Chain Writing - started by Lee Hwee Jun

While many people might believe that the world eventually settles for the better. It is not the case for the absolute majority of those in the world. Everyone lives in the hope that they will succeed either by a turn of fate, stroke of luck, or through abilities. But sometime in their lives, one has to comfort the truth. This is a message to everyone and particularly to you. You are most unlikely to succeed.

I am unlikely to succeed. When I confronted that truth there seem to be no reason for me to live. I am a loser. I should kill myself. So I went up to the roof. I left my will next to my shoes and looked down. It was pretty high enough to kill me. That was when I saw a dandelion struggling to survive between the bricks. And I began to think that my life is too valuable to be taken away like this so easily. So I came down from the roof.

The fact that I had nothing to eat or that I didn’t have a place to live in hadn’t changed at all. I almost thought about jumping off a bridge this time but then I saw that dandelion again. At first glance I thought it was just another wild flower. When I looked at it more closely, it seemed unexpectedly familiar. Although it was a crazy idea, the idea that the two flowers where exactly the same came into my head. Maybe this flower is not ordinary flower. Maybe it possesses magical abilities!

I kept examining the flowers for more than one day. The more I looked however; it seemed to be just a wild flower you can see anywhere. But since it was my life-saver I decided to water it. (it was summer and it hadn’t rained for days). When I watered the flower it suddenly shone brightly. Then I heard someone say “Hooray!!!” but didn’t notice that it came from the flower. It turned out that the flower was the genie from the magic lamp. The lamp was taken by a witch and the genie ended up in the flower.

“Thanks for telling me your story Alex” a woman says

“But oh… I can’t really remember what happened after that………..Genie talked to me and said………” a boy went on.

It was a small white room and the woman is writing down something very quickly. She smiles and says bye to the boy.

The boy came out into the street and looked back at the house with a dissatisfied expression.

“I don’t think she believed any of that” said the boy.

“Well who cares?” said a voice out of nowhere. A genie materialized on the boys shoulder.

“Yeah, who cares?” the boy shrugged and went home with the genie, hanging from his shoulder dangling its feet.

Second Draft for Times Person of the Year

For connecting more than half a billion people and mapping the social relations among them, for creating a new system of exchanging information and for changing how we live our lives, Mark Elliot Zuckerberg is TIME's 2010 Person of the Year. Before him, it was given to various American presidents, such as Barak Obama and Franklin D. Roosevelt. It has also been given to groundbreaking scientists, such as Einstein and David Ho. People mostly ASSUME that this award is given to a person who has donated to the development of humanity or society. However, this is not always true. In fact, this title, often called an "award," is given to an individual or group who has had the biggest effect on the year’s news. Case in point, it was even given to Stalin and Hitler.

In 2010, there was a controversy over awarding the title, since there were two candidates, Mark Zuckerberg and Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks. In 2010 Julian Assange, was awarded the TIMES reader’s choice of person of the year and Zuckerberg was awarded the title. Even though Assange had received more readers’ vote than Zuckerberg (Zuckerberg came in the tenth place while Assange got the first in the vote) TIMES had chosen Zuckerberg as the issue maker of the year, unlike what many thought. Through this incident I got to think that even though the title TIMES Person of the Year has a lot of glory, and fame, I think the title is not worth as many people think and that it should not have a special meaning in it.

     First, this award is also based on the magazines opinion, not the readers. As in 2010'S Person of the Year choice, there has been a lot of controversy over it. Even though Assange had received 20 times more the popular vote than Zuckerberg, and took the first place in the popular vote, the honor was given to Zuckerberg who was ranked tenth. Assange had an average rating of 92 compared to Zuckerberg’s rating of 52. However, the title of TIMES Person of the Year was given to Zuckerberg while Assange was just given the title of Reader’s Choice of TIMES Person of the year. According to the TIMES, they say that the choice is based on the magazines opinion of who had created a big issue rather than the voting of the subscribers. Even though, when most people thought that Assange was the biggest issue maker, TIMES chose that Zuckerberg was the one who created headlines. Since TIMES is worldwide magazine and there are lots of subscribers who tend to think that Zuckerberg as the person who created most issue by reading the magazine, while people’s choice was Assange.

