English Literacy: Inside Out & Back Again Narrative Poem

In the second round of English literacy this year, we did a case study on why people flee home, mainly with refugees and their experiences. The book Inside Out & Back Again written by Thanhha Lai was very important and helpful to us in this case study as we used it constantly in discussions of topics regarding what it feels like to be a refugee as well as the factors of becoming a refugee. At the end of the round, we studied refugees from many parts of the world and what was going on their country. As products of this round, we each wrote our own Inside Out & Back Again poem. These poems convey the experience of being a refugee, in a state of discomfort and vulnerability, and being lost, far from home. Below are the first 6 stanzas of my Inside Out & Back Again poem, entitled “Scared and Separated”. This round was one I enjoyed very much.

Scared and Separated

Freed and imprisoned, we cannot help, but fear the silence.

Return home, Azfaar. Bring your brother with you as well. We’ll be with you shortly, I promise.

Sweat is pouring down on my face. I hear shouts and screams far behind me, distant, yet loud and violent, but I dare not turn. I keep on going.

I recall when Father said while smiling, Not too soon, you’ll be in school with your friends again.

Thinking about it makes me miss them more and more.

Badrawi eyes me. Then his grip tightens. Our steps quicken gradually, then our stride breaks into a run…

What happens next? Click here to read the rest of this poem! Or if that is not working, here is the link: http://bit.ly/2KXlWdp

Thank you for reading!

English Literacy: “One More Light” – Linkin Park | Song Analysis

Source: https://www.deviantart.com/neorock096/art/Linkin-Park-One-More-Light-2017-681953343

It is recommended for easy reference that the following is read with the original lyrics of the song which can be found here.

One More Light is the 9th and eponymous track of the seventh studio album by famous American rock band Linkin Park. Set in a melancholic tone, the band’s lead vocalist, Chester Bennington, sings about the daunting and tragic experience of losing a loved one — a light. Throughout parts of the song, Chester refers to human life as sources of light, with the idea of a person being able to illuminate and make someone else’s life better with just their presence and company. With the repetitive pattern of a wavy synthesizer and melodious electric guitar played from beginning to end, the song places the listener in an environment soothing to the human soul and mind. With Chester’s soulful voice accompanied by the calming instrumentation, the song is able to achieve the goal of putting the listener in a tranquil state in a fashion so simple, yet artful and true. Since its creation, One More Light has been a track dedicated to many wonderful people whom the band has worked with and those who have passed, including dear Chester himself, though it is for those who are going through a harsh time in life as well. The structure in which the song is written gives it versatility and ambiguity, making it able to be seen from different perspectives and very relatable for the listener. The lyrics are able to encompass the mind of the listener, put them in the singer’s viewpoint, and translate their thoughts in addition to also being able to expressively speak to them. For long-time fans and supporters of Linkin Park, the track is one that acts as a reminder of the truly unbreakable bond between them and the band and what they have created. Thus, it is regarded as a deeply emotional piece. Embedded within, One More Light is home to a cathartic message that has undoubtedly helped save the lives of millions of people: “You matter. Stay Alive.”

Composed of four lines, Chester begins the song by talking to the listener and the person he recently lost from his life in the first verse. In the starting line, after having lost the person, he finally realizes that they had been suffering, presumably from a mental illness, all along. He is regretful that he took their actions for granted, that he didn’t pay them with enough care and attention to notice the pain they were going through. Hence, he wishes he had been more aware as to provide them with the proper love they needed. In the second line of the verse, Chester asks the person if he can help them. After seeing their pain, he wants to ease their troubles as to rid and compensate for all the harm he may have done to them in the past, to free them from whatever’s holding them down. This line also makes the listener, who may be in a situation similar to the person Chester’s talking to, feel that someone cares for them and wants to help as to make up for what they have been going through. The subsequent line, he recalls a time when he was with the person, struggling together, when everyone else didn’t notice so. They promised each other that there would be light for both of them at the end of the dismal tunnel they were in; they saw hope for one another and that there was an end to the hardship. As time went by, Chester’s worries likely vanished. He might’ve forgotten about the person, occupied by events in life, allowing their connection to slowly fade. Therefore, he regrets that he was not aware enough to stay and help the person as expressed in the first line similarly. The last line of the verse refers to the bittersweetness of being able to have wonderful things in life, but not to keep forever. Now that the person is no longer with Chester, he misses them, but even so, he is still grateful to have had them in his life. As the introductory part of the song, the first verse talks to the listener as to relieve them from their worries and makes them feel cared for by the singer. As part of the song’s ambiguity, it is also possible for the listener to relate to the story being told if they viewed it from Chester’s perspective; it makes them feel that they are not the only one who is going through the experience and in doing so, eases their mind and thoughts.

Being the most important part of the song, the chorus is what makes One More Light the powerful and heartwarming song that it is. This part of the song repeats three times: once after each verse and one at the end of the song. Represented as a million stars in the chorus, there are over 7 billion people in today’s world, so the death and significance of one person’s life may be comprehended by many people as relatively unimportant. In the chorus of the song, Chester opposes those who think in that way by answering the question: “Who cares if one more light goes out?”, as to refute them, with the first verse acting to support his argument as evidence. He speaks to the listener and describes a light, a person’s life, as flickering and dying alone in a sky of a million stars that is the world. Someone who’s going through a tough time in life may be thinking about suicide and deciding whether or not they want to complete it. In those moments of intense thinking and pressure, they have very little time to make a choice because their life is on the line. Thus, “if a moment is all we are”. Some have more time to decide while some have less, varying in different situations. So even though a single life, compared to billions, may seem insignificant and extremely small, it does not mean the impact they have on other people is so. The death of someone can affect other people tremendously, especially if they are family, and thus being a great loss, as already expressed in the first verse. Consequently and as the main message of the song, he is saying that he cares immensely for each and every life in this world because they all matter. After having asked the listener if he could help them with their troubles in the first verse, Chester is now building up on the care he expressed to further show his love and concern for the listener, relieving and making them feel safe.

