the fun-ness of malaysia week.

A few weeks ago I went to Merapoh, a Malaysia Week site in Taman Negara National Park. I spent a whole week with these wonderful people from different grades and countries…

Angela Agustinus
Shaz Seatter
Mehza Memon
Liam Callan
Mason Chew
Nathan Sanders
Vandana Sudhir
Ibrahim Tahoun
Emily Thorne
Emelie Linder
Jasmine Singleton
Paul Im
Arya Marsono
Aizuddin Azlan
Fabian Erikkson
Melissa Lee
Dakshina Chetti
Zijia Kee
Rio Rosano
Tanya Deol
Edward Kim
YiKhai Lee
Jose Febres-Cordero
Casper Pasha.

And our awesome sponsors, who put the whole trip together…
Lynne Smith
Mark Walsh
Marie-France Blais
Everette Burke.

These were the people that made this trip such an unforgettable experience that I’ll always remember when I’m older and I think back to my most cherished memories of ISKL.

Merapoh was a new site this year, and everyone was looking forward to it. The plan for the first day was to get on a bus at 5:00 am, arrive at Taman Negara National Park, take an extremely windy bus ride to the base of the mountain, and from there, begin our hike up Gunung Tahan, the highest mountain in peninsular Malaysia.

The hike was a painful, tiring and muddy experience, filled with many blisters, scrapes, bruises, leeches, painful falls, sweat, tears and just general discomfort, but thankfully - with a lot of determination and hard work - we all reached Kamp Kor, the camping site halfway up the mountain, alive. We put up the tents, unpacked our bags and finally took off our soaking hiking shoes. We had done four river crossings that day, and for the previous six hours of the hike our feet had been marinating in the filthy river water trapped inside our shoes. And so, when we pulled off our grimy socks, stained with blood from the leeches that had attached themselves to our ankles, the sight of our feet was not a pretty one. They looked like prunes- like pale white, wrinkly prunes with dead skin peeling off them. But after our long, traumatizing hiking experience, such slight botherations were easily ignored.

There were a few hours before dinner, and everyone was starving. After yanking off our shoes and socks and throwing our backpacks down onto the tent floor, Angela, Shaz and I unpacked our energy bars and gobbled them up. For the next couple hours we talked and joked around to distract ourselves from the hunger.
“Would you rather have a condition that made you snore 24-7, or have to climb the rest of the way up this mountain and down again?”
“I’d definitely take the snoring thing.”
“The snoring.”
“Hah, same here.”

Dinner was fried noodles, chicken, vegetables and a glass of Milo. It may have been simple, but to our empty stomachs it tasted great.

Fortunately, the rest of Malaysia Week was a lot more fun. Although we had to leave the mountain a day earlier than expected, (thanks to the enormous landslides) Djungle People, the group of people that organized our hike, had lots of great activities planned for us back at Merapoh. We trekked, did an orienteering activity, visited a Chinese temple and village, drove through the rainforest at night, played soccer with a local school, painted an anti-drug mural, acted out skits and a lot more. The meals got better and better each day, although I think I had so much Milo that I’ll never drink any again.

Malaysia week was a week of pain and suffering, but it was also a week filled with laughter, fun and friends. Everyone learned so much about this beautiful country we live in and the culture of its people. I’ll always treasure the memories I have of this special week of March and the people I spent it with. I can’t wait till next year!

ouchie.

(This story is for all of you who want to know why Helena was hobbling around on crutches - don't worry, haha I didn't describe anything bloody)

Yes, as you all know, I love sports. I love lots of sports. I especially love soccer. And another thing you all know, is that anyone who loves sports must, every once in a while suffer from sports injuries. Such injuries - pulling a muscle, spraining an ankle, breaking a leg etc. - happen while you are playing a sport. Most of you have been injured while playing a sport, so you would know what I mean. On Monday last week (first day of school) I was playing soccer and I was seriously injured and had to be rushed to the hospital. But nooooooooooo, this was not the kind of sport injury you're probably thinking about. This is going to sound totally wierd but... I fell into a fish pond.

I live an apartment complex made up of six buildings. A long, narrow koi pond borders the side of my building. One day, I took the elevator down to the ground floor and walked outside. My mom had told me to go down and tell my brother and his friend - who were 'sword-fighting' with some sticks - to calm down and try not to poke each others eyes out. I yelled out her orders to them (they stuck there tongues out in reply) and was turning around to go back in and finish my math homework when I saw Kristina, a 7th grader who lives at my apartment complex, playing around with a soccer ball on the grass. Any excuse for a break from math was fine with me, so I jogged over to her to join in. "Hey" she said, "Wanna play?"
"Yeah sure," I replied and ran back a few meters, "Pass!"
And that's where it all went wrong.
Kristina kicked the ball too hard. It spun through the air over my head and kept going behind me. By instinct, I spun around quickly to follow it ... That was a mistake. I hadn't realized how far back I had been standing when I called for Kristina to pass, and before I could stop myself from running it was too late - I was too close to the koi pond. I lost balance and with a "Whooaaaa" I splashed in. The pond was pretty shallow - the water was only up to my knees. I quickly crawled out, onto the other side. I had landed on the rocks and my right shin felt kind of funny. Bruised, I thought, not bothering to look at it. I sat there soaked, a huge grin on my face.
"Haha" I laughed, "that was pretty stupid. Now I'm wet." I was about to get up when I realized Kristina was staring at my leg, her face twisted in horror. I glanced down at my shin and my jaw dropped. I yanked my eyes away , not wanting to look.
"M-my leg..." I stuttered, "Yikes".

