does this homicidal maniac love his nursery rhyme so much?

Read this book and you’ll find the answers and more.

(Okay, okay, that last one might not be answered)

Recent Literary Activities

In the recent past, I’ve had a number of literary ventures. One of them was being interviewed by an AP (Associated Press, the most prestigious group of reporters in the country) consultant.

The AP consultant’s name was Emily Fredrix. She was writing a report about businesses that have closed in 2008 and she stumbled on my Mervyns and Me blog. She posted a comment on my blogsite. I was extremely happy when I found out I was going to be mentioned in a newspaper and an online report by the Associated Press! She interviewed me by phone on New Year’s Eve, 2008. I told her about how I felt about Mervyns closing. I’d made a few notes on a scrap of paper for what to say. I also talked about my childhood and how much I used to enjoy going to Mervyns. That day, in her report, she wrote three lines about her interview with me.

Here is that article. Click on the image for a zoomed-in view:

Another literary venture was releasing my book, Potions and Portals for Dummies.

I started writing Potions and Portals for Dummies for my sister’s birthday. I was excited because I was making a real book. I dedicated it to her and autographed it on her birthday. My parents interviewed me about the book release afterwards. She read it out loud after 5 minutes. I had written 5 pages of potions, how to make them, and their uses. I also had printed some funny pictures. At her birthday party, I also gave regular copies to her friends. Three days later, on my mother’s birthday, I gave her an autographed and dedicated copy.

Now, time for another venture concerning my mother’s birthday and my sister’s birthday.

I gave both my mom and my sister poem cards on their birthdays. I had to use all my literary genius of the day for both days to think of them. I used a different format for each one. For my sister, I made a normal half - fold card. For my mom, I made a giant one – page poster card. These were the longest and best poems I have ever written.

Things that happened in the recent past & my expectations for 2009

The old year of 2008 is almost over. I’ve done a lot of things during 2008. I’ve watched many movies. I’ve read new books. I started 5th grade this and turned 10 this year. My uncle got a new house. My sister went to 3rd grade and turned 8. I’ve made some new friends this year, too. I witnessed Barack Obama’s win in the U.S.’s presidential election. I’ve also written many blogposts on this website as well. I’ve written over 10 more blogposts than last year. It’s been an awesome and memorable year. Right now, at the end of the year, I’m sleeping late and watching movies everyday.

My uncle moved in to his new house on the first day of school. I woke up early and went to the housewarming party. I witnessed a lot of ceremonies to celebrate getting a new house at the housewarming. I also saw in a newspaper before I left for school that Michael Phelps had earned his 8th gold medal, giving him the most Olympic gold medal in history. Moving on, I have read new books like The Science of Harry Potter and Star Wars: Children of the Jedi. I’ve done book reports, book report projects, and a special project called the Holiday Budget in 5th grade. For the Holiday Budget, I had to evenly spend $600 over decorations, food, gifts, and other things for a holiday. It was a very difficult project. Now let me tell about other things. I’ve made new friends as well. A few examples are Wee Jin Koh, John Theodore M. Mappala, and Annete Tri. In December, I celebrated my sister's and mother’s birthdays. I made a card and wrote a poem for both of them. My sister, dad, and I also made special treats for my mom’s birthday instead of buying a cake. Right now, at the end of the year, I have watched a number of movies such as: Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, Pokemon: Jirachi Wish Maker, Camp Rock, and the Cheetah Girls: One World (please do not laugh at me). I will now tell you about what I think of each of these movies. The Cheetah Girls: One World is miserable. They kept breaking into stupid songs and phony dances every two minutes. They don’t even explain the storyline gaps between the beginning and end of each song. Now to talk about another movie, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa. It’s an awesome movie. It explains a lot of things from Madagascar, like how Alex the lion ended up in a zoo. I t was also very funny. Now let’s discuss the next movie, Camp Rock. It was overall good. The storyline wasn’t flawed and the songs and dances were not phony and stupid. Now, let’s talk about the final movie, Pokemon: Jirachi Wish Maker. It was a good movie. It had a great storyline. Now, moving on, I feel great One year is over and I’m ready for the next. I can’t wait for another exciting year of life. I’m a bit sad that 2008 is almost over, but I’m also happy. It’s been one of the best years of my life, and I’ll always remember it.

Next year, I’ll be finishing 5th grade and I’ll be going to 6th grade. My grandfather and grandmother will also visit and I will visit the majority of my family in India. I’ll be turning 11 as well. I’ll be going to 6th grade and I’ll be learning new things. I don’t know everything that will happen to me next year, but I know it will be another awesome, great, and terrific year.

Happy New Year!