Also comprising four lines, Chester speaks to himself, and the listener, in the second verse of this track. In the starting line, Chester goes on to fill his mind with thoughts and memories associated with the person he lost and dearly loved. After their death, life is different from what it used to be. In recollecting past moments he made with the person, he comes to be filled with extreme sadness and sorrow. In the succeeding line, Chester expands on the picture of life being different without the person. He describes that the chair that the person used to always sit in in the kitchen is still there while they themself are not, indicating a feeling of incompletion; he had become so used to having the person around that his life now without them just feels like it is missing a very important piece. In the third line of this verse, Chester tells himself, and the listener, that it is okay and completely normal to feel strong emotions such as anger in a time like this. He is angry that the person is no longer here because it doesn’t seem fair for them to leave this world so unexpectedly, without allowing him to give them the love and care they much deserved; he wishes the person to still be in his life. The fourth and final line refers to the concealment of pain and suffering in today’s society. Chester lets the listener know that just because they are not able to see or perceive something does not mean that it’s nonexistent. Whether mental or physical, people face challenges personally every day, although it might not seem like they are. And it is the case in the world today that most people hide them, which includes the person whom Chester lost. However, just because it is not shown that they are facing challenges, it does not mean they are not there. Someone could be going through a very hard time and you might not be able to tell because of the way and how well they hide it. Concealment of pain is just another sign that indicates that the person may be struggling and might not have someone who cares for them enough to listen and help. This part of the song is what makes it very soulful; it strengthens the emotional bond between the listener and the singer, allowing for them to relate to and contemplate what is being described, similar to the first verse.

Source: https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/fvBoSRgWJphX9E4yPjZgKB.jpg

On July 20, 2017, Chester completed suicide by hanging. For many, it was a very unexpected and tragic catastrophe. Released later in September the same year, the band dedicated the music video for One More Light to Chester for everything he has done to help not only his band, but millions of others in the world through their music. One More Light is a work of art by Linkin Park that, along with other songs, has helped many people push through hardships in their lives and make them believe that they truly matter. There are numerous individuals around the world in every corner this instance who may be suffering and going through the toughest and harshest, or maybe even the darkest time of their lives, who might feel that nobody cares for them whatsoever. The lyrics of this song, however, apprise the listener that they are what illuminates the sky and permeates it with millions of stars. A single life going out is tragic for anyone. And we are all under the same sky. One more light going out just means the sky becoming even darker. And Chester’s soothing vocals concinnate and convey that message in a way that resonates mentally with the listener on a personal level. To me, the ambiguity and versatility of this song are what make it verily unique and moving. As the lead vocalist of Linkin Park, Chester has been regarded as one of the greatest rock influencers and singers of his generation. He had been and continues to be an inspiration for numerous people all over the world today. And One More Light is one of the many testaments of that statement.

ភាសាខ្មែរ៖ តែងសេចក្ដីអំពីអក្សរសិល្ប៍

ប្រធាន៖ មានទស្សនៈមួយចែងថា “ការសិក្សាអក្សរសិល្ប៍គឺសិក្សាអំពីមនុស្សដើម្បីមនុស្ស” ។ ចូរពន្យល់ទស្សនៈមួយនេះដោយរកឧទាហរណ៍ក្នុងស្នាដៃអក្សរសិល្ប៍មកបញ្ជាក់ ។

តាំងពីមនុស្សលោកកើតមកលើផែនដីមួយនេះ ពួកយើងតែងតែចង់ដឹង ចង់រៀន ចង់ស្វែងយល់អំពីអ្វីគ្រប់យ៉ាង ។ រយៈពេលប្រមាណ២សែនឆ្នាំបានកន្លងតាំងពីចូលមកក្នុងអត្ថិភាព ពួកយើងបានរីកចម្រើនខ្លាំងជាងសត្វអ្វីផ្សេងៗ ដែលនៅលើលោកនេះ ។ ប៉ុន្តែក្រៅពីសិក្សាទាក់ទងនឹងអ្វី ដែលនៅជុំវិញខ្លួនយើង យើងក៏បានសិក្សាអំពីខ្លួនយើងនិងសង្គមយើងដែរ ។ ការសិក្សាឆ្លុះបញ្ចាំងសង្គម ឬ ជីវភាពមនុស្សនៅសម័យណាមួយនេះ ត្រូវបានគេចាត់ទុកថាជាអក្សរសិល្ប៍ ។ អាស្រ័យហេតុនេះ ទើបមានទស្សនៈមួយដែលចែងថា “ការសិក្សាអក្សរសិល្ប៍ គឺសិក្សាអំពីមនុស្ស ដើម្បីមនុស្ស” ។ តើប្រធានខាងលើមួយនេះមានន័យ ឬ ខ្លឹមសារដូចម្ដេច?

