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Sunday, January 22, 2012

index poem rough draft

Hmmm I guess to start brainstorming for this index poem, I'm going to start typing down some stuff that pops in my brain when I think of AP Comp.


  • Awesome
  • Crying
  • writing
  • hand cramping
  • rhetorical analysis
  • arguing
  • one in the morning
  • sarcasm
  • funny
  • max hanson
  • feud
  • fun classmates
  • power writing
  • approval
  • improvement
  • tears
    • of joy
    • of anger
    • of sadness
  • Freak outs
  • going with the flow
  • reading
  • 50 essays book
  • bitzer
  • orwell
  • didion
  • voice
  • shitty first drafts
  • many drafts
  • diction
  • tone
  • audience
  • calling friends for help
  • a.p. comp facebook
  • bla
  • vocab
  • BANAL
  • bombast
  • visual essays
  • typing on laptop
  • blogging
  • sleep deprivation
  • angry parents :P
  • finals
  • REJOICE!
  • Funny stories
As the last week goes by, I'm sure to think of more things to put into this awesome poem.

Monday, January 16, 2012

Amusing Ourselves to Death... Literally.

Reading this book ENTERTAINED me so much that I almost died....

Well to a more serious note, let's move on to my personal reviews of this book. The author's overall argument in SIMPLIFIED terms is that everything we do needs to be supported with some sort of entertainment. This is caused by the evolution of mediums; ways we communicate. As soon as the television came into existence, people have learned to expect "entertainment" for every single thing they participate in. Whether it may be school, church, and so on. People's attention span is limited only to entertainment. I think the content of the book is important. People today should be aware of television and the effects of it. How addictive it can be, alter people's talking style, etc.

I would recommend to NOT read this book. It was probably one of the hardest books to read. Postman uses a lot of needless vocabulary and references to make his point. It was very hard to read. I've read difficult books before with formal diction and elaborate syntax, but this book was just over redundant with everything.  Each chapter is an example of why people are addicted to entertainment. Within each chapter contains MILLIONS of examples. MILLIONS. Even right now, I can't recall much of what the book was about. There were so many examples that if I were to skip until the end of the chapter, I wouldn't miss a thing. This book could have been condensed to, let's see, about five pages. I would have enjoyed it a lot more if this book was more simplified.

So after reading this review, it is now UP TO YOU to make the decision. Read the book? Not read the book? Read Twilight? Sure. (BWAHAHAHAHA! But a book you all should read is Battle Royal or Pride and Prejudice. Or just read a book, don't watch television.)

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Heeeeeeeey you.

Dear little middle school Alison,

I hope that you are having a fun time with your life right now! Busy with soccer, piano, and most importantly, becoming a mature, sophisticated, beautiful, woman. Well I might as well give you some hints for the future so you don't make the same mistakes as I have. Is that even possible? If you do the right things, will I be a better person now? Or will you just have your own separate life and I'll just be non existent? WHEN WILL THEN BE NOW? Hahaha well this brings me to my next point.

Do not over think everything. Take things the easy way. GO WITH THE FLOW. There's no need to over stress over everything, for opportunities will always come and I know you have the enthusiasm to overcome any obstacle. Also, try to not over achieve. If you really want to over achieve, just overachieve in simple classes. It's not worth to stress over accelerated classes while others are given better opportunities for taking simpler classes. Plus, it's worth experiencing and taking your time in college. Enjoy life, bear necessities!

I would also advise giving up soccer. It's going to break your heart later in the future if you don't give up now. I know it's bad to give up on things, but I know it's not worth your time. Trust me. But continue with piano. You will give up piano for soccer, which totally suuuuucks! Stick with piano. Plus, try to convince daddy and mommy to change teachers. Slava is a mean old woman! Bleh! I miss playing the piano now. Well currently still try, but I know I could've been better if I continued with the lessons.

Now, if you greatly simplify your life, you'll be able to participate in more activities in high school. Senior year, I'm in BPA and Link Crew. I've also tried Y.E.S., DECA, and Science Olympiad. Since I advise you to not take accelerated classes, excel in these clubs. You can do it! This will look good for college applications and resumes! Also they are all fun!

Lastly, I just want to warn you that there will be many obstacles in the future for you. Just know that you can overcome each and every one of them. They aren't as bad as they seem. At the end of the day, you still have a life to live and you must continue it. PERSEVERE!

Well good luck to you and your life, while I'm living your future life. (This whole letter sounds funny. Now I'm thinking about what I'm going to think about this letter ten years from now. HAHAHA!)

Sincerely,

Your future self.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Whoohoo! What time is it? Process Analysis time, that's what!

First of all, I'm going to talk about my visual essay in sections so that it will be easier to comprehend and at the end it'll all come together and make sense!

Why I chose these pictures:
My claim is that dogs need to be freed from puppy mills. Reason, dogs are constantly abused and die in an inhumane way everyday. The warrant is all puppy mills are dangerous places to breed and raise dogs. The living conditions don't meet the requirements of raising healthy dogs. But in reality, there are a a few puppy mills that can sustain a large amount of dogs with good health. My audience is directed to the general public and especially present and future pet owners. Through this video, I want my audience to make the right choice about where they are getting their dogs and get them thinking about how they can save the dogs in the puppy mills. Free the dogs in the puppy mills!

