In class, we watched a movie called "life in a Day." The movie was a collage of video clips that were sent in from all over the world on July 24, 2010. This movie is something to add to a time capsule so that generations to come can see what happened in so many different parts of the world all in one day.
There were a lot of memorable scenes in this movie. For one, the scenes with the young boy who polishes shoes were unforgettable. Also, I loved the scene where the old couple was renewing their vows. They were old, but still in love, and had such a wonderful sense of humor! Another one of the most memorable scenes was with the bicyclist when he talked about where he was from. He told us he was from Korea but that North and South didn't matter. I don't know why that part gave me so much hope, but it did.
A lot of this movie sparked positive emotions. I think the moment that made me the happiest, however, was when the boy came out to his grandmother. As I was watching it, I remember holding my breath, waiting for the grandmother's response. And when he smiled with relief, I remember squealing on the inside because of how happy I was for him. I know many people don't agree with gay rights, and I know there are plenty of homophobic people out there, but if a grandmother can except her grandson, why can't anyone else? Change is tough, I know that, but that woman let change happen. No one lost anything. She mostly just gained another member to her family. That part made me so happy.
Even though there were plenty of positive emotions in the movie, there were also some negative ones. I think the part that caused the most negative emotion was when the man from Afghanistan was talking about what he feared most. He mentions that no one leaves the house expecting to come home again. This part broke my heart a little. I know I'm a violent person and all, but I honestly hate the thought of people living in such a violent place that they can't expect to go to work and come back home. I hate thinking that a man's wife constantly worries if she'll have a husband at the end of the night. I hate thinking that a man's kids constantly wonder if they'll still have a father. I hate that those are the reasons that no one can move forward. There's always a sword their waiting to cut anyone who speaks out down.
Before we watched this film, our teacher asked us, "What does it meant to be human?" Almost the majority of us agreed that we were nothing more than an evolved species. I still partly agree, but I think there's more to us than that. I think we are different from all other animals because we can extend love to more than just our tribe or our kin. I know that there are exceptions, but mostly, it's true. A large portion of being human is being smarter and having thumbs. Of course, an important part is our physical make up. Have you ever stopped to wonder why your fingers bend the way they do? Or the way we stand on two feet that are connected to legs that bend back at the knees and can pivot at the hip. It truly is fascinating. Also, we talked a lot about evolving in class. It's true that we're more evolved than all other species, but I think the other thing is that we evolve within ourselves faster. Stop to think about how far we've come. Blacks are equal to whites. Women have rights. There's more democracy in the world. Every day we move forward. And even though we move forward, we don't give up all our culture. The film had soooooooo many different people. That's what being human is. Moving forward together without leaving leaving our uniqueness behind.
It's kind of tough to point out patterns of humanity throughout the movie because, like I said, all the cultures and people were so different. I think I can name three though... One: Everyone has something to love. Even though the actual thing changed, everyone had something. Two: Everyone has something to fear. I think our fears are part of what makes us. People say to be fearless, but I disagree. Fearless makes you foolish. Have fears but have the courage to overcome them. Which leads me to three: Everyone has their way of coping with life. Some people worked hard. Others cried. Some smiled and tried to work through it. In the end though, everyone was trying to do whatever they could to live their life.
A juxtapostion is when you place two things side by side for the purposes of compare and contrast, and boy was this movie full of them! I think there were so many that I can't actually name specific examples. Mostly, the juxtapostions focused on putting third world and first world clips one right after the other. Oh! The one I can name happened at the end of the movie. It went from the girl sitting in her car at night in the middle of the store to this bright screen with the snail or whatever it was on that ball. The contrast between the lighting was ridiculous. I don't know. I guess that sudden change in color did something to the way I took in the movie as a whole. It was like this last stand that said, "It will get better. It will work out. Have hope. Hold on to it."
