Last week, I was away in Taiwan with my dad. We went for nine days (seven full days) as an attempt to see all 31 endemic bird species. We left for the ferry on Thursday evening and flew from Vancouver at 15 minutes past midnight to Taipei, Taiwan. It was a 12.5-hour flight, and we arrived early morning. Once we landed, got out of the airport, and got our rental car, we immediately hopped in and started birding. It was a warm, humid day as we travelled from park to park. The following day we got our first endemic, Taiwan Liocichla. As the days were going by, we saw some amazing scenery, stayed at some weird hotels, and ate and saw some peculiar food. I remember one of the menus advertising snails, large intestines, and pig snouts. A few times you must cook your food. You have a bowl of boiling water on a flame, and a bowl of raw mystery meat, lots of different kinds of mushrooms and veggies. We threw them in and hoped for the best. On one of our days, we had a long drive to chase an endemic, Styan’s Bulbul. In order to get it, we had to drive to the east coast along a dangerous, narrow, wet, one-lane road on the side of a mountain. There were avalanches everywhere, holes in the road, places where half the road was down the cliff. Lots of tunnels as well. While we were waiting for the next road opening in a part, we had an hour to waste where we saw the bulbul on a telephone pull. When we walked back to the car, there was a monkey (Formosan Rock Macaque) who was climbing up the car towards my open window I forgot to close. If they get in the car, they will ruin and take everything. We tried to scare it off and it climbed on top of the car and stood its ground, showing its teeth the finally climbing down. We saw lots of monkeys and street dogs as far as the mammals go. A few squirrels and a serow as well. Unfortunately, on the last couple days, the park where we had planned to get the last tricky endemics was closed due to a Typhoon coming so we were unable to get all the endemics. The last endemic we got a few hours before heading to the airport was a Black-necklaced Scimitar Babbler. A skulker but we managed to see it thanks to a group of photographers in a huddle desperate to get a glimpse at this hard bird. This made the final count of endemics, 26/31. The flight home left at midnight and landed in Vancouver at 6:30pm. We got the 9pm ferry and got home at 11:45pm.
Author: Amelia
IRJE #2 – Specials by Scott Westerfeld 2006
The book Specials by Scott Westerfeld is the third book in a series of four. IRJE #1 was about the second book, and now I have moved onto reading the third book. I have just started reading this book and haven’t even finished the first chapter but so far, the key event that I clued into was that Tally is now a Special, or Special Circumstance. Specials are a modified ‘superhuman’ version of a pretty who can resist the effects of the lesions. Most Pretties who were very tricky in their ugly life became specials. Tally is feeling better, and her memories are sharp and can be remembered now. Tally isn’t a regular special though, she is part of a group of 16 with her best friend Shay, called the Cutters. They are separated from the rest of the specials and prefer to do missions alone. The Cutters went to an uglies party to try and find a Smokie (city Uglies who escaped the operation). This is when I found this paragraph.
The crowd parted easily, everyone sliding out of her way. However zitty and uneven their faces, the uglies’ eyes were sharp, full of nervous stabs of awareness. They were smart enough to sense that the three Cutters were different. No one stared for too long at Tally or realized what she was behind her smart-plastic mask, but bodies moved aside at her lightest touch, shivers playing across their shoulders as she passed, as if the uglies sensed something dangerous in the air.
It was easy seeing the thoughts ripple across their faces. Tally could watch the jealousies and hatreds, rivalry and attraction, all of it written on their expressions and in the way they moved. Now that she was a special, everything was laid out clearly, like looking down on a forest path from above. (p. 9)
This quotation shows that now Tally is a Special, she can think much clearer than ever before. She seems to enjoy being part of the Special Circumstances now, even though she didn’t want to become one in the first place. It probably helps that Shay is there as well and that they formed their own tight group of 16 called the Cutters. When I read this section, it seems to me that Tally, as well as the other Specials, have very keen and sharp senses now. They are starting to see their life around them in a different way. Before when they were Pretties, they found it hard to remember and think for themselves because they couldn’t. The lesions that the operation puts in their brains stopped them from doing what makes you human. But when Tally managed to brake away from that state of mind and think for herself all by herself, the Special Circumstances noticed and knew that Tally should become one of them. Because no one should be able to resist the effects of the lesions, which made Tally special.
Reflection on two essays about war
In the essay “Can real men live in a peaceful society”, I thought that it was true after reading both essays when he said ‘bourgeois men were too soft to make good soldiers’ (p. 1) even though the war just ended. It’s interesting that people changed so much in such a short amount of time. It was like the war never happened. It was ‘a thing of the past’ (p. 1) and a new way of life was developed. I wasn’t that surprised that the essay stated that ‘it is better to die than to live in defeat’ (p. 5) only because of the time it was written, in the 19th century. If that was said today, I think I would be more surprised. This is because people back then seemed to be more noble than in today’s world. I think it’s a form of courage. They believe in what they are fighting for, therefore they are saying they will fight to the end for what they believe in. At the end where is wonders of war and violence will always remain with us as long as there are humans. I believe that this statement is true because it is in our nature to control and want more than we have. The constant battle for control over people or especially land will always remain with us because that’s just who humans are. In “The Moral Equivalent of War” essay by William James, he also believes that peace will not be permanent on earth (p. 3) and states that if war stopped, we would have to re-invent it. He believes that people are getting too soft and that ‘war has been the only force that can discipline a whole community’. I agree with James because after all the readings we’ve done in English class, the harsh reality of war shows that it disciplines people and there is no way of hiding from it.
