Reflection 2-11

After finishing my first app last week, this week was rather slow. I'm looking to start a new project based tutorial. I'm continuing the Swift tutorial from Udemy but I like learning by doing. In the Udemy tutorial, I've started taking a closer look at defining functions and integers. I don't feel ready and comfortable enough to write my own app just yet, so I still have a long way to go.

Reflection 2-10

This week I did something that I've never done before! I was actually able to talk to my grandpa over the phone in Tagalog! It was - as always - a little bit broken but we were able to fully understand what the other was talking about. My grandpa's dialect is not Tagalog, he actually speaks another dialect called Hiligaynon, but since Tagalog is the Filipino national language and is spoken on television and radio, he was able to understand and speak back. This was great because it really helped me connect with my grandpa in ways that I was never able to before. His english is not very good, and he never was able to understand what I was saying. But because of my newfound skills in speaking Tagalog we bridged a gap that seemed totally uncrossable!

Reflection 2-10

During the second week of PARCC, I got much more done than in the first week. Unlike last week, I took advantage of my time and didn't slack off, as I finished the MadLib app.

Although it looks rather simple and there are still some kinks, it is a big step in the right direction. With the help of the tutorial, I was able to make a simple app from scratch, and I can't wait to see what's next for me.

Reflection 2-10

I'm gonna be frank, this week was terrible. I had little time to work on the film with so many distractions such as parcc and church planning for our mission trip this summer. Preoccupied this week with other things, I hope that I can really buckle down and focus this week. I have so many ideas that I just need to put on paper.

Reflection 2-10

This week was a productive week, considering I had parcc for 3 days. I went to the fitness center Monday and Wednesday, and went to the YMCA on Saturday. I did not have any soccer games this weekend so I did not get to do some stamina training during my game, but I do have one next week. Overall it was a solid week, and I can only hope for more of the same next week.

Reflection #2-10

This week I filmed some of our practices before the meet to show how we prepared for it. I took shots of our coaches talking to us and some nice underwater shots. Also, this weekend I had a meet so I did some filming of the routines. Besides filming I just edited a few more parts of the video, like the interviews, and put them into the new editing software that I've been using. A problem I faced this week was that my laptop has no more space left on it to put videos on it so I couldn't edit as much as I would. This week I would like to find a way to clear all the junk I have on my laptop to make space. If I'm not able to do that, I will just have to use my desktop computer to edit the rest of the video.

Reflection 2-10

Again, I could not progress with the cube from not having the time to. The week was busier than usual although there is only one more movement to learn. Therefore, my pacing generally is not an issue and the cube should be solved by next reflection. I am going to practice the other sequences, and strengthen my memorization on such sequences for faster solving times. Mastering the stages would guide me to being more successful. I am mastered through the middle layers stage, but could brush up my skills in going beyond it. I am believing I’m on the right track.

Relection 2-10

I'm working on porting some models from various different games. Some are pre-rigged which is good but others aren't which is a pain for me. I'm not sure what to do next as modeling is becoming boring.

Reflection 2-10

This week was an extremely productive one.  Since, I had the PARCC I had no homework which gave me plenty of spare time.  As a result, I went to the gym 5 times this week.  I continued to do my regular exercises as they have been giving me great progress.  In addition, I stretched each night this week and I feel great.  My muscles are not so tight anymore and it is helping me a lot in the gym.  If I only I did not have homework everyday, then every week would be productive.

Week 10

This week I was very productive and i went for runs three times. I am going to switch from doing gym exercises to working out outside during the day. In my gym class we are playing Handball. I also wanted to see where I am with the basic exercises I started in the beginning of this project.
So far, I can do 20 pushups and that is close to my goal of 30 push ups. I can do 40 sit-ups which is close to my goal of fifty. I can run two miles in twenty minutes which is an improvement from twenty two minutes. Now I am going to write down the goals I have mentioned and I will reach them by the end of the project. It is possible to surpass my goal if I am willing to workout on my own time. Since I am not going to the gym during my gym period I have to find time and place to work out or find a gym membership. I decided to do at home exercises so by next week I hope to increase my pushups and sit-ups by five reps each. I want to get my two miles under twenty minutes.

Reflection 2 - 10

This week has been relatively slow in terms of progress in my cooking abilities since I've been taking PARCC and not really cooking as much. I intend, though to be making something next week in order to get back on track.

