Quarter 2: Journal 2- Paranormal Activity 2

I saw this movie on Friday night, and it totally freaked me out. While I won't delve too deeply into the plot, I did want to discuss the prevalence of karma in this movie. I am a firm believer in karma, so I definitely liked it being in this movie. Firstly, the daughter of the couple that is being haunted discovers that if one makes a deal with a demon, they must sacrifice their first born son. Interstingly enough, their family line has been all girls up until the point of Hunter, her half-brother, being born. The rule is that the demon will give you something, like wealth, in exchange for that life, and if you do not pay up your child, you will be haunted until he is obtained. These reasons unbeknown to the parents cause the demon to start haunting their family. This is a prime example of karma. The husband, in order to protect his wife and son, uses a cross to transfer the demon from his wife to her sister, because it has to be transferred to a blood relative. The posessed sister then kills her husband, travles to her sister's house, and kills both of them. I believe that the demon kills the husband out of an act of karma, as well as the fact that it is sheer evil. I do believe that things that you do will either come back to help or haunt you, as seen in this movie. Haunt. Hah. Punny.

2nd Quarter: Journal 1- Contact

Let's actually do these right this quarter. So in my Theory of Knowledge class, we watched the movie Contact. This movie is about genius scientist Ellie Arroway, who makes contact with Aliens, hence the title. In this film, Arroway fights many injustices in her path to actually meet the aliens. Predominantly ones of love, greed, fear and religion. The conflict arises in that only one person can go on the spaceship that will go to the Alien star, Vega, and that is where these injustices arise. The people who are funding their mission want someone who best represents the United States. Ellie's love interest is another possible candidate for the mission, and not only does he want to go (greed), he also wants to protect her (love and fear.) In order to attain both of these, he brings up the point that she is not religious, and most of the United States is. This completely ruins any chance she has of going. To make matters worse, right before the spaceship is about to leave, a kamikazi takes place on the ship, shattering all of her hopes and dreams. Luckily for her, Japan was building the same exact thing, and they called her, as they saw her best fit to go on the mission. She then reconciles her problems with her love interest, and the movie has a happy ending. Yay. I did want to discuss the four conflicts that arise in the movie: love, greed, fear and religion. These things are constantly problematic factors in our society today. People constantly operate off of fear, and let it control them. People kill each other over religion; take a look at the middle east. Greed is what drives society. We are a capitalist nation, after all. Finally, struggles with different kind of love are constantly brought up in our society and in politics. Gays, for instance, are not allowed to marry in most states. The movie Contact combines four very prevalent issues in society today, and centers them about a battle between religion and technology.

Solution

So I really don't know what else to do for these journals, so I'm going to attach them in an email and emial them to you.. The first 9 are on here, and the second 9 are on the word document. I'm sorry for the incovenience. Jake

Maurice

Hi Mr. Wilcox. So I'm at Purdue and I'm having trouble copying and pasting the journals that I typed last night in the car, so I'm going to save them as images and post the rest here.

Sorry they're a little late!

that's not working either. I really didn't anticipate this, but they'll be up soon!

Competition

I thought that I'd preface this journal with some questions. What are the differences between a good loser and a bad loser? What defines a cutthroat competitior. Is competiton unhealthy? A good loser is someone who can accept their losses, congratulate those who beat them, analyze their mistakes, and learn how to improve for next time. A bad loser is someone who cannot realize the mistakes they win and blames others for their loss. I think that being a good loser is a quality everyone should strive to posess. A cutthroat competitor is one who is willing to sacrifice for their win. On the reality show, The Biggest Loser, for instance, a lot of the competitors are not willing to sacrifice their intergrity in order to cast votes for certain people; however, on Survivor, it seems as though people are willing to sacrifice a lot more. Of course, that could be because the point of The Biggest Loser is to lose weight, while Survivor is to win the game. I do think that competition is healthy, to an extent. If you are too competitive, a lot of people will not want to be around you, and you will lose friends. However, if you are not competitive at all, then I think there is a lot to be lost. Competition is what makes the world go round. Not everyone can win. In order to win, others do have to lose. While competitions can create food, they also show skills in certain areas. These are vital to know who is best fit to do what. Therefore, while dangerous, I believe that competiton is necessary.

Senior Skip Days

We all know they exist. And we all know that one is coming up. The monday after homecoming is a legendary senior skip day, and one which I will not participate in. I value winning fall student athlete rather than a day off, because I believe that will make senior year more memorable. I originally was going to skip, too. One thing I want to do with my senior year is have fun! I don't want to be constantly drowned by homework. That doesn't sound fun to me at all! My priorities of course, lie with my grades, and I have too many borderline classes to miss at the very end of the quarter. Maybe I'll be able to participate in the next one. I do think that participating is worth it. As long as you're not skipping like once a month, and you keep your grades up, I think it's an okay privilege to use sparingly. I also do think that the amount of work you have to make up is worth, as long as you actually have fun on that day. I wouldn't want to waste my day just sitting around. You should catch up on sleep, then party hard with friends! (without alcohol, of course). I feel that senior skip days are important, because they let seniors have some piece of mind amongst all of the craziness. Everyone could use a break now and then.

Leadership

What constitutes a good leader? Are there bad leadership styles? Do we need leaders? I think the best way to be a leader is to be the support system, or the glue if you will, of the team. By trying to keep everything together, A leader would garner respect from his crew, and be viewed as a strong leader because his crew likes him. Furthermore, more people would be willing to work if they think their contribution makes a difference. I think that this would only work for leading a small group of people. For leading a country, for instance, I would have no idea what to do. Though I suppose if anyone truly knew that, the country wouldn't have as many problems as it does. Of course there are bad leadership styles. Leaders like Lenin and Stalin may have been effective, but they were by no means good people. But it could also be debated that since they got so many things accomplished, were they bad leaders? I would venture to say that they were, since the people they led probably did not like them. And I also think that civilization would not exist without leaders. People need to be told what to do, or else they will act out in chaos. I think that people are too greedy not to have rules.

