Graduation from Middle School

Middle school, a stepping stone for some, a monumental leap for others. A place where there are new beginnings, everlasting friendships and increasingly difficult work to be done. New skills such as time management can be learned while also allowing someone to understand what is happening around them; the world isn't as free and careless as you thought before. It helps you prepare for the next chapters of your life, and my time at middle school is now over.

The two years I have spent at my middle school have really made a big change on me. It has shaped my personality, it has allowed me to create close friendships and has improved my working habits. Back in elementary school, I would never have to care about my academics as I had already learned everything from prior knowledge. But when transitioning into middle school, I found out the hard way. Nothing comes easy, you have to work for it. This is exactly how I based my second year off of striving to improve myself and not make the same mistakes that I did in the first year.

When I was younger, I could just about be friends with everyone. But, not everyone was a person that made good choices or enjoyed the things I did. So, after learning from experience, I made friends in middle school that shared similar qualities to I. These friendships have helped make middle school bearable and were probably the only reason I ever wanted to go to school; friends. Once the base was created, the friendship will just keep on growing. It starts just being classmates, but then once you discover you have common interests, you may branch off onto being teammates or become really close friends and even visit each other frequently. No matter what happens, friends are truly one of the greatest things on Earth

Graduation can be the happiest and saddest days of the year. You can bathe in joy knowing that you are done with this school and are ready to move on. You even have an entire summer break to rest and relax from all the stress caused by school. But, it can also be one of the saddest as on that day, you may never be able to see some of your friends again. People may go to different schools, some go to their local public school, others get accepted into prestigious schools, some may move away and others may join a private school. You should make use of all the time you have with your friends and other people close to you because your time with them is finite. However, once it is over, be glad it happened and don't reminisce the past too often. 

What I Have Learned After Reading "26 Time Management Hacks I Wish I'd Known at 20"

Time. Something that we all possess but do not utilize properly. Some people may simply waste their time by dilly-dallying while others take advantage of the limited time they have and create exceptional triumphs out of it. For a world to have people who utilize their time wisely, people have found out that there are certain "hacks" to follow in order to have a more pleasurable time managing their time.

These so-called hacks are something that allow you to complete more tasks within a certain time period. Some of these hacks deal with procrastination, some about multi-tasking and others about you being in the zone. Whenever you are in the zone, you become more focused on working on a certain task. You should only focus on one task for the best results and work under time restraints. But, even if you are in the zone at times, it will eventually wear out which would mean the end of your productivity. You should take that other time to relax or think about what you will do next time you are in the zone.

Time restraints and deadlines are often conceived as a bad thing that limits how productive you are, but in reality it is the opposite. They will put stress upon you in order to get certain tasks done and allow more opportunities to be explored. You will want to get the most done in that limited time because if you didn't have all that time, you would not have to worry about what you are going to do next. Whenever you are in time-limited periods, you will work harder, better and be more focused. You need to respect the time that you are allotted and get the most done out of them.

Other things such as breaks and procrastination are also seen as horrible things that will affect how productive you become. But, having breaks between certain tasks and procrastinating during those periods will allow you to be focused when you actually are working and think about the unnecessary things later. During this time, you can look up your random thoughts, organize what you are going to do with a routine and see if you can fulfill a certain goal each day.

When working, it is smart to break large tasks down into smaller increments so that you can focus on one small, achievable task that will build up with the other tasks for the same result. Longer tasks are harder to start, but when you have many small tasks, it will allow you to complete them with ease. These tasks should be put into hourly increments so that it is more reasonable for you to work in them.

Whatever the so call "hack" you find interesting or think will help you, it certainly will. All of these "hacks" each individually help, but when you combine all of them, you will be able to manage your time far better than previously. Each of these "hacks" relate to each other and will piggy-back off of each other for better results.   

