Hard to Say Goodbye

One of the things I hate the most in life, is having to say goodbye. Having to say goodbye when you go away for holidays, saying goodbye to family after you visit them, having to say goodbye to the ones you love most. Thats something I have never had to do before. Never moved, always been in Singapore and UWC. As most of you know, I have been going to UWC since I was 4 years old, K1. I'm now 13, and in G7. I've had to say goodbye to people when they leave and I've watched people come and go from the school. But I have never been the one that has actually left everything they have ever know. UWC is the only school I have ever been to and I've lived in Singapore since I was 1 year of age. My home is here. And now being told that I am moving homes to a place where there is no uniforms, 4 seasons, only 2 or 3 classes in a grade and where everything is in Japanese, is a feeling I can't even put into words. 

Getting the news that I am moving to Japan, was one of the hardest things I have ever had to hear. Sure it in a way is exiting news, but i'm being told to leave everything I've ever know to go to a new place, a new school, and a new life. It's just something I have never had to do before. I don't want to have to leave my friends behind or my life. I love it here and it will take a long time to get used to the change. To be honest, it has been hard for me. I cried a couple of time because I just didn't know what else to do. I was upset and scared. But now I think it's just because i'm scared of adventuring in a new environment. I am scared of going to somewhere completely new and somewhere where I know nothing about. I know I will like Yokohama International School, but I will always love UWCSEA more. It is my home and the place I grew up, and where my education and knowledge has grown and developed. I love it here and I'm not ready to go yet. I always envisioned that I would stay at UWC until I was in G12, but that, however, is not the case at all. 

I love my life here and I'm happy. But now I have to try and find that same happiness again in a new school. I guess this post so far seems like a negative boo hoo type of post, but i'm speaking from my heart. But to be honest, I am slightly exited for it. It is a new place, new country, new people. I know I will enjoy it there no matter how much I miss life at UWC. I have decided that saying, acting, and just having a lightly better view of it helps in a way. The post is a step towards feeling better and getting over the fact that I am not staying here at UWC forever. There is soo much more I still want to say but I can't. Not yet anyways. 

Since this blog is registered with my school account, after I go I will no longer have access to it. So I will almost defiantly make a new blog and continue posting on that one.

I love my friends at UWC and I'm gonna miss you guys like crazy! I'm going to treasure all the moments and says I have left with you guys! There is only 4 months left before the end of the school year! 

Sammie <3

Christmas Holiday Round-Up, Day 3

Day 3, December 17th 2012

So today was injection day! I hate injection. They hurt, a lot and to express this i have made a vlog instead of writing about it. Watch it below!

Ok, so in the video I said I had nothing to do in the afternoon. Well, I decided to make pretzel! Yes you heard it right. Pretzels. It took a little longer than the book said it would, but they are delicious!

Making them look like pretzels

Cooking in the oven

FINISHED!

I hope you guys had a better start to your day then I did, 8 days till Christmas! Yay!

Christmas Holiday Round-Up, Day 2

Day 2, December 16th 2012

Today was a very relaxed day. I slept in until 11:30 and didn't get out of bed for another hour on top of that. I love sleeping in in the holidays. It's a chance to catch up on sleep and just relax. 

So today, specifically in the evening my family and I went round to some family friends house for dinner. We were there for about 5 hours and didn't get back home until late. On the right is a pic of the rest of the kids playing on the trampoline. The kids, me being the eldest, had lamb, rice, peas, and sushi for dinner. I love sushi because it is delicious and depending on what type of sushi, it can be healthy as well.  The lamb was beautifully cooked as well. The kids played for the rest of the evening and watched a movie called "Prancer". It is about one fo Santas reindeer that gets lost and a little girl finds him. That happens at about 20 min into the 1 and a half hour long movie. What happens in the rest of the movie is the reindeer is hidden by the girl in her dads shed, he doesn't know its there, he finds out, he sells it, the girl goes to get it back, she falls from a tree whilst trying to save the reindeer  people sing to her from her window, the reindeer goes back home to Santa. Thats basically the whole movie. 1 hour and a half. To be honest, it wasn't the best Christmas movie as you can probably see but I still had a great time at their house. 

Hope you guys are having a great start to the holidays and tomorrow is going to be and interesting day.......I'll keep you posted!

9 days till Christmas! Yay!

