Photo Essay

     China is a globalized country, filled with Eastern and Western cultures and shops. China also certainly keeps its originality, such as its ceramics and dumplings. I had a chance to travel China and these are the most memorable parts of China (at least the most unique parts of China which I traveled).

Picture 1. Part of Shanghai's Landscape

       I live in Shanghai, China, a globalized modern city which has countless numbers of tourist attractions such as the aquarium, The Bund, and so on. I took this photo from the famed Pearl Tower. As you can see, there is a blue building with a upside-down regular trapezoid hole on the top. This building's hole has a long story behind it. It starts like this.

     The company who wanted to build the Financial Tower wanted a creative, unique design for the Tower so they held a competition for the best design and a Japanese guy got picked. His first design was the same building, but with a circle-shaped hole. The company exploded. saying that it reminded them of the Japanese flag. So the Japanese guy changed the hole to a rectangle. This time they were infuriated, saying that when the sun comes in the middle of the rectangle, it looked just like the Japanese flag. Finally, they settled with the trapezoid, which did not make the hole look like the Japanese flag.

     I think that the whole landscape of Shanghai is beautiful. And in the night, the roads start to light up with scintillating colors. The buildings are shined by the spotlights installed to the ground. It brings gasps from people, gaping at the beauty of Shanghai.

     

Picture 2. Terracotta Warrior at Museum

     When I was in sixth grade, I took a school trip to Xi An. Everybody was excited to see the Qin Shi Huang's, the infamous dictator, tomb. Not only the tomb but the terracotta warriors, soldiers made out of clay. I did not see the terracotta warriors in the tomb at first though, I first saw it in a museum. I was visually and positively shocked by the details and the natural looking components of the statues.

     Their eyes were very realistic, with the eye shape not too big or too small. Their armors looked identical to the other's armors, the clay shaped in the chain mails. They looked so graceful and composed.

     They had some faults too. The shoes looked slightly deformed, and the eyebrows looked like they used gel to make it into a curved line, jet brown.

     I was still awed by the complexity of the figure and wondered how I would have made the terracotta warriors.

Picture 3. The Lamp

      As I have mentioned previously, I have went to Xi An for our school trip. During the school trip, we also went to the XI An City Wall, the fortifications of XI An.

     It had a fun fact. It was found out by scientists that the wall's cement was actually a mix of kiwi, porridge and a special ingredient. It was a wonder how it stood that long, with kiwi and porridge holding it together.

     This photo depicts a dragon-edged lamp post with 3 red lanterns. In the background, you can see the top of the landscape of Xi An. I will describe to you how it looked in the bottom. It made me feel melancholy. The dragon is soaring, but some people are still living in huts and roughly made, unstable houses. This also reminds me of the balance between rich and poor.

     After I took that photo, I stood for a long time, thinking about how much I am lucky to have a reasonably stable life.

Picture 4. Bicycle

      On the Xi An City Wall, we cycled the whole boundary and the bicycle in the photo is the one I cycled on for 3 hours, cycling through the pain forming on my knees, cycling with the joy that enveloped me.

     The bicycle was not perfect. It was dusty, it was rusty and it was just not the best bicycle for me. but I ignored that part as the cool breeze and the happiness swept it away.

     The bicycle was my companion. My friends, who are sporty, sped away and it was down to me and my old bicycle. We traveled together, passing the bumps, encountering bridges, and pushing ourselves to reach the ending point before time ran out.

     That bicycle may be a bit rusty, but it was stable and I thank it for being a somewhat-reliable bicycle.

Picture 5. Dairy Queen Ice Cream

      "Julie, come on! Try it just once, please?" was exactly how I got to love Dairy Queen. My friend and I went shopping together at International Plaza at Shanghai when my friend started to beg me to eat a Dairy Queen ice-cream. Personally, I did not trust Dairy Queen as I never tried out a Dairy Queen ice-cream. Then my friend started t insist that  I try a cookie and creme ice-cream. I gave up and got a cup of cookie and creme ice-cream.

