Songs

So I was debating what to write about since I listen to alllllllllll types of music; and finally I narrowed it down to the two songs that I heard the most over the summer. Like literally every day; and I still hear them every day, because now my sisters sing them, along with one of my little brothers. You should see them dancing now. This may be what they call a “culture shock” for some, but whatever. Oh, and they’re Korean.


2NE1 - I am the Best


Knock Out - GD & TOP , apart of a group called BigBang
This song was banned because it made no sense...lmao if we were korean there would be nothing on the radio.


You should also watch this



I don't know why you watched that.

I don’t know if you could tell, but these two groups have similar styles. It’s because they’re from the same company: YG Entertainment. I have to say, they produce some interesting artists. The first thing guys usually say is: “They look gay.” Well…one, they’re jealous; and two, they’re not use to Korean pop culture in general. I can understand it, my dad said the same thing. Furthermore , it’s really funny to call it Korean pop culture since they get their style from R&B black artists. Oh dear the things I could show you. My mom keeps telling me to “just listen to black music, why don’t you listen to black music..blah blah blah.” The truth is I do, but a lot of it isn’t like this anymore, and has fallen to pieces. I could literally see it separating into ignorance and noise. Why can’t it be more like…




Do you hear those instruments? God.

But anyway, the reason why I probably like Korean music is because I have so many nice memories associated with it. Hanging out with close friends and all. Memories make even the lamest of music sound great, and the greatest sound like crap. Today I was asked if I was an oreo. Last Friday Night by Katy Perry was on. That songs sucks even more now. Anyway I really do listen to all kinds of music, classical, rock, hip-hop, techno-ish (no hard core stuff), traditional/modern Chinese, Japanese, Cuban, Puerto Rican, white people….everything.

Sorry if this wasn’t what you were looking for in a music review, but make the most of it. Regardless of what I say or try to convince you of, you’ll still walk away with your own opinion from your first impression of when you clicked the button, and watched the video. So do what you will.

Winter Poem

Alright. Alright. Here we go.

This is a tale, of how she killed summer; and how he let her.



*Killing Summer

Beg for me through salt water
I see them in your eyes

The taste, the anger, the harsh wind of all

The sugar rubbed off, to lend spring fall

Autumn cotton trees, sweet shrivel and shake
Is how ignorantly begot, the frozen lake

Streams and blood vessels
the lifting of relief

On pink leafs they preach
The science of grief

Painting the ground and sky
The brush soon sinks, piercing undeniably
To pure beaut-ti

With a color I’ve seen,
The soil changed.

And dyed itself again, to its silhouette
With balance, and beautiful-touchy elegance

Not knowing, she bowed to a cold scene
And left it to chill
Where the rain’s bow sings,

But losing the warmth, he drew the curtain
Over west, east, in all directions

The fog lost its touch
Lingering past the deceased

Over land supposedly unscathed
The mist had slaughtered peace

And found out they had lost
Tears un-present, and eyes dry
‘Cause summer’d taken them in
When it mournfully sighed

Holding the wind back in its spit sea

She ended it
While he stood by

“There was no controlling it”
Is what he decried

So coldly pretentious,
Teach him why,
And how they killed summer.
Remind the solid land
That its sky was blue ,
And the grass green, and life
A color I have never seen

Direction the Class Needs

Um… speaking in class is awkward, because it’s very silent afterwards. I personally don’t mind telling what’s on my mind –I place my opinion a lot in other classes, but I also find listening important. The thing is I don’t know if everyone is listening when they aren’t speaking; maybe they’re just spacing off. Part of the reason people may not be participating so much is due to having to take the risk of being mistaken. Because the class’s curriculum is analytically and critically thinking based more than anything, one might find their interpretation to be “wrong.” I enjoy that we do have discussions, and there are many who do speak when we drift a bit off topic, but when the teacher is looking for one straight answer, anyone would feel under pressure. Also, halve the children in the class I’ve never met, therefore first impressions will be made about the people you’ll have to spend the rest of your high school experience with.

