A Book Report Named Disaster

A BOOK REPORT NAMED DISASTER

I just finished A Girl Named Disaster by Nancy Farmer. Honestly, it was not what I expected. The main story is that Nhamo, and eleven year old girl living in a traditional village in Mozambique, that is being forced to marry a man called Zororo (I can't pronounce that name, Zozorozo, Zorozo...). Her grandmother, in one final intent to get Nhamo away from the town to save her from that fate, gives her a bag of gold and tells her to go to Zimbabwe. Nhamo journeys down a river in search of Zimbabwe and her father, who is her only parent. She eventually ends up in a huge lake known as Lake Caborra Bassa. In the lake she encounters many spirits, mainly Njuzu (water spirits) and her Mother’s spirit on an Island known as the garden island. The garden island has an amazing food source, and she finds a Portugese spirit who gives her a Panga (hunting knife). Later, in search of land she end up on ANOTHER island, breaks her boat, and lives for months on the island. Eventually she sails to the coast, where she finds a town at the border. She gets smuggled into Zimbabwe and ends up Working/Living in a research hospital. She eventually finds her relatives in Zimbabwe, only to find that her father is long dead…

     A Girl Named Disaster is a widely spiritual book, dipping in and out of Shona religion. Nhamo’s fears and hopes are well directed as to make the audience feel part of the book. The book is well written, it uses not too complicated language mixed with Mozambican. Unfortunately the book becomes difficult to understand at certain points, and the beginning is too dull to really get me hooked. Other than that, I have to say it is a very good book.

This book is set in mostly Lake Caborra Bassa, Closely followed by Nhamo’s home town, and also The Research hospital. It seems to be present tense, but it is hard to tell. I largely expected it to be Sci-Fi due to the other books I have read by Nancy Farmer. 

A Girl Named Disaster’s characters are weird. Being mostly spirits, this book’s choice of characters is something I have never really seen. Nhamo is definitely the main character, with her mother’s spirit, and a spirit boatman called Crocodile Guts being secondary. The Njuzu are strange characters to describe, they are not evil nor good. They have strange roles, they both help Nhamo and put obstacles in her way. I think they are side characters.

There are also a lot of other characters like:

Nhamo’s Aunt

Nhamo’s Sister Matsiva

Nhamo’s Grandmother

Rumpy the baboon

Fat Cheeks the baboon

All the other baboons

Nhamo’s dead father

Long Teats The Witch

and a large selection of spirits.

My final verdict on this book is as follows:

It is difficult to get hooked into, but is difficult to put down near the end.  The characters and story are interesting. The ending is unexpected, and it left me wanting a sequel (A Girl Previously Named Disaster?) All and all, I would give this:

6/10

My New Computer 1

WARNING this is just a log, nothing structured or pre-thought...    

YEAH! So, yesterday I finally got enough money for a laptop, which in this case was an incredible 550$. I love it so far, problems with it are that it speaks to me in Spanish (which isn't too bad) and really, I don't have much to judge upon, It doesn't bring any programs with it (except Edge) so not much to say in that area. The sound is great, it runs smoothly, It is light, and most of all, It lives up to my expectations. Unfortunately, to use Word and other such programs I have to buy it. So we'll see how that goes. I have been informed of OpenOffice, that'll do. I have to update my computer, register it, get all the apps I need and so on. Today I will go to La Colmena (a place where a lot of my friends live... and where there is wifi). If anyone has a suggestion for stuff I need please suggest.

End Log

Camping

   Four days ago I went camping with my best friend (Fintan) and my Grandfather (Jim). We went to a place called Green River Reservoir, we canoed to our campsite, set up my camps and ate. The next day Fintan and I went exploring and found that there was a little island called Picnic Isle and that we had camped right next to THE BEST CAMPING SPOT EVER! Of course it was taken. So we went kayaking/canoeing to the isle and hung out there for a while. We ate ALOT of sugar, I had 5 S'mores and 13 Oreos, we ate Ramen, Soup, pancakes and lots of other camping foods. We played games alot but when we asked Jim if he wanted to play camouflage in the woods he said....

