Khadija's Days

My Weekend

2012-01-30T02:17:00.001-08:00

The Chinese New Year dragon!

Well...I couldn't call this weekend usual. It all started on a trip to Manchester to see the Chinese New Year Festival and what's to come isn't very normal at all.

I've been suffering from excruciating back pains for a few months, they start from the centre of my back and work out towards the bottom and sides. Yesterday (whilst in Manchester) my dad had work so we were seeing him off in his hotel room, it was when I tried to stand up the pain started again. But it wasn't the regular sort of pain I normally get in my back, this pain was unbearable and I couldn't move for one and a half hours!

Eventually, my mum called the emergency services and next thing I knew a group of paramedics turned up and did a couple of tests (tested my blood pressure and temperature e.t.c) After, they gave me this gas and air, it was a mix of 50% oxygen and 50% nitrous oxide (also known as laughing gas) and was supposed to numb the pain in my back and make me feel slightly strange and sensational. The feeling was indescribable, it was if I was dreaming and the whole ambulance experience wasn't real. However, it didn't numb the pain completely and I can still feel it now as I am writing this.

When I got to the hospital the doctors carried out a couple of other tests, and weren't quite sure what had caused it. (I am also lack of vitamin d so it might have had something to do with that) But I am going to see a Paediatrician about it very shortly, and they will look further into it.

I have to say, this has been one of the best experiences of my life. And these things don't usually happen to me, so it was quite different. But the hospital and staff aren't at all what they seem like in Casualty or Doctors. What was your Sunday like?

Sketches

2012-01-15T06:57:00.000-08:00

https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B-0moehH9XUhYjg3MDA1YWQtOGYwNC00YWRhLWJiYzMtMmFjZjE5NzJlOTBk&hl=en_US

How do people get fat (part 2)

2012-01-15T05:16:00.000-08:00

Are Non-Organic Apples Bad for you?

2012-01-15T04:33:00.000-08:00

It always seemed to occur to me why organic products were better for you than non-organic products.

But, since I actually started eating organic apples, the answer became more and more clear. They may not look better but they certainly taste better, and when I researched about it I don't think I could eat a regular apple again.

Apples are one of the many fruits that attract insects more than other fruits. The insects like to dig deep into the juicy flesh of an apple and destroy it, making it unedible for people. Therefore, non-organic apples are sprayed with pesticides and chemicals, which are a sort of insect repellent for the apples. But these toxic chemicals destroy the real goodness of the apple, even after being washed and peeled, an apple can still contain pesticides. 4 out 10 of these pesticides can cause hormone interference, cancer, and nervous-system damage.

Also, these chemicals make an apple look shiny and more appealing to eat. This makes customers want to buy non-organic apples rather than organic ones.

I hope you understand the real cause of what the pesticides can do. And not just to apples, but any vegetable or fruit.

'Sister, Missing' Review

2012-01-09T11:54:00.001-08:00

'Sister, Missing' is the sequel to 'Girl, Missing' by Sophie McKenzie.

So where do I start!? The dramatic storyline and the fact that you could quite easily compare the book to reality makes it almost impossible to put down.

However, I wasn't as pleased with this sequel as I was with the previous book. I found that it sort of jumped right into the storyline without letting the reader figure out what might happen next, so it was quite predicting at some points. Also, the ending was very rushed and, personally, I think that the ending is one of the most important parts of a story and a rushed ending ruins a book - as does a rushed beginning.

I really thought that this book would be perfect to end the story of Lauren, and her non-stop, unordinary life. So I was quite disappointed when reading this book, as it didn't appeal to me as much as I would have hoped. Furthermore, the use of language in this book was not as strong as it was in 'Girl, Missing,' and to find out right at the beginning of this story that Sam, (Lauren's father) had passed away and her younger sister, Madison had gone missing without warning, was very disturbing.

In conclusion, I think Sophie McKenzie could have developed her sudden events in the story, this would have made the book more appealing to readers and would have had a clear ending to Lauren's life. Overall, I still think the story went off track at some times but I hope you enjoy it and if you have a different opinion or view to this book, let me know in the comment box below!

Girl, Missing Review

2011-12-15T04:04:00.000-08:00

I was recently reading a book called Girl, Missing by Sophie McKenzie (on my Amazon Kindle Touch, which I have a review on http://khadijasdays.blogspot.com/2011/12/amazon-kindle-touch-review.html) I only finished it yesterday but decided to do a review on what I think of it.

