Month: November 2013

Doolittle Veterans

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History time. Monday, November 11th is Veteran’s Day. Veteran’s Day is a day that celebrates those who have served in the armed forces. A famous group of veterans are the surviving members of Doolittle’s Raid.

Doolittle’s Raid was a US military operation that occurred after the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor. Lt. Colonel Doolittle proposed a risky plan of flying B-25s over the Japanese capital, Tokyo. Doolittle was told that once over Japan the B-25s would become low on fuel, furthermore there was no safe place to land. On April 18th 1942 Doolittle, along with an all-volunteer group of pilots, dropped bombs upon Tokyo. Some of Doolittle’s men were shot down then captured by Japanese forces, others crashed in the Pacific, most would bail out of their aircraft over China and survive.

Doolittle and his men would become American heroes; Doolittle himself would be given the Medal of Honor and promoted to Brigadier General. Today there are only four surviving members of Doolittle’s Raid. This year the surviving members held the last commemoration of the raid.

Bubba Gump.

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Speaking of restaurants in the United States, “The Bubba Gump Shrimp Company” stands out as one of my favorite. I love it not only because I am a seafood lover, but also is because of the interesting background. The “Bubba Gump Shrimp Company” is a seafood restaurant chain inspired by the 1994 film, also my favorite movie – “Forrest Gump.”

The first Bubba Gump restaurantt opened in 1996 in Monterey, California by Viacom Consumer Products. The Bubba Gump restaurant is named after the film’s characters Benjamin Buford “Bubba” Blue. In the film, Bubba suggested the shrimping business and ultimately Forrest pursued the idea after Bubba’s death in the Vietnam War.

The restaurants are fairly popular throughout the nation. And by September 2010, thirty-two Bubba Gump restaurants operate worldwide. I am not sure about people’s motivations of going to Bubba Gump, but as for me, I mistakenly thought that the restaurant was the real one in the movie.

The menu at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. is primarily associated with shrimp dishes, but also offers a variety of other seafood. One main focus of the culinary style is Southern and Cajun cuisine, as the main characters in the film came from Alabama.

The atmosphere in the restaurant was really thematic – full of the quotes and posters from the movie. The waiters also ask questions about the movie.

I enjoy the restaurants with certain themes. They provide the customers various feelings and experiences besides just eating their meals. Such restaurants can always easily build profound impressions and make people want to return. This is actually a great strategy!

Trash & Fashion.

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Recently I did a story on our school’s first Trash Fashion Show and I gained some new knowledge about creating beauty.

What is the definition of beauty? In my opinion, beauty does not mean a gorgeous appearance, but it’s more about the internal significance. Just like Trash Fashion, which most people would refer to the costumes that are just simply made of trash.

However, trash fashion is much more than that.

It takes time and endeavor. Since I have the same art class with my friend Sophia, I was lucky enough to actually watch the complete process of her making the plastic wedding dress. She started from collecting and reorganizing the materials – plenty of white  plastic bags. First of all, she created the long train by sewing knots. It turned out to be a “web” eventually. Then she made the body dress, in which she built several layers to make the dress fluffy.

It took her about two months to complete the whole bridal gown. According to Sophia, the most difficult part was to glue the bags together and the materials were so soft that she had to be really careful not to tear them off.

Finally the big day came. I did not expect to be her model, but because of the absence of Ellen, who was supposed to the model, I had to wear the dress instead. I was totally astonished when I put on the huge dress.

We walked on the deck of the pool. It drove everyone’s attention and I felt extremely proud of my designer. It seemed like a real fashion show to me and people were taking pictures, asking questions. For a moment I thought i was dreaming.

Just like Sophia said, “Trash Fashion does not mean everything will look trashy, it’s more about fashion. Within such simple materials, we can still make beautiful pieces.”

Yes, I think she’s right. Trash Fashion combines two “opposite” concepts together and builds something beyond the normal beauty.

On the other hand, trash fashion also helps to increase people’s environmental awareness. Fashion may be fabulous, but the way our clothes are made is incredibly wasteful. The small things we waste from daily uses can be saved instead of being thrown away.

It was my first time seeing and wearing such gorgeous fashionable clothes made out of “trash,” and It was also the time that I realized trash fashion can be beautiful as well.

Rainbow.

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If there was a rainbow
connected the worlds between you and me

Even though nothing was happening
I could not help myself from smiling
because I was thinking about you

You were not that kind of magnificent beauty
you were just a quiet rainbow that emerges peacefully after a rain
but beautiful enough to reflect endlessly in my heart

If there was a rainbow
stretched the distance between you and me

I would run towards the end
to embrace the shadow of your light
and meet you who was running towards me at the same time

What Hill?

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“Ready, set, GO!”

I’ve never even thought about running 3 miles before. And I am not kidding.
But once I reached that goal, I fell in love with running. And I am not kidding either.

