Hey everyone,
I couldn't decide on a free topic (again), so I decided to write about how I feel about the future. I know it shouldn't be a big worry of mine, and it isn't, but I've been doing some thinking of where I'll be when I'm older, like 17, for example. I was scrolling through my news feed on Facebook, and came across a status from a friend who I know goes through a lot of personal struggles. The status basically said, "Don't think. Because when you think you realize how messed up everything is. You realize you don't know how you got here, or where you're going, and you just don't know what to do anymore."
To me, at first sight, the status sounded kind of depressing, but it actually got me to reflect, and think, "where will I be when I'm older?", or "what will I do in the future?" By the time I turn 17, which I thought about recently, I'll be a senior in school, but that's not all I need to focus on. I know I was put here for a reason, and I haven't found it yet, which I'm sure most of us haven't either. I don't know what's in store for me either, but I want to do great things and experience life with no regrets or worries. I know this post seems kind of relatable to everyone and inspirational, but seeing this status and thinking past it honestly made an impact on me. I shouldn't be thinking (or worried) too much about my future, but I still want to look at my stance, respect myself for where I've gotten and carry on from there, because I've got a lot to see in the world and a lot of living left to do!
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Global Issues Research
I've got to say, I feel like I've made a lot of progress from where I started in the whole research experience. Looking back to December, gathering a lot of sources in History class seemed like an easy task, because my teacher doesn't normally check up on our work and it's good to see that he could guide us through the first part of the process. Gathering these sources didn't seem overwhelming as long as I kept them relatively close and made sure that they don't drift off too far from one another.
My topic is human trafficking, but I've narrowed it down to where I first started. The idea was actually inspired because it caught my attention when scrolling through a list of topics that our History teacher provided for us, and I knew I would catch interest easily. After getting a good understanding, I knew that human trafficking is the selling of children and adults around the world and abusing them to make a profit. However, I knew this was broad and could be argued differently among people, so I narrowed it down. I specifically restated my topic as the advertisement of minors over the Internet and how that has been reviewed by prosecutors, and how prostitution has expanded in countries, but is slowly being controlled.
The whole process hasn't been as exhausting as I expected; I've gotten decent work done in making a detailed outline and separating my sources into topics I can manage. I have planned out my entire essay so far, and I hope to start on making an introduction by tomorrow. So far, I've become less worried for the outcome because I know this is a topic I can handle and support. And now that I've spread out my sources according to the outline where I can support them, the first draft shouldn't be a major issue. My biggest fear is accidentally plagiarizing if I can't provide a source because I know that can hurt my paper in the long run. I think if I manage time well and work diligently on organizing the paper, then I can definitely handle explaining the specifics in a way that makes others aware of human trafficking.
Total Minutes on Research (1/23-1/29):
Monday 1/23 - 80 minutes spent reading Norton and studying ways to make paper effective, as well as looking over sources and summarizing.
Sunday 1/29 - 70 minutes spent revising my detailed outline and planning out rough draft, looking back on research, and narrowing down sources.
My topic is human trafficking, but I've narrowed it down to where I first started. The idea was actually inspired because it caught my attention when scrolling through a list of topics that our History teacher provided for us, and I knew I would catch interest easily. After getting a good understanding, I knew that human trafficking is the selling of children and adults around the world and abusing them to make a profit. However, I knew this was broad and could be argued differently among people, so I narrowed it down. I specifically restated my topic as the advertisement of minors over the Internet and how that has been reviewed by prosecutors, and how prostitution has expanded in countries, but is slowly being controlled.
The whole process hasn't been as exhausting as I expected; I've gotten decent work done in making a detailed outline and separating my sources into topics I can manage. I have planned out my entire essay so far, and I hope to start on making an introduction by tomorrow. So far, I've become less worried for the outcome because I know this is a topic I can handle and support. And now that I've spread out my sources according to the outline where I can support them, the first draft shouldn't be a major issue. My biggest fear is accidentally plagiarizing if I can't provide a source because I know that can hurt my paper in the long run. I think if I manage time well and work diligently on organizing the paper, then I can definitely handle explaining the specifics in a way that makes others aware of human trafficking.
Total Minutes on Research (1/23-1/29):
Monday 1/23 - 80 minutes spent reading Norton and studying ways to make paper effective, as well as looking over sources and summarizing.
Sunday 1/29 - 70 minutes spent revising my detailed outline and planning out rough draft, looking back on research, and narrowing down sources.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Viva la Vida
Hey Block 3,
Today I decided to blog about concerts I've been to, particularly one that I went to a couple of years ago. When I was in about sixth grade, one of my friends really got me into music by the alternative British band, Coldplay. I had heard popular songs by them before, but seeing them live brought a whole new feeling. Their hit single, "Viva la Vida" was a song that I learned to enjoy because I was older and had a richer taste in music. My friend recommended that we should see them in concert, and when they went on tour, they were playing in the New Orleans Arena in early summer. When their second-to-latest album, Viva la Vida, came out, I listened to almost every song, especially before going to their concert.
