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.

My Own TEDtalk: Freelancing

            Hi, my name is Hannah Wong and today I want to cover the topic of freelancing. What is freelancing and who can be a freelancer? According to Wikipedia, a freelancer is “somebody who is self-employed and not committed to a particular employer long term. These workers are sometimes represented by a company or an agency that resells their labor and that of others to its clients with or without project management and labor contributed by its regular employees.” Independent contractors is also another way to describe freelancer. In simpler terms, anyone can be a freelancer, YOU can be a freelancer.

            So here’s a step by step guide, let’s call it Freelancing 101. Are you ready? Here we go.

            Step 1: Discover. What’s your favorite hobby? Favorite pastime? What’s your niche? It could be anything like playing an instrument, baking, making music, or even fashion styling. I highly suggest choosing a hobby that you really enjoy doing.

            Step 2: Invest. Invest your time and money into this activity. Practice it, get good at it. If you have the resources to, then by all means invest in the thingy that you use in your activity. Get an even BETTER thingy so you can take your practicing to the next level. Or if not, invest that time and money into classes. If your school happens to offer a class that may help improve your skills, take it! If not, get out there and look for some, or train under someone you know that is good at what you want to do. If your niche is baking, invest in a better mixer. If your niche is painting, invest in higher quality art supplies and maybe some art classes.

            Step 3:  Get out there. Step outside your comfort zone and don’t be afraid to show off your talent. Find a creative outlet where you can easily and comfortable express yourself. Once you get good at what you do and feel more comfortable, start looking out for opportunities to apply your talent. Start looking for random gigs and any small opportunities to get your name out there to people. Practice with family and friends. That’ll help you to eventually feel more comfortable doing what you do! They will also most likely help you in the advertising department.

            Now let me give you a personal example that might help you see how to apply these 3 seemingly simple steps. The key to following these steps is to let things happen naturally. This isn’t something you can achieve overnight solely by your own effort.

            Here’s my example. My personal niche is photography. I don’t love photography enough to go to art school for it, but I would love to continue photography as a side hobby/job. My sophomore year I started tinkering with my digital camera, a Canon Powershot to be specific. Junior year I graduated from a simple digital camera to a Panasonic Lumix Gf3 (a micro 4/3rds camera). I started taking my camera everywhere with me. I photographed my friends, my travels over summer and winter break, and then I started my own blog. Tumblr and facebook became my creative outlets.

Little by little, friends and family started to recognize my interest in photography. And then finally this past summer I finally upgraded to an actual DSLR camera. A hand me down, but still a DSLR. I learned how to edit photos using Photoshop and Lightroom and enrolled in the AP Photography class at school. I do little things like take profile pictures for friends on Facebook and just through that I’ve been able to get my name out there. I’ve gotten little gigs here and there like photographing for the school prom fashion show and had a photo shoot with an aspiring musician friend.

Other ways to put your name out there is by creating a Facebook page. I have plenty of friends that have made musician and photography pages. Volunteering yourself will also help you get gigs. If you plan an instrument, offer to play at your church Sunday service and so forth. So remember, discover, invest, and get out there! Good luck. J

TED talk recommendations

I discovered TEDtalks maybe only a year ago when my friend linked me to a talk done by George Watsky, an extremely talented poetry slammer. After watching it, I became very intrigued with what TEDtalks was all about. I began marathoning video after video, talk after talk, and I came to love the idea. TED's catch phrase "ideas worth spreading" was so simple yet so encompassing of what TEDtalks are all about. Talk topics can range anywhere from sixth sense technology to how to tie shoes properly.

The great thing about TEDtalks is that no matter the topic of the talk, the viewer is always able to walk away having learned something. For me personally, even if the talk isn't about something relatable, I always feel inspired and mindblown afterwards. My personal favorite TEDtalks that I've watched so far is Terry Moore's "How to tie your shoes", Theo Jansen's "My creatures: a new form of life", and George Watsky's spoken word presentation.

