Things Treasured

Do NOT Look at the following website if you have issues with seizures.

Inspired by this language in the omniglot. http://www.omniglot.com/writing/alfakinetix.php

Specifically by Libo (thousand) and Laksa (10,000).

Dear Professor,

Silverwing26 of Ravenclaw Tower submitting this months assignment.

You charged us with studying another language form the Omniglot this month. When I happen to stumble across the Alfa-Kinetix writing system developed by Frederick Victor Paredes Añana. It is based on the Baybayin alphabet both of which are used to write the language Tagalog. Tagalog is a language spoken by approximately 57 million speakers in the Philippines. Tagalog means Resident Beside the River. However, now, the actual Baybayin writing is used only decoratively as the Latin alphabet is used to write Tagalog now.

The Alfa-Kinetic alphabet takes the same principles of Baybayin and adds motion. Each of the symbols has characteristic movement of some sort. Most of the letters have a dot that moves around the symbol or as part of the symbol, while numbers and punctuation deal more with blinking lines and symbols such as squares.

I have chosen to represent the language by two of its symbols. The symbol for 1000 is a circle with a line moving through its center. The symbol for 10,000 is a circle with two lines moving across its inside.

According to the creator of the alphabet, Frederick Victor Paredes Añana, his goal has to been to save his dying language. The Baybayin writing system has become almost extinct. Since he is of the Philippines himself, his goal is to make the language more complete by the creation of his alphabet. He sited how the Chinese alphabet has changed over time to make it more complete and he reasons doing the same for his own language will help preserver it.

He does point out, his only goal is to modify the extinct language and not the ones still in use. This is quoted from his site where he talks about his E-Book and the creation of the writing system.

“My goal is to modify only the extinct Baybayin variants and not those that are still surviving. The Mangyans (Buhid & Hanunuo)of Mindoro and the Tagbanwas of Palawan are still using their ancestral script. So let’s not meddle with their writing system. I’m not sure if they”ll allow someone else to modify their script.”

Thank you for this chance to learn a little more about the way other people speak and write.

All finished, stuffed with catnip, and ready to go off to the needy kitties at WARL.

Dear Professor,

Silverwing26 of Ravenclaw turning in her Herbology assignment! For an assignment based on food, I took a walk down into the Hogwarts garden. I do believe I have spent this entire month inside and around the place! I decided to create something from the garden for my assignment. Also, taking a page out of the classroom as it were…

Leaping Toadstools - or - Dude, You Gonna Eat That?

I decided to create something I don’t eat very much off. On that note, I present to you…. RADISHES! Yes radishes. Lovely little red white and green bundles of goodness… that I don’t especially enjoy. However, these radishes will be dearly loved. LOVED I tell you. And now I shall tell you why. These radishes are simply STUFFED with catnip. Each one has been stuffed full of this herb that drives cats mad. At the end of the term these radishes shall be winging their way to Washington DC to some kitties that have not yet found their forever homes and are still living at the Washington Animal Rescue League (WARL)

Dear Professor,

Thank you for making us study the marvel that is the Mirror or Erised. Sometimes being faced clearly with your desires, gives you a new perspective on how to go after them.

Silverwing26 of Ravenclaw turning in her assignment. When faced with my most coveted desire, I was not surprised to find an image of hubby and I with our first child. This desire has been eluding us for several years now due to several factors. However, it is my most desired wish to have a family of my own. Faced with this, I am working harder than ever to attain this.

While I won’t get into all of the sordid details, part of the assignment was to think about how one might attain such goal. Well some of my obstacles are health related. So I have, this year, been working on a healthier living lifestyle. In celebration of this class and chasing my desire, I vow to become more accountable to myself.

And so I have something to remind me of this and keep me going on the days when I am not feeling strongly that I can do this, I have created a two (a pair of) miniature baby booties. To ensure I can take them with me wherever I go, I have fashioned them into earrings!

Dear Professor,

Silverwing26 of Ravenclaw turning in her Charms assignment. When you charged us to explore the relationship between light and dark, my mind immediately went to nature. After all, magic is a natural force and is best studied under those conditions. While I was contemplating how to best show how light and dark could live harmoniously together, a large bumble bee went zooming past. Clearly the bee exhibits such properties of light and dark as its bright yellow and black stripes coincide together on its fuzzy bumbley body! I followed the bee around all day noting how it gathered it’s nectar from the beautiful flowers blooming in daylight and then took it back to the dark hive it resides in to turn it into beautiful golden honey that I will store in a dark dark cupboard!

However, I spent so much time examining the bee, I completely lost track of time and found myself alone in the dark near a bee hive.

This is how I stumbled onto my potions assignment Professor!

Silverwing26 of Ravenclaw Turning in Potions! This month we were to demonstrate something that lights the way. Boy did I ever need something to light the way as I was lost in the dark next to a bee hive! I didn’t want to draw my wand and cast lumos. What if I woke the bees up!? Are they light sleepers? Would I suddenly be chased through the darkness by a million groggy bees!?

But just then, I noticed a gentle glowing. It appeared first near my feet, and then along the bark of the tree that the hive hung on. Soon the shrubs, grasses and air dance with small twinkling lights. For here and there flew Lightning Bugs! Yes, cute adorable bugs with blinky butts I could follow back to the castle! Some of them floated about in the air trying to attract mates, and some landed on the ground to lay their eggs so the next generation could come forth and save poor lost witches and wizards from the darkness! Thank you little glowy butt bugs!