I was not born to be a runner, so I did not treat running seriously in the beginning.

Last year I joined the cross-country team, because we did not have tennis.
“It’s just running, not a big deal,” I told myself. But I was totally wrong.

Everyday we ran different things. At the beginning, I could not even finish one whole mile without walking and the worst part of my day was always  sports time.
The sun never rested during the practice. We did harder workouts at least once a week. I could not walk the day after tough practice. I was hurting everywhere on my body.

But I was getting better.

Then I had to face the very first cross-country meet in my life – at Thatcher.
I was extremely nervous. I could feel my legs shaking and my heart was beating like a drum.
I did not expect to run the whole three miles, that seemed impossible to me. But I decided to try anyways.

Everyone was exhausted and I just kept running in slow pace. I thought about the days we ran together; I thought about how Mr. Alvarez encouraged us and pushed our backs; I thought about home and wondered if my parents were having fun this holiday; I thought… I thought about everything, i thought about nothing.
I just ran and ran.

Everyone was encouraging me as well. “Let’s go, Shelly!”

“Almost there!”

“Way to run girl!”
And yes, I finished it without stopping or walking. I guess that would be the time I felt the most proud of myself.

After the very first race, I changed my opinion of running. I did not hate it or fear it anymore. I started to accept it because I knew I was capable of defeating it.
Three month’s of training, the season ended strongly with all the incredible improvements i gained everyday.

This year, I was glad to see our cross-country team grow much bigger, with more than 20 people.
The weather was fervent as well, of course. We ran pretty much the same courses but it did not feel as painful as it did before.

As for me, running is not only the thing I do to fulfill my sports time. It changes me, slowly but thoroughly. I became faster and stronger.

Our team got new shirts this year, and they says “What Hill?” on the back. They are the best shirts ever, I think, because no one else but we runners know the special meanings of those two words.

Finally it comes – my last cross-country meet at Thatcher, the place where everything begins.

It is probably my last time running a whole 3-miles course with my friends, wearing the green uniforms which we would never stop complaining about.

We don’t run for the certain miles or the destination, we don’t run for fame or glory.
But we do run to conquer all kinds of hills, we do run to challenge and prove ourselves.

We line up as usual. Everyone is encouraging each other and smiling.

Suddenly my heart is filled with joy.
Suddenly I realize that running does not only bring me power and strength to defeat all the distance and hills; running brings me courage, friendships, love, and valuable memories.

Yes, we are Cross-Country Team.
And WE RUN.

Top 4 best Video Games of 2013 so far

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2013 is definitely an amazing year for gamers all around the world. This list will not include titles that have not been released yet.

4. Pokemon X and Y

The newest installation of the Pokemon series, X and Y have taken the Pokemon universe to a whole new level. Revamped graphics, new Pokemon, hundreds of hours of gameplay and its new online features have old, competitive and new fans happier than ever.

3. Battlefield 4

It is clear that DICE (game developers) have revolutionized first-person shooters forever. Battlefield brings action-packed infantry and vehicle combat and combines it with crazy destruction, 64 player servers and arguably the best graphics and visuals ever resulting in one of the craziest gaming experiences I have ever seen.

2. Grand Theft Auto Five

The most sold game of 2013, this amazing piece of art reached 1 billion dollars in sales in less than a month. Its compelling story line, engaging gameplay, an open map the size of a city, hundreds of hours of fun and the addition of GTA Online made this game one of the best.

1. The Last of Us

This PlayStation 3 exclusive is definitely one of the best titles to ever be released. Set in a post-apocalyptic “zombie” scenario, this game features a middle-aged survivor named Joel and a fourteen year old girl named Ellie who embark on a horrifying, thrilling and exciting adventure.  This game’s writing and story line is one of, if not the best to ever be released.

For Sake of the Snake (part 2)

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After that snake incident, I soon began watching Austin Steven’s Adventures on Animal Planet. He specialized in reptiles, which was the main reason I watched his shows. My interest in snakes was growing, and I began to ask my parents for my own pet. I wasn’t allowed a snake at first, so I got a bearded dragon instead, whom I named Tanny. A few weeks later I went back and was allowed to get a black and white banded Californian Kingsnake, and I very creatively named her Shadow Mist. Shadow for short.

I was kinda nervous about Shadow at first. I didn’t want to get bit and I always used gloves when handling her. After a month or so I just thought “screw this” and I gave up on being cautious. She only struck at me a few times and I had never gotten bit by her. She was a beautiful little snake, and had a little white star on her forehead.

After school I would head straight for her enclosure and drape her around my neck before writing in my journal. She would just lay there motionless as I wrote, absorbing the little heat I could put out and watching the movements of my pencil.

Tanny died a few months later, but I still had Shadow.

