Quick Blog: 3/14

Existentialism in summary is as open-minded as a person can view the world. An existentialist sees that there is meaning in the world but recognizes that all meaning is interpretation that each individual creates. This practice is much different from how I see meaning but it does have some truth to it. I think there is some order in the world but an existentialist wouldn't believe that. The truth that existentialism does hold is the meaning we place within object and things that shouldn't necessarily have meaning. For example, I'm super attached to my phone but often 

don't recognize the meaning I put into it. Existentialism could help with unnecessary attachments like that.

Quick Bog: 3/3/14

"So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past." 

(Last sentence in the novel "The Great Gatsby")

In this quote Nick is wrapping up his whole experience with Gatsby. Nick admired but didn't agree with Gatsby's hope for getting back the past. Gatsby thought he could win Daisy back 5 years after they sparked their love. It didn't work out for Gatsby and I think Nick shows this in the quote.  When he says, "we beat on, boats against the current" we keep going and work toward what we want like Gatsby did for Daisy. Then he says, "borne back ceaselessly into the past" saying that we indeed can't repeat the past like Gatsby wanted to do, but the past will continue to reoccur in our minds and always be there.

Quick Blog 2/25: "The American Dream"

The large gap between the "haves" and the "have-nots" I think is why the American Dream is still alive. With the majority of the U.S. wealth in the top 1% most people are still striving for their American Dream. I don't know how to change this gap but I do believe it needs to be changed. I think sharing the wealth to make everyone's lives better should be the American Dream. Maybe if everyone works toward a more equal country it could happen. The American Dream seems like more of a motivation for people and we should use that to inspire a new American Dream where everyone is involved.

Quick Blog 2/6: Olympic Dreams

One of my favorite sports to watch during the winter Olympics is figure skating. If I went to the Olympics for a sport it would be for figure skating. I skated since the age of 3 until the end of 8th grade.  I took it very seriously for a while I had a coach and took off ice classes. I used to skate alongside junior Olympians and would just watch them in awe. Going to the Olympics for skating used to be a dream of mine.

Quick Blog 2/4: Originality or Plagiarism?

"all ideas are second-hand, consciusly and unconsciously drawn from a million outside sources." 

-- Mark Twain

"creativity is just connecting things." 

-- Steve Jobs

I totally agree with these quotes. I do think that no idea is totally original or organic. Mark Twain says second-hand and unconsciously drawn ideas which is so true -- all ideas are inspired by things stored somewhere in your memory. For example I started taking art this year and before we even started our own pieces we studied famous pieces. Now we are a ways into the year and doing independent work but I often find myself noticing after finishing a piece that it has a lot of the same features as one of those original pieces we studied. I don't notice these things when making it but it is because of my unconscious memory that the art is alike. I also don't think it's bad that ideas aren't 100% original because like Jobs said, "creativity is just connecting things" and it's these things all being connected that produce the new great art and ideas.

Quick Blog 1/31: Book and Film Recommendation

A book I encourage people to read is "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes. It is a book about a mentally retarded man named Charlie and a mouse named Algernon who go through an experiential surgery to increase their brain capability. The book is a collection of Charlie's journal writings that he is required to do during the experiment. The surgery helps Charlie for some time. The book is a super interesting view into someones extreme transformation and how his life and feelings develop. It also shows the importance he finds in life and when the reader finishes the book they too are forced to really reflect on their life and values. 

Quick Blog 1/30: Life List

1.) Maintain a more balanced diet. Eat more healthy food and less unhealthy snacking.

2.) Continue my practice of yoga in college and try new ways of exercising and staying active.

3.) Enjoy the next step of growing up and moving away to college and learn how to be more independent.

Quick Blog 1/15: If I didn't have a cell phone...

I use my cell phone for everything. I feel weird when it isn't in my pocket or in my hand. I've tried to cut back with how addicted I am to my phone by leaving it in my room when I get home but I have to admit it's really hard. If I all of the sudden didn't have my phone I think I would feel lost and without contact. I wouldn't have a way to contact people whenever I needed. I think I'd be bored for a while but eventually pick up a hobby other than Candy Crush or looking on Instagram. If I stopped relying on my phone so much I think I would really benefit from it.

Quick Blog 1/14: Sixth Sense

There are a lot of "sixth senses" that would be super cool to have. One I think that would be really crazy to experience would be to have night vision. Having the ability to see in the dark would be really helpful for, well, seeing things in the dark when normally light would be required. I think it would also be nice because I'm one of those people that hate being in the dark and so I would be comfortable being able to see and control what was happening. Lastly, seeing in the dark would provide the chance for so many adventures that are ignored because of the night time darkness. With night vision a whole new set of hours would be accessible.

Quick Blog 1/13: Inanimate Objects

The inanimate objects I cling to the most would be my Sony a 33 camera and my 1990 Saab convertible. The summer going into freshman year was my first summer job and I used all my hard earned money to go in on my camera with my dad. Because of it I am such a photography junkie and capture all and every memory digitally. My family's Saab was a random google find that came up on craigslist a few years ago. It's primarily my car in the summer and I am so attached to it. It is pretty old but beside the broken air conditioner and occasional smoking - it's in fine shape and gets me to where I need to be.

Quick Blog 1/10: Daily Routine

Every day of my week looks the same. I am totally a creature of habit. Monday through Friday I wake up at 7:10, get ready for the day, eat breakfast, make a lunch, and I'm out the door around 8:20. School starts at 8:30 but as the year progresses I seem to show up a few minutes later and later. I have art, math, english, then lunch. I then go to yearbook, history, and lastly biology. At 3 the students at Washburn High School are saved by the bell. I usually head home to continue school and work on my homework. I get a break from homework and studying when it's dinner time. I like this time with my family; we summarize our days and catchup. It's a rare occasion but if I finish homework at a reasonable hour, I have time to watch tv or work on art. This has been my schedule of habit for most of my high school career but with the huge change of college coming up I've tried to move away from my normal routine and push changes on myself - in small doses of course. Due to my self-diagnosis of senior slide, I sometimes end homework early or skip the unnecessary work. I've started to go to yoga with my mom a couple times a week. Sometimes we go to classes together later in the night and sometimes I meet her downtown right after school. I've started working on art outside of school and journaling. Knowing I'm someone who doesn't like change, this year I've tried to work on it a lot and I think it is starting to show in my weekly schedule.

Quick Blog 1/9: New Year, New Word

The word I chose for my future was excited. I am excited for what's ahead in my senior year. I'm excited to see what I've learned at Washburn in my IB tests. I'm excited to hear back from colleges and make my final decision of where I will be next year. I'm excited to graduate. I'm excited to move out and be forced to really become independent. I'm excited to see what path I will follow in the years ahead and I'm excited to see what I can achieve. I am happy with my past and present and look forward to my exciting future.