SHSID|Times 2017 May-Jun

Persistent, Aspiring, Noble, Diligent, Achieving

SHSID|TIMES May June 2017 Edition

LAPTOP PURCHASING GUIDE PAGE 35-36

SHSID|STUDIO PAGE 1-10

KEYS TO THE MUSIC BOX PAGE 37-42

The TIMES Team Editor in Chief Annie Fang Managing Editor Angelina Ding Director of Digital Media Irene Chan Features Editor Allen Xie Creative Director Angelina Ding Judith Luo Maggie Huang Director of Photography James Zhang Anna Jin

News Sophie Li Andrew Mi Jerry Chen Jun Ho Suh Kevin Zhou Rachel Wang Rachel Wu Tania Kim Lifestyle Irene Chan Annie Fang Evelyn Wan Michael Fan Tania Kim Ting Shing Koh English Literature Chloe Tan Rachel Wang Rachel Wu Sophie Li Ting Shing Koh Chinese Literature Kathy Wang Helen Li Happy Wang Tina Chen

Student Journal Sophia She Emily Teng Sci-Tech Allen Xie Andrew Mi Jeff He Raymond Cheng Xiuwen Shen Design and Illustration Angelina Ding Judith Luo Maggie Huang Anna Heath Irene Chan Kevin Jiang Mingyi Suo Photography James Zhang Anna Jin Audney Guo Cindy Bu Ivy Sung Jacqueline He Joshua Lu Maggie Chen Mark Wu Nicole Zhou Simone Yang Sophia She

English Literature Advisor::Mr. Justin Way Publicity Coordinator: Ms. Zhang, Nan Supervisor: Mr. Ma, Feng

Letter From the Editor I remember distinctly the creativity drain that frustrated our discussions the first time the editors and I met at a brainstorming meeting. Thankfully, that was not the end of it. As we flipped through past issues for ideas and explored news topics on end-of-the-year events, our creative endeavors were met with fulfilling results - lists of original article ideas and spreads of refreshing designs.

From a discussion on the origins of epiphanies to a sneak peak at the incredible works of young musicians, this issue celebrates the sources of INSPIRATION that continue to fuel and nourish creative minds at SHSID each day. In addition to presenting their stories in print, I am also pleased to invite you to the Times WeChat platform for a short film that captures the stories behind our students’ musical pursuits.

We hope that multimedia projects like this will grant an even more enthralling view of the stories we voice.

Beyond artistic inspiration, this issue is also about the people around us whose dedication and passions motivate us to chase our own goals. We introduce to you this year’s Honors Students candidates with the belief that their contributions to our community will certainly inspire future generations to achieve even more.

Inspiration almost always comes at unexpected times, and it is this unpredictability that makes these epiphanic moments so precious. As the school year comes to an end, we wish you a grand vacation filled with unexpected but inspiring adventures!

Sincerely,

Annie Fang, Editor in Chief

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TABLE OF Cover Story 1

SHSID| Studio: Dreamer of Dreams Stories of joy and tears behind musicians at SHSID.

News 11

Summer Bash: A Close to the Year

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SHSID Hackathon: Coding and Collaboration

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Senior Prom: Photo Spread

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Chinese Culture Day

As the year comes to a close, there’s more to Summer Bash than water fights.

SHSID students participate in a Hackathon open to both experienced coders and novices alike.

Taking you to the Senior Promenade 2017.

Taking a deeper look into Chinese culture.

Lifestyle 19

What’s Your Type?

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OPINION: Do Ideas Fall From Trees?

A list of quizzes for you to address that philosophical struggle.

A closer look at epiphanic enlightenment through history.

May June 2017

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CONTENTS Literature

Science and Technology

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标签 当标签变成现实，有色眼镜能改变世界，人类文 明会变成怎样？

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Loot Drop Rates on Your Favorite Games China’s new regulations on gaming changed the video game market for the better.

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痴心难移 那跳动的心脏是我一生最深的信仰，最大的痴 望。

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iGuard: SEE for Yourself

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Laptop Purchasing Guide

[COLLAB] A Man Walks into a Grocery Store Two Blocks Down...

An onion, corn, scissors, ketchup, a flamingo floatie, pink balloons, 17 AA batteries...

The tech behind the CTB Golden Prize project iGuard.

A short and easy guide to picking out a laptop

Student Journal 37

Keys to the Music Box

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The Last Grasp of Senior Year: Honors Students

A sneak peek at what it’s like to play different instruments.

Insight to the 2017 Honors Student candidates.

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“We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams.” ― Arthur O'Shaughnesasy

DREAMERS OF DREAMS Written by: Rachel Wang, Evelyn Wan, and Tania Kim Photos by: Anna Jin and James Zhang MAY JUNE 2017

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COVER STORY Elaine Zheng “Music is continuous... If you stop, the inspiration stops.”

Mr. Wu JianJing “If inspiration comes to you, you should be like a tuned guitar. You never know when and how you will get inspired, but you should have the musical ability to capture the moment, to translate those abstract ideas into concrete music.”

Jeffery Tsui “The sky’s the limit for what sounds you can make...it’s not just melody but also quality for electronic music in particular.”

Mr. Sang Tan “At each stage of composition you are privy to different experiences... Everybody’s style differs. Once you find the patterns and basics, inspiration comes naturally—it becomes a ‘splitsecond’ decision.”

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COVER STORY Yihong Lee “It [lyrics] does not necessarily have to be about how you feel at the moment. You can pick up a small thing that you felt before, like the pain from stepping on a lego block. Give lego block characters. Talk to it.”

Kevin He “Forcing out chords or a melody almost never works.

When they pop into my head, I record it immediately.”

Roy Lo “If I were to use one word to describe music creation, it’d be ‘miracle.’ Every time you create a new tune, it is a miracle. It is a fun process, but it also requires a lot of patience.”

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op or rock? Jazz or the blues?

Classic or contemporary? In a world where music flourishes, we are all subject to its whims and rhythms. Every day, aspiring musicians create music to express their emotions. Regardless of genre and style, music has a place for all. SHSID is home to countless skilled and tal-

ented musicians. Students such as Elaine Zheng from 11(5), Yihong Lee from 11(5), Jean Jen from 11(1), and Joshua Chan from 11(9) are composers and singers who are dedicated to different types of music, while Kevin He from 11(1), Jeffery Tsui from 11(1), and Roy Lo from 11(9) focus on production and remixes of music in

the EDM genre. In addition, teachers are involved in music production as well. Mr. Jianjing Wu, the current IB music instructor, is both a singer and songwriter who creates electropop and rock-and-roll music, while Mr. Tan Sang, who teaches music and drama, composes original musicals.

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First Encounters Each musician has a unique story behind their first encounter with music.

Although they have been enthusiastic about music since fifth grade, Lee and Kevin were not always experts. All they could do back then was explore GarageBand, a built-in instrumental application that the macOS system provides, and a year2000 keyboard. Then, in ninth grade, they started a band with only a vocalist, a keyboardist, and a saxophone player. “It...was absolutely a failure,” says Lee, recalling the embarrassing moments, “The true catalyst [that pushed us into music creation happened during] last year on December 25th.” That day, Lee’s favorite artist, George Michael — the lead singer of Wham! — passed away. As Lee reflected on how much inspiration Michael had given him, he told Kevin that they should make a tribute song to him. The two soon started working

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on “Maybe It’s Not Your Time,” an unfinished song by George Michael.

Elaine recalls that her passion towards music began when she wrote and recorded a song for her friend Jennifer’s birthday. “I played it for her, and it made her very happy,” she says, adding that this pushed her to explore and learn about different software and the like. “It showed me that you could express emotions through music.” For Elaine, inspiration manifests itself in diverse forms.

Sometimes it’s an inspiring figure, like Johnny Depp, whose recent visit to Shanghai motivated her to write her new hit “Cause You Are You.” Sometimes it’s a simple word or phrase. Other times, her inspiration can spring from even the simplest things, like a cup of tea. What makes her streak of creativity unique, however, is that there is one factor always present in her composition process.

“A common theme for me is that I

always compose late at night, from around 11 PM to 2 AM,” she states.

Jeffery and Roy, on the other hand, both mix and create Electronic Dance Music (EDM), but their first encounters with music production were slightly different. As a player of the viola since the age of eight, Roy was first attracted to EDM through a YouTube video of a person playing a Launchpad – a special 8x8 keyboard used in music production. “I bought one a few months later,” Roy recalls, “and this kickstarted my ‘music career’.”

Jeffery was motivated by his personal love of electronic music; deciding that he too would attempt to create similar tunes, he first started “mixing random mp3 files together” but realized that “they didn’t sound [that great].”This prompted him to look for better methods. Because one of his favorite EDM producers, Deadmau5, used German company

COVER STORY Ableton’s software for musical production, Jeffery decided to utilize it for his own production as well.

Our school also provides creative faculties for any aspiring musician.

The 11th grade Music program, for instance, is an ideal outlet for composition and production of new, individual music. Current music students Jean Jen and Joshua Chen provide insight to the general gist of the course. Apart from producing and composing their own works periodically, they also have monthly recitals, during which they play each other’s works and analyze music from different cultures around the globe. As for Joshua, his penchant for jazzier styles comes from his early experiences with playing more contemporary music with his friends and learning about religious hymns in church; eventually, this expanded to lyrical music and more styles along the way. Jean explains that in her case, inspiration comes in the form of photography: by taking photos and creating videos

of her collections, she is able to cook up her own tune to accompany them in the background. Her scope on mu-

Apart from producing and composing their own works periodically, they also have monthly recitals, during which they play each other’s works and analyze music from different cultures around the globe. sical style derives from her childhood exposure to classical works like those of Beethoven, Mozart, and Bach, thanks to her parents.

Teachers who have devoted their lives to music have different stories. Mr.Wu became a member of a

rock-and-roll band in college. After graduating, he formed an electronic band called IGO with his friends. Besides publishing numerous albums, the band also toured China, Southeast Asia, and many other places around the world.

Mr. Sang draws his inspiration from plays and other art forms.

In his eyes, the production of musical drama centers around the conflicting desires and interactions between characters and their settings. His works mostly focus on the interweaving between music and drama. Mr. Sang’s appreciation of both components is demonstrated in his works, including the musical production 《 竞选》, and the Shakespeare-inspired《杀死比亚》, a collaboration with 有山社. As long as the music resonates with him, he is able to garner the skills and ideas projected by all types of genres. His works show us that inspiration can manifest in forms of all kinds—anywhere, anyplace, and anytime.

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Music with Vocals Composition Initiating something as demanding as making music requires dedication and perseverance. For each musician, the road to success differs, and the composition process varies. “[The] process of composing really depends [on the musician],” says Mr. Wu, who plays multiple instruments and has access to various pieces of software. For him, the process depends on the situation. Most of the time, he comes up with melodies via piano or guitar located in his studio at home. Mr. Wu also likes to use his computer since it allows him to work on his music when he’s not in his studio or when he suddenly thinks of a melody, harmony, groove, or beat. Inspirations may also come to him while he’s listening to other music. Mr. Wu would then quickly find a quiet place to record himself singing the melody while jotting down the melody’s simplified notations, later improving the recorded melodies on his computer.

