I have so much school and life goals to choose from. I had many goals that I had set and accomplished already, which I’m very proud of. Moreover, I do wish to continue two goals that I believe is very important. For instance, my school goal is to achieve a 98% and above Grade Point Average (GPA). My life goal is to receive my bachelor’s degree in the medical field to have a successful future. Also, I am a strong believer that “Education comes first,” which is why both of my important goals are mainly about doing good in school and having a successful life.

          Like what I said, my school goal is to achieve a 98 % or above GPA. I’ve been trying to achieve this goal since this school year. Furthermore, I became a lot more serious about my grades this year than the past two years. Surprisingly, I have actually achieved this goal. There are a lot of ways to achieve a 98% and above GPA. For example, I had to study hard before any test, quiz, or exam. I always do my assignments. I listen to my teachers and behave in class. When I have a project, I would always start on it as soon as possible. Moreover, I don’t like to procrastinate. I would love to continue achieving this goal in high school and in college.

          My second important life goal is to get a bachelor’s degree in the medical field. I want to achieve this goal so I can have a successful future and a high paying job. I’m not yet sure what course to take in the medical field. I am still working on achieving this goal. For instance, I am trying to be a good and behaved student in school. Also, I am also trying to achieve straight A’s. I think the most important test that I need to do good on in my high school year is the SAT 10. It is important because you can get into a good college if you do an excellent job on it. Moreover, I am going to continue this goal until I have accomplished it.

         One way you can achieve your goals is by being very determined. For example, you shouldn’t give up.  Furthermore, If you’re not determined, there’s a high chance that you won’t accomplish your goal. You will realize that your hard work has paid off once you have accomplished your goals. Always try your best in everything you do. Moreover, it is a great feeling when you have accomplished a goal. Working hard will bring you one step closer to achieving your goal.

         Remember your sixth grade year? When you were quiet and lost the first day of school? Also, everything felt so new. You had to make new friends. Moreover, you weren’t familiar with the school schedule especially the flip-flop schedule. However, compare your life after sixth grade and now. You know the school schedule and where the classrooms are by heart. You’re probably not as quiet as you were in the past. You might even have made a lot friends by now. Well, I am now going to compare my life during sixth grade and now, which is my eighth grade year.

          My life during sixth and eighth grade are the same in a lot of ways. For example, I still go to the same school, which is Luis P. Untalan Middle School. Also, I still hang out with Kiera G. and Angela C. during lunch just like the good ol’ days in sixth grade.  I’m still focused on my studies and still achieving straight A’s. In my opinion, I don’t think I changed much. I still have the same personality. I’m still tall. Moreover, I still talk to some of the same people I did from the past two years. I am still  in the organization called the National Junior Honor Society.

          Now let’s talk about the differences of my life between sixth grade and now. I have discovered a lot of differences. For instance, I grew extra inches after sixth grade. My height is currently 5′5″ and probably still growing. During my sixth grade year, I hung out with Kiera, Angela, Quenie, Charrica, and Angelica. However, as time passed, Quenie stopped hanging out with us and started to hang out with different people. I don’t hang out with Charrica and Angelica anymore because they don’t attend Untalan Middle School anymore. During seventh grade, I hung out with Urika, Monique, Joan,  Rihanna, and Ladyrose. On the contrary, I don’t hang out with them anymore. I don’t know why though. I guess it’s because it’s not the same since we are all in different teams now.  I was really scared to join sports in sixth and seventh grade even though I really wanted to, but during my eighth grade year, I joined volleyball. I regret now joining in the past because it was really fun. I wanted to join the 6A team council, but once again I was too scared. However, I got over it, and I joined during my seventh and eighth grade year. I was secretary for 7A. Likewise, I’m also the secretary for the 8A team council. I’m not really shy to do things in front of my class anymore. I was super timid to do anything during my sixth grade year because I didn’t know half of the people in my class. Compared to my sixth and seventh grade year, my eighth grade year was full of drama and problems. This year was probably the most depressing, but I got through it all and I’m currently content and happy with everything.  Just this year, I joined Untalan Middle School’s Academic Challenge Bowl.

         Doing this journal was really fun to do. Remembering my sixth, seventh, and eighth grade year experiences made me realize how much things had changed and how things are the same. Also, it made me laugh, smile, and happy. Moreover, I wish to go back in time and experience my sixth and seventh grade year once again since this is my last year here in Untalan Middle School. I’m really going to miss my middle school year. For example, I’m going to miss my friends, classmates, and teachers. Reminiscing about my middle school year really made me happy.

         As you know, everyone is different. Everyone likes different things and have different taste in music. Despite their differences, some people have similarities. I am going to compare Kiera G. and Colin M. I found a lot of differences and a few similarities between the two.

