Rujuta's Post

The Picchetti Winery

By: Rujuta Munshi

Over the spring break, I did many fun things. I went to P.E.P. for the first week and I stayed home the second week. I had sleepovers with my friends and lots of other fun, but my most favorite thing was going on a hike to Picchetti Winery with my friends. At the winery, we saw a peacock with all its feathers spread out. We also saw another one ¬near the shed. When we started the trail and got to the lake, we saw newts, salamanders, and tadpoles. Some people were catching the tadpoles to observe and then letting then go. My friend and I helped catch the tadpoles with our hands. When our parents told us we had to move on, we let the tadpoles free and went to the next trail, which took us up a hill that was very steep. We slipped many times but we finally made it. When we finished the hike we went back to where the peacocks were and when one of them saw us again it started making sounds and unfolded its feathers and then we had to go back home. What did you do over the spring break? Was it exciting or not?

Vinitra's Post

International ‘Creepy’ Cuisine

By: Vinitra Swamy

When I say International cuisine, I am sure you can imagine the delightful Thai cuisine, spicy Indian curries, flavorful Mexican cuisine, cheesy Italian pasta, colorful Japanese Sushi and so on. But have you heard of some creepy International cuisine?

People from all over the world have been eating various kinds of foods since long time back. In fact, some of these foods are so special and rare, that they have become part of their culture. Let me introduce you to some such strange and creepy foods.

Scorpions:
Yes! Scorpions! It is an Asian delicacy. People in Hong Kong, pickle the scorpions in wine, then deep fry it before eating them. To top that, some people in China, eat scorpions alive!!! Chefs get these scorpions drunk by giving them alcohol before serving them live to the guests.

Crickets:
In our neighboring Mexico, people fry crickets, then dust it in chili powder and other spices for a delicious crunchy snack. If you have been to Mexico, you can see people selling these delicacies by the bagful on street corners.

Tarantulas:
In Thailand, people eat Tarantulas! Yes, they are poisonous and big. They roast these hairy scary creatures and serve it with coconut cream and lime leaves. I would like a piece of Tiramisu with coconut cream and lime leaves instead.

Bats:
People even eat bats. That’s right, bats! Poor Stellaluna! People of Guam (an island near Japan) boil whole bats and eat them. Some bats have wingspans of three feet and weigh about three pounds. They even leave the fur and the wings on when they boil the bats. Imagine the size of the pot in which they are boiling it!

Are you ready to try any of these delicacies? The scariest thing for me is to eat a scorpion alive or even to watch someone eating it alive. Which is the scariest food for you? Do you know of any other creepy foods to add to my list?

Lights, Camera, Action!

Vacation To Mars

Our play practice will be starting up right when we get back from April break with auditions. You must have your dialogue memorized and be able to sing along with the music. In order for you to practice over the break, I've included the music to the song in this post. Sign-ups for auditions will be the week we get back. I want to encourage EVERYONE to sign up. Our play is going to be fabulous!!!
Are you nervous or excited? Tell me why! What part of the play did you like the most? Funniest part? What part would you like to have?

Amulya's Post

MY LAST BIRTHDAY!!! (in the U.S.)
By: Amulya Raju

Today, March 31, is my last birthday in the U.S. I will be moving to India on May 17. In other words, my last day at Portal will be May 9. Yesterday, Sunday, I had my 10th birthday. I invited all my friends. My birthday took place in Westfield Valley Fair Mall. At the mall we were going to go on a scavenger hunt. My friends came to our house then we took them there. At my house, we chose teams. One team was called The Pink Butterflies (PB). The other team that I was in was The Wierd Banana Slugs (WBS). When we first got to the mall, we went to PICTURE PEOPLE, a photo studio. Since we had some time left, we tried to finish our first clue. I remember that PB went to the childrens place to find a cute spring outfit for me that was under $30. WBS went to Sanrio to find all the characters they were selling. After the picture, we tried to finish the other clues. At the end of the first round, the PB finished first. The final round was the hardest. The PB went to LIMITED TOO to find clothes that matched with the picture given. WBS went to the tricky one answering ?s about the APPLE products. At the end, we got to buy our own things at either SANRIO or CLAIRS. I got a Hello Kitty saying March 31 on it. After that, we ate ice cream. I had eaten Cotton Candy with Kool-Aid Munch Crunch. Whe I opened the gift cards from each of the teams, I found that I got $20 for SANRIO (yes!) and LIMITED TOO (boo-yah) each. When we got back home everyone got a present. Oh dear, I forgot to tell you something really important. Yesterday, when I woke up, my brother & dad suprised me with a Nintendo DS lite!!!! If it was your birthday, and you could make one wish, what would it be? Why would you chose that?

