For the first two weeks, Lina was thrilled; she hung out with her friends and went shopping. But after two weeks, she felt bored. Her brother, Ian, had gone to Thailand for an English Camp, and her parents were busy with work. So, she stayed in the home alone everyday. That weekend, her mom came to Seoul, and Lina decided to enroll in a SAT prep academy. 

It was a small academy, because most of the famous ones had already closed registration. However, at this new 학원, she met a lot of international school students. By her friendly skill, Lina made friends quickly. Some were from Chadwick, Kis, TCIS, and others were from America. During summer break, Lina also hung out with her bestie, 예명. Sometimes 예명 stayed at Lina’s house every week. 

Unfortunately, poor Lina stuck and spent most of her summer in the academy, studying for the SAT. Eventually, she realized that it's impossible to get a perfect score, so after achieving a decent score on a practice test, she started to let loose. After the academy, she went to the theater alone and sometimes she went to some fancy restaurant alone. She knows that she is senior and had to work hard on college applications and SAT, but also it’s almost the last summer break in high school, so she wanted to enjoy her last! She made a lot of memories in Seoul. On August 21st, she returned home and got ready for her senior year. THE END

One of my hobbies is reading books. Every weekend, I visit bookstores to check out new books and sometimes I buy them and spend the whole weekend reading them. Since childhood, books have made me demure and chill and I like this feeling. I usually prefer powerful violent horror themes and I know that it's a minor theme. So every 19+ horror section in the bookstore, there’s only me. However, last weekend was different. I went to the bookstore just like I do every weekend. There was a boy, he looked the same age as me and he was reading a book. I tried to grab one book, but It was too high for me. So I asked him, “Can you help me? Because I can’t reach that high.” and he just grabbed a book for me and at the same time I realized a signal. A LOVE SIGNAL. He was my type, like his hair, face, clothes, even his glasses! Everything was perfect. After he gave the book to me, I didn’t lose this chance and I asked, “Hi..! I’m Min. What’s your name? Do you also like horror books?” and he said “My name is Miryu. Do you also like 19+ violent horror? Then, have you read this before?” He showed me a book and that was one of my favorite books. After that, we talked about books and he had the same taste in literature as me. I know that he is two years younger than me and he is half Japanese and half Korean. PERFECT. That made me more nervous and that’s like destiny to me. However, suddenly one girl came and grabbed Miryu’s hand and he introduced her to me, “Oh by the way, She is my girlfriend. Her name is Yui. " It was such a big shock to me. I thought he liked me and I was almost asking for dinner tonight. She was smaller than me and she had a really good personality with a pretty face and they looked good together. I felt like I didn't fit in there. So I just ran away from there and cried all night. THE END.

I literally did nothing during Chuseok. Because when we tried to go outside to buy some food, there was a lot of traffic. Last Saturday, I took a bus downtown and it usually took around an hour to get home. Because of the traffic, on that day, I took a bus for more than two hours to arrive home. So our family stayed at home the whole day! Still, we all went to the bowling alley on Tuesday. Because Ian was so addicted to bowling, so for Ian, we played bowling together. It was my third time bowling. I got 75, and Ian got 68. I beat him.

After Christmas, our family went to Tokyo, Japan for three days. Do you know what happened three days after Christmas? On the last day in Tokyo, I woke up and packed all my stuff, and we went to Starbuck to wait for an airport train. Suddenly, through Instagram, I saw the news that an airplane crashed in the Muan international airport. Yes, that's correct! Our family planned to take a plane to go to Muan international airport on the same day. Because of that accident, our airplane was cancelled. I feel so sorry about the Muan international airport accident, but the problem was my mom and dad have to work tomorrow because tomorrow is Monday. We stuck in Starbuck for three hours to buy a plane ticket, and we only purchased one ticket which is a plane going to Incheon airport. But the price was triple the original price. Therefore, my mom took that airplane and went home that day. Dad, Ian and I got other plane tickets. This ticket was the next day and the price was still triple the original price. Still, I safely made it back to Korea. 

