So, I realized late last night that I had been blogging for one year. I can't believe it! Time has passed so quickly. I just glanced over my past blogs, and I realize now how much this blog has helped me over the last year. It has been there for me through interviews, Speech tournaments, frustration over classes, and really happy times. When I have had no one to talk to, I would just come on and shoot of my thoughts into cyberspace. And I really love it. So, happy one year anniversary to me!
Also, some super exciting news. I get to go to my first concert since Cher's first farewell tour. Yeah, I know, that was a very long time ago, I don't need to be reminded. But on Tuesday I get to go see Barenaked Ladies! Woo-hoo! So I bought their new CD today so I can learn their new songs in time for the concert. I can't wait!
Also, today was HOBY day. I had a meeting with the new nominees and told them how beyond incredible HOBY is. I miss it so much....I have to get working on my community service hours so I can turn in my Junior Staffer application by April 15th. Hopefully I'll get to go back.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Thursday, October 26, 2006
And the Panic Begins to Set In
So, Saturday is the final novice speech competition. I've worked with all my "mentees," so I think they are all ready. And I get to go judge. Only thing I am starting to worry about is my piece. I have seven characters, and each has a different voice. Most are variations on a British accent, but then there is the one that is giving me the most grief. A male Italian accent. I've been working so hard on it, but I just can't seem to get it. And then there is the issue of memorization. I keep reading over it again and again, but somehow I just haven't been able to memorize it. And that poses the biggest problem of all. Until I memorize it, I can't work on pops, I can't work on pantomime, I can't work on timing. And it has to be good enough for competition by the 4th. Yes, next Saturday. This is the first year I've had doubts about being ready. I think it has to do with having so many novices that I am helping. Once again I am putting others before myself. And right now, I have a lot of work to do...
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
The Chilling Possibilities of the Future
I just found a new author to go on my favorites list. Scott Westerfeld is amazing. And when I say amazing, I mean truly and utterly remarkable. He wrote a trilogy that includes Uglies, Pretties, and Specials. The Uglies Trilogy examines our society, not as it is now, but what it has the possibilities to become. Okay, it is Sci-Fi, but it is really startling how much he is satirizing and warning us about.
These books take place in the future, only a century or two away from today. While they are still very young, the children of this society are brainwashed into believing that they are all Ugly until they turn sixteen and they have a special surgery to make them Pretties. The Uglies are treated as sub-humans; they have very few rights and are always seen as trouble makers. This is the basis for the story of Tally Youngblood, a girl who has been waiting for her sixteenth birthday all of her life so that she could be pretty and perfect, just like everybody else. Suddenly, however, she meets Shay. Shay despises the practices of the pretty surgery, and intends to run away, bringing Tally with her. And that is only part of the first book.
These books are truly eye-opening. They take the issues we, as a society, are dealing with today and project the possible consequences our actions may have if we don't change soon. Westerfeld attacks anything from war and conflict to self esteem and the "ideal" image that is forced upon us by the media. He even criticizes the idea if "peace" and what it truly means.
I highly recommend these books. While reading them, I kept noticing the cause and effects that we may not have seen before. And, yes, I do realize that they are fiction, but that doesn't mean we have to write them off as totally pointless. As we all know, the main goal of satire is to bring about change...
These books take place in the future, only a century or two away from today. While they are still very young, the children of this society are brainwashed into believing that they are all Ugly until they turn sixteen and they have a special surgery to make them Pretties. The Uglies are treated as sub-humans; they have very few rights and are always seen as trouble makers. This is the basis for the story of Tally Youngblood, a girl who has been waiting for her sixteenth birthday all of her life so that she could be pretty and perfect, just like everybody else. Suddenly, however, she meets Shay. Shay despises the practices of the pretty surgery, and intends to run away, bringing Tally with her. And that is only part of the first book.
These books are truly eye-opening. They take the issues we, as a society, are dealing with today and project the possible consequences our actions may have if we don't change soon. Westerfeld attacks anything from war and conflict to self esteem and the "ideal" image that is forced upon us by the media. He even criticizes the idea if "peace" and what it truly means.
I highly recommend these books. While reading them, I kept noticing the cause and effects that we may not have seen before. And, yes, I do realize that they are fiction, but that doesn't mean we have to write them off as totally pointless. As we all know, the main goal of satire is to bring about change...
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Arggh You Ready Kids?
So, happy Talk Like a Pirate Day! This has got to be one of the coolest days out of the year, and I forgot about it until I signed into my email today and looked at my homepage, and there it was. I was compelled to send an eCard to all my HOBY group buddies, because we were the pirate group at our conference back in June. I miss HOBY.
