I can't believe I forgot.
Apparently, last Saturday was Tavis's (fellow Boy Scout) Court of Honor. I wasn't required to attend, but I wanted to because we had so much fun at summer camp this past summer.
Saturday, Feb. 21 came and passed. And I was completely oblivious to this. All I was focusing on was Project B, and Project B only. For that day, nothing else mattered to me.
Now I might never see Tavis again. All because of me throwing everything aside just for one class.
People say that you must make sacrifices when taking more demanding sacrifices. That's true, but the REAL question is, "What will you sacrifice? And what may you unintentionally put aside?"
Now that I think of it, taking AP bio has forced me to put aside a lot of things that used to matter. I'm not saying that it shouldn't; my free time was going to go away eventually. But I let the class, and school itself, take control of my life almost completely. I'm not even that conscious of the decisions I make anymore. How long will it be before I forget more major dates or, even worse, forget to do certain things.
I need control over my life again.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Hello, this is Elsa's Cleaning Service. We're here to take your cash.
On 1/21/09, Elsa Posada, the person who owns Elsa's Cleaning Service, came by my house to see what her workers do here. Her cleaning service has been here once a month every month for the last six years. But JUST NOW...she thinks she realizes a problem.
(I'm trying to the best of my ability to decipher her handwriting)
"I came today to see why they spend so much time on your house. And I notice that on the bedroom across from the hall bathroom is completely fool with toys on the floor. So that's for we spend time to pick up a lot of things on the floor (#1). Downstairs is toys and shoes, too many to pick up. So if you want to for me to clean and pick up and put away is going to cost more. Otherwise:
#1: Leave it simple, vacuum, dusting clean bathrooms, make beds, mopping cleaned kitchen, wils (I don't know what it says) it is why you paid $155.
#2: I can't pick up so many things there are in the way to vacuum for that money. $170 will cost including #2.
Please let me (can't decipher word). I just leave it the way $155 BUT we don't pick up the mess in on those rooms. Thank you."
(I'm trying to the best of my ability to decipher her handwriting)
"I came today to see why they spend so much time on your house. And I notice that on the bedroom across from the hall bathroom is completely fool with toys on the floor. So that's for we spend time to pick up a lot of things on the floor (#1). Downstairs is toys and shoes, too many to pick up. So if you want to for me to clean and pick up and put away is going to cost more. Otherwise:
#1: Leave it simple, vacuum, dusting clean bathrooms, make beds, mopping cleaned kitchen, wils (I don't know what it says) it is why you paid $155.
#2: I can't pick up so many things there are in the way to vacuum for that money. $170 will cost including #2.
Please let me (can't decipher word). I just leave it the way $155 BUT we don't pick up the mess in on those rooms. Thank you."
ELSA POSADA
OKAY, SO thank you for your opinion, Elsa. Too bad it's so full of bad points.
Being a freak over this stuff, I will be kind enough to point out why I hate your letter:
1) It's too hard to understand. Especially for #2, you referred to it again in that statement. What...are you talking about? If you want a problem to be solved, at least say it in a manner easy to understand. Apparently, some people still don't get the fact that you have to be coherent when stating a point...
2) What is "a long time" to you? Often, when the workers are here, I'm home, and they're almost always done within half an hour! And the entire house gets cleaned! To me, that's not "a long time," like you say!
3) According to you, my parents have to pay you for things you want us to do ourselves. Let's see...dusting, mopping, vacuuming...HELLO, there's a reason why we hired you in the first place six years ago! You guessed it...to do the mopping, vacuuming, etc.!
Okay, I admit, the toys lying around were most likely my fault because of a New Year's party with kids over here. If you asked me to do just that, sure. But you just had to accuse us of doing things YOU'RE supposed to do.
Some final thoughts:
Well, Elsa, looks like you're sick of doing all the work for us. Okay, fine with me. We'll follow your suggestions. My family and I can clean the whole house ourselves, no problem. But there's a twist...YOU won't get paid! Why? If you expect us to do what you said, that's practically cleaning the house. Therefore, you deemed your service to be of little use! We're not giving you $155 to do things we can just do ourselves!
Oh, and I found out that you broke part of my USS Missouri ship that I spent so many hours on. Gee, thanks. I really appreciate it. *get the hell out of here*
OKAY, SO thank you for your opinion, Elsa. Too bad it's so full of bad points.
Being a freak over this stuff, I will be kind enough to point out why I hate your letter:
1) It's too hard to understand. Especially for #2, you referred to it again in that statement. What...are you talking about? If you want a problem to be solved, at least say it in a manner easy to understand. Apparently, some people still don't get the fact that you have to be coherent when stating a point...
