Conquering My FEAR!

In my Who Am I class, are class had to pick one memory that we had, that explained who we are. The memory I picked was when I went to Six Flags and conquered all my fears. The purpose was so we could make are class mates feel like they were actually with me at Six Flags, using there 3 of the 5 senses. The challenge of this was trying to find a memory that says who I am.

                                              Wikipedia  "Batman Station" n.d. Chicago: Six Flags


Waking up from a great sleep, my face shining brighter than the sun because I knew that today was the day I was going to Six Flags with my best friend Richard and his parents. I tiptoed outside to see how warm the weather was. It was perfect! When Richard and his parents pulled up, I jumped into the car and strapped in for the day. When I was younger, I was always scared of heights, which made me scared of rollercoasters. This wasn’t my first time going to Six Flags, but because of the fear I would only go on a limited amount of rides. After we pulled up I was blasted from the heat, then when I walked up to the gates I saw people squeeze through the gates. Half of the people wearing either beach wear and the other half wearing just normal shorts with a short sleeve t-shirts. While walking closer and closer the temperature changed a little due to the water park. Once in, it would be tradition to take a picture in front of the the pond. The blue of the pond, bluer than Poseidon’s eyes reflected the sky and made the perfect backdrop for a yearly photo.

People dressed in shorts and t-shirts whirred past me in streaks of different colors to be the first in line for their favorite rides. As Richard and me raced to are first ride the Whizzer, we knew the ride would have a line as always. This ride always makes me happy and free, knowing that I was slowly getting rid of my fear. We went to the water park. The smell was always the same, chlorine and every one in their swim wear and kids running around to the pool or a slide. Then we changed into our swim trunks which was normal to me to do. After that we went to the wave pool which always had a rough and sharp floor that would cut my feet from time to time. After that Richard and I went to the water slide called the Toilet, which I was not so fond of, because when I was little my mom and I went on a slide and I almost fell off the doughnut raft and my mom was trying to keep me from falling with her feet. After the 50th time of asking I said, “Alright I will go, but just one.” When I got on my heart was pounding, once on we zoomed past everything my, stomach dropped and then brightness hit my eyes. We swirled around. When we got off I realized that it was fine and I would be fine, then screamed, “Lets go Again!!” Richard was happy that he helped me overcome my fear. After conquering one of my fears, we changed back into our clothes, and ran off to the part of the park to conquer more rides.

We started with a familiar ride, the Viper. I have been on this ride many times, so I knew once the ride starts that I should get a good grip on the leather padding. The ride brings us slowly up and I love listening to the chain pulling us up, one rung at a time. Once, the chain gets us at the top of the tracks I feel like I am sitting on top of the world with the best view of the park. Sitting up there for mere seconds, then ZOOM, the chain weaves us up and down and I feel my hair fluttering in the wind like I am flying. Once off and I put my hair back down I felt ready to try more rides, but before that I need to have something to eat. I ate pizza which was most bought and then some ice scream.

After eating, I was ready to conquer more rides. Richard suggested we try X-Flight which looked very scary because of the twists and turns, just looking at it made me sick. In the line my stomach started to feel unease and I begged to get out of line, but Richard wouldn’t let me go. When I get on my heart is pounding and I’m not so happy. The ride was amazing and I knew I was ready for more rides. The sun started to set, so we knew that we had to get on as many ride as possible, we raced around the park getting in lines. We finally arrived at Batman, the ride. It looked very unsettling because of all the loops and the twists. Any fear was quickly left behind once I got in my seat, and this tall African American man said, “I’m screamer which made Richard and I laugh. This helped me think of how many people were scared and would always scream and over exaggerate, which showed why I shouldn’t be scared. When I got any rides like this I would have to take off my glasses, which made it blurry and I couldn't see what was going on as well. This made the ride not as fun, but I stilled enjoyed it very much. After that we knew that we better get on another ride before the park closed, our last ride was the Superman, which didn't seem scary because of adrenaline When on I got on my seat and waited and then before everything the seat came from vertical to horizontal, then we were off just looking down as slowly moved upward. My friend had his eyes closed because of the height we were at and just looking down. When the started it was just blurry and dark for me again. When off I realized that it wasn’t very fun, I thought it as a waste to go on. I thought about it later and realized that it did help me conquer my fear, because it helped me feel and see what it felt like to be that high and looking down, for more rides to come in the future.

 At the end of the day I was so tired from all the rides and the water park, but I was really happy that I was able to conquer my fear and see how fun rollercoasters are. While driving home Richard and I felt very happy and talked about which was our favorite new ride and both agreed on the Batman. Just like Jung I had adapted to something new and wasn't really aware that I just had done that, but I was really proud of myself for doing it. We started driving back home, and I knew that I would remember that day for a long time.

