Last Entry!

So this is my last WISE blog post! I can't believe how quickly this semester passed. I still have some work to do on my tea set but I can guarantee that it will be done in time for my presentation.

Today in class Ms. G stressed the importance of getting our materials in on time and I am definitely making it my goal to submit everything on time by Thursday. I already set up an appointment with Mr. Heurich to bind my blog and receive a hard copy!

All I have left to do is glaze my three tea bowls, pot and tray. I'm going to spend my free periods this week and next finishing up.

Thanks to everyone who read my blog and encouraged and supported me throughout my project!

さようなら

Sayōnara

Goodbye 

Taking Advice/Luke's Presentation Commentary

I attempted to make a tray today, but the clay was really wet and it wouldn't stick to the mold. I'm going to go in tomorrow 2nd period to finish that!

All I have left to do other than my tray is assemble my teapot. I've made the teapot and the spout, and I still have to make a lid and a handle. Tomorrow I'm going to spend all my free periods working on attaching all of these parts together. 

Today in class we read an article about taking advice and listening to others (attached at bottom). I was originally going to scan the paper with my responses but my handwriting was a little ineligible. :-/

Response to article:
I think the article's claim that people often resist the advice of others is completely true. Sometimes it's hard to change your thinking when you are so stuck on one idea. Also, I really like how the article says "you will ultimately be evaluated on what you do and not what you were thinking." This definitely directly applies to my WISE project-- If someone gives me advice on how to change a throwing or glazing technique, I will take their advice because I know it will lead to a better finished product in the end.

We also spent some time in class today talking about Luke's presentation. Luke's presentation was really impressive and well executed. It was very easy going and relaxed-- you could tell that Luke felt comfortable talking to us and that he was having a good time with it. He had a way of engaging the audience and keeping us interested with new information and demonstrations of his harmonica skills. One think that Luke mentioned in the beginning of his presentation was that part of his project was finding fulfillment  I'd like to know how he felt after his project was finished and if he felt that he had reached his goal of fulfillment  Overall, though, I think Luke set the standard really high for the rest of us, and I'm sure it motivated all us WISE students to put in some extra work over the next few weeks!

アドバイス

Adobaisu

Advice

Presentation Panic

After watching Luke's presentation today, I realized I needed to step my game up. I decided that I didn't like my teapot from the other day, so I threw a new one today and I am much more content with it. Throughout this project I've found that I was becoming more critical of myself and my work. I think it's necessary to be happy with your final work, and if you aren't, just try again. I want my tea set to be something that I am proud of and not something that I rushed through. That being said, I still have one tea bowl and my tray left to finish.

Thursday is the last day to use clay in ceramics so I plan on going in during all of my free periods this week to finish up. I'm really pushing myself this week on both hands on work and research because I know the final date is creeping up quick. Luke's presentation blew me away and it made me really nervous about my own. I feel really unprepared up to this point and I know I need to focus these next few weeks to get my final materials in on time and to perfect my presentation.

I went back to my portfolio bibliography again and found two articles that I found helpful to reread. The first one, published by the Los Angeles Times in 2003, discussed the health benefits of tea. Hundreds of studies have been conducted testing the health benefits of tea and most have turned out, not surprisingly, positive! I, myself, am an avid tea drinker (at least two cups a day) and I found this article to be very informative and interesting. The next research component was from a website called "How Stuff Works" and it describes in detail the process of making tea and the differences between black, oolong, green, and white tea. I actually didn't know ANY of this! For example, all tea comes from one single plant, the evergreen shrub, Camellia sinensis. The differences in teas is determined by the processing after harvesting.

This research is something I am actually interested in. My project throughout this semester has shifted more to ceramics focus than the Japanese tea ceremony. I'm planning on talking about this shift in my presentation, but I figured I would also address it here. I found myself not being interested in the Japanese tea ceremony anymore and I just wanted to focus on ceramics and physically making my tea set.  I'm okay with this change though, because it made me more interested in my WISE project and that is the ultimate goal for this course.

