Experiments in Watercolor

I know I had posted a blog journal in which I had promised to keep up with my artwork.

This was my most recent artwork, a watercolor:

I haven't touched watercolor for... quite a long time. The last time I did use watercolor was sophomore year in art class, but that was just an experiment and nothing really came out of it. I actually quite enjoyed using watercolor, despite a few technical difficulties.

I'll try to keep you updated on my art. I currently have another painting (a black and white acrylic) which is a work in progress.

The Gift of Logan

This last Thursday, I donated some of my time to go with my IB group to go to Logan Elementary. Our IB group had decided to make paper cup snowmen using foam cups, foam balls, pipecleaners, googly-eyes, puffballs, and stickers.

The kids were all very excited to make their own snowmen, adding their own personal touches to their snowmen, giving them names such as "Snowy,"and having epic snowmen battles after they were done.
Although the classes that we had for our group ranged from 4th to 5th grade, many still needed instructions on how to make the snowmen. Me and Eric Gruskin tag-teamed and helped our groups make their snowmen, hot-gluing their snowmen if necessary. While making the snowmen, we talked to the 4th and 5th graders, learning their favorite subjects, their favorite tv shows. At one point, we even had a little math competition, which encouraged the kids to use their math knowledge, while at the same time having fun! While Eric and I asked them math problems such as "what's 12 times 5?" or "what's the square root of 25?", they would quickly come up with their answer. The sheer joy that those kids displayed when they got a math problem right showed me a new aspect of my volunteer service. When I volunteered at Logan, I wasn't volunteering for my school's white points, or because I had to. I was volunteering to help these kids and to brighten up their day, whether it be through a simple math problem or helping them make snowmen.

Can You Hear the Bell Ringing?

This past Friday and Saturday, I donated four hours of my time (two hours on Friday, and two hours on Saturday) by ringing a bell for the Salvation Army's Red Kettle Campaign.

Although simply standing outside for two hours and ringing a bell does not sound like much, the fact is that it was absolutely freezing outside. After two hours, my hands and feet were numb. But I still rang that bell. This small act of perseverance on my part lead to aid for others who desperately need help this time of year. I regarded every penny, nickle, dime, quarter, or dollar that went into that red bucket during my shift as a personal victory. Some people don't have all the comforts that I have, and some even lack a home, food, or warmth to help them through the winter. My simple act of standing in the cold and ringing that bell hopefully helped ease their suffering. This was one small way in which I could sacrifice a little of my time to help others in need.

Not quite as obvious would be the impact I've had on the people that walked past me those days. Whenever I saw someone, I would smile at them and wish them a happy holiday. I hope that I made a difference in someone's life, however small.

I will be volunteering two hours every Saturday until the Red Kettle campaign ends. By that time, I hope to create a noticeable difference in someone's life, simply by donating my time for a worthy cause.

f(x)=MMPC^2

Today, via email from Mr. Arseneau, I found out that I had qualified for part II of Michigan Math Prize Competition (Top 1000 in the State). I was one of the 59 in our school to qualify with a score of 22!

I remember one of my previous posts, in which I explained the whole situation of the "power outage." However, now I'm glad I chose to commit to taking the MMPC and similarly, excited for new opportunities to provide more opportunities for growth in math competitions. Before, I had not taken math competition seriously, merely seeing them as something that I should do and something that took time out of my lunch. Now, I realize the ethical implication of my taking these various math competitions. By taking these math competitions and sacrificing my time, I am must acknowledge that these competitions are not just something to do, but rather, a potential area for growth.

I'm both apprehensive of MMPC part II on Wednesday, simply because my experience last year, in which the questions appeared as absolute gibberish. However, this year, I will do my best, and hope that my best is enough.

And They Lived Happily Ever After. The End.

Cross Country Season is officially over for most of the team, as last Saturday was Cross Country Regionals. It was raining slightly and was frigidly cold, but that didn't stop our cross country girls, as they braved the cold and wind and ran with their hearts.

Tara (who, like me, was injured and therefore could not run) and I took the splits for our team, frantically running around to get everyone's 1M, 2M and finish times. We collaborated wonderfully, where Tara would scan for our runners, and when she spotted one, would quickly tell me who it was and then shout out their time, which I would promptly write down and then cheer them on. Our working together made the whole manager position much easier, and at the same time, we had fun! We would bet what the first runner's 1M and finish time would be and would generally joke around, or even simply talk.