COAL STATS

In my Fuel class, we were studying nonrenewable resources and how they are used and  extracted from the ground. We are also studying the molecular structure behind the resource, and what that means for it's physical and chemical properties. Each student was able to pick one with a partner. My partner and I chose Coal, because of how much it is used today and how much of it was used in the past. I found in my research that 1/3 of coal is found in the US and is mostly used for electricity. The purpose was to see how much of are nonrenewable resource is left on he earth and how fast we could run out. One challenge that I had was finding 2013-14 stats on coal, because many sites didn't update there websites. What I learned was how to read graphs and stats better than before, also how to research worldwide stats.
 
   

I Believe in Adventure

In my new class Who am I, I had to create a podcast on what I believe in the most. I chose Adventure because of how much it means to me. The purpose of this was to see what truth meant to us and to see how we interpreted it through what we believe in. What I learned was that writing about what you care for can help you live a dream better. The only challenge was finding how I could put my feeling in to words and still make sound inspiring.

 Have you had a memory of a great new adventure that sticks in your mind and you just smile every time you think of it? I remember watching Forrest Gump for the first time and being amazed by his eventful life. He fought in the war, meeting new people and experiencing new things, then got great at ping pong during his recovery in the hospital and ran for 3 years straight across the country. It was truly inspiring.

I was inspired to create such eventful moments throughout my life and thought of my future. I imagined what it would like to work behind a desk and I came to the realization. I believe in Adventure. I had an adventure in the 5th grade. I went on a family trip to Arizona where me and all my family members visited different Native American reserves. Another thing that made it a true adventure was that I got see my family that I never see, which made it heart warming to just have fun and go to the movies. Adventure isn’t always about the exploring, relaxing is a huge part of it. Aren't you amazed by the freedom and openness you can experience when you travel? From then I have always wanted to travel the around the world, like Greece meeting new people and seeing the culture and Bulgaria were I was adopted and like to find my birth parents, that is my one adventure that I will make happen.

I didn't always think this way, when I was younger I was taught that sitting behind a desk and having a good paying job is the most important thing. I wondered how people could live a life full of adventures. I always watched my dad being stressed from work and my mom being tired from work. They both worked very hard to provide for the family. Then I started to think of ways people didn’t need to just look forward to one vacation. Before the Arizona trip I read Robin Hood, my first adventure book and from then on I longed to have my own adventure. Then I heard about the Arizona trip and couldn't stand to wait to experience my first own true adventure. Then the trip showed me what it felt like to be in my adventure and I knew that I would not spend all my life behind a desk. 

So go live your dreams and don't bury them and wonder what could have been go live your adventure whether it be climbing mount Everest, Finding the one and living your life them, or traveling to every country, make your life count we only live once!


Nattu "Traveling to Maldives" Oct 12, 2008. Maldives.

Best Basketball Team

For this 82 action project, we had to chose a team and a specific year they played in and why they are so great. The team and year I chose was the 2011-2012 Miami Heat. What I learned was that everyone needs to be fair in there argument and not biased. The purpose of this was to see what team we think is the best and to only base it on stats. Below is the video and why I think the 2011-2012 Miami Heat is the best team.       

                        

Why so great?:

- Came back from huge loss in 2010-11 vs. the Mavericks. Showed how much they wanted to be the best.

- In the season they won 46 games and lost 20 games. (2011 lockout) 66 games.

- They had the “Big Three” Dwyane Wade,  LeBron James, and Chris Bosh.  For the second year in a row, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh were all selected to the NBA All-Star Game, tying the record for the most Heat players in an All-Star game in franchise history.

- LeBron was the top player scoring 672 points in the playoffs. LeBron was made NBA Finals MVP.

- They were fighting to stay in the Eastern Conference. Then once they won in the semifinals,

they went on to a winning streak vs. the Boston Celtics.  

- Great teamwork. They had 1317 assists.

- They won their division for the 9th time and appeared in the Eastern Conference Finals for the 5th time.

Reference:
"2011-12 Miami Heat" n.p. Wikipedia, n.d.
"2011-12 Miami Heat Roster and Stats" n.p. Basketball Reference, n.d

Heart of America

For this bioneers action project everyone had to find a company with a product that can be improved to make it more eco-friendly. The company I chose was Denoyer Geppert and the product I chose was Heart of America. This product is an advanced mold that shows the different parts of the heart. I learned that companies make products that can not decompose at all, because of their materials. The purpose of this was to see how different companies make different products and to see how long will take for one product to decompose.


                              


The company I picked was Denoyer Geppert Science Company, this company makes posters and molds that show different parts of the human body. I interviewed Mary Andros the sales manger who told me everything I wanted to know. I wanted to know the materials, process of how it I made and how the product's process can be improved. The product I studied was the Heart of America which is a mold of a heart. The materials they use are polypropylene and acrylic paint. The plastic is from Illinois and the paint form Maine.The process to make this was first it is roto molded which is when the molder shakes it around making it hard. Then it will be hand pained and next sprayed with a coat that will make it shine. Last numbered to show the different parts and their names. This product is sold for $400 and they make and sell about 450 annually. This product has a life guarantee, meaning it will not decompose at all. It is very poisonous to the ground and air.

