Opinions of others

Hi!! I decided to share something else that I wrote sometime ago, this time it is about the opinions of other people.

“The best way to avoid falling prey to the opinions of others is to realize that other people’s opinions are just that- opinions. Regardless of how great or terrible they think you are, that's only their opinion. Your true self worth comes from within.”- the tribe.

This is something that I only understood a few months ago. That other people’s opinions are just opinions. And they don’t matter. just because someone said something it doesn’t make that true. If someone says that my dress is ugly doesn't make it ugly. It's only their opinion that it is ugly.

When we first got the assignment, to write a ted talk, I thought for a long time about things that I wanted to improve about myself. But for some reason, nothing would come to me! I spent a long time thinking. Nothing comes to me. I go over fifteen ideas. Writing and re-writing. Nothing.

Its Sunday. Still nothing. I sit and stare at the computer until my eyes water. I try to think. Suddenly, something crossed my head. I realized why I could not think of anything. It was because I was scared about what people would say about me if I said too much. I was scared of their opinions about me. So in the end that's what I decide to write about. Because one of my flaws is caring too much about what other people think about me. Not being able to find my power, and being too self conscious about myself.

What is an opinion anyway? It is a view or judgment formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge. An opinion is not a fact. And it is hard not to care about what other people say about you! When someone says something about me, I immediately can not focus on anything else. The whole day I will keep thinking about what that person said about me and how I can change that. And even though other people’s views are important, they aren't even so important that you start obsessing over them, which is what I tend to do.

So I decided to keep track of every time I said something when someone said something I did not like. This way I can keep growing and remember everyday as I grow more. I will try and understand why people said this about me, and if I think that what they said is true, then I will change that about myself. Sometimes just listening to why a person said that can make you feel better and maybe even build a bond between you and that person. If I keep going on with this, soon I won’t be upset when someone has a bad opinion about me, and I can become a much better person. On the inside and the outside.

I have been trying not to care when other people tell me what they think about me. In the past few days when someone tells me their opinion about me I try to take it in without thinking too much about it and then trying to change myself. Last week, someone told me that they did not like me. Now, I would have felt really bad and gone home and cried and then try to change myself to please that person. But now, I would just not care. Because not everyone in the world has to like me! If someone doesn’t like me then it's a loss for them. I wouldn’t even be affected by it.

And through this, I realized is that your opinion, is not my reality. And it never will be.

Samtsrich

A few months ago, I wrote a paper on exotification! I felt like sharing it today so here we go-

Every Rebmeced, the creatures of the nacirema hold strange customs, and I, persons from Mars, am going to make observations about it.

When I first reached, I noticed that the creatures were putting out this huge green monster with spikes that could kill you, in each of their dwellings.

Everyday they present the green monster with some peculiar shaped hard things. If that is not presented to the green blob thou will be given a long colourful thing, which is worn on thou feet, filled with black asteroids which they had to stuff down a gaping hole in their brain.

Each dwelling is dirtied with thin strips of fragile colourful things, to please a Huge monster who howls HO-HO-HO everywhere it goes to tell the small creatures that it is coming to devour it. But for some reason the creatures of the Nacirema want to please it so that every Rebmeced 52dn it can leave small killing machines under each green blob for the creatures.

The creatures who are smaller in size, put strange things under the green monster for the huge monster to eat. These are, tiny helpless creatures who have been killed and baked in brown poison and covered in black dots on a white circular hard thing, and brown acid which burns through everything it touches in an acid proof container which if you touch is also poisonous. This i know from my own account, don’t ever touch anything these strange creatures own. It could kill you.

The smaller creatures also take these thin fragile white things which will break if you touch them and are made by killing the nature and also these thin poisonous yellow sticks which are as sharp as a knife on one side and have this jiggly soft pink stuff on the other. They drag the sticks across the white thing which leaves grey marks. I will take this to mars for future research. After the entire white thing is covered with grey marks, the creatures take the white thing and hang it on the green blob and go to asleep

In the night, the monster comes to the dwelling through a hole in the sky. Through this hole fire comes out. This shows that the monster is fire proof. That is a very dangerous thing indeed. The monster takes the white thing. And opens this giant round bubble and takes out some funny square things. He put these under the green blob, and flies outside the sky. Then he sits on this hard wierd thing and holds this thin strand of wires that connect to these four legged monsters with bones coming out of their brains and blood coming from their brains also.

In the sun time the creatures get up and come and sit near the green blob. They take the funny square shapes and take of the sticky stuff on it. Then they tear it apart like monsters. There are weird loud noises coming from the gaping holes in their brains as they discover what was inside.

