Well, well, well. The year’s half over already. I gotta say, it’s been a bit different so far, a few things have changed; about me, about PLP, about the world, about everyone. We’re emerging from the ashes of the COVID-19 pandemic, I see the world in a different way than I have before, which is, of course, part of my transformation into a better person. PLP seems to switch up and adapt every year, which is, of course, what keeps it interesting. It’s also why I’m making this post, because even though it’s a good bit of work, it’s still reasonable and interesting, mainly because I can pour my soul into this post. For example, if I want to make a line that literally just says “cheeseballs” several times over, then there’s nothing that can be done to stop me other than breaking my fingers, threatening to kill me if I don’t rewrite it, or less drastic, but also less entertaining and dramatic, measures such as simply asking me to change it. The point is, it’s an amazing representation for PLP, as I can let my creativity shine, and truly produce work that I’m interested in making, which results in it being actually good.
Cheeseballs cheeseballs cheeseballs cheeseballs cheeseballs cheeseballs cheeseballs cheeseballs cheeseballs cheeseballs cheeseballs cheeseballs cheeseballs cheeseballs
See? I’m so free, quirky and creative that I wrote TWO lines of cheeseballs! Really it came out to 3 1/2 after putting it into the blogging software, but that only proves my point further
Image source: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Utz-Cheese-Balls-23-Oz/10898644
So, it’s worth wondering, how did I learn this semester? Did I grow as a learner and is to the challenges presented to me? Did I fail miserably once again? As it was last year, I think I can simply say: “eh…”. What do I mean by that? Well, simply put, I believe that I truly did a pretty good job on my work, better than last year (partially because this year has had some of the most interesting projects yet!), and while there was certainly room for improvement, I think I can safely say I have accomplished work that I can truly be proud of through hard work, dedication, and F.A.I.L.ing. A shining example of this would be the several times I rewrote my script for our “Macbeth” adaptations for the winter exhibition. Buckle up, it’s quite a story. First, we watched parts of movie adaptations of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” to get an understanding of the play. Next, we worked on writing an adapted script which we would perform on exhibition night. The first trouble I ran into was the fact that the teacher didn’t like the Irish mob setting for my adaptation, then my seycove drug ring idea was shut down, bringing me back to the Irish mob, which was honestly kind of a win in my book. After that, I was told that the language adaptations I made were unacceptable, as I needed to use Shakespeare’s original language. I then found out (I wish I had known this earlier), that I needed to trim down the number of characters in my scene (Act V, Scene VIII) down to 3, from 5. That part was really tough, and after even more trials and tribulations, I finally had a good script. 2 years ago I don’t know if I would’ve even had the dedication to keep going.
Image source: http://crosslight.org.au/2015/09/14/political-power-and-passion-macbeth-review/
As I detailed in my “Macbeth” post, which I linked above, not everything went perfectly during the performance, and indeed nothing ever does go EXACTLY as planned. Fortunately, the ability to adapt and overcome is central to our PLP education. For example, while delivering a speech in “The Manhattan Project Project”, I admittedly forgot where I was in my lines, and indeed ended up improvising approximately 1/3 of the entire speech. It’s really a shame, as it was honestly a solid speech, but at the end of the day, I’ve been known to improvise anything that I can get away with improvising, so really it’s nothing new. As an example, I had actually fully improvised a practice speech for the same project that we were SUPPOSED to work hard on. I suppose that is probably one of my biggest flaws: overconfidence and arrogance regarding subjects of familiarity and interest. The number of things history-related that I’ve just breezed through like I knew everything already is staggering. The sad part is that my ego keeps getting fed by the fact that it usually works out just fine for me. Sometimes I think I could stand to be knocked down a peg. One thing that may help with that is the fact that the reason I didn’t link “The Manhattan Project Project” in this post is because, as of writing this, the post has not been completed…
Image source: https://blog.gaijinpot.com/teaching-japan-guide-english-speech-contests/
So, above all, I think that this year my worldview has truly broadened. My opinions on countless issues have changed drastically (let’s not talk politics!), my realization of my ever-approaching adulthood is becoming more prevalent with each year, as I even have a plan for when school ends, and a backup plan! It’s hard to imagine that I only have half a year left of the notorious grade 11. I’ve been hearing about how awful and difficult this year would be for so long, but honestly? I’ve really been liking it! I’ve truly been having a lot of fun in PLP this year, and of course, would hope with all my heart to be reaccepted into the program next year, or even just next semester for now. Furthermore, from what I’ve heard, it’s all uphill from here! At least, until high school ends. I’ve heard your 20s aren’t a very fun time. After that I’m going to be deeply absorbed in my work. Then, considering my choice of career path, I may not be able to retire until I’m too old to really enjoy much anymore. Regardless, let’s not focus on the negative! Let’s focus on you, me, and more importantly the upcoming…
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*Brofist*