The story is based in North London, and the main character is a girl called Lauren Mathews who was adopted at the age of 3 years old. However, Lauren's adoptive parents have often talked to her about being adopted, particularly when she was younger. But they had never told her about her real mother or about the events before she had been adopted. They only mentioned that her real mother loved her very much, why did she give Lauren away for adoption then?

Lauren is more determined and keen to learn about what happened before she was 3 years old. And one day with her best mate Jam, they both stumble across a missing children website and sees a girl called Martha Lauren Purditt, who is the same age as her and has similar facial features. Lauren is sure it is her, but this girl went missing in America, this sets Laurens head buzzing and she constantly wants to know more.

Furthermore, after an enormous effort of persuading her parents to go on holiday to America (so she can find out more about this girl) Lauren encounters old enemies, meets new friends, and has the most bizarre experience of her life. She also is left stranded 20 miles from the closest city in the middle of no where, and finds out some information that could drastically change her life forever.

Overall, I found this book very gripping, and very hard to put down. Its use of language and the way it is written really brings you into the book. Also, the theme of the story is very unusual and you can relate it to real life. I would strongly recommend this book to anybody, particularly girls and boys around the age of 11 and upwards. On the other hand, there is another book which comes after it called Sister, Missing and I will be getting my hands on it shortly and hopefully doing a review on that too! But I hope you enjoy Girl, Missing as much as I did and Sophie McKenzie has many other books if you prefer a different type of read.

The Reason Why People Get Fat

2011-12-09T11:42:00.001-08:00

I have recently taken an interest in the reason why people get fat. It always seemed to amaze me why some thin people eat to their heart's desire but did not put on weight, but some overweight people ate hardly anything yet remained overweight.

Back in 1972 Atkins suggested that eating fat would not make you fat, and 'it was all a big fat lie!' According to Atkins saturated fat on the meat, and dairy products are not the heart of the problem. But, eating to your hearts desire with foods such as meat and steak, and stuffing your face with eggs and butter, might be a possible solution.

In order to learn how we must lose weight, shouldn't we know how the body regulates fat? Hormones and Enzymes control our growth and development, so which hormone is responsible for regulating our fat tissue? It is a hormone called Insulin. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insulin)

Simple, refined and easily digestible carbohydrates are responsible for raising the insulin level, to an amount that is not healthy, and can lead type 2 diabetes. It is at this point at which a person is very likely to become obese. Dr. Atkins and Gary Taubes ( a writer who has written a number of books on the reason why people get fat) have a very fair point.

The New York Times, Atkins appearance
(http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/07/magazine/what-if-it-s-all-been-a-big-fat-lie.html)

Chia Seed and Goji berry Muffins

2011-12-03T13:47:00.000-08:00

I recently found out about two interesting, quirky foods that are not only healthy for you but could help you live better! One of these is a unusual seed called the Chia seed, and is traditionally used in mexican cooking. It contains high sources of protein, and Omega-3. The other secret ingrediant is a little berry called the Goji berry and is traditionally from China, otherwise called the Wolf berry and is packed full of healthy vitamins.

I have been looking for recipes including Chia seeds and Goji berries, and was also thinking about muffins on that particular day, so I thought why don't I make Chia seed and Goji berry muffins?! In the end, the muffins turned out fantastic so i wanted to share the simple, yet delicious recipe with you which makes about 24 muffins, depending how big you make them, considering they will rise in the oven. ( I also converted the grams in tablespoons so you can choose to work with either)

You will need (ingrediants)

500g flour (33 tbs)
300g sugar (30 tbs)
12g baking powder (0.8 tbs)
1/2 tsp of Salt
2 eggs
400ml milk
220g butter, melted (14 tbs)
2 tbsp vanilla essence (optional)
1 lemon or orange zest (optional)

Equipment (roughly)

4 bowls
4 spoons
An electrical/non-electrical whisk

How to Prepare Muffins

1. Put the oven on 190 degrees or 375 faranhite, or gas mark 5.

2. Mix dry ingrediants with a whisk, these include flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.

3. Next, stir milk, melted butter, lemon/orange zest, vanilla essence, and 2 eggs.

4. Pour ingrediants together and stir briefly, then add Chia seeds and Goji berries, amount to desire.

5. Pour into cases, and place in the oven for about 10 minutes, or longer but keep checking.

Amazon Kindle Touch Review

2011-12-03T13:12:00.000-08:00

My new Amazon Kindle Touch arrived today! And I thought I'd do a quick review on what I think of it so far.