“Unlike most musicians who make the melodies first, think of lyrics, and finally add the chords to the melodies, we [Lee and I] do it in the reversed process,” describes Kevin. Whenever chords or melodies pop into his head, Kevin records them immediately. Then, he composes a basic backing track and sends it to Lee who adds lyrical melodies on top of the background track. Lee usually hymns the melody and writes down syllables

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that fit it. After listening to Lee’s composed lyrics, Kevin edits the background music to match Lee’s composition.

In Elaine’s case, composition of the lyrics and the tune of a piece come hand in hand. When collaborating with others, she sticks to elaborating on the lyrics first. Before her collaboration with Jackie Seok from 11(8) for their song “Single Dog,” her partner had previously posted a small excerpt in Korean on WeChat, and she started composing by extending the excerpt. When working alone, however, her own methods come into play. “I start with one sentence and its corresponding melody at the same time,” Elaine explains, “basically one complete lyric. Neither of the two comes first.”

The composition section of the music course allows Jean and Joshua to improvise, edit, and improve their skills, fine-tuning their abilities so as to become successful musicians. Their exposure to a variety of genres, ranging from classical European concertos to traditional African music, provides them with an enriching learning experience.

Even so, inspiration and motivation do not come with a snap of a finger. The plentiful amount of class hours the course provides allows cumulative learning to take place as the students struggle to make art out of their ideas. “[Music] is like writing or reading. It’s another language. You have to read more in order to write more,” Joshua states.

At times, the process comes naturally; at other times, composition comes simply from sitting in

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front of a piano and racking your brain for a lead. Their exposure to a plethora of musical genres puts their abilities to produce instrumental piano music that spans through all walks of life to the test .

Recording/singing After the initial compositions of music, most musicians choose to record their voices singing the composed melodies before they delve deeper into their productions.

Although software such as Virtual Studio Technology (VST) can virtually imitate the sound of instruments, they cannot completely fulfill producers’ needs. Hence, many musicians prefer recording their music with real instruments The fact that both the producers and instrumentalists have to fully understand each other makes the recording process difficult. This is why Mr. Wu tries to produce by himself. “Nobody understands my music better than myself,” he says, “It’s not that they do not play as well as I do, technically, but interpretation is different.” For instance, an excellent pianist might only understand Bach and Beethoven, while what the producer wants is jazz. However, sometimes he still asks for help from his friends since programming the instruments will detract from the nuance of performance. Mr. Wu also notes that instruments should be recorded from the amplifier that captures sound from the microphones rather than directly from the recording machines. By doing so, the physical vibration and the ambiance of the room can also be included.

Simply plugging the instruments into the machines will cause the music to lose its subtle static noise in the background, which not only makes it more human, but also gives the music its resonance.

Unlike Mr. Wu, Kevin prefers to

bring a mic-set to Lee’s house and covering it with a towel to prevent unnecessary noise from being recorded. Lee and Kevin usually ask their friends, juniors Thomas Shin, Joshua Chan and Matthew Kennedy to play the guitar, piano, and saxophone, respectively. Nonetheless, there were also times when they had difficulties dealing with the instruments – since Lee and Kevin were no experts in them.

“Once, I asked Thomas to come over [to play guitar] since my brother has a guitar, but I did not know that it was a classical guitar, which does not suit our music at all,” explains Lee. “Later, we had to schedule another day on which Thomas brought his acoustic guitar to record everything all over again.”

As for Elaine, production is one of the trickier parts of the process. The time-consuming stage of preparing for the backing track, recording, and more cause many of her projects to come to a halt. A unique aspect of Elaine’s works is that her style derives from Korean songs: she likes to make use of instrumental music, mixed in with sounds of more “modern” instruments like drum sets or guitars. This is the stage during which she can let go and experiment with different styles, as can be seen with the jazzier hints in her more recent works. In the recording step, she adds finesse and the finishing touches to her song by editing the pitch for each sentence and mixing, until finally ready for release.

By this step, the production of music is finished, and it’s up to the people in post-productions to combine everything and make sure the song turns out just the right way.

“Nobody understands my music better than myself,” he says, “It’s not that they do not play as well as I do, technically.

But interpretation is different.”

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COVER STORY Post-Productions and Release

Post-production plays a large role in the creation of music despite public perceptions, which tend to focus on the recording and composing stages.

In this step, it is up to the technicians of the music world to ensure perfection in the final release.

For Lee and Kevin, after recording, all audio files are sent to Kevin. This is when the mixing and mastering processes begin. As everything is recorded separately in different soundtracks, sound levels are different, so Kevin has to adjust and sync the volumes and frequencies of the tracks. After listening to the file together and making some minor changes, the song is finalized.

Throughout the process, the two also ask for opinions from their close friends.

Software these days can do much more than just editing. Once, Mr. Wu needed a cello sound featured in his music. He did not want to simply program it because he had hoped for the effect of a live performance.

Unable to find a cellist, however, Mr. Wu asked one of his students to perform the part for him with a violin.

He then used software to lower the pitch of the recording to make the violin sound like the cello.

Following post-production comes the struggle of finding the right time of release. “Nobody wants to listen to the music during the monthlies,” explains Lee. He and Kevin thus find a suitable time to post their works on NetEase Music, a Chinese music app and platform for creators. On choosing the right platform to send out her works, Elaine also states that she uses several sites, like WeChat and 全民K歌, to share her achievements. If she is collaborating with someone, she first sends it to her partner, or she sends it to those who inspired her. After that, her music goes out to all of us.

Wrapping up the entire process with rounds and rounds of revisions and careful collaboration, post-productions and the subsequent planning allows musicians to finalize and present their masterpieces.

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EDM and Non-vocal Music As most EDM music consists of the creation of electronic tunes and the remixing of published songs, much of Roy and Jeffery’s work consists of working with software. Coincidentally, both of them began their music production using Apple’s GarageBand but now use Ableton Live. “It’s not as graphically appealing as Fruity Loops Studio, [another piece of music production software],” Jeffery remarks, “but I like the fact that [every function] is where you’d expect them to be [visually]. It’s also not that hard to learn.”

However, Jeffery and Roy use the same software to achieve different purposes. Jeffery uses Ableton Live to create new music. “In Ableton,” Jeffery explains, “there are different columns or slots that represent different instruments, similar to GarageBand’s arrangement. You can create beats and melodies with these slots, and you can also organize them.”

Organizing these slots and focusing on the overall structure of his music is especially important to Jeffery. “It doesn’t really matter whether you start with a tune’s melody or create a beat first,” he states. It is often easy to create a basic melody with four bars, but it is more difficult to continue

working with projects and expanding them into more complete tunes.

“Half a year ago I ended up with fifty twenty-second melodies that didn’t really mean anything,” he jokingly remarks, “so I’d encourage people to go through with their projects even if it means that they are kept short.”

As an aspiring DJ, Roy does not use Ableton Live to create original beats and melodies. Instead, he listens to a variety of music genres and samples them in order to combine different songs and music pieces. Ableton Live is then used to keep the tempo of each track constant, alter the pitch of different samples, and effectively change the original samples into new tunes. In this process Roy also uses his Launchpad, which functions in a similar way as an electric keyboard. “Unlike keyboards,” he explains, “You can put samples into each key of the Launchpad and define different keys.

A normal midi (Musical Instrument Digital Interface Data) keyboard can only be used to play notes.” The Launchpad is also relatively smaller and lights up during use, making it both more accessible and more aesthetically appealing. Though his work may seem daunting, Roy is enthusiastic and optimistic about it.

COVER STORY Future Paths

Despite their distinct involvements in music, all these musicians have key objectives and plans that they hope to fulfill in the near future.

As a member of HALO, Roy has produced several remixes for the club’s events; he has also released one of his own remixes and is planning to share more of them with the community around him soon. He also collaborated with Sean Cai from SAS on a project soon to be made public and expects to start his own channel on NetEase Music. Though he states that “music most likely will not be [related to] my career,” Roy expresses hopes of taking on a part-time job as a club DJ later in life.

Jeffery, on the other hand, views his production of music as a more private hobby; apart from sharing his creations with his friends, he has yet to release any tunes publicly.

For Lee and Kevin, it is difficult to say if they want to work on music for their career in the future. How-

ever, they both agree that they will continue working together at least as a hobby. “Since technology has improved this much and communication and sharing music are that easy, why not?” asks Lee. They are currently working on an album that will be released soon.

As a composer, singer, songwriter, and occasional music producer, Elaine has her hands full with musical endeavors. Aside from working on her newest song “Cause You Are You,” dedicated to renowned actor Johnny Depp, which has received over 12K hits on 全民K歌 thus far, she also recently participated in the final round of a national composing competition (华研创作人大赛), during which she worked alongside accomplished experts like the composer of recent hit “小幸运.” She has also just composed music for the SHSID promo video. Currently, Elaine is also working on numerous upcoming projects, and is planning to release her

own album.

While musicians make up a small portion of the student and teacher population here at SHSID, throughout the years, they have come a long way in producing creative, original, and inspiring music that is shared and cherished by both the SHSID community and the world beyond.

The fruits of their dedication and hard work have enlightened the campus with euphonious notes and demonstrated their appreciation of originality. As Elaine states, “Now, people tend to focus more on superficial things, like how something sounds, or how an artist looks. Not a lot of people focus on producing original work.” Moreover, their experiences also highlight an important lesson for everyone to consider: success comes to those who persist and strive to reach their goals. As Mr. Wu describes: “Of course, I wish to be like the idols from my youth. But for musicians, music itself is a dream.”

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NEWS

Summer Bash: A Close to the Year Written by: Sophie Li Photos by: Nicole Zhou

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here may not have been a cloud in the sky on June 2nd, but not a blade of grass near ZhongXing Building was left dry. Under the scorching sun, throngs of 9th and 10th graders armed with water guns and water balloons darted across the hilly grassland, avoiding splashes of water yet enjoying the relief they brought from the sun’s heat. Summer Bash, the final ASB-held event of the year, had rolled around once again.

This year’s Summer Bash was fortunate to escape inclement weather. Although it was heavily foggy in the morning, the fog soon cleared away to reveal a rich blue sky. The fair weather undoubtedly lifted everyone’s spirits, and as the bell signaling the end of fifth period rang, students changed into shorts and flip-flops and headed to the two pools centered in the hilly grassland. For the first three hours, participants had a freefor-all water fight: anyone could ambush anyone without any repercussions.

Batches of water balloons arrived every few minutes, and the pools acted as essential water reservoirs for refilling guns.

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In addition, the reverse dunk tank grew quite attractive as people tried to knock the bucket down to dunk their friends, who would often jump in surprise from the sudden blast of water. A plastic slide, lubricated with dishwashing detergent, gained popularity as dozens of people lined up to slide down on a ring floatie.

It was a tireless battle. Soon enough, no one was left dry.

Just when it started to become colder due to the waning sunlight, dinner arrived at 5:00. All the participants, whether soaked to the bone or dry from changing into spare clothes, migrated from the hilly grassland, dotted with water balloon confetti, to the statue grassland. Fairy lights lit the grass aglow, and underneath a tent, ASBs distributed food that left everyone’s mouth watering: Taco Bell quesadillas, nachos, popcorn, and soda. Settled down comfortably on picnic mats, everyone shared a wonderful picnic under the night sky. Simultaneously occurring were mini games such as Team-Up, Musical Chairs, and Twister.

