5 - Em Lin - The Protector Qilin

 

Week #5 - The Protector Qilin

The Qilin appears to be quite fierce and a terrifying sight to behold for humans. A creature that is depicted to be a mixture of many other animals in one. They could possess the body of a deer or ox, with a head that adorns a single horn or even antlers. They are also often depicted with flames around itself and sometimes even the scales of a fish may run across its body. However ferocious the Qilin might appear, they are actually quite gentle and peaceful towards the innocent. In some Buddhist depictions of the benevolent creature, they walk on top of the clouds to avoid harming the grass that live below them, but however kind they may be, they are definitely not considered weak creatures. They will always appear to dispel of the wicked and evil who tries to harm the innocent and weak. An appearance of a Qilin, in Ancient China, symbolized the birth or passing of a sage, and during an emperors rule, would signify that the emperor would bring about a prosperous age for the kingdom they ruled over. A popular story involving the legendary Qilin begins with Confucius, a Chinese philosopher and one of the greatest sages in Chinese history. When Confucius’s mother was pregnant, a Qilin appeared before her and coughed up a jade tablet. Inscribed upon it were a premonition of Confucius’s future success and greatness. Nowadays you can spot many Qilin statues across China as they are a symbol of luck and protection.

Word count: 251

4 - Em Lin - Pirate brother

 

Week #4 - Pirate brother

Although I was born in America, I was sent to China as a baby, so that my grandparents could take care of me, while my parents and brother stayed in America to run our restaurant and also to go to school. I was aware that I had an older brother, however, I never met him, so I had no idea what he looked like. Naturally, I assumed that my older cousin, Debing, was my older brother as sometimes, in Chinese culture, we call young males, especially those that we are close to, Gege, which translates to older brother. I was told to call him that despite him being my cousin, and I didn’t realize he was the wrong older brother. When I came back to America to start school, I was around 4 to 5 years old, and the only thing in my mind that I thought of when I think of pirates was that they had an eyepatch. My actual older brother at the time, Ivan, had really bad eye sight, and I can’t remember exactly why. I think it was because of a surgery or something like that. He had to wear this eyepatch, and the moment I saw him, and he was introduced to me as my actual brother, I looked up to him immediately, because pirates are cool. I was really confused why no one else thought he was a pirate when he was wearing an eyepatch right in front of them, until I was finally told that my older brother, was in fact, not an actual pirate. Needless to say I was very disappointed and still is until this day.

Word count: 275 

1 - Em Lin - Inside out voices

JOY - Luffy (One Piece)

• One of my favorite things in the world is traveling and exploring new places. I loved taking walks on my own on the streets of my hometown in China, because I never failed to see something new. One piece is a show about Luffy, a new and upcoming pirate who wants to sail across the world to find the legendary treasure, the One piece. I’ve watched One piece since I was a child, and Luffy has always been a character that I inspire to be. He, alongside his crew, always go on such grand amazing adventures. They go above the clouds, and into the deep sea, and I’ve wished since I was a child, that I could experience such an adventure alongside my friends. The joy in exploring and finding strange new places has been one that has always been instilled in me and it’s all been thanks to him.

SADNESS - Yuka (Blue Period) 

• Yuka is typically confident in her skills and in herself in every aspect, but when she fell she fell hard. Her first reaction is to simply shut herself off from the world, from her parents, and in front of her friends, she could smiled just fine. When it hits a breaking point, she runs away, far away, and she knows it’s stupid and she knows she have to open that door again in the morning and she knows that she has to walk back to her own prison again with her own two feet. But just for that day, she was away, away from everything and anything in the middle of nowhere. Whenever I’m sad, I wish I could do the same.

FEAR - Ray (The promised neverland)

• Ray is one of the smartest people in the show, The Promised Neverland, and he’s shown to be clever, witty, but also quite vulnerable. He fears not being in control of the situation, and tends to panic a little when he realizes he isn’t, but due to that fear, he’ll jump to rash decisions that tend to hurt himself in the progress. I think I also quite fear that lose of control in our lives. We always need every little detail so that we can decide on a course of action that will be the most beneficial to us, but sometimes we don’t know everything, and that scares me the most.

