YOUTUBE. When many people think of this word, they think of the inappropriate videos going around the web, illegal copies of movies, or just some people out there who don’t have lives and want to post videos of themselves. However, when I think of youtube, I think of THIS:
KEVJUMBA.
Kevin Wu, as a high school junior, started to post up videos of himself up on youtube. He began to post up videos that were hilarious and appealing to the audience. As people started to watch him all over the world, he became famous. LITERALLY. Every youtube fan knows kevjumba (his screenname) and his famous videos. So he went to college a year ago and recently made a new subchannel of his called JumbaFund. Watch this:
Not only do I love watching his videos because he literally makes me laugh out loud (LOL, okay sorry), he’s doing it all for a good cause. Every video he makes counts towards charity, in which he donates all the earned money every month to various organizations. He’s an inspiration to many people kids around the world, who don’t necessarily need the money and connections for fame. He’s even inspired his fellow college classmates, some which are older than him.
This video is not only entertaining, but at the same time, he uploaded this video for a reason. In order to become succesful, you don’t need all the fame, money, and even that 4.0 GPA your parents demand you to get. KevJumba didn’t get the best grades nor did he recieve the best SAT scores. But he pursued his dreams (wanting to be a movie director, I think?) and made these videos for himself, the audience, and charity. It’s amazing what teenegares can do these days and the impact they can give. He gives me hope that even if I’m not the sterotypical straight A student with the smartest brain, if I want to pursue my dreams and want something real bad, there’s nothing stopping me.
There’s only three days left for me, but those three days determine what my sophomore GPA will be. I was so excited for summer, until I found out I am overwhelemed with summer assignments PLUS I have to preview on my own that subjects I know I will fail (AKA PRE CALC). School is defeinitely getting harder, I’m definitely gaining A LOT of weight, and it’s almost hard to keep up with all the stress piling on. It’s defeinitely scary going into junior year, but I least I’ll have courses that aren’t as difficult to maintain stable grades. AND I’m one of the few people that I have to study without an extra help for the SAT Reasoning and subject tests. I’m going to get a bit of help for my reading score, but I heard for writing, there’s a special technique to solve all the questios. Basically, I have to study writing and math on my own until the test, which is in January, because hagwons here are CRAZY expensive and I’m not as rich as the other students at our school. Anyway, before I start worrying about junior year, it’s time that I celebrate the END of being an underclassmen, and thus all the girls are having a huge sleepover on Thursday (since most of them aren’t going to school anyway).
My summer goals?
1. to stay fit (this one’s definitely going to be difficult, but I’m planning to run everyday?)
2. to preview and finish all my school summer homework EARLY, something I’ve never accomplished
3. keep up with http://oddee.com/, my favorite blog site
4. practice cheer and volleyball with my fellow classmates
5. go to the beach with jane WOO and elaine LEE and act all crazy there
6. to go to the states and meet my friends (which has been my goal since I arrived in Korea)
7. Read everyday, something that is almost impossible to maintain during the school year.
8. anger management HAHA seriously.
9. and HOPEFULLY, I will keep writing here during the summer, just like last year
Thank you all my teachers this year: Mr. Baier, Mr. Osterweil, Mrs. Kells, Mr. Hopkin, Mr. Loewer, Ms. P, and Ms. Longbotam. I’m going to miss you all next year, especially the ones that I bonded with (you know who you are ). I’m crossing my fingers that my teachers next year will be just as fun, jubilient, and crazy, but yet great teachers. Also, I’ll miss you Mr. Brightman, one of my favorite teachers at KIS. I was looking forward to your APUSH class next year, so please keep in touch!
I also want to see my clustermap filled next year will 1000 red dots before junior year starts, so hopefully when I start writing more often, my goal will be accomplished!
A-AP Psych
B-Spanish 3
C-English 11
D-AP US History
E-Envi Sci
F-Pre Calc (definitely excited for this one ….. NOT)
G-Contemporary World Issues/Digital Journalism
I’m praying I do NOT fail PRE CALC, once again. Math geniuses cannot ace this course, thus I just hope to maintain a B+. I also wanted to do drama 1 this year for one SUPER EASY CLASS without any writing, but at least I got digital journalism, another class I’ll be looking forward to. I really wish that art credits aren’t mandatory. It’s not my fault that I’m not a natural artist in any way, shape, or form, but theatre will do.
