Kap

I'm taking some Kaplan prep courses for the mcat this summer on June 17th. I'm feeling more and more prepared for the mcat because of the Kaplan courses. We meet Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, for 3 hours each of those days. It is a bit tiresome, but it is very useful to review all of the material from chemistry, physics, and biology. There is also a verbal reasoning section that we are practicing but since it requires no previous knowledge of formulas, we mainly focus on how to quickly read the passage and map the main points in order to efficiently answer questions. Not surprisingly, I am doing very well in the verbal reasoning practice we have done. In the past, I've tended to do well on the english/grammar/reading section of standardized tests. I'm not very worried about the biology section, and not even the chemistry section since it is fresh in my mind, but the physics section worries me because it requires you to memorize many, many formulas.

I just signed up for the mcat on June 17th moments ago, as I was waiting for the registration to open. (Registration opened February 23). There were two available times to take the exam: either at 8 am or at 2 pm. The exam takes approximately 5 hours, and so I began to debate on which starting time would be the best. I finally settled on 2 pm after reviewing several articles online claiming that teenagers and early 20's tend to perform better later in the day as opposed to early in the day. I went with my instinct, and with the online information, and I do believe that 2 pm-7 pm will be a better time frame to take the test. This way, I can relax and mentally prepare in the morning, and make sure to eat plenty of healthy brain-food before the exam.

I am excited and nervous to take the mcat, and see my scores. I will begin to have a better idea of where I stand competitively after this Saturday. On Saturday, I take my first full length practice mcat through the kaplan course I'm taking. It will be the full 5 hours, and is the first of 6 practice exams that are included in this course. (Although there are more on the kaplan website for even more practice). I hope I do well on this practice exam, as that would serve as a boost of confidence. However, I know that I will probably not do as well as I hope, which would serve the purpose of a practice exam. I will be able to pin-point where I make my mistakes, and what kind of mistakes I tend to make. And then of course, improve upon those areas.

"Balancing Privacy and Security..."

Privacy and security are two concepts that typically go hand in hand. For the most part, if you are private, meaning if you keep quiet and avoid telling or showing others personal details, then you will most likely feel secure. However, in the internet age, privacy is harder and harder to maintain.

Firstly, internet socializing sites such as facebook or myspace have opened the door for the individual to the entire world. At the very least, a complete stranger can access your full name through a site such as facebook, and is usually accompanied by a picture unless you set your "privacy settings" to the most secure, private setting available. If you set no privacy restrictions, then not just your name and picture will be shown, but also your full profile. This includes wall posts, also known as public messages on your homepage from others, as well as pictures of you that have been uploaded. I find this to be a bit dangerous in terms of one's security, as someone could theoretically stalk someone through facebook, and find pertinent information easily. This information could be as broad as what school you attend, to as specific as your age, inner circle of friends, family members, location of residence, place of work, daily schedule/routine, etc. This is why it is important to filter the people you allow to access this vital information, and not allow strangers to view your personal details, even if they are on the internet.

Aside from these potential risks of exposing details to people who wish harm on us, I don't think facebook is inherently dangerous or bad. You just have to be aware of who you add as a friend, and also don't post information such as your residence or your place of work. I think this tip is especially crucial for women, who are often the victims of stalking. It is better to keep some things off of your online profile in order to maintain security and safety.

Other potential hazards that people now face are fraud and identity theft through online sources. This is an aspect that cannot really be helped, other than for the obvious precautions. Only give credit card, social security, or other personal information to authorized personnel or businesses. For example, I'm not going to give my credit card information to buy something online from a website I've never heard of and that doesn't have proof of secure transactions. This is a simple step to avoid being taken advantage of, and getting your credit card information stolen, potentially wreaking havoc on your savings and economic situation. It is better to be overly analytical and critical of someone or something that asks for personal information than to be duped because of naivete. One must make careful decisions when exposing personal information.

Although the internet allows constant feeds of information about people from all over the world, sometimes it is best to keep some information to yourself. There is nothing to be afraid of if you make your decisions carefully and try to keep personal information safe by avoiding fraudulent websites, and by omitting personal information from social networking sites. If one is weary of strangers and the unknown in person, then one should also apply this rationale to their online-life as well.

Internet Videos

The first video I highly recommend. It's a funny/crazy French animation video. :) Found it on the goathouse blog this summer, and I've been laughing since then.

The second video is interesting. In it, a very smart mouse runs through an obstacle course.

Hope you like the videos.

