Reflection

This semester has flown by and I have changed as a writer over the months. As I reflect back on everything that we have done in Composition, I feel like I have come a ways as a writer and have somewhat developed a voice. Essays that we wrote were about our hidden talent, defining moment, public interest, nature/new perspective on an old place, and character study. Each of these essays helped shape me into a better writer and has pointed out to me places that I need improvement. From the beginning of the semester to the end, I feel that I have improved on picking an angle/topic to write about. Many times it was difficult to write about something interesting, something unexpected by the reader. I think that I have become better at finding and expanding essay topics. Also, my introductions weren't very good going into Composition. We spent time learning how to write a captivating first sentence and I tried to practice when writing my essays. Looking back at all my writing this semester, I think that my voice/style is a more personal approach. It could be that most of the essay topics had to do with each individual personally, but I always tried to incoorporate my personal experiences. Also, I tried to give the reader a different perspective about something. Whether it was about a special place, person, or life in general, I tried to look at things from a different angle. Many times though, it was difficult and didn't really show a different perspective. Although I have improved on many skills, I still want to work on a couple things. Improving more on picking a interesting topic and angle, writing the truth in my essays because I sometimes exaggerated details to make the audience more interested, and also I want to work on giving each word a purpose and meaning. Giving every word and sentence great importance. "Every writer only writes one story." I think that my story has focussed on who I am and who I want to be. Also, maybe that everything has a purpose and your perspective on certain things can change. I really enjoyed Composition and I feel that it has helped me improve my writing and develop my voice.

We're Finally Here

Three more cycles, just three more! It still hasn't quite hit me that the year is almost over. May 25th, (this date is engrained in all juniors' heads) for it is the day we officially become seniors. No upperclassmen, we will be at the top, until college of course where we go to the bottom again and become freshmen. But anyways, we have worked long and hard to finally make it to the final year of high school. I can remember in seventh grade when I first came to this school, I would tell myself after this year, only five more. It seemed an like an eternity away, but reality has hit, only one left. Thinking about it though, I'm sad that things are coming to a close once again. Only one year left at this school which has been such a great place for all of us, and only one year left to create high school memories that will last a lifetime. The seniors will be leaving soon, heading off in the direction their lives take them, while the rest of us can only watch and wave good-bye. This year's graduation, like those in the past, will be very hard because of all the relationships and memories that have been made with the seniors. It's always hard saying good-bye, but we have to understand that it won't be forever.
Tears are in the future, stress is now. SAT's, AP exams, finals, the list will keep going. There are so many things coming up in the next few weeks. It seems like after one horrible thing has passed, another is right about to hit us. Like waves in the ocean during a storm, once you make it over one, another is right above your head. But hopefully, I don't drown in all the stress. My dad has been telling me, "Chris, almost there." and has constantly been trying to keep me focussed and on track. Even the deans today in assembly announced to the junior class to take care of ourselves and eachother. The next couple weeks are going to be hard, so its important to eat and get enough sleep. This just reminded everyone that things are not quite over, and if we aren't tired already, the worse is yet to come. Tomorrow, many of us will be taking the SAT's and subject tests, then in a couple of weeks will be AP exams, then after will be finals. And to add to it all, homework and regular tests. I want school to end now.
Peace is in the near future, the light at the end of the tunnel. I keep telling myself that if I can just make it through and hold on just a little longer, the chaos will stop. We will be seniors and summer will be here, what could be better. It's a good ending to a bad story.

The Spot

If you were to look around a school campus, doesn't matter which one, but this one in particular, you will see groups of students gathered at their own "spot". Sometimes by ethnicity or by interests, each group of friends has a certain spot they like to hang out at. A place that they can call their own, their territory. My friends and I, or our group, has found its place on the side of Alexander Hall. The other day I situated myself at the spot and just observed our group of friends. I tried to take note of everything that went on. The one main thing that I noticed was that at the time I was there, it was much quieter than usual. A few of the guys were eating their usual Jack in the Box french fries and finishing up their fast food lunches. Which reminds me, I found out by one of my sophmore friends that next year they will not be getting privilege cards. Apparently it was the Juniors' faults this year. They said that the class abused the privilege and therefore ruined it for next years Juniors...oops. But hey, I didn't even turn in the form to get the card so I didn't do anything. Anyways, sorry. Going back to what I observed, one of them was playing his PSP. I'm guessing it was a one-player game because the rest of the gamers were in class. That is part of the reason why we are such a loud group because when all the guys start playing their games, there is yelling and screaming. The games consume them. Everyone had scattered themselves along the walls because of the instant back rest, I guess. When I separated myself from the group, my whole perspective changed. I had never really seen and observed our group from the outside looking in. Seeing our spot and group of friends from an onlooker's point of view was different. It was hard to see things that I didn't know already. Like we are usually loud and wierd, but that day was extremely quiet. Nobody was yelling at their PSP or on a sugar high. That day, we were more like what I see other groups as.