ANGER - Azula (Avatar the last airbender) 

• I don’t think I get angry very often, and I don’t enjoy getting angry either, because I know I tend to say things I don’t mean and do things that I wish I could take back. Whenever we do get angry, I tend to become a little destructive, not physically like Azula does, but more mentally and towards ourselves. I rewatched Avatar recently, and Azula is still my favorite and most relatable character. Watching her slow descent from trying so hard to please her father to prove herself, until her final breakdown where all she could do was scream and cry, it was definitely the most impactful moment for me.

DISGUST - Tsukishima (Haikyuu)

• I also don’t really feel disgust at all, maybe towards like people who think pineapple isn’t good on pizza. Tsukishima is quite talented but he doesn’t enjoy trying harder than he needs to, because he simply doesn’t think there’s a need to overexert himself. He sees the people around him, those who are more talented than himself, and assumes that since they are naturally better than him, there’s no reason for him to try harder, because he believes he will never become as good as them. I think I often also feel that same disgust for people who could try so hard at something. Maybe envy would be a better word, but I could never understand how someone could be so passionate about something. Actually I think jealous is a better word, I wish I could be so passionate about something, anything, really. 

Word count: 658

5 - Cecylia B: My lifesaver

Week #5 - My lifesaver Music gets me through the day if I’m being honest. I cannot physically do anything without some music playing in the background. I’m even listening to music right now as I’m writing this. Music helps my time management. That sounds weird but I know that the average song is about three to four minutes long so 3 songs is about fifteen to twenty minutes. This guideline helps me do chores without spending too much time on one chore and it helps me evenly spread out my time. It makes my day more bearable. Being in a boring class is never fun, especially when it's a quiet one, it just makes me want to put my head down and go to sleep when I should be taking notes. That could affect my grade negatively but when I’m listening to music I can focus on the music and continue to take notes. Doing homework is a struggle for me. I hate homework, with a passion, but when I have some music playing in the background it helps me relax and drown out other noises that may distract me. Music can also be a distraction. It's a stress reliever and I'm sure many people would agree with me. It’s something fun to take my mind away from other bothersome things in my life. When I’m using music as a distraction I usually draw or paint what I’m feeling to unwind. It really is my lifesaver and I wouldn't know what to do without it. Word count: 251

1- Jacob P- Remembering my Origins

            Remembering my origins 

 I am from the golden California hills 

 I am from the sweet scent of jasmines in the spring 

 I am from the oak trees that cover the hills of Vacaville, charred by the annual fires

 From the course, sandy beaches of Dillans, Pismo, and Fort Bragg 

 I am from the visits to the Napa wineries and the breweries throughout California. 

 I am from the camping trips spent underneath the scorching summer sun and the huddles around a heat lamp in the rain 

 I am from the family trips to San Francisco, Benicia, Suisun, and Apple Hill From the humid corn fields of Ohio along with the foggy redwood forests of Oregon and the dry, arid valleys of Nevada. 

 I am from the annual Almond Festivals, Dixon Mayfairs, Christmas tree lightings, and the Fiesta Day Parades.

 I am from the Sunday breakfasts with my family and the crab feeds with the Boy Scouts 

 From the lopping of Christmas trees in the rain to weeks spent at summer camps with my friends 

 From the hikes through Mt. Tamalpais, Pinnacles, and Blue Ridge

 I am from the many hours spent in arm bars, kimuras, chokeholds, and head cranks in Jiu Jitsu

 I am from the many hours of my life listening to Pearl Jam, Papa Roach, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tool, Audio Slave, Metallica, Foo Fighters, and Van Halen

 I am from the air shows with my brother and my Grandpa at Travis Air Force base

 I am from the wind farms of Rio Vista and the snow-capped mountains surrounding Lake Tahoe. 

 These are what I am from

5- Peyton Miller- The King of Rock n Roll

 

If I were to see someone who is now deceased perform live it would have to be Elvis Presley. His music is truly one of a kind and his music will always be one of my most vague memories from my childhood and growing up on it was a time in my life ill never forget.

