NaNoWriMo

Hey,
I haven't been writing much recently because 1) Final Exams were last week and 2) NaNoWriMo started a little under a week ago! I'm really excited about writing my novel, and I'm SO glad exams are over!


For NaNo, I set my word goal at 30000, but since I'm already at 8000, I have a vision that I may increase that goal. Still, this weekend I haven't worked on any homework so far, so that's why I was able to write 4000 words in a day, whereas that won't likely happen at any other point in NaNoWriMo this month :(.


Last year, I was writing almost nothing at this point. My word goal had been set to 10000, so I basically wrote the minimum to reach that goal every day. Then, in the week of Thanksgiving, I suddenly had a wealth of time on my hands, so I jumped past my word goal of 10000 and began racing towards 12500, then 15000, then 17500, and finally 20000. I ended up on the last day with 21212 words, which was quite far off from my original goal of 10000!


Therefore, I decided to reach high this year. I was going to go for 20000 or 25000, but then I remembered how little I had been writing at the beginning of the month. I had to shoot high this year. So, 30000 it was. And I think I just might get even higher. I have high hopes that I can start the adult program next year! :)


Just wanted to check in. :)
-Cora

Journal Entry from Olin: October 15, 2011

If I could go back in time and change anything about what happened today, I wouldn't change anything. We had a nice breakfast at our hotel this morning and then we went to Olin to check in. While my parents had an interview, I sat outside at the Oval and relaxed and read a bit. It was a wonderful feeling, just sitting peacefully on the bench, watching Oliners ride around on their self-built recumbent bikes. What's so awesome about Olin is all of the diverse, nerdy people who are just like family. Family who share common interests, a common motivation, and, most importantly, a common drive to do well and succeed. I love it here.

Dad and Mom came after a while and we met up with Julian, who got his laptop and showed us his latest project. This was some amazing stuff- breadboards hooked up to his laptop, connected by an array of wires in all the right places. It all fit together to make a cool racecar game in which two players each controlled a spinning arrow and a button which would allow the cars to race each other to the finish. It was all beautiful in a way that's hard to explain- it all fit together so well, so perfectly, with all these intricate pieces coming together as a whole, like a butterfly, its wings decked with separate, unique scales, but all coming together in a gorgeous pattern.

We headed to lunch; first, we checked out a restaurant we've been to before, but it was closed, so we went to Petit Robert Bistro instead. It's a quaint, little, French-American restaurant with great food; I had a yummy French baguette sandwich with Jambon ham served with some slices of tomato and some French fries. Good stuff :)!

Later, the four of us went to Wellesley because it was one of the colleges I liked most from what I read in a college book. It was pretty old and it had a nice setting, but it was a lot bigger than I had expected, so it was hard to find our way around the place. It was also kind of imposing, not really the welcoming environment I had been hoping for.

After an hour or so of walking around the campus in a circle, we went to a small coffee shop nearby and sat down outside. An old man who was sitting on the bench next to us kept on talking about the ambulances and police cars that were driving by.

My dad got me some hot chocolate and a chocolate croissant. We sat there drinking and eating and talking, mostly about the classes Julian's taking. He told us that he is taking 24 credits worth of classes, though the maximum is 21, and two more classes that he won't get credit for at all. As he said, "I don't take classes for grades."

Later on, Dad drove us to the movie theater, where we watched a pretty good movie called "The Ides of March." The plot was really interesting, and the movie was quite dramatic at times. :)

We ate dinner at Solea's, a really wonderful restaurant with tapas, little dishes that we shared as a group. I had some delicious calamari, French fries, and some baby lamb chops. We went there last year for Family Weekend, too, so since we all liked it so much, Dad and I decided to make it a tradition. :)

In the car ride back to Olin, I had a really enthralling and inspiring conversation with Jules about nerdiness and college. I asked him where he learned all of the things he showed me today, and he said that most of it was at Olin. According to him, there's almost no time when you need to know something about engineering and no one knows the answer. That, I think, is amazing.

I told Julian that I do extra work all the time, and that everyone calls me an overachiever, but I'm proud. Julian replied, "There's no such thing as an overachiever- just someone who does what he should do." Then, as an afterthought, he said, "You can quote me on that." I smiled. "I probably will." And so I did. :)

With that note, he left and we told him that we'd see him in the morning.

And now, as I lay here in my bed at our hotel, I feel inspired. I feel nerdy. I feel awesome.

