Univ. of Chicago Essay

ESSAY OPTION 5.

In the spirit of adventurous inquiry, pose a question of your own. If your prompt is original and thoughtful, then you should have little trouble writing a great essay. Draw on your best qualities as a writer, thinker, visionary, social critic, sage, citizen of the world, or future citizen of the University of Chicago; take a little risk, and have fun

Where Is My Happy Ending?

   The umpire blew his whistle, loud and clear, the forwards kicked the ball, signifying the beginning of the match. Until then, I had been rather full of hope - yet insecure of what might happen next. That was how my very first game as a member of KMLA's soccer team, CGV, began and ended as a horrible nightmare.
   It was early April, when small snowflakes still flew in the atmosphere because of the cold weather. I was on the starting match squad, supposed to manage the defense of our team. I found it both exciting and scary to watch opponent actually dribble and pass to each other within a few meters from me. But wait - only a few metes? The ball was flying towards me - it was my turn to receive and return the ball. I aimed and swung my leg, stiff and horrified. But I guess I missed. The center forwards forcefully towards me, elegantly possessed the ball, swiftly turned around and powerfully struck a nice, clean shot. Match score 0 - 1, the inception of ruin, doom and nightmare.
   The following 60 minuets, needless to be explained, were so painful that I only waited for the final whistle to be blown. I kept scolding myself: "What have you done!" "You blotched an important game - your team might lose!" "Everything went wrong because of you!? Honestly, I hated myself. And I guess my teammates, although not explicitly, expressed sorrow and disappointment about my stupid mistake. Fortunately, Our team scored an equalizer in the 2nd half. Nonetheless, agony and shame did not leave my mind for a couple of weeks.
   I wish there was a happy ending to this awful, painful story. If I had overcome my failure and, on the next match, scored the match winning goal, this would have been a cliche, another common hero story. Frankly, there have been no changes in my soccer skills nor there has been a second match for me. Only a recognition and revelation of one history-lasting proverb: "This too shall pass." It is important not only to learn from failures, but also to learn how to bear them. Pain is short and life is long. 

Take-home Assignment

Topic: the Korean government should sue Japan on behalf of the victims of imperial Japan

Personal belief: I agree with the argument stated

It is true that imperial Japan has done much harm on its victims, mainly Koreans. However, suing Japan is not the right choice for South Korea: it is not a practical, viable solution.

Firstly, the Korean government does not have the justification enough to claim its right to demand more compensation from the Japanese government. The Normalization Treaty of 1965 states that both countries will “no longer discuss on this issue” for Japan handed over some million dollars. Also, the idea that the descendants must atone for whatever their ancestors have done wrong, as many call it the “corruption of blood,” seems to be unreasonable, since the current government is clearly different from the imperial regime.

Moreover, the practicality of the judicial process is unfavorable. In order to sue Japan at the ICC, Korea needs specific defendants, which have mostly been already executed shortly after the WW2. Thus, Korea shouldn’t sue Japan but find other ways to help the victims of imperial Japan. 

Earthlings - Academic Film Review

     

Animal Rights and Emotionalism

     Animal Rights? Cruelty of meat-eating? Personally, I’m not a strong advocate of animal protection.  Whenever I hear about people spending hundreds of dollars on buying pet cloths and nail polishing their cats, I feel that there is something wrong going on right now. I get it – animals are in fact great companions of humans and they too are emotional beings. But shouldn’t we reconsider our treatment of animals once again? Should people waste thousands of dollars on pets while dozens of children in sub-Saharan Africa are starving to death every hour? I guess people these days are too fond of their fellow creatures that they sometimes even forget who they are, Homo Sapiens.

     The same phenomenon occurs as a response to the film Earthlings. A true sensation, this renowned documentary film, directed by Shaun Monson and narrated by Joaquin Phoenix, provides us with tremendous shock and revelation. The film is a simple yet emphatic work that drives people to confront the inconvenient truth of how humans treat animals in the industries regarding food, pets, clothing, entertainment and scientific research. However, people have reacted in the wrong way, solely obsessed with emotional responses to the movie. And at the same time, there also many factors within the film that misleads the audience to not engage in serious thinking. For sure, Earthlings brought much sensation, once having become one of the most widely discussed film, but there are also much to critique about its accuracy and limitations in conveying information.

     Earthlings, in general, lacks in three important essential characteristics of a good documentary film - objectivity, thoroughness and tangibility. Talking about objectivity, the film from the very beginning seems to despise the virtue of maintaining a broad, fair perspective. In its introduction, “humans,” “animals,” and finally “nature” are introduced as three key elements of our planet Earth. At first glance the movie seems to talk about the interaction between these three and how we should bolster harmony. However, the subsequent contents are unfortunately represents anything but objectivity. Only picturing the cruelness of humanity with excerpts of videos clips seemingly from hidden cameras, the director, I guess, tries to imprint a negative image of human beings. Of course, it is true that this film is meant to be an expose, but an endless continuation of violent images and brutal scenes doesn’t persuade but only sickens the audience. It seems that weighing both sides and analyzing each one’s problems and significance would have made the over message much more credible. After watching the terrifying videos clips, I felt that this film wasn’t much more than a hodgepodge of slaughterhouse CCTV videos.

