reflection

Through the many years of learning writing, I have never seen an improvement in my writing. It feels as if my writing has been constant, never changing. I would agree with the statement Mr. Watson stated in class, "all of you're writing is like one block." I feel that all the five pieces plus the journal entries is just one block of writing as well. I never tend to notice any progression in my writing because I have been always used to my style of writing. However, once in a while I ask my mom to proof read my work for gramatical errors and confusion spots and she has occassionally told me that my grammar has gotten much better. So, even though I can't tell the difference in my own writing, my skills must be slowly improving because of the comments from other peers and family.

I enjoyed many of the essays we were assigned. I found some of the topics difficult to think of, while others came easily. I really enjoyed the secret talent essay because it was a good way to not only discover more of yourself but also hidden talents of your classmates. I found the defining moment most difficult because I couldn't think of a topic that defined me or stuck out to me. As for the public interest piece, it was also difficult to first come up with an interesting topic. I finally settled on tennis not being recognized, but that still didn't satisfy me. I enjoyed writing these five essays because they didn't follow the typical thesis structure of having an intro, three body paragraphs, and conclusion. These essays let me take a step away from the those formatted papers and bring out the creativity within me.

parking.

I haven't really realised this until today, but one of my pet peeves is trying to find parking. I went to my friends birthday party located in the heart of traffic and no parking. At ten it was super easy to find good parking, close to the actual party. But I had to leave to do some errands and two hours later there was not one stall in sight. For a good half an hour or 45 minutes I was driving aimlessly and had no luck finding any parking. I was so frustrated. I felt like finding a stall was a waste of time and I should just go back home. I became so desperate I called one of my friends to find a spot and lie down in it for me. But like any normal human being he decided not to. However, luckily I saw a mini cooper pull out of this street parking stall. I wasn't sure if that stall was legal, but I pulled into it anyway. My car, a corolla, (much bigger than a cooper) barely fit into the spot he was located. So basically, I came to the conclusion that I absolutly hate trying to find parking especially if I'm in a rush. I also hate it when I'm trying to parallel park and the guy in back of me is too close to my tail to even parallel into the stall. Driving overall has frustrated me and I hate drivers who drive way below the speed limit. I'm glad that I have my liscense, but I really like being driven around instead. I have only been driving for 13 months and already I'm sick of having to find parking everytime. I have no idea how I'll be dealing with driving in the future because I still have multiple decades of driving ahead of me. Driving is a huge responsability and I'm not sure if a sixteen year old would be able to handle such pressures. Now that I'm seventeen, I can say that the drivers liscense age should be 17. They would be one year older, one year wiser, and one more year to practice driving.

failure

I know I have had a few posts about school work and how my main focus is school work, according to my mom. I have pretty high standards for myself. I'm disappointed with anything lower than a B+ and I absolutely need the A's from those easier classes such as ICP or P.E. However, my mom's standards are even higher because she knows that I can do better. My life has always been about doing better. But how is better achieved when you are already doing your best. I'm not saying that I'm doing my best work all the time, but I have no idea when best is reached. Is best supposed to be a 4.0 GPA, winning states, and being perfect. I'm sure that's what all moms want to see in their daughters. But, I feel like I'm striving for the best not for myself, but for my mom. Is that how my highschool grades should be based on? Solely on whether a mom would be satisfied. I think not. I'm completely satisfied as long as i keep my GPA above a 3.5. I feel like I'm not doing work for myself anymore, but instead for my mom and what would please her. I'm in this competition against my older more perfect sister to achieve better grades and my mom wants me to win because I'm her blood daughter, not a step daughter. I have a week to pull all of my grades up and honestly I don't think I'll be able to achieve it. Punahou puts enough pressure on their students and with this added pressure of getting a 4.0 and the college of my choice just doesn't help me or my self-esteem. and now i'm just venting on about my mom. So I'll leave this on a happy note and say that we only have six more days of school and I have never been so stoked about anything before. Don't get me wrong though, I am blessed to have the opportunity to go to Punahou and to have a roof over my head and supporting parents. I just needed to release how I felt on paper and this has helped me.

tennis states

This past weekend I went up to Maui for the State Championship of Tennis. Even though I was in Maui for a little more than 24 hours, I still had a fantastic time. Spending time in Maui with my teammates was one of the greatest times I have ever experienced. States ended on Saturday and both the girls and boys team took home a state championship. For the boys, it was their 17th state title in a row. And as for the girls it was the 5th title in a row. Punahou won everything...the team title, boys & girls singles and doubles. We haven't accomplished that since 1969 and we did it again this saturday. Right now, I wish I could go back to Maui just so I would be able to relax and enjoy my time with my teammates.