The Amazon Kindle allows you to read any books of your choice from the Amazon website, including audio books which are clearly read out to you on your Kindle. Also, it enables you to browse the Internet, but only if it is connected to a nearby wireless hub, or if it runs on 3g. But as well as its handy features, it is very straight forward to set up and its touch sensitive screen makes it even more interesting to use.

However, I found that the brightness of the screen is not very high, but overall it is quite clear to read and fun to use. The kindle has a USB cable included with it so you can download music to the mp3 file and, also of your choice such as sudokus, and the well known card game, solitaire, and many others. you can also change the size of the text, and make changes through 'settings.'

I would highly recommend this to fellow readers, or anybody who isn't to fond of books and reading as well, because it brings you straight into the read, as a book doesn't have quite the same effect. But there's always the audio files if you prefer to listen, rather than read.

Overall, I only purchased the Amazon Kindle today, and have already found it very helpful and pleasing to use. So I hope you enjoy using the Amazon Kindle Touch as much as I did.

Holes

2011-11-26T07:28:00.000-08:00

I haven't done a post in a while but i just wanted to do a quick book review on a book that I have read a number of times and still haven't lost interest in it!

This book is called Holes by Louis Sachar. It is about a boy, Stanley Yelnats, who comes from quite a quirky, poor family and he soon finds himself being accused of stealing some trainers which belonged to a very famous athlete. In those days the Police weren't very reasonable, so Stanley only has the choice of prison, or the juvenile detention centre and constantly strenuous 'dig' of Camp Green Lake...

I found this book very gripping and quite twisted, but most of all it kind of wakes you up and makes you realise there is hope and to keep going, and not to always blame your 'no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing great-great-grandfather!'

Overall I would strongly recommend this book, along with its frequent flashbacks telling you about key events in Stanley's past life. It is a brilliant read, and one of those books you'll always love. It is the icing on the cake to a dull, rainy day, or rather the 'Hole in the ground' but I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Haiku

2010-09-25T07:37:00.000-07:00

This is a Haiku I made up.

A Tirade about my Future

Dreaming makes you feel
Happy or sour but the
Gleeful sleeping calls

2010-09-06T11:53:00.000-07:00

Darren Shan was an ordinary boy, until he joined the "Cirque de Freak" which changed his life drastically; he would never be the same again. It all started when his best friend, Steve Leopard, got some tickets to a freak show. He recognised one of the characters, Mr Crepsley, from an act and realised he was the same vampire in one of his books. Steve asked him to turn him half vampire. Unfortunately Mr. Crepsley could not due to Steve having bad blood. Mr. Crespley knew this as he had tasted his blood. As the story unfolds Darren Shan is amazed by Mr.Crepsly's spider as he can control it with mind power whilst playing the flute. Darren decides to steal the spider to see if he can do the same. He invites Steve over to show him. As a result of this the spider is disturbed by a loud shout coming from Darren younger sister, the spider leaps up and bites Steve on the neck with its deadly fangs.

The only way to save Steve is for Darren now to become a "half-vampire"!

Moving on

2010-07-16T11:19:00.000-07:00

I am going to be starting year six very soon and I'm really excited!! So these are just some advantages and disadvantages in my school about being in year six.

ADVANTAGES

THERE ARE FUN ACTIVITIES, SCHOOL TRIPS, EVENTS, E.T.C
YOU HAVE A LOT MORE CHOICE THAN THE REST OF THE YEARS IN SCHOOL
YOU ALSO GET TREATED MORE MATURELY

DISADVANTAGES

TESTS AND SATs!!
THERE IS A GREATER EXPECTATION OF YOU
YOU ARE GIVEN HARDER WORK
MOST OF THE PRESSURE IS ON YOU BECAUSE YOU ORGANISE A LOT OF THE THEME DAYS e.g ENTERPRISE DAY, YR 6 LEAVERS ASSEMBLY e.t.c

I hope to achieve good grades, an improved effort and standard, and just have fun!!

Kensuke's Kingdom Review

2010-01-31T08:41:00.000-08:00

Kensuke’s kingdom

Kensuke’s kingdom is about a boy called Michael who, while travelling with his family, is washed up on an island in the Pacific. The island is almost deserted except for some monkeys. Michael struggles to find food and water; every day he searches, along with his dog Stella Artois, until he finally gives up and is left to die...

Philosophy

2009-10-31T09:46:00.000-07:00

Philosophy is all about 'the truth'. This includes the faculty of wonder. For instance, it is like watching a magic trick. Because we cannot understand how it is done, we ask ourselves and try to think of a solution. This is when philosophy comes in through and arguing and thinking.