          I found only a few similarities from Kiera G. and Colin M. For example, they are both smart. They get good grades. Moreover, they are both in Academic Challenge Bowl. They were both in the team 6A Cheetahs when they were sixth graders. They currently both attend Untalan Middle School. Also, they are both eighth graders. They have each other for woodshop and creative writing. Both of them are born in Guam. They both turn red when they’re embarrass.

          Kiera G. and Colin M. are completely different, which is why I found a lot of differences. Obviously, Kiera is a girl and Colin is a boy. Kiera wears glasses and Colin doesn’t. Kiera is brown complected, while Colin is white complected. Colin is taller than Kiera. They both have different interests. For instance, Kiera likes Spongebob and Colin likes Starwars, Anime, and Naruto. Kiera is in the team 8C Jaguars and Colin is in 8B Panthers. Kiera’s favorite food is brownies. However, Colin’s favorite food is pizza. Kiera likes the color light blue. On the contrary, Colin likes the color black.

          I learned a lot of things from Kiera and Colin. I learned that even though they are completely different, they both share some similarities. I learned that Colin’s favorite food is pizza. I also learned that Kiera’s favorite color is light blue. If you think that you and someone are completely different, think again. You two might have a lot of similarities.

This is a picture of Colin.

This is a picture of Kiera.

         There are a lot of things that make a good presentation. One example that makes a good presentation is the way the presenter presents. For instance, Alana C. talked loud enough for everyone to hear. She also had eye contact with the audience. When you’re presenting, you should also speak clearly for everyone to understand. When you’re presenting, I think that you shouldn’t speak with the same tone. It might make the audience fall asleep. I think hand gestures are good to do as well.

         A good presentation should be interesting. It will be nice if a presentation has interesting and nice pictures. Vanalyn Q.’s presentation had a lot of interesting pictures about her topic, which is about sushi. Her pictures looked appetizing and  it made the audience hungry. I think a good presentation should not have bright, neon text and backgrounds because it can hurt people’s eyes. Some of my classmates’ presentations did not have enough information. Some were really short. Some presentations ended in just two minutes. A good presentation should have a little humor to it so it won’t make the audience feel bored. A good presentation should have enough information about the topic. Overall, I think my classmates’ did a pretty good job with their presentations.

         For my research project, I had to look up information about Giant Pandas. I first made an outline. I put what I wanted to find out about them. For instance, I wanted to know about their physical appearance, diet, and habitat/geological distribution. Next, I went to Google.com and typed in “Giant Pandas’ physical appearance.” I clicked the first website where I found data about their physical appearance. I did the same process with the other things I wanted to find out about the Giant Pandas. I already knew some facts about Giant Pandas so I just added it to the outline.

         I found a lot of interesting information about Giant Pandas. I learned that they can’t go without food for 5-6 hours. I learned that they are one of the most endangered species in the world. There are about 1,000 Giant Pandas left. I learned that the Chinese call them “Big Bear Cat.” Giant Pandas have teeth that are seven times bigger than human teeth. They sit or lie down when they eat. An interesting fact that I learned about Giant Pandas is that their diet doesn’t only consist mainly on bamboo. They also eat other plants, fruits, vegetables, and other small mammals.

         I didn’t really have much difficulties searching for information. It was sorta hard looking for information that are accurate. Not all websites have the same information. There were some sites that weren’t informative. They had information that weren’t so interesting. Other than that, it was pretty easy for me searching for information.

          Cyber-bullying are threats, teasing, or taunting others online.  Cyberbullying is another way of bullying people rather than bullying them physically. I think that cyber-bullying needs to stop.  I think that there are other ways to solve a problem rather than cyber-bullying.  Many young students are getting involved in cyber-bullying because other people are doing it to a certain person they dislike. Cyber-bullying is done at home after school.

          Cyber-bullying is bullying online. People can say bad things about you. Cyber-bullying can be anywhere. It can be on MySpace and other networking websites. Cyber-bullying is, in my opinion, just cruel. People who are cyber-bullying don’t know how much their hurting the person their bullying. According to Wikipedia, cyber-bullying is willful and involves recurring or repeated harm inflicted through the medium of electronic text. According to How Parents Can Help Stamp Out Cyber-bullying, children behave inappropriately online because they think of themselves as anonymous and untouchable, and they feel little empathy with the victim.

         Cyber-bullying has many effects. It can hurt someone’s feelings. It can also make a person kill themselves or commit suicide. In the article Online Bullying Compels States to Act, Ryan Patrick Halligan killed himself because he received instant messages calling him gay, and he was being taunted and threatened. According to the article A Suicide Victim and the Town that Turned on her Cyber-bully,  Megan Meier hung herself because a boy named “Josh Evans” from MySpace gained her trust and became friends with her, but in the end, “Josh” brutally ended it, telling her that she was a bad person. Cyber-bullying can make a person not go to school. When people find out that someone is being cyber-bullied,  some become angry and some actually tries to put a stop to it.

