Category: CAS Experiences

Mar 2022 – Baking Chocolate Molten Lava Cake

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Before baking

Before and throughout mocks week, Emily, Arham, and I planned to make molten lava cake on Friday, when we are done with our exams.

While I had prior baking experience at home, this is the first time I am making a molten lava cake and baking without the help of an adult, so I was quite excited to bake this with my friends. We followed a recipe on YouTube, but modified it along the way as our cake mold was larger and we wanted to make a cake that was large enough for all three of us to share.

Before we start baking, we went to a baking store in town to collect our ingredients that we did not have already, which included:

  • chocolate
  • unsalted butter
  • flour

We did not have to buy too much as we had other ingredients such as eggs and sugar. It was also important for us to make sure we bought more than enough for baking more than the recipe and also for multiple batches if we were to fail the first time.

Baking and working together

As we followed the steps stated in the YouTube video, we took charge of different tasks to be more efficient. For example, I helped measure the ingredients, while Emily sliced the chocolate bar for easier melting and Arham ground the sugar. I was also in charge of melting the chocolate. I made sure to be careful when doing so by putting the fire on low heat and having towels nearby if I needed to take the bowl of chocolate off the pan. During other times of our process, we ensured safety by cutting carefully and putting the fire on low heat. We did not rush each other as that would have led to careless mistakes and the possibility of getting injured.

We later came back together to mix all the ingredients according to the video’s directions. Because we only had a whisk and we needed the egg to have a foamy texture, we took turns mixing.

The oven was then preheated and we begin to bake our cake! Since the recipe was slightly altered, we baked the cake for around 12 minutes and then in increments so we do not over or under-bake. Arham used gloves to take the cake out of the oven to the table, where we set up a towel to prevent the table from being burnt. Emily then tried to flip the cake over onto a plate, but because there was not enough oil on the sides of the pan, the cake did not fall out easily. Throughout the process of flipping, most of the “lava” chocolate part fell out. Although it looked a bit less like a lava cake, it was still delicious… so we made another one along with some cupcakes to use up our chocolate bars.

The second time we baked, everything was more efficient. We made sure to brush more butter onto the cake mold. As we decided to bake cupcakes, I was able to use my knowledge and experiences from my previous cupcake-baking experience to lead that part of the baking process. The second molten lava cake came out much prettier, but the cupcakes were a bit flatter. I think this was because the consistency of the batter for the cupcake was thicker. I tried to resolve this by adding milk, but I think because the recipe was not for cupcakes specifically they did not rise well.

After baking

I was quite surprised by how good the molten lava cake and cupcakes tasted and how the second molten lava cake was successful. It reminded me of my Physics IA, where I was making sugar solutions to find their specific heat capacity. I learned that there is a lot of trial-and-error involved and in order to refine my process, I had to repeat my “experiment” more than once to identify where I can improve. Arham, Emily, and I all found this experience enjoyable and would like to try more baking projects in the future.

Dec 2021 – STMUN + MSMUN + AIM + Golf

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 STMUN (CAS Project) & MSMUN—Service

STMUN finally happened! Moreover, it was successful and in-person. I joined the process of planning this conference in late February/March and given COVID’s situation (having not been able to attend PASMUN in-person and Taiwan’s lockdown during the summer), the MUN exec team was worried that we would have to move STMUN online as well. However, we anticipated (and hoped) that COVID would be better in December.

There were a lot of components that required discussion and support. For example, helping with food vendors, delegating classrooms, and communicating with faculty and staff. One of the largest components that the MUN exec team was in charge of is preparing our students and chairs for the conference. Because I am one of the Co-Presidents of MSMUN, I have also been training my middle school delegates. Each week’s lesson planned was different and strived to improve the delegates’ writing skills. In order to practice procedures, we also hosted some mock conferences for the high school club. This was something MSMUN was unable to do because we spent more time on helping students understand MUN procedures and concept. Given that most students have participated in STMUN, we may accelerate through some lesson plans in the future to allow middle school students to gain actual practice that better represents the actual experience. We can start with some reflection activities to make students recall on what they would like to improve or learn more about after Winter Break. Referring back to the mocks we hosted for the HSMUN club, there were some concerns. The first mock went smoothly and a lot of people participated. However, when we hosted the second and third mock conference, there was a lack of attendance and and participation. I believe that one of the main reasons was due to practices and stress. One improvement we can implement is to host smaller discussions to accommodate for the fluctuating attendance rate.

