Shopping. A word some hate and some love. Nooww...how do you save the world by shopping?
WAHAHAHAH!!! You can up the economy by spending! Like, go out and by shoes or something...
-_-
I'm not kidding. I highly doubt it would work, nor anyone would do it, but it's an idea!
I told my family that when I grew up, I'd spend half my salary of stuff I don't need to stimulate the economy. My dad stared at me, my mom told me that even if I save the world, if I'm poor, no one will save me, and my brother danced in glee chanting about me turning into a hobo. I have such a nice family.
Just imagine someone so incredbly rich that all they had to do to up the economy is to spend most of their money...
My daddy suggested Bill Gates...
Or maybe that someone could erase our humungo debt.
Honestly, I don't really know what I'm talking about, but my daddy didn't correct me when I was ranting, so I'm going to guess that I make a little bit of sense?
Shop and Spend and SMILE!
Speaking of which, I'm gonna go donate money to the economy in a couple minutes. (I'm helping my mom buy school supplies for my brother...)
Hmm... Speaking of which...
Did you know that stores like Wal-Mart, Target, B.J.'s and stuff are stabbing our economy? At least they have each other to compete with, but all the other small family owned businesses are like, bankrupt because of them. So if your parent's don't mind (mine do, unfortunately) go donate (spend) your money elsewhere..
Story time!
Once upon a time, there was this Pho restuarant in Vietnam (I'm not sure if this is true or not...My daddy told me it was a famous story to teach children about monopolies and whatnot). It was doing pretty good, selling a bowl at 10 dollars. And then, BAM! Chinese invaded. They opened their own restuarant. VPho vs CPho.
CPho, with an entire nation behind it, could afford to take a little loss, and set its price at 8 bucks.
VPho, was like, Fine, our Pho is 7 bucks!
And this went on until CPho gave out stuff for eating at their place, along w/ their 25 cent price tag on the bowl of Pho.
And so, VPho ran out of business.
And with no competition,
A bowl of Pho became 20 bucks. ^.^
Did I tell that story yet?
I'm not sure...
Anyway, go save the world by helping small businesses. Although, I'm not quite sure if they're any small businesses around your area who sell shoes...
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Monday, August 16, 2010
I Made an Animation!
A fail animation at that, but hey, what can you do about it...Maybe I'll make a better one next year when I get and learn how to use Flash? Anyway, for a girl using only a fake Movie Maker (that ended up nearly crashing the computer) and Paint, I think it turned out pretty darn good. :P
Click to See my Animation! It's on Youtube...
Smile!
Click to See my Animation! It's on Youtube...
Smile!
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Can You Recycle a Water Bottle With Liquid in It?
No. No you can't. But what you can do is finish up the liquid because staying hydrated is healthy. Plus, if it's water, or contains water, you're wasting water. What does a landfill need water for?
Which brings me to the next green subject. Water.
So. Water is being recycled all the time, right? So why should we conserve it? It's gonna be clean anyway...
1. Treating water uses energy. Less water= less treating = less wasted energy= happy environment.
2. People use up more water that we can replenish. And seeing how less than 1% of all of the worlds water is available for us to drink...
3. Water comes from the underground. That same water is the source of lakes, rivers, and such. When the water is being used for our consumption, there's less water in lakes and such, therefore heightening the concentration of crap in the water.
Here's a link for more information about water consumption. You can even calculate your water footprint! XP
Soo... How do you conserve water?
Reduce, reuse, recycle! Well, you, personally, can't recycle water, so just Reduce and Reuse!
ReDuCe! Take shorter showers. Wash your dishes using the dishwasher, rather than hand washing. Don't water your lawn so much. Drink all your water instead of throwing away or pouring it down the drain
rEuSe! Rainwater can be used to water your plants. So can the water you use to wash your veggies. If you use water that isn't from your hose to water your plants, you can save a whole lot of it... Buckets and buckets of it. :)
So save water for the fish! And SMILE while you're doing it!
Which brings me to the next green subject. Water.
So. Water is being recycled all the time, right? So why should we conserve it? It's gonna be clean anyway...
1. Treating water uses energy. Less water= less treating = less wasted energy= happy environment.
2. People use up more water that we can replenish. And seeing how less than 1% of all of the worlds water is available for us to drink...
3. Water comes from the underground. That same water is the source of lakes, rivers, and such. When the water is being used for our consumption, there's less water in lakes and such, therefore heightening the concentration of crap in the water.
Here's a link for more information about water consumption. You can even calculate your water footprint! XP
Soo... How do you conserve water?
Reduce, reuse, recycle! Well, you, personally, can't recycle water, so just Reduce and Reuse!
ReDuCe! Take shorter showers. Wash your dishes using the dishwasher, rather than hand washing. Don't water your lawn so much. Drink all your water instead of throwing away or pouring it down the drain
rEuSe! Rainwater can be used to water your plants. So can the water you use to wash your veggies. If you use water that isn't from your hose to water your plants, you can save a whole lot of it... Buckets and buckets of it. :)
So save water for the fish! And SMILE while you're doing it!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Maybe It's Time I Stick to My Blog Name? 3 R'S!
