The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Yeah, I haven't posted in awhile. This is the part of my year that gets insane. First there's studying for midterms, then there is taking the actual midterms, then there's attending therapy for my reaction to bombing the midterms (Just kidding. I didn't go to therapy), then I realize that I've done no Christmas shopping, then Christmas is here. Throw in my birthday and the midnight premiere of The Hobbit, and you've got yourself one roller coaster ride of a season.

Well, I just wanted to let everyone know I am still alive, or in zombie form and still blogging. Actually any IB Full Diploma student automatically becomes a zombie, so that's a bit redundant. Made it through my first semester of IB and on a glorious winter break. Of course it wouldn't be winter break without having an annotated bibliography due when I get back, but I'll probably find time to cram in some hard-core research somewhere.

2012 and the world didn't end. Next year brings my first IB exams and writing my Extended Essay, my IOP on White Noise, and many more surprises. So happy new year to all you out there on the internets and beyond. And so (to the tune of "Old Acquaintance Be Forgot"): to old assignments we forgot to do, and many more to come...

Adventures in Doodling

So this semester I started doodling. It started with just a storm of lines in an abstract cloud, but then I started drawing other things, and discovered I can draw vaguely recognizable things. Then I couldn't resist drawing this on a Biology test:

I know it's Glycocidic, but I can't spell to save my life

Sadly, my teacher didn't think it merited extra credit. Then in history when we were talking about Manifest Destiny and all that lovely jazz, I was reminded of a famous line from the book that basically is the jazz era, The Great Gatsby:

Gadsden Purchase of 1853

We had a substitute in TOK, and we had to do this reason packet, which included a logic puzzle. Unable to answer any of the questions on the page, I just filled in the only one I knew:

My biology teacher decided to change the arrangements of the desks into this bizarre formation. It was quite disturbing to walk in and see previously logically aligned desks in this strange, slanted triangle thing. I immediately turned to a friend in horror and said:

IB Oregon Trail

Studying Manifest Destiny in IB history. Oh, side note: best named treaty EVER is the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which settled the Mexican War. Obviously it's time to play some Oregon Trail (My characters are Batman, Ryan Gosling, RuPaul, Karl Marx, and Catherine the Great. I couldn't think of any good names).

I have always been a rather unpopular nerd, so of course at my first elementary school the popular kids had a monopoly on the Oregon Trail Game. The one time I got to play it they gave me bad directions to get me off faster. Yeah... true story.

But the Oregon Trail is fantastic. For a while there I thought I had somehow been lucky enough to have no mishaps, but then everything went wrong. Catherine the Great died of Cholera (not, as rumor has it, having sex with a horse. Weird AP Euro facts are always relevant). RuPaul did, too. Karl Marx was killed in a random buffalo stampede. Batman died from typhoid, but showed later covered in mud. Apparently he wasn't dead yet in true Monty Python Style. But he died in an unfortunate buffalo stampede (just the darndest thing). Of course thieves kept stealing my oxen and stuff, but I was a banker so I could buy more supplies. Somehow my party suffered from a multitude of diseases, some of which make me wonder what my characters were doing to get so sick...

BUT RYAN GOSLING MADE IT TO OREGON!!!!! 

A Game of Thrones

There is one thing you should know about me: I AM A HARD-CORE FANTASY/ SCI-FI FANATIC. Harry Potter is my holy text and Lord of the Rings is my life. Reading His Dark Materials changed my life forever. Tamora Pierce's books were what got me through the rash of terrible Young Adult books ripped off that even worse book Twilight. Terry Pratchett is my inspiration and Neil Gaiman rules my world. Ender's Game and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy gladly hold prime positions on my book shelves, and if I talk about The Old Kingdom Trilogy  or The Hunger Games I'll die from excitement. Now that I've given you my credentials, I will move on to the subject of this post.

I finally cracked open A Game of Thrones. What can I begin to say about it? Mind = Blown! It was brilliant. Not only was the plot and world intricately created, the characters themselves were incredible. Each character is fascinating in their own way. And what was best with the characters was that the story was told from so many different viewpoints. At the beginning it kind've felt like Starks were Gryffindors and Lannisters were Slytherins, but the line between good and evil is blurred. The only way that could've been so successfully executed was from the multiple viewpoints.

Another thing I absolutely loved was the politics that governed the game of thrones. The politics were intricate and complex, which I found gratifying. Many times in fantasy books with revolutions and wars the politics that caused them are too simple. Remember, I'm a history nerd. I need something like the causes of WWI: MANIA (Militarism, Alliances, Nationalism, Imperialism, Assassination). A Game of Thrones created a realistic web that the characters could become ensnared in.

