Lately I have been seeing just how bad people are at the ABCs and at counting. I was doing my piano theory homework. I try to do a little every week (but sometimes I forget or my teacher doesn't assign any. She's a bit on the lax side when it comes to teaching the theory. I think that's why we do "auditions" with a national association instead of a California one, since the California one requires you to take tests on piano theory). I took a close look at one of the pages and realized it was incorrectly labeled.

a.
b.
c.
e.

Where did D go? I know it's a small mistake that anyone would make, since we are all human, and probably no one would notice because it doesn't really stand out. But I still think it's rather silly to not know your alphabet.

And the situation with counting is even worse nowadays. One student said, "Is this really all the homework? It's just seven problems." Another student told him, "There are eight problems. "Well...I just didn't add one," said the first student.

In fact, students are so careless about their counting that the teacher must cover up the number line so students won't use it to help themselves on the STAR testing (California's standard tests that we have every year from 2nd-8th grade, if you're in another state). I was really amazed. I mean, is it really so bad that students can't even count to 50? Really. I can understand covering up maps and stuff like that since it can be pretty helpful sometimes. But a number line...

I always hear it's important to have a good foundation. Being able to count and knowing the 26 letters of the alphabet is something very basic and fundamental. If we pay so little attention to our simplest skills, I fear that we are on the road to disaster...

So I encourage you to spend your free time reciting your ABC's. And when you need to get to sleep, count sheep.

Labels: 123, ABCs, alphabet, attention, basic, count, cover, foundation, fundamental, map, number line, numbers, practice, problem, skills, sleep, STAR testing

When I was younger, I would always sleep without socks on. It felt too uncomfortable to me, wearing socks to bed. On hot days, I even stuck my bare feet out of the side of the blanket just to keep them feeling cool. This went on for many years, even in the winter, when my feet became all cold and numb. I didn't like the alien feeling I got from wearing socks.

But that has changed this past winter. My blood circulation has not been good. (At least, that is the theory that my mom and I have; if you have a better idea, you should let me know.) My body temperature isn't always as it should be. When the weather is cold I cannot seem to keep my body heat unless I am wearing a thick jacket (and even then sometimes it's not enough). My hands would be icy cold while my parents' hands would be quite warm. One of my classmates was surprised that I was wearing a jacket since she thought it was pretty warm. I myself am shocked to see students wearing t-shirts and shorts even on chilly days. (In fact, in elementary school, we would joke that one kid never wore anything besides t-shirts and shorts, winter or summer.)

My feet were really feeling too cold, so I decided it was better that I wear socks to bed. At first it felt all wrong, but after a while I got used to the feeling, and so it became a habit of mine. In fact, it feels a little odd not wearing socks. But since the weather is really warm, I figure it's better to sleep with socks off again for the time being.

I kept realizing right after I turned off the lights that I had forgotten to put on socks before bed. But it's such a hassle turning the lights on again and getting up to get socks. My mom says that I should just keep socks under my pillow. She said that she did that when she was young. I've been thinking to myself that maybe she didn't have teeth to give the tooth fairy, so she left socks instead. That makes it the Sock Fairy instead.

Recently I've been feeling some discomfort in my feet. The bottom of my left foot (specifically, the area known as the "ball" of the foot) pained me slightly during the day. I was still able to walk and run, but it sure made things uncomfortable. I looked at it at night and saw there was something like a blister on it. A dry, hard part of skin...Yikes. And then my other foot, the right foot is a bit odd around the ankle area (the side that is facing inward, facing to the left). It hurt me to bend it in a certain position, but only sometimes. At other times it is just fine. I keep wondering if perhaps I have injured myself without knowing it. Maybe I was sleeping in a really weird position. (I recall waking up some days with a stiff back or with pulled muscles from sleeping in a bad position.) Or maybe it's just one of those unexplainable aches that goes away after a while.

I've been stressed lately as well, due to a group project we have to do for language arts class (it's just so hard to meet up with my group members, so it's really bothering me). And I've also had to take quite a few tests. The STAR tests aren't really that big of a concern to me. But I have been taking awards tests. Since eighth grade is the last year of middle school, if you can show your excellence in a subject (essay writing, speech, poetry, mathematics, science, social studies, or art) you will be given an award. I was a bit reluctant to take a test for some of the subjects since I felt there was no way I would get the award (unless by some stroke of luck I managed to bubble in all the right answers, and it would be unfair for me to win the award when I didn't know what I was doing), but my mom urged me to, saying it would be a good experience and I might as well give it a try.