         Cyber-bullying can be prevented by having a law to not bully people online. It can also be prevented by not making kids go to the website were they are being bullied. Kids can talk about it with their parents, teachers, or any adult that can help them. They can also have school programs where they promote anti-cyber-bullying. Kids can also go to counseling.

          The most interesting things I learned about bullying is that it can cause someone to kill themselves. Cyberbullying is another way of bullying someone. I learned that people are trying to send a bill that proposes anti-bullying. I learned that people kill themself just because someone who they never met before are saying bad things about them. I find it very interesting that people use MySpace as a way to bully people. I always find MySpace as a way of keeping in touch with family and friends. I think that it’s great that people are proposing a bill to stop cyberbullying.

         Recycling is a great way to keep our environment clean. When you recycle you don’t waste materials. Most people say that recycling is a good thing. Recycling lowers the amount of waste or pollution on Earth. Recycled things usually gets melted to make new things. For example, paper can be recycled into tissue.

         My classmates had many questions about recycling. For example, what do they do with the things people recycle? What are the different ways to recycle? Another question is, how do they recycle the materials? Does recycling help prevent global warming? What ways can we recycle without burning?

           I learned that the city’s garbage and recycling trucks bring the waste from all houses, schools, businesses, and office buildings to the facility for sorting. Lots of people bring things they can no longer use to the warehouse so they can be resold. When litters of puppies and kittens arrive,they get to play in the shredded newspaper in their pens; giving newspaper another use before going into the waste stream. Some restaurants or cafes stock the snack bar and coffee area with glasses and mugs instead of foam cups. It can be washed and used from time to time. 

         I also learned that yard waste can be collected by an entire community, as a school project, or by you in your own backyard. Paper is recycled by shredding it into small pieces and mixing it with water. The mixture is beaten to mush that flows onto the moving screen where most of the water is taken out. Wood or paper fibers remain in the fiber and the fiber is pressed through rollers that squeeze out more water. It is then dried in a stream-heated dryer. The result is recycled paper.

         My experience with the handhelds was really cool. I have never seen a handheld in person so the first time I saw it, I was so amaze. The interesting aspects about the handheld is that it has a touch screen. You can also use a keyboard for typing. The keyboard is kinda hard to use because it’s smaller than a regular one. I think using the handhelds is better than writing with a pencil. The handhelds also have games in it that are educational and most importantly fun. The handhelds are very useful.

         My experience can be better once I start getting use to using the handheld.I can get better if I know more things about the handheld. I can improve my experience with the handhelds if I do my assignments with the handheld. I can also pay attention more often.I can also get better once I’m used to using the handheld as well as the keyboard.I will also get better if we can have tests or quizzes about the handheld.

         What are your New Year’s resolutions? Well, I have three resolutions that I’m willing to accomplish. One of my New Year’s resolutions is to eat healthy. My second New Year’s resolution is to sleep early. My last resolution is to focus more on my studies.

         My first New Year’s resolution is to eat healthy. I want to eat healthy so that maybe I can lose weight. I also want to eat healthy so that I can get more energized. I also want to eat healthy to prevent getting ilnesses. I will try to accomplish this resolution by, of course, eating healthy food, such as more fruits and vegetables. I will also try to resist the temptation of eating junk food. The effects of my New Year’s resolution is that I won’t be lazy to do things, I will have a healthier body, and I will maybe lose weight.

         My second New Year’s resolution is to sleep early. I need to sleep early so that I can wake up easily. Also, so that my body won’t feel so weak. I would feel energized. Sleeping early won’t make me feel sleepy during school.  It will help me focus during lectures and pay attention more. I will accomplish this resolution by sleeping early. I would sleep at 8:00 p.m. The effects of this resolution is that I will have a healthy, not-so-weak body. It will help me focus during school.

         My last resolution is to focus on my studies more. I want to focus on my studies more so that I can get better grades. If I focus more, I will learn  more things and understand more things. It’s a dream of mine to be a valedictorian. In order to be a valedictorian, first, I must focus on my studies. I enjoy the feeling of getting good grades. It makes me happy and proud. I will accomplish this resolution by putting everything aside and focus on my studies. I will study harder and do my best on tests, homeworks, and assignments. The effects of this resolution is that I will get excellent grades. I would learn and understand more things.

         So, those are my three New Year’s resolutions. First, is to eat healthy. Second, is to sleep early. Last, is to focus on my studies more. I will try to accomplish these resolutions, and I hope you will accomplish yours.

         I recommend that you should watch The Outsiders because I believe it’s a very interesting movie. The acting is really great. The characters of this movie are believable. You might also feel strong empathy with the main character, Ponyboy. You can relate to this movie in many and different ways.

          The movie deals with many critical issues that  teenagers go through. This movie is all about friendship, bravery, and loyalty. You should watch The Outsiders because it’s a very touching movie with unexpecting twists. They also added a touch of humor to this movie. You should watch this movie because it’s classic, fantastic, and brilliant. You will not be disappointed.