Summer Bash may seem, at first

glance, as just another fun event that comes and goes; after all, from an outsider’s view, it is essentially just a water festival. However, that is not the case for SHSID students. As the year comes to a close, Summer Bash brings an air of finality to the students—it signals that the year is coming to its end. Often, it is a bittersweet, nostalgic event: it is the event where we have to say goodbye to those who are leaving next year, and it is the final SHSID event for those who are. Under the night sky with the song “See you Again” playing melodically in the background, tearful memories were made for those leaving and staying alike.

How can we not talk about family when family’s all that we got? At Summer Bash, friends enjoyed each other’s company, and bonds were strengthened.

Whether it was dunking friends into a pool, butting them out during Musical Chairs, or getting tangled up in Twister, indissoluble memories were made.

As night fell gently over the campus of SHSID, students enjoyed one of their last precious moments before the school year comes to a close.

NEWS

“Summer Bash is not about staying dry, or necessarily about getting hit. It is about being with your friends, whether dry or soaked, out of breath or laughing, or both. No matter if you’re holding a water gun or getting smashed over the head by a balloon. In the end, you’re never too old to have fun with your friends, and never too cool to enjoy a water fight.”

-Hiko Komatsu, 10(7)

“This Summer Bash was my first one and also my last one. It was truly an amazing event—perhaps one of the best. I am grateful to those who put together Summer Bash and for allowing me to enjoy this one final event before I depart.”

-Bryan Wu, 10(7)

“Not only was Summer Bash my last event as a student, it also marked the end of my experience serving as a member of the ASB. I’ve been involved with the student council in all my years at the school, and this successful event that students thoroughly enjoyed was the perfect note to end my time at SHSID.” -Andrew Mi, 9(1)

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NEWS

SHSID Hackathon: Coding and Collaboration

Written by: Rachel Wang Photos by: Sophia She and Cindy Bu

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n May 28th, 2017, twenty SHSID students from grades 9-12 interested in programming attended a Hackathon, or an event in which computer programmers gather to collaborate on various projects, located in the Zhongxing Building. As the first one of such events at SHSID, the Hackathon defied popular expectations. This year’s Hackathon placed a larger emphasis on teamwork and cooperation; novice and experienced coders alike were able to enjoy and learn from their experiences.

Though the name “Hackathon” sounds daunting, the event’s objective is simple: code the classic game of “Brick Breaking,” a game where players control a paddle at the bottom of the computer screen to hit bricks at the top of the screen. After a brief introduction by its founders, who emphasized teamwork and creativity, participants were divided into three teams, each comprised of coders possessing a variety of skill levels. They were asked to recreate the game in two to three hours. Some students who participated were experts at writing code for the game; others did not know how to code at all and simply joined the competition out of interest. Hosts of the Hackathon also acted as mentors for the students, teaching them how to code aspects of the game that they were unsure of.

While the more experienced coders on each team worked on harder tasks, such as programming the ball’s movements, the teams’ successes were a result of collaboration between the their members.

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Cindy Lee from 11(1) A, for instance, chose the task of designing the appearance of the ball used to break bricks, giving the ball a more modern look by replacing it with emojis. “My task was really easy,” she states, “but I chose to take

[this task] because I wanted to help one of my teammates who didn’t know how to code. I wanted her to experience what coding is and explain [its] concept[s] to her.” Similarly, Raymond Cheng from 11(1) A, who was responsible for coding and debugging the ball’s movements for his team, remarks that he also helped another coder with her job. “While our team assigned different tasks of [creating] the game to members of corresponding skill levels, I also was able to help a relatively inexperienced coder in my team,” he says, “She asked me what a specific method does in the program, so I helped her search it online and we came to the conclusion that it set the color gradient for a specific object.” Staff mentors also checked on teams constantly to provide them with help in times of need. In the timespan allotted to them,

students cooperated with each other to make up for their shortcomings, with each team eventually creating a unique and creative design for the classic game.

At the end of the Hackathon, the three teams shared their designs with each other and explained the logic behind their designs. As the emphasis of the Hackathon was on teamwork, the event’s creators did not choose a winning team.

Surprisingly, two groups had similar thought processes behind their designs, which was quite remarkable since logic behind coding of similar games and apps can be very diverse at times.

“The Hackathon wasn’t a fierce competition,” Cindy states, “but [was] a time [during] which we could get to know each other and cooperate with different people.” Though time was limited, participants were able to learn and appreciate different coding styles from their peers; moreover, the competition gave many students and potential programmers an idea of what an efficient team would require. “Given the pressure of only two to three hours to create our game, our team would not have finished the project if we didn’t collaborate,” Raymond remarks, “I really appreciate all of the hard work and effort that my teammates put in.” Similarly, Cindy states that she “was quite satisfied with [the] Hackathon,” adding that it would’ve been helpful if the staff guided students to communicate with their teammates more. Overall, however, the Hackathon was an “exhilarating and fun” event that “was worth the effort to go to school on a weekend [to attend].”

SENIOR PROM Photos by: Sophia She and James Zhang

NEWS

Chinese Culture Day Written by: Jun Ho Suh Photos by: Nicole Zhou, Sophia She, and James Zhang

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hen people think of traditional Chinese culture, the first things that typically come to mind are calligraphy, poetry, and elaborate clothing. On April 26th during the double CAS period, the high school Chinese Culture Day, dedicated to appreciating Chinese culture, was held. During this day, various activities commenced, including entertaining plays performed by the juniors and seniors. Each activity was symbolic of Chinese culture, and the plays gave students the chance to enjoy plays performed in the Chinese language.

The entire event was held in the Xian Mian Building, where it seemed as if the clock had been turned back a couple of centuries. Hanging on the ceiling were traditional lamps, and walking down the halls were students and teachers clad in traditional Chinese wear, including everyday clothing, robes that Chinese poets

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NEWS wore, and even the emperors’ exquisite apparels. Some more modern clothes, such as the Zhongshan suit, were also seen. The clothing reflected individuality, and it greatly enhanced the Chinese cultural atmosphere.

Moreover, In each classroom, small quizzes and exercise related to Chinese poetry and literature were prepared for students. One of the most popular mini games was creating Chinese traditional fans, where the students created fans with unique designs. Solving riddles in Chinese was also a popular game, where competitive students showed passion in guessing the right answer.

Each student participated in the activities to win stamps, which were exchanged for prizes. By participating in these activities, students not only won stamps but also gained knowledge on Chinese literature, arts, and culture.

The juniors and seniors of SHSID acted out three plays during the fair. Taking place in the Xian Mian building auditorium, Black Box auditorium, and the acting classroom respectively, each was a play acted purely in Chinese. Two of the plays, titled 《野鸭》 and 《潘老师求职 记》, were performed by seniors.

Each play told a complete story and was well received by the audience.

The third play was composed of three smaller plays all performed by juniors. Each play had short, simple story, which succeeded in entertaining the audiences.

Students reflect positively on the event, as they enjoyed the Chinese atmosphere. Rachel Wu from 9(5) exclaims, “The Chinese Culture Day was an interesting blend of activities. All the artistic aspects of Chinese culture were put into this event, so I really enjoyed the occasion.”

Chinese Culture Day was a memorable day for both the students and the organizers of the event, as it was both entertaining and educational and provided students with a unique experience. We look forward to its return next year with more diversified activities and engaging performances.

MAY JUNE 2017

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18

LIFESTYLE

A

re you an ENTJ or ESFJ? Are you more introverted or extroverted? Do you pay more attention to emotions or logic?

While there is no definitively objective way through which we can answer these questions, psychologists have come a long way in designing personality tests that attempt to assess the human psyche. By quantifying and categorizing our long lists of personal features, these tests offer a quick approach to the philosophical struggle: “Who am I?” Here, we’ve found you a list of personality tests to consult whenever you’re feeling the need to address that struggle, along with stories from students who were tasked to take these tests.

What’s your type?

Written by: Annie Fang

1

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator The Myers-Briggs Test (MBTI)’s 70 question multiple choice test grants you a cryptic four letter group made up of E or I (extroversion or introversion); S or N (sensing or intuition); T or F (thinking or feeling); J or P (judging or perceiving). The questions ask you to reflect on your social habits, organization abilities, and a wide range of daily routines. Other than simply categorizing you into a personality type, the test also provides a page-long description of your particular group, including analysis of your social relationships, potential problems, and even “Ten Rules to Live by to Achieve Success.”

Identified as an ISTJ, the Duty Fulfiller, Jerry Chen from 10(6) thinks the MBTI’s analysis of his disciplined working habits and “excessive love for food and drink[s]” is particularly accurate. What stood out to him was ISTJs’ interpersonal dynamics, as Jerry says, “now I can start to see why my peers and parents may not necessarily understand my reasoning and method in completing tasks.” When asked to assess the test’s validity, Jerry believes that personality tests like the MBTI with strict scientific foundations are definitely more trustworthy than other internet quizzes like Buzzfeed’s, where the results may be randomly generated.

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LIFESTYLE 2

Project Implicit Designed by researchers through an international collaboration between top universities, Project Implicit explores the conscious-unconscious divergences of the human mind, noting that people don’t always speak or know about the implicit associations that we make. Its website offers a list of IATs (Implicit Association Test), ranging from Gender-Career and Religion to Sexuality and Skin Tone. In every test, a central term is placed in the middle of the page, and you are asked to click on one of the two words that you associate the term with as fast as possible. Terms that should be related together often appear in different colors as an attempt to assess unconscious association.

For instance, in the Gender-Science test, the words “Liberal arts” and “Science” are located on the top right and left corners. Central terms include terms such as “Chemistry”, “English”, “Philosophy”, and more. The next question will only appear if you select the correct category. Every time you make a mistake, the test takes it into account in assessing how often that implicit incorrect association is made.

Having been told “your data suggests a moderate automatic association for Male with Science and Female with Liberal Arts,” Helen Li from 11(1) recognizes the accuracy of her results, other than the “finger slips and lack of precise distinction between answer choices ‘moderately’ and ‘slightly’.” However, Helen also believes that it is inevitable to develop such associations and claims, “after all, in my immediate surroundings, I do see more males involved in science courses or extracurricular activities.”

3

“Who Am I” by Visual DNA If you’re not in the mood for a long, text-based multiple choice test, this one’s for you. This test takes on a more innovative approach by accompanying every single answer choice with a relevant image.

This is to bridge the lack of accuracy that word-based questionnaires may have, as single-click visuals allow us to respond immediately with intuition or emotions. The questions range from the type of music you enjoy all the way to the global affairs that you are more concerned about and assess you according to the OCEAN Big Five model, including openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism.

Having learnt about the test’s OCEAN model in her AP Psychology course, Wendy Kim from 11(9) agrees with 3 out of the 5 test’s results; however, its analysis on her openness and conscientiousness lacked the same accuracy. Wendy attributes this to the fact that a lot of the answer choices regarding daily life included answer choices specific to American life. “I think one of the choices was the American equivalent of China Unicom, but I wasn’t sure,” she confesses. The fact that everything was presented visually also makes each choice open to personal interpretation.