ដើម្បីយល់អំពីទស្សនៈខាងលើនេះ ព្រមទាំងធ្វើឲ្យការបកស្រាយងាយស្រួល យើងត្រូវសិក្សាស្គាល់ពាក្យគន្លឹះសំខាន់ខ្លះៗនៃប្រធានបន្ថែមសិន ។ ពាក្យគន្លឹះទីមួយ អក្សរសិល្ប៍ គឺជាការសិក្សា ឆ្លុះបញ្ចាំងសង្គមមនុស្សនៅសម័យកាលណាមួយ ដើម្បីបង្ហាញនូវបញ្ហា ឬ ទំនាស់ផ្សេងៗនៃសម័យនោះ តាមរយៈបង្កើតនិងនិពន្ធអត្ថបទមួយជាស្នាដៃ ។ ឃ្លាគន្លឹះទីពីរនៃប្រធានខាងលើគឺ “សិក្សាអំពីមនុស្សដើម្បីមនុស្ស” ។ ផ្នែកសំខាន់នេះបញ្ជាក់ថា គោលបំណងនៃការសិក្សាអំពីបញ្ហាទាំងឡាយណា ដែលកើតមានឡើងនៅក្នុងជីវិតមនុស្សនិងសង្គមជាញឹកញាប់នោះគឺ ដើម្បីឲ្យមានប្រយោជន៍ដល់មនុស្ស អប់រំមនុស្ស ចង់ឲ្យអ្នកអាន សិក្សាយកវាទៅពិចារណា គិតចំពោះ ហើយអនុវត្តនូវមេរៀនរបស់រឿង ឬ សិល្ប៍វិធីរបស់អ្នកនិពន្ធរឿងនោះ ។ ឥឡូវដែលយើងបានយល់ច្បាស់គ្រប់ពាក្យគន្លឹះនៃប្រធាន យើងអាចសន្និដ្ឋានថា ការសិក្សាអក្សរសិល្ប៍ជាការសិក្សាអំពីជីវភាពមនុស្សនិងស្ថានភាពសង្គមក្នុងសម័យកាលណាមួយ ដើម្បីស្វែងរកនូវបញ្ហាធំៗទាំងឡាយ ដែលមនុស្សបានជួបប្រទះ ហើយអប់រំនិងផ្ដល់ប្រយោជន៍ ដល់មនុស្សក្នុងសង្គមបច្ចុប្បន្ន ។ ដើម្បីធ្វើឲ្យប្រធានងាយស្រួលយល់បន្ថែមទៅទៀត យើងនឹងអានសិក្សាបន្ដិចអំពីរឿងខ្លះ ដែលបង្ហាញនូវអក្សរសិល្ប៍ ឬ ទាក់ទងនឹងអក្សរសិល្ប៍ ។ ក្នុងរឿងកុលាបប៉ៃលិន យើងបានដឹងថា “អត្តាហិ អត្តនោ នាថោ” គឺពាក្យបណ្ដាំចុងក្រោយរបស់តាចឹមទៅកូនប្រុសរបស់គាត់ចៅចិត្រ មុននឹងគាត់បានចែកឋ្ឋានទៅបាត់ ដោយសារជម្ងឺរោគធ្ងន់ ។ តើពាក្យផ្ដាំមួយឃ្លានេះ មានអត្ថន័យដូចម្ដេច? អ្វីដែលតាចឹមចង់ឲ្យចៅចិត្រដឹង ហើយចាំទុកនោះគឺ ក្នុងជីវិត ទោះបីស្ថានភាពពិបាកយ៉ាងណាក៏ដោយ ទោះបីមានអ្វីអាក្រក់ប៉ុណ្ណាកើតឡើងក៏ដោយ យើងត្រូវចេះរៀនជួយខ្លួនឯង ត្រូវចេះថែទាំខ្លួន ត្រូវមាំមួនដោយខ្លួនឯង កុំរំពឹងទុកនរណាម្នាក់ឡើយ ព្រោះការពិតនោះគឺ គ្មានអ្នកណាអាចជួយយើង ខ្លាំងជាងយើងអាចជួយខ្លួនឯងទេ ។ បន្ទាប់ពីតាចឹមទទួលមរណភាព រាល់ពេលដែលចៅចិត្រនឹកដល់គាត់ ចៅចិត្រតែងតែនឹកដល់ពាក្យបណ្ដាំចុងក្រោយរបស់គាត់ ព្រមទាំព្យយាមអនុវត្តវាទៀតផង ។ ពាក្យបណ្ដាំរបស់តាចឹមនោះហើយ ដែលជួយចៅចិត្រឲ្យចេះជួយខ្លួនឯង រស់នៅដោយឯករាជ ម្នាក់ឯងនិងមិនរំពឹងលើនរណាម្នាក់ឡើយ ។ បើយើងក្រឡេកមើលរឿងផ្កាស្រពោនវិញ យើងដឹងថារឿងមួយនេះនិយាយអំពីសេចក្ដីស្នេហារបស់គូកំសត់មួយ សេចក្ដីស្នេហារវាងវិធាវី និង ប៊ុនធឿន ។ រឿងផ្កាស្រពោនត្រូវបានបញ្ចប់ដោយ សេចក្ដីស្នេហាមិនជោគជ័យ ហើយគួរឲ្យកំសត់ទៀតផង ។ ប៊ុនធឿននិងវិធាវីស្រឡាញ់គ្នាខ្លាំងណាស់ ។ សេចក្ដីស្នេហានោះ ត្រូវបានបណ្ដុះ ដោយមាតាបិតាទាំងសងខាង តាំងពីកុមារភាព ។ ប៉ុន្តែហេតុអ្វីបានសេចក្ដីស្នេហានោះ មិនជោគជ័យ ហើយអ្នកទាំងពីរ មិនទទួលនូវសេចក្ដីសុខសុភមង្គលនៅចុងរឿង? គឺដោយសារតែការលោភលន់ចង់បាន ទ្រព្យសម្បត្តិ ការយកទ្រព្យសម្បត្តិធ្វើជាចម្បង ។ បញ្ហាទាំងឡាយដែលកើតនៅក្នុងរឿងផ្កាស្រពោន គឺភាគច្រើនបង្កដោយសារ យាយនួនទាំងអស់ ដោយសារតែគាត់ចង់បានលុយ ចង់បានទ្រព្យសម្បត្តិ ។ យាយនួន ដែលជាមាតារបស់វិធាវី បានបង្ខំឲ្យនាងរៀបការជាមួយនឹងបុគ្គលម្នាក់ ដែលនាងមិនស្រឡាញ់ពិតមែន ឬ​ ចេញពីចិត្ត ។ ក្នុងចុងរឿង យើងអ្នកអានបានស្វែងរកឃើញថា វិធាវីបានទទួលអនិច្ចកម្ម ដោយសារតែការឈឺធ្ងន់ ព្យាបាលមិនធូរ ។ ការឈឺចាប់ដែលវិធាវីទទួលបាននោះ គឺដោយសារតែយាយនួនបង្ខំឲ្យនាងធ្វើអ្វី ដែលនាងមិនពេញចិត្តក្នុងការប្រព្រឹត្ត ។ មេរៀនដែលរឿងផ្កាស្រពោនចង់ឲ្យយើង អ្នកអាន សិក្សា យកទៅអនុវត្តនោះគឺ ការមិនយកទ្រព្យសម្បត្តិធ្វើជាចម្បង ។ បើយើងចង់បានតែទ្រព្យសម្បត្តិ ការលោភលន់ចង់បាននោះអាចបង្កឲ្យមានបញ្ហាផ្សេងៗ ដែលទ្រព្យ ឬ ប្រាក់មិនអាចយកទៅជួយដោះស្រាយបន្ធូរបាន ។ និយាយអំពីរឿងព្រះអាទិត្យថ្មីរះលើដែនដីចាស់ វិញ យើងដឹងថា សមជួបប្រទះជាមួយនឹងបញ្ហានិងផលវិបាកជាច្រើននៅក្នុងរឿង ។ ប៉ុន្តែបញ្ហាសឹងទាំងអស់នោះ គឺសុទ្ធតែកើតឡើងដោយសារតែគេមើលងាយ និងវាយតម្លៃគាត់ជាអ្នកក្រ ។ គេបានជេរ ស្អប់ខ្ពើម ជិះជាន់លើនិងធ្វើចំពោះសមដោយអយុត្តិធម៌ និងដោយវាយតម្លៃតែសំបកក្រៅទៀតផង ។ អ្នកដែលប្រព្រឹត្តអំពើទាំងឡាយនោះ គឺភាគច្រើន អ្នកមានប្រាក់តែគ្មានភាពសុចរិត ឬ សិល្ប៍ធម៌ ។ រីឯអ្នកក្រផ្សេងវិញ គឺស្និទ្ធស្នាល មានចិត្ត មានថ្លើមចេះជួយសមមិនដូចអ្នកផ្សេងទេ ពីព្រោះពួកគាត់ធ្លាប់នៅក្នុងស្ថានភាពរបស់សមដែរ ។ សមជួបប្រទះនឹងសំណាងអាក្រក់ជាច្រើនដង ច្រើនសារ ហើយក្រពិបាកមែន ប៉ុន្តែទោះស្ថានភាពរបស់សមពិបាកទ្រាំមិនបានយ៉ាងណា សមមិនដែលប្រព្រឹត្តនូវអំពើទុចរិត មិនស្មោះឡើយ ក្រៅពីការលួចក្របូប ។ ការលួចក្របូបនោះគឺអំពើមួយ ដែលសមបានប្រព្រឹត្ត ចេញពីសេចក្ដីស្រែកឃ្លាននិងការទ្រាំមិនបាន ។ តើរឿងមួយនេះចង់បង្រៀនយើងអ្វី? រឿងព្រះអាទិត្យថ្មីរះលើដែនដីចាស់នោះ គឺចង់បង្រៀន ចង់ប្រាប់យើងទាំងអស់គ្នា ដែលជាអ្នកអាន អ្នកសិក្សា អ្នករស់នៅក្នុងសង្គមនោះ ថាយើងមិនត្រូវវាយតម្លៃ ឬ មើលងាយអ្នកណាម្នាក់ដោយសំបកក្រៅ ដោយមិនស្គាល់ធាតុពិតនិងប្រវត្តរបស់គេទេ ព្រោះអ្វីដែលយើងគិតនោះ គឺអាចខុសឆ្ងាយមិនស្របជាមួយនឹងអ្វីដែលត្រូវ ហើយជាការពិត ។ រឿងនីមួយៗខាងលើសុទ្ធតែឆ្លុះបញ្ចាំសង្គមនៅសម័យណាមួយ សុទ្ធតែមានបញ្ហា និងមានមេរៀន ដែលបើយើងយកទៅអនុវត្ត នឹងផ្ដល់ប្រយោជន៍ដល់យើង ។ បន្ទាប់ពីអានសិក្សាអំពីស្នាដៃខ្មែរចំនួនបីនេះ យើងដឹងថាអក្សរសិល្ប៍ពិតជាការសិក្សអំពីមនុស្ស ដើម្បីប្រយោជន៍មនុស្សមែន ។

