The words "you must show work" are all too familiar to anyone who has ever taken a math test. Showing work and using the "correct method" is often worth more points than actually getting the right answer. Most people, myself included, have lost some points for not showing work the "right" way, even though we used a working method and got the correct answer. This is not right at all.

1. Binding students to a single method is just wrong. I understand that some methods don't work in certain cases, but allowing students to use a variety of methods should be supported. After all, why would you spend a long time trying to use a method where you need to draw out boxes when you could be using a quick formula that works every time? In your career, you want to be as efficient as possible. For example, if you were designing a building, and you were trying to see how big the land you can build on is, would you really find the area by drawing squares and counting them? No, I'm pretty sure you would just multiply them. Students, especially those in lower grades, are often forced to learn how to use models to perform what would be simple tasks. I don't mean to say that models are all bad. Some students definitely process models better, and that's okay. What's not okay is throwing children into a "'one-size-fits-all' approach to learning." (source) Students learn and develop differently from one another, so forcing them to do math the exact same way will result in everyone knowing only one way of doing anything.

2. Emphasis should be placed on getting the right answer in the end, rather than showing work. Imagine this: someone designed a bridge and did all the calculations. Their supervisor tells them to show their work instead of worrying about getting the correct answer. The person doing the calculations agrees, and shows all their work, but this person gets the wrong answer. The bridge breaks, endangering dozens of people. The supervisor says it's okay, because they showed their work. Crazy, right? Getting the right answer should always be more important than showing work. Of course, showing your steps is also important because it can help you retrace your steps and find out where you went wrong, but getting the right solution should be worth more points.

3. In courses such as this pre-algebra class, "the amount of work required for explanation turns a straightforward problem into a long managerial task that is concerned more with pedagogy than with content." Showing work is okay, but to the point where solving percentages turns into "explain what the question is asking?" This is just adding extra steps. In my opinion, as long as it is traceable where the answer is coming from, it should count as showing work.

In the end, it's good to show work; helpful, even. The problem is that students are being forced to show work using the exact same method, which may not work for every student.

00:00 BTS || Midnight is technically the start of a new day. At midnight, also known as zero o' clock, you can let go of your regrets from the previous day and hope for the best.

Your Dog Loves You Colde ft. Crush || I know the title is a little weird, but it makes total sense. The song is about how dog owners treasure their dogs and vice versa, and the music video will make you want to get a pet.

Any Song Zico || Just to clarify, the song is actually called "Any Song." In this song, Zico complains that everyone is becoming dry and rigid, including himself, and that he misses the time when everyone was less stressed and had time to relax. He says to play "any song" and to just let loose for a while before going back to stressful schedules and strict routines. He also says that you don't need to go out or prepare an organized party to have a good time and that staying inside in pajamas with only a few friends can be just as fun.

Zombie DAY6 || Zombie talks about how sometimes, life feels really repetitive. We wake up, go to school or work, eat, and sleep. It talks about how even though life isn't always exciting, it can get tiring. The song is even more impactful for everyone staying home during the current pandemic; I see many people saying that it was exciting to stay home at first, but it has become yet another routine. Personally, I enjoy being at home all the time, but I also think that it was a good choice to release this song while we are in lockdown because many people can relate to its message.

Who Lauv ft. BTS || Who is the second collab Lauv and BTS have done. In this song, Lauv, Jimin, and Jungkook wonder who someone really is, because that person has changed. While this song is talking about a significant other, I think it is relevant in any type of relationship because sometimes, you think you know someone really well, when there's a whole other face to them that you didn't know about.

Song for my Brother from Crash Landing on You || This piano piece plays a key role in the TV series Crash Landing on You. In the story, the protagonist, who is a piano prodigy, composes this piece for his beloved older brother. Before he can perform it, his brother is killed and the protagonist refuses to become attached to anyone for fear of losing another person. The piece goes from tranquil to depressing halfway through, which symbolizes how his life became dark after he lost his brother. Near the end, the piece modulates back to G Major, similar to how the drama had very sad episodes but ultimately ended peacefully.

Since we have a lot of time to burn with the lack of extracurriculars, I decided I would try to improve my ability to draw flowers. Drawing living things is honestly not my strong suit, but I decided I should take this time to try to get better. As with most things, once I started, I couldn't stop. I kept telling myself that the flowers looked okay, but they could still be better. After hours of drawing and erasing and coloring, I think I am satisfied with how these flowers turned out. It was fun to try out the different brushes on Procreate, such as the gouache texture and rough watercolor. I found that the flowers looked better when the colors ran slightly over the edges, making them feel more dimensional.

