My Holiday Highlight Dress Hunting

Break times already over. The holidays have come to an end so fast. One moment I’m playing with my little cousins, to find out that the next day school starts. Well during the holidays my time was surely spent wisely. I was involved in so many activities during the holidays.

One of the many highlights was when me and my sister went shopping. Except we had to buy a specific dress we would wear for our eldest sisters 21st celebration. The colour theme was going to be orange, and black. Bright and joyful colours for a 21st celebration. But also a bright colour that would be quite hard to find as a dress.

Nive and I started our dress hunt at Sylvia Park. First we walked into Glassons. They had adorable dresses but unfortunately none of them came in the colour orange. We then proceeded along hoping to soon find a good looking dress.

We came across factorie. They had some very cute accessories, but that would have to wait for later. Factorie only seemed to have hoodies, and lots of in fasion season tights, and pants. But that was not what we were after. So we exited another shop yet again. Next we went into Dotti. Another shop which didn’t have many varieties of choices with in the colour range. So we left another shop yet again. At least 2 shop’s later we then encountered Supre on the top floor nearer to the cinema’s.

We entered Supre and searched around the store. I encountered an adorable dress, that was orange, and was appropriate, but the price just stammered my thoughts. It was well over $50 and I only had $50 to spend on a dress of my choice. So I peered around and looked for my sister to see if she could lend me an extra $10 to make up the rest of the amount for my dress.

She gladly gave me a $10 note, and I was off. The dress was perfect, and I wasn’t planning on leaving without it.

So I took my size off the rack, and put it onto the counter. The kind lady then scanned it and said “that would be $45 thank-you.” I gave a huge smile, and kindly handed over the money. Yes! I thought to myself. I look to where I got my dress from and it said 40 percent off. I was so happy and along with that I had $5 left over. Maybe I could go to Factorie and buy those oh so adorable bangles I had my eyes strapped onto.

Overall the dress hunt was awesome. And I got to buy some accessories to go with my dress. And the event was amazing also. My sisters 21st celebration was filled with laughter, smiles, and loads of food. The venue was at the Pakuranga Valentines, which definitely meant there was going to be heaps of food. And there was a whopping 86 people that came along to my sisters 21st. So many people. But overall my highlight from the holidays has to be dress hunting with my sister. It was so fun, and I wish we could do it again. Maybe next holiday break.

A Splendid Gift From Will.I.Am

The feeling was amazing. When Mr Burt said that the one and only Will.I.Am would be coming to our school, my heart started to pound with excitement. It had been a secret for at least days. And now when we all finally find out who the anonymous guest was going to be, whispers started to lurk around the big room.

Brooklyn and I, as well as Raenan, Crusader and Darius were all addressed to show the special guest where his seat was placed. We all eagerly awaited outside for Will.I.Am to arrive. Also with the media crew around us. Then a big flash car pulled up to the car parks reserved for them. His body guards hoped out and walked around to secure the place. We were all so excited that we thought that each car that went pass our school was his. Then finally after a good 20 minutes later, he arrived in a flash car. Similar to his body guards. Except he had one car in the front of his , and another on the back.

The cameras started to flash and flicker. The gasps, and whispers started to lurk within the hall. And the butterflies started to fly around in my stomach. He was approaching all of us now. Me being the last to shake his hand,was really nerve racking. After shaking his and his managers hands, we then made our way towards the hall, with the prefects looking like his body guards. Me and him were having a little chat while we were walking towards the hall. It was really crazy though, talking to someone as famous as him. Talking like we're buddies. It was just something that wouldn't happen to you everyday.

We were making our way towards the hall, with the press being the press and flashing their camera's and videoing the moment. Before we entered into the ha;l we could already see full of amazed, and astonished looking children. We all including Will.I.Am proceeded along. We reached to where his seat was placed, and we all exchanged a smile to an fro Will.I.Am then left.

Brooklyn and I were now scurrying towards the music room. We striped off our jackets and then jumped in line, still enthusiastic from shaking Will.I.Am's hand. We were all ready. And within seconds we were all standing on the stage. And within minutes our performance was over.

Vivienne then introduced the Hip-hop group while the kapa-haka group was entering through the back of the hall. After they finished their dance, it was Will.I.Am's turn to talk. He sure did inspire me in many ways. He told us in his speech to choose the best friends possible, to strive to make your dreams a reality, and he sure did inspire me with his background story.

Then he mentions out of nowhere that he feels inspired by us so he has decided to donate our Manaiakalani Cluster a donation of $100,00.00. Everyone around the room started to applaud. But I started to cheer. The fact that he chose our school, out of the billions of schools around the world, to come and donate a huge gift towards, was just an astounding moment in life. With out the help of the Hallenstein Brothers, as well as Will.I.Am this huge koha wouldn't have been donated to us.

A million thanks and grace goes toward the one and only Will.I.Am, and his sponsors!