2) What is "a long time" to you? Often, when the workers are here, I'm home, and they're almost always done within half an hour! And the entire house gets cleaned! To me, that's not "a long time," like you say!
3) According to you, my parents have to pay you for things you want us to do ourselves. Let's see...dusting, mopping, vacuuming...HELLO, there's a reason why we hired you in the first place six years ago! You guessed it...to do the mopping, vacuuming, etc.!
Okay, I admit, the toys lying around were most likely my fault because of a New Year's party with kids over here. If you asked me to do just that, sure. But you just had to accuse us of doing things YOU'RE supposed to do.
Some final thoughts:
Well, Elsa, looks like you're sick of doing all the work for us. Okay, fine with me. We'll follow your suggestions. My family and I can clean the whole house ourselves, no problem. But there's a twist...YOU won't get paid! Why? If you expect us to do what you said, that's practically cleaning the house. Therefore, you deemed your service to be of little use! We're not giving you $155 to do things we can just do ourselves!
Oh, and I found out that you broke part of my USS Missouri ship that I spent so many hours on. Gee, thanks. I really appreciate it. *get the hell out of here*
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
No More DCON
Tonight I realized that DCON payments were due tomorrow, so I went to remind my parents.
Oh, the irony.
My dad apparently forgot what DCON was, so I told him what it was, when it is...then he stopped me there. Once I mentioned that I would have to miss a school day, he had that skeptical look on his face. I immediately knew what he was about to say: I should really stay here and go to school.
Now don't get me wrong--school IS more important. In fact, it was the one thing that kept me from deciding whether or not I should go. But now that my dad mentioned it, he makes me feel like I wanted to pay $360 to waste my time and be unproductive in SoCal.
I wanted to say something against that...but I knew if that I tried arguing, I would not only lose, but I would also get yelled at.
This is what I hate about arguing...even if it's for a good cause, it almost never gets anywhere. Especially not with parents--they don't care what the case is; you argue once, you die.
Oh, the irony.
My dad apparently forgot what DCON was, so I told him what it was, when it is...then he stopped me there. Once I mentioned that I would have to miss a school day, he had that skeptical look on his face. I immediately knew what he was about to say: I should really stay here and go to school.
Now don't get me wrong--school IS more important. In fact, it was the one thing that kept me from deciding whether or not I should go. But now that my dad mentioned it, he makes me feel like I wanted to pay $360 to waste my time and be unproductive in SoCal.
I wanted to say something against that...but I knew if that I tried arguing, I would not only lose, but I would also get yelled at.
This is what I hate about arguing...even if it's for a good cause, it almost never gets anywhere. Especially not with parents--they don't care what the case is; you argue once, you die.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Finding God again
Tonight was a huge night. And I'm not talking just about the honor band concert. This is something even bigger. Yep...it was IHS Praise Night.
Even though I ran in an hour late, I still got the most out of it. Quoc was there, talking about what God means to us, how He is there for us, and how He will save us. After he was done sharing his hilarious, yet very meaningful, stories, everyone came down...for one big worship fest.
I have to say, that was THE time of tonight. The highlight, however, was when Quoc asked those who were struggling to come to the side of the stage. I decided to go. When he came to me, I told him the whole story--how those two kids discouraged me from going back to church so many years ago, how my parents never told me why they don't go to church anymore, how I've just recently been trying to just get back to God again.
Quoc told me, "You've come to the right place."
Then we prayed. He prayed for my family, for me to find the church where I truly belong, for my household to open up to God again, to turn my life around and head in the right direction.
I'm going to admit straightforward--that was the first time I shed tears for an extremely long time.
Coincidentally, Quoc came to me while one of my favorite worship songs was playing--Mighty To Save. Now that I think about it, it means something. "My God is mighty to save, He is mighty to save." He is here to save me, to help me get back to Him.
After that, there was only one thing to do--join in with everyone else and sing in God's name.
When I came home, I finally found the courage to ask my mom about why we've left church for so long. Her response shocked me. In actuality, my parents never found the right church, never found the place where they belonged. This is actually how I felt--I didn't know where to go for so long. But after tonight, I now know that there is a place for me. I have had one friend in particular invite me over to his church. You're going to get an answer pretty quickly :).
Even though this was a huge night, there's still a road for me ahead. But with Him, all things are possible.
Let's not forget the verse that sums up this whole night:
"Don't worry about anything. Instead, tell God about everything. Ask and pray. Give thanks to Him." --Philippians 4:6
Even though I ran in an hour late, I still got the most out of it. Quoc was there, talking about what God means to us, how He is there for us, and how He will save us. After he was done sharing his hilarious, yet very meaningful, stories, everyone came down...for one big worship fest.