Songs like Jailhouse Rock, Devil In Disguise, and All Shook Up will always be in my head while im cleaning because of the days when me and my nana would sweep and mop her laminate floors until they were squeaky clean, singing and dancing to these songs until there was no tomorrow.

From hearing his music for the first time ever at 5 years old to now, I still will always dance to his music whether it be Burning Love or Cant Help Falling In Love With You, being total opposites of songs, I will forever dance to them and sing along. His music can go from super upbeat and fun, to slow tempo and sweet melody, to even slow and sad, but each song is just too good to be true. 

I would love to see Elvis, the inspiration of my childhood fun, in the flesh, performing these songs. It would feel so personal and surreal. And of course, I would take my nana with me to remake the memories of mopping the laminate floors to dancing on the floors of a coliseum in the presence of Elvis Presley, the king of rock and roll. 

Word Count: 252

5- Aaron Palma: True music beauty

 Music has always been a big part of my life, but since I started playing the piano it has taken over my free time. When I first started playing the piano, I used to play all types of genres from jazz to pop, but none of these were truly challenging me. 

It wasn't until my uncle introduced me to classical music that I started to feel challenged by the pieces I was learning. I slowly matured in the genre and came to the realization that there is nothing better than classical music. I would even dare to say that I fell in love with this genre and came to the point where I would even enjoy reading the biographies of the composers I would play.

Not only has classical music enabled me to grow as a person, but it has also made me wise in the genre. Due to this, I am now able to nurture those around me with my knowledge in the piano. My uncle for example was the one who introduced me to classical music, specifically with beethoven's 1st movement. He has always fantasized about playing this piece, and I am glad to say that I am now able to teach him this piece and much more. Not only am I able to share something with those who I love, but I can also teach those who haven't had the opportunity of being exposed to classical. Music in general provides an amazing feeling, but the best feeling comes from sharing that feeling with someone else.

5 - Hailey M; Gaining Responsibility

 

Gaining Responsibility

A core memory of mine that I have is adopting my cat, Ash. I adopted him a couple of years ago, and it's a core memory for me because it was the first time I adopted a pet myself, and learned about being responsible for another living creature. I remember continuously asking my mom to let me get a kitten, and after months of begging, her response was that I could only adopt him if I paid for everything, including food and litter, which would have to be consistently bought. I agreed to it, and saved my money up from Christmas and birthdays, as this was before I had a job so I didn’t get much money. Then, when I finally had enough saved, she allowed me to go to the pet store, and get everything I needed to adopt. After everything was bought, I went to the humane society to pick out a kitten to adopt. 

Initially, I had decided that I wanted to get a baby kitten, but when I laid my eyes on Ash, I immediately wanted him. He had a sibling in the shelter with him, and I tried to convince my mom to let me buy them both, but she refused. She seemed to bully Ash anyways, so I wasn’t too bummed about it. When I interacted with him and his sister in the shelter, he was very timid and wouldn’t allow me near him. Yet, I still decided to adopt him. After I brought him home, he hid under my bed for the first couple days, but eventually, he got more and more attached to me. Now I can’t even leave my house for longer than two days before he gets upset, meowing at my mom all day, and knocking things off the table. Adopting him was a huge responsibility resting on me, but I wouldn’t change anything I did. (even though he really irritates me sometimes).

Word Count: 322

5- Yasmin G: The Mask of Just Two Eyes

    I look back into third grade everyday that I pick up my glasses. I hear the kids yelling and screaming at me while I was just trying to eat my lunch:

   

    “You’re too ugly to be a girl!”

    “No one wants to pick you for OREO! You’re too ugly!”

    I see them pouring their hot, chicken noodle soup their mom packed for them in a thermos all over me, cackling:

    “Well at least you look a little prettier!”

    “Are you hot now Yasmin?”

    Ouch. Everything hurt so bad. But then there was Andrea. Andrea. She had long curly hair, beautiful eyes and her glasses. Oh, her glasses. 

