A Hero in My Eyes Reflection

My Character Sketch

I believe that a hero can become a hero if they did something that would benefit the community, and in no way would they take any benefits because of this help that he has offered. Also, a hero can be different in your eyes than in my eyes becaue heroes are all about perspective. I believe that even you, when you recycle something, can be a hero to someone.

This project, to me, was about learning to appreciate the unsung heroes in our lives. I also think that the purpose of this project was to learn how to truly describe someone without being too direct.

Our final product, was a two page character sketch about the hero we decided upon. At first, my character sketch was a little bit too vague in some parts and very direct in others. I think that after the first 2 trials, I got the full effect of what really was a character sketch. Then, after we had finished this sketch we had to insert this into an InDesign CS3 template and include two pictures of our hero. I had troubles with this because I worked on InDesign CS4 as opposed to CS3 and when I turned it in, it wouldn't open on CS3. So, this affected me because I almost didn't turn it in on time which would've hurt my grade.

In this project, we chose someone in our lives to honor/write about. This someone had to be a hero that has impacted our lives in a positive manner. I think that also, this project was about learning who was a hero, in the beginning I had some struggles in figuring out what really makes a hero. But after having all our class dicussions, we really learned what made a hero. We also learned how to write a character sketch, and how to truly get the essence of our hero in only two pages.

I think that in this project, I applied ownership a lot this project, because I kept asking myself very often "How can I make this better? Is it already good enough? What can I add and what can I remove?" I think that I used this because I was really striving to make my hero look as best as she could, because when someone's a hero you want to make sure that they are represented as best as they can be. Overall, I really think that this was my best work, except that maybe I took off a little took much off my sketch and ended up with less than two pages.

The Origin of Zero

I read this article about the Origin of Zero and I think that this is very interesting, I was especially shocked when it said that in Greece, the number zero made a late appearance. You'd think that whoever had begun math would've been the one to make this discovery. I guess that whoever had displayed this sign first would be the one to receive some credit, however I don't think we'll ever really know. I believe that if you invent the concept it's pretty much you that creates it, but if the concept was established before the person, then whoever had recorded that created it. The world probably figured out this concept the same way rumors travel today. It's like a very, very, sloooww moving text message that was forwarded to the whole world.

A Hero in My Eyes

Motherly Instincts

She sits there all of the time, her eyes stoically staring at space, as if to signal she’s in deep meditation. Her face is beautiful, but when you look underneath you can see years of tragedies, the kind that would make ones’ self grow. Her hair falls gently around her feature creating a dark brown frame with faint golden streaks. Her eyes, stand out of the frame and have a faint purple halo beneath her caramel coffee eyes from restless nights of mothering. Mothering and motherly instincts is something she doesn’t lack.

“Don’t eat hard candy!” she would holler at us whenever we picked up any candy that was hard. I never really understood what was with her over protectiveness. I asked her, and just like that she slipped into some sort of trances; the kind you would see in television shows when the character is having a flashback. My brother, the one who has had his fair share of incidents with food, was the one towards whom she was more protective over. She would constantly be watching him eat, and I mean this in the most literal way. I wasn’t alive then, but my mother told me the story anyway.

She was home alone, having to watch over my brother and sister like an angel would a newborn. She had a gut feeling, I guess you could call it a mother’s intuition that struck when she handed him the round candy with multicolored swirls.

“Don’t jump,” she cautioned him knowing it would happen anyway. She waved it away with a hint of regret and returned to her tornado-wrecked closet. Her eyes darted across the room when she heard the loud thump, followed by the flailing of the plum colored child’s arms. Everything seemed to have slowed down, except her brain; it ran like a horse in a giant meadow, galloping like thunder. She glided through the room and saw that the candy was too far from her reach. She didn’t give up though, she knew what she had to do, not matter what, she had to save that life. She took the child’s head into her arms, cradling it softy and reached for the candy.

