Author Archives: fc268

Humans are an element?

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During the film “The Human Element” the narrator and individuals in the documentary delved into the different elements that exist in our world and how natural disasters and global warming is influencing their prevalence and activity. For instance, wild fires and increasing sea levels was touched upon. Communities that are in danger of being flooded due to increasing sea levels was also emphasized. This particular discussion struck me because most of the families have no choice but to stay in the region because they do not have the means of simply leaving due to financial reasons. Most of the residents work as fishermen, but most other regions are not in need of fishermen.

Although the varying effects of the typical elements were discussed, I found it interesting how the narrators of the film described humans. It is explained that humans can be considered an element because of the drastic impact that they have had on the rest of the planet. It is because of humans that the rest of the planet is currently suffering, because there is a lack of balance. It is mentioned that a lack of balance in nature can lead to drastic effects and that with humans, that is exactly what is happening. The film does provide hope in saying that with a change in behavior, there can be environmental improvement which reminds me of what was mentioned in another documentary: if we let nature reclaim certain parts of the world, eventually we can restore some of what has been lost.

Queen’s Gambit ep 5

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This episode is the definition of “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” Beth finally teams up with with another rival who helps her refine her skills in preparation of facing Borgov. I think that this episode was another step in Beth’s growth because she was able to set aside her differences and work towards her goal. Beth is also a character that tends to refuse help because she believes that being able to overcome her challenges is an indication of her strength and skill in chess. In this episode, Beth has to look past her own pride in order to accept help from an opponent. In doing so, Beth also forms additional friendships and bonds because she opens herself up and puts herself in a vulnerable position. However, Beth also learns the most in opening up because she is able to take advice from others. This episode reminded me of the concept of therapy because it requires the patient or person to be willing to receive help in order to “get better.” In this case, Beth needed to want help in order to be helped.

Queen’s Gambit Finale

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The last two episodes of The Queen’s Gambit were probably the most eventful and fast-moving episodes of the entire season. We witness Beth at her worst and at her best. Her worst is after she loses against Borgov, for the second time, and returns home to be by herself. Beth indulges in consuming alcohol and drugs as a coping mechanism, but it only seems to make things worse. Beth cuts herself off from society and tries to deal with her problems by herself. It isn’t until her childhood friend makes a visit that she finally pulls herself together. We then see Beth at her best, when she is playing chess against the Germans. It is the first time that she is not relying on drugs to keep a calm and collected manner during her competing. Beth is finally able to beat Borgov with nothing but her natural chess skills. I believe that theses episodes were the most important because we are able to see the capacity at which Beth can evolve in little time. These episodes showed that with the proper motivation and support system, Beth is capable of achieving anything. This also goes in-hand with Cornell students as well. With a good support system, I believe that we are capable of excelling.

Crochet pt 2

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This was my first time consistently working on a crochet project. During the workshop we started working on a cowl, which is similar to an infinity scarf. I am proud to say that I successfully completed the cowl after continuing to work on it weeks after the workshop. This is surprising to me because I was initially struggling to successfully complete the most simple and fundamental step of the project, which is making the initial chain. This step took me particularly long and resulted in me having to start over several times in order to get it right. Towards the end of the workshop I was still working on my chain and was feeling very discouraged when I saw other students already working towards beginning to add thickness to their cowl. However, because I saw that other students were able to successfully reach the latter steps of the project, it motivated me to complete the cowl. I think that it was easy for me to find the motivation because the process of crocheting was very de-stressing. It kept my hands and mind occupied during times of stress such as prelim-season. I realized that there are more hobbies that I should try because they can also serve to make me happier.

Calligraphy part 2

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Despite having attended the first calligraphy workshop and having some prior experience, I found it harder for my to produce calligraphy letters during this workshop. I believe that this is due to the fact that I was using an entirely different pen. During the first part of the workshop, I used the pen that was more firm and did not bend much to pressure (I’m not sure what it is called). During the second part of the workshop, I used the softer pen that is more brush-like. Despite me having previously believing that using a softer pen would serve to my advantage, I found that it was harder to maintain neat penmanship while using a softer pen. As a result, my letters came out looking more messy. Halfway through the workshop I switched to the firmer pen. This made me realize how unappreciative I was during the first part of the workshop because I didn’t think that my pen was the best for me. I do believe that I can master calligraphy with both styles of pen because I was able to do so with at least one. Because of this, this workshop has taught me to be patient with myself.

Queens Gambit ep 4

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During this episode Beth has evolved into not only a more advanced chess player, but into a woman. Not because she is older than she was at the beginning of the series, but because she is conquering bigger and more challenging battles. During this episode, Beth meets someone that is considered unbeatable: Borgov. Borgov is known to be a chess champion that is undefeated, therefore serves as a obstacle that Beth has yet to overcome. Beth seems to gain confidence from the amount of people that she is able to defeat and as a result experiences more character development. Because Borgov is someone that she has not beaten at the game of chess, to her, he serves as a barrier between her and the next stage of life. This reminds me of final exams because they are the last obstacle that a student has to overcome before successfully completing a semester and moving on with life.

Queen’s Gambit ep 2

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This episode was very enlightening for me because Beth is finally able to display her talents in chess. During Beth’s encounter with the chess tournament, it was easy to see how the other characters underestimated her because she is a young girl. Most of the other players in the tournament are young and old men. It was interesting to see how Beth found it easier to be comfortable in a competitive environment that is surrounded by chess than a classroom with people that are the same age as herself. Beth seems to be more in-control of her life in chess than her own life. Especially since she has experienced a lot of hardships throughout her life. I think that this episode shows the true effect that hobbies have on a person’s life, in this case it is chess.

The history of NOLA is more complex than I thought

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NoLA is always something that I’ve been excited to learn more about and visit because of all of the excited things that I have heard from friends and family that have had the opportunity to visit the region. It always seemed like a fun place to visit through all of the snaps and instagram posts that I have seen in my lifetime. However, after watching the film, there are realities that are hidden by the general media. Things that the eyes do not see at the surface level. The film revealed the cultural challenges that black families experienced as a result of racism and slavery. Despite NoLa being known for being the birthplace of Jazz, many white authoritative figures in the past have made it challenging for black people to express their culture freely. There continue to be large instances of gentrification where families, usually of African-American descent, are pushed out of their homes in order to “make space” for higher-income businesses and neighborhoods.Because of this, many may say that NoLA is losing its culture. This movie has only made me want to visit NoLA even more so I can visit the neighborhoods that aren’t pictured on social media and see how life is in all of NoLA.

Calligraphy Part 1

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I now understand why calligraphy is something that people spend a large portion of their time practicing. It is challenging! My first round of letters took more than ten minutes because I was trying to find the right way to fluctuate the pressure that I was applying to the pen. My pen was also different from the one that was used in the video tutorial. Mine had a firm tip while the one used in the video was soft like a brush. I found myself getting frustrated because I could not replicate what was being done in the video, even with letters for my to trace. After trying the same letters multiple times, I was finally able to replicate what was both on the printed paper and the video. This particular experience was very humbling because I am someone that has never had trouble with penmanship. My natural handwriting is what many people have considered “neat,” so I was surprised to have been struggling for so long trying to get my calligraphy to look neat. Overall, I am happy that I was able to learn the logistics of calligraphy because it is something that I have always been curious to learn, but never had the courage to actually start learning.