“Oh my god this is so accurate!” is a moment that perhaps many have had when it comes to personality tests. Often, they lend insight into the generic personality categories that we belong in, but it is also essential to note that these tests reflect on our own self-reflection, and there are, of course, instances where none of the answer choices accurately describe us. Every personality is distinct from one another in its unique way, and it’s never sufficient to sum up who we are in merely a few words.

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20

OPINION

DO

IDEAS

FALL FROM TREES? Written by: Michael Fan

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

21

Although Michael tries to be a wonderful human being most of the time he derives his guilty pleasure from being sarcastically cynical; of course, no one knows about it.

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OPINION

C

reativity comes in different ways. Whether in the forms of falling apples or overflowing water, ideas seem to dawn from sparks of epiphanies. However, many of us struggle to find this sudden enlightenment. We constantly berate ourselves for not finding Newton’s apple to our articles, papers, or artwork, but the frantic searches afterwards seldom yield solid results in creativity. For us to truly discover it, it is logical that we must first separate creativity from its abstract form and associate it with a tangible phenomenon and epiphanies seem to be the best clue we have.

Epiphany: a sudden manifestation or perception of the essential nature or meaning of something (Merriam Webster). Many of us, and rightfully so, believe that the muses suddenly smile down at us and bestow epiphanies upon the lucky individuals. Creativity then bursts from the tip of our pens and sprouts into masterpieces. Every writer experiences sudden advents of “brilliant ideas” at some time of their writing career. We are often tempted to define epiphanies as sudden creativity, but can creativity truly manifest in such ways? Perhaps the question more to home would be WHEN and HOW can these epiphanies come to place?

Imagine the possibilities of controlling one’s own artistry to produce awing works constantly. So what sets us so much apart from Newton when he had the apple collide his head?

Isaac Newton may hold record for having the most romantic epiphany of all time. Supposedly, the apple dropped on his head prompted him to realize gravity’s existence. But we often dismiss the context of this impressive story, and in Newton’s case, we also lack a

few crucial points. Newton pondered the effects of gravity on the moon and studied it for several years. ONLY after his vigorous studies of gravity did he reach his epiphany. Newton didn’t “discover” gravity from the apple. He only concluded his previous work and polished them in a way never thought before. Ideas rarely pop into existence, and it certainly didn’t in Newton’s case.

The muse is a lie. Sudden realizations are mostly conclusions of previously known topics: they don’t discover new knowledge. If Newton truly discovered gravity, then he, the inventor of calculus to boot, was a fool that never noticed objects falling for half of his life.

When Newton he summarized his previous findings and his recent “epiphany,” he realized all objects fell towards the center of earth. Here, creativity more points towards examining previously known facts in another fashion.

Epiphanies may help contribute towards creativity, but it would be unfair to state that epiphanies themselves are creative in nature. To reach the epiphany, one would have to first acquire a solid basis of knowledge to build on.

After all, even a three year old could see apples falling from trees, but it takes a skilled physicist and mathematician to combine this phenomenon with recent findings to establish the Universal Law of Gravitation.

If we associate epiphanies only as an element contributing to creative exposition, we must also bring in a substitute to replace the previous assumption.

Many of us would then define creativity as the creation of the novel. However, as with the previous definition, we would be too rash to immediately associate creativity with novelty.

If we made rash assumptions about

epiphanies, we underestimate notable peoples’ intelligence. On the other hand, if we directly assume that novelty directly correlates with creativity, we discredit previous works behind innovations. For one, many iconize Watt’s “invention” of the steam engine with his childhood fascination with steam, which led to his eventual “invention” of the machine. However, the previous editions of the Newcomen model are cheapened by such thoughts. The steam engine is the product of fierce competition and intense development, not the work of a single individual. The Boulton and Watt steam engine originally built on the Newcomen model by introducing rotational motion and condensers to improve efficiency. By tweaking and adjusting the original model of the steam engine, Watt provided enough manpower to help push the Industrial Revolution forward, yet it is also crucial to credit the Newcomen models before Watt. Innovations are built upon the patches of previous technology with sparks of creativity, yet we shouldn’t always directly assume it’s novelty as completely new. Even though creativity does hold some of these elements, by acknowledging the past works of others, we learn the pattern to innovation relies on improvisation.

Epiphanies and novel innovations seem so distant from us. We, as students, lack the years of knowledge and research needed for breakthroughs.

Writing blocks still stump us easily. So how do we exactly improve and move on? That question is for another day, but now we won’t wait at our desks and wait for the mythological muses to descend with their magical harps and tunes. Now we have new directions to improve and discover.

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22

LITERATURE

标 签 Written by: Happy Wang Photos and effects by: Anna Jin

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我

LITERATURE 走在一条街道上，这是我

您就有您的第一个标签和档案了。

者必须提供有力证据，否则判质疑

不知道在此之前我是谁，

镜。祝您有美好的一天。”说完他浅

刑35年 2. 档案中的一切资料都必须

第一次来到这个城市。我

也不知道我为什么会出现在这里， 我的记忆是从我走在这条街上的这

您可以在街口的那家商店拿到眼 浅一颔首，便快步离开了。

我很疑惑他是如何做档案的，

一刻开始。

而且什么是档案？好奇心和不想成

人都带着眼镜，他们都像机器人一

身无分文的我走进了商店。

这是一个奇怪的地方。所有

样走着，目光只盯着眼前的眼镜，

为街上唯一一个没有戴眼镜的人让 “欢迎光临胡克先生。欢迎来

却走得有条不紊。我不知道自己该

到标签城，我能为您做点什么？”我

抓住了一个身着西装，看上去并没

我。我正纳闷他是怎么知道我的名

怎么办，便想找一个路人问路。我 有步履匆匆的年轻男子询问我身处 何处。

“您好，对不起打扰一下。

请问您可以告诉我这是哪里吗？”我 试着用礼貌的语气询问他。

但他什么也没说，只是透过眼

镜看着我。就在我决定另寻他人的

时候，他突然说：“欢迎您来到标签

一走进店门，掌柜就起身笑着迎接

字的，他又接着说：“我是眼镜店的 13号机器人，您可以叫我13。”

“额……好的，13。我想知道一

“目前是打算定居此处的。”

“如果您成为了标签城的正式居

用的。”

“那——我要怎么做才能成为正 “您只需要完善您的档案资料并

即可。”

“那我要如何完善？这样需要

题。他看出了我的犹豫和疑惑，解

多久？”

标签，所以可以告诉我您的名字和

生。您现在就可以完善您的资料，

年龄吗？”

“好吧。我叫阮迪。阮迪-胡

克。额…… 24岁。”我想着名字和年 龄毕竟不是什么说不得的事情，而 且这也是我为数不多记得的关于自

“不会耽误您很久的，胡克先

我可以通过我的系统帮助您完善您

了，胡克先生。” “怎么签？”

“说：本人，某某，同意所有条 “本人，阮迪-胡克，同意所有 “现在请你带上眼镜。”说着13

递给我一副眼镜。

我接过眼镜，将它戴上，张开

端各伸出一根尖锐的针。疼痛。让 道这种痛经历了多久，也许只有几 秒钟，也许我昏迷又醒来了，我只 知道我活了下来。

抬眼望四周，还是在眼镜店

里，13依旧友善地笑着看着我，只

是每样东西都多了标签。每件商品 的标价、用途、评价，13的编号、

型号、优缺点，我正处于惊奇和恍 惚之中，突然听见脑内传来了声 音：

“您好，阮迪-胡克先生，我是

您的眼镜，编号2108， 用的是系统

民了。”

等可以在‘设置’中进行更改，我的

了所有的条款，您就是标签城的居 “那还等什么！我们现在就开

始吧。”

别：男；年龄：24岁；身份：外来

读以下条款：1. 眼镜所显示的一切

者。完成。好了，胡克先生，这样

果同意，请签署条约。您可以签字

的资料。一旦资料完善，您也同意

己的信息，所以有个标签也好。

“新建。姓名：阮迪-胡克；性

是所有条款，已为您阅读完毕，如

人窒息的疼痛，钻心刻骨。我不知

且同意遵守标签城的所有法律条约

答道：“我将要帮您制作您的第一个

的惩治不得违抗，违者死。 以上

镜，因为眼镜在标签城外是无法使

吗，先生？”当他询问我姓名时，他 奇，也十分犹豫该不该回答他的问

者，逐出标签城，清除记忆 4. 眼镜

眼睛的那个瞬间，眼镜架的两个末

式居民呢？”

满脸的认真；我感到十分疑惑和新

坏事实，修改标签且未遭眼镜惩戒

您是买不到眼镜的，也不需要买。

布莱克。您可以在拿到眼镜后在那 里搜索我。可以冒昧的问您的名字

会的同意以及眼镜的鉴定。随意破

条约。”

而且作为游客，只能在城内租用眼

下，继续说道：“我的名字是汤姆-

庇者同罪 3. 修改标签必须经过长老

游玩？”

“您是打算在标签城定居还是来

城市生活下去，那么您就要去买一 怎么样的人在打交道。”他顿了一

轻则无期徒刑，重则执行死刑；包

约，并带上眼镜扫描瞳孔即可。”

民，眼镜就是您的身份证明，所以

副眼镜。它能告诉您，您都和谁和

是事实，不能对眼镜说谎。说谎者

架眼镜需要多少钱？”

城！您一定不是本地人。那就让我 来给您一点建议，如果您要在这座

罪，最低拘留3个月，最高有期徒

“好的，胡克先生。您需要阅

都是事实，必须无条件相信；质疑

5.3，我的名字、外貌、声音、功能 使用说明已发送致您的记忆系统， 您可以随时查看。搜索功能随时开 启，只要您的大脑发送信号，我就 会接收并帮您预备资料传送到眼 镜。其他详情请看说明书。” MAY JUNE 2017

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LITERATURE 不知道为什么，这种模式一

点都没有让我感到惊奇，好像我对 于这一切十分熟悉，就像是储存在 我记忆中一样。我和13说了再见，

便离开了眼镜店。我抬头看天，看 到了今天的天气预报，我扫过一幢 幢建筑物看到了它们的历史和高

度，我看到的每一个行人，都带着

律，只叙述事实，您现在依旧有权 过目并修改一切已知资料。”脑内

的声音又一次及时地响起，为我解 答了疑惑，“请您跟着我起誓，将

手放在您的胸口，心脏的位置，将 誓言没有错误地念出来。”

眼镜上出现了一行字：

眼镜只显示真理，眼镜即是

写有自己基本信息的标签。

真理。请发誓您告诉眼镜的一切都

走到了我刚刚碰到那位先生的地

则将遭到眼镜的最终惩罚。

我百无聊赖地在街上走着，

方，就在我想起他的名字的那一 刹那，他的档案便出现在了我的 眼前：

是事实。如果您背叛了您的承诺， “我发誓我告诉眼镜的一切都

是事实。如果本人背叛了自己的承 诺，则将遭到眼镜的最终惩罚。”

“誓言有效。您拥有过问一切

姓名：汤姆-布莱克

可用资源的权利，并且由于捕捉不

年龄：38岁

长老会汇报您的思想，请见谅。我

性别：男

到您脑内的具体思想，系统无法向

身高：1.78米

们会尽快解决这些问题。”

