Picture This!

Title of Book: Just Listen


Author: Sarah Dessen


This book is about a 17 year old girl, Annabel, who everyone thinks has everything she'd ever want and that everything involving her life is perfect. Little does everyone else know that her public life is just a bunch of lies developed by Annabel to shield every ones feelings from the truth. In the last year she had lost all her friends because of an 'incident' at a party, that no one really knows what happened, a failing modelling career and a family living a life of lies around her older sisters eating disorder. All this stress begins to take a toll on Annabel, until she meets the new kid at school, Owen. No one at Annabel's school talks to own because he has a major anger management problem, so Annabel is his only friend. Owen also deals with all his anger and problems by listening to music constantly and is a music guru. With Owen's help Annabel learns to stop hiding the truth for the sake of other people's feelings, and to just tell the truth.







"If at first I'd doubted it, I don't now: Owen was always this honest. Ask a question, you got a honest answer.

'Do you ever lie to save some one's feelings?' I finally asked him one day, just after he told me that while my new hair cut looked fine, he preferred it longer. 'Like at all?'

'You ask me what I think, I'll tell you the honest truth. Why ask me, if you don't want me to be honest?'

'Don't you ever think to yourself, maybe I shouldn't say this? Maybe it's not the right thing to do?' As i said this he gave me a doubtful look and popped a pretzel in his mouth.

He considered this for a second. 'No,' he said finally. ' I told you. I don't like liars."

'It's not lieing it's just not telling.'

'You're saying there's a difference?'

'There is,' I said. ' One is actively deceiving. The other is just not saying something out loud.'

'Yes, but' he replied, pulling out another pretzel. 'you are still participating in a deception. expect it's to yourself. Right?'

I just looked at him unable to say anything else.

The next day at lunch, Owen put his backpack on the wall between us, unzipped it, and pulled out a stack of Cds. ' Here,' he said pushing then toward me. 'For you.'

To Owen a few Cds was 10 or 11. Each CD had a neatly printed list of songs and artist on them, accept one. This one CD was blank except the words JUST LISTEN.

Instantly, I was suspicious. ' What is this?' I asked him.

'Just listen to it last, all the other Cds are set lists, set concepts. An education, if you will. You should listen to them first. And then when you've done that, and you think you're ready, really ready, put that one on. It's a bit more........out there. You might totally hate it,' he admitted. 'Or not. it might be the answer to all of life's questions. That's the beauty of it. You know? Don't judge, jump to conclusions or over think. Just listen and tell me the truth of what you were feeling and thinking while just listening.'

'Okay.' I answered hesitantly. I would have never been able to tell him so, but Owen inspired me. the little white lies I told on a daily basis, the things i kept in, each time i was not totally honest---I was aware of everyone now. i also cognizant of how good it felt to actually be able to say what i thought to someone. Even if it was just about music. Or not"

What I liked about this scene: I liked this scene out of "Just Listen" because I like the way Owen thinks. All the little white lies people tell everyday are still lies no matter how small, and I like the idea of always telling the truth no matter what. I think it would be alot less stressful and you'd feel more relived all the time because you are not cooping things up inside. I also liked this scene because I can relate to the way Annabel was feeling about Owen. I would admire someone who always told the truth no matter what the situation too.

Make Up Assignment( for Drama Skits)

This semester in Mr. Omorean's block 3 Photography 11 class the students were assigned a project of making their own pinhole cameras. the students had to find and bring their own box or object into class and convert it into a pin hole camera or camera obscura.

To convert their boxes or objects into pin hole cameras the students had to blacken the inside of the objects by means of paint or back paper and tape or seal off all cracks, folds and openings. By doing this you create your 'darkened room or area' of the camera obscura. Next the students went through many test strips to see if their cameras were 'light tight' meaning no light was able to come in. After the tests were proven sucessful the students then cut a small square in their objects and tape tin foil to cover the square. next the students poked a small hole in the tin foil with a pin to create their lens. after the lens had been made their pinhole cameras were now complete. In this photo the studedents are doing the above steps to make their cameras.



Next the students had to go out side to capture the photos because U.V. light is needed, instead of inside light. In this picture a student, Alyssa Theodore, is placing her and her friends cell phones on the picnic table in preperation of capturing this photo with her home made camera. She made her camera out of a tin storage container, and the lens is on the top of the tin. After her photo is set up the way she wishes she places her camera on the table with the lens facing the phones and takes the protective peice of paper off the lens, letting the photo along with light in her camera and allowing the photo to inprint onto the photopaper within the camera.
After about 2 minutes her photo paper has had enough exposure and the hole is coverd again and taken to the dark room, to be developed.






After the students have left their cameras in the U.V. light for the correct exposure time they take their cameras into the dark room where they begin developing their own photos. The students remove their photo paper from the cameras and begin the process by sticking it in the developer for 60 seconds. Next the students place it in the stop water for 30 seconds, then place it in the fix for 2 minutes and finally then put it in the wash bin for 5 minutes to finish the developling. All students are taught how to develop their own photos in this class and after a few times become experts. In this photo a student is preparing the developing solutions before actually developiong her photo.






Finally, the photo is finished, and ready to be displayed. In this last photo there is a finshed pin hole camera, made by Mr. Omorean, and a fully developed picture taken by his pinhole camera. All the students were amazed and very proud of the fact that they were all able to make, capture and develop pictures from their home made cameras.

What's Happening.....

This year Mrs. Noren's block 3 year round Biology 11 class is learning about the classification of living things, and information about those living things. Right now they are studying the Phylum Porifera. All units are studied in preparation to the 3 dissection the students will be doing; worm, squid and frog. These pictures were all taken on February 11, 2009.

Students do most of their learning from the given notes and from the textbook. In this photo a student is reading the textbook in preparation of writing her Cornell notes.

Cornell notes is a method of notes all biology students use while in Mrs. Noren's class. In Cornell notes you divide your page in half and write a question on one side and the answer in note from on the other side. These notes have been proven more effective than regular notes and are the staple to the Biology 11 course.



In Mrs. Noren's class questions are welcomed and asked often. Biology is a difficult subject to learn and in her class asking questions are a large part of the learning system. The class room environment also very welcoming making students feel comfortable with asking any questions.

Photography quiz

Shutter Speed1. a (Fast 1/500th sec.)
Aperture1. d (f/16)
Points of Power1. c (Snow Geese)
Golden Rule1. a (Yes)
Quality of Light1. b (Side)
score 5/5

Edited pictures from Mexico.

This picture was taken by me on my recent trip to Riveria Maya, Mexico.

This shot was taken by me on my recent trip to Riveria Maya, Mexico.

This shot was taken by me and is from the beach at my resort in Riveria Maya, Mexico this last January.

Photoshop; Mr. Omorean in Australia

Photo by Mr. Omorean

of the Sydney Opera House

in Australia.

Photo by Mr. Omorean at

Surfer's Paradise,

on the Gold Coast

in Queensland.

This photo was taken by

Mr. Omorean and is the

"Pinnacles" in

Western Australia.

Digital Media Arts: Blog

Digital media is media that is based on electronic forms of media. These forms create a place where ideas, pictures, sounds and videos can be sent, received, and viewed. Digital media consists of cell phones, Cd's, DVDs, Digital Photography, Digital animation and many more sources of mass communication. Digital media is used for adverstising, commercials, magazines, movies photography and many other things. Without knowing digital media is seen by nearly everyone everyday.