SAT writing practice

Prompt: Is creativity needed in the world today? 

           It is the 21^st century, and the world is relatively stable due to the increased standard of living. So now, due to this stability, the masses scream for new, innovative ideas, products, anything. That is to say, creativity is an asset that makes a person or product stand out and survive in the world of competition and create something of value.

           To begin with, consider Steve Jobs, the CEO of the renowned company of Apple. Steve Jobs was a person not afraid to take risks and was innovative and creative with his ideas and put those creative thoughts into action, creating the company Apple that produces many revolutionary products that is well-accepted by the masses. Steve Jobs was not the inventor of the computer or laptop or an operative system…but he was creative. He saw where the pre-existing Microsoft Inc. lacked and decided to make it better using his creativity. Steve Jobs has always placed a great importance of creativity, saying that in this world creativity, or the lack thereof, can make you or break you. Therefore, due to Steve Jobs’ philosophy and ideas, Apple is currently dominating the consumer sentiment and is leading the way for other similar innovations to come. Therefore, the example of Steve Jobs shows that perseverance, hard-work, talent, while important, is not enough and that creativity makes the difference.

Moreover, consider the example of Pixar, a computer animation film studio that clearly shows that creativity is an important factor to success in today’s world. Pixar fosters creativity within their company to create a world of imagination, fantasy, and wonder for their audiences. For example, Pixar creates an environment where everyone is free to express their ideas and incorporate all those ideas into creating something of value. The people of Pixar work by the philosophy that a single idea means very little and that it takes thousands of good ideas in order to produce anything of importance. Therefore, everyone is safe to say what they think and there are no barriers between different statuses within the company. As a result of this free and idea-centered environment, Pixar produces a great story that appeals to many and stands at one of the world’s top animation studios, with the recent movie Toy Story 3 becoming the highest-grossing animated film of all time worldwide. Thus, I believe that it is safe to say that creativity is needed in this world, for it leads to a creation of value.

           Thus, the example of Steve Jobs and Pixar substantiate the notion that creativity is much- needed in today’s society. In this world, creativity is the deciding factor to create success as well as a better world for all. 

July 14th, 2013...Dear Diary,

Dear Diary,

I’m in New York, doing some hardcore shopping. If you think the new H&M is insane at Myeong-dong, try New York’s 5^th avenue. It kills. These mind-blowing shopping sprees, Broadway musical watching, clubbing are a more than welcome break after freshman year at college. Don’t get me wrong, college is awesome. But like, you know that annoying feeling when you’re angry at the fact that you have so many things to do, but you know you shouldn’t be and really have no legitimate reason to be but you are anyway so then you feel bad for being angry, which adds to your already high stress level, thereby sending you to that pit of guilt until you can’t decide whether you want to continue writing your paper or throw your laptop at the wall? Hahaha, yeah, quite the drama queen, aren’t I? No, it isn’t that bad. I’m too used to this kind of life. I’ve reached a point where I think challenges are invigorating. And even when life gets tough, I can always paint a picture in the art department. Yale’s art department is the best. Anyway, for now, I’m enjoying my 3 weeks of freedom before I head for an internship in France. No, maybe enjoy isn’t the right word. I’m thoroughly basking in the thrills of the early 20s. My friend’s visiting from Korea. Se Yoon. It’s been too long since we've had a girls’ night out together, and it’s so amazing that we can still talk so freely about everything without any awkwardness. Best friends go a long way. We’ve been saving up all year for these three weeks, and it’s heavenly. I purchased my first Chanel bag, I am just about dying. I also bought tickets for Rent. Se Yoon and I cried while watching it. In middle school, we watched the movie version of Rent like 50 times, memorizing all the lines and songs, having heated discussions about our favorite character, and we've always dreamed of seeing it live on Broadway. Wave of nostalgia. Those were the days. I also remember when we planned to be incarnations of Serena and Blair. It's hilarious. Anyhow, I probably need to get some sleep. It’s three in the morning. I’ve been staying up talking with Se Yoon again. But I have to get up early tomorrow. There’s this big sale up on 5^th avenue where I saw these really cute pair of shoes that I MUST HAVE, and I need to grab them before it’s gone. Oh, and Se Yoon wanted to eye the wedding dress shops, just for the fun of it. I think she wants to get married. I don’t care for marriage at the moment, but before I die, I really, really want to have worn a Mori Lee wedding dress. End of story, it must be that designer. Ah, it feels good to be writing some personal thoughts rather than to-do-lists and professor meeting appointments in my diary. But for now, I must get some sleep.