身份：企业家

我接着在街上毫无目的地漫

特质：务实

游，直到眼镜提醒我，所有合法居

“原来是企业家啊。”我想

着，“那我呢？”

民都有自己的住处。我跟着眼镜

显示的地图来到了我的住处，是一

编辑的页面很快就跳出来

了，我想了想，说：“层高2.5米。”

“您确定要继续本次修改吗？” “我确定。”

“正在处理信息，请稍后。”

我感到我的心跳突然加快了

很多，有一种我说不出的熟悉感和 想要一直修改的疯狂的念头闪过我 的脑海。下一秒，屋子的天花板拔 高了，真的变成了2.5米的层高。 “信息已处理完毕。”

我看着我的杰作，心里的兴

奋更加得难以压抑。在剩下的一天 时间里，我将我公寓里所有的东西 都变成了我想要的样子，不论是颜 色还是款式，功能还是型号，只因 为“眼镜即使真理”，我拥有了我想 要的一切。

“看来眼镜没那么智能，至少

对于我来说，带来的只有无条件的 服从，没有约束，没有压力，更没 有害怕被惩戒的恐惧。

一周过去了，我的脑内资料

间单人公寓。大小环境都算合理，

还是没有被破译出来，我变得更加

姓名：阮迪-胡克

的缺陷就是层高有点矮了。我正想

一样，到处犯罪，为非作歹。从刚

年龄：24岁

送到了我的眼前。我瘫倒在沙发上

设备也应有尽有，十分齐全，唯一

性别：男

着，眼镜将这间公寓的具体资料发

身高：1.86米

阅读了一遍我脑内所有的东西，胡

身份：合法居民

思乱想了一阵，研究研究脑内的新

特质：未知

功能。突然，我记起眼镜说过它目

“恩？怎么会有‘未知’？”

“情况是这样的，胡迪先生。

您的大脑构造和目前科技的发展水 平有部分不符，您的大脑构造有一 部分是系统无法破解的，所以我无

前无法判断我是否说了实话，也不

MAY JUNE 2017

鼓，恶搞的玩笑也已经不能满足我 渴望改变一切的心。

我只用了3天，便将标签城搅

形状，汽车开在不同的平面上，天

大起。

“都是没有记忆的人了，死

了。我再一次翻开了这间公寓的资

SHSID|TIMES

满足感开始膨胀，自尊心收到吹

没有严重到要触犯法律，便玩心

集会，大概也不会有什么惩罚，也

理。不用担心，我依旧可以听从您

25

后来为了我的个人娱乐的改变。当

了个天翻地覆。树倒着长回地下，

了就死了吧，说不定是什么惩罚

的一切指挥，只要您保证您谨遵法

开始的为了利人利己的改变变成了

会将我的想法都告诉那个什么老人

法判断您是否在说谎。我已将无法 破解的信息发去总部，正在等待处

肆无忌惮了，好像一个上瘾了的人

呢。”正想着，便将计划实施起来 料，找到了层高，选择了编辑。

建筑物七歪八倒，道路分叉成各种 上飞着鱼，地上爬着鸟，水里游着 猫；从西城到东城，南城到北城， 每一处都被我修改了一下。我站在 了城里最高的一栋楼的楼顶，这里 是市政府和长老们呆的地方。出了 让这里的门无法开启之外，我没有

LITERATURE 修改过关于这幢楼的任何资料。可

“这是最后一个了。”我想，“

以想象，楼内的众人是在如何紧锣

没有什么可以修改的了，也没有什

论任何一种有可能阻止我摧毁这座

完美的系统，太完美了，如同真理

密鼓地寻找破解我大脑的方法，讨 城市的方案。但是机器就是机器， 完美的系统总是无懈可击的。只要 有命令，就一定执行。

俯瞰这座城市，我的记忆一

么值得留恋的了。眼镜终究是一个 般的存在实在让人害怕。世上没有 真理，也不应该有眼镜，更不应该 让这个系统存在。”

“眼镜，眼镜系统在1962年7月

点一点的回来了。其实我不是阮

31号发生故障，所有佩戴眼镜的人

因为改错了一个标签就被删除记忆

于难，而眼镜系统连同标签城在所

迪-胡克，我是另一个人，是那个 放逐到城外的罪人。没有眼镜的

生活让我无法忍受。至于我是如何 回到城里的，我也不清楚，就在我 以为我要死了的时候，我的大脑发

都遭到了眼镜的惩戒，没有人幸免 有居民遇难之时完全覆灭，再也没 有人知道这里的历史，系统也再也 没有启动过。”

说完，我便平静地闭上了眼

生了一点变化，包括我的身体和心

镜，听着脑海里传来的最后的声

生了什么。只是记得一个人戴着眼

口气，等待着眼镜的惩戒。

脏，然而连我也解释不清楚到底发 镜出城，却因为眼镜无法适应而横

音：“信息处理完毕。”我深吸了一 脑内又是一阵剧痛。针尖锋

死城外。

利冷峻，那一点一点被毁灭的痛

个要求都被满足的快感，有那么一

少对我来说，只有痛苦，剩下的是

一种大快人心的快感，每一

刻，就在我登上楼顶的那一刻，

我感觉我自己统治了这座城。我是 因为我的悲惨经历报复社会吗？不 是，毕竟我现在才知道我的身份。 是为了野心吗？统治城市的野心？

苦、恐惧和绝望太过清晰。不，至 满足和悔恨。但不能回头了，标签 城只能陪葬了。我甚至有点感恩它 让我失去了听觉和视觉，这样我不 必看着我犯下罪将我吞噬。

眼镜只显示真理，眼镜即是

有可能，但是我已经是幽灵了，统

真理。

眼镜就无法识别了吧，所以为此，

最后一句话。

座城市毫无意义的统治。

是奇怪，可能是材质问题，但是所

有出现过，只是有一张构想图展示

是或许，这些人都没有脑子，没有

治了又能如何？当脑子不是实体， 哪怕烟消云散，也要结束眼镜在这 “眼镜，标签市市政厅从来没

在博物馆中，仅此而已。” “正在处理信息……” “信息处理完毕。”

脚下的楼在慢慢地消逝，这

一幢住满了驱逐我的人的楼，马上 就要彻底被夷为平地，被历史、时 间和人们遗忘。

这是所有眼镜屏幕上显示的 针尖闪烁着银色的冷光。真

有伸出来的针尖上都滴血不沾。还 思想，没有自我，只有眼镜和真

理，他们都是眼镜里的标签，那些 不存在的真理。而我，也许并不是 拥有眼镜读不出来的脑子，而是拥 有人性和思想，是真正的人，是自 己，不是标签。

面 对 我 的 罪 恶 和 眼 镜 的 罪 恶 。 MAY JUNE 2017

我 也 一 直 被 困 在 这 个 地 方 ，

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LITERATURE

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Written By: Kathy Wang Photo from: Pinterest.com

痴 心 难 移

LITERATURE

“即使如此，我依然像草木渴望阳光般， 渴望每一天早上醒来。不因为任何意义，

他

说，人类对于心跳的

教授指向一具尸体，喊我

铿锵有力的律动，如同世上最美

节奏有一种本能的痴

说，“你来看看，应该是这一

的一首诗歌，压了我最爱的韵

迷。

具。”

律，因血液而炽热温暖。

单调的铁色电梯中挂着一只

“你们想清楚了吗？如果

我带上绿色的医用手套，

极其亮的白炽灯泡，下降的过程

没有问题，就在这张纸上签字，

由锁骨向下，左侧第一根肋骨，

中发出吱呀吱呀的响声。地下两

证书过段时间会颁发给你们。”他

左侧第二根肋骨，左侧第三根肋

层开足了冷气，翻修整洁的走道

率先执起笔，较长的拇指弯曲起

骨。我的手久久覆在那个位置，

上铺着光洁的瓷砖地。并没有没

来，钢笔在光滑的纸页上划过，

却再无一丝半点的动静，手掌下

有虚构作品中的停尸房那样阴森

神色坚定，不曾有一丝犹豫。他

的不过一副肉身皮囊。

恐怖，反而消毒水的气味使我安

臂上的血管特别明显，青色的突

终有一日，我也将横卧在某

心而平静。

起从手腕处分开，蜿蜒而上。另

张这样的台子上，麻木，空洞。

多年后，我再次回到曾经投

一只手紧紧抓着我，我甚至能感

面目全非。

入了八年青春的医科大学，虽然

受到那一下下弹跳着的脉搏，如

“既然如此，生的意义，究竟

同尸体打了这些年交道，每每站

同秒表一样嗒嗒作响。两张纸的

在这件房间前，依旧使人头晕目

标题是一样的，都用宋体打印着“

眩。房间正中是巨大的福尔马林

死后遗体无偿捐献”。

池，陪同而来的教授掀开盖子，

解剖台上被放上各式工具，

熏人双目的气味瞬间钻上脑门。

医用酒精迅速挥发，镊子的冷光

我突然想要掉头逃跑，气压仿佛

很凉。

是什么。”我问他。 左胸那颗一下下撞击着肋骨 的心脏终将长眠，灵魂抽离，所 剩的不过是一副空洞的躯壳。 “即使如此，我依然像草木 渴望阳光般，渴望每一天早上醒

变得低沉，呼吸被轻轻抑制。即

校园中紫藤花开的时候，我

来。不因为任何意义，只是因为

使是那一年初次来到福尔马林池

们总倚在藤架下，我抬起手从锁

这种痴迷，存在于人性的本能当

边时也不曾如此。

骨一路探下，左侧第一根肋骨，

中，在每一次脉搏，每一次心跳

左侧第二根肋骨，左侧第三根肋

中，铮铮作响。”他说。

我记得，当时他站在我的右 侧，双手轻颤。

骨。那里有一颗跳动着的心脏，

只是因为这种痴迷，存在于人性的本能当中， 在每一次脉搏，每一次心跳中，铮铮作响。”

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LITERATURE

A man walks into a grocery store two blocks down‌

‌and looks around the aisles.

It is the morning, where dawn peaks over the shingles on rooftops of houses nearby and peaks into the store over the jalapeno crackers; it is noon, when the store bustles with the patter and chatting of housewives busying themselves with dinner among the frozen jelly donuts and fridged cheeses; it is the dead of the night, when the chime of the welcome detector grows ominous as shadows are casted over the side of a bent tomato soup aluminum can.

He is old, young, middle-aged; troubled, panicking, purposed; he strides, ponders, and continues his walk, leaving the grocery store with An onion Corn Scissors Ketchup A flamingo floatie

Pink balloons 17 AA batteries

and steps out into the rest of his day, night, life.

Written by: Chloe Tan Photos from: Pinterest.com

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LITERATURE Written by: Sophie Li 3:42 PM

5:41 PM

An onion.

Corn.

Ketchup.

“Dad! I’m home!”

I cross off the food on my grocery list one by one. Do I need to buy some sprinkles? She loves sprinkles. No—no, it came with the cake.

That’s right. I back my shopping cart out of the narrow aisles and avoid bumping my forearm against precariously placed glass bottles. .

Right. And the scissors. What happens if she can’t untie those delicate bowties and ribbons?

We’ll need to cut them; no, she wouldn’t want to use something as crude and unrefined as a fruit knife. Yes, yes, I must take every precaution to make sure that everything goes smoothly. Darling certainly wouldn’t be happy if we don’t have a pair of scissors at our dispose.