An unearthly sound escaped the toddler’s mouth, like an air pocket that was trapped within his lungs. The both embraced as diamond droplets streamed down their cheeks. That night, she curled into bed with her child, tears still dripping as they slipped into a much needed state of unconsciousness. I saved a life, a life that if I had not been educated might’ve slipped right through my grasp she thought. Words weren’t enough to describe the day she had, all she had was the experience that she wished she would never have to relive, she’s a hero to me, she’s my mother.

As she recovered from the sudden surge of memories, her eyes fixed on mine. The edges of her mouth turned upwards into a proud smile. Proud of herself for saving her son, proud because she taught me a new life lesson, one that I certainly hope I’ll never use. I wondered who’d made her this way, who had taught her these things.

As it turns out, it was somehow programmed into her brain, her mother’s brain. Wow, I thought, what an amazing feat, to save your child without a single clue of what you were doing, just relying on your instincts. I love her for everything, for giving birth to me, for saving my brother. I simply love her.

Popularity for Angela

Catching the signal from one of her friends, Angela brushed her skirt, took a deep breath and walked towards where he was sitting. She walked with her eyes closed, letting the silent whispers of the trees fill her ears. Her mind traveled as she thought of the last time she'd done this. She saw the way he'd looked at her, eyes screaming with disbelief. Snapping herself back to the frigidly cold morning, she opened her eyes, locking her gaze on him. She looked like a lion about to get her morning lunch. It was strange, how she entered a trance every time Jane gave her some stupid order.

She took the final steps and kept her breathing steady, but her heart was a hammer violently attacking her ribcage. She sat down in one quick movement. He looked up with a strange smile plastered on his face as if to say "What the heck are you doing here?" She returned his smile with a wink and leaned in to whisper in his ear. "It's not working out, Jane said you're just too big of a lousy dork to even be an acquaintance," she stood up and turned sharply making her skirt crack like a whip. The things you do to stay popular... she thought suddenly feeling a sting of regret. She glanced back at him, he looked like a little kid who just learned the truth about Santa. She sighed and marched away leaving behind her insecurities, she had to be popular, no matter what.

Surprise, Surprise - Vignette

Surprise, Surprise

The dimly lit room appeared as if to smile at my family and me. A deep chocolate wood concealed the walls halfway the kind of color that makes you crave for chocolate. The table was a matching wood but just a slightly ashier; the chairs were an uncomfortable in-between of comfort and luxury. The food, oh my, the food smelled like heaven. The beefy lasagna called my name as my mother reached for her bag, secretly retrieving a folder, the kind you would see in a spy movie, only smaller. It was a golden yellow, but not luxurious, almost flat color branded with a Hallmark logo. I could feel my stomach convulse nervously, almost threatening to return the lasagna.

She slyly handed me the envelope gently chiding my father about being impatient and ruining surprises. I disregarded that last part as I opened the top sleeve. I opened the letter with a phony amazed look on my face. A sleazy noise escaped the letter, the kind a cobra would make before striking her prey. Benjamins and Jacksons poured out; it was more money than I’ve ever seen in my life! The phony look was quickly replaced for a genuine euphoric grin. My face felt like a five alarm soup, bright red, waiting to explode. All the questions clouded in my mind like a brainstorm waiting to happen.

I slipped the sleek green pieces of paper into my hands, the smell poured into my nostrils like a pine tree sitting in a claustrophobic living room. I gracefully counted them while trying to find a clear piece of sky in my brain to process more thoughts. As I announced the amount I realized what it was for, these programs for my computer I’ve been asking to get for months! I clamped my lips to prevent an embarrassing shriek to escape from deep within my stomach. My brain stopped like a gazelle would should it encounter a lion, it wasn’t sufficient, I remembered as my euphoric high ended; it wasn’t enough; I was so close to getting my slice of heaven but extremely far. My parents noticed the sudden but slight shift in my face; my father spoke up “It’s not enough but I’ll try to get the rest Monday.”

Right then and there my brother, the one whom I mistreat the most shifted in his seat to remove a small leather rectangle from the temporary depression in his behind. He opened it making a cocky groan as if to mock my shortage of green. But suddenly he retrieved two sheets and handed them to me wordlessly. Wordless, I was, for I had thought a snotty remark would surely follow. The bill stared at me its eyes powerful like a laser piercing my soul. It dawned on me then, that the ones you don’t appreciate might be the ones to help you the most.