    She was picked first for everything, even though she was terrible at sports. All the boys picked her for OREO, and dodgeball, and tag, and FourSquare and every other game you can think of kids playing. I wanted all the boys to like me like they liked her. 

    She was in the bathroom washing her hands with her glasses off when I walked in, and from what I remember, she didn’t look that great without them on. And my third grade brain thought:

“Wow. That’s the only thing that separates her from me. Those stupid glasses. Why can’t I have glasses?”

I went home to my mom and demanded I need a vision test. You know, the whole playing sick thing when you didn’t want to go to school- I did that with glasses. I told her I couldn’t see and I was starting to get all these headaches when, at that age, I didn’t even know what a headache really felt like. 

“A Q H Z T” the eye test sign read. “A O N M T” I said out loud. 

I was prescribed these horrendous glasses that I could barely see out of. It was agony. I, then, began to experience my first headaches as an eight year old. But, I walked into the school the next day and all eyes were on me. I walked to my spot on the floor getting ready to sing Over The Rainbow for the morning class and not one pair of eyes left these glasses.

They were hideous.

Absolutely, 

completely, 

truly, hideous. 

But that didn’t stop me from thinking I was better than everyone else. Even though I couldn’t see the numbers on the board, or the whispering lips of the girls right in front of me. I was finally liked. Finally, I fit in.

I grabbed my glasses this morning and thought about the reasons I did that, as a stupid, stupid third grader. Now, nine years later, I need my glasses everywhere I go. I can’t drive without them, I can’t read without them, I can’t be myself without them. Two pieces of plastic with some fiberglass lenses in between them. I don’t even know who I am without them. 

Some girls use makeup to hide their insecurities. Some use clothes, or men, or good grades, or hair dye. I use glasses. The glasses I didn’t even need. The glasses I now spend hundreds of dollars a year on. The glasses. They saved my idiotic third grade self, but they ruined me for eternity.

5 - Abhishek S: More Than Meets the Eyes

Music has always been a big part of my life. I love listening to music, playing instruments, and making music electronically. I cannot imagine a world without music. When people tell me they “don’t really listen to music like that” I almost am unable to comprehend what they mean. The sheer diversity in the kinds of music there allows for there to be something for everyone.

    There was never a specific moment where I realized music was something I was passionate about, rather it has always been something I found intriguing since childhood. What I found so powerful about the art form of music was its ability to create an immersive experience. 

It's different from looking at painting. With a painting, you are simply a spectator. 

    However, with music you are placed in the center of the action which gives it a unique ability to carry energy to its listeners both literally and figuratively.

    Something deep within us as humans connects to the rhythms of drums and the addictive, entrancing nature of melodies that has made music such universally celebrated form artistic expression. Every nation, every far reach of the Earth has its unique styles and valuable contributions to all of the music we experience today.

    It has potential to create connections and communities. People who would never have otherwise come into contact with one another can be joined through music. Its ability to speak to people’s  personal experiences is unparalleled. It leaves the listener feeling more connected to the artist, the music, and other listeners feeling similar emotions. This is why so many have such strong emotions associated with musical artists and bands. 

I hope many more are able to connect with music and artists in the same way that I have in my own life. 

