Another Wonderful, Fun Week

ANOTHER WEEK OF ADVENTURE, FILMMAKING, VISUAL DEVELOPMENT, AND MATH

This week was another great week I had. I spent a lot of time sketching my characters I really want to bring to life as well as working on 90 problems (even though only 20 of them were required) for my take-home test for AP Calculus BC. I did a bunch of sketching of environments and human portraits. I still feel very lonely at my house, always wishing for a younger sister who shared my interests. Although I have met a lot of supportive boys and girls, I feel like girls tend to be nicer than guys. My younger brothers get along with each other very well and spend time with each other everyday. 

Being a child with special needs and learning disabilities is not easy. Reading comprehension and paying attention are the most challenging parts of school, and are mainly why I do not like the majority of school. My reading level is far below grade level; when I took the 9th Grade English Placement Test, I scored at a 5th grade level. Even if I read a paragraph in a chapter book with little-to-no pictures, no matter what the book is focusing on, whether it is fiction or nonfiction, I will have a really hard time remembering what I read. The highest score I have ever received on a reading comprehension test ever in my school career in a regular English class is an 85%. My average written test scores for non-math and physics classes are below the passing grade line; around a 65%. I am really enjoying Digital Arts II, AP Physics, and AP Calculus BC since those are the subjects I love and that I am learning by my preferred method in those classes the majority of the time; doing hands-on labs, seeing visual demonstrations, looking at visuals, and by drawing.

People have talked to me about obsessions and have told me about all the negatives of being obsessed with something. When that happens, tell them about the positives of having those obsessions.
I see obsessions as a very positive element of life; a very strong interest in any subject leads to an authentic passion in that particular subject, which leads to intense dedication and the development of talent in that subject.

One example of one of my obsessions is my intense love for cartoon characters, movies, and storytelling since middle school; I spend a least 2-4 hours a day drawing, animating, filming, or modeling, and at least 30 minutes a day acting. I love to talk about anything related to the entertainment industry, whether it is animation, movies, filmmaking, stars, celebrities, the City of Angels, pop music, soundtracks, etc. My intense love for cartoon characters brought my mind back into this world and encouraged me to start caring for others in early-middle school. Think about it. Even though obsessions can deter you away from other tasks, they can also encourage you to learn skills at a faster rate than everybody else. Like, I could not draw very well 2 years ago, but with my very intense focus and obsession to art/animation and thanks to my attendance at the Disney Animation Academy and the Academy of Art University, I am now taking professional approaches to drawing everyday, thinking about new characters everyday. Human heads and hands are still very tough for me to draw.

A drawing of a Chinese-American girl I drew from my imagination. Had no time to add in colors or shading, as I only had 15 minutes in the Apple Store.

Another example is my obsession with mathematics, I have been obsessed with math and numbers since I was 4 years old, thanks to my autism and special needs. My obsession with math has allowed me to enjoy math class more than anyone else in my class, whether we are working together, or silently. People looked at me weird a little when I told them I was going to complete all 90 problems on the take-home test that was assigned, even though only 20 of them were required. I told them I'm doing these problems not just for a grade, not just for the AP test, but also to strengthen my skills in a subject I am very passionate in. The math tests this year have been hard not because I did not spend enough time reviewing, nor because I do not understand the concepts, but because of some of the word problems and the wording on the day of the test. The word problems can be pretty hard for me to understand at times, even after reading them multiple times.

Many people have commented on my comments in class and my hyper behavior. One of my teachers, whom I will not mention his/her name, told me indirectly that being different, really enthusiastic, and corrective are all wrong habits and behaviors. Yes, I admit, I laugh more than most people and am very weird in my distinctive ways. Every time my math teacher or my physics teacher makes a math mistake in class, I will question the mistake and attempt to correct it; I am the only one in my class that ever does this; it happens at least 2 times a week. I feel very bad for anyone who is being picked on just because he/she does not fit in with the peers nearby him/her. This is happening everyday in society, especially to kids like me, with special needs and disabilities. Imagine if everybody acted in very similar ways and had very similar habits to one another, how would Calculus have been invented? How would have computers/High-tech been invented? How would have television and movies been invented? It’s the difference and enormous curiousity of these individuals, as well as their intense passion/dedication with their field, that led them to envisioning and creating these fascinating products. 
If you ever get put down by someone just because you try too hard, you are smart, you love something so much that it takes time away from everything else, you learn slower than others, or anything else you can imagine, while trying to adapt to society, stand up for yourself and tell them the benefits of being difference and how it makes you who you are today. Difference is what makes each and every individual special and unique.

While at home, I have been practicing and expanding my math skills on Khan Academy. I highly recommend Khan Academy to anyone seeking to learn more math on their free time for fun or review because the people who made the videos there show you exactly what to do when attempting those exact problems, as well as going over the concepts..





I also had some really tasty food over this last weekend. I went to eat dim sum on both Saturday and Sunday, and really enjoyed the quality of the food on both days.

Picture of myself eating Tofu Pudding.