Classes

So articulation is taking place right now and I think it's a stressful time of year but also a hopeful time when we all realize this chapter of our lives is coming to a close. A problem that my friend made me realize is do I want to take any of these classes? Do I think I can learn something or am I just trying to load up on hard classes to boost my GPA and help me get into a good college? Honestly it is the latter for me and I think a lot of other students. We're told what we're supposed to do, and guided along the way, but I really don't know what the right choice is. Isn't it almost luck? With millions of students applying to colleges can the advice be the same for every one of us? There are students with grades far above 4.0s and huge ambitions so how do I know what or what not to do. If I swamp my years of high school trying to work for a colleges approval will not taking that third year of Spanish count me out with a 4.5 or 4.8 GPA? I don't know is the answer to what are you taking next year, I am still trying to save my hopes I had for this year and it's difficult. I don't know what I've learned, I don't know what I'm going to learn but I know that whatever I do I'm going to work hard and make the best of it.

New Thoughts

I think when most Americans see women wearing hijabs and burkas or think of these Muslim garments we are saddened or feel bad as most Americans see them as a symbol of oppression, that's kind of what I felt as well. I just watched a Buzzfeed video that showed four non-muslim American women wearing hijabs for the first time and they shared their views. Their original outlook was similar to what I just described. A muslim women who has worn a hijab for nearly two decades came in to tell them about the hijab and instruct them and the ideas she had were no where near the same. She told of how the Hijab's purpose is derived from the Quran and that it is supposed to portray modesty concerning the women with importance of intellect and personality rather than physical beauty and sexuality. I never really saw it in this way.

The woman, Edina Lekovic opened up these four girls to a new thing and after experiencing a day in the hijab they had felt prejudged but also a feeling of unity and a humble, equal sense. The hijab is nothing to pitted and say to anyone "It's okay, you're in America." because it is their faith and respect for themselves that has them wear the hijab and it is their right to do as they please not their punishment.

Hawaiian Paradise

   My Mom and brother come back from going to a residency interview in L.A. and they bring home a little surprise. If you know Hawaiian Rolls that you can buy at the store then you might be surprised to learn that there is one restaurant attributed to this company. My Mom and brother went to the Hawaiian King restaurant and to their great bakery. At this bakery they bought an awesome cake that they brought home, the Hawaiian Paradise. 

  Guava, passion fruit and lime are the three fruits flavors that make up this cake. This one shop made about ten thousand of them for Christmas and Thanksgiving. Moist, natural, fresh fruity flavors in this cake make it no surprise that it sells. It is one of the best desserts I've ever had and I'm so ready to eat another piece. I think most people would agree in saying that they love food so if you're ever in L.A. definitely try this decadent dessert it's worth it, and grab a bite to eat as well because it is supposed to be a great authentic Hawaiian restaraunt in Los Angeles and my Mom and brother loved it.

It's New Year

2015 is here and I'm hoping it's gonna be a good year! Everybody's probably been thinking about their New Years resolutions but I'm not really one to state, this is the thing I'm going to do this year, because most of these never happen. According to statisticbrain.com only about eight percent of Americans are successful in their resolutions. I'd rather just know that I want to be happy, so why not improve all around. I know that there's something I could change in every area of my life, little things like working out more or big things like working for my permit, getting a job or maybe learning how to cook, who knows.

This year of basketball has been a little tougher but i know how much growth and work I could put in to turn the tide and that's what I plan to do. School which has always been my basic achievements and been my measure of accomplishment is the hardest it has ever been, but I am not done working, not by a long shot, I'll keep working ever hour I need to because I can't let my self down. I want to sleep. Sleep always alludes me but that's definitely something I intend to change. Stress is the final thing tying into these subjects, I can't afford to worry and get flustered because that will only get in the way of improving my self so that I can rest easy and survive the struggles next year is bound to bring.

 
New year, new me? No, I am always going to be Derek but it's just a matter of evolution and change. I gotta keep getting better because otherwise I'll just be stuck, stuck in the normality of life and stuck in the torment of my struggles. I'm going to fix what's lagged behind so far and pick it up because I only ever want to be moving forward because feeling stuck or falling down is just sad and hard.

It's Just a Movie

The upcoming movie The Interview depicts a talk show host James Franco and his producer played by Seth Rogen traveling to North Korea for an interview with Kim Jung Un and being asked to kill him by the CIA. When I saw the preview for this movie the first time I thought, what the heck, and I said as a joke "Well North Korea's definitely gonna kill us now." It's funny with all the stupid movies James Franco and Seth Rogen have been in they now make a comedy that involves a nation and their dictator who at this moment hate the world, especially America. They literally have threatened us numerous times and have propaganda videos of bombs blowing up the U.S., so we are making fun of them!