No.

   So 2 days went by, carving sticks, making S'mores, eating Oreos, drawing, etc.. And then eventually on the 3rd day a group of kids (11-12) came by and one yelled: "Everyone who hears this give up your dreams!". Fintan promptly yelled: "My dream was to put on my sunglasses!" and put them on. I then yelled "My dream was to grab a cup with a stick!" (Earlier that day I dropped a cup in the water and got it out with a stick). The exchange went on for some time.

   On the last day we packed up and swam at the good campsite (which was empty) then we canoed back, and I almost got lost In my kayak but Jim showed me the way. We left, ate sandwiches, and went home...

  /\_/\

( 0_0 )

 | |__| |

(,)   (,)

   'From the point on to the bay, up the hill to greet the day,
Hosmer Point is where i want to be ...
Gather 'round our value tree, building strong comm-unity,
Hosmer Point is where i love to be ...
Hosmer Poooint, Where we are freee! Free to be who we want to baa.
Hosmer Poooint, just come and seeee! We're all a fun community,
one two three, HP! '

    That's what we sang every evening after dinner at the sleepover Hosmer Point. I left H P a week ago and now I feel like I Should write something about it. For starters Hosmer was very fun, I met a lot of really great kids, some Became good friends of mine, but sooo much Happened at Hosmer That I would be unable to write all of it in one blog post, or maybe I Could, if it was HUUUUGE  It would be About 100 paragraphs long and ...
   Oh well I guess I can not, so I'll just write the highlights. For starters the cabins were fairly small and private with only mine having seven kids. Beds were comfy, sleeping was easy, until, 7:30 When a group of kids (not Including me) went down to the water, swam, and yelled as loud as possible to wake up the camp. Yes, This was done every morning except Saturday, Where we got to sleep 'til 9:00.
   The first few days were kinda confusing, I was confused about how the day went. Then I got used to it and things started going smoothly. On Friday one of my friends ate 42 pieces of bacon and got sick. The next day I missed polar bears and got EXTREMELY ticked off. Then on Sunday I got a care package with: Beef jerky, chocolate, and raisins. Counselors took the food. I got so angry I frowned (and totally destroyed my bed later but whatever). I kinda forgot about the food, I was more fascinated With the sticky hand and the ball I got from the package. The next days were fun, meeting people, learning how to do CPR in the woods, swimming, shelter building, more CPR  One day, I was allowed to exit swimming class since i had met requirements: D. I Learned alot and burnt my hand on hot glue, then a I won at javelin throwing against 3 others who were older than me. Also I won 1st place at the tournament Jiant Jenga (Jenga The Jiant was made my my friends and I in a class)  I made a raven out of cork in Arts and Crafts and on Thursday I and four friends, Addison, Axel & Andrew & Sam ,presented a skit called:
THAT GAME SHOW!

(The next part of the post is a recollection of the story, if you find it boring carry on)

   The lights turn on, the curtains open and ...
"Welcome to: THAT GAME SHOW (that you did not pay attention to on TV)!" Said the host.
   The 3 Contestants Walked on stage, one dressed in casual clothes, the other in fancy, and the third in gray uniform pants and jacket.
"I'm your host Galel, and today's contestants are: CRIS!"
   "Criiiiiiiisss" droned The One with casual clothes.
"Jack Important!" Continued the host.
   "My name is Jack, but you can call me Jack for short," Said the fancily dressed one.
"And finally contestant 3114" The host finished.
   "How did I get here?" 3114 Looked around confused.
"For our first game we have: WHATS THIS COLOR ?!.."
A man in black Walked out and gave the host a green card.
The first contestant answered "Criiiiiisssss" and was rewarded $ 1000.
The second awnsered: "Umm thats hard one ... Ummm, unggggg ... Red?"
The same man in black Walked out and switched the green with red.
"Correct!" Said the host.
   "YES! What do I win?" Said jack.
"A sad feeling" Replied the host.
Then the third's turn arrived.
"WHATS. THIS. COLOR ?!" Asked the host energeticly.
   "How did- Wait, I was in a crate! The crate was in a boat! I, I was ki-" 3114 started
"No! Wrong! Wrong!" Said the host desperately.
The second game was The Wheel o 'Fortune. Cris got anothe $ 1000. Jack got the purple surprise,
disappointment. 3114 and got the $ 5000 tile, but then a man in the black came out and switched it to the red surprise. Then 3114 was Dragged off, then a quick succesion of a red liquid (you guessed it!) Splattered on the ground.
   The end game was: THE ANSWER IS YES!
Asked Cris was: "What is the Color of a platypus?" Which I Responded To "Bob ..." and got $ 5000.
Asked Jack was: "Will you be alive in the next ten seconds?" Jack said no, and was Dragged away to meet is doom. The winner, Cris, was Awarded first place in sailing and was Past Dragged off.

