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This is a video of Shawn and I being consumed by a wave at Huntington Beach. I believe that being in the wild to a certain extent is beneficial to us. It allows us to really appreciate nature instead of just being on our phones. Being in the wild also gives you a chance to be active and get your heart rate going rather than just staying indoors.
#ocean #beach #drown

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Into the Wild tells a story of a young man named Christopher Johnson McCandless who wants to leave his old life behind and start a new one in the wild (p.3). He was a well educated (p.5) man, but decided to hitchhike (p.3) his way to Alaska. He left behind all his important belongings and burnt his money (p.7), as it wouldn't be necessary in the wild.

I think that McCandless starting a new life in the wild is a horrible idea since he already has a life with lots of money back in society. In this chapter, I don’t think that he was being that smart, especially with burning the money. I rate him 3/10 this chapter.
#free #adventure #newbeginnings

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This chapter starts off dark, and there is a bus (p.10) that six people come across, and there is a horrible odor (p.12) coming from it. Inside the abandoned vehicle, they find an emergency note from McCandless saying that he is dying and he is far too weak (p.12) to get out of there. McCandless' body gets autopsied and is discovered that he died as a result of starvation.

This chapter was an interesting one, and it was surprisingly dark. I think it was pretty sad that McCandless died alone in that bus with no one around to help him. He died pretty young, and I’m sure it wasn’t a painless death since he died of starvation.
#deceased #hungry #smelly

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It has been 2 months since Chris McCandless' body has been discovered, and Wayne Westerberg is remembering (p.16) his time with "Alex" (aka Chris) before he died. He picked up Alex while he was hitchhiking and remembers him as being a rather good looking and intelligent (p.18) guy. He also talks about how Alex looked extremely hungry, and when he took him to dinner, he wolfed (p.17) on the food and knocked out on the table. The last time that he had contacted his family was when he sent them a copy of his transcript. They decide to head down to Atlanta to his apartment, but discover all their unopened letters and a sign on his apartment that says for sale. In order take control of his destiny (p.23), he changed his name to Alexander Supertramp in order to be free of his past.

In this chapter, I rate McCandless (or Supertramp) a solid 6/10. I like how he decided to let go of his past by taking on a new identity. What I didn't like was that despite him being an intelligent person, he made such poor choices, such as disappearing without telling his family anything.
#freefood #Datsun #CarpeDiem

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This chapter takes place in the desert (p.25) more specifically, the Detrital Wash located in Arizona. Near Lake Mead, a yellow Datsun is found abandoned (p.26), and is discovered to have belonged to Chris McCandless. The irony in this is that McCandless hated law enforcement, but then his abandoned car is being used to go undercover (p.27) against drug dealers. Chris faces various adversities in this chapter, such as a flash flood (p.28), and the sweltering heat (p.29) that almost causes him to get heatstroke.

In this chapter, I rate McCandless a 7/10. Even though I think that it's pretty dumb that he put himself in this situation, but I admire his resourcefulness in this chapter. He got rid of what was unneeded and only held on to the essentials. Before, I didn't like McCandless because of his poor decision making, but this chapter made me feel a little more positive towards him.
#ScrewThePolice #heatstroke #goodbyeDatsun

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In this chapter, McCandless is in Bullhead City, and he ends up staying there for over two months, which is the longest (p.39) that he's ever stayed in one place. During his time in Bullhead City, he worked in a McDonald's, and he used the name Chris McCandless instead of his alias, which was uncharacteristic (p.40) of him. His coworkers described as being weird (p.40) as he despised wearing socks and he never hung out with any of them. McCandless ends up quitting his job and then visiting his friend Jan's place in the Slabs. It is finally time for him to move on, so he goes back to McDonald's to get his final paycheck (p.46) before he leaves. Jan tries to offer him money, but he declines it, so she offers him some knives and underwear (p.46) for Alaska and he accepts it.

