Inspiring Person - J. K. Rowling

This time, I will tell you about my inspiring person. She is J. K. Rowling.

    Joanne Rowling was born in July 1965 at Yate General Hospital in England and grew up in Chepstow, Gwent where she went to Wyedean Comprehensive.

    Jo left Chepstow for Exeter University, where she earned a French and Classics degree, her course including one year in Paris. As a postgraduate she moved to London and worked as a researcher at Amnesty International among other jobs. She started writing the Harry Potter series during a delayed Manchester to London King’s Cross train journey, and during the next five years, outlined the plots for each book and began writing the first novel.

    Jo then moved to northern Portugal, where she taught English as a foreign language. She married in October 1992 and gave birth to a daughter in 1993. When the marriage ended, she and Jessica returned to the UK to live in Edinburgh, where Harry Potter & the Sorcerer’s Stone was eventually completed. The book was first published by Bloomsbury Children’s Books in June 1997, under the name J.K. Rowling. The “K”, for Kathleen, her paternal grandmother’s name was added at her publisher’s request who thought that a woman’s name would not appeal to the target audience of young boys.

    The second title in the series, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, was published in July 1998 and was No. 1 in the adult hardback bestseller charts for a month after publication.Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was published on 8th July 1999 to worldwide acclaim and spent four weeks at No.1 in the UK adult hardback bestseller charts.

    The fourth book in the series, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was published on 8th July 2000 with a record first print run of 1 million copies for the UK. It quickly broke all records for the greatest number of books sold on the first day of publication in the UK.

    Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was published in Britain, the USA, Canada and Australia on 21st June 2003 and broke the records set by Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire as the fastest selling book in history. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was published in the UK, US and other English-speaking countries on 16th July 2005 and also achieved record sales.

The seventh and final book in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was published in the UK, US and other English speaking countries in 2007.

    J.K. Rowling has also written two small volumes, which appear as the titles of Harry’s school books within the novels. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Quidditch Through The Ages were published in March 2001 in aid of Comic Relief.

In December 2008, The Tales of Beedle the Bard was published in aid of the Children’s High Level Group (now Lumos).

    As well as an OBE for services to children’s literature, J.K. Rowling is the recipient of numerous awards and honorary degrees including the Prince of Asturias Award for Concord, France’s Légion d’Honneur, and the Hans Christian AndersenLiterature Award, and she has been a Commencement Speaker at Harvard University USA. She supports a wide number of charitable causes through her charitable trust Volant, and is the founder of Lumos, a charity working to transform the lives of disadvantaged children.

In 2012, J.K. Rowling published her first novel for adults, The Casual Vacancy (Little Brown), which has now been published in 44 languages.

           

    J.K. Rowling has also written The Cuckoo's Calling (Little Brown), her first crime novel under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, which was published in 2013 and is to be translated into 37 languages. A second Robert Galbraith novel is due to be published in 2014.

    J.K. Rowling is currently writing the screen play, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, an original story set in the wizarding world, some of which will be familiar to Harry Potter fans. It marks her screenwriting debut and the start of a new film series with Warner Bros.

    J.K. Rowling lives in Edinburgh with her husband and three children.

source: jkrowling.com

Phi Phi Island, Thailand.

     The Phi Phi Islands (Thai: หมู่เกาะพีพี, Thai pronunciation: [pʰīː pʰīː]) are located in Thailand, between the large island of Phuket and the western Strait of Malacca coast of the mainland. The islands are administratively part of Krabi province. Ko Phi Phi Don ("ko" (Thai: เกาะ) meaning "island" in the Thai language) is the largest island of the group, and is the most populated island of the group. although the beaches of the second largest island, Ko Phi Phi Lee (or "Ko Phi Phi Leh"), are visited by many people as well. The rest of the islands in the group, including Bida Nok, Bida Noi, and Bamboo Island (Ko Mai Phai), are not much more than large limestone rocks jutting out of the sea.

    Phi Phi Don was initially populated by Muslim fishermen during the late 1940s, and later became a coconut plantation. The Thai population of Phi Phi Don remains more than 80% Muslim. The actual population however, if counting laborers, especially from the north-east, from the mainland is much more Buddhist these days. The population is between 2,000 to 3,000 people (2013).