And of course, the AA batteries for the fairy lights and the Wii Remotes that have lain dormant in their drawers for years. I stand by the battery shelf, add AA batteries onto my list, take a total of 17, and cross it off immediately after.

Pink balloons and a flamingo floatie. Selfexplanatory, yes? I ask the balloon man to fill them up with helium and I tie the strings taut around my wrist and head home.

4:17 PM There—the onion rings go nicely into the deep-fryer, and—oh! Remind me why I wrote ketchup. I was supposed to get ranch. Well, there’s no time to head back now—she’ll certainly understand…

I take the corn outside to barbeque.

4:42 PM The cake is on the table and the balloons are drifting about in the room. Hopefully the helium lasts—

She bursts in the door, a smile glowing on her face; it’s clear that she was dying to get home and commemorate her special day. Tentatively, I step backwards, allowing the beauty of the room to pour onto her retinas; she surveys the masterpiece I had painstakingly put together: the balloons were tied on the banister to spell out her name with an extravagant pink. Her mouth drops. I turn and follow her gaze and I join her in her seeming wonder; the room is lit up, a pink splendor. Outside in the pool, the flamingo floatie rests gently on the serene water, and the smell of onion rings and freshly barbequed corn-on-the-cob wafts up in the open air.

We stand in a moment of silence except for the Wii Home song playing in the background.

She stares, breathless, speechless, staring at the house that had suddenly transformed into a child’s dream.

She runs to me, and I brace myself for her embrace. I know, I know—I’ve truly outdone myself this time around. Last year might have not been that great of a success, but at least I’ve been able to redeem— “My god!” She howls. It occurs to me that there is a sense of exasperation in her voice.

Fine, maybe I did burn the corn a bit…

She stabs the flamingo floatie with the scissors and together we watch the sorry thing flail in the water. I twitch.

“Dad! How many times do I have to tell you?

I’ve been telling you since I’ve turned 18!

I’m not 6!

I’m 23!”

5:13 PM Fairy lights twinkle in the waning spring light.

The flamingo floatie bobs on the water, creating gentle ripples across the pool…

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LITERATURE With the Lights On Written by: Rachel Wu I am wandering aimlessly in the maze of shelves upon shelves of canned vegetable “fresh” fruit that smell sweet from decay I take, a pair of scissors from a nearby shelf grab a pearl-shaped onion from another shred the pearl into tiny purple cubes try not to enjoy the feel of blade on skin By now I am desperate to see another smile I want to make them happy yet of that not sure how I reach for a bottle of ketchup I try to recall the face I’ve seen many times perfectly pearl-shaped puzzle with the sickly yellow skin and twin dancing devilish eyes of that spirited deathly face and that skillfully captured grin My hands take the lead pick up two ears of corn and an enormous blown balloon pearl-shaped and sickly yellow throw several light bulbs in connect them with 17 batterries The ketchup squirts painting that perfectly captured grin I turn off the lights and the smile glows greenish from the EXIT signs nervous. light-heartedly I feel ON

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The Old Man

H er to.

Written by: Koh Ting Shing e seems like a regular old man. He comes here every day and buys the same basket of things.

I never ask him what he needs them for. I never both-

One day, I looked at him while taking out the trash, just out of curiosity. He walked into a house with a porch, balcony, and pool, near the store and began unloading. He blew the flamingo floatie and the balloons with a few last breaths. Put the floatie in the pool and set the balloons down. There must be at least hundreds of floaties in the pool, sitting there, as good as new. He moved into the living room and cut open the 17 packs of AA batteries. All of them placed into the decorative lights, and with a switch, the whole room lit up. His house was covered in Christmas lights, some shining, others already dim from the years of reuse. Took the onion, peeled it, diced it, threw it in a pan with some ketchup and sliced corn. He stirred the pan, added some pasta, and placed it on the table that had been perfectly laid—perfectly laid for four.

He sat down and waited. I waited with him for a while, then left.

“That poor old man! One day he’s one of the most successful men in this town, the next he’s just— Everything changed after the incident. His memory stopped the day his daughter was supposed to come home. She never made it. When the hospital called, the shock got to his brain, and the damage was permanent. I guess…”

The neighborhood gossip whispered to me at the cashier with her greasy fingertips.

I continued with my day. Customers came and customers went, and at the end of the day, I closed up the shop and went home.

It wasn’t until the end of the night that I realized the beauty of it: the man wakes up every morning expecting something great. He has a purpose, and he lives with the belief that everything he does would make his family happy. He never wakes up to the empty feeling of dread, of no meaning. He knows what life means.

SCI-TECH

Loot Drop Rates on YOUR Favorite Games Written by: Xiuwen Shen Photo from: bossfight.co

O

n December 5, 2016, the Chinese government’s Ministry of Culture announced new regulations on games, requiring game developers to publically disclose the drop rates of different items in their games. Many free-toplay games have loot crates, which are essentially packages of unknown in-game items. They have different rarities, and the rarest ones are always heavily sought after. The chances of getting items of different rarities, however, have never been publically disclosed before. The logic is that many people will spend a ton of money on “loot” or “treasure” packages for the unknown chance at getting a desired item in a game.

In the gaming community, we often know this as “氪金,” which roughly translates to paying for in-game items with real money.

When we don’t know the chances of getting that rarest item in our next loot box, it’s easy to get carried away.

Before you know it, you’ve spent 30 RMB on 11 card packs and got about 55 of the lamest cards imaginable.

The Ministry of Culture deems this as a form of gambling, which is considered illegal. In a way, it is exactly that. In an effort to make the gaming market more transparent, the Ministry is now asking developers to reveal the chances of obtaining different items.

To those of us deeply involved in our favorite games, this changes

the worth of items and encourages more rational spending. For some, getting rare items is a matter of pride, sport, or seeing who is the “ 欧皇”, a title referring to the luckiest person. However, for those who work through the gaming market, this changes a lot. The unknown chance of getting that one legendary item is exactly the incentive that gaming companies dangle in front of customers. This is especially important for free-to-play games like League of Legends, because the only

Before you know it, you’ve spent 30 RMB on 11 card packs and got about 55 of the lamest cards imaginable. source of income for the developer is through microtransactions, where players buy new champions to play with, skins to make their characters look better, or loot boxes themselves.

Many of these disclosed rates were difficult to find, most likely because developers wish to keep the asymmetric information as it is in order to gain more profit. However, the

transparency from these regulations would prevent some players from aimlessly spending money just to get a rare item, and restore the balance of information in the market.

For the people who buy and sell their accounts, the market is changing. The way that market works is that the professionals put in their time and quickly level up an account. People who wish to avoid investing time to progress can simply buy high-level accounts. As the drop rates of items are solidified, account sellers can now easily set the price of accounts with different items, and choose games that will get them the rarest ones the fastest. Buyer, on the other hand, can determine for themselves what prices are reasonable, now that he or she knows exactly how rare an item is.

In accordance with the data, some games have varying chances of getting different rarities of items depending on the quality of the loot box. Others, like Clash Royale, have a set chest cycle. In actuality, the order of which you receive the chests is set and completely unaffected by luck or how intense your win was. On the other hand, for the vehicle combat game Robocraft, it was a moment of pride for the many people involved to hear from the developers that the drop rates they calculated through gathering statistical data were pretty much accurate, with approximately 0.01% variations from the real rates.

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SCI-TECH

iGuard: SEE For Yourself Written by: Jeff He | Photo by: Anna Jin

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SCI-TECH

C

hina has a very serious nearsightedness problem. Currently, about 40% of the population have nearsightedness. Among these people, about 75% are teenagers receiving education, and around 30 million people have severe nearsightedness. These conditions are still deteriorating. As someone with myopia of 8 diopters, I experienced this problem first-hand and launched the project iGuard along with four other students: Wilson Gao, Oscar Lin, Kevin He and Jacky Park. As all of us are passionate about engineering and programming, we decided to tackle the problem with technology in hopes to help reduce the growth rate of myopia, especially in China.

Initially, we conducted market research on existing products that aim to mitigate nearsightedness and found two products that achieve this by correcting the user’s seating position: the mechanical adjuster and BeiBeiJia. With the mechanical adjuster, the user is supposed to rest his chin on the plate of the adjuster, which restricts his movements and can be uncomfortable for children. As for BeiBeiJia, it is an extremely tight band that the user wraps around his or her body in order to keep an upright posture. Unfortunately, both products are extremely flawed, as they create inconvenient and even painful experiences for users.

Therefore, we asked ourselves, instead of forcing the user into the correct seating position, how can our product work with the user more cooperatively?

With this idea in mind, we began to develop our product. After research, we confirmed that a correct seating position is indeed an important factor that determines one’s eyesight. At the same time, we came across the infrared sensor, a component that detects

the distance from objects in front of it. We decided that it would be a great tool for detecting incorrect seating positions. With that, we finished the first prototype of iGuard in four weeks.

The internal operations of iGuard go through three stages. Sensors first collect data that the system then processes, triggering an alarm if the user isn’t in the correct seating position. iGuard is shaped as an upside-down “L”. A suction cup beneath the device allows it to be easily attached to

We hope that our project can walk out of the lab, and sit on people’s desks, making an actual impact on the world. any desk. The device also contains two infrared sensors that collect data on the user’s seating position. As the chest and the chin are two important points of reference that fix one’s seating position, one infrared sensor is aimed directly at the user’s chest, while the other one is aimed slightly upwards to detect the distance between the device and the user’s chin. With these function, we can successfully draw a picture of one’s posture by combining the two numbers collected from infrared modules.

After receiving raw data collected by the infrared modules, the algorithm,

which is a set of instructions for the system that we programmed, processes the data. The system compares the distances collected with the threshold values, which are the minimum distances between the body and the table. If the distance detected is shorter than the minimum distance, an alarm will be triggered, indicating that the user is in a bad seating position. The alarm will not be turned off until the user adjusts his or her seating position, enforcing a good seating position for the user.

After conducting several rounds of testing on users, we found a big problem in our system. Instead of a constant, preset threshold value, threshold values should be different for people with different heights. Therefore, we added a screen and buttons that allow the user to input his or her height, helping the system modify the threshold values accordingly.

Overall, this is an innovation that is not only effective in correcting seating positions, but it also has great market potential. Compared to traditional mechanical adjusters, iGuard is smaller, lighter, more accurate, and much less of a nuisance. In the future, we plan market our project to a greater audience, so more people can benefit from our invention. We hope that one day our project can walk out of the lab, sit on people’s desks, and create impact on the world.

Though not the most beneficial policy for developers, the regulations were met with very positive reception from gamers in both China and other countries. The positive feedback from around the world show us the need for transparency in the gaming market that encourages rationality and equity. Meanwhile, many of your favorite games have already posted the drop rates on their websites, so check them out soon!

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SCI-TECH

LAPTOP PURCHASING GUIDE Written by: Andrew Mi

Purchasing a laptop requires more than just money as you need to understand the seemingly cryptic numbers and functions to find the perfect one.

To help you decide on the right model, we have prepared a guide that will hopefully lead to the most suitable laptop for you. Follow the chart, and see where you end up.

Processor/CPU – Central unit for computation and communication, essentially the heart of your laptop.

