15: Tyler B. -- Equivalent Exchange

 

One of my favorite animes that I had finished last year is Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. A show about 2 boys in a alternate version of 1910’s Germany called Amestria, where limbs can be replaced by metal parts called automail, and people can learn alchemy, but there is one rule that governs the laws of alchemy. The law of equivalent exchange, that in order to create something, something of equal value must be given up. The 2 boys, Edward and Alphonse Elric, attempted to use alchemy to bring their mother back to life after she died due to an illness when they were little, using their absent fathers books and lessons from their strict teacher, they, Ed especially, nearly mastered the practice of alchemy around the age of 11 or 12. Upon gather all the materials that make a biological human, the boys were ready, this would be a good time to mention that human transmutation is forbidden and taboo in the laws of alchemy, but all they wanted was to see their mom smile again, they didn’t get that. Instead, Ed had his leg taken by a entity only known as Truth, as punishment for committing this crime against nature, but Alphonse got the worst of it. He lost his entire body, forcing Ed to bind Al’s soul to a old suit of armor and sacrificing his arm to do so. After this ordeal Ed gets a new metal arm and leg, becomes a state certified state alchemist, “dogs of the military” as their called in the show. But Ed only does it for one reason, to research a way to get his brothers body back at all cost, to find a philosophers stone. Though he gets Al’s body and his arm back, it isn’t with a stone (due to it needing multiple human sacrifices and Ed refuses to go that far) and comes with a price (He loses his ability to use alchemy, that he willingly gives up to get his brothers body back), they eventually accomplished their goal.

But Fullmetal Alchemist, as much as I would love to just talk about the show, asks us a real question that we can apply to real life. What is the value of a human soul? To Ed at first, it just meant adding DNA to their transmutation, but after he is forced to ask that exact question, what could you exchange that equals a human soul? It asks us to put a price on what makes humans human, if that’s even possible. To me? No, you can’t put a price a the soul of a person, that is what makes your traits, personality and drive. There are even scenes in the show that show us what some characters views on a human soul is, a perfect example is when Ed and Al go to learn from Shou Tucker, the Sewing Life Alchemist, who created a Chimera (a monster that is usually a mix of animals) that could talk. He claims that his wife ran out on him 2 years ago, Tucker has a little girl named Nina and a big fluffy dog called Alexander. We later find out in one of the shows most horrifying scenes that 2 years ago Tuckers wife didn’t run out on him, but instead he fused her with a animal to create his talking Chimera. In order to keep his state certification he had fused together Nina and Alexander in one of the most sad and terrifying scenes in the whole show. This shows that Tuckers view on his daughters life was that she was a tool to be used to get him a paycheck. This show has so many great topics to talk about and I might do another blog on a character, but this shows main question that follows Ed and Al through the entire series hangs over everyone, even in real life. I suggest you think about it, what really is the price of a human life, and can you put value in it?

Word Count: 672  

15 - Lilly T.: Best at Their Worst

“The mark of a great athlete is not how good they are at their best, but how good they are at their worst.”

To be good at a sport, an athlete must train hard. It takes time and patience to get good at the sport, but people tend to judge the success of an athlete’s training based on their best performance. In reality, a good result of their training is shown when an athlete is at their worst. 

How an athlete performs at their worst shows how strong and resilient they really are. To keep going and fight through the exhaustion and bad conditions during a game means that the athlete knows what their limits are. An athlete who is always successful in what they do does not know how far they can go in their worst condition because they have never been there before.

I know how hard it is to keep playing in bad conditions because I used to play tennis. During the summer, it would get really hot outside, and it would cause the students to give up after a certain amount of time. However, I pushed through the hot and exhausting session. Through this, I realized that I should appreciate the days where the conditions were good, and worked hard on those days. In the end, I became a decent tennis player. I quit after a few years, but that was not my fault. :P

Athletes who have trained in bad conditions know how to play in those conditions. They show their best effort through them. 

Word Count: 260

15 - Grace B. A Taste of Victory

 

There’s a goal for everyone. Whether it be academically, athletically, artistically, or internally there is always something that we want to accomplish in our short lives. Now it may seem small to others but it could be the greatest success to you, and your opinion is the most important one. Now mine was beating our rivals, Vacaville High School, in a softball game.