Reflection 2.9

This week I kind of built off of the program that I made last week. You enter the number of letters you want the name to have, and the program returns a few suitable names. Again, this sounds a lot simpler than it really is.

Reflection 2.8

This week I continued to learn the language of swift. I made a little program that lets you enter your name and then it returns how many letters are in your name. It sounds very simple but it is a step forward for me and teaches me to think like a computer.

Reflection 2-9

During the first week of PARCC, I got nothing done. If I'm being honest, when I found out I would have no homework for the next two weeks, I knew I wasn't going to do much schoolwork. Although I don't consider coding schoolwork, it still involves a lot of time dedicated to it and I slacked off. Previously, I had made the promise that I would finish my MadLib app, however I didn't touch it at all last week. Because I had so much free time, I was irresponsible during the first week and didn't get anything done, and even fell off my regular schedule (hence why I'm posting this late). Luckily, during the math part of PARCC, I was able to finish the MadLib app, but I will talk about that in the reflection for this week.

Refection 2-9

This week I made some good progress. I decided that I would focus more on vocabulary. So, I looked up a couple quizlets and on my way to upstate New York I studied them. I also studied throughout the week when I had a free time. Although this approach seems to be a lot more boring, hopefully I'll be able to apply it more. I've been learning more unconventional words that will hopefully be used soon in a conversation. Overall, I've made really good progress so far.

Week 9

This week I was very sick and with fever for a week. I was not able to do much throughout the weekday except rest and I understand. I am moving from fitness to sports in my gym class which means exercising outdoors. This is always the best time of the year especially because school is coming to an end and its also sunny out. Since the weather is changing, I am going to head out for runs. I decided to not get a gym membership because I may not use it to my advantage and that would be a waste of money. I really want to focus on body weight exercises. I know the basics of pushups and sit-ups but I am going to research more during next week's 20% time. I went to a yoga class on Saturday and I detoxed whatever toxins were in me and I feel motivated to go to more classes. It was a challenging class and my core and mind are getting a workout.

reflection 2-9

This week was not as productive as I could have hoped. PARCC testing three off my schedule a bit, and I was only able to work out once during the school week. Over the weekend, I had work on Saturday, which prevented me from getting to the gym. On Sunday I had an extra long soccer game, which lasted a total of 120 minutes, so I'll go ahead and count that as a pretty good workout, as far as my stamina is concerned. Next week is like to get back on track, despite there being more testing.

Reflection #2-9

This week I finally finished my interviews with my coaches. My plan is to edit these interviews into the video this week. Something I also did this week was look for a new video editing software. I felt like IMovie doesn't have as many features as I would like, so I will probably use another software to edit the video, and then export that into IMovie so that I have everything together. A software I was looking at was called Movavi. I really liked all the options it had for video transitions and titles, and I also thought it was easier to use than IMovie, so I will probably look into using it more for my videos.

Reflection 2-9

This week I focused on trying to learn how to get into and edit the animations in the mod tools so my weapon can have custom lasers coming out of it instead of the games default ones which seem ugly to me. I have found a way to view the animations but the problem is I don't know how to edit or import others. Next week I hope to tackle that problem.

Reflection 2-9

This week was not my most productive week.  While I went to the gym four times, I felt very fatigued.  I was very weak during my exercises and just overall not myself.  I googled what to do, and they said to take time off.  As a result, next week I will not be going to the gym so I can get myself back on track.  It is the only way to ensure long term success.

Reflection 2 - 9

I did not really make anything spectacular this week beside making some white rice, which is not something special at all .

Reflection 2-9

This week was better. More is happening in the world giving me more inspiration for my movie. I watched more examples of stop-motion movies. I also watched a ton of movies this week, trying to dissect the techniques used. Of the movies I watched, The Grand Budapest Hotel, stuck to me the most. Its stylish approach to filmmaking appeals to me and I would like to implement it in the film.

