Welcome back to my blog. On this blog I will be giving a review on a book I just recently read called "The Giver" by Lois Lowry. The giver has around 160 pages in total and is a quick, but fun read. The Giver is about a young boy named Jonas, who lives in a world without fear, war or pain. whenever a child turns 12 they are given a job to do in their community, so when Jonas turns 12 he is singled out and given a special job (known as the Giver) with special training. The special job he's given requires a lot of hard work and discipline, and he is taught this by the current Giver. The Giver is meant to learn about the world of the past where emotions still existed. Jonas learns this by getting images and experiencing them and he gets this from the previous Giver. This job also carry's pain for Jonas since he also has to experience many different types of pain. For instance, something as small as a scratch to a arm blowing up from a war wound. Jonas also gets to enjoy other sensations such as happiness, joy, and love emotions they can't enjoy in his present time. This book is a interesting book and brings some new stuff to the table. So I do recommend you read this book and if I had to give it a rating i'd say 4/5 stars. I believe that they could have improved on the characters a lot more and go a bit more deeper into the world that Jonas lives in. Other than that a fun and interesting read.

Soul Antagonist

When a man faces fear his soul, body and mind is tested. What he was born to seek, what he was born to achieve.  His true nature and who he is will become clear. Can he cope with that fear? Or will fear overtake him?

            My name is Kim Park, I am 14. I reside from North Korea. Specifically in a city named Sinpo in the province of South Hamgyong. Living in North Korea I feel as if I’m a senseless sheep I live in a society that is blinded by truth. Every day at school were taught that our leader Kim Jong Un is a great person, almost as if he’s some sort of demi god.

Even from a young age I could tell he was nothing but evil. My peers were brainwashed into thinking he was some god a savior. The things my teachers teach me in class I don’t even know whether to believe them or not. My peers are brainwashed and even my parents. This society is driven by fear. Talk bad about our government slip up on a word; say the wrong thing and you’ll suffer severe consequences.

Near the end of the semester there was a code red at my school. Apparently two people came into the school with guns and took 1 student from each class. In my classroom all the students were shaking and trembling violently with fear. My peers couldn’t even keep their composure they were shaking, some even puked. As myself my heart started beating almost as if I just ran a mile, I was breathing fast and my body was tensing up. My hands were shaking. All I thought about was my family and thoughts about death. To stop the shaking and to calm myself down I bite my arm as hard as I could until there was blood.

At the time we heard multiple gunshots in the hallways. As one of them approached our classroom he asked for a volunteer, someone to be taken as hostage. The perpetrator was wearing a black ski mask, black pants and a trench coat. He had two pistols. His body was covered in blood; the scent of death was radiating from his body. My teacher was instantly executed in front of us. Everyone in the classroom was screaming it was complete chaos, students were screaming at the sight of fresh blood. He asked one more time for a volunteer and that was when I courageously raised my hand.

Courage is not the absence of fear but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear. I knew by raising my hand I would save another students life and that’s all the reason I needed. As I walked out of the classroom with a smile on my face, I was even laughing quite a bit, many students thought I was crazy but in my mind I was going to be free. This was my chance to be free from this society free from this life I didn’t want to live. Free from this curse that I was trapped in. It’s like I was a bird stuck in a cage or there was no other way of getting out from it other than death. I walked out of the classroom with a blindfold on and handcuffs behind my back.

I was on my knees in the school’s gymnasium aligned up with 9 other students. In the end I was nothing more than a senseless sheep living in a society full of lies. The blindfold was taken off. I took one more glimpse of the sky through the windows above me. The sunlight shun on my skin and I looked at my other peers and told them “we are free.” After I said felt the cold steel of the barrel placed up against the back of my head and I looked down in my last moments I thought of my parents, my friends, the things I never got to do in my life. Shortly afterwards I was shot. This was the end to the beginning of my new life.

