Harlem Shake

The Harlem Shake is a crazy, fun dance that only lasts for about 30 seconds. It went viral after a group of skaters made the very first one. Now the whole world is doing the Harlem Shake including the students of room 21.

We made ours about two weeks ago. It was a really funny experience that everyone enjoyed. Students put on masks, weird costumes and danced like animals! You cant see me because I was blocked by Mele who was standing on the chair with the umbrella. Me and Ashleigh were against the wall having a blast.

There are many different versions of the Harlem Shake. The biggest one at a rugby match where the whole crowd had funny costumes on. Another funny one is in a diving pool. Everyone is wacky in the pool and there is even one person in a sleeping bag. Very Funny!

Did you know that the actual Harlem Shake song is three minutes long? Its just the same beat playing  over and over again. The artists name is Baauer and I dont think that his song was supposed to be for this series of videos. I wonder what he is like having his song be apart of a HUGE viral trend.

The Girls I Call Family

In my family, I have 3 sisters. I am older than all of them and treat them with respect (most of the time) You may know that already but I am just going to write and inform you how much of resemblance we all have and how much I love them all.

Khaia. Born on the 26th of June 2003. She is the second born child out of the four. She is a year 5 here at Pt England School. She is very smart and pretty funny. Although she can be annoying and sometimes not the sharpest knife in the bunch, she has made her way into the year 5 and 6 extension class.












Cree-Ann. The 4 year old born on the 12th of May 2008. She is turning 5 this year and attends the Pt England Kindergarten. I don't know how she is going to behave at school, but I just cant wait for her to start. She is the one that looks like me the most and you can see that in the photo. When my mum had her, I was both excited and happy that I got another little sister.


My youngest sister is Kensi. She was born on the 20th of April 2012.  I would say she is the funniest out of the bunch. She screams and makes the most cutest faces ever! Plus she crawls everywhere and we have to watch out for her. Her nickname is Kenni. My cousin Hyrum (3) was talking to her one day and said " Hi Kenni" in a very deep voice. It takes a while to for her to get to know people, but she's all smiles when she knows who you are.



 Did you notice something about our birthdays? They come one after the other starting with Kensi then Cree, Khaia and then Me! That is a huge coincidence! But even if they are annoying or act like show-offs they are still my sisters and I love them to bits. And who knows? Mum could have another baby and it could even be a boy.

     

Auckland Interzone Softball Champs

The vans were ready and loaded. The year 7 girls in one van and the 8 girls in the other. At our softball tournament on Thursday, we were aiming to be the best of the best at the softball Auckland champs held at Wesley Intermediate in Mt Roskill. I could see that the fields were all split into sections and the batting place was guarded by gates. That made it easier for Jay'Lee to get the when she played at back-stop.

I was an outfielder alongside Huelo-Ata. Brooklyn was supposed to be an outfielder as well, but took  the job as sub on the first game. We were playing against Wairau Park. Our captain Jay'Lee managed to get us to field first. I pulled my glove onto my hand and ran out to field. Rita (our pitcher) lined the ball up with Jay'Lee's glove. The first few times were not her best pitches but once she got the hang of it, she was ok. "3 out." The umpire had indicated that it was our time to bat. In our batting order we sat on the wet grass and watched to see if the other team was good and they were! I was 7th in our batting order so I had to wait a while until it was my turn. Rita, Jay'Lee, Mary and then Huelo-Ata.  Three of them  had a bat but got out while on bass 2 or 3. "Side Away."

The sun rays beamed down on me and it was hot! My hat was no help either. The other team hit the ball and made it home a few times but it was enough to win. In the end we didn't celebrate with victory but we still tried our best. This went on for the next game as well against Mansel. We lost against them too. It was fine though and we all still had hope.

"Do you think we are going to win?" Brooklyn and I were chatting on the way to our next game. Our opposition team was Royal Oak Intermediate.  They looked pretty tough but I reckoned we could have won against them. And we did! Our first victory of the day. We won because they didn’t have the best pitcher, but they had great fielding. They had to be the nicest team we played in that tournament.  

At the end we played 5 games. We won 2 and lost 3. We came 7th out of the whole of Auckland city! Even though that wasn’t the result we were hoping for, but at least we had placing. The tournament was full of highs and lows but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The Old Man Walking on the Beach

The sand covered his feet and the salty sea air was blowing in his dry, grey hair. The water brushed against his worn brown pants. Memories flooded into his mind of when he was just a little boy and how he basically lived in the sea. Tears rolled down his face as the children ran into the water. He wiped his face on his oversized grey jumper.

His solitary figure was roaming around the beach trying to find the best place to rest for the night. He had been scavenging for food as well, looking in public rubbish bins and asking the locals around the beach.

He was sheltered by the low lying leaves of the pohutukawa trees the surrounded the beach. The sky had turned black almost in an instant. His hands were trembling as the cold air passed through the fibers of his jumper.