About a year and a half later I had to leave for OVS, and leaving her behind was upsetting for me. Did my parents know how to take care of her? What if my cat got her? What if she got lost? She got lost often due to a faulty enclosure but I would always find her in odd spots. Once I didn’t even realize she was lost until I spotted her on my doorknob. Scared me to death, that little stunt did.

Anyways, during my first Christmas break I finally went back to China to visit. Our cat and dog were ecstatic to see me, but somehow, it was like Shadow knew I had come back to visit. Her body was pressed up against the glass of the enclosure, and she lifted her body up vertically and did the weird dance that many cobras do while flaring their hoods. I took her out immediately and she never struck.

About a year later I asked about her and my mom said that she had escaped and they couldn’t find her. “When?” I asked. “Oh, six months ago.”

I MEAN WHAT. If a little girl’s pet gets lost or died, maybe you could say something like “he ran away,” or “doggy went up to heaven,” but I was freaking 15! You can’t just… Not tell me when something that important to me disappears!

I haven’t gone back to China since Freshman Christmas. Now I’m a Junior, and this Christmas my brother and I are going back to China for a little bit. I like to think that Shadow’s still in the house somewhere, watching the family from the cracks in the ceiling and eating any stray mice that come along. Maybe sometime in college I’ll get another snake.

My dream job is what Austin Steven’s doing. If I get bit? I’ll suffer, but I’ll have to trust modern medicine, I guess.

Now thinking about it, I feel like my favorite animal is the snake after all.

For Sake of the Snake (part 1)

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It was 9:30 at night, maybe 10:00. I was reading intensely, as I usually do, but was quickly brought out of my concentration by the muffled noises coming from our first floor. I quietly snuck out of my room and sat on the top of the staircase, peering between the hollow metal bars of the railing and wondering why my mom and nanny were fretting in front of our window.

I continued to sneak down, careful to avoid creaky steps, and crawled atop the dog-haired couch to see what was behind the window. The window was the size of the wall, allowing us to see much of what goes on outside, but for the moment, all our interest was focused on a shadowy figure at the rightmost corner of the window.

It was around wintertime, sometime between November and February (wide range, I know), so the heaters of our house were on and the windows were like sheets of ice. There, huddled sadly in the corner, was a large, black snake.

I think that was the first real snake I ever saw in my life.

In my hours within Animal Planet I had watched many shows on snakes, as well as picture books and book mentions. I had always been fascinated by them, so that night, my 10-year-old self was in a shock from seeing that creature.

My nanny grew up on a farm, where snakes are her bane. My mom didn’t like that snake sitting there and “endangering” our family and dogs, so they were wondering the best way to shoo it away. My nanny took a boot and whacked the window with it, which caused the snake to hiss and strike on the window.

I woke up the next morning wondering if it was a dream. To this day I’m still wondering, but either way it doesn’t matter. And now, with my incredible knowledge of snakes, I conclude that the window snake was a black rat snake.

Russia’s Slim Future

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The Russians have found what seems to be the way of solving at least one of America’s problems.

In the subway station of Vystavochnaya in western Moscow, the people are allowed to pay their fare by doing 30 squats. They are placed in front of a machine that counts the squats and makes sure you are in a correct position.

This was implemented to promote a healthy and sporty life style in honor of the Olympic games that will take place in Russia.

If this system was to be implemented in the US, not only in the subway but in a lot of public services, America would benefit from a healthier population and a great decrease in obesity.

Sources: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-57611796-1/to-ride-the-moscow-subway-for-free-do-30-squats/

The Pokemon Controversy

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Ever since the release of the first Pokémon games in 1996, hardcore Christians and vicious PETA members have bashed the franchise for its depictions of evolution and alleged “animal abuse.”

Pokémon is a franchise of games about a young trainer who embarks on a journey to defeat 8 gym leaders, the elite four and become the new Pokémon League Champion. Pokémon are caught in the wild with items called Pokeballs and are used to battle other trainers. Pokemon gain experience points and level up by battling other Pokemon, eventually resulting in their evolution.

Christians all around the world have protested against the franchise claiming that it goes against their beliefs. However, the type of evolution depicted by Pokemon is more relatable to growing up rather than becoming a different species. The Pokemon games show no sign of Darwinian evolution and do not contradict the beliefs of any creationist. It is merely a misconception.

Evolution Chain of 3 Pokemon

On the other hand, PETA members have criticized, protested and demonized the Pokemon franchise for its alleged depictions of animal abuse. Trainers use their Pokemon to battle other trainers. Granted, the subjects in these games are easily misunderstood, but there is no justification for PETA’s overreaction. PETA claims that this child’s game teaches kids to abuse animals. However, the games are focused on the special bond that a trainer develops with their Pokemon and the importance of teamwork, not cock-fighting.

Pokemon is a child’s game set in a different universe and it’s by no means a tool for evil.

PETA’s Extreme Overreaction: http://features.peta.org/pokemon-black-and-white-parody/