In every box there was a killing machine so that they could kill themselves and other creatures. I peoples from mars could not understand why they are so joyous on such a  elbirroh  occasion.

Now if you could excuse me, I need to report to mars to tell my peoplets what surprising things I have found on earthland.  The people of the nacirema race are very strange indeed. I will report here again for future research, but for now,  eybdoog earthland!

Kindness

Hi guys! Sorry for such a late post, but some time ago I wrote something for my school about kindness and I wanted to share it with you guys.

People usually don't understand what it means when someone says ‘kindness saved my life.’ I mean how can kindness save your life? Is that even possible? Yes it is. Kindness is the reason that many of us overcome obstacles in our lives, including me.

A few yeas ago I was diagnosed with cancer. Now there are two ways you can see this. Bad, or terrible. My family and I decided to go with bad. Now I know that there is no way cancer can be seen as a good thing, but it can be seen as bad instead of horrible. Now the only reason that my family chose to see it as bad was because of all of our other friends and family that supported me to get better. We had so many people being kind to us and doing their best to make sure that I could get better and still have fun being a child.

I am not going to lie, cancer was hard. I got a lot of unwanted stares when I walked through the street. But my family and especially my mother helped me alot. She tried to make sure that I could do everything like any other child. She would take me to school and just sit with me in class which we couldn't do everyday, but we tried to go often. It is hard to have your child fall sick, but she still tried to make sure that for those few years I could do everything a healthy 6 year old can do.

There are lots of ways to be kind. One way that I know is by just being there are helping with everything. My mother's friend, we call her Navroop aunty, she would just come to the hospital, bring lots of art supplies and we would paint together. Sometimes she would paint my toenails and sometimes we would paint on canvases or just draw. She helped me by her just being there with a smile which made me smile even through the most painful days at the hospital.

Because of the people like my mother and Navroop Aunty  who gave me their kindness and compassion, I am here today. Without them I don't even know how my life would have been. I know that almost all the people that got cancer wish that they could get a do over, but if I could have a do over, I would do the exact same thing, cancer and all. Because having Cancer and seeing how people showed extreme kindness and compassion toward me is what made me who I am. It made me into the girl you see today.

“ Kindness is an act that the blind can see and the deaf can hear” once said Mark Twain. When you are kind to someone, it doesn't need to be visible. It should be felt by the other person, like they know that they are not alone and that you are there. Just praying or thinking about someone can also be kindness, you don’t need to throw a bag of gifts and toys at someone to be kind. The smallest things like just knowing that someone out there cares is also being kind. No act of kindness is too small.

Even though people all over the world are different, they all share one thing, which is kindness. All over the world we have the same understanding of kindness and that is one of the things that bring us together. So when I moved here from India, many things were different, but kindness was something which I found the same here and there. I also found that another kind of people all the world shares are intimidators or bullies. But I have found that they are just people who have not been given enough kindness in their lives, they have not felt what it feels like when someone is kind to you. So the only way to deal with a bully is to show them some kindness, so they can feel it and learn that there are also other ways to treat someone if you want a friend. Because I believe that everyone, including your aggressors, deserve kindness.

Tell me if you like it!

love,

Risa

Conflict Minerals

Hey!
I haven't posted in forever, so I thought that I should post this essay I wrote for school. Its about Conflict Minerals. Tell me if you like it!

Conflict Minerals: Leaving a scar on Congo 

Have you ever wondered where your computer came from? Ever picked up your phone and thought, Who made this? Companies sell your electronics and design them, But the materials to make them come from very far. In Congo, a country in Africa, hidden beneath the ground are the minerals that make your Electronic devices. The 3 TG’s,- Tin, Tungsten, Tantalum and Gold. But they don't come without a price, thousands of Congolese people are forced to mine for them, as slaves. And the money they make? It’s used to buy guns and rifles, to give to children so they can become soldiers and fight in the war. That why these minerals are called conflict minerals, they are the cause for the conflict in Congo. Because of its wealth in naturals resources, The Congo is considered the poorest nation in the world. 

You would have thought that because of these minerals the Congo is blessed with good wealth, But that is wrong. Instead of a blessing these minerals are a curse. All men and boys are forced to work at gun point being shot if they even try to escape.They are given almost nothing for their work. The younger boys are given guns are forced to fight in the war, while Congo is the most dangerous place to be a girl. The Congolese people have no say in how they are treated. We thought slavery was over but no one looked deep enough. There is war in Congo, so the rebels thought that they could take all the people and force them to mine so that they could make money for war supplies. 