THE END!

(But that's not it!)

So, That was the skit, kinda long I know, but, you did not have to read it. Anyway, much of the fun two weeks Were I Learned a lot and Eventually, sadly, i had to leave ...Hope I can go back again.

THE END FOR REAL!


















































Why are you still going down? It's Already the end.




















































Still here ??? How? Why?

You wan't to prize?
OKAY.
Here's your prize:
 
(\ __ /)
(= '.' =)
( ") _ (")

Raven’s

            TOP THREE

                                   Restaurants

                             (In Tegucigalpa)

  

Of the many restaurants in Tegus, I have created a list of the top three (which are chosen by my tastes, so if you don’t really like them then sorry). Let’s get into the list.

Number 1

Usami:

Near the ‘Sky Tower’ (a rich people’s apartment building) is this small sushi restaurant called Usami. It is definitely my favorite restaurant in Tegus, and best of all, they have 2x1 Monday through Thursday! I LOVE the sushi there, but I have to say that, at least for me, their soups (not counting miso) aren’t very good. They have these cool cone sushi things that are really big and they even have a family sushi-boat (thats a huge combo in a plate that looks like a boat)! The family sushi-boat is for 8 people so, just be aware. Usami has a nice little sushi bar and even a VIP room. I myself have never been inside it, but I have seen it from outside and it looks like a Japanese dining room (alongside a normal table) My favorite meal of Usami, which includes two plates, is Sake (salmon sushi) and Miso Soup!

Number 2

Sen Rose:

The follow up to Usami is ALSO an asian restaurant, but this time it’s Chinese. The reason I picked Sen Rose is because Sen Rose is IMMENSE. It is literally four stories tall and they just keep BUILDING! Also, they have a secret menu (dim sum) which has real Chinese food and not just MSG and rice… They have dumplings, rice soup, chicken and mushrooms, and more! The fact that they have REAL Chinese food makes me nominate it as at LEAST one of the best Chinese restaurants i’ve been to. My favorite meal is… Chicken dumpling bowl.

Number 3

Mami Luz y sus Calderas:

The next restaurant is a soup-erb soup place called Mami Luz y sus Calderas, which in english means Mother Light and her Cauldrons. They have ONLY soup, and their soup is GREAT. They have chicken, beef, beans, all sorts of stuff. I personally have only eaten there once, but the one food, chicken soup, was excellent. Which means I can only recommend one plate, chicken soup.

A Knight of the Seven Book Reports

I recently finished a lesser known book by George R.R. Martin called A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, and I have to say that it was MORE catching than A Song of Ice and Fire (commonly known as A Game of Thrones). It tells the tale of Dunk (who is an adult), a squire recently knighted, and Egg (who is 12), a runaway prince living on the outskirts of Ashford Meadow (his brother’s castle). Dunk and Egg don’t really like each other to start off with, but begin to like each other as the story progresses and they adventure the countryside of Westeros.

