Ying Ying

"I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious" - Albert Einstein

Life Changes — Tales from Rural China

June 18, 2024 / / 0 Comments

The vast countryside of China holds a secret: a silent struggle for education that shapes the destinies of millions of young minds. Education is the key to unlocking potential and transforming lives, yet in rural China, this key often doesn’t fit the lock.

Our global Sustainable Development Goal 4 emphasizes the importance of inclusive and equitable quality education for all, yet in rural China, from lack of resources to the scarcity of qualified educators, reality seems far from ideal. Addressing educational challenges in rural China is essential to achieving a society with equal opportunities, economic growth, and a chance for every child to achieve their dreams.

The aim of my video is to inform society of the importance of quality education in rural regions of China using a mixture of online resources. It included multiple solutions to the problem, including calls for action, and furthermore addressed the issue of education in rural China at different levels.

Amongst the fortunate individuals who have the privilege of accessing quality education, we must rally together—educators, policymakers, and community leaders—to ensure students in rural China have access to high-quality education, so the future of youth is not only bright but shared by all.

Shattered Hopes — Tales of Jeanne Martin

April 19, 2024 / / 0 Comments

Jeanne Martin was an ordinary housewife in France. Her journal started from Versailles, but in July of 1789, Jeanne moved to Paris with her husband and her ten-year-old son, hoping to find employment with higher wages, though unsuccessful nonetheless. She’d hoped to live through the revolution peacefully and would’ve never imagined having to suffer such an unbearable loss…

 

Many changes occurred due to the French Revolution. For one, the revolution brought the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen which consisted of seventeen articles that ensured freedom and equality towards citizens. This included freedom of speech, removal of noble privileges, and the abolition of unequal taxation for citizens. Furthermore, the revolution resulted in the spread of Nationalism, due to France’s successful military campaigns under Napoleon’s lead. The revolution also led to a shift of political power: absolute monarchy was abolished, leading to various forms of government, from the National Assembly to the Directory, and finally, Napoleon’s Empire.

Though the French Revolution brought numerous changes to the French society; however, several things remained the same throughout the revolution. For one, despite the Revolution’s emphasis on equality, social inequalities remained, though the criteria of the upper class changed from noble birth to service and wealth during the Napoleonic era. Moreover, the French administration continued to be a bureaucracy, with Napoleon further centralizing it, creating a more efficient but also more authoritarian state. Lastly, while the Revolution led to confiscations of Church lands and the establishment of a secular state, during the Napoleonic era, Napoleon removed the anti-religion policies established during the revolution, returning the Catholic Church to its original social status pre-revolutionary France.

A Headless Circle — Tales From Révolution Française

March 28, 2024 / / 1 Comment

“The ship of the revolution can only arrive safely at its destination on a sea that is red with torrents of blood.”
— Louis Saint-Just                                                                                      (French Revolutionary, Jacobin Leader, National Convention President)

The fall of absolutism, an uprising of peasants, a reign of terror with countless individuals guillotined, and the rise of a military war hero – Bienvenue aux citoyens, à la Révolution Française. 

Pre-revolutionary France was governed by the Ancien Régime, resulting in an unequal and extravagantly royal society, as the common people faced insurmountable taxation while the clergy and nobles paid none. Furthermore, poor harvests left them with little money for taxes, naturally leading to commoner dissatisfaction, both factors sparking the Revolution.

Due to deficit spending by the clergy and nobility, 18th-century France was on the verge of bankruptcy. With no other choice, King Louis XVI called together the Estates-General of each estate, hoping to save France’s economy. Unfortunately, the meeting’s voting system was heavily biased against the third estate, comprised mainly of peasants, eventually triggering the abolition of the absolute monarchy and becoming a driving cause of the Revolution.

Meanwhile, whispers of liberty and equality, inspired by the recent American Revolution, drifted through the air, igniting the imaginations of the common people. Alongside the newly emerging ideas from the Enlightenment, the commoners were now filled with the determination, that they too could overthrow social injustice, and redeem the freedom that’d been locked up for centuries.

“Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité”

Did the commoners achieve their aspirations and manage a successful revolution? Was the French Revolution justified, given the cost of countless lives and a decade of instability? For more information, please watch the video below: French Revolution Explained In Plain English.