Back in 2017, Will C Wood used to be the top dog of Solano County in softball. Our school softball team became the MEL league champions and ultimately, the school to beat. Now unfortunately since then the winning came to an end and that champion team wandered off, graduating, and starting their new lives where school softball was only a mere memory, but a story to tell. 

Coming into high school was a confusing time for me. I had hard times and sad moments, but creating a sisterhood with a team who’s only focus is to improve on the game allows me to escape from reality. This season our team had a rough start. Not having many experienced players coming through our school made us work even harder. Everyday we push ourselves to do the best we can to be a better team the day before. Finally our hard work paid off.

Wednesday night, we played Vaca High and we were excited to battle back after losing to them for 5 years. Our energy was high and so were our spirits, and in that moment all of our heads were focused on taking home the win. We played a good game, defensively we were consistent making crucial plays to hold runners. Offensively our bats let us down because we couldn’t make something happen, we couldn’t test them. Even then when we were down runs, our team however acted as if we were winning. Yelling and screaming for joy as someone made a good play or if they made a mistake picking their heads up to help make a change. 

It was the last inning. We were the home team so we had our last at bats and the score was 5-0, Vaca High with the lead. Anyone else in this position would have been down on themselves with no hope for a victory, but that wasn’t us. We had a late start to it, but finally we started hitting. Each hit was extremely crucial allowing us to move runners closer and closer to home plate to score. I’m proud to say that I contributed to these runs bunting one to third and being safe at first. While the girls behind me reeled me around the bases to score with their big hits. We brought the score to 5-5 with 2 outs. If we scored the last runner standing on second base, we win. If not, we go into extra innings and the game could’ve had a different outcome. The batter hit a line drive to right field and the runner ran all the way around the bases scoring the last run leaving the final score 6-5, us. 

We won. After all that hard work trying to change things, we finally did it. We jumped on the field, crying and laughing because we were on top of the world. It started to rain on us as we celebrated our win. It all felt like a sign. That with hard work and dedication we can have a taste of victory and no win is too small to celebrate. 

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15 - Alejandro M: The Effects of Concussions

 

You might’ve had one in the past, especially if you’ve played a sport before. I have never, fortunately, therefore I don’t have any experience on what you feel when you get a concussion. In the US per year, players of sports and recreational activities receive between 2.5 million and 4 million concussions. Each person can experience a concussion differently and it all depends on how the brain responds when something strikes it.

The brain’s tissue is made of a vast network of 90 billion neurons, which relays signals through long axons. These axons have a spindly structure and that makes them very fragile where they can stretch and tear quite easily. As these destroyed axons begin to degenerate, they also release toxins causing the death of other neurons. All this is what causes a concussion.

Some effects of a concussion include blackout, headache, blurry vision, balance problems, altered mood and behavior, and many more. Sometimes, people who get concussions can experience post-concussion syndrome, or PCS. These people may experience constant headaches, learning difficulties, and behavioral symptoms that can be in effect for months or years after the injury. 

People sometimes just continue their lives normally without fully healing their previous concussion, which will later most likely cause even more damage. An overload of sub concussive hits can lead to Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, or CTE. People who suffer from this can experience changes in their mood and behavior that begin appearing in their 30s or 40s and can even lead to memory loss which may result in dementia. 

With all this, some people might want to be extremely careful about hits to the head. But it isn’t always easy to just give yourself time to heal, especially if you are doing some type of sport. 50% and 80% of concussions go unreported and untreated. All these hits can be dangerous for not only your present-self, but your future-self.

Word Count: 317

15. Kaiyue L. - The Money lesson

An education is so important in today’s world. We go to school our whole lives and learn math, science, and English, but schools fail to teach us life skills that we will need to carry with us after college. A lot of the life skills we fail to learn in college are necessary to successfully navigate through hardships and careers.