I'll still add a japanese word at the end of each blog post though just because I think it's fun! :-)

焦点

Shōten

Focus

Knowledge is Key

Ms. Lutter wasn't here today so I wasn't able to work on my project. I did, though, have time to do some research!

I found a really great article that deals with glazing ceramic pieces. It's 12 tips for glazing that will definitely become useful to me once I start glazing my final pieces. I'm glad I read this because I didn't know half of these things you needed to do before glazing!

I also referred back to my portfolio bibliography and found a couple of articles that I needed to reread. "Ceramics" by The Hutchinson Dictionary of the Arts and "Pottery Analysis" by Ed. K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Lerner both give an overview of the origins of ceramics and how it's progressed through the years. It's pretty cool to know how ceramics has developed since it's starting age. "Ceramics" also talks about the different techniques for using clay and which technique is used for different pieces.

Tomorrow I will work on my tea bowls and then go see Luke's presentation tomorrow night! I'm really excited to hear him play the harmonica!

テクニック

Tekunikku

Technique

Here Is My Handle, Here Is My Spout

I made a tea pot and another tea bowl today! I'm really happy with my tea pot and I just have to make the lid, handle and spout on Thursday.

I have an AP exam tomorrow so I won't be in ceramics class which sucks because I'll be losing a day of work. I had to make sure to cover my teapot with a bucket today so it wouldn't dry out by Thursday. I'm sure I can finish constructing the whole tea set by Monday, though! 

ティーポット

Tīpotto

Teapot

P.S. I couldn't think of anything but this song while writing this post. 

Time Crunch

I'm definitely in a time crunch to finish my project. I've let senioritis get the best of me and now I really need to buckle down. My plan is to finish constructing my teapot, two tea bowls and tray by next Monday. I will then glaze everything next week and be finished in time to start my write up. My presentation is officially June 6th at 3:45! 

My first tea bowl came out of the kiln today and I LOVE it. I forgot to take a picture but I will tomorrow. 

終える

Oeru

Finish 

Teapot Turmoil

I threw a tea bowl today! I now have two and two more to go. I also tried to throw a teapot today but it got all messed up because I used too much clay. I'm going to try again tomorrow during class so hopefully I'll have that completed by tomorrow! 

I talked to Ms. Lutter today about my presentation. I wasn't really sure what to talk about so she helped me break down the 30 minutes into six 5 minute pieces. It was really helpful and eased my nerves about the presentation. 

I can't believe the end is so near!!! I never thought I would actually be graduating from high school :-( happy/sad emotions are running through at the moment. 

卒業

Sotsugyō

Graduation

Where Did You Go??!!!

Well, one of the tea bowls I made is missing. No idea where it could be. I put it in the shelf to be fired alongside my other tea bowl and only one came out.... It's a mystery.

So now I have to make 3 more tea bowls! Today I was supposed to start my teapot in class but we ran out of clay! I know right, how does a ceramics class run out of clay? (I don't know...)

Since I couldn't wheel throw, I spent the period glazing my tea bowl, which I finished! I'm really proud of it and will post a picture once it gets fired.

Tomorrow I will start my teapot and other tea bowls!

失った
Ushinatta
Lost

Happiness

I've definitely being falling behind on my WISE work and I feel horrible about it! I just got a new job and I've been getting a lot of hours and between that and studying for finals, WISE creeped its way to the back of my mind. I'm back now and am here to stay (until June, of course)!

Ms. G wanted us to respond to five questions after reading "Happiness Revisited".

1. When do you feel most happy?
I'm assuming this question is relative to my project... I feel most happy when I am wheel throwing. I really enjoy it and its exciting to just start off with a ball of clay and transform it into a tea bowl or an intricate vase.

2. React/Respond to the article.
This article was really inspiring. I especially love the line-- "Yet we cannot reach happiness by consciously searching for it. 'Ask yourself whether you are happy,' said J.S. Mill, 'and you cease to be so.'" I think happiness is something that comes to you naturally. It can't be forced and it can't be erased. The little steps in life help you reach happiness but without living your life fully, you can't truly be happy.