Well, the history was okay (though I didn't remember a lot, or didn't even know if I'd learned it), the science was tolerable, the essay writing was not too bad (just a bit of a time constraint)... But the geometry was something else. I could only understand how to do a few problems. Many of the things were either forgotten (like the formula for the volume of a cone or something along those lines) or I hadn't ever seen such a problem. These problems were beyond my abilities, so I ended up having to bubble in randomly at the end of class. (I should have taken Mr. Kulla's advice to just skip what I didn't understand immediately. I actually heard the problems at the end of the test were a bit easier...) Anyways, I am a little upset because I feel I had wasted a perfectly good hour of my time on taking a test that just ended up confusing me, but I suppose there's no use crying over spilled milk.

Labels: academic, awards, blood, circulation, discomfort, eighth grade, feet, geometry, health, luck, pain, pillow, problem, school, sleep, socks, STAR testing, temperature, test, tooth fairy

As the STAR tests are coming up, I have been going over some released questions from previous years to try and refresh my memory of the various subjects. (STAR stands for Standardized Testing And Reporting. It is a test taken in California.) I was rather concerned about science especially, because the last time I took the science STAR test, I didn't score as well as I had hoped. And my science teacher had said it would cover science from grades 5-8, which was of great concern to me since I don't really remember much of what I learned in elementary school anymore. All I can remember are vague names and ideas, like Ohlone (a Native American tribe, if I remember correctly), the Revolutionary War, and something about the organs of the human body. I keep thinking of the word spleen, for whatever reason, but I have no idea where it is, what it looks like, or its function anymore.

I was going over the language arts released test questions, and there was a part from How I got to Be Perfect, written by Jean Kerr (at least, that's what I think, I was rather confused by the content of the heading, but anyways).

"The dog that gave us the most trouble was a beagle named Murphy. As far as I'm concerned, the first thing he did wrong was to turn into a beagle. I had seen him bounding around on the other side of a pet-shop window, and I went in and asked the man, 'How much is that adorable fox terrier in the window?' Did he say, 'That adorable fox terrier is a beagle'? No, he said, 'Ten dollars, lady.' Now, I don't mean to say one word against beagles. They have rights just like other people. But it is a bit of a shock when you bring home a small ball of fluff in a shoebox, and three weeks later it's as long as the sofa.

Murphy was the first dog I ever trained personally, and I was delighted at the enthusiasm with which he took to the newspaper. It was sometime later that we discovered, to our horror, that - like so many dogs - he had grasped the letter but not the spirit of the thing. Until the very end of his days he felt a real sense of obligation whenever he saw a newspaper - any newspaper - and it didn't matter where it was. I can't bring myself to go into the details, except to mention that we were finally compelled to keep all the papers in the bottom of the icebox."

I find it rather interesting reading the stories from past STAR tests. It seemed like there was quite a bit about the dangers of the sun. There were advertisements for sunscreen and how to apply it, as well as advice for how to avoid being damaged by UVA or UVB rays. I don't put on sunscreen as often as I should...Although I may not get sunburns that much, it is possible that I'll end up with skin cancer and wrinkles, which are both problems that don't show up right away. (Then again, my skin already has problems and my hands are quite wrinkly - although I was told that had to do with my hands being small so the skin is not stretched as tightly across my bones)

This morning I was thinking about something that I hadn't thought of for a while. It started out with me wondering if someday I should take Oral Composition (though the idea was soon dismissed in my head, for not only do I still lack confidence in my public speaking abilities, I also would be behind those who had taking Oral Comp in 9th grade, and anyways I was planning to take Photography soon as I had the chance). And then I remembered that I had seen a kid in PE who looked kind of like someone I used to know. I would always stare at the back of his head until he turned around so I could see his face. And even though it was impossible for him to be that person (since this boy was in a lower grade) I always waited and looked, and was greatly disappointed. I wonder why? I guess I'm still really stuck to my past. I wish I could have those carefree days back again. I haven't seen a person who I was friends with in elementary school for so long. Perhaps he moved...But I am sure he must still live fairly close by, for I thought I saw him at Target once. (If you want to see people you know, go to Target, the library, or the San Francisco Airport. I've seen many acquaintances at these three locations.)

Labels: beagle, dog, elementary school, familiar, friends, health, interesting, memories, memory, moving, newspaper, people, recognize, science, score, skin, STAR testing, sunlight, training, wrinkles

There was a similar quote to this, said by Ronald Reagan to Mikhail Gorbachev. But I have adjusted it to suit my purposes. Recently, I heard the shocking news that the Calabazas branch of the San Jose Library is coming down. I don't even know if they plan to set up a "temporary library" in the meantime, since it was said on their website that we ought to go visit other branches. I guess my mom could just to go Alviso (a San Jose Library not far from her office) but I still find this to be terrible. I still remember a long time ago the old Cupertino library was going to be replaced by our current one, and they set up a temporary library. Maybe San Jose doesn't have as much money. When I was young, I would ride my bike with training wheels around the rectangular path...

