Lilly – MYP5 English 10

PW# 3- BC Hydro I Hate You.

Just yesterday the island was affected by something called a “bomb cyclone” It’s not too serious, I mean we aren’t going to get flooded or anything but we will get strong winds, heavy rain, and the tide will be up. As someone who lives smack dab right next to the ocean my house and neighborhood often suffer from power outages, for instance, remember that power outage that happened 2 weeks ago? Well, while the school and other dwellings in sed area got power back at around 8 pm my house did not get power back until 8 am the next day! Now back to the present day with our friend who is the bomb cyclone, our friend is seriously affecting the houses in my neighborhood whether it be; trees, fences, and my gazebo that nearly flew away due to the wind that was whistling through the night. Due to the storm, my house lost power last night, it all started when the lights started flickering which of course I thought was odd until the power went out leaving me completely in the dark, this is a common occurrence in my household so all you can do is light candles and wait out the inevitable time the power gets turned back on. I texted Ely, Eva, Polina, and Roberta asking if their power had gone off as well, but to my surprise, everyone had power except me! I then waited out until we had power and of course power had majestically turned on at the crack of dawn at 5 am in the morning. Now I understand BC hydro is busy and is constantly working around the clock but I mean shouldn’t BC hydro have some kind of back up generator to power the city without having to sit in the dark for hours, and this is me speaking as a resident of a neighbourhood that always gets power last. BC Hydro, shouldn’t you atleast have a plan especially in the rainy season when we have bomb cyclones coming at us? I mean I used to live in Winnipeg where there would be at least 7 different blizzards in a year and our power was on all year round and we had a power outage once every two years, I understand Winnipeg has different whether conditions but why cant BC hydro just adapt better solutions to harsh whether?

I hate power outages and I hate BC Hydro.

IRJE#2 Black Beauty

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell is a novel told from the perspective of a horse. It follows Black Beauty’s life, from a happy colt on a country estate to his time in London where he experiences both kind and cruel owners. Through his story, the book highlights the mistreatment of horses and advocates for compassion, and humane treatment. It became a key work in the animal rights movement.

“We call them dumb animals, and so they are, for they cannot tell us how they feel, but they do not suffer less because they have no words.” (pg.101)

I chose this quote because I think it is a pivotal moment in the book where Black Beauty, reflects on the suffering of animals and the misunderstanding from humans who often do not care about their pain. After all, animals cannot express themselves in words so we sometimes treat them as lesser. I think the author is trying to tell readers to understand that the absence of speaking does not lessen an animal’s ability to suffer. It brings attention to how humans treat those who are unable to speak their pain which makes this book making it a very real reflection on basic human empathy, compassion, and responsibility toward other living beings.

PW#2 My trip along the West Coast

2 weeks ago I went on a road trip through Oregon and California, to go to Disneyland and Universal Studios. The road trip to California was excruciatingly long, we stayed in Portland, San Francisco, and finally, Anaheim where Disney is located. On our first day in Anaheim, we went to Universal Studios, when you enter Universal there is a red carpet entrance a huge fountain, and many shops with souvenirs, my favorite store was the Hello Kitty store! Universal is split up into 2 sections: 1. Shops, Minion land, and Springfield (the Simpsons) 2. Jurassic Park, Mario World, and other rides with their own separate sets. I had two separate days in Universal Studios so I was able to explore the whole park and even took photos with King Julian and Hello Kitty! Universal Studios was huge so we decided to take a tour of the film lot, we hopped on to a car called a tram and looked at different film sets and filming locations, we were able to see the sets of; The Good Place, Ted, Jurassic park, Jaws, Big Fat liar, Psycho Bates mansion, Nope, and fast and furious. The tour was so cool because I was able to look at the real stage where some of my favorite films and actors were. Overall Universal Studios was so magical and seeing all the sets, rides, and actors was such a fun experience.

Our second day in Anaheim was filled with Disney from 10 am to 9 pm almost a whopping 12 hours at the park and boy were my feet soar. The day started with going off to the right side of Disney Land called Disney Park, Disney Park features things like Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean, Star Wars, Sleeping Beauty’s castle, New Orleans Square, Toon Town, and Adventure Land. Disney Park was more of a viewing side of the park; you were able to see gorgeous builds of structures from some of your favorite movies. Star Wars was recreated so well whether it be the rides or the actual Star Wars sets everything was detailed beautifully down to the last speck of dust, the rides were so immersive and interactive that sometimes I thought a 3D dark Vader was coming after me on a ride called “Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance”. Later in the day at 2 pm, I went to the left side of the park called Disney California Adventure, this side of the park was made more for intense rides with rides like; the incredicoaster, guardians of the Galaxy, Mickey Swinging Ferris wheel, and Space Mountain. If you know me, I’m a sucker for intense and “scary” rides so the incredicoaster which is a fast roller coaster that flips you into a loop was one of my top 3 rides along with Guardians of the Galaxy which is a ride that drops you up and down from very high heights. Both sides of the park were incredibly gorgeous and the second I stepped into Disney land I felt like a kid again getting excited over taking a photo with Mickey and Minnie at the Disney Halloween parade. Both parks were spot on and realistic to all the movies and shows I grew up with and still watch, the parks made me relive my childhood and it was so fun especially since I went with one of my best friends Eva who made it 10 times better to experience.

IRJE #1- Coraline

The book Coraline by Neil Gaiman is about a girl who moves into a new flat with her parents. Secrets are hidden in the walls of the building, and she uncovers a mystical world similar to her own. She has to go through an adventure of evils and triumphs to set free souls and even her real parents who have been trapped by the evil Beldam.

“She will take your life and all you are and all you care’st for, and she will leave you with nothing but mist and fog. She’ll take your joy. And one day you’ll awake and your heart and your soul will have gone.” — The Ghost Children (Chapter 7, Page 49)

I chose this quote because I think it conveys how evil and cruel the beldam really is, she stole the soul and whole life and youth of these children. I see the beldam a lot like a predator just using these children’s souls for food as if they are prey. She slowly reels in these children with promises of love and happiness and in the end, deceives you and snatches your happiness back along with your soul.