AP American Voices

Why are pipe cleaners called pipe cleaners? Well, I recently found out (thanks to wikipedia) that pipe cleaners were originally used to actually clean pipes! Today, there are various uses for pipe cleaners, but my favorite use for them is for arts & crafts/DIY related projects!

Pipe cleaners are simply magical. They can clean small/tight spaces (e.g. between the keys on a keyboard), they are bendable, and they come in many different colors. My favorite creations so far with pipe cleaners include the dinosaur I made for Meghana (in reply to her pipe cleaner flower) and a snail that has LED eyes that I made the other day in the Bourn Lab!

There are pipe cleaners in the Bourn Lab in the top white drawer on the left (FYI if you feel inspired to create something with pipe cleaners). And they also have other things you can use for DIY projects (besides the laser cutter and vinyl that I stated in a previous post) such as pompoms, googly eyes, hot glue guns, and other tools and machines I do not know the specific names of besides the band saw.

TL;DR Pipe cleaners were intentionally made to actually clean pipes. I like pipe cleaners and think they are magical because I managed to make a dinosaur with them (+ googly eyes & hot glue). Go make stuff from pipe cleaners in the Bourn Lab! And thank you to John Harry Stedman for inventing the pipe cleaner!

Who needs prom when there’s the Bay Area Maker Faire? No offense to prom or anything. It’s not prom, it’s me. I’m an indecisive person, so having to decide on what to wear, how to style my hair, and countless other things I assume people do to prepare for prom seem to be more stressful than it would be fun. Also, instead of spending $100+ dollars or so, I could spend $15-35 and probably have twice as much fun (that’s probably because I’m “weird”, but hear me out).

Where can you find mechanical fire breathing dragons, DIY activities, “tech enthusiasts, crafters, educators, tinkerers. hobbyists, engineers” and much more all in one place? The Bay Area Maker Faire! This is a weekend event where people of all ages can learn, have fun, create, innovate, and stretch their imagination. Who would want to miss such a fun-filled weekend? I wouldn’t!

Maybe I dread the prospect of going to prom because I imagine myself eating a bunch of food instead of dancing or socializing with other people there. Maybe it’s because I’m lazy and don’t see what the fuss is all about (wouldn’t friends have just as much fun hanging out at a park, enjoying nature, and randomly dancing while breathing fresh air?). No matter the reason, I do know that I look forward to the Bay Area Maker Faire and possibly helping out at the Casti booth on Sunday! ヾ(･ω･*)ﾉ

http://makerfaire2013.eventbrite.com/ 〜(￣▽￣〜) check it out!!!

According to Mr. Smoot, I have the snot-nose disease. I’m always constantly sniffling and stuffing my nose with tissues. I wouldn’t disagree at all. During break, lunch, and after school, I always stop by the library to stock up on tissues to use throughout the day (I would rate the tissues there a 5/5 because they are super soft! The toilet paper in the bathrooms would probably be a 3/5 because they are dry and thin, though I don’t really mind what I’m using as long as it stops my nose from running).

Recently, I’ve also been having frequent “cough attacks” in which I start with a small cough and multiple hacking coughs follow. I would like to apologize ahead of time for being so disruptive and these coughs are probably because of my bronchitis. I’ll stock up on cough drops, water, and try to find my inhalers so that these “cough attacks” stop soon.

Lastly, I would like to talk about 03/30. What makes this day so special you may ask? Well, it’s the birthday of 3 people I know at Casti (me, Julia, and Margarita! I’m sorry if I missed anyone…). Sure, the probability of finding other people with the same birthday as you is quite high, but I still find it to be unbelievable every year. ♪ Happy early birthday to you guys and happy early/belated birthday to everyone else because I haven’t left a happy b-day message on anyone’s Facebook since last year I think. ♪ (☆｀・∀・)ﾉ 

It’s Monday, March 11th and it was still pitch black outside when I woke up. But before I fell back asleep, I managed to glance at the clock nearby and saw that the time read 6:21am. I rubbed my eyes in frustration as I tried to read the clock again to make sure that I read it correctly. The time still read 6:21am and I began to wonder why it was so dark outside until I remembered that it was due to daylight savings.

Daylight savings isn’t as great as I remember/thought it to be (frolicking through fields while it is nice and bright outside). Sure we “get more daylight” because it’s brighter outside at 6pm than usual and we “save light” by not using as much electricity (not too sure about that…), but I’ve felt groggy this entire week because I haven’t adjusted yet (by “adjusted”, I mean be able to guesstimate what time it is based on how bright it is outside). I’ll become adjusted to it eventually…hopefully before we have to move our clocks an hour backwards in the fall. 

Recently, I’ve been going to Bourn Open Labs from around 3:30pm to 5pm to tear apart keyboards, learn how to use the laser cutter, and make things come to life (as in ideas that I have in my head…sadly, I do not the magical powers to make inanimate objects come to life). When I attended the first Bourn Open Lab, I was shocked that there was only me and 3 or 4 sixth graders present. The low turn-out was probably due to many students having prior commitments such as sports, homework they wanted to get done, etc. (I too had homework to do, but the opportunity to take apart old keyboards and create whatever we like with them was too tempting and I thought that going once couldn’t hurt). I had a splendid time popping keys off keyboards, making push pins, and creating a mess (which I cleaned up afterwards). 

When I attended the 2nd and 3rd Bourn Open Labs, I noticed that more and more students from various grades were coming. This is great because I think that the Bourn Lab is an amazing place to experiment with ideas that you have, prototype, or just learn how to use machines like the laser cutter and vinyl cutter! I would have never thought that I’d be able to design a wood puzzle* and see it made in real time or break apart keyboards, but the Bourn Open Labs made that possible and I am ever so grateful. If you ever have time, come stop by the Bourn Lab on Wednesday between 3:30-5pm and make something!