College Choice

This is another one of life's major decisions. Where are you going to college? As of right now, I do not know. I do know, however, where I am applying. I have already sent everything into University of Cincinnati and The Ohio State University. I have most of my Purdue University application filled out. I still need to apply to Pennsylvania State Uniervsity, Brown University, University of Michigan and New York University. I will probably go and major in civil engineering, and minor in math. After college, then, I can either go on to be an engineer or be a law school. I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet. Another large factor in making the college choice is the amount of money that it costs. For instance, a place like UC would be WAY more cost effective than NYU. But at the same time, scholarships are available, and it's all very hard to decide what would be the best option. One of the best ways to see where you belong is by going on college visits. So far I have visited, out of those schools, OSU. I am visiting Kelley Riedy at Purdue next weekend! I am also going to visit Margo at UC soon, too. I don't think I could see myself at OSU, but hopefully I'll be able to see myslef at some of these other schools. There's just too much up in the air right now.

Career Choice

One of the hardest things to decide at any age, especially at age 18, is what you want to do in your life. When you take something like the IB Program, it really opens the doors to a lot of opportunities. This is a curse and a blessing. I think I want to go into engineering, but I'm just not sure. It's so hard to decide. I mean, how do they expect you to know at 18?! My uncle is 24 and he doesn't even know. There are so many factors, too! Happiness, money, location... Blargh. It's stupid to say that the amount of money you make doesn't matter. If that were true, a lot of people would not work. The pay is a large factor of what job I would work. It may be shallow, but I guess it's part of the game of life, though. I do hope that I make the right decision. Should I not, I could end up spending an extra year or two at college, which is not cost effective. At all. I guess I'll never know what the right decision is until I try.

GPA & Stuff

Let's define students by a single number. 3.987. Is that the epitome of my highschool endeavors? I guess so. That's what I'm told at least. Hey, at least it's good enough for top 10%, which is what colleges want to see. Great, another number. 23/249. I guess I'm just one for cutting it close. Really close to a 4.0, really close to the top 10% line. Furthermore, I got a 32 on my ACT. I'll explain why this is cutting it close now... I want to go to UC for engineering. I want to go there for free, too. In order to be invited to compete (yes!) for the Cincinnatus scholarship (one which lets you get a full ride) you must be in the top 10 percent of your class, and get a 32 or higher on your ACT. But I could really use a full ride... really, really badly. One of my biggest goals short term goals with GPA right now is to win the Fall Student Athlete. I think that I have a really good shot, but it'll be close between Ben Davis and myself. Hopefully we'll tie, and both get it. Gotta represent for the CC boys. Of course, I won't get that without an A in TOK, so I need to keep writing these journals. GOGOGO!

Cross Country is over!

Wow! I cannot believe I did it! 5 whole years of cross country, I feel really accomplished. I ran some great times this year, and stuck through every season. It was a really good feeling to step across that finish line and realize that although it's been fun, I'm glad it's over too. Finishing this season really made me realize how dedicated I am to running, and totally inspired me to train for that marathon Pav is setting me up for! Ever since freshman year, I had been running in the low 22:00s for my time. It was really hard to see 0 improvement, at least up until this year! My first race of this season was a 21:37, and my last a 21:40. It finally felt like everything had all come together and paid off. The team dynamics are... interesting. There're basically two groups of girls. The girls that do the work, and are good, and the girls that are pretty good, but if they did the work they'd be better than the first group. As for the guys, there are the varsity guys, the JV/Open guys, then Noah, Ian and me. Noah, Ian and I like the varsity guys. They're really nice, and cool. The JV guys are (mostly) snobs. Gah All in all, Cross Country has taught me two things. 1) Don't give up. 2) Mental and physical stamina. I truly believe that these two things have shaped me as a person.

Beauty

I was inspired by Ashleigh's blogs to write my own little blurb on what beauty is to me. I'm having a rough time not writing in question form right now. Beauty is defined, by dictionary.com, as: the quality in a thing or person that gives intense pleasure or deep satisfaction to the mind, whether arising from sensory manifestations, a meaningful design or pattern, or something else. I quite enjoyed that last part. While it's incredibly vague there, it does leave it up for one's own interpretation. In my humble opinion, that's what beauty is. It is one's own interpretation. Each and every person is beautiful in their own way. Some people have beautiful bodies; Some people have beautiful minds; Some people have beautiful lifestyles; Some people have beautiful innocence; Some people have beautiful confidence; Some people have beautiful modesty. These are very few, basic examples of beauty. Many people embody many of these qualities, whether or not they choose to believe it. The cliched quote from Margaret Hungerford, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder," could not be more true. So my advice to everyone is to stay beautiful. If you believe it, other people will start to, too.

A question is the answer.

What does the title of this blog mean? Does it imply that for every answer that is given, multiple questions arise? Or can an answer ever be found, due to the realisation of more questions? What is 2+2? Couldn't the answer be 22, as well as 4? What 2 things are being added together? Are they real, or are they just numbers? Are numbers the only way to rationalize existence? Is our existence based off of thought? Is it not our thoughts that allow us to progress as a society? Does our society prohibit its progress based on its thouhts? Can the preceding statements be simultaneously true? Is it possible for opposites to co-exist? Can co-existence happen harmoniously? Is harmony perception of auditory aesthetics, or is it based on the rhythm? Is rhythm natural, or contrived for its benefits? Can things that are artifical ever benefit anyone? Is it possible for something benefit someone and harm no one; hence, is there an action that can go without a consequence? How does one differentiate a consequence and a benefit? If it is from their point of view, then is that to say that the benefit is for them? If so, does that make all benefits selfish? If all benefits are selfish, do they benefit anyone at all? How does anyone thrive, if their benefits are rooted in self-centeredness? Are self-centered people bad at life, or good at playing the game? To what extent is life a game? To what extent is life lived in the present? The future? The past? Does time itself, of the relativity of time measure these states of time? How is time measured? 2+2? Did you see this bein a cyclical blog? Do you now understand what the title of this blog means?

Quarter 4- Journal 14: Reshma Patel

This girl and I have way too many "life moments." "Life moments are moments that truly define our lives. One of these would be when Nick called Brandon "sweetheart." He'll deny it if you ask him, but I believe Resh. Reshma is a really patient and relaxed person, which is super nice when you need help on homework. Reshma is also extremely nice and easy to get along with, though she has a bitchy side when she wants to have one, which is hilarious. She usually just uses it to talk about grilled cheese, gossip about happenings in the IB class, or make fun of creeps. She better read this now that I mentioned that. Reshma also has an amazing silent laugh. It's exactly what it sounds like- she laughs without making noise. Sometimes, I wish that Reshma would come and just hang out more. She seems to be too caught up at home sometimes, and that's probably the worst thing about her. The best thing about Reshma is her ability to integrate one word answers to make things absolutely hilarious. Answers such as "false," "fact," "life," and "win" are the essentials. She makes IB a very fun place and I'm super happy to have gotten to know her.