ទស្សនៈប្រធានខាងលើពិតជាប្រធានមួយដ៏ល្អ ។ ទស្សនៈនេះបង្រៀននិងអប់រំអ្នកអាន ដោយធ្វើឲ្យស្គាល់អំពីបញ្ហាដែលមនុស្សអាចនិងធ្លាប់ជួបប្រទះ តាមរយៈឆ្លុះបញ្ចាំងសង្គម ក្នុងអត្ថបទនិងស្នាដៃផ្សេងៗ ។ បន្ថែមទៅទៀត ទស្សនៈនេះក៏ធ្វើឲ្យអ្នកអាន គិតពីអក្សរសិល្ប៍ច្បាស់ជាងមុន ។ អក្សរសិល្ប៍គឺជាការសិក្សាមួយដ៏សំខាន់ និងមានប្រយោជន៍ដល់ជាច្រើននាក់ជុំវិញពិភពលោក ។ យើងទាំងអស់គ្នា ក្នុងនាមជាអ្នកសិក្សា ចេះឆ្ងល់ ចេះចង់ដឹង និងជាប្រជាជននៃជំនាន់ក្រោយ គួររៀនមិនត្រឹមតែអំពីបញ្ហា ដែលបង្ហាញនិងឆ្លុះបញ្ចាំងក្នុងស្នាដៃអក្សរសិល្ប៍ យើងក៏គួរយកវាទៅពិចារណា គិតចំពោះ ហើយអនុវត្ត ដើម្បីធ្វើជាជំនួយនិងប្រយោជន៍ដល់យើងនិងអ្នកដទៃក្នុងការរស់នៅរាល់ថ្ងៃ ។

Cambodian Youth Outdoor Leadership Program

Yesteryear, students of the second cohort here at Liger, usually called Juniors, all underwent a round of an exploration of Outdoor Leadership; we all received training to become outdoor leaders and environmental stewards by our wonderful facilitators here at Liger. They say “sharing is caring”, so this year, that’s what we’re going to be doing: we’re going to be sharing to other people our knowledge and skills of outdoor leadership, so they, too, can become outdoor leaders and environmental stewards and protect this wonderful country.

