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.

Happy birthday!! ♥

Today is my brother-dearest birthday!! WOOHOO!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ADRIAN!! YOU GET A RANDOM POST ON MY AP LANG BLOG (LOL) !!

I hope you had a wonderful day!!

[You/he will probably never see this.. But it's okay because I wrote him a personal card, too]

I have been with my brother since he was born!! ♥

He has been once of my best friends for quite the while :D !!

Here is a poem in his honor [that I found from the internet]:

Brother of mine
I know sometimes I may whine
But deep down I really find you somewhat divine

You are smarter than you think.
Smarter than me – in some ways
Wiser than you know - 
You have experienced pains and joys
Some twice your age have never seen
Because of all of this you are three times the man

Brother of mine
I could be no prouder
I could love you no more
I will always be here for you.
No matter what occurs - 
No matter what is said or done
I will never be too far away
No matter the distance 
You’ll always be in my heart. 

♥

Source: Brother Of Mine, Brother Poem
http://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/brother-of-mine#ixzz2Qla2wX4I 
www.FamilyFriendPoems.com 

I read that a couple of days ago and thought that it really reminded me of him. I could make this AP LANG-related and use my magical rhetorical analysis on how the author constructed this poem, but I will save that for another time. For now, I will just leave it as it stands. It's a poem I will maybe read to my brother one day. :')

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Love,
Arielle :)

Joe was the last person on earth I'd expect to do that.

"Joe was the last person on earth I'd expect to do that."

~~~~~~~~~

My friends and I were sitting at our table in Starbucks last Thursday when we heard the chime of the door sound, signalling that someone had entered. We all turned around and in came Joe dripping wet from walking to Starbucks from his house (that happens to be 8 miles away) in the pouring rain. Things only got stranger from there. After thoroughly drying his shoes on the rug, he began to take of his outer layer of clothes. It surprised most of us that he was wearing a whole new outfit underneath it all. Underneath was a very nice, clean-cut tuxedo that seemed to be tailored just for him.

Out of no where, he pulled out a rose from his pocket and skipped to everyone in the Starbucks, asking if they would like to smell it. He never did come near us though. After majority of the customers declined his offer, he then ordered a drink. Upon receiving his drink, he burned his tongue and proceeded to smash the coffee cup into the floor. At this point, we all thought Joe was crazy. He then pretended to act like a dog and lick it all up--off of the floor.

Finally, my friend went up to him and asked, "Joe, are you crazy? You are in public and going nuts on this place. What's wrong?"

Joe answered, "I just wanted to let you see how much you drive me crazy."

My friend was speechless. Joe had just confessed to her. The next thing that happened was predictable. Joe then took her hand and asked her to prom.

At the end, I admitted, "Joe was the last person on earth I'd expect to do that."

TED Talk Review

The relationship between any father and daughter is one to truly cherish. Angela Patton makes this clear in the TED talk she has filmed. Her understanding of what a true bond between a father and a daughter should be is evidence to her argument. The two main appeals used in her talk is ethos and pathos. She crafts her argument through a chronological set of events that compiles the whole talk to one.

She starts with the story that illuminated the light on the precise topic her entire argument is about. The small anecdote reminisces a time she had with her friends that helped her realize the need and pull she felt towards the idea that daughters need to have connections to their fathers--especially comparing it to the one her close friend does not have. What she shares with the audience exposes their minds and hearts to the privilege some people to do not have with their fathers. By juxtaposing the idea of her friend complaining about her dad always "being on her back" and "calling all the time"; to the idea of her other close friend not having contact with her dad in years, she builds the emotion in the audience and slaps the truth right onto them that some girls do not, in fact, have this.

Patton goes on to describe the next event and this further brings out the sympathy and caring nature human nature endows. She shares plenty of heart-tugging stories between little girls and their fathers that completely support her point. There are also visuals to associate with the story--allowing the audience to actually see the faces to the people in her story, making it even more real than they can imagine. Also, Patton mentions her very own father attending the event draws to the audience's understanding that she holds a bond with her father. It makes her knowledgeable about her argument seeing as she has no problems with her father.

One strong point she makes is the obstacle of jail being between a daughter and her father. Even through this tough problem, Patton fights through it and makes it possible. She even quotes the guard's advice about having the fathers having a bond with their daughter helps them. She describes it all as "beautiful."

I think Patton effectively delivers her argument in her TED talk. Personally, I do understand the personal bond between fathers and daughters, so this talk did affect me emotionally--I understood the love and admiration felt with the bond. Patton is able to effectively shape her argument by drawing out the emotions of the people through the anecdotes she gives.

http://www.ted.com/talks/angela_patton_a_father_daughter_dance_in_prison.html