Argument of each picture:
With the pictures, I wanted to show the journey of a dog in a puppy mill. I also added a snippet somewhat in their perspective to show how they want to be free of their miserable life in the mill. By putting a part of the video in their perspective, it makes it seem as if they are living in a jail place and want to be freed. Then I resume with the typical ending of a dogs life in the mill.

First, I started off with pictures of mother dogs with their litter. This is the start of puppy mills for female dogs are constantly being bred when in heat. I had two of these pictures to emphasize how often puppy mill owners  force the female dogs to mate. Next I had a picture of some puppies without their mother. Puppies are taken away from their mothers before they are well nourished and come of age. Then I had two pictures of dogs over populating a certain area. From this, the audience will grasp the fact that puppy mills are overcrowded and aren't spacious enough for dogs. The next few pictures show the usual living conditions of dogs. They are kept in dirty cages filled with many other dogs.

Before the first climax of the song it fades into black. I did this so that it will seem as if the dog is dreaming of a better life, of being free! The dog is dreaming of being able to run in the luscious green grass, being able to share something with an owner (food!), having the chance to be petted, being with a family, being hugged by a person, eating a treat, being able to sleep in a comfortable bed with loving owners, and playing fetch.

After the playing fetch picture, it fades to black once again to symbolize the dream ending and that reality is always there. I randomly put in pictures of dogs in cages, abused dogs, and lonely dogs. I didn't want to put them in sections so that I can add more variation and interest toward the end. Some of the sad looks the dogs give in the pictures should steal the hearts of the audience because of how sad and cute it is. Also the harsh reality of their abuse should send an alarming realization to the audience, making them want to do something for the dogs and feel more sympathetic toward them.

The second climax of the song helps end the typical story of a puppy mill dog. Death. This should make the audience feel devastated toward the dogs and angered toward the puppy mills for their mistreatment of dogs. I end the video with a stop sign saying "stop puppy mills", giving the audience the push and feel to stop the production of puppy mills and take initiative to save the dogs in the puppy mills, to free the dogs. The picture before the stop sign picture fades to white. This is to help emphasize and symbolize death, because the dog is "seeing the light".




Explain the music:
I chose the song Comptine D'un Autre Ete by Yann Tiersen, an artist who I looooooooove by the way. This song consists of only piano, which can be versatile depending on it's use. In this case, it's repetitive melody and mellow tone makes the song really sad and should make the audience feel down and more sympathetic toward the video. Also, the slow pace adds to the sadness. There's two sections of the song that consist of a faster paced and more connected melody, which are the climatic parts of the song. The first climax would emphasize the dog's dream to be free. The second would help emphasize the harsh realities of puppy mills and the constant death of dogs. Some of the keys in the song were played in a louder and stronger tone, so I purposely (tried to)  put the pictures on the more emphasized notes of the song in order to dramatize them.

Here are the links to the pictures I used:
http://images.google.com/imgres?q=puppy+litter&hl=en&sa=X&gbv=2&biw=1280&bih=709&tbm=isch&tbnid=9NU2aJMvE-FDcM:&imgrefurl=http://grinninggoldens.com/index.asp%3FID%3D18&docid=XBmnCLjF8YezUM&imgurl=http://grinninggoldens.com/assets/darma%252520with%252520t%252520litter%252520pics.jpg&w=400&h=300&ei=dqcDT_DcNsaviQKC0JHODg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=799&vpy=242&dur=652&hovh=162&hovw=215&tx=126&ty=75&sig=111776574671553607895&page=2&tbnh=152&tbnw=201&start=15&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:8,s:15



Yeah.... I used a lot of pictures...And for some reason, the web addresses are freakishly long. 

Visual Essay

HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERE'S MY VIDEO!





Now if the video doesn't work, try this link...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgKvY_d1O14&feature=g-upl&context=G22d50ceAUAAAAAAAAAA

If THAT doesn't work.... I probably have a back up plan.

After watching the video, do you understand my argument? My topic was freedom and I wanted to focus on the needed freedom for the dogs reproduced in the puppy mills. Hopefully my visual tactics were good enough to persuade you.

Sunday, January 1, 2012

I love seeing a girl's butt glued to a boy's crotch

Dear people who set glorious examples of how to truly dance on the dance floor and people who don't grind,

I am in complete awe by the way you all dance by grinding. Even the animals applaud the way you all accurately resemble the way they make love. And to whomever wants to watch live porn, they are welcome to come and watch the dance for free! Grinding is a great way for girls and boy to get to know each other. If you are reading this and haven't tried grinding before, then you are missing so much in life!