I have to admit. Originally, this blog was for the purpose of my English grade back in freshmen year. However, it has turned into a place where I can jot down my thoughts, express my writing to others, and just show who I am (or at least a part of me). Some take blogging as a serious threat, while others just don’t like it and give up. BUT in fact, I LOVE blogging. This will be my final fourteenth post for my English 10 grade this year, but don’t worry, I will ALWAYS be writing in this little thing. Before I make my tribute towards my passion and love for English, let me just state something that has nothing to do with it.
I was going through google search (technology is simply amazing these days), and I decided to type in my name. My blog posts came out, and other links to my class assignments on wikispaces. BUT THEN, I came across this:
http://www.isthisyour.name/lydia_ahn.htm
YUP. If you’re too lazy (like me) to actually click on the site, here’s a brief info. session on what it states:
38% of the letters are vowels.
In ASCII binary it is… 01001100 01111001 01100100 01101001 01100001 00100000 01000001 01101000 01101110
Backwards, it is Aidyl Nha. What a cool name. Ay-Dil-Nah
In Pig Latin, it is Ialyday Ahnway, which I think is even cooler.
Moreover, there are probably only about nine people in the states with the same first and last name as me. But besides that, there’s something that’s even MORE awesome. All my videos on youtube, my most popular blog posts, and my name around the web come up. Technology these days…simply incredible.
So back to my point. As I mentioned before, I love blogging. But I love English even more. It’s not only the subject I’m most confident at, but it’s one of those classes where I put a smile on my face when I step into the chilly classroom. Our teacher, Ms. P, will usually be sitting down at her desk, fretting over her block/subject before us–her partner in crime, her love, her passion: THE YEARBOOK STAFF. I’ve finally realized today, as I sat down in my random seat once again, how much I’ll miss this class. Our class has truly epitomized what a true English class should look like. Our discussions began to move forward, as we started debating on the “SO WHAT?” factor of the book. We helped one another out when we struggled with obtaining the correct diction, and even our little debates are ones that has changed into life lasting memories. English was, in fact, difficult at times. Ms. P expected a lot from us sophomores, and although at first it was tough engaging in the classroom, every single one of us became stronger and more hyperactive English students. We bonded as a team, and thus, I would like to thank every single one of my fellow F block English classmates: Soobin, Cindy, Seungwoo, Olivia, Jenn, Hajung, Tim, Jiyoon, Julian, Jenn, Priscilla, Jane, Chris, Jenice, Susan, Kathy, and of COURSE, the best of all, MS.P.
English is simply a subject I cannot separate from. I want to express my thoughts, and it’s almost impossible doing that with other subjects (AKA math). You get to explain your ideas to others, and most of all, there’s no wrong answer. As long as you justify it well enough (textual evidence much?), your thesis will be fine. There’s so many various elements to this subject: reading, writing, listening, speaking. I wish that one day, in the near future, I’ll be able to simply do what I love.
My inspiration. Ms. Patterson. Soon to be married. Laughs a lot. Mommies and poppies. LIKE OMGAWDGAWD. Seriously? Seriosuly. Clearly. F block…my loudest class. Obviosuly. chyeaknow? LIKE CHYEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.
Picture found on google.com. You must type in KIS after it, or else a picture of a sea anemone comes out.
Unless you’re an outcast that doesn’t interact socially with ANYBODY or ANY kind of entertainment system, you’ve probably heard the new epidemic: SWINE FLU. When I first heard of it, someone told me it was about pigs. So I wondered, what if I ate the wrong kind of pork? Would this influenza contaminate me too? And then my usual freak out session began: “OH MY GOSH! I heard the symptoms are the same as a COLD, and I have a runny nose today! OH MY GOSH, I can die tomorrow….”
Or something like that…
But back to my point.
I started to ponder about what would happened if I actually consumed the wrong kind of pig. I mean, you can’t deny it: these things are undeniably delicious, mouth-watering, and just AMAZING.
