Outliers

The Outliers. Hmmm.

We all hear about the "exceptional" accomplishments that "great" leaders of our society have completed. We hear that majority of them started quite young. They were tinkering in their field waaaaay before any of us even have an idea of what we want to be once we are out of college.

In chapter 2 of the Outliers, I thought it was very interesting that Bill Joy has such a big part to our programming system, yet no one had even heard of his name in our classroom. His programs are still being used even today. (Like, WHUUUT? That's crazy! How do we not hear about him? Especially if our generation is basically attached at the hip with technology) It is unfortunate that his name is not as well-known as someone like Bill Gates or even someone as old as Thomas Edison.

The chapter is titled "The 10,000 Hour Rule" --which basically explains the 10,000 hours (at least) that leaders and prodigies spend in their field to become as great as they are. I thought it was funny that much our class thought of the activities he or she does. We all tried to calculate the amount of hours we have invested in a specific activity. Majority of our class was not very close to the 10,000 hours.

Was it encouraging or discouraging? Surprisingly, it really did not have an effect on me. I was neither disappointed nor motivated. I just thought the chapter was intriguing. Some of the others in our class did find it discouraging--and I can see why. 10,000 hours? Like seriously? I don't see myself as one of those people to be an "outlier," but I can still be successful in my own way.

:)

Ode to Biology

For my AP Lang blog post this week, I will be posting my very-own poem.

I call it...


Ode to Biology

Oh, dear biology
You cause me so much stress
It's not just me
It's you

Walking in to class everyday
Sometimes I can't wait for notes
Other times I just cannot
It would be more fun to sail on a boat

And oh, the teacher!
He goes by many names
Some may call him the sass master
Sometimes he may deserve it, we are not to blame

We don't hate you, Mr. Teacher (whose name will not be said)
But there are some days it's best not to meet your eye
Some think you hate them
And I explain no to them with a sigh

Oh, dear biology
The stress I have received this year is not for someone alive
Never have I struggled so much
But I am learning and will survive

End of the year here it comes
Should I be excited?
I feel more scared about the exam
Soon, bio will end and I'm sure we'll all be delighted!!

[Jk-- I will miss my bio class ;) ehe]

My ACTUAL Spring Break..

Oh how I wish I could call it the "Best Spring Break," but unfortunately, I cannot.

*sigh--

Coming home from school should be exciting right? Everyone ready to sleep, "party," and what not! NO. It's all a lie. I had no such "party" and "what not." What I did do was sleep! Lots and lots of sleep is what made up my "totally awesome spring break!" YES. Loved it--NOT. It sucked!

I came home from school Friday and ate some food before I slept til 9:00pm! Hmm.. Some could say that it was a great start to the break, but I disagree. I had a fever and this fever did not disappear until Monday morning. It was quite miserable and all my plans had gone down the drain. Everything was post-poned and I did not leave the house to do much. And the scariest part to this whole ordeal...

I DID NOT GO ON THE COMPUTER ONCE.

[Scary, I know.]

Only after Tuesday did I leave my house (but alas, half the break was almost gone). I did get to go out with my friends on Friday. We ate at Chili's for my 3-week-post birthday celebration. After Chili's we went on a great adventure to the Avenue. The ventured through those shopping buildings--only stopping to regain energy at Fuzziwig's Candy Store and a momentary break at the bathroom in Barnes and Noble. The trip ended with a safe journey back to the home of each traveler.

I guess I will conclude there and leave you to the mystery of the rest of my two days of freedom!

Best Spring Break EVER

P.O.V. of a Control Freak (this story is not real and completely fiction)

     Oh my, would you look at the date and time? It's already 9:10pm on March 28, 2013. Only a couple more days until our week of fun begins! SBXIII! Wow! So much to do, so little time! I should really start getting everyone together about the date and time we are all heading to the beach--because that is where we are going (I planned for it). There are 12 of us going and we have a total of 4 cars. We could have 3 people to a car; or maybe 4, 4, 2, 2; or maybe 3, 5, 2, 2; or maybe 5, 4, 3 and only take 3 cars! Oh, but we have to much stuff to haul around. Four cars is a must! This should have been settled ages ago like the other day when I planned that meeting at Starbucks. Unfortunately, one of my friends "could not" make it. It is now postponed to this Saturday. This is too close! We need to have everything planned 3 days prior at least. Everyone needs to have had their payment of the beach house paid by tomorrow at 3pm. I will make that deposit at 5pm, sharp. Why can't we all just be as responsible and prepared as me?