To add, this award is not proper from its origin. It was created in 1927, to write contemplating stories that are newsworthy during a slow news week. In short, it was created because there was no interesting news that would attract reader’s attentions. It was a supplement for a week that would not have issues that people would be drawn to. Another fact is that it was poorly chosen from the first Person of the Year. The first TIMES Person of the year was awarded to Charles Lindbergh, who made a historic trans-Atlantic flight. He could have been an issue maker of the year at the time, but can it be said that he was the best choice? It was awarded to him, because the TIMES magazine had missed the chance to publish him on the front cover. The TIMES magazine had created it, not on the good purpose of looking back one year, but they were embarrassed and humiliated for not publishing about Lindbergh. There could have been a person in 1927 that had created more issue rather than Lindbergh. Also because the Person of the Year, other important news such as political issues in Libya have been pushed out of the spot light. I personally think that crisis in Libya is more important than mentioning the achievement of Zuckerberg.

The most important thing is that it differs from every person to person, who they thought was the biggest issue maker of the year. For instance, Zuckerberg couldn’t be the biggest issue maker in every country. In some countries like Liberia or Egypt, for example, Zuckerberg likely won’t have much of an impact. People’s interests are different. Some are more interested in politics and can think that some policy was the biggest issue of the year. Some are more interested in the field of science or mechanics and think that the scientist or some engineers should be the man of the year. There might be even some people who think that they are the biggest issue! The point here is that the biggest issue maker differs from person to person. I would say for me, it was that Mr. Jeon Kwang Jin got married. Nobody in our school thought that he would get married with Lee Na young teacher and for a while it was the biggest issue of our school and not Facebook.

I think that TIME'S Person of the Year is not worthy as most people think it is. Its origin is somewhat not worth the glory, because it was material to publish for a slow news week. Also, it does not represent what most people think since the publishers chose who they think made the most headlines in the news. To add, it cannot represent fully who millions of people think was the biggest issue maker of the year.

LEE BO RI

     “Mom, why is my name Bori? Kids in my school tease me. They say that I’m a plant and keep saying barley. (In Korean barley is pronounced as ‘Bo Ri’)” Said an 8 year old girl.
     “It is because they don’t know the meaning Bori. Bori means a very good thing in Buddhism. It means that the person find enlightenment through practicing asceticism.” said the mom trying to cheer up the girl.
     “I don’t understand it. How can Barley mean a good thing? I want to change my name mom.”
     “Bori, don’t be so foolish! Bo means in Chinese character to help others, and Ri means beneficial person to others. Do you see the meaning?”

     My name is Bori. When I was young I hated my name. My parents always tried to convince me that it has a moral meaning. Even though, it had a good meaning to the word itself, I didn’t like the fact that it was pronounced the same as the plant ‘barley’. I got teased by my friends in school because of my name. I think I had a lot of nicknames due to my name back in my elementary school. I wanted to change it if I could do it. I was young, spoiled, only thought about myself, full of self-confidence and greedy back then. But as I grew up I think that my name wasn’t terrible as I thought. In fact, I think that if my name wasn’t Bori, I would not be what I am. I would have remained as a spoiled and greedy child. I personally believe that names do affect people in ways they don’t realize.

     If I had a different name, I think I would have had a different personality. Since my name has Chinese character which means, helping others and being beneficial to others, I think I tried to live up to my name as I grew older. My grandmother would always scold me if I did something wrong and she said that I should live by my name. Being beneficial to people near me and helping people who needs help : This is the thing that every grown up would emphasize to me, since it is the meaning my name has. Teachers who had taught me when I was young said that I should think more about my name. I got frustrated with all those sayings. I mean who wouldn’t? Think about it. If you go to school, you hear your teacher telling the meaning of your name. If you go home, you hear your mom talking about your name. If you go to your neighbor, you hear them saying about your name. Even the first thing a stranger would notice is your name on your name tag!

     'Why does every grown up emphasize being nice to people? I don’t get it! Why do I need to listen to these things? I hate my name!’

     I didn’t want to get scolded and be compared with my name. That is when I started to help others. Not because I felt worthwhile while doing it, just because I didn’t want to hear nagging from others about myself and my name. I know it is wrong to do volunteering work because the fact that I didn’t want to hear nagging, but I did it anyway.

     My dad always went abroad to Chile for one month every year for volunteering work. Obviously, I went with him not because I wanted to, but I just want to get away from all those things that grown-ups would say about my name. I went abroad for a couple of years that I got to know few people over there. There was this girl who was older than me who I got close with, when I went to work there.