DFTBA (Don't Forget To Be Awesome),
Cora

Blowing my Mind (written on October 10)

Science class impacted my day quite a bit today. We were talking about the flow of energy and how energy is passed from consumer to consumer, organism to organism. With each transferral of energy, a bit of that energy is lost as heat energy and is unusable for organisms to do work: but that's natural and normal. It's called the Second Law of Thermodynamics. As this heat energy is released, the order of the universe is reducing and the world is slowly moving towards chaos and entropy. Literally. Complete disorder. Just because of energy loss.

This kind of blew my mind. I had this huge connection to the whole world. Everything is SO interwoven and connected, and life is such a huge whole of which we are such a small part. But if we are so insignificant, why should we care? Why do we do what we do every day? What's the point, if we'll all eventually succumb to the disorder of the universe? Most likely, no one will be there to remember us, or anything that we did. It is quite possible that everything that happened on this Earth will vanish into oblivion. No one will ever know, care, or even wonder what could have happened. What we perceive as so much is in reality so little.

That, of course, brings up the questions, "Why do people live if (chances are) nothing we do will change anything in the grand scheme of things?" and "What is the point of human existence?"

I'll leave on that note. Just mull over it. Gaah. Still blowing my mind.

-Cora

Steve Jobs (written on October 6)

Today, I re-watched a speech by Steve Jobs that he made during the 2005 commencement ceremony at Stanford University. It is an absolutely brilliant speech. It's only fifteen minutes long, but what he said was extremely inspiring. Here's a quote from the speech that particularly impacted me:

"When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart." (http://news.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html)

Wow. It takes a little for the weight and the power of those words to settle in. If I were to die tomorrow, what would I do today? It's a really thought-provoking question. It really makes you think about what you want to do in life and what you value. It's also a difficult question for me to answer, because I really don't know much about what I want to do in life. I only know that I want to be happy. I want to love the world. I want to share something with the world. I want to make a difference, because I feel like that would make my life successful.

On that note, I'll conclude this journal entry. I realize that it isn't very long, but it has a lot of abstract concepts that I need to think about. I need to live a worthwhile left- it seems like it's some sort of unsaid duty I have to fulfill. Something else to think about.

Thank you, Steve Jobs, for posing questions that will riddle my mind for the rest of my life. Thank you for inspiring me and so many others to do great things. You will be remembered.

-Cora

Change

Written on 9/6/11

I had a huge revelation today.
I've changed a lot since middle school.
I've completely changed my clothing style. I actually wear jeans now- but in middle school, I wore jeans exactly once in all three years. I also wear skirts and tank tops with cardigans, which are also new additions in my wardrobe. Part of this is due to new dress code rules at school banning sweatpants and athletic wear, which basically was the extent of my "style" previously- simple and comfortable.
I've become more of a nerd. Happily. I enjoy being a nerd. I listen to Hank Green's music (as well as some other indie-style music), I love geeky TV shows like Bones, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (and Angel), and I also watch a countless number of Youtubers (such as the vlogbrothers, Charlie McDonnell, Karen Kavett … shall I go on?) as they spend their amazing lives staring and vlogging into video cameras.
I've continued farther on my path to becoming a writer through new writing ideas I've come up with.
As to more of a general standpoint (away from the specifics for a bit):
I've discovered more of my self identity. I feel like I know more about my place. Not necessarily my place in the world- I'm not that far yet, though I wish I knew that- but my place in society, especially at school.
I've decided that though I'm changing a lot about myself, I'm never going to stop being me.
Most importantly, though, I've decided to accept myself. I accept who I am and where I belong. I have best friends by my side to support me, I am relatively liked and accepted by most people in my grade, and I even got asked to Homecoming by a guy I like :).
But none of this matters, in the grand scheme of things. In terms of the world, I'm just a young human being. My troubles don't change anything. Nothing I worry about really matters to anyone except me. So I'll just live the rest of my life striving to be me. That young human being in a huge universe. And I hope that I'll be better for it.

-Cora

On My Mind

1. High school- it's new, it's exciting, and I'm doing well, even though I'm playing tennis and I'm taking the hardest classes offered to me. I've joined two clubs: Amnesty International and our school's newspaper. I'm thinking about joining Chess Club. I'm also continuing my position as a student ambassador, which means I get to tour new families around the school.
2. Tennis- I'm really enjoying playing it at school with my team as well as watching and obsessing over the U.S. Open.
3. Writing- I have several writing projects going on right now. I have a dystopian novel that I've been working on, and I've decided to revise Keep Running (last year's Nano novel) more. I've been researching tips on revising and rewriting.
4. Change- everything that's happened since middle school. More on that on another blog post coming soon. By the way, sorry I haven't been able to post frequently. :/ I'll try to be better at being more consistent.

