Friday, June 12, 2015

Reflection ii, Final...

Apologies for the late update. I have already finished my final draft of my short story, Homeland: The Flames of the Neglected, so I might as well reflect on my Twenty Percent Project. In the beginning, I chose this project as a driving force for me to finish this story that I had in my mind for quite some time. And, because of that, I am grateful to my past self for doing that, for now I learned much more than just improving my writing skills. For one, I learned how to type without looking at the keyboard, and two, you have to make time for yourself to do the things that you love and are passionate about. As I was planning and writing this story, I thought to myself, "How will my friends or other people will react to this story?" and that was the drive that allowed me to continue forward. For my classmates, friends, and future students who will somehow find this post: do what you love the most. Thank you for this great year.

And last, but not least...

Homeland: Flames of the Neglected is ready for public view. One story down, many more to go!

Elora the Tactician signing out. 

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Reflections 13-15

Okay, so for the past few weeks, Mickey and I have been working on creating a website for our 20% Time project. I had not written reflections 13 and 14 until now because we had been working on this website (the only foods we've made have been simple green smoothies and the brownies we make all the time). In Web Design, the final project was to make a website with at least 11 pages, so we used this opportunity to create something to talk about the Paleo Diet and some of our favorite recipes. We included a separate page for each recipe, which were our almond flour brownies, scrambled eggs, and coconut four waffles, just to name a few. It was fun to make this website because it combined what we learned about web design with what we taught ourselves in Humanities. We will try to find a way to show our website during our final presentation.

Reflection XV

Sorry for the late reflection, I forgot we needed one for last weekend. Anyway I have taken a break in learning new stuff so I can go and program the text adventure game I plan to use for my final project to display some of the stuff that I have learned. However, the game is entirely HTML because I was not going to have to time to learn anything else in time to get this project done. So, no JavaScript. Only HTML. That is all for this last reflection.

Reflection 13

On week 13 I put all of my supplies together. I had continued knitting with the same color and teaching my little cousin what I can already learned so I didn't have much stuff left. I still had my big blue yarn because she bought her own. I also put my pancho away. I decided to bring it into class instead of posting pictures to give a demonstration of what I had learned. Well 14 I starting making my presentation.

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Reflection 15

This is the last reflection for my 20% time project. I've been working for a pretty long time on this project. I'm glad to say that I've accomplished 1 of my goals. I am decent at juggling now, not great or bad. Just decent. For my presentation I decided doing a video would be so much more stress free than juggling live. I would probably mess up 1000 times in front of everyone. Also the average juggler can do it for about 20-30 seconds. So I will just see how many cascades I can catch in 30 seconds since I' not great at going continuously. I would say the biggest help to me this week was this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Acuaa8wFDsg

This video showed me wall juggling, which trains your muscles the exact movements of juggling in air. It was great and helped me a lot. This project was an interesting one and I'm glad I did it but also happy it's over.

Reflection 15

Hello all. This week Phoebe and I have gone a different route. Since its the last week of the marking period instead of making something we've decided to make our own website. This website consists of all the foods we've made and blogs underneath them. This was originally a project for another class so we decided to combine the two aspect into one. I have to admit creating this website was really tedious. I took a lot of planning but in the end it was worth it. I think the most difficult part is making sure you are organized. When creating a website if you miss one step the entire thing can become messed up. It was fun combining our cooking skills and website making into one thing. We will show you the website in out presentation!

2nd Semester Reflection 15

This week I just spent working on my presentation and practicing. It's coming along nicely. I can't wait to present! This is seriously my last blog of the year, so it's been great. This project has really shown me that I can achieve anything I set my mind to, and for that, I am very thankful. Signing off (for real, this time). Thanks for reading!

Monday, June 8, 2015

Reflection 15

This Thursday, I am to present this 20% Project that I have spent the last several weeks working on. Moving towards said presentation, I have some concerns; chief among them is the fact that my laptop does not have the RGB port that the classroom projector requires. Without my laptop, I cannot access my story on the browser-instance-specific Twine application. Some of my presentation was based around that game, and it will be less engaging for the audience. However, I can work the presentation without it; as it is too late for minor tweaking within the PowerPoint, I'll have to rely on my... presentation skills... alone (*bursts out laughing*). I'm not looking forward to this presentation by any means and I feel that I lack any tangible evidence to support my learning of JavaScript (because some program forgot to mention that Java doesn't have a built-in user interaction feature). In any case, it's too late to turn back now. Wish me luck orange "Publish" button in Blogger's top right corner... wish me luck.

Reflection 12

Week 12 I thought and thought of what to do with the blanket I bought and I came up with a wacky idea but it worked! I made it into a poncho. Sounds awful, I know but it came out super cute. All I did was cut it into a square and cut out a hold for my head. The only thing I needed a lot of help with was  tailoring it. The straight lines were much easier than the circle for the head. Although you have to be more precise with a straight line, it was hard getting the fabric to turn on the machine. I will bring this in for my presentation.

Reflection 11

Week 11, I visited a thrift store to find some cool stuff I can add on to. Thrift stores are easy because the clothes are super cheap so if I ruin them it's okay. I bought a really long dress to hem. I also saw a blanket that had a really cool pattern on it. I started of the dress first and hemmed it to about my knees but it came out really crocked and uneven. So I asked my friends mom for help and cut it down a little shorter and it came out really good because we got the same thread color. It came out a little short because I had to fix it but it looks really nice. I still have not worn it.

Sunday, June 7, 2015

Reflection XV: The One With a Final Set

Greetings, earthlings. 

Only thing new is that I have been inspired. I've done some research on intuitive eating and it really seems like something I could do. For those of you that I have no idea what I'm talking about: https://www.intuitiveeating.com/content/what-intuitive-eating

As you may know, this will be my last reflection. I have very much enjoyed working on my 20% project this semester. Makes me glad I decided to change my focus three weeks in. I plan to continue my workouts throughout the summer, and hopefully throughout my life. I could go on about how much this project has changed my view of myself and of the world, but I'm sure no one cares. I've been at this for fifteen weeks, so here are my measurements as of today:
height - 5 ft. 6 in.
weight - 118.4 lbs
chest - 34 in.
waist - 25.5 in.
hip - 31 in.
thigh - 19 in.
calf - 12.5 in.
arm - 10.5 in.
neck - 13 in.
*all measurements taken at largest point of specified body part

And here are my pictures this week:




Previous pictures for comparisons (remember that this is technically my twelfth week because I started three weeks into this project):
Week 1 pictures - http://twentypercent15.blogspot.com/2015/03/reflection-iii.html 
Week 5 pictures - http://twentypercent15.blogspot.com/2015/04/reflection-viii-one-with-pictures.html 

You may have noticed some changes; I certainly have.

As for my 20% presentation, it is finished. I'll be adding my pictures after I post this last reflection, and I will then be ready to present on Monday.

Farewell, lovelies. It's been a wild ride.

Reflection 15

This week, I finished learning all the Hindi alphabets. I prepared for my presentation tomorrow. I will be talking about my inspiration and what I learned throughout the whole process of learning Hindi. I will also talk about some of the challenges I faced during the process and how it was different than my previous twenty percent project, which was learning Kannada. This is the last reflection and I want to say that I enjoyed learning something that I always wanted. I wish to continue learning more in the future.

Reflection 15: Revenge of the Reflection

Well... that's it, huh?

Song is done, and I've presented it. So what have I learned?

For one thing, I am a horrible presenter, but that is besides the point.

Learning the FL Studio program was an interesting process. Throughout it, I was worried that I would eventually become frustrated, that I would just give up in the middle and say that I can't do it. But it didn't happen. I kept my cool. I didn't even try to keep my cool while working on this project.

I suppose that doing what I enjoy leads me to less likely become upset about it if things don't go my way. I'm usually prone to getting flustered and confused whenever I do any project of the sort. I got especially frustrated when I did practiced the piano when I was younger, even so when I was in middle school. So... what was different?

Some mental conditioning was one thing that kept me focused and more mentally stable. Although it was a long process, creating the song didn't feel tedious. If anything, I enjoyed experimenting with the noise, seeing what would sound the best.

I now notice that i'm talking more about the mental challenges of the project than the project itself, so let's move on to that instead.

The song's reception was mixed to positive, at least form what I've gathered. I know that the quality of the song isn't the most important aspect of the project, but I was pleasantly surprised to see how well the song was received from my peers, especially it being my first song. The changes I had to make in the process didn't hinder progress that much, considering that this was purely experimental. The keyboard couldn't be used be used because of half-second delays, and the length had to be doubled because it felt incredibly short in hindsight.

