It comes to an end

    So this school year is coming to an end, and summer is around the corner. Looking back on all this, I must say this year was quite memorable. For one thing I never would have imagined that I would be blogging. The class that began all this was nonfiction writing. We spent most of our time in this class reading essays, sharing our ideas, writing essays, and blogging. After this semester I feel that my writing has improved.
    I feel that this class was very useful. Before this class I feel that I had trouble expressing what I wanted to say in my writing. In most of my essays I did not have a lot of details in my writing which made my essay feel lacking something. With a lot of in class writing and advice for my writing I feel that I have made progress with my writing capabilities. Besides that though one thing I enjoyed in this class was writing blogs. I thought that this was a unique way of helping improve our writing and help us be more creative and share our thoughts. I also like our in class discussions about essays and books that we had read. This gave us an opportunity to further share our opinions on topics ranging from serious matters like fear, to fun topics like the potato.
    This English class has been different then my usual English classes. In most typical English classes we usually read a book, then write an essay dealing with the book. However in nonfiction writing the teacher gave us more freedom in the topics that we would write about. This class helped me to write freely and express my writing in a way that I had not  yet done before. This has no doubt helped my writing improve.

Besides the teaching aspect of nonfiction writing class, I also like how relaxed the atmosphere in the classroom felt. Our teacher was quite funny and would come up with spontaneous speeches about random topics like love, which was pretty random, but interesting to hear. She was very lenient with the work that we turned in, giving us extensions whenever we needed them. Not only that, but our teacher agreed to have an end of the year picnic. I felt that this was not only one of the most fun English classes, but one of the most ideal learning environments I could ask for. I am very thankful for the opportunity to take this English class.  

   

Our World

This week has been crazy. Recently there has been a lot of news that has been quite shocking. Somethings have happened that have caused me to think of our world in a different light.

Everyone should know about Osama bin laden, the most hunted man in the world. It has been around ten years since the terrorist attacks on the world trade center lead by Osama bin laden which have left thousands died, and the United States in a state of panic. This past Sunday it was reported that the United States had found Osama, and shot him when he tried to resist. This news brought joy across the country. I myself was surprised at the sudden news of this happening. Even though he had not really affected me personally, I had never thought about the impact Osama bin laden had on the United States, and how much he has changed it.

Something else that happened locally in the news that surprised me were the shooting at the Market Place Mall. Champaign police officers had responded to a report of a vehicle containing a passenger in possession of a gun. When the police had arrived at the mall to locate the vehicle, they heard gun shots followed by then seeing an active shooter firing multiple rounds at a male student. There were a few injuries, but nothing fatal. This news in particular was surprising as the mall was a familiar place to me, and I would not have expected this too happen.

Another thing that happened this week was the intruder at Kenny Gym. The guy was described as a thin man wearing a red jacket and baseball cap. He was often seeing riding the MTD. The perpetrator was known for harassing some of the girls on the bus, however this time he went further as he followed the girl to Kenny Gym. Much panic ensued as the teachers there kept the stranger out of the building. The intruder was said to have come from a home for the handicapped. Despite this, it is quite unsettling to think about how an event like this could happen somewhere as close as my school.

I have to say that this past week has been filled with crazy news. From the national news of Osama’s death, to my school’s news of an intruder, all of this has caused quite a commotion. These news have changed my idea that nothing bad can happen to me, and has made me think...what has the world come to?

It's time to duel!

With too much free time to spare during spring break I searched for stuff to do. While flipping through the channels on the TV, I happened to come across Pokemon. This show brought me to think about the good old days of my childhood, and how I would wake up early for those Saturday morning cartoons. As a kid, I enjoyed watching TV if not for the thrills, but maybe for relaxing days for the past. However as I was watching the TV show, I realized just how bad kid TV shows have gotten compared to when I was a kid. It maybe that I just got older, however the kid TV shows nowadays just seem to be lacking.