A couple of days ago me and my class went to  a TEDx youth conference. I was very excited to go to a TEDx  youth conference, especially considering I've never been to something like this. We had to walk to the TEDx conference since it was in walking distance from our school, but it was very cold and snowing. Once we arrived many classes from other schools started to disembark from their buses. After a couple of minutes waiting outside, we we're finally given passes showing that we we're allowed to enter the TEDx youth conference. My first impression of the theater was how small it actually was, and the area where the stage was even smaller. But that did not put me off  since I was sure that $20 would easily give me a good a good meal that's supplied by the people running TEDx and many interesting topics that they will talk about. After a few hour in I noticed how all the speakers were just talking about the exact same thing. So, when it was time for lunch all they offered was a small sandwich, with apple , cookie, and veggies. It was awful considering I couldn't I couldn't eat the sub since they ran out of the chicken sub (Muslim) and the veggie sub was just plain awful. I was hoping that the rest of the conference would get amazing and lift my mood, but boy was I wrong. The rest was even worst than the first, all the speakers did was just mumble about not giving up on dreams. Honestly, I don't care just talk about some fun and important topics not some half ass speech. Finally the only good part was when the TEDx youth conference finally ended and we left. This could have been huge new thing that I would have loved to enjoy but sadly it didn't come close to my expectations. Hopefully if they ever do another youth TEDx it will carry better topics. 

  The second year of Zugzwang has already come and passed in what felt like only days. The second year of Zugzwang went a little better than the first year of Zugzwang, which was the worst possible year ever, considering there was over 50 deaths. Sadly, the second year wasn't much better in deaths, for we still had around 20 deaths. Thankfully just about everything else went a lot smoother considering we actually knew what to do, unlike last year when many had no idea what to do.
 
  Trading season for the second year went a little bit more organized than the first year. The reason for this is that we were more prepared for trading season considering that we had knowledge of what to trade and what not to trade from the last trading season. There was also some students  who planned ahead and knew who they were going to trade with. Sadly though, not everyone got the most important items for survival like housing, food, health and etc. So all in all it was an okay trading season that could have been improved.

  The house of commons wasn't any different from the first years house of commons. Except for 4 new laws that were brought up, and only 3/4 of those laws were passed. The only difference between the first year and the second year was that there were more laws brought up, more people were kicked out and it was unprofessional.

  Finally the court session was very short compared to the first years court session. The reason for it being so short was that we only had two people being sued, and only one of the group showed up and that was just a joke. Of course the group had to pay the government individually $150 for for wasting the judges time. We still have one more more court session to do since one of the members wasn't there. All in all this court session was just comical, immature and very short compared to our first year which had 3 court sessions and was more organized and mature to some extent.

  So the second year of Zugzwang was actually uninteresting other than the new parties being formed and old ones disbanding. I still feel feel that some people really don't care what happens in civic mirror, which I believe is wrong since this is a very fun and interesting learning experience that teaches us many new things or gives us more knowledge to add to our brain. Civic mirror also allows you to think and be apart of a group and work together. So in my opinion I believe that the second year of Zugzwang was okay, but I do expect our third year to hopefully be much better.    

 Do dreams carry a deeper meaning than what we we actually think of them? Perhaps dreams are a reality that our subconscious mind conjures up from our desires and that becomes a dream. How about nightmares, nightmares are still dreams but they aren't something that we desire instead it's something that we fear and hate. Maybe nightmares are also conjured up like our dreams but it's telling you that something is wrong and it's bothering you. Or maybe something dramatic from your past had affected you, and your mind wants you to remember, or it could just be a random meaningless nightmare? What if while sleeping you have a nightmare, could you possibly control that dream by conjuring a different dream instead of the nightmare? Many scientists have always wondered why our mind creates dreams or nightmares, but there hasn't been a solid answer 