Rules Are Meant To Be Broken

Yesterday, the family celebrated my sister's birthday, her nineteenth birthday. I can't believe she's that old, where have the years gone. I can speak for myself when I say that the years are going by faster and faster right before our eyes. I always say to myself that oh, my eighteenth birthday is distances away, but it will creep up and pass before I realize it has. That's how it always is. To celebrate, we went out to Chili's. I haven't gone to Chili's for the longest time so I went ready to eat. When my parents and I got a table, all that was missing was my sister (the person we were celebrating) and her boyfriend. To pass the time, I flipped through the drink booklet that was on the table. It all looked so good, the way that they were presented on the pages, but I knew that they contained alcohol and were out of the question. I'm not old enough. Age has put limitations on so many things that sometimes I think it's unfair. But I follow them anyways, because I know it is there for a reason, at least I tell myself there is. When we were reading the public interest articles in composition class, the discussion we had about binge drinking was very interesting and true. One of the points that was brought up was that the reason and driving force that causes so many underage people to try drinking or other illegal things is the law that says they can't do whatever it is they are doing. Just the fact that there is a law, something telling them that they can't do something, is insentive to break it. After thinking about it a little, I began to think it was the truth. I mean, if you are told to not do something, you are going to want to do it no matter what. Kids are experts at this. If you say don't look in the bag, they go and do it anyway. Laws and rules are going to be broken.

You're Never Too Old

For Easter this past Sunday, my family and I went to my aunty's (my grandma's sister, so not really aunty, but I call everyone aunty) house for the usual lunch and dinner get-together. These get-togethers are always so much fun because only during special occassions does the enitre family get to see eachother. It's time for catching up with what's new and just spending time with the little kiddies. Ok, they aren't that little, most of them are pretty grown up but they are still little kids at heart. This Easter get-together was the best yet. There was an addition to the family, my aunty's new puppy, Kona. He is a chiahuahua terrior mix and is the cutest little thing. I guess he was on good behavior because my cousins were saying that him and Sparkles (their other dog and my dog's sister) would always fight. According to them, Kona is a frisky dog that requires all the attention. I just saw a little brown pup who was a sleepy head, sleeping the second he hit something soft. Another thing that made this Easter gathering so enjoyable was that I got to go on a egg hunt. It was a of couple years ago when my parents broke the news to me, "Chris, you are too old to go hunting for eggs, you have to help hide them now and watch the little kids find them, ok." From then on, I could only watch the kids chase after the stationary eggs. I enjoyed it all, seeing the smiles on their faces when they found an egg, but I wished I could go back out there. This past Easter, I got the chance. After all the real and plastic eggs were found by the kids, my aunty told me that there were eggs especially for the older kids, those who tended to be more aggressive. My sister (who is two years older than me, may I add) and her boyfriend also joined in on the hunt. The adults said that they were going to make it hard because we were older. As I stepped outside, I didn't realize that they were that serious. There were plastic eggs hiding on top the pilars of the house and in the tree branches. I literally had to jump as high as I could to reach those. Also, they would hide the eggs so well in its surroundings, it was really difficult. There was one that I found that was even burried beneath the gravel rocks in the yard. There was an incident with my sister over one of the plastic eggs. It was hidden on the car and both my sister and I spotted it. We raced towards it and when we reached the car, I ended up between the car and my sister. It was very painful, all for what, an egg. At the end of the hunt, I ended up with ten dollars and candy. It was well worth the racing and sweat. My parents said that I was too old, but this past weekend I got to be a kid again. I think there is a kid in every single person no matter how old you may be. You are never to old to have fun, especially to go on an Easter egg hunt.