I certainly want to create more music over the summer, hopefully up exponentially better quality than my first song. That's the point, right? Improvement.

This will be the final blog post from me, Alex, A.K.A The Smorski.

If anyone reading this is interested in listening to the song, here is a Soundcloud link to it.

https://soundcloud.com/the-smorski/humanities

Alex, out.

Saturday, June 6, 2015

Reflection 15

So for my final reflection of the semester, I'm happy to say that I finished my presentation and with that, I have completed my 20% project. I am proud to say that I am walking away from this project with more useful skills than perhaps my last 20% project, but I still happy with what I learned from both projects. I really enjoyed 20% time, since it gave me the space and freedom to explore certain passions of mine that I wanted to pursue for quite a while. Also, since I've gotten a start in both of these areas, I can go on to college and really put them into use and get even better.

Friday, June 5, 2015

reflection 15

Throughout the week I sent it on a self evaluation and see what I did wrong with my project. I learned that I spent too much time learning rather than doing. Also I have to consider that I dove into this project with no knowledge or experience of code or app making. So this was a week that I just freshened up my PowerPoint and game to present for class on Tuesday.

Reflection 14

The due date for the project is coming closer and my game isn't coming out the way that I intended it to be. There are multiple flaws and errors that can be fixed with time and my dream of an application unfortunately died. It died because it costs about 200.00 to submit a game on the App Store I thought with the software I used there was a loophole into submitting the app but unfortunately there is not. Hopefully in the following week I rap up my app and implement everything that I learned so that it can be presentable on my presentation day.

Thursday, June 4, 2015

Reflection 15

I started to get my presentation in order this class period, and I took notes so I know what I want to talk about when I present. I think I'm ready to talk about what I learned and what I did. I'm going to do a PP presentation about the background of yoga, modern yoga, and the benefits. All throughout I will talk about what I did, and how it affected me. 
I think I didn't learn as much as I wanted to, but it's something I'll be continuing so I'm not very worried as to what I got out of it now. I definitely have an understanding as to what is desired from doing yoga, and how it came to be. All I need to get caught up on is doing yoga, and learning the asanas. 

Reflection #14

       This week was really busy, and I honestly didn't accomplish anything. The week was consumed with prom planning, prom, and the like. Even still, I could have made time to draw, so this is mainly just laziness. I really only draw when I feel like it, which definitely isn't the best way to accomplish something. That's how I did the first semester 20% project, too. Time management has always been the biggest issue for me with this project. I think because it's a long term project without one distinct goal, I find myself completing it at my leisure. I really need to remember that even though there aren't any specific milestones I have to reach, I should still be making consistent progress. After all, this is a school project and I don't have a lifetime to showcase my work. Later on in life I will, but as of right now, I need to be looking towards that final due date, not viewing it as something that I can just do whenever the mood strikes me.

Reflection 14

Last week, there wasn't much progress made in terms of my 20% project, but that was out of my own pure laziness. The most I did last week was set up the look and basic outline of my presentation, since its due date is coming up soon. Later, I planned on filling in the information when I felt like I was up to the task. Another thing that I will attribute the lack of progress to is prom, since it was on Friday and it took up more of my attention than anything. Therefore, any progress would have to be done after prom weekend, when all the partying is out of my system and I can finally focus on work again. However, I am excited to create my presentation because I'm glad to be ending the year off with a positive outcome on 20% project.

Reflection 10

I started running into some trouble week 10 of my twenty percent time project. I realized something in myself I guess I was having a hard time coming to grip with before, I cannot come up with solid ideas and go through with them. Its almost as though I think of a beginning and I think of an end but I cant think of the middle plan to get me there. I was really hard getting over that because I really just felt like recruiting a bunch of people to follow my directions as I tell them what to do (haha). Instead however, I sat with my mom and thought of a reasonable game plan for what I wanted to create. I came up with a bunch of doable ideas. First I decided on making shorts, from already made jeans or a pair of really cute pants, but I couldn't decide on an easy shirt design right away. My mom suggested I make a simple crop top or tube top to practice before making any crazy moves.

Reflection 12 & 13 It is time

I spent the last two 20% Time(s) searching for all of my images for my presentation. I had to edit a few images for the presentation background so thats cool too. There isn't much to say, I'm pretty much finally done!

Weekly Journal 15

         Oopsies. For some reason I thought that Journal 14 was the final one.
This week for twenty percent time I am finalizing my presentation. Being that I present on Monday, I need to be as ready as I can be as possible. With that being said, I am going to practice and rehearse as much as I can over the weekend. Due to the SAT's on Saturday, my instructor and I have had to make other arrangements and hopefully it will all work out. I am very nervous.
I am still unsure of whether or not I should bring my guitar in to class or make a video/audio. Reason being because I have a soft case for my guitar and my bus is always packed and I would hate for it to get destroyed. I will have to see.
I hope that by the end of this weekend, I will finally get the hang of playing the song. If only I had rhythm... oh well! One must make do and I will try my best.
Can't wait!

Reflection 16

I may have failed at doing my overall goal for the end of this project, but I didn't fail at finishing the project presentation! I'm pretty much done already. I feel like at this point I'm just going to make it prettier and more enjoyable to watch and view and such. Thanks for sticking with me throughout this journey!! So long and farewell!

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Reflection 14: Tardiness Breeds Tardiness, Apparently

This past week, my schedule was packed with projects, tests, assignments, and unavoidable personal events that I could not have predicted; as such, I did not have much time to work on my 20% Project. All the same, I did continue writing it and even went back to the course after I figured out how to debug the old "Rock-Paper-Scissors" game I coded and finally get it working (I had not realized that I  was required to define a certain variable, as I had not realized it was a user-created variable and not a default command). However, while conducting research online, I found something that I probably should have researched sooner but that--in all fairness--the program I used neglected to tell me: JavaScript has no pre-existing user interface. The only way to get it to interact efficiently with users or (and this is where the trouble arises) to get it to display text on the screen. While it is theoretically possible to create such an interface in JavaScript, doing so is beyond me as the only "display-text" command I have been taught only shows the text in the console, which is not accessible by a user when playing. As such, coding the game and playing it with the script of code during the presentation will be impossible. I don't want to make all the time I spent writing the game to be useless; as such, I plan on taking people through the Twine-script and explain which command is assigned to which action in the game (explaining such things as using random number generators and variables to create a character's "statistics" or items).
This week, I began working on the presentation and will have it finished by Friday; I also began editing the game's text and will have it all but completed by Friday as well. Until then, until then.

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Weekly Journal 14

         This is my last twenty percent time journal. I am genuinely a little sad just because the entire idea of twenty percent time gave me a chance and the motivation to step out of my comfort zone and learn something new. This past week on twenty percent time I began preparing my presentation. I plan to show the little that I am now able to do on Monday when it is my turn to present in front of the class. I can now tune a guitar using an app as aid, and I am able to maintain rhythm for a little bit (30 seconds or so which is a big deal for me) while playing about 3 chords. I will not be presenting the entire song. Only the beginning because to be honest, that's as far as I went. Of course I touched on the rest of the song and have played through it, but I do not feel confident enough yet to perform the entire song in front of everyone knowing that it is not even relatively decent.
Okay, so I have no rhythm. I've learned that and have accepted that. However, just because twenty percent time is over, does not mean that I will not continue learning how to play the guitar. In fact, having no rhythm is what is motivating me to step out of my comfort zone, believe in myself, and try to push through this difficult task.
With the little time that I have left, I plan to give it my all and prepare a good presentation for Monday.
See you all then!

Reflection 14

This is the last reflection ever! Now I won't have a way to show my progress which probably won't help. However, fitness is going really well right now. I've become super organized and created time for exercise even though there is a lot of pressure at school. I usually take my dog on a walk around 5:30 am when I wake up for about half a mile. It's good exercise and I like doing it in the morning when it's cool. Also, I am eating healthier and creating balanced meals has become an easier task. I don't make it to the gym everyday but when I do, I really put work in and it makes me feel great. This way I'm getting a break from school and still being productive. I never imagined myself being able to do all this before. As for my final presentation, I am done with the power point completely. I think it turned out nicely and will be a good aid for presenting. However, I still need to practice actually presenting. I get really very stressed before any presentation, but I feel a little confident in this one. As long as I'm prepared, I should do well! 

Reflection #13

This weekend I decided to put my skills to use. I wanted to make a dish that I could bring to Phoebes birhtday party. Since I know that she enforces strict paleo guideline I decided to get a recipe from paleogrubs.com and make something for her. I decided to make a blueberry lemon cake. I must admit, I made this entire thing by msyelf, however, it didnt come out as well as i hoped it would.

