The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time

The novel has been very interesting so far. In all the books I've ever read, the main character has never had autism, and until I read this book, I honestly didn't know what autism was. I think it’s cool that we get to read it from Christopher’s point of view and we get to see how his brain works and how he thinks, and why he reacts to things the way he does. I’ve never dealt with a person who had autism, but from what I learned from reading this book, it seems hard. It must be very difficult for Christopher’s dad because if Christopher is having a bad day, he shuts everyone out completely and the dad can’t even hug him because he doesn’t like to be touched. Christopher‘s main goal so far in this story is to find out who killed Wellington. Wellington was a dog owned by Mrs.Shears, Christophers neighbour. My guess is that Mr.Shears killed the dog because he knew that Mrs.Shears loved him and he did it for revenge. When Christopher’s mother died, Mrs.Shears used to stay the night sometimes and maybe she developed a relationship with his father. After finding out about this, Mr.Shears was angry and he left her. But to get the ultimate revenge on her, he killed the one thing he knew she loved a lot which was the dog. I think as the story goes on, we will learn more and more about their lives, and hopefully by the end we found out who the killer is. The book is surprisingly enjoyable and I can’t wait to read more!

Same Love

The owner of a bar on Montreal's West Island has apologized after his manager kicked out two young women for kissing.

Jess Goldberg was kicked out of a bar on Montreal's West Island for kissing another woman. (Facebook)

Jess Goldberg and CarolynShaughnessy, both in their early 20s, were out for drinks at LeManoir in Pointe-Claire last Friday.

Goldberg says they were approached by the manager and told to stop after they shared a kiss.

But Goldberg says that about two hours later, when they kissed again, they were asked to leave.

"I think I had my hand on her leg and she kissed me, and he came over even more frantic than the first time," she said.

Goldberg reacted by posting a complaint on Le Manoir’s Facebook page and on her own.

Jess Goldberg received a flood of online support after she posted this complaint on Facebook. (Facebook)

“This type of discrimination is repulsive … They kicked us out for being gay,” she wrote.

The bar’s page was soon flooded with support for the couple and calls for a boycott.

Goldberg says this would have never happened to a heterosexual couple.

"This has never ever happened to me in my life. I've been to bars downtown, in different cities and different countries and I've never been treated like this."

Le Manoir has since posted an apology on its website.

Le Manoir owner Peter Sergakis posted this apology on the bar's Facebook page on Monday. (Facebook)

Bar owner Peter Sergakis told CBC on Monday that his manager overreacted.

"If they were kissing as normal, two people kissing one another, it's unacceptable to tell them to leave," he said.

Sergakis also owns the Sky complex — one of North America’s largest gay bars — located in Montreal’s Gay Village.

Sergakis says that the way his manager behaved does not reflect his values, and his bars are open to all members of the LGBT community. 

I am connecting this article to the song Same Love because the song talks about being gay and hiding who you truly are. This couple shouldn't have been kicked out of the bar just because it was two girls kissing. If it was a boy and a girl, the manager wouldn't have cared and he would have let them do as they please. They shouldn't have to hide their true feelings, if they want to kiss or hold hands, they should be allowed. Our society needs to grow up and learn how to accept people for who they are. Not everyone is going to be like how you want them to be because everyone is different. Just because someone prefers a gender that is different then what you like doesn't make them any less important. A boy who likes a boy, or a girl who likes a girl, are still human beings who have feelings and should be respected. People throughout the world have made it uncomfortable for people to come out as they truly are. A lot of them hide their feelings because they know they will be judged. But we need to learn to have a open mind and accept people as they are, and not try to change them.

Definitely lust, not love.

    Romeo and Juliet is probably one of the most famous plays ever written, and it tells us about love at first sight. How Romeo and Juliet meet each other one night at a party and a few days later they are so captivated and in love with each other that they are ready to give up their own lives. But there is always one question that arises when we talk about their relationship, was it truly love or was it just lust? No one can define love because everyone has a different perspective on this subject. The definition of love to one person can be different from what someone else thinks. But Romeo and Juliet’s relationship was definitely just lust, it was never true love.
    

