HW2: Touching The Void

1. What types of goals are involved with climbing this mountain?

Both types of goals are involved with climbing this mountain, the short term goals and the long term goals. Joe and Simon have the same long term goals that is climbing the mountain that no one has ever climbed before. In order to do achieve their main goal, they have already set up their short term goals before, like having a lot of training and climbing experience.

2. What types of goals are involved in Joe's decent?

Actually both types of goals are involved in Joe's decent. His long term goal or main goal is reaching the camp. In order to reach that goal, he has to make several short term goals, like looking for water and food. Without those short term plans, reaching his main goal seems to be impossible because of his injury. By making short term goals, achieving his main goal is easier because everything is well-planned.

3. Would you have cut the rope? Why or why not?

To be honest, if I were Simon, I would have cut the rope. Not cutting the rope doesn't make any sense. After waiting for about an hour, risking my own life in a snowstorm, I would assume that my partner had died, though I can still feel his body weight through the rope. Logically, if my partner were still alive he would have helped and secured himself, and not becoming a burden for me. Waiting for a longer time is just pointless, and can possibly double the victims. I think everyone will do the same, cutting the rope that connects us.

4. Look at the statements made by Joe below. What truth about life does each hold? Feel free to use scenarios to help explain your answers.

a. "What I had to deal/face with was so big I could not deal with it."
This statement mentions that in this life, there a lot of things and situations which we can't deal with, like losing our parents. No one is able to deal with something like that, thus, we need the other people's help and assistance.

b. "I had to keep making decisions whether they were right or wrong."
In this life, we have to decide a lot of things, our education, job, friends, and a lot of the other important things. No one will make decisions for us, it's us that will decide them. Those decisions will bring a lot of influences and effects to our lives. They will decide what we will be. Our decisions will bring results, and it depends on us whether they are the good ones or the bad ones. Afterall, whether our decisions are correct or wrong, it's still better than doing nothing at all.

c. "I was so scared of going deeper but I had to do something."
This statement talks about making difficult decisions in our lives. This difficult will make a big change to our lives, thus it's difficult to decide. Well, we can avoid to make decision and just stay in the same place, but what's the point then? In this life, we have to make a big change, we have to move forward. Moving forward isn't easy, it's really difficult to do. Nevertheless, if we manage to do so, we will be a better and successful person. Just like me, I actually can stay in my country, Indonesia, to get my High School Education. But, in order to look for a big challenge, I came here. It's not easy to adapt with the circumstances here. It's really difficult, I have to face a lot of difficulties. However, I believe that my decision is correct and it will m becoming a better person.

d. "I couldn't blindly hope things would get better."
This statement describes that we can't expect all problems that we have in this life to be solved by themselves. If we don't do anything, nothing will happen. We have to work hard to solve every problem we have by ourselves. Never think your problem will be solved, if you don't even try to solve it. No one is gonna solve your problem except ourselves.

5. Why is climbing a mountain used as a metaphor to describe life?
Climbing a mountain used as a metaphor to describe life because in this life, we have a main goal that is the objective of our lives. But, reaching it is really difficult, we will face a lot of hindrances and obstacles. Climbing a mountain is just as hard as reaching that main goal. The top of the mountain that we want to reach represents our main goal while the obstacles that we have to face is the difficulties of climbing it. In order to be successful, we should get a lot of complete equipments. They represent our preparations. Whether we will be able to reach the top or not depends on our efforts. Climbing this mountains will take a really long time, it can be 30 years, 40 years, or perhaps until 70 years. The time that it takes, once again, depends on our efforts and motivation. Because, it will take a long time, just ensure that we don't lose our motivation. If we do, we will possibly fall down. Once, we fall down it's difficult for us to reach the top again.

6. Even the best laid educational or career plans can come to a disastrous end. What do you have to do to ensure your career plans don't die on the mountain of life?

Most people fail their career because they are not motivated and also careless. They are not motivated because they are bored with their lives and they feel that reaching their goals is not possible. In order to reach our goals, we have to work hard and keep our motivation. Motivation and efforts are the key of success. Even Edison said that the major key of success is our efforts, while being talented isn't the key of success. Also, while making a difficult decision, try to discuss it with your friends or families. We can't do that by ourselves.

