From The Desk Of A Musician

Motivation, Motivation, Motivation

2011-04-01T09:09:00.000-05:00

Teachers are not always at fault. Students are part of the reason why the status of teachers are not what they should be.Yes, I do admit there are just some terrible, horrific teachers who can not teach. I do agree with Thomas that we should purge teachers who are not deserving of their job and pay. But, even here at BHS, more than three-fourths of the students are just as unmotivated as some of the teachers. These students are the very ones who never do their work, complain about the workload, and down talk and blame their teachers because of it. I overhear them say that they never learn anything and that half of their teachers only assign busy work. Even with a lousy teacher, students can still learn if they want to put forth the time and effort. Busy work or not, a student can get something out of it if they just try. Copying definitions. Doing worksheets. Reading the chapter. Yes, it is all very boring. What students don't know is that this boring method of learning has been effective for the longest time. Studies show that writing is interconnected with the memory slot in your brain. These studies do not lie. Last year, I had kept an agenda book with me to write down my assignments. Every day, I would jot down what was due the next day, next week, even next month. Not once did I have to go back and look at my agenda to find out what was due and when. So think about that the next time you write definitions or jot down a few notes. Though it should be the teachers' job to motivate these students, there's only so much one can do.

Of course, there's nothing the government can do about students without interfering with their freedoms.Even if the U.S. does raise the status of teachers, it is up to the students and society to whether or not they think teachers are worthy of said status. Motivating students will motivate teachers. Motivated teachers teach better. Better teaching leads to more motivated students. And the cycle goes on.

Great Gatsby Passage Analysis

2011-03-16T09:26:00.000-05:00

Fitzgerald implies that humanity is taking a turn for the worse as during the roaring '20s, everyone was consuming more and having sex more and not paying much attention to the "fresh, green," natural world around them. People have come to this "old island...that flowered once for the Dutch sailors' eyes" in search of dreams. And even though they're dreams were "so close that [they] could hardly fail to grasp it," they cut it down. They cut it down and replace the fresh, natural wonder with "inessential houses" and material. They have contaminated and consumed the "fresh, green breast of the new world." What we have been searching for was right under our nose, and yet, we elude ourselves into a false dream. We try to better that dream and in doing so, we destroy the true treasure. But false happiness is a void; we try to fill that void. And in filling that void, we feel empty.What we have desired we have failed to grasp and understand. And "year by year [it] recedes" until it is out of reach and obscure. And so,we continue to struggle and struggle on our "boats against the current."

Consumerism Ad

2011-03-14T14:54:00.000-05:00

The new iPhone 4! Apple claims that the iPhone 4 is sleeker, faster, and more stylish than ever. Unlike previous generations, the iPhone 4 now has a camera on the touch side of the phone. Now, anyone who owns an iPhone 4 can use the convenient Facetime app to capture live streaming. Instead of calling a family member or friend, you can now capture everything live! :) Through AT&T and Apple, consumers can connect easily through social networking, calling, and Facetiming. Apple practically improves the ever-changing iPhone every year. People go out of their way and pay hundreds of dollars to get the "new" and "improved" phone.And even more money on apps, songs, and of course, the monthly data plan. All because Apple claims that their new product is (slightly) more magnificent than the previous generation. All in attempt to stay in touch with the world around them.

Reading List

2011-03-13T20:58:00.000-05:00

I have read 4 books, the equivalent of 9 books.

Clockwork Angel- 476 pages
Crescendo-427 pages
Portrait of Dorian Gray- 178 pages
Angels and Demons- 706 page

