Essential Question Reflection
The two essential questions of English II are "what kind of a world is this?" and "how should we live in it?" After thinking for a while, I realized that there are other essential questions I always seem to ask myself. "What kind of a person am I?" and "What kind of a person do others see me as?" are questions that I wonder about while going through life. I think because of the way I was raised, I care about the way I come off to other people, and I don't want to act in a way that would make people look at me in a bad way and gain enemies.
Descriptive Passage
Imagine a place so loud, you can't hear your own voice. Where people devote all their voices to one common cause. But with one simpe mishap, it goes dead silent, and quiet noises echo on forever. A place where one simple white ball is more important than anything else. Where simple lighted numbers determine 1st from 2nd, excitement from disappointment.
Bel and the Serpent Lit Circle
Congeniality-compatibility between persons
Languidly-lacking in vigor or vitality; slack or slow
Damask-a reversible fabric of linen, silk, cotton, or wool, woven with patterns
Unfettered-not bound by shackles and chains
Manioc-a starch made by leaching and drying the root of the cassava plant; the source of tapioca; a staple food in the tropics
Pulpit-a platform or raised structure in a church, from which the sermon is delivered or the service is conducted
Impudence-The quality of being offensively bold
Procession-the act of moving along or proceeding in orderly succession or in a formal and ceremonious manner, as a line of people, animals, vehicles, etc.
Belligerent-warlike; given to waging war
Impala-an African antelope
Galvanize-To stimulate or shock with an electric current
Bushbuck-a large African antelope
Unabashed-Not disconcerted or embarrassed; poised
Languidly-lacking in vigor or vitality; slack or slow
Damask-a reversible fabric of linen, silk, cotton, or wool, woven with patterns
Unfettered-not bound by shackles and chains
Manioc-a starch made by leaching and drying the root of the cassava plant; the source of tapioca; a staple food in the tropics
Pulpit-a platform or raised structure in a church, from which the sermon is delivered or the service is conducted
Impudence-The quality of being offensively bold
Procession-the act of moving along or proceeding in orderly succession or in a formal and ceremonious manner, as a line of people, animals, vehicles, etc.
Belligerent-warlike; given to waging war
Impala-an African antelope
Galvanize-To stimulate or shock with an electric current
Bushbuck-a large African antelope
Unabashed-Not disconcerted or embarrassed; poised
Genesis Lit Circle
"Some of us know how we came by our fortune, and some of us don't, but we wear it all the same. There's only one question worth asking now: How do we aim to live with it?" (9)
While reading this chapter, this quote, said by Orleanna really caught my eye because it's really similar to the essential questions of english II: What kind of world is this and how should we live in it? What she means by this is that people have both good things and bad things happen to them at times in their lives, but the important thing is what you learn and get from them, and how you use them to live your life. She says this as she reflects on her experiences in Africa and peoples habits of mind. The quote shows that the english II essential questions are questions that can be asked by anyone and everyone in this world.
While reading this chapter, this quote, said by Orleanna really caught my eye because it's really similar to the essential questions of english II: What kind of world is this and how should we live in it? What she means by this is that people have both good things and bad things happen to them at times in their lives, but the important thing is what you learn and get from them, and how you use them to live your life. She says this as she reflects on her experiences in Africa and peoples habits of mind. The quote shows that the english II essential questions are questions that can be asked by anyone and everyone in this world.
Crazy Week
This week in Major League Baseball has been crazy. First, on Wednesday night, this guy to the right, Mark Buehrle of the Chicago White Sox, threw the 16th no-hitter in Major League history. He faced the minimum 27 hitters, being only a walk away from a perfect game. Then, on Saturday night, the Phillies turned the first triple play of the year, a 5-4-3 play against the Reds, behind the man to the right, Cole Hamels, who had 15 strikeouts. Finally, to wrap it all up, on Sunday night, the Red Sox hit 4 consecutive home runs off of Yankees' starter Chase Wright, just the 5th time back-to-back-to-back-to-back has happened in MLB history. (Being a Yankee fan, I didn't want to put a picture up) This just goes to show how awesome the game of baseball is. Things like this make it fun to watch.