I did NOT want to be put under general anesthesia. I did not want to breathe in that sweet, minty gas and wake up with that aweful metallic taste in my mouth, I did not want to throw up everything I ate or drank - including water - for an hour, and I did not want to have a a needle stuck to my hand that they would pull out in the most painful way. I'd been put under general before and I didn't want to have to suffer all over again. No - I wouldn't put up with it. I wouldn't. I wouldn't.

And I didn't have to. After much argueing and pouting from me, the doctor finally agreed to local anesthesia. It was worth it... but not by much. The doctor poked me with needle after needle - too many to count, each injection more painful than the last. And then, finally, it was over. Well, the first step was over, now it was time for the operation. I groaned.

An hour later I was sitting patiently in a wheelchair, waiting for my mom to finish paying the bill. I was bored out of my mind - I had spent at least four or five hours at the hospital. Urgh, I thought, that was pretty stupid of me, the whole fish pond thing - hah, my friends will get a laugh out of that! Ooh Helena fell into a fish pond and now she has a hole in her leg!
And then the realization struck me.

OH MY GOD. HOLY COW. I AM SO. DARN. STUPID.

How did I manage to get injured right before the track meet on Thursday?! And today is the day the track and field unit in P.E. started! And plus, I just got back from a vacation full of laziness. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. I could have kicked myself in my hurt leg right then.

And now it's a week later. I may be missing the track and field meet this Thursday, but I'm not going to miss ISAKL - the big meet. I'm pretty happy about the fact that I seem to be healing fast. Haha thank you for caring (I mean, you read the blog right?). So yeah, the moral of this story for all of you is...

Don't Fall Into Fish Ponds

Thanks for reading! ~Helena

soccer

I guess I could say I'm an athlete. I guess I could say I'm a good athlete. I'm not bragging; I just love to play a lot of sports and I can honestly say that I'm not bad at many of them. My favorite though, by about 99% is SOCCER. (But I'm sure you knew that... just by looking at the title of this post)

I first started playing soccer in Holland, when I was about eight years old. My family had just moved there from the States. I had left all my friends behind. I had left my house behind. I had basically left my whole life - as I knew it - behind in the country I loved. I was not in a good mood, not at all. It felt like my whole world was falling apart, and my dad only made it worse by one day, saying: "Hey Helena, how'd you like to learn to play soccer? There's a local club here that you could play at." This was not a question wanting an answer, but a rhetorical question - I had no choice in the subject whatsoever. I argued and I whined and I pleaded - but to no avail. He signed me up for 'FC Assen' (the local soccer club he had mentioned earlier) that weekend. Now these days, I would be overjoyed if I could join a soccer club like FC Assen, but back then I was a lazy, chubby, unathletic kid who didn't want to 'waste' her time doing 'stupid' sports when she could be sitting on her lazy butt watching cartoons on t.v.

So when I first started playing soccer I HATED it. I had to wake up every Saturday morning at 7 AM so I could run around in the blazing sun, kicking a ball across a stupid field and being soaked in stinky sweat. It ruined every Saturday of my life.

And then, somehow, as I played soccer every week over the course of the year, I came to actually, sincerely enjoy it. I don't know how it happened, but over the weeks I played more and more. I played soccer at school with my friends, I spent Tuesdays and Thursdays practicing at FC Assen, I played at friend's houses, at parties and shot goals in my backyard when I was bored. The next thing I knew, I was watching soccer on t.v. and talking about it with friends at lunch. Soccer became a huge part of my life. I LOVED it. It was my favorite sport and I couldn't imagine life without it.

It was a funny change. I went from absolutley despising soccer, to loving it (and not being that bad either!) . So, I guess you could call me an athlete. I guess you could call me a good athlete.

the wheel - an invention that changed the world...

The wheel is one of the oldest & most important inventions ever created. It originates back a long time ago in ancient Mesopotamia in the 5th millenium B.C.E.... which was waaaaaaaaaaaaay before any of you were born, yet we still use it today, hundreds of thousands of years later. I mean it. Go outside and look around you. If you look at the road you'll see plenty of wheels, for instance: cars, trucks, planes (I guess, if you live near the airport..) , taxis, bikes and motorcycles. Now hop inside your car, and inside you'll see a different kind of wheel. The steering wheel is also a wheel, but used for a different purpose - steering a car. Drive (or get your parents to drive if you're not 16 and don't have your driver's lisence yet...) to the amusement park and try to spot some wheels on some of the rides.... The rollercoaster obviously uses wheels to move, and the ferris wheel (Notice, the name is the ferris wheel.) is one giant wheel that spins as you sit on it. The wheel is amazing. I mean, could you imagine Six Flags without it???