-Cora

Tennis

Thinking about tennis camp this week, I came up with an analogy. Tennis, in a way, is like chess. At first, you learn about the strokes and technique and how the chess pieces move, and it seems like that's the main part of the game in both cases. Then, strategy plays into it. You need to figure out when to move where, what your opponent's next move is likely to be, and how to be ready for anything coming your way. You need to be on top of your game from the very beginning, because a few double faults or a poor opening could determine your performance for the rest of your match or game. Tennis seems to be more of a physical sport, but as I gain more experience, I realize that the mental aspect is just as important. Strategy is a huge element in tennis, and at tennis camp this week I'm trying to improve my positioning and strategic tactics.

I'll write more soon,
Cora

Travels in Austria... Belated entries with pictures!!

I just posted some more of my diary entries from when I was in Austria in spring on my blog at http://corastravels.blogspot.com. Check it out!

China

I left China only a week ago, but it seems as if the whole trip happened months - maybe even years - ago. The pictures I took, the souvenirs I purchased, and the diary entries I wrote serve merely as memories of a world that seems so distant now. The food, the people, the customs and traditions ... everything was so different. I'm not always operating on a busy schedule, which I enjoy tremendously: I love the feeling of waking up in the morning without a wake-up call and not having to worry about having to pack up my suitcase and move hotels every other day. There's a lot that I miss about China, like speaking Chinese, but a whole lot that I won't miss, like the smog and pollution and people smoking everywhere and bumpy train and plane rides during which I had trouble sleeping. China was a great experience, but I'm really glad I'm back home with my family and friends, relaxing to the best of my ability until school starts again.

A Letter ... and Treasure?

This morning, my mom showed me a three-page letter that one of our friends from Austria bought from E-bay. It was dated back to 1875, and our friend believed it to be written by an archaeologist. He said it might even include a location of a hidden treasure. The letter was in English, written in an old writing that was difficult to read at times, so he wanted some help deciphering it, so my mom printed it out and we worked on trying to discover what word each scribble meant. It was pretty fun and we did well at figuring out what the letter said, but there were still a few illegible words.

It turned out to be a letter about a Reverend thanking someone (presumably a friend or another acquaintance). I did a bit of research online, and it turned out that the Reverend had written many other letters about the parish and church. It is not quite clear why the author of the letter was thanking the recipient, and some of the letter made absolutely no grammatical sense, but what was clear was that it was definitely not a letter about hidden treasure.

Despite the dismay about the treasure (or maybe because of it?), I came to think about the time during which the author wrote the letter - and what he would have changed knowing that someone would read it and attempt to decipher it, if he would have changed anything at all with that knowledge - rather than the content of the letter. The thought that someone might read his letter 136 years later most likely never even began to enter his mind. Even if he did know that someone would read it all this time later, would he have known anything about what the world would be like after 136 years? Would he have written anything else or would he have written in a different manner? I believe that these questions will probably remain unanswered, and that belief is strengthened even more when I think about the gap between then and now. There's so many differences that I begin to wonder what I would do in a similar situation. If I knew that my words would be read in over 130 years, would I write anything differently? I'm not sure if I could, since I have no idea what the future will bring, since I know that everything could - and probably will - be different: our lifestyle, our technology, our handwriting (as seen when I thought about common modern handwriting compared to his) ... maybe even the language we speak and write.

Back to the treasure ... I was thinking about the power of words and what strength they seem to convey through their meaning and age. Maybe everything contains a bit of treasure in its own way. Maybe when you see a picture of darkness, there's a speck of light somewhere in the distance. Maybe if you see a painting of a desert landscape with a hand reaching for a seemingly empty water bottle, there's a few little droplets left inside. Maybe words, no matter their content, always contain a little bit of treasure and a little bit of hope - like that speck of light and those little droplets of water - although we might not see any at first. Maybe the treasure is right in front of you, and maybe you just have to dig around a little to find the X that marks the spot. Maybe - just maybe - all words carry more of a treasure than they seem to carry. As the saying goes, things aren't always what they seem.

It's Been a While ...

I would say that the reason that I haven't been writing recently is that I've been really busy recently, but that's not necessarily true. Before summer started, I went to Pennsylvania during Project Period with my grade at school, where we studied history in Philadelphia, The Quakers, and The Amish, with plenty of fun-time in between in which we bought heavenly pretzels at Amish stores, jumped into hotel pools, played cards with friends, goofed off during bus rides, took plenty of awesome pictures, and spent almost an entire day in Hershey Park and Hershey's Chocolate World. When we got back to school, we watched The Witness, printed out pictures, made scrapbooks of our many journeys, and had our 8th Grade Graduation, in which we received awards and 'diplomas', watched a slideshow with pictures of us from all the trips we took together, and said our goodbyes to friends and teachers.