Within the same day, baseball won the state title. They achieved something that has never been done before in Hawaii, a four-peat. Punahou sports this year excelled. WOOO! boys soccer, boys & girls tennis, baseball, girls golf, and a bunch of other sports. So good luck for track & field, which will take place in Maui this week. :)

State's was an exciting time and it calmed me down before AP exams. Today, the AP physics exam was a killer and I questioned how important this exam would be to my college life. I realized that there are a bunch of colleges that don't even except the AP credits, so I question why I would take AP's in the first place. I figured they would look good on my transcript, but wouldn't an A look better in a honors physics course then a B in an AP physics class. I have been wondering about that question for my entire highschool career. My deans that I consulted have said why not get the A in the AP course. That is what I'd like to achieve, but sometimes these classes are in subjects I can't catch onto. All of these AP exams got me to think about college and it stressed me out about wondering if I'll get into any good colleges. As for right now I am SOOOO happy that I don't have AP physics any more. PHEW.

National Honors Society

The National Honors Induction was presented tonight at 6:30. I really wasn't planning on attending this ceremony because I didn't think it was a big deal/honor. I decided to attend the ceremony and decked myself in aloha wear (as suggested in the letter). As I got closer to the chapel I noticed many people really dressed up for this and everyone looked stunning. We all sat down and the principal, president, mr. dang, peter, and Mrs. Medrano gave speeches and recognized our achievements. Our names were called, and we stood up by tens to recieve our certificates from Mr. Dang and shook hands with Dr. Scott & Kevin Conway. After thirty minutes of speeches and handing out certificates, I escaped the chapel and ran for the FREE food.

I realized how supportive parents and relatives were. Every single parent had a lei for their sons/daughters. However, I stood there lei-less. I completely didn't expect anything because I was reminded of the induction ceremony just last night.

So how important is the NHS? I'm hearing from others that it isn't really crucial to be apart of this club. Colleges don't take NHS into great consideration. But I remember at the beginning of freshman year my mom telling me to get good grades so I can be apart of NHS. So therefore, I feel pretty proud to be apart of NHS and that I held my promise to my mom that I would get into NHS. Additional to the induction, I also received a cool certificate. sweet!

PROM

This Saturday was my first senior prom and the events that took place this year made me learn the key steps I'll be taking for next year. Prom was actually really fun and the food was alright. However, like everyone else, I agree that function food is so much better. I really liked the fact that we got to travel in limos to the hotel, instead of a big, hot, sweaty bus filled with tons of people. Everyone looked fantastic. I really like it when everyone dresses up and senior prom is the one chance we have to wear stylish tuxedos and stunning dresses. It's so cute when guys are in tuxedo's :) they look like little penguins. I was pretty last minute about everything though, and I'll remember for next year to get a head start. This year for prom I bought my dress about a month before and apparently people were saying I was pretty late for not getting a dress yet. Luckily, my mom ordered the flowers in time and got a fresh maile lei filled with pikake and red roses. However, another mistake I made was that I scheduled my hair and make-up appointment too late. Originally I had hair at 2 and make-up at 3. Luckily, Dana's 1oclock appointment cancelled and I was able to get my make-up done at 1. :) This prom set the tone for next year's prom. I'm already pretty excited for my own prom next year and considering being apart of the prom committee.

Steps I'll be taking for next year:
1. Definitely buying my dress way ahead in advance. (Maybe in Europe when I go on my summer family trip)
2. Lending my dress to the guy so the colors will match perfectly. (yeah. we didn't match perfectly, but it was close and still looked nice together)
3. booking a hair and make-up appointment way ahead in advance (not to mention figure out what I'm doing with my hair)
4. i don't know the rest. but I'll definitely plan more ahead.

OOHH definitely purchase a clutch ahead of time, and not on the DAY of prom. nice yeah?... it was ten minutes before my make-up appointment. :/

All Nighters

I have always wondered how people pull all nighters. I am not able to function the next day with less than five hours of sleep, so therefore I have never pulled an all nighter. I would fall asleep in every single lecture. However, there are many people who are staying up till 3 in the morning trying to cram in last minute studying or finishing up a paper. I would not be able to function that late. Once midnight occurs I force myself to drop everything I'm doing and just go to sleep regardless if I still needed to learn one more topic. I simply say that I'll finish it up tomorrow.

There are many people I know who can pull 3 hours of sleep for three days in a row. For instance, my mom is constantly working. She gets hardly any sleep and when she wakes up she's surprisingly wide awake and ready to go for work. Of course she has a tall americano in her hand every morning as well. I could never be able to go without sleep. I think to myself maybe if I sleep more, then maybe, just maybe I'd be able to grow just a little more and become taller than my YOUNGER sister. However, that never happens, so I force myself to sleep early so I won't be half asleep at each class I attend.

This past weekend was prom and even though I attended Prom, I wasn't able to attend any of the after parties. This was due to my mom being concerned about me getting my homework done. She was afraid of me staying up all night and then the next day I wouldn't be able to get any homework done. I hate to admit it, but she's probably right. I probably would've stayed up till four in the morning, but then sleep all day because I couldn't be able to function with out sleep. As I'm talking about sleep, I feel like taking a nap right now. Punahou is part of the reason many students gets a lack of sleep. During the month of may, I have especially seen a change in my sleeping. I feel like I'm constantly doing more and more work, while not getting any sleep.