Honestly, this movie is one of my favorites. I just wish it was longer! So many people from so many parts of the world were involved. It completely changed my outlook on people. Even the negative parts helped me see humans in a different light. Don't get me wrong, I can still be very pessimistic, but I think I've started realizing that it isn't all bad. It was amazing to see what was going on on the other side of the world. It was shocking to see horrors going on as we were sitting there, drinking our coffee. It was wonderful to listen to the fears of others that made them so much like us. This film was brilliantly put together. I kind of hope they do this again... I would definitely recommend this to everyone! It was such an inspiring movie.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
I'm Back!
It's been a while since I've blogged, but I'm back! I've actually moved on to GT2 and we're, obviously, doing different things. We've started a unit on dreams! It's a pretty awesome unit :) So far, we've learned about four different theories. Of course, there's the Father of Psychology, Sigmund Freud. His theories basically revolved around sex. He thought that everyone was born evil and they had to be taught to suppress their urges of violence and sexual desire. When we dream, their urges would flood up from our unconscious mind. Carl Jung used to work with Freud, but he eventually split because he thought that dreams had more to do with restoring psychological balance than wish fulfillment or symbols to cover up negative urges. Alfred Adler, like Jung, used to work with Freud until he decided that sex wasn't the main priority of the mind. Adler thought that dreaming was used to problem solve. The last major theory we studied was one belonging to John Allan Hobson and Robert McCarley. They believed that dreams had no meaning. Everything was biological. Dreams are just your brain trying to make sense of pulses of energy. Personally, I hate that theory. It takes the fun out of dreams.
Although you're not supposed to, I've diagnosed a dream of mine. The dream was pretty intense. I was at a young leaders type conference. My friend Navya was in it and my friend Damien was in it except Damien looked like Damon from Vampire Diaries (Ian Somerhalder). We were in the room and I think we were dismissed and when I walked out of the room, I was facing the other side of the hallway, but a little section was a field. It looked like wheat and there was a girl tending to it. I went over to her and she told me it was revane. Revane is a plant in Vampire Diaries that is toxic to vampires.
Then, we were outside and my group was broken into teams. Navi, D and I were put in one team. We were making a chart. I think we were plotting supply of something because I got an image of a zig-zagging line that was generally decreasing. Something in me old me it was supply, but I don't know what the supply was of.
Then, out of no where, we were getting ready to play 3-vs-3 basketball. We were on an outdoor court and it was kinda really dark...
Anyhow, I remember taking a shot or two and then I ended up in the store. There was revane again. And that girl was there. She said something about vampire and the next thing I knew, I had a gun in my hand. It looked like the air rifle I used in India. I was up and down the aisles when someone saw me. I guess getting see with a gun in public doesn't change the reaction just because you're dreaming it... Anyway, my gun was gone and I started running. I don't remember the rest of that dream too clearly.
Things to be noted: Before I went to to sleep, I watched an episode of Vampire Diaries, talked to Damien, and spent the day practicing with my swords.
Oh yeah! And somewhere in my dream, I watched D walk away and remember thinking or whispering under my breath, "Wait. I wanted a hug..."
From my dream, I knew the scene with D made me feel rejected and abandoned. I can definitely see those emotions being present in my waking life. Also, I'm not sure if the vampires are a result of me watching Vampire Diaries before going to sleep, or if they are symbolic of sexual urges. Also, I think I woke up feeling guilty because of my unconscious attraction towards D. I think the gun is symbolic of my violent urges. I'm not gonna lie, I have plenty. I think being chased at the end happened for the same reason it does in all of my dreams I have many dreams of being chased). I think I'm either in constant fear of something, trying to run away from myself, or perhaps me running is a symbol to hide my inferiority. Maybe I constantly try to act tough and find out that I'm actually nothing tough at all. Maybe me running is my cowardice. Or maybe, I'm running because I'm just done dealing with things. I'm tired of everyday life, but I never seem to be able to run to where life isn't boring. Man... No wonder you shouldn't dissect your own dreams. Regardless of whether I'm honest with myself or not, I find that I don't really like the answer...