Furthermore when it comes to vocabulary, as much as I don’t want to –or rather don’t have enough time to-, I believe we should enforce it more throughout our other work so that it actually sticks. Perhaps that’ll happen during finals, which I am worried about, but anyway to actually put the knowledge we gained from doing those worksheets into play would be really beneficial when it comes time for SAT, or generally throughout life. I think the book we do have is very good, and has helped me learn a lot, I am not sure if I recall it all accumulatively so far, but it was packed with info.

Lastly I think we should as a class try to comment on each other’s blogs more often, because I am sure everyone has ideas that they want share; that sometimes an opportunity isn’t presented during class.

Where Did Salinger Go?

do dooo dodooo dooo mhmmmhm mmmmhmmm hmmm I am singing right now.

Jerome David Salinger...was very odd. Is this what you want from me? What you want me to write about?





Well then.

"...Salinger's experience with post-traumatic stress disorder left him psychologically scarred, and that he was unable to deal with the traumatic nature of his war service." (1)

"...as a man immensely proud of his service record, maintaining his military haircut, service jacket, and moving about his compound (and town) in an old Jeep." (2)

"JD Salinger, meanwhile, was dabbling in Scientology and Christian Science and drinking his own urine. He spoke in tongues, sat in a `therapeutic' box and fasted." (3)

"Salinger shifted the entire focus of his life to the cabin in the woods, staying there for up to two weeks at a time, burning wood in his stove to heat up the cans of food or meals brought to him by Claire or their children." (He had two children) (4)

"During the Second World War , he was a counter-intelligence officer assigned to interrogate prisoners taken by the US Army." (5)


"At one time he arrested a young Nazi functionary named Sylvia and then married her. The marriage lasted only a short time and he later always referred to her as ``Saliva''." (6)



I feel annoyed peeping in on this man's life...what was his life anyway. Honestly, it's none of my business and I rather not be concerned with what he did in his spare time. He says he wrote for his own pleasure, but of all his work, the most popular one published (The Catcher and the Rye) seemed directly relatable to his own life. If he was writing for himself, he should keep it to himself. I am sure all of us who are literate can create a novel about really personal aspects of our life; that of course, most of the world would act staggered by, yet inwardly know that the vast majority all find it some way applicable to their own lives.

So, his daughter wrote a book, regarding/ exposing much of her father’s supposedly weird nature, and basically just throwing him out there to be a community spectacle. My question is why would anyone feel the need to do this; especially about their own father? The man’s whole life goal was avoiding breaking the barriers of his personal being; and yes -he did have a dire way of protecting it by writing a novel open to the general public- but the book she wrote (DreamCatcher) was clearly a stretch, passed the boundaries of privacy, and was overall inappropriate. J.D. Salinger did throw a lot out there for a secretive person, and although his claim didn’t match his intention, it should still be respected.

There are some really weird people out there that do some of the strangest crap you could imagine…in fact I know a few -but they aren’t writing novels. I am sure it would be interesting to look and see what’s going through their brain when they do…stuff, but I’d rather not be informed. Just because this man is popular, basically a celebrity, is the only reason why people are so intrigued. If it was some random homeless person on the street, suffering from loneness, or seeking enlightenment by abstaining from sex, then most likely he would be shunned from society. Incredibly shunned.

Holden

This is going to be short cause it’s 2 in the mornin’ and I have work tomorrow
d(^-^)b -_-

Holden has issues…clearly. What he longs for most is human interaction, but by all means, GOD BY ALL MEANS he avoids humans. For some reason he isn’t willing to look past the surface of someone’s skin to actually meet the very real person that they are. To be honest, everyone puts up an act in front of people they don’t know, or at least dilute their personality; in fact, it would be considered rude if you didn’t and were too comfortable. Getting close to anyone, and I am mean truly close, you’re bound to eventually figure them out and discard that “phony” image once seen before.

And although I really do like Holden either way, we can see that his judgment is not always accurate; he even said it himself. Whoever he falls for, that girl is suddenly intellectual, and when they’re through, he’s sitting there thinking what the hell I was thinkin’. Apparently lust blinds everyone, so maybe that’s not a good example. How about this then: Holden can come to the point of hating people with cheap suitcases. SUITCASES have nothing to DO with PERSONALITY. Just seeing the way he lays out a person’s whole background persona just from looking at them, and only being associated with them for like what…two months tops, shows all the thoughts going through his head aren’t going to be as deep as we wanted. Sorry guys.