Even the greatest Companies have their secrets. This is a secret of many companies that make the best electronic devices, Companies pay to get the conflict minerals even though they know 

how they are mined. ‘Apple’ is one of the world's most famous, but it doesn't benefit everyone. People in congo suffer because of these companies. Children who could have been the next masterminds of the world were forced to forget their dreams are focus on risking their lives to fight. Because only a very few children have a chance to go to school, there are not many good schools in Congo. People have to carry sacks of minerals which way up to 200 pounds up a mountain so that they can get to the trucks, since they can't even afford to get a cart. 

Congolese people have said that they do not want this to stop, they want to be paid the right amount of money at the right time for all the hard work they do. Out of the two million dollars that the stores make only 35% goes to congo, then when that is distributed among the people there is often not enough for everyone, as little as 0.3% is distributed to the people. There have been a total 5.4 million because of conflict minerals. People often get a job to mine because they are afraid of being forced to fight in war and think it is better to work than to die. Many girls in Congo say that their lives are useless and people treat them like dolls throwing them everywhere and selling their bodies so that they can get money for their family. 

Every single day people in Congo suffer because of Conflict Minerals, But the real creators of these problems are the people who use these conflict minerals. That’s us. We are the real cause for the conflict in Congo, and we can fix this for them. Next time you go to buy a device, ask for a Conflict Free one. Remember, you can trade one laptop for the lives of 10,000 people. 

Works Cited 

Dibinga, Omekongo Dr. Interview on Conflict minerals, 1/31 

www.raisehopeforcongo.org 2/23

Ford, Jessica. Background on Conflict minerals 

https://www.sourceintelligence.com/what-are-conflict-minerals/ 2/20 

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2013/10/conflict-minerals/gettleman-text 2/24 

https://thinkprogress.org/9-things-you-need-to-know-about-conflict-minerals-76b1c6f89a2e #.1fy8lxmw8 2/20 

the perfect recipe for friendship

hey guys today I will tell you the perfect recipe for friendship;
1cup trust
1 cup fun
2 cups love
1 cup understanding
1/2 teaspoon fighting
mix it together. you should get a dough like consisinsy. Use cookie cutters to shape your dough and put it in the oven for 15-20 minutes. let it cool and enjoy.hope you enjoyed making it!

the amazing card

hello everyone!
today I will teach you how to make a card for any occasion. The one that i will show you is for a birthday.
To make this card, you will need;
1. a thick black marker( preferably sharpie)
2.some thick paper.( I used blue,red,purple,orange and green)
3. scissors
4.tape
5.glue
6.thread(i used golden and brown)
take your first piece of paper i am using red,and cut out 13 triangles.

next, you take another paper and fold it like a card.then you take your thread, I am using brown, and measure it on your paper. then you take your next piece of thread, which should be longer than the first, and place it on your paper.

then take your thirteen triangles and write happy birthday. putting a letter on each.then stick the triangles to the thread and stick the thread on the paper. like this-

then cut out two pieces like this and stick on either side.

next draw some balloons on the left sheets of paper.stick them like shown in the picture below.

so now that your card is finished from the inside, lets do the outside. since this one is a birthday card,if you are making something else you don't need to do the same.

now you have your finished card! I hope you enjoyed making it!

shifting homes

hi I am back to writing my blog we shifted homes on 14 of nov and it was lots of fun our new home dosnt have a garden that is the sadest part I am happy and sad both at the same time it is hard to find a house that is only yours but my mom and dad did it ! isn"t that cool my new home is an apartment I still have the same nabourhood and i finally got my port out on 1st nov this month is the best month ever so now if you come to my house remember to come to 115-A 3f ok there is still work going on and it is a bit noisy my mom has been working day and night so please apreashiat it ok by for now risa

horrible hospital :-(

last week i had to goo to the hospital to get my port(the button they placed inside my body) out the doctors kept me hungry for 12 hours!:-( I did not like it not one little bit but the worst thing was that the doctor kept on lying to my mom he kept on says five minutes five minutes but he did not come so i was very sad and my mom had to reeskedul it that means i will have to go again:-(

heres a limrick wrote about the horrible hospital!

hospital
horrible,yucky
vomiting,stupid, dum
pocking needles in me
horrible

i am really sad can you help cheer me up

to cheer me up every body who reads my blog has to do the wiped cream challange!

all you need to do is fill a plate with wiped cream and put it on you face! ha ha!

ps. oh and please send my mom a video

by for now
love you all risa

New School time!