Iolani Fair
So after baseball practice on Saturday, my friends and I decided to go to the Iolani Fair. Having never been to one of them before, I didn't know what to expect, although other people told me that they go to the fair pretty much just for the food. So I was just planning on eating, but I still wanted to look at all the other stuff because of the fact I haven't been there before, and I wanted to compare it to our carnival. After being there for a while and having walked around & seen everything, there really isn't much of a comparison. Although, I didn't get a fair comparison of the food because some of the more popular food booths were closed because they ran out of food. But other than that, our carnival is the best.
The Quintessential Toy
At one point, lost somewhere in the eighties, the Rubik's cube is once again the quintessential toy. Known for its brain-twisting 3x3x3 design, people kill much of their time trying to solve such a simple-looking task. What makes the Rubik's cube quintessential is the equality of difficulty between adults and kids. Once one solves it for the first time, the next steps are to solve it as fast as possible, maybe even trying to beat the 11 second world record.
SAT Practice Essay #2
Today, there are two different types of skills we learn and use in our lives: Practical skills and life skills. Practical skills are those we learn in school like math and english, where life skills are those that we learn and use to become good, active citizens in today's society. I think that both are useful to us and can be equally as helpful in our lives. People today sometimes put too much emphasis on learning practical skills, and other times, may be too relaxed in not learning them. Of course some practical skils won't be needed later in life, but having all, or as much as you can to your knowledge leaves the door open to an infinite amount of opportunities.
An example of people not learning enough practical skills were the people of the Communist China. When Mao Ze Dong took over China as its ruler, he put the Chinese children in charge, leaving places such as hospitals to them. Not being well-educated enough, they weren't able to do the things that the experts who came before them were able to do. For the hospitals, certain operations were totally foreign to the children which resulted in a lot more deaths. Having learned more practical skills, many of these deaths could've been prevented.
Also in China's history, there were people who put too much emphasis on learning practical skills. These people were the scholars who strove to be scholar officials. They dedicated almost their whole lives to studying for the grueling examinations that would make them scholar officials if they'd passed. The scholars knew nothing but what those exams demanded of them.
An example of people not learning enough practical skills were the people of the Communist China. When Mao Ze Dong took over China as its ruler, he put the Chinese children in charge, leaving places such as hospitals to them. Not being well-educated enough, they weren't able to do the things that the experts who came before them were able to do. For the hospitals, certain operations were totally foreign to the children which resulted in a lot more deaths. Having learned more practical skills, many of these deaths could've been prevented.
Also in China's history, there were people who put too much emphasis on learning practical skills. These people were the scholars who strove to be scholar officials. They dedicated almost their whole lives to studying for the grueling examinations that would make them scholar officials if they'd passed. The scholars knew nothing but what those exams demanded of them.
Ruth May @ Our School
The buildings here are really big. So are the people. I think this is where all the naughty kids go to school because when they talk to each other, they can't say anything without saying bad words. Whenever me and my sisters say bad words, father gets really angry and scolds us, but when these kids say bad words, nothing happens to them. It's like they don't even know that they're saying bad words. Maybe I should tell them.
Something else surprised me about them too. Rex Minton told me that in Hawaii, everyone lives in huts, wears grass clothes and dances the "hoola" all day long, but there are no huts here, everyone is dressed in our kind of clothes, and I didn't see anyone dancing. That's the last time I'm listening to him, he always lies to me.
Something else surprised me about them too. Rex Minton told me that in Hawaii, everyone lives in huts, wears grass clothes and dances the "hoola" all day long, but there are no huts here, everyone is dressed in our kind of clothes, and I didn't see anyone dancing. That's the last time I'm listening to him, he always lies to me.
SAT Essay Reflection
Of the SAT essays I read, they all seemed to have clear, consise answers, responding to the prompt with a yes or no answer. To me, they all seemed like good essays, even though they wouldn't get 6's because they didn't talk about both sides of the question like we talked about in class. But I enjoyed reading them because they included good points and first-person examples that I could understand and relate to. They also were very well organized and easy to read. But what impressed me most was the amount they were able to write in the little amount of time we had.