By far the best candy read I have read this year and possibly ever, Angels and Demons captured my time and captivated my mind for an entire weekend. The whole time I could not put the book down. Dan Brown is amazing at imagery, though he can be lengthy at times. The character development, allusions, and plot is absolutely mesmerizing. Robert Langdon, the protagonist, is dragged and whirled into conspiracy after conspiracy after a murder involving one of CERN's top physicists, Leonardo Vetra. Vetra's murder, of course, is no ordinary murder. His chest was branded with the long lost ambigram "Illuminati". Crisis after crisis breaks out, including the theft of a sample of antimatter. The small, stolen sample has, more or less, the same destructive power as 5,000 metric tons of TNT. All the while in Vatican City cardinals from all over the world have gathered for Conclave to elect a new pope; the previous pope had allegedly died of a stroke. Seemingly endless and meaningless events weave together as Langdon and his companion Vittoria Vetra, Leonardo Vetra's daughter, try to make sense of what's happening. Murders. Conspiracies. Religion. Science. Langdon, Vittoria, and many others are dragged into a battle centuries old. How will they cope? What will they discover? Who can they trust? Religion and science make a devastating clash. All within a 24-hour time frame.

Consumerism Quote

2011-03-10T08:29:00.001-06:00

He who accepts his poverty unhurt

I'd say is rich although he lacked a shirt.

But truly poor are they who whine and fret

and covet what they cannot hope to get.

Accept what the world has and don't let the number of possessions control the level of happiness. While you may lack what others possess, you do have something that many don't: fulfillment. For some unknown reason, we haven't been taught this lesson. For what seems like eons, the idea of possessing a myriad amount of material things has been pounded into our head. Thus, we have spiraled downwards. Downwards into the bottomless pit of overspending and debt. Spending and possessing the most that money can give is practically a synonym for happiness. But filling a void with materialistic items is not happiness. We always want more and never appreciate what we already have. We are never content and so we "whine and fret" about what we don't have. If only we can stop this addiction of wanting so much and just appreciate what we already have, maybe the doors to true happiness will open.

Eternal Performances Don't Exist

2010-12-09T19:44:00.005-06:00

(I really recommend listening to "Everybody's Fool" before and while reading this, if possible. Not only will it set the mood for the post, but it's also an awesome song. ^_^)

There are many people who make me think, who make me wonder who they really are. Sometimes when I encounter them laughing and having a good time, I find that their smiles never quite reach their eyes. Sometimes, people seem so "perfect." Sometimes, I feel like many people aren't, or can't be, genuine; to others and to themselves. Listening to Evanescence's "Everybody's Fool" helped me dive further into the subject. Why do people feel the necessity to hide themselves? What kind of happiness comes from that? What is it about "fitting in" that's so appealing? From my personal experience, expressing yourself is the best feeling in the world. It shapes you're being, you're mind, you. Why give that up to just to be with the "in-crowd", when that's not who you are?

In the aforementioned song, Amy Lee sings, "I know the truth now. I know who you are. And I don't love you anymore." Once that "perfect" mask is gone, what do you have left? In some scenarios, nothing and in others, something. But hiding behind a mask and putting up an act is just a pretty way of saying "It's a lie." People lie to get what they want, but what they want isn't what they need. With this part of human nature added with the oh-so-powerful media, we get a standard that interferes with a person's individuality. There's no need to act out a person you aren't. Be who you are. No matter how long the performance, an act always ends. But, you are eternal.

I'll see you soon (12 sentence short story)

2010-11-22T20:48:00.000-06:00

I stood there on the front steps of my parents home, my wavy hair blowing softly in the wind, my fingers twirling the tendrils, my feet marking time as if I were in marching band. Soft padding footsteps headed towards the front door and there he stood: my little brother has grown up so much over the three years I haven't seen him. Damian, now taller than me evenin heels, looked down slightly at me with a curious look. After our greetings, I followed him inside the hallway, into the living room, through another hallway, into the office. We sat and talked and reminisced for hours. Fun times. I had unconsciously hoped that we could talk endlessly, that we could recall forgotten memories, that we could simply stay like that for a little while longer. There's so much time, but I simply don't have enough. Even if I wanted to stay, my leave I had to take. When am I going to see you again, I wonder? I simply don't have time to go to Little Rock and see him with all the school work and homework and band and chores. Once I stop procrastinating, once I start my homework, once I finish my chores, once I make time, expect a visit from me.

Wanted: Books!

