Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry Project Reflection

Come to Life
It was pretty amusing and...interesting? Very different. It was pretty good, but they could have chosen a more "powerful" scene and connected better with the audience.

Who or What?
Alice's was pretty good, but it could've been better if she made the questions harder (But of course, it's pretty hard to make the questions hard.) Ophelia also had the same problem.

Interview
It was done well, but if it appealed more to the audience, it would be even better.

Mine
I think I did pretty good. It was a bit awkward, and I could have had more eye contact

Into the Future
Her's was really good, and it had a nice happy ending (something I lack), but of course, a little more eye contact would be nice.

Presentation

I think our presentation went pretty well. Of course, it could be better, but overall, not bad.

If I was to do this again, I would try to maintain eye contact, "present" smoother, and make it more appealing to the audience.

I really can't choose which group did the best. They all had their ups and downs, but some groups stood out and made me feel...not so negelcted, and as if they were talking to me. These groups kind of caught my attention, and made the presentation more interesting.

What is a winner?

I think a winner is someone who works hard to get something they want, and get it. To be a winner, you don't necessarily have to win something huge and become famous. Achieving small things that could help in the long run, but trying hard to achieve it can be just as important as achieving something big.

Integrity is also really important. Though some people may have a natural advantage, if you work hard yourself, beating them actually makes you feel prouder than ever. Such as swimming. The taller and bigger you are, the more distance you can go in one stroke. I was in competition before, and I was only 5'2 and 86 lb. The people against me were mostly taller, and bigger, but I managed to take home a 6th place.

In another case, my friend, who is 165 and around 100 lb, competed against shorter and lighter people. She did not win. It shows that natural abilities may matter at first, but in the long run, the harder you work, the more you win.

Is there a job you were born to do?

I think there is, but right now, I have no clue what it is. To get it though, I know that I’ll have to work hard, or settle for a less important (or a “not so good”) job. Though I might have some special hidden talent that might benifit me in life later on (which I highly doubt), to get to where I want to go will take a lot of work and dedication.

Many people could’ve been born with the ability and potential to be a wonderful athlete, but without the proper training, and their own perserverance, they probably would not be such a great athlete. My point it, yes, some people are born with the natural ability, but natural ability is only a small part of your success.

What are you willing to fight for?

Unlike a lot of people, I have a fiery temper, and anything that arouses that usually makes me want to fight for it.

A few years ago, our car was stolen. It wasn't just an ordinary car, it was a Lexus, and the best of it's kind. It had two windows on the roof of the car, seat warmers, and we even ordered a custom-made licence plate. My dad had spent years and years saving up the money to buy it, and when he finally did, we were all excited and happy to drive in such a magnificent car. Four years later, our car was stolen. News came a few months ago that they caught the people who stole our car, and we were to go to court to ask for payment. We actually just wanted our car back, but that was impossible; they had dissembled the car, and sold the parts to different countries. Two days ago, I went with my dad to court. It started with a "peaceful" negotiation on how much the criminals would pay us. They had a lawyer, we didn't. During the negotiation, the lawyer was kissing up to my dad, saying that such an educated man would surely show some pity, and allow us to pay you less money. When the car was bought, it was 23,500,000 NT, but now, we only asked for less than half of that price, 10,000,000 NT. The lawyer said that our car wasn't worth that much now, and would only give us 2,300,000. And if that wasn't bad enough, he asked that we receive less money, since the criminals were broke. At the end, we only got 1,800,000 NT. 

When we got out, I was furious. I could not believe that my dad would agree to that. After all, guilty was guilty. I did believe in second chances, but the guy stole 55 cars, and I didn't believe he deserved another chance. I fought with my dad, and we stood outside the courtroom; me telling him that he should have fought for what we deserved, and him telling me that he didn't have enough time. 

Later on, I realized what my dad was trying to say. He had his own company, and he was a busy person, but not the criminals. They had all the time they needed, and they would drag this on. I could see why my dad did that, but now, I still feel a fire inside, believing that the criminals were let of too easy, that we lost so much money. 

As a conclusion to this story, if I was in his shoes, I would fight for the money. I would. My dad wouldn't, but I would. He didn't have the time, yes that's true, and I do not blame him for that, but I want people to get what they deserve. I would fight for a lot of things, injustice, a person's rights, just about anything. As I said before, my quick temper has gotten me in quite some trouble, but I fight for what I believe in, and that is something that will not change about me. 

Do you think before you act?

Sometimes, yes, but other times, no.