Like I said, seeing a band play live is a totally different experience than hearing them on laptop or phones. When I eventually went with my parents, sister, and our friends, we would sing along with the rest of the crowd to their music. Some of the action there was kind of adult for me back then, but the time I had was indescribable. When they played the song "Yellow," the on-set crew would throw giant balloons in the air for the crowd toss around, and that was classic. To this day, I have been listening to Coldplay's music (old and new), and they remain one of my favorite bands. I had waited for so long for their newest album, Mylo Xyloto, to hit the market, and when it did, I bought every single song. Their kind of music is different to me because their lyrics bring meanings that aren't the easiest to relate to, but are deep and catchy for anyone to hear.
Check out their music here! --> http://www.myspace.com/coldplay
Today I decided to blog about concerts I've been to, particularly one that I went to a couple of years ago. When I was in about sixth grade, one of my friends really got me into music by the alternative British band, Coldplay. I had heard popular songs by them before, but seeing them live brought a whole new feeling. Their hit single, "Viva la Vida" was a song that I learned to enjoy because I was older and had a richer taste in music. My friend recommended that we should see them in concert, and when they went on tour, they were playing in the New Orleans Arena in early summer. When their second-to-latest album, Viva la Vida, came out, I listened to almost every song, especially before going to their concert.
Like I said, seeing a band play live is a totally different experience than hearing them on laptop or phones. When I eventually went with my parents, sister, and our friends, we would sing along with the rest of the crowd to their music. Some of the action there was kind of adult for me back then, but the time I had was indescribable. When they played the song "Yellow," the on-set crew would throw giant balloons in the air for the crowd toss around, and that was classic. To this day, I have been listening to Coldplay's music (old and new), and they remain one of my favorite bands. I had waited for so long for their newest album, Mylo Xyloto, to hit the market, and when it did, I bought every single song. Their kind of music is different to me because their lyrics bring meanings that aren't the easiest to relate to, but are deep and catchy for anyone to hear.
Check out their music here! --> http://www.myspace.com/coldplay
Reading Response #2: Know Your Enemy
Hey guys, so I decided to give my responses titles so I won't have to say "Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins" for each response. Usually the titles will relate to what I read in the 150 minutes, and there's definitely a lot to be said about this past reading. As I've read, I noticed that the book's intensity is growing even more, and I'm starting to react to this with greater question and am still enjoying it! But does anyone know that feeling when you read and it feels like you've read a lot, when it really hasn't been that much? Well, I definitely felt that while reading last night, and the reason for this is because there was so much going on all at once.
First, we begin with Katniss having to "get away" and escape to District Two with a few of her comrades. I find this odd since this is the only district in all of Panem aligned with the Capitol, or at least that's what I read from it. Gale, Katniss' long-time friend and fellow hunter, who is also part of the love triangle with Peeta and Katniss, has suggested a plan of rebellion. After finding ways to take District Two's base of operation, or "The Nut," he knows that the only way to do it is to trap them inside by blocking their exits. At first, I found Gale to be a quiet mercenary force who played by the rules, but now I find that he's starting to show signs of violence. And I suppose that it would be accurate to call him a sociopath, after seeing him destroy so many lives in the avalanche.
Unlike Gale, Katniss is disturbed with the haunting memories of what it feels like to lose someone you love. I'm surprised Gale didn't feel the same way, as both of them have lost a parent. Unfortunately, Gale's plan creates a reversal on those plotting against the rebels, and a full-on revolution breaks out in the street. After visualizing this, I immediately noticed that this is an example of "strength vs. humility," with Gale's strength in taking down rebel forces drowning out Katniss' humble words. In an attempt to intervene the fighting going on, Katniss delivers a speech meant to go out to all of Panem, telling them what their purpose is: to override the power of the Capitol. The meaning of taking down the Capitol once and for all is shown, and Katniss tries to make everyone aware of their true enemy.
The meaning of the title, Mockingjay, never truly clicked to me, even after reading so much and interpreting each situation. But I have seen a lot of repetition of Katniss symbolizing "the Mockingjay," with it being everyone's job to protect her, and to be used as a symbol of overthrowing the Capitol. There has been a lot of argument over this, over who is truthful enough to be involved with Capitol rebellion. Later, after much time for recovery, Katniss gets the chance to see Peeta. As they have a heart-to-heart conversation of their memories and connections, but Katniss tries not to confuse Peeta by getting angry. After piecing everything together from reading, I drew conclusions that everyone's intensity is growing as the Capitol pushes for more reasons to get their viewers angry. This makes it more exciting to see the outcome of Capitol rebellion, and hopefully Katniss can join the fleet later on in the book.
