Comparison of the Two Scenes

In this blog post, I am going to compare the two opening scenes in the two Romeo and Juliet movies (1968 and 1996). I've already watched the 1996 version's opening a long time ago, and after watching the 1968 version, I realized that there is a huge gap between the two. The two movies, with about a 30 year difference between their produced date, were drastically different. The 1996 version of Romeo and Juliet was quite obviously a lot more modern and realistic in all aspects such as events, clothing, cars, locations, etc. compared to the 1968 version of Romeo and Juliet. Although the 1968 one was much more logical (at least according to me), because it was old-fashioned and includes sword fights and old-fashioned clothing and that seemed to match up more closely to what one might imagine when reading the script. The 1996 version of Romeo and Juliet on the other hand was a lot more modern seeing as the the sides wield guns instead of swords and they actually have the fight at a gas station and then they blew it up (BEST PART OF THE MOVIE...). I personally liked the 1996 version better, because it's original, and much more relateable for a young person like me. The action in the 1996 version is also much more advanced and exciting compared to the 1968 version, where you just see a horde of people wielding swords around and you can't actually see who dies. I would not change anything if i were the director of the 1996 version, but I would definitely show people actually dying if I were the 1968 version's director (but I'm not sure if that was allowed in films at that period of time...)

Animal Farm Double Blog Post

What could any of the animals besides Napoleon have done differently, that would have made a difference in the outcome?

The animals could have led rebellion when they realized something has gone amiss like when a lot of them are starting to realize how corrupt Napoleon is and also when they realized that Boxer has been taken to a torture place. If they had risen up and voiced their opinions, then they may have been able to overthrow Napoleon and take back control. Snowball could also have fought harder and stood up to Napoleon's evil little tricks, and take control instead. In fact, if Snowball had taken control instead of Napoleon then the animals may have had a better life and their lives would most definitely have been improved seeing as Snowball, unlike Napoleon, had actually wanted to improve Animal Farm and he was a muct better leader even though he is still a bit corrupt. Other animals, especially animals like Benjamin, who actually knew much earlier than all the other animals that the things Napoleon had been doing are actualy pretty terrible and also that they were quite purposefully bad, they should have told the other animals aout what they have observed and they should really share their thoughts. If they had shared their opinions with everyone, then they could have maybe figured out how to overthrow Napoleon and been able to regain freedom. They also ould have probably asked the other farms to help them and get them out of communism and become democrats just like in actual history which happened just like that I think. They could also just have killed Squealer since he was the one that was always spewing lies and lying to everyone about ridiculous things that the animals actually do believe.

Privacy Debate Reflection

I think this debate was really fun and interesting for me. I think I did a pretty nice job and some great things such as making a lot of analogies and also attacking the points the opposition team proposed. However, I think I could have included more specific examples and also incidents that happened like the opposing team with Amanda Todd. Thankfully, though, I knew about Amanda Todd and was able to argue about that succesfully. Another great thing that I'm very proud of not doing (and pleasantly surprised that I did not do) was that I did not stutter and add things like "um" and "like" in my speeches! I also used some pretty long and complicated words which I'm very glad of doing. My team was awesome, I mean the teammates. They were confident and pointed out all the important points and we also cooperated perfectly, everyone contributing actively and sharing their opinions and everyone's voices were heard. However, we definitely could have researched more and not just base our evidences on general things and instead focus on providing statistics (we only had 1).

Is Privacy An Illusion?

I absolutely agree that my privacy is in peril. There is no such thing as privacy in this world anymore. What with Facebook and Google and surveillance cameras and recorded cell phone conversations. Everything can be recorded and everything you every do, write, or say can be used against you. All phone calls are recorded and can be given to the government if they requested so, in fact, every conversation is being monitored and scanned for potential threatening words. Skype chats can be retrieved and your account can't be withdrawn. A lot of email sites sell your private information to others who are willing to pay the price. Google can track every single search you have ever typed into the searching engine. There is no such thing as privacy in the modern world anymore! Always be careful and never let anything or any word that you don't want to be responsible for saying!

How Do You Sell An Idea?

