Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Reflection (Book)
If there is a book I would want to read, it would definitely be the 5th installment of the Pendragon series. I've started reading this series when I was about 13. The last time I've read a book from the Pendragon series was when I was 16 and I've enjoyed the book very much. The book is geared towards the young adolescents ages 12 and 16 but I think it can be enjoyed by anyone who loves mystery, adventure fictions. Although it does not match quality of a Dan Brown novel, it certainly gets some things right. There are many twists in these series and also so many mysteries and enigmas that the reader is compelled to continue reading in order to figure out what they are curious about. I remember I've read until 2am and I despise book reading but this series I just love. I've only got the chance to buy books 1,3, and 4 but I am sure I would love to go back and read #2 and also read whatever is out past #4. I have not kept myself current with the series and there may be 8 new books out and I won't be discouraged at all. I think I would be excited to know that there are 8 whole books to go through and the adventure doesn't end still. The author does a great job to revealing mysteries to the readers in the correct pace that allows the readers to keep their interest in other mysteries rather than having the feeling that the story is being dragged on. Also, the villian is quite the character and the foil between the protagonist and the antagonist always spices the conflicts. Also, the support characters also give life to the setting and culture as these characters are people from certain areas of the universe and show the protagonist how to adapt to new cultures. It is a intriguing adventure ficiton that always have kept me reading well into the night and I'd love to read the newest editions to the series.
Reflection
The conflict assement says that I am an avid at handling conflicts but not a true master of the art. I think I agree with what the result was because I don't seem to have a lot of problems with people when I do have conflicts with them and there seems to be no relationships that were ruined because of a conflict and a poor handling of a situation. I think just having a quiet and observant personality allows me to be able to handle conflicts without getting too overdramatic or have irrational behavior because I am able to control myself and know what I am thinking and about to say to others. I don't think remembber the last time I became angry or started yelling at someone because of a conflict but when I think about other people, I see that some people really have a hard time dealing with conflict as they start yelling things as if they can get their point across better if they are yelled. I think there are areas that need much improvement, but I am satisfied with my current ability to handle conflicts because there doesn't seem to be any conflicts in my life right now that I need a lot of help with. Life seems very calm and trouble-free, for now.
To Do List
To Do List
Must Do
1. Catch Up on Article Journals
2. Catch up on reflection posts
3. Go to Math Lab
Have To Do:
1. Study for speech final
2. Study for Trig final
3. Study for reading final
Want to Do:
1. Go out and eat something new
2. Play Videogames
3. Learn a new song
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Reflection Week Five
March 10, 2011
Dear Prof. Henderson,
Here were my goals in the previous year: Long term goal was to get a masters and my mid-term goal was to transfer to Cal Poly or a UC school and my short term goal was to do well in the spring semester. A year has passed and I feel like I'm closer to achieving my mid-term and long-term goals. I was very successful in my spring semester as I've received mostly A's and did not have the unfortunate experience of failing a class. I've also gone to my counselor and spoke about my academic goals and I am very well on-track to transferring to a UC. I took the time to do all my school affiliated work before personal matters and I've started to study outside my home as I believe it helps me focus more. Going to the school library helps me get my work done and I also visit the bookstores and Starbucks for a little study session also. I think the most important step I've taken this past year is to sacrifice my habit of procrastination. As I started to do all my work as soon as possible, I feel as though my life becomes less stressful due to the fact that I don't have to stress about school work being finished on time because I proactively finish the work before it is due. I think the productivity of my work habits became much higher and because of that I think I can continue striving to receive great grades and hopefully be able to transfer to a university of my choice.
Dear Prof. Henderson,
Here were my goals in the previous year: Long term goal was to get a masters and my mid-term goal was to transfer to Cal Poly or a UC school and my short term goal was to do well in the spring semester. A year has passed and I feel like I'm closer to achieving my mid-term and long-term goals. I was very successful in my spring semester as I've received mostly A's and did not have the unfortunate experience of failing a class. I've also gone to my counselor and spoke about my academic goals and I am very well on-track to transferring to a UC. I took the time to do all my school affiliated work before personal matters and I've started to study outside my home as I believe it helps me focus more. Going to the school library helps me get my work done and I also visit the bookstores and Starbucks for a little study session also. I think the most important step I've taken this past year is to sacrifice my habit of procrastination. As I started to do all my work as soon as possible, I feel as though my life becomes less stressful due to the fact that I don't have to stress about school work being finished on time because I proactively finish the work before it is due. I think the productivity of my work habits became much higher and because of that I think I can continue striving to receive great grades and hopefully be able to transfer to a university of my choice.