The wheel originated back in the late Neolithic age, (Look Mrs. Reiser!! I found an invention that had to do with what we're studying for social studies!! Yay!!) and is one of the technological advances that gave way to the early Bronze Age. Several graves from back then were found with people buried on carts and wagons in them.
Without the wheel, life would be a lot harder. Almost all transport uses wheels - in fact, right now the only transport I can think of that doesn't use wheels is the boat, and it's not like you're going to sail to school everyday - and so, if wheels didn't exist we would have to find alternatives for getting around to where we need to be. Here's some 'wheel-less transport' I found on wikipedia:

Being raised by electromagnetic energy (maglev train and other vehicles)
Dragging with runners (sled) or without (travois)
Being raised by air pressure (hovercraft)
Riding an animal such as a horse
Human powered:
Walking on one's own legs
Being carried (litter/sedan chair or stretcher)
A walking machine
Caterpillar tracks (although it is still operated by wheels)
Spheres, such as used by the Audi RSQ concept car, and Dyson vacuum cleaners

Yeah, so there you are, one of the most amazing inventions ever, and the huge way it influences our lives. Ladies and gentlemen: The wheel!
~Helena

SPCA <3 a really special place.

The SPCA is a great place. It takes in all these abused or stray animals and takes care of them, which is great. But... (there is always a but) these animals have to be adopted really really REALLY quick or they won't have enough space at the shelter for new animals. Every year only 25% of teh animals are adopted.. AND DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS??! It's means they have to get rid of the other 75% of tehm (in other words, put them to sleep, put them down, KILL them) !! The other day this lady (I forgot her name.. wait, did she ever tell us?! no.) came to our school and gave us a talk about what the SPCA. She showed us some very sad photos of poor abused pets (mostly dogs.. I dunno why no one hurts cats.. but its good that no one hurts them, I mean, I personally am a dog person, but I like cats too and I don't want them to be abused or anything, you know?) which really made me think...:

• The first thing that came to my mind was: AHHH!! ADOPT ADOPT ADOPT ADOPT ADOPT ADOPT ADOPT ADOPT ADOPT ADOPT ADOPT ADOPT ADOPT ADOPT ADOPT ADOPT ADOPT ADOPT ADOPT ADOPT ADOPT ADOPT ADOPT ADOPT!! ...those puppies are just too darn cute.
• The number two thought I had was: I really should donate something to the SPCA, I'm sure they would really appreciate it. Of course, YOU could donate some stuff too. The lady mentioned they could use some newspapers, dog leashes, collars, old towels & cages. So next time you're going to Miami Baby Center or the Seven Eleven or whatever, stop by the SPCA (really close by) and see if they need anything.
• Thought number three: I'm sure they would love it down at the SPCA if some people could come and help out, cleaning animal cages, washing the animals & feeding them. It would be a great help. Me & my friends were thinking about stopping by at the SPCA after school one day & volounteering. You can volounteer too!!
• After the lady told us about a petition we could sign to stop animal cruelty, I thought: Oh my god!! I have to sign!! I have to help all those poor innocent animals that are being mistreated out there!! You can sign too. Every signature counts.

And remember, if you have a friend who is thinking of getting a pet - before they rush off to the pet store - tell them to stop by at the SPCA, 'cos a lot of poor homeless animals there could use a home. All the dogs & cats at Great Eastern mall (or any other pet store) can easily get a home in a couple of months or so. Even if they aren't bought right away, they will stay in the store for a long time and eventually (it always happens) they WILL be bought. The pet store animals are lucky enough to not have the chance of being put down, but the SPCA animals do. So save an adorable animal's life and adopt from teh SPCA today!! TODAY!! NOT TOMORROW!! RIGHT NOW!! YOU GO HOP IN THAT CAR AND DRIVE OVER THERE NOW!! THAT'S AN ORDER!! Ok, thanks *wink*

~Helena (aka Leena)

4 funny facts

Sup everyone? Here's 4 things y'all should know about me...

1. I LOVE sports. This is like the most important thing yall should know. Soccer, track & field & basketball are the best. Skateboarding's fun too. But yea i like to play lots of other sports too.... (soccer's teh best though)

2. I like hanging out with my friends at the mall or the movies. Like every Saturday we'll spend the whole day wandering around KLCC doing nothing...

3. There is always some music playing in my room. I plug my iPod into the speaker and turn the volume all the way up. And then my parents will usually yell at me to turn it down again.. well my point is I love music. If you check the 'Recently Played' playlist on my iPod, you'll probably see songs by Eminem, The Bloodhound Gang, All Time Low, Panic At The Disco... but mostly Eminem...

4. Sugar makes me hyper. Very hyper. And coffee. That makes me hyper too. I was on a plane going to Malaysia once. There was nothing to drink but coffee. I drank it. I got hyper. I went crazy. Yeah. Coffee is the worst, but sugar makes me pretty hyper too. I get laughing fits sometimes and I'll laugh for like 20 minutes... ask Tiare.

Well, I'd like to put more facts but I ain't got no more time. Have to get back to class so byee!