The way this company can improve their design is by using wax and an injector molder. The wax is good because when the mold starts to break, the buyer can give it back to company to be melted and re-molded. The injector molder works well with wax making it easier and faster to make it. The company is thinking of new alternatives to make a new eco-friendly heart model. They are thinking of using paper and showing it through a way of origami. Or using another plastic that is not as harmful. They haven't started making new designs because they want to master the technique.

Should The Lakers Stay or Go?

In this 82 action project every one had to create an infographic poster on a team of their chose that would show statistics about that team and the arena or the team, and if the city would benefit from it or be hurt by it. The team I chose was the Los Angeles Lakers and they play at the Staples Center. The purpose of this is to see how a team's arena, brand, and market can benefit or hurt the city, and to say if they should be in the that city at all. I learned many things about how the Lakers do benefit the city in many ways. Also how hard research can be when you are trying to find the really specific information about a big franchise.

 

 

                                                       NVA, "Lakers, Yes or No" 12-3-13, Chicago: GCE


In this infographic poster I show the Lakers team value which is $584 million and from that 21% is Sport, 41% is Market, 24% is Stadium, and 14% is Brand Management. This illustrates all the different areas their value comes from, and how diverse it is. The team value though is never consistent. Then I show the teams salary which slowly goes up, but then drops in 2005 and reaches really high after 8 more years. From the Lakers' players getting more popular there salary jumped which helped make the team more value to the public. In building the Staples Center the city was very much involved, the cost of the construction was $400 million and $70.5 million was taxpayer money (17.6%). The Staples Center Foundation does a lot for there community, they will go to schools and do many services and will donate paint and art supplies to the schools. What kind of services they will do is help the school garden or they clean around. "More than $10 million in grants and in-kind support has been pledged to support several local charities and community-based organizations with a goal of changing lives and saving lives."

Some trends I see are that is that the team value is never consistent because of how popular the team is at times. Also because if a player is drafted to another team or another player joins their team, making it better or worse. An outlier that I also noticed was that coming back from an injury Kobe Bryant scored 47 points for the Lakers making them win.

 In my opinion I think that the Lakers should stay in Los Angeles because they are doing many things to help there community and a lot less money was used to make the stadium from taxpayers. The Lakers aren't hurting the community at all and they should definitely stay.

REFERENCES

 ʺLakersʺ n.p. Forbes, Jan 2013
ʺStaples Centerʺ n.p. Wkipedia 11-14-13
ʺFounding Partnersʺ n.p. Staples Center, n.d.
"1990-91 Los Angeles Lakers Roster and Stats" n.p. Basketball Reference, n.d.
"1995-96 Los Angeles Lakers Roster and Stats" n.p. Basketball Reference, n.d.
"2000-01 Los Angeles Lakers Roster and Stats" n.p. Basketball Reference, n.d.
"2005-06 Los Angeles Lakers Roster and Stats" n.p. Basketball Reference, n.d.
"2013-14 Los Angeles Lakers Roster and Stats" n.p. Basketball Reference, n.d.
ʺStaples Centerʺ n.p.Ticket dogs, n.d.
"Number 1 Los Angeles Lakers" n.p. 12-4-13

The Jesus Christ Lizard

NVA, "Basilisk Lizard Collage" Nov 21, 2013 Chicago 

In this Bioneers unit we had to research an animal that has a special feature, that humans can go off of to make a new design. The animal I researched was the Basilisk Lizard, this lizard can run on water. The way it can do this is because it is light weight, can run really fast (5 miles) , and it has flaps in between its feet that make air pockets so it can keep up on the water. The reason humans cant run that fast and stay on the water is because that we are to heavy and the lizard is only 7 ounces. It lives in the lower part of Mexico to the top of South America. I chose this animal, because not many animals can walk on water and I never heard of any humans making a product that can help us walk on water. The design I created was a "Water Board", it is a board that has three propellers (two on the sides and one in the back). It also has two tubes on the sides that blow air upwards to create air pockets. The propellers will help make the board go fast to support are weight and the tubes will keep the board afloat. I was going to make a flipper that can help us walk on water, but in my research I found a design that was very similar to that. One of the Basilisk Lizard's nicknames is the Jesus Christ Lizard, because Jesus can walk on water and this lizard can run on it. The best part of this project was making my own design going off of this lizard, because not many people have made a design that can help people walk on water.

"Green Basilisk Lizard" n.p. National Geographic News, n.d.

"Basiliscus (genus)" n.p. Wikipedia, Nov 12, 2013

"How "Jesus Lizards" Walk On Water" John Roach, National Geographic News, 11-16-2004.