Around the World Passion Project Reflection

Over the past 5 passion project days, things have changed with my idea. First, instead of doing the project by myself, I am doing this project with Saher and Usha. We still have individual ideas and projects; however, we will put our projects together to make it one. This is because both of our groups are doing projects based on things around the world. Saher and Usha are researching holidays and I am researching dances that go with the holidays. Some of the work I got done included finding types of dance that I was interested in for the different countries. I'm now in the process of finding the one style I want to research the most and learn how to do. The main obstacle that I have had is that because I don't really know which style I want to learn because all of these types of dances seem really unique and interesting. 
The things that I have left to do are:

• Get some more background information about each of the styles of dance that I chose.
• "Master" the information about two-three of the styles
• Learn some choreography of a dance styles that I haven't been exposed to and "perform" it. 

So far, I think I have been doing well because if everything goes as planned, I should be able to finish my presentation and learning at least 2 weeks before presentation day arrives and then, I can learn a specific routine and video tape it.

Disney Passion Project Reflection

     Our passion project is about disney. Of course, this is a very broad topic, but we are doing a timeline-kind-of-thing. Therefore, Saher and I are documenting the changes in the types of characters, movies and T.V. shows from the beginning of Disney, 1923. So far, we got lists of all of the Disney T.V. shows a movies (there are SO many!). We also got earliest drawings of the some of the characters compared to drawings of them today. I think Saher and i did okay so far because we got started and are noticing some obvious differences between the older disney vs. new disney.

     The things we have left to do are get some facts on why these characters changed the way that they did. (Although, I already have a hypothesis.) Also, I want to critique some of the more popular characters. An obstacle we may have is figuring out a way to put the project together because there are so many ways that this can be done because our project is kind of a broad subject. I might want to try to find ways to put some subtopics (is that a word?) together and focus more on some topics in the disney theme and briefly explain others.

Helen Keller. A Historical Outlier.

"“Outlier” is a scientific term to describe things or phenomena that lie outside normal experience." That was the definition of an outlier conveyed by Malcolm Gladwell. To expand on his definition,I think a true outlier is someone who has practical intelligence, analytical intelligence, creative intelligence, advantages that outweigh others' advantages, opportunities, concerted cultivation, and parentage and patronage. Not only do they have to have these advantages, but they have to have the courage to make use of those opportunities. A historical figure that showed these qualities was Helen Keller. She was an outlier a successful outlier.

Helen Keller was not born blind or deaf, but lost them by the time she was 18 months old due to a contracted fever. However, that was not the reason why she became recognized worldwide. When Keller was seven years old, Anne Sullivan was engaged to be her tutor. Sullivan taught Helen many things that are related to her analytical intelligence. She, herself, had experience with disabilities, and, so devoted her life to helping other disabled kids and worked tirelessly to promote the rights of the disabled. She was the first deaf and blind woman in the United States to receive a bachelor's degree because of her dedication. 

However, none of these achievements are what makes Helen Keller an outlier. It was the way she achieved them and her commitment towards succeeding. Two of the theories mentioned by Malcolm Gladwell were reasons why Helen Keller is an outlier and succeeded. It was easy for Helen Keller to follow the 10,000 hour rule that says that 10,000 hours of practice is necessary to succeed in something. This is because Helen Keller exceeded in helping people with the same type of disabilities she had. This means that she was practicing her talent all of the time...literally. She was practicing while eating, sleeping, and showering; playing, talking, and even while helping others. According to my math, Helen Keller would have passed 10,000 hours by the time she was just 3 years old. However, it might be 8 years old because she never truly started "practicing" until and opportunity when she was 7 years old. Helen Keller did not know how to learn until she was 7 years old. Although many other people may have passed 10,000 hours, completing 10,000 hours by the time she was just 3 years old is amazing! That is one thing that makes Helen a true outlier.

As I mentioned in the previous paragraph, Helen Keller wouldn't have been able to succeed with an opportunity going her way. This opportunity was Anne Sullivan. She gave Helen a big advantage because she helped her learn, while there was many other failed attempts by other people. This might have made Sullivan an outlier also, but Helen Keller used this opportunity greatly. Anne Sullivan was constantly by Helen Keller's side as she succeeded in the many things that she did. 

All in all, Helen Keller was a true outlier because of the way she achieved her goals more than just her goals and used an opportunity she had to the fullest. Many people wouldn't have been able to do this and that's what makes Keller an outlier.


Sources:
http://www.ingredientsofoutliers.com/hellen-keller-historical-outlier/

(My other sources are in links throughout the 1st 2 paragraphs and the rest are mostly my thoughts.)

Note

3 Most Difficult Things to do in the World:
1. You can't count your hair.
2. You can't wash your eyes with soap.
3. You Can't Breath With your Tongue out.
Now Please put your tongue back inside.

Color Blind Message

Who knows what it says?

http://www.stevengapo.com/colour-blind/?m=U2FsdGVkX1/qTY24VvpiE+VP6EqBCzfJGRGMRzUdBHY=

Joyas Voladoras=Hummingbirds?

First, if you haven't read this essay, Joyas Voladoras, click on Joyas Voladoras and read it first so that you understand what I am talking about.
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       I don't really know what the name of this essay means, but it definitely gets me thinking.  The meaning that I get from this essay varies from paragraph to paragraph.  In the second paragraph, I get the message that even though there are millions of creatures in the world and many deaths seem so insignificant to people, they can affect other creatures' lives.  This came to me because it was talking about deaths and even though it was mostly listing different types of hummingbirds, I got a really interesting message out of it.
        In the third paragraph, there was one line that really stood out to me and it was "Every creature on earth has approximately two billion heartbeats to spend in a lifetime.  You can spend them slowly, like a tortoise, and live to be two hundred years old, or you can spend them fast like a hummingbird, and live to be to years old."  This to me doesn't really seem like a scientific fact, but more of a way to say that you can live your life to the fullest, or complain about everything that you don't have and weep.
       The paragraph that stood out to me the most was the 4th one and only because of one sentence: "...the animals with the largest hearts in the world generally travel in pairs..." This made me connect a real heart that pumps blood to the shape of a heart that people draw to show love.  This is because people say that a big heart means that you are more caring and kind.  When you are kind, you would most-likely have more friends or you will have a girl/boy/other person to love and will travel in pairs just like the quote says.

     Although I didn't really get a meaning out of the 2nd to last paragraph, I learned a lot of information about mammals and birds, reptiles and turtles, fish, insects and mollusks, worms, and unicellular bacteria.

     The last paragraph was a little bit pessimistic; however, it tells people that all of their dreams are not going to come true.  It gives us a taste of reality.  I'm not going to go on a rant about people being really stupid and hating when they don't get what they want, but this paragraph describes my feelings.  "When young we think there will come one person who will savor and sustain us always; when we are older we know this is the dream of a child, that all hearts finally are bruised and scarred, scored and torn, repaired by time and will, patched by force of character, yet fragile and rickety forevermore..."  This is completely true.  You're heart may be scarred because this belief of a young child never came true, but life is not perfect.  I think the main message here is "Life is not fair." I know that seems a little cruel and discouraging, but it is the truth and although life is not fair, it is what you make of it.  The examples in the last paragraph may not apply to you, but the motto is the same.  Let me just ask you one thing, do you have a perfect heart, or a perfect life?

PS. I bolded my favorite lines.

Quotable Quotes

http://prezi.com/zasaohpngcyf/rogate-quotes/?kw=view-zasaohpngcyf&rc=ref-30059775