3. Where are you on the flow chart? (I included a picture below so you know what I'm talking about)
I think right now, I'm in between A3 and A4. It's not so much that my skills are low, it's that I don't have enough time given the challenges that I'm facing in my project. I'm working my way towards A4 now and hopefully I will end my project on that note.

4. How has this changed/remained the same throughout the course of your project?
I've definitely fluctuated between A4 and A3 during my project. I started out being really comfortable with my project and staying on top of things, and then as my work load picked up for my other classes and aspects of life, I began leaning towards A3. I just need to figure out how to manage my time, leaving enough for WISE.

5. How can you achieve flow?
Practice makes perfect. With practice, your skills become greater and your challenges easier. That being said, taking on new challenges once you have mastered a skill keeps you in that flow.

Tomorrow I am going to wheel throw 2nd period and get on track with my work!

幸福
Kōfuku
Happiness

Stupid Wheel

Ms. Lutter had to cancel our mentor meeting today because she had a meeting second period. I won't be able to meet tomorrow and I have a final on Friday so we will just meet again next week.

I was really frustrated today. I had some extra time left in ceramics and decided I would throw a tea bowl. And I did. And it was gorgeous. And then the stupid wheel started to spin on its own and my tea bowl came flying off and became ruined. Ugh.

I watched a video today of a potter throwing a tea pot. I learned how to make a lid today in class but this video definitely help clarify things! It was easy to follow along and I was extremely impressed by his final product.

Due to having a final exam on Friday, I'm going to have to press pause on my WISE project until after that. 60% of your grade is A LOT!

Will return on Monday with updates!

研究
Kenkyū
Study

Sketches Explained

Ms. G left a comment on my latest blog post, about my sketches, and urged me to further my thinking and explanation of my designs for my tea set. To be honest, I chose that design because I love the way it looks. My eye was drawn to this particular design because of the contrast of white and red. Red is my favorite color and the flowers represent a Japanese cherry blossom.

After doing some research, I learned that the cherry blossom is a prominent symbol in Japanese culture. The cherry blossom represents many things, one being the "transient nature of life." It also represents the Japanese purity and simplicity. 

I think my project has shifted more to ceramics than the Japanese tea ceremony. I have become more immersed in actually making my tea set rather than researching about the tea ceremony. I'm not really sure how to connect my research and my hands-on work. That's a problem that I will talk to Ms. Lutter about tomorrow. 

Ms. G also wanted us to blog about how we have gotten out of our comfort zone during this project. I think for me, talking to random people in the community was something outside of my comfort zone. I met with Suzanne from the EAP at Cornell, Mizue Kido (Japanese tea ceremony expert), and sat in on a pottery class in Trumansburg. 

桜の花

Sakura no hana

Cherry Blossom

Sketches in Bed

After playing 25 volleyball games this weekend (yes, 25) and hurting my jaw, I spent the day in bed with ibuprofen and lots and lots of ice. I did manage to get some WISE done, though!

I sketched my ideas for my tea set and used this tea set and the shape of this tea pot for inspiration. I'm happy with my outcomes!

I'm going to glaze all the designs because I am really bad at carving. Also, the red color for the flowers and the tray will be less red and more plum-ish. Well, actually, I will have to see what Ms. Lutter has first. The background color for everything will be white, just like the picture. 

I'm going to fire my two tea bowls tomorrow and make the other two this week. I probably won't glaze anything until I finish constructing all of the elements. 

Because I missed class today, I wasn't able to share my piece of research I found for a classmate. I might as well just post it here! +Emma Preston, I found this article about banjos that I think you would enjoy. http://entertainment.time.com/2013/04/05/the-banjo-ification-of-pop-why-the-instrument-is-everywhere/

For those who don't want to read it, it's basically just about how the banjo has become a prominent part of pop music over the last decade or so. I hope Emma brings her banjo in some time and plays us a sweet, sweet song!

