Taming of the Shrew -- GO READ IT.

September 20th, 2013

When someone mentions the word "Shakespeare", many of us groan inwardly and think, "Please, please, please, don't make us read Shakespeare. Please." I have pretty much felt apathetic about Shakespeare for as long as I can remember, but I have friends who hate Shakespeare's writing so much they openly rant about how bad it is whenever they have the chance.

But, this year, we read Taming of the Shrew, which is possibly the most hilarious book I have ever read by Shakespeare. Reading it completely changed my view of Shakespeare--maybe this guy DID have a sense of humor, after all. xD While the title sounds all dreary and evil, the book itself is full of hidden jokes and naughty, conspiring characters. I loved reading it, and now we're watching the movie. So, so funny. Some things I don't understand, for those of you who watched the movie: why can't Bianca stop laughing? And when Katharina is chasing her with a sword, why doesn't she run out of the house and call for help instead of running into a corner and screaming her head off?

Anyways, all you Shakespeare haters, go read Taming of the Shrew. You'll love it. :)

Columbia SHP next week...YAY!

September 17th, 2013

As I am buried under homework, I'll make this post brief. I apologize once again to those who actually read my blog--I know I haven't been posting regularly lately, and I will do my best to do so. As of right now, I have a bunch of homework to do, as well as projects to complete.

That's basically been my entire first week of school, and a welcome diversion is the Columbia SHP (next week, thank god). I'm hoping its going to be fun--I mean, learning about science is always fun! (haha, until the fateful moment when you realize you actually don't understand any of the stuff you just read. And then you have to go back and decipher it.) But I love science, and it's always been my best subject.

I'll try to post again soon :D

The First Day of School

September 9th, 2013

The first day of school: chaotic and exciting. Everyone's wearing their best clothes, and new sneakers gleam white in the hallways. Everyone feels older, but I feel ancient.

This summer seems to have been one of the shortest I have ever experienced; it was only two months, and it wasn't even very hot. Coming back to school after a not-very-relaxing summer wasn't exactly fun. However, the new classes, as well as reunions with friends, was something to look forward to.

It's only been the first day of school, but it already feels like the last. Everyone's drowsy and tired, and we had a party during lunch, exactly like the last day of school last year. The only difference is the freshmen, who definitely bring some new characteristics to our school. :)

Summer--way too short.



August 27th, 2013

If only summer was twice as long. I feel like this summer, I basically haven't relaxed at all--it was all just worrying for school, testing for precalc, etc. etc. The one vacation I went on wasn't relaxing at all. I had to teach kids in Beijing English, and I have to say, I have a new respect for teachers. Coming up with lesson plans and powerpoints isn't easy (it's also ten times harder when the hotel you're staying in has no wifi). It takes a lot of work to calm down a rowdy class, too.

But, teaching those kids was one of the best experiences I've ever had. I got to learn about my students and about the Chinese school system. (My students were actually a lot better at English than I expected them to be. Their grammar is even better than the grammar of some of the people who post on twitter or Facebook.) However, some words of advice: when in Beijing, make sure to avoid the poop on the ground. It's literally everywhere. Well, maybe it was just the place I stayed...

Basically, my vacation to China was not really a vacation. I think during all vacations, we have to plan, to work, to stress out in some way. I've never gone on a stress free vacation.

I wish summer would just last a little bit longer--and I'm sure I'm echoing the thoughts of about a million kids right now. Once back in school, it's all about looking forward to a two day weekend again. Last year was a disaster. Hurricane Sandy, WHY!? Just because of that one storm with the really bad attitude, we had no holiday breaks from school the entire second half of the year. Sleeping was the single activity most of the people in my class looked forward too. (other than eating, of course :D)

For those of you who follow this blog, sorry I haven't been posting regularly. I'll post again as soon as possible. Adios for now :)

What's the best kind of pet?

July 17th, 2013

Sorry I haven't posted in a while; I've been really busy.

Well.

Even though I can't get a pet (well, I have goldfish but they don't really count), I think a lot about the kind of pet I would get if I was allowed to have something other than goldfish. A dog? Cat? Ilama? Unicorn?

When I was little, I used to bug my parents all the time about getting me a dog. They seemed so cute, with their fuzzy coats and yippy barks. I read a bunch of kid stories where a girl would want a puppy, and for Christmas, lo and behold, THERE WAS A PUPPY UNDER THE TREE. I didn't realize until late primary school that the girl was just really spoiled, and in real life parents just make up reasons about how pets are "not allowed in this house!"

Then, recently, I started seeing that dogs aren't all that great. I mean sure, they're smart, they can learn tricks, and they're "man's best friend". But I've seen many dogs that bark incessantly, jump all over you, slobber way too much, claw at your legs, etc. Essentially, dogs are really time consuming creatures. You have to train them, placate them, take them outside to walk, etc... Every day I see my neighbor (with bedhead hair and dark bags under her eyes and a big mug of coffee) take her dog for a walk at 7:00 in the morning. In the winter. I know for a fact I would die of exhaustion.