I started school in November. I used to go The Shriram Millennium School, that is in Noida . But OOPS! I used to coma back at 4'o clock. My mom wanted me to come back at 2'o clock. My mom looked at different schools in different places and the only school that had a spot was Shriram vv . So now I go there and that is the best school in the world.

My card stall in school on open day- with friends

Cinquain

I made a cinquain for my school newspaper. Should I tell you the cinquain or should I not! What do you think? I think I should. I wrote a cinquain for my Daddy and I will tell it to you.

This is what I wrote for Daddy-

Rajul
Silly and loving
Jumping, Paddy hater , Party hater
Makes us happy when at home
Daddy

And here is my Daddy's reply-

Girls
Cheese and Chilly
Naughty, loving, fun. cool, smart
Trouble daddy when at home
Daughters

Now I am telling you the one I wrote for my school Newspaper-

Animals in the Zoo
Fun and Frolic
Jumping, sleeping, eating
Makes me want to hop
City Jungle!


 

Next Phase

Now I am in the next phase of my treatment, I can do whatever I like. I can go out for lunch, I can go for art classes and I can go for all the birthday parties I want. But I still have to meet my doctor every month. I am so happy. I have to be careful.I have to wash my hands but I can still do a lot more than what I could do before.

Taken a couple of months ago with my friend Aanya

 

Yucky Mucky Hospital

Hello I am back it has been many days sins i last wrote because i was sic and then i hadto go to the hospital and the hospital has no intrnet.

I had to go because I had low TLC. TLC is the white blood cells in our body and it eats up all the germs. I was very angry in the hospital but what could I do? So my mummy got me some lego from the house. I made a new friend in the hospital, she had leukemia too! We both played in my room and we made a mask . We watched a Movie- Harry Potter and the sorcerer's Stone. Then one of my doctors, her name is Dr. Akanksha, asked me if the owl in this movie had a name? I did not remember. I think there was one owl who had a name and one who did not.  Can you tell me if it had a name and what it was?

My Lego creation

Sometimes I dont like my doctors because they poke me and prick me :( And I like them when they send me home :) I am very happy then.

 

Risa's favorite Bed time stories by Daddy

Ted the Giraffe

There was a Giraffe named Ted, he loved eating Apples. One day a thorn got stuck in his neck! Ted cried and sobbed because he could not eat apples any more! A monkey heard him cry, the monkey's name was Bobo. Bobo saw one juicy red apple and plucked it for Ted. This made Ted very happy.

Ted the giraffe said thank you and the monkey took out the thorn.




Ted the Giraffe

(My daddy made up this story when I was one year old.)
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Mamma Duck and Baby Duck

Once upon a time there lived two ducks - Mamma and her baby. Mamma always caught fish for baby. When the baby grew up, Baby Duck's  mamma said-' Now you are grown up my child , you catch fish on your own.' Baby duck said ' But Mamma, I do not know how to!'

One day, Mamma went out of the house for the whole day without leaving any fish for the baby. Baby went to the pond. First there was a fish swimming very fast, baby duck tried to catch it and dipped its head in but could not catch it. Another fish swimming a little slower came crossing by, baby tried to catch it but he could not! The hungry baby duck said ' I will try one last time and if I can't catch it, I will stay hungry untill Mamma comes home.' Baby closed his eyes and tried one last time and he caught it! The hungry Baby duck ate it and said 'I will catch some more fish for when mamma comes home.'

When mamma came home, she was very happy with the baby. She said, ' I told you , you will learn how to catch fish.'  And that was the end of the story.

 

The Fair

The Fair is a lovely place to be,
Oh! It is such a lot of fun.
I love the ponies dancing about and the cotton candy sticks to my tongue

The scary rides are the best in the fair
Oh they make you all dizzy
And put you in a tizzy

The fair is the best place to be.

                                                                                                                                         Risa Garg

Me!

My name is risa. I am seven years old. I have a five year old sister and her name is Nora. Me and Nora love watching television. But I really also like baking cakes. And I like singing , I like dancing and i like discovering new things. I love painting, I have painted so many self portraits .

I have a puppy (who is not a puppy anymore), he loves jumping on all the people who come to our house. His name is Paddy, he is a Beagle. Beagles are small and short dogs.

 
Last December, we found out that I have Leukemia. It was very hard as we had to keep everything very clean and I could not play with my dog. And whoever had a cold could not come to our house. Even Nora! 

I decided to start my very own blog because it's fun to write about myself and my family.  

18th August'12