So, even though you could say a lot had been going on in my life before summer started, but since our graduation, I've spent a lot of time simple having fun and enjoying my summer so far and simply relaxing. It's a good feeling, being able to have plenty of time to read, solve Rubik's Cubes and try to beat my best time (which I've failed to do so far - sometimes I can get within three seconds, though!), brainstorm writing projects, play computer games in the basement, reminisce about old times by working on making a Time Capsule, and - of course - eat the occasional ice cream! :)

This Thursday, I'm going on a trip to China, so I'll have a lot to do over the next few weeks. I'm just going to try to have a lot of fun and learn as much as possible! You'll definitely hear from me after China, but I might even write another post or two before I leave. :)

Talk to you later! Bye!
Or, as they say in China, 再见！
~Cora

In Passing

This afternoon, I passed by a plain white car. A young woman was driving and calming her children down at the same time. This mother, a complete stranger, drove by and I smiled at her. It was a hopeful smile, and an attempt to brighten up her day a bit, and she smiled back. I could tell she was truly happy, and it made me feel happy, too.

-Cora

Nostalgia

Nostalgia.
The last weeks of school this year.
The last days of middle school.
The last hours of homework,
The last minutes of classes,
The last moments before ...
The last time I hear those sweet sounds.
The last time the children tap their feet in anticipation and stare at the clock, and, when the time comes, jump up and scream.
It's the last time they are children.
We'll all be older next year,
expected to be more mature,
to behave properly,
to not be childish.
The last time we steal each other's lunch boxes,
The last time we lay in the Commons and stretch,
The last time we jump down from bleachers,
The last time we have fun at the playground,
The last time we have a middle school dance,
The last time we're all together,
All of these last times …
Nostalgia.
Will I ever forget?

Read to Me

read to me
read to me
distract me from this pain
pain
pain
pain
take me away from this pain
pain
pain
pain
take me away
please take me away
just like a dreamscape,
a lullaby
that you sing to me
that you speak to me
that you read to me
read to me like the rays of a sunset
shine down on me
while i stay afloat
but when the sun falls down
when i start to sink
when the sun slips down
everything will be at peace
i close my eyes
my eyelids fall
my eyelids sink
my eyelids slip
i close my eyes
everything will be at peace
i go to sleep
fall
sink
slip
fall
sink
slip
good night,
good night,
i go to sleep.

In Memory of Mrs. Henry Lafayette-Dubose. RIP.

A Pocketful of Happiness

-openness
a wave from far away
the hugs of warmth, the warmth of hugs
welcome signs and welcome mats
-equality-
words written and words spoken

answers questioned, questions answered

from far away a wave

closure-

Holocaust Remembrance Week: Conclusion (Days 7 and 8)

Never again ... that was what people decided. Never again.

Never another holocaust, never another genocide.

Never.

But ... it did happen again.

Again and again and again.

http://www.ushmm.org/genocide/take_action/gallery/portraits

http://www.ushmm.org/genocide/take_action/atrisk

Never forget.

Holocaust Remembrance Week: Day 6

A paperclip
stay strong
a link in the chain
of remembrance
http://tinyurl.com/5us99tc

Holocaust Remembrance Week: Day 5

This week, I've been thinking a lot about making a difference. I've been thinking about different charities, and what makes each cause unique and worthy of awareness, attention, and/or action. Many organizations in the world have compelling causes that need others' support, but I think that though awareness is important, it would be nearly impossible to donate and commit to every single important cause in the world. There's so many different ways to help out, and trying to choose is often hard, but I think you and I and everyone else, when faced with the question of what, whom, or where to help, should ponder about what affects us as individuals and what we care about. I guess it all comes down to trying to making whatever difference you want to make.

I'm thinking about this because the theme of this year's Holocaust Remembrance Week is "What have we learned?" (http://www.ushmm.org/remembrance/dor/years/detail.php?content=2011&lang=)

Other than lessons of ignorance and hatred, we see other lessons that branch out from the Holocaust. Some people did fight for what they believed in, even in such troubled times as World War II, and I think that commemorating them is just as important as remembering the victims. Remember those who made a difference in the world, and learn to do the same in your own way.

-Cora

Holocaust Remembrance Week: Day 4

A candle burning
Stay burning
Bring your light
Let the light shine.
-Cora

http://www.ushmm.org/remembrance/dor/video/?content=whyweremember

Holocaust Remembrance Week: Day 3

Helen Katz
a life cut short
too short

http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/media_oi.php?MediaId=2110