The ultimate and main goal of this project, Cambodian Youth Outdoor Leadership Program, is to create young Cambodian outdoor leaders. This first round of the project was focused entirely on the method we’re using to create outdoor leaders and the following rounds will follow everything that is done in this round as it finalized the main ideas of this project and the way we are going to carry it out. Aside from that, the succeeding rounds will contribute to attaining the goal by translating the plans into Khmer as everything will be done with Cambodian students and actually creating outdoor leaders.

Students in different parts of Cambodia, especially rural parts, will be selected and trained under the workshop we will have created halfway through this school year. The workshop will be centered around five main categories, each offering a unique set of skills and knowledge not taught in Cambodian government schools: Leadership, Medical Health, Risk Management, Nature Appreciation, and Wilderness Skills. In the process of achieving the big goal and before Cambodian students can protect the environment, they must first learn about it. After having learned those things, they will go on trips into the wild and put what they learned to use and display outdoor leadership. At the end of the whole “course”, they will be required to start and work on a mini project to raise awareness about the environment – sharing their knowledge acquired during our workshop – and create change of their own in the place that they live in.

I enjoyed tremendously being a part of the first step in creating young outdoor leaders of Cambodia. The training we, students here at Liger, received last year was very educational and made us think in many new ways of the environment and we would like to share that knowledge to the rest of Cambodia’s youth so that they can also help protect the country’s environment. Summing up, I’m excited to see the change this incredible project will create throughout this year.

Technology/Multimedia: Independent Discovery

Liger’s always different and so it was in round 5. Not just this class, every class. There were just so many things going on. So many trips and so many classes missed. To mitigate the result of missing classes, most of the essential classes gave students independence and the opportunity to do some self-learning and exploration. But each class had a different set of goals, or rules, if you may look at them that way. For Technology/Multimedia, it was to learn something new, develop on it and create a small project or product that demonstrates what it is. The only constraint was that the class only met for ONE WEEK in the whole round which was four hours, so we needed to really use our time in class wisely. Some of us even missed part of the time due to trips or other things. That being said, what did I choose to work on that I could learn and create a product out of in four hours? Pygame, a well-known Python module was what I chose to learn about and work on for the independent discovery, but not all in four hours though.

So what is Pygame? Essentially, it’s a module that allows you to create two-dimensional games with Python which would normally be hard to do without. There are other modules that allow you to do the same thing and are possibly even better of course, but Pygame’s like the first step, one of the simplest ones I can say. By knowing what Pygame is and having read the previous post about this class, you might be able to guess at why I chose this as the thing to work on. Well, 1. I already know some Python and this is based off it and 2. I love making games and this allows me to do so easily. So what was my goal or what was going to be my product? A game of course! But due to time constraints, I wasn’t sure if I was able to create a full-finished game or just part of a game. Since I knew that not much could be done in the given amount of time, I knew I had to work on it in my own time. Plus I had two trips later the week this was given to me which made me miss 2 hours of the class, so I had to start working as quick and as soon as possible.

Here’s part of my code.

The first step I took to making a game out of Pygame was to learn it as if it was learning another programming language. Well, I had to install it before I could use it of course, but that doesn’t matter. I started looking for tutorials on the basics of Pygame on its official site which didn’t prove to have many resources that were useful to me. It did have lots of documents and tutorials, but it was all in text and I figured it would be best if I looked for another way to learn. I tried avoiding texts because reading would take up much time, in return of little help. So I turned to YouTube. The first video that I clicked on was the ‘one’. It was just what I needed. The video was the first part of a 10-part series about making a game out of Pygame and it was created by the YouTube channel, Tech With Tim. He’s a great guy and he makes lots of useful videos and most of them are related to Python and Pygame which was exactly what I was looking for. After watching the first video, I started creating. I initially didn’t prepare or have an idea of what kind of game I wanted other than it to be a never ending game, but after watching the first video, I got the idea of recreating Hollow Knight by Team Cherry (Search it up. It’s a great game.) which at first seemed like a huge task, but I went with the idea anyway. After watching two videos, I stopped. I felt like I had what I needed to start. And so I spent the remaining time all on creating the game.

A screenshot of what could’ve been in the game. It got changed because of functionality problems, but I’ll add it into the game after I solve the problem.

It was the usual coding process. Think until you get an idea. Something you want to add. Code it into the game. If it works, carry on. If it doesn’t, try to solve it. If you can’t solve it, move on. Else, still carry on. Sorry I’m talking in code. As I learned more about Pygame and added more things into the game, the big picture became clearer. I wanted a game with the story of Hollow Knight, but what you do in the game itself is you fight against a single enemy and every time you defeat it, it becomes stronger. It’s a never ending game. I didn’t want it to have levels because it would take a lot of time to create and because I had little time. The process of coding and putting everything together piece by piece was as fulfilling and pleasurable as it had ever been.  My longing of wanting to create my own 2D game with keyboard controls, unlike Twitfall which was a text-based game, was fulfilled. In the process of making the game, I encountered many problems and some of them were so confusing that I had to check over it many times – more than I should’ve. But the bigger the problem, the more pleasure it would bring which was sort of the motivation for me to kept going. I would either solve a problem myself and it would satisfy me or it would be so hard that I had to search on the internet for help until I found answers to solve the problem and when I did, it would bring me even more satisfaction. After 2 weeks of coding, thinking, recreating, and discovering, I didn’t finish the game completely, but I had most of what I envisioned and wanted. Here’s the result:

What you see when you run the game.