Total Minutes:
Saturday - 60 (8:15-9:15)
Saturday - 60 (9:45-10:45)
Sunday - 30 (10:40-11:10)
Pages Read: 38
First, we begin with Katniss having to "get away" and escape to District Two with a few of her comrades. I find this odd since this is the only district in all of Panem aligned with the Capitol, or at least that's what I read from it. Gale, Katniss' long-time friend and fellow hunter, who is also part of the love triangle with Peeta and Katniss, has suggested a plan of rebellion. After finding ways to take District Two's base of operation, or "The Nut," he knows that the only way to do it is to trap them inside by blocking their exits. At first, I found Gale to be a quiet mercenary force who played by the rules, but now I find that he's starting to show signs of violence. And I suppose that it would be accurate to call him a sociopath, after seeing him destroy so many lives in the avalanche.
Unlike Gale, Katniss is disturbed with the haunting memories of what it feels like to lose someone you love. I'm surprised Gale didn't feel the same way, as both of them have lost a parent. Unfortunately, Gale's plan creates a reversal on those plotting against the rebels, and a full-on revolution breaks out in the street. After visualizing this, I immediately noticed that this is an example of "strength vs. humility," with Gale's strength in taking down rebel forces drowning out Katniss' humble words. In an attempt to intervene the fighting going on, Katniss delivers a speech meant to go out to all of Panem, telling them what their purpose is: to override the power of the Capitol. The meaning of taking down the Capitol once and for all is shown, and Katniss tries to make everyone aware of their true enemy.
The meaning of the title, Mockingjay, never truly clicked to me, even after reading so much and interpreting each situation. But I have seen a lot of repetition of Katniss symbolizing "the Mockingjay," with it being everyone's job to protect her, and to be used as a symbol of overthrowing the Capitol. There has been a lot of argument over this, over who is truthful enough to be involved with Capitol rebellion. Later, after much time for recovery, Katniss gets the chance to see Peeta. As they have a heart-to-heart conversation of their memories and connections, but Katniss tries not to confuse Peeta by getting angry. After piecing everything together from reading, I drew conclusions that everyone's intensity is growing as the Capitol pushes for more reasons to get their viewers angry. This makes it more exciting to see the outcome of Capitol rebellion, and hopefully Katniss can join the fleet later on in the book.
Total Minutes:
Saturday - 60 (8:15-9:15)
Saturday - 60 (9:45-10:45)
Sunday - 30 (10:40-11:10)
Pages Read: 38
Monday, January 16, 2012
The Story Behind The Shirt
Today I realized that I needed to blog about a free topic, and I had no idea what to say. I knew I would need some inspiration from a close friend and also get feedback on ideas I had. I wanted to be original, and decided that I should come up with a creative idea that no one would expect to hear. This afternoon, it was time to start brainstorming, and as usual I rejected ideas that others had because I didn't want people to get the wrong impression. So eventually my friend, Kirstie, gave me the insane idea to blog about a shirt I was wearing. I thought, "how insane is that? There's no way I can write two paragraphs on a t-shirt!" But then I reconsidered and decided to blog about just that!
The shirt I'm wearing says "Keep Austin Weird" on the back side, referring to Austin, Texas. The whole idea of actually thinking about the shirt came about early last year when I saw my sister wearing a baseball cap that said the exact same thing. I'd seen her wear it before, but I didn't want to tell her directly because it wasn't that important to me. But on this day in particular I felt like bringing it up, so I said, "hey, where'd you get that hat?" She told me she got it in Texas, and then I told her I wanted a shirt that said that. I wasn't thinking about it, but this day was a few months before my birthday, so this might have been the best, if unexpected, time to bring up the idea. And I'm sure I gave her a pretty good idea to think about in advance, so I hoped she would make considerations to it.
For my birthday, I went to the beach with family and friends so we celebrated then, but she wasn't around at the time. It wasn't really that much of a letdown, because I don't usually see her often. The next time I saw her was in the middle of summer, like around early July. As always, close relatives who miss my birthday will send me gifts in the next week or so after my birthday, and she came back with one for me. It felt like forever since I even thought about the shirt, and there it was in the gift bag, a deep purple shirt with "Keep Austin Weird" on the back. I was more than grateful because the gift was honestly the most meaningful of all. The main reason I like the shirt is because of the slogan, because even though it's kind of offensive, it describes my personality, although people do tend to enjoy it. To this day, I still like to wear it because it's comfortable and creative at the same time, and I can tell it's a shirt that any person from the South can wear freely.
