Scott Rodgers

This is a picture of Scott Rodgers (he is the fencer near us). I like this picture not only for its fencing aspect (I'm a fencing nerd, I know), but because of just the moral aspect. This shows how far people can go if they set their mind to it. Despite a huge loss of mobility in both of his legs, Scott has been to the paralympics 3 times. Another reason I like this picture is because the way this picture was taken. It was taken in the middle of parry, making this a very cool action shot. I also like the way the photographer integrated all the colors into the shot. The black background complements the white uniforms of the fencers.

Hero Blurb

Just because he gave me one lesson doesn't make him a hero. Ashok Pathi is my hero because of all the encouragement and help that he gives me to become the best sabreist that I can be. On or off the strip, I respect Ashok because of the amazing friend he is to me. He is my sabre teacher.

Preview, Predict, Code

III. Code
1. How accurate were your predictions?
My predictions were very accurate because I have read this book before. I kind of knew what was going to happen so I predicted the right things.

2. Which predictions were very accurate? Describe.
My predictions about what was going to happen to Lily and Rosaleen were very accurate. I predicted that they would both end up helping August and her sisters in the honey business. I described how Lily would help August and learn about bees during their stay with them.

3. Which predictions were less accurate? What were the differences between what you predicted and what actually happened?
None of my predictions were less accurate because I had just recently finished reading this book in the 8th grade year so the story was pretty fresh in my mind.

My Weekend

This weekend I went to wack some people in a fencing tournament.  I had a lot of fun fencing my favorite weapon sabre.  After fencing for infinite hours, the ref finally called the gold medal bout.  I was sweating so strenuously, I felt like slurping a huge water bottle.  My final bout was brimming with pressure from both my coaches.  After fencing for a few minutes, I had finally won the first place medal.  Finally I left the funny smelling fencing center with a smile on my face.

My whole weekend was consumed wacking people at the 3 weapon tournament.  The first day was spent fencing fifteen other fencers for the Junior (20 and under) tournament.  The second day was spent fencing beating 20 other fencers up at the Y14 (14 and under) tournament.  It was a lot of fun fencing for the whole weekend.  I had a great time at the San Diego Fencing Center, located in Escondido.  When you fence for a long time such as I, you make friends with a lot of people that you regularly see at tournaments.  It was awesome seeing such friends at this tournament.

This is the Way the World Ends.....

They let me pick. Did I ever tell you that?
Choose whichever Spartan I wanted.
You know me. I did my research
Watched as you became the soldier
We needed you to be. Like the others
You were strong and swift and brave.
A natural leader. But you had something
They didn’t. Something no one saw but me.
Can you guess? Luck. Was I wrong?

Danger encroaches

The invincible Spartan John-117 rides in a

Insect like Pelican as fuel rods erupt into green fire

Besides the Pelican. Fire. A Pelican is hit.

“Mayday, mayday, Pelican down.”

The green flames fly past the helpless

Pelicans as they try to make their way onto

The ominous Ark.

“Brace yourselves we’re coming in a little hot!”

Bullets and energized particles whiz past heads

Hitting trees and rocks as ODST and John-117

Make their way to the Prophet of Truth. The

Arbiter’s calls strengthen the hearts of the

Warriors on the beach.

“Come my brothers! We will slay them into the

Ground! You will rise up again and again, and

We will kill you!” His screams of battle tear

Into the flesh of the Kig-yar and Flood

As other Sangheili descend upon the beach in

Ships made of gold. They glided upon the beach

From the heavens as they assisted the ODST

Troops in black as night uniforms. Blood of

The Jiralhanae littered the beach as John-117

Rushed into the Prophet of Truth’s heavenly

Abyss on Installation 00 at the speed of light,

Ripping through all his enemies.

“You. You started this mess.” The light ricocheted

Off his blood splattered helmet into the farthest

Corners of the room in which the Prophet of Truth

Was attempting to fire the last of the Halo rings.

“How was I supposed to know the parasite

Would follow? Clearly this is the Heretics’

Doing! A final, bitter curse! Clear evidence

Of treachery long hidden! So far are we along

The path, that I must strain to hear the clumsy

Patter of their pursuit. Know this my brothers.

They may foul the way with their charred and

Broken bones, but they will not stop the Journey.”