WOW

So what is so good about the computer game World of Warcraft?

Troy plays WOW and has had it for about a month and he's already on level 40 something. I'm not complaining or asking him to quit because I haven't even noticed a change. If he didn't tell me he started playing WOW, I probably wouldn't even be able to tell. However, if he ever blows me off more than once to play a video game, then I'd start getting a little agitated. Now that I've been hanging out with Troy's friends I begin to realize how WOW has been taking over their lives. Those boys have been staying up till three in the morning to level up or get one more bar (or whatever it is). It's pretty rediculous that some will even go home during breaks to play this game. I'm not saying it's a bad game. I can't judge if it's good because I've never played this game before. But once it gets to the point where you've spent over 500 hours stuck to a computer playing a game, it gets pretty rediculous.

When asking a friend the question what's so good about WOW, he simply replied, "that he can't explain it, you have to play it" and that "you'll like it, if you like gaming". He's currently a level 56 and spent 13 days worth attatched to the computer. I found that pretty rediculous because he'll spend more hours on the computer to obtain the level 70 status.

Nothing really productive gets achieved, except for the pride and joy of saying you have a level 70 taren warrior or orc mage. Oh goodness, they talk about every single day. I think I could bet that they would talk about WOW tomorrow. Alright well I can't really say anything bad about the game because I've never played it. Maybe one day I'll jump on Troy's account and see what it is all about. It sounds pretty interesting, but I don't see how anyone could get so attatched to the game. Don't you get dizzy after looking at a screen for a while, especially if it's constantly moving.

my sanctuary.

Lyon's Arboretum, a place of peace and memories. It's the only place to fully connect with nature away from the hustle and bustle of everyday living. It's a place to espcape civilization and slow time to relax. I have been deep in Manoa many times just to relax or take a nice walk with friends. With sky reaching trees and surrounding birds, I feel as if I couldn't get a better sense of the beautiful nature. I was introduced to this sanctuary recently, maybe about a year and a half ago, and ever since, I have been trying to drive up to Lyon's Arboretum every chance that I get.

I've visted the Lyon's Arboretum many times, but I specifically recall three different events because all were so different, but yet so special to me. The first visit to the Lyon's arboretum was with my dad and brother. At first we simply walked around their garden of native plants. This garden was filled with some familiar plants and others I have never seen before. It was a relaxing walk with just my little brother and dad. I recall another time when I hiked through the mountain with three of my good college friends before they left for the mainland again. It was a good way to have a relaxing event before they all left. It was a fun way to connect with them and definitely a memory I'll never forget. And finally, the my most recent trip to the deep forests was with Troy. It was really fun hiking with him because it was an activity much different from what we usually do, such as dinners or movies. We hiked the entire trail and pausing at every resting spot just to take a breather and appreciate nature and each other. As soon as we travelled back down to the big open field again, we decided to play a game of tag. Unfortunately, I'm not a fast runner so I was "it" for the majority of the time.

Those memories will remain with me forever through pictures and documenting my moments deep in the jungles of Manoa. I can't wait until the next time I travel up the swerving roads, past Manoa falls, and into Lyon's Arboretum. However, this time I must remember to bring insect repellent because the time before it looked like I had a mild case of chicken pox.

A Sustainable Environment

The earth day fair took place on campus and there were many booths down by the science center. Originally, I wasn't going to attend the fair, until I heard they were giving away free cups and if you win one you'll receive drinks at the cafeteria for fifty cents instead of seventy. I know... it sounds like my purpose was all greed, but in some way it's what motivated me to move my lazy but down to the science center. After walking around I was glad I attended the fair because not only did I win a cup, but I also gained information about our environment. I loved the posters that were around campus that were clear cut statements about the environment and recycling. There were some that suggested to save recycled cans because it'll have enough energy to run a television for three hours. I also learned about how long it take to decompose many items, such as orange peel, a magazine, and a can. Everyone states that the orange peel will decompose when they are throwing it into the bushes, but what they probably don't know is that it'll take 25 months to decompose. This along with many other facts are among the items I learned today. I hope they have this fair again next year. Even though my family does not recycle cans and bottles, I feel that this fair has motivated me to tell my family to start recycling.

An inconvenient truth is a movie about global warming and how it has been affected the environment. I didn't go to the screening this past Friday, but I did see it at the theatre's at University during the summer for American Literature. This movie is an excellent movie and I respect Al Gore more for the actions he has taken to improve our environment. Global warming has been changing our environment drastically. There is a notice in colder temperature during the winter and hotter temperatures during the summer. Gore states that all of the ice is melting and will raise the ocean level by a lot. Hawaii will be underwater soon because of the melting of glaciers. Even though this would probably not happen soon, we should still make an effort to prevent this occurance for future generations to come.

not another one.