Entrench
Entrench (verb) to dig trenches for defensive purposes around (oneself, a military position, etc.).
Source: TTTC page 174. The others stood in a circle, watching the water, then after a time somebody said, "We can't just leave him there," and the men nodded and got out their entrenching tools and began digging.
Context Clue: Logic and parts of word. Trench would be a defensive line in war and to "en"trench would be like to create a trench. Also, the men began digging with their entrenching tools and it was to get kiowa out so it would be logical that to entrench is to create a trench.
Original sentence: In World War I, most of the soldier's time was spent entrenching their positions to fortify their position and waiting for an enemy attack.
Source: TTTC page 174. The others stood in a circle, watching the water, then after a time somebody said, "We can't just leave him there," and the men nodded and got out their entrenching tools and began digging.
Context Clue: Logic and parts of word. Trench would be a defensive line in war and to "en"trench would be like to create a trench. Also, the men began digging with their entrenching tools and it was to get kiowa out so it would be logical that to entrench is to create a trench.
Original sentence: In World War I, most of the soldier's time was spent entrenching their positions to fortify their position and waiting for an enemy attack.
Wade
Wade (verb) to walk through water, snow, sand, or any other substance that impedes free motion or offers resistance to movement: to wade through the mud.
Source: TTTC page 173. ACross the field Azar and Norman Bowker and Mitchell Sanders were wading alongside a narrow dike at the edge of the field.
Context Clue: Logic. One can assume wade would have to do something with the field being very muddy and wet.
Original Sentence: I waded through the muddy pools of water after a big storm.
Source: TTTC page 173. ACross the field Azar and Norman Bowker and Mitchell Sanders were wading alongside a narrow dike at the edge of the field.
Context Clue: Logic. One can assume wade would have to do something with the field being very muddy and wet.
Original Sentence: I waded through the muddy pools of water after a big storm.
Bearing
Bearing (noun) the manner in which one conducts or carries oneself, including posture and gestures
Source: TTTC page 171. No sense of direction, though, and the field seemed to suck him under, and everything was black and wet and swirling, and he couldn't get his bearings, and then another round hit nearby, and for a few moments all he could do was hold his breath and duck down beneath the water.
Context Clue: Logic. Text says no sense of direction and everything was swirling and he couldn't get his bearings. That would suggest bearings would have to do with swirling and with all the chaos and explosion, it would seem it would be something like balance.
Original sentence: As I was going down the hill on my bike, I forgot to brake so I was losing my bearing and was about to fall.
Source: TTTC page 171. No sense of direction, though, and the field seemed to suck him under, and everything was black and wet and swirling, and he couldn't get his bearings, and then another round hit nearby, and for a few moments all he could do was hold his breath and duck down beneath the water.
Context Clue: Logic. Text says no sense of direction and everything was swirling and he couldn't get his bearings. That would suggest bearings would have to do with swirling and with all the chaos and explosion, it would seem it would be something like balance.
Original sentence: As I was going down the hill on my bike, I forgot to brake so I was losing my bearing and was about to fall.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Reflection #3
This is my first semester of college and I've been enjoying the schedule of going to school not 7 hours everyday and I've been enjoying a lot of free time but I don't really spend that time on school related things like homework, essays, projects, and etc. I've already not done a project in my Speech105 class and I don't really know why I didn't do it because it was suppose to be something fun and easy. I've also been neglecting the reading portion of studying and I haven't read textbooks and books much lately and I've been very lazy about it. Also, I haven't committed much to my English class and I know I should be because there aren't that many assignments in that class and I don't think I can afford to miss any assignments from now on but I don't really feel the pressure to. Basically, my academic status is in peril and I need to get myself together and work this out because I don't really want a low GPA that will hinder me from transferring. Although school feels hectic, my life outside school seems a bit peaceful even though I'm going through the stage of buying my own car and that is bit stressful but once that is done, life would feel a bit more at ease.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Solace
Solace (noun) Comfort in sorrow, misfourtune or trouble.
Yet these truths are no solace against the kind of alianationthat comes of being ever the suspect, against being set apart, a fearsome entity with whom pedestrians avoid making eye contact.
Context clue would be logic as he gives us many examples of injustices he has to deal with and if the truths are not "solace" against them then the truth is no beneficial in anyway.
