Poem Rewrites

I had to rewrite some of my poems for my Advanced Creative Writing class final portfolio, so I thought I would put up the changes here. Let me know if you like the originals better or the edited ones :)

Colors of Life
Original C poem @ http://sfraww.blogspot.com/2013/09/a-z-poetry-by-me-c.html

Love burns red and so do bloody guts.
Hints of orange are seen in beautiful sunsets.
I love gold which is related to yellow.
Green we know is healthy and environmentally friendly.
Liquid gold of life is blue water, so drink up.
Ever heard of royal purple?
Pink is society's favorite color for girls.
A good night's sleep is best in the blackest part of night.
Soft like wool, white snow falls in Winter.
Diamonds and glitters are a girl's best friends.

Dreaming in England
Original D poem @ http://sfraww.blogspot.com/2013/10/a-z-poetry-by-me-d.html

I'm finally on vacation in England and it feels like a dream!
I saw my cousins after many years and listen to their British accent.
We laugh at the different word meanings and tell scary ghost stories at night.
The cold, rainy weather wasn't my favorite, but it didn't dampen my spirits.

I went sightseeing like a true tourist in the heart of London.
Regal Buckingham Palace blends in with the cloudy gray sky.
Red flowers adorn the garden all around
While a gold statue proudly sits on top of the fountain.

I walk around the vast Tower of London as the flag blows in the wind
Ancient Big Ben stands tall as it continues to tell all the time.
A Ferris wheel (London Eye) can be seen at a distance as it goes around.
The dark blue rocket ship shaped Gherkin is an odd sight in the sky.

As light faded to dark, we made our way home.
Back in the busy train, to our awaiting black van.
Sleep enveloped me that night as I slept like a child.

More on my trip to England and be read about @ http://sfraww.blogspot.com/2012/07/seeing-england-for-first-time.html

Family Comes First
Original F poem @ http://sfraww.blogspot.com/2013/12/a-z-poetry-by-me-f.html

Unfortunately, I take my family for granted.

The ones who knew me since birth.

Ammo (mom) and Abbu (dad) who fed, clothed, and sheltered Me.

Who lost sleep and comfort to make Me happy.

Who held my hands to teach Me to walk.

Whose ears were opened to hear Me talk.

Someday I will make them proud God willing.

How about my siblings?

The ones I argued with about nothing

of importance.

And fought with about everything.

Yet somehow we made up and went back to play

pretend pirates and slid down the white clothed sofa mountains.

My older sis. read books to us (me and younger brother)

and I played school with my little bro.

Those were the days.

Some of us go to friends before family

for advice, comfort, and support.

Friends are important, but

family comes first.

I learned that after a vacation to Bangladesh

where relatives were in abundance.

Unlike in America,

where life revolves around friends.

So love and appreciate your family

before you lose them and it’s too late.

A tiny Haul and My Reading/ Book Goals for 2014!!!

I received about 7 coupon codes since Black Friday from Barnes and Noble and only recently became a member before the last 2 were sent... Note to self and other members: take advantage of all the coupon codes (online/ in store) around this time next year iA to save money on books! I was only able to get 2 books since I became a member at the last minute and these 2 books are....
 

Echoes my Jamilah Kolocotronis

and Footsteps by Umm Zakiyyah

Now I have 2 complete book series and plan to read and review these iA in the beginning of the new year!

My 2014 Reading and Book related Goals

1. Start and finish new series like The Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan, The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare, The Keys to the Kingdom by Garth Nix, etc.
2. Reread some series like Echoes by Jamilah Kolocotronis, Fablehaven by Brandon Mull, Warriors by Erin Hunter, and The Game of Triumphs by Laura Powell, etc.
3. Try my best iA to do at least a book (individual or series) review/ notes/ gem every month for a reading post.
4. Again, read 50 books in 2014. I should probably reach 40 before September so I am not in a mad rush to finish a lot of books at the last minute (like this year...)
5. Start a book "project". An announcement will be made if and when this happens ;)

A-Z Poetry by Me: F

Family Comes First

We take our family
                               for granted.
The ones who knew us
                                     since birth.
Parents who fed, clothed, and sheltered
                                                               Us.
Who lost sleep and comfort
                                            to make us happy.
Who held our hands to teach us
                                                  to walk.
Whose ears were opened to hear
                                                   us talk.