Malini's Post

My Birthday
By: Malini Ramaiyer

Today (3/26/08) was my birthday, I turned ten. That is out of the single digits and on to the double digits! Even if it was a weekday it was the best birthday I’ve ever had. So many people were nice to me. Some even gave presents and cards. When we went to the pioneer living assembly I got a big piece of Fool’s Gold (pyrite) and the guy who was leading the assembly gave me an arrow head since it was my birthday! How much better can this day get? Well a lot more. We played a really fun game in P.E., called “Conquest “. At CDC I had fun, because I brought chocolate chip cookies for everyone. Finally, me and my family went out for dinner at a restaurant called “Harvest”. That was a wonderful tenth birthday.

Now it’s time for you to come in; how would YOU like your tenth birthday to be? What would you want? WHY???

Himaja's Post

Talents

By:Himaja Movva

Hi everyone how are you guys doing? Today I want to talk a little about talents. So everyone knows what a talent is, but did you know that a talent can also be something you do all the time? Like for example I love to sing and dance! It's really amazing how I make up steps for each song I dance to! Actually I also have a dance book which I keep for each song I dance to. So far since I have so many interests for dance I also learn cultural dances too. Now lets see about music, I just love it ! I don't know why! So tell me about your talents. What do you like to do? Why?

Carolyn's Post

What Moms Say During A 24 Hour Period
By: Carolyn

Sometimes moms say things that are annoying or funny to us kids, like go clean your room, or go do your homework. One lady that is a mom found out what a mom would say in a 24 hour period. She condensed it down to two minutes and fifty five seconds! It also has 6,718,808 views on youtube. One of our family friends sent it to us. It is amazing because it is sung to the William Tell Overture. I have one favorite quote from the movie. It is "No texting at the table." It is one of my favorite quotes because I text a lot at the table with my parents' cell phones.

Is there anything that your mom has said that is funny? Has your mom ever said any of these things,( from the movie)if so what? If you were a parent would you tell your kids the same things your mom is telling you? Explain why or why not.

Sarah's Post

The Grand Canyon
By: Sarah Chui

During the winter break, my family and I went to the Grand Canyon. There was snow and we had a snowball fight. We also saw a great hill to sled on but we forgot to bring the sled! At the Grand Canyon, there were trails and we could go out a little into the Grand Canyon. It was so wonderful that my sister even thought it was fake! In the souvenir shop, there were rocks that were polished of many different colors. There were also post cards showing the Grand Canyon everywhere, as well as gemstones, glass models, antiques,( The things Indians made ) playing cards, sweatshirts with the words Grand Canyon on the front,etc.

The Grand Canyon had shades of dark red, light red, red, dark orange, orange and light orange. They were made from the rocks, cliffs, hills and valleys. The colors blended in real good. I couldn't tell where the different colors meet. There were so many layers of rocks, so I didn' t try to count. We saw the Grand canyon in the morning, so the sun shined onto the Grand Canyon directly. The Grand Canyon is 18 miles wide and 5,000 ft. deep! It also is 227 miles long! It was the most amazing sight I would never forget. Are there any sights you would never forget??

Time To Spring Into Spring!!

The end of winter is fast approaching with the beginning of a new season; spring. It made me think of how we actually have different seasons on our planet. How do we know when it is a certain season? It can't be determined by the temperature outside because sometimes in winter it can be as warm as a summer day. I wonder if it has anything to do with the length of the days? In winter, it seems like it gets darker earlier. In summer, it seems like it is the opposite. Hmmm....
Use the picture above and any research to describe the changing of the seasons. What causes seasons? Do the earth and sun have anything to do with it? Try to explain this in your own words and use specific details from your research to prove your point.

CHALLENGE: There are two terms I want you to understand when talking about seasons:equinox and solstice. What do they mean? How do they relate to the seasons?

Joel's Post

Playing Baseball with My Dad

by Joel

As many of you know, I like baseball. I also have a big dream of playing major league baseball. In order for me to actually achieve that dream, I must practice. Since the MLB (Major League Baseball) doesn’t allow kids under 16 to join these days, I still have a long time to play and practice. To practice, I play with my dad a lot. It not only helps me in baseball, it gives me exercise and prepares me for all kind of balls that I may see . I also think it is very relaxing. We just throw the ball around a lot in our backyard or driveway. We can’t bat there because it isn’t big enough. Sometimes, my dad takes me to a park with a baseball diamond there. There is a big field there so we also throw the ball around there. I get to bat over there. Wherever I play with my dad, I always enjoy it. I always have fun experiences with my parents. Have you ever had any experiences you enjoy a lot that involves your parents? If you do, please comment on this blog and explain about it.