     “Hey, you came again! Wow, it’s been such a long time!” said the girl.
     “I know! I’ ready to do it. Is there anything I can help?” I replied.
     “What?” she was surprised and her eye were widened.
     “I’m so interested to do this! Did I say something wrong?”
     “No, it just seemed that you changed. When you first came here, you would do only things that I asked you to do. It said on your face ‘I don’t want to be here doing this. I hate this work!’ and you just showed that you were doing this because somebody forced you. But right now…!! You just asked me if there was anything to do!!”
     “Ohhhhh…………”
     “Look! You are trying to find work by yourself! I got surprised!! No wonder why your name is Bori. Doesn’t it mean like getting understanding and helping others in Buddhism?”
     “Yes, in fact, that is true!”
     This was the moment that my thought about my name has changed completely. Since then I tried to live up to my name and the meaning my name has. From than grown-ups didn’t scold or nag me anymore. But I still liked to volunteer and help others. It became a part of my nature; trying to help others and volunteering. No one told me to do it, but I just enjoyed and felt worthwhile while I was working more and more. From that moment, things about me changed a lot. I began to help others beside me and learn to respect others and be less greedy. I thought more positively about things that happened to me, instead of being so depressed by things near me. I started to listen carefully to everyone even though it was nagging and scolding me. I tried to change and live by my name; Being beneficial to people near me and helping people who needs help. Well, yeah. I think that I have been living by my name and due to my name I have changed. A Lot I mean.

Yesterday as I was taking down the elevator a teacher asked me.
     “Your name is Bori as in the Buddhism?”
     “Yes! Do you know what it mean?” I asked him.
     “Well doesn’t it have something to do with helping others?”
     “Yes, it means Being beneficial to people near me and helping people who needs help. And I like my name very much!” said proudly beaming a large smile at him.

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring

In the film, “Spring, summer, fall, winter and spring” the boy ties a stone to animals like frog, fish and snake. The monk who lives with the boy tries to teach him a lesson. So he does the same thing to the boy and makes him unite the stone he tied to the animals. However, when he found the place where the animals were some of them are already death from being exhausted. I think one of the many lessons that the monk is trying to teach is that you do not realize things are important to you, but find it out when they are gone.

Most people do not realize the importance of something when it is near, and you can see it every day. People find out that things are important to them when it is gone. For me, it was my younger brother. I and my brother were always together. I think that I and my brother have more than just a sister-brother relationship because there were no secrets and we could always rely on each other. However, I did not know that my brother’s absent would mean this much to me until recently. I was staying in Korea, and my brother was sent to the U.S. for his study. At first, I did not miss him because I’m used to not seeing my family members often after I entered KMLA. But I felt it by skin when I went home last week, and there was not my brother in the room. I always talked with him, made stupid jokes with him, and we listened to each other’s problems that parents might not understand. He was like a friend that would always be there when I needed him, but he was not there anymore. He was far away from me, in a foreign country. Some might say that there are phone calls and even use ‘Skype’ to see him, but it is just not the same as it used to be. At first few weeks, I did not realize that I missed him, but the moment when I did realize that my brother was not in Korea, tears just came rolling down my face and nobody could stop it. I regret a little that why could not I had been a better sister to him before he went to United States. After I thought a while I concluded that he is not gone forever so I will be a lovely sister from now. Also, I now appreciate and am thankful to everything and everyone, my parents, teachers, and friends since I know how important they are now. I would be nice even to the smallest things so that I would not regret.

I think that the monk is trying to teach the kid that everything is important, and you do not realize it when it is near. He also tells that if you do not want to regret yourself, be nice and appreciate it. Also, based on my experience, the lesson monk teaches is a very important one since one does not truly appreciate the people and things that are very familiar to them. From my experience people should be thankful to everything that is near them if they do not want to regret.

30 Things about me

1. My name is Lee Bori and ri in chinese character mean beneficial to others, and bo means to help others
2. I like to travel abroad and so far I have been to New Zealand, France, and asia countries like Mongol, Taiwan, Philippines, Guam and etc.
3. I like collecting teddy bears and I have a giant bear at school

4. I like the color blue or anything that has cool color but my bears are always brown colored
5. My favorite food is 엄마는 외계인 taste icecream at baskin robbins

7. I like sweet things like chocolate and candies
8. But sometimes I enjoy eating very spicy things like Ramen on rainy day.

9. I like travelling to new countries or place where I haven't been before
10. Also I like to take pictures with my friends using my polaroid camera.
11. I am very clumsy that I even lost passport

12. I always forget where I put things and always have trouble finding glasses before going to morning exercise
13. I like shopping so much that I can shop all day

14. I also like going to amusement parks, especially riding rollercoasters.
15. And if I say about amusement parks I always play with fireworks with my friends.