Although you're not supposed to, I've diagnosed a dream of mine. The dream was pretty intense. I was at a young leaders type conference. My friend Navya was in it and my friend Damien was in it except Damien looked like Damon from Vampire Diaries (Ian Somerhalder). We were in the room and I think we were dismissed and when I walked out of the room, I was facing the other side of the hallway, but a little section was a field. It looked like wheat and there was a girl tending to it. I went over to her and she told me it was revane. Revane is a plant in Vampire Diaries that is toxic to vampires.
Then, we were outside and my group was broken into teams. Navi, D and I were put in one team. We were making a chart. I think we were plotting supply of something because I got an image of a zig-zagging line that was generally decreasing. Something in me old me it was supply, but I don't know what the supply was of.
Then, out of no where, we were getting ready to play 3-vs-3 basketball. We were on an outdoor court and it was kinda really dark...
Anyhow, I remember taking a shot or two and then I ended up in the store. There was revane again. And that girl was there. She said something about vampire and the next thing I knew, I had a gun in my hand. It looked like the air rifle I used in India. I was up and down the aisles when someone saw me. I guess getting see with a gun in public doesn't change the reaction just because you're dreaming it... Anyway, my gun was gone and I started running. I don't remember the rest of that dream too clearly.
Things to be noted: Before I went to to sleep, I watched an episode of Vampire Diaries, talked to Damien, and spent the day practicing with my swords.
Oh yeah! And somewhere in my dream, I watched D walk away and remember thinking or whispering under my breath, "Wait. I wanted a hug..."
From my dream, I knew the scene with D made me feel rejected and abandoned. I can definitely see those emotions being present in my waking life. Also, I'm not sure if the vampires are a result of me watching Vampire Diaries before going to sleep, or if they are symbolic of sexual urges. Also, I think I woke up feeling guilty because of my unconscious attraction towards D. I think the gun is symbolic of my violent urges. I'm not gonna lie, I have plenty. I think being chased at the end happened for the same reason it does in all of my dreams I have many dreams of being chased). I think I'm either in constant fear of something, trying to run away from myself, or perhaps me running is a symbol to hide my inferiority. Maybe I constantly try to act tough and find out that I'm actually nothing tough at all. Maybe me running is my cowardice. Or maybe, I'm running because I'm just done dealing with things. I'm tired of everyday life, but I never seem to be able to run to where life isn't boring. Man... No wonder you shouldn't dissect your own dreams. Regardless of whether I'm honest with myself or not, I find that I don't really like the answer...
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Nick Cave
His music is the sound of beauty...
I suggest everyone Youtube him. Especially his music from The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.
Some of the greatest music that I have been blessed to hear <3
I suggest everyone Youtube him. Especially his music from The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.
Some of the greatest music that I have been blessed to hear <3
The (Future) Great Debaters
Recently, my GT1 class was assigned to pair up, choose Lincoln-Douglas, and debate. My debate concerned the death penalty. I, personally, agree completely with the death penalty. "An eye for an eye." "An eye for an eye will leave the whole world blind," many people quote to me. "An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind, but if we were blind, would we dare sin again?" I usually reply. It may sound awful, but if I had my way, men and women would still be hanged publically for their crimes. Regardless of my intense and unchangable feelings toward this topic, I was told to argue that a just government must not use the death penalty as punishment. Of course, I swallowed everything I hated about the argument I would soon have to make and started my research.
Overall, I think the debate went well. Both sides had great arguements, cross-exam questions, and refutes/rebuttals. I personally think I did well on my opening. I really should have written my closing ahead of time... I stuttered awfully, stressed out towards the end, horribly mess I felt like. I'm sure it wasn't that bad, but I felt like it was.
I think I performed best on my opening. I still could've improved though :/ I also thought I handled the cross-exam questions pretty well :) I did stutter a little though... Tripped over my words. My closing was weakest. As was my use of historical content. I could've used some things, but a lot of it would've set us up for traps. I think it was a benefit to want the death penalty so much. Everything I read, I rebutted. Everything I rebutted off of instinct, I forced myself to rebut again.