Back-and-forth Game -Mr. Moon Assignment

I was crying uncontrollably. I was surrounded by aliens. There were creatures with blue and green eyes, and red and blonde hair, completely different from the brown-eyed and black-haired people I was so used to. They were calling out to me in a strange language that I could not understand and I wanted desperately to go home and back to safety…That was my view of American preschool. As a four-year-old starting preschool in America, I was petrified. Unfortunately, this situation occurred quite often in my lifetime. I moved back and forth between Korea and America, constantly forced to face two completely different environments and adapt accordingly. For me, it was a nightmare. Just as I was feeling like I belonged, our family moved back either to Korea or America. Life has always been like this – back and forth, back and forth, never staying in one place for too long. I longed for a sense of belonging, and I guess that was the game of my life – to live a life in two countries and find somewhere I belong.

I hated my back-and-forth life. It was like a rocking horse, moving from here to there, here to there. I had to go through the same routine every time. I am plunged into a completely new environment in a different country. I try my hardest to fit in. I study twice as hard to receive better grades than my peers and boldly approach strangers to make friends. However, just as I am getting used to life, I move and am faced with another completely different environment in a new country. As hard as I tried, I always felt like an outsider. I felt different from the rest my peers. It was a feeling deep inside that I could not easily explain. I was too Korean to be American and too American to be Korean. I did not know who I was or where I belonged. I resented this life that was making me an outsider and harbored a grudge against my father’s job that caused our family to move from country to country. I moved back and forth into two completely different cultures of America and Korea, starting my life over and over again. It was a tiring and difficult game with many obstacles, but I had to play it nevertheless.

I decided to change my strategy of playing the game. I soon realized that it was futile to lament something that was never going to change just like the steady rocking of the rocking horse is never going to change. Therefore, although it was difficult at times, I tried to look at my life in a more positive light, and suddenly, my life was not so bad anymore. I could see myself beginning to adapt to both worlds at a rapider pace and, little by little, gained confidence in myself. Then, as subtly as a bruise appears, I was a changed person. I became a person that does not give up easily during hardships, a person that fluently speaks both Korean and English, and a person who could understand both Korean and American culture. All of my merits are results of the back-and-forth game I played. I realized that I could belong in both worlds as a Korean in America and an Americanized Korean in Korea. Right now, I am setting my roots in Korea in Korean Minjok Leadership Academy, so I can present myself as a proud Korean when I become someone who will have, not only Korea, but the world as her stage. I now know that playing this difficult game subtly and elegantly shaped me into the character I am today.

I did not choose to play this game of life, but in the end, I found what I wanted. I found that, with my roots in Korean nationality, I could belong anywhere. I now do not think myself as an outsider, but a person who was lucky enough to experience two countries to a great extent. This game was as unchanging and steady as a child’s rocking horse and was subtle as a bruise in shaping who I am. Now, knowing what I know, if I was back at that preschool as a little four-year-old girl, instead of crying uncontrollably, I would probably have a bright sunny smile on my face.

Review of Pranav Mistry's TED video

           Frankly speaking, I’m a technophobe. Machinery, gadgets, digital-anything, i-anything are really not my area of expertise. A girl that’s so bold and zealous at everything becomes so small and tentative when it comes to any techy-device. I know what you’re probably thinking: caveman, out-of-date, incongruous. Yeah, I’m still learning. I guess I haven’t opened my eyes to the prodigious and auspicious aspects of technology yet. However, there was one video that I saw recently that instigated my fascination for technology – a TED video of Pranav Mistry’s “The thrilling potential of the SixthSense technology.”

Basically, what the speaker Pranav Mistry is aiming for is the assimilation of the digital and real world. It was indeed jaw-dropping. Mistry was the kind of person who put his abstract thoughts into tangible actions, which I revere highly. He was skeptical of the status quo of the world and thought in a novel perspective, reaping eccentric and unprecedented ideas and devices. According to his presentation, he asked himself, “Rather than using a keyboard and mouse, why can I not use my computer in the same way that I interact in the physical world?” and he goes on to explain about his exploration of this question and the resulting gesture-interface device made out of his mouse with his own diligent labor. Mistry continued experimenting and making other devices in the same process of questioning “Why not this?” then investing his time to satiate this question, and he made a sticky-note integration system, a pen that can draw in three dimensions, and a cool device where you can find information on an object by putting the object on an interface rather than just typing in a keyword. 
           Until this point, Mistry put his objective into taking a part of the world into the digital world. But he reversed his thinking and again asked himself, "Why can I not take the approach in a reverse way?" and the resulting SixthSense device is laudable. If you think of it, the digital world is confined into a gadget that fits in our pockets. Minstry's device removed this confine and released the digital world into our real, physical world. To borrow some of his own words explaining the device, "The most interesting thing about this particular technology is that you can carry your digital world with you wherever you go. You can start using any surface, any wall around you, as an interface. The camera is actually tracking all your gestures. Whatever you're doing with your hands, it is understanding that gesture." Now the applications of the resulting SixthSense device is not having to get out your camera in order to take pictures, but just make a gesture of taking a picture with your hands and there you have it. Also, you can make a phonecall using your palm as an interface, you can see reviews of a book just by holding it in your hand, you can extract information about people just by looking at them...the applications are incessant and engenders amazement and wonder.