As days past by, I draw nearer towards the test of four hours... the ACT. I have already taken the ACT once before in January and did alright. However, I knew I could do better considering I skipped the entire last reading and science passage. I didn't keep an eye on how much time I had left. Each month I am taking a different test. This month the ACT, the following month I'm taking SAT 2's, and in June (even after school is finished) I'm taking the SAT once more. I am completely stressed over these tests because they pretty much determine which colleges I can be admitted to. Actually I'm not quite completely stressed over taking these tests, but I'm sure it'll hit me later when it comes closer to the tests. Junior year is definitely filled with stress of taking these tests. I really don't think these tests measures your ability in college because there are many people who aren't good with bubble tests... like me unfortunately. I absolute can't wait till I'm a second semester senior and won't have to worry about applications or these standardized tests. We still have a month and three weeks left of school and I think it'll be a push for me to achieve the grades I want to receive. When thinking about the end of school, it also brings be to the subject of the season of tennis ending. States is during May 9th, which is exactly a month from now. I'll be missing about four days of school, which I know my mom will hate. I have never missed a day of school since high school started. Or at least I'm pretty sure, because I never had to fill out those pink slips. We've had tennis season for two months now and it has now hit me how far into the season we actually are. We're still undefeated (knock on wood) and have a good shot to taking home states. So wish us luck. :) adios

secrets of coldstone

Ok, so basically if you don't know already... I used to work at Coldstone. Throughout my 21 months working there I have learned some things about coldstone and some things I get irritated with by coldstone customers. So for this blog I shall list all the things I learned about icecream and anything about coldstone in general.

1. Coldstone icecream has TONS of callories. I'm pretty sure that a LOVE IT size with ONE topping has about 500 calories in it. Rediculous... I know. That's why I rarely took home icecream when I could.
2. Servers don't like it when an adult orders a kid size. Many coldstones won't serve kid sizes to adults, but ward does.
3. To make your own cake, order in at least 24 hours in advance at ward. Some other places require three days. Ask for one layer of cake, but with extra icecream. In my opinion, there's too much cake to taste the REALLY good icecream.
4. We usually give out samples on Friday nights and Saturday. We'll go around to the theatres, but usually once we travel that distance half of it is melted.
5. If you and your friend is getting the same type of icecream order a GOTTA HAVE IT and have it split into two cups. It's a LOT cheaper.
6. Make sure you get ONE topping. i mean c'mon the first one is FREE. you can also have the topping on the side. I like to get gummy bears to eat on the side. OR if you don't want to be that sinful take a piece of banana.
7. Shakes has probably the most calories because there are six scoops of icecream in the love it size drink.
8. The smoothies are really good and made out of fruits and juices. I'd recommend the "2 to mango".
9. WARD has the CHEAPEST prices out of all the coldstones in the state
10. Plus Ward won the GOLDEN SPADE. OO-AHHH. if you look against the wall at the cash register you'll see ALL of our awards. It might not make a big deal, but in coldstone lingo, it's pretty big if you earn one. That means best cleanliness, best customer service, and best products (everything labeled with dates).

last day of work

This past Saturday was my last day of work and I was pretty stoked to get more time on my weekends. Even though I worked only on Saturdays for five hours, this period will give me a lot more time to study and do various of other things. However, my mom is allowing me to quit only if I spend that time on studying, instead of having more play time. It's kind of junk, but it's better than having to work. Now I won't always have to cram everything in on Saturday night and Sunday because I'd have all of Saturday. More time on the weekend... sweet!

Coldstone has been a good first job for me. They had decent pay and the employees there were great. Many of them were really easy to get along with. But, I got pretty bummed when some of the employees I knew best were leaving for other jobs or college. In the mean time I was still working there as they hired new employees. I think I should've possibly taken a leave of absense earlier to relieve some of the stress of Junior year. When summer comes again, I'm pretty sure I'll be working again. Just not sure if it'll still be at coldstone.

So anyway my last day was great. It consisted of a pretty steady flow of customers, so the day didn't feel like it went on forever (like having no customers), there were no complaining people, and no sudden spills. It was a great day. PLUS Jean (the nicer one) was the manager for that day. I didn't make any major mistakes. Though when I ended work I noticed one of my nails chipped off. OOPSIE. I hope it didn't fall into the icecream. I didn't get any complaining costumers about a white nail in their icecream, so it probably came off when I was taking out the trash or doing dishes. BUT don't worry coldstone icecream is very safe and sanitary. i think my next blog will be of some unknown facts about coldstone.

learning about immigration

We were assigned a report for US history that involves studying your own ancestrial background. This required interviews of my grandmas and grandpas. So far I have only interviewed two of my grandparents and it was been very interesting to hear their stories and how they travelled to Hawaii. It's acually really difficult for me to trace far into my ancestors history. My grandparents didn't know a lot about their own background.