But anyways, before I get caught up in the past (which happens often if I have free time), at least the Cupertino library is still here. I will probably have to rely on it for all my books from now on. I am pleased to see that they have their fountains up and running again. When it was newer, the fountains had been up a lot, but then for a long time I didn't see them anymore. But now it's back, and they took down that ugly fence they temporarily set up around it. Even if it does seem like a "waste of water", I like fountains. It'd be really cool if they had ones like the Bellagio fountains.

Speaking of fountains, I saw some indoors at the Crowne Casino in Melbourne, Australia. Inside were structures which water ran down and also jumped to and fro (bad grammar sentence, sorry). It sort of reminded me of Bellagio's fountains, even those these ones were quite different. (Well, maybe these are more like the ones you find in the indoor "garden" in Bellagio) Too bad we didn't stay at the Crowne's hotel... I bet my dad and his pals would have gambled away the money, and besides, unlike Las Vegas, you have to prove you're old enough to go into the casinos (in Las Vegas, it's just that people will catch you trying to use the machines if you look too young).

The STAR test results have arrived! At least, I received mine in the mail recently. I was pleased with my results this year. My math and language arts scores were pretty even. I won't say the specifics, but language arts has gone up a huge amount, so I'm glad! My math score went down, but then again, that probably is because I'm taking the advanced math STAR tests now, not the regular ones like last year and the years before. I hope I can do as well next year when it comes to the science and history sections... If I can, I think I'm set for life (nah, I know I shouldn't have that lazy attitude or I won't be going anywhere).

We bought a timer recently. Usually we use the digital sorts of cameras, so it was a little awkward having to use one of the mechanical white ones. But I think it is much cuter than getting one of those ones with the numbers on it.

Labels: bad news, bellagio, crowne, fountain, gambling, good news, las vegas, library, mechanical, mikhail gorbachev, repair, result, ronald reagan, score, STAR testing, tear down this wall, timer

That's what I can infer from comparing two houses that I see on my route home. One of them has a dark reddish door with a long oval of fancy glass in it. It is two stories and has a front yard. Originally the house looked quite different, what with so many weeds in the yard it looked scary. Now it has been repainted orange and green and all the weeds were pulled up so it's just an expanse of brown dirt. Whoever lives there is definitely quite active when it comes to their house since it is changing a lot.

But the other house is a white one with a door built into a corner and some columns, and another gate and door into the house. One time when I went by there was a man standing on the second floor balcony and yelling at someone. Today when I passed the house there was a bunch of newspapers on the driveway. Some had yellowish pages and others had white pages. I know one of the newspapers was the Wall Street Journal. I wonder if the house's owner has been out since it seems like the newspapers haven't even been unbound from the rubber bands which are used to hold them in the "suitable for smacking insects and smacking other people" position.

I am recently reading a book called Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen. The main character wants to be an actress and so this tells of her dealing with her archenemy at school, among other matters. One of my friends had no book to read so she read mine instead. She said that the main character lied a lot. I remember last year my language arts teacher said that you should write about what is familiar to you. I suppose the author may have had a big mouth when she was younger, then. XD And no, I don't mean big mouths like those commercials they used to have on television.

Due to this being STAR testing time, we have had a weird schedule what with about two hours for "testing" and class periods roughly thirty minutes each. Plus, this means the schedule looks like this instead, as what happens with assemblies (like bike safety, and such).
STAR Testing
20 minutes for brunch
1st Period
2nd Period
3rd Period
Lunch (about 40 minutes?)
4th Period
5th Period
6th Period

This is bad since I have 4th period PE and must run after eating. Seeing as these days I get nauseous easily it is rather dangerous. Luckily I can usually hold back urges to throw up if I drink some water. (Even the school's water fountains taste better in this case XD)

Just a few seconds ago I heard the sound of someone rapping on the door. I never answer the door because my parents have keys/garage door openers so they would break into the house or open the garage, not knock or ring the doorbell. I bet it's more solicitors. My parents put these stickers on the door to try and keep people away since they never like telemarketers or door-to-door salesmen (they always say "We're not interested. Please don't call again" and stuff like that) but it seems like people usually disregard it anyways. I actually feel bad for them, though my parents don't understand why I think so.

Labels: books, change, comparison, house, lie, nausea, newspaper, schedule, solicitor, STAR testing, telemarketer

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