So my blog's name is "Smiles make the world go round," and my url is "smileandsavetheworld" So I think I might rename my title to fit my url...
Anyway, I was browsing around my friends blogs and found a blog entry that seemed of interest of me. The three R's. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle! And then I continued to read it to find it didn't have any substance. Booo...
So maybe I should start posting about saving the world, as that's what my blog was meant to be...ahahah...
-__- oppsie.
Anyway. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. It's listed it the order that you follow it. And in the order of importance as well.
REDUCE: Buy your things without the packaging. Don't pull out a fresh new piece of paper to write down "Call Sally." Reduce your output. And I suppose reducing your input would help too. Buying something you'll surely trash in a week will waste the materials used to make the object and the materials used in the packaging.
REUSE: Ooohhh crrapp.. You just bought something off the internet and it came in bubble wrap, styrafoam, plastic bags, and a whole lot of other crap they didn't need to stuff in the extra thick cardboard box covered in tape. Oops? Weell, bubble wrap... it's just kinda cool, so I'm not going to bash that. You can reuse it as entertainment instead of watching TV? Saves energy... Styrafoam. Only some places recycle it. Most likely, where you live, you can't recycle it. So make something out of it. Use it as packaging again, carve a toy out of it for your children (or yourself). Cut it up and use it as stuffing? The possibililties are ENDLESS.
How about cardboard? that's definately more versatile. You can use it as a container, cut it up for a poster, a bookmark...ANYTHING.
A HUGE thing is to use both sides of paper before disposing it. I put together an accordian binder of paper I could reuse, and the seams of it is literally ripping apart because it's so full. Imagine if I were to use that amount of paper...except using a fresh blank piece. Fail.
And a side note, see how creative you are. I read this experiment in a book for school. Pull out a piece of paper that you were about to needlessly dispose of and write this down in the blank part of the paper. :)
1.) How many uses can you think of for a brick?
2.) How many uses can you think of for a blanket?
I'll put my answers in a seperate blog.
RECYCLE: Now, you may ask, why the fudge is this the least important? She freaks if she sees recycle-ables in the trash! Well, despite my hyped-up-ness about recycling, in all reality, it DOES use up energy. Of course, less energy that throwing it away, but still. Besides, recycling still goes under your outputs.
But back to the point. Recycling can save SO MUCH energy. I won't bother putting numbers on this because you can simply google it. How much energy can you save by recycling a can?
ANYWAY. Keep your eyes peeled for more stuff about saving the world...Of course, you could just not read the post at all...Less time on the computer reading my lecture about saving the world means less energy being used by your computer. :P
Have an awesome greenerific day!
AND SMILE!
Anyway, I was browsing around my friends blogs and found a blog entry that seemed of interest of me. The three R's. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle! And then I continued to read it to find it didn't have any substance. Booo...
So maybe I should start posting about saving the world, as that's what my blog was meant to be...ahahah...
-__- oppsie.
Anyway. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. It's listed it the order that you follow it. And in the order of importance as well.
REDUCE: Buy your things without the packaging. Don't pull out a fresh new piece of paper to write down "Call Sally." Reduce your output. And I suppose reducing your input would help too. Buying something you'll surely trash in a week will waste the materials used to make the object and the materials used in the packaging.
REUSE: Ooohhh crrapp.. You just bought something off the internet and it came in bubble wrap, styrafoam, plastic bags, and a whole lot of other crap they didn't need to stuff in the extra thick cardboard box covered in tape. Oops? Weell, bubble wrap... it's just kinda cool, so I'm not going to bash that. You can reuse it as entertainment instead of watching TV? Saves energy... Styrafoam. Only some places recycle it. Most likely, where you live, you can't recycle it. So make something out of it. Use it as packaging again, carve a toy out of it for your children (or yourself). Cut it up and use it as stuffing? The possibililties are ENDLESS.
How about cardboard? that's definately more versatile. You can use it as a container, cut it up for a poster, a bookmark...ANYTHING.
A HUGE thing is to use both sides of paper before disposing it. I put together an accordian binder of paper I could reuse, and the seams of it is literally ripping apart because it's so full. Imagine if I were to use that amount of paper...except using a fresh blank piece. Fail.
And a side note, see how creative you are. I read this experiment in a book for school. Pull out a piece of paper that you were about to needlessly dispose of and write this down in the blank part of the paper. :)
1.) How many uses can you think of for a brick?
2.) How many uses can you think of for a blanket?
I'll put my answers in a seperate blog.
RECYCLE: Now, you may ask, why the fudge is this the least important? She freaks if she sees recycle-ables in the trash! Well, despite my hyped-up-ness about recycling, in all reality, it DOES use up energy. Of course, less energy that throwing it away, but still. Besides, recycling still goes under your outputs.
But back to the point. Recycling can save SO MUCH energy. I won't bother putting numbers on this because you can simply google it. How much energy can you save by recycling a can?
ANYWAY. Keep your eyes peeled for more stuff about saving the world...Of course, you could just not read the post at all...Less time on the computer reading my lecture about saving the world means less energy being used by your computer. :P
Have an awesome greenerific day!