HW1: Secrets of Grade-A Students

1. Q:  List at least 5 things the students mentioned in this article did to
     become Grade A Students.
   A:
   

   • Willingness to work hard
   • Passion in learning
   • Willingness to learn anywhere outside of the school
   • Parents that always support them in learning, respond to their curiosity, and open up their world
   • Parents that are good role models for them
   • Their personal desire to do their best when learning
   • Their confidence to express their own idea, although their idea might be wrong.
   • Persistence
   • Their Creativity
   • Leadership ability
   • Interest in conducting experiments, so they just don't learn from the textbooks
   • Good preparation

2. Q:  Considering the three A’s of success what did each of these
         individuals have in common?
   A:
   
   

   • They generally tend to be diligent and enjoy learning. They also think that learning is really fun; unlike the present students who study hard only to get good marks. They make learning becoming one of their personal interests. So, if they have a school project, they will put their best efforts on doing it. They will look for informations that may help them in that project or perhaps even conduct an experiment if it's necessary. Their love in learning also make them become active student who always want to know something new to widen their mind.
3. Q: Do you think this article represents a "typical" student, why or why not?
   A:
   
   • I don't think that they're typical students. Perhaps there are several students that are like them - having passion in learning. But, most of the students now are lazy and lack motivation. They study and learn not because they want to, but because to fulfill the graduation requirement and graduate, while the students that are mentioned in the passage are really motivated to learn. Their passion in learning makes them to achieve the best results.
4. Q: Do you do any of this things mentioned in this article to help you to be successful?
   A:
   
   • Well, sometimes, in the subjects that I love, I put my best efforts. Just like them, I always look for extra information - outside of the textbook, to make my project better and I always prepare my exam as well. My passion in learning really helps me a lot during my studies. I really enjoy every moment in my favoured subject. I enjoy doing the project and assignment in that subject as much as I enjoy playing video games. Because I love doing it, I work hard to make them good. As a result, I can get good results in my favourite subjects. But, this kind of thing doesn't happen in the subjects that I don't really like. So, I usually don't get good results in those subjects. Thus, I will try enjoying those subjects, so I will be able to get good results in those subjects.
5. Q: Was there anything in this article that you might try to adopt to become more successful?
   A:
   
   • I want to be confident like them in expressing ideas. Sometimes, I really want to express my own idea in a discussion. In my opinion, my idea is good, but I hesitate to express it because I'm afraid that it'll be wrong. And if my idea is wrong, other students will think that I'm stupid and it is really embarassing. I don't want to look stupid. But, I recently realized that my way of thinking is really wrong. Making mistake is one of the process of learning. Thus, from now on, I will do my best to be confident in expressing my own idea, although it might be wrong.
6. Q: What are your strengths at school?
   A:
   
   • Perhaps my aptitude. I'm doing pretty well in almost all of my classes in Indonesia. I got a minimum grade of B in every of my class. I hope I can get good marks too here.
     
7. Q: What are your strengths in life?
   A:
   
   • I have a great adaptation skill. So, I can move from one place to other easily because I can adapt with the new circumstances fast. This strength really help me a lot when I am supposed to move to a new circumstance or place. I rarely feel homesick because my good adaptability.
8. Q: What do you believe to be the most important success to you? Place them in order of
   importance and why you chose that!
   
   • Physical Wellbeing
     In my opinion, physical wellbeing becoming the most important because it's really critical. Without success in physical wellbeing, success in the other area is pointless. Without good health, we'll just die, and we can't enjoy our other success.
   • Family Life
     Well, I think it's really important because it's one of the biggest part on our lives. In the future, I want to be a good father. I want to nurture my children to be good persons. It'll be a big success if I can nurture them to be great persons until they graduate from university. It'll be really a great and exciting experience. In contrast, I will be really sad if I have a bad family life (i.e.: I am divorced by my wife). It's really a big failure if I fail it.
   • Academics
     Doing well at school is really important. If we put our best efforts and work hard at school, I believe that bright future will wait for us. We'll get great jobs. All things that we have studied at school will help us a lot in the future.
   • Social/Relationship
     Although it's the least important success in my opinion, it still has a big role. Friends are really important. They are important because they will help us we need them. We can't live alone, we need their help. There are a lot of things that we can't do by ourselves. One more thing to keep in our mind, we can't buy friends. Perhaps we can give someone a lot of money to be our friend, but he isn't a real friend. He'll just abandon us if we are no longer able to give him money. So having friends is really important.