Rugby Training

On Monday the yr 7 and 8 rugby girls team had training. Pretty strange that we have our trainings in the holidays right, but it's all about practice makes perfect. We've been learning all sorts of different tactics and drills to perfect our rugby team. But the thing is, not many of our girls made it to training on that day, but we managed to get training through with the amount we had. It was an awesome training session with Miss V as the coach. But the down side was that the boys kept dropping the ball. Which caused the whole team to have to run all the way to the goal post and back. The boys were just  extras and all us girls really didn't want them there anymore. But overall it was an awesome training session.

What The Holidays Bring

(photo above of me and my friend Brooklyn)
Since I have spare time. I usually log on to my email to see if I have any to check. But I usually see Brooklyn on-line. So we video chat. We help each other with holiday work we need to get done. Like I help her with some presentations. She's shares it with me, and I tweak some mistakes in it. She buddy checks with me, and I buddy check my work with her. As simple as that. This is exactly what I mean by it being awesome working on-line outside of school. It lets us students be able to learn how to work individually in a way. It's been great working like this. And it's been great fun video chatting with Brooklyn and catching up also. But I can't wait till school starts to see her in real life.

Just Around The Corner (Sisters 21st)

Lately me and my sister Nive have been practising our item we will be performing at my eldest sisters 21st birthday celebration. Next Saturday we'll be celebrating my sisters 21st birthday. Even though it'll be on Wednesday it's best to do it on the Saturday, since my sister will be working on her birthday. I can't wait to perform our item. It'll be a Samoan dance, as well as a hip-hop dance later on after. I just can't wait. Hopefully Nive and I will please the Birthday girl.

The Thrills Of Performance (Fiafia night Kapa-Haka Group)

My feet were plastered to the ground hesitating to move forward onto the stage. But it was show time and I proceeded along. I took a huge breath before placing one foot onto the black hard surface called the stage. I was the first person to walk onto the stage and the first person to be greeted by a roaring cheer of my name. "Tena ra kotou nga iwi ote motu nei" started off Whaea Sophie. And along after her voice came the melody of the whole Kapa-Haka group. We sounded amazing, and for sure looked astounding.

The girls Haka started off, and the stage was now full of energy. I was certainly putting all my hard effort into it, as I was one of the kaea's. Straining my fists to form the actions to the Haka, I glared out to the crowd to have a good look at how many estimated people were watching. Most likely over 800 people were out in the crowd, and that's even discluding the schools children that were sitting up in the front.

"Aue hi, aue ha, aue hi" the girls Haka was over, and and I was completely, and utterly out of breath. Now it was the boys turn to astound the crowd. They were so good that I felt like even crying from where I was standing. And I don't usual give away free tears. To even prove how passionate they looked, you could see that they had scratch marks against their chest. As it was one of the actions, to look as if your scraping your hands against your chest.

As soon as the boys haka finished, we then had to sing a song to welcome onto the stage the Junior Kapa-Haka group. From hence forth they performed their own thing that they had been practising for the past 6-7 weeks also. After the All Blacks haka that was performed by everyone on the stage, it was the end of our turn. Well not just quite.

Up stood Lorenz from the crowd. He was doing a haka. A haka to thank us for our hard work and effort and passion we had put into our performance. Then out of nowhere Chantee Lee and another girl ran and joined in with him. It was so awesome to see something like that get performed right in front of your eyes. Something that would rarely happen to you. After he had finished it was now time to look forward to our Niuean performance. But also to embrace the fact that our group had just finished performing. Performing something that we had practised for plenty of weeks. And pulled it off with ease. (Well not really)

The children were led off of the stage first, then the seniors. I took a step onto the grass and started to jump up and down with excitement. "We did it" I turned around and said to Mele.
"You looked awesome" she said to me.
"Haha. Did you do a massive pukana like I told you too" I said to her.
"The biggest one ever" she replied back to me with a huge smile.

We then headed off back to the Library, everyone excited, and happy. But then I think again. Now Brooklyn and I would now have to run back and forth with doing our hair, costume, and especially hair for the Niuean Group performance. Things were now heating up a bit with the atmosphere and all.

Remembrance Poppy (ANZAC)

(In the photo above, it reads of a poem called 'In Flanders Fields' written by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae)

Everyone seems to be wearing these red poppy's everywhere I turn. 'Why' I ask myself. I think it through and then remember that this coming Thursday is Australian and New Zealand Army Corps also known as (ANZAC) Day itself. A day to remember and embrace the brave soldiers that fought at Gallipoli through World War I.

At first I wondered why people wore the red poppy's. But as I came to know and research upon the very subject, I found out that people seemed to wear these very specific flowers because in the time of the war, there was only mud as surface in the Flanders Fields. But the only plant that seemed to want to grow over the time of the war were poppy's. They surrounded the dead bodies in the field, which seemed to be very strange but an acute mystery. Which therefore the red poppy has become a symbol that has been used since 1920 to commemorate who have died in war.

Tomorrow there will be a dawn service down at the Auckland Museum. I may not attend but I do so pay my respects from where ever I may be at the time. And I do hope everyone else would do the same too!