AND SMILE!
Friday, July 23, 2010
ZOMG! I GOT A SEWING MACHINE!!!
WOAH!
She used "ZOMG!" and "!!!" ? And in all caps?
WOAH!
After a couple seconds of begging, (my dad thought that me learning to sew was a good idea) my parents ordered a sewing machine for me. A day passed, and no shipping confirmation was emailed. Another day passed. I was friggin scared that the factory blew up or something. And with my luck, the possibility of that happening was as possible as the sun coming up tomorrow. >.<
However, late into the afternoon of the third day, my dad frantically pulled me from a sewing video on Youtube to show me the confirmation email. And it was going to arrive on the 23rd! "Tomorrow!" he grinned. And then he let me do a happy dance as I announced my good news to everyone (who said, "yiippee..." and continued whatever they were doing).
Around 3 pm, the UPS truck came, and brought in the sewing machine. Despite him frowning from heat exhaustion, I caught a small smile from him when he saw me clap my hands repeatedly and jumped in circles on my porch. That's how silly I was being.
The day before, (yesterday) I went to this thrift store to buy crap fabric to practice sewing on.
As soon as I had everything set up, I slowly zoomed through the directions to thread the machine and I started going in a straight line. After 3 lines, (well, the beginning of the first one looked more like waves) I said, "screw that" and went on to hemming the edges, and sewing a bag. After dinner, I sewed a bow together, and tomorrow, I plan to add draw strings (my shoelace) and the bow.
And so, I'll have my first project.
The best part? My dad, who's very critical of stuff, said it was very good...for a beginner. Very good my {bleep}! I made this 5 minutes after getting the machine, the first time I touched it. It was EXCELLENT...AMAZING...SUPERB for a beginner.
(do i sound like a mommy bragging about her child's amazing coloring skills?)
But it was a compliment never the less, so I'm drunk on happiness.
Then again, he pointed to the beginning of the first line and yelled, "What's this? FAIL! F-!" (i have a very nice daddy)
And now, giving presents no longer scare me. If I could give people money for presents, or read their minds and buy them whatever they wanted, I'd love giving out stuff. But unfortunately, my limited social/thinking skills prohibits me from deciding whether or not the victim of my gift giving will enjoy my present or not.
But now! Domo lovers, Domo bags/pillows headed your way. Cute things lovers, little bunny pillows.
Purses, bags, clothes. pillows, curtains(happy birthday! i made you curtains! XP) are now attainable for the price of time! And I don't have to go around thinking, "Crap, do they have this already?" because wha-la! I made it! :)
And a side note,
SMILE!
She used "ZOMG!" and "!!!" ? And in all caps?
WOAH!
After a couple seconds of begging, (my dad thought that me learning to sew was a good idea) my parents ordered a sewing machine for me. A day passed, and no shipping confirmation was emailed. Another day passed. I was friggin scared that the factory blew up or something. And with my luck, the possibility of that happening was as possible as the sun coming up tomorrow. >.<
However, late into the afternoon of the third day, my dad frantically pulled me from a sewing video on Youtube to show me the confirmation email. And it was going to arrive on the 23rd! "Tomorrow!" he grinned. And then he let me do a happy dance as I announced my good news to everyone (who said, "yiippee..." and continued whatever they were doing).
Around 3 pm, the UPS truck came, and brought in the sewing machine. Despite him frowning from heat exhaustion, I caught a small smile from him when he saw me clap my hands repeatedly and jumped in circles on my porch. That's how silly I was being.
The day before, (yesterday) I went to this thrift store to buy crap fabric to practice sewing on.
As soon as I had everything set up, I slowly zoomed through the directions to thread the machine and I started going in a straight line. After 3 lines, (well, the beginning of the first one looked more like waves) I said, "screw that" and went on to hemming the edges, and sewing a bag. After dinner, I sewed a bow together, and tomorrow, I plan to add draw strings (my shoelace) and the bow.
And so, I'll have my first project.
The best part? My dad, who's very critical of stuff, said it was very good...for a beginner. Very good my {bleep}! I made this 5 minutes after getting the machine, the first time I touched it. It was EXCELLENT...AMAZING...SUPERB for a beginner.
(do i sound like a mommy bragging about her child's amazing coloring skills?)
But it was a compliment never the less, so I'm drunk on happiness.
Then again, he pointed to the beginning of the first line and yelled, "What's this? FAIL! F-!" (i have a very nice daddy)
And now, giving presents no longer scare me. If I could give people money for presents, or read their minds and buy them whatever they wanted, I'd love giving out stuff. But unfortunately, my limited social/thinking skills prohibits me from deciding whether or not the victim of my gift giving will enjoy my present or not.
But now! Domo lovers, Domo bags/pillows headed your way. Cute things lovers, little bunny pillows.
Purses, bags, clothes. pillows, curtains(happy birthday! i made you curtains! XP) are now attainable for the price of time! And I don't have to go around thinking, "Crap, do they have this already?" because wha-la! I made it! :)
And a side note,
SMILE!