In the game, you’re a knight. The Knight (from Hollow Knight) to be specific. You’re in an unknown place and the only other person, or rather thing, there is someone who looks like you, but bigger, evil, and demonic. Your only goal is to survive. Try to defeat the demon, but keep in mind that every time it gets killed, it becomes stronger. You wield the power of void, a magical and black substance. Deep inside, you’re a powerful and mad being. You’re only under control when your soul is in your shell. When you’re under control, you can unleash the power of void and use it against the demon, but when you die, your shell will break, your soul will come out, and it will haunt you. Overcome, which means kill, it and it will go back inside your shell. So basically, it’s a never ending game of killing and escaping. You have 2 powerful abilities. Void tendrils and vengeful spirit. You can dash and you can super dash. And lastly, you have a nail which is basically a sword. When you die, a darker version of you will appear and attack you. That’s all that’s in the game as of writing this. My plan is to add more and develop the game in my free time. Maybe one day it’ll become a big project. I hope so.

I need to admit that I’ve been obsessed with coding lately. I’ve been spending a lot of my own time doing code, specifically making games, which I find a bit surprising because I don’t conventionally put as much time into an academic subject as this despite of how much I like it. Unusual enough, I don’t even look at coding as a thing you do in school mainly for grades anymore. It’s been more. It’s become one of my hobbies. That’s because it brings me the type of pleasure that’s different from what I would normally get from my other hobbies or academic subjects. And in this fifth and last round of Technology and Multimedia, I was able to expand on my knowledge of coding, learn more about it, go crazy about it, and love it even more by creating my very own two-dimensional game. I will find a way to put this game up on this blog once I feel it’s ready. But that’s not going to be the end because I have lots of plans for it and I hope to see it grow into a big, personal project. Thank you for reading and have a good day (or night)!

English Literacy: Happiness Achieved in the Face of Apathy

You wake up, but you don’t get out of bed. You just stare at the ceiling. There’s nothing going on in your brain. No thoughts are present as if your brain had stopped working. It’s just a void of nothing when you try to visualize it. You just lay on your bed still and stare at the ceiling without thinking of doing anything nor do you do anything. You don’t try to think. You aren’t worried about life and you don’t care. You’re not sad. You’re not happy. You’re apathetic.

Imagine that everyday you’re like that. You’re just empty. The goals you had and were excited about seem to have become targets without reason and you don’t even think about why it is. You’re just a black simple dot on a white simple page of paper that is the world. There’s nothing else. That is what apathy feels like. Would you want to feel that way?

What is apathy?

Apathy is defined as the absence of emotions; a feeling of no enthusiasm, interest, or concern. It’s nothing, just emptiness and non-existence. Now apply apathy to a person and the result would be someone who doesn’t feel anything at all due to the absence of emotions. Their life could be a mess, they can turn on their computer, see that the report they spent an enormous amount of time and effort on is gone, even if it’s due tomorrow, and they still wouldn’t be sad. They would just accept the fact that they lost it and move on.

What can it lead to?

You are not to be ignorant of apathy. It’s a serious state of indifference and it shouldn’t be left alone. It should be rid of. Often times, apathy will trap you in its cage of ’emotionlessness’, then it will lure you gradually into depression. If you neglect it, you’ll find everything to be daunting when you finally crash into depression. There are ways to prevent or rather, mitigate this however. Someone who’s apathetic is like a dead light bulb. It just needs some energy to turn on! So if you’re in apathy’s cage, I implore you to use whatever energy’s left in you to try and break out of it! And this guide will give you the fuel you’ll need to tear those bars down!

Where does it come from?

Apathy can be caused by anything. Identifying the cause can be important. In the process of getting rid of apathy, it might help to identify the cause and then make changes based off it. It will help you out with deciding the things you want to change when you need to get rid of apathy. When you feel apathy, think about yesterday. It’s mostly likely that recent events are the cause of your apathy. Think about what happened before you became apathetic.

How do you know if you’re apathetic?

What you can do to know whether you’re apathetic or not is to compare, to look at the traits of an apathetic and see if you have them. You’re not interested in anything when you’re apathetic. You may be somewhat bored. There’s no rhapsody in you and you don’t have any concerns. You just feel nothing – emptiness and void. One of the easier ways to know you’re apathetic is when you get bored of the things you thought would spark the light inside you. Your hobbies don’t bring you pleasure anymore or hanging out with your friends is now a waste of time. Everything bores you. Just look at the traits of an apathetic and see if you have them. Look at the introduction of this guide, the traits.

How do you get rid of it?

There is never one way to solve a problem. Try to get rid of apathy in different ways or in ways you prefer – if you’ve ever been through it before. Getting rid of apathy means finding something that will interest you once more and spark that flame of excitement and motivation inside you. The initial goal is to create change, get you occupied and get you energized!

What I conventionally do first is do what I always enjoy doing – a hobby! Invest some time into your hobby and see if that brings you happiness – the pleasure you always found to be comforting. Although becoming apathetic means you’ve probably already lost interest in it, it never hurts to give it a shot and see again.

If that doesn’t work, what I encourage you to do is ‘kick it up a notch’. Make lots of changes. Change your routine! Change the order of the things you do in your routine! Reverse the order! Maybe all you need is some revitalization. Change your schedule and see if there are spaces left. If there are, fill it! With everything and anything. Spend time at the park if you live near one. Go to the beach. Run a marathon. Do yoga. Learn a new language or instrument. Whatever! Change things up! Just freshen up your schedule and live a new life with new energy!

Don’t stay inside too much, get some sun and fresh air! According to studies, spending time in the sun increases the release of serotonin, the happy chemical, in the brain, which makes you happy! This will somewhat slow down or even halt the process of you crashing into depression and get your a bit more prepared. You might even just become happy and not even become depressed. Try to spend about 10-15 minutes in the sun, you’ll feel much better! Or try to see if there are any free events in your area. Join them and meet new people. Make new friends! And ask them to the movies or to hangout. Building new connections can also make you happy and bring you pleasure. You just need to feel occupied and alive! Maybe get out, run around, and just have fun!