Droopy

My dog, Droopy, is a pug who is about 7 or 8 months old. He is the runt of the litter, and is therefore a bit smaller than a regular pug. Or at least he used to be. This past month, however, he has gained a substantial amount of weight. (Not yet overweight, though). He is high energy and slobbery. He wants to lick everyone he meets and is very playful. Not only is he a friendly pug, he is also a very smart dog. When I was growing up, my family had two dogs of mixed (Labrador/Border Collie) breed. They were of the same litter and were very hard to train. They were high energy and due to their large size, it would become dangerous when they would "greet" people by jumping on them. We did attempt to train them, and also enrolled them in a doggie bootcamp for a week for them to learn to do tricks. They were smart dogs also, but they weren't as willing to learn.

Droopy, on the other hand, loves to please and will do anything for a treat. He knows many English words that I did not purposely teach him, but instead he just picked them up himself. (e.g. "treat", "walk", "hungry", and many more). He knows how to sit, lay down, crawl, stand up, walk on only his two back feet, jump over an obstacle on command, roll over, play dead, fetch, heel, and I'm currently teaching him "speak". Speak is a difficult trick to teach him because he doesn't ever bark. Thus, it is hard to evoke a barking response from him in any situation. Sometimes he will muster a little snortle instead of a bark if he gets frustrated, but we will work on it more.

Does anyone have any more ideas that this little pug will want to learn?

All in all, Droopy is the sweetest, goofiest little pup. He loves to smother everyone in kisses and loves the attention he gets.

Apolo Ohno

The first picture is from the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy.

The next picture is a recent picture from the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.

I was watching the Winter Olympics last night and fortunately caught Apolo Ohno's preliminary and final race in the 1500 meter short track speed skating event. He won the silver medal for this race, his 6th medal. This ties him with Bonnie Blair for most medals at the Winter Olympics for an American athlete. To date he has won two gold, two silver, and two bronze medals. Ohno still has the opportunity to win three more medals in these Games at Vancouver.

I was hoping Ohno would win, but South Korea's Lee Jung-Su took the gold medal. Ohno looks to be in much better shape than in the 2006 Winter Games. He has lost 20 pounds and now weights 145 with 2.5% body fat. He has said, "...I know, from a physical training standpoint, nobody's even close... I've never prepared like this in my life — for anything. I want to leave nothing on the table."

Volunteer Interpreting for Springdale schools

A few weeks ago, I received an email from the UARK Spanish majors listserv detailing an opportunity to volunteer at Springdale public schools for Parent Teacher Conferences. I decided to participate as an interpreter for the Conferences, and so I attended a training session at the Administration office this week. I was one of about eight other people training to interpret. It was more of an informational meeting, but we also worked in small groups reenacting various interpreting scenarios.

I'm excited for next week, when Conferences are held, because almost half of the kids in the school district speak Spanish as a first language. Due to this, there is a large demand for interpreters for the Conferences in order for the parents to communicate with the parents. I'm glad I'm able to help out although I know that there is still need for more interpreters to volunteer.

This won't be my first experience interpreting, but I am still learning how to interpret. I've recently had experience in the medical field as an interpreter, for example. It was a nerve-wracking experience, but I did learn some important aspects such as asking the doctor/teacher to say only 2 sentences (more or less) at a time, and to make sure that the patient/parent has fully understood what was said. Interpreting word for word is not very realistic, and it is more important that the content of the message is relayed.

In my experience, it has been very gratifying to volunteer, and I'm glad I was made aware of this opportunity.

Ignorance is Strength

I'm going to preface this post by admitting I dislike politics and politicians. Yet, I realize it is a necessary evil. Part of my frustration is based in the fact that politicians distinguish themselves from each other superficially, yet beneath the surface, their ideals and goals seem to be the same. Most Americans seem to feel a sense pride in picking "one side" over the other, buying into the scheme.

Politicians gain faithful followers by attacking the other party, and American citizens blindly take sides, allowing these Politicians to grow in power. Why should I care about said Politician? Because siding with one party makes some sort of difference? Well yes, only in the way that the greater the number of followers, the more power they have. But, like I said, politics is necessary because that is how anything gets changed in this country. So these wealthy, well-educated, and predominantly sheltered Caucasian men are supposed to represent this country? Well, apparently to change laws, and thusly change our lives (supposedly for the better), we must trust in their perfectly coiffed toupees, shiny veneers, and expensive suits.

Politics in America is so very superficial it's embarrassing. I don't trust in the Old Boy's Club who poke and prod their citizens and draw differences between themselves when really there exist none--- just to make us think we actually have a say-- that we are governing ourselves, essentially... that the politician is actually a fair representation of the American public. But, Politicians could have only achieved this sort of power over through the citizens. The American public enables this power by buying into their game, yet is blissfully oblivious of doing so.

An example of the convoluted American perception of Politicians is the admiration and fascination with President Obama. Now, before I proceed, I would like to clarify that I believe Obama was the lesser of two evils (when compared to the ridiculously laughable McCain/Palin combo). Yet, I do not think that it really matters who won the Presidency. It would've been the same thing in a different package.