            Now, I guess this novel technology provokes the question, "Is this assimilation necessary?" Many might think that for a technophobe like me, this integration of the digital and physical world will scare me. In a way it does. The side effects of an innovation like this will be huge, far-reaching, and long-lasting, and thus cannot be ignored. Pragmatically speaking, I do not think that this device will ever reach the hands of the public in fear of misuse. Nevertheless, regardless of whether the public can use it or not, the capacity of human imagination and actually converting that imagination into reality is to be extolled. This innovation is amazing and opens countless possibilities. Even for a technophobe, I believe that this invention is worth knowing more about. The reason why I am not good with machines is that I have to learn the language of the digital world to work these things. I have to be familiar with the gadgets, all those buttons, the icons, etc, but if the digital world was removed of its "gadget-confine" I would be able to use it with less hindrance. I won't have to switch back and forth with the two worlds. Humans invented technology to enhance the physical world. But at the present stage, the technology is replacing physical interactions and artifacts with digital ones, such as e-book, MSN, social networks etc. In his innovation, Mistry is striving to make connections between the digital and physical world. It is a step forward.
             I saw wonders and perhaps a glimpse of the future in Mistry's TED video. Just browsing through TED videos makes me content to see that there is not a paucity of human imagination, inspiration, and creation in the world today. Mistry clearly showed viewers his intentions of integrating the digital and physical world by presenting his various experiments with everyday objects. At first, it was to satiate his curiosity, but now he has intentions of sharing it with others to make the world a better place - a place "where people don't end up being machines sitting in front of other machines." But until then, I monotonously hit the buttons of my keyboard to write this review...and I probably have to ask someone how to embed a TED video in a blog post!


Reference:
John Miedema, Seamless integration of digital and physical spaces http://www.teleread.com/paul-biba/seamless-integration-of-digital-and-physical-spaces-by-john-miedema/
Paul Biba, Marketers begin integrating physical and digital worlds http://blog.joelrubinson.net/2011/07/marketers-begin-integrating-digital-and-physical-worlds/
Pranav Mistry, The thrilling potential of the SixthSense technology http://www.ted.com/talks/pranav_mistry_the_thrilling_potential_of_sixthsense_technology.html

Ola Restaurant Review

            It’s just around dinnertime. The sky hints at darkness and the nighttime chill of the lakeside is carried in the wind. The road weaves and turns along the lakeshore, and the car finally takes a turn into a car-filled driveway. The plank card marking the driveway reads “Italian Restaurant Ola!” but doesn’t scream at passersby “Come eat at our restaurant! Come buy our food!” like most other restaurants around the Baekun Lake. In fact, a modest glow is all it takes for cars to fill the parking space in front of the humble Italian restaurant, Ola.

           The history of Italian food in Korea is not particularly distinguished. Frankly speaking, I think it’s despicable. Yes, there are a lot of restaurants that offer dishes that are both innovative and delectable within the scope of Asian cooking, but go across a few more seas, and the Korean chefs just don’t seem to get it right. However, in this peaceful lakeside on the small city of Anyang, a pleasant surprise awaits spaghetti lovers who believe that Korean chefs can’t manage Italian or any European cuisine.

           There’s a sort of formal ambience to this restaurant. The typical sweater and sneakers seems out of place and semi-formal attire seems most suitable. If you get over the fact that the overall atmosphere is more France than Italy, the décor and service complement each other quite nicely. From the valet parkers outside the restaurant to the penguin-suited waiters, everyone’s very formal about the whole occasion. But the one thing that seems to distract the overall ambience of the restaurant is the view from the tables. The building’s walls are covered with glass to reveal the outside landscape. A lake view would be stunning and add the finishing touches to creating the formal and classy atmosphere of Ola, but all the glass-covered walls reveal are the trees lining the road outside. While it isn’t hideous (actually in the spring the cherry blossoms are quite lovely), a lake view while dining is tempting.