    The islands came to worldwide prominence when Ko Phi Phi Leh was used as a location for the 2000 British-American film The Beach. This attracted criticism, with claims that the film company had damaged the island's environment, since the producers bulldozed beach areas and planted palm trees to make it look like the book, an accusation the film's makers contest. The film's release was attributed to an increase in tourism to the islands. Phi Phi Leh also houses the 'Viking Cave', from which there is a thriving bird's nest soup industry.

      Ko Phi Phi was devastated by the Indian Ocean Tsunami of December 2004, when nearly all of the island's infrastructure was destroyed. As of 2010 most, but not all, of this has been restored.

GEOGRAPHY

        There are six islands in the group known as Phi Phi. They lie 50 km south-east of Phuket and are part of Hadnopparattara-Koh Phi Phi National Park which is home to an abundance of corals and marine life. There are limestone mountains with cliffs, caves and long white sandy beaches. The national park covers a total area of 242,437 Rai.

      Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Le are the largest and most well-known islands. Phi Phi Don is 9.73 sqkm: 8 km in length and 3.5 km wide. Phi Phi Le is 2 sqkm. In Total the islands have a size of 12.25 km2.

HISTORY

     From archaeological discoveries, it is believed that the area was one of the oldest communities in Thailand, dating back to the prehistoric period. It is believed that this province may have taken its name from Krabi, which means sword. This may come from a legend that an ancient sword was unearthed prior to the city’s founding.

     The name Phi Phi (pronounced ‘pee pee’) originates from Malay, the original name for the islands were Pulau Api-Api (The Fiery Isle). The name refers to the Pokok Api-Api, which literary translated as the Fiery Tree (Grey Mangrove) which is commonly found throughout the Island. They were incorporated into the national park in 1983.

source: wikipedia.org

Opening Ceremony Dewa Athena VI

     On Saturday, 15th February 2014 there was Opening Ceremony Dewa Athena VI at Lapangan Bali. The ceremony followed by the 10th and 11th grader of SMAN 3 Bandung.

      

     Me and my friends came to school first, because we knew that there was nobody at Lapangan Bali. We arrived at 8 o'clock. While we waited the ceremony to begin, some of my friends did their homework. I just cackle around with my other friends. Oh ya, I forgot to tell you. On that day, there was volcanic ashes from Kelud Mountain. So, we had to wear a mask. If we didn't wear it, we could have a lungs disease.

     

     At 8.30 a.m. all of us went to Lapangan Bali. There were a lot of people gather around. The student council told us to form a line. 30 minutes later, the ceremony began. It begins with a speech from the head of event division. Then continued with a speech from the head of the student council. And the last speech was from our headmaster, Mr. Encang. In his speech, he told us to keep this event to remember him, just in case if he retired or something. Then, after he finished the speech, he lighted up the torchlight. The Opening Ceremony is done.

     Before we started to play, Mr. Dudi kicked the ball for the symbolize that the Dewa Athena VI had begun. The event continued with football match, girls of #32016 vs girls of #32015. The match won by #32015. Well, #32016 may lose but in the next time we can defeat them.

      Well, that's all from me. Here's bonus picture:

DEWA ATHENA VI. UBI CONCORDIA, IBI VICTORIA.

Aurora, a Natural Phenomenon

An aurora is a natural light display in the sky particularly in the high latitude (Arctic and Antarctic) regions, caused by the collision of energetic charged particles with atoms in the high altitude atmosphere (thermosphere). The charged particles originate in the magnetosphere and solar wind and, on Earth, are directed by the Earth's magnetic field into the atmosphere. Most aurorae occur in a band known as the auroral zone, which is typically 3° to 6° in latitudinal extent and at all local times or longitudes. The auroral zone is typically 10° to 20° from the magnetic pole defined by the axis of the Earth's magnetic dipole. During a geomagnetic storm, the auroral zone expands to lower latitudes.

Aurorae are classified as diffuse and discrete. The diffuse aurora is a featureless glow in the sky that may not be visible to the naked eye, even on a dark night. It defines the extent of the auroral zone. The discrete aurorae are sharply defined features within the diffuse aurora that vary in brightness from just barely visible to the naked eye, to bright enough to read a newspaper by at night. Discrete aurorae are usually seen in only the night sky, because they are not as bright as the sunlit sky. Aurorae occasionally occur poleward of the auroral zone as diffuse patches or arcs, which are generally subvisual.

