10 Things I Wish I Knew Before Entering High School

1) That it's really hard to K.I.T. (Keep In Touch) with old classmates. Nowadays it's easy with facebook and all this social media, but back then social media was just getting popular and it was hard staying friends with classmates from middle school.
2) That I would be staying up until 3AM doing homework and studying at least once a week. Procrastination was my worst enemy throughout high school. If I was better at managing my time, then I probably would have done better in school.
3) Friends come and go. Somewhat related to the first thing, but throughout high school there were many people that I befriended that I saw myself being friends with in the future. However, in a lot of the cases drama happened, or things would happen so I drifted from those friends.
4) School lunch is awful. I remember freshman year I ate a school lunch almost every day. It wasn't until later that I realized the ingredients in those lunches are seriously questionable.
5) You can only make friends if you put forth the effort. For way too long I was a hermit, expecting people to come to me. When all I needed to do was take more initiative.
6) People will notice you if you've got talent. If you've got a niche for something, don't be afraid to show it off! Just don't be prideful about it.
7) Slacking just for a little bit can be very detrimental to your grades. It's harder to bring up grades than to let them slip. That's just a fact.
8) Your assignment notebook should be your best friend. I can't recount the countless times I've forgotten to do homework assignments simply because I didn't take the time to write them down.
9)There will always be someone that can be your friend. Don't be so cynical about the people at school. Open up a little and you'll find someone that you rub well with.
10) It's a jungle out there. You'll go through countless episodes of silly drama and you'll meet so many weird people.

Final Exam Questions

1) According to Steve Jobs in his graduation ceremony speech for Stanford University, how can we supposedly “connect the dots” in our life? A) by looking to the future B) by looking back at the past C) never in our life D) by enjoying the present (Hannah Wong)

2) What is one practical tip that Olivia Fox gives in her presentation on charisma to help with paying attention to the other party when striking a conversation with them? A) play with your hair B) divert attention from them and observe the surroundings C) by wiggling your toes D) by faking a smile (Hannah Wong)

3) What “sound” does Mr. Rehak accuse students of hearing in class? A) “the sound of failure” B) “the sound of our phones vibrating” C) “the sound of our thinking caps” D) “the sound of the bell” (Hannah Wong)

4) In “Like Water for Chocolate”, what special ingredient in the wedding cake affected all the guests? A) Tita’s tears B) Pedro’s sweat C) Gertrudis’s droll D) there was no special ingredient (Hannah Wong)

5) In David Blaine’s Tedtalk, what was one method he recommended that helped him hold his breath? A) sleeping upside down B) purging C) drinking lots of water D) breathing through the nose (Hannah Wong)

Steve Jobs Tedtalk review

This tedtalk was unlike any other I have ever watched. The scene was a graduation ceremony at Stanford University, not on the familiar type of stage TEDtalks are normally presented on. And there stood the brilliant Steve Jobs, who is new resting in peace after an incredibly successful and inspirational life. His speech was calmly inspirational and simple to understand. Steve Jobs didn't use particularly intellectual vocabulary, nor did he try to use emotion and vigor to sway his audience. He spoke to them plainly, like a radio show host or like a grandfather telling stories to his grand kids. His advice was like what we all hear from friends and in the movies, but it was the realness and connection of his life stories to that advice which was what made the advice so much more powerful to grasp. I thoroughly enjoyed this speech. RIP Steve Jobs

Fences 10 Q's

1. Why does Bono question Troy so skeptically about Troy's affiliation with the gal Alberta? A) He suspects that Troy is having an affair with the gal B) He thinks Alberta is Troy's illegitimate daughter C) Alberta is known for her many relationships with men D) Bono is in love with Alberta

2. What does Lyons do for a living? A) Works as a driver B) Works as a garbageman C) Is a professional saxophonist D) Pursues music as an amateur musician

3. For what reason do Rose and Cory accuse Troy of in his decision to disallow Cory to play football? A) Troy is overprotective of Cory B) Troy hates football C) Troy would prefer Cory to study to become a lawyer D) Troy does not like knowing that Cory has the potential to get farther in the sport than he ever could

4. Which day of the week is payday for Troy and Bono? A) Sunday B) Friday C) Wednesday D) Monday

5. Where did Troy meet Bono? A) At the bar B) In jail C) His hometown D) In high school

6. Why does Bono think that Rose wants the fence to be built so badly? A) She wants to keep people out B) She wants to spruce up the yard C) She wants to keep Troy in D) Rose does not want the fence built

7. What sort of analogy does Troy use in attempt to explain his reasoning for the affair to Rose? A) football B) baseball C) basketball D) cricket

8. What term does Rose bitterly use to describe Troy when she agrees to care for his daughter from another woman? A) Careless father B) Womanless man C) Good man D) Husband

9. What perk of working the back of the truck does Troy realize that leads him to consider retire being a driver? A) Working in the back lets him converse with other workers B) Working the back is less strenuous C) He gets paid more to work the back D) Working the back keeps him in better shape

10. What is the name of Troy's daughter from another woman? A) Roserry B) Raynell C) Bonnie D) Alberta

TEDtalks--David Blaine and Tony Robbins

Tony Robbin's tedtalk was perhaps the most entertaining of the two. I did not totally enjoy his loose language, but I will admit half the time his choice of curse words did add a lively and relaxing effect to his topic. I found his approach to be interesting. At the beginning of the talk he made a clear point that the purpose of his presentation was not to be the motivator, but to ask people why they are motivated and understand what their motive is. His story about 9/11 was very engaging and held my attention. The audience also seemed to love his humor so his tedtalk was pretty successful I'd say.

David Blaine's tedtalk was interesting in a peculiar sort of way. The magician wasn't incredibly charismatic or energetic on stage or anything, but his topic was interesting in itself. I had heard of David Blaine prior to watching this tedtalk but did not know the extent of the madness of his feats until he named all of the most difficult ones he had done in the past. The methods he used to help physically prepare his body to hold his breath for so long were pretty ingenious and showed how mad he was upon hearing the regiment he put his body through. What made it so interesting was that the entire time he seemed to sound tired and passive, but his mood added to the sarcastic comments he would throw in every now and then.

Joy Luck Club Q's (Chapters 1-5)

Here is the link to the questions
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1e-otgjVIRousFpq7c9vFinCGVeyRA26irOgAPUQQLJM/viewform

TEDtalk reviews: Vehicle & Robot

1. I liked the visuals and concept behind these vehicles, however at first when the speaker was describing the contraption, he inflated the idea and made it sound like it was going to be something revolutionary. However when he showed clips of the vehicle, all it really was, was a longboard with a remote control. Not to say that the idea isn't cool, but it was lacking innovation. It also just provides a way for people to skateboard around lazily.

2. This robot toy was incredibly cute and smart, but overall the contraption is useless. The speaker also inflated the concept of this toy. It didn't seem practical that the device seemed to have to be an Apple product and that the device had to be hooked up to a box in order for it to work if trying to connect to another device. It looks a toy useful for kid's spy adventure movies, but for everyday use it's impractical.