The Night In Beijing

It was a late afternoon in Beijing, China. I was practicing my kung fu in the garage. My mother barged in my dojo to tell me to go get my sister from Taiwan because dinner was going to be ready when the sunset. I grabbed my gear, which consisted of nun-chucks, blow darts and throwing knives and hopped on my crotch rocket. The traffic was awful and if I were late to dinner then I would be a disgrace to the family. So, not only was I forced to ride on the sidewalk, but even the roofs of cars. The pier was about twenty miles from my house, and I was already half way there. I noticed the police were on my tail in their Toyota Priuses. Unfortunately for the police they didn't get the memo that over 5 million Priuses were recalled by Toyota. So after a sharp turn their pedals got stuck in the floor mats and I lost them.
I arrived at the pier seconds late of take off so I found a ramp nearby and jumped it onto the deck of the ferry. While on the ferry I relaxed myself because I knew that I was going to be doing some intense activity when I arrived in Taiwan. Fortunately for me, my sister was waiting by the dock for the ferry. The only problem was that Taiwanese gang members were harassing her. I pulled out my blow darts and shot one into the closest member. When he hit the ground the other members looked for who knocked out there friend and saw me charging toward them while spinning my nun-chucks. I took out all of them besides the one who appeared to be the leader. The ferry just signaled that it was about to leave with as loud horn. While looking for the boat I grabbed my sister and sprinted. We made it onto the boat but so did the Taiwanese gang member. He ran after us so I took off with my sister around the corner of the wall. I smashed the side of my head against the corner of the wall and fainted.
I woke up staring at the ceiling of my bedroom. Quickly I jumped out of my bed and looked outside, it was past sunset. I ran downstairs to find my parents and most importantly my sister. Fortunately they were all finishing dinner. I sat down with my family for a nice mac and cheese dinner while my sister told the story of what happened after I passed out. Apparently my sister kicked the Taiwanese’s gang members butt and she carried me into a taxi that drove us home. We were on time for dinner and my parents were very proud of my heroic efforts. Unfortunately for me, my parents pride did not heal the gash in my forehead that ended up becoming a scar.

Ten Things I Am Thankful For

I am thankful for my sister Katie, because she is always there for me when I’m down and she lets me use her computer a lot. Most importantly she gives me rides everywhere since I can’t drive yet.

Another person I’m thankful for is my brother Zach, even though I haven’t seen him in a while he is a great person to go shoot hoops or run with. He and I can relate to a lot of things and I love hanging out with him.

I am thankful for my grandpa because he never gets mad at anyone is always a call away if you need help with something. Since he is a former sports coach him and I chat about upcoming games and about how I’m doing with my sports.

I’m thankful for my dad because he is the one who introduced me into basketball and encouraged me to get social. Also he is a funny guy and makes good food.

I’m thankful for Facebook because I can communicate with my friends without having to be on the phone and wasting minutes.

I’m thankful for my dog Eco because she always lies with me whenever I’m doing my homework. Also she licks me a lot and then I have to play with her so she distracts me from my homework.

I’m thankful for my Ipod because whenever I’m running or just trying to relax I can plug it into my ears and listen to music or play games.

A restaurant I’m thankful for is Sandy’s by the Beach. It has great burgers and wings. The waitresses are very kind and the food isn’t too pricy.

A drink I’m thankful for is Gatorade because it quenches my thirst whenever I’m parched and it tastes better than water.

Another thing I’m thankful for is my cell phone because it allows me to talk to my family and friends if I need to get a hold of them. Also texting is a great thing you can use if you want to talk to someone and just get a quick answer.

High School: A Month in Review

Old Friends, New Friends

Before coming to Stevenson, I knew many people at the school because I had gone to Riley Upper Elementary with most of them in the sixth grade and have kept in touch with them throughout my seventh and eighth grade years at Emerson Middle School. Some of the more recent friends I have made are Dominic Sabatini, Mike Sopko, Allie Koestering, Becca Koestering, Tom O’Brien, Brandon J, Mike Barill, Matt Hunt, Ben Stromberg, Mackenzie Shea, and Jake Semak.