Christmas Holiday Round-Up, Day 1

Day 1, December 15th 2012


Hey Everyone! Hope you guys have a amazing holiday. So what I have decided to do, is do a Christmas Holiday Round-Up and post what I have been up to over the holidays. I'll start at day 1 and keep going until the end of the holidays. Wish you guys a Merry Christmas and may your Christmas be full of joy, family and friends, and fun. Hope you guys have a great holiday and a Happy New Year!

Wahoo! The Christmas holidays are finally here! Ok, so it's day 1 of the holidays, not much going on so far. Im staying in singapore this year instead of going home to N.Z. BUT I will still have an amazing holiday here with friends and family. So today wasn't really a action-packed day, but I still had fun. I spent the first half of my day basically doing nothing and some homework which was total fun.....ish. But as you can see, on the left is a pic of a Christmas tree and a whole-lot-of flying white things. Well those flying white things, they're all fake snow. My family and I went to Tanglin Mall to go and play around in the fake snow and by that I mean my brother and sister playing in the fake snow whilst my Mum, Dad and I watch and laugh from the side. Every year around Christmas time Tanglin Mall make and put up a Christmas tree. They put up a different tree and decorations every year, my family and I go nearly every year. It is a lot of fun and afterwards we drive down Orchard road to look at all the Christmas light. 




On the right is me standing in the middle of the falling fake snow. It was like a blizzard but a soapy blizzard. By the end of it, my shoes were covered in the 'snow' and so was my hair! But it was a lot of fun. 

So this is what I did on day 1 of the Christmas break. 

10 days till Christmas! Yay!

The Truth Behind a Name

Our parents give us our names when we are born. They don't know yet what we will be like, look like, or act like when we are older. But somehow, they always get it right. Our names grow on us as we grow up and start becoming who we are today. We are still growing. We are always growing and expanding our minds to new knowledge everyday. Our names are a part of us and are something that we keep forever. Something that can never part from us. 

(Here are some of the names of people I know)

My name, Sam, most of the time is referred to as a boys name. News flash! It's not. Sam is a name for both girls and boys. But Sam is not really a real name. It is normally short for Samantha or Samuel. But it isn't for me. My full name is Sam. I do not wish it was Samantha because to me, Samantha is a posh name. I am not posh. I know for a fact that I am a loud, bouncy, energetic, and that I'm not the girliest girl. But that doesn't mean I don't like nail polish and doing my hair :) 

So to be honest, Sam does count as a real name. There is no reason why it shouldn't.  I want to end on the note that we all are our own person, our own name. Even though some people have the same name as you, they are a completely different person. 

Sammie <3

Darker Sides Beauty

(I took this at Dairy Farm on my phone)

The sound of the jungle

creates its own music.

The whispers of the trees

define each note.

The melody of the jungle

speaks to me.

The humming of the tropical birds

complement the steady hiss

of the diamond headed snake.

The harmony comes from a much deeper part.

The roar of the lion completes

the single flap of a butterfly’s wings.

The motion is so silent,

I can hear a single drop of water

falling from a leaf’s edge.

By Sam Coutts

I wrote this poem whilst I was at dairy farm at the G.I.N. conference. We were told to take the 15 minutes to sit in the jungle, and just write, draw, and create whatever we wanted. Some choose  to lay down and listen to the sounds of the jungle, some drew what they could see. I choose to write a poem. This poem just came to me. I sat and listened to the sounds around me, and stared at the scenery around me. Inspiration can be anywhere, even in the least obvious places. After writing it at dairy farm, I took it back and made it better.

10 Things I Know to be True

1. "If your heart is in your dream, no request is to extreme." - Jiminy Cricket

2. That good friends will be there for you no matter what.

3. Love is one of the most, if not the most, important thing in the world.

4.  Laughter is one of the best cures for anything, and just for fun. 

5. Follow your passion and your dream, no matter what.

6. The performing arts is where I belong.

7. Education is the key to the future. 

8. Paul Frank is one of the coolest brands ever!

9. The bitter true is better than the sweetest lie.

(Not really what I meant, but I though it was funny)

10. Music is pure poetry.

Image links:
http://disneyandquotes.tumblr.com/
http://solskinn88.wordpress.com/2010/09/29/the-value-of-friendship/
http://www.ghank.com/love-pictures/
http://www.ace-your-audition.com/new-york-acting-schools.html
http://educationrx.net/
http://www.fanpop.com/spots/paul-frank/images/15687473/title/paul-frank-photo
http://thelatterdays.blogspot.sg/2010/02/christs-music-or-satans-music.html
http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/3q0sqf/
http://www.dream-symbols.com/

Staying True to Yourself

Little things is One Direction's newest song. The song was written by Ed Sheeran for them. The song is one of my favorite songs at the moment. It is sweet and 100% true. People like us, well SHOULD, for who we are and for our personality. Stuff like looks doesn't really matter. To me, what matters is personality and being true. Not pretending to be someone your not. I know I wouldn't want to be someone im not because then your not being who you really are. You are changing for someone else. So basically, stay true to yourself and don't change for other people. 

