Ramble Ramble Ramble!!

I don't really like these new journals. I know it's a bit late to say it now, but I'm not really sure if we're allowed to just write for ten minutes (stream of thought) or if we actually have to think about them. I've been editing and revising these, and quite frankly, I am out of ideas. So this one i'm doing stream of thought. Its healthy to write about the random things that go through my head every once in a while (even though I do have to have some control, otherwise there would be song lyrics, ideas for my next art project, and frustrated rants about school written on top of each other). So to be straight forward and more coherent, let's go in order (omitting the song lyrics of course). I am drawing a really cool mother nature looking piece for art. Except it's more of a Father Nature, or a Teenage Nature. I've been drawing scantily dressed people lately, and somehow men seem less naked than women when their shirts are off. Fancy that! My mother has been looking at me suspiciously, and I suspect it is due to all the topless females I've been drawing. Its tasteful of course, I am too classy to draw pornographic scenes, but breasts are present in a few of my pieces because my art is generally focused around natural states of beings. An Abercrombie tween doesn't quite belong in the jungles in which I place my subjects. I personally love clothes. I just don't like them in my art. I am not trying to assert my sexuality, i'm just trying to draw. But alas, I am annoyed with the raised eyebrow that clearly asks "are you a lesbian?". So, with that being said, I am drawing a bare chested, muscular man to console my concerned mother. however, said man is slightly flamboyant with feathers in his hair... so I don't know how she'll feel about that. My art isn't really to please anyone but myself, so I guess it doesn't really matter.
Next topic! School is killing me. Two weeks left and I am still getting projects and homework. It makes no sense. I am ready to get out of here and... well... sleep I suppose. I always plan on being productive once I'm out of school, but I usually spend my summer "catching up on missed sleep". Hopefully my hyperactive boyfriend will keep me from turning into a couch potato (who am I kidding, I'm a bed potato, the couch is far). He is limited with his cast, but once he gets it off, he will be bouncing off the walls and dragging me with him. Not that I mind really, he makes me laugh and pretends quite convincingly that my rambles (much like this one) are fascinating. I won't get mushy gushy on you Ms.Smith because I'm sure you have heard enough sappy highschool stories! So I'll stop by saying I am quite happy.
As this is my final ramble/ blog, I'd like to say goodbye white mother! You are definitely my favorite teacher and I hope you remember me next year when I come begging for a teacher reference!

The Republic of Chen : A Couple of Inhabitants

So I've been looking at blogs for inspiration and I stumbled across "The Republic of Chen". Thinking this was a cute anecdote of the awards night ceremony, I began to read a... rather interesting tale of Frank and Sophia's (and Wang's and Jiaxiu's?) conquest of the world. While I'm too frightened to consider whether or not the Chenpocolypse will destroy the world, it is interesting to think where we will all be in the future. After reading Alex Liu's statement that Chens never lose, I have been forced to conclude that they will rule the world. However, while the Asians are busy conquering the world and becoming legends, the rest of us lesser human beings should be given a story for our future (given that Jiaxiu saves us from a Chenpocolypse).
Though "being successful" pales next to world domination, Amanda will likely be second behind President Frank Chen. After racking in the riches, Amanda will likely retire at a ridiculously young age because she can (and will visit us under the pretense of being "sweet" and "innocent", but surreptitiously wants to rub it in a bit ). Once she reaches an appropriately old age, she will --and she said this herself -- have an excuse to bake cookies for the neighbors and 'accidentally' steal bubble gum from the grocery store. While I can't say I approve of stealing on a school related blog, I can say I envy Amanda's predicted future. Quite a bit.
While this next person may not gain power conventionally, I do believe she will be a force to be reckoned with. This person is not the best writer, but she is a great persuader in the real world. She struggles to word her essays, but give her any 'man' and she will make them tremble at her feet without any words. I have heard tales of many a poor boy who have tried to make her his 'woman' and have had to pitifully retreat to the hole from whence they came. So far, none have broken the great Andrea Kunze, and I doubt any will. And the best part? Everybody wants her. Even some females want her. That is some scary stuff right there. Her boots were made for walking, and people will definitely scurry away before she walks over them.
Unfortunately I can't think of any more humorous predictions. So there you have it -- two females that are going to kick ass in the future (until Chenpocolypse destroys us all).

A Note to Freshman: Don't Trust Your Counselors

There are a lot of things the school counselors don't tell you. Whether it is to torture us for their own amusement or out of complete disregard, I am honestly unsure. However, it is finally clear to me that just because they schedule you for something, doesn't mean its mandatory, or even wise. For example: foreign language. We need two years to graduate. And that is it. To all the freshmen overachievers, I caution to never do more than you absolutely have to in foreign language unless it is your life's passion. It does not get better, and the fiestas are only for the lower leveled classes. Our counselors subtly suggest that one will never get accepted to college without four years of foreign language, and it is a lie construed to fill up the Spanish and French AP classes. Or a mechanism of torture. Another ridiculous class is physics. Yes, colleges like that credit, but unless you plan on being a physicist, this class is a waste of your time. If its your life dream, you are a strange person. If you're normal, then relax and bypass physics. Physical science will get you the credit and will allow you to focus on your AP courses. You know, the classes you actually care about. Whether it's gym or APLang, save yourself the hassle. Use common sense (and my words of wisdom) before you become the counselors' toy.