     Such problems in objectivity directly lead to Earthling’s dearth of thoroughness. As mentioned above, picturing a comprehensive overview of the issue ensures the viewers that the speaker is not a dogged, arrogant doctrinaire who only knows about his own arguments. Interaction with the opposing arguments is what that truly enhances the quality of discussion. However, this film completely condones possible objections but misleads the audience with insufficient information. The film’s discussion of pets and entertainment neglects the fact that there are many laws and restrictions both domestic and international to protect the basic rights of humans. The movie depicts the perpetrators as representatives of all humans – despite that many of us are thoroughly concerned to legitimize bills for the sake of animals. Moreover, there are numerous restrictions within the scientific community that ensure safe, ethical animal experimentation. In the U.S., for instance, there is the Animal Welfare Act of 1966 (AWA), and in many countries of Europe there are more recent examples in the status quo. Thus the content of Earthlings is too one-sided and insufficient that it doesn’t “inform” but merely “shocks.”

 Lastly, Earthlings doesn’t give any answer to the questions it inquires. One of the major remarks by other critics on this film, the lack of tangible course of action or resolution hinders this work from reaching fruition. The basic reaction to this film goes as following: instant shock and emotional urge to protect the animals; reconsideration of the issue, finding ways to solve the problems in the status quo; realization that the film doesn’t give any answer; dismay, and return to daily life. Since the film discusses a broad range of topics – from pets to scientific research – it seems almost impossible to come up with a solid solution. And without enlightening suggestions to foster activism, the message, the omen Earthlings presents, remains frail and ineffective.

     Therefore, Monson’s crusade for animal rights and protection accomplished its most basic job – to alarm the general public and bring the veiled cruelty of animal treatment in many industries up to the surface. However, as the aforementioned reasons suggest, the documentary needs more information and more analysis. It should make more engagement with possible opposition – “Why is it so important to stop domestication of farm animals?,” “Isn’t it better to test with animals than with humans when developing new medication?” Such inquiries remain unanswered, and I believe many of those who watched the film would have felt the same. To become great - something more than good- Earthlings should be able to persuade even people like me who is skeptical, unwilling to blindly succumb to emotionalism.

Fictions in a Flash

10 Flash Fictions 

1. Neither the innocent citizen nor the upright police officer brings the rise of a hero; only a true villain does so.

2. 12:00 AM Keyboard tapping, pencil scribbling. Two cans of Red Bull on the desk.

     1:30  AM "Tick!" One can open. Four pages to go. 

     4:00 AM Empty cans, traces of weird curves and indiscernible marks on the paper. Lap top turned off. Complete silence. A few seconds later, a snor.

3. "Hey, dude, Jack? Wasn't the test hard?" Jack replies. "Yeah, I almost missed the absolute value sign on the end of the equation!" A cough, silence.

4. College counselling class: group meeting.
     "Ma'am, which colleges offer FA's to international applicants?" "The top few"
     "Ma'am, how can I get a private domestic scholarship?" "Get an admission from a top school"
      I'm sorry mom ...

5. A warm pistol, a piece of letter and a pool of blood. The mother cries, cries and cries. 

6. The boy, after playing soccer with his friends, runs into the house. So thirsty, he heads straightly towards the refrigerator. He opens a bottle of purple juice, gulps and throws up - "Why is it so salty!" Mom says, "Why are you drinking soy sauce?"

7. Alarm rings. "Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!" Hit snooze, sleep again. "Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!" Once again, smash the button. "Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!" "Argh!" But this time what I hit was not the alarm clock, but the dorm parent's hand. 

8. Warm rice with my favorite crab soup. TV is on, and my brother's chattering. Here, I am - home sweet home.

9. Six years of elementary school seemed endless. Three years of middle school left some meaningful memories. Three years of high school, gone in a flash. 

10. <Facebook>
       [Garage Sale! All brand-new SAT & AP prep books for a 50% discount!]
       
       [ Mom likes your wall post.] 

Autism, Children and Society - Ben X Review

 

     Ben X (2007), from its very beginning to its resolution, delivers a clear social message. The film provokes the audience to think about one of the problems, at once prevalent and less emphasized in our society, autism. How do most people think of this issue? It would not be a serious exaggeration to claim that all of us believe in equal treatment, respect and rights for every individual without discriminating one’s physical and psychological disadvantages. In other words, everyone thinks that we should not disregard the disabled. Nonetheless, reality is foul, truth inconvenient and society corrupted – humans are fond of ridiculing those who look different from themselves. Rulers imposed by the majority and the powerful binds the weak and less represented. Classrooms are never exceptions.

     Personally, I do have some experiences interacting with a classmate with autism during my middle school years. Based on my observations, it seems inevitable that autistic kids often are subject to spotlight. They show distinct behaviors, somewhat peculiar ones. One kid was known for his aggressiveness. He wasn't bulky and brawn but still he had extraordinary physical abilities. Walking down hallways, he sometimes clapped his hands so loudly that the clinging noise rang the whole school. Once he became famous for his weird claps, mean kids teased by clapping with silly faces whenever the boy passed by. The innocent kid never noticed the animosity hidden. The autistic boy thought that the sneers were smiles and their teasing, affection.

