ESSAY: Humans, A Question With No Correct Answer.

What is a human? Sure, you can look up the scientific definiton of a human being. But what do you think makes humans different? What qualities do you think humans have that seperate them from any other animal or species? What do you think makes us humans, human? Everyone has there different opinion, but can anyone really give us a correct specific answer?

• A Human Being: Any living or extinct member of the family Hominidae characterized by superior intelligence, articulate speech, and erect carriage. 

 That's the scientific definition of a human being, but what does that really say about us? That we're smarter than other species? That we can talk? That we can stand up straight? Yeah, I suppose I agree because those are all facts of qualities that distinctly make us human. But what I didn't see in the scientific definition, that I thought should have been incorporated somehow, was something about emotion. Something about feelings. I feel like the fact that humans have the incredible ability to feel happiness, pain, sadness, and excitement is extraordinary. I feel like it's a deeper quality that makes us human.

I already know there's going to be some people would argue with what I'm saying and say that animals can feel the same way too. I wouldn't completely disagree with the argument that they're trying to put out because I understand where they're coming from, but I would disagree to an extent. Animals can feel too, that's the part I agree with. But I don't think they have the "superior intelligence" that was specifically given to us to express and understand those emotions. And besides just understanding our own feelings, it's the way we carry out to handle these situations.

For example, if we felt threatened by something or someone, we have the common sense and tolerance to ignore and avoid that threatening situation. But in most cases, if animals felt threated by something or someone, their natural instinct is to attack and fight to get on top. Natural selection, in other words. I feel like they live in a world where only the toughest, only the strongest survive. But us, I feel we all equal and have the same chance and level of intelligence to survive in this world.

Something I've seen in the past, is a situation where someone seemed so perfect.Where someone seemed so programmed. Where it seemed like they could make no mistakes, and where it seemed like they could show no emotion. Never crying, never smiling, and always stoic. People called her a robot. They said it wasn't healthy, normal, or even human to be so unblemished. In a world with so many imperfections and glitches, how could something so emotionless be produced? Well one day, it was only natural that she broke. Her perfect porcelain shell finally cracked. And though it was under anger, not laughter or happiness, it showed she was capable of showing emotion. It showed she was capable of feeling. And after people observed such an unusual outbreak, their perspectives of her changed. The labels "perfect", "programmed", and "robot" vanished. And a new perspective of her came into mind, they called her human.

I can think of another way that distinguishes us from other species, that we have the distinct ability to feel regret, to feel guilt, to feel remorse. For example, animals in the world kill each other all the time. Whether it's for territorial reasons, survival reasons, or just as a game, it's like second nature to them. They are taught to hunt and kill from the day they begin to walk, it's apart of how they live. After killing, they praise themselves. They don't regret what they've done, because that state of mind doesn't exist in the lifestyle they've been raised to live under. But with us, it's a different story. If we do something as little as lying, or as big as murdering, chances are, we will feel guilt and/or regret. Because that's the state of mind we've been raised to live under. Knowing all our lives that those wrong doings are not okay, we will probably be devoured by guilt, and filled to the rim with regret.

Before when I was asked the question, "what do you think makes a human being human?" I always replied, "I don't know. The fact we can talk and stand tall?" I always relied on the scientific definition because that's all that naturally came to mind, like a reflex. I realized I never really dug deep and broke down the aspects or differential qualities that a human specifically and specially has to classify them as human. As I thought more and more about it, so much more than the broad definition of "superior intelligence, articulate speech, and erect carriage" came to mind. Emotion to me, was the most important and interesting because I feel like without emotion, we'd be completely flawless. The whole idea of us crying, screaming in anger, squealing out of happiness makes us so down to earth, and completely human. To me, that's the complete base of humanity.

Humans, they are a roller coaster on two feet. With constant changing emotions, it makes us seem crazy. How we can go from pure happiness to heart throbbing pain. How we can go from being extremely apathetic to party throwing excited, all in a time period of a few seconds. How to explain that exactly? Nobody knows, but that's what distinctly categorizes us and labels us as humans.