Reflection 2-9

There are no updates because I could not make progress doing the cube due to lack of having time but am on the last stage. There are very few pieces left to transfer, and it seems simple according to the sequence. Although, it is long and that means difficult for memorizing the sequence. I would integrate practicing and memorizing. Afterward, I could focus just on memorizing, and then practicing, memorized. That’s how I performed the other steps, and my progress is satisfactory. I could also brush up with the other stages ensuring that they are memorized as much as possible. It would help me to solve the cube faster and be accustomed to doing the sequences with order.

http://lghttp.38568.nexcesscdn.net/8013252/pdf/uploads/general_content/Rubiks_cube_3x3_solution-en.pdf

Reflection 2-8

These past few weeks have seen a great deal of progress on my project. I have officially registered my company with the state of New Jersey. Zipeto Concessions LLC is now a real thing. I am allowed to collect sales tax. And, I am scheduled to take a safe food handling class later this month. I will be getting a cart very soon. As well as working on my connections to people so that I can have business.

Reflection 2-8

This week I made some pretty great progress. What really sums it up is something that my my father, mother, and even my aunt have noticed - my speech is starting to sound a lot more natural. A couple weeks back when I would try to speak Tagalog, I almost couldn't take myself seriously so I would really exaggerate my tone and sometimes chuckle afterwards to acknowledge that my speech sounded so "cano" which is essentially Filipino slang for "American". What I am enjoying most about this project is that I am really starting to have a legitimate connection to my heritage. It's really a lot more than just learning a language, I also integrate myself into the culture more and more. What I am most excited for is in a couple of weeks my favorite aunt will be coming to visit and I am hoping to surprise her with my newly attained skills. Hopefully, I won't speak one word of English to her (although it is kind of ambitious, we'll see how it goes).

Reflection 2-8

I'm beginning to work on a new model to import into the game it is yet another weapon from a different game. I realized why my other model went in the game so easily, it was already rigged. Rigging is putting "bones" into the model for animations to work off of. I have to learn more about them so I can get my new model to work since is this is the raw file taken straight from the game. I hope to get this one done quick so I can work on a different style of mod, one that affects gameplay.

Reflection 2-8

This week was a step backwards in my journey to building an app. I was focused with school work and was too busy studying/doing homework to get on Xcode and practice with Swift. During 20 time in class, I skipped ahead in my video tutorial and started learning about Booleans (a data type having a value of either true or false), thinking that I would go home and finish the MadLib app part of the tutorial. Unfortunately, as I stated before i barely had time and couldn't get around to finishing the app, and didn't even have time on the weekend to work on it (hence the time I'm posting this). PARCC is coming soon, and since teachers can't overload us with homework or tests, I am hoping I can finally finish the basic app and move on.

Reflection 2-8

This week was a good rebound from last week. I went to the gym 3 times, Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday, and went running on Sunday. Cutting down on the amount of junk food I eat is also beginning to make me feel better in general. Next week I can only hope for more of the same as this week was a very productive one.

Late Reflection 2-7

After arriving back from my vacation, I was extremely tired.  It took me a couple days to get back into the swing of things and back to my normal routine.  I am continuing my normal strength training and stretching, and I have also been eating more to gain weight.  I have gained 5 pounds in the past two months, a great improvement in a short time.  This extra weight will improve my strength, but I will have to work hard to convert it into muscle.

Reflection 2-8

This week I focused on implementing more cardio into my routine.  I have not done really any cardio at all up until this point, as I believed it would prevent me from gaining strength.  Yet recently I read that it does just the opposite, so I decided to give it a try.  I am going to continue doing this for the next month, and see how it goes.  In the meantime, I will keep my routine otherwise the same

Reflection #2-8

This week I interviewed one more coach, which means I have one more left until I finish my coach interviews. The last coach was not present this week, but I contacted her and she told me she would be at practice on Wednesday, and I could film her then. To make up for the fact that I only interviewed one coach I worked more on putting the video together. I took headshots of all my teammates for a segment that I am putting at the beginning of the video to "meet the swimmers". I also recorded some pool practice shot to show how we are preparing for our next meet. Next week I will be filming some more shots of our practice and my last coach interview so that hopefully I can edit everything into the video.