Monday, July 12, 2010
Gifted and Talented...continued
My friends blogged about their experiences of GT, so I'll go ahead and add that too...
Well. Contradictory to my friend's entrance to the Gifted and Talented Center, I was raised to go in. Although I don't remember 'training' to take the test, my dad informed me that I knew exactly what was going on, and studied for the test. Apparently I memorized the questions I didn't know and brought them home to my dad who explained them to me. I do remember, however, getting the letter and trying to figure out what "eligible" meant.
Since my dad realized that I liked math in early Kindergarten, he set up a study time from 8pm to bed time. I looked forward to that time every day. By the first week of 1st grade, I finished a 4th grade workbook. I was raised to get into the GT center.
All my friends knew about the GT. We played games to help us study during recess, because we thought it was fun. And then I read about my friends not knowing anything about the program and I think, "Wow...so different..."
Even before I knew about the GTC though, my recesses (at least the inside ones) were spent discovering tessellations and making the Great Wall of China out of the shapes. Or using those little blocks to discovering how many blocks were in a cube with a side of 3 blocks, 4 blocks and so forth...
Thinking back, that was the biggest waste of free time I had ever spent. What kind of 1st grader goes around memorizing perfect cubes (I didn't know they were called that though)?! I kinda wish I played tag like the other kids...
And then in 3rd grade, at the beginning of the year, we took the 3rd grade math SOL, I think, to see what we already knew, and I got 100% on it. My teacher explained to me that I already learned the entire curriculum, so I could do "Advanced Math' or something, and I was sent out of the room everyday to do my advanced studies. These were standardized test questions students did to improve their math. It was so friggin boring. And I got lonely doing math outside by myself. :(
And then more people joined the group, and I made friends. But since I was so ahead of them, having done them since the beginning of the year, the time spent outside consisted of chatting, helping them, or doodling.
After that, I pretty much relaxed into a normal learning rate, without my 8 o'clock learning block. I can't say that I don't wish that I used that time better, but thatcertainly did free up my recess time, now that I could care less about how much mulch was inside the playground... ;)
What I learned from my experiences is that it's good to learn, but when it's taking up your precious recess time, it's gone too far. I should write down to tell my children that...
Smile!
Well. Contradictory to my friend's entrance to the Gifted and Talented Center, I was raised to go in. Although I don't remember 'training' to take the test, my dad informed me that I knew exactly what was going on, and studied for the test. Apparently I memorized the questions I didn't know and brought them home to my dad who explained them to me. I do remember, however, getting the letter and trying to figure out what "eligible" meant.
Since my dad realized that I liked math in early Kindergarten, he set up a study time from 8pm to bed time. I looked forward to that time every day. By the first week of 1st grade, I finished a 4th grade workbook. I was raised to get into the GT center.
All my friends knew about the GT. We played games to help us study during recess, because we thought it was fun. And then I read about my friends not knowing anything about the program and I think, "Wow...so different..."
Even before I knew about the GTC though, my recesses (at least the inside ones) were spent discovering tessellations and making the Great Wall of China out of the shapes. Or using those little blocks to discovering how many blocks were in a cube with a side of 3 blocks, 4 blocks and so forth...
Thinking back, that was the biggest waste of free time I had ever spent. What kind of 1st grader goes around memorizing perfect cubes (I didn't know they were called that though)?! I kinda wish I played tag like the other kids...
And then in 3rd grade, at the beginning of the year, we took the 3rd grade math SOL, I think, to see what we already knew, and I got 100% on it. My teacher explained to me that I already learned the entire curriculum, so I could do "Advanced Math' or something, and I was sent out of the room everyday to do my advanced studies. These were standardized test questions students did to improve their math. It was so friggin boring. And I got lonely doing math outside by myself. :(
And then more people joined the group, and I made friends. But since I was so ahead of them, having done them since the beginning of the year, the time spent outside consisted of chatting, helping them, or doodling.
After that, I pretty much relaxed into a normal learning rate, without my 8 o'clock learning block. I can't say that I don't wish that I used that time better, but thatcertainly did free up my recess time, now that I could care less about how much mulch was inside the playground... ;)
What I learned from my experiences is that it's good to learn, but when it's taking up your precious recess time, it's gone too far. I should write down to tell my children that...
Smile!
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Gifted and Talented
On the request of my friend, I am supposed to write a blog about the Gifted and Talented Center. And now I've given away where I live too, I think. Yippee... =__=
Said friend informed me that another friend, and a third friend, all agreed too write a blog about this topic.
Alright lets go...
People, such as teachers and mature-like students repeatedly tell us, those in the GTC, are not better than those in "base." Other people, who are more blunt in what they say, such as egotistical students and blunt teachers reveal that actually, we are better. How does the GTC work, exactly though? Apparently, all 2nd graders take an IQ test, and those w/ IQ's over a bar get put in the center. Or, as one of my friends did, a parent can request their child's placement in the center.
After this, in 3rd grade, the teacher reminds us that we are not better than those who aren't. We just "learn faster." They push us through two years of math, so that we are learning almost a year ahead. And then in 6th grade, we have an opportunity to skip another year of math, so that we're learning Algebra I in 7th grade. Base, however, has this opportunity as well, although more people in the GTC apply. Hey, what is this? It's all math!
