Hm.
I suppose I'm a sophomore now, but I don't really feel that different from being a freshman. I guess I don't get apples thrown at me anymore (not that I got any thrown at me when I was a freshman), but I'm also not the baby of high school anymore!
I guess sophomore year is a lot of fun.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Top Ten Things I'm Enjoying Today
10. KOREA beats Greece in the FIFA World Cup! 2-0. That's right.
9. The sun is shining, and the sky is clear.
8. I played tennis on a CLAY court today-- very interesting. But it's also very weird... I almost slipped trying to slide. I watched some videos of the master, Rafael Nadal, and I still don't get it.
7. I'm very excited for one of my friends' birthday party tomorrow. I also got her a present. Buying people presents makes me happy. Not necessarily buying people things, but also making, and even thinking about doing this makes me happy.
6. I wrote a goals list. I write a goals list every once in a while, when I feel like my life needs direction. It makes me happy to mark through the ones that I've reached, and write new ones.
5. I got enough sleep. I didn't wake up to an alarm, or my brother singing...
4. My fish. I think that's self-explanatory. I adore my fish. His name is Piotr.
3. The Taco Bell sauce packets. "Will you marry me?"
2. Volkswagen Beetles and yellow cars. This is because I think one of the saddest things is to see these vehicles, and not have anyone to punch.
1. Happiness. I feel like today is a great day to be happy. Let's try this everyday.
9. The sun is shining, and the sky is clear.
8. I played tennis on a CLAY court today-- very interesting. But it's also very weird... I almost slipped trying to slide. I watched some videos of the master, Rafael Nadal, and I still don't get it.
7. I'm very excited for one of my friends' birthday party tomorrow. I also got her a present. Buying people presents makes me happy. Not necessarily buying people things, but also making, and even thinking about doing this makes me happy.
6. I wrote a goals list. I write a goals list every once in a while, when I feel like my life needs direction. It makes me happy to mark through the ones that I've reached, and write new ones.
5. I got enough sleep. I didn't wake up to an alarm, or my brother singing...
4. My fish. I think that's self-explanatory. I adore my fish. His name is Piotr.
3. The Taco Bell sauce packets. "Will you marry me?"
2. Volkswagen Beetles and yellow cars. This is because I think one of the saddest things is to see these vehicles, and not have anyone to punch.
1. Happiness. I feel like today is a great day to be happy. Let's try this everyday.
Monday, May 24, 2010
April showers bring May flowers...
But not May blog posts do they bring.
I haven't posted a blog post since last month!
I suppose I've been caught up in the game of Life.
The school year is winding to a close with less than 10 days of real school left! I can't believe that my first year of high school is almost over, but at the same time, I'm relieved. I can't wait until summer.
One thing I find funny about summer is that once it gets here, it can't be over soon enough, but one it's over, it can't get here soon enough. Just shows how fickle humans are.
(P.S. Fickle's one of my SAT words! Why am I so witty.)
I haven't posted a blog post since last month!
I suppose I've been caught up in the game of Life.
The school year is winding to a close with less than 10 days of real school left! I can't believe that my first year of high school is almost over, but at the same time, I'm relieved. I can't wait until summer.
One thing I find funny about summer is that once it gets here, it can't be over soon enough, but one it's over, it can't get here soon enough. Just shows how fickle humans are.
(P.S. Fickle's one of my SAT words! Why am I so witty.)
Sunday, April 25, 2010
AP Exams and other babble.
I love Barron's.
I don't know what I would do without my AP Calculus Review book--especially with AP Exams coming up in less than two weeks! I don't feel like I'm completely solid in everything I have to know... So I'm practically sleeping with this thing in my arms. Okay. Not really. Because that would be really dorky. But it's the first time in a while since I've been so stressed about an academic thing in a while, maybe it's because of the AP Cal AB sub-grade, or the fact that I don't want to do badly? I'm not really sure.
I went to the AP Review Day at UNC Charlotte yesterday, too! I have mixed feelings about that. One of the teachers didn't really know what he was doing... But the other teacher gave me the best lecture about Euler's method that I've ever had! And she was ADORABLE. I wish MY grandmother taught Calculus in such a cute way.
I just find elderly people really adorable, not in a disrespectful way.
I know that they have a lot of experience, and lots more memories than I have in my short 14 years of life, but I still can't help but find them absolutely cute. Especially ones that are still in love and married. I see it happening, and I can't help but go 'awh!', and wonder if I could be like that one day.
But probably not.
I mean, I AM planning to go skydiving on my 60th birthday!
I don't know what I would do without my AP Calculus Review book--especially with AP Exams coming up in less than two weeks! I don't feel like I'm completely solid in everything I have to know... So I'm practically sleeping with this thing in my arms. Okay. Not really. Because that would be really dorky. But it's the first time in a while since I've been so stressed about an academic thing in a while, maybe it's because of the AP Cal AB sub-grade, or the fact that I don't want to do badly? I'm not really sure.