     However, the problems that autistic students suffer at public schools are much serious if the victims are females - a part of reality that even Ben X couldn't fully picture. There was actually one case of such tragedy in our school. She wasn't aggressive by a slightest sense. She didn't make much noise - she only stayed at her seat. She just stayed, still and quietly. However, middle school students, I guess, are yet too immature. I didn't get to learn what exactly happened, but I am sure something happened, and something horrible. I think it was some sort of harassment. The boys responsible were punished by the school board and later, some were transferred to different schools. 

     Watching such sad incidents, I felt that we really need much more care towards autistic students. Of course, these kids have choices of attending special schools were there are private tutors always ready for help and classmates with similar disadvantages and issues. However, according to what I have heard from one of the parents, the main reason why parents send autistic children to public schools is that they want their kids to get along with others, learn social life and do not get secluded from the society totally. Thus the parents and their children are showing great courage. What we should do, as a response, is to give them great care and attention, not teasing and discrimination.

     In short, it seems that the movie Ben X reminded me of such stories and experiences. I hope I get to think more about many problems and issues in our society, starting from ones close to my daily life. And also, I believe others who have watched this movie, would have felt in the same way as I have done. If more people get to think twice about autism, children and society, Ben X can never be a failure, but a powerful medium of enlightenment. 

Revision for Assignment #1

A Note for Myself

YOU, give a pause to your busy life and please listen carefully. The past seventeen years of your life, which is both long and short, comprises many experiences. You underwent hardships, accomplishments and bittersweet incidents. Among those, you may not want to remember the painful past and efface it from your memory. Nonetheless, there is one important story to be remembered –a single shard of your past, yet the most essential lesson that will endure throughout your life. It’s not a long story, short and simple.

   YOU used to be an introspective, timid little boy. Loved by your parents, grandparents and other adults, you learned how to grow up as a “nice” and “polite” kid. The Korean culture enforced you to become the ideal child who never talks back, stays calm and speaks softly. Of course, this isn’t totally bad – no reason to hate a “good boy.” Actually, there had been no problems about this, just until you transferred to a school in Bundang at age ten.

   A new school meant more than a simple change in address. You had to make new friends, meet new teachers and furthermore, start a new life – totally unrelated to the one before. Here, personality mattered a lot, since kids had no background knowledge about you. Too polite and calm, kids found took you as an outcast. You weren’t fit to be a part of the bustling, lively pack of wild fifth graders.

  And detachment between you and your classmates reached its apogee during the soccer competition. Luckily, being one of the tallest boys, you were selected as a player to represent your class. The team was led by a boy named Dong-Jae, an athletic and influential figure in school. You tried your best – yet the game didn’t end until the final whistle of the extended period. Thus, you had to face the penalty shoot-out. All three kickers before you scored goals, thus making it a tie. Now, it became your turn, as the teacher, the referee, placed the ball on the kicking spot. You took a deep breath. But fear dominated you. Timid and afraid, you couldn’t concentrate. Your eyes trembled, hands shackled and legs ached when you realized the whole school boys were concentrating at your very moves. And as you had feared, you miss the goal. Immediately, kids blamed you, more than severely. They made you a fool, a dolt and an idiot. Suddenly, you became the subject of the greatest animosity.

   YOU! You should’ve known how to express your anger, despair and frustration about the unjust treatments. You shouldn’t have stayed there dumbfounded and speechless. After the matched was over and several weeks passed, kids still teased you for your mistake. You should have made it clear, “everyone can make mistakes!” Also, you could have bravely opposed against the disparaging comments. But, you did not. Moreover, you slowly seemed to lose confidence, silently concurring to the slanders badgering you and believing that you are, in fact, apprehensible.

   YOU – don’t derive cursory assumptions and misconceptions. You should’ve thought twice before making any more judgments. Since the day of your blunder, you lost all will to play with your friends. During recess and PE class, boys played soccer, giggling and chuckling, but you cringed alone in a shaded corner of the playground. You hastily believed that there was no one to help you. However, there were actually plenty – many of the quiet and reticent ones, those similar to you, tried to talk to you and play together. It was YOU who forced yourself to get tangled into the belief that nobody likes you. Your incomplete consideration made the situation worse.

   YOU; don’t compare yourself with others, especially, your peers. People are different. Dong-jae was an outspoken, out-going type of an individual. Also, he was born to be a talented athlete and a great sprinter. Condemning you for not being able to play soccer as well as he was an inappropriate idea. Know your strengths and weaknesses but don’t overemphasize becoming one of the crowds.

   Therefore, YOU. Have determination and conviction as a period should have. Be yourself. You must be a distinctive person, one who can speak out against unfair teasing and rumors. Think twice, and don’t exaggerate your miseries. To do so, have confidence in yourself. Get your gets, seek for self-esteem. Then, you shall be yourself.