How about language arts, science, and social studies? Honestly, science and social studies are taught nearly the exact same way. The only difference? In 6th grade, for the science fair, our expectations were a lot higher, and our EDD had to be filled out a certain way, where Base just answered questions. And Language Arts? That was taught a whole lot stricter than base. Where my brother got away with ending his essays with, "Well, that's all I have to say, so bye!", I would have been marked off for that.
Moving on to middle school, 7th grade (and I just narrowed down what counties I could be living in). Now, the teachers reveal that actually, because we're in the GTC, we're expected to behave better. If a substitute comes in and finds that we're talking, she informs us that we're a shame to the GTC. So much for equality.
In 8th grade, the curriculum between GT and Honors balances out a little, and besides going in a teeny bit deeper, the biggest difference is the books we have to read for English.
So, what really is the difference between GT and Base? We're taught more things (barely), and we're left to learn more things on our own.
Now lets rewind all the way back to 1st and 2nd grade. I remember being in the pull out GT for Math and Language Arts (what do you know...) and the way they taught me was so much different than how the actual GTC is. Pull out fostered creativity, branching into different topics of the same level. They actually let you ask questions and help you figure it out yourself. It's out of the box. It was fun to learn. Maybe it was because we already mastered the curriculum, and they weren't in any hurry to teach us 3rd grade things, so they let us explore 2nd grade things instead.
GTC, on the other had, goes by the book. A checklist, almost. "3rd grade math, check! 4th grade math, check!" For science and social studies, questions are not tolerated if not relevant. GTC has to move forward, pass the tests, be a grade ahead. It's in a little box. You don't need to be able to think for yourself. If you just learn what the teachers teach you, you'll be okay.
I blame it on the SOLs. If we didn't have regulated tests, maybe teachers would relax about sticking so close to the curriculum. Maybe instead of moving to the next chapter if we're ahead, we could explore the current chapter.
Now fast forward to 9th grade, High School. If you live in the United States, you may know that Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology is the best high school in the country. It's a magnet school, I think it's called, where students have to test to get into the school. TJHSST is the high school version of the GTC, except soley based on science, math, and technology. And from what I know, it's a lot more like the 1st and 2nd grade version of GTC. It's more based on what the student thinks, what the student can figure out for themself. They actually have to know how to think for themself.
And so, with that rant over with, I will need to go practice piano.
SMILE!
Said friend informed me that another friend, and a third friend, all agreed too write a blog about this topic.
Alright lets go...
People, such as teachers and mature-like students repeatedly tell us, those in the GTC, are not better than those in "base." Other people, who are more blunt in what they say, such as egotistical students and blunt teachers reveal that actually, we are better. How does the GTC work, exactly though? Apparently, all 2nd graders take an IQ test, and those w/ IQ's over a bar get put in the center. Or, as one of my friends did, a parent can request their child's placement in the center.
After this, in 3rd grade, the teacher reminds us that we are not better than those who aren't. We just "learn faster." They push us through two years of math, so that we are learning almost a year ahead. And then in 6th grade, we have an opportunity to skip another year of math, so that we're learning Algebra I in 7th grade. Base, however, has this opportunity as well, although more people in the GTC apply. Hey, what is this? It's all math!
How about language arts, science, and social studies? Honestly, science and social studies are taught nearly the exact same way. The only difference? In 6th grade, for the science fair, our expectations were a lot higher, and our EDD had to be filled out a certain way, where Base just answered questions. And Language Arts? That was taught a whole lot stricter than base. Where my brother got away with ending his essays with, "Well, that's all I have to say, so bye!", I would have been marked off for that.
Moving on to middle school, 7th grade (and I just narrowed down what counties I could be living in). Now, the teachers reveal that actually, because we're in the GTC, we're expected to behave better. If a substitute comes in and finds that we're talking, she informs us that we're a shame to the GTC. So much for equality.
In 8th grade, the curriculum between GT and Honors balances out a little, and besides going in a teeny bit deeper, the biggest difference is the books we have to read for English.
So, what really is the difference between GT and Base? We're taught more things (barely), and we're left to learn more things on our own.
Now lets rewind all the way back to 1st and 2nd grade. I remember being in the pull out GT for Math and Language Arts (what do you know...) and the way they taught me was so much different than how the actual GTC is. Pull out fostered creativity, branching into different topics of the same level. They actually let you ask questions and help you figure it out yourself. It's out of the box. It was fun to learn. Maybe it was because we already mastered the curriculum, and they weren't in any hurry to teach us 3rd grade things, so they let us explore 2nd grade things instead.
GTC, on the other had, goes by the book. A checklist, almost. "3rd grade math, check! 4th grade math, check!" For science and social studies, questions are not tolerated if not relevant. GTC has to move forward, pass the tests, be a grade ahead. It's in a little box. You don't need to be able to think for yourself. If you just learn what the teachers teach you, you'll be okay.