So next time someone asks you, "what makes a human being human?" Don't just turn to the scientific definition that you could google search in a second. Take a minute and think about it. Because in all actuality, this is such a broad topic that it's almost impossible to get wrong. The idea of emotion being a human's strong point and base, is just my opinion. So dig deep, think about it. Because humans are a question with no correct answer.

CE: The Hype Of Social Networking.

Facebook. One of the most popular social networking websites. Facebook is so common among society nowadays, ranging  from 10 year olds, to 60 year olds. Some of the main questions you ask someone when you meet them is, "what's your name?" "Where do you go to school?" &"Do you have a facebook?" Now that this website has become such a necessity in life, do you think you could live without it?
Everyone uses facebook. And now that it's becoming more and more popular, facebook decided to update itself by adding some new changes. Of course, many both agree and disagree with the changes. Some say, "the changes are ridiculous, I don't want to see what everyone's doing at every second of everyday." &others say, "I like the new changes, it's allowing access to so much more." Personally, I'm a bit of both. I do get annoyed by the changes sometimes, but on the other hand, I could really care less.
With all the talk of changes, and facebook shutting down, I wonder how many people could live without it. Honestly, I do spend a lot of time on facebook. I'm always logged in, but that's only because I'm always on mobile. But if it came down to it, I could probably live without it. The way I think of it, facebook is just a hype, a phase. Who knows how long this phase will last, but I consider it like myspace. Remember that old thing? People used to treat myspace like facebook, until facebook came along. And what's going to happen when a new, improved technological website comes along? I think we'll most likely over time, abandon facebook. So ask yourself this, do you think you could live without facebook?

RP: Next Time, Think Twice.

    "I believe that crying doesn't make you a baby at all."
I completely agree with Bridget on this one. I don't know why, but a lot of people tend to believe that if you cry, you're a baby. &that's completely untrue. I mean, I suppose it does depend on the reason why you're crying. But in most cases, you can't call someone a baby because their emotions have reached their limit, because think about it, it's not like you haven't ever done the same.
Crying. A common result of sadness, anger, and in a few cases, pure stupidity. Maybe it's because you're saddened by a broken heart. Maybe it's because you're angered by being misunderstood. Or maybe it's because you broke a nail, which then I would probably call you a cry baby too.
I believe crying is a complete release of stress. It does in fact make you feel better. I've heard a quote before, and it said, "crying doesn't mean you're weak, it just means you've been strong for too long." And in most cases, I believe that. Everyone goes through something different, something nobody can completely understand besides yourself. And you wouldn't believe it, but many people paint smiles on their faces to get through an excruciating day. They keep all their problems&sincere emotions bottled up inside of them, not sharing them with a soul. So honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if one day, they broke. If one day they felt they couldn't handle it anymore. If one day, they felt all that bottled up stress became too much for them to hold control over. If the only way to relieve that sort of weight off of you was to cry. To let go, and to release all that stress and rage until you've gone completely numb. And to people who don't understand that, or think it's stupid when people cry, think about why they could be crying. You don't know the story behind their emotion, so it'd basically be the same as judging a book by it's cover. Next time, think twice before calling someone a baby.

FREE: Bittersweet.

