Just Posting Some Assignments That I Forgot to Post (JPSATIFTP v.1)-Cilantro

Cilantro

 

Observations:

 

Smell: It has an unusual smell, almost foul. Smells a little like dish soap, which doesn’t  smell bad.

 

It smells undesirable, yet I have a desire to smell it again.

 

Taste: It doesn’t seem to have a taste, especially when it’s mixed in with other foods and chopped up. When I pinch my nose it has no taste.

 

When you eat it, it leaves an aftertaste that makes you want something else to eat.

 

It smells like a mixture between lettuce and dish soap.

 

For some reason, it gives me a craving for pasta. It seems like it would be really good in it.

 

For quite a while after eating it, had the taste of it in my mouth. The taste was there until the next day.

 

Final Thoughts:

 

Cilantro is an interesting food. While it seems like it’s made to me mixed into another dish, it’s perfectly fine on it’s own. Also, when smelling it, it smells very bad, but I wanted to smell it more, like I was getting addicted to it. When you eat it, however, it tastes bad after the first few seconds and you continue to taste it well after you eat it. Another interesting thing I found was that if you pinch your nose while you eat it, it doesn’t taste bad. In fact, it doesn’t taste like anything. That shows that it actually has no taste. You just smell it while it’s in your mouth, and that’s why it “tastes” bad.

 

Overall, I don’t really mind Cilantro. It’s kind of boring, but it’s fun to see peoples’ reactions when they eat it.

Happy Birthday Tetris

Well, yesterday was the 25th Birthday of everyone's favorite game, Tetris.

Here's the description from Wikipedia, edited a little to make it cleaner:

"Tetris is a puzzle video game originally designed and programmed by Alexey Pajitnov. It was created on June 6, 1984, while he was working for the Dorodnicyn Computing Centre of the Academy of Science of the USSR in Moscow. He derived its name from the Greek numerical prefix "tetra- (all of the game's pieces, known as Tetrominoes, contain four segments) and tennis, Pajitnov's favorite sport.

The game (or one of its many variants) is available for nearly every video game console and computer operating system, as well as on devices such as graphing calculators, mobile phones, portable media players, PDAs and even as an Easter egg on non-media products like oscilloscopes. It has even been played on the sides of various buildings, with the record holder for the world's largest fully functional game of Tetris being an effort by Dutch students in 1995 that lit up all 15 floors of the Electrical Engineering department at Delft University of Technology.

While versions of Tetris were sold for a range of 1980s home computer platforms, it was the hugely successful handheld version for the Game Boy launched in 1989 that established the reputation of the game as one of the most popular ever. Electronic Gaming Monthly's 100th issue had Tetris in first place as "Greatest Game of All Time". In 2007, Tetris came in second place in IGN's "100 Greatest Video Games of All Time". It has sold more than 70 million copies."

Yes, that is a cake. Enjoy it as much as physically possible to enjoy a digital cake.

CP-Honors-AP

If you knew me enough, or if you already read this sentence, you’d know that I’m mathematically and scientifically inclined. Back in 5^th grade, we took a test that determined our placement in Math classes that could not be reversed until our sophomore year in high school. In case you haven’t figured out already, I was placed in the lower math class, a year behind the higher one.

 

            I didn’t think much about it until the beginning of this year, where you could double up on math classes and take Geometry as well as Algebra II/Trigonometry, which is the higher math class. I decided to do it so I could get into Calculus in my senior year. Then, I thought of going into Honors Calculus. Then I wanted to get into AP Calculus, which couldn’t be accomplished unless I take an Honors math class next year, my junior year.

 

            However, as fate would have it, there is a large gap of material that isn’t taught in CP Algebra II that is needed in Honors Math Analysis, and if I were to get in, I’d have to learn it all over the summer. That’s not the problem with it, though. The problem is that the fact that I’d have to learn a bunch of things makes the teachers that much more cautious about moving someone up the level. I have to show them why I’d still do well and prosper in the higher level.

 

            While I was talking with my Algebra II teacher, the AP Calculus teacher came in. We talked to her about it and when she asked for our 1^st and 2^nd marking period grades, which was a B and B+ respectively, she said that we shouldn’t go into Honors. Then our teacher told her that we got an A on the Mid-Term and an A on the 3^rd marking period. The AP teacher said that, since the 3^rd marking period involves division of polynomials, it didn’t count to her. Then she asked for our grade for the current marking period, which so far was based off of 1 grade. My grade was a C, from 1 quiz grade. She stuck with her first answer.

 

            Then she asked us why we got Bs in the first and second marking periods. We did not know the answer, so now she wants to see our tests and quizzes to figure out what went wrong.

 

            I’m really determined to get into Honors next year. It’s kept me up at night, to tell you the truth. I will keep trying, and I will eventually get in. This could play a large part in my future, and I won’t take no for an answer.

Talking

            If you knew me, you’d know that I don’t talk too often. Up until last year, however, it was mostly because I was shy. Now that I’m not that shy anymore, it’s mostly because I don’t have anything to say.

 

            Some people don’t seem to like that fact. I’ve actually been called “creepy” for not talking while I was playing on Xbox Live once. For some reason it’s creepy that someone isn’t talking. Does that mean that if I said every random thing that came to my mind just to hear my voice or get attention, I’m perfectly normal? That’s what it looks like. That’s fine, though. I’d rather talk less than talk a lot and regret saying something that I wouldn’t have said otherwise.