SAT Practice Essay
I definitely need some help with SAT writing. Here's the practice essay I tried to write in 25 minutes:
Currently, people in society today have found ourselves in the middle of a world of the media. This has become such a huge deal that nowadays, people live their lives according to, based on, and by all the different types of media available to us. This abundance of media includes magazines, television, the internet, and many other things. I do believe that these types of media are determining what's important to people in today's society and essentially running our lives. Examples of issues we are influenced by are drugs/alcohol, violence, and self esteem.
First, the issue of drugs and alcohol is probably the most important one in the lives of our younger generations today. There is a growing amount of crimes, deaths, and other things happening today resulting from the use of the wide varieties of drugs and alcohol. I'm not saying that all of this is rooted from one place, but I believe the media has a huge influence on the people in today's society regarding this issue. People today see other people such as celebrities that they admire and look up to, doing drugs and alcohol, which could possibly result dangerously in their lives. For example, the other day I was on myspace.com looking at all the different musical artists' Myspaces, when I came upon the "space" of Snoop Dogg. Lo and behold, the first thing that catches my eye is a huge background picture of him in what appears to be a music recording studio, surrounded by clouds of smoke, originating from his mouth. What is this picture saying to people? That to become successful, you need to "take a hit" once in a while? To me it's rediculous the things being portrayed to the public today, especially regarding drugs.
Another example of the media's influence on the people today is
... and that's where I ended when time was up. I think I really need to start working on SAT writing more, especially since we're taking the real thing less than a year from now. So to the people who write quality SAT essays in 25 minutes, how do you do it? For me, I just can't think of quality examples on the spot. I need some advice.
Currently, people in society today have found ourselves in the middle of a world of the media. This has become such a huge deal that nowadays, people live their lives according to, based on, and by all the different types of media available to us. This abundance of media includes magazines, television, the internet, and many other things. I do believe that these types of media are determining what's important to people in today's society and essentially running our lives. Examples of issues we are influenced by are drugs/alcohol, violence, and self esteem.
First, the issue of drugs and alcohol is probably the most important one in the lives of our younger generations today. There is a growing amount of crimes, deaths, and other things happening today resulting from the use of the wide varieties of drugs and alcohol. I'm not saying that all of this is rooted from one place, but I believe the media has a huge influence on the people in today's society regarding this issue. People today see other people such as celebrities that they admire and look up to, doing drugs and alcohol, which could possibly result dangerously in their lives. For example, the other day I was on myspace.com looking at all the different musical artists' Myspaces, when I came upon the "space" of Snoop Dogg. Lo and behold, the first thing that catches my eye is a huge background picture of him in what appears to be a music recording studio, surrounded by clouds of smoke, originating from his mouth. What is this picture saying to people? That to become successful, you need to "take a hit" once in a while? To me it's rediculous the things being portrayed to the public today, especially regarding drugs.
Another example of the media's influence on the people today is
... and that's where I ended when time was up. I think I really need to start working on SAT writing more, especially since we're taking the real thing less than a year from now. So to the people who write quality SAT essays in 25 minutes, how do you do it? For me, I just can't think of quality examples on the spot. I need some advice.
Rituals/Superstions (Common Place)
Along with my "This I Believe," I also believe in rituals and superstitions. I'm a really superstitious guy and so whenever I'm doing something well, or something good happens to me, I try to replicate whatever I did before 'it' happened. Just today and recently this has been going on for me. Here's a story about my day today:
As I was on my way to my baseball game today, I told my mom (who was driving me) that we had to stop at 7-11 to get this drink that I'd been drinking for the past week before games. In those past games, after had drunken this drink, in my mind I felt like I was able to play better for some reason. But unfortunately today, it was out of stock there, so I left without it, and had to go into the game "dry." Long story short, I didn't do very well, so I was convinced it was because I didn't have the drink. I know it's probably all in my mind, but in my opinion, if something works, whatever it is, you should stick with it as long as it lasts.