One of the important topics school fails to pay attention to is the importance of handling finances responsibly. It’s obvious that money is valuable in this world. Many college courses teach students how to handle money in the career world. While college classes such as accounting, finance and business teach accounting procedures, that’s not the end of the equation when it comes to all things money-related. These classes, while useful in the academic and business sense, fail to teach how to handle personal finances, saving or investing.

Finances are understandably one of the major causes of stress for adults. Everyone can relate to this stress; even the wealthiest people have felt financial pains at one time or another. Debt and/or a lack of savings can cause considerable hardship on a person’s life. And it doesn’t just cause daily stress. Financial problems can lead to divorce, poor health, depression, and bankruptcy. However, most of them could be avoided with basic knowledge, such as understanding the importance of an emergency fund, learning the dangers of credit cards and high interest rates are critical, as well as the importance of paying them off, and start saving early for retirement. 

Most American students are self-taught when it comes to personal finances. Of course, while we should let our students learn and live independently and figure things out on their own, financial mistakes can be life-altering. Why shouldn't we, as a collective society, prevent the future generation from starting off on the wrong foot?

Wc: 313

15 - Charlene H: The Depiction of Mental Health Issues in Moon Knight

Media Analysis (TV show character)

I love talking about both Marvel and mental health, which is why I have plenty to say about the 2022 Disney+ show Moon Knight. At the time I’m writing this, four episodes have premiered so far, and this analysis ignores the mysterious last 15 minutes of the fourth episode.

The first episode introduces the audience to Steven Grant. The episode gives a sense of confusion for both the audience and Steven himself, as the settings and context of the scenes change constantly with no explanation. Steven soon discovers, mainly in the second episode, that he has another identity: Marc Spector.

These separate identities are a result of Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), where the brain fails to integrate different aspects of personae, memories, and consciousness. The identities are called alters, usually formed during childhood as a way to psychologically escape from prolonged trauma. Steven and Marc are the two alters; one is meek and socially awkward while the other is aggressive and confident.

Some parts of DID are exaggerated in Moon Knight, such as face-to-face discussions with an alter through reflections. However, that doesn’t mean Moon Knight doesn’t portray mental health in a genuine manner. Fans online have said that the show does not stigmatize DID. The cast and crew have also stated that they put a lot of effort into tackling DID seriously and respectfully, hoping that Moon Knight ultimately has a positive message about mental health.

Moon Knight addresses symptoms of DID. The first episode does a fantastic job at making the audience feel what Steven feels: confusion. When it comes to DID, a person’s alters may not always cooperate with one another, and when that person switches between alters, they experience memory gaps. The constant change in setting in the first episode is indicative of Steven’s memory lapses and lack of control over his life. Additionally, the first episode depicts derealization and also makes the audience feel a similar way; the scenes with Arthur Harrow, the main villain, convince the audience that those scenes are not a part of Steven’s reality when in fact they are. DID also brings significant distress to a person’s surroundings, and Steven tells Marc in the second episode, “I can’t go on a bloody date. I can barely keep a goldfish alive. I lost my job. It’s been you. It’s always been you, eating away at parts of my life like a parasite.” In the same scene, just before Steven makes that statement, he has feelings of depersonalization. Basically, Steven doesn’t feel like himself; he feels like the passenger of his body rather than the driver.

Steven initially didn’t know about Marc even though Marc already knew about Steven. Steven didn’t know that the strange disturbances of his life were a result of his other identity being in control. Despite the guy being born as Marc, Steven is more of the show’s protagonist, whose perspective adds more layers of bewilderment and psychological horror to the gradual unfolding of the plot. Upon meeting Marc, there is tension between the two alters, as Steven and Marc have different objectives, motivations, and responsibilities. Now, Steven must learn to come to terms with Marc’s existence and problems, and the two alters try to work together harmoniously. Their story is one of identity, emotional truth, and acceptance. 

Word Count: 549

15-Krishna:PE

 

I do think PE should be required as well as weightlifting because it is important to know how to better yourself physically and also have the knowledge how to. 

Being physically strong is important not only to keep yourself healthy but working out can have many positive mental effects too. When you want to workout you are surrounded by like minded people creating a relationship through a shared passion. 