What Holden is shooting down is not phony people, if that were true then so many people would be on the ground. What he’s aiming at is the general population who doesn’t connect with him instantly. If you look, Holden’s searching for people who could become close with him immediately. Fast friendship is what wants/needs, and he’s not willing to wait to getta know anyone step by step while breaking those barriers.

My Red Hunting Hat

The red hunting hat I believe represents the desire to be an individual amongst the many; but, since there is the desire to be unique, one must also have to cope with being looked at as different…which may also be why Holden (so far at least) only wears his in privacy. My red hunting hat is probably my whole existence, from my outward appearance, to the way I carry myself. Usually when I am talking on the phone or someone I know in another language, a random person comes up to me cause the curiosity is just killing them, and asks: What are you? I really don’t even feel like explaining it myself, so I just go, “I am a black person from Chicago.” But if they keep pressing on, I continue and say,

“My mother is African American, German, and Native American, and my dad is basically just African American. My mom grew up in a Muslim school full of Pakistanis, so she speaks Arabic, but also German since her father is African German. Of course they both speak English and are Muslim. Living in Chicago I am pretty talented at Spanish since my dad is fluent. I have Korean childhood friends, so I also learned conversational Korean, but now since I wanna go to Seoul to live, I decided to self study seriously. I am also studying Japanese at school seriously.”

I have too many different cultures playing in at once, so I guess in that way it makes me stand out. Also, my hijab and the clothes I wear. I am not too serious when it comes to dressing myself…more so the way I act. Honestly, whatever is clean will do. Sometimes the stuff I put on is nice, sometimes it’s not…oh well.

I am really serious when it comes to treating people with respect and being polite…for some reason my generation thinks it is funny to be mean. Being blunt, and being rude are two different things. My hijab (the scarf I wear on my head) makes people stare… I could honestly care less. In fact, I love it when people ask about “the helmet I am wearing on my head” because it’s my chance to tell them a bit about Islam.
To sum it all up, my red hunting hat is my culture…every single thing about me.

Thankful For a Classmate

Warning: Do not read, this is not worth it.

I am thankful for the people in the east and west part of the classroom, as well as the north and south. Along with the upper part, and back also. The corners will not be forgotten, who make the shape of our classroom a square. Or perhaps a rectangle. If there are bacteria, germs,or little people that cannot be seen,inhabiting the floor, I would like to thank you also, for allowing me to have a valid reason to not go to school. The desks I am thankful for, the teacher also, and his desk too; but the person who I am most thankful for is you! Are you flattered? Whoever is reading this is my favorite person in the class, since you’re trying to find out who wrote about you. Well guess what. I did!

But really, if I had to pick one person, it would be Ebony, whose name is spelt Eboni. I know, Microsoft Word thinks it’s wrong too. I am just kidding…which I usually don’t do openly…but I am tired…so I am not myself. I really enjoy cramming for vocabulary tests with you the period before English, while somehow managing to kick butt on the test…which I find an accomplishment –smiley face-. I also appreciate when you give me company in the library when I am doing homework, studying, or sleeping… I get few visitors around those parts, so it’s nice to speak to somebody. Eboni, Eboni, Eboni….you’re filling up my 300 word requirement, I am thankful for that.

Eboni guess what. I think I am taller than you, I am thankful to you for this reason. Is that in your control? Did you purposely do that to make me feel good? Thank you. I am thankful to your brain, which got you into Whitney Young so we could meet and become friends. Have a happy thanksgiving. Why is thanksgiving one word, but not thank you? I learned this because of you Eboni. Thanks.

Cormac McCarthy Blog

Wall Street Journal: Earlier you referred to the role luck plays in life. Where has luck intervened for you?

