My Name

MY NAME

Nadia. Such a simple name and yet when someone says it with happiness and pride, it lightens up my mood and completes my day. My name is from Russian, Arabic and Swahili origin. They all have different meanings; in Russian it means "hope", in Arabic it means "moist, tender and delicate", and in Swahili it means "caller". Some have teased me about Nadia meaning moist, but I don’t mind. Just how I didn’t mind when one boy called me "Narnia". It just means that I’m adventurous, just like the book. Such an adventure-filled journey through darkness.

I’m the kind of girl who has multiple names. My family calls me "Nana", from my middle name Adrianna, and sometimes old family friends or relatives call me "Adrianna". But my friends are different. They give me “fun” nicknames such as Naderzzz, Nodders and Nadie. I don’t know any particular reason as to why I am called these, but I love all my nicknames because it’s like a connection with the many kind of people I socialize with. When I hear these in the hallway, I turn around straight away like a person dodging a bullet. Though I respond to these nicknames, I will never remember my true identity. My mom named me after the great Nadia Comaneci because she hopes that one day, I will become an Olympian. Therefore came the meaning of Nadia, hope.

-Nadia Redza

Me In 3

ME IN 3

How do I begin to explain myself in 3 objects? Maybe these objects give some insights to my personality. Through these objects, you will see into my soul and see what I am truly about. These objects are my sister’s and my trophy case, the pictures on my desk and my Apple Notebook/Laptop.

Many would think that a trophy case is an out of blue object to describe one’s self, but I see it as a gateway to a whole new me. These trophies date back to as early as 2007 and as recent as 2011. To me, these trophies represent my swimming feats and whenever someone comes over, they will ALL go “WOW! You have so many trophies.” It may just be a piece of plastic to them, but to my family and me, they portray how talented and skillful my family is. For example, my sister and I are swimmers, my dad is the Country Managing Director of the company Accenture and my mom helps earn the money that our family lives off. Every family is special and this trophy case shows the Redzas off.

The next object I think represents me would be the pictures on my desk. They remind me of moments and memories that I think were the most happiest and memorable in my life. One of the pictures was at a birthday dinner this year when I turned 12. I believe this is an important moment in my life because it was my golden birthday and I had one of my best and closest friends with me that day. Another picture is of my best friend and me when she came over to KL to visit my family. I only got to see her for 2 days, but these were the most happiest days of my life. Even a minute with her would make me the happiest girl alive. The other pictures are of me as a baby and as a child, and they just remind me that I was a cute baby.

One final object that represents me well is my Apple Notebook/Laptop. Though I am not one of those tech-savvy people, I still love technology and photography. I spend a majority of my time on the computer but I still go outside and sniff the musky dirt smell of rain. I have a Facebook, Skype, Twitter -- all of the social networking sites. They are all just for entertainment, but it doesn’t impact my overall lifestyle. I do go out to explore the world and I socialize with my friends and family. Though most of the time I’m on the computer because of homework, I still have a goal not spend my time on the computer. My whole family has individual electronics. My sister and I have an iPhone, and my parents have iPads. But these items don’t keep us from socializing with our family and friends.

To summarize what I have written here, the 3 objects I think portray my true identity are my trophy case, the pictures on my desk and my Apple Notebook/Laptop. I chose these objects for many reasons, all of which are similar though these objects are totally different.

-Nadia Redza

Bio-Poem

BIO-POEM

Nadia

Neat, active, kind, optimistic

Proud sister of Diana Redza, friend of everybody!

Loves my family, friends and chocolate

Have felt intimidated, hyper, and frightened before

Afraid of squished bugs, being alone and thunder/lightning storms

Learned how to be mature, rewarded RM1000 for swimming accomplishments

Wants to go bungee jumping, be able to cook/bake and be successful before I die

Lives in 2A, Villa Mon’t Kiara, Kuala Lumpur

Redza

Japanese Creation Story

Here is the iMovie I made about the Japanese Creation Myth.

Apparently, The End Is Near.