Sex!!!

I've been watching and reading 'A Game of Thrones' and have noticed a strange and notable difference: the amount of sex. True the books are not completely G rated, but the mentions of sex are more allusions than explicit text (somewhat like the 'scarlet letter's' "and then they looked at eachother...". The television series used their license of creativity and made the story quite explicit and embarrassing to watch. A magazine I read said to make "boring, yet vital scenes" more "interesting", they strip the characters so the audience will pay attention.
I was surprised at first, but I suppose our culture has come to this ill fate. Two minutes of characters talking with their clothes on, and their blood in their bodies, and suddenly we can't seem to focus. It's a sad fate, but inevitable. Our culture is focused on big explosions and raunchy sex, and we have been numbed. In fact, if you're reading this, you were likely attracted by the title, and are deeply disappointed that I tricked you. I don't believe we can rewind or stop this attraction as a nation, and it saddens me a little to see our massive loss of innocence.

Going Fast when you're feeling Slow

Lately the pressure has been mounting upon us juniors to strain and strive for high GPA's, to franticly frisk our textbooks for information for our finals, to search high and low for the perfect college, to join clubs to impress colleges, but to stay focused on school to impress colleges. Lately, it has become too much to deal with. These things are important for sure, we need an education to get a job, and a job to live, but that kind of life is hardly worth the fight. We AP students lose track of time; only yesterday we drifted into our first AP class, and one day, if we are not careful, will wake up and realized we wasted away in the pages of our Barron's review book. We need to remember every once and a while to put the book down, roll the kinks out of our shoulders, lie back on the couch, and relax.

Being smarter doesn't make one happier. Sure it can make one richer and eventually happier, but we will be old men and women when we are stable enough to be rich. Life is short and we should enjoy life as it is now. APUS is for the past, scholarships are for the future, life is right now. Whether you enjoy playing soccer, or curling up with a book, be sure to spend a few minutes every day living. 

More than cats and dogs

Dogs are mans best friend, and cats are... well they're fine pets as well. They are such great pets, that nearly the entire world owns one or the other. And that's boring.  Every average joe has a golden retriever to pick up a tennis ball, or a chihuahua to nap in their laps, but how many of your friends own a pet owl? A hawk? How about a chinchilla? I've never considered myself a "normal" person, and if I were to have a pet, it would have to be as random and eccentric as its owner.
I didn't always desire a pet that could, as my mother says, "poke your eyes out". In fact, I was desperate to have a cat to curl up with. The only problem -- I am deathly allergic to animals with fur. Just walking into a house with dander in the air was enough to cripple me. It was my kryptonite, and I wanted nothing more than to snuggle with that kryptonite. After many sad attempts at curing my allergies by tolerate or die techniques, I gave up on ever owning a pet. That is, until I learned there was more to pet owning that the traditional feline and canine.
Yes, there are more than hairless cats and naked mole rats in my future! Hedgehogs, though a bit more dangerous than cats and less social than dogs, are actually fond of scratching and petting of their quills (which they can relax, unlike porcupines). Homing pigeons come in a variety of colors, and can be trained to fly to a destination. Chinchillas are high maintenance, but are very clean and resemble Pigmy Puffs from the Harry Potter books. The downside to these more exotic pets is that they are not as domesticated as the more traditional pet, and can be dangerous or agressive. Strangely, the threat of having "my eyes poked out" not only failed to deter me, they made me even more interested in them. A strange girl needs a strange companion!

Though it was a challenging book to read, I enjoyed the plot of *Huck Finn*. Huck's improper grammer confused me -- though it looked like Shakespeare next to Jim's dialect -- but made his character more believable. Had it been written in proper English, Mark Twain would not have been able to use racial slurs and dialect that was common to the time period.
Tom (the most annoying character ever) provided contrast to Huck. Though he only appeared a few times, I think he provided an important role in showing the emotional changes Huck went through. While Tom was still in his fantasy world (that Huck used to share), Huck saw the seriousness of Jim's situation and wanted to act. I may be going out on a limb, but I think Huck and Tom's relationship is  synonymous with Jim and Huck's. Jim -- who obviously had a rough life -- was the 'realist' in the relationship. Huck wanted to explore rafts, and return to town when it was imprudent to do so. In another instance (when Huck and Jim were discussing languages) Jim showed his simplicity by saying all men speak English.
Huck Finn's adventure was an exciting one, and I hope we read more excellent authors like Mark Twain.