Words and Actions

We’ve all heard the common expression, “actions speak louder than words.” This expression is somewhat of a guiding rule in our daily dialogue and how we should overcome problems that involve speech. Our class is beginning to read The Catcher and The Rye and we’ve decided to use a guiding question as class to use during our discussions. The question is, “Under what circumstances are words more effective than actions?” There are many circumstances, probably more than I know, and hopefully this question can be heavily discussed as we discuss and analyze the material in which we’re reading. In this blog, I will try to answer the question using real-life examples.

Photo @2013 by BK [CC BY 2.0]

Some examples include when talking to people with higher positions in life than us. For example a student to a teacher or staff member, or an employee to a boss. If they’re discussing how one’s work ethic has been they want you to respond on why it’s been going so well or so bad. If they ask one to work harder or perform with better results, then actions might be a better way to go.

Usually using words over actions will depend on the situation. Generally, words are better when carrying out conversations and actions are better when you want results.

Knowing when to use words over actions is essential to one’s social success and how well off they are in life. I believe that if a person learns when to use actions and words they’ll have more friends and more people who like them. They will appreciate your sense of social well-being and how you treat them based on how you use your words versus actions. With job life, if you know when to use words effectively in the job place or during an interview, you’ll be able to either advance in a job or get hired.

The circumstances do matter and even though it might seem difficult deciding when to use words versus actions, it’s a great skill to have. I hope to see this question be answered better in our upcoming reading and how it applies to the book.

Are You Ready?

To all of my fellow AP English Language and Composition students across the United States: Are you ready for the test? I hope the answer is yes! We’ve been preparing quite a lot here in our class and I feel like everyone is prepared for anything that can come up during the test. I would say my biggest weakness right now is the multiple choice because I’ve always had trouble with reading a passage and then answering the following questions pertaining to the passage. Now with the intense vocabulary, it makes it even harder for me. With all worries aside, it’s best that we all focus on relaxing and trusting ourselves that we can and will pass the test!

Photo @2012 by Benjamin Chun [CC BY-SA 2.0]

Arc 1: Things Get Real

If you’re confused on where this is. Please prefer to earlier post for more information.

“Old man says he received the information in an email from his informant, Jacob.  He says he fears for his life as he is in possession of something he can’t send over the net. He has it on a small data drive.” said Drem as he grabs his two handguns.

“Asshole didn’t say what he has on there that is so important?”

More About Me

I have been a motivated student throughout all of my school years. I strive to achieve while challenging myself at the highest level. After completing middle school with a 4.0 GPA, I began my freshman year in high school with honors and AP classes and have since taken advantage of as many AP classes as possible. Currently, as a junior, I am taking 5 AP classes along with Honors Music with my current rank among my peers being 1 out of 820 students. My current ACT score is 33.

Photo @ 2005 by dcJohn [ CC by 2.0 ]

My goal has never been to be at the very top of my class academically. It has, however, been my desire to learn as much as I can that has put me there. Although I consider myself to be an intelligent person, I feel that it is my curiosity, love of learning, and the tireless effort I have put into my studies that has brought me this far.

In addition to academics, I have participated in many clubs and have devoted many hours to volunteer service. A passion of mine is music. I have expressed this passion through being an active member in my high school marching band and through participation in Huntington Beach Union High School District Honor Band and Jazz Band.

I seek out new learning opportunities on my own. Growing up, I have had to take this approach. You see, neither of my parents have a college degree. And, although they have been supportive as well as loving parents, they know little of what it takes to get into college or how to succeed there. Being a first generation college student, I have many questions. Most of the answers will probably come with time and experience.

Throughout my high school experience, one topic that keeps coming up in my mind is whether it’s better to take it slow and mainly study one subject or if it’s smarter to do what I’m doing, and take a full course load while I still have free education. In my personal opinion, I think it would be more interesting to focus on one subject, but for the sake of college admissions and learning more about the world around me all at once, my schedule is what predominates students today.

Although it’s a bit sad and unfortunate that students are seemingly thrown into this situation, it’s also good life experience, being able to handle everything at once. Doing this type of work now will make stress easier to handle in the future.

-Bryan Clements

Arc 1 Goes Off!

Photo @2010 by Jonas Seaman [CC BY 2.0]

Hey guys!! still going on with my Arc 1 story!! hopefully you guys continue to like it!

“Rumor has it from many sets of ears that a man has arrived here on Terra and in Prime.”

“Your ears hear about one man? Prime has hundreds of thousands going in and out. What makes this one special?”

“He comes here with the intent to kill me. As you noticed, I’ve already raised security here. I only have one lead. I’ve already informed Drem of the matter. He has all the details on the lead.”

“I’m to find one man on Terra who wants to kill you? I can easily go to the ‘lows’ and find many. What makes this one anymore of a threat? With the shit that you’ve done, many would want you dead.”

“He is a former Government Advocacy Agent. Same as you.”

Chap. 2: The Lows

The Celer lands upon a pad for another residential complex for the well privileged citizens of Prime. Upon exiting the craft, Sota grabs a duffel bag from a compartment in the 350R. He continues to cross the narrow bridge that separates Sota from life and death. As the end of the bridge is near, a set of doors open to reveal a five foot, nine inch male of caucasian descent and pale skin. The figure expresses himself in a suit and tie that is much like that of a Fortune 500 CEO. Sota approaches him with no signs of hesitation.

“The old man said you were on your way. I saw your piece of shit 350 come in on the radar.”

“Did he wake you up at a piss poor time as well?” grinned Sota.

“Yeah, old geezer had me looking at this information since I got home from that dump you call a nightclub. Did you even at least fuck her?”

“Drem, you know I would only just tease her.” Sota winks back at Drem as he lets out a slight laugh.

