People In Need

About two months ago, I walked into a friend’s home, noticing a variety of large bongs left around the house, followed with a lingering skunk-like scent. “Does your mom know that you smoke?” “Brenda we haven’t hung out in a while, huh?” “No…” “My mom passed away a few months ago.” “Why didn’t you turn to someone for help?” “Nobody was there. Everybody was busy doing their own thing.” Since nobody was there for him, my friend felt an urge to turn to drugs and alcohol to relieve his pain. It strains me to watch my friends adulterate themselves slowly by consuming harmful substances. No longer than a year ago, one would look at him and see a confident, outgoing guy with a positive outlook on life. Nearly everything about them changes: their behavior, perspectives, association, speech, etc. It is not easy to watch someone take a turn for the worse, seeing how they are and how they were.
Growing up, I became exposed to people suffering from a variety of problems. Despite one’s opinion of their problems, they were a big issue to those experiencing them. Rather than turning to someone for a solution and asking for help, they would try to cope with their pain themselves. Rarely, some end up in a dark place, feeling completely lost. Negative outcomes of each of these people can be easily avoided and prevented with one’s sympathy and understanding. Sometimes, all it takes is the knowledge that someone is there for them to offer a shoulder to lean on and understands that what they are experiencing is tough.
There are so many people in our society who would like to reach out for help, but cannot bring themselves to do so. In addition, there are those who reach out for help, but do not receive any. Of course I have always known of people who suffer without sufficient help; however, witnessing a close friend struggle made me realize how common, yet serious these situations were. Many people cannot, will not, and do not get the support they need. I would like to make a difference in someone’s life in a sense that they will make the right choices that lead them towards a successful, happy life.
Adolescents experience unbearable pressure. Before they take the wrong turn, I would like to help them in dealing with their positions. I want to be able to recognize the signs of struggle and persuade the subjects to inform me of their dilemmas or use the context of what I have to find out. For those who have no one to turn to, I want to be able to be there for them as a sympathetic, understanding, patient listener. People have more potential than they can ever develop without support. All it takes is a little encouragement to help people excel. People will surprise you, if you surprise them.

[CE] Kidnapping

Kidnapped French woman dies in Somalia

"Marie Dedieu was a 66-year-old lady. She was wheel-chair bound. She was suffering from cancer and from heart disease. She needed daily medication. And when she was kidnapped from the island near Lamu, she didn't have those medications with her," he said. 

A 66 year old handicap woman was taken from her own home in Kenya to Somalia. I do not understand why you would do that. The woman was completely helpless and her health was not exactly in the best condition. I wonder how the people who kidnapped her benefited from the situation. How did she improve their lives? Why would they need to take her away from her home and deprive her from her medication?

I tend to be more careful when I am around older people, just because they are more fragile and sensitive. I would expect others to do the same. I would expect them to at least kidnap a kid or something, whose parents would pay to get them back. On top of that, the general public tends to value the life of children more than that of the older generations due to the fact that they have more years left ahead of them. This makes them feel obligated to ensure that the kids are given the opportunity to live out their lives and experience it for what it is.

Either way, I do not understand why people would kidnap others in the first place. It does not solve anything or improve their lives. They must be dealing with some serious psychological issues.

[FREE] November

I am excited for the month of November. During the first weekend, I am going to Portland, Oregon, which I am really excited about because I have never been out of California. I wonder what it is going to be like there. Although I would imagine it be different than it is here, I feel as though it is going to be very similar.

During the second weekend, I am going up to UC Davis. I am going to spend the whole weekend up there, which is cool because UC Davis is my dream college at the moment. I am staying at my sister’s apartment, and she is going to show me around. We are going to Old Sac Town, which has a western theme to it. It is really cool cause it is unlike most places in California today. It is basically just a town that was never modernized. I think it is kind of cool to see how things used to be. On top of that, she is giving us a tour of the college.

Not long after that is Thanksgiving break. About time it came around. A week away from school, away from work, except that is not exactly true because teachers always assign homework. What is the point in a break if they are just going to assign us work that we would do in class? We might as well be going to school. Oh well, I would rather be doing work at home when I feel like it than waking up early and going to school. 

Goodbye October, Hello November. Except not yet.

[RE] Values

 Each person on this planet has different values in life. A person can value any aspect in their life that they feel is completely necessary to live their own vision of a fulfilled life. A person's values can ultimately decide the path to where their life is headed. – Kevin Jang

I completely agree with Kevin. The priorities  you have and what you value is what determines what path you go down in your life. Two people could grow up in the same environment, given the same tools and benefits, but end up in two separate places. The difference is how they choose to adapt to their environment, how they react to it, and how they use it to their benefit.