Martian Chronicles Quotation #1

“The smiling mask dropped from his face” (1999 The Earth Men)

     This quote instantly grasped my attention as I delve through The Martian Chronicles, an epitome of influential science fiction writing of the last century. Ray Bradbury, in the earlier part of this chronology, presents the how the Earth people and Martians first interact with each other. Specifically, the chapter 1999, The Earth Men, depicts the “Second Expedition” led by Captain Williams. He and his three men, expect astonishment and significant public commotion as an indication of the Martians’ attention. However, the residents of the red planet actually concerned them as insane men, and the quote above is mentioned as Mr. Xxx executes his “cure” to help the unfortunate earth men.

     The most fundamental theme in this chapter and the next is how people of Earth and Mars misunderstand, assume about and eventually kill each other. For both expeditions, the Second and Third, Earthlings were brutally murdered. Mr. Xxx who assumed that the rocket and even the three crew members were hallucinations, tests his hypothesis by shooting Captain Williams. But since their existence doesn’t vanish, Mr. Xxx himself turns insane because of the great shock. Here, the quote above adequately exemplifies the situation. “Smiling mask” represents the misunderstanding extant between the two races. Once the mask drops from the Martian’s face, he confronts reality, so daunting and impermeable. In other words, this quotation forebodes the upcoming intensity of the change of relationship between the Martians and Earth people, as in the next chapter, in which the Martians conduct premeditated decimation.

     

Assignment #1 - On Childhood Trauma

A Note for Myself 

YOU, give a pause to your busy life and please listen carefully. The past seventeen years of your life, which is both long and rather short, comprises many incidents, events and experiences. You faced hardships, accomplishments and numerous cases that were bittersweet. Through such occurrences, not only you gained age but also became more mature and thoughtful. Nonetheless, there is one important story to be remembered – somewhat painful and irritating. It is a single shard of your past, yet the most essential lesson that will endure throughout your life. It’s not a long story – short and simple.

        YOU: were able to be explained as an introspective, timid kiddo. Loved by your parents, grandparents and other adults, you learned how to grow up as a “nice” and “polite” kid. The Korean culture enforced you to become the ideal child who never talks back, stays calm and speaks softly. Of course, this isn’t totally bad – no reason to hate a “good boy.” Actually, there had been no problems about this, just until you transferred to a school in Bundang at age ten. 

       A new school meant more than a simple change of personal information. You had to make new friends, meet new teachers and furthermore, start a new life – totally unrelated to the one before. Here, personality mattered a lot, since kids had no background knowledge about you. But you remained to be typical “yes man,” and acted as if you were totally afraid others. Kids start to think you were dull and uninteresting.

       And such sentiment reached its climax during the soccer competition. Luckily, being one of the tallest boys, you were selected as a player to represent your class. The team was led by a boy named Dong-Jae, an athletic and influential figure in school. You tried your best – yet the game didn’t end until the final whistle of the extended period. Thus, you had to face the penalty shoot-out. All three kickers before you scored goals, thus making it a tie. Now, it became your turn, as the teacher, the referee, placed the ball on the kicking spot. You took a deep breath. But fear dominated you. Timid and afraid, you couldn’t concentrate. Your eyes trembled, hands shackled and legs ached when you realized the whole school boys were concentrating at your very moves. And as you had feared, you miss the goal. Immediately, kids blamed you, more than severely. They made you a fool, a dolt and an idiot. Suddenly, you became the subject of the greatest animosity.

        YOU! You should’ve known how to express your anger, despair and frustration about the unjust treatments. You shouldn’t have stayed there dumbfounded and speechless. After the matched was over and several weeks passed, kids still teased you for your mistake. You should have made it clear, “everyone can make mistakes!” Also, you could have bravely opposed against the disparaging comments. But, you did not. Moreover, you slowly seemed to lose confidence, silently concurring to the slanders badgering you and believing that you are, in fact, blameworthy.

        YOU – must not “dash” to derive cursory assumptions and misconceptions. You should’ve thought twice before making any more judgments. Since the day of your blunder, you lost all will to play with your friends. During recess and PE class, boys played soccer, giggling and chuckling, but you cringed alone in a shaded corner of the playground. You hastily believed that there was no one to help you. However, there were actually plenty – many of the quiet and reticent ones, those similar to you, tried to talk to you and play together. It was YOU who forced yourself to get tangled into the belief that nobody likes you. Your incomplete consideration made the situation worse.

        
         YOU; don’t compare yourself with others, especially, your peers. People are different. Dong-jae was an outspoken, out-going type of an individual. Also, he was born to be a talented athlete and a great sprinter. Condemning yourself for not being able to play soccer as well as he was an inappropriate idea. Know your strengths and weaknesses but don’t overemphasize becoming one of the crowd.

        Therefore, YOU. Have determination and conviction as a period should have. Be yourself. You must be a distinctive person, one who can speak out against unfair teasing and rumors. Think twice, and don’t exaggerate your miseries. To do so, have confidence in yourself. Get your gets, seek for self-esteem. Then, you shall be yourself.

Reading Journal #3 -- Confronting Reality

Fall from Innocence

     Herman Hesse, in his work Demian, said, “The bird fights its way out of the egg. The egg is the world. Who would be born must first destroy a world.” This quote can applied to explaining how people grow up. The quest to become an adult isn’t always delightful and sweet for the reality, which the children get to confront instead of myths, is sometimes bitter. Unlike what the childhood fantasies say, the real world is corrupted and harsh. Therefore, during the process of growing up, it is inevitable to have many of our illusions and myths to be shattered, which was the same for Gordie, the main character in Stephen King’s novella The Body.