So another example of an ad can be the ad from Airwaves Company trying to sell their delicious and spicy gum. In the ad, there was a guy who was falling asleep at work, I believe, and then he pops one of the airwaves into his mouth and he appears much more awake and has little blue spiraling things going up into his brain. It uses the transfer technique of persuasive techniques, because it shows that you can stay alert with the gum and that is a positive image. Another ad can be one of the 7-11 ads which was trying to promote its "collect 10 points in exchange for a cute bear cup" (my sister's obsessed with that). It uses the testimonial technique because it asked some popular celebrities from Taiwan to hold the cup around and talk about how they use it and how good it is when they use it. 

Can A Dream Change The World?

My vision for a better world involves better food for everyone, and less people stuck in poverty. Hopefully, also less annoying people, but that's probably not possible. In the future, I hope there will be no shortages of food. I know right now there are numerous people starving to death because of the huge population of people we have on Earth. So I hope that we can all share our food and maybe that will even solve another problem! The problem of obesity. Obesity is quite widespread among prosperous countries right now, so if the richer countries with more food resources are willing to give some of their share of food to the ones that need it, then not only can they save a life, they can also get skinnier! I also hope that less people will have to be in poverty or be jobless. It is definitely very sad to think about such things, but I have no solutions to that, because people do have to work hard to get where they want to get, or else it'll be like communism which, when regarding the ideal communism system, is almost impossible to achieve. Lastly, getting rid of annoying people will be the hardest, but it can still be done. Perhaps we can just get rid of them and that will reduce the population, thus creating more food resources for everyone and less poverty and more jobs! What a great solution! But of course I was just kidding.

How Does Friendship Begin?

"Think about an unusual or unlikely friendship you might have had? This could be someone who is much younger or older or very different from you. What started the friendship? What is it that makes people connect that can create a friendship?"

Last summer, I went to this summer camp called CTY where there were a bunch of freakishly smart people, and I made a lot of my usual friends but I also made a quite unusual friend, one that I never would've made intentionally. Her name is Carissa and she was my hall mate. When I first met her, I never thought I'd get close to her at all. She seemed like those annoyingly smart people who I've always hated. I went to CTY with Angela and she became friends with Carissa. Since she and I were friends, I became acquainted to her as well, but I didn't become friends with her yet. Then, we started hanging out more and we became closer. She then taught me how to play this card game that was really popular in CTY called ERS and it was the best game in the world, I swear. The more we played, the closer we got and we actually became great friends. We then had many sleepovers together playing cards, talking about our own school lives, cute guys, and gossip. We're really close friends and I'm absolutely glad that we became friends and my first impression of her didn't stop our friendship from developing. I guess you really can't and shouldn't judge a person by their covers.

Who Makes You Laugh?

My best friends are all really good at making laugh. Like full-hearted  laughs, not just those polite, or I-didn't-hear-you-but-I'll-laugh-to-seem-like-I-did laughs. I suppose the reason that they can make me truly laugh is because we know each other really well and we have common "funny topics". Those little inside jokes are also totally funny, and the fact that no one else can understand us just makes the whole thing funnier. However, it is sometimes quite rude and unwelcome to talk all about your inside jokes with your friend while being in a conversation with someone else who doesn't get your joke. At least in my opinion, it's very rude and extremely mean and exclusive. My friends also know the things that I would think are funny, just like how we know what type of songs and movies each other likes. Clumsy people also makes me laugh, because of how they always do things that were not deliberately funny, yet they're just so cute when they try to get there stuff together. I know it's mean to laugh in that situation, but I laugh in the kind way, because they're really cute and funny in a good way when they do that.

Animal Farm Movie

Is Fear Our Worst Enemy?

I believe that fear can both be a friend to humans and also an enemy. Fear is among one of the greatest motivations including: hatred, revenge, love, and power (in my opinion/experience). All of them can urge people to do things, either wonderful or terrific, that they never thought they could accomplish. However, that can be both a good and a bad thing. If any of these motives were used to do something destructive to others or oneself, then they are definitely not our friends. For example, threatening someone to do something is using fear against that person. Sometimes, when you combine the motives, the effects may be even bigger, like threatening the lives of that person's loved ones. They, however, can also be used to motivate someone to do good. Like sacrificing themselves because of love or getting a good grade out of fear. However, fear is not a good motivator and should be used as little as possible. It should only be used to help us, not control us. If you let fear control you, then that makes you very vulnerable not only to your own fear but also to others who may turn your fear against you.

Reflection on Reciting a Poem In English Class

Annabel Lee

It was many and many a year ago,

In a kingdom by the sea,

That a maiden there lived whom you may know

By the name of ANNABEL LEE;

And this maiden she lived with no other thought

Than to love and be loved by me.