Quarter 4- Journal 13: Emilie Lothet

Work. Work. Work. Work. Work. Work. Coffee. Work. Work. Work Work. Coffee. Work Work. Good, I'm glad you have her life story. She's the biggest work-aholic i know. She's intense. She never lets anything separate her and her studies. Yes, that includes sleeping. And potentially breathing if she gets nervous... or eats cinnamon. Anyway, this girl is one of the most academically gifted people I know. To be able to go to a foreign country with two years of language for that country, live there for a year, then jump into the IB program... it's just amazing. I could NEVER do that, especially with the success that she does. She wants to be a surgeon when she grows up, and I'm sure that she'll be a hell of a good one. As you can probably notice, at this point, I'm only talking about her work/schooling. That's because, after one year, that's all I know about her. She doesn't really do much else. I wish she had more hobbies, and made more Emilie-time at times. I think that's something she really needs to work on. The best thing about Emilie is that she'll help you in a class if you don't understand something, until you get it. She doesn't get frustrated, that way. The worst thing about Emilie is that when she's working, she can get easily frustrated with others, and doesn't realize that people are going to talk, even though she's doing work.

Quarter 4- Journal 12: Ian Kropp

So here it is. The kid infamous for his scream. This scream is usually used when he finds out A) something shocking B) that we have a project due tomorrow or C) that everyone is staring at him for something he said/did. Definitely one of the most innocent beings in our IB class, despite his approval of "fowl language." Ha. haha. We also have a great time of quoting SpongeBob together, and trying to integrate immature comedy into our every day lives. So yeah. I didn't really get to know Ian Kropp until this year, but he's one cool guy. He's really nice and understanding when you're in bad mood, too. He also always tries to see the best in people. He has his opinions straight, without shoving them down your throat. He's a true blue good guy, and I don't think there are many of those around. I'm not one of them, really. The best thing about Ian Kropp is his understanding and capacity for the human race, and how tolerant he is of everyone. The worst thing about Ian Kropp would be his dislike for talking about things that are unfortunate, but must be faced anyway since they're a reality.

Quarter 4- Journal 11: Ian Cassidy

No, he's not filthy. I met this kid in 7th grade, and we've had quite the history together. We used to be really good friends with Zach Wells, but they had a fall out. I've managed to stay pretty good friends with both. Ian and I are super tight now, though, but he was closer with Zach before. We bruddahs. (We're brothers.) But yeah, we've definitely gone through a lot together. 4 years of CC?! Going on 5, too! Had a lot of intense, deep talks on those runs. And at sleepovers. We like taught ourselves the whole unit on perception before we ever even came to TOK. Lots and lots of sleepovers with this kid- probably around one a weekend. He's also one of few people who can actually endure two hours of straight Mario Kart with me, which is always fun. We always talk about our prostrats (professional strategies) much to Miranda's chagrin, but she secretly enjoys it. We tend to agree to disagree on a lot of things, but we're both okay with it, and it lends itself to good conversation. I'm pretty sure that I'm forgetting something super intense, but I'm not really sure...

Quarter 4- Journal 10: Miguel Benedict

Here's another one. Miguel is the person that I liked the least when I came into IB, but he's actually a cool guy. I heard from someone that he hated me, so I just naturally didn't like him, but I've also heard that's not true. But it's in the past, so whatever. Anyway, Miguel and I get along now. He wishes that the rest of the IB class were as "chill" as him, but really, I think that's a tad hypocritical. Oh, it's not like he'll EVER read this. Seriously though, he gets upset when other people aren't chill like him. Isn't that a little backwards? Whatever. It's not worth getting too upset over, really. What was funny though, is that he assigned us all animals in our IB class. I'm a rhinoceros, Emilie is a chipmunk, Nick is a peacock... and that's all I remember. Oh, right, Mrs. Hilston is a gazelle. Thank you for that, JM. Sometimes Miguel and I disagree on things, but I like to stand up for what I think, so it doesn't bother me that he does either. The best thing about Miguel are his snide asides that he makes about other people in the class when he's bored/annoyed. The worst thing about Miguel is how easily he gets frustrated with other people, though it usually allows for funny jokes.

Quarter 4- Journal 9: Miranda Amey

And thus begins the IB analysis. Yes. I will be evaluating everyone in the IB diploma program this year. Pros and cons. I think I've lived with these people long enough where I can do this. I'll start with Miranda here, and move on from there. Miranda and I became friends back in sixth grade when we rode the bus together. I miss those days, and I know she does too. She's definitely one of my closest friends, and I can tell her just about anything. Although sometimes she tends to be optimistic instead of realistic, it's always nice to have that, since some people in the IB program are just negative Nancys. Miranda is also one of those people who loves to compete, but doesn't show it because she wants to be "nice." False. Miranda LOVES to win, but she'll never let you know, and always congratulate you on beating her. Miranda also has a PIV fetish, which is intense. She saves people's passwords who check the PIV on her computer. DO NOT CHECK YOUR GRADES ON HER COMPUTER. The worst thing about Miranda is that filthy boyfriend of hers... (kidding). Ian's my bro. If you're having a rough time with someone, and you vent about it to Miranda, she'll try and reason for them, since she always sees the best in people. Usually her reasoning is realistic, though sometimes I wish she'd just bash them with me. (Okay, sometimes she does.) The best thing about Miranda is that whenever we fight, we are able to resolve it within like.. 3 hours. Even if we're in school. It's awesome. So there's Miranda for you. Stay tuned for MIGUEL (Yes, I'm going in order of bio seating.)

Quarter 4- Journal 8: Thousand Cranes

Well, we finally finished our last world literature text. Thank the Lord above. These are some of the worst books I have ever read- but I don’t suppose they were completely useless. I did manage to whip out the poor excuse for a novel, The Stranger, in my SAT writing prompt. I hope they like that. Anyway, Mrs. Hilston called it from the beginning: they won’t be your favorite books, but you can certainly write about them. Yeah, I’ll admit, there’s a lot to write about, despite hating them.