The public's superficiality is apparent in the overwhelming acceptance of Obama after he was elected, and still today, although now public acceptance is lower than it was previously. Yet, most of Obama's followers do not know what the issues are, and even what Obama's position on said issue is.

Is it not a bit pathetic that President Obama has made politics "cool"?... I think this "blind-following" has especially been apparent in the American youth who saw Obama as a stark contrast to the "typical Politician." I couldn't disagree more with this notion. In fact, I find that this sentiment that Obama is radically different from all other Politicians and all other Presidents is (subconsciously) racist. Not in the typical, bigoted redneck sort of way, though. As far as I can tell, the only thing that is different about Obama is the color of his skin. I welcome this added diversity to our government, yet I don't think that this should be the sole factor on why you should like Obama. So, basically what I'm meaning to say is that the only reason why American youth likes him is because he's Black. And even that point has been criticized by those who argue the age old "nature vs nurture" question. Is he black because he looks black? Or is he actually white, being that he was raised by his white mother, and was completely estranged from his father who was his only connection to his Black heritage?

I think it shouldn't matter whether he is black or white, yet I feel this was the reason many young Americans became interested in the Presidential Election of 2008, and it remains the reason for many of his "fans." Which leads me to my next point. Obama has become more of a celebrity than a politician. But, in accordance with this post, you will be able to tell that for me, not just Obama but all politicians have become celebrities. The real issues become non-issues for the American public, whereas the "fluff" becomes the important stuff. For one example, social security will be drained by the time my generation would need it, yet this issue has become a non-issue. In fact, surely many Obama fans could be totally ignorant of this issue. Yet, I wonder if you were to ask Obama fans if he owns a dog, they would be able to provide you with the breed and name of said mongrel. This ridiculous superficiality and attention to non-issues could just be another example of why other countries hate the U.S.

I originally set out to comment on Obama's State of the Union Address from last week, but instead I began to explain my political views a bit. So, I'll just end with a quote from Obama's Address:
"We do not allow fear or division to break our spirit. In this new decade, it's time the American people get a government that matches their decency; that embodies their strength."

Am I the only one who thinks he's saying the opposite of what is actually happening? "Fear" and "division" is what Politicians operate on.

As far as "a government that matches our decency"? I'll let the reader form their own opinion on the decencies of both the government and the people.

And lastly, a quote from George Orwell's 1984 to give you the warm and fuzzies:

"For if leisure and security were enjoyed by all alike, the great mass of human beings who are normally stupefied by poverty would become literate and would learn to think for themselves; and when once they had done this, they would sooner or later realise that the privileged minority had no function, and they would sweep it away. In the long run, a hierarchical society was only possible on a basis of poverty and ignorance. ... Ignorance is Strength"

Trumpet and Friends Recital

On Tuesday night, I attended a concert held in the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall in the Fine Arts Center on campus. It was called "Trumpet and Friends". I knew this concert was not going to be one bit enjoyable when it began with a middle aged, bald, average-looking man with no speaking skills rambling on about the twelve sons of Jacob. For a moment I wondered what Baptist Church I had stumbled into, but no, this was supposed to be a concert. As he stumbled and stuttered from one mangled word to the next, he managed to read my, and perhaps everyone else's mind, and say "I can toot a horn but I'm sure not good at public speaking." (insert vacant smile). Anyway, once the Bible thumper was done quoting unrelated excerpts from the Bible, and imposing his stupid views on Marc Chagall's "The Twelve Tribes of Israel," he began to "toot". His tooting was played according to Petr Eben's "Windows after Marc Chagall," and it was not that bad, surprisingly. So, he actually played the trumpet well, which is why they allowed him on stage, I suppose. The accompaniment of the organ, however, was not a pleasurable addition. I am not familiar with other works by Petr Eben, but judging by this performance, I never want to listen to another note this man wrote. I can appreciate polyphonic music, but this could hardly be refered to as music. The trumpet's resounding Jewish flair was interesting and complex (was this lost on the trumpeter?), however the organ's purposefully shrill "melodies" made for head pounding irritation. I am hardly exaggerating when I say it sounded terrible on purpose. I hate that type of music. Couldn't wait to get out of there. Note to Trumpet: the organ is NOT your friend.

Luckily, the next performance included a much more pleasant friend of the trumpet, the String Quartet. There's really not much to say about their performance save that it was interesting, melodic, and very pleasurable. The violins, viola, and cello were played in all their harmonious glory, and I could tell that these performers were very well rehearsed, yet their intensity and passion was unwavering. The same trumpeter from the first performance played in this performance, and his talent was much more apparent. (It didn't hurt that he did not speak at all prior to playing).