When you start to see results over time you will gain confidence but seeing the results and knowing it took your own hard work and dedication can impact other aspects of your life in a positive way. 

I believe that showing someone the benefits of physical activity shown through PE is important for highschoolers to understand. Although it is not shown well because the benefits are not explained, I think that being a PE teacher is just as important as being a coach on a sports team. The only way kids listen is if they have a connection to the teacher, that is how PE teachers could do better.  

WC-178

15 - Antonio L: A Fresh Start

 A Fresh Start

My 4th grade year began with me being in Tennessee. George Whitten Elementary to be exact. It was a generally small school with portables for extracurricular activities like Music. (I can only remember music.) 

Since it was my first year there after leaving California, I tried my best to be recognized as a cool person by my other classmates. Example of this was when we went on bathroom breaks. My 4th grade teacher didn’t allow people to talk in the bathrooms at all, but there was this one classmate named Johnny (or not, I think that was his name) who allowed us to talk.

  My 9 year old mind then imagined that as a cool act, an act I imitated with great confidence. However, this act of gaining respect and acceptance didn’t work out well, as I got in trouble for letting my other classmates talk while in the bathrooms. I think one of them told our teacher, but looking back at it 8 years later, I think that it was probably a tad bit racist, since there was nothing to gain from it. (Partially joking)

Another thing about the school was the land around it. It didn’t have farmland acres of grass, but it did feel like it. No fake grass that was too dark of a green, nor was it too yellow that it looked dried up and had coarse dirt underneath that’ll be the equivalent to hitting the sidewalk when deciding to fall back onto it. There was even a little hill-like area near the front of the school, along a road where the bus carried me to and from the apartments I stayed at.

A part of Tennessee I miss a lot was the snow. Though it wouldn’t call it snow per se. It was more like taking a freeze ray over your entire neighborhood and drizzling down some snow. Snow also meant no school which was a cool and bad thing honestly because I would’ve loved to go out playing during snowy weather with my friends at school, like on TV. 

I wasn’t an instant hit in my class, but my intellect got me well known there. However, I also felt like 4th grade was the worst year of elementary school for me. It just felt so odd for me to gain the trust of people I’ve known for a few seconds while people had bonds that have lasted longer than the founding of the U.S.

My grades were also worse than I thought, though I was still smart. It was more of an adjusting year, full of me getting accustomed to Tennessee and how I’ll change how I act towards others. Looking back now, I realized how better of a person I am now because of the mistakes I made back then, though the enlightenment for different things came at different times for me. 

I know I wasn’t as descriptive as I wanted to be, but there’d be too many words, and more untold stories of my 4th grade year, a fresh start for me. 

Word Count: 511

15 - Lucas V: The Lawrence Hall of Science and Mini Train in Berkely, California

    On August 12th, 2017, my whole family went to The Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkely and it was pretty interesting. That visit was pretty memorable as time with family was precious and also because of tons of cool things in the facility. There was even a mini-train that I rode that was just down the mountain from The Lawrence Hall of Science. That experience will be near the end of this narrative. Back to the Hall of Science for now.

    The first things first, the drive and the parking. These two were pretty boring but the parking part was stressful as there were tons of people visiting and barely any parking space. After parking, the family brought out the traveling kit which is a stroller, camera, backpack(filled with clothes if it was cold and also water bottles), plus some backs for miscellaneous items like merch. After that, we went around the entrance of the building and there was a big statue of a whale right at the front. There was also a nice sightseeing spot to look at San Fransisco. The pictures that I will provide at the top are all pictures from my iPod Touch as I wasn’t responsible yet for an expensive phone. After snapping some quick photos, the family began to wander inside to get tickets to go inside.

    Inside the building, there were tons of stairs as this facility is literally built on the side of a huge mountain. Some of the stairs were swirly pretty nice. With using a stroller for my younger sister, my mom had to go through an elevator which was a hassle but was comfortable(I sat in it when I was tired of standing). The exhibits inside were pretty interesting. There were exhibits on insects, aquatic animals, and also space(there are probably more). What was cooler was the fact there were tons of interactive experiments that you can do in almost all of the exhibits.