I find solace in knowing that there are people in worst places in life than me.
Yet these truths are no solace against the kind of alianationthat comes of being ever the suspect, against being set apart, a fearsome entity with whom pedestrians avoid making eye contact.
Context clue would be logic as he gives us many examples of injustices he has to deal with and if the truths are not "solace" against them then the truth is no beneficial in anyway.
I find solace in knowing that there are people in worst places in life than me.
Cursory
Cursory (adj) going rapidly over something, without noticing details; hasty; superficial
I took a cursory look around ,noded and bade her goodnight.
Context clue would be logic as cursory would be something to do with "look around" and the circumstance of the situation would suggest it was quick.
I took a cursory look at the classified ads and found no one was hiring in La Habra.
I took a cursory look around ,noded and bade her goodnight.
Context clue would be logic as cursory would be something to do with "look around" and the circumstance of the situation would suggest it was quick.
I took a cursory look at the classified ads and found no one was hiring in La Habra.
Congenial
Congenial (adj) Aggreable, suitable or pleasing in nature or character.
I have been calm and extremely congenial on those rare occasions when I've been pulled over the police.
Context clue is logic as we can predict from the essay and also the sentence that he would act differently than usual and would try to appeal to the police by being very agreeable.
I wonder if the congenial nature of many nice people benefit them in some way.
I have been calm and extremely congenial on those rare occasions when I've been pulled over the police.
Context clue is logic as we can predict from the essay and also the sentence that he would act differently than usual and would try to appeal to the police by being very agreeable.
I wonder if the congenial nature of many nice people benefit them in some way.
Flailing
Flailings (verb) to beat or swing with or as if with a flail.
An infant discovers that random flailings send the baby bottle flying out of the crib and crashing to the floorOriginal Sentence: The sails on the boat were flailing in the wind.
The context clue is logic and because one can infer that flailing will have something to do with the result being the bottle flying in the air and that would be a baby throwing it.
I flailed blindly to defend myself against a kangaroo.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Implacable
Implacable (adj) not capable of being appeased, pacified, mitigated, or change
You hate it, yes, but your eyes do not. Like a killer forest fire, like a cancer under a microscope, any battle or bombing raid or artillery barrage has the aesthetic purity of absolute moral indifference - a powerful, implacable beauty - and a true war story will tell the truth about this, though the truth is ugly.
Context clue is examples and logic. If something is like a forest fire and the bombings and the artillery barrages have purity of absolute moral indifference then we can assume that it is something out of our control.
The implacable fact that government can never be perfect makes every government a victim of overthrow sooner or later.
You hate it, yes, but your eyes do not. Like a killer forest fire, like a cancer under a microscope, any battle or bombing raid or artillery barrage has the aesthetic purity of absolute moral indifference - a powerful, implacable beauty - and a true war story will tell the truth about this, though the truth is ugly.
Context clue is examples and logic. If something is like a forest fire and the bombings and the artillery barrages have purity of absolute moral indifference then we can assume that it is something out of our control.
The implacable fact that government can never be perfect makes every government a victim of overthrow sooner or later.
Dismay
Dismay (n) sudden disillusionment
As a softy who is scarcely able to take a knife to a raw chicken - let alone hold it to a person's thorat, I was surprised, embarassed, and dismayed all at once.
Context clue is logic as if someone is surprised and embarassed at the same time, it would be logical to assume the word dismay means something is shocking or unbelievable.
To my dismay, my peers were idiots.
As a softy who is scarcely able to take a knife to a raw chicken - let alone hold it to a person's thorat, I was surprised, embarassed, and dismayed all at once.
Context clue is logic as if someone is surprised and embarassed at the same time, it would be logical to assume the word dismay means something is shocking or unbelievable.
To my dismay, my peers were idiots.
Rectitude
Rectitude (n) moral virtue
If at the end of a wary story you feel uplifted, or if you feel that some bit of rectitude has been salvaged from the larger waste, then you have been made the victim of a very old and terrible lie. there is no rectitude whatsoever. Tehre is no vitrue.
Context clue is a synoymn virtue. Author says no rectitude and no virtue, they must be similar.
Some see no rectitude for "eye for an eye" but virtue is defined by perception.
If at the end of a wary story you feel uplifted, or if you feel that some bit of rectitude has been salvaged from the larger waste, then you have been made the victim of a very old and terrible lie. there is no rectitude whatsoever. Tehre is no vitrue.