In this chapter, my opinion of McCandless was pretty neutral. He didn't really do anything that made me change my opinion of him. I thought it was pretty weird that he insisted on working at McDonald's without wearing any socks, which is kinda gross. It was also kind of odd that McCandless stayed in Bullhead City for so long, because usually, he's always on the move.
#commitment #weirdo #SAYNOTOSOCKS

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This chapter takes place in Anza-Borrego, and it's a pretty sad one. McCandless receives a letter (p.48) from someone named Ronald Franz who seems to care a great deal about him. Ron is a man who used to be in the army(p.50) and his wife and child both died in a car accident, so he adopts kids from Okinawa. Franz and McCandless spend a great amount of time (p.51) together and he grows very fond of McCandless. He decides that he needs to go to San Diego in order to get money for his trip to Alaska, and Franz offers him money so that he won't have to go to San Diego. McCandless rudely declines, but Franz lies and says that he has to go to San Diego anyways to pick up leather supplies(p.52). Weeks later, it's Franz's birthday and when McCandless calls him, he describes his voice as being a ray of sunshine (p.54) after a month of rain.

In this chapter, I think I would rate him a 4/10. Franz was such a kind old man, but McCandless most of the time just brushed him off like it was nothing. I would have had a better opinion of McCandless if he was nicer to Franz, since he has already been through so much, losing his wife and his first kid.
#SanDiego #bekind #love

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In this chapter, we are once again back in the town of Carthage, South Dakota. Based on his past, McCandless has shown many signs of avoidance (p.61) behavior, as whenever he forms some kind of attachment or starts to get close with someone, he runs away. Westerberg observes that Alex is a pretty intelligent guy, but he doesn't pay attention to details sometimes. The microwave that McCandless used to heat up his chicken was filled with grease at the bottom and he didn't even notice it. McCandless is generally a neat(p.63) person, but he sees everything as a bigger picture, which could explain why he didn't notice the grease. McCandless is a rather handsome man, yet he has never had sex(p.66) before. He has his eyes set on Alaska and isn't letting anything get in his way, including a woman. There has been various women throughout his journey who were attracted to him, but he was not tempted (p.66) by any of them. Westerberg also offers McCandless a flight to Alaska, but he insists that he hitchhikes his way there since flying there would be considered cheating (p.67).

In this chapter, I remained pretty neutral about McCandless. I didn't really learn anything new about him, as his avoidance behavior was pretty obvious based on his prior experiences. I thought it was pretty cool that he wanted to stick to his hitchhiking rather than flying since he wanted to experience the whole adventure himself.
#virgin #oblivious #HereWeComeAlaska

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This chapter takes place after the death of McCandless, and Krakauer is receiving lots of hate mail (p.71) from the people of Alaska saying that what he is saying about McCandless is completely inaccurate. One of the worst letters came from someone named Nick Jans who called McCandless a cliche (p.71) and that the only thing that set him apart from the others was that he was dead. In order to investigate McCandless' motives, Krakauer explains the story of Gene Rosellini, who came from a similar background as McCandless and was found dead with a knife through his heart (p.75), which was said to be self-inflicted. He also tells the story of Waterman and McCunn who share very similar traits to McCandless and both end up dying. McCandless is very similar to these people, as he has the desire to venture into the harsh (p.85) parts of nature and he also lacks some common sense(p.85) like they do

In this chapter, I think I had a better impression of McCandless. At first, I thought that he was making horrible decisions but when I read about these other dudes, McCandless is nothing in comparison to them. McCunn was so close to being saved, but he put up the wrong hand signal and that ended up leading to his demise. Starving to death is a horrible way to die, because you have to suffer for a while before it kills you, so McCunn shooting himself to end his suffering was the right choice, as he probably wasn't going to be saved anytime soon
#stupidpeople #knowyoursignals #hatemail

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This chapter takes place in Utah, in a place called Davis Gulch. Krakauer tells the tale of a man named Everett Ruess who just like McCandless, ventured into the wilderness(p.87) and was never to be seen again. They both went by an alias, where McCandless chose Supertramp. Ruess inscribed(p.89) the name Nemo into the doorway just like McCandless did with his name on that bus. There was just so much that they had in common, as Ruess also had no regard for his own personal safety(p.92). He also had the same ambition as McCandless. He did not let anything set him back, including bees and poison ivy. Being in the wilderness causes him so much suffering(p.92), but he does not let that get in his way. There was so much speculation about Ruess' death, such as falling to his death, being murdered, and drowning(p.96), but the true explanation is unknown.