Last weekend, my family and I took a trip to San Diego, CA. We didn't go to visit family, we didn't go to sight see, and we didn't go to have a good time. We went to drop my older sister off so she could start her first year of college. It was one of those things that nobody wanted to happen, but it HAD to happen.
My sister and I are 3 years apart. Even when we were kids, we constantly fought. Most of the time about sharing clothes, food, anything. But my whole life, she's been the person I've confided in. The person who's completely accepted me with all my flaws. The person who's been there for me my entire life. Even though we would get mad at each other on a daily basis, and scream at each other for the stupidest reasons, she was the closest thing to me. Last year after she graduated from her senior year of high school as a hornet, I knew that soon, she was gonna leave. It never sank in, it never hit me hard. I didn't think I was gonna miss her, and I really didn't think it was gonna be a big deal. But as summer progressed, I became even closer with her than I already was. During the day, we would go shopping together. Just the 2 of us. We would take walks together and talk about things that wouldn't come up in normal conversation. She would come into my room every single night, sit on my bed, and we would talk and laugh until late hours of the morning. One night, I remember clearly. I was feeling really down, I didn't wanna talk to anyone or do anything. My sister came in and immediately knew something was wrong. She shut the door behind her, and sat down next to me. She listened and gave me advice from her point of view, not telling me what I had to do, but her opinion on what I should do. That night she didn't leave me, she slept in my room and made sure I was A-okay. Nights like those made me feel so thankful that I had an older, wiser sister to turn to in situations like those.
The night before we left to drop her off, she asked me, "will you miss me?" Of course I said yeah, but I didn't really feel it. After we arrived, set up her dorm, and shopped around for extras that she needed, it was time for us to go our separate ways. When I hugged her for the last time before getting into our car, I started to cry. Because I knew I wasn't going to see her everyday anymore, I knew we weren't gonna have anymore of those nights together anymore. She's not gonna know when I'm feeling down and won't be able to cheer me up anymore. Only then did I realize how much I was going to miss her. How it wasn't going to be the same when she was gone. But then I thought, she's attending U.C San Diego, an amazing school. Good things are gonna happen to her, so I should be happy. I never really understood the quote, "you don't know what you have until it's gone." People usually associate that quote with relationships and situations in that category. But I found it worked even better in this situation. I really didn't know what my sister was to me until she was gone. And even though I miss her everyday, I know she's gonna strive. There's only one word I could think of to describe this situation, bittersweet.

BC: The Curious Case Of Oreo, My Dog

...All I could see was black. Nothing but a sea pure darkness. I could feel the cold damp air against my skin... You may be wondering how I ended up stuck in this situation, so let me take you back about 2 hours where my day began.
I woke up today at about the same time as any other day. Early, to birds chirping, and the bright yellow sun shining in my eyes. This morning was different. Usually my dog Oreo, a black and white poodle chihuahua, would be my alarm clock by rubbing it's cold wet button nose against my soft cheek. It was extremely strange, abnormal. Where could Oreo be? The first thing I thought of to do was panic. I frantically searched high and low, ran through every single room, looking into every single crack and crevice that his tiny body could possibly fit into. And the same result every single time, Oreo was nowhere to be found. I suddenly remembered one place I haven't checked yet. A closet, so stuffed full of unnecessary and useless items I've bought over the years, I never feel the need to open it. As I opened the closet door everything collapsed out, leaving a trail of rubbish and dust. But still, no Oreo. But there was something else, something I caught at the very corner of my eye. Something I've never seen before. A door. A big, old, wooden, broken down door. I was hesitant to open it at first, but my curiosity got the best of me. I put my hand on the cold copper doorknob and slowly twisted it to the right. It let out a loud creak as it opened. All I could see was black. Nothing but a sea of pure darkness. I could feel the cold damp air against my skin. A sharp chill ran down my spine. I was afraid, and I felt like i couldn't move. But once again, my curiosity got the best of me. Without thinking, I took gentle and quiet steps into the unknown room. And before I knew it, the door shut quickly behind me. I could feel the panic bulding up inside me, but seconds before I completely freaked out, I heard a bark. And no ordinary bark, it was Oreo.
When I heard the sound of Oreo's innocent, afraid bark, all the panic disappeared. I knew I had to keep going, I had to find my best friend. I had no idea where I was going. Whether the path was narrow or broad. Whether objects were cluttered in front of me or if I was in a completely empty room. All I could do was stick my long scrawny arms out in front of me and hope that I wouldn't collide into harm's way. As I continued to take careful slow baby steps, I heard Oreo's barks grow louder and louder. I got down on all 4s and started crawling. I was hoping that if I felt around the cold hard floor, I would come across Oreo's soft warm body. After about 3 hours, searching all over this dark cold room, I finally put my hand on a warm blooded furry body. And suddenly, I knew. I found Oreo. And after I found Oreo, all the lights came on, and the old wooden door opened itself letting us out. I never questioned why, or how this unusual situation occurred. I was just glad I found my dog.

