7/13/2010- Oxford

7/13

It was raining this morning.
It seems as if it could have been symbolic for something that happened today, or perhaps everything that happened today, but I can't grasp quite what.


Creative Writing: We did work out of our binders in class, studying Edgar Allen Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart and studying the usage of good suspense in writing, marking what we liked and what we didn't like next to the poem. We also looked at the Black Book of Secrets and Teddy, my poetic friend I mentioned in an earlier entry (end of 7/9/2010), read a few of his favorite poems aloud.

It was raining during break.

Experimental Psychology: We listened to our teacher give a lecture about what females look in males in terms of attractiveness and vice versa. According to research, one of the best compliments you can give someone about their looks is that they are "average," because the compilation of many pictures of different people together, using the average of many different facial features, comes together in an extremely beautiful person. Something to keep in mind. :) We also talked about a presentation we'd be giving the next day, the display of all of our hard efforts in our psychology experiments we had done.

It was raining when we took a bus to Blenheim Palace.

But when the raindrops lessened, the dew clung to the petals in the flower gardens, creating a beautiful scene.

We took many pictures, especially in Rose Garden, and of course I took the immediate opportunity to do what I love as much as writing:
Talking.
So my friends and I talked about several subjects for hours on end: Harry Potter (AVPM and AVPS, PPP, the books, the movies, Dumbledore, the growth of the main characters, everything), Percy Jackson (the books, and the movies), etc.

It was raining, the trees hidden by a foggy layer of mist.

The Secret Garden was our next destination. I doubt this one had anything to do with the book, but it was certainly another favorite where I took many pictures!





It was raining when we went into the café at the palace for hot chocolate and muffins.

We walked back to our larger groups, took more pictures, and talked about the plotline of Wicked. Then, we all got back into our buses and rode back to campus.

It was raining in the bus.

Diana and I worked on our psychology presentation, doing research on our topic and writing a lab report about our procedures, data, etc. We also practiced a song for the talent show from Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Going Through the Motions), though we were also going to perform a song from the Phantom of the Opera and went to bed after dinner and the evening shout.

~Cora

7/12/2010- Oxford

7/12

Creative Writing: We analyzed a poem today about Havisham, which I really like and suggest that you look into. We also wrote about abstract thoughts- courage, love, etc. and answer a few questions about them as if they were living entities. I chose Faith, explaining that she lives in a hollow cave far away from all: one has to reach for her to bring her closer, on a journey stressful and tedious. She creates songs for the depressed and she tastes like sweet chocolate chip cookies and milk. Though her mother, Desire, once shared love with her, and though Faith and her sister, Hope, miss her, they have never met again since their birth.
Another prompt was to write a poem about an emotion. I chose confusion:

Help

Ow; stab
Lips kiss
Yes no
What is this
all meaning
full of
how should
why it could
have
who to believe
when to think
pondering
wishing
slapping a face
hard
wishing this place
was different, why
love?
wait,
what?



After a break, in which I played UNO with my best friends and prepared for what I didn't realize would be the trigger of my interest in psychology, something that could forever impact my life.


Experimental Psychology: We watched a short video regarding the Milgram Experiment. The participants signed up for the experiment, believing it to be a memory test. Its real goal, however, was to discover how far people would obey authority.
Please research this topic. It could change the way you perceive humans and yourself- what would you do when confronted in a situation that could end someone's life?
Our teacher also described to us the Stanford Prison Experiment, in which the participants became the roles they were acting as- and they had no idea who they had been.


Onto a more positive (and random) note, free time in the afternoon led my friends and I to many different shops, but the only things I ended up buying were desserts, which were all sadly mediocre in taste except for an amazing chocolate chip cookie that I split with Diana, one of my best friends.

Anyway, after laundry and dinner, Diana and I went to a park, where we sang songs, Diana played football (soccer) and though she happened to be the only girl on either team (some of the boys were doubting her abilities), she proudly scored the only goal.

< At the park, there was a pretty sunset! I loved the strange way the clouds floated in the sky with the colors blending into them... it looked better in real life, but here's a picture. You can't see it very well, but the sky was tinted red, and the clouds faded into the red... it was cool. :)




After a long, hard day, I was ready to go to sleep after the evening shout, and so I did.

~Cora