I was a child and she was a child,

In this kingdom by the sea;

But we loved with a love that was more than love-

I and my Annabel Lee;

With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven

Coveted her and me.

And this was the reason that, long ago,

In this kingdom by the sea,

A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling

My beautiful Annabel Lee;

So that her highborn kinsman came

And bore her away from me,

To shut her up in a sepulchre

In this kingdom by the sea.

The angels, not half so happy in heaven,

Went envying her and me-

Yes!- that was the reason (as all men know,

In this kingdom by the sea)

That the wind came out of the cloud by night,

Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.

But our love it was stronger by far than the love

Of those who were older than we-

Of many far wiser than we-

And neither the angels in heaven above,

Nor the demons down under the sea,

Can ever dissever my soul from the soul

Of the beautiful Annabel Lee.

For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams

Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;

And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes

Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;

And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side

Of my darling- my darling- my life and my bride,

In the sepulchre there by the sea,

In her tomb by the sounding sea. 

I suppose I was wiser this time and the poem I chose was a bit easier to remember. I also wisely chose a poem that has a story plot that I actually liked a lot. The rhyme of this poem and its repetition of "in this kingdom by the sea" really helped me with the memorizing. I was pretty nervous when I went up since I was still looking over my poem one last time right when Mr. Dahl was taking out the chopsticks. Unfortunately, I wasn't that prepared for my poem, but since I've been memorizing it a long time ago, it wasn't that hard for me to memorize it. I think I did quite reasonably well in the recital, though I could have of course done better if I have had finished that little last minute review. The main problems I had with the recital of this poem were the beginnings of paragraphs, which always introduce a new event of the story. But overall, I didn't make too many mistakes. Another bigger issues with the recital were near the end, since I'm not that familiar with the later part of the poem since there are less repetitions, but still really interesting.

Chinese New Year Reflection

My Chinese New Year wasn't really that traditional at all. The only traditional thing that happened was probably that I had to go to Taichung, but even that isn't really traditional. During Chinese New Years, people are supposed to go back to their mother's parents' house, but I go to my father's parents' house. There are many traditions for Chinese New Year, like cleaning the whole house and playing with fireworks and betting and drinking, but I did none of those. Instead, I went shopping (kind of) and to this "3D-books museum" that was in Taichung. Another thing I did for Chinese New Year was just watching a lot of TV and working out everyday since our swimming coach believed that we're all going to be really out of shape when we get back. The whole time during Chinese New Year, I woke up at 11 and slept at 11. It was pretty nice but lazy, and I'm definitely going to miss it now that it's over. My red envelope money were actually quite a significant amount of money, considering that I only had 7, but I got like more than 10,000. Don't worry though, none of that is mine, because my mom has already "taken care" of it. My Chinese New Year was extremely unproductive and uneventful, but it was a much-needed break from all the school time, and I'm going to miss this break greatly (but the Spring Break is coming soon, and then... the Summer Break!).

Can You Think Out Of The Box?

"Some of the best things in life are those unlike anything ever thought of before. Whether it's a brilliant invention or an entertaining story, a new idea makes life more interesting and worthwhile. Creativity is a poet's bread and butter; a good poet always looks at things in new way. With a small group, plan a design for a new tool. You might want to create a tool to help with a dreaded chore, such as cleaning your room or mowing the yard."

I think creativity is an extremely important trait all people must possess. And, with my shockingly amazing creativity, I can totally think of an amazingly astounding tool that will rock your world and wonder to yourself why isn't it invented or thought of yet! Actually, no, I can't really think of any cool and original new tools to invent. I guess I'd like something to do the dishes for me, but there is already the dish washer. I suppose I'd like a machine that can monitor the calories and create your menus of healthy food and also measure how much you exercise and how much calories you burned. I know there are apps for that, but those are so annoying, so why can't we invent a robot that tracks all your calories and makes your food and can go running (and hopefully even play music for you while you run, because the earphones fall out a lot) with you too! That would be really nice because so many people want to lose weight, and I believe most people would like to lose weight without medications and just lose it through exercise and healthy diets! Weight and image really is extremely important these days after all.