Photo Citation:

“Exécution de Marie Antoinette le 16 octobre 1793: Marie Antoinette’s execution in 1793 at the Place de la Révolution” 16 October 1793. Wikipedia, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ex%C3%A9cution_de_Marie_Antoinette_le_16_octobre_1793.jpg 

From Zero to Googol — A Google Tale

January 26, 2024 / / 0 Comments

Any time you’ve used Google, have you ever wondered how Google was created?  The book Google It by Anne Crowley Redding takes us through a history of Google — The story of how two students changed the world by organizing the internet. From a small garage to a three-million-square-foot Googleplex, from college students to respected entrepreneurs, Larry Page and Sergey Brin never imagined this when they took their college tour at Stanford in 1995. Organize the internet, don’t be evil, shoot for the moon, and change the world — these were Larry and Sergey’s missions.

Banner made with Canva

The first idea I found in this book was the theme Everyone should have an equal chance in the world. To be honest, this theme idea was quite hidden, but after reading most of the book and the acknowledgments page, I realized that the author actually developed this theme through various details and facts in the book, which have all been quoted in the mind map below. I also connected this theme to a similar theme from another book I’d read: Wonder. Both books talked about the importance and effects of inequality, which I felt was really interesting as one was in the genre of literary non-fiction while the other was realistic fiction.

When creating the mind map, I realized something interesting: Although it was Google that gave people a chance to show their talents,  the individuals mentioned in the mind map, who succeeded under the help of Google, were all passionate about what they were doing, no matter if it were singing, coding, or creating products. Therefore, I have connected the theme of inequality to a significant central idea in Google It:  To be successful, it requires the passion of actually wanting to change the world, and not just longing for wealth.

It is unbelievable to think that Google was on the verge of bankruptcy multiple times even after it had revolutionized the internet, because of its founders’ zero desire for money and profit. This feature was also what separated Google from other companies, allowing it to advance in technology at a stunning rate and why it became so successful. But on the other hand, Google was also facing another challenge: New technology wasn’t always appreciated in society. Yes, wasn’t. I was also really surprised when finding this central idea while reading the book, therefore, I did a little extra research to see if there were any other times where technology had also been disapproved. From an article by Elon University, I found out that the telephone was also originally questioned by society, but had later revolutionized the world, just like some of Google’s products have.

Other than delving into the book’s themes and central ideas, I’ve also done some analysis on the two main characters in the book: Google’s founders, Larry and Sergey. I decided to combine the two founders on one character trait map, as the book rarely emphasized the two individually but mainly combined them as a whole while describing their encounters with different characters.

Last but not least, after finishing the entire book, I took some time to analyze a key point in Google It: How Google has impacted our daily lives. I broke down this idea into four main reasons and supported it with evidence from the book, while also connecting it with other ideas and fun facts, which I felt was a great way to summarize my takeaways.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. If you enjoyed reading through this, then you may consider reading the book Google It for yourself. I personally really recommend this book, as it is both an interesting and inspiring book including many unknown fun facts about the company. And hopefully, this book will also motivate you, to pursue your passion, and change the world, just like Larry and Sergey did.

The Birth Of Humanities Class — Humanism

October 23, 2023 / / 0 Comments

The Renaissance was one of the most revolutionary periods in history, with a spurge of learning and artistic rebirth, including the birth of humanities class. During that time, a new way of thinking emerged — Humanism. What is humanism? How humanist are you? Read the blog below to find out.

Humanism by YingYing

Studying the humanism belief, I have given myself a percentage upon each of the five categories on how much I agree with humanist thought. Below is a brief reasoning on why I decided on each percentage.

As a secularist, I am only 42% agreeable with the humanist religious belief. I do not feel that god should interfere with my choices or the need for god to approve them, nor do I believe in a certain religion. Nevertheless, just like humanists, I agree with philosophical views of life such as those of  Confucianism. Another example would be when I visited temples such as the lama temple last year, I would take time to pray to the Buddhas, though I may not be devoted to the religion.

I completely agree with the humanist theory of individualism because I believe individuals should not be constricted by their past. Reading articles online, I’ve seen news that kids have been bullied at school because of what their parents had done, leading to extreme depression, anxiety, etc. Everyone was born with complete control over themselves and should have the freedom to choose over their own lives (of course, if they were to do something inequitable, with consequences too).