A wealthy couple walked past and saw his shivering body lying in the sand. “We should help the poor man.” The wife felt sorry for him and wanted to help. She woke him up and was surprised when he tried to run. He had nowhere to go so he stayed on the sand and listened to what they had to say.

Three months had past and the old man was back on his feet, working at a post office in downtown Auckland. He had a home and clothes to wear. It was all because of that couple’s generous hearts and he was grateful for all they had done for him.

Aucklands Two Earthquakes.

Two earthquakes hit Auckland yesterday, the first at 4:01pm measuring a 3.1 magnitude and was 6km deep.   The other one was a 3.9 magnitude at 4:05pm which was 5km deep. The 3.1 earthquake was 15km north-east of Auckland, on the south-west coast of Motutapu. The second one was directly under Motutapu when it hit.

A Very Hot Holiday! (Part 2)

The island was pouring down with rain when we arrived. Out of the two times I had visited, I had never seen that much rain on Rarotonga. It didn't matter though, because my aunty Leonie had rented a car for us to drive around in. Our first destination was the famous Palace Burger. According to my Uncle Marvin, they had really nice burgers. I ordered to chicken burger and chips. They were huge! I couldn't even finish my yummy burger. 

We stayed in a village called Arorangi. Its where uncle Marvin stays and since my aunties and I arrived first, we got to choose where to sleep.There where 6 people in 2 bedrooms. Aunty Jaky, cousin Vere and I in the front room and aunty Leonie, Khaia and cousin Hyrum in the back. Everyone else had to sleep on mattresses either in the sitting room or outside on the cement porch. 

Everyday (if it wasn't raining) we went swimming at a little spot near the Rarotongan resort. It was our spot for the two weeks that we were there. It was nice and sandy and there were heaps of fish that we could see when we took the snorkelling set. That was my favourite thing to do in the islands. Swim and snorkel. 

We also got to go into town and do some shopping to buy gifts for our families back home. It was packed most of the time with other tourists. But on the other side of the island was my favourite store. Wigmores Super-store. Its where we had the best ice cream ever! There were a wide range of flavours but I only wanted one. Caramel. It was so delicious. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water. 

I have family members that live in Rarotonga as well. We got to meet up with them when we had 2 bbq"s together and when we went to visit there houses. Occasionally we would see them in town or just driving past on their bikes. 

Our trip to Raro and Mangaia was such a great experience. I meet so many new relatives and got to see beautiful places. We travelled around Mangaia on the back of a truck twice for a tour around the island, I got to eat massive burgers from Palace and above all had a wonderful time. And it was so hard to say goodbye when it was time to leave. No one wanted to go. Raro hypnotizes you with its amazing features which makes you sad when its your time to depart. I really miss Rarotonga and all of the family members as well as the places there. My family and I wish to visit the island soon.

Visual Mihi

Hello! My name is Shoal and I am a year 8 and Prefect here at Pt England School. In extension, we were told to draw 5 symbols that best represent ourselves. The first symbol is the smiley face. I drew that because I am a very happy and fun person to be around. I also drew my iPod because it contains my 2 favourite things to do on it. Music and Games. I love playing my favourite game Aerox and listen to my music while doing so. The last 2 symbols represent my cultures. Rarotonga located in the Cook Islands and Niue. I have been to Raro twice but have never been to Niue. I would really like to go to Niue though.

Disaster Strikes at the P.E.S Picnic.

The camera was hanging around my neck. I captured a picture of Pt England School walking down to the reserve for the annual PES Picnic. The sky was grey and I thought that our fun day was going to be cancelled.

I ran up to Rita. Her bag was dangling off of her shoulder. She was walking with our fellow friends. Our lunch spot was coming up. The trees covered the grass and made it a very cool spot. Rita and I threw our bags on the prickly, dry grass and ran to the beautiful beach. “ What's that in the water?” I was worried. It looked like something was moving in the sea.

The great, big creature emerged from the water, screeching and its huge hands slapping the water. Everyone ran screaming and calling for help. Ashleigh, Taamai and Jasmine were the unlucky ones. They were swallowed by the beast and didn’t make it to the grass fields. “ AHHHHHHHH!!” My friends were gone.

I was filled with rage. My eyes had spotted a sword on the deck. I sprinted as fast as I could and drove the weapon into the creatures heart. It fell into the water, blood spilling into the salty sea. The monster was dead. I had saved the day. “ Shoal. You saved the day!” Everyone was running to me, thanking me for what I had just done.

2 weeks passed. The families of Taamai, Jasmine and Ashleigh held funerals for the 3 that got eaten at the Pt England Reserve. The monster was still sitting in the water. It was beautiful ceremony where each one of the family members got to put a sword into the beast to remember their loved ones. They looked like tooth picks stabbed in the breathless monstrosity.