Context clue is a synoymn virtue. Author says no rectitude and no virtue, they must be similar.
Some see no rectitude for "eye for an eye" but virtue is defined by perception.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Insomnia
insomia (n) prolonged and unusual absence of sleep
Suffering a bout of insomnia, however, I was stalking sleep, not defenseless wayfares.
By logic, we can see that figurative speech of "stalking sleep" means he wants sleep, therefore we can tell he lacks it.
Sleep disorders such as insomnia give many people trouble going to bed and having a good night's sleep.
Suffering a bout of insomnia, however, I was stalking sleep, not defenseless wayfares.
By logic, we can see that figurative speech of "stalking sleep" means he wants sleep, therefore we can tell he lacks it.
Sleep disorders such as insomnia give many people trouble going to bed and having a good night's sleep.
Things I Carry
The things I carry are things unseen. I do not "hump" physical objects but I admit I do "hump" things that are of matterless, massless, and invisible nature yet I believe they weight heavily on my conscious on my course of actions. I guess it all comes down from being born in another country and being raised there. Being from another country limited by social interactions with other kids while I was in elementary school as I did not watch the same shows or listened to the same type of music as they did. Also, sports was another issue as I had zero interest in "football" and basketball; so there goes belonging in that clique. Having non similar upbringing of course related to my foreign sets of virtues and morals from the American kids. Some things were rude to do here that were not rude in Korea and some things were welcomed here that was rude in Korea, so I had to adjust my actions based on where I was: school or home. Although I changed my actions based on where I was and who I was dealing with, the fundamental virtues stayed unchanged and these differences always seemed to make myself different from other people.
Adding on to the "me not being American" part, I also come from an unstable family. Be it unstable relationships between family members or financial instability. Being an Asian family, we don't really have a close relationships with each other as American families would have but on top of being Asian, we're dysfunctional. There was a scam that my Dad was involved in which caused him to be scammed of 100 thousand dollars. This caused us to not be able to continue to live in our first house in America and we had to move to an apartment complex. Also, on top of that, he wasn't able to get a job that was salary pay due to the language barrier despite him being an mechanical engineer. Hourly pay jobs are unstable in hours per month so sometimes we were very tight on bill payments and sometimes we couldn't make them. By the time I was 15, I was paying our bills online and as a consequence of that, I realized how much of a financial burden it was to pay the bills. It caused me to feel the stress and I've always carried the weight with them. As a result, I never bought anything or asked for money from my parents. This resulted in little social life and missed opportunities mainly in highschool so it didn't really matter. By being on the edge financially, my dad established dominance in the house as the man of the house by being unreasonable and critiquing every little thing and almost always, he was contradicting everything he says. This caused me to realize not to listen to anything he says because it was all "bs".
Another thing I carry would be the generation gap. Although I am a first generation immigrant, I've pretty much assimilated to the American culture. I would believe decisons my parents make are wrong and they believe decisions I make are wrong. They think my actions are inappropriate but they're completely normal in America.
Just constant confliction of interest and different ideas of how to act keeps tension between my parents and I.
Adding on to the "me not being American" part, I also come from an unstable family. Be it unstable relationships between family members or financial instability. Being an Asian family, we don't really have a close relationships with each other as American families would have but on top of being Asian, we're dysfunctional. There was a scam that my Dad was involved in which caused him to be scammed of 100 thousand dollars. This caused us to not be able to continue to live in our first house in America and we had to move to an apartment complex. Also, on top of that, he wasn't able to get a job that was salary pay due to the language barrier despite him being an mechanical engineer. Hourly pay jobs are unstable in hours per month so sometimes we were very tight on bill payments and sometimes we couldn't make them. By the time I was 15, I was paying our bills online and as a consequence of that, I realized how much of a financial burden it was to pay the bills. It caused me to feel the stress and I've always carried the weight with them. As a result, I never bought anything or asked for money from my parents. This resulted in little social life and missed opportunities mainly in highschool so it didn't really matter. By being on the edge financially, my dad established dominance in the house as the man of the house by being unreasonable and critiquing every little thing and almost always, he was contradicting everything he says. This caused me to realize not to listen to anything he says because it was all "bs".
Another thing I carry would be the generation gap. Although I am a first generation immigrant, I've pretty much assimilated to the American culture. I would believe decisons my parents make are wrong and they believe decisions I make are wrong. They think my actions are inappropriate but they're completely normal in America.
Just constant confliction of interest and different ideas of how to act keeps tension between my parents and I.
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