Week 3- Chocolates

Last week's weekly topic was spider webs; This week is chocolates. And I will be telling you some fun facts about chocolates. A recent study indicates that when men crave food, they tend to crave fat and salt. When women crave food, they tend to desire chocolate. Aztec Emperor Montezuma drank 50 golden goblets of hot chocolate, dyed red and flavored with chili peppers, every day. Chocolate syrup was used for blood in the famous 45 second shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock’s movie, Psycho, which actually took 7 days to shoot. The average American consumes more than 10 pounds of chocolate every year. 76% of Americans say the ears of the chocolate bunnies should be eaten first. 5% think chocolate feet of the bunnies should be eaten first. 4% think the chocolate tails should go first. One ounce of milk chocolate has only a little more caffeine than the amount of caffeine in a cup of decaffeinated coffee. White chocolate has no caffeine. Are you amazed yet? If you want to know more about chocolates, please visit http://morkeschocolates.com/chocolate-facts. 

Week 2- Webs

Last week's weekly topic was dollar bills. This week we are thinking of doing it on spider webs. Spider webs are threads of silk. Spiders can make as many as seven different kinds of silk, with all different purposes—from making egg cases, to hiding. They are mainly used to catch prey. The silk is made inside the glands of a spider’s abdomen, where it is liquid. When it’s drawn out of their spinnerets, it becomes thread-like. Spider silk is very strong—sturdier than a thread of steel that is as equally thick. Webs are spun by female and immature spiders. Argiope spiders form orb webs made of ultraviolet silk. Some flowers (their food source) are also ultraviolet, confusing insects, which believe they’re about to eat nectar. Instead, they end up getting stuck in a web. The slightest vibration of a web alerts a spider to the possibility of prey, which then rushes toward the movement. The picture of the spider web below is owned by Mike Hall, My Shot. 

Week 1- Bugs

Last week's topic was bugs. A bug is a certain type of insect. Some examples you might be familiar with are the boxelder bug, milkweed bug, assassin bug, and stink bug. True bugs have a stylet (a mouth shaped like a straw) that they use to suck plant juices from plants. The assassin bugs use their stylets to suck blood from other insects. The front wings of true bugs are thickened and colored near where they are attached to the insect's body, and are clearer and thinner towards the hind end of the wing. The hind wings are usually clear and tucked underneath the front wings. The picture below is a Fruit Fly. Did you know that fruit flies often feed on decaying fruits and vegetables. This is where they get their name from. However, one most note that they are often found in unsanitary conditions like garbage dumps and trash cans. Moreover, fruit flies are also a hazard to human health. They spread diarrheal illnesses. Their hairy bodies and sticky foot pads can carry germs and bacteria from sites that have been contaminated. Wash your hands periodically. Do not use your hands to kill flies. This week's weekly topic is money, and I cannot wait to see those dollar bills up close!

Week 9- Editing Pictures

It has been nine weeks since we started the 20 percent project. I can say that we are on track. I still could not believe that it has been many months! Last week's weekly topic was donuts, and this week is fruits. During the two-week break, I have discovered some of the cool editing apps that I can use to make my pictures better. The best thing about them is that they are free on the appstore. Snapguide, Camera Plus, and Fotorus are some of the apps that I liked. Why? Because the have everything that i needed to make my pictures better. These apps can brighten the picture, they can give the picture more details, they can give the picture a filter and a lot more! Below is a before and after of a picture I took. Also if you are reading this, please follow us on Instagram @_macroworld and please do not hesitate to like our pictures. We are working really hard to give you the best macro pictures we can take. 

(Before)

(After)

Week 8- Reflect

I had at least three weeks to reflect about what my group and I have done in the past few weeks. All I can say, is that we are doing great and that we are staying on task. Last month, we did a presentation about what we have done so far. And it was very fascinating how the different groups are doing great. I saw a presentation about hot dogs or legs; they take a picture of a hot dog or a leg, and people will figure it out if its a hot dog or a leg. I also saw a presentation about my classmate sharing her experiences about taking care of the old people in a nursing home. This week's weekly topic is Donuts. I picked donuts because i believe that it is the best invention in the world! Donuts are soft, tasty, and delicious. Next week, our weekly topic is going to be about snails! And I am really excited about how they will look like up close.

Week 7- Coins

Last week's weekly topic was plants. This week, our topic is coins. This time, coins were not hard to find. They are everywhere at my house! I was really looking forward to take pictures using the lens, unfortunately, my partner Divina has the lens. Moreover, my teacher assigned  our class a small project. We will have to make a presentation about what we have done so far. I believe that this is a great activity, because my teacher does not know if all of us are on task. He also told us to change a setting to our blog, so that it would save him and other people time to comment on other people's blog. Back to What I was saying! Coins are something that people hate having in their wallets. I agree, but we also have to think that if there's no coins, there are no paper bill. The picture below are the coins that I keep in a jar. And I cant believe how many coins I have from different places around the world! And I cant wait to look at each one of them through my macro lens.

Week 6- Plants

Last week's weekly topic was flower. This week's weekly topic is plants. It is my partners turn, Divina to take three best pictures of plants. I believe that plants are helpful to every living things because it helps us to breathe in fresh air, while we animals help then by exhaling carbon dioxide. Bamboo is one of my favorite plants because it is the fastest-growing woody plant on Earth. Sensitive or sleepy plant is also one of my favorites because leaves fold inward and droop when touched or shaken, to protect them from predators, re-opening minutes later. That is why we chose plants for our weekly writing topic. Moreover, taking a picture of a plant should be really easy, unlike diamonds and insects that we did in the past few weeks. Furthermore, my teacher assigned us to do a brief presentation about our project. Later on, we will all present it in class, and I think that this is a good activity, because we have a chance to share and get to know our classmate's project and what they have done so far.