Outside Reading #8

For my eighth outside reading I decided to explain a quote from Coco Chanel. The quote says “In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different.”- Coco Chanel. To me this quote means that if you want to be your own person and stand out then you shouldn't follow what everyone else is doing. You should live your life doing the things that make you happy and fire you up. You should wear what you want to wear too and not just what everyone else is wearing. You should have your own style and your own way of putting things together that relfects who you are and what makes you feel good about yourself. If you are not different then you would have to be like everyone else, and just fade into the background. If you choose to be the same then no one will remember you for being special.

Outside reading #7

For my seventh outside reading I'm going to explain a quote. The quote is about perfection and it says " Perfection is a trifle dull. It is not the least of life's ironies that this, which we all aim at, is better not quite achieved. To me this quote means that being perfect isn't about having it all or having the perfect body or hair or the best smile, it's about accepting the imperfections and flaws that you have and making the best of them. You shouldn't live your life trying to reach something that is impossible to obtain. No one is perfect and life isn't about being perfect. Even though it may seem like someone has everything and everything comes easy to them, its wrong because nothing comes without a price . If you spend your life trying to reach perfection then you will let most of life pass you by, so love your imperfections and make the best of them because the beauty that really matters lies within our hearts and our souls.

Heores

9/11 Heroes.

http://www.imagecross.com/myspace-image-hosting-9/84509-13-01.jpg
This is a picture of the firemen helping rescue others.

http://www.militaryplaques.com/EMS/Fallen-Heroes-L.jpg





"To those who died when the towers crashed down A deep memorial in our hearts,of pain, of shame, of love, of blame,In these mixed feelings we must admit.Thou know none who's gone in vain.Though people think they died in vain,yet their legacy still lives today.Of valour, of peace, of love, of courage,These men gave their lives to serve and save." - Posted on 9-11heroes.US site by Anonymous


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZFkZiwMLZ4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klhqVEO0eyU



http://media.philly.com/images/RudyGiuliani.jpg

Hereos come in many different forms. When I think about heros in my lifetime I think of the heros of 9/11. The firemen, the policemen, and all the people that helped to respond to the horrible terorist attacks that day. There was also another hero that emerged from that tragedy and that was the mayor of New York for all of his efforts to calm the nation when we were all scared and unsure of what was happening to our country.


What I learned: I learned that the heroes of 9/11 didn't think twice about their own safety when they entered the twin towers. They were focused on the roles as first responders, as fire men and police men, trying to help other people and guide them out of the buildings. They entered those buildings not knowing what would happen to them but determined to save the lives of other people and lead them to safety. I also learned that not only were the first responders heroes but so was the mayor of New York City at the time: Rudy Guiliani. He stepped forward to calm a nation and took charge of the situation. He is truely a hero to the country.

Conclusion: I think that the heros of 9/11 are the greatest heros of my generation. In my opinion everyone who helped that day is a hero. It doesn't matter if they died trying to rescue others or if they were lucky enough to live. Everyone that contributed to helping others is a hero. I think this is a remarkable aspect of being an American. That people are willing to risk everything to save other human beings. I also think that as Americans we look to people to guide us through tradegy.

Outside reading #6

For my six outside reading I decided to explain a quote from chicken soup for the teenage soul volume four. the qoute says "friendship is a horizon--which expands whenever we approach it."- E.R. Hazlip. I think this quote means that friendship can only grow stronger and better when you want it to. You can't sit around and wait for a friendship with another person if you don't put time and effort into it. Friendship is something that is very valuable and something that should be greatly cherished. You need friends to be there when times are rough and also to share the good times with you. You have to put effort into friends so that when you need them they are there for you and when they need you you are there for them. One of the most important things about being friends with someone is giving them complete trust and that you can confide in them and not worry that they are going to talk about you behind your back.

Outside reading #5

For my outside reading number five I read a short story in Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul volume four. The short story is called "Happiness" by Sarah Provencal. Happiness is about Sarahs school assignment to write a paper on happiness. At first she didn't know how she was going to write a paper on happiness when she felt like she wasn't happy because she didn't have the best grades or the cutest clothes. She later realized that happiness doesn't come from material things like clothes and money but from the little things in life like a sunny day or your favorite dessert. There is a quote in the story that says " Happiness depends upon ourselves." I think this quote is very true because you can choose to be happy and accept things in life the way they are or you can choose to live life always wishing for more and wanting things to be different. I think the best way to find happiness is to accept what you have and make the best out of it!

Outside reading #4

For my outside reading number four i read "life is a gift" by lindsey ann parker in chicken soup for the teenage soul volume 4.
This story is about losing someone you love. Lindsey lost her best friend, gray, and at first had trouble accepting the fact that he wasn't coming back. It took her a month after gray's death of visit the grave site and when she did she finally realized that he was in a better place and wasn't coming back. It took losing her best friend for lindsey to understand the importance of life and how easily it can be taken away. There is a quote in the story that i think is very true and it says " Difficult times have helped me understand better than before, how infinitely rich and beautiful life is in every way, and that so many things that one goes worrying about are of no importance whatsoever." Life is a gift that can be taken away at any moment and should not be taken for granted, so live your life and love every moment of it!

Outside reading #3

For this outside reading I read a poem in Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul volume 4. The short story was called Live Your Dream:By Katie Hays. Her poem was about how life is difficult and we all have dreams, but sometimes, well really, most times, your dreams get lost in the day to day of living. She encourages you to keep your dreams alive by making them part of your life even if it will never be all of your life. She says it's ok to cry when things don't work out the way you planned, but to pick yourself right back up and to keep trying. I really liked this poem because I can see how easily life interfers with your dreams. Things seem to go so fast sometimes it's hard to stop and think about what really makes you happy. It is also easy to walk away from something if you don't succeed at first. I like the idea to not give up and to keep your dreams alive!

outside reading #2

A smile gives birth to a smile
by Alexey Kondakov

For this outside reading I read another short story from Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul. This story was about how giving a smile to someone else results in another smile. There was a very inspirational quote in the story that said "Share a smile with other poeple and a smile will return to you." I think qoute is very true because you may think that giving someone something as little as a smile has no effect on them, but in reality it could brighten their day just knowing that someone cares for them. Alexey talks about how when he was in the hospital and felt that nothing could make him happy that he realized that putting a smile on your face and looking at the brighter side of things really makes a bad time in life seem better. It's like passing on a little bit of happiness to others.

Outside reading #1

Lost Time
by Patricia Harris


Patricia Harris wrote a short story ,in the book chicken soup for the teenage soul, called lost time. She talked about how her aunt was diagnosed with lung cancer at the young age of thiry-eight years old and how difficult it was for her.
In her story there is quote from Benjamin Franklin that says "lost time is never found again." This quote is so true because time is something that people take for granted. You never know how much time you have left until its gone. Each moment should be lived like its your last because the gift of life is so fragile and could be taken away at any moment.