Ingredients:
2/3 cup coconut flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
Pinch of salt
5 eggs
1/3 cup almond milk
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
6 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp lemon zest
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
3/4 cup coconut cream, chilled
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tbsp honey
Dash of vanilla

The most difficult part about baking this cake was making the frosting. It was difficult to make it the right texture and weight. In addition, i had trouble with baking the batter to perfection. Overall, i was excited that i finally baked on my own. I made mistakes that i wont next time i attempt to do this. Anyways that's the point of learning. 

Reflection #14

The end of senior year is hectic. This weekend I wasn't able to work on my project because I had prom on Friday and then I went to Wild wood for the entire weekend. This weekend, however, it is forecasted that it will rain for the most part, therefore, I will use this time to work on my project and make a meal.    

Reflection 14

This week I got to do more yoga than usual and it was a pretty good experience. I think once you look past some of the difficult poses, it's actually enjoyable, and afterwards you feel more relaxed rather than during.
I had some free time in fitness today and I did yoga. I was feeling pretty tired earlier, but after fitness I felt pretty energized and happier. It's nice to see the positive effects, and I think it's encouraging. Overall, I'm satisfied with the experience and can't wait to share it with others.
Although, I don't have any poses memorized perfectly, I usually just follow the videos and do whatever I remember afterwards peacefully. I'm going to try to get some down pretty well to maybe demonstrate or explain at least, because I don't think I'd be comfortable doing yoga in front of people.

Reflection XIV

So this week for 20% time, I am basically just doing random things at this point writing random code with HTML and JavaScript and for the presentation I will just display the different things because it is all compatible. I am not really sure what my goal was anymore because I sort of threw it out the window when I stopped using Khan Academy. Anyway I had a lot of fun and I do indeed plan to continue doing this on my free time.

Reflection

This week, I returned back to the gym. It felt weird transitioning back into the gym atmosphere, mostly because different environments are always different. After a while of home exercising and running, I got accustomed to the outside environment. I find that I focus better outside than on a treadmill, even though I cannot control my speed as quantitatively. However, instead I actually run faster with the fresh air and the scenery around me. Despite that, I do indeed miss the routine of the gym. For weight and strength training, it is much easier and simpler to use the gym's equipment. With newly found research on Melissa Bender's fitness website. I can look for high cardio intensity workouts that also build strength and tone. For the weekend, my new gym body was put to use as I went to the beach! I found myself much more comfortable with my body than before. Although physical results might not be as obvious, I can still tell myself.

Monday, June 1, 2015

Reflection XIV: The One With Cat Freaking Out Because Finals Are Approaching

Apologies, but I am going to have to delay my pictures another week. My camera battery is dead and I can't seem to find my charger. Anyway, here are some updates:

  • I have been noticing changes in a few more areas. As I mentioned, my stomach is a bit flatter and I'm kinda getting a butt. Other than that, my collarbones and hip bones are much more noticeable now and I've been obtaining some indents in a few places. Also, my calves are returning.
  • I have gotten a bit lazy with my cardio recently, but I am still getting at least one HIIT in everyday.
    • I've also been finding myself doing extra calf raises and squats (and sometimes crunches) everyday. Idk, I am just loving the benefits.
  • Still haven't found avocado ice cream.
  • I have been loving my body recently.
Other than all this, I've been preparing my presentation. I'm presenting on the first day (June 8), so I'm a bit nervous. My presentation will be similar to that of my midterm-- I've created a PPT and I just stuck all my pictures, goals, etc. in it. It's nowhere near done yet because I've been overwhelmed with tests and projects and I even have my geo/trig final this week. Haha, yeah. My death has arrived. Wish me luck.

2nd Semester Reflection 14

This week I made edamame, grilled chicken with cucumber - and - tomato salad, and nutella drop cookies.  The edamame was far too spicy for my tastes - my nose and tongue were burning for hours! The grilled chicken was light, fresh, and delicious; I can easily envision myself eating the dish in the future. The nutella drop cookies were very easy to make but still were excellent. I'm very happy with the way this project has worked out - I've learned a lot and have made culinary progress. While I am still a long way off, I've given myself a great base with which to work. I will spend the last few days preparing my 20% project, I'm not too far from finishing. Signing off of the blog for senior year - wow, what a weird thing to say. It's been great. So long!

Sunday, May 31, 2015

Reflection 14

As most people have said, the end of the year has been a bit hectic when dealing with school works and projects. Along with a bunch of preparations for a wedding and sweet sixteen i'm in, I haven't had any time at all to exercise. I've also been letting too many things slide with my diet. Over the summer I will definitely get back to this, but overall I think I am done with this project for the year. I've managed to complete about 95% of my final presentation, and hopefully I will start going over it this week if I am not swamped with studying.

Reflection 14

I have to be honest with you. I may have believed I learned plenty, but to the general public, you may not believe so. I'm a little short of learning half of the song, and the presentation is due Friday. This is really stressful. Got a lot of things to do this week. How will I get guitar in at all? The video portion of my presentation I am trying to create is quite awful, I'll tell you that much. I'm trying really hard how to transition smoothly between the riff and the Em7 chord, then to the regular G chord. I've lost all hope in guitar. I may not ever want to touch it again after this experience. If I ever have leisure time in the future, I might pick it up as a hobby, but integrating an activity to an already stressful schedule, it is not worth the extra breakdowns. Forgive me, but I will do the best I can to learn the full song, present that among the other lessons I have learned, and hope to God I will not be judged harshly. I tried.

Reflection 14

This week I was really overwhelmed with the amount of tests and projects I had. Since school is ending soon, teachers are giving a lot of homework so it's been really stressful lately. While exercise is a stress reliever, I can barely make time for it right now. I guess that's something I need to work on. On the other hand, I got a great amount of work done for the final presentation. I made an outline of the past few months, and then started working on the powerpoint. Other than some adjustments, it is mostly done and I need to just practice presenting. I can get really nervous, so practice is always good. I'll try to be more organized this week so I can balance school work and working out. 

Reflection 14

This week I was able to fit in a lot of exercise.  I went to the gym 3 days during the week, but the days that I didn't go I was able to work out at home.  I went running and I lifted weights like usual. A few weeks ago my family opened our pool and this weekend it was ready to be used.  Swimming is a great way to do cardio and I plan on doing it a lot over the summer.  As the presentation for my project is coming up, I am looking back at my progress and comparing it to now.  During the next class period I hope to finish or almost complete my presentation.

Reflection ii, 14

As I finished writing the story, I am now in the editing process. As it was a short story, I quickly edited out the mistakes that were easy to notice. However, I need feedback from a new set of eyes to catch any plotholes and confusing sentences, as I am poor with grammar. The main problem is what I am going to do for the remaining time during class, as I do not want to trouble my fellow piers from finishing their work. Maybe I will rewrite the scenes that I fixed in my rough draft to make a second draft. That's the plan; keep editing until it's finished.

Tidbit of the week: One of the idea names for this story was "Sinful Emotions." Even I don't know what that means.

Reflection 14

The song is completed.

It's been a long while, but the song is done. I'm generally happy with the initial song. A couple changes were made from the original plan:

-Song is now about 2 and a half minutes instead of the intended one minute. This was because I felt that the song was a lot shorter than I had wanted, so I extended it.
-I ended up not using the keyboard for this project. The delay between the program registering the keys made it too awkward to be used effectively.

Besides that, I accomplished what I intended to create, an electronica piece. I probably will do some touching up of the song to see if I can make it sound a bit better, if I can. I won't be doing any heavy-handed work however, since presentations for 20% are around the corner. I had some people I know, including my band director and band-mates, look over the song to see what they thought of it, providing me with valuable insight on what to improve on. 

Overall, I am content with what I have created, and I'm more than willing to continue using FL Studio at a later date.

In the meantime, Alex out.

Reflection 14

This week has not been as productive as the weeks in the past. I have watched a few more videos for tips on how to do the around the world but I still have not been able to do it once. It gets a bit frustrating but I know soon I will be able to do it considering that I have recently improved a lot on my control of the ball when juggling, causing me to be able to juggle it 70 times(my new PR). I really have to start recording my skills and tricks as well considering I probably wont have much time later with all these end of the year projects and finals coming up. I will be sure to practice as much as I can this next week and hopefully do the around the world at least once even if I can not catch it on video I will feel somewhat accomplished. Hopefully, I can manage my time very wisely these next few weeks and perform the around the world.