April Fools' Day

As you know, yesterday was NOT April Fools Day. In the following paragraphs, I refer to it being yesterday. I wrote this April 2nd, but 11 days later, I'm finally posting it. Enjoy to whatever extent you can.

           "As you know, yesterday was April Fools Day. And I have to say, it was my favorite day of the year so far.

            Those whom I intended to read my blog would already know that I have a twin. For years people have been urging us to switch classes, but we never did because we thought we would get into trouble for it. (We were much more serious about school back then than we are now) So yesterday, April 1^st 2009, we did.

            We switched 2 periods out of 8: 2^nd period and 8^th period. Our 2^nd period science classes are right across the hall from each other and we have teachers with a good sense of humor, which made it convenient and possible, respectively. I came to school in a red shirt and Dan came in a blue shirt. After changing back from our gym clothes in first period, we switched shirts and before going into class, we switched backpacks. I walked into his class and sat in his seat next to my friend (Who was the only other person who knew.) After a few minutes Dan came to the door and our plan was revealed. Everyone laughed and the teacher thought it was a great joke. It turns out Dan forgot his laptop in his backpack and he had to come back and get it. Our joke would have been much better if we went through the whole period. Either way, though, his teacher (and the rest of the class) had no idea.

            Although our 8 period classes are bad to switch (I have Spanish but Dan takes French) we did it anyway. I went to his 8^th period history class. Right when I got in and sat down, some people already knew it was me. Although I had his history teacher last year, she had no idea it was really me. I was still wearing his shirt, but I had my own backpack back. (That should have made me more obvious, but I guess not.) We started an assignment and I actually did it. Then, Dan was at the door and it was over. Everyone had a good laugh and the teachers really liked it.

            I wrote a few Spanish phrases in Dan’s assignment pad, saying thinks like “I don’t speak Spanish.” I guess Dan used them to give himself up. We couldn’t keep it up all period anyway, because eventually my teacher knew it wasn’t me and might have called on him and he doesn’t speak Spanish.

            I really enjoyed it. I had so much fun doing it that we’re going to do it again next year."

Paper Planes

            On Friday we had to take an English Quiz on some Macbeth quotes. Cakewalk. But that’s not why I’m making this post.

 

            The quiz required 2 pieces of paper: The piece that you write on (lined paper) and the piece that gives you the quotes (printer paper). After I handed the lined paper in to my teacher, I asked him what to do with the printer paper. He told me to throw it away. I went back to my seat and sat down. Then I thought of my other classmate rolling it into a ball and throwing it in. Then, for some reason, I thought of doing something similar. Everyone did the basketball thing, but no one did the airplane thing. I turned the paper into a paper airplane and let it glide towards the recycling bin. It actually flew. It didn’t drop or flip around, but it missed. And, needless to say, my teacher was a little pissed. No biggie. I just picked it up and threw it away. Take that Macbeth Quiz. Then, I sat back down and asked myself:

 

“Why did I do that?”

 

I’m normally one of those good students that don’t do anything bad. Maybe it was because it was 2^nd to last period on the day before Spring Break. But that’s not why I made this post either.

 

I may have said this before, but I like the idea of Engineering, of building things. When I was younger I enjoyed LEGO. (I still think they’re great) I also like drawing random ideas onto blank paper space in front of me. (Crazy ideas, too, like a ball rolling down the letters) Sometimes I’ll fold the paper into different shapes, designs, or, like on Friday, a paper airplane.

 

I also like to play online browser games like Magic Crayon or Incredibots. They both focus on Physics and creating things. You make shapes, attach them, and watch them work. In MC, you try to get something to the goal by creating and attaching shapes together to try and move obstacles in the way or make platforms. In Incredibots, you make a robot using Circles, Rectangles, Triangles, Pistons, and Rotating or Fixed Joints. You can control each individual Joint and Piston or let them work by themselves. It has a Sandbox mode built into it, so you can just make whatever’s on your mind, or objective modes, to accomplish a certain goal, like crossing Monkey Bars or hitting targets with balls.

 

So why did I make the Plane? I don’t know. But I know it was fun, regardless of whatever outcome could have resulted from it.

Macbeth Act II (1 week late, but still awesome)

            Macbeth Act II was an interesting Act. I can’t really relate myself to anyone or anything in this Act; I’m not a King, killer, woman, guard, or a King’s son.

            In this Act I noticed SPOILERS FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN’T READ IT YET that they did not show the King’s death. Macbeth just came back and said that he killed him. I was curious about it until I was told that one of Shakespeare’s audience members was the King himself. He did not want to show a King’s death in front of the King. More so, he did not want to show a bad King’s death in front of the King. Those would be bad. So he made the King a good King that everyone loved and he didn’t show his death. I would much rather them have a scene depicting the event like they had done in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, however. END OF SPOILERS I found that kind of interesting.

           

            I’m not going to lie. I’m enjoying this book so far. I liked most of the Shakespearean plays that I have read in my life, but I think I might enjoy Macbeth the most out of all of them (Romeo & Juliet, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, and Macbeth), but that’s not saying much.