Other important characters are Tanselle Too—Tall, a girl with whom Dunk falls in love shortly before she leaves for Dorne. Baelor Breakspear is prince who fights for Dunk after Dunk kicks Baelor’s brother (because Baelor’s Brother kicked the townsfolk). The Red Widow is a warrior Lady-Lord who shows Dunk that he has been fighting for the wrong side and convinces him to leave. The Fiddler is a ‘Hedge Knight’ who is secretly an evil lord in search of a dragon egg, and Dunk’s knighter, sir Hector, died on a hill in a rainstorm.

The Story in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is divided in three sections:

Ashford Meadow; It is the story where Dunk is knighted and finds Egg at an inn as a stableboy. He rides to Ashford Meadow and Egg follows him until Dunk makes him his squire. Dunk meets Tanselle and then Baelor’s brother kicks some townsfolk (including Tanselle) and Dunk defends them, at which Dunk is threatened to a trial of seven where they fight along with 6 other knights until one team is defeated. Dunk wins.

The Chequy Castle; Dunk serves at an old lord’s table. He fights for this lord’s river only to realize that legally the water is actually the other castle’s at which point the Red Widow shows Dunk he has been fighting for the wrong side, but Chequy and The Red Widow’s castle are united and Dunk leaves.

Whitewalls; Dunk and Egg travel to a castle called Whitewalls where a tournament is being held at which a knight called The Fiddler (who is secretly Daeron, an evil lord) tries to win a dragon’s egg and is killed by the ‘good guys’ who are simply the other side.

The Seven Kingdoms are a setting shared by both A Song of Ice and Fire, and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. The Seven Kingdoms are set in Westeros, which would be England and Europe in our world. The places Dunk and Egg travel in are:

Ashford meadow

Flea bottom

Whitewalls

Chequy and The Webber’s Castle

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and A Song of Ice and Fire are connected deeply, from setting to characters and they even mention a few of the characters from Game of Thrones in this story, but in my opinion they are also very different. Everything from the story style to the plot is different. I could also say Knight of Seven Kingdoms is more appropriate for young adult readers, and the Knight of Seven Kingdoms book keeps moving, I really couldn’t stop reading it, unlike the Game of Thrones book I just have sitting around on my bookshelf.

I got Stranded Deep (SD) a while ago and I liked it quite a lot. I have to say I knew about Subnautica way before SD but since Subnautica was windows only on Steam (game shop) I ended up getting SD, and actually now that I have both I realize that they are REALLY similar.

The overall story is that, during a trip from LA to Japan the plane you are on (which only carried four people) explodes and goes down. You manage to escape onto a life raft, and drift to a nearby archipelago. You must survive while scavenging rusted shipwrecks and avoiding aggressive creatures like sharks. 

Many of the challenges experienced in SD are sharks (which are SUPER-aggressive from day 2 and on), drowning in shipwrecks, having low food and water, breaking bones, and even trying to flag passing vessels (which will actually never see the player due to programming). 

There are A LOT of easter eggs* in SD like a scavenge-able ALIEN UFO! You can find a ‘Wilson’ (a volleyball with a face, from the movie Castaway), a diver slate with writing on it, a ‘DeadEx’ box with the address ‘nowhere in particular’ on it, a hidden AK-47, and ocean mines, those spike balls with chains.

Most of the items you use in SD are sticks and rocks, but it IS possible to find axes, knives, hammers, and other items found in shipwrecks. BeamTeam games are considering adding alien tech into the UFO. I really want to know what they might add. I want to use a laser gun!

I really like SD, but, unfortunately not as much as Subnautica. That’s because Subnautica has tons of different creatures, plants, biomes, and it even has an element of mystery. SD, unfortunately, has a pretty straightforward storyline, no deep sea diving, and shows no sign of possible contemporary human life. I mean it’s quite hopeless to find another human, BUT the possibility of rescue is real, unlike Subnautica, where you actually colonize the planet. Also, another major difference is that SD is in 2010-2020 while Subnautica is in the 2600’s! But in the end Subnautica and SD are the same idea, a castaway story with a lonely idea. Can’t wait for multiplayer!

*a secret/hidden ‘gift’ from the creators of the game, something that is simply for a laugh, or a surprise.