Reflection 13&14

"Last"
“I couldn't possibly be as unproductive next week as I was this week.” I drew in three panels this week (one less than last week’s four). I wanted to get out of the rut for this week – that was the plan. I clearly didn’t accomplish that. I think I’m pretty much burned out for the drawing portion of this project. It’s safe to say that the drawing phase is over. I just can’t anymore. It feels too forced. I did like the story I created and how what I actually put on paper came out though. Even if it’s still pretty much in the beginning.




"Ow"
This week I drew in no panels - I'm preparing for the presentation. I was able to draw a total of 113 panels in the span of 4 months. That’s actually pretty good compared to my past rate. When I used to draw comic books they weren’t released consistently. I would draw all 44 panels in one day (that’s how much was in one comic) but then wouldn’t start in the next for about maybe two months. I didn’t really get that recuperation period with this project. So I drew 25 more panels than I would have if I followed my old ways. These were also high quality (I like to think) as compared to my old ones so there’s another plus. I’m a tiny bit disappointed I didn’t get farther in the story but I can’t say I didn’t see this coming. I just thought this time might be different.

Reflection 14

Although I feel like I have pretty much reached my goal of being able to curve the soccer ball (with my right foot at least) but I feel like I need more video recordings to showcase my learned skills. I planned on recording earlier today but the weather has grown pretty bad to go and shoot as not only is it windy but it is raining a bit and there is thunder. If worse comes to worse I will have to work with the videos I have but I am trying to avoid that. Unfortunately, time is getting hard to manage recently with me once again as I am receiving a bunch of assignments, but I'll see what I can get done. I'll try to go this week if possible to get film.

Reflection 14

This week, I reviewed the letters I have learned so far instead of learning more letters because I learned more than I needed to last week, so I wanted to make sure I knew what I had learned before moving on. Hopefully I will finish learning the alphabet by this week so I will have the weekend to practice the alphabets and maybe learn some words(not sure yet) and plan for my presentation.

reflection 14

As finals are approaching Ive been catching up on a lot of work and studying. I figured for my Etsy shop I can start putting my wife jewelry up for sale and the tie dye shirts I make. I'm still worrying about how the delivery works out and I have yet to figure it out. I hope its not too expensive because then I'll never break even. Im still making more pendants and tracking down enough string or thin rope to use as the necklace. I've learned so much making this jewelry, especially patience so I'm taking my time making each piece.

Reflection 12

I think that making a video is not what I set out to do with this project. I wanted to learn how to dance and do some choreography, but making a presentation like that is making me stressed out because it is a lot of work that I am not finding to be fulfilling, and it is making me feel disillusioned with this project. I can't believe my plan was to spend so long working on this video because that is not what I think I should be spending my last weeks doing. I enjoyed choreographing some of the dances, but teaching other people the dances and video editing is not something that I'm excited or passionate about, so I think it is a waste of my last few weeks of project time.

I've found that the specific genres of "ballet" or "modern" are keeping me from trying the types of dance that are more interesting, which are just choreographed dances that don't fit a specific label. That is what I spent last week learning to give myself a break from the video, and I ended up enjoying it more than what I was working on, so I think I will spend the rest of my time just learning for myself, and not for a presentation or a genre, because that it what I have found to be the most fulfilling.

Friday, May 29, 2015

Reflection 15

Okay so I've been working on the power point at this point. I've already decided what I'm going to say, now i'm left with doing a powerpoint. There isn't really much more to say other than that. I don't want to give anything for my presentation away sooooo yea! Be excited to hear of my failure!

Thursday, May 28, 2015

reflection 15

Presentations are in a week. I have no time to lose. During this in class time, I'm going to work on my drawings. For my final drawing, I have decided to draw a portrait of someone. I know it's going to look bad, but I also know it won't be terrible. After I finish my final drawing, I will start working on my presentation. I'm hoping I get all of this done before Thursday night so I don't stress too much before I have to present.

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Reflection XIII: The One With Absolutely Nothing New

Sorry for everything being late recently. Teachers are bombarding us with last minute projects and tests and much more to stress over. Pictures will be included in my next post.

So I tried the maple water. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great, so I won't be buying it ever again. I have yet to find avocado ice cream anywhere, but I am excited to try it. As for my workouts, not much is new. I haven't been going to the YMCA at all lately, but I have been swimming a lot.

Anyway, remember the protein powder brownies I mentioned a few weeks back? Yeah, I forgot about them too. I was recently reminded of the recipe and I want to try to make them this week. Here's the link: http://runeatrepeat.com/2013/04/04/protein-brownies-recipe/

Reflection XII: The One With Avocado Ice Cream

Update: I've been sticking to two HIITs a day, but haven't been going to the YMCA as much as I'd like to be. There's been too much going on in school recently.

I was creeping on this woman's blog (http://runeatrepeat.com/), and I came across a few cool discoveries. Among them:
  • Trader Joe's sells maple water???? I did not know this. I'll be going to get some this week- I'll keep y'all updated.
  • Avocado ice cream is a thing. Who would have thought? I am very curious and shall scavenge all ends of the earth to find it.
So now I have a few fun things to try this week. Everything regarding my workouts is pretty much the same; no new changes.

reflection 9


Using a sewing machine Was actually easier than knitting with the proper knowledge and care. I didn't dare get on the sewing machine yet but I went back the following Friday and asked Mrs. Jones if she could show me how to set up her sewing machine as if she were sewing for the first time on it. She explained to me the dial aka the stitch selection panel and the different stitch designs she could make. She also explained to me how to thread through the new sewing string and then there was the foot petal. The foot petal powers the machine and controls how fast it goes, which is crucial for a professional look. After that my mind was mostly refreshed and caught up to what I had seen years before when I had my own machine, however I still came home and researched a basic diagram of sewing machine parts.

reflection 8



On week 8 of my knitting experience I went over my boyfriends house to discus him suit for prom. After trying everything on, everyone in the house agreed his pants needed to be hemmed and his other just decided to do it right then and there. She pulled out her sewing machine and told me to come over and watch her. I had been familiar with sewing machines because I had one of my own years ago, and this one was just a different model. As I watched her do this, I decided to redirect my project. I let go of knitting for a little and started researching new sewing projects. I realized I had so many old jeans and closed I was no longer using and could test on. I researched ways to add or remove things to made an outfit better for example:

Reflection 14

I've begun work on my power point, which will be used along with my presentation. I'm going to talk about my plan, the history behind it, how far I got, and then what went wrong. It'll encompass everything I've learned and have I've grown through out this project. So far I know what I'm going to say, I just have to actually write out the presentation now. this experience has definitely been interesting. Sorry I couldn't do what I set out to do.

Reflection XI: The One With a Dramatic Change

I AM SO SORRY THIS IS LATE. I suck at time management and I've been preoccupied the past few weeks.

Anyway, I have kinda changed up my routine. I started going to the YMCA everyday after school, so that I can do my lifting there. Immediately after school is usually when I would do my cardio, so I now do that in the middle of the night when I can't sleep. Perks of having insomnia. :)

Pictures will be posted at the end of this week because I haven't had a chance to take them recently.

I have been at this for two months, and I am honestly so glad that I made this decision. Regular exercise has changed my life for the better. I'm seeing physical changes- just my abdomen and legs, for now- and I'm also feeling mental changes. Working out gives me this euphoric high that is making me a much happier and much more positive person.

Reflection 12 &13

These past few weeks I have been running and lifting.  I went down my shore house, where I have a bench press, and was able to lift weights.  It was one of the first times I ever lifted outside of school. This summer I will be using that bench press so it is good for me to start using it now.  Also when I was down the shore I went running.  It was nice because it was a change from my usual running route.  It was a shorter distance, but it is still enough to give me a good workout.  When I wasn't down the shore, I still went running and lifted during school. This is what I plan on doing for the next final weeks of this project.

Reflection XII & XIII

So week 12 for 20% time I really did not do any advancing, I sort of just played around with a program I already had created using Khan Academy. Besides that I really did not do anything interesting or of importance. At this point I had already decided that I do not want to use Khan anymore and that I am going to switch to using the text editor on my laptop and watching videos. This actually allows me to do whatever I want and gives me a lot more freedom to advance much faster. So that is really all I did in week 12.

Now, for week 13 I have achieved much more. I actually started watching videos on YouTube and began writing code using the text editor, notepad, on my laptop. So far all I did was use some HTML to actually make the website that pops up when you click on the file, and inside the HTML I used JavaScript to make an alert box that has absolutely no use other than to show how JavaScript is actually written inside HTML. Just from one of these videos I already know more than what I learned in several weeks from Khan Academy. So I would say that things are coming along quite well. The only HTML that I know is the basics to actually set up the website so I can learn JavaScript. So for now I will continue to look into JavaScript primarily and a little bit of HTML. In addition, this Friday when I write my Reflection XIV I will see if blogger allows me to add a file so I can show something I have done. That is all for this 20% time reflection.