The shirt I'm wearing says "Keep Austin Weird" on the back side, referring to Austin, Texas. The whole idea of actually thinking about the shirt came about early last year when I saw my sister wearing a baseball cap that said the exact same thing. I'd seen her wear it before, but I didn't want to tell her directly because it wasn't that important to me. But on this day in particular I felt like bringing it up, so I said, "hey, where'd you get that hat?" She told me she got it in Texas, and then I told her I wanted a shirt that said that. I wasn't thinking about it, but this day was a few months before my birthday, so this might have been the best, if unexpected, time to bring up the idea. And I'm sure I gave her a pretty good idea to think about in advance, so I hoped she would make considerations to it.
For my birthday, I went to the beach with family and friends so we celebrated then, but she wasn't around at the time. It wasn't really that much of a letdown, because I don't usually see her often. The next time I saw her was in the middle of summer, like around early July. As always, close relatives who miss my birthday will send me gifts in the next week or so after my birthday, and she came back with one for me. It felt like forever since I even thought about the shirt, and there it was in the gift bag, a deep purple shirt with "Keep Austin Weird" on the back. I was more than grateful because the gift was honestly the most meaningful of all. The main reason I like the shirt is because of the slogan, because even though it's kind of offensive, it describes my personality, although people do tend to enjoy it. To this day, I still like to wear it because it's comfortable and creative at the same time, and I can tell it's a shirt that any person from the South can wear freely.
Reading Response #1: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
After a long break from outside reading, I had a difficult time adjusting to reading my current book, Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins. This is the final book in The Hunger Games trilogy and I can't be any more excited to see the outcome! While reading, I found it hard to focus because I was trying to analyze everything I read. But I found that when I read straight from the text, I could comprehend everything that was happening. My last stopping point was in the middle of a chapter that I had forgotten all about, so I had to go back a few pages and refresh my memory. Lately, Katniss has been worried for her star-crossed lover, Peeta, now that he's in the Capitol's hands. She knows that her fate will be miserable and that she will die in vain, and yet she has a difficult time accepting this current status. She's been at war with the Capitol since book two and she has yet to stand her ground, for what she believes is right: to kill the President for his outlandish crimes.
All of a sudden, I found the book moving at a hurtling rate towards the climax, because I knew things were growing grim for Katniss as tension increased. For example, when she had the chance to reunite with Peeta, he attacks her after being hypnotized by Capitol propaganda, which is used to make him think that Katniss is the enemy. In fact, the Capitol has overrun his mind so that he forgets Katniss and blames her for the burning of District 12. She later accepts that Peeta has been captivated by Capitol punishment and will never be the same. It makes me wonder if the book is on a downhill slope, and that things will only grow worse for Katniss' fate, but I'm still trying to enjoy reading it. The Capitol has created a mindset that those who rebel against them will be tolerated and their loved ones will be killed. This cruel reality is slowly becoming the fate for all residents of Panem. So the question remains: will things turn around for Katniss, and will the Capitol collapse as she grows stronger? Stay tuned!
Total Minutes:
Friday 1/13 - 30
Sunday 1/15 - 40
Sunday 1/15 - 80
Pages Read: 46
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Heading Into 2012
By the time 2011 was coming to a close, I started to do a lot of reflecting on the past year: the places I'd been, the memories I had made with the people I loved. And by the time all of that was over I knew I could cherish them, but it was time to move on. Everyone wants to change or better themselves as a knew year comes around because it is a fresh start, a time for redemption. With it, there is also a long list of resolutions to be made in order to fulfill the wishes for a new year. Everyone wants to set a game plan to meet goals, but the problem with new years' resolutions is that these goals are mostly unrealistic! This is the main contribution to goals not being met, and the disappointments that come along with it.
My plan is to just go with the flow of what has been planned for me and to not put so much thought into little things, rather than just getting them done. Every time I list a set of goals for myself, I always get carried away with what I say I can do, and when the time comes to put words into actions, it doesn't happen. Therefore, I plan to set goals that I know I can achieve. My plan for this year is to find a happy balance between school, friends, family, sports, social activities, extracurricular activities, and even downtime for myself so that I won't be as stressed trying to juggle everything at once. Another realistic goal I have is to manage my time to the fullest when it comes to meeting priorities, instead of wasting my time doing things that won't help me fulfill my goals. If I stay committed to these goals, I know I can accomplish what I need to do and to find that balance.
My plan is to just go with the flow of what has been planned for me and to not put so much thought into little things, rather than just getting them done. Every time I list a set of goals for myself, I always get carried away with what I say I can do, and when the time comes to put words into actions, it doesn't happen. Therefore, I plan to set goals that I know I can achieve. My plan for this year is to find a happy balance between school, friends, family, sports, social activities, extracurricular activities, and even downtime for myself so that I won't be as stressed trying to juggle everything at once. Another realistic goal I have is to manage my time to the fullest when it comes to meeting priorities, instead of wasting my time doing things that won't help me fulfill my goals. If I stay committed to these goals, I know I can accomplish what I need to do and to find that balance.
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