Drawings

2009-10-18T11:07:00.000-07:00

School Council Presentation

2009-10-01T12:15:00.000-07:00

The Creation of The Camel

2009-08-31T04:35:00.000-07:00

I have decided to write about the camel because it is a very interesting animal, so here are some stunning facts that will leave you dazzled!

The hump

The hump of a camel provides nutrients for the animal at times of dearth and starvation. Camels can live up to three weeks without water, and loose thirty three percent of weight, whereas a humanwould lose eight percent of their weight and die within thirty six hours.

The face

The eyelashes have an interlocking system, if there is danger they automatically shut. The interlocking eyelashes don’t let any dust particles enter the eyes of the animal.

The nose and ears are covered in long hairs to protect it from sand.

Its long neck enables it to reach and feed on leaves three metres above the ground.

The knees and the feet

The feet are made up of two toes joined with an elastic pad. It allows the animal to firmly grasp the earth and is totally suitable for all kinds of land conditions.

The toenails protect the feet from potential damage.

The knees are covered in callus which consists of skin as hard and thick as a horn. When the animal lies down the callus protects it from being injured by the scorching ground.

The Accused

2009-06-06T11:21:00.000-07:00

This is a true event when I was wrongly accused, I have fictionalised it and changed the names of the ‘prosecution’.

I crept cautiously up to the head teacher’s office. My knuckles trembling as I knocked on the door.

“Come in!” boomed a vehement voice. I knew who it was, I couldn’t be mistaken; it was the head teacher.

“I have had a complaint about you being nasty to Jane, is this true?”
She always asks you this to make you feel guilty. At this point there were butterflies in my stomach. My palms grew sweaty and my heart beating rapidly.

“I haven’t done anything,” I managed to croak, chicken-heartedly.
Jane smirked at me and I tried not to react but really inside I was overwhelmed by anger and despair.

“You haven’t done anything?” cried the head teacher rhetorically. “If you do anything else I’ll have to speak to your parents.”

And with that she ordered us out of her office.

Swimming Proposals

2009-06-06T09:39:00.000-07:00

As part of Bradford’s regeneration programme the council are planning to build a super-sized, mega pool in Bradford’s city centre. But residents think it isn’t a very good idea.

They don’t like the idea because Andy Burnham announced that free admissions will be made available to everybody by 2012, it will be packed and crowded. However, people have been quoted on the regeneration programme and are disgusted by the idea: “ill considered, short-sighted, and damaging” remarked Gerry Sutcliffe after hearing about four other pools being closed down just to make one big one. Another big problem is how will people reach the city centre pool? Apparently the Telegraph and Argos have launched a campaign to “sink” these proposals entitled “save our swimming.”

But consultants argue “there has to be competition standards in order for swimmers to compete in the Olympics.” They point out that Bradford’s regeneration must include an improvement in Cultural and leisure facilities. It will also attract more people to come and live in Bradford, visit and shop in the city centre as well as increasing participation in competitive sports.

I emailed Duncan Thorne a media relation officer regarding this. However, it has been a few days and I haven’t yet received a reply.

Spiderwick sketches

2009-05-04T09:06:00.000-07:00

I have sketched some drawings of the main creatures from Spiderwick by Tony Diterlizzi and Holly Black.

I have sketched some drawings of the main creatures from Spiderwick by Tony Diterlizzi and Holly Black.

Blackpool

2009-04-22T12:47:00.000-07:00

I went to Pleasure Beach in Blackpool. Pleasure Beach (amusement park) was packed with loads and loads of people (probably three gzillion) whereas the actual beach had hardly any people and was very quiet (except for sea). Blackpool is known as a seaside resort.
Why?

The Call of The Wild

2009-02-20T03:32:00.000-08:00

By Jack London

Buck struggles to adapt to his new life

The story is set in California during the Gold Rushes in 1897. People were selling sled dogs at very high prices. Buck, the protagonist, is a large dog who is kidnapped and sent to Canada to work as a husky dog. Prior to this Buck lead a comfortable life, after all the abduction Buck becomes wilder and free.

But Perrault and Francios Buck’s owners can’t look after the dogs anymore, so they sell them to two men who work for the Canadian Mail Company. The two men are very bad to the dogs; they don’t give them enough food and put to many things into the sledge. Eventually the dogs are too weak to pull the sledge, they are no use to the men anymore, so the men leave the dogs to suffer. Thornton a kind and generous man takes buck in and looks after him. Soon Buck is well enough to hunt and stay by himself.