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Reflection 13

I may have lost track of time this weekend! However, things have been going pretty well. Despite the heat, I've been running almost daily in the evening. I'm doing this for a running challenge that I'm doing with Tyler W. I think I'm slowly but surely building stamina. On top of this, I've been trying the fit tea but it really needs to be precisely taken so I have to be careful. Also my sister is home from college and we have been going to gym often and she's been showing me new workouts, which really help. She has also been pushing me to squat more which I was afraid to do, but has really paid off! Also, I've been trying to prepare for our final but I really need to set aside more time for that. 

Reflection 13: The Other Exceptionally Late One

Memorial Day messed with my schedule a great deal, and I am afraid that I lost track of time. Still, my ineptitude is hardly an excuse for tardiness, and I sincerely apologize for this transgression.
Sadly, the many projects assigned this week and the family trips and events this weekend, I did not get much writing done. I shall most certainly be able to finish the story of the game; however, given my progress in that regard, I am doubtful that I will have time to finish coding it within my time frame. I shall be more than happy to share the finished, coded product, even if I will not finish until after the deadline; the coding process, however. is quite repetitive and time-consuming, even after the writing is done, and I find it doubtful that the full game (in its actual game format rather than the browser-based Twine format).
This week, much more writing shall be accomplished, so help me Vecna. I want to be finished by next Tuesday at the very latest such that I can work on the small PowerPoint presentation that shall accompany the game itself. Until then, until then!

Reflection 13

This week in 20 percent time wasn't really a good one. I did not practice at all because I was busy with projects and homework. However I decided that I will most likely be making a video for my final presentation. I think it would be much easier for me because there won't be a lot of pressure on me since it isn't live. I am still trying to figure out if I am going for time or catches but I will decide that eventually. It say the average person can juggle for 20-30 second so I guess I will aim for that.


Reflection 12&13

So, I don't recall what I was doing last weekend, oh! I did a walk for ALS, and stuff, and this weekend I went away/ had to work. In any case, I didn't get to work much on my project. But, I will post some pictures:


These are the pieces I've worked on since getting my new pastels. The apple one is based off a picture but the other two are not, The landscape pieces aren't turning out so great, probably because I didn't use a reference and because they are actually portrait orientation. Also, for some reason, I thought it would be a good idea to have bright yellow sand in that desert one. I will have to fix that.

Monday, May 25, 2015

Reflection 13

So far I've stropped the lessons and started with the first riff and chord, that beaing E Minor 7, of Wish You Were Here. I'm having trouble with figuring out the strum pattern fore the chord because in the Center Stage guitar Academy video, he doesn't know himself. The instructor play it by ear, and that's a problem for me. Looks like I'm only going to get one song in by presentations. Pity, but I've learned much on the way. This is really painful, guys. I can only practice hours at a time once or twice a week so I haven't built up calluses on my finger to stop the pain. So that I can practice for longer periods of time, I've cut up a bandage to place a piece on each finger, and I keep those pieces in place with duct tape. Amazingly, it still causes mild pain. I'll learn Wish You Were Here by the end of the week and put together a video of everything I've learned so far plus the song. Hopefully, it will show that I have actually learned plenty this 20% Time, I'm just a really slow learner that has semi-poor time management.

Reflection 13

This week I managed to practice and freshen up on all of my skills and tricks. I am still rusty with some but for the most part I have got them all down and ready for recording. I also practiced the around the world trick. Unfortunately, I still have not been able to do it once but I was very close a few times. I also practiced my basic juggling of the ball because practicing this is what is going to help me with this more advanced trick. I will continue to practice this trick all of this upcoming week so that I can record my final video soon. Hopefully I can make this video better than my last 20%.

Reflections #11-13 (yikes)

I'm really terrible at remembering to update this blog. It's so easy for me to forget for some reason. I have been continuing to make progress despite this little unintentional hiatus, though. I went back and redrew my first couple of drawings. I couldn't think of anything new I wanted to draw so I just redid the older pencil drawings.


 
I don't think they came out as good as my other drawings in this style, but I still prefer them to pencils drawings. They're much more fun to make and look at. That's what occupied weeks 11 and 12.

This week, I got sort of tired of doing the same old thing. I sat down in my room with my little bin of markers to begin another drawing. I looked around my room, and the faded design on the top drawers of my dresser caught my eye. I took some paint and a paintbrush out of my bin of markers and traced over the design. Then, I free handed the blank drawer underneath it.

I'm not sure if this would count as "drawing" but I'm being kind of liberal with that definition because I've already departed from my original goal, anyway. I had a lot of fun doing this because it felt a lot less like work. Usually, I'm aware that this is for a project, but while painting these drawers, I didn't even think I would end up writing about it. I'll probably end up painting all of them within the next few weeks, even though that won't end up being a part of this project.

Reflection ii, 13

I did it. It is done. I completed the story by finishing it in one full sweep--I completed chapters vi and vii. But it is not over yet because I have to start the editing process, which is the tedious part. As this is my first time actually completing a story, I have no experience on how stories should be like when it will be published (but I am not going to publish; it's too embarrassing). The person I called up for editing never responded, so I decided to go for other people to call for help--notably the English teachers, probably. So we're not done yet!

Tidbit of the week: Homeland: The Flames of the Neglected (title pending) is the title of the short story, with a whopping 5,399 words. Pretty cool name, right? The thing is, I have a whole page of title ideas. Pretty hard to think of a title, since I had one before but the story changed drastically, so that title didn't work anymore.

Reflection 13

The song has been progressing. I'm close to finishing the entire song. Then I will move on to changing it if needed, doing sound modifications, or fixing any unusual or unnecessary issues with the song. It's been very interesting using the program for this second portion of the year. FL Studio is a very resourceful music production program. It takes a while to get used to it, but once you understand the majority of the mechanics, which doesn't take too long, it is pretty good. I've enjoyed my time making this song, and once I finish it, I hope I will go on to make more music.

In the meantime, Alex out.

Reflection 13

This past week has gone pretty good on terms of trying to reach my goal for my 20% project. I got to record 3 times this week, but I feel only one of the recordings was actually good. The rest were too short as my camera was having issues with storage. Regardless, I feel that although I can definitely shoot perfect curves in the way that Andrea Pirlo does as well as David Beckham, I am not consistent with my shots and a lot of the time they aren't very powerful at all. That is my biggest issue and in an actual soccer game, most free kick attempts will be out at 25-30 yards. At that range, I am struggling to make the ball curve and have sufficient power to get past the keeper. Today when I went filming, I used different cleats so maybe that was effecting why I had insufficient power. I am going to record once or twice more then prepare my presentation. So far I think I'm good

Reflection 12

Welp, I had it all planned it out to record both today and yesterday however things happened and now I'm in trouble. Yesterday, I had to record for a Spanish 3 for most of the day and by the time I came back home not only was it raining, but too dark. I looked forward to today but I had a party to attend for most of the afternoon. So the weekend that I was going to use to film for the final presentation was gone to waste. I haven't been using the weekdays and freetime that I have to film and I feel that's my largest issue in reaching this goal. I'm not utilizing my time correctly. I'm 100 percent going to use all the free time I have on my hands to record. I definitely think I can hit around 7 or 8 good curves out of 10 attempts that I take, so I have for sure made progress.
EDIT: Never published the actual post :/

Sunday, May 24, 2015

Reflection 13

This week, while I was tracing the alphabets, I accidentally traced ten alphabets instead of the usual five, so I may repeat the last five I did this week. Other than that I think I am on track. I am almost done learning the alphabet. I just need to become more thorough with them and then I could start learning some words. Hopefully I am able to write a least some basic words for the presentation. I also watched some movies over the break and tried to listen to the actual dialogues instead of the subtitles. This worked a little, but they were talking too fast for me to understand. But I did understand more than I used to. Next week I will continue if not finish learning the alphabets.

Reflection 13

I feel like I have used my time to my advantage. My game with a couple more tweaks her and there will be complete. Everything for the game has been made just have to put it into action. Just to see if it works the way I want it to work. I didn't establish controls and actually play the game yet but that is what I will dedicate the last week to. Finding ways to improve and aspects of it that I can before the due date.

