Research Paper Reflections

Let me just say, it is so much better to write a paper (of any sort) over a period of time, and not the night before. With this research paper, I actually had time to really think through things instead of just throwing something together last minute.

One of the things that really helped me the most on this was getting feedback from others. Sometimes I don't realize something's off in my paper because it made sense in my head. But then someone else will read it and notice that things aren't making sense.

Another thing that helped was that I was actually interested in my topic. I know, that never happens with school papers. But since I got to choose this topic and it had to do with my own family history, it made it much more interesting and enjoyable to write.

I think if I were to do this again though, I would spend even more time coming up with a relevant topic. I felt a bit rushed picking this one, and although I really liked it, I probably would've chosen something different--not sure what though.

So yeah! This paper was much less stressful than others I've written in the past because I didn't let myself push it all off until the last minute. And I can definitely say that I'll be using this strategy again for future papers. Yay for not being stressed!!

I Love to See the Temple

Salt Lake City, UT Temple

Guys. I love the temple so much. It is truly an amazing place. I got to go to the Provo temple the other day with one of my friends who's about to leave on a mission, and it was a really great experience. :) I'd been having a pretty crumby day, but that short amount of time I was in the temple completely changed my mood and the rest of my day was fantastic!

Going to the temple is such a wonderful way to escape from the worries and stresses of everyday life. The beautiful, peaceful spirit there always helps me to calm down and focus on what's really important, and it gives me an opportunity to evaluate how I'm doing and to reprioritize everything going on in my crazy college life.

I truly LOVE the temple :) I know it is the house of the Lord here on earth. I know that I can come closer to my Heavenly Father while I'm there. I know that spending time there will help me know where to go with my life and what choices I need to make. Basically I know it's just fantastic :)

So, dear readers (if I have any), I am hereby challenging you to go to the temple within a week of reading this. You don't even have to go inside--just walk around the temple grounds. The spirit can be felt there too :) I just want you all to be able to feel this beautiful feeling too. So go! :)

Conference Analysis

So this last week we had General Conference, and let me just say: it was absolutely amazing. I learned a ton and it was just fantastic.

Okay. Well one of my favorite talks was Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's talk entitled "Are We Not All Beggars?" In this talk, Elder Holland used techniques to create very strong pathos to bring our attention to the poor and needy, and to open our eyes to how much we need to help them. One way he created this pathos was through repetition. He said "Don’t we all cry out for help and hope and answers to prayers? Don’t we all beg for forgiveness for mistakes we have made and troubles we have caused? Don’t we all implore that grace will compensate for our weaknesses, that mercy will triumph over justice at least in our case?" That repeated phrase "don't we all" is a very strong way to bring his audience in and get them to feel what he is feeling. It creates a sense of connection with those beggars he speaks of and makes the talk feel personal.

Guys.... SMILE! :)

That was in Thailand, but that's the dress.
So great, right?

So let me 'splain you all a thing: people don't smile that much on campus. Have you noticed? Why is that? Anyway, today as I was walking back from class with a ginormous grin on my face, I got a lot of weird looks... However that could be because I was wearing a dress that looks like the TARDIS (Doctor Who fans, you'll understand). But still, I've walked around smiling before and gotten the same looks from people I pass. Why is this, friends? If you see someone who's happy, great! Don't judge them for having something to be all sorts of smily about.

Personally, I think we should all smile more :) We all have so many things to be happy about. Like I just got a letter from a missionary friend. Isn't that worthy of a grin? Also, it's an absolutely beautiful day, so what reason is there not to be happy?

I don't know about all of you, but I'm going to work on smiling more. Smiles are contagious and I think this campus could use a couple infectious smiles going around. It would make BYU that much more enjoyable :) So whether you decide to smile more or not, can we all make an effort not to give people who do odd looks?

Anyway, there's my two cents for the day :)

Researching for a Research Paper

Okay. So I have to write this research paper about something that deals with my family history... Well, I don't really know what I want to do. I was talking to my dad though and he gave me a few ideas. One that I found kinda intriguing was on the topic of Thailand. We went there for family vacation this year (so this would be really recent family history). He told me that while we were there, the entire country was under curfew, which I didn't know at the time. That got me thinking...

• Why were they under curfew?
• Is Thailand really a safe place for people, like my family, to visit?
• How has their government affected the way things work in that country now?
• Has their government's actions affected other countries in any way?

There are more questions I have, but honestly I don't think I could write an eight-page research paper on them, so I suppose I'll stick to narrowing down those ones up there. So yeah... Wish me luck! (I'm gonna need it.)

Thesis: Despite safety concerns such as possible crime, the risk of contracting diseases, and political unrest between its neighboring nations, Thailand remains a safe place for tourists to visit when proper precautions are taken.