The first show that I loved as a kid was Pokemon. It was one of the earliest shows that I watched. The story revolves around a boy named Ash who wants to become the greatest Pokemon trainer in the world. Not an easy goal. However on his way he meets friends and foes as he works his way around the world trying to become the very best. One of the reasons I guess I enjoyed this show was the simplicity around it. The show now though just seems pretty awful. Each episode consists of Ash making a new friend, then finding a new Pokemon, then fighting his nemesis Team Rocket. The show has gotten so redundant, that it just does not meet the standards of what it used to be. Not to mention it has been like ten years, and the kid is still ten years old. They keep trying to come up with new Pokemon as well that just don't meet up to standards. I mean seriously a Pokemon that looks like an ice-cream cone? I think that this show has gone on for far too long.

Another show that I think was ruined is Yu-gi-oh. This shows centers around a boy named Yugi who completes a puzzle and awakens the spirit of an ancient Pharaoh. Together they try and find the Pharaoh’s lost memory. However there are evil encounters that prevent this from happening. Most of the plot is centered around a card-game called duel monsters. This show used to be my favorite. I loved almost everything about it. Despite this the show has taken a turn for the worse. The current season involves brand new characters that I don't care much for, as well as an attempt to make it better by combining duel monsters and racing. The producers must have thought that racing was cool, and duel monsters is cool therefore the show cant get worse if you just combined these two ideas for something different. This in my opinion did not work, it just makes the show even more ridiculous then it was before.

It maybe that I just have gotten older and more mature, thus not enjoying these shows as much as before. I just think that most kids shows have gotten so ridiculous in their attempts to become popular that most of them are not even good anymore. One thing is for certain though, I miss being a kid.

You think I dont know what day comes after friday?

Today is Friday. Probably the next thing that you are thinking after reading this is tomorrow is Saturday, and Sunday comes afterward. This is an obvious fact, however the reason that you are probably thinking this is not just because you are dimwitted enough to spend your time thinking of these trivial facts, but because of the new popular song by Rebecca Black titled Friday.

This song is ridiculous, and not in the good way. The lyrics in itself are one of the problems. With lines such as “Gotta have my bowl, gotta have cereal” and “Gotta catch my bus, I see my friends”. The cheesiness of the plot of this song, just makes it hard to listen to. The other problem with this song is that the entire thing is auto-tuned. A lot of times auto-tune creates a cool effect to the song, however in this case it was just to over the top. I am probably not the only one who thinks this either as it has even been slammed on the internet as the worst video in the world, and that it is a parody of today’s pop songs.  

There are however the people who think that this is catchy. Students have been singing this song everywhere I go at school, and I have to admit that this song is catchy as it gets stuck in your head. I mean it has become a youtube hit with over 17 million views in just a week, and it is in the top 50 on the itunes shop, so she must be doing something right.

Although the song is catchy I still cant stand to listen to it. To make things worse today is Friday, causing others to repeatedly play the song over and over. I guess music nowadays has definitely changed, but is it for the better?

Red Bull

Lately I feel more tired than usual. School this past week has been very busy recently as the quarter is coming to an end, and teachers think that this is the perfect time to start piling up work.  Sleep is one of the only times where I feel relaxed, however all this work has got me staying up way longer than I want. I am used to sleeping late and not getting enough sleep, however this need for sleep is slowly catching up with me.

Thinking that I did not really need sleep was a bad idea. The effects of sleep deprivation were more severe then I thought. Sleep deprivation is linked with many effects that range from depression to memory problems to hallucinations to headaches. Even though I suffer from none of these I often find myself exhausted at school, yawning in the middle of lectures, and finding it hard to stay awake during my classes. Just this morning I woke up with my eyes-bloodshot red from the lack of sleep. Not a healthy sign.

