Attack on Titan Vol.9

     Attack on a Titan is a manga series. Mangas are Japanese comic books. It was also adapted into a very popular anime series. The book series is about three friends: Eren, Mikasa, and Armin. They live in a world where humanity is at the brink of extinction and that's because of Titans. Titans are giant humanoid creatures that eat humans. Humanity enclosed themselfies in three, 50 meter tall walls that defend them from the titans. The more wealthy people live in the most inner walls while the poorer people live in the outer walls. So the main characters live in the outer walls and when they're 9 years old, the wall's gate gets breached open by a giant titan dubbed the Colossal Titan. When this breach happens, Erin's mother ends up getting eaten by a Titan right in front of Erens eyes, and this sparks Eren's determination to join the army, when he's a teenager, where they go pass the walls to 'attack titans'.

      So I recently read the ninth volume of the on going series. This is concidered to be in season two territory as volumes 1-8 are season one of the anime series. Season two just started airing and the first two or three episodes (I forgot) are volume nine of the manga. This started off right after volume eight as it should and is the start of season two after a cliff hanger. In this volume, we get an in depth start on the construction of the walls which was a big question at the start of the series. Eren, who just had a huge fight, is resting from that and makes only a minor appearance. Rather, we get more of a focus on some other minor characters and their adventures right now. I recommend reading this series as the entire series has gotten praise for its story and characters.

Summit Opinions

     So this year our school introduced the Summit Learning Program. This pilot programmed only had a group of kids, including myself, that did this new way of learning. Basically, the student becomes their own teacher as they do self-guided playlists that they take notes on in order to take a test. However, there are some inevitable problems to occur especially since this is a new program. So, I like how we can take tests on our own and learn what we want to, but it's poorly executed due to notes being required. Also, a lot of the times, I can't comprehend the amount of work we have as it overwhelms me and the rest of the class. We have personal learning time (plt) and I hate it. This is the time where we take tests on our is quite annoying since it's strictly personal ownly...in a class environment. I hate not being able to ask help for notes from my peers since I'll get in trouble for. It's fortunate, however that next year, there will be three groups of kids in summit instead of one. This, I can an imagine, will be better res more people to aid each other.

Summer Plans

      Subjectively speaking, summer time is amazing. This summer, I hope, is going to be amazing like before. I most likely will do what I did last year. Last year, I went to the beach for like 4 days straight. It was like the first week of summer, so it was a nice start. The only problem was that it was generally boring since it was just my close family. Maybe this year I'll go more often and have more people with. Another thing I want to do is go to Six Flags again. I talked about it in my previous blog but now I'm hooked. It's just so fun since I love roller coasters due to the thrill isn't gives me. Also I'll be able to go on hurricane harbor this time around since the weather was too cold when we went as a grade. This year, I hope is going to be better than ever before especially since I'm going to High School next year and I want this to last till then.

Six Flags Made me Glad

     Last Friday, the 8th graders went to Six Flags Great America. It my first time going since I was like 3 years old, so it was a new experience basically since I couldn't recall anything. The weather was horrible due to the rain and low temperatures. Due to that, I only went on 3 individual rides. These rides include: The Dark Night,  X-Flight, and Demon, which I went on twice. The other ride, which I don't conicder to be a roller coaster, was the Battle of Metropolis. The Dark Night was the fist one I went to so out might imagine that I was scared but I surprisely not scared at all. The X-Flight was my favorite of all since it was a smooth experience. The Battle of Metropolis was a blast since it was full of jump scares. I ended up getting first on that. Overall, Six Flags was amazing, and I plan on going again sometime in the summer.

A Frightened Future

     Next year I would be a freshmen pain highschool. The thought alone scares me but I have just enough confidence to feel a bit comfortable. With a new school to go to, I plan on starting fresh by 'identifying' with a new self.  By this I mean to have a new mood to school and try something new. Perhaps I would join some clubs like improve or theater. Who knows? Definitely not me? Sports is a mixed bag for me since I enjoy it and have a competitive spirit, however I find myself uninterested due to the towering opponents that seems to get bigger and bigger as time went on. But I'll at least try though, which seems to be all I care about in order to feel a little accomplished.

(Below is a TED talk about trying something new for 30 days. The audio is very quiet)

Lord of the Flies

      Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a classic novel due to its harsh themes and conflicts. In the book, we see young, British boys as they get stranded on a deserted island after their plane gets shot down. We see the boys, ranging from 6 years old to 12 years old, as they try their hardest to survive, maintain civilization, and get off the island. However, while trying, they lose their innocence, as they fight the biggest problem; themselves.

     I can definitely see how this book aged well. Golding successfully shows the true human nature in  us all. We’ll crumble down with no society as we convert to savages just trying to survive. That's what I love about this book. How Golding portrays humans as violent beings and how the corruption of power can go so far. However, some classmates of mine strongly dislike the book and I can kinda see how. I hated the book at one point too, and that is because I didn't think outside the box and think about the meanings of these characters and symbols. This, something that Golding does especially well. I suggest any young adult to read this book due to its themes and since it's a "must read" classic.

The Headphone RANT

     Broken headphones are the worst. Every time it happens, a piece of my soul breaks, as I contemplate how and why it broke. What I've found is that it's never the headphone speakers but the headphone jack, rather. Now, it's frustrating since headphones typically are carried with, especially in pockets. So it's confusing how earbud creators make them very fragile. I have soooo many broken pairs of earbuds. A lot of them I can easily identify the broken wire part or the popped earbud. Maybe someday, when I'm familiar with it, I can fix these pairs of earbuds...hopefully.