バンジョー
Banjō
Banjo

Two Down, Two To Go

I made another tea bowl today! I originally made two, but after I took the second one off the wheel, I realized it was off-centered and threw it in the slop bucket. I'm happy that I have two though, because I'm halfway done! I'm planning on going in this week and making the other two and spending the weekend brainstorming design ideas and what not.

This project is finally coming along and I'm getting really excited!!

Disrupting My Comfort Zone

Brian Grazer talks about making things difficult for himself on purpose to disrupt his comfort zone. He wants to learn by challenging himself and taking risks. Ms. Gergely said today that "there is a fine line between difficultly and stupidity" and I completely agree.

I think it is completely necessary to take risks in life and do things that you normally wouldn't do. That being said, there is a difference between plunging head first into the most dangerous surfing spot with no experience and taking a scuba diving course. You have to gain experience and practice (!) before you can actually learn something.

Relating that to my project, I have definitely improved my ceramics skills from the very first week of class to now. I still only have one tea bowl and am planning on going in tomorrow 2nd and 8th period. Hopefully I can make one each period! I'm still stuck on what designs to do so I will have to do some more research on that.

I also talked to Ms. Gergely today about using my teapot that I have to make in ceramics class for my WISE project. Ms. Lutter told me it was double-dipping but Ms. Gergely said, even though it technically is double-dipping, it would seem silly not to be able to use it. That means I have to put in double the effort and focus to make this teapot look great!

リスク
Risuku
Risk

Finally, Progress

I made my first tea bowl today!!!!! So excited. I had time left over in ceramics class and I figured, why not just throw again?

I won't be able to go in tomorrow 2nd period to wheel throw again so I will just go in on Tuesday and hopefully make another two.

Yay for progress!

進捗
Shinchoku
Progress

Sketch first, Do later

During my mentor meeting today, Ms. Lutter told me I need to sketch my designs out before wheel-throwing. I haven't had any time to do that tonight so I will work on it tomorrow and wheel throw on Friday!

Short and sweet today!

描く
Egaku
Draw

Poems and Procrastination

Yesterday, in class, we read a Robert Frost poem together. I'm not really a fan of poetry but I kind of liked this one.

My favorite line is the very last.. "And the work is play for mortal stakes/ is the deed ever really done/ for heaven and the future's sakes." I interpreted this to mean that you should love what you do. Whether it be your job or your hobby, you should enjoy it so much that you never want it to end.

I also enjoyed this line: "My right might be love but theirs was need/ And where the two exist in twain/ Theirs was the better right--agreed." Frost talks about the two other tramps, or lumberjacks, that appear out of the woods as he is cutting wood. He says that their rights are different; Frost loves to chop wood but the two men need to chop wood in order to survive. When faced against each other, the right of need trumps the right of love.

Connecting this all back to my project, I haven't really found the place of absolute bliss. I do love my project but I'm not completely immersed in it. I've been feeling really unmotivated to work on my project lately (you can always blame Ithaca weather for all your problems) and am starting to fear that I've fallen behind.

I still haven't made my tea bowls, or anything else on my tea set. I've decided that I'm going to make four tea bowls instead of two, because I'm not making tea cups and I won't need to make saucers. I'm going in to Ms. Lutter's room tomorrow for a mentor meeting/ to work on it and hopefully I'll come out with something by the end of it.

We only have six weeks left to do our project and I need to set a timeline for myself to finish. To my advantage, though, one of our class assignments in wheel-throwing is to make a tea pot (!!!!!!). I know it's double-dipping but this would allow me to work on my project in class, and, if it turns out well I don't see a reason for why I couldn't use it for my tea set!

Okay, back to the timeline. Six weeks left.. oh my me.

and by research I mean start adding to my research tab and bibliography.

I feel better now that I wrote that all down and made myself a plan for the weeks to follow. I actually just sighed in relief...