*the heart puzzle above is what I helped my brother make…supposedly instead of hahaha, he types h4h4h4 (so I guess the person he is giving the heart to knows that…or so I hope)

As a new freshman at Casti, one of the many things I looked forward to was February break. The idea of a February break seemed so magical and unfathomable that I would question why public schools didn’t have February breaks (Do our teachers not want a break? Who decides when we have breaks? Can we vote on when we want to have breaks? etc.). I now realize that there are probably many reasons why public schools can’t afford to have a February break, but I am truly thankful that Casti has them. It’s not only time to relax, but time to catch up with relatives, read a book you’ve always wanted to read, catch up on homework, get ahead on homework, study for standardized tests (brace yourselves Juniors, standardized tests are coming, but congrats if you already took your SAT, ACT, etc.), and SLEEP.

I still can’t believe that we’re already 2nd semester Juniors and that February break is almost here (yes, it’s been about a month since we’ve been 2nd semester Juniors, but it still feels like I was just a 6th grader yesterday…probably because in 6th grade I had science camp and our cabin heads were Juniors from the local public school and I wondered what it would be like when I was finally a Junior…but I digress)! I hope everyone has a fantastic February break and gets lots of sleep (especially since lots of people have been participating in AWAH, robotics, etc.)! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:・ﾟ✧

It’s that time of year again where Asian supermarkets such as Ranch 99, Lion, and Marina have Lunar New Year displays, rows of red and yellow lanterns, stacks of red lucky envelopes, and much more. I only realized that the Lunar New Year was soon approaching when I went with my mother to our local Lion supermarket to buy groceries.

Once I stepped through the sliding doors to enter the supermarket, I was welcomed by rows of Lunar New Year sweets in their usual red and clear packaging, red and yellow lanterns that dangled from the ceiling, and electronic firecrackers that occasionally “exploded” every ten to fifteen minutes. I froze in my tracks like a deer caught in headlights. It took a few minutes for my mind to process everything I saw before I quickly turned to my mother and exclaimed, “It’s almost Lunar New Year?!!” My mother calmly replied with a yes and then told me to go look for lettuce.

I’ve never fully understood how the Lunar Calendar works, but I’ve come to the conclusion that Lunar New Year is usually some time between January and February (it’s been that way since my first Lunar New year…I think….). When I got home, I googled when Lunar New Year is and I found out that it’s on February 10th this year! I love Lunar New Year because you get to see many of your relatives, give red envelopes to younger cousins, and eat a lot of delicious food. Anyways, I should probably learn how the Lunar Calendar works so I won’t be as surprised next year.

This past Friday, I brought Perry the Platypus, one of my favorite plush toys, to school for the following reasons:

1.) I do not have a red dragon, so I decided that he was close enough to Smaug from The Hobbit

2.) Saying that he was Smaug the dragon was more of a cover-up/excuse because I mainly brought him to use as a pillow during Spanish because we were going to finish watching Como Agua Para Chocolate in class

3.) He’s adorable (how can you not smile when you see his large eyes that pop out of his head or tiny feet?) and super squishy = great pillow

What I found amusing was that others enjoyed petting him and whacking his beak as much as I did. Some even wanted to take him to class with them and I didn’t mind so he had his own adventure at school (supposedly he was a mascot during a Chem class and fun to poke and take selfies with during Calc…)! Anyways, I’m glad that I decided to take him to school because he definitely made my day and that of other a bit brighter (despite the cold/cloudy weather).

                     

Today, in the middle of APUSH (Period 1), I realized that I had forgotten my box with change for the Gifts of Arts Winter Fundraiser. The funny thing is that I put the box next my backpack, somehow forgot to grab it, and stood around trying to remember whether I had forgotten something for about five minutes before I decided that I had everything I needed and left for school. My “forgetfulness” is something I usually joke about, but I realize that it can be detrimental at times. What if I forget my homework? What if I forget what class is next? What if I forget where I put my backpack? What if I get lost?

I don’t remember being so forgetful (pun intended). Maybe it’s because I’m getting older. Maybe it’s because it runs in the family (my mom always misplaces her glasses, car keys, etc). Maybe it’s because I’ve become so reliant on sticky notes and writing on my hand that my brain is gradually loosing it’s memory power. Maybe I should start solving more sudoku puzzles, exercise more often, or try something new (1)! I hope I can remember to do one of those things and commit to it…

The Thursday before Thanksgiving break, Señora Richardson shared her experience of joining the Freshmen on their trip to see Puccini’s Tosca at San Francisco Opera with our Spanish class. The shocking part of her trip, she explained, was when they began to head back to the buses. As they went down the steps of the San Francisco Opera, they had to stop because of a parade of nudists who were walking past with signs.

For some, it may have been an awkward situation, but it is not entirely unexpected because San Francisco has been known to be “free-spirited” (1). However, this free-spiritedness of walking around in public nude may soon end due to a public-nudity ban that the SF board of supervisors passed last Tuesday (11/20/12) with a “six-five vote” (2). This ban was proposed “because of an increasing number of complaints a group of nudists seen almost daily in the city’s historically gay Castro District” (2). Some citizens argue that “It’s a completely unjustified restraint on free speech” and that “When we start to surrender some of the basic rights citywide, what’s next?…Piercing? Tattooing?” (3). A final vote must be passed on December 4th and “secure Mayor Edwin Lee’s signature” in order to take effect early next year (1).