How about
                   our siblings?
The ones we argued with
                                        about nothing
                                                              of importance.
And fought with
                           about everything.
Yet somehow we made up and
                                                 went back to play.
Played pretend and board games
                                                    till the end of the day.

Some of us go to friends before family
                                                             for advice, comfort, and support.
Not realizing
                     family comes first.

Reading in School Tag

I recently found out about this Reading in School tag from Pip on YouTube. Its sounds interesting so I thought I would do it too!

For those who aren't familiar with tags online, it's basically a questionnaire that people answer and they tag a number of people to also answer them as well. For my tags, I will try to vary my answers without making them up and ask that everyone else try to do the same. Feel free to answer the questions here in the comments below ;) You can still answer these questions if you want to whether I tagged you or not!

Elementary:
1. What techniques do you think teachers should use to engage young readers?
Good question, since I want to be a teacher in the future iA :) The easiest thing teachers could do is to give students some time everyday of class to read for fun. Reading books as a class to students might also be fun depending on the book and grade level. Teachers could also assign book reports monthly/ bimonthly where the students get to pick the book and write a page or two (depending on the grade level and age). The point with younger children is to get them to read for fun and a hobby from a young age and the best way to do that in my opinion is to let them read books they find interesting (and that are age appropriate ;). Basically, don't shove reading down student's throats and then expect them to enjoy it.

2. Do you think that it's the schools job to instill a love of reading in children?
No. I think the love of reading should start in the home when the child is still young. Reading bedtime stories, looking through books with pictures, making up stories, etc. But, I do think schools should continue the effort of getting students to love reading by doing any of the above (#1).

3. What was your favourite elementary school read?
My 4th grade teacher read the first 2 books from A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. At the time, I loved them so I finished reading the series on my own. As for my fav. assigned book, I don't remember...

High School:
1. Do you think that an incorporation of YA books should be made? If so, which YA book would you add?
Yes, because students are going to read them regardless of any restrictions so might as well include them openly, but make wise choices when picking assigned books. I would add The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins because it will make students think deeply about if our world was actually like that and learn to appreciate things in their life. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher is also a good choice in my opinion (see my book review @ http://sfraww.blogspot.com/2013/06/book-haul-collective-7-book-review.html 

2. Do you think it's important to read books from a wide variety of nationalities?
Definitely. Being exposed to different nationalities/ cultures and ways of life at an early age should help people learn to be more open minded and tolerant.

3. What was your least favourite book in high school?
I disliked A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway (boring).

Beyond:
Do you think there should be an emphasis on creative writing?
1. Yes. Reading and writing go hand in hand in my opinion. Everyone should be decent at both.

2. How do you feel that the reading you did in school has affected the reading you do now?
I think reading in school exposed me to books I wouldn't have picked out on my own. Nowadays, I am exploring different genres of books that I would never have thought I would read, for example, crime fiction, historical fiction, YA books, etc.

3. If you had to choose one book that you've read in the past year, outside of school, that had to be taught in high schools, which would you choose?
Besides the 2 books in highschool question #1, I would choose The Zion Deception by Laurence B. Brown (read my review @ http://sfraww.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-zion-deception-by-dr-laurence-b.html and Far from Home by Na'ima B. Robert (read my review @ http://sfraww.blogspot.com/2013/06/book-haul-collective-7-book-review.html (scroll down).

My Journal: What I Am (Should Be) Thankful For

I thought I would mix it up a bit for this week's writing post with something from my journal. I made it a goal to journal every day this year and I thought I would share some of my personal writings once in a while.