Now I'm dying to see the tv show, except I have a have a feeling the story will be overshadowed by the rampant adult material. Whatever. I can spend that time reading the rest of the books in the series. Goodness knows that I'll need the time to work my way through the next couple of books, each of which is about a bazillion pages long. Looking back I'm amazed that I found enough time to read this one while in IB mode.

Do you like Game of Thrones, too? Have you read a good book recently? Feel free to share in the comments.

IB Hogwarts

There are three very good reasons that the International Baccalaureate program is comparable to a Hogwarts education:

1. There are First Years and Second Years
2. Color is spelled Colour
3. The teachers expect us to do magic

1. I am a First Year. I found this incredibly amusing the first time anyone referred to my group as thus. I felt like I had somehow become a Hogwarts student.

2. All the words in my textbooks have the British spelling. "Colour" and "Analyse" and the like. That's because all our textbooks are written in England, because our books are International. I'm sure the textbooks at Hogwarts are spelling with an extra "U" in some words. Well, not extra for them. From their perspective, American textbooks lack a "U" in some words.

3. The teachers expect us to do magic. Really, I watch my math teacher working a problem and one moment she doesn't know the 50th term in an infinite series and the next, she has the answer. It's like she's waved a wand and Poof! It's 542. And they expect us to be able to have multiple tests in the same week, and CAS, and piles of homework, and have a life. They expect us to become world citizens and well-rounded individual at the same time. Also, I am in desperate need of a Time-Turner. I would take a leaf out of my heroine's book and use one, but I don't know what IB's policy is, and if I'm going to translate the Aeneid at 7 a.m. for this diploma, I'm not going to take any chances.

IB Memes: 1st Edition

I am starting a new series of memes inspired by the International Baccalaureate program! This series will explore the world and mind of the IB student and be presented with such familiar faces as Awkward Penguin and Y U No Guy. Here is the first of what I am sure will be many, supremely awesome memes hand-crafted by moi. 

How's that Diploma Working Out for You?

So we had to make a Jeopardy review game for IB Biology. I was doing Carbohydrates as my category, and I was on 50 points and I couldn't really think of a good question, so I just did this:

Obviously this is IB Diploma material.

Something tells me this should count for CAS. This is like interpretive dance level awesome. If this isn't Creativity, then I don't know what is.

This is kind've what I feel like right now...

Bro With the Flow

So we began The Great Gatsby in English a little while ago. I finished it ahead of time, because as soon as I opened it, I couldn't put it down. It was beautiful literature in a way I had never before experienced, and the way the story and characters are grounded in reality makes the story all the more intriguing.

Anywho, we were discussing the cultural and social themes in the book, and the relationship between characters of the same gender. This is how the "Bro Code" came about:

The Bro Code is the unspoken rules that the men follow in The Great Gatsby.

1. No one tells Daisy about Tom's mistress even though he flaunts her in public (she does know, but that's not the point).

2. Class stratifications are adhered to strictly.

3. The men control the wealth and resources.

4. The men just go with it, and try not to speculate on bad things that disturb their lives of meaningless pleasure.

5. The men treat the women as their objects and less than men. Personally I thought bros before hoes would be better, but we had to keep it school appropriate (Pssh. School appropriate is overrated).

Meanwhile, in present day English class:

I believe this is a "Bro with the Flow" appropriate situation.

Obviously we're being incredibly productive students.

Friday!!!!

IT'S FRIDAY!!! Congratulate yourself for making it through another week, because I know I am. Math test? Check. Latin test? Check. English paper? Check. IB Showcase? Check. 

But those weren't the main events that held my attention this week (well, they did, but they weren't important). This week saw the re-election of President Obama. This Friday, I am continuing my Friday series of celebrating things that make life worth living, and today, it's Democracy. It is amazing to see people motivated and moved by ideas and truly involved in creating a future worth living in. Of course I could go into Super PACs, attack ads, apathetic voters, divided government, and all that jazz, but I'm not going to. At the risk of sounding idealistic, I am incredibly lucky to be a citizen of a country where decisions are made by the people and for the people. I can vote (not yet, but I will next time), criticize my government, and express my thoughts freely. It's astounding that in the chaotic, violent history of humanity, there is a system of government like democracy, that has established rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. 

So in conclusion: 'MURICA!

Why So Serious? I'm in IB.

The Extended Essay. Duhn. Duhn. Duhn. It's like my high school thesis, and all IB diploma candidates have to write one to get their diploma. It's supposed to be somewhere around 4,000 words, and you can write it on anything you want. For the longest time I struggled with what to write my essay on, because I am interested in SO many things. It's like I went from "Oh, fashion and feminism might hold some possibilities" to "what can I write about with the Arab Spring and The Hunger Games?" It was like a stream of consciousness piece of writing, flowing from one idea to the next, with a thin thread connecting the concepts. Finally, I was eating dinner at a local pizza place when the idea struck me. I gasped aloud and yelled really quickly "TERRORISM IN THE DARK KNIGHT!!!!"