I blame it on the SOLs. If we didn't have regulated tests, maybe teachers would relax about sticking so close to the curriculum. Maybe instead of moving to the next chapter if we're ahead, we could explore the current chapter.
Now fast forward to 9th grade, High School. If you live in the United States, you may know that Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology is the best high school in the country. It's a magnet school, I think it's called, where students have to test to get into the school. TJHSST is the high school version of the GTC, except soley based on science, math, and technology. And from what I know, it's a lot more like the 1st and 2nd grade version of GTC. It's more based on what the student thinks, what the student can figure out for themself. They actually have to know how to think for themself.
And so, with that rant over with, I will need to go practice piano.
SMILE!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Hate
Isn't that spiffy...Red is a color of love AND hate...I wonder what idiot coordinated that... -_-
Hate makes you ugly. Forgiving others is so much better. But then why do people not forgive? I forgive easily, probably because I haven't been offended enough not to. Or, being easily distracted, I forget about the offense before I can react to it. (haha...but seriously) But thinking about it, I considered the obvious (but not so obvious to me) fact that maybe people don't WANT to forgive. But does that mean the like feeling hatred towards that someone else? Is it comforting?
Most grudges I hold are just teasing grudges, grudges that I hold for fun and that I would easily lift when I felt like it. I hold grudges to see if I can, or to show the fact that indeed, I can, to the non-believers (shun the non-believers. :P)
So I didn't understand. Is hating on others a...positive feeling? Or maybe...is it because you don't feel that others DESERVE your forgiveness? Most likely, I think...
Following that, I thought, if the other person honestly didn't deserve forgiveness, is it still that bad to not forgive them? I think that...(#$%^! my nail polish chipped...I took so much care not to chip it this time...my 3rd failure. Pooh.) ...it depends. For example, if a man cheated on his wife (or a woman cheated on her husband, to remain un-sexist), I'm sure that the grudge against his wife would become tiring and simply a burden. So it would be best to just forgive her.
But what if the scenerio consisted of a bully and the bullied? Would it be okay to forgive the bully, even if another offense was in the seeable future? What if it seemed like the bully let it go, and decided to stop?
Oh yeah, and in both circumstances, the person didn't apologize. I know, I know, that's silly. But I grew up in a family that apologizing wasn't a great deal. It usually was an unspoken mutual agreement to let it go.
If I had more readers, I'd ask for your opinion, but the fact that this blog is more of a venting system for me... >.<
Well, despite this somewhat depressing blog, don't forget to
SMILE!
Hate makes you ugly. Forgiving others is so much better. But then why do people not forgive? I forgive easily, probably because I haven't been offended enough not to. Or, being easily distracted, I forget about the offense before I can react to it. (haha...but seriously) But thinking about it, I considered the obvious (but not so obvious to me) fact that maybe people don't WANT to forgive. But does that mean the like feeling hatred towards that someone else? Is it comforting?
Most grudges I hold are just teasing grudges, grudges that I hold for fun and that I would easily lift when I felt like it. I hold grudges to see if I can, or to show the fact that indeed, I can, to the non-believers (shun the non-believers. :P)
So I didn't understand. Is hating on others a...positive feeling? Or maybe...is it because you don't feel that others DESERVE your forgiveness? Most likely, I think...
Following that, I thought, if the other person honestly didn't deserve forgiveness, is it still that bad to not forgive them? I think that...(#$%^! my nail polish chipped...I took so much care not to chip it this time...my 3rd failure. Pooh.) ...it depends. For example, if a man cheated on his wife (or a woman cheated on her husband, to remain un-sexist), I'm sure that the grudge against his wife would become tiring and simply a burden. So it would be best to just forgive her.
But what if the scenerio consisted of a bully and the bullied? Would it be okay to forgive the bully, even if another offense was in the seeable future? What if it seemed like the bully let it go, and decided to stop?
Oh yeah, and in both circumstances, the person didn't apologize. I know, I know, that's silly. But I grew up in a family that apologizing wasn't a great deal. It usually was an unspoken mutual agreement to let it go.
If I had more readers, I'd ask for your opinion, but the fact that this blog is more of a venting system for me... >.<
Well, despite this somewhat depressing blog, don't forget to
SMILE!
Monday, June 21, 2010
Finals and Compliments
Finals... I put this in the dreariest color I could... Gray... I see many of my friends writing about it, so hey, why not, right?
So the school went through all this trouble to make a nice little schedule for the finals, of which most teachers that I have aren't following. For example, the schedule goes
JUNE...
17- 6th period
18- 1st period
21- 2nd and 3rd period
22- 4th and 5th period
23- 7th period
BUT, this is how I'm taking them
End of May- 6th period
June 8th- 2nd period
June 16th- 7th period
Everything else is the same, except 3rd period doesn't really have a final...And I was excused from doing my 2nd period exam. :D So technically, I've taken 3 exams... 3 more to go. Although, unlike my friends, I honestly don't mind the finals. Finals mean end of the year. Finals mean only 4 hours instead of 7. Finals means no homework. Finals mean grade boosters. Finals aren't that bad.
But then again, I love everything so hmm...