Some days, I realized that there are small blessings that I never considered until I took the time to really think about it. I wrote these down to remind myself that there is always, always, always, something to be thankful for! Of course this list is very brief and there is much, much more that I could add, but the ones I am going to share I am sincerely grateful for (or should be...) I am not doing this just for the typical things. This is to help me learn to be more grateful iA and maybe help someone else too.

Also, I am not posting this today just because today is Thanksgiving. I know I usually post on Sundays, but I really didn't have time that day thanks to hw... The semester is almost over (only 12 more days!!!) so this is crunch time for many students in uni./ college, not just myself. I thought I would still post today rather than skip a week because it is better late than never! Now on to the actual list of what I am/ should be thankful for.

Alhamdulillah (all praise is to Allah) for...

1. Islam (will explain exactly what in a future post iA)

2. being born as a Muslim. Hearing the obstacles (ex. parents, friends, society, etc.) reverts sometimes go through should make any Muslim born into Islam appreciate that we have it easy in some ways. But then again, sometimes I think being a revert helps one appreciate Islam more since they are usually more committed to Islam. I wonder...
3. my family, especially my Mom
4. variety of food and drinks
5. nice clothes
6. roof over my head
7. being alive for 20 years +

8. chance at a college education

9. money

10. laptop = internet (or else I'd be bored!!!)

11. soft warm bed

12. cold and hot water for drinking and shower (in order)

13. living in America and not BD....

14. electricity

15. heating for the cold months...

16. cars and not having to walk far

17. proper indoor toilets and bathrooms

18. books for entertainment

19. email and phone for communication

20. beautiful, breathtaking nature

21. my knowledge thus far

22. no serious hardships like others

23. my teeth

24. no allergies

25. rain

26. people like Yasmin Mogahed

27. fresh, cool, natural air

28. air conditioner

29. the few compliments I get on my hair, petite body, etc.

30. few, but good friends
31. single at my age
32. being fluent in English (universal language)

To conclude this post, here is a hadith (report of the deeds and sayings of Muhammad (SAW) that I try to keep in mind that has to do with the subject of being grateful. Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: "Look at those who stand at a lower level than you [with regards to worldly possessions] instead of looking at those who stand at a higher level than you, for this would make the favors (gifted to you by Allah) insignificant (in your eyes)" (Book 42, Hadith 7070).

My Top 10: Favorite Children's Books/ Authors

Here is a short list of my favorite books/ authors that I enjoyed reading as a child (and a little older too ;) which I think are suited for children under 12, both girls and boys. I think the books below are not too difficult to read, but still interesting. Let me know in the comments what you think of the books I chose and also books you loved as a child (or older ;) and recommend to a young audience.
 
1. Dr. Seuss (for anyone who loves cute short stories with rhyme)
2. Shel Silverstein (for poetry fans, again those who enjoy rhyme like me ;)
3. Roald Dahl (Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, George's Marvelous Medicine, etc.) 
4. The Spiderwick Chronicles by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi (for fantasy readers)
5. Warriors by Erin Hunter (for fans of cats, action, and adventure)
6. Dolphin Diaries by Ben M. Baglio (for those who like sea life mixed with adventure)
7. Monsters by Dian Curtis Regan (cute stories with a different story line)
8. Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George (great intro. series to "princess fairy tales")
9. Wonder by R.J. Palacio (love!)
10. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster, Jules Feiffer (Illustrator) (my review)  

A-Z Poetry by Me: E

Elegy to Childhood

Childhood: years of innocence, adventure, play,
No responsibilities, free time galore, and cheerful every day.

Sunny days riding bikes with friends and family picnics at the park,

Imagination running wild, making shadow puppets in the dark.

Running wild outside flying kites and playing tag,

Looking forward to school in your new outfit and bookbag.

No dreaded days at school of bullying and thoughts of suicide,

No pressure of where you want to be in 15+ years as the days pass by.

The days pass by watching PBSKids, a child of seven by Generation O,

But times have changed and so has PBSKids Go!

Times have changed you realize one day,

And childhood isn't looked at in the same way.

Children are growing up and learning much faster,

Gone are the many innocent days of fun and laughter.