Superior Skydiving

     The Pecha Kucha that I watched was the one called Superior Skydiving. This woman described the way she learned how to sky dive for the first time. It showed many pictures of her and her experiences of skydiving. She showed/talked about her first trying skydiving with her sister for the first time and that she loved to do it. She talked about her injury of skydiving as well as her first time doing it alone. She did a good job in describing her pictures in detail because most of them I wouldn't have known who was in the picture or what they were doing.

     She did well throughout the presentation but she could improve on a few things. She stuttered a few times and during the middle of the presentation she paused for a good 5 seconds interrupting the flow of the Pecha Kucha. She also could have done  better job with her flow as well. The entire presentation was good with the pictures and they talked fairly well throughout the slide show. I noticed that the presentation was well organized and worked well. I'm not a big fan of the Pecha Kucha because I like to look on the slide show and read most my information. But this is a good way in not letting people just do that. I just need to learn to not read off the slide show. I do think I will be able to fill all 10 of my slides in the needed amount of time.

The History of Qingdao

     The life of a Chinese student is very different than that of an American. I chose to explore and research the school at which my correspondent, Jasmine, is currently attending. I wanted to know more about the school. For example, what it looks like, what  the students do there, and the history of the school. I want to compare her school and the universities here to see how much different it is.  I found this topic in the autobiography that Jasmine sent me. She talked a lot about her school schedule, her teachers and her roommates. She touched briefly on the history of her school and I wanted to know more about it.

     Qingdao University first originated in 1909. In 1993, 4 higher University's located in China formed together to make the Qingdao University(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qingdao_University). Today Qingdao University consists of 25 colleges and 73 specialties with undergraduate programs covering from literature and philosophy to history and economics, and many more. There are over 2,000 teachers working there and the entire building area is 2.2 million square feet. It's currently under renovation and costs about 192.5 million dollars to complete it (http://english.qdu.edu.cn/)(http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=DASORT&inPS=true&prodId=GPS&userGroupName=morenetspk&tabID=T003&searchId=R2&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&contentSegment=&searchType=BasicSearchForm&currentPosition=1&contentSet=GALE%7CA386210980&&docId=GALE|A386210980&docType=GALE&role=BCPM).

     Her university seems to be very nice and modern looking.  Its seems that the schedule of Chinese students is much strict and more regimented than most American students. They are required to take both Chinese and English as well as philosophy and history.  Jasmine does not seem to enjoy many of her classes or her teachers and that does seem like most American students. I think it would be very difficult for an American student to attend her Chinese university.  She would probably think most American universities and easy and would be surprised how many students take it for granted.  It does not seem that her school has many extra curricular activities like sports or Fraternities or Sororities.  That's probably why China has some of the most educated people in the world (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_China).

Sources

     About QU--From the President. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Nov. 2014. <http://english.qdu.edu.cn/>.
    
     "Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University: Qingdao Shandong, China." Healthcare Design Sept. 2014: 208. Business and Company ASAP. Web. 6 Nov. 2014. (Secondary)
    
     Education in China. N.p., 4 Nov. 2013. Web. 8 Nov. 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_China>.


     Qingdao University. N.p., 9 June 2013. Web. 8 Nov. 2014.  <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qingdao_University>.
 


    
    

    

Face-to-Face

     I read thoroughly about the 9-11-2001 and 12-7-1941 stories and it was very shocking to hear the people's stories about how they heard of the news and how people reacted to it. The story that stood out to me was the Golzar Kheiltash story. She was explaining that she was in bed until her roommate started screaming. She was trying to figure out why she was freaking out and that's when she saw the television screen to see the tower collapsing. She then heard the news reporter say that the Palestinian terrorist organization has taken credit for this attack. She then knew that the it was going to happen. People would start criticizing Palestinian Americans. The news was the same for the Japanese Americans after Pearl Harbor happened. America discriminated these people just because they were in shock and they were afraid. I feel bad for those people who had to go through that terrible time.
  