As I was on my way to my baseball game today, I told my mom (who was driving me) that we had to stop at 7-11 to get this drink that I'd been drinking for the past week before games. In those past games, after had drunken this drink, in my mind I felt like I was able to play better for some reason. But unfortunately today, it was out of stock there, so I left without it, and had to go into the game "dry." Long story short, I didn't do very well, so I was convinced it was because I didn't have the drink. I know it's probably all in my mind, but in my opinion, if something works, whatever it is, you should stick with it as long as it lasts.
This I Believe
I believe in sleep. We all spend a great amount of our lives sleeping, but really, it's for a good cause. Sleep is probably the best thing we can do for our bodies to recover it from all the different kinds of activities we put it through each day. We all have something to do between periods of sleep whether it's going to school or work, playing sports, or even something as simple as eating. It's what keeps us energized and alert during daily activity, and what prevents us from losing focus and doing things lazily. I think we all know what it feels like to try to function during the day, having gotten minimal sleep the night before; it's not the greatest feeling. You're not able to focus on the task at hand, and the only thing on your mind is getting home, and going to bed.
During my life, I've definitely encountered way to many of these days, and I guess i really haven't learned my lesson yet. I guess it's a procrastination kind of thing. Like even when I don't have anything important to do at night, I stay up late sometimes doing pointless things that I forget about the next day. I think when I'm awake at night, I don't really ponder the next day, and realize how I'm going to feel and function doing things if I don't get enough sleep. I really pay the price of being deprived of sleep when I'm at school. It's really damaging to me because schoolwork becomes unimportant, I can't think straight sometimes, and socially, I become a bit more inactive. I also feel the effect of sleeplessness when I'm at a baseball practice or game. The thing about baseball is that it requires your undivided attention and focus, as well as hustle, so it's really difficult to play to your full potential when you're tired. So sometimes when I try to play when I'm tired, I make simple mistakes that I would otherwise not make had I got more sleep the night before. I want to be awake and energized during the day, so I guess I am learning little by little that if i get sleep now, I'll really appreciate it later.
As I go on in life, I know I will encounter many more important occurrences and events that will be important to me, and I can't be zoning out or showing sleeplessness. Things may have to go just right, and if i can't concentrate or do things to my full potential, I'll just be limiting myself to how far I can go in life. So the bottom line is sleep is more important than people think and it really can affect your life. So if you have the chance to, get to sleep early.
I'm still having trouble getting the voice recording off of my iPod. Does anyone have any thoughts or ideas on what I can do?
During my life, I've definitely encountered way to many of these days, and I guess i really haven't learned my lesson yet. I guess it's a procrastination kind of thing. Like even when I don't have anything important to do at night, I stay up late sometimes doing pointless things that I forget about the next day. I think when I'm awake at night, I don't really ponder the next day, and realize how I'm going to feel and function doing things if I don't get enough sleep. I really pay the price of being deprived of sleep when I'm at school. It's really damaging to me because schoolwork becomes unimportant, I can't think straight sometimes, and socially, I become a bit more inactive. I also feel the effect of sleeplessness when I'm at a baseball practice or game. The thing about baseball is that it requires your undivided attention and focus, as well as hustle, so it's really difficult to play to your full potential when you're tired. So sometimes when I try to play when I'm tired, I make simple mistakes that I would otherwise not make had I got more sleep the night before. I want to be awake and energized during the day, so I guess I am learning little by little that if i get sleep now, I'll really appreciate it later.
As I go on in life, I know I will encounter many more important occurrences and events that will be important to me, and I can't be zoning out or showing sleeplessness. Things may have to go just right, and if i can't concentrate or do things to my full potential, I'll just be limiting myself to how far I can go in life. So the bottom line is sleep is more important than people think and it really can affect your life. So if you have the chance to, get to sleep early.
I'm still having trouble getting the voice recording off of my iPod. Does anyone have any thoughts or ideas on what I can do?
This I Believe
The first this I believe essay I read was by illusionist, David Copperfield. In his essay, he stressed the value of kindness. He admitted that he wasn't the kindest person because people aren't born with the gift of being kind. Instead, we grow up hearing things like "kindness is for sissies" and "nice guys finish last." But he learned soon after his father's death that kindness doesn't have to be given in large packages, but small acts of kindness are good too. After reading this essay, I agree with his statement that "we're not trained for kindness." I think kindness just comes with how you're raised and how the people around you act. It takes an effort to be kind, but it's worth it to see what kinds of effects it has on people.