優柔不断
Yūjūfudan
Procrastination

Ceramics Tips

I talked to Ms. Lutter today about a problem I've been having regarding my tea bowls. Whenever I try to make my tea bowls (3 times so far...) I can center it perfectly but then as soon as I start to shape it, it becomes off-centered! Wah.

Ms. Lutter told me that probably happens because I make my holes to open up the clay off-centered. I think that's what I've been doing and I'm going to work on improving that! I guess that's why they say practice makes perfect.

忍耐
Nintai
Patience

Side note.. Here's a tea bowl I made a couple weeks ago (for ceramics class, not WISE)

"Out of the Rut"

PLANNING:

3 Things I Should Talk To My Mentor About-

1. How to complete my tea bowls by Thursday
2. What to talk about during my presentation
3. Steps on how to make the tea pot

Good thing I am meeting with Ms. Lutter on Wednesday and can ask her all my questions!!

質問
Shitsumon
Questions

First Time Is Not The Charm

So the fates decided that we were going to have school today.. Yay! (although I did not feel that excitement when I had to wake up at 7:30 this morning)

I went in today 8th period to Ms. Lutter's room to wheel-throw my first tea bowl. Only, I didn't end up making anything. Well, technically I did, but it didn't resemble a tea bowl in any way. Oops..

I think partly the clay was too soft to work with. It was easy to center but really hard to shape. Both of my attempts today ended up being thrown in the slop bucket because they became really off centered and the shape was disfigured.

I'm going to try and go in during second period sometime this week and (hopefully) finish my first tea bowl!

粘土
Nendo
Clay

Snow Day, Maybe?

As the snow trickles down pretty hard, part of me is wishing for a snow day (who ISN'T?!) and the other part of me hopes that we have school tomorrow! I know you all probably just gasped and asked yourselves why in the world I would want to have school instead of a snow day and my answer to that question is simple... So I can work on my WISE project!

Tuesdays are the only day that I can come in after school and start my tea bowls. If we don't have school tomorrow, I will be behind schedule on my progress! My goal was to start my tea bowls before spring break, which is in 2 weeks. I plan on doing one tomorrow (granted that we have school) and the other one next week. I just want to get those done and they should be easy, relatively speaking, because I've made them before.

I will let the fates decide on whether or not we have school tomorrow.... *que dramatic music*

雪
Yuki
Snow


Let it snow, let it snow, let it snoowwwww

WISE Class - Gleaning From The Past Reflection

I read Molly Chiang's WISE journal for the gleaning from the past assignment and her project was to restore the Cascadilla Boat House. Although, she wasn't successful in that, she did end up making a movie about the historical significance of the Boat House.

GEMS OF THE PROJECT:

1. Molly included a lot of research evidence such as pictures, emails, and notes from her meetings with community resources.
2. There was an obvious amount of dedication in Molly's project (she started in September!) She was extremely passionate about restoring the boat house, and even though she didn't, she definitely made a lot of progress working together with the city of Ithaca and CBC.

OOPS COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER:

1. There were times during Molly's project that she got frustrated when community members didn't reply back to her. Although that is completely normal, I think I need to not let that get to me and accept the fact that not everyone I contact will be willing/able to help me.
2. Honestly, there wasn't anything else that I would change about this project (except for maybe the handwriting!)

THINGS I WILL BORROW:

1. Molly used lists to organize her thoughts and feelings and it turned out to be a resourceful way for her to write down her opinions.
2. I love the way Molly set goals for herself every week, both long and short term. It made her more focused and I think that's something I will definitely need to start doing for my project. 

YouTube Videos

One of the people I emailed a couple weeks ago was Mark George, who was referred to me by Suzanne. He's an art teacher in Geneva and Suzanne told me that he built a tea set with his class last year. I reached out to him to ask if he could give me any advice and/or tips before I started and he just got back to me!

He sent me a bunch of really helpful YouTube videos that give a clear explanation of how to make each item of the tea set. Needless to say I just spent about an hour and a half watching YouTube videos.....