26 Time Management Hacks I Wish I'd Known at 20 - Etienne Garbugli

1. There's always time. Time priorities.
2. Days always fill up.
3. Work more when you're in the zone. Relax when you're not.
4. Respect your time and make it respected.
5. Stop multi-tasking. It merely kills focus.
6. Set up a work routine and stick to it. Your body will adapt.
7. We're always more focused and productive with limited time.
8. Work is the best way to get working. Start with short tasks to get the ball rolling.
9. Work iteratively. Expectations to do things perfectly are stifling.
10. More work hours doesn't mean more productivity. Use constraints as opportunities.
11. Separate brainless and strategic tasks to become more productive.
12. Organize meetings early during the day. Time leading up to an event is often wasted.
13. Group meetings and communication (email or phone) to create blocks of uninterrupted work.
14. Keep the same context throughout the day. Switching between projects/clients is unproductive.
15. Work around procrastination. Procrastinate between intense sprints of work.
16. Break the unreasonable down into little reasonable chunks. A big goal is only achieved when every little thing that you do everyday, gets you closer to that goal.
17. No 2 tasks ever hold the same importance. Always prioritize . Be really careful with to-do lists.
18. Always know the one thing you really need to get done during the day.
19. Break tasks into hour increments. Long tasks are hard to get into; feels like it all needs to get done.
20. Delegate and learn to make use of other people.
21. Turn the page on yesterday. Only ever think about today and tomorrow.
22. Set deadlines for everything. Don't let tasks go indefinitely.
23. Set end dates for intense or stressful activities. Everything ends at some point.
24. Always take notes.
25. Write down anything that distracts you - Google searches, random thoughts, new ideas, whatever. The point is, if you write them down, they'll stop bubbling up when you're in the zone.
26. Take breaks. Sometimes.

The Secret Life of Pets

The Secret Life of Pets is an animated movie directed by Chris Renaud and Yarrow Cheney and was released in 2016. It features a dog as a main character who tries to cope with a newly adopted dog that was brought into his household. This dog's name was Max, and he had a great relationship with his owner., but when bringing in another dog it completely changed his life.

The new dog (Duke) were left home for the first time since Duke was adopted into their house since the owner had to go to work. Everything was a disaster for Max, it was nothing like his normal day. In the previous night, Duke overheard Max trying to get rid of him which angered Duke and is the reason why they couldn't get along.

Throughout the movie, they must learn to get along as they go through fights with cats, pest control, underground animal gangs, sausage factories, broken bridges, broken furniture and old memories. They even had to have Max's friends come and save them from a mob of angry animals,

In the end, they eventually become friends, even with the animal gangs that formerly wanted to hunt them down. They go through some crazy events such as killing a giant cobra, driving a bus, and almost drowning in a van. This movie, in my opinion, was a very good animated movie as it does teach a lesson to get used to everyone. With this being my opinion, many people must agree as this is the most grossing movie that is not created by Disney!

Arches National Park

Arches National Park is a National Park in Utah which is mainly known for its natural arches hence the name. There are a huge variety of the arches ranging from all different shapes and sizes as well as some broken arches. There are also many trails, high sandstone mountains and interesting rock formations inside the park.

One of the viewpoints was the North Window, South Window, and the Turret Arch. These arches were all close together and had a one-mile round trip trail connecting them. This place is referred to as the Windows Section as there are many arches close together there.The Windows were 2 large similar arches which were connected by a huge rock in the middle. These arches were made of sandstone and you could climb on some parts of the arches to get a better view. The Turret Arch is southwest of the Windows and is a younger and smaller arch than the others around it but one day may join with the arches around it to become a larger arch.

Another place of interest was the Sand Dune Arch. It features many interesting attributes such as the ground being made of sand as well as having many little arches as well as the regular arch inside the cave of the Sand Dune Arch. The sandy bottom is a comfortable feeling; much like you are a beach but looking at arches instead of the ocean.