    After looking at all the exhibits inside, my Dad wanted to bring the family to a spot that is relaxing and also fun at the same time. This place was in a woods kinda area that had a mini train. It was very tiny and looked pretty cute. It had all the same functions as a full-size train which was unique. There were tiny cabooses that could fit up to 2 people on them. The ride was very smooth but the smell of coal burning wasn’t the greatest. The whistle that was in the front of the engine sounded very cute.

Word Count: 429

15- Khiem D. : Loss An Artist's Interpretation

Loss: An Author’s Interpretation

TLDR: Manga Author is a great artist while posing a question about how we should remember our loved ones.

Death has always been an interesting topic, a concept, and a law that has grown quite drab in recent years, but once in a while, you see something truly introspective. I’m back at it again talking about another generally morbid topic, this week’s being about a manga I read recently, “Goodbye Eri”. Written by Tatsuki Fujimoto, of “Chainsaw Man” fame, it follows the story of Yuta, a highschool boy who on the night of his birthday was tasked with filming his mother up until her death. To not spoil too much about the story, it covers the perception of death in society, something generally taken very seriously especially in most Asian cultures, with days and even dedicated shrines to ancestors in some cases. It also touches on how we should see loved ones after they’re gone, as we tend only to remember the fonder moments, a perfectly preserved image of what was. What I want to touch on in this blog is its innovative visuals and its discussion about the previously mentioned perceptions of death.

Fujimoto is a huge cinephile, this much is apparent seeing the various influences in his manga but a great example is its topic as well as the panels itself. The entire plot relates around Yuta’s relation to film, a clear representation of Fujimoto’s love for the medium, and to show this Fujimoto would frame his panels in a similar aspect ratio to films. Wide panels indicative of being in a cinema and most of the manga being seen from the camera’s perspective all to create a love letter to the feeling he wants to show to us. This manga as well as his breakout manga “Fire Punch”  has always had this feeling as they draw heavily from film, references to “Star Wars”, “Alien”, even “No Country For Old Men”, it was almost certain he would incorporate it here, especially so due to the plot being about an amateur filmmaker.

Even after reading the manga, its meaning is so nuanced and profound it’s hard to narrow down an interpretation. My best guess is it’s pretty lax representation of death both in the fake film and the various deaths of Yuta’s loved ones. I assume the point is people tend to take death too seriously, a mindset that can ultimately slow down their process of recovery. It’s not that people shouldn’t care about the deaths of their loved ones as much as not be bogged down in trying to hold onto some idealized memory of the person. This goes on to the story’s next point, the idealized memory of loved ones, as the story progresses past Yuta’s mother’s death, it is later revealed that she wasn’t as lovely of a mother depicted in Yuta’s film. To not spoil it I won’t elaborate too much, but the point is that people try to wallow in the despair of losing a seemingly perfect person, somebody who never argued with them, insulted them, stashing any negative memory to keep a flowery version of the person that was. In doing this it begs the question whether or not it really is right to remember the person that was or the person you wanted them to be.

This manga was released for free online so if your interested here’s the link

https://www.viz.com/shonenjump/goodbye-eri-chapter-1/chapter/24305?action=read

Wordcount: 534

14 - Grace B. My Inspiration

 

Throughout the entirety of my life, I’ve only grown up with ¾ of a set of grandparents. Two grandmas and one grandpa. The missing ¼ has always been a question to me. At some point he existed in our timeline, but who was he? What did he do? Do I look like him? Do we laugh the same? Every time I would ask vague questions about him to my family they would grow angry and tell me to leave. But I have only one grandfather and for the mystery I grew for the other, the more I wanted to learn about the one here with me.

My grandpa was troubled. He spent his life in and out of jail fighting against the world. He was a man that many feared. He would fight and wouldn’t have a care for the consequences. A drunk, a criminal, and a man with no sense of good in his life, I wouldn’t have been able to recognize him.

Reality struck when the amount of alcohol consumption left him hospitalized, ruining his stomach lining. He was told he was going to die, but my grandpa promised himself that if he was able to overcome this tragedy that he would be a good man and live a good life. This promise has forever been fulfilled.