Since then I've been on a wild roller coaster ride. My Process Paper was due on November 1, and I had to title it using a 6 word memoir. Not to brag, but mine was brilliant. Why So Serious? I'm in IB. Yeah, that just says it all. The title of the actual paper will be even awesomer. Some Men Just Want to Watch the World Burn: An Analysis of the Role of Terrorism in The Dark Knight Trilogy. Boom!

So I went to the library to do some research. When I found the terrorism section I was greeted with this:

I had to stand there in shock for about 5 minutes. Inside I was like, "Whaaaa?" THERE WERE SO MANY BOOKS!!!! Eventually I found a starting place and claimed a study station. I sat there, scribbling notes and listening to the soundtrack of The Dark Knight (never underestimate the power of good background music while studying). I had finished off my white chocolate mocha frappuccino from the good people at le Star Bucks, and naturally I had to pee. Fearing for the safety of my stack o' books while I was gone, I left this warning to any overeager librarians on a mission to re-shelve every book in sight:

There are added benefits to writing about Batman, after all. It did give me a pretty good excuse to buy a Batman mask at ye olde Party City. After I had selected a suitable mask and had begun to walk away, an employee called after me and said, "Do you need a grappling hook?" Very tempting, but I declined. The mask was super awesome until my dog ate it (first time a canine of mine has eaten my homework). I have developed a decent Batman voice -

Just like that.

IB PEOPLE, My name is Anton L and I think, therefore IB, therefore I procrastinate

So the other night (I mean tonight, like right 20 minutes ago. Of course I could argue that time is a constant and there is no past of future, only NOW, and that everything else is purely theoretical and therefore cannot and does not exist. But I won't) (yet) I was writing a lab report for IB Chemistry and I was all "Hey Lab Report. I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, 'Hey Anton. Why didn't you do me nights ago instead of now the night before I'm due? And get your head out of the gutter. Just because you personified me with a female voice doesn't mean you should think about doing me like that. Ewww. You're gross.' And suddenly I'm all 'AHHHH GET OUT OF MY HEAD'".

But really it wasn't my fault that I started the lab report so late. I have so much other homework for my IB classes (I KEEP MENTIONING THAT BECAUSE THIS IS INDEED A BLOG ABOUT THE IB PROGRAM) that I didn't have time. I had started it weeks before, but I took a 5 minute break for some food. But that 5 minute break turned into a 5 hour break turned into a week break turned into the day before it is due oh my god i'mgoingtofailwhatifthecollegesIsendmyapplicationtojustlaughatitandstartpeeingonitindisgust.....break?

So that's my excuse. I promise I'm a good student. I just get distracted easily. I'd rather watch documentaries and argue about philosophy than write an English paper (Hey that's due Wednesday! I know! I'll do it Tuesday!). What am I, some sort of homework mule?

Let me assure you, I am no mule nor will I ever be one lest the advent of genetic experimentation yields the opportunity and then I might become one because that could be sweet. I could pull heavy stuff all over fields.

But back to the lab report. I'm writing it, and the math is sooooo hard. It has uncertainty and numbers and stuff, so I keep watching television on Netflix and eating cookies but that doesn't help the math, so I call a friend, and her boyfriend picks up, and I'm confused because I don't realize it's her boyfriend and I start wondering if maybe that's how she sounds and just wears a voice modulator or maybe it is her dad but I don't want to talk to her dad so I don't know what to do and I just hang up. Later I realize it's her boyfriend and I get embarrassed and sulk in a corner for a few hours.

After my sulking is done, I get back to work and begin typing because this post doesn't need the boring parts where I did maths. And at one point I realize I forgot to deal with that whole uncertainty thing and I have to start over. I start flinging stuff (including feces, but not my own. I carry monkeys around in case I ever need to fling that sort of thing. It happens a lot.) and screaming and then I make some chocolate milk and I calm down.

So I'm almost done. All I have to do is write the conclusion. At this point I start hating my teacher. "How dare you assign me work days in advance and expect me to finish before the due date!" So I write the conclusion like I'm a spy.

"It appears this data has been tampered with. Also, guns and I slept with multiple women on my way here. All of them had puns for names. Also, I'm James Bond."

And then I turn it in, like a well respected business man in the field of half-assing lab reports. Goodnight.

New Blog!

Hey, guys! I have another blog! Don't worry though, I am still dedicated to this lovely specimen of a blog, and I can't foresee a time in which I would abandon it. I just wanted to try writing about different things that I enjoy (Not that IB isn't totally enjoyable or anything). It's a fashion blog, so you should check it out if you get a chance: Cellar Door Style.