     I took a spoonful of the ice-cream. The sweet taste spread evenly on my salivating tongue. It tasted normal. That's when the creme came in. I savored the thick, smooth creme, blending with the cookie's crunchy, classic taste. It was quite a sensation which I can not wait to experience again.

Picture 6. A Dish of My Favorite Food at Ashley's

     There is a restaurant named Ashley's at the International Plaza in Shanghai. They have buffets there, and I got a chance to eat there.

     Despite the fact that the Ashley's food looked good, it also looked good. The Black Chateau, the sushi roll topped with brown, crispy little things with a few slices of vegetable, tasted slightly creamy and fresh as the mayonnaise sauce gives the thick effect while the crispiness prevents the creaminess from going too far and overtaking the dish.

     I love to eat shrimp with a squeeze of fresh lemon. The shrimp bursting with plumpness left me drooling.

     I don't like my waffles with chocolate syrup these days. I like them plain, the original taste of the waffles, instead of the stickiness of the syrup coating my tongue. They are Belgian waffles, my favorite kind of waffles.

     Salmon is my world. The tender pink meat with lime was good but the olives at the sides sort of messed up. The raw piece of onion on top made up for it. It was spicy and smooth, the way I liked it.

     I loved the dish overall and I would give it a rating of eight out of ten.

Picture 7. Chocolate Fountain with Marshmallows

     Chocolate dripping constantly, flowing in a shape of a fountain, the flowing taking the smoothness of the chocolate to a higher level. That is the highlight of the desserts at Ashley'. You get to choose fruits or marshmallow to dip in the chocolate fountain. My favorite is the strawberry tasting marshmallow dipped in chocolate, then topped with sprinkles.

     I can not explain in mere words the addicting taste of chocolate. Chocolate is by far the most awe-inspiring invention by god. We exist as chocolate exists.

     Okay, I may have exaggerated it but this deserves the exaggeration. Melted, liquidized chocolate is like cocoa but thicker. It is scrumptious. It is a heavenly ambrosia for mortals.

     They may all seem totally different. They may be common things. But China's special touch is what makes them stand out, special and original.

Letter to the GLPS Director

Julie Baik

Korean Minjok Leadership Academy

August 6th

Dear Director of GLPS,

     I am writing this letter to you because of the lack of studying time for students at GLPS.

     Let me present to you with two words. Study and sleep. See any relations? Nope, not alliteration. I mean the rate of studying time to sleeping time. Here at GLPS, we are required to sleep at twelve A.M. at the latest. I propose that GLPS participants(students) should be allowed to study during the sleeping period because of three things. Freedom of choice, homework, and common sense.

     I do believe that GLPS students should have the freedom of choice to study. GLPS participants are here at KMLA to learn and study the subjects taught at GLPS. They should at least have the freedom of choice to study, which I believe is one of the purposes and the goals of GLPS.

     I must say GLPS gives a lot of homework. They only give us 3 hours of study period each day. Is this well balanced? Is three hours sufficient enough for a History of Science presentation preparation? No! Is three hours sufficient enough for vacation homework? No! Is three hours enough to write a piece of creative writing? No! Imagine all the assignments I have mentioned clumped up together and stomped as 'Assignments due tomorrow'. The students would be stressed. They would overwork themselves and the originally high quality of homework would decrease immensely. The grades would drop, the teachers would be disappointed, and the balance would be destroyed. GLPS should not stop our studying.

     The participants took two exams before entering GLPS. I believe that those results actually tell the fact that they all have common sense. It is a well known fact that students need sleep. The student knows this as they have common sense. According to Sleep Foundation (http://www.sleepfoundation.org/article/how-sleep-works/how-much-sleep-do-we-really-need), all people have individual amounts of sleep they need and I believe that the students are actually aware of that factor. They will control the amount of sleep they need.

    GLPS stands for Global Leadership Program for Students. Leaders are supposed to do more, better work. Is it right for GLPS to stop and restrict the student's efforts to be a leader? This act of stopping studying is an act which contradicts GLPS's purpose. This must stop.

     I have made a possible solution for this. Currently the system at GLPS is formed like this.