I enjoyed this book because it is about a dog who adapts to his new life, and human beings can also do the same. I would recommend this book to someone else because it has a very good message the author is trying to tell you.

A Series of Unfortunate Events

2009-01-10T09:14:00.000-08:00

This is a summary of my favourite series of books. It is called A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket.

The Bad Beginning

This is about Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire. It all starts when they hear the miserable news that their parents perished in a fire. From then on they are put in the care of Count Olaf! Their “late uncle” as he says. Lots of terrible things happen to the Baudelaire orphans, such as impossible chores they are forced to do. Sunny gets dangled off a tower in a bird cage and Violet is forced to marry Count Olaf in a role play. But Count Olaf wants to marry her for real just to set his hands on the enormous fortune the Baudelaire parents left behind.

But there is one place where the Baudelaires just forget about the despair they are going through; that is at their next door neighbour’s house. Her name is Justice Strauss, a kind and helpful woman. The author repeatedly tells the reader not to read any more, but that’s just going to make you want to read more!

Our Holiday

2009-01-03T07:24:00.000-08:00

This is by my seven year old sister.

Our Holiday

In June we went to Wales for a family holiday. We stayed in a small cottage which was a converted stable. There was a beautiful view from the cottage, the clouds touched the mountains. The village we stayed in was called Bryncrug, in a town called Tywyn. A few days later we went to Barmouth beach and we made a big sandcastle, my sisters and I helped. There were lots of crabs and jellyfish. Finally we went in the sea it was not that deep and we waited for the waves to come and splash us.

We also went to King Arthur’s Labyrinth.

The Solar System

2009-01-02T12:39:00.000-08:00

Mercury

Mercury is the closest planet to the sun and also the fastest moving. Space probes have revealed that its surface is covered in craters, and looks much like our moon. It is the smallest planet and is a hostile place, with significant atmosphere and temperatures ranging between 400 degrees Celsius by day and 170 degrees Celsius by night. It seems unlikely that anyone will ever want to visit this planet.

Venus

Venus is the size of Earth and is the hottest planet with temperatures reaching 475 degrees Celsius. The reason for this is that the atmosphere consists mainly of Carbon Dioxide (CO2). From planet Earth you may be able to spot planet Venus as it is the brightest star, and can be seen in daylight.

Jupiter

Jupiter is a giant planet; it is three times bigger than any other planet. Jupiter is located beyond Mars and the asteroid belt, and has four moons discovered by Galileo. It is made up of Hydrogen and Helium.

Earth

Earth looks mainly blue as a result of 70% of the planet’s surface being water. It has lots of white due to the clouds. Earth is the only planet known to support life, due to atmosphere and water.

Mars

Mars has similar features as Earth, e.g. atmosphere with clouds. Space probes in the 1970s went to mars, but they only found a barren rocky surface and no trace of water. However, in 2005 the NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter was launched and will further explore the planet.

Saturn
Saturn is similar to Jupiter in structure, and is best known for its rings. The rings measure 27000km (170000 miles) and their origin is still a matter of debate.

Uranus
Uranus was discovered by William Herschel. It has black rings and cannot be seen from Earth. The rings were discovered in 1977. It is broadly similar to Saturn and Jupiter in composition.

Neptune
Neptune was named after a mythological sea god. It was discovered in 1846 and has blue and green clouds. Neptune has rings like Uranus.

Pluto
Pluto is no longer identified as a planet. It is now considered the largest member of the Kuiper belt. “Kuiper” rhymes with “wiper”.

thank you for reading sit back and enjoy the clips!!!!!

My Pets

2008-12-29T07:28:00.000-08:00

I have two Mini Lop eared rabbits.

This is one of my rabbits. His name is velvet!!!!!

This is silky.

Mini lops are a new breed, they have been developed by the Lop. The Lop is the oldest rabbit and much bigger than the Mini Lop.

Rabbits should have a variety of vegetables throughout the week. There are certain vegetables they are allowed to eat such as cauliflower, parsley, spinach, corn on the cob, and carrots.

Platitudinous Pratchett and Sly Snicket

2008-12-28T09:39:00.000-08:00

I am currently reading this book by Terry Pratchett. To be quite honest, it's rather boring because it's about several gnomes and the story isn't going any where. I am not sure if I'm going to read any more.

Maybe Terry Pratchett could learn a lesson from my old friend and favourite author Lemony Snicket; but then again, he did try to ban his own books for publicity!!!

See this

By the way Lemony Snicket isn't really my old friend!!

Khadija