One would think that with today being such an awesome obscure holiday, it had to have been a good day. Not so. I am so wiped out, and the only reason I am posting is because I am beyond stressed out and I needed to vent a bit. I technically should be doing some AP Chemistry homework right now, but I can't bring myself to look at it, and instead of surfing my favorite websites, I figured I'd do something slightly more constructive. So here I am. I don't know how else to describe today except for "one of those days." You know the ones I am talking about. Your alarm clock doesn't go off, so you are running late to a before school meeting and therefore forget money for lunch. You stayed up late the night before trying to finish your Trig homework, so you are about ready to fall asleep during 2nd hour as you are watching a quick film. You end up having to stay at the school until 5:30 pm because of some PSAT/SAT seminar you signed up to take, only to come home, rush through a quick dinner, and delve into approximately four to five hours of homework, all the while adding more things to your mental To Do List without ever actually getting to cross anything off. Yeah, I'd say it has been "one of those days."
I just wish I could go back to that weekend in June. HOBY was the best time I have ever had, and I need that pick-me-up from all my groupmates. Plus, cheering at the top of your lungs really helps keep you awake when you are functioning on very little sleep.
ARGHHH!!!!
One would think that with today being such an awesome obscure holiday, it had to have been a good day. Not so. I am so wiped out, and the only reason I am posting is because I am beyond stressed out and I needed to vent a bit. I technically should be doing some AP Chemistry homework right now, but I can't bring myself to look at it, and instead of surfing my favorite websites, I figured I'd do something slightly more constructive. So here I am. I don't know how else to describe today except for "one of those days." You know the ones I am talking about. Your alarm clock doesn't go off, so you are running late to a before school meeting and therefore forget money for lunch. You stayed up late the night before trying to finish your Trig homework, so you are about ready to fall asleep during 2nd hour as you are watching a quick film. You end up having to stay at the school until 5:30 pm because of some PSAT/SAT seminar you signed up to take, only to come home, rush through a quick dinner, and delve into approximately four to five hours of homework, all the while adding more things to your mental To Do List without ever actually getting to cross anything off. Yeah, I'd say it has been "one of those days."
I just wish I could go back to that weekend in June. HOBY was the best time I have ever had, and I need that pick-me-up from all my groupmates. Plus, cheering at the top of your lungs really helps keep you awake when you are functioning on very little sleep.
ARGHHH!!!!
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Ah, The Weekend!
I cannot tell you how long I have been waiting for Saturday morning. Somehow this week just seemed to drag on and on, even though we were only at school for four days. I liked coming to school on Tuesday. Maybe we can get Mondays officially abolished, that way every weekend would be a three-day weekend. But that wouldn't work. Tuesdays would become the new Mondays, and life would get even more complicated than it already is. And if this past week is any indication of what four day weeks would be like, I'll keep my Monday through Friday, thank you very much. This week was exceedingly stressful...I had a cold, I had an AP Chemistry test, I had an interview for Youth Commission, and I had a ton of assignments due, and therefore, I could barely get to sleep each night. Last night I went to the AHS vs DCHS football game. We lost horribly, but that can be expected because DCHS is the defending state champion. It was a ton of fun, though. I came home a collasped on my bed...and slept until 10 am this morning. Now, I am just getting ready to have a bunch of people over to work on the Junior class skit for the Homecoming Talent show. Yup, that's right, Homecoming is just a mere two weeks away. I can't wait.
Friday, August 18, 2006
Junior Year: My Next Frontier
It has begun.
School officially started Thursday. My Junior year. I am now an upper classman. That means I get to sit on the other side of the gym for assemblies. It may not seem like much, but I've been awaiting this day since my first Homecoming assembly as a Freshman. But with this new year comes a lot of responsibility. This is the year that colleges look at. This is it, the year you either make it or break it. My classes are much harder, and in order to balance my time and workload, I had to leave two of my Honors classes due to my two AP classes. For me, it's all about prioritizing this year. I've really begun to focus on what I love and what I want to pursue, and I am working my hardest to make all those dreams of mine become closer to reality. Last year was a real growing and learning year. But, even though I was always so incredibly stressed out, I think in a way it was good for me to experience that. Now I know exactly what I can handle. I know my limits, and when it is possible to push them the slightest bit. I know what is worth it and what is better to not try now, but later. This is my big year, I can feel it. Last year was full of disappointments, but this is the year I am going to work my tail off to make things happen. That's what my HOBY conference in June told me. Just take small steps, and you CAN make big changes. I want to make those changes. I want to be a part of something big...
