Winiata’s Blog

The sparkling stream drifts quietly past the smooth rocks.

It flows gently towards the crashing waves of the rugged coastline.

Like an eagle soaring high above the floating clouds.

Drifting back and forth as it wanders on it’s life-long journey.

Hands slapping gleefully upon saturated mirror-like surface.

Blowing tiny bubbles of laughter beneath the ripples.

Leaping bravely into blue plastic-lined paradise.

Dive down deep and listen to the humming in your ears.

Cruising the waves on a long, sleek, stream-lined plank.

Dipping hands, kicking feet, taking the direct route out to open sea.

Closely examining the horizon for that perfect swell of water.

Waiting for the full force of that thrusting motion, the ultimate challenge.

Delicate droplets of rain falling on the slippery wet grass.

Trickling together into small brook, then into larger waterway.

Searing hot sun evaporates wet particles into clouds of moisture.

Rising up into the ever-changing atmosphere where chilling cold air lingers.

Title: Sucked In Author: Paul Jennings Illustrator: Terry DentonThe jar has something floating around inside it. Something awful. Something grey and fleshy. Something foul. Something not alive, but not dead either.A shiver goes down my spine. I wish I could stop peering at the thing in the jar.But I can’t.Everyone else in the class is staring at the jar.The teacher has an idea. He tells our class to make up a story about the little slushy monster. Everyone lets out a groan. The others don’t know what to write, so the teacher starts them off.This is a book about a teacher who has a jar on his desk. The jar contains an unknown thing that the class cannot identify. The teacher challenges the students to write a story about the thing in the jar.No-one knows what to write, so the teacher starts them off by telling them his version of what the jar contains. His story is that it’s an appendix and it belongs to a boy called Trevor.Trevor has his appendix removed in hospital, but he asks the surgeon to not destroy the appendix, but to put it in a jar so that he can keep it and never be apart from it.The next day Trevor brings the appendix in a jar to school and everyone is staring at it. The teacher asks Trevor to go somewhere and while he is out of the room, the appendix jiggles up and down inside the jar.The teacher and the Principal are very worried about this strange behaviour of the strange looking thing in the jar, so they confiscate it. Eventually the appendix escapes, eats up a cat and a dog, and then finally it eats up………..well, if I TOLD YOU, then that would ruin the story, so read it yourself!!!I think this book is intriguing because it is a little bit disgusting and also a bit fascinating. The reader will be captivated by the way the Author set out this book. Paul Jennings puts a story within a story.The title “Sucked In” is a clever remark because the students get sucked in by the teachers story, and Trevor gets sucked in by the appendix.I recommend this book for those who want a story with an unusual outcome. It is different because it is a twisted plot.

TVNZ News Report, Apr 23, 2007A man who survived being mauled by dogs six years ago says the death of a 56-year-old Rotorua woman at the weekend is good enough reason to ban vicious breeds.Virginia Ohlsen was out walking in Murupara when she was attacked by a Staffordshire cross and a pitbull terrier, both dogs unregistered.Despite the efforts of others at the scene to keep her warm and try to stem the blood flow, she died of shock and trauma as an ambulance took her to hospital.Howard Martin, who was attacked by three pitbulls when he went to a house in the Auckland suburb of Papakura, says the latest tragedy brought back horrific memories and he recalls the way the dogs just would not give up. His scars have never healed.Martin says the pitbull breed is harder to deal with than the likes of Alsatians because the pitbull latches on and has every intention of killing.Martin says Ohlsen’s death is a tragedy which could have been prevented.The two dogs involved in the attack have been destroyed and their owner will know on Friday if charges will be laid against him. Detective Senior Sergeant Mark Loper says police will talk to the Crown solicitor on Friday.Whakatane District Council chief executive Diane Turner says the council is leaving it up to police to prosecute the owner. She says the dogs were never registered with the council and there is no record of them on their database.It is the third fatal dog attack in the last 10 years.The pitbull terrier is the same breed that left Auckland school girl Carolina Anderson badly disfigured and partially blind.In my opinion the police and the government should ban the dogs because they are killing and hurting innocent people. The dogs are dangerous because the owners let them roam around on the streets. This means the streets are unsafe for ordinary people. This woman got killed but it would have been much worse if it was a child, like my little brother who is three.If my little brother was even bitten by a dog then I would report it to the police. If my brother was killed by a dog then the dog should be put down and the owners of the dog should go to jail.Vicious dogs should be removed the country, or not allowed to come here in the first place.

Evil is the foulest creature in the world. His parents are Vile and Viscous. Evil’s only brother is Wicked. His wife’s name is Cruel and his daring son is Malicious. He wears a coal-black hooded cloak smeared with innocent people’s blood. Evil has two red horns sticking out of his forehead like the lead of newly sharpened pencils. His dark blue eyes are hidden from mortal beings.

Evil lives in a haunted castle at the end of the street, opposite the town’s cemetery. He works from home, master-minding plans to take over the world. But he is doomed to failure, because he always ends up being discovered. His wife Cruel works nightshift at a morgue to earn money because Evil cannot hold down a proper job.

Although Evil might not seem black hearted, he most certainly is. In his younger days, he was so devilish that he was expelled from school. Following that he was thrown out of his house. Then the authorities drove him out of town. After that he withdrew into the wilderness to live, nay exist as an unhealthy sinner suffering with unbearable pain. He learned revolting ways to behave, developing into a troublesome demon. Even now Evil dwells on the dark side, always looking for ways to disrupt and destroy.

Evil is what you feel when you are the victim in a miscarriage of justice. He is what you think about when someone betrays you and you have the uncontrollable urge to seek revenge. Evil is what you see when you look into the eyes of the despicable prisoners on death row. Evil’s force surrounds you when you are in a deep dark abyss and no-one or nothing can save you.

Beware of the destruction of Evil, he is hovering just beyond the light, and he can come for you……..when you least expect it.

Power’s brother is Might. His sister is Skill. His mother and father are Talent and Energy. He is the husband of Boss, has a daughter and son with the names Rule and Force. Power wears a blue tuxedo. He drives a V16 Supercharged Porsche. He has shiny brown hair with a neatly trimmed beard.

Power spends his work days leading his computer network company. He is the 7th richest man in the world, and has the authority of a king. He employs 1,400o people in eight major centres around the world.

After work, power walks his German Shepherd in the park. He strides vigorously for 5 kilometres. He returns home to have a nutritious dinner with his family Boss, Rule and Force. Power’s favourite sport is Squash, speed-skating, and he relaxes by participating in international extreme sports competitions.

Power is the enemy of Weakness, and he despises it. His life’s work is to strengthen and sustain those people around him.He searches out places and people who are the weakest link, and then he finds a way to improve them. If he cannot improve them, then he must eliminate them from his empire.

Power’s closest friends are Authority, Control, Dominance and Influence. They are the four chief executives in his chain of companies.They oversee the eight major centres around the world – New York, London, Paris, Geneva, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Singapore, and Brisbane.

I aim to extend on my kapahaka experienceI aim to go to Rarotonga in Dec 2007 with the TA I Kapahaka groupI aim to develop creative arts like music & artI aim to play an instrument (keyboard)I aim to improve and extend on ICT skills (computers, typing, multi media experiences) I aim to work better on my own and in a group