If ketchup were part human

Would it have arms and legs and a torso, with a tomato for a head?

Would it sleep in the fridge instead of a bed?

Would it be made of glass or would it have skin?

Would it have tomatoes or people as kin?

Would it make ketchup noises or would it talk?

Would it prefer Mozart or would it like Bach?

What if humanoid ketchup were actually real?

If that were true, I'm not sure how I would feel...

In most Asian households, cutting fruit for someone is a way of saying you care about a person. Many grandparents and parents cut fruit for their children. Cutting fruit for someone takes away any dangers they have of choking on seeds or pits, or accidentally getting a taste of the bitter skin. When you cut fruit, you take away all the undesirable parts of the fruit—the rinds of apples; the stringy pith of oranges; the leaves of strawberries—and leave only the sweet parts of the fruit. In my opinion, there is no better way to eat fruit than when it's been cut and peeled by my mom or dad. In my house, we even cut fruit for our dog, who loves apple slices.

Q When and where were you born?

A I was born on October 24, 1946 in Maypajo, Caloocan City, in the Province of Rizal. It was at the end of World War II, during the liberation from Japanese occupation.

Q What were your parents' jobs?

A My mom was a supervisor at the Converse factory in Marikina, and my dad worked on a pier in Manila.

Q What did you like to do when you were younger?

A I enjoyed singing and dancing.

Q Did you have any pets?

A I had pets after your mom and your aunt and uncle were born. We had about four dogs total, and a lot of cats. I don't know how many cats there were...they just kept multiplying over time.

"Red Tide" is the common name for a phenomenon caused by algal blooms when dinoflagellates become so numerous that they discolor the water. At night, the water along the shore glows blue because of the bioluminescent dinoflagellates. However, while the red tides are interesting to look at, it is not recommended to consume mussels or the guts of fish caught during this phenomenon, as it might be harmful to people.

*Disclaimer: these are only my personal opinions. I'm sure other people have opinions than mine, which I can respect.

On the Coronavirus Protests

In the United States, riots have been breaking out against the lockdown orders placed on most cities. In what seems like a direct refusal to follow regulations, hundreds flock to the streets wielding signs that claim that COVID-19 is “a hoax.” First of all, coronavirus is real. It is very real. There’s no simpler way to put it: it’s a disease, and you can and most likely will get it if you refuse to stay home. Your chances of contracting coronavirus increase even more when you congregate in a massive human blob, like these protesters. Even if you yourself don’t show any symptoms, there is a high likelihood that you're asymptomatic and have gotten someone else sick. Second of all, many of these people obviously don’t believe in what they’re fighting for. On multiple occasions, people claiming that COVID-19 was fabricated by government officials with fascist agendas showed up to the protests wearing masks. Seriously, if you want to endanger yourself, go ahead, but save the masks for someone who’s trying to stay safe.

Last week, I was watching the news with my grandfather, and a video of a protest showed up on the TV. A man holding a sign took up most of the screen—it read, “open the pub!” It’s incredible how selfish people can be. I understand some people’s concerns with the stay-at-home orders, such as a lack of income. No one can be expected to pay rent without a stimulus check or a job, but really? People want to go out and drink at a time like this? I'm unable to understand their need to drink beer at a pub or bar is more important than COVID-19 patients and medical workers. Honestly, I have no idea. Additionally, if pubs and bars open, workers will have to go there and also be at risk of getting coronavirus.

In Chicago, two nurses—who happened to be Chinese—stood in the street to protest a riot against stay-at-home order. A woman stuck her head out of her car, along with a sign reading “Land of the Free.” She even had the nerve to scream at them to “go to China” if they wanted communism. These people are putting their lives on the line to care for coronavirus patients. They have their hands more than full already, so why do people find it necessary to put them in even more danger?

Honestly, if people want to break the lockdown orders, they should sign a waiver saying they won’t go to the hospital if (and when) they get COVID-19. If you’re going to endanger yourself, don’t bring others down with you.

On President Trump’s Advice to Ingest Bleach

Please, please don’t inject disinfectant into your bloodstream. Just don’t. The hospitals are full as-is. I’m not sure what the President was thinking when he suggested ingesting household cleaning solutions to kill the virus. I just don’t get why he would say this when people’s mental states are fragile enough to believe this. Right now, people are desperate for a way to fight off the virus (those that believe it exists, anyway), and I’m sure some people are panicked enough to actually give themselves shots of Clorox. Why, President Trump, why? I have no words. Even worse, he tried to brush it off as a joke, “just to see what would happen.” President Trump, the nation is already on the brink of chaos in terms of how people are coping with stay-at-home orders; please don’t push Americans off the edge by creating a bleach-poisoning epidemic.