The best way to get excited again is to explore and discover something new; see what the world has to offer. If you’re someone who stays inside a lot, go hunting on the internet. Play a new game, start watching a new series, learn something new, read a new book, start a diary, listen to new music, just explore! There are more than enough things on the internet and in the world that’ll help you get excited and happy again.

Feel apathetic? Need some energy? There’s free fuel here! Whenever you feel apathetic or know someone who is, take a look at this short guide and see if it can help you. When being apathetic, keep in mind that the ultimate goal is to renew, revitalize and reorganize as well as get occupied! Switch things up! Change your gears! Even though apathy is the feeling of emptiness and the absence of emotions, you can always get rid of it and fill that hole of nothingness with excitement and ecstasy again. And this guide’s your help-out buddy!

Sources:

Davenport, Barrie. “10 Ways To Snap Out Of Apathy.” Live Bold and Bloom, 19 Mar. 2019, liveboldandbloom.com/06/self-improvement/apathetic-person
“What Are the Benefits of Sunlight?” Healthline, Healthline Media, www.healthline.com/health/depression/benefits-sunlight#mental-health

Math: Speed

 

Jack and Dan competed against each other in a round of running. They both ran a kilometer. Jack took about 8 minutes to finish the race while Dan took around 5. What’s their speed in kilometers per hour? Imagine if they ran for another 3 hours at half their original speed. How far would they go and who would go farther?

To find speed, we must take the distance and divide it by the time. In the case for Jack, it would be: 1 (kilometers) ÷ 8 (minutes). Do the math and you would get 0.125, so Jack’s speed is 0.125 km in a minute. But we want km/h. We just need to convert it. To convert it, basically multiply by 60 because an hour is 60 minutes, so 0.125 (km per minute) x 60 (number of minutes in an hour) and you would get 7.5 km/h. That is Jack’s speed in kilometers per hour.

Let’s quickly find Dan’s speed:

1 km (how far Dan ran) ÷ 5 minutes (how long he took) = 0.2 km/minute (his speed)

0.2 km/minute x 60 (number of minutes in an hour) = 12 km/h (his speed converted from km/minute into km/h)

Now how far would they go if they ran for another 3 hours half their original speed?

First I would find their new speed. That’s easy, just divide their original speed by two.

Jack’s new speed: 7.5 ÷ 2 = 3.75 km/h

Dan’s new speed: 12 ÷ 2 = 6 km/h

To find out how far they would go, we need to multiply their speed by how long they would run.

For Jack, 3.75 km/h (his speed) times 3 (time of running) would find out his distance. It’s 11.25 km. In Dan’s case, his distance would be 18 km.

So if they both ran for another 3 hours at half their original speed, Jack would run 11.25 kilometers and Dan would run 18 kilometers. Who ran farther? You know how to do this one, it’s Dan because 18 is obviously bigger than 11.25; just find the number that’s bigger.

ភាសាខ្មែរ៖ ទៀន៦ដើម | វគ្គទី១

“ណែ! ចាំផង! គ្នាមិនទាន់រៀបចំសៀវភៅហើយផង នាំគ្នាទៅចោលបាត់!” លីលីស្រែកចេញមកពីផ្ទះដោយភ័យខ្លាចមិត្តភក្ដិទៅចោល ។

ថ្ងៃនោះគឺថ្ងៃច័ន្ទ ហើយជាថ្ងៃបវេសនកាលនៅឯសាលារៀនរបស់លីលី ព្រមទាំងជាថ្ងៃតំបូងនៃឆ្នាំសិក្សាចុងក្រោយរបស់នាង ។ មិត្តភក្ដិរបស់នាង បានមកផ្ទះនាងដើម្បីយកជូននាងទៅសាលា ។

“យីលីលី! ម៉េចបានយូរម្លេស? ពេលយប់ម្សិលមិញ លីលីឯងរវល់ធ្វើស្អីគេ បាន​ជាមិនរៀបចំសៀវភៅ? ដឹងថាថ្ងៃនេះជាថ្ងៃដំបូងផង!” សោភាតបឆ្លើយដោយកំហឹង ។ សោភាគឺជាសិស្សដ៏ពូកែមួយនៅសាលា នាងមានចំណាត់ថ្នាក់ខ្ពស់ជាងគេក្នុងថ្នាក់របស់នាង ។ នាងក៏ជាមិត្តល្អមួយដែរ ។ នាងគ្រាន់តែមានទំលាប់ឆាប់ខឹង ប៉ុន្តែនាងមិនចេះខឹងយូរទេ ។

“គ្នារវល់និយាយជាមួយសង្សារ ពុំមានពេលទំនេរឡើយ!”

“លីលីឯងគ្មានសង្សារទេ! កុំមកកុហកយើង! ទោះយ៉ាងណា ក៏វាមិនសំខាន់ជាងការសិក្សាដែរ!”

ដោយធុញទ្រាំមិនបាន ចរិយាបានស្រែកពីចម្ងាយដាក់សោភានិងលីលីថា “អេ! បើរវល់តែឈ្លេាះគ្នាអញ្ចឹង តិចខ្ញុំឈប់ចាំពួកឯងឥឡូវហ្នឹង!”។ ចរិយាក៏ជាមិត្តរបស់លីលីដែរ ។ នាងគឺជាអ្នកដែលបើកបរម៉ូតូ ។

“​ចាស៎! រៀបចំរួចហើយ! គ្នាចុះទៅឥឡូវហើយ ។” លីលីស្រែកមកពីក្នុងផ្ទះជាលើកចុងក្រោយ មុនរត់មកខាងក្រោម ។ ដោយមិននិយាយអីសោះ សិស្សទាំងបីនោះបានធ្វើដំណើរទៅសាលារៀន ។