Sensory Details - Sound

Dave Smith Poly Evolver

The thin woman strolled down the neon-lit streets of China Town in the late afternoon. The anger of hell was unleashed in a wind storm causing the thousands of wind chimes to stir abruptly. The light tune of the chimes were calming "cling... clang... klink!.. boom..." were the tunes that traveled through her ear canal sending a quiver to her spine. When she truly listened there were other noises, she could hear the sound of a scythe being sharpened, which related to her evident senility. Death, she thought, was what truly was making her spine shiver, she listened closer as if this had been a message from above, a warning. She heard the harmonious sound of xylophone being tapped in a truly gentle manner causing even the highest of pitches to burst out with unsettling grace. This, she expected was what will await her in the after life, true grace, unsettling peace, abundant joy.

Then, everything around her turned unnaturally dark and precise, she could see every tiny scratch in her skin, every imperfection in the seemingly new road, she could see everything. The scythe stopped being sharpened. The chimes turned blended into the harmony of the xylophone, becoming a hybrid noise that contained the gracefulness of the chines and the incredibly quaint notes a xylophone could only hit. There was a slight spring noise at the end of each thump. A new noise, a less graceful noise rang into her ears shattering her perfect concentration on the past pattern. This abrupt noise startled her to the point were her heart was nothing but a hum like the wings of a humming bird. It sounded like a clumsy giant who kept stumbling on his feet, and was attempting to walk along with the graceful beat. "Boosh! Boosh! Boosh! Bo-boosh! Clank..."

The rhythm continued, slowly trudging along and slowing as the raggedy woman's pacing slowed. The scythe returned, now being sharpened more strongly. She knew what came next, the corners of her mouth turned into a twisted smile as the chimes were left behind. Finally, everything froze as she gently truckled to her final step and fell into the stunningly bright void, falling gently to an eternal place of pure peace.

The Locker Problem

Out of all of the 1000 lockers there are only 31 open. These 31 are all perfect squares, a perfect square is when you multiply a number by itself (4 x 4, 6 x 6, ect) and the result you get is a perfect square root. The ones that aren’t perfect squares such as (1 x 3, 4 x 5, ect) are the ones that are closed; this is because they have an odd number of factors; because of this, if they were originally closed they’ll just revert to their original position (Open, Closed, Open, Closed). The reason why the perfect squares are open is because they have an odd amount of factors. Because they have an odd amount of factors they will change their state to the opposite state (O, C, O). Also, another way to solve this problem is by using a pattern. The pattern is to skip by even numbers so, there's one open and you skip two, then there's one more open, then you skip four and another one is open and so on. I think that this way works better because it's easier than finding all perfect squares.

The Secret Life of Lily Owens

I stumbled past the wailing wall, to my surprise that May wasn't here. I took a small piece of paper and a pencil from my pocket and scribbled my feelings as released them into the crevasse between the rocks. I kept walking hoping to hear that majestic voice again, the one that would guide me towards my mother. Without even knowing my feet were still carrying me I tripped on rock. "Shitbucket" I murmured under my breath, not caring if anybody heard me. I blamed this on T. Ray, because of him my mother was dead. Had he not made my mother leave him maybe she'd still be here, I'd be sitting in her lap right now, smelling the sweetness of her hair and her distinct motherly smell. Stupid T. Ray, I cursed in my mind, now suddenly feeling subconscious of how my mother could be listening from above.

I didn't notice I was in the bee yard until I heard the loud roar coming from the big white boxes. My heart began to pound like a hammer on a stubborn nail. I jumped to my feet and ran as fast as I could, not even knowing where I was actually going. The roar grew more silent as the trees rushed by my face. Send love to the bee's August had said, I guess my outrage towards T. Ray must've set those bee's off.