Also! Monica Babcock, a freshman, made it to states by placing 8th in D2! I'm so excited for Monica, and am proud that she will proudly represent our school- DCDS- at States.

Overall, this season has been wonderful- almost like a fairytale (and hence the title), and I am sorry that it has ended so quickly. Throughout this season, I have shown my commitment for the Women's Cross Country Team by showing up to every meet and practice, regardless of how early I had to get up for meets. I've stood by the finish line and cheered the girls on as they sprinted the final stretch and triumphantly crossed the finish- sometimes even passing several girls.

I've realized through countless experiences of having to wake up early, or run through freezing cold or blistering hot weather how easy it is to be negative. One thing that I've learned about myself, is how easily I complain about my shin (even though it is a legitimate excuse), the weather, the length of our run, and anything and everything possible. However, I've learned to accept that life sometimes is negative, and yet you need to think positively. What good is thinking pessimistically, anyways?

I'm disappointed that Cross Country is finished, but, as they say "all good things must come to an end," and Cross Country certainly counts.

DCDXC09 <3

Power Outages and Math Competitions

Today, I woke up at 6:20, got ready for school, and was about to put my school uniform on until I saw that I had received a text message from my friend Lulu. She told me that we had no school today due to a power outage. I quickly checked/confirmed with my friends that we had no school, ate breakfast, and then promptly fell back asleep. What an amazing morning. :)

Other than that, I drove my brother and I to school anyways for a math competition- the MMPC, despite the fact that I could have stayed in my pajamas at home (which I would add, is real commitment on my part, as I do value my sleep). The MMPC is the Michigan Math Prize Competition, in which you get 100 minutes for 40 problems, and each question gets increasingly difficult as you progress through the questions. The MMPC has two parts, MMPC part 1 and MMPC part 2 (very original names, I know). Last year, I had qualified for part 2, and it was really difficult! I hope I qualify this year too.

I think I did well, although at the last second I filled in all my blanks with choice C (because there is no penalty for wrong answers).

Because there was a power outage, students had to search for locations in the Student Center near windows, which was the only light source avaliable. Everyone worked collaboratively, helping others find seats with enough light and some even moved to the language rooms to provide more space for testing. My friend, Lulu, and I, were one of those few who did move to the language rooms.

Despite these complications, the MMPC did run smoothly, due mostly to the cooperation between the students and faculty and our willingness to endure and commit to taking the MMPC.

This is "Our Town"

Hello!

Yesterday, I learned through an email that one of my art had won an award in the "Our Town Art Exhibition" at the Community House in Birmingham, however, I did not know which award I had won.

Today was the awards ceremony, and it turns out that my work won 2nd place for high-schoolers! This level of success surprised me, and also encouraged me to hone my art skills farther. Due to the stress of school, I have not been drawing or painting, but now, I'm intent on keeping up. My award humbles me, and at the same time, I'm ecstatic! Never before has my art been recognized to that extent. Wow...

With my award, I won a $75 gift card to Utrecht Art Supplies. I'm looking forward to using it in my future creative projects. :)

Run(ing)...

The meet today was fabulous! The weather was perfect for running (cloudy, misting, and very cool).

I was slightly nervous, as this was my first meet since freshman year, but also excited! I'd never gotten to run in this race, and it was really fun. We jumped over hay bales, ran through rivers, and sloshed through muddy terrain. It was great, even if I ended up with dirt on my legs and wet shorts after.

It just so happened that I was sick. I could have not run this meet, and given up, but I pushed through my illness and ran.

And I beat my goal of 30 minutes! I finished the race 70th out of all the juniors, with a time of 28:56. Many would not consider my time as very impressive, but to me, it was a great accomplishment. This meet was not just a meet, but a show of my perserverance in Cross Country, and that despite physical problems, I am committed to my team.

We do it "Old Skool"

So, this Saturday (as in tomorrow) I'm finally running at a meet!

I am part of the Women's Cross Country Team at DCDS, but due to a shin injury (stress fractures in both my shins) I have not been able to run a meet since Freshman year. This year, I acted as the manager of the team: writing their splits down, and also carrying all their warm-ups.

I've done so much in preparation for this meet. I ran today, (8x200m), and I biked a lot at home. I'm going to stay hydrated today, and sleep early! I've been in a habit lately of forgetting to bring shoes to practice (only twice, mind you. But going to XC practice without shoes is hard, even if you're manager), so I MUST remember to not forget my shoes... and spikes!