លីលីមានគេហដ្ឋានដាច់ស្រយាលឆ្ងាយពីសាលាខុសគេ ។ មានតែមិត្តរបស់នាងទេដែលរស់នៅម្តុំហ្នឹង ។ នាងមានម៉ូតូនៅផ្ទះ ប៉ុន្តែនាងមិនចេះបើក ហើយវាជាកម្មសិទ្ធរបស់បងស្រី ។ បងស្រីរបស់លីលីធ្វើការជាអ្នកគ្រប់គ្រងធានាគារ ។ គាត់វចេញពីផ្ទះម៉ោង ៤ ព្រឹកពីព្រោះធានាគារស្ថិតនៅឆ្ងាយ ហើយមិនត្រលប់មកវិញរហូតដល់យប់ជ្រៅ ។ ពេលខ្លះគាត់មិនមកផ្ទះផង ។ ដោយហេតុនេះ ពេលដែលលីលីត្រូវការទៅរៀន មិត្តភក្ដិនោះហើយជាអ្នកដឹកជូននាងទៅ ។ វាដោយសារតែមិត្តនាងចេះជិះម៉ូតូ ហើយក៏ដោយសារមិត្តនាងមិននៅឆ្ងាយពីនាង ។

នៅមានវគ្គបន្តទៀត

សូមរងចាំសម្រាប់វគ្គបន្ទាប់ | សរសេរដោយ បញ្ញារិទ្ធិ និង មករា

Technology/Multimedia: A Short Video

In round 5, we learned a little bit about editing in Adobe Premiere Pro. After, we had to create a short video. For my video, I chose to use and edit footage from when we went to an event called International Day at ISPP (International School of Phnom Penh) a few months ago. The video is titled “Makara ASMR” because my friend Makara is in it, and I found “ASMR” to be funny and fit for the content, even though there is not actually any ASMR in it. Because the file size of the video is too big (even though it is a video that is less than a minute-long), I cannot put it put it in this post. But I have uploaded it to my Google Drive and made it accessible for whoever has the link to it.  And that link is here:

http://bit.ly/3pqyNXd

I had a lot of fun making this short video.

Technology/Multimedia: Coding (Python) Part 2

Python, python, python. It’s a snake! There is a snake called python, but that’s not what we’re referring to. It’s a programming language. Python 2? No, that was last round. It’s python 3 this round! So in this round of Technology and Multimedia, we continued learning the programming language of python, but we used a better, more updated version of it which was python 3.

So what’s changed in python 3? Python 2 and 3 are still the same, I’d say. There’s just a small difference. In python 2, the way you would use the print function is:

But in python 3, it would be like:

On the course of a week, we learned new functions to better expand our knowledge of python, opening new doors for exploration and experimentation. The first function that we learned was ‘define’ and it is a function that allows you to make your own functions using the functions that are already in python. It basically allows you to repeat lines of code by writing whatever you named the function, it’s just like creating shortcuts. The next two things we learned were python lists and dictionaries. These two are similar. A list does what it’s called, it’s a list. It’s a collection of items that has an order, is changeable, and let there be more than one of the same thing; duplicates. A dictionary is like a list except that it is unordered and does not allow duplicates. It took some getting used to the changes in python 3, but we were back to writing code and programming in less than a snap because we needed to put what learned to use. In exercises.

The second week, I worked on two exercises from Code Club, a website that has lots of projects for you to work on in different languages of code. The two I worked on were making a program that chooses teams and a rock, paper, and scissors game. When writing code in programs and exercises this round, I wanted and decided to make my own additions. Like 80% of the time, the functions didn’t work on first run which still made me frustrated, but that frustration wasn’t bigger than the satisfaction of them working on later runs which I loved.

At the end of the round, we had to choose another project from Code Club to work on. Whenever I write code or think about code, creating a game or a program always comes up to my mind. And so I took this opportunity to do it. The project that I worked on was an RPG (role-playing game). When choosing a project on Code Club, instructions would pop up and you would follow them. I followed the first step, which was copying the pre-made code for the project, but then I went off drifting and trying to understand code that I copied. There were comments talking about what the code below them did and I read every single one of them. They taught me new functions and opened the door of possibilities which means they gave me lots of new ideas. I went back and followed all of the instructions. Its goal was to make a simple maze game that was short and easy to play, but it wasn’t the type of simple I liked. So I made my own additions to the game.

It certainly took a lot of time, but I did it and I’m really happy about it. At around the same time I was writing and making the game, I was extremely addicted with and fascinated by a very artistic and wonderful game, Hollow Knight. It is a metroidvania and it was made by a team of two developers from Australia. What I love most about Hollow Knight is the lore and its art and a lot more. I’m still playing it as of writing this. I think it was the source of inspiration when I was writing the game and what drove me to make one in the first place. In the process of changing and making the game, I faced a lot of errors, of course, but the joy in fixing in was still there. There was one time when I lost the code and everything in it, so that was a, I guess I can say, a daunting and sad moment because I had made characters for the game and I had written the story of what was happening in the game. Rewriting the functions was hard, but it certainly wasn’t as hard as rewriting the story. That time taught me to save my code and also have a backup of it in a document and so I did that.

After a while, I finished the game and I made a map for it too (picture above previous paragraph). It’s called Twitfall. You, the player, wake up in a mansion. You don’t know how you got here in this cursed mansion, but you do know that you are stuck. The way you can get out of there is to escape its curse and to do that, you must use what’s inside the mansion. I put in an enormous amount of effort and time into this small project of mine and I greatly enjoyed the pleasure and happiness it brought me. If you want to play Twitfall, go to the end of this blog post and you will find links to it as well as the two other projects I worked on from Code Club. And if you’re going to play it, use the map to help you and always look at the commands when you think you’re stuck because maybe you haven’t tried using all the functions yet. I’m proud of the game and I hope you will at least get a little bit of fun and joy playing it. Lastly, I would like to say I loved learning a lot more about python, I loved that I still got frustrated with errors, still became happy when I fixed them, and that enjoyed making my own game. Thanks for reading!

Team Chooser: https://trinket.io/python/9b52a291b0

Rock, paper, scissors game: https://trinket.io/python/1ef3f217fb

Twitfall: https://trinket.io/python/bfcae35d6f

Map for Twitfall: http://bit.ly/2KVvgRt

It’s called ‘The Woriun Mansion Map’ in the drive.