In northern latitudes, the effect is known as the aurora borealis (or the northern lights), named after the Roman goddess of dawn, Aurora, and the Greek name for the north wind, Boreas, by Pierre Gassendi in 1621. Auroras seen near the magnetic pole may be high overhead, but from farther away, they illuminate the northern horizon as a greenish glow or sometimes a faint red, as if the Sun were rising from an unusual direction. Discrete aurorae often display magnetic field lines or curtain-like structures, and can change within seconds or glow unchanging for hours, most often in fluorescent green. The aurora borealis most often occurs near the equinoxes. The northern lights have had a number of names throughout history. The Cree call this phenomenon the "Dance of the Spirits". In Medieval Europe, the auroras were commonly believed to be a sign from God.

Its southern counterpart, the aurora australis (or the southern lights), has features that are almost identical to the aurora borealis and changes simultaneously with changes in the northern auroral zone. It is visible from high southern latitudes in Antarctica, South America, New Zealand, and Australia. Aurorae occur on other planets. Similar to the Earth's aurora, they are visible close to the planet's magnetic poles. Modern style guides recommend that the names of meteorological phenomena, such as aurora borealis, be uncapitalized.

My Holiday

    Last holiday, I went to Kampung Gajah Wonderland with all of my family. We went there at 8.30 a.m. and arrived at about 9 a.m. When we got there, we bought the tickets. It was for me, my dad, my mom, and my brother.

    After we've got our tickets, we started to ride the arcade. First, we rode the 4D rider. It was a movie but in 4 dimension. But the movie was just 5 minutes long. After that, we rode the Buggy. It was like a car or something. It was so much fun. Then, we rode the skyrider, it was a flying fox. Some people said that it was the longest flying fox in the southeast Asia. We tried many more arcade, like tuby, go-kart, atv, etc.

    At 12.30, we had lunch. After we had lunch, we went to mushala to prayed. At 1.30 p.m. we went to Kampung Gajah Waterpark. It wasn't far, but we went there by the Kampung Gajah's car. We arrived at about 1.45 p.m.

    After we arrived, I changed my clothes into a swimsuit. Then, we went to Tornado. Tornado was a huge waterboom. We wanted to try it. At first, it was scary to death. I was screaming all the time. But when it was finished, I wanted to try it again. So, I tried it at about 7 times. Then I went to Octopus' slide. After that, we went to another pool. We went home at 5.30 p.m.

    At home, I reached my bed asap. Because I was exhausted. It was a very amazing experience I've ever had.

Announcement

ANNOUNCEMENT

There will be an English speech contest for all students of SMAN 3 Bandung.

Day: Thursday, December 19th 2013.

Time: 10.00 a.m. - 14.30 p.m.

Place: SMAN 3's auditorium

Each class should give 1 person for the contest. The theme is about Independence day. 

The winner will receive 5.000.000 Rupiahs and a certificate. 

For further information, contact your English teacher.

Summary and Moral Value of "Thumbelina"

SUMMARY

Once upon a time, there was a woman who wanted a baby. She always prayed, then a beautiful fairy heard her prayer and gave her a little seed in a flowerpot.

The seed bloomed into a tulip. Inside the tulip, there was a tiny beautiful girl. The woman called her, Thumbelina. She was so small that she had a walnut shell for a bed and used petals as a blanket.

Then, an ugly toad fell in love with Thumbelina, so he kidnapped her. Thumbelina was very unhappy. A swallow was passing by and saw how sad she looked, and said, “Come south with me to warmer lands.”
They flew across the seas and came to a land of sunshine. The swallow said, ” This is my home. You can live in one of the loveliest and biggest flowers.” When Thumbelina stepped inside, she found a handsome fairy, as tiny as her, in its heart.
The fairy was a prince, he asked her to marry him. So Thumbelina became queen of the flowers and the two lived happily ever after.

MORAL VALUE

1. Never give up, no matter what the cost.

2. Be happy with who you are.