On Racism Against Asian-Americans

I know, I know—I’ve covered this issue a lot on this blog. However, I can’t say that I feel as though I cover it too much. It’s a real issue right now, and it’s getting worse and worse as the days go by (NextShark.com for coverage on hate crimes). While most people know that the continent of Asia is not to blame for this virus, some are under the impression that Asian-Americans don’t deserve rights because “our kind” brought this virus upon the world. Accomplished journalist Lisa Ling of CNN became a victim of discrimination through the internet. For example, she was told to “apologize for [her] kind for giving us this virus.” Her kind? Her kind? Is this meant to imply that Asians aren’t part of humankind? Are we some sort of dangerous alien species that is responsible for the pandemic that currently has all of us inside of our homes? Well, then. I have nothing to say.

And now, for the worst bit of news I will bring to you today. Please, feel free to skip this section. It contains sensitive, discriminatory messages and is just outright disgusting. Don’t watch it while eating. I was wondering whether or not I should even talk about this, but it’s just so hurtful, uncalled for, and mean that I decided to include it. Please, scroll past now if you don’t want to know. Sven Stoffels, an artist who used to work for Comedy Central, created a degrading cartoon depicting an Asian woman dancing in her undergarments, kissing a bat, and more. It’s disgusting. That’s the only word you can use to describe it. Don’t watch his video unless you want to report it, because otherwise, he’s just getting views. I can’t even begin to express my anger at this man. Even worse, people are defending him on his Twitter account, saying that people have no right to be offended over a mere cartoon. Well, what am I supposed to say, as an Asian girl who will one day become an Asian woman? Am I supposed to say something like, “wow, I love your artwork?” Or should I just be appreciative that Asians are getting any bit of representation in the media? Nothing about this is remotely close to being “okay.” I don’t know why it makes people feel better to take their anger out on innocent people...we’re all in the same boat, okay? We’ve all lost something, or someone. Just because we’re “Asian” and COVID-19 is the “Kung Flu” doesn’t mean we have some sort of immunity to it. When will racist people understand that? Being racist won’t stop this virus, but staying home will.

For the past few months, I had been wanting to make coffee jelly, but I could never find the time to buy ingredients and make the jelly. I decided to finally make the jelly yesterday and let it set after lunch, but when I woke up this morning I realized that it had been in the refrigerator for over 16 hours. When I opened the jellies, I was pleasantly surprised that they hadn't gone as stiff as I expected them to. After struggling to pour condensed milk over them, I rushed upstairs to take an aesthetically pleasing picture, but I found out that my fairy lights and speaker ran out of battery. After briefly charging the speaker and putting fresh batteries into the lights, I could finally take a nice picture. I ended up charging my speaker and replacing the batteries of my fairy lights—two things I should have done but had been putting off for a long time—just because I wanted to take a picture of my coffee jellies.

Several counties in California have issued a shelter-in-place order in an attempt to slow the progress of the novel coronavirus. The highly contagious virus can be transmitted by people, regardless of whether or not they show symptoms. The most effective way to stop the virus is to stay inside your own house and away from other people. It is also greatly helpful to refrain from touching your face before washing your hands, and to maintain about two meters of space while eating or having a conversation.

While it is relatively easy for most people to stay inside and work from home because they can work from a computer, stores and restaurants rely on customers to make money. Though it makes sense that many people are refusing to eat at restaurants, this results in restaurants failing to make ends meet. SMBs (small-and-medium-sized businesses) such as the Boba Guys have been forced to lay off a whopping 90% of their staff because of lack of funds. Since people have been eating out significantly less, small businesses as well as chains—especially those run by Asians—are losing money. Some, like the Boba Guys, have had to let go of team members, but others, unfortunately, have had to close their doors for good.

Some people might say that while it is bad that people are losing their jobs, they can just get their jobs back after the panic over the coronavirus has died down. This may be true in many cases, but we have a long way to go before the coronavirus is contained worldwide. In the time being, those who have lost their jobs will likely file unemployment claims. If too many people apply for unemployment, the funds to help support them will end up coming from tax money, which will put the economy in an even worse situation than before.

One way to help support restaurants and stores without even leaving the safety of your house is by getting food delivered by local businesses. Admittedly, my family has been living off of delivered food for dinner. It’s just so convenient—you push a few buttons and in as little as 15 minutes, your food has arrived. You don’t even need to talk to the delivery man. Getting food delivered also reduces the need to go outside to buy ingredients for cooking. To be honest, even if you went outside to buy fresh vegetables, you probably wouldn’t find any either. Using a delivery service to buy food is a convenient way to patronize local restaurants while decreasing the risk of contracting the coronavirus.