Being naturally clumsy, I've broken many MANY things, just because I wasn't careful enough. I broken my toe, two CD cases, dishes, cups, and many more. Of course, some of them were more mental than physical, like my Electronic Curse. I have killed a laptop, murdered a tablet, poisoned two computers at the same time, killed a MP3 player, and murdered a radio. Most of the time, it was because I accidentally clicked on this virus-ad, or downloaded something, and got a virus with it. Obviously, I did not think that much before I killed all those electronics.

Sometimes though, I carefully think of what I'm about to do, and how I can benefit more from that. With people, I think carefully on what I'm about to say, to try not to hurt their feelings too much, but sometimes, in anger and desperation, what I say can be a bit sharp.

So to sum it all up, it really does depend on the situation I'm in. Specific scenarios (like electronics) make me a bit careless and reckless. But with other situations (like people), I tend to think more of what I'm about to do.

How Do Seasons Affect You?

Different seasons give me different feelings.

 During the spring, I tend to feel happy, especially since my birthday is coming, but also annoyed. It seems like all the mosquitos make their comebacks and start stinging me from head to toe. I also get really bad allergies (rashes), and combined with mosquito bites, my whole body is lumpy and red. But I guess it's the "beginning" of a new life, and though in Taiwan, you don't really see much of a difference.

 During the summer, I feel TERRIBLE. I know that I should be happy (and I am, sometimes) that I'm out of school, but the humidity and heat just kill me. On the other hand, I feel great, especially because I have more time to focus on my extra curriculum activities, and be relieved of the stress of homework. I can also tan a little, and try desperately to get rid of my 4 year swim suit tan that is becoming clearer and clearer.

 During the fall, I'm in one of my happiest moods. Of course school starts, but I can finally meet up with my friends again. The cool weather also feels great, and I can finally wear shorts and a T-shirt without feeling much humidity or heat.

During the winter, I start becoming really excited for Christmas and New Years. The weather also gets colder and much windier, and I'm forced to wear a huge puffy jacket (and long pants, which I really hate). I find it ironic when I walk around in winter (which is only around 20 degrees Celsius  wearing shorts and a T-shirt eating a Popsicle and people around me are walking in huge coats and long pants drinking soup. But of course, people in Taiwan wear long sleeves and long pants in the summer (39 degrees Celsius of pure water and heat), so...

Who do I feel closest to?

It really depends. I'm closest to my family sometimes, and other times, it's my friends. I can tell my family almost anything, and they can read me like a book. My sister and I used to be pretty close, but I guess all the homework and extra-curriculum pressure got to both of us, and we started to "drift" apart. I could still remember when we stayed up late and whispered secrets to one another. It was a "tradition" for us to do that every New Year's Eve, but then we both started becoming closer to our friends, so the "tradition's" history. Most of the time, I tell all my problems to my best friend over email and chat, and we exchange our problems. She's also the only person in the world to know all my secrets. Though sometimes, I ask other friends for their opinion on the matter. But if I had to choose someone that was closest to me, I would probably choose, my sister, or my best friend.

What is Honor?

Honor is doing something that does good to people, or a courageous sacrifice. It's kind of like getting high respect, getting fame, and glory

The word honor reminds me greatly of the Battle of Thermopylae, where 300 Spartan soldiers stayed behind to fight almost 20,000 Persians. They were all killed, but when they were fighting, the Spartan's bravery were remembered to this day. (There was even a movie made about the battle, called 300.)

Another person that came to my mind when I hear the word honor is Martin Luther King Jr. He peacefully protested against race discrimination when he suffered discrimination as well, but he was killed when he was shot in the head.

I guess honor is something a lot of people want, but some either fall short of their expectations, or do the wrong things. Like in India, there are things called "honor killings," but actually, there isn't anything honorable about that. In Hunchback of Notre Dame, Frodo thought that it was "honorable" killing the gypsies, and it's not honorable at all. Honor is about sacrificing the things you want (or already have) for a greater good.

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Why do we need memorials?

I think that we need memorials to honor the people who did something good for us. And so that we can remember what happened. If in the future, a kid asks you, "What is that for?" You'll be able to tell him or her the story that really happened. Without the memorial, a lot of things would be forgotten easily. The Vietnam War, World War I, and World War II are just names to people now. They are things that some people joke about, not realizing that it actually took many people's lives. Osama bin Ladan's a joke, Hitler's a joke, and 9/11 is a "funny but tragic story" to a lot of people. Without memorials, more people may start to feel that way. Having a memorial helps keep the story alive, and I think that it is important that people know their history and background better. That is why I think we need memorials.