Passion Project Update & Reflection

Its amazing to think we're already halfway through the Passion Project. My project that I'm working on with my group is a Rube Goldberg Machine and though we've started and have made progress we've still got a long way to go. With each step we added there seems to be another issue. Most are easy to fix. Some on the other hand are going to take a lot of thinking to fix. One of our main problems we have is the hand sanitizer itself. Our last step is to have a weight pull the pump of the hand sanitizer down. The issue is that the weight also pulls down the whole hand sanitizer bottle. The second issue is in poor Thomas the Train. Thomas has the very important job of traveling along his tracks up a hill to hit a block and start a domino effect. That would work perfectly, if Thomas could actually make it up the hill. On the bright side, we have a total of seven steps done and we're actually getting together today to continue working and we're definitely making progress.

The Outlier Behind the Magic.

         I always think of an outlier as someone with a unique mind. A person who is bursting with creativity and the power to think outside the box. Someone who embodies these qualities the most is the one and only Walt Disney. Walter Elias Disney was born on December 5, 1901 in Chicago, Illinois. From an early age Walt Disney was interested in art and was constantly encouraged by his mother to practice his talents. As he got older took every opportunity he could get to practice and improve his art. In high school he took classes in art and photography as well as taking classes at night at the Chicago Art Institute.
       After dropping out of school Disney joined the Red Cross and took a job driving an ambulance in France. Upon his return, Walt's brother Roy got him a job as a newspaper artist at Pesmen-Rueben Art Studio. During his time here Disney made friends with experienced cartoonist Ubbe Iweks. Walt, his brother Roy, and Ubbe tried to start their own studio producing short cartoon series but they quickly fell into debt and had to declare bankruptcy. Not willing to give up the three moved to Hollywood and started The Disney Brothers' Studio. The company survived but wasn't a huge success until the creation of Disney's famous character: Mickey Mouse. In 1923 Walt Disney made the cartoon "Steamboat Willie" and from then one Disney's career sky rocketed.
    The work the followed "Steamboat Willie" showed Disney's creativity. Walt Disney pushed boundaries and did things no cartoonist had done before. He created his first feature film "Snow White" which is now considered the best animated movie of all time. From that point on each film did things that none had before. Fantasia combined color and sound. Bambi used realism and detail. Mary Poppins was the first movie to ever combined real life actors with animation. Then Disney created Disney Land "the most magical place on Earth".
     Walt Disney follows many of the rules of an outlier. For the 10,000 hour rule he took classes and practiced his art form a young age. In Malcom Gladwell's book "Outliers" he says that the time where most people reach their 10,000 is when they're 20 years old. Walt Disney produced his first successful cartoon "Steamboat Willie" in 1923 at the age of 22. For parentage and patronage Disney was constantly encouraged by his mother and siblings. Even more, his brother Roy gave Walt financial backing numerous times and helped Disney create his companies. As for special opportunities, Walt Disney befriended Ubbe Iweks while working at Pesmen- Rueben who he learned from and went into business with. Finally for intelligences. There is no denying Walt Disney's creativity but he also had recognizable practical intelligence. Everyone during that time admired Disney and his skill for storytelling. He had a way of speaking to people that would keep them interested and he talked in a way that people could understand and relate to. He could pay attention to detail without drowning the listener. Overall Walt Disney, the man behind the magic, was a true outlier.

Joyas Voladoras

This piece of writing really makes you think but at first not exactly in the most positive way. In fact, the entire last paragraph seems discouraging. The way that I interpreted it was that no matter what precautions you take your going to end up heart broken and hurt. After reading that I was left thinking "well than whats the point of getting close to someone". Later as I was rereading I realized that loving something is natural. It's impossible to keep your heart locked away. Like whales. They are these massive mysterious creatures. We know next to nothing about blue whales but what we do know demonstrates how natural it is for a heart too want to be connected to something. Blue whales travel in pairs because they want to. They are so large that they really don't necessarily have to for protection. They need the companionship just like the humming bird needs food. Their entire hearts could stop within seconds if they stop. Stop moving, stop eating, they get too cold and then their whole life just stops. So they live fast paced making every heart beat work for them. Brian Doyle weaves his message in between medical terms and animal references but its still there. I feel like he was trying to say that if you can't protect you heart  indefinitely than what is the use of putting up walls at all. Our hearts naturally want to love so we shouldn't try to stop it.