    Just before crashing the Capulet party, Romeo was talking to Benvolio about how he “loves” a girl that doesn’t love him back, and about how he is really sad over it. “Out of her favor, where I am in love.” “Yes, this is what love does. My sadness sits heavy in my chest.(Act 1, Scene 1)” He tells Benvolio about how he can’t even look at another girls because they remind him of her. “By giving liberty unto thine eyes. Examine other beauties.,”(Act 1, Scene 1) says Benvolio. “ 'Tis the way. To call hers, exquisite, in question more,”(Act 1, Scene 1) replies Romeo. Benvolio learns about the Capulet party, and convinces Romeo to attend because Rosaline will be there. But as soon as they enter the party and he sees Juliet, he forgets all about his former lover, and is intrigued by Juliet’s beauty and starts to question if his heart ever did love someone before this moment. “It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night Like a rich jewel in an Ethiope’s ear, Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear. So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows, As yonder lady o'er her fellows shows. The measure done, I’ll watch her place of stand, And, touching hers, make blessed my rude hand. Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I never saw true beauty till this night.”(Act 1, Scene 5) Just minutes before meeting Juliet, Romeo was so heartbroken over Rosaline. But the minute his eyes spotted Juliet he forgot all about his past lover and started to say that he thinks that he has never been in love before this moment. He hasn't even talked to her and doesn't even know her name, but he is already starting to talk about being in love. He is only attracted to her because of her beauty. He has learned nothing about her personality, for all he knows she could be rude and very arrogant. A person “in love” doesn't change their lover in one day. When you truly were in love with someone, it takes a long time to get over them and an even longer time to imagine yourself with someone else.
 
    For Juliet, it’s neither lust nor love that attracts her to Romeo. Romeo was just her escape plan from the life her family had planned for her. Without even a discussion, her father gives her hand to another man who is much older than her. Even though he tells Paris that he needs her permission, later on you can see that Lord Capulet had already made up his own mind and is enraged when Juliet refuses to marry Paris. Just before the party, her mother comes in to talk to her and tells her about the marriage proposal. She says she hasn’t even dreamt of being married, but if that is what her parents want, she would consider it. No child wants to get married at the age of 13, and even though she said yes, she couldn’t have been too happy inside. During the party, she meets Romeo who is obviously very good looking, very drawn to her, and most importantly he was not Paris.  Juliet could have an attractive man all to herself who fancied her a lot; she wouldn’t have to marry the man that her parents had chosen for her which meant that she could get out of the marriage proposal. So it was a win- win situation. Surely though as their relationship developed, it became lust. And even after she found out he was from the family of their enemies she decided to stay with him because she knew that would anger her parents. That could be her form of punishment for them for making her marry so young.

    At the end of this tragic play, we see that Romeo and Juliet both kill each other. Romeo feels the passion of lust just as strongly as one feels love. So when he sees Juliet “dead”, he is completely heartbroken and in that moment thinks that he can never get over her so he decides to end his own life. For Juliet, she ended her life for a different reason. She didn’t kill herself because she thought she would never be able to get over him, she killed herself because Romeo was her ticket to a happy marriage. With him gone, she would have no choice but to go back to her parents and marry Paris. So she picked the easy way out and took her own life. To some people, them committing suicide over each other is really romantic, but it depends with what you agree on. If you feel that they were really in love then it could be romantic. But if you feel like their relationship was purely lust, then no. Them committing suicide over each other was simply foolish and stupid. The idea of death is not romantic, even if it is someone that was truly in love who commits suicide. Taking your own life because you can’t be with the person you love is a very dumb thing to do, not everything is going to work out. Even if you think that you will never be able to love someone again, you have to just put up with it and move on. You have to force yourself to be happy because time stops for no one. All wounds are healed as time goes on.

    “Love isn't something that happens in 5 minutes. It’s when you are attracted to someone and then when you get to know them over a period of time, you start to become infatuated with their every small detail. You overlook their flaws simply because you can’t imagine your world without them.”-Sam. As mentioned previously, no one can really define love. Peoples opinion on this subject differs from one person to another. There are many different kinds of love, for example the type between you and your parents, between you and your siblings, between you and your pets, between you and your friends and etc.  The play displays different kinds of love too, like for example the love between Mercutio and Romeo. Romeo loves and cares for Mercutio in a completely different way than he does with Juliet. No one love is more valuable than the other, they are all important in their own way. 

    So its easy to see that their relationship wouldn't have lasted because it was never true love.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100301231157AA2SYQ2

    

Pressure

                                                             "Perfect"

Falling a thousand feet per second, you still take me by surprise.
I just know we can't be over, I can see it in your eyes.
Making every kind of silence, takes a lot to realize
Its worse to finish then to start all over and never let it lie.

And as long as I can feel you holding on. I won't fall, even if you said I was wrong.

I'm not perfect but I keep trying cause that's what I said I would do from the start.
I'm not alive if I'm lonely, so please don't leave. Was it something I said or just my personality?

