State of the David Address

I figured it was about time to do an update-post, so here goes.

School's been going quite well. I had my first Calculus 3 midterm last Wednesday, and we got the tests back on Friday. The exam was on functions of several variables, limits & continuity, and vectors. The, uh, class average was around a 60 (My section had the highest average at a 62.something - more on that in a moment, and others were in the 50s [I believe one section got below a 50]). I got a 98. So, ah, yeah. Doin' well. As I mentioned in the parenthesis, my class had the highest average at a 62 point something, which apparently was only because of three people in the class who got above a 90. Two of them (myself being one) got 98s, though I'm unsure of who the other one is.

I went and visited my high school at the end of last week and spent a while talking to my BC Calculus teacher. At one point he jokingly asked if I was happy with the 98 or if I was mad that I missed the two points that I did. My answer kind of summarizes my philosophy on learning and whatnot: I'm pretty much at the point where I don't really care about grades too much. I believe that I learn solely because I'm really interested in the material and really enjoy learning. Grades sort of follow along. Though it's a bit idealistic, I'd argue that this mindset is far superior to the "oh no I need to get a whateverpercent on this exam so I can maintain my whatevergrade so I can get a whateverGPA so I can graduate and go to whateverschool" that I see in a lot of people. If you're learning because you're genuinely interested in the material and want to understand it, you don't have to worry about grades because you'll understand the material. Moreover, I almost enjoy exams, because I view them as a way to learn new ways of applying the material, etc., and enjoy the challenge. So, yeah, that's me on education and learning.

Oh, I've got genetics and chemistry midterms this week, but again I'm not really too concerned, due to previous stuff.

We're currently working on a 'fission essay' in my writing class - essentially we have to use three items picked randomly to prove an also-randomly picked proverb. I'm using LEGOs, Ayn Rand, and Rorschach from Watchmen (Aw yeah, another assignment where I get to use Watchmen!) to prove the proverb "innocence is bliss". I've actually made pretty good headway in linking the three together and have a fairly in-depth and interesting essay in the works. I'll probably put it up once I finish.

In non-school-stuff, we've started learning tonfa in martial arts. I'm quite excited because I've wanted to learn them for a while now - they're reasonably sized and could theoretically be carried around. Potentially useful! We also modified ours a bit - the handles were a bit wobbly, so we put in screws from the bottom of the weapon into the handle so they're sturdy. I also engraved the Batman sign into the tops of the knobs on the handles: BAT-TONFAS. Pictures maybe sometime.

'Til next time!

Miscellaneous adventures through time, space and AP scores

Well. Seems like all sorts of stuff is happening. From the top, then!

AP scores came in yesterday. I took BC calc and psychology, got 5s on both. Yayhooray. Wasn't altogether surprised at the score on calc, to be honest (hell, I was almost expecting to be audited), but was amused by the 5 on psych. I distinctly recall making up some terms and flat-out skipping another. Oh well!

So, I believe it's thank you time again!
Mr. Stearns: Thanks for guiding us through the curriculum this year (and dealing with some of the dumber things that we did). While I'm pretty good at picking things up, I do need someone to show me how to get started. So, thank you again.

Let's see. My orientation session at CU is tomorrow, and I realized earlier that I have no idea what I'm supposed to be doing in terms of class registration, course requirements, etc. Should be... Interesting.

Finally, my new laptopp should be coming in within a day or two. Surprisingly, UPS appears to finally have become competent, having shipped it from North Carolina to Kansas in just two days. Previously, they liked to ship it north a state or two, then west a bit, back south, etc. The final test will be to see if it sits in Commerce City for weeks on end.

That's about it for major news. I guess it's worth mentioning that this entiire post was written on my new cell phone (an LG Rumor Touch from Virgin Mobile), making it the longest thing I've ever written on a phone. Yeah, me!

The First of (Hopefully) Many

I'm writing a blog!

... Oh dear, I am writing a blog. How does one begin a blog?

I suppose I could begin with who I am. Many of you reading this probably already know who I am, but for the benefit of the (probably nonexistent) readers that don't, here goes.