I first interviewed my grandparents on my mom's side. I found out that both of my great-grandmothers were locals. They were both born and raised on the Big Island. However, my great-grandfathers both immigrated from Japan. According to my grandparents, they simply left Japan in search of jobs on the plantations. There weren't really any struggle with the Japanese economy. Another interesting fact was that my grandmother had five brother and four sister. She was in a family with a total of ten kids. I found that to be completely ridiculous with that many siblings. I always thought my family on my mom's side was small, but because my grandma has so many siblings, I probably have many cousins I don't even know about.

Even though this assignment will be probably the longest paper written this entire year, I'm still excited to dig deep into my history and find out exactly where my ancestors came from. It has been interesting to hear all of my grandparents stories and it has been a way for me to get to know them even further. Luckily I still have one great-grandma and I'm really excited to hear what her mother and father were like. Woah, her parents would be my great-great grandparents. I'm more excited to learn about my heritage than write an eight page paper about the Japanese immigration to America. O well... I have a month to accomplish this task, so hopefully I won't be procrastinating.

what's ever good enough.

There is never a point when a parent is fully satisfied with their child. In my opinion, a parent always feels that their child could do better, whether it's in school, sports, or getting a job. That's how I feel about my parents or at least only my mom. My dad has always been the more laid back type. However, my mom has always pushed me to do well in school, but at the same time keep up with tennis and a job. Throughout my entire life she has added stress to my life by forcing me to constantly see teachers, to ace every single tests, but frankly there is a point when I can't handle everything she hands me. My plate is stacked to the top and I can't add anything more. Thank goodness she finally let me quit work (leave of absence) because I was getting overwhelmed especially with v. tennis.

So yesterday was my last day of work and I was really happy I no longer had to serve icecream anymore. However, I was also disappointed in not getting anymore pay checks. Even though I quit work, it still has not yet cleared up my schedule by much. During the hours I was supposed to be working HAS to be spent studying. It was what I promised my mom when I quit.

I feel like she will never be proud of me because there is always something she can find a flaw in. For instance, if I do finish all my homework she will hound on me to get ahead of other things. School unfortunately has a never ending amount of work that could potentially get done. If you already finish everything that's due on a certain day, then you can then go on to studying for that test the next day or accomplish additional homework due on other days. Does anyone feel like they've been trying to please other people, but in the end you're the one that's not happy? That's how I've been feeling for the past few days. Like anything good I achieve is not good enough for my mom. Even though, she is full japanese, my mom is like one of those crazy strict korean mom's (stereotypical...sorry). But sometimes I just need a break from school, from tennis, from everything and allow time for myself. I can't even get time to myself in my own room without having my sister come in and bug me or my mom start lecturing me about school. Everyone says high school years are one of the best in your life. If this is good, then I wonder how junk it'll be when I actually have a carreer.

the failing alarm clock.

The ultimate alarm clock (aka my mom) failed to wake up on time this morning. This is quite an unusual occurance because it only happens two- three times a year. When her built in alarm clock fails to activate it leads to getting to school later than usual. Thank goodness public school is still on spring break there wasn't much traffic. Luckily, I still got to school around the same time; maybe about ten minutes later. So anyway my mom is my alarm clock and she (usually) can wake herself up without a clock.

How do people wake themselves up at such an early hour? Maybe, it's just my moms talent because I need a loud device to get my but out of bed. Sometimes I hit the snooze button five times before getting out and I wonder why I had set the clock so early in the first place. I love the warmth and comfortness of my bed and it's difficult for me to walk all the way to the bathroom to get ready. Maybe it's just me, but I'm really impressed by those who can wake themselves up every morning at like 5:15am. To ever get me jumping out of bed, all you'll really need is a bucket of icy water or my little sister to jump on the bed. Does everyone wake up to alarm clocks or am I the only one that wakes up to their smiling mother?

pictures galore

Function pictures came out today and as I was trading them like pokemon cards I realized how beautiful everyone looked at function. The memory collage came with the package and every single person looked so well dressed. Many people put so many hours into preparing for the main event and I'd say it all paid off. I think our grade isn't ONE grade because there are so many groups. Looking through the collage of pictures only 42 couples (or so) out of a potential 200 something went together. There were so many out of class people there. Yes, I do admit that my date was out-of-class as well, but i didn't realize there would be so many of them. I'm sure there were many out of class students at other functions as well. I just hope our grade will be able to form one community before graduation. It seems like the senior grade all seem to get along fine... or that's what it seems like.

My junior year is about to come to an end with one quarter left. The amount of stress is just beginning to pile up with SAT's, ACT's, junior grades, and tennis. I can't even imagine my work load once college applications add to the pile of stresses. I'm glad I had a great night at function, a way to remember my junior year...

I'll now leave you with one of my favorite quotes from Grey's Anatomy. YAY! I think it some how applies to this blog because it talks about taking pictures :)

Take too many pictures, laugh too much, and love like you've never been hurt because every sixty seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back.

real. fake. any differences

When looking at my watch I reflect back on all of the comments I received about it's aesthetics. My friend has given me this Dolce and Gabana watch for my birthday about a year ago and it is still ticking correctly. However, she purchased it in China for a fraction of the actual price and yet I still receive compliments about the watch. I realize that people don't really notice if something is real or fake. The details of the watch are incorrect, but not noticeable. Inside the face of the watch there are many incorrect dolce and gabana prints. Here are a couple of examples: "Dolce & Gabvuna", Dolce & Gablaza", etc. etc. I wouldn't spend hundreds of dollars for a name brand watch. This watch works exactly the same and still has a cute D&G band.