Please watch this video. It's so amazing/ unbelievable/ inspirational/ I'm jealous/ why can't I do that

鼓舞する
Kobu suru
Inspirational

Sick Day

Sadly, I woke up this morning with a killer migraine and didn't go to school. My tea cups will unfortunately have to wait until next Tuesday.

Well, I'm off to bed.... And yes I am well aware that it's only 8pm.

病人
Byōnin
Sick

Practice

Today in class we talked about hands on practice and how it benefits you. Everyone improves with more and more practice. I think everything for me right now is practice, in regards to my project, because I have only been wheel throwing for 5 weeks. I'm improving but I'm obviously not going to be part of any prestigious art gallery anytime soon.

I'm starting my tea cups tomorrow after school and it will probably take me a number of tries until I actually get them look like I want them to. But, hey, that's what practice is all about!

I went to the public library today to see if I could find "The Book Of Tea" that Mary Ellen had suggested but they didn't have it in at the moment. I'm going to see if I can stop by Barnes and Noble tomorrow and check there!

練習
Renshū
Practice

Ceramics Observation Reflection

So I just got back from my ceramics class observation (Mary Ellen Salmon in Trumansburg) and am so happy that I got to sit in on her class! The class was full of people from all different levels and it made me feel better about myself because I am beginner at wheel throwing too. There is so much that I don't know about ceramics and being in a different environment than our classroom at school was helpful. She recommended that I read "The Book of Tea" which is all about the Japanese tea ceremony, so I definitely need to stop by Barnes and Noble and get that this weekend.

I took some pictures of the artwork in her gallery (some is Mary Ellen's and some is made by other local potters) and will use them for creative inspiration also.

I love love LOVE the gradient here and definitely want to incorporate that in my tea set somehow.

 I think the flowers are a nice, classic touch to these cups and it would look good on my tea set.

The brown color here makes it look very authentic and traditional and that would look good for the tea set I have in mind. 

ホイールは投げる

Hoīru wa nageru

Wheel Throw

Post-Mentor Meeting

I met with Ms. Lutter today and we talked about when I would start my teacups. We worked out that Tuesdays after school would work and since I have 8th period free I can just come in and start working then. I'm really excited to get started and need to do some design research before then!

I've got a couple images so far that I will build off from.

I really like the classic white color of this and the contrasting red/black cherry blossoms.

I like the Japanese characters on this set and I definitely want to incorporate that somehow.

I love the gradient here and the shape of the tray.

写真
Shashin
Pictures

Slightly Unrelated but Still Exciting Post

I just learned how to do a headstand at yoga tonight and got really excited and made my mom take a picture of me.

Also, here's the song that we listen to right before savasana and I just love it (this is related still to WISE, right?)

Post-Meeting

I just got back from my meeting with Mizue. She was really sweet and told me all she knew about tea cermonies. I think I might want to learn how to perform a tea ceremony and do it for my presentation!

Mizue told me that she doesn't remember exactly how to do it but she attended one last year that was performed by a Cornell student. She's going to give me her contact information so hopefully I can attend a ceremony held by her and experience one first hand.

I'm going to watch a tea ceremony video online tomorrow so I can start to understand what really goes on.

It's yoga time now!

ビデオ

Bideo

Video

Barnsong Response and Other Shenanigans

Today in class we watched a WISE project about a WISE project.. very inception-like.
I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and was extremely impressed by the kid that built the barn. It made me realize that I need to start to do more hands-on work on my project (maybe like actually start my tea set....) Barn boy (I don't know his name) was really dedicated to his project and kept working until it was fully completed, regardless of the fact that that was in August. It made me happy to see how invested and committed he was!

Tonight I'm meeting with Mizue Kido, who grew up in Japan and practiced the tea ceremony under her mother. I'm going to interview her about her life and her experience with tea ceremonies/living in Japan altogether. I will post either later tonight (after yoga!) about my meeting or tomorrow morning, promise!

Tomorrow I also have my mentor meeting with Ms. Lutter. I'm going to talk to her about starting my project and work out a time where I can come in and start my tea cups.