The Week in Pictures

This week we did a little lab in Bio where we tested for the main biological macromolecules in foods we were supposed to bring. As an exemplary honor student, I of course forgot to bring in food and just used a carrot from my lunch and the remnants of a protein bar from the depths of my backpack. I took some great photos, though:

Science is not for the faint of heart.

Corrosive to body tissue

Doing science! 

That is my favorite color

Of course his candy corn melted and got stuck during le experiment

Me lookin' like a total bio boss. 

She blinded me with science!

Yes, we are trying to bake a potato in the lab. 

It's the most wonderful time of the year... Yes, the rehearsing of Christmas music has begun in Chorus. This year we're doing "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," "Carol of the Bells," "The Christmas Song," "Sure Stars I Shall Find," and "Deck the Halls."

My twin also had her Individual Oral Presentation (IOP) in English this week on the life of F. Scott Fitzgerald and its role in The Great Gatsby. She spoke for 10 minutes, and presented her project like a speakeasy party of the Jazz Age. Her lecture was in the form of a toast to Fitzgerald and we all got little invitations (they said "You are cordially invited to my little party, Old Sport. - Jay Gatsby"), and drank ginger ale from plastic champagne flutes. Hands down best IOP yet this year!

We also presented our arguments in TOK for why a particular language (my group's was Russian). All the presentations went swimmingly, and Russian surprisingly had quite a few really good points that we made.

Arabic

Chinese

English

Russian

Spouting linguistic intellect

Me expostulating intelligently about the cultural ramifications of Russian becoming the language of the U.N. while my two friends unknowingly make strange faces.

More information about Russian

IB Gangnam Style

So I've been feeling a little down recently. Not that much, but I guess the stress is getting to me. Guess what: I have a mild internal derangement of my right jaw! It's a lot less impressive than it sounds. Basically the right side of my jaw pops whenever I open my mouth. The only explanation I can give is that the cartilage in my right jaw decides to do this every time I move my jaw:

Apparently there are many causes of this. The origin of mine includes genetics, singing, and that thing that rules my life: STESS!!!!!!!!! I am so stressed out my jaw is going crazy. I mainly blame IB for this, because it only showed up after my start of IB. If you didn't comprehend how stressed out I was before, take note now. If you don't believe me, just look at the definition of International Baccalaureate on Urban Dictionary: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=ib. It's quite instructive.

I honestly think my teachers got together in a clandestine secret society meeting of the candle and masks variety, malevolently plotting to make it as difficult as possible for us to get our diplomas. It's like they went, "Hey, let's give them 3 tests, 1 project, and 1 process paper all in one week! That's a GREAT idea!"

I am not alone in my conspiracy theories. Believe it or not, there is a website feverishly devoted to destroying the plague of IB called The Truth About IB. They want to do this for various reasons, but the main one is that they believe IB is brainwashing American youths into international mindsets that are radical and of the Devil. Frankly, I find it hilarious. I enjoy reading some of the stuff on their website just because it's so ridiculously unfounded. It's like the academic version of Donald Trump proclaiming Obama was born in Kenya.  I may complain about IB sometimes, but I am grateful to have this unique educational opportunity and overall view it as very positive.

Awesome! Writing this post worked. I am not nearly as depressed as I was at the beginning of it. I would like to thank the Internet for being a great outlet for my stress and the people who actually take interest in what I write. It means a lot to me.

Nerd's Creed 3

I have played video games before. Just the usual stuff: Mario, Legend of Zelda, and Sonic. I have never been tempted to play the sort of games that have lots of violence and busty females. But I seriously WOULD play this game:

The first time I saw this commercial I couldn't stop laughing for about five minutes. This is just too awesome for words. As a history buff who just finished up the American Revolution unit in her IB history class, I consider this completely fantastic. You see how the Assassin Dude (Apparently his name is Connor) leaps through windows and is slicing through redcoats, that's me when I walk into an IB History test. The question may be "Analyze the reasons for the Anti-Federalists' opposition to ratifying the Constitution," and I'll be writing something eloquent like "As staunch believers in individual and states' rights, the Anti-Federalists vehemently opposed ratification of the Constitution based in their fear of a continuation of tyrannical governmental oppression similar to that of King George III's reign." But inside, I'm like "GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH!!!!!" and I'm cutting down British troops like a total boss. After I finish a grueling multiple-choice part, write a phenomenally sophisticated essay, and turn it in, I sit back down and it's just like when George Washington gives the nod of approval to Assassin Dude. That's exactly what the test is like.

What I'm dying to know is if my teacher will give me extra credit for it, or if it could count for Enrichment (required extra credit). I'd probably have to write a paper on its historical inaccuracies, but nothing's perfect.