Cormac McCarthy: There was never a person born since Adam who's been luckier than me. Nothing has happened to me that hasn't been perfect. And I'm not being facetious. There's never been a time when I was penniless and down, when something wouldn't arrive. Over and over and over again. Enough to make you superstitious.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704576204574529703577274572.html


I find it interesting that Cormac McCarthy would find himself so lucky to the point of superstition, but not believe in God. This implies that God mustn’t be just be a simple belief, but belonging to a whole separate category; a category he doesn’t accept as the truth. So does this put God (for him) below superstition…perhaps due to luck being more tangible? I find this type of ideology in the road, where the man is in a tragic situation, but “lucky” to be living, “lucky” still remaining the good guys, “lucky” having the boy by his side. And when things seem bleak, they find salvation and keep preserving, while cursing God, and living. But without god what is the point of trying to be good? It’s Impossible; you don’t even know what good is! Imagine our world where religion never touched it.

The only reason why people without religion know what is right is because they live in a society/world where religion rules most of the people, so they can still be morally righteous but not believe in god. Without religion, right and wrong is left for humans to decipher, and don’t get me wrong, but some people have really twisted principles. And I don’t just mean that occasionally they compromise them, but that they were never right in the first damn place. Some may say, “Well what came first the chicken or the egg? Morals or religion?”

Supposedly, in Christianity (correct me if I am wrong) humans are made in the image of god. So if Adam is made to be like god, ( I am sorry this just sounds so weird to me) then that means he has a religion, whether it is labeled that or not. Also in Islam, each human soul testifies that Allah is the only one and true god before given life. Now this is mainly so that on the Day of Judgment (look it up) there is no excuse for one to say they just didn’t know when they were living, but this also serves another purpose. It is said that because of this all humans are born into Islam, as a Muslim, and it is his parents who make him into a Christian, Buddhist, Jew, etc.: meaning religion was already instilled before morals.
Sorry.

Well, the dictionary defines moral as a lesson, esp. one concerning what is right or prudent, that can be derived from a story, a piece of information, or an experience. Well one can interpret the situation in the most skewed perspective that may seem crystal clearly wrong to us, but not them. With religion, we leave it to interpret information, experiences, whatever, from one perspective that we all conform to.

Of course, my point of view only works if you believe that religion was sent from god, and not man-made….which I find quite impossible.

Open Letter to Charles Bukowski (Dinosauria, We)

This may seem petty, but of the whole poem only one part bothered me: “The fingers reach toward an unresponsive god.” From this I am understanding that you’re either atheist, or just don’t think god will respond in this particular situation where there is no optimism in the world. Hopefully the second reason, but either way I don’t agree. It may be because I am religious or just maybe because I am Muslim, but I don’t think god would just ignore innocent people thrown in the mist of chaos. If He did, it would most likely be because his creations wandered from the straight path and have forgotten about the truth, to the point where He allowed them to leave His guidance. For me, in Islam, it is described that god gives direction in the human heart, like a light. And when you no longer seek the light, He takes it away from you leaving you in darkness drawn from the correct path where you cannot find your way again. This is also the reason why you will see many Muslims try not to convince people of the principles of Islam, because if the person isn’t asking sincerely (which they usually aren’t), they’ll just try to defy what you’re saying; but most of the time this comes off as us Muslims having blind faith where we believe whatever we’re told if we’re not willing to explain. The rest of the poem I believe is quite accurate. Knowing human nature, we will eventually out-greed ourselves to dirt. And the sad thing is, it’s not most of society who is going to drive us to this point; but it will be most of society that is affected. We have been trained for generations to be prepared for the future; and generally we are the perfect cattle. All of us are distracted to some point, with our sanity/brain/compassion being numbed to a efficient degree. We become immersed in things that we think are important or interesting, but really have no substance. For instance, Politics; they are just another way to throw away time (although not seemingly), with ephemeral events. Honestly most political affairs can be equated with celebrity affairs. For most of us, if we're shook back to actuality we want to turn it away, but if we’re thrown into it will perform the unimaginable. So , I thank you Bukowski for making this eye-opening poem, and shaking us back to reality; even if only for 3 minutes.