16. I have a cold right now
17. I like the scent of peppermint and carmomile maybe I have a cold
18. eventhou, I have a cold my favorite season is winter becuase I love snow
19. I play the saxophone for five years but I'm not sure if I can play it well nowdays

20. My favorite singer is Avril Lavinge and Simple Plan
21. I like writing letters to my family and my friends
22. I can write a letter as long as I want to even if their is nothing to talk about

23. Also I like making or decorating things and throwing pary for friends
24. I'm a very talkative person and I get bored easily if I can't talk, I guess
25. I like texting a lot
26. My phone is special because my uncle gave it as a present

27. I am really close with my uncle and my two cousin brothers
28. People including my cousins like to tease me a lot because I am short
29. I think that I am growing taller and infact I grew 1cm over the vacation
30. I like being a student at KMLA

TIMEs Man of the Year

TIMES person of the year. In 2010 it was given to the ‘Facebook’ creator and the role model of the movie ‘the Social Network’, Mark Zuckerberg. Before him, it was given to various people like the President of the United States such as Barak Obama, Franklin D. Roosevelt or scientists like Einstein. People mostly think that this award is given to a person who has donated to the development of humanity or the society. But it is not true. In fact, this award is given to an individual or group of individuals who have had the biggest effect on the year’s news, since it was even given to Stalin and Hitler.

     In 2010, there was a controversy over the awarding the title of Person on the Year, since there were two candidates, Mark Zuckerberg and the other person was Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks. WikiLeaks is a website that provides important news and information to public. They are a non-profit organization and had been providing information about ethical, historical or other important facts that are not open to public. Julian Assange, the other candidate for the TIMES person of the year, was awarded the TIMES reader’s choice of person of the year and Zuckerberg was awarded the title.

     This award is stupid from its origin. It was created in 1927, to write contemplating stories that is newsworthy for slow news week. In short, it was created because there was no interesting news that would attract reader’s attentions. It was a supplement for a week that would not have issues that people will get drawn to. Another fact is that it was poorly chosen from the first Person of the Year. The first TIMES Person of the year was awarded to Charles Lindbergh, who made a historic trans-Atlantic flight. He could have been an issue maker of the year at the time, but can it be said that he was the best choice? It was awarded to him, because the TIMES magazine had missed the chance to publish him on the front cover. The TIMES magazine had created it, not on the good purpose of looking back one year, but they were embarrassed and humiliated for not publishing about Lindbergh. There could have been a person in 1927 that had created more issue rather than Lindbergh.

     This award is also based on the magazines opinion not the readers. As in 2010 Person of the Years choice, there has been a lot of controversy over it. Even thou Assange had received 20 times more popular vote than Zuckerberg and took the first place in popular vote, the honor was given to Zuckerberg who was tenth in the popular vote. Assange had average rating of 92 compared to Zuckerberg’s rating of 52. However, the title of TIMES Person of the Year was given to Zuckerberg while Assange was just given the title of Reader’s Choice of TIMES Person of the year. According to the TIMES, they say that the choice is based on the magazines opinion of who had created a big issue rather than the voting of the subscribers. Even thou, when most people thought that Assange was the biggest issue maker, TIMES thought that Zuckerberg was the one who created headlines.

     The most important thing is that it differs from every person to person, who they thought was the biggest issue maker of the year. For instance Zuckerberg couldn’t be the biggest issue maker in every country. For instance, in some countries like Liberia or Egypt, Zuckerberg won’t possibly be the biggest issue. People’s interests are different. Some are more interested in politics and can think that some policy was the biggest issue of the year. Some are more interested in the field of science or mechanics and think that the scientist or some engineers should be the man of the year. There might be even some people who think that they are the biggest issue! The point here is that biggest issue maker differs from person to person. In fact, in KMLA I think that the biggest issue maker was not Zuckerberg and his Facebook but Mr. Jeon Kwang Jin.

     I think that the TIMES Person of the Year is not worthy as most people think it is. Its origin is somewhat very stupid, because it was a material to publish for slow news week. Also, it does not represent what the most people think since the publishers chose who they think made the most headlines of the news. To add, it cannot represent fully who millions of people think was the biggest issue maker of the year.

Diamante Poems

 Diamante Poem #1

KMLA

lively, familyish
snowing, eating, playing
mountain, soil, old, history
exciting, lighting, flying
arcane, distant

Moon

Diamante Poem #2

Friends

trustworthy, sincerely
making, sharing, chatting
love, warmth, togetherness, relief
having, building, heating
history, companion

Hamburger