Month: May 2024

to be human

progstenLeave a comment

A question is as old as time

What does it mean to be Human?

How can a question look so simple but be so difficult to answer? To be human, of course, is to be a part of a certain species, the homo sapiens, and to be a part of the genus homo, then the family Hominidae and so on and so on. But this doesn’t quite answer the question people have been looking for, and frankly, I won’t be able to give you an answer in this blog, but I will give you my best guess.

But still, we are left with the question of what it means to be human. Is it because we, as a human race, have consciousness and can develop thoughts that not only allow us to think about what’s happening now but project our thoughts into both the future and the past? Is it the ability to think of things that haven’t even happened or will ever happen? Is that it? Is it the creative minds of us humans that make us who we are? If that’s the case, then what about A.I., which has an equal ability to make up new scenarios and imagine things that don’t exist? Well, I guess we have the living part going for us, but still, it doesn’t quite work cause what happens when a gorilla gains the ability to think(Ishmael reference)? Then, we have lost the thing that makes us who we are.

One theory I liked was that as humans evolved, we lost some functions that other animals have in order to gain language. (This was seen in many tests with chimps, who have very fast reflexes and high-functioning short-term memory compared to us slow humans.) However, in return for giving up some of the basic survival functions, we gain the ability to speak and have language.

So why did we develop language? It was to share.

We developed language to share information. We shared information on the best places to get food, hunting tactics to use, the least dangerous place to stay for the night, and more. We share in order to survive, and that is what makes us human. While this is a nice way of thinking about it, once I thought for a little while more, I remembered that Homo sapiens aren’t the only species that share and work together to survive. If this was the requirement for being human, things like ants would be right there alongside us.

So, after watching a few YouTube videos on the idea, one stuck out to me that I liked the most. This idea was

“the thing that makes us human is the acknowledgment of being human”

this is not a direct quote, but I still have the idea, so I’m putting it in quotes. Essentially, the only thing that makes us human is acknowledging others’ humanity and your own. I believe that this is the truest answer I have come across, or at least the one I agree with most. If you recognize yourself as a human, that is what makes you human. However, throughout history and today, people are seen as lesser. whether it be in slavery throughout the history of the world or it is if your friend got a lower score than you did on a test, we all view others as lower. We all view ourselves as human; no matter how you put it, we are all people.

pc: https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81b6cm9adtL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg

Eyes closed blog

progstenLeave a comment

I’m typing this blog with my eyes closed the entire time. grammerly is also helping me but i don;t think that this will be perfect regurdless. i was curious to see what type of thoughts went throgh my brain while mt eyes were closed compare to when i see all the distractions both visually and audibly. while

I decided to take a second and listne and feel mt surroundings around me. I gear a cricket in the background and the celling creaking. However the thigns i have noticed most is mt other senses that are often masked by sight and sounf. I am noticing my breath more and the way my closes feel while wearing them. I am feelingmy hair fall on my face and the way my bacj feels against the couch. I also feel the weight of my eye lids wishing that they could fall asleep.

I hear my sister coming back from upper campus as she slams the car door shit like its not 11 oclock at night.

However I think the most intresting this about his blog is me attempting to learn where each key on the key board is bt feel alone rather than realining on both sight and muscle memory to type i am using the little dots on the F and J key to understand where my hands are on the board and where each letter is.

This blog is merely a idea i thought of with no real meaning or reson behinf it bedes to take away one of and my biggest sense in the human body being y sighy. It makes me wonder what being blind woulf feel like or what its like to have another one of my senses taken away from me.

I hope you have enjoured this blog as much as i have and i hope it can serve as a reminder to disconnnect yourself from things somtimes to appritce the others that might not stand out as much.

(I will not be fixing the grammar or spelling as it is part of the blog idea and its cool to see the trend/ habits i have when typing)

PC https://i0.wp.com/post.healthline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/blind-child-in-school-1296-728-header.jpg?w=1155&h=1528

46

baka228Leave a comment

Usually, I try to write about something worthwhile, about my thoughts, feelings, or events that happened to me, and which would be interesting to share. But today is not that day, today, I want to talk about all sorts of nonsense that has been on my mind lately.