1) Realizing adults / parents

     Innocent babies and most of the children believe that adults are perfect, both physically and morally. Especially parents are role-models for the children to follow, since they are the very first people that babies see and learn from. Teachers, given authority and honor by the society, is also respected and trusted by the students. Thus, children have innate fear and admiration towards adults including their parents. The process of growing up deals with this issue; children learn that adults aren’t always perfect and nice.

     Gordie feels betrayed by his parents as they never really paid attention to him. His parents’ sole concern was Dennis, Gordie’s older brother, who died in a car accident prior to the beginning of the story. Teddy seems to be proud of his father as a war veteran but still he suffered great pain because of him. Chris literally “hates” his father, and he realizes how teachers can be corrupt through the milk money incident. Feeling sorry, Chris gave the money he stole back to Miss Simons, the teachers, who used it for her new skirt. Hearing the story, Gordie is also shocked in vein of learning the reality.

2) Realizing friends

     It is true that throughout the journey, Gordie finds true meanings of friendship. The journey they go through involved team work and trust between friends. However, as the story heads toward the end, Gordie also learns that friendship isn’t eternal either. Chris tells Gordie the truth that “friends drag you down,” pointing Teddy and Vern. And it was also true that Gordie and Chris slowly departed from the other two after the adventure, as Teddy and Vern became “two or more faces in the halls.” Friends, unlike our childhood dreams, aren’t always perfect, helpful or everlasting.

3) Realizing life and mortality

     This story is frankly about a journey to find a dead body. The four little boys get to confront the reality of “death” and “mortality,” which impacts the soul for sure. Gordie, after seeing the dead body, said, “He was a boy, he was dead, and I rejected the idea that anything about it could be natural; I pushed it away with horror.” Confronting mortality broke up the childhood myths towards life and death, showing the reality. And through this process the four boys grew up.

Reflective essay: a lesson for perfectionists

     A slight ache is running through my head, probably because the bus is trembling so much. Between the curtains the vast greens come to my eyes. This bus is heading for Gwangju, South Korea, where I will participate in a debate competition. I don’t feel that anxious—I’d rather say that I am eager see how far I could go. During the last few months I went through many special experiences. With my friends I participated in soccer matches, debate competitions and even went to Guam for a mock trial tournament. I wouldn’t have had the chance if I didn’t come to KMLA, since in ordinary public schools I would devote my time solely for school exams. And looking back, I find that I also went through many hardships, and overcame, a story of a little perfectionist finding out his limits.

These days, I feel like I have somehow reached my limits. Too tired and too exhausted I can’t really “think.” It feels like I have been living unconsciously for the past few days. And today, the stress level had hit the apex because of today’s debate, where I was totally humiliated and self-esteem shattered.

     I really wanted to become a better debater and a fluent English speaker. Many times I feel like I can actually do that buy whenever I stand in front of the podium and face the judges, Wayne and the seniors, I start to stumble in my speech. I get repetitive and lose sharpness, which is crucial for debating. Today, it was even worse. I prepared for the motion and set up some points, but just before the debate our team’s senior came and told me that I should change them. The two arguments were too weak and irrelevant. Listening to her, I agreed so I tried to modify them. However, the debate started soon and I was the leader of opposition, my turn came fast. I had to think of rebuttals and the definitional challenge but the problem was that I couldn’t even organize my own points. The result was awful. I got stuck right in the middle of the speech, just by myself, and couldn’t fulfill any of the duties as a LO. The comments were harsh and I felt abject. I really wanted to give up. All of the comments looked as if they were criticizing me …

     This is a piece of writing that I scribbled in May. Even today, my lack of fluency in English is a taunting limit. Back then, it seemed impossible to overcome, for I was given too little time. I entered debate competitions starting from this year, which means I had no time to learn and get better. Such situations made me fall down, devastated. I started to give up. People say, “Desperate times call for desperate measures,” but I felt I didn’t have any measures at all.

     If I had given up at that moment, I won’t be here riding this bus. Facing my limits, I chose to loosen myself. This doesn’t mean that I strived so hard and did something special to dramatically overcome my hardships. To a certain extent, it can be said that I actually gave up. I gave up to force myself do become a perfectionist. I gave up to blame myself being so powerless, incomplete and even useless. And I chose to let myself to be “myself,” believing that I can start up from the bottom. Day by day, I improved, which was possible as I didn’t have the “perfection” paradigm stuck in my head. From this series of experiences, I learned a simple, yet important lesson that limits do not define me; I define my limits.