Reflection 13

This week I continued to work on my power point presentation. By reviewing all I have done this semester I can say that I am very proud of my work. While I'm ending a bit shaky, I can still say that if I find the time to workout in the future, I will. That is not something I would have been able to say before. I can also say that I am more educated in the things I eat and pay more attention to my health. I am able to make more conscious decisions on the things that affect my health most of all. I do plan on continuing this lifestyle, and I will continue to work to get myself to where I want to be, internally and externally. This week I can list a bunch of achievements, including to choose healthier snacks over fattening ones, participating in extra motivational activities, and improving my eating schedule. For next week, I hope to finish my power point and rehearse it, as well as continue with my overall goals.

Weekly Journal 13

         Oh boy. Presentations begin in two weeks and I present on the first day. I am not ready. Unfortunately, I think I took on more than I can handle because I did not take into consideration all of my other school work that would prevent me from being able to work on my project throughout the week. I have found that once a week will not cut it. My goal has changed. My new goal is to finish learning the first song that I have been learning. It is a rather "easy" song according to most, but I cannot help that I lack rhythm (which is why I find it so difficult). This week I did not have twenty percent time in class due to field day. I did, however, continue practicing the song.
It's depressing, actually - to have done this for a relatively longish time and not having mastered yet or at least become average. However, I cannot let this discourage me. Although it may not be much, I still have some time left and I plan on using it wisely. From here on out, I will only practice the song.

reflection 14

I volunteered myself to go first during presentations so that I can push myself to finish my project and make it the best it can be. There are so many events coming up and so many other projects that have to be done from other classes. Presentations are next Friday, so there is no time for me to waste. I'm planning to get a lot done on Wednesday because I don't have much time any other day. Next weekend, I'm definitely going to start my final drawing and hopefully it'll be done by next Friday.

Saturday, May 23, 2015

Reflection 13

This week I've been really behind on my work but I'm catching up a week at a time. I'm making new jewelry this week and next week so that I can present for our twenty percent presentations and also for my Etsy shop. I'm focused on making 3 pendants and 3 of the different types of rings I learned about in the past few months. I bought new wire and after I finish the first roll I bought I'll work on using the new one. A few people have asked me about selling them a necklace and rings so I'm thinking if I make this Etsy shop I can actually find customers! I'm still nervous about committing but when I have enough jewelry made I'll be ready to put them online and for sale.

Reflection 13

With prom fast approaching and many final projects looming, my 20% project has unfortunately fallen further down on my priority list. It's not a bad thing though, because as I mentioned before, there's not much left that that I feel I can do during the school year. The only skill that I would attempt to learn at this point is cornrows since I struggled with that a lot but that would have to wait until the summer. Also, if I wanted to practice on my hair anytime soon, I couldn't because I'm in preparation to get my hair ready for prom this coming week. Thus, not much progress will happening this week. However, I wouldn't rule out any possibility of progress in the future because I plan on improving my skills over the summer and years to come.

2nd Semester Reflection 13

This week I made ham, apple, and cheese quesadillas, and I really liked them! While they weren't quite as good as my standard chicken and cheese quesadillas, there was a nice balance of savory and sweet in the dish. The importance of this week was that I am now more comfortable handling hot sizzling skillets; it was only the second or third time I had ever used a skillet in my life. While initially scary, I became comfortable with it while making the quesadillas. I'm sure to use skillets in the future. I thought I did relatively well this week; the quesadillas were not my favorite, but still tasty and definitely lighter than the normal quesadillas I eat. Seeing as my final presentation is quickly approaching, next week will be my last week cooking - meaning that it is time to try my hand out at a three course meal. I will be making spiced edamame, grilled chicken with tomato-cucumber salad, and chocolate hazelnut drop cookies. I am so excited to see how much progress I've made over the semester. Until then!

Edamame
 http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/spiced-edamame-recipe.html

Grilled Chicken
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/grilled-chicken-with-tomato-cucumber-salad-recipe.html

Drop Cookies
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/chocolate-hazelnut-drop-cookies-recipe.html

Reflection 11

I was not able to make any progress on my final project this week, but what I did do was review other types of dance that were not originally what I set out to learn. Lots of people who do dance will choreograph steps to popular songs, and I ended up watching some videos and trying to learn those steps. These types of dance are not necessarily one genre, but I think it was helpful to my project just to keep practicing and learning new kinds of dance.

Friday, May 22, 2015

Reflection 13

This week i began my final powerpoint. At this point there is not much more i can learn. I am not saying that i have perfected my technique, but i have learned everything that i set out to do. Im compiling at the pictures ive taken of the tattoos and an ordering them by the date they were made and by how well they came out. I am actually looking forward to the final presentation because i am quite proud of the work i have accmplished.

Reflection 13

This week I didn't get to do as much yoga because of class assignments. This week was horrible in regards to how much time I had versus how much time I needed. But since Memorial Day weekend starts today I expect to have a lot of time on my hands when I go away with my family. I think it's really frustrating when on days/weeks that I really need to relax and do some yoga to help with that I have no time to.
Next week I anticipate to start coming up with a way to present all that I've learned so far. I'll continue doing yoga, but as far as research goes, I think I'm done and have been done for a while now. I wanted to get a book before but I just decided to go with what I was doing already, which was watching videos. I stopped the 30 day challenge all together and have just been watching random videos that deal with a specific pose, or yoga for when you're sore, etc.  

Reflection 13

I have accepted my failure in this assignment. I haven't been able to complete my song or even begin a video of any sort. So I think that's really what I'm going to talk about with my TED talk coming up. How you start out expecting these great accomplishments and things but sometimes they don't end up working out. Sometimes you have to just roll with the punches and keep going anyway. Sorry this turned out this way. I was pretty excited for the video too. But that's a fact of life. Sometimes you fail. And that's okay. You just gotta learn from your mistakes and move on.

Thursday, May 21, 2015

Reflection 12

I've made my Etsy shop and my shop name is CarolinaWires. I'm excited to start advertising the jewelry I'm making but if I put up an item I need to pay a fee for doing just that. Im not sure if I want to pay money, even though its a few cents, but I want to have enough rings and necklaces in inventory before I put anything for sale online. Also I'm working out prices an what I'd need to charge to break even. I've been looking at other shops and comparing prices with others to make sure I'm not overcharging or under charging for my jewelry. I'm also researching how the delivery process is and if I need to pay extra for distance or anything like that.

Reflection 11

So as the year is quickly ending I've been getting a lot of work and not enough time to work on making jewelry. Unfortunately I haven't been able to make any new jewelry due to the lack of free time. Also I'm low on wire so I need to head to AC Moore and buy different sized gauged wire and any beads if they have some. The jewelry I'm going to make needs to be perfect because that is the jewelry I'll be advertising on my Etsy and hopefully selling to whoever is interested. As soon as I can I should be going to AC Moore and buying the wire I need and then focusing extra hard on technique and designs.

Sunday, May 17, 2015

Reflection 12

This week was about the same as last week. I have not been able to do the around the world yet but I have improved on my overall juggling of the ball. It is getting frustrating not being able to do it but I know I cannot give up on this trick. I also practiced my juggling and other skill moves over the weekend and I recorded them. Soon enough I will begin setting up the final video. Hopefully by next week I can at least do the trick once.

Reflection 12

 This week was very slow for me in completing my goals. I did not work out at all and I ate more junk food than necessary. I feel as if I have kind of given up on this project, but I know that's not the case. I simply have to get my focus back. I did, however, start working on my presentation. I have organized the format and included all of the information needed for every part of my goal. I also saved many of the images on my phone that have shown my progress with this project onto my computer. Now I can put them into my power point. For next week I will commit myself to working out the entirety of the week and also eliminating all junk foods. Hopefully I can also work a little bit more on the power point. Until then wish me good luck!

Reflection 12

I LEARNED POWER CHORDS! So these are commonly used chords in rock and popular music so yay, something useful, right? They are not considered true chords because they only consist of two notes. Chords are usually three or more notes. Power chords are really just made up of the root note and an interval of the root note, the fifth interval. This is picking two strings at the same time in one swoop. I was taught the A or A5 power chord, the D power chord, and the E or E5 power chord. These are open string power chords. The Lesson applied these three to the 12 Bar Blues. Worked on that for roughly half an hour. I have to dedicate this week to learning the first half of Wish You Were Here. That's the goal anyway. Wish me luck.