46 days. After precise calculations, I realized that I have exactly 46 days left to go to school. It seems like this number should be much larger, but definitely not in my case. I am the most vivid case of senioritis you can find on planet Earth. Immediately after receiving the acceptance letter from the university I wanted, unexpectedly even to myself, I just stopped worrying about what happens at school. I am absolutely calm about not doing homework, and it doesn’t bother me much. I won’t lie, I never really liked the process of studying in an American school, and the only reason why I truly strived and learned subjects was my admission to the university; now that the goal is achieved, the motivation is completely gone. In my case, trying to find opportunities to reduce my days spent in school buildings, I discovered that some camps take away as much as 5 days! I signed up for many, which significantly reduced my time spent at school this semester. I am glad that I have very little time left until the end of school. I won’t lie, I will be the happiest person on graduation day, during the ceremony I will definitely be crying, but not out of sadness but from overwhelming happiness.

The second thing I wanted to talk about is my sleep. Lately, I’ve been having terrible problems with sleep. I wake up every hour at night, and if I’m unlucky enough to start thinking about something that bothers me, then I can’t sleep for a couple of hours simply because I can’t stop thinking. It bothers me, but I can’t do anything about it.

pc: https://i.pinimg.com/736x/b4/1a/31/b41a319f9761af679eb450755ec3bb16.jpg

My Recent Duolingo Escapades

godgoldngloryLeave a comment

As of recent, I have been on my grind. It is not nearly as much as other people, I am aware of, but I have now obtained a 30-day streak on Duolingo learning German. I started this journey in an attempt to be able to communicate with my German friend, as I basically could not talk to her at all due to the language barrier. No I’m kidding, she actually has a slightly better grade in AP English class than I do. I still want to be able to try to talk to her in German, however, just because I think it would be pretty funny and she would probably laugh at me for my pronunciation and grammar. Honestly, after doing a minimum of a lesson a day for an entire 30 days, I should probably know more than I do. I basically can just order in a coffee shop and know very basic phrases and familial vocabulary. I also know random animals like mice and owls, which I’m not sure are a super relevant topic of everyday conversation if I were to be plopped in the middle of the street in Germany right now. The ultimate goal is not fluency, which I’m not sure is even possible through Duolingo alone, but I am hoping I can get somewhat proficient after some time.

I Reimagined The Cast Of The Language Learning App Duolingo As If They Were A Part Of The Pixar Universe (11 Pics) | Bored Panda

PC: https://www.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/sketch1688901820147-64aa9fdf500bd-png__700.jpg

Toon blast

progstenLeave a comment

Red, Blue, Yellow, and Green blocks are all you need.

The rules are simple. Match two or more of the same color to complete the given task. Some call it an off-brand candy crush, and some call it the world’s greatest game. It is simple, but the simplicity of the game makes it fun.

About 4 years ago, my 8th-grade self made a decision that affected my life more than I could ever imagine.

As many in my generation go through, I bought many mobile games in my day, going from one form of short entertainment to another whenever I got bored. While this was an extremely unhealthy childhood, that’s not what this blog is about.

As another day passed, I got another ad on one of my many mobile games. Just as normal, I await for the x to appear in the top corner of the ad when I end up clicking on the ad on accident, causing the app store to open; the game that appeared was Toon Blast.

At first glance, I thought it was nothing more than an off-brand Candy Crunch, yet I decided to give it a try. So off I went, playing a new game like many times before. However, as I played more and more, I found myself spending much of my time on the game.

Eventually, time went on as I cleared level after level, reaching far into the 2, 3, 4, and even 5 thousand levels.

As I look at those thousands of levels cleared, the only thought I tend to have is if I have wasted part of my life on something inconsequential.

Probably so.

pc: https://play-lh.googleusercontent.com/gtbXJIRh-y3vS3885bqy-4y8noqfzFym7Ep47eoZuZs_6wd5lc4L0_sWp66lMmD7Olw

Change

progstenLeave a comment

It’s that time of year again when school is coming to a close. For some, this is something to celebrate as summer is just around the corner with no school work weighing them down, no test to spend all night studying, and more time to focus on all the hobbies they have been missing out on.

For those people feeling this way, the change is small.