In this chapter, I can't rate McCandless, so Im going to rate Ruess. From what I've read, Ruess isn't a very intelligent person, and the resemblance between him and McCandless is uncanny. It's almost as if they were the same people but from different times. I'll give him a 7/10 because I like how much he resembles McCandless.
#lifeinthewild #adventure #screwthecitylife

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This chapter takes place in Fairbanks, Alaska and the local authorities are trying to identify the unknown dead body that was discovered in the Alaskan interior. McCandless was wearing a blue sweatshirt (p.99) that was from a towing company, which the authorities contacted (it was a dead end). On September 10, Jim Gallien discovered news (p.99) of a dead hiker on the local newspaper and he recognizes it. Westerberg is also listening to a broadcast(p.100) on the radio and recognizes Chris aka Alex. He looks through Alex's work forms and finds his social security number(p.101), which is genuine. He then looks through a phone directory(p.101) and finds his brother, Sam McCandless.

This chapter was a pretty interesting one. It's fascinating how much our technology has advanced, as today, you can just identify a body with a DNA test and get results almost instantly compared to back then, when you would have to go through so many obstacles to identify a body. I also think it's crazy that back then, people had to go through phonebooks with thousands of names and numbers in order to find the person that they wanted to contact. Phonebooks couldn't have been that simple, as there were hundreds of people who had the same last name.
#mystery #detective #throwbackthursday

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This chapter covers Chris McCandless' childhood, and the history of his family. Krakauer is paying a visit to Walt McCandless in Chesapeake Beach, Maryland, which is a very wealthy area. Krakauer observes that they have a nicely decorated(p.104) house with various cars such as a Chevy Suburban, white Cadillac, and a '69 Corvette. They also have a 30 foot catamaran(p.104) in their dock, which is a highly expensive boat. The family says that Walt used to be a formidable man with a temper, but Chris' disappearance(p.105) changed him drastically. Walt separated from his wife and met a new woman at work, named Billie whom gave birth to Chris. We also learn about Chris loved hiking(p.109) up mountains when he was a child. He also did not like instruction(p.111) as a child, as he would rather do things his own way.

This chapter really provides insight on why Chris is the way he is and why he does the things that he does. I see what sparked his passion for nature, as he would go on hikes on mountains as a child and would want to keep on going. I can see why he went on this journey into the wild on his own, as there, nobody can tell him what to do, which he despises. What I don't understand is why Chris hates money so much. His parents worked very hard to get the family to where they are and he should appreciate that.
#rich #naturelover #ScrewCapitalism

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This chapter takes place in Annandale, Chris' birthplace. It begins with Chris' high school graduation, and he gives his dad an expensive telescope(p.17). Soon after that, Chris began on his journey, and when he returned, his whole demeanor toward his parents had changed. He had found out about his dad's double life(p.121) and the affair with his first wife Marcia. He also found out that after 2 years after he was born, his father had a child with Marcia, his ex-wife. All the secrets and lies(p.121) had finally come to light. Chris had learned this information two summers(p.121) ago and he's been holding it in ever since. He resented his parents and he started turning into the rich(p.123) hating person that he is now.

This chapter was such a huge surprise to me. I think what Walt did was a horrible thing and no child should ever have to go through that. It makes sense for Chris to despise his parents for keeping a secret that big away from him. It just made his whole childhood seem like a lie. If I was in this situation, I wouldn't even know what I would do.
#twotimer #cheater #liar

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In this chapter, Krakauer pays a visit to Carine McCandless, Chris' little sister, in her home located in Virginia Beach. Krakauer observes Carine's appearance and notices that she was around the same height as her late brother and they looked identical, almost like twins(p.128). Carine and Chris both had so much in common, but there was so many differences(p.129) in those two. It has been 10 months since Chris' death, but Carine is still grieving(p.129) deeply. Both Billie and Carine were in so much pain over Chris' death that they just stopped eating(p.131) and began to lose weight. On the contrary, Walt, was compulsively(p.132) eating away his feelings to fill in the void that used to be his son Chris.

This was a really short chapter, but it was really sad how much Chris' death impacted his family. His mom and sister stopped eating, and his dad just kept on eating and eating. Carine is probably in so much pain because of how close she was to Chris. I'd probably feel the same way if it was my sister, as we are very close.