So I thought, cats are great. It doesn't matter how fat they are...actually, the fatter/fluffier, the cuter. They don't have to be walked. They let you pet them. They don't bark their heads off. They purr, rub against your legs, and are generally not a nuisance. (Generally.) So now, if I do get a pet, I'll most likely get a cat. (If any of you have something against cats, please reply to this post. Please.)

I've also considered turtles (so tiny!) until I realized that most turtles aren't tiny. The ones under 4 inches are banned due to salmonella concerns, and the larger ones are frankly not very appealing.

Hamsters, chinchillas, gerbils--basically, you take care of them, and what do you get in return? A stinky cage, an animal sleeping ALL THE TIME, and almost no interaction with the pet. It may just be my misconception, but this is what I think...correct me if I'm wrong. Besides, if Fluffy escapes the cage you'll have a dandy, horrifying time looking for him. Fun!

So tell me--if anyone has experience with pets, what's the best kind of pet to get?

Blue Dragon (Glaucus atlanticus) AS A PET? No.

 

June 14th, 2013


Recently, while browsing the web, I came across numerous images of Glaucus atlanticus both on scientific forums and photo sharing sites. This animal is more commonly known as the Blue Dragon. Blue Dragons are rare, and are a type of sea slug (which is a mollusk). They float on top of water using the water's surface tension, and utilize an air sac on their ventral (otherwise known as the belly) side, so it floats upside down. Their pattered blue coloration provides protection from all sides.

 

Personally, I thought the Blue Dragon was absolutely gorgeous. I mean, look at this little guy. It looks like he has teeny blue wings!

So, the first thing I did was research some more. Sadly, I was disappointed.

Apparently, the Blue Dragon eats Portuguese Man o' Wars, a species of Cnidaria (the phylum that includes jellyfish) that look like jellyfish but are actually a colony of specialized organisms that really can't survive with each other. Anyways, the Man o' War is really, really poisonous. The Blue Dragon can eat the Man o' War because it has stronger poison. Where does it get the poison from? When it eats Man o' War, it separates out all the strongest poisons and stores them in special sacs in their body. So.

My ultimate conclusion: Blue Dragons should not be pets...sadly. Unless if you want to go find Man o' Wars every day to feed your little tiny cute deadly evil Blue Dragon.
I really don't think it's worth being stung by a Blue Dragon just so you can keep one as a pet.
I really don't know how the guy in the picture has the courage to hold the animal with his bare hands.

Poor Fish :'(

May 22nd, 2013

Hi everyone, so I haven't posted in a while...sorry. But:

About three years ago, my sister went to this little kids' swim meet where the winner of each heat would get a fish. My sister was really fast back then...so she got 4 fish. Well actually, she got three, but for the last one she got second place and cried, so the fish-hander-outter gave her another fish xD

These were all feeder fish, and two were of a different kind (smaller). At the time, I thought they were just some cheap, ugly fish which would die in a couple days. Needless to say, I was proven wrong...they're probably some of the prettiest fish I've seen. Much prettier than those fish that cost forty dollars. The two bigger fish in particular are gorgeous. They've grown to the size of maybe...five inches? They were an inch when I first saw them. But now, they have these long streaming translucent tails and fins, and they have splashes of golden orange along the ridge of their back and sides. They're so pretty :')

But, today I was doing my homework, and the door to my bedroom was closed because the AC was on and I didn't really want the cold air to escape from my room. My room's on the second floor, and it's always really hot in the summer since all the heat rises...ugh. But I was homeworking, when I vaguely heard someone screaming my name. I thought I was hallucinating, because no one screams my name unless if they want to yell at me, and I hadn't done anything that bad that I couldremember...so I kept working. After about five seconds, distinctly clearer: "VIVIANNNNNN!!! VIVIANNNNN!?!?!?!? COME DOWN RIGHT NOW!!!" So I thought, "Okay, fine. I must be in trouble for some random thing that I forgot about." I trudged downstairs.

When I get there, I find my mom simultaneously screaming my name while shouting into a phone to my dad (who was at NYC working) about something with a fish. Then, I made out, "IT JUST LEAPED OUT!" Connecting the dots, I realized that there were only 3 fish in the tank. One of the bigger fish was gone. So, our conversation from then on:

Me: "MOM DID YOU SERIOUSLY THROW THE FISH AWAY!?"

Mom: "NOnonoooo it jumped out!"

Me: "I know it jumped out...WHERE IS IT?"

Mom: "Look under the table."

I looked under the table and saw the poor fish lying on its side, barely moving and covered in dust. I grabbed it and plopped it in the fish tank. For a second, I thought it was dead, but it started swimming again. Last I saw of it, it was fine. Well, it's swimming on its side. At least it's alive. xD But after:

Me: "How long was it there?"

Mom: "Ten minutes!"

Me: ". . . ."

Mom: "What?"

Me: "So you didn't pick it up?"

Mom: *evades question* "What do you want to have for dinner tonight?"

And I thought I was easily grossed out... xD