Recommended CPU models: 7th generation Intel core i5 or i7 Cores – Processing units per CPU chip.

Recommended core numbers: 2/4 Clock speed/Frequency – The frequency at which your CPU processes.

Recommended frequency: >2.4 GHZ GPU – Graphics processing unit, or the chip that processes graphics.

-Dedicated GPU: A GPU that is standalone from the CPU chip and is more suitable for video editors/gamers -iGPU/Integrated Graphics: A GPU

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bundled/integrated with the CPU Memory/RAM – Temporary storage used for frequent and currently running processes (determines the capacity to multi-task) Recommended memory size: 8GB+ Storage – Disks that store the data on your computer: Recommended capacity: 256GB+ SSD – Solid state disks (Faster storage drives) HDD – Hard drives (Slower than SSDs) Screen Resolution – The amount of pixels your screen displays.

Recommended: 1920*1080+

HP Spectre x360 (8000RMB+)

Y

Yes!

SCI-TECH Which operating system?

Nah!

Windows

Ye ah !

Mac

Fine

Do you need to do anything more powerful than web-browsing/documents?

Really?

No

Yes Do you need a dedicated graphics card?

Yes!

Nope.

MacBook Pro 15’ (>18000 RMB)

Lenovo Thinkpad x1 Carbon (7000RMB+) Xiaomi Air i5/i7 (5000RMB+)

In a laptop/ tablet hybrid

Yes No. Razer Blade Stealth 灵刃潜行版 (8500RMB+)

Yes

No Lenovo Air or Xiaomi Air with M-core processors (~3500 RMB)

MacBook Pro 13’ (>11000 RMB)

Battery life

Value

Yes

Do you want a laptop/tablet 2 in 1?

Surface Pro 5 (or wait for 5) (>5000 RMB)

Should it look and feel like a MacBook Pro? No, i hate No the design!

Dell XPS 13 (7500 RMB+)

Yes

No

What is the most important aspect of the laptop to you?

Screen Design

Should it play graphically demanding games?

Do you have to rub the fact that you game in anyone’s faces?

Everything! I want the best overall laptop!

Are you a power user?

Absolutely!

I’m a low key gamer. very low key.

Are you tight on budget?

Yup Dell XPS 15 (10000RMB+)

Money is no object Do you need to carry it around?

No Surface Laptop (TBD, not available in China yet)

Razer Blade 灵刃/ Gigabyte Aero 14 (17000+/8000RMB+)

yup

Yes Dell Inspiration 15 7000 Gaming 游匣 (5700RMB+)

Alienware 13 R3 (12000RMB+)

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s y e K

STUDENT JOURNAL

to

e h t M usic x o B Written by: Evelyn Wan and Tania Kim Photos by: James Zhang Illustrations by: Maggie Huang

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STUDENT JOURNAL

T

he conductor appears on stage in the midst of clamorous applause and joyful cheers. As the concert hall gradually falls into silence, the conductor walks to the podium and raises his baton. With a swing, the gentle plucking of the strings, the arpeggio of the piano, the high and low pitches of the winds, the sizzling sound of a hi-hat, and the glistening gongs of the glockenspiel slowly fill the theater.

Each and every instrument produces different pitches and timbres, and the way to play each is distinct, but they are all equally crucial to building up such a symphony.

What is it like to play different instruments?

Harp

We all know that the harp is an instrument that looks similar to the Cupid’s Lyre, whose origins date back to 3000 B.C. However, how many of us are familiar with this fascinating instrument?

Katelyn Chen from 10(7) is one of the few harpists at SHSID. She started

playing harp under the influence of her grandmother – who is also a harpist – and her love for its timbre. Recalling some essential techniques that harpists have to maintain, Katelyn says that the number one tip is to keep your nails short. Since the individual strings in a harp’s soundboard are very close to one another, if you have long fingernails, you might accidentally play a note that you were not intending to pluck. Her second tip is to maintain a straight posture. Due to the harp’s size and weight, there is a unique position you have to follow when playing it: the upper part of the harp should come to at least your chin-to-ear height and should be lying on your shoulder, while the majority of the instrument’s weight should be on the ground. “Since it’s super heavy, if it falls, it will break both harp and the ground,” Katelyn says, “and it’s super expensive, too. You probably don’t want to break it.” Seven pedals on the lower part of the harp make the instrument more unique. Unlike other instruments, playing accidental sharp and flat notes requires for you to step on the

pedal that corresponds to the note you are playing.

Violin

Did you know? The bow of a violin is made out of horsetail hair, and the strings are actually made from the natural fiber found in animal intestines (don’t worry; no animals are harmed in this process). Talk about natural sound.

Violins are often considered the most modern embodiment of stringed instruments played with bows. Especially since the Baroque era, the violin and its fellow stringed counterparts have played an instrumental (literally) role in shaping classical music. Now, we’ve molded our music around instruments like this one: most orchestras now tend to be made up largely of violins, and in composing, melodies and harmonies are often assigned to the violin sections.

Personally, when playing the violin, having more dexterous fingers goes a long way. When I first started playing the violin, I wasn’t able to press down hard enough with my pinky to play a fourth note; the strings were tough MAY JUNE 2017

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STUDENT JOURNAL

s m u ic f lo w d in

ev

y er

g h ...

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STUDENT JOURNAL and cut into my hands, and by the end of my first lesson my hand was sore from trying too hard to press and play a note. Once you get used to it, however, the strength and dexterity your fingers need in order to keep up with the pace of a piece like Vittorio Monti’s “Csárdás” without glazing over one too many notes becomes the imperative.

You have to press down each note firmly and quickly, and accurately -- a single shift of a fingertip and you end up with a sharper or flatter sound.

Admittedly, the violin is not the hardest instrument to play. It is an incredibly agile instrument with a more distinct tone that stands out above others; you have before you an array of styles -- vibrato, vibrato trill, harmonics, pizzicato -- that simply beg for you to try.

The violin produces one of the vastest ranges of possible sound types of all instruments; it’s expressive, in the same way a human voice can flow and change. Its versatility allows you to expand in whichever direction you wish, be it electric, pop, or classic. All you have to do is play. That alone is its simplistic beauty.

Saxophone

What do we associate with the saxophone? Let’s face it. Our first thought: jazz. We cannot say for sure this was not Adolphe Sax’s purpose for inventing the saxophone in 1846, but really, this evolvement from the original bass clarinet is definitely welcomed. Now, when we hear the sound of a saxophone, we are instantly transported into a world of vivid colors and rich music mingled in the air.

Matthew Kennedy from 11(7), who has been playing the saxophone for seven years, provides us some insight as to the inner workings of the instrument.

Upon being asked why he chose this instrument over others, he responded, “Music flows, as people tend to say, and something about the way I imagined music flowing through the curved body and emanating from every opening appealed to me... [it’s] like a swarm of bees leaving a hive.” The sound of a saxophone, he adds, is always distinguishable from all the other sounds in

an orchestra. “It allows me to isolate myself from everyone else. Except other saxophones,” he jokingly explains.

To delve a little deeper, I asked Matthew about the difficulties he has experienced with such an instrument and what special skills one might need to play the saxophone. “The ability to give a touch of jazz to your music,” he responds firmly, and continues. “Typically, it’s not hard to play, and the different combinations for all two dozen keys get burned into your brain after a month or two. The hard part would be training your lips to handle the longer sessions, or risk speaking like a drunkard afterwards.”

Piccolo

In Italian, the word “piccolo” means “small;” considering the instrument itself, this distinction is hardly surprising.

A member of the woodwind family, the piccolo is smaller and higher-pitched than the average flute by an entire octave, and is usually designated to double violins or flutes in larger orchestras due to its sparklingly high pitch. The next time you find yourself sitting in a concert hall, listen for the high-pitched, bell-like solo that soars above the rest of the notes – that is the sound of a piccolo.

Such a tricky instrument requires true expertise to handle properly. Joyce Chen from 11(3) – current leader of the SHSID Wind Ensemble – who started playing the piccolo since eighth grade upon receiving the conductor’s encouragement, divulges her secrets for success. When asked about the benefits of playing the piccolo, she notes thoughtfully, “Due to its high pitch, there are a lot of times where the sound of the piccolo ‘floats’ above the music the band plays. If I am confident with the piece, then I like the way it stands out.”

With great power comes great responsibility. Or, in this case, an even greater amount of skill. Upon being asked about the difficulties and any special tricks for playing the piccolo, Joyce remarks, “I think it is important for a piccolo player – or any woodwind or brass players in general – to practice playing long notes. This is helpful for accurate-

ly playing at the right pitch – which is still a struggle for me.” The sound of a piccolo toes the line between melodious and plain calliopean, and finding a balance between pitches requires heavy lungpower in order to play notes longer and louder. She readily admits that playing at the correct pitch for every single note is still a tricky endeavor: “Any small adjustment, like the way you tighten your mouth or blow air into the instrument, will have a significant effect on the sound produced.” With this she interjects that this is a common difficulty shared between all musicians, but is more apparent with regards to how loud the piccolo can be. She finishes off with a final piece of useful advice for experts and amateurs alike. “Practicing the piccolo substantially may incur slight loss of hearing. There were times when I finished rehearsal and couldn’t hear properly with my right ear -- as if there was an invisible cloth covering my ear... It is vital to protect your ears if you are about to learn how to play a woodwind instrument.”

Piano

The piano is massive: the body of each piano alone contains over 7,500 working parts. As a piano player, I certainly agree with the piano’s nickname, “King of Instruments,” not only because it can cover the full orchestral range – from the lowest note of a double-bassoon to the highest note of a piccolo – but also because of its versatility.

You can play as part of an orchestra, a band, or accompany any solo instruments. Because piano is one of the most commonly practiced instrument, many of us know that strength in the fingers is important. However, the ability to lift your fingers immediately after playing the notes is also significant, especially when playing high-tempo music, so your fingers can move swiftly. With 88 black and white keys, your whole body should follow your fingers, right and left. When moving your hands along the piano to play “Flight of the Bumblebee,” sitting in one place will reduce the fluidity of the performance.

My favorite part about the piano is that, unlike the clarinet or violin – both

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of which I have also played before–I simply have to open the piano lid to play and close it when I am done. However, since you cannot carry the instrument around, you do not get to play your own instrument unless you are home, which can affect your performance.

Even before the competition, I do not get to practice until the last minute. Instead, I have to wear my earphones and listen to the music I recorded the night before and constantly practice on my lap to make sure my fingers are flexible before going on stage. Moreover, playing old pianos with squeaky pedals can be extremely distracting during performances.

Drums

As one drumstick hits the other four times, and the drummer flips the sticks with gusto, the people start cheering and the music finally begins. What is it like to control the tempo of a piece?

Dave Kim from 12(1)A is a passionate drummer. A drum kit usually consists of a drum and other percussion instruments such as a snare drum, bass drum, hi-hat, and cymbals. Unlike other instruments, you have to use your entire body while playing the drums; the right hand’s focus is on the hi-hat and left hand’s is on the snare drum, and both of your feet have to control the bass drum and hi-hat. Having to move all four limbs in a specific pattern, Dave compares playing the drums to danc-

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ing: although it is exhausting to control every single part of your body consciously, it is simultaneously energizing.