Uhhhh... Catching up? (Forgotten Reflection 11)

Did I really forget this one? Um, yeah. It seems like I have. Must have been a rough weekend. I don't quite remember. It's probably too late, but I'm just doing this to catch up. Last week (This was written down somewhere thankfully):

 I completed Lessons 6 and 7 which covers the meaning of intervals and the second octave of a major scale and applies it to The Star Spangled Banner. An octave is the same not, but played in a higher or lower pitch. It doesn't really sound much different to the ear, just a little better. Why are octave useful? Well apparently, it helps for tuning (compare one string to another closed note) and octaves can be used as a special technique to give notes variety (I fail to see how this is useful to me as a beginner but okay). Intervals are the spaces between notes. From the first note (root) to the second is a second interval (a whole step. Then comes the root to the third (the third interval), the root to the fourth (the perfect fourth), to the fifth (fifth interval), to the sixth (a perfect sixth), to the seventh (the seventh interval), and finally to the eighth, the octave! *pants out of breath* Okay! So the first octave is how I learned it in black and there's the second octave in red, using a totally different finger placement than the major scales. So I'm a little sketchy on the Star Spangled Banner, but as I recall, I have songs to learn right? So I won't focus on this song too much.

Reflection 12


This week started of well! I was following my meal plan and working out not every day, but every other day which is better than nothing. I have been focusing on arms, which is the muscle group I usually tend to avoid. The only problem with this week is that that I haven’t been getting enough sleep due to school work or poor time management. The lack of sleep is really affecting me and I need to make it a priority again. For the second half of the week, I didn’t really have anytime to work on this project because my cousin from Iowa is staying at my house and we are spending time with him. Also, today is my birthday! I’ll be out for the whole day so I won’t have time to work out. But, I did get some fitness related birthday presents, such as fittea and a power band kit!

Reflection 12

Mickey and I were unable to meet up this weekend. However, tonight my friend came over for dinner and the two of us made guacamole--which we ate with lettuce instead of chips--a garden salad, and salmon burgers. It was a simple and delicious paleo meal.

Reflection 12: Another Plot Change with a Side of Progress... and Pickled Ginger

A revelation occurred this Tuesday: I am seriously over-complicating this game. It should be simple and accessible; the way I see it, I can create the more complicated game when I am more experienced and have more time to complete it. As such, I decided to switch the game's story *again* from the espionage-based game to a more generic Grimm's Fairy Tales/Tolkien-esque genre, where the player will explore what amounts to a forest plagued by curses, monsters, and daemons to accomplish one of several tasks that they choose at the beginning of the story. It's not the most creative, but it will be a good test of my programming abilities and, at the very least, something fun to do during the 20% presentations (not that I am focusing on this; I just enjoy having discussions with a large group of people). Luckily, I made great progress this week in writing this new story, as I changed the topic early; several branching stories are in their early stages, and I expect to be able to finish one or two this coming week. Until then, until then!

Reflection 12

This week has been tough, in terms of both FL Studio and scheduling.

First, the program. A recent major update has been released for my program, and I've been trying to get it installed. However, for one reason or another, I am unable to update it. I guess this isn't that big of a problem. I don't have to relearn a UI (User Interface) that this new update offers, since the previous one was a pain to learn already. I'll upgrade some time after this project when I get the chance.

Scheduling has been the other issue. Marching Band is starting to roll in, and one of my instructors in pushing me to do drum core, which i'm already having doubts on doing. I guess i'm just worried about taking to many things on. The song was put on hold for almost the entire week because of these upcoming events.

I plan on working more on the song this week. Nothing is hindering me at the moment from accomplishing this.

In the meantime, Alex out.

Reflection 12

This week I wasn't able to anything. This was all because there was a virus within my laptop. In the mean time it is getting fixed but I am not sure whether or not my project has been deleted. So I restarted my game on my computer at home and although it took a while I should be back to where I need to be by the end of this week. I plan on constructing the terrain or world that the game is within this week.

Reflection ii, 12

I completed chapter v and started chapter vi this week. There's nothing else to say, as the story is almost complete. However, I feel as if the pacing is a little bit off, but I will worry about it when I start editing. I never got a reply from one person who agreed to edit, so I need to find another one for more feedback. The moment I finish the story is the moment I start editing. Also, I need help with names! I can't decide what to name certain characters, as I want it to have some king of meaning, but it just doesn't sound right! (At this rate, it sounds like their names are puns)//

Next week's goal is to complete chapter vi and vii. It shall be done!

Tidbit of the week: I think our main character Amber is a tragic hero. Maybe.

Reflection #12

This weekend I made hamburgers for my family. They were considered paleo because of the organic grass fed ground meat I used and the fact that they weren't on buns. I took a different route in making these because I bought half pork and half beef and then formed the patties myself. I added a hint of salt and pepper for taste. I threw them on the grill after looking up how long to grill them for. I wanted to make them rare since I really wanted to taste the meat. To go along with the patties, the burger was comprised of lettuce tomatoes red onions pickles and mayonnaise. This was a fairly easy dish to make and it was really good. Splitting the meat was a great idea because the meats complemented each other and they made for a good combo. I learned that you can blend two meats and they can taste very good. Next week I'll be coming over to Phoebes for her birthday party and help her make something for the occasion.

Reflection 12

This week I strayed from my 30 days of yoga routine and watched videos that focused on specific poses like the crow pose, sun salutations and the lizard pose. I think learning about poses is equally important so I decided to do that. Some are harder than others like the crow pose because it requires more strength in the arm muscles than the others.
For now I'll just continue looking up more videos focusing on different poses so I can learn more about them and how to do them properly.
I wish I had more time to go more in depth learning this, but I know this will be something I'll continue doing so I'm not really stressing about how little or how much I know for now.

Reflection 12

"The Plan"
Brace yourself for the disappointment. I made a pathetic 4 panels this week. I’m trying to think hard about why I was so unproductive this week but I can’t get it. I know I had enough time (many classes didn't give homework because of APs). I guess I just wanted a break. I saw that I finally had free time to do nothing and I wanted to use it all. However, if I’m not using my free time to do something I love then that’s a problem. The plan for next week is to get out of this rut. I couldn't possibly be as unproductive next week as I was this week.

Reflection 10

This week was prom! I didn't get much done as far as filming, but what I did accomplish was comfort in my dancing in public. It was freeing to have the experience of prom after having made so much progress in this project. I felt confident even though I looked kind of silly! That was really my goal in this project. As much as it will be a rewarding experience to finish the choreography, when I set out to do this project, I wanted to learn about a few dance types and become comfortable with dancing, and I think I've achieved that.

Reflection 12

This week, I learned the next five letters of the alphabet. Since I have more time now, I am on track as to where I want to be at the end of May. I want to finish the alphabet by then so I can learn to write some words. I am also getting the hang of the letters and am not as confused about the letters as I used to be a couple of weeks ago. Next week, I will learn the next few alphabets.

2nd Semester Reflection 12

This week I made Banana Cream Pie Smoothies, and I absolutely loved them! Not only were they delicious, but very light and refreshing. Surprisingly, this was the first week I worked with a blender; I found it to be relatively easy to use and there were no major accidents with it. I look forward to working with blenders more in the future. I am definitely more comfortable with the ingredients as the time progresses; while I am not an expert at all, I don't feel afraid to make anything anymore. I was happy with how the smoothies turned out, and am excited to make an exciting dish this upcoming week: ham, apple, and cheese quesadillas. These won't be as heavy as normal quesadillas, and should combine savory and sweet flavors nicely. Until then!

Quesadilla Recipe
 

Weekly Journal 12

         I am pleased to say that I finally got to play this weekend! For starters, I successfully tuned my guitar all by myself! I was very happy with myself. The main thing we practiced was the first song that I have been trying to learn for the longest time. This is taking me long because I have absolutely no sense of rhythm and that is finally becoming more and more clear to me. Although this is taking me a while, I can't complain. I am happy with playing the guitar and even after twenty percent time is over I plan to continue learn and hopefully one day I'll be pretty decent. I found that I over think everything, which is the main reason why I have trouble moving forward with the song. However, I am determined to keep going. I can't wait for next week where I plan on practicing more and maybe learning a few extra things on the side.

Saturday, May 16, 2015

Reflection 12

It's getting increasingly hard to find the motivation to braid anymore because I feel like I've accomplished most of the goals that I set out for myself at the beginning of this project. With the exception of cornrows, I've learned how to do 3 out of the 4 styles that I wished to learn and practiced them a bit. The only possible next step from here would be attempting these styles on other people rather than on myself. However, with the end of the school year approaching and the craziness that comes with it, finding someone who would be willing to let mess around with their hair seems like a tall order on not only them, but me also. Scheduling something like that in the midst of final projects and other things would only cause more chaos and I want to avoid that. Maybe in the future I could try braiding someone's hair, but for the time being, I won't be pursuing that. Although I am very proud of the progress I have made over these past few months.