Because of that, I cancelled Monday driving practice. I ended up canceling all my practice sessions, and on top of that, my whole family caught a heavy cold the next day, so I had to postpone my driving test by two weeks because all the test days were fully booked. Also, I was almost dying for a week. After I got better, It was the day before school! The End

I went to Jeju Island for seollal. On the day I returned home, I saw news about a plane accident involving a fire. Because of that, I was terrified to fly. I usually sleep on planes, but this time, I couldn’t. Every time I closed my eyes, I kept imagining a burning plane. Fortunately, I arrived safely in Gwangju.

Aside from that, if I could go back to my break, I would sleep even more. Because I’m still sleepy right now. Now that I’m back to reality, I’ll make sure to rest and enjoy the rest of my senior year. Also, I’m planning to study more AP Calculus and re-study AP Chemistry. 

THE END <3

When I was in middle school, I was obsessed with games. Every month, there was an event, and if I completed the event and achieved a high rank, I could win a good prize and in-game currency. When I got home, I would open my laptop and play for 3-4 hours to finish the event’s goal. Although getting a high rank was important, I realized my gaming skills weren’t improving and were actually getting worse. As a result, my game level dropped, and I got the worst grade in my life. Therefore, I decided to stop playing that game.

Victor wanted to prove that he could control life and death by creating the monster. Also he was excited about becoming famous for his discovery. However, he did think about the consequences, he made a huge mistake. He didn't care for the creature he created, and the monster ended up lonely and angry. This caused a lot of people's deaths and pain. So, I think Victor's goal wasn't worth the cost. His obsession with success led to his downfall.

This quote shows Victor Frankenstein's warning about the dangers of acquiring knowledge reflects one of the consequences of unchecked scientific ambition. Victor is cautioning that learning knowledge can lead to disastrous outcomes. I agree that knowledge can be dangerous. For example, Scientific knowledge has greatly benefited humanity but has also led to harmful consequences, such as nuclear weapons or environmental destruction.

During spring break, I watched several Gumball episodes. Also, like the mood of the song, I was happy and enjoyed my spring break a lot. Honestly, I did nothing during break. But my happiest memory was with Suin. I met Suin before her part time job. We went to a cafe and our purpose was to finish our homework, but we failed. We just gossip, gossip, and gossip. That’s it. It was fun.

I will rewrite the ending of Great Gatsby. At the end of the book, Gatsby is shot and killed by George Wilson, and Daisy and Tom disappear. It was a super bittersweet and melancholic ending. So, I want to change the ending. In my new ending, Gatsby doesn't die. Instead of his death, he wakes up after Wilson's attempted murder and fakes his own death. Then, He escapes West Egg, changes his identity, and moves to Paris and becomes a famous art dealer. Reason why he became an art dealer is just because of money and he is good at dealing stuff. After 5 years, Daisy finds him again and they kill Tom and run away together. 

Slogan: Not a monster, just a soul seeking light.

Reason why I chose his new name as Bravey is because this name sounds similar to “Brave” which means that name can reflect his courage, facing rejection and pain while still seeking understanding of humans. Next for the slogan is “Not a monster, just a soul seeking light.” It will work like he is not only a monster that society labeled him, but also it shows his journey toward goodness and humanity.

First is chapter one: Geography is Destiny. This chapter introduces the periodic table and how its layout reflects patterns in the elements’ properties. Instead of explaining the periodic table with a list, Sam Kean describes the table as a castle, and shows how elements behave based on their location like noble gases being stable on the far right, or alkali metals being reactive on the far left. Moreover, he used historical examples to show how early scientists discovered patterns among elements. He focuses on Emitri Mendeleev, who created the first effective periodic table in the 1860s. He wasn't just listing elements, but leaving gaps for elements that hadn’t been discovered yet and predicting their properties accurately like gallium and germanium. Sam Kean also shows about the energy level of each element. If I explain all the energy level information, then this journal will be more than 2 pages, so simply the energy levels are fixed distances from the nucleus of an atom where electrons may be found. For example, for the noble gases, like neon and argon, all these elements have closed shells with full complements of electrons, so none of them reacts with anything under normal conditions.