Dave describes high stamina in your wrists as being one of the necessary techniques for playing the drums. Especially when playing fast-paced melodies, you solely use your wrists, which not only provides more power but also the controls necessary for clear sound.

Since drum players manage the beat instead of the pitch, they lead the tempo of the music when playing in a group.

Hence, maintaining a consistent beat while playing a piece is also important. “[Maintaining a consistent beat] is the most basic thing drummers should do, but at the same time, it is also one of the hardest things to perfect,” explains Dave. Some people keep up with the beat by being emotionally engaged with the music while others consciously count the beat in their head. As for Dave, his right hand focuses on the speed of the music, with the other three limbs unconsciously playing as his emotions lead.

Since most drummers do not own their own drum set, they can only play when they get to visit practice rooms.

Hence, every drum set may feel different. “Every time I visit [the] drum rooms in our school, some part is always missing,” Dave replies when asked to share an interesting story regarding the drums. Despite these difficulties, he says that it is also convenient that he

only has to carry two drumsticks while other band members have to bring their lofty instruments. On a final note, Dave recommends that others play the drums, especially those who already play other instruments. He notes that some instrumentalists lack the ability to control their speed while playing an instrument, and further explains how playing drums can help. “[Playing the] drums will definitely help you balance and improve your musical abilities,” says Dave.

The audience leans in, entranced by the magic that is happening onstage as the conductor’s baton flies to and fro. The harmony, the interconnectedness of each note and sound of each and every instrument – it all beckons thrillingly to the senses. It all ends too fast: one minute, the conductor’s baton rises, and the next it slows and pauses for the definitive conclusion. The last note lingers, and the audience leaps out of their seats with thundering applause.

This? This is music. And this could not have been made possible without the effort and skill required to cooperate alongside with one another in instrumental harmony. Next time you gaze upon the wonders of the symphony, take a moment to think about the individual idiosyncrasies of each instrument. You might be surprised at what you could learn.

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The Last Grasp of Senior Year:

HONORS STUDENTS Written by: Sophia She | Photos by: Sophia She

B

efore writing the article on honors students, I turned to the yearbook, endeavoring to find the faces of graduated honors students and figure out what the term means from there. Sarah Lin, Class of 2020, was an aspiring lawyer who founded the SHSID’s mock trial team and was president of the debate club. Elaine Shen, also Class of 2020, was the president and an honorary member of the ASB. Daniel Cai, Class of 2019, was a drama-enthusiast and co-president of the Model United Nations club. It seems impossible to label these people into one category, but they are all given a proud title - honor student.

What really is an honors student?

The problem with trying to define the title “honors student” is that it is not a homogenous group in terms of interest, as they can range from track champions to photography enthusiasts. However, there are certain qualities behind each honor student that Principal Ma summarizes into three words: “genuine”, “self-motivated”, and “resilient”. All honor students must first follow basic school rules and cross an academic threshold. In

addition, they should demonstrate leadership and hold a sense of responsibility to contribute to the local community. Rooting from these essential qualifications, the honor student candidates then begin to branch out and diversify.

To students, the concept of an honor student augments what Principal Ma has established. Christine Hwang from 12(1) asserts that aside from the academics, extracurricular activities,

and integrity, there are many ways to qualify as an honor student. Contribution to their community should be supplemented with passion, and integrity should be accompanied with individuality. Others also identified key traits like uniqueness, persistence, positivity, and willingness to confront challenges. To Mark Wu from 12(1), honor is “more of a spirit than a quantitative measure - it is a spirit of helping, sharing and caring”.

of the candidates to the 17 judges, which is made up of student volunteers, parents, and teachers.

As to what qualities the judges were looking for, Director Liu remarks that she values the continuity in a student’s performance. For instance, she says that one of the honors students last year did not have outstanding grades or exceptional activities but had demonstrated persistence through the continuous devotion in the Campus Volunteer group since

9th grade. Director Liu asserts that she was touched by this perseverance and that the student truly deserved her Honors Student title. Tiffany Mei from 12(1), a student judge, weighed the impact each candidate had on the school when assessing them. As someone who knows the candidates from the perspective of a fellow student, Tiffany share her own experience of interacting with them and contributed to fruitful discussions regarding the honors student results.

the award, Amy Zhong from 12(8) aspires to make her parents proud.

To Christine, the question was simply “why not?” after she learned about the fairly straightforward application process and saw a chance for her to win. Celine Sung from 12(7) reso-

nates with Principle Ma in affirming her desire to “inspire the next classes to actively make a difference in their community and embrace opportunities for themselves”.

This year’s candidates are like no other – let’s take a look.

Selection Process The Honors Students selection process consists of two rounds of qualifications. In the preliminary round, candidates were assessed by faculty members in regards to academics and extracurricular activities. Twelve students are selected to then prepare presentations showcasing their talents, passions, and contributions to the school. The presentation consists of a 6-minute speech followed by a 2-minute Question-and-Answer session. This provides a holistic view

Why Sign Up? To the school, students should sign up to inspire others and be role models; however, the candidates themselves had much more diverse reasons. Notified that her parents will come up on stage during the graduation ceremony if she receives

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Christine Hwang:

Celine Sung:

Maya Chen:

Ricky Pan:

Die-hard psychology/ mental health advocate (founded Psychology Club with friends), TEDx organizer and enthusiast, very amateur skateboarder, semi-skilled glowstringer (swinging glowsticks/ lights around), once stood on a carton of raw eggs?; Northwestern University

Captain of Varsity Volleyball, ASB design member, Digital Media Director & Student Journal Section Editor for SHSID|Times, CoFounder of Humans of SHSID, 1st Place Debate Team & 3rd Place Overall Individual in WSC, Yearbook Committee, music enthusiast (singing + piano), once I balanced my hardcover bio book on my head from one end of the hallway to the other

Student-athlete. Level 2 pianist. Berkeley Class of 2021

President of the ASB, National Mock Trial Champion, Co-founder of Project SNAP; Columbia University

“(Having your face stuck possibly permanently on a wall with a less than appealing design) and I would just be grateful that I received others’ approval I guess.

I honestly wouldn’t like over-emphasizing the meaning behind the title because labels can be quite arbitrary and restrictive sometimes.”

“Being an honor student of SHSID would just be absolutely amazing because I’ve really come to consider this school a home despite the usual “I hate school” mentality most people have. Without SHSID, I probably never would’ve met so many great friends and teachers, received such a worldclass education, or become the person I am today, and for that, I am very grateful. If I were selected as an honor student of the Class of 2017, it would be confirmation that I took everything the school gave me and put it to good use throughout my 9 years here.”

“It would mean that there are indeed other ways to bring honor to my family and myself, because back in the day, you had to cut off all your hair, know how to ride a horse, pretend to be a man, sign up for the military, be friends with a lizard dragon, save China, and marry your own boss. I wish I could have a résumé as cool as that, but my parents would probably object.

It never hurts to try to be your favorite Disney princess, though. Isn’t that what everybody’s been doing for the past 12 years? (I’m talking about Mulan by the way)”

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“It means being acknowledged and recognized for your contributions to the school community and for your effort as a student. People who contribute and put in effort will do it with or without the acknowledgement, but the acknowledgement is an added source of motivation. It's something to aim for.”

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Matthew Zhang:

Amy Zhong:

Amber Cai:

Mark Wu:

Rocket science enthusiast; RSI Tsinghua alumni; Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) Level 8; Central Conservatory of Music Level 9; International Choir Contest 3rd place; SHS Piano Contest 1st prize; ISEF Excellent award

Dance enthusiast, NSDA regional round 2nd place, English Teaching Club Leader

Cofounder of L2D and Psyche Clubs, ASB Vice President, aspiring drama therapist (this may change in the near future), 大猫 prospy, terrible belting singing human, professional Beaver Tailer and Maple Syruptionist; Dartmouth College

Excellent study award for 5 years in SHSID. School activities photographer. Have shot more than 10,000 photos in last two years. Three years of photography club president.

One year of SHSID photography department director.

China Thinks Big national round “Outstanding Proposal Award”. CYBL national round 8th place. Regional “Growing Up with Shanghai” Photography competition one first prize and two third prizes.

“Receiving the award gives recognition to the hard work I have done in since 11th grade. I would be honored to have SHSID view me with pride. In comparison with the past, I would be possess more confidence in myself.”

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“Being an honor student means that I would be showcasing what I have learned and how I have grown in this school.

I would want all those who have dedicated precious time to my evolvement - my amazing teachers, my wonderful friends, and my incredible family - to acknowledge the fact that they have helped me to shape who I am today.

In addition, I would really want my parents to accept this honor with me. I would be nowhere today without them supporting me and cheering me on.”

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“I don’t think honor is what I was seeking for. I took this chance to reflect on my journey at SHSID, and I loved sharing my story with the teachers, parents, and students who were listening. Every student is honorable in his or her own way. If I become an honor student, I’ll be happy to join my brother (hai bro) and give my greatest thanks to the school who shaped me into, well, me!”

“It is a recognition to all efforts I made in these years. An honorable student is a model, an example for juniors to follow. It is more than a title, it is a pride.”

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Jason Yue:

Jack Lee:

ISEF qualifier, Cambridge admit, singing enthusiast

Synesthetic fllmmaker; HoSHSID founder; ASB is cool, join ASB; Chicken enthusiast; NYU Tisch school of the Arts

“It would remind me that whenever I go I carry the identity of an SHSID alumnus and therefore, however indirectly, my actions and behaviors affect how people perceive our school.”

Jasmine Jiang:

Carrie Zhuang:

ASB - Head of the Design Chinese literature enthusiast; Department; SHSID|Times Badminton lover; AMT 1st - Managing Editor; Lifestyle place team; CTB Best SoluEditor; Creative Director tion Proposal Award; Brown for the publication of City University “For the past few years I’ve of Colors; China Thinks always considered student’s Big (CTB) National Second “Getting selected as an success as being academiPlace; Design Enthusiast; honor students will be the cally achieving, or at least in 2016 TEDxYouth@SHSID best curtain call of my four school’s eyes. But I realized Lead Organizer; ISEF Quali- years at SHSID. It will defithat’s not the case. Being fying China Round Best of nitely be my greatest honor. able to take part in this Fair; Vanderbilt University Not only will it mark a permeans that success comes fect ending of my entire high in different form, proves “Like the name sugschool life, but it will also that most of us aren’t “less gests, it‘s an honor. To be a new start for me to set than”, encourages me to be recognized by the very sail to a brighter future.” keep on going towards community that you’ve where my passion lies. This been part of for nine years goes to all of you if you are would make anyone over like who I was before. cause the moon.” the system has never been broader, it’s not just about scores anymore.”

At the Graduation Ceremony on June 6th, the results for Honor Students were announced. After listening to the honor students present their high school life with enthusiasm and pride, I geniunely believe all of them deserve the title of honor student and cannot imagine the difficult decisions the judges had to make. The journey of striving to be an honor student, however, is so much more than the trophies and certificates rewarded at finishing line. It is the process of discovering yourself, of improving yourself, and of pushing yourself to your greatest capability for one last time in the campus of SHSID. MAY JUNE 2017

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Shanghai High School International Division 400 Shang Zhong Road Shanghai, China 200231 Website: www.shsid.org