3 Most Useful and 3 Most Useless Phone Innovations

Source of Article from CNN: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/02/28/tech/weird-mobile-world-congress/index.html?hpt=hp_bn6

As an owner of a smartphone myself, I understand the every day struggles of dealing with a dying phone battery, a battery-eating color screen display, and the fear of dropping my phone into the school's bathroom toilet. Reading this article, I have chosen the 3 best and the 3 worst improvements presented at this year's Mobile World Congress.

3 Best
1. The YotaPhone--the selling point of this phone is it's dual screen with the option of viewing a color or monochrome screen. The biggest battery eaters in smartphones today is the high resolution color screen. Having the option of viewing a battery-saving monochrome screen will definitely give me less panic attacks of when my phone will die during school.

2. Ford Sync AppLink--I love using Spotify as my every day music player so having Spotify linked with my car will make listening to music on the go so much more convenient. The voice control option will also make driving safer as I can just simply talk to my phone to change songs instead of taking my eyes off the road to search for songs.

3. Wysips Voltaic Display--I love the idea of a simple and cheap transparent film having the ability to charge your phone anywhere you go. The versatility of the film's function of being able to charge the phone in either sunlight or moonlight makes it incredibly convenient.

3 Worst
1. Fingerprint Security Lock--As ingenious and creative as the idea sounds, I can only imagine so many problems arising from a security lock like this. Some laptops utilize this technology and it is known for it to falter. For a gadget as important as a phone, I would prefer not to risk locking my phone for eternity  in case the fingerprint technology does have problems.

2. Paddle shopping--While the idea of it is very concise and useful-sounding, I just don't know of many people that do their online shopping through their phones, with the exception of buying apps. I doubt an app like this will garner much attention,

3. Sensirion temperature senors--While this idea may sound to be very convenient, I think it's useless if there are already weather apps available on the market. Instead of having to wait for the sensors to activate and take in information, it's just simply easier to use a weather app which will use internet to update, which is most likely faster.

The Up and Coming Future of Genetic Testing

From the discovery of penicillin to the hypothesized double-helix DNA model, medical science has made significant advances in the past century that has extended the average life span of the human being and saved countless lives. Cancerous tumors can be caught by the click of a button in their early stages, premature babies can live to be healthy, normal children, and sterile husbands can go through procedures to allow their wives to have children. Now in the 21^st century, research is being done to create tests and procedures that will dig deep into human DNA to reveal the probabilities individuals have to contracting certain diseases and even personality traits. Paired with ever-advancing modern technology, the genetics branch of medical science is making progress and will soon offer a revolutionary kind of procedure—one that will not only predict the predispositions of an individual’s body, but one that will also change the entire field of genetics and change the way how humans are able to live.

            On the 21^st of May 2008, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) was enacted under the Bush Administration. Geneticists around the country came together to push for the passing of this legislation to protect citizens from discrimination based on what their genetic information indicates. The act, according to the National Human Genome Research Institute, basically protects individuals “from discrimination in both health insurance and employment.”

Now, the question is, what can one’s genome, or the entire DNA in an organism including its genes, reveal about the human body other than simply providing original finger prints and indicating gender? According to Sam Rhine, genetics professor at Indiana University and speaker of Genetic Update Conferences, “the number and placement of polymorphism variants in the 3,000,000 DNA nucleotides” can predict whether an individual has a high chance for prostate cancer or is likely to have anger management issues.  

The name of this revolutionary project is the Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS). These GWAS tests utilize Comparative Genomic Hybridization (CGH) technology in the form of a two different glass chips. One, the DNA chip, probes for fragments and the presence of variants on an individual’s DNA. The other chip, the ‘Gene’ chip, contains 1.8 million genetic markers that will read an individual’s genes.  These chips have the ability to give percentage probabilities on how likely an individual is likely to succumb to depression, contract breast cancer, or if they will be optimistic individuals.

However, critics of the GWAS project and GINA argue that though geneticists may only have good intentions, the ethics surrounding these efforts are not to be ignored. Questions are being raised about who should have access to genetic testing results, how these tests should be evaluated for reliability and accuracy, or how the public should be educated in making decisions regarding these genetic tests. Many individuals also simply want to live life without the thought of percentages and probabilities of contracting Alzheimer’s disease or hypertension looming over their minds.