2010-11-03T19:09:00.001-05:00

Beautiful Darkness is definitely something I want to read this nine weeks. Beautiful Darkness is the sequel to Beautiful Creatures, which I read last nine weeks. I felt like the authors sort of left me hanging in the prequel, so I researched a little awhile back and found that the authors guaranteed the readers a sequel, but I never did find a release date. I've forgotten about it for awhile until I went to Hastings to explore a bit. Lo and behold, Beautiful Darkness stared straight back at me from a shelf just moments after I found it's prequel sitting on another shelf. I was so ecstatic. I'm definitely purchasing this book soon.

Another sequel I want to get my hands is Crescendo. hush, hush is it's prequel. Now, I've read hush, hush awhile back and absolutely fell in love with it. The setting and plot line really drew me in. And who doesn't love beautiful fallen angels and a little romance? The prequel was such a great story that I'm totally anticipating for the sequel to be the same, hopefully. As soon as Crescendo is hits Hastings here, I'm going to purchase it, too.

I really want to start reading City of Bones of The Mortal Instruments series. I asked several people to recommend some good fantasy/adventure books to me and most recommended City of Bones. I read a little bit of a teaser online and it definitely caught my attention and I can't wait to start reading it. And the fact that I've always loved fantasy just makes this book even better. I'll most likely check it out from our class library if it isn't checked out.

Reading Reflection

2010-10-19T09:07:00.000-05:00

Though I can say I don't really enjoy reading, I did try to make it a habit. The book that I first read this year was "Beautiful Creatures." I loved the plot and the character development. I also read some "Bleach" mangas the rest of the time. By the way, a manga is a graphic novel. Tite Kubo, the author of "Bleach", is a fabulous artist and story-teller. His mangas are always action-filled and suspensful and full of emotion. The fact that they're graphic novels and you can see the character's reactions and facial expressions add to your reading experience. This is mainly the reason why I love mangas. They make it so much easier to see the author's ideas and visualization than regular text-only books. I'll probably continue to read graphic novels, but maybe I'll try to add in some bigger books and series.

Annotated Reading List(2nd Quarter)

2010-10-19T08:14:00.144-05:00

Clare, Cassandra. City of Ashes. New York: Margaret K. McElderry, 2008. Print. (451)

The second book and continuation of The Mortal Instruments Series, "City of Ashes" is filled with just as much suspense, action, and shocks as its predecessor. Clary and the group is still searching for Clary's mother and leads on Valentine, the main villain of the series. New characters are introduced and even one of the original characters undergoes an irreversible change. Clary makes a new, very important discovery about herself. "City of Ashes" contains so many emotion-evoking moments and imagery. Clare wrote a very fulfilling sequel to "City of Bones" and prequel to "City of Glass." The perfect middle, it continues the story well, but also creates tactical suspense and anticipation for the next book.

Clare, Cassandra. City of Bones. New York: M.K. McElderry, 2007. Print. (512)

The first book in The Mortal Instruments Series, "City of Bones" is a unique story chock-full of vampires, werewolves, warlocks, and Shadowhunters, the warrior-like group the series revolves around. Clary Fray, your typical not-average teenage girl, discovers a young group claiming themselves to be warriors who destroy demons to keep the Earth safe. Thinking that they're just crazy, Clary leaves them. But, a few days later, Clary finds herself attacked by a grotesque monster and her mother missing. Along with that, Clary and the young group of Shadowhunters are curious as to why she can "see" things that can't be seen with normal human eyes. And so, Clary, Jace, Isabelle, and Alec begin their long adventure together. The story is very fantasy-based, but still modern enough to keep the readers going. "City of Bones" contains excellent imagery and description, which compliments the fantasy genre.

Clare, Cassandra. City of Glass. New York: Margaret K. McElderry, 2009. Print. (541)

The supposed end to the trilogy, "City of Glass" is the climactic sequel to "City of Ashes." The third book answers many questions that may have been asked throughout the series and even creates new questions. The fans get the fitting ending they've all hoped for and more. Honestly, the best book so far for this series, "City of Glass" will not disappoint. Clare introduces Sebastian Verlac, who will turn out to be rather an important character to the book. As the Shadowhunters plan out their attack on Valentine, a much darker force lurks beneath the surface. Demons, for the first time, enter Alicante, the city of Shadowhunters. Though there is no doubt that Valentine was behind all this, how did he do it? Why did he do it? How exactly does the attack benefit his already obvious goal?