It makes me realize that I don't need to purchase the most expensive items out there because even the cheaper items still receive just as much attention if not more. On the other hand, I really don't like noticably fake things. Like those bags with LK instead of LV or with the D's instead of C's (for Coach). I'm not really sure where I'm headed with this topic, but I just wanted to address the fact that sometimes fakes are well designed and isn't noticeable fake. It would be a good way to save that money for other items or essentials.

I think ever since dress code was enforced many girls has spent more money on accesories. I see many students with really nice school bags and jewelry. In my opinion, dress code hasn't lowered the average spending on costs because girls have to buy those approved shirts and unique accessoires that matches. Many teachers don't enforce the dress code strictly and currently I think the dress code is very vague. Before we weren't allowed to layer over the Punahou shirt, but now I have been informed that it is ok to layer over. I have no idea how I jumped from fake items to the dress code. I'll blame this random jump on the jet-lag that I am still feeling.

college search... the beginning

I just returned from the east coast college tour tonight. With an eleven hour flight and one hour lay-over, I'm surprised I'm still up. Right now I would be snuggled in my bed because it is 2:45am in Boston. Due to jet lag, I'm forcing myself to stay awake for another hour or so. Overall, it was a great tour and gave me a better understanding of the colleges I will apply to in the future.

The total count was 28 colleges visited. After the first five or so we started to hear the same thing about each college. Each tour guide mainly emphasized ONLY the good facts. It was extremely cold, but every tour guide mentioned that during the spring people are throwing frisbees, tanning on the grass, and barbequing. Another commom theme is mentioning how great their food, housing, and abroad program. After a while, it became redundant and the only thing that was changing was the beauty of each campus. Even though this was an educational trip I still had lots of fun, made new friends, and gained a better friendship with some acquaintances.

I'll never forget the great moments we had on this trip. We had many inside jokes and funny events take place. We had a couple of hotel parties with the entire group, late night workouts, and many naps on the bus. The sixteen students practically lived on the yellow yankee bus because we travelled so much, passing through twelve states in seven days. My favorite colleges were UPenn, Boston College, and Georgetown. I also really like Princeton and Johns Hopkins, but know that I wouldn't have a shot. From this trip I realized I really needed a campus environment because I didn't care for Boston University or NYU. Another aspect was nice dorm rooms. Ollin College had the best dorm room by far. Only five years old, the dorm rooms were very spacious and quite modern. However, I could never attend Ollin because they have a little over 300 undergraduates.

Overall, this trip was a great experience and I can't wait for the West Coast College tour. I'm hoping that it'll be even better, but East coast will be difficult to top. With more students attending this trip, I have a feeling it'll be even more clicky. College tours are actually a lot more beneficial then what I had originally thought.

achieving the rise

"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but rising everytime we fall"

When reading this quote I looked back at all the times I have rose to the occassion and accomplished what I strived for. This quote can apply to many people because there are many instances when it has applied to me. It is inevitable that sometimes we will fail in what we achieved to do. Nobody is perfect, but out greatest glory is rising everytime we fall. Even presidents make some mistakes (like going into this never ending war)... but they even the playing field when they do something positive to our government.

When I look back throughout this past junior year, two events particularly stuck out to me. The first is when I made the Punahou Varsity Tennis. It was the last day of tryouts and I was pretty sure I was going to get cut that day. It was either v. gym or v. tennis and going into that last day of tryouts I had a feeling I would have to do gymnastics again. All throughout tryouts I had no played to my potential and knew deep inside I did way worse than everyone trying out. However, I stayed positive and played hard that last day of tryouts. I thought to myself that I have nothing to lose in my last game. When I finally relaxed, my potential finally came out and maddie and I came out on top that day, which ultimately got us on the team. I was surprised that I got myself out of that hole and rose to achieve something I thought I wouldn't be able to do this year. Making the Varsity team is only the beginning, now I have to prove myself both on and off the courts. So far I feel that I have doing a good job when the matches really count for the team.

The second occasion deals with school. Thoughout my entire high school career I have never received an interim, whether it was a good or bad interim. Unfortunately, I have received my very first one in AP physics. My mom was upset with me and even went to conference with Gearen. She was very upset because she stated that about half the class is getting an A of some sort. But maybe physics just doesn't click for me and everything will eventually click later on. However, I have tried really hard on my last test and had a fourteen point increase from my previous test out of 60. My grade shot up to a B with the help of labs and improved test scores. I need to increase my grade convincingly because all my mom really wants is for me to visit Gearen for help, but I haven't been doing that due to time constaints. I'm determined to raise my grade up even further and rise from that deep fall I had for my physics grade.