I went to the AP Review Day at UNC Charlotte yesterday, too! I have mixed feelings about that. One of the teachers didn't really know what he was doing... But the other teacher gave me the best lecture about Euler's method that I've ever had! And she was ADORABLE. I wish MY grandmother taught Calculus in such a cute way.
I just find elderly people really adorable, not in a disrespectful way.
I know that they have a lot of experience, and lots more memories than I have in my short 14 years of life, but I still can't help but find them absolutely cute. Especially ones that are still in love and married. I see it happening, and I can't help but go 'awh!', and wonder if I could be like that one day.
But probably not.
I mean, I AM planning to go skydiving on my 60th birthday!
Monday, April 19, 2010
I have a green pig.
Why are people so obsessed with SillyBandz these days?
And for those of you who don't know what a SillyBand is, it's basically this bracelet, rubber band-ish type of thing that is made in the shape of some kind. For instance, I have a green pig... and a yellow giraffe, pink bumblebee, and blue dolphin among others. (The funny thing is, I haven't spent any of my money on this stuff. I've just received them from friends. I love my friends. :D)
Here's the official website for this addicting new toy:
http://www.sillybandz.com/
Teachers loathe it--it supposedly distracts the kids from their teaching.
But kids love it!
Which leads me to wonder... Why do kids like it so much?
HAHA.
And for those of you who don't know what a SillyBand is, it's basically this bracelet, rubber band-ish type of thing that is made in the shape of some kind. For instance, I have a green pig... and a yellow giraffe, pink bumblebee, and blue dolphin among others. (The funny thing is, I haven't spent any of my money on this stuff. I've just received them from friends. I love my friends. :D)
Here's the official website for this addicting new toy:
http://www.sillybandz.com/
Teachers loathe it--it supposedly distracts the kids from their teaching.
But kids love it!
Which leads me to wonder... Why do kids like it so much?
HAHA.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Etymology
I was just thinking about this word.
The word naïve.
It means:
1.
having or showing unaffected simplicity of nature or absence of artificiality; unsophisticated; ingenuous.
2.
having or showing a lack of experience, judgment, or information; credulous: She's so naive she believes everything she reads. He has a very naive attitude toward politics.
3.
having or marked by a simple, unaffectedly direct style reflecting little or no formal training or technique: valuable naive 19th-century American portrait paintings.
Thank the Lord for dictionary.com.
But instead of just the definition, I thought of how the word looks. With its unusual umlaut mark, it looks like two large innocent eyes just staring out of the paper, like it's scrutinizing who you really are.
Just a thought.
The word naïve.
It means:
1.
having or showing unaffected simplicity of nature or absence of artificiality; unsophisticated; ingenuous.
2.
having or showing a lack of experience, judgment, or information; credulous: She's so naive she believes everything she reads. He has a very naive attitude toward politics.
3.
having or marked by a simple, unaffectedly direct style reflecting little or no formal training or technique: valuable naive 19th-century American portrait paintings.
Thank the Lord for dictionary.com.
But instead of just the definition, I thought of how the word looks. With its unusual umlaut mark, it looks like two large innocent eyes just staring out of the paper, like it's scrutinizing who you really are.
Just a thought.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Jeans?
Nope, sorry. Not jeans, just GENES. :)
Haha. That was probably the lamest science pick-up line I have ever heard.
My biology teacher decided to try and interest us in genetics for the next unit. In short: I have an essay due Monday about genetics. Yay.
But in all seriousness, I am actually interested in genetics. I mean, if I could just change one base pair, I could have been taller! Imagine that.
Anyway, I just wanted to share my essay about the Human Genome Project.
---
Cracking the Code of Life
Written by Sara Lee
Every single human has DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, in their body. The Human Genome Project mapped out the numerous genes all in order, and gave our generation new information to treat genetic disorders and diseases. This new development led to gene therapy, which then led to gene enhancement. These new discoveries are all good in the name of science, but when the boundaries of scientific advancement and morality became hazy, a new conflict began to arise: is this pursuit of knowledge really ethical?
First of all, what is the human genome project? The U.S. Human Genome Project last 13 years, and was aimed to identify all of the genes in a person’s DNA, determine the sequence of base pairs, and provide this information to use in new technology and store it as well in databases. The reason this is important is because a genome is made up of the entire DNA in a cell. The genes carry information to make proteins, and these proteins determine the physical structure of the organism, the performance of its bodily functions, and sometimes how it acts! If we have a wide knowledge of DNA variations, this can help us understand human biology, epidemiology, and a variety of different areas of science.