Thousand Cranes, by Yasumari Kawabata, in general turned out to be my second favorite book. The order would have to be From Sleep Unbound >> Thousand Cranes > The Stranger > So Long a Letter. In any case, this book involves the man with the strange fantasies, Kikuji, the sexless wonder, Chikako, and the emotional wall, Fumiko. Kikuji hooks up with a woman twenty years his senior, and that’s definitely NOT expected. Chikako tries to control everyone’s life, and claims to defy gender herself. Awkward. Fumiko also attempts to hide all of her emotion until the resolution of the novel, where she breaks a jar and kills herself. There’s sort of a lot going on, but it’s just funny/ironic because the Japanese culture is supposed to be so relaxed at their tea ceremonies, but that’s when most of the commotion occurs. This is how most literature exists in my eyes- through irony. So there’s my blurb on the Thousand Cranes- yawn.

Quarter 4- Journal 7: Intuition

Just two weeks ago, I wrote a 1400 word essay on how intuition plays into the different areas of knowledge, but I really didn't talk about intuition in general since it didn't relate to the task at hand. In any case, I'd like to use this journal to talk about it. Intuition is defined as: the ability to understand something immediately, without the need for conscious reasoning. So it's basically understanding why something happens either upon it happening, or before it happens. I think it's a super strange ability to claim to have, but is totally real at the same time. Maybe they're just coincidences, but I think everyone has those moments where they just think something is going to happen, and then it does. I'd say that's intuitive. Also, babies use intuition from they moment they're born. They understand that when they want something, they can cry to get it, because that will get someone's attention. Therefore, they understand that when they need something, they need someone to help them. They're not born with that knowledge... so it's just intuitive for them. It's interesting to see how intuition plays a role in everyday life.

Quarter 4- Journal 6: Luck

How does one define something as luck versus skill? Some people say that things that they do are skillful, when they may in fact have just been complete and total luck. I think the best way to determine the truthfulness of this situation is to see how consistent someone is with any one task. For instance, on Survivor this past thursday, one of the castaways made an excellent game-play, game-changing move. Some think she's now the best player ever, while others say that she is just lucky. In that instance, I would have to claim this contestant as skilled. This is her third time playing the game. The first time she played, she had an excellent social game, but was ousted by a large alliance. The second time, she won. This is her third time out there, and she is basically controlling the game at this point. She plays for power and has succeeded multiple time in showing her skill at the game, yet some people refuse to give her the respect she deserves. I think people who claim other people to be 'lucky' who are actually 'skilled,' are just either upset or jealous. Usually, there is enough evidence to back up someone being skilled.

Quarter 4- Journal 5: The Stranger

Wow. What another waste of my time. I'm really starting to hate these World Literature books. How do people enjoy these things? Once again, quite literally nothing in this book happened except for at the end of both parts. At the end of one, he kills someone, and at the end of another, he has an emotional flip out. Otherwise, it's just him observing society and not feeling emotion. He literally has cut himself off from feeling anything, and it's just annoying. No one is that dense. His character is not even realistic- he's just cynical, indifferent and boring. These ingredients do not make for a good book. Books need action, and dynamic characters, and protagonists who actually involve themselves in what is going on, or actually feel an emotion. I just hated this book in general. So far: From Sleep Unbound>>>> The Stranger>>>>>>>>>>>>So Long a Letter. But still, I want to read a book with a protagonist who doesn't annoy the crap out of me. At least with From Sleep Unbound and So Long a Letter, there are things to write about. In this book, it's basically "Society is absurd." There's no substance there. BORING.

Quarter 4- Journal 4: Venting

Is such a good device. I feel so much better after my last journal post. But I really do hope that something comes along. At least all of this complaining is actually accomplishing something. I just can't type the TOK essay anymore. Maybe I should move onto chem then, after I'm done with this. I don't really want to do that either. But I need to knock out a few more paragraphs of TOK, and I need to finish that chem packet. Unfortunately both are due Tuesday, so I can't just focus on one and then move onto the other. And I always also tell myself that the day after the world is due, for instance this tuesday, everything will get better. But it never does. Something else ALWAYS comes along. It doesn't even just come in waves anymore, it's just a constant attack of death, and it's driving me nuts. I can't take it anymore. I need to stop falling asleep while I read The Stranger and waste two hours. I need to stop saving all the homework that I have for Sunday, even though this weekend I got bio and history done before Saturday at noon. I also need to start studying for my IB Chemistry IB examination, because I need at least a 5 on that, and I refuse to get anything lower. Oh, and my SATs are next month, right around the same time. SWEET. I just don't know how to effectively manage time anymore because FACEBOOK KILLS ME. BLAH. I was thinking about deleting it, but that's too extreme. I'll just text Miranda to change the password again. Goodnight TOK journals.

Quarter 4- Journal 3: This stupid cycle...

is absolutely killing me. I am stuck in this rut called my room because of IB. I want to go out and see my friends, but I can't. I'm stuck here doing homework. But I'm so sick of homework, so I don't do work that effectively. But I can't leave, because then I really won't get anything done. So I'm really just stuck here, waiting for something to happen, but nothing does. I eventually finish my homework, but by then it's too late to do anything. And then the next day, a project or paper is assigned, and I find myself in the same place again. I'm so done with school. The challenge doesn't even make me happy anymore. I don't even have time to do educational things that I want to do, like read for pleasure, or study SAT vocabulary words. This doesn't even start to make up for all the "teenager" things I want to do, like hang out with my friends or play video games. I am also so incredibly out of shape for cross country next year. I need to start training for this. But I've decided that all this unhappiness is no way to live my life. I need to start figuring something out to snap back into reality. This is life as I know it, and I need to man up and face the challenge. There's just no motivation... I need something like a miracle, and I need it soon. My grades won't make it if I don't.

Quarter 4- Journal 2: Test Taking

Often it is said that test taking is a skill. Others would argue that the ability at which one performs on a test is a direct output of their input time of studying. I would have to say that test taking is a skill. There are just people who are great test takers, and can get an A with studying for 20-30 minutes. Others, like myself, are mediocre test takers, and have to study for the grade that they want. Finally there are people who are bad test takers, and no matter how much they study, they'll probably get a C or a D. However, I think there are options to improve one's test taking skills. Options such as Sylvan promise kids grade-changing results. Therefore, I believe that kids should take advantage of these options if need be. Although it'd be nice to be able to get As by not studying too much, I'm happy when I get an A because I know that I've put in enough time to make myself proud, and did what is expected of myself, by myself. I wish it were more fair for kids who aren't great test takers, but there's not much I can do. However, I do encourage getting help with test-taking as a skill, rather than just having an extensive knowledge of the topic, however, both contribute to receiving good test scores.