...and this is the perfect year for me to do just that.
School officially started Thursday. My Junior year. I am now an upper classman. That means I get to sit on the other side of the gym for assemblies. It may not seem like much, but I've been awaiting this day since my first Homecoming assembly as a Freshman. But with this new year comes a lot of responsibility. This is the year that colleges look at. This is it, the year you either make it or break it. My classes are much harder, and in order to balance my time and workload, I had to leave two of my Honors classes due to my two AP classes. For me, it's all about prioritizing this year. I've really begun to focus on what I love and what I want to pursue, and I am working my hardest to make all those dreams of mine become closer to reality. Last year was a real growing and learning year. But, even though I was always so incredibly stressed out, I think in a way it was good for me to experience that. Now I know exactly what I can handle. I know my limits, and when it is possible to push them the slightest bit. I know what is worth it and what is better to not try now, but later. This is my big year, I can feel it. Last year was full of disappointments, but this is the year I am going to work my tail off to make things happen. That's what my HOBY conference in June told me. Just take small steps, and you CAN make big changes. I want to make those changes. I want to be a part of something big...
...and this is the perfect year for me to do just that.
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Reflections: What I've Learned
I know it has been so long since I have posted anything--the end of the year is always so crazy and it somehow always manages to sneak up on me when I least expect it. And since it is the end of the year, I have been thinking back on it, just reflecting on everything that has happened. Granted, it hasn't been the best year ever, but I have learned more this year than I ever have before. And it isn't just school-learning. I've learned so much about myself and others.
I've learned that you don't really have a choice in what happens, and sometimes you can do nothing to change it, even if you feel that you must. I've learned the only person you can really trust is yourself...You need to do what is right for you and nobody else. I've learned that you can't keep things bottled up inside of you...you must find a release, let it be writing, music, or whatever. I've learned you need to speak up for yourself and learn to deal with the consequences. I've learned that the more you want something, the more disappointed you will be when you don't get it. I've learned that you can't let disappointments discourage you from making the difference you want to make...It may be a rough road, but it still can be done and you become a better person for still going for it. I've learned that you need to have a few people that you can always talk to...People that will just listen and not judge you for what you say, people who just let you vent or cry on their shoulders. I've learned you need to believe in yourself...By thinking you will do well, you will. I've learned there are some things you just need to get rid of, no matter how much you think you really need them. I've learned that the things that cause you stress are the things you don't need. I've learned that writing and music are my passions. I've learned who my real friends are, and I thank them for always being there for me. I've learned how much it means to others if you sit and let them cry and vent to you. I've learned the importance of sitting around and doing nothing for an afternoon. I've learned to accept what life throws at you but still not to be passive about it either...You need to take charge to help guide you in the right direction.
So many people and events have helped me learn all these things this year. They may not know it--and I may not show it--but they all deserve my thanks and appreciation. Even though it has been a difficult year, it has been the year I have grown the most. Thank you. I don't know what I would have done without your teachings, even if they were inadvertent.
I've learned that you don't really have a choice in what happens, and sometimes you can do nothing to change it, even if you feel that you must. I've learned the only person you can really trust is yourself...You need to do what is right for you and nobody else. I've learned that you can't keep things bottled up inside of you...you must find a release, let it be writing, music, or whatever. I've learned you need to speak up for yourself and learn to deal with the consequences. I've learned that the more you want something, the more disappointed you will be when you don't get it. I've learned that you can't let disappointments discourage you from making the difference you want to make...It may be a rough road, but it still can be done and you become a better person for still going for it. I've learned that you need to have a few people that you can always talk to...People that will just listen and not judge you for what you say, people who just let you vent or cry on their shoulders. I've learned you need to believe in yourself...By thinking you will do well, you will. I've learned there are some things you just need to get rid of, no matter how much you think you really need them. I've learned that the things that cause you stress are the things you don't need. I've learned that writing and music are my passions. I've learned who my real friends are, and I thank them for always being there for me. I've learned how much it means to others if you sit and let them cry and vent to you. I've learned the importance of sitting around and doing nothing for an afternoon. I've learned to accept what life throws at you but still not to be passive about it either...You need to take charge to help guide you in the right direction.
So many people and events have helped me learn all these things this year. They may not know it--and I may not show it--but they all deserve my thanks and appreciation. Even though it has been a difficult year, it has been the year I have grown the most. Thank you. I don't know what I would have done without your teachings, even if they were inadvertent.
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