A Simple "Thank You"

When was the last time you said "thank you" to someone? To your parents, a teacher, or a friend? A simple "thank you" can have such a great impact on a person, sometimes more than you would expect. When someone thanks you after doing a favor or good deed, don't you just feel good. Good that you helped someone out. Your spirits seem to raise and sometimes, an occasional smile on your face. I have always tried to make an effort to thank people for helping me out or something, but I didn't truly understand how much weight and meaning those two little words beared.
This past Sunday at church, Pastor Wayne talked about the power of words. He said that the one thing that everyone has in common is the "hunger for sincere appreciation". He told a story about how even people who do heroic acts need appreciation whether it is just a simple "thank you". It is a story that will remain in my heart. It was around the 1860's when a passenger boat was crossing Lake Michigan, going from Chicago to Milwaukee. A lumber schooner collided with it and caused the boat to sink, killing 279 people. It wasn't far from land and a North Western University student named Edward Spence was on shore and saw the whole thing happen. He dove into the water and tried to save as many people as he could. He made seventeen trips back and forth, saving seventeen people. Unfortunately, on the seventeenth returning trip, he went unconsious from the freezing cold water. For the rest of his life, he was paralyzed from the waist down. Many years later, the univeristy awarded him a plaque honoring his bravery and courage. When a newspaper interviewed him for an article, they asked him, "What is the one thing that has stuck with you about the whole experience?" He took a moment and answered, "The one thing that has remained with me for all these years is that, not one of those seventeen people ever said 'thank you'".

Music of Our Lives

As I was sitting on the side of Alexander Hall the other day, all that could be heard was the constant opening and closing of those swinging doors, distant footsteps of students walking by, and the sound of an ukelele. As I focused on the chords and strumming of the strings, I couldn't help but think about how much music has become a part of our everyday lives. If you were to ask anyone when the last time they heard or played music, probably everyone would say at the most, today. Try to imagine what it would be like without the sound of music, I know that's the title of the famous musical, "The Sound of Music", but really, what would life be like without music. It just wouldn't be the same. People have based their entire lives off of music, artists, composers, etc. Like in the documentary "Rize", music and dance was all that those people had. In the place that they lived in, the kind of place that if you were in the wrong place at the wrong time, it could cost you your life. In that kind of neighborhood, dancing was their life, their identity. One of the guys in the documentary said that music was an outlet for them. Each person's life has been touched by music in some shape or form. Whether it was a way of life or just something that brings you joy. My sister just bought the "Happy Feet" DVD and we were watching it at our grandma's house last night. My favorite part is when the baby penguins were together and they had to close their eyes and find their inner song. Mumble couldn't sing but he could dance. It's just who he is. Throughout the movie, my baby cousin who's a little older than two years old, would periodically stand up and start dancing. He would jump and hop all over the place and even raise his hands like the penguins were doing with their flippers. It was such a cute sight to see. All of us couldn't help but to admire him and cheer him on. My aunty even grapped her video camera and video tapped his little dances.
Music is something everyone knows. Everyone has listened to it, turned to it when there was nothing else to turn to, danced to it, sung to it, or just lived by it. It's a fact of life, music is everywhere. It has embedded itself into our hearts and into our souls. It's the music of our lives.

It's Over Already?

As the third quarter is ending, with only one quarter to go, I ask myself "Where has the time gone?". I can't believe that its the last fourth quarter for the seniors in their high school careers. It's the last months before we all move on to the next steps in our lives. Whether it is becoming a freshmen in high school or becoming one in college. It's the last months of this school year. I always heard that you must cherish every moment, every smile, and every experience, because life is constantly changing and it doesn't stop for a second. I see that now, noticing how fast the years are passing. The thing I will hate the most about leaving this school will be leaving the experiences, the best of times, friends and teachers, and basically my comfort zone. I know things won't be bad, but I will just miss creating memories. Of course there will be memories beyond high school and stuff, but they won't be the same.
Remember that every end is just the beginning. I can't wait to become a senior, but I just know that by this time a year from now, I will be asking myself the very same question that I am now, "Where has the time gone?".