The last time schools, businesses, and people’s social lives got totally shut down was in the 1910s and 1920s, during the Spanish Flu pandemic. Of 500 million confirmed cases, an estimated 50 million lives were lost. As of now, there are 590,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and 27,000 have resulted in death—and these numbers will continue to rise.

The coronavirus pandemic has led to an international lockdown. The highly contagious disease can be transmitted even when patients are asymptomatic, making it extremely dangerous for large groups of people to remain in close proximity with one another. For this reason, school and work have been cancelled for people in most countries. Certain counties have even announced a shelter-in-place, discouraging people from going outside. San Diego County and Los Angeles County, among others, have prohibited dine-in eating in restaurants. Gatherings of over 50 participants are also banned to prevent the spread of the virus.

While most of us are remaining safely in our homes, medical and healthcare specialists are working tirelessly to treat patients with coronavirus. These doctors, nurses, and other practitioners are on the front lines of this battle against COVID-19. Dangerous conditions and being in close contact with those who have the virus has cost these heroes their family time. Their selfless work to protect us and to save patients already suffering from the coronavirus should be recognized—healthcare workers are the most important fighters in this war against COVID-19. One of my uncles works in the medical field, and my cousins’ house is now split into parts. My uncle can’t go near my aunt or my three younger cousins because of the risk that he might give them the coronavirus. I’m sure many others can identify with my uncle’s situation, such as this Taiwanese-American doctor who sleeps in a tent in his garage to keep his family safe. Every day, healthcare workers are putting their own personal worries and concerns behind them to stop the spread of the coronavirus, for which we should always be grateful.

The least we can do to show our appreciation to these selfless people is practicing social distancing. As citizens, it is our job to protect ourselves and each other during these uncertain times. The kindest and most useful thing we can do for one another as of now is to stay home, especially if you or a family member begins to develop symptoms. As boring as it may seem to remain indoors indefinitely, just remember that you are helping the community in stopping the coronavirus. By staying inside, we can lessen the amount of time we have to stay inside for. The sooner the virus’s progress slows, the sooner we can return to our daily lives. We should all do our part to stop the coronavirus, even if it means changing our routines a bit. Be thoughtful to yourself and others—please stay safe and healthy in the comfort of your home!

When you turn on the news, you no longer expect to see the weather forecast—instead, you see updates about the coronavirus outbreak. There have been over 400,000 cases and 19,000 deaths worldwide (live coronavirus updates here). Since the disease first emerged in Wuhan, China in late 2019, it has swept through dozens of countries, including European countries, especially Italy. Symptoms of the coronavirus can range from a mild cough and a fever to, in severe cases, respiratory issues that make breathing difficult. Until recently, the virus had only been affecting seniors; however, there has been an increase in young, healthy people contracting serious forms of the virus. Coronavirus, with its death rate of over 3%, is essentially a more severe version of the flu, which has a death rate lower than 1%.

Despite the fact that the virus has affected hundreds of thousands regardless of race, people have been using this outbreak to promote racism and xenophobia against the Asian community. The severity of hate crimes ranges from mildly racist “jokes”—such as these comedians calling the coronavirus the “Kung Flu”—to outright violence. A Singaporean student studying in London was brutally attacked while walking, resulting in multiple cuts and bruises on his face. An Indonesian lady commuting on a train in Sydney, Australia was verbally abused and told to return to the Philippines. In New York, a Korean student was sworn at and punched in the chin for not wearing a mask, though there was no reason for her to be wearing a mask in the first place. An elderly woman was chased by a man wielding a bottle of Purell hand sanitizer. These are very evident examples of hate crimes against Asians. Though the coronavirus originated in China, it is simply disgraceful to blame an entire race for the disease. Terrified people are taking their fear and frustration out on equally terrified people because of the way they look, which only causes more fear and anxiety.

Disease doesn’t discriminate. It doesn’t matter what the color of your skin is; if you get sick, you get sick, and it has nothing to do with what country your ancestors are from. Violence and xenophobia will not stop the coronavirus from spreading across the globe. Racial slurs will not increase the number of hospital beds available. The least we can do during these trying times is to try to be kind to one another; we are all equally concerned about the well-being of ourselves and people we care about. Practicing proper hygiene is very important in preventing the transmission of this disease: wash your hands with soap, dispose of used masks, and avoid unnecessary close contact with others. Please remember to be kind and stay safe for your sake and those around you!