My greatest glory is not to never fail, but to stay positive and reach after the goal even after I've fallen. There will be many more occassions of failure, but it's how I deal with it that can eventually lead me to success.

How does this quote apply into your life?

in a blink of an eye

So much preparation, thought, and effort went into this year's function and it passed by within a blink of an eye. Bids went out for $55 and $60 for out of class (five dollar increase... junk). Time went by too quickly and I didn't want function to end. There was a lot of money that was spent towards this function, especially for the girls. Us girlies need the perfect dress and shoes to match, make-up, hair, and possibly nails. Fortunately, I was able to receive all of these luxuries by the time function came, but with the exception of not being able to go to a hotel. The food was good, but I'm pretty sure they had the same menu two years ago. There were many people I have never seen before, which is likely. Everyone looked so nicely dressed and all of the girls payed close attention to their appearance. It was a positive experience and I hope prom will be similar to how I feel about junior function.

Sometimes I think to myself if all of this money is worth one night of fun. Hundreds and hundreds of dollars were spent per person (for me at least) getting prepared for function, not to mention the bids and pictures. I'm sure if a bunch of friends got together, they'd be able to have the same amount of fun, but with half the cost. I'm not saying that function was junk because I had a really great time. However, I just don't want it to be over so soon. Birthday parties may cost a lot of money and take up many hours of planning. All of this work for just four of five hours at a night club. My sweet 16 took place at zanzabar and this event took many hours of planning and it the time just flew by when the actual event took place. Sometimes I wish I could stop time so I can continue this happiness forever. Now I sit here with a grumpy face knowing I have piles of homework ahead of me. There isn't much left in junior year to be excited for anymore. Carnival and Junior Function is now over.... what's left? becoming a senior will be the next new exciting event to take place.

music and lyrics

I'm sitting in the computer lab and listening to my iPod at the same time. Music can mean so much more to a person than just notes on a piece of paper. It's a way to express ones feelings of anger, happiness, and love. Lyrics, rhythm, and a good tone are the three components of what makes a song excellent. My head is slightly swaying to the smooth beat of "I'll Be" by Edwin McCain and in the back of my mind I'm thinking of that special someone. I enjoy those love songs that makes you think of that one person every single time. Lyrics that I can actually relate to makes a song that much better.

I listen to rap occasionally and I question how they even think of the lyrics. Some of their lyrics are really vulgar and random. I like many rap songs because they're good to dance to, but other than that, it's hard for me to get into the mood for rap. "This is why I'm hot, I'm hot cause I'm fly, you ain't cause you not. this is why, this is why I'm hot" It may not be the exact wording, but I hate these lyrics because there is no emotion evoked and it's conceeded words. Rappers are usually not "hot" either. This song doesn't make me feel anything when I'm listening to it.

Even though there are some songs with empty lyrics, I still tolerate them. I would not be able to live without my music. If people pay attenetion to the lyrics expressed then the song might have a greater and lasting effect.

gender based on temperature

Today I was talking to a friend and discussing what type of topics I could possibly write about. Some of her topics were pretty funny and random like eskimos and zoo animals. However, she mentioned that there are turtles that have their gender based on temperature; I was interested and wanted to find out more. The Painted Turtle is slow moving and likes to be by the water. They like to live by the water and they have a beautiful design in the shell (hence the name "painted" turtle). During the winter, turtles bury themselves in mud to keep themselves warm. The most interesting part about these turtles is that their incubation temperature determines their gender. The low temperatures produces males and high temperatures produces females. I thought the gender fact was particularly interesting and now I feel like a talk host for the animal planet. I wasn't even aware that any animal can have their gender based on an outside source (i.e. environment). I originally thought that gender is already "predetermined" and can't be affected based on the environment. I found this to be quite interesting and I hope there are people who also learned something new about turtles.

What if human beings were determined by outside environmental effects? Would we have a country dominated by males and then another country dominated by females? This of course would never happen because humans aren't close to the reptilia class. But what would our world be if our world determined people's gender based on temperature.

the meaning of a ring

When thinking of a ring, the first thought is weddings and sharing each others love. Rings can be mean something very special or be something simple, an accessory. I never really thought of it as a way to remember the class of 2008 until the class rings were purchased. I have never spent so much on a ring before and I thought it was rediculous how much they were charging. However, even with the cost factor I still decided to purchase one. I knew in the future I would regret it if I hadn't purchased one. I handed the packet over to my mom and wanted her to figure out the forms because it looked to complicated. When I received it back she wrote a check for the 14K gold ring. Is it really necessary to get the ring with more K's? Or can people actually tell the difference between a 10K and 14K. I didn't make a big deal about it, but kind of wanted to save the money and put it into some other use.