Personally, I think that the Human Genome Project is a huge benefit and a great source of information for any scientist who wants to do work in the genetics field. However, the morality comes into question—when is it acceptable to change the genes of a person to permanently alter who they are? For me, gene therapy seems to be highly beneficial for those who can’t live a normal lifestyle, but could possibly live a better and a happier life with this genetic change.
Gene enhancement, on the other hand, is a revolting idea to me. Changing someone who is perfectly beautiful, intelligent, with their own unique strengths and weaknesses to one who is artificially enhanced physically, intellectually, and personality wise is a morally disgusting prospect. The level of human society would advance, but the level of humanity would diminish! So no, I do not believe that a person should be capable of enhancing the physical characteristics and intelligence of their children, but if needed be it should be used to help a person live a healthy and more fulfilling lifestyle, and that option should be given.
A pair of obvious advantages and disadvantages stem from similar issues—the advancement and abuse using new information. Of course, using newly discovered information, people can continue to make groundbreaking discoveries and further scientific research, but this fact can also go the other way. Abusing this information to develop methods to detract from the humanity of people will make us little more than animals—the subconscious desire and need to be born smarter, stronger, more attractive is what defines the other creatures on this planet. One of the major differences between these animals and humans is that humans have the ability to develop character traits and develop themselves throughout our lives. Without the need to develop, we could very easily lose what defines us to be human.
The Human Genome Project is a mission that will be remembered throughout history for delivering the complete human genome into the hands of future scientists and researchers. There is no doubt that this project was a great achievement that took much time and effort by those who worked on it. The accomplishment is commendable, but I can only watch and wait to see the effects of this project as the international society takes a peaked interest in genetic manipulation and study. Someone once said that “nobody knows the age of the human race, but everybody agrees that it is old enough to know better”. I certainly hope this is true.
Haha. That was probably the lamest science pick-up line I have ever heard.
My biology teacher decided to try and interest us in genetics for the next unit. In short: I have an essay due Monday about genetics. Yay.
But in all seriousness, I am actually interested in genetics. I mean, if I could just change one base pair, I could have been taller! Imagine that.
Anyway, I just wanted to share my essay about the Human Genome Project.
---
Cracking the Code of Life
Written by Sara Lee
Every single human has DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, in their body. The Human Genome Project mapped out the numerous genes all in order, and gave our generation new information to treat genetic disorders and diseases. This new development led to gene therapy, which then led to gene enhancement. These new discoveries are all good in the name of science, but when the boundaries of scientific advancement and morality became hazy, a new conflict began to arise: is this pursuit of knowledge really ethical?
First of all, what is the human genome project? The U.S. Human Genome Project last 13 years, and was aimed to identify all of the genes in a person’s DNA, determine the sequence of base pairs, and provide this information to use in new technology and store it as well in databases. The reason this is important is because a genome is made up of the entire DNA in a cell. The genes carry information to make proteins, and these proteins determine the physical structure of the organism, the performance of its bodily functions, and sometimes how it acts! If we have a wide knowledge of DNA variations, this can help us understand human biology, epidemiology, and a variety of different areas of science.
Personally, I think that the Human Genome Project is a huge benefit and a great source of information for any scientist who wants to do work in the genetics field. However, the morality comes into question—when is it acceptable to change the genes of a person to permanently alter who they are? For me, gene therapy seems to be highly beneficial for those who can’t live a normal lifestyle, but could possibly live a better and a happier life with this genetic change.
Gene enhancement, on the other hand, is a revolting idea to me. Changing someone who is perfectly beautiful, intelligent, with their own unique strengths and weaknesses to one who is artificially enhanced physically, intellectually, and personality wise is a morally disgusting prospect. The level of human society would advance, but the level of humanity would diminish! So no, I do not believe that a person should be capable of enhancing the physical characteristics and intelligence of their children, but if needed be it should be used to help a person live a healthy and more fulfilling lifestyle, and that option should be given.
A pair of obvious advantages and disadvantages stem from similar issues—the advancement and abuse using new information. Of course, using newly discovered information, people can continue to make groundbreaking discoveries and further scientific research, but this fact can also go the other way. Abusing this information to develop methods to detract from the humanity of people will make us little more than animals—the subconscious desire and need to be born smarter, stronger, more attractive is what defines the other creatures on this planet. One of the major differences between these animals and humans is that humans have the ability to develop character traits and develop themselves throughout our lives. Without the need to develop, we could very easily lose what defines us to be human.
The Human Genome Project is a mission that will be remembered throughout history for delivering the complete human genome into the hands of future scientists and researchers. There is no doubt that this project was a great achievement that took much time and effort by those who worked on it. The accomplishment is commendable, but I can only watch and wait to see the effects of this project as the international society takes a peaked interest in genetic manipulation and study. Someone once said that “nobody knows the age of the human race, but everybody agrees that it is old enough to know better”. I certainly hope this is true.
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