Quotes

Personally I love quotes. I'm not sure but I always like looking for quotes. Here are some of our favorites:
"Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die tomorrow." -unknown

"I'm not sure what I'll do, but- well, I want to go places and see people. I want my mind to grow. I want to live where things happen on a big scale" -F. Scott Fitzgerald.

"We are all a little broken and that's okay"- Unknown

"Why fit in when we were born to stand out"- Dr. Suess

"Live life for th moment because everything else is uncertain"- Louis Tomlinson

“It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all - in which case, you fail by default.” - J. K. Rowling

Sunscreen

There were a few peices of advice that I really liked. I especially liked the part about not worrying about not knowing what you want to do with your life. I have no idea what career path I plan on taking. I also liked the advice about not wasting your time with people who aren't careful with your heart. Its like don't waste your time on the insignificant people. A piece of advice tht i want to add to the list is don't show other people how scared you really are. You could be terrified but that doesn't mean you have to let the rest of the world know that.

What's Worth Knowing?

You can't teach a person everything they need to know. School teaches us the skills we need to have  successful careers. But what is worth knowing can't be taught, it has to be developed through experience. The things that aren't taught in school can't be just taught. Is like telling a person how to react to a certain event. Say your fish died for example. Some people could feel a tad saddened but they flush the fish and continue with the day while I on the other hand cried and made my mom get rid of it. You cant teach that. What determines the right way to react. Whats worth knowing is how to live life. How to be happy with what your doing. How to be a good person. How to work through the pain and keep trying no matter what others tell you. These skills have to be picked up along the way. These skills are also different for each person. Not everyone deals the same way just as not everyone has the same favorite color or the same friends. You can't teach the skills that are worth knowing. You just have to continue living life and you will develop the skills along the way

Waste Land Response

     The moist memorable part of Waste Land was seeing the people's reactions when they saw themeselves turned into art. I loved seeing how emotional they got when they completely understood all that Vik Muniz was trying to do. I learned not to assume the worst. I expected the people to be very negative and ashamed of working at Jardim Gramacho because it seemed like people only worked there as a last resort. But the people were proud that they were working their way towards a better future. They faced each new day with a positive out look and a lot of the time they looked happy. It showed that I shouodnt just automatically assume the worst.
      As for the people whos lives were completely changed, I could'nt imagine how that would feel. Their jobs that they did everyday turned into somthing bigger than that. It must have been overwhelming (but in a good way). I think that if I was in their shoes, I wouldn't believe that it was really happening. To go from being just one of the many people pulling recyclables to people working towards making a difference. I think it would just be so surreal. If it were me I would also be honored to represent such a huge group of people.
      This art is very unique and very powerful. My life isnt like that. I represent basically th average person my age. My life is full of school, sports, and expectations. Art I think has to tell a story and nothing in my life at the moment needs to be told. I don't really think anything in my life could really lend itself to art similar to what was documented in Waste Land.

Outside

 

The first one is a picture of a bush nd there is a tree you can see behind it. Im not sure why its upside down. The next one i chose because I like the wat the sky was bright but also felt stormy like it had a meloncholy feel. Again not sure why it is angled wierd

The Big Picture

I chose this picture for a couple of reasons. It is New Years being celebrated on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro. More than two million people gathered on this beach to celebrate the new year. I chose this picture because  New Years is the time where everyone throws away the bad memories and mistakes of the previous year and try to make the next one memorable. I know this is going to make me sound ignorant but I never thought of other countries celebrating New Years because for me its watching the ball drop in Times Square so this picture just blew my mind. This is a giant spectacle that shows that no matter where you are from New Years is a chance to start over. The girl in the picture is unknown but she is one of many celebrating. What might be missed about this photo at first glance is the immenseness of the celebration. From the left of the photo traveling along the coast there are fireworks that are literally lighting up the sky. And they aren't backyard fireworks either but the magical "i feel like a little kid" fireworks like at Disney. It tells the story of the New Year being something long awaited and finally there is chance to make up for missed opportunities. The girl is so excited and is just grasping every second of the celebration. Its basically how I feel every year at the same time. I know it is point less to believe your whole life is going to change just because the date changes but there is still hope and its like getting put on the starting line and getting ready to go. It gives you the motivation you need to just go. The picture shows that this feeling is universal. I only wonder what people were really thinking and feeling when they were watching this spectacle unfold. Did they have the same hope that I always have on New Years?