Father and Son

Looking at the topic “Father and Son,” I was instantly sparked to write about family relations; so I thought of writing about daughter and father since it’s something could I relate to more (being that I am a daddy’s girl). But rather, The Road won't allow this type of drift from the main theme, being that the perspective in the novel is too narrow to still someway connect it to other subjects and be able to support my point with the book: therefore I write only of “Father and Son”.
To me a father and son are like yin and yang…or should I say play into yin yang. They only complete one side, where the child is the bigger portion, and the father the smaller. The other side would probably be the mother/mother figure; and I don’t believe the region (lighter or darker) of the circle they inhabit matters as long as it is complete. And although they only make up half, without each other they would be lost or insignificant. The situation I am about to examine only looks upon two possibilities, so I don’t deny other menial details could change the scenario.
Say they were the yin half, (the dark half with the white dot in the middle…and again the father being that dot). The boy without that light/guidance his father gives in the book, would be engulfed in darkness to the point of death. This also works vice-versa for the father. I don’t know if you have seen the Avatar Airbender episode where yin is taken from the pond, and only yang is left. Yang becomes overdrawn & outraged with the evil that surrounds it (because it is pure) …possesses Ang… and is taken to the point of destruction. The father without the boy, no matter how big of a threat carrying a child along in this apocalyptic world is to his life, wouldn’t survive without him.
Now say they were the yang half, (the boy is always the bigger portion, so the father is the dark circle). The same concept applies here. The boy is the fathers guiding light from death, and the father is the boys way of survival. And although the other half of the symbol is still at lost in this, being half way whole is better than being at chaos as the rest of the world.

John Proctor, Hero or Stooge?

The Crucible is ironic . Simply Ironic. John Proctor is one to urge a behavior towards others that he believes deserves to be drawn out and scrutinized, yet lives in hypocrisy himself. Adultery. It is the name of the crime (crime in the Puritan society at least) he is guilty of, yet looks on others with shame as they conduct themselves in double standards. Although this is certain, Proctor is my favorite. Could it be his wittiness and sharp tongue? Even though the other characters make for great entertainment, he serves his role quite well as the hero. Proctor judges himself with the same harshness as he does with anyone else. Elizabeth Proctor said it herself. The balance of justice is clearly thrown all the way off on the crazy side in this book, and at the point of my last read (end of Act III) his scale seems to be weighed the most even. He confessed his sin, which by Puritan means makes him a clean man, and in this book, a clean man means a clean name. Name and politics is what influences power and authority in this community, but unfortunately Proctor’s exposure came in a bit late, and now works in means of his downfall (as is what the book is foretelling for now). So is Proctor foolish for advocating the simple well-being of his town? No, but his ways in going about so lead him in the counter direction of his goals. For instance, we have a perfect example: Abigail. This girl was nothing but sly and devious to achieve her revenge, and also in gaining the trust she needed through manipulating the Puritan society. Of course her ways were unethical, so we have to ask: do the means justify the ends? In some cases yes, and some no. When complicated matters boil down to a yes or no question, all that remains is the simplification of a dense situation that does no justice (or finds no real solution) to the matter as a whole. So when asked is John Proctor a hero or stooge , I would throw my dart somewhere in the middle; and perhaps, that is the bull’s-eye.

Sinners in The Hands of An Angry God

Gawsh it took me forever to put this up '-_-

Most people respond to this sermon with a modern Christian point of view, and what I mean by this is not that Puritans aren’t Christian, but that its thesis seems a bit radical. One thing I noticed that might bother some Christians is that this sermon doesn't corroborate its sentences with the bible itself. It’s more of interpretation of how one thinks God is and should be, and so basically I from this I grasp that a Christian only has to cohere that Jesus is the messiah, and then everything else becomes legal with redemption. And what I believe is that for a Christian to criticize this, then they must criticize the rest of their religion. If all believers of Jesus are saved, then what need is there to interpret the bible? What need is there to have disputes on what is right and what is wrong? And what right do other Christians have to pass judgment on Puritans? This also leads me into another subject. How does America decided to separate church from state. Together or apart, they both are corrupt. Furthermore, how are laws determined? By democracy? No, the people ruling can lead to downfall. As it always has. What mankind needs is a genuine religious power/church/whatever to rule and govern out of pure good will. And what will lead people to this is faith, not fear. And although the Puritans use fear to instill trust in God, faith and sincerity is what they had, so who are you to criticize?