I’ve always known my grandpa as the kindest man in the world. He would do anything for his family and friends. He always gives me words of wisdom when I feel pain and always makes sure to tell me that he loves me whenever he leaves. Every softball game you can see a man with a white hair and an A’s hat in the crowd cheering on his granddaughter, proud because of all the times he took me out to practice. He is truly the core of our family and radiates good energy. 

For the amount of love unaccounted for the missing piece of my grandparents, my grandpa triples it. He is the inspiration of my life. I am the luckiest person ever to have him to look up to. 

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14 - Lilly T.: Bonds

 

Family. The first thought that came to my mind when I saw this word was the manga I had been rereading over the weekend, Spy x Family. This manga is about a spy, an assassin, and a telepath who hide their real identities from one another and try to act like a normal family. Over time, all three of them discover that they truly love each other as a family. This is called the found family trope, where people who are not blood related forge deep bonds with the people who will become their family. Spy x Family is a really cute and heartwarming manga, and I would totally recommend it if you are a sucker for the found family trope, like me. 

Reading about found family makes me wonder whether found family or blood related family has a stronger connection to one another. Both take time to bond with each other, but I feel that found family has a stronger bond. They want to keep the family they have developed a strong connection to. Blood related family starts off with a connection, but it takes time to develop a strong bond. Found family skips that first step and goes straight to building that connection. The way found family tropes build that connection is so intriguing and seeing how it turns out makes you feel the same emotions the characters are feeling. I am not entirely sure why, but I just love the idea of building connections with other people, even if I am just observing. 

Appreciate the family you have now. You never know what might happen in the future.

Word Count: 271

14: Tyler B - Living in a Shadow

Few people don’t know the Pokemon games made by Nintendo, though many remember the older games more than the newer. Me personally, remember the 4th gen pokemon games because Pokemon Platinum was the 1st Pokemon game I ever played. Throughout the games you always have someone to challenge you, your rival, who grows stronger like you and has the same goal as you, become the champion. Though their dynamics have changed throughout the games, going from being mean and rude, to having different rivals, one that proves to be a real challenge, and one that is weaker and more friendly. In Pokemon Sword and Shield, it’s a bit more confusing on who is your rival, all but one character. Your best friend since childhood, Hop, whose brother is the Pokemon champion of the Galar region, literally claims you as his rival as soon as your get your first Pokemon. That’s who this blog is about, Hop, the little brother, the weak one, always hidden in the shadow his brother has cast over him.

Hop starts out the way most rivals do in these games, he comes rushing into your house, uninvited telling you that you have to rush someone with him, in this case it’s to help his brother Leon, the Pokemon league champion, make his way from the train station to their house. Upon arriving at their house, Leon presents Hop and the main character the 3 starter Pokemon of this game, after choosing one and battling each other, Leon then tasks Hop and the main character with joining the Pokemon league, and battling their way up to fight him for the rank of Champion. Hop, of course, jumps at the idea, all he has ever wanted to do it be like his brother, so of course when given the chance to reach the literally rank of his brother, why wouldn’t he take that chance. Though Hop will be faced with many challenges, one of the biggest ones being you, the main character, who beats him at every rival battle you partake in. And at first he doesn’t mind, he uses it as motivation to get stronger and keep going, much like his brother, but after the introduction of Bede, a much more talented trainer than him, who is very rude, it all starts to fall down.

Bede thinks very highly of himself and very less of others, which doesn’t work in Hops favor. Where when you fight and beat him, you are kind and help him grow stronger over battles that happen throughout the game, Bede beats him over and over again, in one sitting, taunting Hop the whole. Bede calls him a horrible trainer and asks him why he’s in the league anyways, and finally telling him he will never compare to his brother. Though Bede gets what he deserves later on (getting kicked out of the league for destroying some old ruins) Hop is still greatly affected by Bedes words. Anytime anyone sees Hop they say “oh look, it’s the champions little brother” and that gets into the thick of it, Hop is always compared to his brother and never thought of as his own person, just the champions little brother, and Hop has given into this too. He obsesses over his brother and wants to be exactly like him because that’s all people see in him, he is surrounded and enveloped in the shadow his brother has created as champion, and the things Bede said to him made him doubt a dream he’s had since he was a little kid, that he will never be strong enough to be champion, that he will never have the strength to be his own person, forced to live his life in the cold dark shadow of his brother. His brother isn’t a bad person, he has just set the bar so high for Hop that he can’t reach it and doesn’t want to ruin his brothers reputation. But through the game you help him realize that he is more than the champions brother, eventually finding his own way through life as the Pokemon professors research assistant. Though it is not the champion rank he once wished to achieve, he is happy with his new positions, which gives him the power to be his own person, finally. 