#RestInPeace #MansBestFriend #grievance

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This chapter takes place in the Stikine Ice Cap, also known as the Devil's Thumb, which is located in Alaska. The last postcard(p.133) that McCandless sent to Westerberg basically said that if he died on his adventure, it was nice knowing him. This was the last thing that was ever heard from him before he decided to venture into the Stikine Ice Cap. Krakauer decides to do the same and climb(p.134) the Devil's Thumb all alone. Krakauer was walking through the ice when he fell into a crevasse(p.139) and almost to his death. Luckily, the shower curtains that he had on his back formed a cross(p.138) that caught him before he plummeted into the depths of the crack. Krakauer starts to climb a wall of ice with his two axes(p.143) and eventually loses his foothold. He decides to just stop.

This chapter ended on a cliffhanger, which makes me wonder what is going to happen to Krakauer in the next chapter, which is also named the Stikine Ice Cap. It takes a lot of mental and physical strength in order to scale a mountain like the Devil's Thumb. You are just sitting along for days on end and I don't know how Krakauer didn't go insane just from that. On top of that, he was climbing a mountain with just his two axes digging into the wall, and that seems terrifying. I personally would never do something like that as I don't have that kind of courage.
#mountain #neardeathexperience #cliffhanger

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Judging by the title, this chapter takes place once again in the Stikine Ice Cap, continuing from last chapter. After climbing back down the mountain, Krakauer stays in his tent for the next few days due to poor weather conditions. To pass the time by, he smokes his cigarettes(p.146). The cigarettes aren't doing enough for him, so he decides to take out the marijuana(p.146). He rolls it up into a joint, lights it up, and ends up burning(p.147) his left hand. Krakauer then starts talking about how the tent isn't even his, and he borrowed(p.147) it from his father. He says that his father had always had high expectations for him and wanted him to pursue a field in medicine, but he became a carpenter(p.148) instead, which disappointed him. After descending the mountain, he goes on a boat with a guy named Jim Freeman, who doesn't believe that he climbed the Devil's Thumb. He realizes that climbing this mountain didn't change his life at all, and that McCandless wasn't suicidal when he climbed the mountain.

I can't even imagine how bored Krakauer had to be to resort to smoking weed in his tent. His dad seemed like a guy with really high expectations, probably even unrealistic. Children shouldn't be an exact copy of their parents, and they shouldn't expect their kids to. Parents should set a path for their children, but they shouldn't force their kids to go down that path.
#daddyissues #zooted #mountainconquered

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This chapter takes place in Alaska, and the chapter starts with McCandless' departure from Carthage. He meets Gaylord Stuckey, who is also en route(p.158) to Alaska for his job, which has a policy against picking up hitchhikers. He observes Alex and sees that he is clean-shaven(p.158) and seems rather smart, which sets him apart from other hitchhikers(p.159), so he decides to make an exception and take him to Fairbanks. He drops McCandless off and asks him to stay in touch and send him a letter(p.160) when he returns from his trip. While he is still in Fairbanks, McCandless buys a used gun(p.161) to take with him on his journey. He hitches a ride with a guy named Jim Gallien, who drops him off on the Stamped Trail. On the trail, he comes across a moose(p.166) and shoots it. McCandless smokes his meat, but it ends up with maggots after a few days.

McCandless wasn't being that smart in this chapter. So many of these setbacks could have easily been avoided, such as the moose meat getting spoiled and crossing the river. If he had just preserved the meat correctly, he could have saved so much time and also had a food source that would last him a while. He also could have packed a map with him, so he wouldn't have to waste his time walking back to the bus.
#backtosquareone #spoiledmeat #idiot

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Krakauer is on the Stampede Trail and is standing by the Teklanika River. He wants to cross it in order to find the bus that McCandless died in. The water depth is much lower than the one in McCandless' picture, but the current(p.173) is still powerful as ever. However, Krakauer is more prepared this time around than McCandless was since he is carrying around a map(p.173) in his backpack. Krakauer also has a cable(p.175) that he can hold onto while trying to cross the river, while McCandless did not have anything. Krakauer reaches the bus and finds a skeleton, but it does not match one of a moose's. It was actually a caribou(p.176), or a reindeer. Night falls and it is time to sleep, but Krakauer refuses to sleep(p.186) inside the bus where McCandless died.