CE: An Outsider Looking In.

 This video in particular caught my eye. As i was watching this, it reminded me of the horrible times in the past like slavery. Not only that, but it showed me how different they were than us. How much harder they work, how much more appreciative they are of what they have. I really feel like an outsider looking in.
After watching this video, i immediately thought of the many differences that lied between us.  Like the fact that they work so hard in underpaid and abusive jobs, and to be grateful for the little pay they get. What makes them so different from us is that we work in dignified and respectful jobs, but we still complain about the pay we get. What it made me realize is that they are much more simplistic than us, less corrupted by technology and money. That after being treated so disrespectfully, and being paid so little, they still are happy with what they have just because they made enough to support their families. As little as 18$ a month to support their whole families. 18$ wouldn't last most americans a week. That's what i find so amazing. Their appreciation for money, for what they have and what they can get is so much more than ours. We are on completely different levels. And that's what i found so interesting about this video.

RP: What Will Become Of My Future?

"Iam always so confused when it comes to the topic of my future. I don'thave any idea of where I want to college, what I want my profession tobe, or anything about my future at all actually." - Peter Nguyen

The question that constantly gets asked is, "what do you want to be when you grow up?" Starting from when we were toddlers in preschool, to 5th graders in elementary school, and even now, 10th graders in highschool, we still get asked this same question. When i was a in preschool, i said a princess. When i was in elementary school, i said a teacher. But when i get asked this question now, my answer is i have no clue. I agree with Peter completely. When he said he didn't know what to say when it came to thoughts about future, professions, college. Now, i have many thoughts about what to be. I've thought about being a writer, a psychologist, and many other things. But i can't say any of those with a true passion, aspiration, or sureness. What i find hard to answer is, how come when i was asked this question when i was little, i was so confident in what i wanted to be when i grew up. But now, i can't settle with anything yet. I guess this is the age where i have to take this question seriously so i decide where i'll end up in life, but it's hard. Honestly, it's scary to think about something so serious. And maybe that's why i haven't really taken it seriously, because i was afraid of where it might take me.
I'm sure i'll be asked this question many more times in the future, and i'm sure i'll name completely different professions every single time. But until i find something i'm sincerely passionate about, and truly inspired by, i won't be sure. So when you ask me, "what do you want to be when you grow up?" I'll honestly answer, i don't know.

FREE: Coming Up.

Coming up is Halloween, followed by my birthday. And that's all that's been on my mind lately. On the weekend of the 29th and 30th, some of my best friends and I are gonna go to Fright Fest at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo to celebrate Halloween and my birthday.

I've never ever been to a Halloween event at an amusement park before and I'm so excited. Although i scare really easily, like REALLY easily, that is the one thing that I'm looking forward to MOST in the next couple months. Combining the 2 things I love the most in the world, roller coasters and my friends, I'm definitely going to have the best day ever. For costumes, I was thinking of our group to go as a box of crayons. Like each of us would dress up as a different color. But the only thing I'm worried about is that our crayon hats would fly off during the rides. But you know what i hate? When people say they can go, and bail on us last minute. Like, come on guys! The tickets are NON REFUNDABLE, and we're not going with an odd amount of people. Because then someone would have to sit alone on a ride and that's not gonna be me for sure. But what's even worse is people who pay to go, show up, then nag and complain about everything and every ride. Like how they say, "oh, I'm so scared." "Oh, I'm so tired." "Oh, I'm gonna have a heart attack and die and it's going to be all your fault cause you're making me go on it." Like, boo hoo. Suck it up, or just tell me that you're a scaredy cat and stay home. Because i know you're gonna be a party pooper of the day if that's all you're gonna do. But I'm positive if none of those go, then we'll all have a fantastic time.

RP: Irreplaceable.