Quarter 4- Journal 1: Is too much of anything unhealthy?

The statement "too much of anything is unhealthy" is often made. Let us assess the validity of said statement. So let's take three examples, and analyze how an obsession with any one of them would affect one's life. We'll take: vegetables, which are to be good for one's health; drugs, which are to be bad for one's health; and playing solitare, which would probably have a neutral effect on one's health. Now in health class, you learn that there are three areas of balance to lead a happy and healthy life. These are, physical health, social health and mental health. Now, we can analyze how each of the prescribed obsessions. If you eat too many vegetables, it will have no affect on your social health, or your mental health. However, these greens will take a toll on your physical health. With only eating vegetables, one won't get the necessary proteins to fuel their bodies, and will be less physically active. Eating too many vegetables will throw off one's balance by throwing off their physical health. Therefore, having an obsession with vegetables is unhealthy. If you do too much drugs, it will obviously have an affect on all sorts of your life. You will first of all, spend all of your time doing drugs, and therefore lose physical capability. You will lose mental health because drugs are bad for your brain, and you will lose your friends socially, because you would be associated as a druggie. Therefore, doing drugs ruins all three points of balance in your life, and are BAD. If you play solitaire too much, it will have an affect on your physical and social health. Since you'd be playing solitaire in solitary, you would spend less time with your friends, and less time exercising. Therefore, playing too much solitaire would throw off the balance of your social and physical healths. In conclusion, too much of anything is unhealthy, since it throws off the essential balance of health between physical, social and mental activity.

Quarter 3- Journal 16: So Long a Letter

So long for such a short book. Furthermore, really? This book was equally as boring as From Sleep Unbound. At least it was really short. In this book, the character really just complains to her friend, and forces her to empathize with her because her husband died. Some friend. Her friend, Aissatou, can commemorate because she divorced her husband after he took a co-wife. Ramatoualye, the person scribing this wonderful letter, then recalls how strong Aissatou is, because she herself couldn't divorce her husband when he took a co-wife of his daughter's friend. Awkward. In any case, I find that these books both show how much life sucked for women living in either Egypt or Senegal during these time periods for the adversity they faced, and the lack of love in their lives. However, I think these books could be better if a bit more went on, rather than the female protagonist complaining about how sad/lifeless they are. In conclusion, this book was pretty slow and boring, but I guess in the end Mrs. Hilston was right. These are not books to be favorites, but they do have a lot to be written about.

Quarter 3- Journal 15: Conflict

So this week in IB Theory of Knowledge, we learned that there are three different types of conflict. No, Mrs. Hilston/Lindley, they are not man vs. man, man vs. society and man vs self. These three different kinds of conflicts are the functionalist theory, the conflict theory and the symbolic interaction theory. The functionalist theory states that groups will adjust to each other in a stable manner, and not have conflict. The conflict theory states that groups are inevitably organized to compete with each other. The symbolic interaction theory emphasizes the importance of culture and language for the development of society, groups and individuals. I think it's interesting that nearly anything debated can be fitted into at least one of these three categories. For instance, the Ku Klux Klan fits under both the conflict theory and the symbolic interaction theory, for they are based off of culture, but also inevitably compete with one group. I watched the movie Inglorious Bastards last night, and while I didn't think it was that great, I realize that it totally fits in with the conflict theory. Brad Pitt assembles a group of jewish people to disguise themselves and go into Nazi Germany and try and take down some Nazis. He purposefully creates a group of people in order to have conflict. I think it's definitely interesting to see a concept like that applied, considering the human race in general tends to avoid conflict when faced with adversity.

Quarter 3- Journal 14: Hard sciences vs. Soft sciences

First off, I think it's an improper statement to claim that either of these sciences is harder than any of the others. For instance, people who are generally bad at social studies are good with subjects like math and science, and vice-versa. I think if we evaluated one person from each party, they would probably argue on separate sides of the case. Besides, hard is a very subjective word, and what people consider is hard is not the same for anyone. Someone who spends all their life working out, may think that math is hard, whereas someone who spends all of their time studying may think that running a three mile race is hard. Therefore, no one should be able to claim that either social science is harder than another. That's one reason that I didn't like the beginning of the chapter packet. When they start questioning which science is harder, it was just bothersome. Maybe because when I was younger, I hated social studies, but now, I have a high grade in social studies, much higher than my math, biology or chemistry grades. So in conclusion, I don't think it's fair to say that anything is harder than anything else.

Quarter 3: Journal 13: Crazy for You

I saw the musical last night, and first and foremost, great job to everyone who was in the cast and crew! It was really good! The story itself is actually a really nice story. It starts off with the protagonist Bobby Child, who wants to dance for the rest of his life, being controlled by his mother (go Margo) and his "fiance." (I don't think he's actually engaged to her.) Anyway, his choice is to stay with his wife and mother, or go out and try and foreclose some town as a banker in Dead Rock, Nevada. For his sanity, he gets to Dead Rock as soon as he can. There, he meets a girl who is trying to keep the town alive, Polly Baker. She hates Bobby Child for trying to take her town away from her, but he falls in love with her at first encounter. After Bobby and Polly plan to put on a show, to raise the money so the town won't have to be foreclosed. Then, Polly finds out that Bobby is actually Bobby, and doesn't trust him anymore. Then, Bobby calls in his showgirl friends from New York, and he dresses up as Bella Zangler, the owner of the showgirls, who Polly falls in love with. Then, he tries to convince her that he's actually Bobby Child, but she doesn't believe him. After their first show fails, the real Bella Zangler shows up and pays off the debt of the foreclosure. Then, Polly and Bobby get together, and live happily ever after. I thought that this was a good musical because of the story, and how well thought out it is. Maybe I'm a bit of a sap for love stories, but you should go see the AHS players present this show.