The next essay I read was by professional skateboarder, Tony Hawk. He believes that you should believe in what you do, even in other people don't believe in it. He believes in following your goals and doing what you love to do. In his story, he was looked down at by his high school careers teacher for pursuing his skateboarding career, but instead of giving into him and quitting, he just kept on doing what he loved to do. I can really learn from Tony Hawk's story because sometimes I feel like quitting things, but I need to learn to just focus on myself and what I can control, and follow my dreams.
The final essay I read was about failure and how failing in life is good for you. This man, Jon Carroll believes that "success is boring" and that you're not meant to succeed at something the first time around. Trying and failing, and trying things that you don't know you can do is how you're supposed to live life. I really agree with this essay because nothing is perfect, and there is always work to be done and room for improvement.
The next essay I read was by professional skateboarder, Tony Hawk. He believes that you should believe in what you do, even in other people don't believe in it. He believes in following your goals and doing what you love to do. In his story, he was looked down at by his high school careers teacher for pursuing his skateboarding career, but instead of giving into him and quitting, he just kept on doing what he loved to do. I can really learn from Tony Hawk's story because sometimes I feel like quitting things, but I need to learn to just focus on myself and what I can control, and follow my dreams.
The final essay I read was about failure and how failing in life is good for you. This man, Jon Carroll believes that "success is boring" and that you're not meant to succeed at something the first time around. Trying and failing, and trying things that you don't know you can do is how you're supposed to live life. I really agree with this essay because nothing is perfect, and there is always work to be done and room for improvement.
4 Generations
Yesterday, the class discussed the essay we read the night before called, "The Singer Solution to World Poverty" by Peter Singer. It was about the world of poverty and how people should give more to help the poor people of the world. Then, Mr. Watson assigned us to watch a movie which fit right in with the essay called, "4 Generations" by Robert Thompson. It was about an American man who lives in China who finds out from a weblog that there was a fake charity that said they'd give a poor family in Asia a Water Buffalo for $250, but there were no actual Water Buffalo. So he asked around the farming community and found out that a Water Buffalo is actually the equivalent of a year's salary to them. So he decided to collaborate with the writer of the blog and donate a Water Buffalo to the most deserving poor family in China.
My initial reaction to the movie was that I was very touched by the actions of the men, but especially by the speechless reaction of the family. I thought this video related to the essay because they were both focused on poverty, and I thought Thompson's video branched off of Singer's essay in a way. In the essay, Singer said that $200 could save someone's life, and the Water Buffalo is very much like the $200, although it's not necessarily saving someone's life. After looking at both the essay and video, my question is which method of donating to the poor is better?
My initial reaction to the movie was that I was very touched by the actions of the men, but especially by the speechless reaction of the family. I thought this video related to the essay because they were both focused on poverty, and I thought Thompson's video branched off of Singer's essay in a way. In the essay, Singer said that $200 could save someone's life, and the Water Buffalo is very much like the $200, although it's not necessarily saving someone's life. After looking at both the essay and video, my question is which method of donating to the poor is better?
The Singer Solution to World Poverty
After reading this article by Peter Singer, my first reaction was that it really opened my eyes to the reality of poverty in this world, and that we are living such selfish lives. While we enjoy all of our different luxuries like televisions, computers, video game systems, good food, and nice clothes, people around the world are struggling just to survive from minor diseases that we think are so easily cureable. As Singer mentioned, a mere $200 can save someone's life. That really made me realize how easy it is for everyone to just do their part and be able to save precious lives of these people. I think people today just take these charities for granted because they can't see the impact they're making or the faces of the people their saving, very much like Bob. People need to find it in their hearts to just do the right thing because we're the ones who are living the priveleged lives. I don't know anyone who wouldn't "value the life of a child more than going to fancy restaurants" or other buying unnecessary things, so why aren't people just giving money and saving lives? It's so simple. I'm not saying to donate your whole life savings and give up all of the luxuries you have, but just do your part and when everyone does it, we will all realize how big of an impact we're making on the world.
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