Chapter 2 is Mere Elements to Private Matter. This chapter discusses how the periodic table intersects with real human stories. Especially through the element gallium. Gallium is a soft metal that melts in your hand. Kean tells a story about practical jokes about that element. Honestly, I never heard about that joke, but he says this joke is famous among Chemists. Joke is about one story about gallium spoons that disappear in hot tea. After gallium discovery, scientists were fascinated by its unique property of melting at around 85°F. This led to the creation of gallium spoons used in pranks, where the spoon would "disappear" when stirred into hot tea. Even with that weird story, I think he tried to show how chemistry can be both serious and fun. The chapter also highlights how elements can reflect human personality traits, obsessions, and rivalries. He discusses scientists who became deeply attached to their element discoveries. One example is the competition between Emitri Mendeleev and Julius Lothar Meyer in developing the periodic table. Both of them independently worked on organizing the elements, but Mendeleev’s version gained prominence due to his bold predictions of undiscovered elements by leaving gaps for elements, and accurately predicting their properties. Those things showed his profound connection to his work. 

For now, I am completely finished with reading until chapter two, and I started reading chapter three right now. 

The Disappearing Spoon starts with a periodic table story, but rather than explaining it element by element, Kean divides the book into group elements based on how they relate to each other. For example, he talks about Noble gases firstly which includes helium (He), neon (Ne), argon (Ar), krypton (Kr), xenon (Xe), radon (Rn), and oganesson (Og). Also, he explains the properties and position on the periodic table. For example, noble gases' properties are colorless, odorless, tasteless, and nonflammable, and they are located on the right side of the periodic table. As shown, he explains each element’s groups. Some chapters explore the elements that played a role in warfare, such as uranium and plutonium in the atomic bomb. Additionally, he discusses toxic elements like thallium and arsenic which were once used in medicine but later banned due to their harmful effects. Moreover, he also talked about the scientists themselves like their rivalries, triumphs, and eccentric personalities. Such as Dmitri Mendeleev, he created the first version of the periodic table and predicted elements that had yet to be discovered. That was groundbreaking. 

One of the most memorable stories in the book is the story of the name of this book. Gallium is a metal that melts at around 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Gallium was sometimes molded into spoons that would disappear in hot tea. This story perfectly represents Kean’s style. He begins with something trivial then he reveals its deeper chemical and historical significance. Similarly, Kean tells stories of how mercury causes neurological damage. These stories make chemistry feel relevant and vivid even though I didn't have a strong background in chemistry. More than just talking about facts, Kean expresses the ethical and social implications of scientific discovery. He writes not only about the curiosity and creativity of scientists but also about the consequences of their work. For instance, Marie Curie’s discovery of radium led to legendary breakthroughs in science and medicine, but it also exposed her and others too dangerous to radiation. 

In my opinion, the toxicology and medical history parts particularly impressed me. Learning that thallium was once used as a treatment before its severe toxicity was understood. It made me reflect on the importance of proper testing and using of each element. These stories reminded me that the development of safe and effective medicine depends not only on discovery but also on ethics and regulation. The book also broadened my view of science as something deeply connected to society. Additionally, before I wasn’t sure about basic chemistry knowledge. I even didn’t know the differences between electronegativity and ionization energy. I just memorized all the Chemistry knowledge without understanding. However, now I know the differences like they both periodic trends that relate to an element's ability to interact with electrons, but electronegativity measures an atom’s ability to attract shared electrons in a chemical bond, while ionization energy measures the energy required to remove an electron from an atom. 

Ultimately, The Disappearing Spoon made chemistry exciting, meaningful, and surprising. Sam Kean transforms the periodic table from just a boring scientific chart into a rich tapestry chart. The book is a combination of scientific knowledge and storytelling skill. I think that made it accessible to both science lovers and general readers alike. I was also not that big a fan of science, but through this book, I learned a lot of science knowledge and that impressed me. 

However, after school banned the Grammarly, I tried to stay away from the Grammarly and google translation. When I reread my English short story essay draft, I can see the wrong grammar and weird sentences. Through Mr. Lynn and other friends editing, I think my English short story has improved a lot. I know my English essay is still not that good, like using just simple English words and grammar mistakes. At least not relying on other programs made me feel more relieved. 