Arrivals... There Goes the Neighborhood

Ok so I forgot a bit about what this topic is supposed to be about...but I do remember what came to my mind when our teacher mentioned it….so I’ll just write that. I was homeschooled until 3^rd grade. In 2^nd grade I went to school for a month, but I couldn’t “handle” it (lol) and transferred out. This school we’re speaking of goes by the name of Drake, a CPS that is predominately black. During my years of studying at home, I only socialized with family, ALL FAMILY, and if you can guess (or have been in the same situation) I was antisocial. Incredibly. My family lived in a (small) apartment not far from the school, and my mother was having more children (by the year hahaha) and couldn’t teach us all to the full extent that she approved of, therefore she sent us off to school for a while. So, I was off to Drake. Like I mentioned before, I tried 2^nd grade first. Now, before we get into the story, I also had my two other sisters attending with me. Ok…When I arrived, I met my extremely nice/patient homeroom teacher. I also met a boy who I guessed I liked back then, (HA! 2^nd grade love pfft), and from what I could tell he liked me also, so this made school all-the better. Everything was going fine, until my mom ABANDED ME in the classroom with a whole lot of children. That night, I told my mom I was being bullied, some kid tried to pull my scarf off, somewhere along those lines…but she sent me back anyway, and every day I had other fibs to tell about school, and within a month I was free. HALLELUHAH. Still, my mother had a HUGE work load teaching all of us, and asked me if I wanted to try again. I wanted to scream, but didn’t, since I am the oldest. I can’t do that. “I’ll try again.” 3^rd grade I was back in the hell hole, but this time me teacher was crazy. She used to scare yet fascinate me with her wildness and energy. That night I told my dad (I am daddy’s girl by the way lol) she was trying to hurt me (with her craziness). I didn’t really go into much detail after that, but my dad was at the school the next day. For some reason, he came to my school very calmly, spoke with the teacher very calmly, and left me at school; very calmly. I decided I need to stop this madness, and I went to school the next day. My parents dropped me off in front of the school, and I walked my sisters to their classrooms. Seconds later, not trying, a huge fear and sadness came over me. I missed my mother, and my papa, and my sisters down the hallway. I cried continuously for the first 3 whole months. Some reason they stopped when I got home. I know right, how could my parents leave me there for 3 months. Some kids already thought I was weird because of my scarf, but I gained friends through letting them braid my hair. I stayed there for the whole year, and then I moved to a new neighborhood and school where all the kids HATED ME. Gosh, I didn’t even speak to them.

Introduction

Hello... My name is Zainab.

I am Muslim, meaning that I follow the religion Islam. I don’t consider myself super religious, just follow the principles that I believe in (all of them lol), and so, I am not led on by blind faith. My parents are strict, but have never forced me to believe and anything; just hoped that I would listen. I LOVE them with all my heart, but of course they can get on my nerves…a lot. This also applies to my siblings (which I have seven) who never allow me to have a dull moment. I find it weird for people to ask me if we all have the same two parents, of course! All my life I considered myself black...don’t know what nationality (since slavery poo) but my mother is also German, Native American, and my father is African American. One of my favorite music artist is Miyavi, because he has charisma and mind blowing guitar skills. He inspired me to learn guitar, but that spark quickly left me with broken notes and a broken guitar…lol. My life is fencing, school, and kpop. Back to music, I would just like to say GD (G-Dragon) and TOP (both music artists) have so much swag; what can I say, YG entertainment is unique hahaha. Recently I listened to Hey Mama by Kanye West Grammy version (yes I already knew the song I just revisited it) and I admit, got a little teary eyed, even though I don’t particularly like him…or his music. YouTube and Korean Drama is what I do with my free time…which is like what, nothing lol. I clean every day after school, not because of chores, but because I like to be clutter free in order to organize my life. I thrift shop because I like to: cheap. I do have a job at my dad’s small IT business that he owns, (not because of his “connections”, he would never do that, I earn everything I have … no joke). I hate internet Ads, drive me crazy. I think I get a little too excited over food than the average person. I think 9/11 was an inside job. I want to live in Korea with my family when I grow older, I definitely don’t plan to be in America; they secretly have enmity towards Muslims that I can’t even fully understand or imagine. I am a pretty bold person, but I will never be rude, I promise. I don’t like fake people (and yes I can tell, I think everyone can), don’t care for makeup, and will always try to be honest. My dream is probably to spread what I believe in most with the strongest faith: Islam.