Before the day of the conference, KAS student officers were required to attend our opening ceremony rehearsal. As it went quite smoothly, I was able to stay and help out the admins. First, we labeled the seats in our auditorium so students from other schools knew where to sit during the opening ceremony. Then, I went to my committee (ECOSOC) to check on its set-up. I helped with looking for extra desks and chairs as well as some miscellaneous tasks such as erasing the board for our committee schedule to be written up.

The overall conference went quite well as the secretariats communicated any schedule changes early on in the day. The admin staff were also really helpful in keeping an eye on students who were off-tasked. I could see growth throughout the two days from my middle school delegates. They were more eager to speak and ask point of informations. This was rewarding to observe as the purpose of setting up this event was to motivate students to learn more about our world by examining social issues, thinking on solutions, collaborating with one another, and developing their own voice.

ECOSOC committee picture: https://drive.google.com/file/d/18_gx9X2NSE4xNNy2KKGqzJ-P75ogaJL9/view?usp=sharing

AIM (CAS Project)—Service

The first semester of AIM has officially ended. I am so grateful to have started this program with Mikayla and Ms. Tina. For our last session on 12/8, we organized a Secret Santa party.

Something I found difficult in the beginning was scheduling my time among AIM, Student Council event preparations, and MUN. To address this, I had to be very communicative with my schedule and needs for each week. I was able to clear some time for opening and closing, which are particularly important because I want to still be present for warm-ups. I find our warm-ups super fun because they are different for each week and allows us to get to know one another in a more creative way.

One of the most rewarding aspects of AIM is the feedback I hear from students and parents. Mikayla, Ms. Tina, and I are assigned a few mentor-mentee pairs to check up on throughout the semester. So far, the feedback I have received is positive and encouraging. The mentees find AIM really helpful in improving their understanding of certain academic subjects. The mentors have also been enjoying their time with their mentees. I think some reasons our AIM sessions have been successful include our mentor training and daily warm-up activities. Mikayla and I host mentor training sessions to provide more materials and resources to them as we understand the importance of keeping each AIM session as interactive as possible.

I still remember being afraid that not a lot of people would want to join AIM, but I am glad to be proven wrong. We have opened our Student Associate applications for next year!

 

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Golf—Activity

My sister has been playing golf for a while and with some extra time from Winter Break, I went along to practice with her. I used to do some golf, but did not continue because I didn’t have that much time with school. It was important that I warmed up first before starting.

What I could still do:

  • hit the ball!

What I need to improve on:

  • my position was still a bit off because I haven’t practiced in a long time
  • using my torso because I only hit with my arms
  • extending my arms so the ball can go farther

I’m still glad that I was able to be active during the holidays.

Nov 2021 – Football with Friends + MSMUN Teaching

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Football—Activity

I realized that I did not complete Activities last month, so I decided to be more active this November! I have been practicing football with Evan, Hiram, and Mikayla. For next month, I am planning on making this more structured by organizing after-school practice sessions and planning for them beforehand.

STMUN & MSMUN Teaching—Activity

I have been teaching middle school students about social issues that pertain to their STMUN conference committees. Something that I have found quite challenging is articulating my thoughts clearly regarding the topics. I want to work on this by adjusting my language and vocabulary when conversing with middle school students.

Aug 2021 – Shooting Range, AIM Program, STMUN Progress

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Shooting Range—Activity

After watching the Summer Olympics, my family decided to try a new sport together. We first went to a shooting range in early August at a gymnasium in Taipei. The environment was safe as there was a coach, established safety protocols, and the guns used were air rifles with lead bullets.