           What is more interesting is the food. I admit, Ola is not the kind of restaurant that innovates and experiments with different types of food, but the taste is unparalleled. Like most Korean restaurants, the preliminary course is bread. Not those mass-produced ones they give out at Outback, but real bread. Garlic bread, just out of the oven, crispy, soft, and warm. Maybe a little too big to be the wee little food before the actual meal, but I consume them with no complaint. The appetizer I recommend is the Zucca soup, pumpkin soup served in a pumpkin. Dulcet, mellow, nectarous, sapid would all be words describing this soup. The rich saffron color implies the richness of its taste. A thick soup with a full yet soft taste that spreads into my mouth much to the joy of my taste buds. The sweetness of the soft chunks of pumpkin harmonizes beautifully with the creamy taste of the soup, and the little bowl is scraped clean. 

            Perhaps the best dish is the C-cucina, a seafood cream spaghetti with pizza bread on top. The waiter cuts the bread open and the inside is revealed. The fresh, various seafood steams inside a soup of creamy whiteness. The cream sauce is the deciding factor of the excellence of the dish. An aroma of sesame seeds being roasted fills the air, and the cream augmented with melted mozzarella slides through my tongue leaving a trail of sleek and clean taste, not too greasy and not too strong. A nice dish to go with the C-cucina is the Crossante, a fusion dish of Korea and Italy. The flavorful tomato sauce has a hint of pepper, creating a spicy taste, which is an unexpectedly delicious mix, in my opinion. On the bottom of the dish, there's a floor of brownly cooked rice made juicy by the spicy tomato sauce. The combination is heavenly, a successful case of fusion. 

          Ola, with its increased popularity, opened in 5 other places in Korea. I've been to some, such as Ola2 and 3, but I find myself heading toward the original Ola. The other branches may have a better atmosphere, but the food itself is at its best in the original Ola. Ola has its eccentricities such as the fusion Crossante dish, but it mostly has its pleasures. After I ate Ola's spaghetti, it's pain to eat spaghetti at another restaurant. 
★★★☆☆

Morning glory, purple, smile

        A morning glory does not surpass a rose in beauty or a rosemary in its fragrance, but it possesses this simple beauty that only few can see. The color is purple, an enigmatic, yet warm color. It grows as its vine wraps around a stick, but if you unwind the vine, the morning glory subtly perseveres and wraps itself back up. The world may be full of vileness and hardships, but it constantly looks up at the sun without ever losing its smile.

The Body - Memoir of childhood

Stephen King's The Body begins with a narrative, sometime in the future, that describes how the most important things are the hardest things to say. It’s painfully true. Most of the time, words are just not enough to convey the intensity and value of the emotions felt. As this story is, in essence, a memoir of one of the characters in the story, this introduction is very appropriate. So it’s basically saying, “Okay, listen. I’m going to describe memories that are precious to me beyond compare. But know that the words and sentences you read here aren’t everything, merely a small part of what I felt.” And with that said, 'Gordie', or a fictional representation of Stephen King, begins his story.
           I would like to begin my little memory. I thought about my own childhood when I read this, and what kind of friends I had. There were four of us - me, Na-young, my brother, and Byung-woo. We weren't the same age or gender, me and Na-young being girls and three years older than my brother and Byung-woo, but we managed to grow close just the same. We were pairs of siblings, my brother and I, and Na-young and Byung-Woo. And we had some adventures of our own. We spent our days racing each other on sidewalks, finding a beehive and coming up with plans to throw rocks at it without dying, endeavoring to stay quiet in our rooms so as to not provoke our parents to saying that its time to leave, and when we ran out of things to do there was always the hide-and-go-seek which was usable anytime and anywhere. However, our ultimate dream was to find a clubhouse all to ourselves, kind of like the treehouse in The Body. We always dreamed about what our clubhouse would look like. A place where no parents could find us, a hide-out sort of a place to share secrets and hang out, somewhere where there were lots of trees and that looked both cozy and magical. But, where can you find a place like that in Korea, so our clubhouse prospered in our imagination. We would go to some apartment-property playground and pretend that a random slide was our clubhouse. We would go collect flowers, clovers, grass to match the place to the clubhouse of our imagination until the sun went down and our parents told us that it was time to go.
             It's amazing how much you learn from these childhood friends. Na-young, my brother, and Byung-woo, they opened my eyes to a whole new world, and I hope I opened theirs. I found out that I was brave (perhaps stupid), daring to do things that they would be too timid or scared to do, such as climbing up the swings and attempting to walk on the bar or eating an unknown berry from a tree. Yes, as we grew older, our roles in each others lives became smaller and smaller and we each went on our separate ways. Na-young and Byung-woo became just a memory and my brother became more of just a related being rather than a friend. But, memory is a word that retains great power. It is capable of making one smile, chuckle, laugh, cry, ache, but to all these there's an element of pain, knowing that it's just a memory. In my mind, I still see us as little ten-year-olds and seven-year-olds searching for that clubhouse of our dreams and someday, I hope we find it.