This week I'm also going to do some sketches of what I want my tea set to look like. Ms. G asked me whether I want my tea set to be traditional or if I want to add my own spin on it and I decided that I'd like it to be traditional and authentic. I sent an email to a Johnson Musuem of Art employee but they haven't gotten back to me so I think I'm going to call them tomorrow and ask if they have any Japanese art collections that I can look at for inspiration. I'm going to NYC at the end of March with +Molly Pritz (Taylor Swift concert!!!!!!) and we're going to stop by the MET and look at some Japanese collections there as well. I just realized this is the first that Molly is hearing about this so I hope that's okay with you! XD

Wow, this was a really long post I apologize. I just had a lot to say!

茶
Cha
Tea

Too Little Time

I've been at a volleyball tournament in Rochester since Friday so I haven't had much time to work on my project. I went on my Human Japanese app between games but its extremely doubtful that that will actually do anything for me.

Honestly, I can't wait to just get home and go to bed. Waking up at 6AM to play volleyball just doesn't work for me!

バレーボール
Barēbōru
Volleyball

Ceramics Observation!

Today I received another email back from Mary Ellen who owns Salmon Pottery in Trumansburg. She has agreed to let me come in and observe her ceramics class next Thursday! I'm really excited to get some more experience with clay outside out the classroom (although it will only be observing experience).

Short post today but more to come!

セラミックス
Seramikkusu
Ceramics

Eager Response

When I checked my email this morning, I was slightly too excited to hear back from Mizue Kido. She was recommended to me by Suzanne and is going to be an amazing resource for me. She was born in Japan and her mother preformed tea ceremonies nearly every day. I'm eager to meet with her and immediately emailed her back trying to schedule a time.

Anyways, that's it for today!

It's Thursday so obviously I'm going to yoga tonight and guess who's coming with me..... +Molly Pritz!!!!!! Killing two WISE projects with one yoga session.

日本
Nippon
Japan

Emails, Emails, and More Emails

I kind of fell behind last week and forgot to email the community members that Suzanne had suggested.  Finally, though, I just sent about 9 emails to various people in the community, including local potters (as Ms. Lutter had suggested) and a Japanese native who moved here during her high school years.

I'm excited to actually start talking to people about my project and gaining first-person information. I also realized that I need to find someone who will be able to perform the tea ceremony for me. Hopefully after talking to many community members, I will get connections to someone who will be able to do that.

 Also, Japanese is really hard to learn. I don't know what I got myself into...

メール
Mēru
Email

First Mentor Meeting

I had my first mentor meeting with Ms. Lutter today. She gave me some good contact information and suggested that I contact local potters and ask if I could "shadow" them or just observe their studio. I think this is a great idea as it would help me gain some more knowledge about pottery outside of the classroom.

I also set a time frame for when I will be making my tea set. My goal is to start the teacups before Spring Break (March 29th). That way, I will have plenty of time to focus on the teapot, which I've heard is the hardest part.

Well, I'm off to go send emails!

陶器
Tōki
Pottery

Peer Review of Blogs

I read Luke's journal today and loved how enthusiastic he was about his project! He already set his goals for which songs he'd like to learn on the harmonica and who he will contact to help him with his project. I also like how he talked about why he decided to get into playing the harmonica and gave us some background information.

I also read Emma Denman's blog. I loved how she wrote really honestly and I could imagine her saying everything she wrote. It was fun to read because of her easy-going tone. Her project (to learn how to sew) seems awesome and I can't wait to see what her final products turn out to be!

That's it for today I think.. I've been using my "Human Japanese" app this week and continuing to read "Liquid Jade" for research.

More to come!

ジャーナル
Jānaru
Journal

Community Help

One of the community members helping me with my project is Suzanne from the East Asia Program Outreach at Cornell. She has recently contacted me and given me emails of numerous other people in the community that will be able to help me in the research portion of my project.