Socratic Seminar Reflection

2010-10-13T09:09:00.000-05:00

Many ideas were presented during the seminar. Some I never would've thought of. There were even a couple that conflicted with my own ideas. I realized that the more that was being said, the more I could understand everyone's viewpoints of the novel.

I remember a particular idea that Rebecca presented. She said that maybe "Brave New World" was Huxley's way of being satirical about Henry Ford's technological advances. I thought that was an amazing point. Henry Ford was the developer of the assembly line of mass production. In "Brave New World", humans are mass produced on something very similar to assembly lines. Is Huxley saying that Ford's advances in technology might change the future to something almost unrecognizable as human civilization? Maybe that's why Huxley chose Ford to be the god-like figure for his novel. Of course, this did challenge my thoughts as to why Huxley chose Henry Ford to be such an important figure. Before, I believed that Huxley chose Ford because he admired his work and achievements. I thought maybe Huxley wanted give his approval and such to Ford's achievements and that's why he gave him such a vital role in the book. But, Rebecca's idea kind of gave me a new view and now I'm rethinking about my own idea.

Honestly, I had a lot of fun. The socratic seminar came pretty easy for me. I realized that the whole time I was reading the book, I never really did read between the lines. The seminar allowed me to hear others thoughts on what Huxley was trying to say and gave me a bigger view of the book as a whole. The only thing I found hard to do was asking questions. Maybe if we had more time, we wouldn't feel so rushed to get so many ideas out. And in turn, we'll have time to question each other. Communicating with each other was a breeze, really. Especially for me because I love listening to others ideas and thoughts.

I hope we get to have more socratic seminars. They're much more enjoyable and more fulfilling than essays and the like. It's exciting to get to hear your peer's thinking and to have your own ideas challenged.

Annotated Reading List

2010-10-11T08:55:00.044-05:00

Garcia, Kami, and Margaret Stohl. Beautiful Creatures. New York: Little, Brown and, 2009. Print.(563)

"Beautiful Creatures" certainly is a beautiful story with an oncoming sequel named "Beautiful Darkness." The story takes place in Gatlin, a town that still lives in the confederate era. Ethan Wate is a boy that dreams of leaving Gatlin to gain a larger, more meaningful life. But, the people of Gatlin have a long history and ancestry. No one leaves Gatlin and no strangers are welcomed. Especially the new girl Lena Duchannes, the town's shut-in's niece. The weird thing is Ethan and Lena are connected, even though they've never met; well, in person, at least. Ethan has been having dreams about this mysterious girl and these dreams always have a tragic climax. He later finds out that Lena also shares his dreams and has known all along. The strange dreams and even stranger events forewarn a much more dangerous force and Ethan and Lena learn that history may have chance to repeat itself.

Kubo, Tite. Bleach: Volume 19 ; The Black Moon Rising. San Francisco, Ca.: Viz Media, 2008. Print.(204)

Volume 19 picks up at the climax of Yoruichi's and Soi Fon's fight and flashbacks to when these two first met. The scene then switches to the long-awaited battle between Ichigo, the main character, and Byakuya, 6th Division's aristocratic captain. They trade several blows before Ichigo reveals his trump card. The battle drags on and Ichigo seems to have the upper hand. But, with Byakuya being more experienced, he soon catches up to Ichigo and overpowers him. At this moment, Ichigo loses control of his own body and something terrifying is unleashed from within him. Ichigo soon recovers and he and Byakuya share one final blow before the scene cuts to another gruesome scene filled with mystery and shock.