This assignment is to talk and review all I have written this semester and look at areas I need to improve and areas I think I have done well. First of all, I don’t think I improved a lot. To be honest, this semester was to learn and remove other English programs from my essay for me. Thus, I don’t think I improved a lot in this semester yet as an English skill. So, I checked my 10th grade and 11th grade essays also. Even though I relied on English programs, my essay was too simple and some sentences were awkward. I can also see which part I used Google Translation. Next, when I think I have done well is using conjunctions. After I learned types of conjunctions and other grammars in SAT academy, I started to use them in my essay. That made my essay smoother and better quality. 

Lastly, the area that I have to improve is vocabulary. When I was studying in the SAT academy, I memorized tons of words. Usually SAT words are uncommon in normal conversation and hard to imply in my essay. Plus, because of the short time to study, I just memorized the Korean meaning of the vocabulary and focused on how to solve the questions instead of how to use those words in my essay. Also, I am not that good at memorizing in the long term. Thus, when I write my essay, I’m always using simple words like middle schoolers' essays. Therefore, my goal is to memorize more vocabularies, and learn how to imply in my essay sentences not just memorize. I think this part will improve my essay better and help me to survive in my future college life. I will try my best to improve my English!! Thank  you ;)

I reread my last writing portfolio review and I mentioned my weakness of vocabulary. To be honest, I forgot most of my words I memorized in SAT academy. One of the biggest reasons is I didn’t have a chance to use those kinds of high levels in normal life. By not using those words, they are slowly and clearly cleaned in my brain, so after I read my quarter 2 and 3 English writing, I didn’t see differences with the vocabulary. They are still at the same level. Therefore, for the rest of the year, I’m going to focus on reading, not just memorizing words. I believe reading books will vastly improve English in context, expands vocabulary, improves comprehension, and enhances grammar understanding, and it will be better than just memorizing vocabulary. 

From now on, I will be more focused on reading and improving my vocabulary. I know I still lack grammar knowledge, especially when I am always confused with tense. However, I will improve those grammar skills by reading books or articles. At the same time, It will also help me with improving my vocabulary.

Another strength is how I organize my writing. Most of my essays have a clear structure. Because In Lynn's class, we learned how to make outlines and how to express my ideas with clear structures. So, I always try to write a strong introduction, build my body paragraphs with topic sentences, and finish with a conclusion that connects everything together. 

However, I also recognize that there are a lot of things I need to improve. One of my main weaknesses is grammar, especially verb tense consistency. Sometimes I mix past and present tense in the same sentence. Especially, I am always confused in the English test. When I have to explain one story about the book, I know we have to use present tense, but I always use past tense or confuse. Not only in the test, I have made this mistake in several assignments, and I know I need to be more careful about keeping my tenses consistent. 

Another weakness is sentence clarity and variety. Sometimes my sentences are too long or repetitive. I often connect too many sentences with using “and” or “because” It makes the sentence hard to understand or boring. I also noticed I tend to use similar sentence structures, which can make my writing sound flat even if the ideas are strong. For instance, when I write an introduction, I always use “This essay will talk about…” or “This essay will explore about…”. I will try to find more ways to express my ideas. 

This summer I have to lock in :) because I didn’t notice that nyu core curriculum courses are essay writing classes and I have to take a lot of them (English writing classes for two years, seminars, honor programs, and etc.). As soon as I go to college, I have to take three essay classes. I feel like I’m in a liberal arts major, not a science. Thus, to improve over the summer, I plan to focus on strengthening my grammar, especially verb tenses. I will reread my past essays and fix it by myself. Additionally, I will read short articles or books. I try to read English books, but that makes me too sleepy. So, I will start to read short stories or articles, so I can focus. Reading will help me to improve my grammar and writing skills. By focusing on English, I hope I will be a more confident and skilled writer! Thank you Mr Lynn for teaching us for three years. Not only me, I think all highschool students have improved their writing a lot :) !