With the purchase of the ring, there is a two year warantee and the company will replace a new ring. I'd rather purchase a cheaper ring, then having that two year replacement deal. I think I'd be pretty caucious and keep track of where I would place it. A ring is a ring and I can visualize the ring box collecting dust at the bottom of my drawer. I don't think I ever see girls wearing their class rings to school. Maybe they think it doesn't match their outfit, or maybe it's the look of the ring. I only see a couple of boys wearing their class rings on a daily basis. Either way I better make good use of the three hundred something dollar ring. There is no turning back now; the check is in their hands now. I'm hoping that I will make good use of the class ring, but I guess I'll have to see from senior skip day and on.

Sarah, the taller younger sister.

I have a complicated family because of divorced parents and having many half siblings. I have one half sister, one half brother, and one step sister. Sounds pretty complicated? well unfortunately it is. However, Sarah is the sibling has been the closest to me. Even with a four year age difference, she is still able to help me get through life and its problems that goes along with it. Of course, like any sisters we have arguments, many arguments. But after releasing heat and listening to calming music we both eventually become best friends again.

Sarah is taller than me by at least two inches and she teases me constantly. Some other aspects of my sister is that every single morning she comes into my room and rumages through my closet. Since seventh graders don't have dress code yet, I let her borrow any article of clothing. On some days, Sarah goes through my stuff while I'm at my dad's house, which occassionally pisses me off. Unlike any other member in my family, I have the greatest moments with Sarah. There are times of laughter and joy, however, I can always turn to her when I shed a tear and need a shoulder to cry on. No matter what I know I can count on her to be there for me. I will never forget those friday night dinners with the family. Sarah and my step dad would fling food across the table using their forks as launchers. We were well known by our waitors because of how much noise we would make at the tables.

I'm very grateful that Sarah attends the same school and plays the same sport as me. School and tennis were two major aspects that brought us closer to one another. Sarah doesn't understand how much I actually enjoy just hitting with her. She will probably never grasp this concept because I get angry with her when she can't keep a controlled ralley going. But deep inside, I truely enjoy the times of tennis with her. I couldn't ask for a better sister. Even though she has a big mouth, I'd rather deal with her comebacks 24/7 then not having her in my life.

It's All About The Tennis

Besides school, tennis has been my life. Just this weekend I played more tennis than anything else. And once again there is more tennis tomorrow. On Saturday, we had a game at CORP against HBA and won. I wasn't playing in this match, but I was an excellent cheerleader. "YAY nice shot kelbel" or "Right back, You got it next time". Today, I had a JTT (club tennis) match at seven and then a private later on. I played all of this tennis today with a six hours of sleep (working till midnight and waking up at 6:30). We are playing Kam tomorrow, so wish us luck if you see any of the tennis girlies. To my surprise, I'm playing tomorrow and the butterflies in my stomach is starting to develop already. I always play better in practice because during the actual match I lose my confidence and choke. Hopefully, this habit won't occur and I'd be able to play at my full potential. Varsity Tennis has been pretty intense. With my first year on Vars I realize how structured it is compared to JV. Practices aren't the same as they were because my favorite coach had to step down due to sudden incidences. I definitely miss Coach Gary yelling "C'mon", or "You wanna be good, you wanna live forever". People don't realize the difficulty of tennis, but there is much more to this sport than what the average person would think. Along with many other sports, you have to be physically and mentally prepared. There are many strategies to tennis and the right one has to be chosen within a second. Time has definitely been dedicated to the team, and has also helped me to become more aware of time management.

I honestly had no idea I'd be making the Vars team this year because I played junk all throughout tryouts except for the last day. My original plan was that I'd do Vars gym again if I didn't make the tennis team. However, luckily I made the team and was super excited. It didn't really click until a few days later. I'm actually glad I didn't have to do gym this year because I probable lost a lot of my skills and there was a large possiblity of re-hurting my back. My tennis life has been well and I hope it continues to do so. I have so much on my plate right now, that eventually something tip and I'll be warn out. I think if anything should be discontinued, it should be work. I don't think I should have to lose any more of my social time (which is already slim to begin with). But life will still go on, and I'm taking it one day at a time. Wish me luck!

Coming to an End

As the days go by, I become more and more aware of how soon this year is about to end. Everything is coming to a close and a new chapter of my life will soon begin, senior year. As the year comes to the end there are many exciting events, but also some stressful moments. I am excited for Junior Function and being able to wear a pretty dress. I went freshman year and had a great time, so I'm hoping this year will be even better. With spring break on its way, teachers will be pilling up the homework right before and the amount of stress will be kicked up to a higher level. Definitely... not excited for the next two weeks to pass. However, as soon as these arduous two weeks are done with, I will be traveling to the East Coast to search for colleges. I was never interested in even applying to any east coast schools, but my mom wanted me to see the schools and communities that are availible. She wants me to experience something new and not be so close minded to just west coast colleges. I'm not quite sure where I want to go yet, but I'm hoping to go to a college by the city with lots of things to do. I won't be spending my time with friends and family during this spring break and I am quite bummed about that. However, traveling to the east coast should be an experience I will never forget. I went to the east coast six years ago and don't remember a lot of the sites we visited, so I'm anxious to see some place new.