Looking in

My family is really food oriented and the time we really bond is in the kitchen. My dad was teaching me how to make mussles. This is him looking into the pot where he was prepping the sauce.

Color

This is the door to my bedroom. A few years ago I started putting some things on my door. Originally it was just small notes or reminders but then I started adding things that had meaning. I added some post cards  that I just got and some pictures. Now my whole door is full of a conglomeration of pictures,quotes,postcards,notes,dreams, holiday cards, drawings, etc. Each item on my door have a meaning behind them. I have a ton of pictures from some of my favorite vacations like my trip to Universals Harry Potter World (I'm a big Harry Potter fan) and pictures I took on the beach in S. C. during Hurricane Irene. I also have some really inspiring quotes and just random things that I just loved. I also have pictures of places I want to go or things I want to do which inspire me and keep me moving forward. I'm not sure if you can tell but there is a lot of neon colors on my door and its just an overall mixture of colors.

Texture

This is my ice cream that I was eating out of the container. I know its not important but I'm just saying it is my favorite, Starbucks Java Chip. I just don't recommend eating it when you are already freezing cold on your couch, doesnt make you any warmer.

Underneath

As a lot of people know I have sort of a nail polish addiction. I always have some sort of design on my nails. Many people (mainly girls) don't feel complete without make-up on, stylish clothes, their hair looking nice, etc. For me its my nails. That's why my picture is of my nail polish bin. It qualifies as being underneath literally because it is underneath my bathroom sink (in that cabinet) and also figuratively as in underneath my "blank-nail-phobia". Also just to give you perspective the bin is a 1.5x1.0(ft.) and is just a whole jumble of colors including 14 different shades of pink,12 shades of blues, and 5 different clear coats not including detail brushes. Basically the picture represents whats underneath/behind it all.

weekly food supply

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My Family's Food Supply

On average my family spends between $100-$200 a week on groceries. Most of the time it is leaning towards the $100 side though. There aer five people living in my family. Its my mom, dad, my two brothers and me.  There are certain foods or "staples" that we have at our house at all times. Since my dad owns an italian restaurant we always have pasta sauce in our fridge or in our freezer. We also always have apples, grapes, and usualy like pinapple or some other fruit. We also have iced tea in a giant pitcher in our fridge.We always have oreaos no matter what there is bound to be a pack somewhere in our pantry. Below is a picture of our pantry. We dont eat all this in a week but we eat some of it. The fruit isnt in this picture either.

My 20% project

I'm not really sure what passions I have so coming up with an idea was really hard. I think it would be interesting to do a mini bucket list. At the start I would make a list of things I'd want to do. The things on the list would'nt be huge like travel to another country but the items will be not super insignificant either like sharpen a pencil. I will put a lot of thought into what goes on the list and take pictures and find unique ways to document each thing on list. The materials i will need will depend on what I choose to include on my bucket list. Some obsticals that will get in the way will be inspiration. I will need clever goals and ways to achieve them and that may be hard to come up. Another obsticle might be figuring out a way to document the process. I think this will be a really interesting project once it all comes together. I want to learn about accomplishing goals. I also think it will be a unique experience. I will probably also learn about editing (graphically) because i will need to find a way to put all of my ideas and experiences together.

2012

2012 stated out to be like ay other year but by theend i realisd just how monumental it actually was. I ended up learnig quite a few things about myself. One of these things is that i relly rely on my friends. All my life I have had someone there with me. Ive always had someone who was there for me. My friends are really special to me. Another thing i learned about myself was that I procrastinate. Wenever we get homework on Friday it doesnt get done til ssunday a 10:00 at night. I will put of an assignment as long as i can. That doesnt mean that i don't try or that the work is less than satesfactory but i spend all of the night panicing over the fact that it is taking lnger than excpected.
My new years resolution relates to one of the things i learned about myself. I will not procrastinate. Now im not aiming to never procrastinate a day in my life but i would like to make a consience effort to try harder to get my work done early. Most years my resolution doesnt stick but 2013 will be different. I will actually get it done