What are some of your values?

I value my time. We all have 24 hours in a day, but what we do with those twenty four hours shifts where we are headed and how far we have gone. I value my close friends. Good friends are hard to come across. It is really disappointing how many people you have to become friends with and interact with, just to realize that they were not who you thought they were and are not as dependable as you would like them to be. So, when you realize who your good friends are, hold onto them and do not take them for granted. I value trust. When I turn to people for help, or vice versa, I expect them to keep it confidential. When others turn to me, I do the same because that is what I would like. When a person really needs me, I don’t take it so lightly.

[RE] Stress & College

I was browsing through Google Reader when I came across Linde Huang’s blog.  Check out some points she made.

Time is passing. I hear everyone stressing about college. About where they want to go and what they want to be.

I completely agree with her. It is that time of year that all seniors dread and hope to never come, but time to wake up and face reality, it is time to apply for colleges and begin to think about our future. Of course we have thought about it or brushed upon it before, but we never had to make a decision that may impact us greatly. The colleges that we will be attending will determine what kind of education we receive, the type of people we run into, and what career paths will be engraved in our lives. There is the constant pressure of receiving admission into the schools that is accepted by our peers. Sometimes, it feels like we are going to a college more for them than ourselves, or at least that is how I feel.  Am I the only one who feels that way? I doubt it.

I started doing UC applications last night and it was lightweight nerve-wrecking. What I would be putting down in the applications is what will determine whether or not I will have the opportunity to attend the school in the fall. What if I say the wrong thing? What if I do not say what I should? There are so many “What if”s and “Should I”s. I wish we could skip this part of our senior year and fast forward to the time where we receive our  acceptance, or rejection, letters. The wait time between the time we enter in our applications and when we receive notice of the results will be so stressful to deal with. I just want to get it over with.

[CE] Royal Weddings

Bhutan king's wedding captivates nation

Bhutan's 31-year-old king has married a student 10 years his junior in a colourful ceremony that has seen the remote Himalayan nation declare three-days of national holiday to honour the event. 

After a brief purification ceremony, the couple walked hand-in-hand, smiling to the inner sanctum of the monastery where an hour of blessings, prostrations and prayers culminated with the queen taking the throne.

Yet again, another royal wedding captures the attention of many across the globe. Many are amazed and awed by the extravagant customs that other nations have. American weddings seem so simple and plain compared to the weddings of other nations; however, that may just be due to the fact that we are used to the ceremony and are familiar with it, so it does not seem as special. I wonder if those in other countries look at our weddings and are just as amazed as we are when we view their wedding ceremonies. It seems like the wedding ceremonies in other nations are so much more intricate and detailed than that of American weddings. On the other hand, one must keep in mind that it was a royal wedding, which has a lot more emphasis on the couple and may require more steps than their average weddings. Can you imagine having your wedding public to the entire world, having it photographed and published for billions to see?

In addition to an overly flamboyant wedding, the female who takes part in the ceremony is not only getting married and tying the knot with her fiance, but she is taking the throne along with him. I can’t even begin to imagine what it would be like to be responsible for ruling and keeping order in a nation. I probably would not be able to take responsibility and take charge for the Senior class itself. Taking on a role so grand must be intimidating.

[FREE] Senior Year

Senior year is supposed to be your best, easiest, and most fun year out of your high school experience. Well, so far I am not feeling it. Maybe it will kick in second semester when college applications are over and grades do not matter as much anymore. Honestly, I am so done with school. My motivation to do well and get work done has gone down so much. I struggle to bring myself to complete homework assignments or study for tests, especially since I was never exactly the best studier in the first place. Senioritis is definitely kicking in my system, and it is taking over my mind. I just want to skip to the senior events that we should be enjoying.

 I want to experience Senior Picnic, Senior Ball and Graduation. They are the only things I have to look forward to in school now. I guess that once everything about college blows over, this year will be good. I can’t wait for the summer-a summer free of summer assignments and studying for upcoming tests, such as SATs or ridiculous and unnecessary tests on the first day of school. I am excited for the day that all the seniors get together, go somewhere together and just have fun. I can’t wait to see all the seniors dressed up again in formal wear, spending the night together and not caring about homework or tests because it is OUR night. Finally, I can’t wait for the day where all our hard work pays off, and we finally get to branch off in our different directions, inching towards our future goals, seeing how far we have come. Although things are not fun at the moment, it will be worth it when some of weight on our shoulders is loaded off and done with.