I thought that this chapter was interesting, as Krakauer learned from McCandless' mistakes in order to succeed where he struggled. He brought a map when McCandless didn't. He brought friends to make things easier for him, such as crossing the river. I think it was respectful of Krakauer not to sleep where McCandless died, even if there were mosquitoes. The thought of sleeping where someone died would probably creep me out and would keep me up all night.
#reindeer #RiverCrossed #prepared

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McCandless was starting to turn very thin and was constantly in a caloric deficit(p.188). He had written a very unsettling entry in his journal saying that he was extremely weak and was starving(p.189), mentioning a potato seed. One of the theories of McCandless' death was that he was so hungry that he ate the potato seeds, which poisoned(p.190) him. Another theory is that he mistook the potato seeds for sweet pea(p.191) seeds, which when ingested, are poisonous. It was McCandless' last day and he was as weak as ever. He took a picture of him sitting down in front of the bus, and he looked like he was at peace(p.199). It was the end of McCandless' life.

McCandless' last days sounded pretty miserable. Dying of starvation is a really slow and painful death, and it is horrible that he went through that. I can't imagine how hungry he had to be in order to resort to eating potato seeds, which probably weren't even that filling. The last picture that he took moments from death is a really ominous photo, as he looks malnourished and skinny.

#restinpeace #endofstory #theend

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One month after the death of Chris McCandless, Krakauer flies out Chris's family a helicopter(p.100) to the bus where he died in order to give them closure. Billie wanted to travel(p.201) by foot and take the same path that Chris did, but the Telanika River current was too dangerous. Billie goes into the bus and finds a pair of Chris' jeans(p.202). She closes her eyes and notices that it still has his smell(p.202). The helicopter returns to pick them up and as they leave, the bus starts to get smaller(p.203) and smaller until it disappears.

It must be pretty hard for Chris's family to be at the site where he died. I think it also pretty sad that when Billie smelled Chris's old jeans and it still had his scent on it. It must have been painful being reminded of Chris.
#flashbacks #sadness #mourning

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It is 23 years(P3) after the death of Chris McCandless, and Krakauer is still investigating the cause behind his mysterious death. He has been trying to figure out what killed him, and it has always led him to the same thing, which is Chris' journal(p.5). Krakauer tests the seeds for a toxin called beta-ODAP(P7), but instead finds one called L-canavanine(P9), which is probably the one that killed Chris. It turns out that in the summer, the potato seeds that Chris ate produces that toxin in the midsummer(p.12).

It's crazy the amount go commitment and determination Krakauer has to solve the mystery of Chris McCandless. It's been 23 years, and he's still going at it. It's quite unfortunate timing that when Chris ate the seeds, it was that time of the year where they would become poisonous.

#science #donteatseeds #toxin

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My grandma, the person who inspires me to help others

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My future Odyssey is to become a doctor, Ever since I was a child, helping others is something I've always enjoyed doing. Science was always my strong point in school as well and I can see myself going down this path. I may be following the classic Asian stereotype where the parents want their child to be a doctor, but I can see this as one of my choices in the future. I want to be able to help people who are in need, especially the elderly, because of my grandma.

I plan to pursue this path by majoring in biological sciences in a 4-year college and then going to medical school. It is a very difficult path, but with hard work and rigor, I think I might be able to make it. If this plan does not work out, I think I can settle for a physicians assistant, as I will still be able to help people in need.

#medical #doctor #HelpingOthers

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I think Chris overall is a selfish person who has little regard for others' emotions. In my opinion, the worst thing that Chris did was leaving home at the beginning of the book without letting anyone know. I think it was incredibly selfish of him to do that because he left his family wondering for months what happened to him, and they had to find out that he was dead through some random stranger who came knocking on their door. Another situation that made me feel the same way about Chris was with Ronald Franz in Chapter 6. That poor old man cared so much about Chris and he just acted like a complete jerk to him. Franz had lost so much in his life, and every time he tried to get closer to Chris, he just brushed him off.
#hateChris #jerk #selfish