Quarter 3- Journal 12: God and Genetics

Can they coexist? Personally, I think so. There are definitely some conflicts in order for it to work, but they can coexist. To start, the Bible states that God created every individual based on his own image of them, whereas, genetics state that you are half of your mother and half of your father in all things genetic. I think these two facts can coexist because there are also environmental factors that can affect one's being as well. If God can control those, than he can control a lot of who anyone is as a person, and therefore shift them into his own image. Also, there is the other belief, which states that God is not omnipotent. If God is not all powerful, than he couldn't make everyone in his own image anyway, so it doesn't really conflict with genetics in that manner. However, if we claim that God controls the environmental factors around you, to shift who you are into his own image, than that brings up the argument about predestination. Are we placed on this earth to fulfill our own will, or live the life of someone already completely mapped out? I, personally, don't like the feeling of not having control over what I do, because I hate being controlled by anyone. But just because I dislike being controlled doesn't necessarily mean that I believe that everyone has free will. I'm not entirely sure, but I think that we have free will, but at the same time, a lot of things happen for a reason. I'm not entirely sure how to explain that, but it's what I believe. Then again, I've always considered my beliefs to be rather unique.

Quarter 3- Journal 11: Charades

So last night I was hanging out with some friends, and we played charades for quite a few hours. Despite me being totally bored by the end of it, it was still pretty interesting to see how people react to what other people think is portraying an idea. It shows how the human mind can be so similar, and so different at the same time. Also, there was a two minute time constraint in which you had to get the movie title or song out to the other team. This also shows how crazy fast the human brain works. Someone has to process an idea, figure out how to show it through motions, without props, and then make it guessable for someone else. It's also interesting to see that if someone gets the first three words of a song "It's all coming...", then the know that the song is "It's All Coming Back to Me Now." This is another portrayal of how fast the human brain works. Ultimately, I thought charades was super interesting game to analyze, just because of the human interaction that is involved.

Quarter 3- Journal 10: From Sleep Unbound

This is a book that we had to read as part of our world literature curriculum for IB English 11. In this book, it starts off with a murder scene, where Samya kills her husband, Boutros. Rachida basically flips out, and screams to the village, who eventually comes to her rescue. Before anything else about that day is disclosed, the story flashes back to Samya's childhood. Her father and brothers have sent her to a monastery-boarding-home of sorts, where she lives with other girls and practices religion. This, however, is not where she wants to be. She feels imprisoned by religion and her family, and is extremely unhappy. Furthermore, she feels deprived because of her lack of relationship with her late mother, who passed when she was very little. She has had little closure from her mother, due to the cold personality of her father and brothers. When she is 15, her father sends her off to be married to a 45 year old man, Boutros. Her father has lost his job, and therefore, he gives her away because she's a burden to him. This hurts Samya, but she goes because she's obviously not wanted at home. After a few years, in which she just lets time pass, she has a child, Mia. Mia gives her life, or so she says. With Mia she is happy, and lives her life. She doesn't feel oppressed by Boutros, who is abusive physically and verbally. When Mia is six, she dies, and Boutros blames it on Samya. This causes Samya to internally die, because her sole purpose in life is gone. After a few weeks of living in a wheelchair, she kil becuase she's emotionally paralyzed, she kills Boutros. Then she gets arrested, and it ends. Analysis: What? This was a waste. All the main character did was complain about how much her life sucked... Well that's how life went back then, and everyone else got along just fine. She pays way too much attention to detail about everything, and is constantly whining. And then she kills her husband and the book ends? Isn't there supposed to be some sort of closure? My advice: If you want someone to like a book, don't have an annoying protagonist, and actually write a conclusion to a book.

Quarter 3- Journal 9: The Wells' House

So this is basically my second home in life. I'm actually writing this Theory Of Knowledge journal in their house. I really love the laid back atmosphere that his house brings, and how much fun I always have when I come here. Having said that, I need some discipline to keep myself structured. So I don't know if I could actually live at the wells house, despite spending a lot of time here. I think it shows that people need a balance in life. For instance, I feel like I spend too much time doing homework, and I don't spend enough time exercising, or participating in physical activity. I also couldn't just be active without studying or learning things. This is probably why I could never be a gym teacher. While I consider everyone of the Wells family, I definitely need the house to keep my sanity and have fun. Another glorious thing at the Wells' house is their pantry. They just have unlimited amounts of food to snack on, and it's always delicious. However, I can never eat too much of it, since I would just feel sick. This further contributes to balance, and how people need a balance in what they eat as well. Therefore, I believe that in order for people to be sane, happy, content, or any combination of the three, they need balance.

Quarter 3- Journal 8: Obscenity in Art

Is there such a thing as obscenity in art? I don't think so, to be honest. If it's not published than it's definitely up to the discretion of the artist. If it is published, and the museum is private, than it's up to the discretion of the museum. If it is published, and the museum is public, than the public may have a say, but I still disagree with that. Art, by definition means "the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power." Therefore, the artists that paint things are expressing themselves. So if this is true, then art published at a museum reflects the desired expressions of that museum. Also, if a museum wants a painting at a museum, they should expect it to be obscene because they're artists who are expressing what they wish to express. Furthermore, the definition states that pieces of art are supposed to have beauty or emotional power. If someone finds something to be obscene, it obviously evokes emotion in them, therefore it's art, which means it belongs in a museum. For all of the reasons listed above, I do not believe there can be obscenity in art.

Quarter 3- Journal 7: Love Actually

Is a British film I watched the other week, that wasn't all that great of a movie. I'm sure others would disagree, but hte movie itself I found rather boring, dull and the plot never really seemed to go anywhere. This movie just followed four different sets of people, and their love lives, or lack thereof. While I could only get through an hour of it, the end seemed relatively predictable. Each person lusting for someone else in the end would end up with them, and everyone would be happy. Also, in the first hour, it just felt like the people who were obviously in love dealing with the internal strife of their conflict. Therefore, I don't like films where the plot is only love. However, I've talked with some friends about something like this before, and we agreed that movies are very boring if they have no love story behind them. So I guess for producers out there, there needs to be a balance between love in movies, and other plots. Too much of one or the other gets boring and unwatchable. Maybe I'm being too analytical, but I think this may say something about life itself. In life, you need to find a balance between love and the other parts of your life. If you focus too much on one, the other will fall apart, sort of like in movies.