Word Count: 718

14 - Blu M: Over Time

 

The society that we live in is forever changing. It feels like just yesterday we were still watching movies on VHS tapes, or maybe that’s just me. But besides the point, our world is constantly shifting and twisting into something completely new. Tomorrow we could see flying cars on “airways” or take a domestic flight on a rocket to tour Mars. Everything changes. 

As for me? I’d like to say that I’ve changed I’m crazy ways like the world I live in, but I really haven’t. I wouldn’t say that I’m the same person that 7 year old me was, but I wouldn’t say I’m not that much different either. Years move by and I still have my same, consistent routine; wake up, go to school, come home, do work, eat, sleep, repeat. It’s as if I am an NPC in a game.  I have my favorite activities, foods, shows, artists, you name it. Even more, I have had the same dream career since I was in third grade… Talk about changing a lot throughout my years. As the world around me changes and progresses, I really just move forward as much as I need or desire.

To people outside of my personal life, it seems like I’ve changed a lot. Of course, I’ve grown up, my looks have changed, and my personality has grown, but this so-called “change” is just me opening up. I was shy growing up and now that I’ve finally broken out of my shell and hopped out of the nest, I seem like a new person. This apparent change is only significant to others, and not me. People have begun to perceive me in different ways, so of course everyone will think I have changed. Think of a caterpillar turning into a butterfly; the creature is still of the same species, has the DNA, and essentially does the same thing after their metamorphosis. A butterfly becomes something beautiful, and yet they still thrive in a similar way to their root species.

Though I myself haven’t changed, I do indulge in the changes around me. I love new technology, the most recent trending videos in social media, interesting media found in the news, new clothing designs, the list can go on for ages. The way I enjoy and splurge on these enjoyments do contribute to my own “change” that people see. And yet once again, I myself never change in the process. 

Recently, I have made it a goal to change more. It was actually ironic to see this prompt as a choice for blogs this week. Changing over time comes naturally, but pushing myself to become a newer, better version of myself is not so natural. Sticking to what I’ve known for quite literally 10 years is absurd and a more clear change should’ve been made ages ago. Though I am nearly the exact same as I was years ago, I am still the best version of myself that I can be at the time. Regardless of anything as such, change or no change is all ok! 

Word Count: 512

14. Kaiyue L. - Keep Hustling

 “The dream is free; the hustle is sold separately.”

How do we go from our dream to making it a success? HUSTLE! Be energetic, and go after what you want every day!

Nobody said life would be easy. Nobody said you were going to get super rich without working a day in your life. I have realized that everyone wants to become successful, get rich while being absolutely free and not working a day in their lives. Not everyone can be a Kardashian.

Sometimes I feel I have taken more on my plate then I can chew. There is so much work that I am usually up late meeting deadlines when I should have been watching the new episode of Bridgerton. I have no complaints with school though, I enjoy my classes and the company of my friends, but I just wish, I really wish there were more than 24 hours in a day.

Half of my day is already gone in sleeping and walking my dog, and the rest half is spent continuously working and ignoring all the stupid stuff my dog does to get my attention. And while I was feeling bad about my overworked life, I see people who do seemingly nothing to benefit themselves or others in the long run. 

You can dream and you have every right to. It does make you feel better but if you want your dream to come true without you completely wanting it, it will not happen. It means that you must be willing to make sacrifices and be committed to it from start to end.