Some, however, are starting to feel a new kind of weight befall them as the days slowly start to count down. As each lunchtime passes and each period goes by, the looming sense of an end to an era is starting to form around their minds. Some parts of them wish that they could spend just a few more moments in this fleeting time of their lives surrounded by friends and memories, while the other part is ready to move on. As time continues, these two parts pull on each other, causing more and more emotions to come forth as time passes.

For these people, the change is big.

There is no cure for change, but without change, there is no growth; without growth, there is no future. Change isn’t something to be stopped because it’s what makes you, and one day, you will return to those places of your past and appreciate all that’s brought you change.

but I still remember.

urmom8beanLeave a comment

I still remember our car rides and all the songs we’d sing. I still remember our ice cream trips. I remember our spot and walks on the beach. I still remember our humor and how angry it would make Mom. I still remember our basketball practices, and you coming to every game. I still remember looking for you at church and running up to you to give you peace when you came. I also remember the brunches and donuts we would have after. I still remember you showing off your bike pictures, and the videos of you calling out my uncle at the top of the mountain. I still remember going to my tias house and how much they loved seeing you. I still remember how happy you made everyone when we went to Mexico. I remember how happy you made anyone you met. I still remember how much you cared and how heavily you loved. I still remember how much you ate and how much you loved it. I still remember how nervous you’d get when we’d go swimming, and how you wouldn’t let me go in the deep end in case anything happened. I still remember how you couldn’t swim. I still remember teaching you, and even when you were scared you still cracked jokes. I still remember your stories of ovs at night. I still remember your voice, I have all your voice messages saved. I still listen to them. I still cry every time. I still remember your smile and your laugh.

I still remember you. te amo

tu hija

Story pin image
PC: me

it’s been a while

urmom8beanLeave a comment

It’s been a while since it happened, and it still doesn’t feel real.

I still feel like I can pick up the phone and call you and you’ll answer. I still think you’re sitting in that room. I still think you’re going to send me a voice message asking how I am. I still think I’ll see you at graduation, that somehow you’ll magically get better and surprise me by sneaking in and sitting in the audience. I guess the end of the year is keeping me distracted. I have so much to do, to think about that I don’t really have time to think about anything else. It’s rarely silent in my mind. Which is what feeds into the delusion that you’re still here. The silence is what truly is the death of me. Nothing to think about just you. That’s why I try and go out, and focus on other things. The condolence letters have slowed down a lot, but your celebration of life is coming up. People are starting to forget, I don’t think I can or ever will. Summer is coming and I’m still not sure where I’m going to college. Everything is ending and It’s scary. I wish you were here, I wish we had one more car ride, one more hug. It’s been a while and I miss you every day a little more. Te amo.

tu hija

Time Passing - Astro Cruise by BenHeine ...
PC: https://www.deviantart.com/benheine/art/Time-Passing-Astro-Cruise-956142765

Is beauty only skin deep

purcyLeave a comment

I always think about that one episode of Girl Meets World where Farkle and Smackle debate about whether Beauty is only skin deep.  I always thought that that was inspirational, but I think about the way that I feel naked without my nails on or my eyelashes. I think about the way that other people will perceive me if my outfit isn’t good enough. I feel like my personality is uglier if my hair is messy.  What is outside of my body seeps in through my skin and affects my soul. It affects the way that I project myself. I speak differently if I’m wearing a dress, than if I’m wearing sweatpants. I make different decisions if I’m wearing mascara rather than fake lashes. Smackle won the argument by saying that beauty is only skin deep but I believe that if I looked different I would be a fully different person. We act according to how we have been treated our entire lives and we are treated based on our looks because that is the first thing that people notice about us.

AP test

kittenqueen3Leave a comment

Recently we have been preparing for the AP test in AP World History. This is so scary to me because I am not a good test taker and I do not like having a time limit. Time limits stress me out and I rush through my work resulting in my work not being the best it can be. Which in turn disappoints me. Last year during my history class final I put a sticky note over the time limit. This is the first time I have had to take a cumulative test in high school. To be so honest I barely remember what we learned back in August so the fact all that information will be in one test is so intimidating. There is a few sections to the test but the most scary for me is the multiple choice. I am always stuck between two answers and whenever I realize it’s been the same letter a few times I get very weary. I always feel like there is no way the answer is C three times in a row. The test is may 15th so wish me luck and next year I will write about my experience and my score.

PC:”Pencil and test paper“/ CC0 1.0