Quarter 3- Journal 6: The Amazing Race

is a reality television show. Its 16th season premieres tonight, and I'm quite excited. I've seen every season but the ninth, and I love the show. The show travels around the globe, and has teams competing for a grand prize of a million dollars. So right off the bat it has two things I love, competition and cultural diversity. The show takes you throughout the globe to different places, and therefore you can see how different cultures exist, and what exactly goes on. Most of the challenges, interestingly enough, relate to normal activities and trends of the country in which they're racing. This adds to the things you can learn about different cultures while watching this show. Also, since teams race in pairs of two, you can see how relationships between different types of people grow and fade as time goes on. This always add to the comic relief of the show, since it's hilarious to see couples of different varieties and ages scream at each other. I've watched a lot of the show obviously, and it's taught me a lot about the world. Someday, my grandma and I plan to go on that show. I'd like to win, since I'm competitive, but I think it'd be a great way to exert my desire to travel. I think it's a great reality show that actually serves a purpose more than entertainment.

Quarter 3- Journal 5: 500 Days of Summer

Is a movie that I watched last night that I quite enjoyed. I'm going to analyze one of the major themes of the movie. In the setting of the movie, we discover that the main character, Tom, believes in things such as true love is fate. Upon learning this fact, we are introduced to Summer, who he immediately falls in love with. Throughout the movie, we see his and Summer's relationship grow and falter over the course of 500 days. To add conflict to this situation, Summer has a hard time feeling any deep emotions for anyone due to her parents' divorcing at a young age. Now I'm going to spoil the rest of the movie, so don't read if you plan on seeing it. But near througout the movie, Summer has a hard time calling their relationship anything but friendship, much to Tom's chagrin. Near the close of the movie, they grow more and more distanced, and eventually stop "seeing each other." After a random encounter in the park, around day 488 or so, they meet up, and Tom discovers that Summer is married. He is shocked, and can't look at her the same way. She describes that it was fate that brought her and her current husband together. After hearing this, he puts his effort into work and nothing more, and on day 500, meets another girl. After a bit of talking, he asks her to coffee, to which she says yes, after changing her mind. He discovers that her name is Autumn. While the movie is closing, he feels as though nothing is fate, it's all mere coincidence. I have to disagree with this movie. I think that love is fated. I can't explain it, but I feel like a moment in which you fall in love with someone is too special to be passed as coincidence. So while it was a good movie, I think one of its overall messages was incorrect.

Quarter 3: Journal 4- Ian C's latest blog

So just before writing this journal, I read Ian Cassidy's latest blog entry, and people (applied.) And thought it was quite interesting. I was glad to see myself on the last list, because I feel like I've given a lot of effort to earn my spot there, and I truly hope that he recpiprocates those feelings (in a platonic way). I think he does, since I can see them through his actions. However, there was another list that intrigued me especially. The one about "The happiest people know what they have, not what they want." I'm not surprised that I'm not on that list by any means, since I can be very needy, which may or may not come off as ungrateful to others. However, I would like to better myself in that category specifically, and try and not have to know what I want so much. At the same time, however, I want have ambitions, and I think there's a thin line between ambitious and grateful. I don't want to hold on to things that I have, in fear that they'll keep me behind. I want to move on to new things, in hope that they'll keep me going. So is always wanting more, really that bad? Because if you're content, then what is your motivation exactly? (Hopefully this is prompting Ian for another TOK blog). I'm not entirely sure how to find this balance. But in an attempt to better myself, I'm willing to go to hell and back to find it. TEACH ME RESH.

Quarter 3: Journal 3- ART as math

Since we touched base on this in class quite a few times, and had a scored discussion on it, this may seem redundant... or trite... or simply a vie for another journal entry. While the latter is true, my perspective on this topic has changed a bit, since hearing the arguments of Sean Berrodin, the Aurora High School art teacher. Despite being an artist, his adamant point of view remains that math is the closest of the subjects to art. While I used to disagree, saying that numbers have no real value unless applied, and numbers applied to real life don't contribute to art, he says that the mind must be creative in order to percieve and understand math at a deep level. Therefore, the creative mind, creatively using math to create things is therefore... creative, and henceforth art. While I'm still skeptic, mainly because I think that I'm awful at art, yet good at math, I see his point of view, and it does make me reconsider my own viewpoint. However, there is the argument coming from Miranda Amey and Chloe Staargaard. (Not so much Chloe anymore, since she talked to Berrodin). Anyway, they claim(ed) that art is emotional, because it's a portrayal of the artist's emotions. Math cannot be emotional, because all numbers are given rules that must be used when trying to portray things, whether it be proofs or applications, with them. Considering this argument, I completely agree. Conclusively, however, I am more open to the viewpoint that math could be seen as an art form, rather than my static view of art and math being so dissociated.

Quarter 3- Journal 2: Loving

Last night, I was at a sleep over. The statement wasn't analyzed too much, but someone said "you can't love with your heart, you love with your brain." and to an extent, that makes sense. Biologically, your heart is just an organ, and therefore can't really feel things. Your brain is what analyzes the person you love, from all the feelings you get when you see them, talk to them, or if you're just with them. But why is it then, that if you think you love someone, and you think about them, that you feel it in your heart? Is it because your brain sends messages to your body, saying that it should be felt in your chest cavity, or is it because we actually love with our hearts, and lust with our brains. I am convinced that some part of us must love, and it cannot be our brains. Our brains are such selfish tools, and I feel as though they function for what's best for they body they're in. I think love is selfless, and therefore you must love with something else. And since the symbol for love is a heart, why not say that we do, indeed, love with our hearts?

Quarter 3- Journal 1: Quiz Bowl

This weekend, I participated in a quiz bowl tournament, which was actually really fun. My team was Ian Kropp, Reshma, Emilie, Brian Katona and myself, and we ended with a 4-3 record. The thing about quiz bowl, is, that I feel that I work really well with momentum in this game, and really poorly without it. For instance, when we won our first game, I felt great going into round 2. Round 2 was close the entire time, and the adrenaline helped there, but unfortunately, we lost by just 2 points. This absolutely ruined my momentum going into the third match, mainly because I knew the answers to two of the lightning questions, but wasn't fast enough on the buzzer. Round 3 was lost, but by a considerable amount of points. In round 4, I still wasn't feeling too hot, but we ended up winning, which was great. Then we went to lunch with a tied record, and coming off with a win. Coming out of lunch, I tried to be optimistic, and it worked. We won our fifth match. Despite going in with a good momentum for our sixth match, we lost, just because the other team was incredibly good. Then the seventh match came, and momentum or not, i was raring to win. Our record was tied 3-3, and I wanted it badly. Crazily enough, we won by one point! I was so happy, and we ended with a 4-3 record. So despite our winning record not really reflecting how much momentum affects the game, I definitely think it affected my game. I need to try and work on that...