TED: Open-source for the better-solution

     I don't know exactly when, but I started to have an exceptional fervor towards the study of medicine and human biology. Especially when I was in middle school, I was somehow crazy about the idea of becoming a medical scientist, fighting against detrimental diseases and even working for the WHO, the World Health Organization. Now, I have become more dispssionate about it, after learning that if I take the M.D.-Ph.D. integrated program after four years of undergraduate, 38 will be my age when I could take my first step as a professional. Though, I am still interested in this field for it is directly connected to life and death. And though it might sound rather absurd, I stand for philantrophy and I want to be person society needs.
     In this TED video, Jay Bradner, a researcher at Harvard Medical School, explains a discovery that is so terrific in two ways. His team developed a highly complicated molecule named JQ1, which is a cure for a rare type of midline carcinoma. This cancer is caused by a virulent protein molecule named BRD4. Aside the complex chemical names, this discovery is worth being extoled since it directly helps millions of patients around the globe. Moreover, BRD4 was one of those that were previosly known to be "incurable" or "undrugable." For Dr. Bradner and his team, it is also very special since it gave hope to them that they can find novel cures from studying the basic chemical identities of illness.
     However, the development of JQ1 has another important meaning. Dr. Bradner, along with his scientific experiments on drugs, conducted a social experiment. He implemented a revolutionary and tentative policy, which is to disclose the precious chemical information of their cure. Other researchers, mostly from pharmaceutical companies, would have certainly thought that Dr. Bradner was mad.  Similar to the firms that are infamous to be reticent and to repudiate exchanging information, he could have just kept the information to himself, produce medicine or sell it at an astronomical price. In the pharmaceutical market, chemical information equals fortune. However, Dr. Bradner decided to sacrifice the outcome of his team's diligent work for the sake of the whole society.
     It would have been banal and both sad if the pharmaceutical companies simply benefited from the disclosure of JQ1. This social experiment, as Dr. Bradner says, has been "unfortunately successful," for it was provoactive enough to instigate the number of researchers to augment and more labs to engage in the study of this molecule, enhancing the quality and stability through additional experiments conducted by these newcomers. Bradner's policy expedited the discoveries of new medications and more possible uses of JQ1, as it was found to be effective for Leukemia, multiple myeloma and apidocyte, all thought to be incurable. He expects this cycle of discovery to be incessant. All he did was "opening" the source of his new yet austere form of  cure, and what he recieved was the great euphony of numerous researchers, united under the same perspective of developing new medication. Dr. Bradner's choice was truly laudable, and inspriational.
     I hope the acheivements of Dr.Bradner have successfully derided the selfish pharmaceutical companies. They probably thought he was squandering his oppurtunity, being foolish. Of course, according to their sens of "success," Dr. Bradner is a complete failure. But that "succuss" is too superficial to be recognized as meaningful. One reseracher and his team brought the new spirit into the field of medicine. And for once more, I hope that labs all around the world will come out from their moral depravity and show deference towards Dr. Bradner.

Review: He's the Dark Knight, not the Batman

He’s the Dark Knight, not the Batman

     Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” is one of the most spectacular movies that I’ve ever seen. As one of the Batman series, starting from The Batman Begins, I thought this moview would be just so similar to the typical 'super-hero-action' films. All of the comic-based hero movies I've seen were way to simple to be called as good films. First of all, most of them rely on special effects; explosions, lasers and so ever. Also, the hero is literally the "good" guy, one distinct villian the "bad" guy and the rest are ordinary, innocent citizens so naive and ought to be protected. Typical hero films completely fit to the "hero's journey," which makes the plot banal. However, The Dark Knight is different.

      I have five critieras to evaluate and discuss on this movie, which are how the movie is creative, dynamic, well-developed, funny/heart-warming and engaging.

Reading Journal #2 - The Body

    

        “This business of being ignored: I could never really pin it down until I did a book report in high school on this novel called The Invisible Man … [N]obody notices him at all … like a black ghost”

Gordon Lachance, the protagonist of Stephen King’s novella The Body, is a twelve-year-old boy, brought up in a rather average family. He has three friends named Chris, Vern and Teddy. The four play together in their own secret meeting room, the tree house. This novella is basically a story about their adventure to find a dead body. But before the actual journey begins, King introduces the characters by inviting the readers for a journey to the suburbs of Maine during the ‘60s.

First of all, Chris Chambers is from a poor family and his father has alcohol issues. His brothers, “Eyeball” Chambers and others, are recognized as problematic students in school and in the whole town. It says that Chirs’s dad was “always on a ‘mean streak,’ more or less.” And Chris also “hated him like poison,” since he was beaten by his drunken dad occasionally.   

     The other two friends also come from inferior family backgrounds. Teddy Duchamp has a father sent to the “section eight” in hospital because of his mental illness. When Teddy was eight years old, the father shoved Teddy’s head to the stove, burning up and leaving a irrevocable scar. Vern Tessio’s family isn’t that much explained but his brother Billy Tessio is a member of the town gang, led by Ace Merill. Also Vern’s still in fifth grade, despite the fact that he is twelve.

     Last but not least, Gordie also has some issues within his family. He is constantly neglected by his parents. They only seem to care about Gordie’s older brother Dennis, and as he died in a jeep accident, they lost interest at all. And when Gordie asks his father if he could play with his friends, his father responds, “A thief and two feebles. Fine company for my son.” Gordie is upset towards his father who doesn’t try to understand at all.