So I decided to do a little research. Swine flu is strains of influenza viruses that infect pigs. The origin of this virus is unknown, but it was first detected in Mexico city. As numerous people started to die from this disease (most people infected with other diseases like diabetes), people began to become WORRIED. This type of virus is actually one that transmitted from pigs to humans, especially pig raisers and farmers that bread pigs. This disease is so pervasive that even one little cough can spread it. Basically, the virus spread from pig to human contact and then human to human contact.
It’s CRAZY. But then again, although they haven’t found a certain vaccine for it, they have medicine that can partially cure it. Also, scientists are figuring out a complete cure, but if this virus spreads faster than predicted, there’s a possibility that it cannot accommodate everyone. I mean, maybe people are making it a far bigger deal than it actually is. BUT STILL. This virus jumped from Phase 3 to Phase 5 in a matter of days, which is only one level below the PANIC level! Look how fast this virus jumped around from country to country, as travelers were exploring around the world. Just because of one person infected with this disease who rode a plane, all the passengers had to evacuate and get checked. It’s simply petrifying. Who knows what could happen? Look at these statistics:
Check out what other people THINK it is, when in fact many are WRONG (besides Mr. Hopkin, our wonderful biology genius). And CHECK OUT ABOVE, not below
So, kids, at least we can still EAT pig!
Edit: AWESOMEEEE. Try typing my name into google. The first website that comes out is my blog about Race. How cool is that? Gosh, I love blogging.
It may be a shocker to everyone, but our big and cozy high school, in fact, DOES have a dance club. It’s organized by our wonderful senior, Kelsey Park, who initiated the club three years back. Back in freshmen year, I participated in the dance showcase as a minor part. However, this year, I wanted to make a bigger stance. Thus, I decided to choreograph four dances with my friends in order to showcase ourselves.
With little time and almost no practice, my friends and I managed to dance in front of the whole school–something we haven’t done in years. Here are some of our performances we did:
Step up finale remake: Lydia (me), Kristin, Carrie, Kelsey, Albert, Paul, Kenny, Jay
Choreographer: Carrie
1st and 3rd song:
Gee-by Girls Generation (you can observe the real video on the post before…(and YES, many of you may call me a hypocrite for dancing to this song…when I don’t believe it’s real music. But hey, who ISN’T?)
Ah-by Afterschool (A.K.A. the Korean version of the Pussycat Dolls…or at least their attempt)
Lydia and Kristin
Lydia, Kristin, Deedee, Jane
The other song isn’t up yet, so that’ll come in the near future!
One of the most important aspects to be a good dancer is more than just practicing 24/7. It’s about that special stage presence one has. That special wink or even a little hand motion can make all the difference, even if you don’t notice it. The eyes of the audience are attracted to ones who have their own take on how to dance the song–their own flavor. It’s not just being there and dancing to the song, it’s the small things that count in order to catch the audience’s attention.
Yes, it might be painful, but another essential aspect in order to be a great dancer is cooperation and teamwork, with your “team/dance” members, of course. Because we rushed our dance at the last minute without any rehearsals, our dance group didn’t have enough time to polish all our lines and movements, as you can probably see in the videos. Just because you’re a good dancer, doesn’t mean everyone else will be. It’s about learning that balance between helping each other out but still having your own little spice and style. While dancing, you not only learn the hardships we dancers go through, but you realize the importance of working together as a team.
In the end, we may have not accomplished the best dance, but through this process, we learned that whatever we do, we’re going to stick with each other as a team–if one fails, the rest fails.
Many of you most likely don’t know this, but in fact, I am KOREAN. Since all my blog posts are usually about my little rants or ideologies, I wanted to write a post something more related to my culture.
Since I grew up in the states (North Carolina WOOHOO!), I never exactly experienced Korean entertainment. Even when I moved to Korea, I had no clue what Korean music was like. However, since outside influences (A.K.A. my friends) had more of a Korean culture than I expected, I was forced to listen to Korean songs and such. Here’s a preview of some of the TOP songs/artists in Korean’s music industry:
Bigbang:
Wondergirls:
2NE1
Girls Generation AKA S.N.S.D
Most of the singers in these groups aren’t versatile enough to be a singer…while dancing. In my opinion, I think American singers and rappers (like Dashboard Confessional, Ne-Yo, etc.) are so much better. However, after listening to their songs numerous times, I’ve found out these singers’ little secret in order to receive so much fame.