Making every kind of silence, It takes a lot to realize
Its worse to finish then to start all over and never let it lie.

And as long as I can feel you holding on. I won't fall, even if you said I was wrong.

I know that I'm not perfect but I keep trying cause that's what I said I would do from the start.
I'm not alive if I'm lonely, so please don't leave. Was it something I said or just my personality?

When you're caught in a lie, and you've got nothing to hide,
When you've got nowhere to run, and you've got nothing inside.
It tears right through me, you thought that you knew me, you thought that you knew..

I'm not perfect but I keep trying cause that's what I said I would do from the start.
I'm not alive if I'm lonely, so please don't leave. Was it something I said or just my personality?
I'm not perfect but I keep trying cause that's what I said I would do from the start.
I'm not alive if I'm lonely, so please don't leave. Was it something I said or just my, just myself?
Just myself? Myself? Just myself?

I'm not perfect, but I keep trying.

Midterm

A) 22/25%- My attendance is pretty well, but I have missed a few classes due to being sick and doctor appointments. If I am late it is usually because I had to talk to a teacher or get something from my locker, which is on the other side of the school. During class, I am usually on task but there are days when I get distracted and decide to socialize. During the small tasks we have in class, I usually get them finished on time if I am not distracted by someone. If anyone asks for help, I do my best to help them with their problem. I always try my hardest to stay off my ipod if someone is talking, but there are days when I get too tempted and I decide to check my messages and etc. But I am going to make sure that I don’t do that anymore. I always try to have a positive attitude and open mind when coming to class.

B) 24/25%- I have all the assignments completed but some might have not been completed on time.

C) 20/25%- I try my hardest to finish each assignment to the best of my ability’s, but I am not the most amazing writer in our class so my writing piece may not be the best compared to some of the other people. I put in as much effort as I can, and I hope to improve more as the year progresses. One of the things I can do to improve is read other peoples blogs. For example, Sukhleen’s work is always very detailed and whenever I read it, I always learn from it.

D) 19/25%- The one thing I need to work on more is participating in class discussions. I sometimes answer a question or two, but I usually listen to what others have to say. Like I said before, I am always willing to help if anyone needs it, and I myself ask for help if I need it too. For example, when we were making our personal pages I was very confused but I got help from a classmate and learned how to do it. I don’t comment as much as I should, but I am going to change that. Whenever I do comment, I try to be helpful by commenting something that will make their assignment better. But I don’t always feel comfortable giving criticism. The comments that I have screenshotted are recent comments, because I couldn't find old comments that I really liked.

soliloquy (Act One, Scene 5)

One famous soliloquy in Romeo and Juliet would have to be when Romeo sees Juliet for the first time and says “O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright. It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night Like a rich jewel in an Ethiop’s ear; Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear! So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows, As yonder lady o’er her fellows shows. The measure done, I’ll watch her place of stand, And, touching hers, make blessed my rude hand. Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I never saw true beauty till this night.” Romeo is staring at Juliet and saying that she is so beautiful that she made the torches around the hall appear to grow dim. She is a dazzling jewel illuminating the dark night sky. She stood out from the other girls like a snowy dove in a field of crows. He can’t find the words to describe her. She couldn't be real: such beauty wasn't possible.

In this scene, Romeo sees her dancing from far away, and suddenly is captivated by her beauty. He can’t seem to get his eyes off of her, and all he wants to do is talk to her. This scene is important because he sees her for the first time, and from this point on their rocky love relationship begins. If Juliet wasn't dancing, or if Romeo had decided not to come to the party, the two of them would have never met, but fate brought them together. The speech Romeo says is just the starting of their relationship.

I like this speech because I find the comparisons and choice of words that Romeo used very cute. He said all the things that a girl would love to hear. It makes you believe that love at first sight can exist because the both of them go through so much for their relationship even though they have only met each other for a while. All the things he says are genuinely what he’s feeling because Juliet can’t hear him when he’s saying them.  He is just saying out loud whatever he’s truly feeling at that moment. 

Capulet's thoughts on love

Lord Capulet is Juliet's dad in the play called Romeo & Juliet written by Shakespeare. Capulet's thought about love are not as romantic as you would think, despite the fact that he is the father of Juliet. Capulet's friend Paris wanted to marry Juliet knowing that she was only 13 but wanted her just for the fact that she was beautiful and young. Capulet had thought that she was too young, but after being convinced that she would not be the only young bride and mother, his only worry was that Juliet would not fall in love with Paris as easy as Paris thought. He told him that he could marry his daughter only if he got her to like him.  Reading the play, that is the only time you would get an idea of what Capulet's thoughts are on love. I feel that his thoughts are not as caring and strong as they would be, but knowing that the play took place a long time ago, love wasn't a big aspect of ones thoughts. Everyone only cared about the fortune and society rank.