The Flood rush to the aid of the Arbiter and

John-117. Their tendrils act as snakes as

They come down from the black darkness

Of the installation’s topless ceiling. Gravemind

Speaks through the body of the mindless

Creatures that have been enslaved by the

Flood. “Do not shoot, but listen! Let me

Lead you safely to our foe! Only you

Can halt, what he has set in motion!”

Swarms of Flood rush to the Prophet.

The smaller parasites explode upon hitting

The Prophet, but that only phases him.

The Sangheili Arbiter jumped into the

Air with grace only the Gods could match.

His energy sword lit up the Prophet’s face

As he raised him into the air with strength

Only matched by that of a Hunter’s.

“Can you not see, Arbiter? The moment

Of salvation is at hand! Your kind never

Believed in the promise of the sacred rings!

My feet tread a path! I am more powerful

Then you will ever become! I AM A GOD!”

“It will not last Prophet! Lies for the weak,

Beacons for the deluded! I will have my revenge

Not on a plague, but a Prophet! YOU WILL BE

FOOD, NOTHING MORE FOR THE PARASITE

THAT YOU HAVE UNLEASHED!”

John-117 watched in horror as the Arbiter

Plunged his glowing energy sword into

The falling body of the corrupt Prophet.

The Flood immediately started to feed upon

The lifeless body as it hit the floor.

As John-117 watched the feast upon

The Prophet’s body, fragments of

High Charity pummel through the

Dimly lit windows of the Ark.

A vision of her. Cortana. She speaks.

“This is the way the world ends

This is the way the world ends

This is the way the world ends

Not with a bang but a whimper.”

Similes, Metaphors, and Clichés

What did you expect? I had to put a fencing photo on this post :P Sometimes my coach has to tell me to hold my horses(cliche) so I don't run into a trap. In this picture, I am a high flying bird(metaphor). I lunge with strength like a giant's(simile). That hole in my knee is also from that same tournament. :P

There I am, that same year, at Comic Con 2007. My shield is a pallete of colors, bursting with colors from each end of the rainbow. It took me a lot of hard work to make this costume, yes I made it. I had to learn how to sew as well :P My costume is like a chorus, each piece and aspect complimenting and making the others better.

The Epic

1. An “epic” is a story told in a poem format that retells the heroic or legendary deeds of a hero.

2. Characteristics of an Epic:

a. The main character or protagonist is heroically larger than life, often the source and subject of legend or a national hero: Line 129 “And Achilles, strong, swift, and godlike:” This line portrays Achilles as being “larger than life”, even though he is a simple human being.

b. Use of patronymics (calling son by father's name): "Anchises' son": Line 76-77 “Then rose up Calchas, son of Thestor, bird-reader supreme,” Line 107-108 “Then rose up Atreus’ son, the warlord Agamemnon,” In both of these lines, instead of just saying Calchas the bird-reader or Agamemnon the warlord, they are shown as being sons of others instead of people within themselves.

c. Long, formal speeches by important characters: Line 158-181 “Achilles looked him and down and said: ‘You shameless, profiteering excuse for a commander! How are you going to get any Greek warrior to follow you into battle again? You know I don’t have any quarrel with the Trojans, they didn’t do anything to me to make me come over here and fight, didn’t run off my cattle or horses or ruin my farmland back home in Phthia, not with all the shadowy mountains and moaning seas between. It’s for you, dogface, for your precious pleasure-and Menelaus’ honor- that we came here, a fact you don’t have the decency even to mention! And now you’re threatening to take away the prize that I sweated for and the Greeks gave me. I never get a prize equal to yours when the army captures one of the Trojan strongholds. No, I do all the dirty work with my own hands, and when the battle’s over and we divide the loot you get the lion’s share and I go back to the ships with some pitiful little thing, so worn out from fighting I don’t have the strength left even to complain. Well, I’m going back to Phthia now. Far better to head home with my curved ships than to stay here, unhonored myself and piling up a fortune for you.” This is a long speech given by Achilles explaining to Agamemnon how even though he is a great warrior and makes the Greek army amazing, he gets next to nothing when the battle is over while Agamemnon gets all the riches and prizes.

3. This is a picture of Archimonde at the World Tree. I chose this picture because this is how one of the Wars finally ended. Archimonde was trying to siphon the power of the Tree of Life, Nordrassil, but the guardian wisps of the surrounding forest basically gave up all their lives in order for the Tree of Life to survive Archimonde’s and the Legion’s wrath. After Archimonde was defeated, the ties that the Horde and the Alliance had together with each other basically disintegrated.