I'm so excited for this meet; it's the "fun run" called "Old Skool Classic" and it's, actually, really fun. In this course, you jump over hay-bales, and run through rivers. And it's pretty laid-back.

For anyone not familiar with Cross Country meets, the course will be 5k (or 3.1 miles) long, and usually the runners have to overcome obstacles such as hills and sand.

My reasonable goal for tomorrow is to get under 30 minutes for the 5k, as I haven't been running much. I must work hard tomorrow, and get a good nights sleep today.

Giant Panda Conservation Project

Yesterday I returned from my trip to China, where I visited Shanghai and also participated in a summer camp where I was up-close-and-personal with Pandas.

The Panda Conservation Center where I worked was located in the rural mountains of Ya'an (a small city in SiChuan Province). There, I helped the workers by assisting in their day to day work such as:

* Maintaining the Pandas' Enclosures.

* Watching and Recording the Pandas' activities

* Preparing Food for the Pandas

* General maintenence (such as sweeping and cleaning)

~~

Although the work was tedious, I enjoyed working and helping the pandas in anyway I could. I also got the rare experience of actually being able to play and pet with pandas, which was very exciting.

When I was not working, our group explored and visited various cities. I have been to China many times before, so the cultural difference was not new to me, but to others in my group, it was shocking. Everything from the reckless driving to the eastern-style toliets was new to them- which made me realize just how different China is from the US.

I had an amazing time in China, and my group was a blast. Each person added to the overall experience, and without even one of them, the trip would not be the same.

Giant Pandas: The Few, The Adored

This Monday (July 27th), I'm leaving for China to volunteer at the Ya'An Conservation Center in Sichuan Province. There, I will be helping care for Giant Pandas, by helping the caretakers with their daily routines: preparing the Pandas' food, feeding them, cleaning their living space, and working on maintenance projects.

I am so excited and I cannot wait until Monday rolls around. I have always adored Pandas, and I am keen to help them in any way that I can. I am perhaps a little nervous, but the nervousness is mostly due to the daunting 14-hour plane trip there.

To make this volunteer opportunity successful I must do all that I personally can do to help protect the Giant Pandas, keep an open mind and a postive outlook, and also have fun.

Monday is slowly coming, I'll just have to wait.

Medicine, Orange Binders, and UC Berkeley.

On Monday, I returned from NSLC, a National Student Leadership Conference. I'll admit that I originally wasn't too excited to go into the medicine program which my mom had convinced me to try for (I was more interested in buisness), but NSLC was an amazing experience that I'll never forget.

Flying to California for this trip was the very first time that I'd flown alone, but everything went smoothly. I spent about 5 hours flying to San Diego (where I briefly visited my cousins) and then flew another hour to San Francisco. On the very first day, we were given our huge orange binders, orange lanyards with our nametag (which identified us as part of the NSLC medicine program), keys to the Berkely dorms where we'd be staying, and a meal card for Crossroads (where we would eat). We also met our TA group (our team name being the Dream Team).

Throughout the duration of the Conference, we had esteemed speakers such as Dr. Marfuggi, M.D, and Dr. Isaac Yang, M.D, and also visited the J. David Galdstone Research Institute, where we learned about the research efforts in areas of cardiovascular disease, AIDS, and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimers. NSLC tried to touch on every aspect of Medicine and Health Care, so we also visited the UC Berkeley School of Optometry and had various other career simulations or lectures on topics such as forensics, toxicology, or even chinese medicine.

But NSLC wasn't just all about medicine. We also were taught ethics and went through a simulation in which we had to choose one person out of 7 other equally ill people to recieve a vital heart transplant. Through speakers such as Mike Walsh, we learned about leadership and how leadership connects to medicine. In visits to a Ropes Course, we were taught teamwork and important skills of working together.

Overall, this Conference taught me a lot about life, leadership, medicine and even opened my eyes to the possible career in optometry (which I hadn't considered before). At the same time, I had fun meeting new friends and visiting Pier 39, the California Academy of Sciences. and the Exploratorium, where we had time to relax and enjoy ourselves.

Welcome!

I've never really had a blog before, so I'm not quite sure how to start. But I'll start with the most simple thing: Welcome.

Welcome to my world of light blue converses, and peach flavored Iced Tea. These are my thoughts on school, on life, ... on anything.

So sit back, relax, and enjoy... the show has just begun.