Act 2

A dysfunctional relationship in Romeo and Juliet will have to be the relationship between Lord and Lady Capulet. Both of them seem to be so distant from each other and have no idea what their partner is doing when they are not around. For example during the party hosted by the Capulet's, Lord Capulet was looking at young women dancing all around him, so he was checking them out. “A hall, a hall, give room and foot it girls.” I think that Lady Capulet does know this but she doesn't speak out about it because she doesn't want to create a fight. Back then, speaking bad about your husband was probably one of the worst things you could do. For a good and healthy relationship, both partners need to be loyal to each other and honest. But honesty is one thing they don’t have in this relationship. Lord Capulet does whatever he wants, and Lady Capulet just watches from the side lines and doesn't interfere.

A healthy relationship in this play will have to be between Juliet and the Nurse. The Nurse is practically like Juliet’s mother because Juliet’s own mother was never around to be there for her daughter. The Nurse has been there for her since the day she was born, and still continues to keep Juliet happy as she grows older. The Nurse remembers even the littlest details of her childhood, while Juliet’s own mother has no idea. “For then she could stand high-lone, nay, by the rood, She could have run and waddled all about. For even the day before, she broke her brow.” The Nurse talks about how she remembers Juliet running and walking because she cut her forehead just the day before. “Enough of this. I pray thee hold thy peace.” Lady Capulet basically tells the Nurse to shutup because she could care less. Juliet knows that she can go to the Nurse for advice, and knows that no matter what decision she makes, that the Nurse will always support her.

I think the most common relationship back in those times would have to be the relationship that the Nurse and Juliet have. Growing up in those times, the Nurse would always be the mother figure to the kids because their own mothers would never be around. The parents would be too busy partying and they never really cared for their kids. 

Interim Report

I found English class a little difficult because I wasn't comfortable with posting my work online so that everyone can see it. But its actually proven to be very helpful because your peers can read your work and tell you what your strengths are and what you need to work on more. I've always been so used to just doing worksheets or printing out my work to give to the teacher to mark. But since we are doing all our assignments online, I can go on and change the work with the feedback I get from my classmates and make it even better. I try to finish every assignment to the best of my ability's and on time. I can get off task sometimes, but usually I am focused and try to finish the assignment as soon as possible. I think I work better at home because at home I am not surrounded by people who are talking and distracting me and I can actually think in a quiet and peaceful place. I'm always on time to class, and try my best to be present everyday but I have missed a few classes due to being sick and doctors appointments. I always try to comment on everyone's blog, and I try my best to comment something that will be useful to them. But I don't always feel comfortable giving criticism. I try to participate in class discussions by answering and asking questions, but  I could try harder. I always try to come to class with a positive attitude and a open mind. So far English 10 has been enjoyable, and I hope that continues!

Relationships

In class we reviewed three poems and each poem showed us different types of relationships.

The first poem that we did was called, “How Is Your Heart” by Charles Bukowski. This poem is filled with negative thoughts and it talks about what the author, Charles, went through. When you read through the poem you can tell that it isn't a happy poem at all. He talks about how he used to sleep on park benches, used to get into fights, and he never found true love because no girl liked him. Even though he was surrounded by people, he still felt alone, he never had anyone to call his own. He never had a perfect life but for some reason he liked it. For me, the whole point of this poem was to say that in life not everything is going to go your way, but you have to learn how to deal with it and smile. If you’re happy with yourself, you can get through anything. My favorite line from the whole poem was “what matters most is how well you walk through the fire.” I connect to it a lot because being in high school, we all have to deal with a lot of drama, pressure from our teachers and parents and etc. But the most important part is how we deal with it. We can either just give up, or we can smile through the difficult times and get through them.

The second poem we discussed was “To a Stranger” by Walt Whitman. This poem is about how Walt imagines a life with a women or a man. We don’t know if he’s seen this person for the first time, or if he’s had a relationship with them from the past. All he wanted was the person to be his because he had already imagined a whole perfect life with them. Everyone one does this. Everyone dreams of a perfect world where the person they love loves them back and that they are happy all that time and that everything goes their way. But that doesn't happen. This poem talks about how you can have an imaginary relationship with someone, and it can be the realest thing to you, even though no one else can understand it.

The third poem we talked about was “Unentitled” by Jennifer L’Hirondelle. This poem talks about how even though she may be far away from home, it doesn't feel like it. She’s with someone who makes her feel right at home. This person makes her forget everything else, and helps her focus on the little things.