PW#2 Migration
It’s coming to an end for bird migration this season. A few weeks ago, was the biggest movement for species so, my parents and I went to East Sooke Park and hiked to the hawk watch spot. We arrived at the lookout around 8:00am and began scanning for songbirds and seabirds with our binoculars and scope. There were hundreds of California Gulls on the rocks and flying around the fishing boats, and hundreds Common Murres on the water. After a few hours, it had warmed a bit up, so we redirected our focus to the treeline. And fair enough, the raptors started appearing over the ridge. It was a calm day, and they showed beautifully against the white clouds. In the first hour we managed to see 63 Red-tailed Hawks, 44 Turkey Vultures, 16 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 14 Cooper’s Hawk, and the odd Osprey and Bald Eagles. All these raptors are trying to migrate south for the winter, but they must wait for the perfect weather to cross the strait (piece of ocean between Canada and USA). Especially the Turkey Vultures because they will not flap until they have crossed. They must get high enough and wait for the wind to blow in the right direction because attempting to cross as a group. They also travel the furthest. Some flying to southern USA, whilst others go as far as South America where they will spend the next five months before heading back north. As the day carried on, the cloud crept away from us making it more challenging to see the hawks against the blue sky. Over 200 Vaux’s Swifts were also migrating through, as well as over 300 Band-tailed Pigeons. That day, we saw a total of 48 species at that hawk lookout spot.
IRJE #1 – Pretties by Scott Westerfeld – 2005
The book Pretties by Scott Westerfeld is the second book in the Uglies book series, which comprises of four books, Uglies, Pretties, Specials, and Extras. In this series, at age 16, you are turned from an ugly into a pretty with plastic surgery. After being turned into a pretty, late because she ran away to the New Smoke in the first book, Tally finds it hard to remember her old life back in Ugly Ville. Every pretty has this problem. During chapters 8 and 9, Tally and her friend find a note that was written to herself from her old ugly self, and two small white pills with it. She reads it to herself, and one section of the letter says this:
But anyways, here’s what I’m trying to tell you: They did something to your brain – our brain – and that’s why this letter may seem kind of weird to you. We (that’s “we” as in us out in the New Smoke, not “we” as in you and me) don’t know exactly how it works, but we’re pretty sure that something happens to everyone who has the operation. When they make you pretty, they also add these lesions (tiny scars, sort of) to your brain. It makes you different, and not in a good way. Look in the mirror, Tally. If you’re pretty, you’ve got them. (p. 84)
Of course, Tally does not remember writing this letter to herself, but they realise that they were right about the operation. As she continues to read, they discover that there is a cure, and taking the pills that were with the letter will fix her brain. I have only read that far so far, so I don’t know if she will take them. I thought this quotation was important in the book because it proves that the operation to make people pretty, messes with your brain and makes you forget your childhood life. It stood out to me because Tally couldn’t remember that she wrote that letter, and discovers she was right all along.
PR to ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ and WWI Readings
All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque was published in 1929. The narrator of the story, Paul Bäumer, is a soldier for the German Army in WWI and it follows what life was like for the Germans during WWI. I enjoyed reading this book because I found it interesting and the way it was written kept me engaged. I had never read a war book where it’s written in the perspective of a solider, so it was a new experience for me. I found parts of it a bit disturbing or sad, but I liked that they narrator told the story how it really was, instead of making it sound great, like some other books do.
In the excerpts from Herbert, Chevailler, Barthas, and West from the WWI Readings, I found it harder to follow and understand compared to All Quiet on the Western Front. I found part 1 a more challenging read than part 2. Possibly their writing styles and the fact that it jumped back and forth between different times, but I couldn’t really wrap my head around it. Part 2 however, was easier for me to follow, which helped me understand much better. Especially the excerpts from Barthas. I liked the way he wrote his perspective.
Overall, I preferred the book, All Quiet on the Western Front, to the WWI readings because it was an interesting story that I could understand.
PW#1 – South Island Powwow
Monday was National Truth and Reconciliation Day, also known as Orange Shirt Day. After doing some migratory birding in the morning, my mum and I went to the South Island Powwow that afternoon downtown. A powwow is a social gathering with dances held by the First Nations to honour their culture and to remember the children who attended residential schools. I had never been to a powwow before, so it was a pretty cool experience. There were Indigenous Peoples of all ages dancing in a circle together to the beat of the drums. Each one of their outfits seemed to tell a story. Around the field there were small shops set up in tents which we visited, and many food trucks with very long lines. It was truly amazing to see so many people in orange shirts, supporting this holiday, and taking the time to attend and learn more about it.
My Introduction – Amelia
Hello, my name is Amelia. I am 14 years old and have been going to Brookes since grade 6. I was born here in Victoria, BC but my family was all born in England, UK. Despite being an only child, I have a very large family in England where I travel to often, and as you may have noticed, I have a bit of a British accent. I love the outdoors, hiking, and especially birding, which is mine – and my parents’ – biggest passion. I have seen almost 1,200 different species of birds in the world. I love travelling the world to see new birds and experience new things. I enjoy being active and playing sports. I’m looking forward to joining the school track and field team in the summer, and I am currently participating in the school’s cross-country team. Outside of school, I enjoy participating in martial arts, and playing my violin.