Advice to Underclassmen

If there's one thing you should know about junior year in high school is that you should prepare and register for the SAT or ACT early. In doing so, you are giving yourself a stronger motivation to study and it also gives you more flexibility if you actually screw up on the test. I chose to ignore the fact that I needed to take the tests until January, and by then my options on when to take the tests were quite limited.
It's the same thing with applying to college. You don't need to make a decision about where to apply during your junior year, but you should have a general idea of where you want to go.
Before you select the place to want to study, you need to have a general idea of what you want to study. Look at your own interests and make a list of what you would like to study. Then, consider where you want to study. Pick a school that is strong in the area you wish to study. It would be stupid to pick a school known for its arts programs when you want to study science instead.

The Silver Fifty Sen Peices

I was surprised to be reading this story in British Literature, because the author is not British but Japanese. The story is written by Yasunari Kawabata,who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1968. Set in pre- and post- World War II Japan, the story is very short, only consisting of three scenes. In the first scene, the main character Yoshiko buys a glass paperweight with a carving of a dog after much deliberation. Yoshiko and her mother are shopping in the next scene. In the last scene, Yoshiko huddles in the ruins of her neighborhood and realizes how much she has lost to the war. It's amazing how the author uses so few words to strongly bring into focus how the inconstancy of life. The method Kawabata uses to state his message is subtle, but that's where the beauty of this story lies.

End of 3rd Quarter

It's always cause to celebrate when the quarter finals are over and a new quarter is in sight, and I'm sure that many of my fellow classmates will agree. No more studying til midnight! No more parents nagging you to study harder! And lastly, the return of free time! 

I did moderately well on the tests this quarter, but I'm not really a person who cares overly much about grades. If I did, my grades would be much higher. Alas, the current state of my grades can be attributed to reluctance to study and excessive procrastination. So let's hope that the arrival of a new quarter brings a renewed desire to learn, better management of my time and better grades!

Ode to the West Wind

Ode to the West Wind is one of the most famous works of the Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. Shelley lived a crazy and irresponsible life and died just before his thirtieth birthday. I highly disapprove of how Shelley lived his life, but even I have to admit that he really had a way with words. This is one of the most beautifully written poems in English.
Ode to the West Wind is stunning and beautiful in its majesty. Dramatic language illustrates the majesty of the West Wind and the inspiration that it gives the author. This poem is not quiet or shy. It possesses a kind of beauty and presence that draws the eye no matter wherever you are.

Thy voice, and suddenly grow grey with fear,
And tremble and despoil themselves: O hear!
                                                   -"Ode to the West Wind"
                                                          Percy Bysshe Shelley

The Best Major for Personal Happiness

I think the best major for personal happiness is biology. In  this major, you study the world of living things around you and revel in the beauty of it. This major also allows you to go down the path of medicine and learn to heal others. Serving others is one thing that brings people joy.
However, a love for science is required. If you don't like science and nature, this major can make you pretty miserable.

On Debates and Five Minute Feuds

I love debates. They are exciting, thought-provoking and they satisfy my need to argue and prove others wrong (Yes, I know it's kind of childish, but I don't believe that you've never felt that urge.) However, this is something that I wouldn't imagine myself actually enjoying five years ago. Back then,  I was a poor public speaker. Delivering a speech in front of a small group made me stutter and shake so badly that I felt this was one of the worst forms of torture ever. Now, years of practice has given me confidence, and a feeling of enjoyment whenever I participate in a debate. Unfortunately, success in debate does not translate into victory in arguments. I still lose almost every argument I have with my little sister.
We've been doing Five Minute Feuds in British Literature, a short form of debate where there are two teams of three and everyone has 50 seconds to argue their case. You need to be short and concise when stating your arguments, because there is little time. This was something I kept forgetting. In a normal debate, you have four or five minutes to state your case, which gives you the opportunity to state your arguments, counter your opponents and expand on your points. A Five Minute Feud doesn't give you time to do that. What it does teach you is how to keep your arguments short, to the point and powerful.
I don't think I've mastered the skill of being concise and to the point yet, so I think I will stick with longer debates for now.

Beowulf

Beowulf is known as one of the greatest works of literature in Old English. It is an epic poem that has approximately 3,200 lines describing the adventures of the hero Beowulf. The poem is divided into three parts: Beowulf's fight against Grendel, the revenge of Grendel's mother and Beowulf's last battle against the dragon.
Beowulf is known from one single manuscript that is housed by the British library. The was a part of the Nowell Codex which originated from the late 10th century or early 11th century. Sir Robert Cotton later bound the Nowell Codex with the Southwick Codex and called it Cotton MS Vitellius A XV. Unfortunately, a fire in 1731 damaged the manuscript, charring its edges and making it very fragile. Further conservation efforts have kept the codex from deteriorating further, though the strips used to secure the parchment covered the text.
 Nevertheless, the language used in Beowulf is beautiful, filled with alliteration, imagery and symbolism. Reading the poem, you can see how life was before, when people died young and few could read. And if you listen closely, you might hear "the harp's rejoicing call and the poet's clear songs, sung of the ancient beginnings us all"(Beowulf v. 4-6) in Hrothgar's hall.

The original manuscript is available in digitized form here.

If you're interested in reading more, this post by the British Library's Medieval Manuscripts blog is about the contents of the Beowulf manuscript, and this one is about some interesting aspects of the Beowulf manuscript.