    First study period ---------7:00 PM~9:00PM
    Second study period ------10:10 PM~11:40PM

    Altogether we only get 3 hours and 30 minutes of study time. This time, I want to develop a third study period which is slightly different.

     The third study period would require students to sign up for it, like second study period. But the students would be free to go back to their rooms at any time.It would be slightly more free than the second study period. It would be from twelve o'clock to one o'clock.

     I believe and demand the act of restricting students efforts to stop and to create the third study period to the Director. GLPS students should have the freedom to study as much as they want. The parents or the teachers wouldn't have to worry as the kids have common sense and are responsible. It is the time for some adjustments of GLPS!

     Thank you for reading this letter and I hope you take this suggestion into consideration.

                                                                                                       Yours truly,
                                                                                                          Julie Baik


   

Love, Force, and Natasha

     "Sis! Sis! Look! I broke the world record for opening the most bottles of beer in a minute!" Natasha ignored her brother's crazy remarks about some sort of records and stuffed her feet in her dark, black, plain shoes. She pushed her cap on her head and walked out, embracing California's sunshine.

     "Why am I stuck with such an obnoxious, crazy, stupid and idiotic brother?"Natasha walked down the crowded streets, ranting on and on about how annoying her brother is under her breath. Her anger increased as people shoved in the crowd. She clenched her fists to calm her self down.

     "Yo, Natasha! Wait up." Natasha's face brightened immeasurably as her friend ran up to her. Her friend's name is Wylie. He has gentle waves on his chestnut colored hair and always adorns himself with a golden cross, simple but stylish at the same time. They walked together with a vivacious air around them, chattering in a speed which even made people wonder if they were speed-debating. They arrived at the gate of the famed McCarthy International Private Middle School. The majestic, grand gates opened. They separated from each other unwillingly, stealing glimpses of each other while moving apart. She opened her red locker and stuffed her bag in.

     First class was History. Professor Ludwick, with his posh looking hair and a old looking suit, started to teach the customs of the Incas. A few kids snickered as his glasses slipped down. Natasha gritted her teeth as he moved on to describe the theories related to Incas. Why to teachers here always lecture?

     Then something weird happened. The school started to vibrate violently. Books fell, lights cracked and Professor Ludwick started to scream like a girl. Then a strong force pressurized our minds, which caused everybody to faint.

     Natasha blinked her brown, Bambi-like eyes. She stood up and looked around. Books were on the ground, a few iPod screens shattered and there was a stack of students at the side, topped with Professor Ludwick. She saw Cody the class clown dig himself out of the stack. Tina threw a bunch of kids to breathe. She saw Thomas shaking his head.She calmed down, telling herself that everything was okay. Then the boys started to run.

     

     Natasha was quite puzzled. All of the boys ran to the flower garden and picked flowers. Even the kid who had flower allergies picked flowers, although he was doubling over with coughs. Natasha stared in shock as the boys ran back to the classroom. The boys got on to their knees and proposed in unison.

     "Will you be my girlfriend?"

     

     At that moment, Natasha found out that the boy's eyes were purple. She sensed that something was wrong. Then she replayed what happed before the proposals. The force. She grasped her head in a way as if she was trying to figure something out. Here comes the part when she really freaked out.

     

     Natasha felt a tap on her back. She turned and found Wylie kneeling and holding a banquet of tulips. Then the bomb exploded.

     

    "Will you marry me?"

     Natasha was shocked and became silent for a minute. Here was Wylie, her best friend who already
had a girlfriend proposing to her. Her face turned red. Not the blushing red but the angry red. She slapped Wylie squarely in the face and walked away.

     Natasha heard a whizzing sound. She sneaked out of the classroom and followed the sound. She arrived infront of the Hall Clock and noticed that the Hall clock's hands were spinning out of control.

     Panicking, she ran through all the classrooms on the first floor. All clocks were spinning. She ran to her home and found her clocks spinning.

     She sat down on her couch and wrote down every single thing which happened from the morning. Then she snapped her fingers.        

Click here for Ending 1.

Click here for Ending 2.

Click here for Ending 3.