 Welcome back, today I shall be voicing my opinion on video games and if they really effect us in a violent way. Many adults these days say that video games are making each generation more violent than the one before. Well, in my opinion I feel that video games do not make us violent, but it's sick minded people with weapons that are violent. I feel that when parents or adults think of video games all they see are kids playing games with guns, violence and blood. Although correct with some games, that's just a small genre of games compared to more peaceful games. For instance, there are many brain teasing games for the younger audience of gamer or even the older gamer. Like "Are you smarter than a 5th grader?" or "Th!nk Logic Brain Trainer for Kids" or "The Learn Series on DSI" and many more. These games help children to learn about multiple subjects and allow the mind to grow in a fun and creative way, instead of being forced to learn in a way that doesn't capture the attention of a child. Now, onto the genre that gets the brain thinking for a older based audience  The type of games i'm talking about aren't like those educational games I spoke of earlier. No, the type of games i'm talking about are more strategical in a militaristic way and always gets you thinking one step ahead of your opponent. This genre takes after the board game  called chess, but not all strategy games are like chess. For there are two different types of strategy games, one called turn based, and the other called real time. Real time is when you and your opponent verse against each other at the same time, while on the other hand turn based is more competitive in a way of building city's and taking a turn to build up on your army or economy. Turn based games are mainly meant to stimulate the brain while real time games aren't as stimulating. Some turn based games that are well known are "RISK", "SID MEIRS CIVILZATIONS" and "Total War". The games I just listed carry politics, economy building, war (Don't have to fight), and building city's, these video games are played by a older audience for their complex ability and just for fun. Now unto the genre that many parents do not enjoy, and that genre is known as a FPS (first-person-shooter). These games are meant for a audience of teens, and adults, but of course many younger kids still play them. FPS games carry violence, swearing and of course blood, and these are the games many adults and parents fear, believing that their children will become violent and addicted to violence. I believe that when it comes to FPS games or any form of games as long as the gamer understands the fine line between games and real life than their is really no need to worry about your child become a killer. I also believe that these type of games are a great way to release stress and dumb down your brain a bit after school. So in conclusion to my blog all i'm saying is that not all video games are bad but most are actually educational, and those games that do carry violence make sure that you know the difference between games and real life, and if you don't want your child to play these games than don't buy it than you have nothing to worry about.

 For me, coming home means going to where i'm most comfortable. From my point of view, i'm most comfortable where ever my family belongs. My family means the world to me, without my parents I wouldn't have been born, I wouldn't have a life, education, home ,and love. Without my younger brother I wouldn't have had anyone to play with when I was younger,to pick on, and to feel a sense of duty to protect him. Without my relatives I wouldn't have anything to look forward when visiting my . So to me where ever my family is that's home to me. For without family   you can't really have a home.  

A World Owned

            Earth was bought and sold many times. Conquered and assaulted over and over. Not once has there ever been peace, but during the year of 2017 tensions between nations heightened over oil, and humanity was truly put to the test of whether we could stay peaceful and save Earth or bring complete chaos bringing everything down with us. Of course humanity chooses death and chaos over peace and hope. Earth was consumed in a wild fire of hate, death, chaos, Armageddon, and complete annihilation, but an organization bearing the name of “CONTINENTAL ALLIANCE LEGIONAIRES” came into this world. An organization that spoke of a united people and a united Earth! An Earth where you could live without the worry of war, without fear and hatred, and these few words of hope is what brought humanity together for the first time in history. Sadly CAL (CONTINENTAL ALLIANCE LEGIONAIRES) soon became an organization run by a dictator named Aegle. Sadly the people could do nothing for the only military force in the world supported him. Many people lost hope and were forced to reshape the Earth in the design that CAL wished the human society to look. These ideals of CAL was to build city’s in mountains and in the sky for the best defense, and after a century of reshaping the Earth itself and recreating society into a monarchy of kings and lords humanity was forced to adapt into this new era. After many centuries of struggle humanity was finally back on its feet and the people we’re continuing their lives in the new built cities and the new society.  But this was not to last for a city named Calamity openly defied and rebelled against CAL and thus the great Calamity rebellion started, but it was swiftly put to an end by the complete destruction Calamity so that no one would ever dare to defy the CAL rule. No one truly knows if anyone survived the horrible disaster, but some say they’re a few who somehow were able to escape. This story is about that one child who survived and has grown to hate and despise CAL and swears to take down CAL no matter the cost! But can he truly follow his own promise will he really do anything to take down CAL? This is the story of a young man named Regna.

CHAPTER 1: Feelings

            It was a cold morning, the ground covered with snow, icicles hanging off the branches and the cold breeze brushing off my face. This season called winter was my favourite time of year, for this season speaks of my feelings. Cold, no warmth and silent, these feelings have plagued me ever since I learnt the harsh truth of reality and how nothing lasts forever. I could never go back to the young me who carried the emotions of happiness, kindness, and love and the feeling of warmth. No, I could never go back to those emotions not until they pay for their sins. Those monsters took away my joy, my friends, home and family. Words cannot fix the wound etched into my heart or my consuming hatred for them. No, only their blood on my hand can heal my wounds, even if temporary. I will bring them to an end; I swear it on my life that no one will get in my way!