I Am From Muddy Play Clothes

I am from pencils and paper,
Faber Castell and Daler Rowney.
I am from the big stone house
by the white cotton field.
I am from the tall evergreen trees,
the sticky yellow sap that sits on your fingertips.
I am from birthdays and homemade cakes,
with Elizabeth and Frances,
covered in silky soft icing.
I am from knives and forks,
sitting up strait and acting proper.
From occasionally going to church
in muddy play clothes on sunny Sunday mornings.
From looking for the purple monsters under the bed
and believing that sprinkles were made out of waxy crayons.
I’m from the sun in Malaysia and the bitter wind in Britain.
From hot Sunday dinners
and tasting food before it was ready.
From the big custom made bed—
the one that everyone sleeps in together.
The one that we jump on, the one that we hide under.
I am from the dusty pictures
I’m from blue eyes and strait hair,
white skin and lovely voices.
From the tree that grows in my family’s heart.

Japan Erthquake Hits Northeast

On March 11 at 2:46 in the afternoon a devastating audible earthquake hit Japan measuring an 8.9 magnitude that was later brought up to be 9.0—people are still feeling aftershocks. The most powerful Japanese earthquake since records began, triggered a massive tsunami just 250 miles from the capital—Tokyo. This proceeded not long after the large tremor. Taking everything in its path with it, a copious mess of debris covers the ground making it hard to find survivors. Adept Japanese soldiers have been deployed all over japan as well as contingents of rescue teams from around the world to find survivors. But it is feared that up to 100,000 people could have died. Everyone is trying to help with things like rescue dogs that can detect people hidden under in capacious spaces.
A Japanese nuclear power plants pressure has exceeded normal levels. People have been told to seal and stay in their houses along with power cuts to save energy. Risking health of anyone near it—scientists are trying to find ways to cool it and are worried that fitful explosions might take place.
Although the sky is an azure blue, the ground is covered with everything and anything the tsunami caught. It is crucial for everyone to hope for the best.

Chinese Cinderella

Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah is the memoir of an unwanted daughter. Born as the fith child into and affluent family. Her mother died shortly after her birth--leaving her with the title of 'bad luck' or 'cursed' (p.3). Adelines father quickly remarried a young womman who favors her own two childern significantly more than fathers other children. Denied love from her father and stepmother, she turnes to her grandfather--YeYe--for afection. He and her Aunt Baba are the only ones she looks up to, who inspire her.
‘
"And if I should be so lucky as to succeed one day, it’ll be because you believed in me."’ (p.208)Says Adeline to her YeYe.

Chinese Cinderella was writtlen shortly after Yen Mahs first book, Falling Leaves. Wich details Adelines life from 14 years old to adulthood as Chinese Cinderella focuses on her life before that. This inspiring memoir is organized in a collection if vignettes --in a cronological order--that each make you go 'wow'. Because of this, the author, jumps some parts on time--often the parts of her childhood that were less important than the others.

The memoirist—Adeline—came to realize about herself was even thought she loves education; it doesn’t give her any love back. She wants something more like a family who loves and supports her. She has a heart full of love, now she just needs someone to love her.

I think this book was hard to put down because the author wrote with so many fresh details and feelings, it felt like you were there with a real Chinese Cinderella the whole time. It feels like she doesnt mark the events in her life by dates but by feelings.


‘"Now they knew the pathetic truth! Unloved and unwanted by my own parents! How long did it take for a person to die of shame."’ (p.129)

‘"My whole being vibrated with all the joy in the world. I only had to stretch out my hand to reach the stars."’ (p.220)