Mr.Moon -- Three words that explain myself

Three words describing myself

     When asked to describe myself, three words pop in my head – curious, patterns and freshness. Ever since I started reading books, I carried sack of questions. I wanted to know more about people, the world and myself. My mother often recalls me asking too many questions at a shopping mall that while answering them she forgot what she had to buy. When young I asked anything. But as growing up, I started pondering more deeply by myself before talking about my doubts and interests. I also love to follow, find and understand patterns. Sequence, order, cause and effect describes very much of my thoughts. Maybe this made me to have interest in topic of science. Last but not least, I pursue ‘freshness’. Besides the fact that I love fresh fruit or the aroma of fresh flowers, I always desire fresh ideas that lead to inspiration. The three words curious, patterns and freshness explains why I hope to become a inspirational researcher, endeavoring on the field I feel curious about.

Metafiction- really a fiction

     

      “Good afternoon, Mr. Harrison.”

Peter Simons, the forty-five-year-old, young, passionate attorney, greeted his client as he stepped out of the defense bench. Kyle Harrison, the alleged serial killer, sat on the witness seat as if he was stunned. The black wave, the immense flow of fear … Harrison was feeling the grotesque ambiance again. 

“Mr. Harrison, I will help you out of this misunderstanding that brought you to this court today. Would you mind if I asked a few questions about that particular night of November 5^th, 1991?”

The room became absolutely quite. Not a single sound was heard. Every single string of attention headed towards the convict.

“Mr. Harrison?”

"Err... yes, sir?"

"Would you please state what you can remember?"

“It was a stormy night. James William and I were drinking buckets of beer at Jimmie's house. I recognize that we had a tough chat about the rock concert that we attended yesterday. It was about five minutes before midnight. Yes, that's exactly when 'he' came and knocked the door. Shivering for somewhat reason, Jimmie went to the door and twisted his palm to open the door. Just when the door was opened about half, that's when we saw his silhouette, we all fell to the ground.       That's exactly what happened. Magically, we all fell to the ground. I think it's too much of a coincidence for all of us to just fall asleep because of drinking. It was some eerie force that knocked all three of us."

Judge Carrick suddenly frowned when Harrison mentioned the last few lines. The audience became noisy in astonishment. The District Attorney stared at the witness as if he cannot believe a single word. Simons quickly managed to continue the direct examination.

“Mr. Harrison, could you move on please?”

       "Consciousness came back with headache, but I thought I was still dreaming because I couldn't believe my sight. Willy was hanged above the desk and Jimmie was lying on the floor with blood all over his back.      Damn! The house was full of Jimmie's blood and the nasty smell of his corpse. I was definitely frightened for a moment. I looked around myself, finding for some weapons for protection. I found a Benelli M1 Super 90, the type of shot gun I used when hunting for animals. However, it was such a surprise because Jimmie has never kept those kinds of arms at home. With the shotgun, I decided to look for "him". Half angered, half curious, I really wanted to find who he was.      Then the door knocked again. So, I went to the door, and shot my shotgun toward door. After I used all bullets, I found that I killed Jimmie. Jimmie's blood was everywhere and I carried him inside the house. William was the only person who saw my crime.      I wasn't myself after I saw blood gushing out of Jimmie's wounds. The shotgun pellets ripped his limbs apart and left huge holes on his body. Not knowing what I was doing, I blankly aimed of William and pulled the trigger.”

     Scream was heard from back of the court. People were now literally shivering in fear. Little kids were crying, women terrified and the judge ruled order in court. Simons, feeling the need to finish the direct examination, asked judge the permission to enter an exhibit. It was the shotgun, Benelli M1 Super 90.

     “Mr. Harrison, do you recognize this gun?”

       “Sure. It seems like the one I used that night. Shotgun is a monstrous weapon. It never shoots; It busts. So that's what Benelli M1 Super 90 exactly did. It busted William. It tore him and pulled him all the way to the porch stairs. I maybe wanted to make things clearer. I took the shot gun, ran down the porch steps and stepped on William. William was breathing with a great difficulty. So I sent him close to God. Nice fella. He belongs there. That's where I'll never go in. I'll never reach heaven, but he won't as well if I don't finish him up. I shoved the muzzle in his mouth and pulled the trigger.
    And a sharp clicking sound was heard. Boom!”

     A hysterical laugh, a bit of coughing.

     And then, another “boom”

     It wasn’t Simons holding the exhibit any more. It was ‘him’ waiting to take Harrison to hell.

    

Experimental medication-hope or threat?

A father was crying over the death of his daughter. She was only twenty-one years old when she found out that she had a unique illness called squamos cell carcinoma. The father and daughter sought for every type of medication, but none of those available at hospital could heal her deadly illness. Her last resort was using experimental medical treatment, cetuximab and gefitinib to name a few. However, unfortunately, these medicines were undergoing clinical trials at the moment and she didn’t meet the inclusion criteria to take part in the trial. A few months later, the daughter died in vein. Her name was Abigail Burroughs, whose father sued the FDA for her daughter’s death. And this incident aroused the voice arguing that terminally ill patients should be given the right to demand experimental medical treatment.