It's Long Gone

Ok, ok, I know I haven't posted anything in a very long time. Since the week before spring break,to be more specific. It's just that week was so stressful and seemed to take forever that I didn't have much time. Anyways, now that spring break is way over, and I am getting accustomed to the whole 'wake up before noon' school schedule, I can do work again. The break was just way too short. I think we can all agree on that. Before I knew it, it was Monday night, and I still had homework to be finished. That is total procrastination. I am so proud though, because I managed to fill each day with some kind of activity that got me out of the house. For me that is a great accomplishment. If I hadn't tried, I would have spent the majority of my hours sleeping or in front of the tv. I went skating at Ice Palace (the first in a very very long time), went to the beach with my friends and had a potluck, saw "Wild Hogs", went hiking with my dad, and just spent time with my cousins. I almost forgot, I went to the dentist...fun. Now that this week is about finished, I couldn't be any more excited for the weekend. I am in desperate need of sleeping in. Why is it that time just passes by so fast?

Almost There

Yes, just one more week till Spring Break. Of course though, this last week is going to be the slowest and is surely going to feel like the longest, that's how it always is. The light at the end of the tunnel is right there, but to reach it is another story. There are so many tests and assignments due this week that it's going to take some serious effort to make it through. Many are going off island, to the mainland, and some are leaving the country. Lucky. I'm basically going as far as the downstairs couch. I think I'm going to plant myself there infront of the tv and just relax, something I have been wanting to do for a very long time. Whatever I do, the main objective is to relax and have fun. Like this past weekend. It was Junior Function for our school. I can still remember when everybody started to talk about it, like couple months ago, what seemed a mile away. But it came around and passed by way too fast.
It was really fun except for the fact that my mom decided to volunteer to be a chaparone, it was kind of embarrasing. To add to it, at dinner, she sat at the table right next to the one that my friends and I were sitting at. Ahhh. It wasn't that horrible though, because most of the time she was doing her job, patrolling the hotel grounds making sure all the students remained in the main area. I really enjoyed spending time with my friends and of course, the food. It was so good. Some of the highlights were, like I said, the food, and the funny/random pictures that my friends took, which by the way I was really mad because I had forgotten my camera at home and realized that I did when I got to school. The fifteen-person zoo that we played toward the ending of the night was the best. There were animals from a cockroach, to a worm, to a whale, to even a spaz (how that's an animal I don't know, but it was fun). By the end of the night, I had lost all possible energy. I slept on the bus ride back to school, replaying the whole night in my head. It was a great last weekend before spring break.

Hike to the Lighthouse

This past weekend on the way out to Bellows, my dad and I passed by the Makapu'u Lighthouse. Our eyes were met with an overflowing parking lot, full like I had never seen it before. I mean cars were lining the street. Our first reactions were "wow, what's going on?", but then we remembered, the whales. My dad had read it in the newspaper sometime and had told me that the humpback whales were in Hawaii. I wanted to go see the whales so badly, but my dad said that we could go back the next day.
It was Sunday, the sun well on its way to setting already, and both my parents and I prepared for the hike to the lighthouse. We each had our own waterbottle and dad had the binoculars. We set off on the winding pavement ahead of us. It wasn't long before we spotted the whales. They remained near the surface of the water for a very long time before disappearing into the blueness. We stopped along the way many times to look out into the ocean and just take a breather. It was so beautiful. At a point along the hike, it was only my parents and I when we saw few more whales. It was so quiet and peaceful, and all that could be heard was the wind and the whales exhaling through their blowholes. As I looked through the binoculars, it all seemed fake, but when I looked with my own eyes, it reminded me that it was all real.
Along the way, I noticed that there were alot of cacti. When I got a closer look, they were pretty hard. I always wondered why people say that they contain alot of water and that when you are thirsty, find a catus. It might be totally untrue, but that's what I've heard. Anyway, when we reached the lookout, the view made the entire hike worth it. You could see the Ko'olau Mountain Range and the entire shore for miles. If you looked out into the ocean, all you could see was blue, with a few boats here and there.