     The second section I listened to was the Loss section. These people lived in fear for a long. Many never knew if their privacy was being invaded or if people were hacking their cell phones while listening to their conversations. The people had to be very careful of what they said and what they wrote on emails, etc. If they put terrorist or Bin Laden in anything, they are put on a list or are red-flagged. I feel pretty bad for these people. I would not want my privacy to be invaded and I would not want to live in fear.

     The theme for everything we have done today is pretty obvious. People are being judged by various things about them, from there race to their religious beliefs. Usually these events occur after a very important or shocking event that has happened. From MLK death to 9/11, these people are experiencing these events after a big impact in our history. I think America is responding like this because we are scared of what has happened or we are scared it's going to happen again. You shouldn't judge people by the color of their skin, but the person they are inside.

 

 

Reading Response #4: The Hobbit

 

 

     The turn for the worst has occurred to Bilbo and his clan of dwarves. Smaug has left the city of Arahbor and decided to fly to Lake Town, which is populated with thousands of innocent people. Smaug then decides to show the dwarves whose is the "real" king under the mountain. He swoops down and kills hundreds of people. But one civilian named Barg, finds a huge spear specially made to kill dragons like Smaug. He shoots it killing the dragon and saving his town from complete destruction. This whole part of the book reminds me too much of the terrible attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001. I can picture the destruction on that day and how it could impact the lives of the people of Lake Town, if they were real. I wonder how the people of Lake Town feel about Bilbo and the dwarves waking the dragon and making him kill many of their loved ones.

 

    

 

 

This picture to the left is how I can picture Lake Town during the attack from Smaug. The fire everywhere shows how much would have survived after the attack. These people's lives are going to go through a major change.

 

 

 

 

One quote that sticks out to me in the book is when Bilbo tried convincing Smaug not to go to Lake Town. He's trying his best to convince him not to go, but Smaug decides to go and make them all watch him kill innocent people. Bilbo then says,

 

"Oh god, what have we done." (pg. 298).

 

This quote gives you chills and it just makes you get on the edge of your seat waiting and wanting to find out what happens next in the story. It explains in just a few short words that the dragon coming and attacking the town is all there fault. Tolkien does a good job in creating suspense for the reader and writing a well rounded story to this part so far.



Reading Response #3: The Hobbit

     The Hobbit has taken a huge turn from a relatively slow introduction into an intense climax. The group of dwarves have just found a new entry into their homeland of Arahbor away from the dragon, Smaug. The dwarves selfishly force Bilbo into going into their homeland to find a powerful jewel that has the power to control all of the lands around there. While Bilbo is searching for the jewel, he accidentally approaches Smaug who is sleeping in a huge pool of gold. Bilbo makes too much noise trying to leave and he wakes the huge, fire-breathing dragon. This part is so intense and nail-biting that it makes you have to read and see what happens next. 

    

     The picture above is how I can picture Bilbo seeing Smaug for the first time scene. The picture shows just how small the Hobbit is compared to the magnificent beast sleeping on a carpet of gold as far as the eye can see. Bilbo doesn't have much of a chance to get out of this situation.

     A quote that stood out to me was when Thorin (the dwarf leader) made Bilbo go into the tunnels to try and sneak past Smaug. It says,

     "As Thorin carefully explained, Mr Baggins was still officially their expert burglar and investigator. If he liked to risk a light, that was his affair. They would wait in the tunnel for his report."

     This quote truly reveals what Bilbo's true purpose was when they asked him to join their quest. It's sad because Bilbo had no clue he would have to find a tiny jewel that is most likely guarded by a dragon who most likely will kill him. Thorin kept this to himself and has caused Bilbo to perhaps lose his life just for some strangers whom he barley knows. I do have a feeling that Thorin will realize that he made a mistake and might feel guilty for sending Bilbo out there all  by himself.