*sigh--

     WTF?? Another one of my friends just said they couldn't make the payment tomorrow because her parents are "out of town." Who even does that? Crunch time. It is now 9:20pm. I will just pay for her share and she can pay me back. Yeah. That seems alright. We can get the deposit paid and continue on with planning. The beach house. Maybe I should talk to the owner. Does it have enough rooms? Is there a tv? How many bathrooms? Is there even indoor plumbing? OH DEAR, so many questions, so little time! Why did I have to get stuck with the planning job--oh, that's right, I didn't want anyone else screwing this up. That is fine. I can finish this job and finish it well. As long as everyone follows my directions, this will be the best spring break ever...

The Greatness of the iPhone ♥

Life as we know it--well, for most of us Johns Creek denizens-- revolves around oh-so-precious pieces of technology (hint hint from the title, I am talking about the iPhone).

I can't even begin to explain how much I use my iPhone. I literally have it with me every where I go. I have it 24/7 for all 365 days of the year. It all started that one faithful day of my freshman year of high school. My dad was getting a new phone....SOOOOO... GUESS WHO GOT HIS OLD IPHONE 3!!

That's right.

ME.

I was such a cool cat, going around with my iPhone (this was before practically everyone had one).

As the iPhones advanced, I eventually upgraded to an iPhone 4.
I am completely and utterly addicted to it. I admit. I literally cannot have it away from me for long periods of time. I always have it with me in school. It's usually in the most accessible pocket of my backpack--and to be honest, I do have it out in some class period.

At home, I spend most of my time texting people (rather than doing that Pre Calc homework that I need to catch up on), calling (when I should be finishing up my project for Spanish), and last but not least: SNAPCHATTING.

The most addicting app for me. Basically communication with friends through pictures -0-

I really need to get rid of my iPhone because it takes LOTS and LOTS (a prodigious amount) of time out of my schedule. I also have to admit I do become a little more rebellious with my parents since I have the freedom to do so much anyways. With the iPhone I can pretty much do anything that I can on the computer.

:P

iPhones suck!! But they are so great!! **sigh

#thestruggle

My Future (15 Years Down the Road)

1. Name -- Arielle Park.

2. Employment -- CFO (Chief Financial Officer) of Oreo Brand

3. Family -- Married to Jaejoong Kim.
               -- 4 children.

4. Leisure time -- Read books, play tennis, and spend time with the family.

5. Place In Society -- I have become one of the world's greatest CFOs and I am well-known throughout the business profession. I have fought for equality between men and women.

6. Setting -- I live in Aspen, Colorado. My house is like a mini-mansion. We have a pool in the back with a hot tub. I have a porch and a garden. The backyard is large and holds a view of some mountains. Every morning, you can watch the sunrise.

7. Satisfaction -- I am very happy, ecstatic even. I have accomplished all the long-term goals I have set for myself. I believe I would be the one responsible for my feelings. I'm sure the support of my family and friends would help along the way, but in the end it would all depends on how I take responsibility and control over my life.

8. Turning point -- In my high school career, I finally found something that I was genuinely interested in AND was plausible as my future career. Accounting is my career option in life.

What makes an outstanding teacher?

What makes an outstanding teacher?

~~~

Hmmm.. That is a very good question with many good answers!

~~~

I personally believe that this question is bias and depends completely on the person.

~~~

I think an important characteristic that an outstanding teacher would have is for that teacher to have her students understand her, while also having the ability to understand her students. Times do get tough for us students sometimes. With all the projects, tests, quizzes, and daily homework our lives to get a little hectic and [extremely] stressful.

An outstanding teacher (I will now be referring to an "outstanding teacher" as "OT"--just because I can and it is easier) should also be able to keep her students' attention within class. They should be able to get the lesson taught, yet involving the students. There is this thing we call "teacher fun," which unfortunately has no correlation to what we students consider "fun". Some activities done in class can sometimes lose the minds wandering away. Grabbing and holding a student's attention in class is essential for success.

Some teachers are rather awkward to talk to. Unfortunately, these are the worst ones to have. It is hard to talk to them. When someone has a question, naturally a teacher will go to explain it. Sometimes some students still do not understand it and just nod and say "ooooh!" This is seen in many instances--trust me.

When students ask a "stupid question" it is also in the teacher's judgement whether or not to judge that question as rather not-so-smart or a simple error. Some students are discouraged when teacher shoot their question down. It is part of the teacher's job to, hopefully, get everyone on the same page and encourage them to pursue higher goals.

~~~

And the student went on to greater things, through the teachings of the outstanding teacher.

Happily ever after.

The end.