Boys, if you want to learn how to get a girl to fall in love and dance with you, better listen carefully. First, you waltz into the dance floor and find a girl. Once you find your target, tell her you want to dry hump her like (name any type of animal). She will definitely be turned on and agree to grind with you. Before you start grinding, you must put some gorilla glue on your crotch because it's going to be one heck of a ride! If you don't use this glue, you might lose your partner in the crowd or another guy will steal your girl. I'd also recommend wearing two pants just in case one rips. Don't forget to wear a cup. You DEFINITELY need to protect your penis. There will be a lot of bumping and friction your wiener will not be able to endure. There's even a possibility of both you and your partner catching on fire. Besides this, grinding is safe, fun, and will guarantee your social life.

Now on to the girls. Just like the boys, grinding is a great way to get guys. First, just get on the dance floor. Then you bend over and stick your butt in the air like you just don't care! Surely a guy will notice your fine butt and will ask to dry hump you like some kind of animal, and you're set to go! As stated from before, put some Gorilla glue on your butt so you don't lose your partner. I would also advise putting plastic wrap around your butt to decrease the friction.

I would definitely recommend grinding in dances. It's easier than learning other dance moves. All you have to do is rub yourself vigorously against your partner. It also guarantees any person, whether they are four hundred pounds fat, contaminated with acne, and are poor, a partner. Hey, there have been many success stories of people getting married to their grinding partner. Most importantly we must continue the birthrate for the future generations, regardless your age.

Thank you so much for setting a great example for others on how to grind. Please, continue the hard work. Newbies, get started!

Sincerely,

A worshiper of grinding

Winter Break

This Winter Break was AWESOME!!!!!! It was also the best Christmas celebration our family has ever had. 

It first started on Tuesday night before school ended. I dreaded the fact that I had to go to school the next day because my mind was definitely not focused on my studies, rather than what was about to come later that day. My sister who flew in from California, Theo, had a surprise set for my parents. She told me on Sunday night that she secretly flew in my other sister, Lilian, and her family from North Carolina and that they are arriving on Tuesday night. 

Finally on Tuesday night, Theo gave me the heads up and I stayed with my parents in their bedroom to keep them distracted. Quiet like cats, Lilian and her children, Kaylee, Sophie, and Etienne, came up the stairs and yelled "SURPRISE!". My parents were in shock. Their mouths gaped open, eyes wide, and finally a smile erupted on their face as they warmly greeted Lilian and her children.
From left to right: Me, Sophie, Kaylee, Etienne.
They are using my chalk pastels from school to create
beautiful pictures while I do my art project.
We had a full house! My other sister, Prairie, decided to stay over for the night to spend more time with the family, and my brother came back from college. Just to recap, we had my parents, three older sisters, my brother, two nieces, one nephew, and myself packed in this medium sized house. We finally had everyone in the family together after a long while. That night was wonderful, but somewhat sucked for me...

I'm a very light sleeper. I wasn't able to go to bed until 4:00 am......yep..... Some of my family members decided to stay up and talk. Also I was kicked out of my room by my Theo and Sophie. Where did I sleep? On the living room floor. It was pleasant, I could hear everything around the house. School on Wednesday was a joy for me. I felt like I was going to loose my head since I was acting loopy all day. (I love being EXTREMELY sleep deprived for my goofy character comes out.)

Next few days were mostly sleep, sleep, SLEEP! But it wasn't all about being lazy. Some of my sisters went shopping for Christmas Presents, we frequently went shopping in preparation for the Christmas Eve and Christmas feast, constant house cleaning, and most importantly the essentials for the ten people currently living in the house. (We have to remember to take care of our selves during this busy season too!)

Christmas Eve was quite memorable. We went to church as usual, then had an intimate Christmas Eve dinner. Right after dinner, we had to open presents before midnight because my mom had to go do hemodialysis since she has kidney failure. It was quite exciting to see what everyone got and their expressions. Everyone smiled and was thankful for what they got. I especially enjoyed watching the kids as they opened their presents like hasty monsters, destroying the wrapping paper just to see what's inside. I got to be Santa this Christmas because of my kick ass red footy pjs. I also found a wig for myself to wear...

Here's my family! My dad is in his red blue soccer jersey, my brother in blue, my mom in yellow,  Theo in the white sweater, Prairie in front with Sophie and Kaylee, I'm in my red footy PJs next to my grandma, Lilian is to the right of me with her husband Pao and son Etienne. Prairie's boyfriend in in the back with the white and gray striped polo (behind my brother). 

SILLY PICTURE!! :P
Christmas Day was quite busy. Children running all over the house, relatives all eating and chatting away, and the cousins all hanging about and catching up on life. 

For the next week, we spent a lot of time by just being together. We played many board games, walked about, watched movies, cooked together, everything. Sadly before New Years Eve, everyone had to leave. The house is once again quite and lonely. I miss everyone already. Especially my silly nieces and nephew. I love to tease and play around with them. 

I spent New Years with my parents as we watched the ball drop. As that ball dropped, I kept thinking about what has happened this past year and the years before. How I'm currently a Senior in High School, how much more mature I've become, how I have improved in academics, and how everyone was like and how they have changed. The New Year has come. I'm going to be in college next fall. Once again all of my family members will be over in the summer for my grandmother's reunion. So many exciting things to happen in the next chapter in my life.