The Natural Disaster in Haiti

If you don't know this, crawl out from under the rock you're living in. Haiti experienced an earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter Scale. This unfortunate country keeps getting attacked by natural disasters, such as the hurricane that hit there in 2008, costing them nearly one billion dollars. Luckily, a lot of people have jumped to help with the cause. For instance, you can text Haiti. to 90999, which will donate ten dollars to the cause, which will be charged on your phone bill. All phone companies currently support this option. Moreover, you can donate any amount of money through various charities and corporations to help the people who are struggling in Haiti. This demonstrates that while mankind is greedy by nature, they are compassionate as well. Although the estimate is not as high as before, they are estimating that 450,000 people died in Haiti. This is still a ridiculous tragedy, and its awful that this had to happen to these people. I hope that people continue to contribute to the people suffering in Haiti. Unfortunately, things like this die down, and after a short period of time, people begin to believe that these people do not need help anymore. Contrarily, they do. I hope that companies and charities will promote donations months in advance as well, because the damage that was done is not repairable over a short period of time.

"Girls marry their fathers, and boys marry their mothers"

It IS sort of an awkward expression, isn't it? Anyway, I think it holds true in a lot of relationships. If you're lucky enough to be friends with both parties of a couple, and know their parents, you can sort of see that the boyfriend acts like the girl's dad, meanwhile, the girlfriend acts like the boy's mom. I think it makes sense, since people are most likely to be inclined to date the type of person that they grew up with. While this is a natural instinct, it displays something unfortunate about American society. It shows that American society does not adapt well to change. If American society were able to adapt to change, people would experiment and date people outside of their comfort zone, perhaps getting a better feel for who they would actually want to marry. Unfortunately, this is not the case in America, as most people date, and therefore, marry, within their comfort zone, causing a lack of uniqueness in America. I think that people should really date out of their comfort zone, so all of the daddy's girls, give the bad boys a chance every once in a while!

Cliques

Cliques is the cliched word to describe high school. Unfortunately, it's also pretty accurate. Even if you're not in a clique, you're in a clique. There's really no way to avoid them, you can only be vacuumed into them. Even if one is elusive of cliques, they are cast away as someone who is not in a clique, and therefore, put into a clique via societal judgments. It's also remarkable that all cliques are stereotyped by other cliques, display how judgmental America is. The "populars" stereotype everyone to be below them and not as good looking. The "jocks" consider everyone to be less strong than they are. The "nerds" consider everyone to be less smart than they are. In the defense of each group, I would have to say that I am friends with quite a few from each group, and none of those stereotypes are always true. They are true sometimes though. This also reveals that stereotypes derive from factual matters, whether or not they're exaggerated. Cliques are just an unfortunate part of the high school experience that adapting to will only make you stronger and better quipped for the real world.

Idol, you cash cow!!!

So as a family tradition, I partake in watching American Idol every year. It's season 9. Whoop-de-doo. American Idol would be a much better show with a few slight adjustments. First of all, the auditions need to change. They show way too many bad auditions, and not enough of the people who do very well in their auditions. I watch American Idol to find the next superstar, not to see people make fools of themselves on national television. Unfortunately, this money-making move only reflects how American society feeds off of others' woe. Secondly, the panel of judges needs to change. Randy is a music producer, but is incredibly trite. He can go. Secondly, Ellen... I think she's hilarious, but I don't exactly know how she could give accurate music advice. She can go. Kara is nice enough, but still very realistic, and makes for a good judge. Simon probably best represents the kind of criticism that these contestants need to hear. Unfortunately, Ellen and Randy are on the panel because Idol wants to associate itself with as many celebrities as possible. I just wish Idol were more about the contestants, and not about the show making money. Unfortunately, this reflects America, and how truly money-hungry our society is.

The Biggest Loser

This is actually a reality show with a great premise. Each season, 16-22 contestants go on as individuals, or with a family member or friend in order to lose massive amounts of weight in a short amount of time. The two latest winners lost 55% of their body weight! The epic televised changes are displayed with the hope that it will motivate others in America, and help solve the obseity problem in America. Did you know that we spend more money on obesity issues than cancer issues each year? Now once a person is on the ranch, they are trained two of the best physical trainers in America: Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels. Now Bob is a bit more athletic, and seems a bit more experienced, most likely due to age, but I would still pick Jillian as my trainer. She has a different tactic of training than Bob. She breaks down the contestant psychologically, in an attempt to find the root of their excessive weight gains, or why they have never done anything about it. Once she figures this out from the introverted contestants, she is able to attack the issue at it's roots, and the contestant can grow as a person, while shrinking in the physical sense. The psychological and physical synergistic effects of The Biggest Loser make it one of the best reality shows on television.

Cheaters never prosper...

It's cliche, but it's totally true. Let's look at it in a gaming perspective. If someone cheats, and is caught, they are immediately thrown out of a game, so therefore they don't win. This is assuming that the point of playing said game is to win. If someone cheats, does not get caught and does not win, then they do not achieve what they want anyway. If someone cheats, gets away with it, and wins, then they won, yes. But they had to be insecure and crazy enough to do it with an unfair advantage. Beating someone by cheating is like beating a mute person in a verbal debate. Whoop-de-doo. Too bad it was completely unfair, and there's no self-reward for cheating like that. So if you cheat, you either get caught, don't win, or win and don't feel like a winner. Conclusively it feels much more rewarding to win the right way, knowing that you did it yourself. Now for a school perspective... If you cheat in highschool, you get a 0 for that assignment/test, and life goes on, except you have a worse grade. If you cheat in college, you get a 0 for everything, get thrown out, and you have to put that on every college you apply for henceforth. If you cheat, and don't get caught, there's always the possibility of the person that you cheated off of being wrong, worsening your grade. And then, if you get away with it, you're fine if you want to live with that guilt for the rest of your life. So yeah, cheaters never prosper. DON'T CHEAT