I mean, we have to admit, these singers ARE attractive. They have this spark in their eyes that make us like them. Although all of them did undergo PLASTIC SURGERY, teenagers still do look up to them, wanting to be less than 100 pounds with HUGE eyes. Not only are they attractive as a group, most of these girls are MY age, or even younger. Many are born in the 90’s, and young boys and girls can relate to them. But most of all, there songs are ADDICTING. Yes, they may lipsync the same “gee gee gee gee gee” or “no no no no no” but there songs are catchy songs that you can remember and sing while you’re going home on the bus. Personally, these songs don’t fit my style, since they don’t have that spice and talent that American singers have. But hey, they’re catchy, fun, and I guess, fit Korea’s music industry today.
Ironically, last year as a high school freshmen, a girl I don’t know inspired me to write this post. She’s apparently a girl from another school who received the first place medal in a speech and debate tournament. As she was formally presenting her speech about the journey versus the destination, I wondered “WHAT IS MORE IMPORTANT?” I mean, is it what happens in the end or how we got there? But it is in fact…
THE JOURNEY.
Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, has heard of the old but amazing joke “Why did the chicken cross the road?” Is it…
A. to become a chicken nugget
B. to get to the other side C. to take the journey down that road
D. all of the above
Yes, the correct answer choice is C. The wingless, fat chicken, in fact, crossed the road just to take that journey down the road. I mean, whether it got to the other side or not–who cares? At least it decided to make the intricate decision not to use its wings and fly, but instead, it used its feet in order to just cross that road.
Here’s a better example. Why do we students go to school? We must admit, it is for either for our parents or to get into college–maybe even our reputation? My friends always tell me nothing matters besides acing their grades. Whether they cheated or pulled an allnighter studying, as long as they obtain an A in the end, that path they took is forever out of their heads. But really, do you remember the primary reason why we go to school? We always tend to forget and just stick in the back of our heads–or even worse, ignoring it, trying to wrap around the journey and immediately do anything in order to reach that destination. We ACTUALLY go for the process: the process of learning and learning, and LEARNING! Who cares what you get in the end, whether its an A or a C. Does it really matter? Will it determine your future? No. It is rather a not-so-intelligent way of determining one’s intelligence and where they stand. Students, parents, and even teachers need to remember why we go to school, and base their classes on that. Our society (especially in Korea) has wrapped their heads around getting a 4.0 GPA, 2400 on their S.A.T.’s, taking as many A.P’s and SAT 2’s as you can, being involved in many activities thoroughly, and of course, getting awards for those acitivites (usually through academy–also known as “hagwon” in Korean). Contrary, I may not be the best student who sucks up to teachers all the time, but I least I try. I try to learn new concepts in my classes and actually use them in my real life. School has become way too “SCHOOLY” when at first, it was just a place to learn.
So why care about the destination when all we need to focus on is the journey? Why not die right now, if we all know that death is inevitable? We all go through the journey for the beauty and wonders of life. Who knows what will happen in the end, but more importantly, WHO CARES?!
It was the end of the year again, and I was determined to be a better and new 4th grade Lydia as I looked at my EOG’s (End of Grade Tests). It’s similar to Standardized tests, but depending on the color, that’s where you stand in your academic studies. I was always green–the hardest (hey, I’m Asian!). Again, we had to fill out the whole your full name, school, and all that boring stuff. And then it got to your race.
Circle one;
Caucasian
African America
Asian
Hispanic
Etc.
As I glanced at my friends’ papers, they bubbled in Caucasian. “Hmm…I guess I’m that too then.” my brian thought. I knew I was different from everyone else; I had black hair, dark brown eyes, and could speak a bit of Korean. As I bubbled in Caucasian, my teacher glided around the desks to see if we were cheating.