After watching this I want anyone and everyone who watched it to comment on their thoughts and how the video made you feel. 

Sammie <3

Poetries Perspective

Famous 

The river is famous to the fish.

The Poet: Naomi Shihab Nye

The loud voice is famous to silence,
which  knew it would inherit the earth
 before anybody said so.

The cat sleeping on the fence is famous to the birds
 watching him from the birdhouse.

The tear is famous, briefly, to the cheek.

The idea you carry close to your bosom
is famous to your bosom.

The boot is famous to the earth
 more famous than the dress shoe,
 which is famous only to floors.

The bent photograph is famous to the one who carries it
 and not at all famous to the  one who is pictured.  

I want to be famous to shuffling men
who smile while crossing streets,
sticky children in grocery lines,
famous as the one who smiled back.

I want to be famous in the way a pulley is famous,
or a buttonhole, not because it did anything spectacular,
but because it never forgot what it could do. 

Naomi Shihab Nye

                -From The Language of Life: a Festival of Poets, by Bill Moyers-

I really like this poem because it shows a lot of meaning. To me, it shows that everything has a purpose to it and that we all have a purpose. Also, it is a bit funny in the fact that it makes sense but no sense in parts. I really like her language in this poem and the way she chose to write it. This poem is so obvious but it has mystery. This poem only states the truth to me.


Granny Granny Please Comb My Hair


Granny Granny Please Comb My Hair

you always take your time

The Poet: Grace Nichols

you always take such care

You put me on a cushion between your knees

you rub a little coconut oli

parting gentle as a breeze

Mummy Mummy

she's always in a hurry-hurry

rush

she pulls my hair 

she sometimes tugs

But Granny

you have all the time

in the world

and when you're finished

you always turn your head and say

'Now who's a nice girl?'

Grace  Nichols

I really like this poem because it is really sweet and simple. The author has taken something small, a little girl who wants her granny to comb her hair, and turned it into something sweet. I know I love getting my hair brushed. To me, it shows a sweet love between the girl and her grandma. It brings a smile to my face. I think that this poem has one of those "Awww!" moments to it. I love that about it. But after reading it it makes me think. Has her grandma left? does she miss her? or does she just want her grandma to comb her hair? Comment and tell me what you think about this poem, and if you have an idea on a background story to it.

Sam <3

Image Links:
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/naomi-shihab-nye
http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/grace-nichols-praise-song-for-my-mother-poem-only/12249.html

If You Love Someone, Let Them Know

"I love you". 3 simple words that can mean soo much.

When someone says I love you, it should come from the heart. To me, the heart is where your feelings come from. Ever heard 'listen to your heart, or listen to your heart not your head or follow your heart?' Well if you say something it should mean something. You can't sat I love you for no reason, you can but would it mean anything? No, not really to me. When I say 'it should mean something', I mean like it should send a message. If you were dared to say it, it doesn't matter because it probably didn't mean anything. 

Everyone loves their friends, not in the romantic type of way, but just as friends. They do soo much for us. A shoulder to cry on, support, sleepovers, shopping...and the list continues. The least we could do is thank them. All I know is good friends will always be their with you, to help you celebrate the best ties, and to be there for you when you cry. It doesn't matter how old they are, boy or girl, nationality, etc. All that matters is that they are there for you. I know I would die without my friends because they do soo much for me and support me with what every happens. Thats what good friends do. 