On a totally unrelated subject, my friend has brought it to my attention that my complimenting system doesn't work out. I tend to compliment guys more than my female friends because I think that guys don't get enough compliments, and I'm afraid that they might go screw themselves over because no one gave them a compliment.
And then I complimented a female friend of mine and she informed me that that was the nicest thing someone told her in forever... Which shocked me because I always assumed that she'd get lots of compliments... GASP! AN UNEXPECTED SHOCKER! So now, I've re thought my complimenting system. You can't get enough compliments. Unless your ego's about to leak through your ears, I bet most people could use sincere compliments, regardless of how many they already get.
So, lesson of the story, give out compliments, spread the love, and brush off what others think.
(Another friend informed me earlier this year that I apparently flirt w/ almost everyone I know because I try and make feel loved by me. Oops...Not exactly what I was going for, but as long as people feel loved, I'm good. :D)
On the topic of COMPLIMENTS though, here's another lesson. Soak up compliments. Don't brush them off. I know so many people who would deny anything good said about them. I used to do that too...And then I got annoyed when people would be like, "Nah, I'm not pretty." or "Hahaha...you're kidding, right?" or "I'm not that _____!"
Seriously? If someone takes the energy to tell you something nice, it's probably true. If you brush it off, you're not absorbing the compliment. And if you don't absorb it, you might as well be a complimentless person. Which is baaaddd for a self-esteem. And your self-esteem loves you! You should love it back. :D
Lesson of this story: Love yourself. :D
Recap!
1.) Finals aren't that bad.
2.) Give lots of sincere compliments
3.) Love yourself.
4.) Don't blog at 11:14 pm the night before you have your hardest final.
Oh yeah.
SMILE!
So the school went through all this trouble to make a nice little schedule for the finals, of which most teachers that I have aren't following. For example, the schedule goes
JUNE...
17- 6th period
18- 1st period
21- 2nd and 3rd period
22- 4th and 5th period
23- 7th period
BUT, this is how I'm taking them
End of May- 6th period
June 8th- 2nd period
June 16th- 7th period
Everything else is the same, except 3rd period doesn't really have a final...And I was excused from doing my 2nd period exam. :D So technically, I've taken 3 exams... 3 more to go. Although, unlike my friends, I honestly don't mind the finals. Finals mean end of the year. Finals mean only 4 hours instead of 7. Finals means no homework. Finals mean grade boosters. Finals aren't that bad.
But then again, I love everything so hmm...
On a totally unrelated subject, my friend has brought it to my attention that my complimenting system doesn't work out. I tend to compliment guys more than my female friends because I think that guys don't get enough compliments, and I'm afraid that they might go screw themselves over because no one gave them a compliment.
And then I complimented a female friend of mine and she informed me that that was the nicest thing someone told her in forever... Which shocked me because I always assumed that she'd get lots of compliments... GASP! AN UNEXPECTED SHOCKER! So now, I've re thought my complimenting system. You can't get enough compliments. Unless your ego's about to leak through your ears, I bet most people could use sincere compliments, regardless of how many they already get.
So, lesson of the story, give out compliments, spread the love, and brush off what others think.
(Another friend informed me earlier this year that I apparently flirt w/ almost everyone I know because I try and make feel loved by me. Oops...Not exactly what I was going for, but as long as people feel loved, I'm good. :D)
On the topic of COMPLIMENTS though, here's another lesson. Soak up compliments. Don't brush them off. I know so many people who would deny anything good said about them. I used to do that too...And then I got annoyed when people would be like, "Nah, I'm not pretty." or "Hahaha...you're kidding, right?" or "I'm not that _____!"
Seriously? If someone takes the energy to tell you something nice, it's probably true. If you brush it off, you're not absorbing the compliment. And if you don't absorb it, you might as well be a complimentless person. Which is baaaddd for a self-esteem. And your self-esteem loves you! You should love it back. :D
Lesson of this story: Love yourself. :D
Recap!
1.) Finals aren't that bad.
2.) Give lots of sincere compliments
3.) Love yourself.
4.) Don't blog at 11:14 pm the night before you have your hardest final.
Oh yeah.
SMILE!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Sappy End of the Year
Smile!
You know what I LOVE about the end of a school year? It's so freakin sappy. Especially with 3/4 of your friends going to different schools, everyone's nice to each other and drama gives way to happy friendships. The dance was a prime example of a sappy end of the year...And the days following it will hopefully be awesome...
And the best part is, no matter how bad your year was, the last couple days make you think, "Hey, this year wasn't that bad...I got friends, don't I?"
I think...that there should be a reunion thing... My elementary school has a reunion thing, so I can keep in touch with my friends...But otherwise...
Maybe I'm being naive (I probably am), but right now, I feel like my generation (my grade/ my year, what every you call it) is like a big happy family...and I can't wait to stalk...I mean find everyone in 20 years. :)
You know what I LOVE about the end of a school year? It's so freakin sappy. Especially with 3/4 of your friends going to different schools, everyone's nice to each other and drama gives way to happy friendships. The dance was a prime example of a sappy end of the year...And the days following it will hopefully be awesome...