SHS Activities Attended

I have been to many football and soccer games this year, and also have attended the Welcome Back Dance and the Freshman Dance. Some of the best activities have been homecoming dance and the football game. Even though it was pouring rain, I still had a fun time.

Funniest, Weirdest, Scariest Moments

The weirdest moment has to be when I first met my art teacher, Mr. McMillan. When I walked through the class door I saw this hippie-looking old guy in a lab coat. I was beginning to wonder to myself if I was in the wrong class. But it turned out that I was in the right class and he’s a very cool teacher.

Hardest, Easiest Class and Assignments

Although English is very difficult, this blog is probably one of the easiest assignments I have ever had. Other challenging classes of mine are Art Fundamentals and math. My art class is tough for me because I think too much of my work and if its going to look good or not. My easiest class is definitely Personal Fit.

Top Five Current Events

These are the top five current events of this year:

1. 7.7 Million dollar loss in Michigan school budget

2. The runoff election in Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai rigged the election.

3. Nobel Peace Prize goes to President Obama.

4. Detroit Shock was bought and is moving to Tulsa, Oklahoma.

5. Discovery of nuclear energy in Iran.

Faces in the News

Important people that have been in the news lately include:

1. Hamid Karzai

2. Ban Ki-Moon

3. Dmitry Medvedev

4. Hilary Clinton

5. John Roberts

Interesting New Words

These are some new words I have learned from my English teacher:

1. Akimbo

2. Oxymoron

3. Loquacious

4. Diminutive

5. Lethargic

Popular or Memorable Songs

Some hot songs that are out right now are:

1. Obsessed Remix

2. Down

3. Party In The U.S.A

4. You Belong With Me

5. Forever

Popular or Memorable Movies

These are some of the hit movies this year:

1. Paranormal Activity

2. Law Abiding Citizen

3. Cloudy with a chance of Meat Balls

4. The Hangover

Rumors or Gossip

Some rumors I have been hearing lately are all about sports.

Detroit Tigers baseball team is looking into twenty-one year old left hand pitcher. Michigan State Spartans are rumored to be champions of the NCAA March Madness tournament this year.

Fads and Trends

Some things that are “in” right now are:

1. Jeans with holes

2. Skinny Jeans

3. Plaid Clothes

4. Hoodies

First Cultural Event

My first cultural event was going to Greenmead historical park. I took a tour and learned about Livonia in the past. I wrote a paper on it and got a B+.

Homecoming

Homecoming week was great; I dressed up for some of the spirit days like country club Monday, Wild West Wednesday and super spunky Spartan day. I enjoyed the football game because we beat Churchill 42-10, and a lot of my friends were there. I took my friend Mackenzie Shea to the dance and we went as friends. Overall the dance was an amazing time for my friends and I.

Advice for a freshman

Advice for the future freshman, do not put off homework and do it during class. That may have worked for you in middle school but it will not in high school. Maybe join a sport team or club. Lastly, take Global Ed!

What I’m Looking Forward to…

I’m looking forward to playing basketball for the high school team this winter. Another thing is track season! I love to run and challenge my self to break records.

Other Noteworthy Achievements or Events

An achievement so far for me is my grades. I don’t have anything lower than a B and I plan on keeping it that way!

Colley's Culture

Jake Colley
3rd Hour, Mrs. Van Horn
American Culture is one of the things in life were you can’t explain it in one word, sentence, or detail. It consists of various ideas and concepts including activities, events, festivals, and concerts. Just about anything that can bring people from different ethnic backgrounds together. Places can be anywhere from Los Angeles to Boston. You could be sitting on a plane going to Denver from Nashville and meet someone with similar political and religious views, as you but they could have a total different skin color. Everyone in this country is or at one times in another an immigrant, but in my mind, we are all people just living the American Dream.