Reflection On 1st Semester

Okay, so I think I did pretty okay last semester. Though I missed some homework and didn't always get good grades, I still tried pretty hard and did my best. I really learned a lot this semester too and I think I learned to manage my time just a little bit better. I can now somewhat control myself and restrain myself from being lured in my many movies and tv series that are just soooo addictive. I also managed to turn most of my homework in on time as well, which I'm pretty proud of, because I am just so bad at turning in homework and monitoring and keeping track of what homework is due and all that. My grades were pretty decent last semester as well, which is pretty, well, yeah, absolutely awesome. I've always liked English classes, since there's usually no right or wrong answers and you can argue for your answers, unlike other classes like math and science where there's only 1 right answer and that's all. I also really appreciate the extra credit opportunities available to us, because we can actually learn from them and also boost our grades a little. Mr. Dahl should definitely keep that. I think last year's rules and system was just fine and pretty effective as well. Everyone learned a lot and it was a pretty enjoyable semester :). I really like this class but I hope I can still do well next semester since Mr. Dahl said we'd have to work extra hard just to get a good grade and also it'd be super hard to get into honors or something like that. Scary..

How Do Expectations Affect Performance?

Think of a time when someone in a position of authority set a high goal for you. Perhaps a coach expected you to be the team's top scorer, or a parent expected you to get straight A's. How did you respond to these expectations? were you motivated to work harder?

Discuss why might parents have higher expectations of their children?

Well, both examples the book gave me (coach and parent) has happened to me before, except my coach expected me to get the most medals (since it's swimming not some sports where you score). I really, really hate high expectations. I believe that the higher the expectations are, the worse the result will be. It's always been like that for me. Whenever there are high standards set for me, the worse I do. I think I get way to nervous because I really want to rise up to the challenge and prove to that person that I can do whatever he/she expects of me. However, that just results in me trying too hard and screwing up some way or another. In that swimming competition, I only remembered to swim as fast as I can, but my strokes and coordination was all wrong. I really hate it, so whenever something like that happens, I just tell myself to do my best and hope for the best. That works much more effectively for me compared to high expectations. I also believe that threats and punishments work better than expectations, because fear is a much more effective motivation for humans. I think parents often have higher expectations of their children because they believe their children are special (that what all parents think apparently) and that they can do anything and they're superior to all other kids. They also want their children to be the best and shine, I suppose. But that is a lot of pressure for their kids to take, so I would suggest the parents to not set standards that are unreachable rather than motivational and feasible.

Where Do You Go To Get Away From It All?

What does nature do for you? Whether it's staring at a fishbowl or hiking in the mountains, many people look to nature for beauty, serenity, and relaxation. The poems that follow reflect on the nature world. List types of nature you enjoy and the reasons why.

I guess nature sometimes calms me down and makes me realize that there's a whole world out there and I may not be the unluckiest one. Nature also makes me feel free because of how big it is, and makes me believe that there is a greater force, a higher power out there, wherever it may be. And I don't have to worry about anything at all because everything will turn out just fine. I really enjoy the ocean, because, well I really love swimming and I think the sea is just such a magical place. The fish swimming around freely and the beautiful plants and the vast ocean just makes me feel like I can do anything I want and I can go anywhere I want to go. I suppose that's also why my favorite Disney movie was Little Mermaid when I was a kid. I also like mountains, a lot. I love climbing them and the satisfaction you get when you get to the top. I love the clean smell of air and the quiet harmony of the chirping of the birds and the sound of the wind caressing the grass and trees. I also like little things like rainbows and raindrops because they're so perfect and pretty, the sunset and sunrise because they're beautiful, and there's just so much more but now I can only think of these. Nature is really beautiful and I'm glad I can enjoy it.

Why Do We Hurt The Ones We Love?

Well, I suppose that's just the way our brains and hearts work. They don't work together! Our hearts tell us they love that person, but our brains tell us that the person is really driving you crazy (in a not romantic and not good way). I get mad at people I love a lot. My friends, my family, myself for example. I think it's totally normal to get mad at them (and me). But the thing is, when you get really over-the-top mad, you might hurt that person, but not necessarily physically. You may call them names and shout insulting things you swore to never say to them and you'll totally regret after you calm down. Sometimes you also throw things at them or push them which may accidentally hurt them. Sometimes, if you're mentally ill and need to see a psychologist or something, you might really seriously hurt them on purpose. We're human. We can't just have the same emotion throughout our lives. We also have our own opinions which often times cause tension and a lot of fighting. It's normal! However, just control your anger and learn to accept each others' differences. After all, you love those people, right?