THIS YEAR HAS BEEN SO AMAZING! My first Malaysia Week, my first time studying

humanities, MS parties, new friends and so many new things to learn! But now, as Homer Simpson says, the end is near. And it's also time to reflect:

I think one piece of work I'm proud of would be the literature circles. I think this because though it may not be my most favorite thing to do, I feel that some of my best work is on it. I found that the first book "Call It Courage" was very hard to do literature circles on because everybody was so new to it and I was getting B's and A-'s. Then we got to "The True Confessions Of Charlotte Doyle", many were more familiar but still a very hard book. And finally, we came to the "The Giver". I thought that I was very 'into' the book and found it very easy to write literature circles and was headed towards A+'s!

I think my greatest challenge would be getting all of my homework done on time. Since I am a serious swimmer, I train every night and only get home at about 8:00, and have only about an hour or 2 to finish my homework. I am not able to do my homework in the afternoon as I also have other activities I take part in. The biggest obstacle I had to tackle would be the literature circles. Though many would argue that we have a whole week to finish it, I have other homework I have to do on a daily basis such as KUMON. But I have managed to overcome this roadblock with great pride.

What I have learned about myself as a learner would be that I'm a JJ. At the beginning of the year, Mr Whiting had come in to determine our learning profile. It was to show how we learn best and some strategies to use when we are stressed or nervous. Being a JJ, I am gestalt, right eye dominant, left ear dominant, right hand dominant and left leg dominant. As you can see, I am very "mixed-up", proving that everybody is unique. One strategy that would work when I am nervous would be to do Lazy-8's. Lazy-8's are when you draw figure 8's with your hand. I often do this when I am taking a test or when I am thinking. Another strategy would be to sit on the right side of the room as sitting on the left might affect my hearing.

WHAT ABOUT MY WORK HABITS?

Behavior

Could be improved
Satisfactory
Perfect - the model student

I think my behavior is satisfactory because sometimes I talk in class and won't know what the teacher is talking about.
Participation
None
SatisfactoryActively participate in class

I don't alway participate in class because sometimes I may have had a bad day or just didn't feel like talking.

Organization

Needs serious helpSatisfactory
I'm super organized

I think I am very organized because in my locker, I don't have any stray papers and I am able to finish off all of my homework. For example, I went to ISTA this year for a week and had a lot of homework when I came back to KL. But I managed to catch up in all my classes within a few days.
Effort

Needs serious help
SatisfactoryI always go above and beyond what is required.

I have always gone above and beyond in my work in order to get good grades. For example, for the most recent Tic-Tac-Toe, I had put explanations for all of the events we had included. I always put 100% effort in my work, because I always know the outcome will be good.

In Grade 7, I plan to manage my time so that I can complete my homework on time. Sometimes, I would pull an all nighter to finish my literature circle. This was because I would never plan ahead to organize my time well. I was selected to be in the "higher" math group in 7th grade, which just makes everything even more complicated. I plan to make a schedule on how to organize my homework and time well.

In Grade 7, I plan to stay academically as high as I can possibly go. My 4th grade teacher wrote in my report card that "the sky is the limit" for me. And I try to establish this because the final result is always good. This doesn't mean that I would neglect all the other things I take part in. I just want to maintain and/or improve my standards of where I stand academically. I will try to not make many low grades and try to maintain the good grades that I have right now.

One thing I would like 7th grade teachers to know is that I have a very creative touch and I like many projects in school like timelines, drawings, mobiles or posters. Another thing would be that I can work with anybody. I can work in groups and individually because I don't mind it. The last thing would be that when working in groups, I'd like to pick who I work with because I know that I would work well with them especially if I know how they work.

I have two words of wisdom to tell the Class of 2018. One would be to just have fun! HAVE FUN! You have finished elementary school and it's time for you to grow up! But don't have too

much if you feel you will be distracted or drawn away from the whole picture.

Secondly, I would like to pass on to NOT STRESS. There is no point of stressing about homework or projects because it will not get you anywhere. Everything will be fine and in the end, everything works out! And you will get the hang of things really quick here in ISKL because there are so many people around that can help you with your troubles.

A Letter From The Perfect World.

Dear Fiona,

These past few days, I have been trying to make a decision, but now I have come to a conclusion. I am going to Elsewhere. I have finally realized that this society that we live in is, regimented. We have no color, no emotions, no music, NOTHING! But you don't know all these things, so you have a different perspective on this decision. Elsewhere has everything I have been looking for ages, freedom and choice. These two things are the prime reasons as to why I am leaving. I know you must be wondering about my training as a Receiver Of Memory why I am leaving, and this letter will explain everything. I also give you permission to read this with Asher.