Reflection 2 - 8

This week I made some homemade granola. Preheat oven to 300°F (149°C). Line an 8 or 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper with enough overhang on the sides to easily remove the bars from the pan. Set aside.Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, mix the honey, vanilla, almond meal, salt, and almond butter together until combined. Fold in the almonds, chopped dates, and sunflower seeds until combined.
Transfer mixture to prepared baking pan and press very firmly into an even layer. You really want it packed in tight- as tight as possible. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack for 1 hour, then transfer to the refrigerator to chill for 1 more hour. This helps firm up the bars which makes them stay compact. Remove bars from the pan using the overhang on the sides and cut into bars. Individually wrap each bar in plastic wrap or parchment. Store at room temperature for 1 week or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. I find they get a little sticky at room temperature over a few days, so I prefer the refrigerator.
*I didn't have store bought almond meal so I made it myself by taking two cups of almonds and pounding them until they are a rough flour like consistency *

**Also make sure you have enough honey and almond meal or they will end up crumbled and ugly looking like my first batch**

Reflection 2-8

I succeeded in positioning the yellow corners in the right spots. Therefore, almost the entire cube is accurately solved except for few areas. I am satisfied how the progress is going and how simple the steps are with carrying out and memorizing though some are difficult. The first level of stage 6 is complicated to memorize but I tried memorizing sections, and putting it all together. It was easier this way; I am in need of more practice on this step but I am becoming skillful in all of the steps that are preceding it, reviewing before moving on to the following resolution phase. I’m going to continue learning the next step of the stage 6.

http://lghttp.38568.nexcesscdn.net/8013252/pdf/uploads/general_content/Rubiks_cube_3x3_solution-en.pdf

Reflection 2-8

This week, I researched more about my topic. I have started to finalize my plans for filming and hope to get the shots down this week. This week was by far the most hectic, as with the third marking period finalizing, many of my teachers bombarded me with sgo's. tests, and projects. With that said, I hope to have the opportunity to film.

Week 8

So this Sunday is the 10k long-distance run and I hope I am ready. I am not too confident because I did not follow the running training program that I planned. It did not work out because I did not plan out time to run as efficiently as I needed to. If I were dedicated to the running program it would have been beneficial. I did go to the gym one time this week and I got a lot done. I ran for 2. 5 miles and bike for 2 miles. I also increased my pull up weight to 95 pounds and it was challenging. I was exhausted but I also did squats on a machine. I squatted 45 pounds and I know I can do more. Last week I squatted 25 pounds. The gym I went to is Retro Fitness and I am thinking about joining the gym because I enjoy it.
Today is Sunday afternoon and I came back from the long distance run in New York. I was about to not go but my parents disciplined me to follow through with my commitments and so I ran it. It took me about an hour and twenty minutes to run 6.2 miles through the woods. I was exhausted but afterwards I felt so proud of myself because I was about to miss out on a great experience.
Next week, I am going to continue to work on my pull-ups I am trying to at least do one pull-up this week. I am going to squat 50 pounds and I am going to run a mile at a fast pace.

Reflection 2.8

This week was more of the same in learning the Swift language. I am also starting to watch videos that show me how to use Xcode to create an app, so that once I learn the language, I can create an app.

Reflection 2.7

This week in my journey to creating an app, I just continued to follow the tutorials. I am continuing to try my best to learn Swift to the best of my ability. Once I learn the language, then I can create an app.

Reflection 2-7

During Spring break, I had a lot of time to work on my project. Unfortunately, I did not finish the MadLibs app as I had hoped to, but I am really close and will definitely finish this coming weekend.

In this screenshot, you can see how the structure of the MadLib will work. A user will input the noun, verb, or adjective that they want and the story you see in the code will come out with your own nouns, verbs, and adjectives. So far, I have not run into too much trouble with this project and am really enjoying it.

Reflection #2-7

During Spring Break I only had time to interview one other coach. All rest of my coaches (there are two more) were not present during practice this Saturday because they were off on vacation. Saturday was the only opportunity I had to film this week because I was in Florida up until Friday. Since I didn't get as much done as I hoped I would have, I decided to just practice some more editing (although I've gotten pretty good at it already). I took a few videos that I recorded in Florida and put some cool effects on them. I did things such as making them go in slow motion, and making them go incredibly fast, almost like a time-lapse. This week since everyone is returning from break I am going to film the rest of my videos and record a bit of our training, since we have a meet coming up this month.

Reflection 2-7

This week was very busy for me. I got home from vacation Saturday morning, so I was only able to go to the gym once all spring break. I was able to go running on Tuesday this week. Although it wasn't strength training, it helped me stay in shape over spring break. I improved my diet a bit, though, and hopefully I can get back on my normal gym routine Monday.