If I could change anything, I would change the ammount of effort I put in my closing. Closings are clearly not a wing-it type thing. I should have a better outline next time and then change things according to the debate. That is the most important thing I plan on improving on before the next debate. Not procrastinating and anticipating more may also be more helpful.
I think the rubric was fine how it was. I don't recall if facts was under historical content, but if it wasn't, I suggest that it is added :)
I would love to debate: Resolved: American cultural unity ought to be valued above cultural diversity. It wasn't very favoured last time, but I think it is a resolve that isn't debated often. I'd love to see where it goes!
Anyhow, I found out that Doug and I won the debate. I think we work well together as partners :) I can't wait for the next debate! That's all for now folks!
Overall, I think the debate went well. Both sides had great arguements, cross-exam questions, and refutes/rebuttals. I personally think I did well on my opening. I really should have written my closing ahead of time... I stuttered awfully, stressed out towards the end, horribly mess I felt like. I'm sure it wasn't that bad, but I felt like it was.
I think I performed best on my opening. I still could've improved though :/ I also thought I handled the cross-exam questions pretty well :) I did stutter a little though... Tripped over my words. My closing was weakest. As was my use of historical content. I could've used some things, but a lot of it would've set us up for traps. I think it was a benefit to want the death penalty so much. Everything I read, I rebutted. Everything I rebutted off of instinct, I forced myself to rebut again.
If I could change anything, I would change the ammount of effort I put in my closing. Closings are clearly not a wing-it type thing. I should have a better outline next time and then change things according to the debate. That is the most important thing I plan on improving on before the next debate. Not procrastinating and anticipating more may also be more helpful.
I think the rubric was fine how it was. I don't recall if facts was under historical content, but if it wasn't, I suggest that it is added :)
I would love to debate: Resolved: American cultural unity ought to be valued above cultural diversity. It wasn't very favoured last time, but I think it is a resolve that isn't debated often. I'd love to see where it goes!
Anyhow, I found out that Doug and I won the debate. I think we work well together as partners :) I can't wait for the next debate! That's all for now folks!
Friday, March 25, 2011
This is a little weird, but I've become a little addicted to online blogging. I revisited my Twitter today, I made a Tumblr, and I just had a sudden urge to blog about it here! This blog is random and has no real point.
I was listening to Florence and the Machine radio on Pandora. It's put me in a weird mood. I don't really know how to describe it... It makes me wanna write again. I haven't written in a long time. I feel like no ideas are coming to me. It's as if everything that was here has vanished. It's as if my thoughts have left me- abandoned me for some other master. (That was me returning to my 18th century mood)
I've spent most of my day doing nothing. I spoke to my friend, Joy. I worked on my History project for two hours... and then it didn't save... at all... Aside from that, I've been doing some sort of blogging. My brother, Harvey, took my Cane Corso puppy, Rocky, to the park earlier today. He's been knocked out for a good 4 hours. I think it's because my sister, Jaspreet, and my cousin, Sukhjit, and I were all up late playing Just Dance! He might not have been able to sleep as much as he wanted to :/ He's been mellowing out to Florence and the Machine radio with me :) I think I'm gonna change the station to Clint Mansell... He's one of my favourite contemporary composers! I could live off of his and Ludovico Einaudi's music! And David Nueve! And Hans Zimmer! And I should probably stop before I name 20 more composers...