Boys Will Be Boys

I never really understood what this meant until this past weekend. My nine year old cousin had a party with a few close friends at Bellows and stayed overnight in one of the cabbins. All the parents of the boys who were invited came for dinner, so my dad volunteered to pick up the food and take it over. Aunty asked me if I wanted to come for dinner too (not knowing what I was getting myself into and unable to turn down food), I said ok.
As I walked in and out of the cabbin off loading the food, all the boys and their parents were sitting infront of the tv, just watching cartoons. I thought, wow these boys are really well behaved, but then my dad told me, "Aunty sure has her hands full." I didn't know what he meant until it was time to eat.
"Come on boys, wash your hands," one of the moms tell them. They all slowly peel their eyes away from the tv. Dinner was a fast one, for once they had eaten, they were full of energy again. Some were eating more food, a couple were fighting in the bedroom, and my cousin was smashing bugs on the wall, with the rest of them cheering him on. It was crazy. Each parent had to literally track down their kid and get them ready for the cake. Once the candles were lit, the singing began. When it was time to blow out the candles, my cousin went wild. Instead of blowing the candles out, he started to spray them out. And to add to it all, the candles were trick candles, so when they wouldn't burn out, all of his friends started to help him. I was a little scared to eat the cake after it had gone through all of that, for I could assume that there was another layer of "frosting" on it.
When it was time to open gifts, they all gathered around and watched as each present was opened. When my cousin was faced with a Macy's box, he put it on the side without even opening it and said that it was only clothes. Turns out it wasn't only clothes, but filled with fishing stuff, things I didn't even know what they were. At the end, it turned into a wrapping paper fight, then a basketball game, then a leave it to the parents to clean up game.
Later that night, they went out in the back and were toasting marshmallows. I am glad that there were parents watching them otherwise the backyard might have gone into flames. As the time passed by, I thought they would all get tired and want to go to sleep, but I was wrong. The kept going and going, yelling and fighting. I finally had to teach them a card game to settle them down, but they would still yell when they lost. One of the boys had brought a scary stories book so they were reading for a good fifteen minutes. During one of the stories, my sister's friend (who also came for dinner) started to knock on the wall to scare the them. At first, it got their attention but then one of the boys saw who was knocking. So then he started to knock on the wall and then before long, they all started knocking. It was kind of funny until my dad said that there were people on the other side of the wall, for two cabbins are connected.
They all finally went to sleep at around 11:30. On the way home, my dad told me again, "Aunty sure has her hands full", then I passed out in the passenger seat.

A Home Away From Home

Many times I hear people call our school, a 'home away from home'. With sports and school activities, it is not unheard of to spend more time at school than at home. Friends, teachers, and coaches, are all like a second family. We go to them when we have problems, to spend memorable times together, or even when you are in need of a simple cheering up. I know I have created like a second family. As I think about it, I find it pretty cool that many students have a second family not only here, but across the world.
Today in chapel, three seniors spoke to us about their experience studying abroad for an entire year in either France or China. The pictures and short presentations all seemed to have the same overlapping focus, their host families. Each would call them their family/adopted family, calling them mom and dad. I just couldn't believe how much the host families bonded with the seniors. It went from complete strangers to mom and dad. It goes to show how open and welcoming those families were to take in a student from a different country for a whole year. What brought them together I guess was the love for the culture, people, and language.
One of the girls who spoke, mentioned how amongst the new experiences, she had a longing for Hawaii and her family. That's totally reasonable, because after all, she was away for an entire year. Away from friends and family, and away from home. Soon that all changed, she made lifetime friends and had another family, and China was her home. Now that she is back in Hawaii, she misses China and her other family.
Seeing how every single one of those seniors were able to bond and become a part of another family in another country, it gives me some confidence that I will be alright when I go off to college. Who knows, maybe I will do just fine.

Regret

Since our main assignment right now is our "Defining moment" paper, my energy and thoughts have been focussed on that. It has kind of led me to think about another question to think about as well. While going back through the memories, for some reason I began asking myself, "Do I regret anything?"
It's kind of a big question because yeah, I regret things, but at the same time I don't regret having them. What I'm trying to say is that I have made mistakes and did the wrong things, but I am glad that I did them. It's because if I never made those mistakes, I might not be where I am today. Everything in our lives has a purpose and every little things shapes us into the person we are. This can sort of tie into a defining moment, but one of my regrets is not cherishing and fully living every moment. I just assume that there will be more moments like that one in the future, and in the back of my mind, expect everything to be the same. What I haven't realized is that things will not always be the same. People change, situations become different and more complicated, and the things we wanted to relive don't come around again. Making this mistake has caused me to miss a lot of fun things in life.
One of my favorite lines from the movie/musical, "Rent", is "Forget regret, or life is yours to miss". It just stood out to me and made me take a minute to really think it through, only to realize that it is totally true. If you live life constantly watching what you do, making sure that you won't regret anything, you will end up not living your life at all. I'm not saying to go out and do careless things, but if you are so caught up with making sure you don't, "life is yours to miss". And if you think about it, regrets are something in the past. It's not worth pondering and worrying about forever. All you can do is take those regrets in life, and learn from them.