And the best part is, no matter how bad your year was, the last couple days make you think, "Hey, this year wasn't that bad...I got friends, don't I?"
I think...that there should be a reunion thing... My elementary school has a reunion thing, so I can keep in touch with my friends...But otherwise...
Maybe I'm being naive (I probably am), but right now, I feel like my generation (my grade/ my year, what every you call it) is like a big happy family...and I can't wait to stalk...I mean find everyone in 20 years. :)
Sunday, May 2, 2010
The Real Story of THE THREE LITTLE PIGS
Once upon a time, there were three little pigs. The youngest one, Tjree, was beyond spoiled by Mommy Piggy. The other two pigs, One and Two, were slightly singed with jealousy of their brother's spoiled treatment, but they kept this feeling deep inside. And so, when it was time for the Piggys to move out, One and Two packed and left promptly, not able to wait until they could live on their own without their brattly little brother. Their mother instructed them very carefully.
"Straw is the very best material. It allows air circulation in your home and is a beautiful golden color as well. If you can't find straw, sticks are pretty good too. Although the color might be a little muddy, it still lets air flow into your house."
The two pigs took special note of this and raced off to find the materials. One, the oldest of them, and the fastest, ran far up the hill and found dry grass. He cut the grass by biting the ends at an agonizingly slow pace. Sure enough though, he had a pile of straw by the end of the day and was building his home.
Two, on the other hand, was much slower than One, and saw that, from the forest just below the top of the hill, his brother had used up all the straw. Thankfully, he was right in the forest, where sticks littered the ground. He gathered armfulls of sticks and rubbed them against tree trunks, smoothing out the sides. Without a proper sanding tool, this smoothing of sticks took an entire day! But his hard work was rewarded when he had smooth sticks to build his house out of.
The baby of the house, Three, was allowed to stay in the home a little longer, because his mother spoiled him so. When he finally left the house, he saw a pile of bricks right off his mother's property. He trotted over to the pile and built the house lazily, knowing that he would come back to his mother at the end of the day to sleep. A week had gone by, and he was barely halfway done with his house. During the night, when he was sleeping at Mom's house, his two brothers took pity on him and finished his house for him.
Everypig's house was finished, and One and Two were in their homes, decorating their home. Three, however, decided to blow off the job and go to the arcade in town.
That same day, a big bad wolf came from the otherside of the hill, and threathened One. When One refused to let him in, the wolf huffed and puffed till the house fell down. Then he ate One. The same happened to Two. When Big Bad Wolf came to Three's house, however, he couldn't blow down the house, thanks to the good job of One and Two. He climbed up the wall and let himself down the chimminey, but he saw that it was emtpy and let himself out.
When Three came back, he saw what had happened, and noticed reporters coming to make a news story. When he was interviewed, he spun a lie about his ultimate intelligence and the stupidity of his brothers. He told the story of how he tricked the wolf. His lie is what you know of as "The Three Little Pigs," today. Let it be known that this piggy is a FAKER, a LIAR.
The End. :)
"Straw is the very best material. It allows air circulation in your home and is a beautiful golden color as well. If you can't find straw, sticks are pretty good too. Although the color might be a little muddy, it still lets air flow into your house."
The two pigs took special note of this and raced off to find the materials. One, the oldest of them, and the fastest, ran far up the hill and found dry grass. He cut the grass by biting the ends at an agonizingly slow pace. Sure enough though, he had a pile of straw by the end of the day and was building his home.
Two, on the other hand, was much slower than One, and saw that, from the forest just below the top of the hill, his brother had used up all the straw. Thankfully, he was right in the forest, where sticks littered the ground. He gathered armfulls of sticks and rubbed them against tree trunks, smoothing out the sides. Without a proper sanding tool, this smoothing of sticks took an entire day! But his hard work was rewarded when he had smooth sticks to build his house out of.
The baby of the house, Three, was allowed to stay in the home a little longer, because his mother spoiled him so. When he finally left the house, he saw a pile of bricks right off his mother's property. He trotted over to the pile and built the house lazily, knowing that he would come back to his mother at the end of the day to sleep. A week had gone by, and he was barely halfway done with his house. During the night, when he was sleeping at Mom's house, his two brothers took pity on him and finished his house for him.
Everypig's house was finished, and One and Two were in their homes, decorating their home. Three, however, decided to blow off the job and go to the arcade in town.
That same day, a big bad wolf came from the otherside of the hill, and threathened One. When One refused to let him in, the wolf huffed and puffed till the house fell down. Then he ate One. The same happened to Two. When Big Bad Wolf came to Three's house, however, he couldn't blow down the house, thanks to the good job of One and Two. He climbed up the wall and let himself down the chimminey, but he saw that it was emtpy and let himself out.
When Three came back, he saw what had happened, and noticed reporters coming to make a news story. When he was interviewed, he spun a lie about his ultimate intelligence and the stupidity of his brothers. He told the story of how he tricked the wolf. His lie is what you know of as "The Three Little Pigs," today. Let it be known that this piggy is a FAKER, a LIAR.
The End. :)
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