Like the example of Burroughs indicates, there are problems in the current system of medical treatment. Today, many people are diagnosed as ‘terminally ill’ patients, who are defined as patients that their diseases cannot be cured with current methods of treatment. What can these patients do? They don’t have much choice, but waiting for death. On this issue, Cary Gross, MD, says, “terminally ill cancer patients are often willing to try unproven treatments when standard therapies are either unavailable or have failed to work. However, many are ineligible for clinical trials, and drug access through compassionate-use programs can be procedurally difficult to secure. Thus, access to experimental compounds is extremely limited for many patients.” Change is urgent and important.

     Of course, there are some reasons why many people believe experimental medical treatment shouldn’t be given to patients. One of their biggest points is that experimental treatment, by its very definition of something being unproven to be safe, has a great possibility to be harmful to patients. They view experimental treatment as injecting an unidentified substance into any patient. However, such argument doesn’t stand. Clearly, introducing new drugs and medication isn’t simple even in the status quo. In the case of the U.S., the FDA strictly regulates researchers to undergo numerous times of animal experimentation before proceeding to further clinical trials. After thorough beforehand research, doctors will be providing treatments to patients. In other words, no mad scientist will be playing with the innocent patients.

     Also, this policy benefits medical science and technology as a whole. Once patients are allowed to access experimental treatments, there would be more cases of testing new medications, which will foster medical research. The current system of clinical trial is tedious and slow compared to this. Also, testing would be more productive and accurate since researchers get to test on actual patients like Abigail Burroughs, thus able to prove whether the medicine really attains the desired effects or not. Advance in medical science also leads to more benefits to the society. More medicine available means more lives saved. Therefore, experimental medication is beneficial for sure.

     The society doesn’t want any more unfortunate cases like Abigail Burroughs’s. Moreover, the government has responsibility to provide the best chance to live and the freedom of choice to its citizens. The new voice for experimental medication is upholding these values: saving lives and granting liberty. For the patients and for the society, terminally ill patients should be given the right to demand experimental treatment.

Response to "Spring" in Kim Ki Duk's Film

      Even today, fear exists between me and my parents. Since very young, I remember that my parents have been strict and firm when they came to child education. When I did wrong, and especially when I intentionally did so, I was scolded a lot. Probably I cannot firmly declare that such punishments were so severe, since I don’t know how other parents taught their children. However, as far as I conceived as a young boy, I was afraid, frightened whenever I found out that I were to be punished.
     At this moment, I can remember the fact of being scolded a lot, but there are few anecdotes that flashed inside my head once I saw the video clip. In the short video, a little boy was punished by his master for being cruel to animals. It was rather drastic, since most teachers or parents probably would have simply told him not to do so. Instead, the monk does what the boy did to the animals, but this time, to the boy—tying up with a big stone. The boy cries in vain that he is sorry, both discovering the corpse of the snake and climbing up the mountain with the stone on his back. Through this punishment, the monk made the lesson clear,
     Similarly, I once acted really wrongfully and my parents gave severe punishments. I lied about my whereabouts after school. Trying to cover my fault going to the PC rooms without permission and wandering the streets until late, I told that I had group studies. What made my parents angrier was that I lied for three days in a row. On the third day, my mother called one of the boys that I “alleged” to study with. She was totally shocked. And I came home late.
     Literally, I was kicked out of home. My father said that he will never have a liar as a son. In the middle of the night, I shivered in cold, sitting on the stairs, and thought about what I did. At first thought, I felt my parents were being too harsh. Other kids were doing the same thing, but why only me? Though, looking back, I feel such disciplines guided me the right way, just as the monk taught the little boy in the film. Harsh yet effective education must be a bitter medicine that helps children in the future.

Chain writing: a bit absurd

A Colorful world
I never thought like that before. I always thought that my life is going to be boring. Still I am a student and I cannot deny that. Thinking of tomorrow, I can only imagine more tests and homework. Dreadful days continuously depressed me. And that is when I met him.
“David,” he introduced himself.
I didn’t reply, because he seemed so different from me. He had his hair dyed with bloody red color. He wore earrings and showed his pink chewing gum as he kept saying. He seemed rude and violent. I hoped he wouldn’t come any closer.
But as if my teacher was trying to torture me, his seat was right beside me. She was expecting David to be more like me, I guess. During math class, he asked me thousands of questions and I hated it. Mid-term was only a few days to go so I had to concentrate. But I didn’t want to be rude to him, so I answered very shortly. As I told him that I don’t play any sports, I don’t play any games except facebook Tetris and I don’t have any hobbies, he started to tell his stories.
“Dude, wanna know something ‘bout me? I used to have this real crazy, yet hot girlfriend. When I told her to break up, she was driven mad and almost killed me with the fork she was holding. Anyway, that’s my story, dude. Now tell me about yours, if you even have one.”
I didn’t know what to say. I’ve never had any girlfriends, not even a ‘girl’ friend. But I couldn’t tell him that, especially when he seemed to be searching for every reason to mock me. So I decided to tell him the most dramatic, sentimental love story.
“Sure, I guess it was last year that I had a crush with this girl…”
Like that I told him my story, of course, a fabricated one. As more I came up with details, David’s face seemed to be filled with awe. He tried to hide his facial expression, but I could rather read that he was astonished. And at last he said, “Oh wow, you’re a real man.” So this is how I became colorful, a bit too much.

--> I guess this story really is 'ridiculous' ...