2 - Zack Rabold - I am From

I am From I am from sleeping in the car to early morning tournaments Starbucks and mcmuffins every weekend on the way out I am from practicing with my sister in the yard so I could be just as good as her I am from the constant bruises, aches, cramps, and sunburns The bittersweet smell of icy hot and coban the “you better not let that soccer bag stink up my house” and the “as long as you give it 100%” I am from summer road trips to national parks The ritual stress the night before from dad and the giddy optimism from mom Hitting the road and singing every word to all the old rock songs we could (which was a lot) Playing name that tune and iSpy the whole way there rest stops and gas stations for moms notoriously small bladder I am from the constant car sick stops on the side of the road And the customary f’real milkshake stop on the way home I am from late night parties with all the aunts and uncles Gin Rummy and hearts until we’re too tired to play Flashlight tag with all the cousins until midnight and the giggling at the kids table I am from uncle tommy flipping something in the bathroom upside down every time he visits The shortsheeting beds when people weren’t watching And that one time we shrink wrapped the minivan on christmas I am from coal dinner, making fun of everyone's accidents as they’re recapped from the year And the attempt at justification after while we all burst out laughing I am from the yearly speech and the cutthroat and backstabbing white elephant gift exchange I am from nerf wars and plastic sword ninja battles all over the house Hide and seek with the dogs Magic tricks with dad Halo game nights with dad and uncle david And the trash talk all throughout I am from any sport we could learn to play in the street with friends Or even our own games like hatball or kick off game I am from sleepovers at grandma and grandpas Going to church with grandma just for the food and getting told how tall we’ve gotten by her friends I am from the sweet smell of gasoline and grease working on the bronco The swear words and music filling the garage The drop in our stomach when something went wrong And the glow on my dads face when it finally ran I am from the family The ones we were given and the ones we made I am from soccer, cars, music, comics, movies, pranks, games And everything else i’ve learned from my family

5- Genecis Z.: My Silence

  

      To me silence isn’t that eerie ringing in your ears when you’re standing in the midst of absolute and solitary stillness. To me silence is music.

    I wake up early in the morning and the first thing I do before I even get out of bed is put in my airpods. To me music is the most important aspect of my life, I could not live nor survive without it. I spend about 99.98% percent of my day with my airpods in. 

Music is like the wall between me and calamity. 

My mind is constantly racing with loud, intrusive, and messy thoughts. But the moment I put in my airpods in and shuffle my favorite playlist, it’s like the world suddenly stops. Suddenly I am the only person in my own little world. It’s like I can finally think and hear myself without having to scream over my own thoughts. And that is tranquility to me. 

Music is what keeps me sane in a world filled with yelling and screaming. I need it to do pretty much everything it provides me a sense of stillness and stimulation that is just right. There is a song for every emotion I have ever felt and those songs help me release all the negative feelings i’m feeling it relieves me from that burden and calms my entire system. 

If I could I would lose myself to it, I’d give up my being in order to just become a music note that strikes every soul that hears it. I’d become a wave of stillness that speaks millions of words in one single note. I’d let music wrap itself around my bones and carve its notes into them, I would fill my mind with every song that has built that wall keeping me safe from calamity. 

I cling myself to music and every song or tune that passes my eardrums. I cling to it so tightly in hopes that it will carry me away far away from the eerie ringing in my ears when there is absolutely nothing playing. 

Without it I would lose myself to the silence and the wall would break down letting chaos erupt in my mind and wash over my being letting its poison mix with my blood and kill me slowly. No I am not being dramatic.

Word Count: 388

5- DestinyD: Musical Assumptions

  Musical Assumptions 

Music is something that every person in the world knows of and probably enjoys. It is the highlight of many cultures, and is always used to fill the silence in events. Everyone has their own interpretation of what music means to themself personally. This is similar to how everyone has a different taste in music that often matches their personality or lifestyle. 

Music makes it easy to make quick assumptions about people’s personal lives, and sometimes they can be correct. The many different genres and categories of music may only fit people with certain, similar characteristics. 

For example when you see someone listening to country music you will often assume that their living space is similar to the vibe of the song. You will openly assume that they are a proud American if they are living in that region, and that they prefer a country lifestyle to others. Sometimes you may even infer that they do ranch work, and enjoy working with large livestock. 

Someone who listens to more hardcore music will often be seen as rebellious because of the vibe of the music. They will be labeled as impulsive if their style matches the music too closely, as well as childish and untrustworthy. Their living space is often described as messy and unkempt, even though music does not define their organization abilities.

 Labels for music genres are often created by people who do not enjoy the music. It is easy to form opinions on things you don’t like or understand, and make them stick for anyone you tell them to. Just because people have a different interpretation of music doesn’t mean that it is wrong. It also does not fully describe a person, even if they fit the standard for the specific category. 

Word Count: 294