Delicate Arch is also an attractive tourist place as it is a little arch on top of a mountain. You can either take a long hike up a mountain to get next to it or go on the viewpoint trail to view the arch from a distant mountain. This arch is free-standing and one of the most known arches in the park.
The view from the top is also a bonus for hiking up to the top.

The Landscape Arch is also a very known arch inside the park as it is the longest one in the park. You would have to hike the Devil's Garden trail to get to view it. But, some parts of the Landscape Arch are falling off so some of the trails may be closed now.

There is also an interesting rock formation called "Balanced Rock". This rock was a giant rock which looks to be placed on top of a thin tall rock and seems to be balanced. Who knows if it will fall or not as it looks to be stable.

Overall, Arches National Park is the place to be if you want to see many beautiful arches and hike trails to get to them. You can also drive past the fallen arches and look at many unique rock formations that make this park what it is. 

My MWEE Field Trip

The Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience (MWEE) was a field trip that I have recently been on. It all started when at 9:00, the school called the people that were going on the field trip to the cafeteria. Later, we would board the 3 buses and arrive at our final destination, Hidden Oaks Nature Center. The whole field trip would be split into 4 different parts when at the Nature Center.

The first part of the field trip was in the visitor center. There a presenter came and presented many different animals of Fairfax County. This would include the Eastern Box Turtle, Copperhead Snake, Snapping Turtles and much more. We also got to learn about the different types of benthic macroinvertebrates. They come in 3 different taxa, sensitive to pollution, somewhat sensitive to pollution and not sensitive to pollution.

The second part was when we learned about the Chesapeake Bay watershed as well as the world's total amount of drinking water. We also simulated pollution to the Chesapeake Bay's water by dumping various items into a small bowl of water, each representing a source of pollution.

Part number 3 was when we had to stewardship actions toward the site. We got split up into 2 groups, a group that dug holes and a group that cut down invasive trees, plants, and vines. I felt that this was the most exciting part of the field trip as I was having fun with friends chopping down invasives.

The last section was when we went down to the creek near the Nature Center and tried to catch some benthic macroinvertebrates. We took small nets which we would try to swing around in the water to try to catch some organisms. But, after many failed attempts, I gave up and just watched my friends fail as well.

In conclusion, the field trip wasn't the most exciting one but we could still learn many educational things from it. 

The New Yorker's "A Perfect N.B.A. Season"

An entire N.B.A. season has passed, all being described in The New Yorker's "A Perfect N.B.A. Season". With many comparisons to other styles of television, the article made the N.B.A. seem like the only show on TV, but fulfilling every slot.

At the start, you can relate the astonishing games with highly praised shows such as "The Game of Thrones". It describes Lebron James leading the Cavaliers to victory despite their mediocre coach. The Spurs are also compared to a sci-fi series, barely able to continue being their streak. With similes used to describe how the Bulls were always being followed by their fans. Even the rising young players on the Timberwolves, they were just starting their own hopes and stories to come.

Even though with all the success, the author could also relate to the duds on TV. For example the New York Knicks weren't very successful this season and being described as stuck in the Bermuda Triangle. As well the same fate was happening with the 76ers.

Despite what has all happened, many records and amazing things still happened. The Warriors hit a high in history with seventy-three wins in the season, which is unbelieveable. Steph Curry also passed four-hundred three pointers in his lifetime. In fact he even celebrated half a second before making even more. Kobe even had a phenomenal game with 60 points. Of course, most of the game was just his teammates passing the ball to him, allowing him to show off his "art" But alas, all good things must end as this was his last game of his 12 years in the N.B.A.

Quoting the article,"We can only hope that the playoffs, which begin on Saturday, are half as thrilling." With all the presidential campaigning happening, it's going to be a hell of a ride. 

The author did a great job writing this article with his different structure of writing rather than the normal type of reporting. It was very interesting to read, but took a few minutes to get used to. Many great comparisons were made which allowed better understanding toward the content.