Not every relationship is simple and easy. They can have big impacts on people; they can sometimes literally make or break a person.

Being A Teenager

There’s a good and a bad side to being a teenager. Turning 16, celebrating your sweet sixteen, and finally being able to get your L are obviously the plus sides to being a teenager. Who wouldn't be excited to drive a car? But being older isn't all laughs and smiles like I thought it would be. High school is nothing like what I imagined it to be. Before coming to grade 8, I always thought that everyone would be friends and no one would hate one another, but that’s not what happened. Everyone seemed really nice at first, but as the year progressed everyone found out who their real friends were, and who they couldn't trust. People never had anything to say to your face, but they would never shutup behind your back. Eventually you just stopped talking to a bunch of people who you thought we’re going to be your friends “forever". But once you find your real friends, all the memories become unforgettable. One other bad side to being a teenager is that you have to start thinking about your future. You have to start worrying about getting a job, deciding what you want to be when you are older, and etc. When we were little kids, we didn't even think about this, our parents always did everything for us. Another down side about being a teenager is that you get pressured into doing stupid stuff. To fit in with a group of people, sometimes teens do things that they regret later on in life, they get stuck with the wrong crowd. Our parents usually can’t do anything because we always think we are right no matter what. But a good thing is that as we get older, we get more freedom. For example, we can go anywhere during lunch but we just have to make sure we are back in time for class. So being a teenager is fun when you have a group of friends that you can laugh with and just have fun with, but it also comes with responsibility and headaches.

Uninvited Guests

This is the third time this has happened, Henry thought. Every day when Henry would arrive from work, the downstairs basement door would be open. At first he thought that he had mistakenly left it open, but he couldn't have done that three days in a row. “I think I should give the police a call,” Henry said out loud. When the police arrived, they inspected the basement downstairs to see if anyone had been down there, but they found no evidence. “It must be the wind, nothing else,” said Constable George. “I guess..,” replied Henry timidly. As the day went on, nothing unusual happened other than a freak storm appearing out of nowhere. It was around 7 O’clock that night when Henry was watching the news. “Well tonight is going to be a tough night for the citizens of Roseville. It appears to be that all electricity will be going out because of the storm, so if I were you I would get some matches and candles ready. Tonight is going to be a very long night,” finished the man. Henry started to worry a bit; he was never a big fan of the dark. He quickly rushed into the kitchen and opened the drawer which contained all the materials he needed for a night like this. As he finished his dinner, he looked outside the window. Never in his 45 years of living in Roseville had he ever seen something like this. Around 10 O’clock is when the storm started to get worse and worse. You could hear the rain smashing against the windows as if someone was throwing rocks at it. The wind was blowing harder than ever as if a tornado was headed our way, and not a single soul was seen out on the streets. Henry sat nervously on his couch, really wishing that his wife and son could be here right now. But he knew that they could never return, not after what he did to them. Shaking the thought out of his head, he continued to watch TV to pass away the time. Right when the clock struck 12, the power went out. Henry had been drifting off to sleep, so he thought he might as well go to bed and hopefully the lights will be on by tomorrow. As he grabbed his matches and candles and headed up the stairs, he heard a weird noise coming from downstairs. But he ignored it, thinking it was the wind and continued up to his room. Just as he laid down in bed and put his covers on, he heard the noise again, and this time he couldn't ignore it because it was way too loud. He lit up a candle and proceeded to go down the stairs. As he walked to the main floor, he noticed spots of red all over the stairs. The minute he set his foot on the ground, he could tell someone had been in his house. His TV was knocked down, all the pictures were pulled down and torn, and his furniture was ripped and shredded to pieces as if a dog had been here. His first thought was to call the police, but something in his guts told him to go downstairs. As he made his way to the door that would lead him to the basement, he could feel his heart beating fast. He walked slowly, every step creaking because of his movement. Once he reached downstairs, his candle blew out. He frantically searched for a match to light up the candle once again. Once he could see again, he could see there was a trail of red spots leading up to one of the bedrooms. As he made his way there, his heart was pounding. Just as he was about to reach for the doorknob, the doorknob turned by itself. He couldn't believe what he had seen, and before he could even react, a gust of wind pushed him into the room. He tried opening the door as hard as he could, but the door wouldn't budge. As he slowly turned around, he was horrified by what was written on the wall, “I told we’d be back.” As he turned his head, he saw them. He saw his wife and son covered with blood, standing in the corner of the bedroom. And that’s when everything blacked out.