My name is David Chen (As you may have guessed from the title of the blog. Good job, you!). I'm 17 years old at the time of this writing and live in Colorado. I graduated from the International Baccalaurate program in high school a few months ago. And... well, I'll deem that sufficient for the time being.

Why does someone start writing a blog, anyways?

My Life Since Graduation

Okay. I can do this! Rewind three months, to just after graduation. Pretty good ceremony. I must admit, however, that I'm still not convinced that I am, indeed, graduated. Hopefully it'll set in soon. So. Graduation's over, and my family's off to California. Left the night of graduation, so I wouldn't have to go to any graduation parties. Wait, that came out wrong. Anyways, we were in California for a week, visiting Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon National Parks. Suffice to say, I saw a lot of mountains and a lot of trees. Good trip.

As for what I've been up to since we got back... well, I think I might need some more subtitles for that.

Work and Play

I've been working three or four days a week since we got back. It's probably better for me than sitting around at home all day, anyways. We had planned to go to China this summer as we've done in years past, but with the Worlds Fair in Shanghai (where my mother's family lives), it'd be altogether too hectic. So, instead, I'm workin'. Keeps me busy, I guess.

Despite that, I've still got a ridiculous amount of free time - more than I know what to do with. I find that I like to be engaged most of the time, and so do my best to find things to do. Since summer started, I've gone through four 1000+ page novels in a series (now working on a 5th). I'm also continuing to practice taekwondo (though we're off this week). Beyond that, as insane as it sounds, I've been learning things. I figured out a Calculus 3 topic that I should be covering next year, multiple integration, the other day and plan to continue with that (Mr. Stearns, if you're reading this, what were some of the other topics you mentioned?).

The Big Day

... That was yesterday. IB test scores released! I'd rewind again and tell the harrowing story of how nervous I was, but I'd be lying. Truth be told, I've never been too worried about this sort of stuff. I won't bother putting up my scores (I assume I'm allowed to share them, anyways), but yeah, I passed and earned my diploma. Yayhooray. Which, I suppose, prompts a few messages to hopefully-possibly-readers. Quickly, look for your name!

Ms. Morgan: Thanks again for being my EE supervisor! It was a great experience (even the awful smell) and I really appreciate your guidance during the whole process. Also, your name gets to appear twice!

Ms. Morgan and Ms. Talle: Thanks for all your work in preparing us for the test. I felt extremely comfortable with the topics being tested - which was unthinkable a few years ago. Also, Ms. Talle: Thanks again for those smoothies!

Mr. Buck and Mr. G: I took the IB Math test last year, but a thank-you is still in order. Thank you for teaching the techniques and, in another sense, the mindset needed to excel in math. (Mr. Stearns: Your thank-you comes later, since AP test scores aren't out yet - to my knowledge, anyways - but, in preparation for the more serious one, thanks for allowing all of that Scrabble at the end of the year!)

Mr. Mehlbach: I've always been better with analysis and the significance of historical events than remembering the specific dates, but you prepared me to do both in an engaging and challenging setting. Thanks! (Insert bow here.)

Mrs. Kirby: Thanks for teaching me to enjoy poetry - I was never a huge fan of it prior to your class. Thanks also for helping me be able to express myself better through discussion, etc.

Looking to the Future

Ah, yes. THE FUTURE. A place of mystery and wonder! A time when we shall be assisted by robotic helpers to - oh, wait, not that far into the future.

I'll be attending CU Boulder next year, and majoring in Biochemistry (Probably a crazy choice, but oh well - I've ever been the math/science type). I'm going to orientation... exactly one week from today, actually, and I realized the other day that I have no idea what I'm doing as far as class registration and such goes, being the first in my family to go to college here in the States. Should be an interesting experience.

Apart from that, I'm not overly concerned about the transition to college. They also say that the transition from middle to high school is big, but if I remember correctly, that wasn't too bad, either. Sure, this one's going to be more major, but I'm not worried. Let's hope!

So that's that, then. I've finished my first blog post! That wasn't so bad. Now let's see if I can keep this up.