Friday, May 15, 2015

Reflection 12

So this week, sadly I was relatively lazy and did not work out as much as I should've mainly because of the horrible allergies that finally got to me this week. It made it hard to breathe and I felt absolutely horrible so my motivation to be lifting weights for an hour was relatively low. Though I was able to find out where I am at in terms of my one rep max and I was able to do 180lbs. My progress is relatively slow sadly and at this rate, I don't think I'll be able to achieve my goal of 205lbs but I think I made some decent progress strength wise. I was in a much worse shape starting out, where I was barely able to do any of the workouts, to now where I am just about caught up to my previous state of well being. I think in a sense that's a win even though I probably won't be able to bench 205. Have a great week everyone!

reflection 12

One thing that is really going bad is my diet.. like what I have been eating. Other than that my work outs are BOMB. Seriously though.. I can't stress how much happier you'll be when working out. Like you seriously FEEL SO SO SO much better. And I'm pretty sure once i fix up my diet by eating more i'll be like SUPER HUMAN.

reflection 12

There are only 3 weeks left before presentations/finals. Time is ticking away at this point, so it's time for me to start putting my all into this project. To be honest, I didn't do anything that I mentioned in my last reflection. I really need to stop procrastinating, especially because time is going by so quickly. On Saturday, I won't be as busy so I'm hoping to do a few drawings to get it out of the way. I also need to start thinking about what I want my final drawing to look like. I am determined to finish my 20% project as best as I can. I need to start preparing now before it's too late. Planning is KEY!

reflection 11

I went to the gym everyday I lifted weights and i did a couple of HIIT workouts that I'll be incuding in my presentation. I'm really happy with the results I've been getting. I also have been walking after school and in the weekend at least two miles. I feel so much more alive and I'm so happy with this weather because it really motivates me to workout. When it's the summer I'm definitely going to be going to my own gym probably at Rutgers or NJIT.

Thursday, May 14, 2015

Reflection 12

I have continued my tattoos. I'm not proud of some of them. Some of them rival Picasso. Just kidding; they're not that good. Well, maybe they're a little good. The failures have been pretty funny . Somehow, I managed to make a fish look like a turtle. I don't know how that happened, but it did. I learned not to be too cocky and go straight for a freehand tattoo. It did not go well. Planning is KEY!

Reflection #11

This previous weekend i missed the 20% time part in class. In addition, I went to two communions this weekend: one on Sunday and one on Saturday. Both of these were far away therefore I didnt have time to work on my project. However, that didnt stop me from indulging on a variety of different foods. On Saturday I went to a formal dinner party. There, I ordered a steak. The steak was cooked rare and it was delicious. For dessert, I had a cake pop. After having that cake pop, I got an idea that we should try making them. They are so delicious and fun! On Sunday the party was held at an Italian restaurant. I literally ate 10 Italian dishes ranging from chicken Milanese to lobster manicotti. All of the foods were delicious and i am happy to admit i went out of my comfort zone. I tried foods i havent tried before. I also learned that for this project i should step out of what  i usually eat and try new things. You never know if youll like it or not if you dont give things a try! Promise this weekend will be productive...

Reflection XI

So this week I did not learn much new stuff. I continued with making objects get bigger/smaller and move. I also just started to make text appear on the screen. It is all pretty simple, not much new to say. Text is kind of boring, hopefully I will get through this quickly so I can move on to other things. I really just want to get up to being able to connect the mouse and keyboard to the program. That's all for now.

Reflection 12

I'm far to tired for this music writing process. Don't get me wrong, i Love music, and I love melodies and everything else relating to music. But I can't stand having to come up with music. I can do it if I make everything on the spot, otherwise it definitely does not work. So! What I might do is scrap this song entirely and instead use another song, one about how impossible it is to write a song. It'll be fun and funny and amusing and I'm pretty sure I already have a thousand verses to it because every time I try to write the other song, I instead sing about how I can't write a song. Maybe I'll do that. It would be easier. Not as serious as I would've like it to be, but at least its something. We shall see. Adios!

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Reflection 11

Mikolaj and I were unable to meet up this weekend. Luckily, my mom baked a paleo apple cake to bring to my grandma's house on Sunday. It called for both coconut flour and almond flour in addition to coconut sugar. These are low carbohydrate substitutes for white flour and sugar. Coconut and flour is not my favorite to bake with because of its taste, but the cake turned out well.

Reflection 11

Last week was great.  I went to the gym and lifted weights.  I was also able to go outside and run twice.  My time for my 3 mile improved and I'm feeling much better as a runner.  Recently,  I've been sick and haven't been able to exercise.  Hopefully this won't set me back to far, as I plan to go the gym again when I return to school.

Reflection

The past couple of weeks, I've been having trouble focusing and allotting time to my twenty percent time. With AP exams and lots of other work, both in and out of school, I haven't been able to go to the gym that often. However, my sister has been visiting recently from school since she is on her co-op now, and together, we do different exercises and health beneficial things together. We exchange ideas on health and wellness and talk about techniques for different workouts. For example, we do yoga and running together and discuss the different techniques for squats. Even, she and her boyfriend have given my advice onto how  how to approach different people at the squat rack. Despite this, I am looking to find other goals in this twenty percent time. Not only is this a challenge to work out  but it's also a challenge to the endurance I have to keeping my routine. Even in the difficulties and obstacles expereinced throughout the week, I still must focus myself. For the next week, I am looking to find different motivation to keep my motivated and focus on this twenty percent time. It's a true testament to myself and my dedication, which I will need to improve.

Monday, May 11, 2015

Reflection 11

Sorry this is late! I wasn't in school on friday and mother's day weekend got really busy. On mother's day, my sister and I made my mom a healthy breakfast and then went on a hike! Last week went well. I worked out a lot, especially focusing on legs and abs. I still run, but not as much, mostly because of the heat. I've been trying to get over that and just focus on putting in some distance. Basically, I have been doing the components of fitness, but not at the same time which is what my goal was. Hopefully I can get that down in the next month.

Reflection 11

This week I spent learning the software I'm using to create the game. This software is called unity and it is a free service used to crested 2D or 3D applications. It's a lot harder than it seems because it includes 3 different C languages and as of right now I only understand one language. So beginning next week I should be able to continue on with my project. Since I have a good enough understanding where I won't look at my laptop for 15 minutes and think what is this.

Sunday, May 10, 2015

Weekly Journal 11

         And once again, life gets in the way of my guitar lesson scheduled for Saturday. Unfortunately, I had to spend all day Saturday cleaning up the mess left by the construction workers who are working on my house. A session was unable to be rescheduled considering that today (Sunday) was Mother's Day. Due to such events, I was unable to practice the song and I was simply left looking at tips on how to tune my guitar and reading chord charts. I really hope that next week will be much better. That's it for this week and next week I hope to actually practice my first song and make a significant improvement.

Reflection 11

  This week, I spent much more time writing the text and branching story of the game itself; as previously said, I've learned everything I need to have learned in order to code the basic text-based game, so I am holding off on learning more JavaScript until after the project is over and the game is completed.
  Although I wrote much this past week, most of the text ended up being trashed. Soon into writing my 19th-century-esque story of espionage and intrigue, I realized it was a little more complicated than expected. As such, I decided to switch to a more generic adventure/story/game based on a crashed spaceship. Without the use of chance-based events that are affected by players' items and choices, I decided, it would be far too simple for the plot to work. As such, I spent this week writing a far more generic game about the crash of a spaceship. Now, however, I begin to realize that the story is a bit too generic; I am having trouble focusing on it and, if I cannot keep myself interested in a story of my own creation, how am I supposed to engage the player (would they be 'readers' in this context? Food for thought). As such, I feel now that I should move back to the original plot idea (of which a decent amount has been written), and focus only on the story such that I would be able to make progress while returning later to add random number generation and statistics.
  I am satisfied with the speed of my progress this week, and feel confident that I will be able to work at a similar pace and actually have the work count for something in the coming week.
  Until then, until then!

Reflection 11

A new marching band season is ahead, and practices have been keeping me on my feet, literally. It helps since it keeps music on my mind and let's be not forget what I've learned for the past decade. It's also nice to get feedback on my song from the people there, both the students and the instructors.'

It's another week of production. I've added a few more measures of music, and I plan on spiffing it up to make it sound nice. I feel like it will be almost done, since it really shouldn't be that long. Maybe i'm over thinking the song, believing that it should be the best minute possible. But that's just me.

I guess that's it really. Can't say much else.

Alex out.