Walking towards the Pepto-Bismol house I could smell the delicious foods that made my stomach rumble. I hadn't even looked up at the skies until I realized that I'd spent all of my Sunday morning and afternoon out in the forest. I wondered what the calendar sisters were wondering, especially June. She'd probably been talking about me to August all day long, and what about Rosaleen? Did she miss me? Did anybody miss me? Did anybody love me? These questions rattled in my head as I went up the stairs. I reached for the door handle suddenly knowing that the answers to all my questions lied in the mysterious town of Tiburon.

Order of Operation

I.N.

Solve:
1. (2 x 5) + 7 - 9 =
2. (3 - 4) + (10 x 14) =

Add parenthesis:
3. 5 + 6 - 3 x 2 - 1 = 17

answers:
1. 8
2. 139
3. (5 + 6) - 3 x 2 - 1 = 17

Fictional Heroes

Fictional Heroes

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Tally Youngblood, a 15 year old girl living in the very distant future. A world where when you turned 16 you underwent a surgery to become outstandingly beautiful. Tally Youngblood is nothing more than excited about become beautiful and finally move out of Uglyville and go live in New Pretty Town. A town where nothing mattered and everyone was blissfully unaware of what really made the town tick.

Tally is told the whereabouts of a top secret location known as 'The Smokes,' where Uglies escape to when they are 16 in order to avoid the surgery. She is taken away to a place no one knows and those who do know by 'Special Circumstances.' There she is given an ultimatum that will not allow her to become Pretty unless she tells them where The Smokes is. Tally is considered a hero because rather than giving the bad guys what they want, she protects the location of The Smokes and all the people that have strived to make a living as an Ugly. She doesn't give into peer pressure and withstands everything that stands in her way in order to penetrate Special Circumstances and end their horrific methods of solution.

Though this character lives in a different world than myself, peer pressure applies to everyone no matter when or where you live. What makes Tally Youngblood a hero is the fact that she in her late teens was able to take down an awful organization with erroneous ideas of 'correct' and still keep true to herself.

What is Math? What is Physics?

What is math?

Math is a really fun subject that is characterized as being 'difficult'. I don't see what's so difficult about a ton of numbers, it's really fun to think of it as your money so that way you'll really want to solve the problem correctly. I can solve math mentally very easily, but showing my work is what I struggle on. This year, I'm hoping that I'll be able to make it seem as easy as it's been the past years.

What is physics?

Physics is everything that surrounds us. Without physics we wouldn't know what we'd be doing. Of course, the cavemen figured out what to do when nothing but hunting mattered; but in this world, I think it'd be extremely difficult to survive without the very important principles of physics. I'm thrilled to be taking physics (mysics, rather) this year because I think it'd be interesting to learn what makes the world tick and how a lot of things work.

Go mysics!

30 Things You Didn't Know About Me

1. I am afraid of spiders. (I feel nauseous just looking at a picture of them)

2. I think the Twilight books are amazing.

3. I love to read.

4. I'm allergic to cats.

5. If I could I would have a big fat fluffy cat, his name would be Joe.

6. I want to become an astronomer.

7. If I could live anywhere in the universe it would be on Saturn's moon.

8. I think Japanese culture is extremely interesting.

9. My grandpa and I were born on the same day.

10. Cows freak me out.

11. I listened to a song over 638 times. (SOS by Rhianna)

12. I have one brother, one sister and one step brother.

13. I think Alice in Wonderland is a great book.

14. I'm grumpy in the mornings.

15. In my mind, sleep is meaningless.

16. I love cold cloudy days.

17. I hate the beach.

18. I don't wear shorts.

19. My closet is tiny.

20. One time I listened to a song 638 times non-stop. (SOS by Rhianna)

21. My favorite music genre is Classical.

22. I have a shopping disorder, it's called shop-until-you-literally-drop.

23. I own one pair of shoes, because if I had too many shoes I would freak out every morning.

24. Macs are awesome.

25. I didn't have a phone until I was in 7th grade and didn't get texting until 8th.

26. I want a time machine.

27. Eggo waffles are my favorite.

28. I freak out if my room isn't clean.

29. I have a tiny dog that hates me.

30. Photography is my Plan B in case Plan A (being an astronomer) doesn't work out.