Being the Receiver of Memory was such a honour, but it wasn't all fun and games. Do you remember at the Ceremony of Twelves, where the Chief Elder told everyone that I would feel pain during my duration as a Receiver Of Memory? Well, she was right and as the Giver transferred the memories to me, I felt all of these different kinds of emotions that I have never felt before. My favourite one was when the Giver gave me his favourite memory. It was about a family, a real family, celebrating Christmas, a holiday that they celebrate. And as I was experiencing it, I realized something. This so-called society we live in, has nothing. I was thinking about asking to be released but the Giver told me a story about a girl called Rosemary. She was also a Receiver Of Memory. She had asked to be released because the memories were too much for her. From this story, I could feel her pain because I have felt the same way before. The rule, here in our society, states that I wasn't allowed to ask to be released because of Rosemary. This is why I was forced to flee (page 163). Rosemary was the Giver's daughter and when she was granted her wish of being released, he had finally realized how much he loved her and now he misses her dearly. Love was the one feeling I felt was my favourite feeling. It is something so precious, I think it's too good to be true. Do you realize something Fiona? THERE COULD BE LOVE! (page 129) But our society doesn't have it. This is a brief reason as to why I had to go find a place that had what I wanted, love. So I have decided to go to Elsewhere. But you do not know why, now do you. Well, the rest of this letter will explain it.

Though I have introduced the topic very briefly at the beginning, I do not think you know the real reason as to why I am leaving. I have many reasons, but all tie together as one. It is very simple, I feel our society does not have what I want and possibly need. I feel so horrible about it but yet at the same time, I think this is the right decision for me to make. Being a Receiver Of Memory, I have felt many emotions and it has been a big part of why I am going to flee away. Another reason why I have made this difficult decision is that there is nothing in this society. During my assigned job, I have sensed three things; feelings, music and color. I know that Elsewhere has all these things, while our society does not. Feelings are something that everyone should have, but sadly our society is so controlled, they haven't given us the chance to. Though the Giver has asked me not to leave, I must go. I must go as this society is not my ideal one.

I hope to hear from you when I am in Elsewhere and I bid you farewell Fiona.

Jonas

The Giver Reflection #4

How does this quote " Gabriel's breathing was even and deep. Jonas liked having him there, though he felt guilty about the secret. Each night he gave memories to Gabriel: memories of boat rides and picnics in the sun; memories of soft rainfall against windowpanes; memories of dancing bare-footed on a damp lawn. "Gabe?"The new child stirred slightly in his sleep, Jonas looked over at him. "There could be love" Jonas whispered." and chapters 16-18 relate to the theme of freedom and choice?

Firstly, I think these chapters relate to freedom because at the end of The Giver, Jonas becomes free and comes to a town where it is full of music, color, love and feelings. Though through this journey, Jonas has had to make some decisions that have been hard, but this means that he had the freedom to choose which decision he wanted. When Jonas decided to go to Elsewhere with Gabriel, he used his freedom to choose to be free. From previous knowledge, he knew that Elsewhere was full of what everybody in his society doesn't have and he feels that he deserves to have that. When he arrived at Elsewhere, Jonas was free. Free from his rule-full society, free from his parents, free from everything.

Finally, I think these chapters are related to choice mostly because of the same reasons as freedom. Jonas had to make a very hard decision at the end of the book, he had to choose to leave his society to go to Elsewhere, or stay and live the rest of his life in his society, that was full of rules. Though he knew that getting to Elsewhere was a hard journey, he chose going to Elsewhere because he knew it was the right choice. Elsewhere was full of what he could dream of! Love, music, color and feelings! All of which aren't visible in Jonas' current society. Making the journey even harder, Jonas had brought Gabriel, a Newchild his father had been taking care of. This special person is way more sensitive than anyone else and could die easily. Jonas had to be careful. He did not have a lot of experience of nurturing so it was basically a life or death route for Jonas and Gabriel. But still, Jonas takes the risk because he knows the right choice. Sometimes people make weird decisions, but they do it because they know it is the right choice.

This is how choice and freedom was related to those 3 chapters and the quote above.