Anyways... back to what I was saying... Listening to this music has really got me in the writing type mood. On Tumblr, I posted three of my own posts so far :) They're actually quite depressing :/ Actually, all three posts are things I've already posted as my status on facebook! Two of them, I extended from the original thought :) I'm contemplating whether or not to cut and paste them on to here... I think I'll just put in the link to my Tumblr :) ----->http://phoenixresurrected.tumblr.com/
Feel free to check it out :) PhoenixResurrected is referring to my zodiac sign, Scorpio, by the way :)
Since this ridculously long rambling post is almost done, I should probably be! Mommy and Daddy are home, and therefore, I should not spend much more time on the computer! May anyone reading this sleep soundly tonight and dream a dream that makes you smile in your sleep <3
I was listening to Florence and the Machine radio on Pandora. It's put me in a weird mood. I don't really know how to describe it... It makes me wanna write again. I haven't written in a long time. I feel like no ideas are coming to me. It's as if everything that was here has vanished. It's as if my thoughts have left me- abandoned me for some other master. (That was me returning to my 18th century mood)
I've spent most of my day doing nothing. I spoke to my friend, Joy. I worked on my History project for two hours... and then it didn't save... at all... Aside from that, I've been doing some sort of blogging. My brother, Harvey, took my Cane Corso puppy, Rocky, to the park earlier today. He's been knocked out for a good 4 hours. I think it's because my sister, Jaspreet, and my cousin, Sukhjit, and I were all up late playing Just Dance! He might not have been able to sleep as much as he wanted to :/ He's been mellowing out to Florence and the Machine radio with me :) I think I'm gonna change the station to Clint Mansell... He's one of my favourite contemporary composers! I could live off of his and Ludovico Einaudi's music! And David Nueve! And Hans Zimmer! And I should probably stop before I name 20 more composers...
Anyways... back to what I was saying... Listening to this music has really got me in the writing type mood. On Tumblr, I posted three of my own posts so far :) They're actually quite depressing :/ Actually, all three posts are things I've already posted as my status on facebook! Two of them, I extended from the original thought :) I'm contemplating whether or not to cut and paste them on to here... I think I'll just put in the link to my Tumblr :) ----->http://phoenixresurrected.tumblr.com/
Feel free to check it out :) PhoenixResurrected is referring to my zodiac sign, Scorpio, by the way :)
Since this ridculously long rambling post is almost done, I should probably be! Mommy and Daddy are home, and therefore, I should not spend much more time on the computer! May anyone reading this sleep soundly tonight and dream a dream that makes you smile in your sleep <3
Friday, March 11, 2011
My History Project
Sunday, February 6, 2011
These Are My Values. This Is Me.
My most recent assignment in GT was to take a values survey/test. It consisted of 40 phrases that I would mark off if they were important to me. I marked off 36 of them as important to me. These 40 phrases would help me choose from 18 values, and they did! I believe my results were very accurate.
The first value I was given was "Family, Love, and Emotional Security."
Could this be any more like me?! I often find myself thinking about when I get married and when I have kids. I constantly talk about the type of mom I'm going to be and little traditions we'll make. Also, this value reminds me a LOT about my zodiac sign. I'm a Scorpio! In case you did not know, Scorpios are more often than not very committed in relationships. They love to feel secure which is usually why they don't give trust away too easily.
The second value I was given was "Fulfillment, Intellectual and Vocational Achievement"
Once again, this describes me very well. I want to accomplish something worthwhile! In fact, in one of my "Great Writings" last year, I talked about my want and need to be remembered. One of my favourite conversations in Troy is between Achilles and a young boy. The young boy tells Achilles that the man he is about to fight is big, and he would never want to fight him. Achilles replies, "And that is why no one will remember your name." To me, that is my one way to achieve fulfillment. I must be remembered long after my bones have turned to ash (it's funny that I say this because I will be cremated when I pass). Another reference to my zodiac sign... Scorpio's are known to be very determined. I believe that is one of the reasons this is such an important value to me.
The third value I was given was "Education, Intelligence, and Wisdom"
Three for three! Ding ding ding! We have a winner! The part of this value that really sticks out to me is the word 'wisdom.' I have been told on countless occasions that I seem older than I am. I'm very mature, I carry myself well, I'm 'much too wise for my age.' I value my education over most everything else. I'm willing to go through more than 12 years of schooling AFTER high school to become a neurosurgeon. I'm pretty sure education and intelligence is an important value to hold if that's what your dream is... Again, my scorpion traits fit in well here. Scorpio's are well noted for their wisdom. Actually, astrologers call us 'oldest souls' because we have wisdom beyond our years. This value definitely belongs to me!