Back to the title, "If you love someone, let them know". Lets just start off by saying that what is the point in loving someone if they don't know that? Love is a powerful passion that brings people  people together. Without it, where would we be? I imagine a lot of broken hearts, sorrow, pain, more wars, and people alone. We can;t live our lives without it. No matter how small the love is. Telling someone you love them s a stepping stone across a river. That being the first step take in the relationship, the first stone placed. Over tie, more stones will get added. As more get added, the relationship becomes stronger, and you keep moving down that path, across the rover. I finish on that note, with my tittle.
"If You Love Someone, Let Them Know"

Sammie <3

Image Links:
http://www.mackenziewhitetrust.org/store/heart_joy/joy-heart.html

Our Script, Our Song

People tell their stories in different ways. Through art, song, dance, music, etc. Our stories are our past, experiences, our life. Our stories we share are a extension of us, in the fact that they share more about us and who we are. 

I found a quote that I think links to this perfectly, “May the bridges I burn light the way.” - Unknown. To me this means that we light our way, we may not be in control of our path, but we light it up. We make the connections and that we should light the way in our own way, may we make them our own.

I think that people are their own script, our own song. Our story, our script. We write what happens in our life and can add  and re-write things in. But sometimes we can't re-write or edit those things. Thats when we should light the way and make it our own. Try to make out something that is good or something you can learn from that experience. And afterwards, you may realize it was a good re-write. But life is our own. We have the power to make it, or break it. 

Song are a form of expression, they capture a specific moment or time. They express our feelings. Our love for one another, friends, family, hopes, dreams, It's all in their, in our story, in our song. I leave you wondering with what I have said. 

I would love it if you commented with your idea of telling your story. Thank you.

Sammie <3

Image Links:

genutsu.blogspot.com/2012/06/best-acting-school.html

http://genutsu.blogspot.com/2012/06/best-acting-school.htm

In the Spotlight

This is a vignette that I write in class and I wanted to share it on my blog. 

I feel like everyone has a chance, a chance to break free and go for our dreams. Everyone should be able to express their individuality without anyone or anything standing in there way. No one should ever feel like they are worthless and that their dreams could never become a reality. We have the choice to choose what we do with our life. What we do should be because we want to do it, not because we were pressured into it. Life's a gamble, you just have to take the chance when you have it. The world is your stage to take.  I’m waiting for my chance to break free and go for my dream. A chance to prove to the world what I could do and how I can change the world. I have been acting for nearly 5 years now. I love taking the stage and making it my own, I love performing. When I was in G6 at centre stage I was playing one of the main roles in the musical ‘HONK!’. I played drake. Yes a guy, but playing a character of the opposite gender is really good practice and is a lot of fun to do. For the role I was required to sing a solo, an entire song. I remember the feeling. I was nervous I would go off pitch, or that it didn’t sound right. But I really wanted to sing. Just sing my heart out and give it my all. The feeling. Amazing, ecstatic, and proud that I took the shot. I stay committed because it’s what I love doing. I  stay committed because I know that one day I will have my chance to show people what I can do, and what I could do. All it takes is one chance to prove to the world what you can do. The world is your stage to take. Don’t let an opportunity pass you by.

Sammie <3

Learning from my Perspective

Writing is more than just laying down your ideas. It's about who you are as a person and your perspective on things. We are all our own person and have our own point of views. 

In class so far I have learnt about vignettes, showing vs. telling. I found this very interesting because vignettes are more than just a writing, they tell a story. They are short and to the point. In class we were able to read through three examples of vignettes from a book called 'The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros'. It is a collection of vignettes telling a story about a spanish girl, living in America. Each chapter is short, maybe a page or two. But nevertheless, they all tell the story. At the same time, they give a clear understanding of what the girl is feeling and how she 'sees' the world around her. Vignettes are 'showing' instead of 'telling'. Telling piece of writing would be like 'I love my dog. He is very fluffy.' This is what a showing piece of writing would look like; 'The soft, curly locks of fur from my dog. As he runs across the field, they bounce up and down. The touch of them is softer than a trumpular tree. His tongue hangs out of his mouth as to say 'I never want to stop running'. Can you see the difference?

To me, learning how to change telling lines into showing lines has been very important, enjoyable, and useful to me because it is one of the ways I can improve my writing, and turn it into something more. I found it useful because as I get older, more will be expected, and learning simple but extremely effective writing techniques like this, help get higher grade. Also, I have found vignettes very interesting. They are such short pieces of writing, yet they give so much. I can't wait to study them more and learn how to write a good vignette. 

I don't really wish we did anything differently, but I think that maybe we could do some more of ghost reading  because it helps with confidence in reading out loud with people around, and it helps with taking turns without being told. Also, I maybe do some more study on vignettes as they are a very important topic and need to be as clearly understood as possible. 

Sammie <3