This is probably a sign that I should  start making changes to get more amounts of sleep. Even though this week has been one of the worst, I guess all this work is manageable if I put my mind on it. Reflecting back, a lot of times the reason for me staying up so late is due to bad habits. Cutting back on emails and TV could be a big contributor to sleeping earlier. However this is easier said then done. Everybody needs their own free time.

Overall, taking my advice, and trying to sleep earlier could cause wonders to having better days. I have realized that sleep is essential, and getting the recommended eight hours now seems like a very good idea. Alas, it is already very late, I should take my own advice and get ready to sleep.

Asians cant drive

Everyday I hear some type of stereotype against one race or another. Stereotypes can be a fun way to joke around with friends. Friends often joke around saying that because I am Asian, I am probably a bad driver and good at math. I have to agree on the most part, I am not the best driver because I cant park really well, and I am okay at doing math. I do not take offense to stereotypes that are directed to me. I just shrug it off, and have a good laugh over it. Stereotypes seem to be such a common thing nowadays though as it is often used in the media to get their point across.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5peC9wFu64w
http://www.tmz.com/2010/01/06/kfc-australia-racist-commercial-kentucky-fried-chicken/

In these two videos it portrays Obama supporting kfc’s new sandwich. In the other video it shows a white guy who is in a bit of a predicament. He however gets out og his awkward situation by handing the crowd a bucket of fried chicken. Both of these support the stereotype that African Americans love their fried chicken. Who doesn't like fried chicken?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ua2EE6Uil40
This video shows the stereotype that Asian parents are afraid of African Americans. It is also funny how this commercial compares an African American, to toothpaste which in its own sense is quite degrading. With the comment of “appearance can be deceiving” it  just further shows the stereotypes that are put on African Americans


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJmZUcP_uU4
In this commercial the blonde is advertised as someone who is annoying, greedy, and stupid. Even though she has the opportunity for 3 free wishes she screws up and it backfires. Typical blonde?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6rBrJhWAfk&feature=player_embedded
Despite not wanting to think it, but my first reaction to this video was he was probably Arab. However after scrolling down the comments I soon realized the fact that you can not really tell his race. However due to the stereotype that Arabs are suicide bombers, my first reaction was one that society in some ways had conditioned me to think.


These stereotypes in the media are quite offensive. They display traits about the race of the people that may not even be true. However in my opinion I do not feel any harm from these ads.It is just an advertising technique used to sell more of a product. I think that it is just a light-hearted joke that may have gone just a little too far.

Meeting Expectations

As we are growing up, we start to encounter more and more things we need to do, and we become even busier than one can imagine. Most of us though, feel like it is our responsibility to complete these things to meet other people’s expectations. Meeting other people’s expectations seems so trivial, and yet it is so important. In my life I feel that I have met and failed to meet expectations, as well as felt that something did not meet up to my expectations.

   

A time where I felt that I had met with other people’s expectations is when I volunteer and help other people out. Not only am I able to help other people and make a difference for them in a positive way, I feel that I also meet my own expectations, and feel good about myself afterward.                                       

    I believe that everyone wants to meet other people’s expectations; however it is never quite easy. One thing that I believe almost everyone can relate to is with our parents. More often than not, I feel that I have not met up with my parent’s expectations. Being at the time of my life where I need to start worrying about college, my parents care very much about my grades in school, and the ACT test scores. They are often discouraged by my grades or test scores, making me quite bothered by failing to meet with my parent’s standards.
   
    Something that I believe did not quite meet my expectations is having a dog. Before I had one, I very much wanted one. Upon adopting one from the humanity society, I found that it was very much different than what I had previously expected. My dog would be impossible to take on walks as he had way too much strength, and he would often run off after seeing a bunny. What I had first assumed would be fun and games, turned out to be more trouble than I had first expected it to be. However I still very much love my dog.
          
    Not everything can ever go as smoothly as we want, so from all this I have understood that you just have to feel good about yourself, and there is not much else too it. As long as you meet your own expectations, in some ways you have already succeeded.