The fourth value I was given was "Courage"
Man, could this test get any more accurate? I think this is pretty true about me or, at least this is something I strive to obtain. I try to be the type of person who says what they feel. I try to be the type of person who stands up when everyone else is sitting down. I try to be the type of person who isn't afraid to walk into a war unarmed. Am I all of those things? No. Do I try? Very much. Will I have it one day? I sure hope so. I would relate this to my zodiac sign, but I'm sure you're already bored about hearing it :)
The last of my top five values was "Emotional Well-being and Stability"
This kind of ties into my first value of family, love, and emotional security. This value is also like courage is for me. Am I emotional stable? Not all the time. Do I try though? Yes. One day, far from now, will I have taken it as mine? I better have...
Some other value that are also up there with these top five include:
Perseverance
Power and Achievement
Religion and Spirituality
Altruism
I also believe that "Social Appearance (How you wish for others to perceive you)" should be a testable value. I would knock at least one of my top five out of the rankings!
The first value I was given was "Family, Love, and Emotional Security."
Could this be any more like me?! I often find myself thinking about when I get married and when I have kids. I constantly talk about the type of mom I'm going to be and little traditions we'll make. Also, this value reminds me a LOT about my zodiac sign. I'm a Scorpio! In case you did not know, Scorpios are more often than not very committed in relationships. They love to feel secure which is usually why they don't give trust away too easily.
The second value I was given was "Fulfillment, Intellectual and Vocational Achievement"
Once again, this describes me very well. I want to accomplish something worthwhile! In fact, in one of my "Great Writings" last year, I talked about my want and need to be remembered. One of my favourite conversations in Troy is between Achilles and a young boy. The young boy tells Achilles that the man he is about to fight is big, and he would never want to fight him. Achilles replies, "And that is why no one will remember your name." To me, that is my one way to achieve fulfillment. I must be remembered long after my bones have turned to ash (it's funny that I say this because I will be cremated when I pass). Another reference to my zodiac sign... Scorpio's are known to be very determined. I believe that is one of the reasons this is such an important value to me.
The third value I was given was "Education, Intelligence, and Wisdom"
Three for three! Ding ding ding! We have a winner! The part of this value that really sticks out to me is the word 'wisdom.' I have been told on countless occasions that I seem older than I am. I'm very mature, I carry myself well, I'm 'much too wise for my age.' I value my education over most everything else. I'm willing to go through more than 12 years of schooling AFTER high school to become a neurosurgeon. I'm pretty sure education and intelligence is an important value to hold if that's what your dream is... Again, my scorpion traits fit in well here. Scorpio's are well noted for their wisdom. Actually, astrologers call us 'oldest souls' because we have wisdom beyond our years. This value definitely belongs to me!
The fourth value I was given was "Courage"
Man, could this test get any more accurate? I think this is pretty true about me or, at least this is something I strive to obtain. I try to be the type of person who says what they feel. I try to be the type of person who stands up when everyone else is sitting down. I try to be the type of person who isn't afraid to walk into a war unarmed. Am I all of those things? No. Do I try? Very much. Will I have it one day? I sure hope so. I would relate this to my zodiac sign, but I'm sure you're already bored about hearing it :)
The last of my top five values was "Emotional Well-being and Stability"
This kind of ties into my first value of family, love, and emotional security. This value is also like courage is for me. Am I emotional stable? Not all the time. Do I try though? Yes. One day, far from now, will I have taken it as mine? I better have...
Some other value that are also up there with these top five include:
Perseverance
Power and Achievement
Religion and Spirituality
Altruism
I also believe that "Social Appearance (How you wish for others to perceive you)" should be a testable value. I would knock at least one of my top five out of the rankings!
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