When kids say, “Oh, I hate my parents!” it bugs me. Okay, well, I must admit, I’ve said this a thousand of times, but I realized how lucky I am to even have a parent. Getting back to my point, people these days needs to open their eyes and see all of the things our parents do for us.- Kristy Vo

I completely agree with Kristy. I believe many kids take what they have for granted, including their parents and what they do for us. My mom is an immigrant from Vietnam, and i can't really say much about my dad because he's never really around. But my mom is the most important and powerful woman in my life. I know she's done so much for me, and it's really only fair for me to repay her. Of course, there are times where she's gotten me mad and I've said things to her that i don't mean. But nobody can replace your mom, she is home. All her life, she's worked and worked and worked. For what? To support her children, and to give us the lives and things she never got to have as a child. I'm really fortunate to have someone in my life who takes care of me and worries for me so much. I hear so many kids say that their parents make them so mad that they can't wait to get out of the house, just to be away from them. It's their opinion, but i honestly do feel bad for them. Because once you lose your parents, you don't have anything to fall back on. Will your friends be there your whole life? Probably not. But your parents will. I'm right on board when Kristy said it bothered her when kids bitch about their parents, because they go to lengths and jump through hoops to ensure your health and safety, all while showering your with unconditional love. And for all they do for you, the least you could do is the same.

FREE: Heated Hair Appliances: A Pain In The Butt.

I am Asian American. And people seem to have the stereotype that all Asians have naturally straight hair. Well let me tell you something, you are WRONG. I have a full Asian background, and my hair is not naturally straight. Though i wish it was. It's wavy, it's poofy, and i wake up looking like I've been sleeping in a tornado all night. That kind of hair is not the business.

Every morning, i straighten my hair with a heated ceramic straightener. I never ever put my hair up. But last week, i did one of the stupidest things you could think of. While i was straightening my hair, i had like a hand spasm, dropped it, AND tried to catch it. Can you find the 2 things i did wrong that day? Well if you can't, i wasn't supposed to drop it. And if i did, i was most definitely not supposed to catch it while it was like burning hot. So the outcome? I broke my straightener, and burned my finger. Can you say fail? Well i couldn't get a new straightener until the weekend, so i had to put my hair up every single day if i didn't wanna look like an Asian non-alien version of Medusa. But i finally got my new straightener! So i don't have to put my hair up anymore. It always reminds me that i would not have to go through all the trouble if i just had naturally straight hair.

CE: We Are No Different.

Yes. Without a doubt, the tragedy of 9/11 has affected and impacted our country immensely. In some ways, expected. Like doing whatever we can think of to improve our airport securities. But in some ways, unexpected. Like changing our racial views on other cultures. That one incident alone has drastically changed our country not only economically, but it has also changed our mindsets. Our perception, our awareness.
September 11, 2001. Who knew that in just seconds, our entire country could change? We've been forced to spend tons of money trying to update and improve airport security with intentions of preventing something so horrible of ever happening again. But i feel there's an even more important issue at our hands, the one I'm going to zoom in on. I'm sure a fair number of citizens won't admit it, but I'm almost positive that we can't even do something as simple as walking on a sidewalk without having our guards up, or judging innocent strangers. Nowadays, you can't walk past a person clothed in traditional attire, a turban, or a beard without having a slight passing thought that that person might be a terrorist. That that person could be a possible threat to our country. Why, because of the way they look? I'll admit, in the past i have thought like that before. I've thought that we are different from those people. But in all honesty, now i believe we are no different. They came to our country with assumptions, and intentions to disrupt and destroy it. They didn't know anything about us, but plotted a murderous scheme killing the lives of many innocent people. Watching this video, seeing how Americans are killing and terrorizing innocent people because of the way they look breaks my heart. Because that just proves that we are the same stupid, and heartless people as them.
There are both good and bad people in this world, everywhere we go in all countries. But with of a philosophy of a kill for a kill? What will that do? It will just add more fuel to the fire that needs to be extinguished. But my point is, if our country has an opinion that we are completely different then them, my opinion is that they're wrong. Actions do in fact speak a lot louder than words, and with the actions that we have committed, it does show that we are no different than them.