“Your dick would say otherwise, right?” the two kept a relaxed atmosphere as they walk into Drem’s residence. The room is in an apartment suite similar to that of Sota’s residential tower. As they enter his den, the numerous pieces of both modern weaponry and technology littered the tables and floor.

Theater

I saw FVHS theater’s rendition of Pippin and in my opinion it wasn’t good. Many plays that are performed from this group are well-performed, with little to no production issues. This play was the one exception, and it was quite surprising. I was shocked at the low quality of sound production. There were many different aspects that contributed to a poor show overall such as: acting, singing, music, and sound production.

Photo @2015 by Bahman Farzad [CC BY 2.0]

AP Exams and Stress

With AP tests coming up, it’s hard not to be constantly worried. With how stressful and long the tests are, how can any student not be bogged down studying and stressing? Well, I for one am not actually too worried. Why, you might ask? There are a multitude of reasons, but when it comes down to it, there’s no point in me worrying about tests I already plan to study for. There’s no reason to stress over a test that I’ve already set aside time to study for. This brings me to my next topic: stress and planning.

Photo ©2011 by Eamon Curry [CC BY 2.0]

As I’m sure all of us can agree, going in blind into any situation isn’t the easiest thing to do. Just as going into the wilderness without a map can be scary and dangerous, so can going into a school week without a plan. If I know I have a difficult math test coming up or anything I am nervous for, I start writing out a schedule. Not only does it give me a sort of road-map to follow that is custom-made for my schedule, but it also allows me to relax. Once I’ve realized that I have time to study and that “everything’s gonna be alright,” I can be more proactive with what I should be doing in the moment. Time and time again, it has been shown that one of the greatest fears humans have is the fear of the unknown. This is where most of our natural stress comes from. When we don’t know what we’re facing, it’s all we can think about until that moment of uncertainty passes.
Throughout my life, I’ve personally struggled to not worry so much about what the future may hold. Nowadays, though, I just think to myself the same thoughts: “I’ve been worried before, and it’s always worked out alright in the end. Just focus, plan ahead, and get the job done.” Although I still retain a little bit of that worried attitude, these thoughts do help me to focus on the now rather than the future, which is most important.

– Bryan Clements

Why I Dislike Drafting

Being an AP English student and an advocate for the role of English classes in education, it is seemingly antithetical for me to say that I dislike drafting. Drafting is held in high regard in any if not all mediums of art, but what I specifically dislike is English drafting, the kind typical of English classes. This thin ice that I am treading by stating my distaste for drafting is the essence of me as a writer.

Photo ©2006 by churl [CC BY-NC-ND 2.0]

Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number

Not many games have impacted me as much as Hotline Miami has. It was an eye-opener of what video games signified to me and what they could provide. Hotline Miami introduced me to the dedication put into indie video games, a whole new genre of music I never knew I enjoyed, and countless hours of entertainment. So it would be a given that I had high expectations for its sequel, Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number. And fortunately, Wrong Number exceeded my expectations, and more.

This is a screenshot from my Steam library. For background information, I finished Hotline Miami with all of its achievements unlocked at a whopping 35 hours, given that it was only at maximum a 3-4 hour run the first time through. Yet, I’ve spent 6 hours the first time through Wrong Number, and am barely scratching the surface for completely finishing it. It is not only longer, but also more substantial. The levels are more expansive, the music more unique (when I thought the original’s couldn’t be topped), and the gameplay more exciting. Despite my gushing though, there are definitely areas where the original overshadows Wrong Number.

Many times the gameplay can be more frustrating than the original. Since the levels are grander, enemies offscreen will easily cause your demise without you having time to react. In a game which rewards careful timing and preparation as well as quick execution and efficiency, this is a glaring issue. Also, many of the enemies can be bugged, causing frustrating, unnecessary deaths, leading to the grand levels feeling drawn out.

Yet, despite these problems with Wrong Number, it manages in achieving what I wanted from a sequel to Hotline Miami: more of the same, but better. It’s great to see Wrong Number do something right.

– Edward

Resourcefulness

It has become natural for me to use what I have and go for it. Jumping in and taking chances has become part of my everyday life.

Photo @2014 by Blake Patterson [CC BY 2.0]

When I was thirteen, I wanted my own computer. Having no money, I asked myself, “What do I have right now that can make this happen?” I then remembered that my dad had several broken computers. Having worked on computers with him before, I thought, “What if I put the working parts together in the right way to make one functional computer?” My mind raced with anticipation. With great tenacity I began working. Methodically, I put the necessary parts together and soon enough, it was up and running.

Happy with what I had created, I thought about the question I asked myself and the resourcefulness involved. The question, “What do I have right now that can make it happen?” started me thinking. What if I applied this question along with those same characteristics of tenacity and confidence to any endeavor I undertook? I made it a point to have this mindset and apply it daily. When things seemed impossible, I thought of what I had, intellectually or materially, to start things off. As a result, I began reaching more goals. As my accomplishments grew, so did my dreams. Before I knew it, I began picturing myself starting my own company based on a new technology I have yet to develop.

Today, I may not necessarily have the same dreams and aspirations that I once did about possibly starting my own company and what not, but the ideas of taking risks and resourcefulness remain true. In fact, I’d like to think that those traits have helped me a lot in school, usually with projects and critical thinking skills. For example, when I had a few english projects in tenth grade, I not only thought about the task at hand in a critical step-by-step method, but I also thought of the deeper meaning behind the task. Why are we doing this project? When will the skills this is providing me with come in handy? By asking myself these questions, I’ve come a long way in understanding why teachers assign me the things they do.

But out of all the skills required for success, resourcefulness and hard work, the crucial steps between inspiration and success, are what matter most.

 

-Bryan Clements