Reading Response #2: The Hobbit

     I am continuing to read The Hobbit and have reached an interesting point in the story. Bilbo, Gandalf, and the rest of the dwarves have all been captured by a pack a goblins. The main dwarf, Thorin, is wanted by the white orc. The white orc and Thorin fought many years ago and Thorin cut off the orc's arm in battle. The orc wants revenge and the goblins know that. They send out one of their own to relay news to the orc telling him that they have Thorin. I like the way J.R.R. Tolkien writes this part of the book, with such great storytelling ability and excitement, that makes the reader want to keep reading to know what happens next. This quote utilizes just part of the greatness of Tolkien with,

“It was at this point that Bilbo stopped. Going on from there was the bravest thing he ever did. The tremendous things that happened afterward were as nothing compared to it. He fought the real battle in the tunnel alone, before he ever saw the vast danger that lay in wait.”  (Pg. 99).

     This quote explains how Bilbo is trying his hardest to sneak by the the goblins to save his friends. The part when he says, "Before he never saw the vast danger that lay in wait." makes the reader really want/need to know what happens next in the story. This quote just shows the brilliance of J.R.R. Tolkien's writing style.This picture reminds me of what the goblins in the tunnels would look like. I can picture them being really ugly looking and really creepy. I have a feeling the orcs will have a big part in the rest of the story.

The Hobbit: Reading Response

     I have loved the Lord of the Rings movies ever since they came out. I liked the battle scenes and the plot of the whole story. "A ring to rule them all..." That phrase sounds really cool and just by reading those few words you want to know more. But before the Lord of the Rings, there was the book the Hobbit. The movie for it came out about a year ago and I thought it was really interesting. I saw the first two movies and the third one comes out in a few months. I decided to start reading the book to find out exactly what happens next. 
   
     The story starts out in the main character, Bilbo Baggins, home. He is approached by a by-standard who is later known as Gandalf. Gandalf has an adventure in store for Bilbo. He asks him to join him and his fellow compatriots, who are dwarves, to take back their homeland. The dwarves homeland was stolen and taken over by a dragon named Smaug. There's only one problem; there are only 13 dwarves against a  huge fire breathing dragon. This is a huge task for the dwarves and it relates back to me in a way. My basketball team and I are going to go up against many great teams in the Tournament of Champions. We are mighty underdogs going up against these fierce "fire breathing" competitors. It just reminds me of that. 

     An interesting quote I found was the during first encounter between Gandalf and Bilbo. Bilbo greets Gandalf with a "good morning" and Gandalf responds with,
    
“Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?” (Page 4-5).

     This quote is showing how Gandalf intends to test Bilbo to see if he may be up for the challenge that awaits them.  Is he the right one to join their quest?  The author, J.R.R. Tolkien, uses a great quote to show the amusing/weird side of Gandalf. It brings the reader in to find out what will happen next.

 

101 Things About Me

 

 

*I love foreign foods (Japanese, Chinese, Italian, etc.)

 

*I used to be a grass ferry when I played baseball as a kid.

 

*I love traveling to places that I have been to. It's nice to remember what all I have forgotten about certain places.  

 

*I am terrified of heights. I can't look out of a window from a tall building without freaking out.

 

*I love watching T.V. I could watch it all day.

 

*I love playing and watching sports. I want a job in the future to be involved with sports.

 

*I have three dogs right now. In my whole life, I have had a total of 6.

 

*I have broken my nose three times playing basketball.

 

*My aunt is a astronaut who works for NASA.

 

*I love the Marvel and D.C Comic movies.

 

*Whenever I broke my nose for the first time in basketball, I bleed all over the floor. When I left the court to get cleaned up and a new jersey, they still didn't clean up my blood. They had to call a janitor to clean it up.

 

*I have been to Cozumel, Mexico and Jamaica.

 

*I have been inside a real Space Shuttle and I have seen the last launch that NASA ever did.

 

*I love the Kansas City Chiefs, St. Louis Cardinals, and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

 

*I love to hangout with my friends and to goof off with them.

 

*My favorite type of music is pop and hip-hop.

 

*I want to marry Ariana Grande and Shay Mitchell. One of them will be my future wife.