            Upon the completion and perfection of the GWAS project, researchers and doctors will soon be able to use the projects’ results to help treat patients as well as help patients to take steps towards preventing any of their body’s predispositions. These microchips hold the ability to change the way patients are treated. While critics may question the usefulness and validity of these tests, it is indisputable that more and more diseases may be prevented even before early symptoms and parents may be able to find out the personality of their unborn baby. Thanks to 21^st century technology, all these goals may be made possible within the next five years and will forever change the field of genetics and the way humans will be medically treated.

 Works Cited

Human Genome Project Information. U.S. Department of Energy Genome Programs. Web.

Mar. 2013

National Human Genome Research Institute. National Institutes of Health. Web. Mar. 2013

Rhine, Sam. “Genetics Update Conference.” Walter Payton College Preparatory School.

Chicago, IL. 28 February 2013. 

The 5 Most Interesting Things About Being a Teenager

            The teenage years are undoubtedly marked with young love, self-discovery, and a bit of experimental wildness. For some, those four years are too short, for others too long. Some go through countless trial and error trying to find a solid group of friends and others struggle to keep that summer fling afloat into the school year. As teenagers transition from childhood to adulthood, many develop and confirm their desired personalities, opinions, and career interests. Though adults smirk and belittle teenagers and their dramatic lives, those four years are a critical period of development for adolescents as many will leave home and learn to live, study, and work on their own after graduation.

            One of the most exciting and unpredictable things about high school for teenagers is experiencing that first relationship. Teachers love to joke about high school students and their raging hormones—and frankly, they are correct! Teenagers love having summer flings and love trying to make shoddy and shallow relationships last. As a result, everyone gets a fair share of drama during high school—no matter if they are the popular jocks and cheerleaders, or the more reserved debate geeks.

            In the midst of finding friends and studying to get into a good college, the four years of high school are truly a time of self-discovery. Since high school students are typically more mature than they were in middle school, they learn to think more for themselves. From there, teenagers experiment with friend groups, music genres, and clothing style to find what interests them most and where they feel where they belong the most. According to Marlene Lenthang, a Whitney Young senior, “figuring out [one’s] place in the world” is one interesting thing about being a teenager. It is debatable whether teenagers experiment with personalities and styles to impress others or to feel accepted, but without a doubt, everyone struggles and strives to “realize who they are” and learn to “act on that knowledge” as Antonio Romo, a teenager, describes it.

            Not only are adolescents experimenting with where their identity thrives, they also experiment with how many buttons they can push and how much they can get away with. As a result, many mistakes are made and regrets created during teen years but as Angela Leung, a seventeen year old student at Whitney Young, describes it, these years are “the only times [when] making mistakes is acceptable.” Principals constantly reprimand students for underage drinking and parents routinely ground their teenage kids and take the car keys back. And even through all this, teenagers still continue their wild and rowdy ways.

            As teenagers graduate from childhood, the teen years are also conveniently placed to prepare them for adulthood. Eighteenth birthdays and college acceptances are probably the hallmarks of teenage life that adolescents look forward to most. As teens grow older and mature, it is no doubt that they often face discrimination and belittling from older counterparts. Many teens spend their high school years striving to prove their intellect and competence to reach the point when, according to Leyah Williams, a high school senior, “adults begin respecting [them] as young [adults]” rather than “treating [them] like [children].” It is usually not until when teenagers are forced to leave the security of their homes and learn to live by themselves in college or in the working world that many realize they are no longer children.

            Lastly, aside from focusing on themselves, another interesting aspect about the teenage life, as Logan McClure, a resident of Chicago, states, is teenagers “being able to observe what all the people [they] know grow up to be.” Not only do teenagers learn from their own mistakes, they also learn from watching their peers succeed and fail. Looking at how their friends have grown and matured often forces adolescents to analyze where they are in life and assess if they have been as successful as they would like to be in comparison to their friends.

            If the home was a nest, childhood years the hatching, and adulthood years the takeoff, then the teenage years would be the ‘learning to fly’ part of life. Most remember their teenage years to be filled with mistakes and regrets, but the fun memories and preparation of those years into adulthood seem to make it all worth it.