On the subject of government and religion, my views align perfectly with humanist beliefs. My secularist perspective dictates that religion does not play a role in my daily life and definitely should not be part of governmental rule. If it was, then everyone would be forced to be religious, which would contradict my own beliefs. For example, attending church every week would not be part of my weekly schedule, though, to some, it may be.

Upon studying humanities, I, of course, am an avid learner of the subjects within humanities myself, but I am only a learner, not a contributor. I have not yet reached the level of composing literature or introducing new theories, so I didn’t mark myself 100%. 

Lastly, I would mostly agree with referencing classical thinking as a way to improve our thinking, but sometimes, we also have to question the minds of ancient scholars. The geocentric theory was replaced by the heliocentric theory thanks to Galileo’s use of the telescope, which proves the necessity of challenging theorems. Studying knowledge, we shall not take the minds of the ancients for granted. Question everything, and only use it if you can convince yourself it is correct.

In summation, with a quick calculation upon adding up each of the five percentages, I have concluded that I am about 86.6% humanist. Humanism is one of the most important intellectual movements that shaped our modern world today, yet no matter how much we agree with humanism beliefs, we should all embrace the mindset of these revolutionary individuals — wanting to change the world, these patrons didn’t care about fortune or wealth, but about shaping a better future.

Thank you for reading this blog. Hopefully, you now have a deeper understanding of the humanism belief and will appreciate humanities class more then you did before :).

Beauty And The Bass

August 29, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Click Found Poem Final Mov to watch the animated video of the poem

Embedded above is a photo and a video animated format of my found poem. This found poem was created based on one of the conflicts in the short story “The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant”  By W. D. Wetherell. My poem shows the man vs. self conflict of the main character, where he battles between catching the largest bass he’d ever caught or not looking dumb before the girl he liked. This poem was not found on a specific page of this short story, but quotes taken from all parts of the story to form a detailed visual of the conflict and why the protagonist may be conflicted. 

During the story’s rising action, the protagonist “I” finally brings up the courage to ask Sheila out to a band show, in which they would go by canoe. The rising action gives detailed descriptions of their journey in the canoe, which slowly builds up to the conflict of the story. On Page 3, where Sheila mentions “fishing’s dumb”, the conflict first appears, as the protagonist “never went anywhere that summer without a fishing rod” (Page 2). The protagonist tries to hide the fishing rod beneath his feet, which would’ve worked if a big bass hadn’t suddenly bit the lure. 

In the rest of the story, the protagonist tries to keep the canoe steady while holding on to the bass and hiding from Sheila, until at the climax (Page 4), they reach the shore and the protagonist has no choice but to cut the rod line and let the bass go so Sheila wouldn’t find out. 

Finally, in the resolution, after hearing Sheila’s “You’re a funny kid, you know that?” (Page 4), the protagonist finally realizes that Sheila had gone out of his heart, that this girl was not worth all his work, and in his heart, fishing the biggest bass would’ve made him much happier than pleasing her. “it was these secret, hidden tuggings in the night that claimed me” (Page 4).

In my poem, by using words like “long, suntanned legs”, “long red hair”, and “never went anywhere without a fishing rod”, it shows how Sheila and the big bass were both important to the protagonist and why this internal conflict was a hard choice for him. Later in the poem, by using dramatic phrases like “must not know” and “the bass was lose”. It shows how the conflict resonated with the protagonist throughout the story and his final choice between the bass and Sheila. In the end, “I never made the same mistake again”  shows how the protagonist regrets in the choice, and finally learns a lesson.

In my graphic design, I chose a sun-setting river as a background to show the setting of the story, and in my animated video, I added a short scene of the boy deciding between bass or sheila. Later in the video, it shows an animated boat sailing away, showing the protagonist and Sheila’s canoe trip.

Lessons are learnt from mistakes, and I hope that moving on, “I” will remember this canoe trip, rely on instincts, and make the right choices.