Reflection 2-7

This week was a tough one. In the storm of family gatherings and my mom's recent surgery, I found it  difficult to make time for my movie. When I did attempt to film, I could not put my ideas to life. Right now is a struggle for me and my project. I have all of these ideas, but I am struggling with conveying these ideas. I have been watching many stop-motion films to try and find some inspiration. Hopefully I can get my act together this week and put together some quality work. I am currently thinking about putting in some live footage and mixing it with stop-motion footage. Hope to do better next week.

2-7

This week was an awesome week. No school, and just a lot of time to myself. This meant a lot of time to really advance on my 20% project. I spent a lot of time just talking to my dad back and forth in Tagalog (although a lot of it was mostly him correcting me - but still it was conversation-worthy). I furthered my study into affixes and roots as usual, because there are sooooooo many ways that a certain word can be transformed into a different one and the meaning can vary as such. I'm starting to get the hang of the language, and I can really differentiate between the two. I notice a difference in tone and speed between Tagalog and Ilongo, and hopefully I'll be able to speak the other just as well as I can Tagalog right now.

2-7

I did find a couple problems with the model and some balancing issues when used in game. By balancing, I mean it is too powerful. i toned it down and fixed the other issue now I am in the process of submitting it into the steam workshop. The internet can be a brutal place, I hope they go easy on me

2-6

This week I finished porting my model in Xcom 2. I have the stats done and have it set to unlock at a certain, time. I am proud of my creation. Now before I release it I am going to test it for bugs and glitches.

Reflection 2 - 7

This week I made some Mac and Cheese for my family as a quick and simple dinner dish. The first thing you need to do is take a pot and fill it half way with water (add less water if there are less people) and set on the stove to boil. After 1 to 3 minutes have passed, add in 2 capfuls of oil and 2 1/2 tablespoons of salt, then let boil. When the water has started to boil, add in the macaroni and let cook for about 5 minutes. When times is up, add in a tablespoon of butter and stir until it had completely dissolved into the macaroni. Then add desired amount of cheese/ cheese sauce and continue to stir until evenly distributed. Season it with your preference and taste to see if yummy (if not, keep seasoning!). Let cook on low heat an serve 
Since I made this before, I remembered where I went wrong the first time and knew how to balance the spices and control the heat so that it didn't burn. I think I really improved since then.

Week 7

This week I was on break from school and I had time to run twice. I also found time to go to the gym as a guest with my friend. We went on Wednesday and Friday. I did a whole body circuit training which includes arms, legs, back and interval running. For arms we did 4 sets of 10 assisted pull ups. For next week I want to increase the weight to 115 pounds in order to get to my own body weight which means I can do a pull up by myself. On the weekend my arms were very sore. I did squats as well and more exercises. For next week I plan to do twenty pushups and go to the gym four times this week and run about three times for about 6 miles. I have the 10 run next Sunday so I should be prepared.

Reflection 2-7

It was a week of improvement. I tried my best to memorize the sequences I experienced difficulty in, and found success after multiple trials; for instance, I would try the sequence using the cube and viewing the instructions and then study the written-out sequence. I would try memorizing it, and then use my memorized information for performing the sequence. Doing it again, and again, it became committed into my muscle memory and I would become free of referencing Rubik’s solution guide. Sometimes, I would mix up some sections and need to reference it, but in general due to practicing, I established the mini-goal I attempted to, which was getting every sequence memorized. My next part of the solution was Step 2 of Stage 5 and the step involved moving all the yellow pieces on the top with that cross in its position. It makes all the pieces appear in place, but that only goes for the yellow sections. The edges, or the yellow pieces on the side attached to colored spots, are not where they should be. The next step is to fix these pieces into their rightful place. I experienced difficulty moving the yellow pieces onto the top section because the cube was not angled correctly. The yellow needed to face upward but on accident, I positioned that forwards which made the sequences seem wrong, since it would not position the pieces properly as the tutorial explained. I am going to continue to practice these steps, and continue on to the following stage towards the solution.

http://lghttp.38568.nexcesscdn.net/8013252/pdf/uploads/general_content/Rubiks_cube_3x3_solution-en.pdf  

Reflection 2-6

Over spring break I went on vacation.  Luckily, the resort I was staying at had a gym for me to go to so I went four times.  However, they did not have all of the equipment that I usually use so I had to keep my workout pretty basic.  I did a bit of cardio on the treadmill and stretched.  I also did some exercises with dumbbells.