“Lydia…do you have white skin? No. You’re Asian, bubble that one in.” my teacher pointed.
All eyes were on me now. They knew me since I was a little kid, but we never let our differences get to us. As I erased the bubble with my new blueberry scent eraser, I pondered the thought that maybe no matter how much I want to fit in, I can’t. Two years later, I became a big and mature fifth grader. I wasn’t the one who was being taught in reading buddies; I was teaching the cute little annoying 1st graders. When my dad told me we were moving to Korea, my tears couldn’t resist. I always felt American inside of me–it was my home, a place I always loved…and now, I had to move to my home country. I realized that I may be different on the outside, but my heart is always in the country that I learned to love–America.
My friends actually never really discriminated me because of my race, although I was the only Asian kid in my school. They grew up with me, they know who I am, and they even know all my other family members. I never really gave an interest towards Korea, even though I did go to “Korean hagwon” every friday for 2 hours. It was more like a play time with my best friend Dohee. When I first came here, I had no friends; hence, I didn’t go to school yet. I cried for hours in my bed, under the covers, wondering when I’ll go back. We chatted through A.I.M., but that wasn’t enough. I had to see them in person.
When I started school at KIS, making friends was done easily. Boyfriends, girlfriends, they were all so …nice and gentle. Yes, they were a bit immature–I mean who plays tag in 5th grade? But I did my best to fit in, and next thing I know, I’m tagging everyone. As we soon started to play outside at COEX, I noticed that I was being discriminated more than I did in America. Adults snickered at me for speaking English, while grandparents cursed telling me not to speak that language in my mother country. I didn’t know how to speak Korean at all, only the basics like family members and places. As I became a middle schooler, I started to learn more Korean, and now I’m almost fluent (sort of). I still get remarks about speaking English, but I’ve learned to ignore them and forget about those stupid put-downs they say, since well, they’re jealous.
Of course there’s still racism in the world, and there will always be. We can’t help that. We must learn to forget about what the people say and just be ourselves. I still miss my mother country, America. Everyday I look back at pictures with my friends–laughing, gossiping, chatting, and just being who we are. My dream is to go back, and that’s what I’ve been striving for. I’ve always been a twinkie, yellow on the outside, white in the inside. That’s why I can’t wait to go to college! Being independent, being me, and being in my childhood and where I grew up. Even though there still is prejudice going on, I will always adore that country for what it is–a mix of everyone, a global place to be.
Now since I’ve matured a TEENSY? bit, I’ve realized that wherever I go racism will always be there. But no matter what, I’m going to love who I am, a Korean and an American (inside).
That’s why I love English–the writing, the reading, the language, the grammar. It’s just….me.
Now I’m glad that there are different races in the world. Stereotypes can be annoying at times, but some of them are actually a bit true. It’s fun teasing them and learning a bit about them.
So I guess we have to learn to accept rejection, whether it’s because of your features, your race, your personality, etc. But we must never learn to give up. That is the biggest failure in life.
BUBBLE BAZINGA is the new epic game at our school. Since our highly presitigious, technology-based school requires us to have macbooks, all the sopohmores have downloaded the amazing game BUBBLE BAZINGA in their dashboard.
The game is simple: there’s a shooter thing and various colors of bubbles. You have to shoot the bubbles with the corresponding colors and groups of three or more bubbles of the same color will pop them. However, the bubbles keep adding on lines as you don’t pop them.
Now, it may look like a stupid little elementary school game that you play during class or while the teacher is showing us a “Turning Japanese” music video for history class, but it is MORE than that. You must use your brain in order to find out where to put those little bubbles. Once you hit a group of bubbles at one time, you obtain a BAZINGA, earning you much more points, which will eventually lead you to the top high score of 800 (my highest record). My strategy is by stacking all the bubbles to one side, but leaving two of the same colors at the top. Then when I get that color, I place it next to the two, popping all the bubbles on the bottom.
). I’m crossing my fingers that my teachers next year will be just as fun, jubilient, and crazy, but yet great teachers. Also, I’ll miss you Mr. Brightman, one of my favorite teachers at KIS. I was looking forward to your APUSH class next year, so please keep in touch!
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