Product Design – Lamp Design Progress

April 28, 2023 / / 0 Comments

My product is a wooden lamp, and I intend to use it as a nightlight. During our research stage, I looked up patterns such as traditional Chinese designs, circular patterns, and rose patterns, but in the end, I settled for a star-shaped design since it is the most suitable for a nightlight. I made some improvisations on the typical 5-pointed star and changed it into 8-point and 4-point stars. During my designing stage, I chose the 12*13*16 cm dimensions for my lamp, with the smallest area (12*13) as the base. One reason I chose 12*13 and not a typical 12*12 square was that I didn’t want my lamp to be completely symmetrical, which ended up turning out successfully. When the wooden prototype of my product turned out, I found that I had done the fingers incorrectly and that I had accidentally matched up two sides (on two sides, my fingers couldn’t connect). In the end, when my final wood product turned out, I found that some of the fingers were too loose, so I had to layer up some paint to make the sides thicker and use wood glue to glue them together. During the decoration stage, my idea was to spray paint the entire product black and then use the acrylic markers to outline the stars, I wasn’t able to spray paint because I didn’t know you needed to spray paint before ensembling, and by the time I found out, I’d already glued everything together. Though I wasn’t able to spray paint, I still marked my stars with acrylic marker, which turned out surprisingly good. In the end, I was pretty happy with my final product.

By doing this project, I have grown significantly in my fusion skills. For one, I was able to understand the duplicate and move functions thoroughly during this project. Because my designs on opposite sides are completely identical, the best way was to copy and paste everything, in case I got the dimensions wrong (In which I still ended up doing). One super annoying thing about Fusion was that everything was really laggy, especially when you selected everything and copy-paste them. One trick around that is actually to do the copying in lightburn when you’ve finished your designs because lightburn isn’t laggy at all (of course, you wouldn’t be able to do designing in lightburn, because lightburn doesn’t have as many functions as Fusion). One huge challenge for me was because of copy and pasting, I ended up having a bunch of designs stacked together and having to delete them one by one in lightburn.

  1. What tips, tricks, and advice would you give to the incoming students?  Don’t get mad at Fusion! Fusion is always laggy, but do not lose patience and click the same action a million times. It will just make it worse, and you may end up escaping Fusion and losing all your designs.
  2. Consider: what would have helped you if you knew it at the start of the course? One trouble I faced was during the decoration stage because I didn’t know you spray painted before you ensembled it, so I ended up not being able to spray paint it the color I wanted (black)
  3. What would you, individually, do differently if could go back and do the class over? I would want to spray-paint my product black
  4. Consider design ideas, work effort, mistakes, challenges, level of difficulty, and how you did or did not challenge yourself My designs were actually not hard, because all you had to do was make three types of stars and copy and paste them over again. But my product turned out the way I wanted it to be, so I’m still quite happy with it. The fingers didn’t challenge me as much as they did to others, so everything went quite smoothly
  5. What would you (the student) want to be changed about the course so I (the teacher) can make improvements to the course? Nothing I can think of now? Because the most boring part was learning all the skills, but it is a stage we cannot skip
  6. Consider the projects, how the class ran, activities during the class, what to drop, what to keep, etc. Overall I quite enjoyed it. But because all our designs had to go through a teacher, we had to do a lot of waiting.
  7. Think: what would have made it better for you? If our designs were reviewed on dx, I think it would have saved some time
  8. I am looking for things I can take action on so please leave out things beyond my control. OK

Inquiry for Laser Cut Product ⬅️⬅️ Link To Photos Of My Entire Progress

My Cardboard Arcade Design Project

March 23, 2022 / / 0 Comments

~My Biggest Success was being able to create hoops with aluminum foil and find a way to attach the obstacles to the cardboard.

~My Biggest Challenge was creating the giant cardboard and trying to make it sturdy enough.

~One thing I would like to change is perhaps making the game look better visually. I would add more colors and attach the cardboard pieces to make the board sturdy on the back instead of on the front. Also, I would make the game higher quality by using hot glue instead of glue in some places.

~One piece of advice I would give to future students is not to have such high expectations on their game, it’s just cardboard made.

Welcome to Your New Blog!

August 3, 2021 / / 0 Comments

When you blog you create posts and posts are categorised according to your subject. Some categories have already been set up for you. If you need more categories you can add them as needed. It’s important that your posts have the following:

  • An engaging title – this should not include the name of the subject since this is referenced in the category.
  • Body – this is where you share your learning. This can include text, images, embedded videos from Dragons’ Tube or elsewhere. You should always consider how your post looks to your audience. Is it engaging? Do they want to keep reading?
  • Category – select one that has been set for you or add a new category. Posts can have more than one category e.g. Humanities and Myself as a Learner

Click on the images below to learn more about blogging:

 

 

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