Kubo, Tite. Bleach: Volume 20; End of Hypnosis. San Francisco, Ca.: Viz Media, 2007. Print.(220)

"End of Hypnosis" is definitely the turning point of the entire series. Kubo kept the audience in wonder as to who created such chaos in Soul Society. Allies are now enemies and enemies are now allies in this amazing edition. The traitors are finally revealed and madness ensues. The traitors' motivations and reasoning is beyond what anyone could have guessed. But, it does all boil down to their greed for power. The reason behind Rukia's death sentence is also finally explained. Soul Society then goes into a state of shock and confusion as to who is who.

Kubo, Tite. Bleach: Volume 21; Be My Family or Not. San Francisco, Ca.: Viz Media, 2007. Print.(191)

Compared to Volume 20, Volume 21 is no doubt laid back. The first few chapters take place in Soul Society during the aftermath of Volume 20. The medical division of the 13 Court Squads is busy healing those in need. A flashback dedicated to explaining Byakuya's actions up til now gives a little glimpse into his real personality. The scenes switch to a few comedic panels and bittersweet moments. Though, this is only one-third of the volume. The other two-thirds takes place after Ichigo and friends' leave from Soul Society and back into the World of the Living. Life as they know it is back to normal with the start of a new year of school. A new student shows up, however, and their seemingly ordinary life is turned upside down once again.

*Annotated Bibliography*

A Price On Life

2010-08-27T00:57:00.000-05:00

The picture above is rather gruesome, isn't it? What you see here is merely an ad from PETA. For those who don't know, PETA is a well-known organization against animal cruelty. The ad clearly sends out the image of "What if humans or what if you were treated like animals?; What if you were raised just so someone's family could enjoy a nice homecooked meal by the fireplace?"

Looking closely at the label "Human Meat", you will see statistics such as "55 billion killed per year" and "billions of animals abused and violently killed..." 55 billion killed per year? That's a lot, right? This part of the ad appeals to one's logic, also known as logos. Many people like and believe logic, so they use that to persuade people to stray away from meat. The less you eat meat, the less innocent animals are killed. Makes sense, right?

Even though it's hard to see, there is a link to a website. This link actually does work and if you type it in, it'll lead you to Animal Liberation Victoria's website. Like PETA, they are also an organization against animal cruelty. Having put they're website on the label for those who are interested in vegetarianism and veganism is the use of ethos. Remember that PETA also uses this ad. So that's two big, well-known organizations endorsing this ad. And within these organizations there are millions of people from famous celebs to moms and dads. They put to the credibility of not just celebrities, but also normal, working people to help endorse in their beliefs. "If celebs are against animal cruelty, I should, too. If all of these average citizens are against it, I should, too." These are the kind of thoughts they try to convey by using ethos.

Having said all that, this ad mainly appeals to one rhetoric: pathos. Pathos is the appeal to one's emotions. Quite obviously, there is a dead girl carelessly packaged, blood and all. This entire image causes thoughts such as "What if humans were treated like animals? Would you treat your pets like this? What did they ever do to you?" Thoughts like these causes negative emotions of wrong-doing. People begin to think eating meat and such is wrong and they put a stop to it. Well, some do anyway. Treat others as you wish to be treated, right? Don't want to be eaten? Don't eat meat. This ad seems to say a little more than just that, though. If you look closely, you can see that the girl is wearing make-up and jewelry. Her hair is done, too. This makes it seem as though she was killed unexpectedly. She was just going about and then...BAM! PETA and ALV conveys to us that animals killed for consumption are also taken by surprise. On the label, it also says "Product of Cruelty" in almost unreadable print to the bottom left. I believe this explains all the blood still present on the girl. Everyone should have noticed the price tag by now, right? $785 for a human? Really? That seems to be a low price for human life. Come to think of it, pork and ham is pretty cheap, too. Is life that cheap? I think this may be the significance of the price tag.

So can one put a price on life? I don't know. That's all up to you. Is eating meat wrong? I don't think so. But others think it is. It's all a matter of opinion. Bare in mind, this is only an analysis of the ad. I only interpreted what I saw. Comment on anything related to this topic and ask questions. Do it...or I'll eat more meat.

My Photo Story

2010-06-23T00:16:00.000-05:00

The simple picture collage featured below describes who I am as a reader, a writer, and an individual in simply 18 words. Click on the image for more detail.