Prior to actually trying out this sport, I only heard about how mentally demanding shooting is. I realized that it was also quite challenging physically. The rifle I practiced was considered light and that athletes usually add a few grams/kilograms, but I struggled to hold it still when I lift it up. There was a standard procedure athletes had to carry out, including standing side-ways and placing one hand in their pockets. I felt that the position was somewhat unnatural and the accuracy of your position dictates the path of the bullet. Since I was a beginner, the coach advised me to use both hands first and practice aiming. Aiming was the most difficult part for me. There are two points of the rifle that should align to the bottom half of the target paper. The objective, as a beginner, is to have the alignment at the same height and angle as many times as possible. Given that there were not a lot of people, concentration was not what made the aiming difficult, but it was my hands’ unsteadiness. I learned that professionals often have to train their upper body for stamina and stability.

A few weeks later when my family came back to Kaohsiung, I attended a two-hour shooting training program. This experience definitely made me more nervous with more people around. I learned from the two days of practicing this sport that each sport is unique in the different skills it requires athletes to have. I researched more into mental abilities in shooting air rifles and came across this video. It talks about the interconnectedness among all body parts and how professional athletes are able to decrease their heart rate from 60 – 100 bpm to 40 – 60 bpm. The amount of control required reminds me of taekwondo and how mental stability under high amounts of pressure is an area that I should further improve.

AIM Program—Service, Creativity

We sent out tutor applications to high schoolers on August 9th and we have since been reviewing applicants. With this CAS project, I see myself “apply interpersonal, decision-making, and problem-solving skills in real-life situations,” as stated in the handbook. In our application-reviewing process, there were two components: reading applicant’s answers to our Google Form and interviewing them.

Prior to reviewing applications, Mikayla, Ms. Tina, and I established a personal specification list to understand the different types of applicants we would like to be part of our program. This directed our approach to find qualified applicants in a fair manner. The process was much more time-consuming than I had originally imagined. Each application required careful analysis and understanding for us to make a good judgment. I learned to be neutral and observant of each applicant’s answers; these are critical thinking skills I can apply to subjects such as Literature and also in my other extracurricular activities as well. This experience was unique in that it provided me a perspective of college admissions officers. This alternative perspective was really interesting as I, as a student, am often being analyzed instead of analyzing. When I speak about a student’s top quality, I learn what I value in not only a tutor/leader, but also what I value in myself. This helped me become more open-minded in critiquing my own skills and approaches to conflicts.

To make the program more personal to Mikayla and I, I designed our logo on Procreate. I think that the final design looks much better than my first, where the letters were quite distorted. I refined the letters repeatedly and added a black outline so it would stand out more in profile pictures. The arrow adds dimension to the name and some fun aspects.

STMUN Planning—Creativity

As STMUN is nearing, admin recruits are open to KAS students! Being the Activities Coordinator of HSMUN, I made a post notifying students about this opportunity. What I found difficult when making this post was being concise and attractive. I decided to organize the information as follows for the students to understand the information efficiently. For future posts in MUN or KASPER, I want to make my own template/design from scratch to elevate my skills in design.

 

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Feb 2021 (1) – ProCREATE!

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Before beginning to create any artworks, I started my research process on what kind of art I want to create first. I came across the video below on how to make digital versions of photos. I have seen these kinds of digital illustrations on Instagram and other social media platforms, and I thought that it would be something cool to start this CAS experience off with.

For my own digital illustration, I began with choosing a picture I wanted to transform, which was a picture of me and my friends. I copied what the tutorial did with outlining and filling in those outlines by directly dragging the top right color circle into the outlines. After filling out those outlines, I started to refine each of them. This was the hardest part as I had to make sure the edges are smooth, so I needed to make the actual photo invisible. Simultaneously, the proportions still needed to be correct. The colors sometimes were too dark since the original picture had pretty heavy shadows. This meant that I  had to rematch some colors.

Here is the final product:

This was the original photo: