Joyas Voladoras

I think that this essay is saying that everyone has a heart. No matter their size, everyone has a heart. This essay shows all sorts of different animals. Many that I don't even know! But they all have 2 things in common - a heart and love. They all love something...or someone. Maybe, some hearts may be small. But, that doesn't necessarily mean that they give less love. It depends on its personality. Who knows? A small hummingbird may be more loving than an elephant. You may think that all tigers or lions or predators don't even have a heart. But trust me, they do - they're just afraid to show their love. Think about it - you won't allow the lion to eat you if it acts nice around you, would you? It's only so ferocious because it's hungry...and so is its child. The lion loves its child....and wants him/her to be happy. Clearly, every animal has at least one feeling - love. (At least that's what I think.) So, that's what I think is something that should be remembered from this essay. Size doesn't matter in love.

What's Worth Knowing?

"I've been making a list of the things they don't teach at school. They don't teach you how to love somebody. They don't teach you how to be famous. They don't teach you how to be rich or how to be poor. They don't teach you how to walk away from someone you don't love any longer. They don't teach you what's going on in someone else's mind. They don't teach you what to say to someone who's dying. They don't teach you anything worth knowing." -Neil Gaiman

This quote is very true. They don't teach us what we should know. So, what's worth knowing? I think it's worth knowing how to not hurt someone. Regularly, many people upset others. They could get very hurt depending on what happens. Sometimes, it may happen without even knowing. There are many examples of people getting hurt and the consequences may be very heart-breaking. It can be physically or emotionally. In fact, I believe more people get emotionally hurt! Yes, we are taught to not be mean to others and to not physically hit someone. But, that is not enough. Hurting others can be done in other ways too. You may hurt someone without knowing, which is true in many cases. Many take some things in a very offensive way and that's how many relationships end. Misunderstandings occur quite often. Additionally, people can be hurt in such a way that they want to commit suicide. They cannot take the emotional pain. At some points of time, being emotionally hurt can lead to something more dangerous than being physically hurt! Studies show that emotional pain is more hurtful than physical pain! Emotional pain is not learnt about  as much as physical pain. To be on the safe side and to avoid disruptions in relationships, it's important to think twice before you speak. Just one mistake can lead to someone's death! So, that is something, I believe, that's worth knowing.

Waste Land

The most memorable part of this movie was when the  people were crying tears of joy seeing their artwork in the museums. It was very memorable because they probably never have even dreamt of being famous! They became famous artists from garbage pickers! I learned that you can become anything you want...even if you were a garbage picker before. You can accomplish anything you want if you try hard!
i think the people felt extremely happy to use there job in a better way. They were probably really grateful to be one of those few lucky people to get this new job! I would feel very grateful. I would feel so ovejoyed that I'm noy as "useful" as I thought I was.

Delicate

This is a plant. It needs good care otherwise it will die. So, it's delicate.

Big Pics

Honestly, I loved all the pictures. They each had their own hidden meaning. It was amazing looking through those beautiful, intricate snapshots which people had shot as their daily life. They weren't expecting it to be all that big. But, they've turned out to be some wonderful moments! It was difficult narrowing it down to just one brilliant picture. But, I managed to do so and I've also posted some others that stood out to me.



This picture was taken near the House of Parliaments and Big Ben in London, England.

I loved this picture because everything is in black and white...kind of like dull...and no freedom....they just stay in place (like the buildings, they cannot move). But, the sun only shines on one thing....the balloon. The balloon symbolizes many things to many people. But to me, it symbolizes freedom. It can let go and just be free and fly away. The sun is "highlighting" that fact that the balloon is the only one that shows freedom in this picture. It probably wasn't meant to be taken that way...but that's how I see this picture.

At first glance, you might miss how there are tons of buildings and how they compare to the balloon. Why did this person decide to take a picture of this? What stood out to them about this?

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2012/10/balloons_of_the_world.html



This sunset is just brilliant. I have always loved watching sunsets. Each one has it's own uniqueness.




This picture was also cool how the sunlight only landed on the man riding his bike....and nothing else. So, it seems just like my most favorite picture (the balloon one). Looking through these pictures, I'm realizing that the Sun plays an important role in symbolism.




Grief/Pain+Anger+Sadness=Volcano Eruption
That's what it seems like to me. The foggy layer of smoke which is tealish-light blue reminds me of sadness. The dark bluish-teal layer of heavy, puffy smoke reminds me of grief/pain. The heavy ed smoke reminds me of anger. With those 3 emotions combined, you would definitely erupt!




This is another favorite of mine. It doesn't really symbolize much to me....but it is just really cool! It was taken in action and came out perfect!




I just found this picture to be amazing! I mean...honestly, just look it at it! It;'s just soooo cool!





I find this to be very pretty! And it was on a window! I can see many different things! Flowers, birds, etc. It's up to our imagination to think of this as what we want. It's a very creative image!

Outside

I couldn't take many pictures because my phone died. So, I only took a few. But, the ones I took-I don't think they came out so bad

This one is red berries. This came out okay.

I tried taking a picture of these tiny berries, so the outside would go out of focus and the main focus would be the berries. But, this picture came out the other way around. :(

This, I believe, is a wasp. I think someone stepped on it. But, it came back alive!

Looking In

I think of looking in as looking into the future. I can't take a picture of the future or how I will be because I don't know yet. So, I took a picture of me when I was small "looking into the future"

Colorful!

Textureeeee

This is a part of my curtain. There are some "line" like things on it. So, it makes the texture rough. Also, there are flower designs on it. That seems like cloth in a way....but not really. I can't really think of what it would be called.

Underneath

These are my pictures of underneath. The first one is underneath a side table. Underneath a side table is this wooden "shelf" kind of thing. It has a bunch of books and other things on it. The next one is a shelf undeneath the oven. There a bunch of random things like tape, foil, wrap, etc. 

Food!

 This is our pantry. There is juice, cookies, and some spices.

 This is the inside. There is some syrup, juice, veggies, fruits, and some leftovers....and coke.

This is the side of my fridge. There's some milk.

Our staples are rice and milk. Our favorite food is probably rice. We spend about $150 on food per week.

Teen Ink Article

Many people are debating the gun laws recently due to many mass shootings, mainly the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting. Many ideas are being proposed about gun laws. Some people want to completely get rid of guns. Others want the gun laws to stay just as they are. But, I think something else…

Most murders were done with guns…of all sorts. For example, guns-such as handguns, rifles, pistols-account for 66.9 % of all homicides in 2009 according to the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime. Over fifty two thousand deaths by guns were deliberate and 23, 237 deaths by guns were not deliberate (in 2000). A little more than half of all gun-related deaths are suicides! In 2009, the Congressional Research Service estimated that there were about 310 million firearms in the United States itself, not including the military weapons! That sure is a lot!
Additionally, several presidents were also killed with firearms. For example, Abraham Lincoln and James A. Garfield were killed with .44-caliber pistols, William McKinley was killed with a .32 caliber revolver, and John F. Kennedy was killed with a bolt-action rifle. So, firearms were also used for murder back then…even for the presidents!

But then, guns can also come in handy in dangerous situations. For example, an incident which occurred on Friday, January 5, 2013, shows how guns can help big-time. On Friday afternoon in Georgia, an unknown man started knocking on the door of a house. A woman and her 9-year old twins hid in a closet when the intruder barged in with a crowbar and ransacked the house. The woman secretly called her husband who called 911. A few minutes later, the man found the woman and her children in the closet, but he wasn’t successful in capturing them. As soon as the man opened the door, the woman shot him 5 times in the face and once in his neck with a .38 caliber revolver. The police arrived just on time. That gun had just saved them! There are many similar incidents that have happened! So, guns can help save many lives!
“If those states that did not permit concealed handguns in 1992 had permitted them back then, citizens might have been spared approximately 1,570 murders, 4,177 rapes, 60,000 aggravated assaults, and 12,000 robberies.”
–The Lott & Mustard Study

In my opinion, only certain kinds of firearms should be restricted, like automatic rifles. We don’t need those kinds of guns for safety. Something as simple as a handgun would be fine. For example, at the incident in Georgia, a .38 caliber revolver was enough to save their lives. Guns should neither be banned nor should gun laws stay the same. The government should take action on this matter quickly because many mass shootings have been happening recently and they will continue to happen if nobody takes action.
“The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.”
-Wayne LaPierre (CEO of nation’s largest gun-rights lobbing group)

I was surprised that my article actually got published! Honestly, I'm a pretty bad writer. I feel very proud of myself!

20% Project

For the 20% project, I, along with Vaishnavi and Nandhini, am doing experiments on short and long term memory. We are thinking of conducting tests on people in this class on memory. We will be doing both long term and short term memory. We will also be researching more on the psychology of humans and their brains....especially memory. We are going to see which gender is better at which.

We aren't using many materials for this. We just need to create some tests and test people on them. 

We most probably will be facing some problems like some errors in our calculations. But, they aren't going to make us give up. 

We would probably use websites and other books. If so, some doctors can help. But as for now, we are just using books and websites.

New Year's Resolution & Reflection

I don't think I learned much about myself last year. I don't think I learned anything at all about myself. But, I had learned a lot about the world and kept track of all the news: Shootings (connecticut), elections, sandy, etc. About life, I have learned to live your life to the fullest and live each day like it's your last day. Also, I am pretty sure I learned a lot more, but, I can't think all the way back. Oh, and one more thing I learned about myself: I'm not as quiet as I think I am!

Personally, I don't believe in New Year's resolutions. Why? Well, there is no point to them. Each and everyday is different. You don't know what will be coming up. So, you may want to change your "resolution." In fact, you may have a goal for each month...or week....or even day! So, resolutions can be set up any time. If you have a goal, you don't have to wait for the next year. At the same time, you don't have to complete it very early. You should just set the goal and complete it when you feel is the best time. You don't need a certain time to set a goal. So, as you can tell, I am against New Year's resolutions.

Last year was average. I didn't think it was awesome nor did I think it was terrible. It was an okay year. Hoping 2013 will be better! Happy New Year!