Now I've learned some more about some actual dilemmas the movie is facing. With Sony, the movies producer, recently being hacked, thought to have been North Korea reacting, the thoughts of Sony and the directors have been revealed. E-mails that were released talked about the worry that some of Sony's executives had over this movie and its content. The E-mails did not really say much of anything important but, even the makers of this movies realized how strange what they were doing was and could see that there was issue with it. The reaction by North Korea and comments by some of its officials are crazy compared to these concerns.

North Korean officials according to latimes.com  have stated in response to the movie that it is "an act of war" as well as "it is a western war propaganda." So as I think anyone could assume, North Korea, the one country that basically has no friends, and hates everyone, is not happy that we made a movie about killing its leader, surprise surprise. The only thing I can say to this though is North Korea is crazy and spiteful either way and though this movie is a real stupid idea but if a couple of pot heads making a really dumb movie can piss of North Korea they really need to chill out. However Japan is worried because Sony has representation there and while vying for kidnapped Japanese citizens this movies outrage began. I feel like the stupidity of this movie is so not worth the trouble it is and will cause, however North Korea isn't getting its vengeance today.

Thanksgiving Needs More Than a Day

Thanksgiving season's just passed and now its time for jolly ole Saint Nick, and trees lined with presents, but I think we move passed the feasting and time for reflection too quickly. Thanksgiving the time for hours of cooking and copios amounts of food. The turkey, the potatoes, the stuffing and for me the delicious banana bread. What's better than sitting down with your loved ones and eating tons of delicious food?

 The commercial holiday that is Christmas, takes up everyone's minds. A lot of people love stuff. I love christmas as much as the next guy, but there's something about the closeness of Thanksgiving that people lose sight of. A time away from work, school, and the troubles of life where you spend time with your family, cook together, eat together, and reflect on what you're grateful for, that's just fantastic. A time to say hold on, I'm stressed and troubled and I keep struggling but I have all these people and all these things and opportunities, how can you not be happy when you think about the good things in your life rather than the bad.

Maybe this year instead of the black friday rush, and the desire for all the new things we can't wait to get for Christmas, why not appreciate the things we already have, and enjoy this time of some peace in our lives rather than add more stress to it. So many things wanted by so many people, what about the things and the people you've had your entire life that have made you happy every day before these new toys rolled around.

Thanksgiving and Christmas, there is no contest, both seasons of joy and breaks from the norm but  why can't we hold on to the great parts of Thanksgiving instead of jumping through the doors of every store on Black Friday as we await our gifts on Christmas day.

Whats wrong?

The two hardest things that I've ever had to go through are probably the death of my grandfather and the death of my basketball coach. These are serious things that will have changed me for my entire life, two of the few times I have and will ever have cried. Serious stuff. Don't think anyone will ask why it upset me, that it wasn't really a big deal, of course its a big deal. Two pieces of my life disappeared, never to be heard or visited again.

Death is real loss. It is real pain. It is something that rightfully has the power to consume and tear someone down.

Now a days, my big problems are school. Why is school my entire life and all of my worries? Does it make sense that a learning establishment deserves my attention 24/7 and gets to make me unhappy? I guess I'm the only one to blame though. Trying to do well to have a good future, requires a lot of work. How I feel is up to me. I'm not saying school has put me into a wreck, not at all. I just feel that sometimes school does get the better of me and it can be its own kind of pain.

I'm obviously happy any of you that know me. I have a lot of things in life going for me. My families great, my grades are good, I play basketball and have a lot of fun in band however school and homework fills up most of my life. Should school be the largest aspect of our lives because once it is, you realize that school is life. They say that we need to run and play and get our sleep but we stay up attempting to do as well as we can while trying to avoid the point of unhappiness in schools efforts.

I don't know if anyone feels the same I do and it doesn't really matter, I just was stressing about school all day and procrastinating but i couldn't enjoy the day because it was there, sitting on my lap. None of this is schools fault in a whole, I obviously could be doing more, why not just get it done, get rid of the distractions, then do things. It's because i don't think i can, I feel like I'll go crazy. School and work is constant, never ending, and when you have to face something everyday that has no enjoyment, exhausts you and you see no point to it can drive you crazy.

School is needed and it is a great thing. Everyone who has the ability to go to schools is incredibly lucky. Knowledge is power, and school sets you up to go on to great jobs, to make new discoveries and to help the world.

My big point to all this is that why is not that school is bad, it is that I lost two of the most important people in my life and it caused immense pain yet but I feel the same things pain and stress from school. My focus and my struggles are from the place that is supposed to prepare me for life and take on the world. Life should be what makes us happy and that's what we should fill it with. Knowledge gives us the ability to find happiness and hold on to it yet school seems more like a testing ground than a place of learning, and seeing a constant stress because of papers, scores, and grades that I can see as a big issue in my life when some of the biggest are the losses of my dearest loved ones is scary. I guess I can't control school so I'll keep living remembering this, that i need to remember the real fears in life not the mere distractions I have to face.

This stress and the fact that stresses of school compare to my deepest pain is what was wrong.