I plan on emailing all of these people tomorrow morning and hopefully meeting them either this weekend or next week!

I'm gonna keep this post short and sweet, and will update once I contact these community members.

研究
Kenkyū
Research

The Joys of Learning a Fourth Language

Ms. G gave me some great material today. One was a Japanese-English dictionary (which will definitely become useful as I get lost trying to learn the language). The other book was a study guide of Japanese language!

I'm really excited to start learning Japanese. Mrs. G also told me about a great App called "Human Japanese". It's an interactive learning app where you can actually hear and see the words as you learn them. Needless to say I've spent a good amount of time on the iPad tonight....

Yoga has been going great. Although I am a little sore today (my teacher really pushed on working on our hip flexors), I have decided to go on Thursdays as well! If any one of my lovely readers is interested in going, you are more than welcome to join me!

言語
Gengo
Language

Live in the Moment

I've spent this week reading a book I picked up at the public library. It's called "Liquid Jade" and is about the ancient history of tea. It's actually really good!

My yoga experience the other day was awesome. The teacher primarily talked about how we need to learn to be present in the moment and remain mellow. I loved that!

ヨガ
Yoga

Officially on my Own

I got exited from WISE today... Exciting!!!!! This week I am going to spend time researching, both online and reading books. I went to the public library over the weekend and found some great books about the Japanese tea ceremony that I want to get started on. I have also decided that I'm going to learn a bit of Japanese!

Tomorrow (and every Tuesday from now on) I am going to start going to Yoga classes through the Cornell Wellness Program. Yoga is related to my project because of the "zen" that it creates.... And I also just really want to start doing yoga.

I'm excited to be able to officially begin on my project and am welcoming any ideas from my readers on research materials!!

さようなら
Sayōnara
Goodbye

Two Week Outline

Hello to my 15 viewers!
Here is my plan for the next two weeks:

Wed. 2/6
Tomorrow will (probably!) be my very last day of WISE class :( I'm sad but very excited at the same time. I'm going to set a solid weekly meeting time with my mentor, Ms. Lutter. I know that we are meeting during second period but we just need to figure out which day of the week.

Thurs. 2/7
I'm going to meet with Suzanne from the East Asia Program Outreach and take a look at the lending library they have there. She is also going to set me up with some local people in the community for interviews and research possibilities.

Fri. 2/8 - Mon. 2/11
I'm going to hopefully meet with some people that Suzanne has connected me with. Some of these people include a local Japanese potter and a Japanese language teacher.

Tues. 2/12 - Fri. 2/15
Throughout next week, I'm going to meet with more people in the community and try and get all of my "raw data". I'm also going to refer back to my bibliography and watch the two documentaries that I found about the tea ceremony.

The next two weeks for me will be research, research, and more research! I'm excited to meet with all of the people that Suzanne is setting me up with and talk to them about their knowledge and experience with the Japanese tea ceremony.

XDXP,
Gossip Girl

Introductory Post

Dear Readers,
This is my first blog post of the semester, with many more to come. If you couldn't already tell by the oh-so-clever title of my blog which I definitely didn't search for and find on google, my WISE project has to do with tea. More specifically, Japanese tea. I'm going to be researching the Japanese tea ceremony and building a traditional tea set out of clay.

At first, I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do for my WISE project. I was in ceramics first semester and I loved it so much that I decided I wanted to base my project off of something ceramics related. I talked to Ms. Lutter about it and she gave me two ideas: make a tea set or make a bongo drum. I thought about doing the bongo drum but after I heard about a previous WISE student's experience with it, I decided to go with making a tea set.

By the end of the semester, I hope to have gathered enough information about the Japanese tea ceremony and implemented my learnings into the making of my tea set. I want the tea set to reflect on Japanese culture and look authentic. I need to keep myself motivated and stay on track during my project. I tend to procrastinate (a lot...) and that definitely won't get me anywhere this semester.

Overall, I'm really excited to get started on my project! Although, I will miss all of our WISE classes *tear* :(

XDXP,
Gossip Girl