Doers do and dreamers don't. That's where it all begins - with the actual doing. It's easy to pin a motivational quote on the wall or put it on your bathroom mirror or screen saver. That requires little to no effort. However, if you're serious about getting to the top of your profession, it's going to require some real effort- real work; the real hustle, and some additional hours. It's not for everyone which is another reason why there's always room at the top.

To get something you never had— you have to do something you never did. The dream is free— but the hustle is sold separately. 

Wc: 374

14 - Lucas V: The Day My PC was Built

 

    In months prior to December of 2020, I decided to get a pc and a whole new setup because at the time my desk was very tiny, and also the laptop that I used for school was way too slow to do Zoom and also run school work at the same time. During those few months before I built the pc, I had watched all the tutorials and also asked my uncle what parts I should get for my build. Then the weeks ahead the parts game one by one. Most of the parts were cheap because I bought them during Black Friday on Thanksgiving. I ordered everything needed like a motherboard, cpu, gpu(graphics card), etc. When I bought my gpu, there wasn't a shortage of chips and there weren’t as many scalpers back then as now.

   Now to the building part. Before I built the computer, I had to schedule a time to Skype my uncle because he knows how to build a computer since my parents and I didn’t know how to do it. The first Saturday of December was when I actually built the computer. It was after lunch around like 2 pm and I was ready to do it. I remembered that my hands were sweaty since these parts were expensive and because I haven’t done this before. We started with the motherboard and the cpu and it was sort of hard. I had some help from my parents to make sure I didn’t break it. After that, it was smooth sailing. Got the case and opened both of the panels so that I could put the motherboard into it and then put all the other stuff like ram and also the gpu. I had some problems with the cables on the powersupply but after some fondling with it, I got the cable into the slot and the computer turned on.

    Now it was the first time to boot the actual system like connecting it to the monitor and configuring the bios. When it first booted I was happy because it actually worked. I was proud of what I made and I basically know what and how to fix or upgrade something for the computer. After a year of getting use to the computer, I decided to cable manage everything so that there weren’t any wires just hanging out where I can see it. Let me tell you, it was pretty nice after. Instead of having wires in front of the rgb it was clearly showing all the colors. Just recently I put in a new Nvme ssd and that thing is really fast. I mainly use that storage to play my games instead of a hard drive.

Specs(not included in word count): AMD Ryzen 7 3700x(cpu), Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro 16 GB(ram), Msi Radeon Rx 5500xt mech 8 GB OC edition(graphics card), Asus X570-Plus Wi-Fi(motherboard), NZXT H510(case)

Word Count: 453

14- Khiem D. : A Long Rant About Change

A Long Rant About Change

    Ever since I’ve been basically restricted for an indefinite amount of time from writing about random bits of media to “challenge myself”, here’s an attempt. For the most part, this is more about personal philosophy for the most part and with all good philosophies, it’s vague, especially coming from a shut-in who has seen more from a screen than taking a short walk. Change has always been a really engaging topic, for the most part, most people would agree with me that change is a good thing. Whether it be great or absolutely the worst thing you’ve experienced in your life, change is a net good while also being an inevitability.

    Like our world, we are ever-changing, each day 100,000,000,000 cells in our bodies are replaced, each day we see a new day ripe with challenges we grow from. In that way we mirror the world as to be apart of the earth is to change, nothing in the world is immune and it’s beautiful to know every sunrise and sunset will never be the same. Yet there is a right to fear change, even if it is out of our control, even if it is pleasurable to experience new things, we know that it isn’t always going to be good. Even if it is, because of human psychology some of us can’t perceive the good, everyday bound to feelings of intense sadness. Yet that is how it is, some things are just there but there won’t always be as being in the natural cycle of the world guarantees change, always.

    I’ve hardly experienced the world, being young and all that really does limit your options, but from what I’ve seen, I haven’t really remembered much of anything. No memories of particularly joyful experiences nor memories of especially crushing lows. The knowledge that things never last long makes everything I experience feel really small in scope so I don’t remember much, as if my memories are adrift in the changing world in front of me. Experiences come and go naturally so as cliche as it sounds I just roll with it, like the change in the waves shifts a directionless boat, complacent just to be, because what else is there except the sea it floats on.

Word Counter: 377