I have to say, that was THE time of tonight. The highlight, however, was when Quoc asked those who were struggling to come to the side of the stage. I decided to go. When he came to me, I told him the whole story--how those two kids discouraged me from going back to church so many years ago, how my parents never told me why they don't go to church anymore, how I've just recently been trying to just get back to God again.
Quoc told me, "You've come to the right place."
Then we prayed. He prayed for my family, for me to find the church where I truly belong, for my household to open up to God again, to turn my life around and head in the right direction.
I'm going to admit straightforward--that was the first time I shed tears for an extremely long time.
Coincidentally, Quoc came to me while one of my favorite worship songs was playing--Mighty To Save. Now that I think about it, it means something. "My God is mighty to save, He is mighty to save." He is here to save me, to help me get back to Him.
After that, there was only one thing to do--join in with everyone else and sing in God's name.
When I came home, I finally found the courage to ask my mom about why we've left church for so long. Her response shocked me. In actuality, my parents never found the right church, never found the place where they belonged. This is actually how I felt--I didn't know where to go for so long. But after tonight, I now know that there is a place for me. I have had one friend in particular invite me over to his church. You're going to get an answer pretty quickly :).
Even though this was a huge night, there's still a road for me ahead. But with Him, all things are possible.
Let's not forget the verse that sums up this whole night:
"Don't worry about anything. Instead, tell God about everything. Ask and pray. Give thanks to Him." --Philippians 4:6
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Dinner, dinner, din--EXCUSE ME?
It's Saturday night, and that means eating out with family friends! Fun time! Talk time!
Yeah...not really. At least not this time.
During these dinners, it's the same old story. My parents sit down with their friends and they talk about everything--kids, recipes (especially), work, the bad economy, and such. This time, the hot topic was, believe it or not, my braces! Who would've thought? Okay, well, that was the topic for like thirty seconds...
My mom's friends asked me when I got braces. Of course, I told them the story, including the wisdom teeth extraction. Then they asked me why I decided to get all four removed. I was about to tell them until my dad suddenly said, "Okay, time to order!"
He didn't even say, "Excuse me" or "I'm sorry" or any of that. What. The. Heck. Then all the attention shifted to him, leaving me there. Just "there." No one even remembered me saying anything.
LATER ON, while we were eating, we talked about some other stuff ("we" meaning that I'm excluded). When I started talking after an awkward silence, my dad broke in again. This time, I rolled my eyes (big mistake). My mom caught it and said, "Wait for your turn! Be courteous!"
WELL, EXCUSE ME. Who's the one who interrupted me like three minutes later?
And I'm the one accused of butting in. Come on! In our Socratics at school, when two people speak at the same time, both pause and decide on who should go first. When it comes to all adults and one kid, for the first time ever, I have like no voice. At all. I understand that my parents' family friends have so many more things to talk about, but when I talk...bam. I get shut out instantly.
Life isn't fair. Yeah, I get it. Sadly, so few people know the second part of the saying: "But you should be."
And my own parents, too. They spent fifteen years telling me to be courteous to others and they interrupt me without knowing that I was talking? What hypocrites.
To be honest, I haven't been this angry at my parents for a very long time.
Yeah...not really. At least not this time.
During these dinners, it's the same old story. My parents sit down with their friends and they talk about everything--kids, recipes (especially), work, the bad economy, and such. This time, the hot topic was, believe it or not, my braces! Who would've thought? Okay, well, that was the topic for like thirty seconds...
My mom's friends asked me when I got braces. Of course, I told them the story, including the wisdom teeth extraction. Then they asked me why I decided to get all four removed. I was about to tell them until my dad suddenly said, "Okay, time to order!"
He didn't even say, "Excuse me" or "I'm sorry" or any of that. What. The. Heck. Then all the attention shifted to him, leaving me there. Just "there." No one even remembered me saying anything.
LATER ON, while we were eating, we talked about some other stuff ("we" meaning that I'm excluded). When I started talking after an awkward silence, my dad broke in again. This time, I rolled my eyes (big mistake). My mom caught it and said, "Wait for your turn! Be courteous!"
WELL, EXCUSE ME. Who's the one who interrupted me like three minutes later?
And I'm the one accused of butting in. Come on! In our Socratics at school, when two people speak at the same time, both pause and decide on who should go first. When it comes to all adults and one kid, for the first time ever, I have like no voice. At all. I understand that my parents' family friends have so many more things to talk about, but when I talk...bam. I get shut out instantly.
Life isn't fair. Yeah, I get it. Sadly, so few people know the second part of the saying: "But you should be."
And my own parents, too. They spent fifteen years telling me to be courteous to others and they interrupt me without knowing that I was talking? What hypocrites.
To be honest, I haven't been this angry at my parents for a very long time.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Wow. Just wow.
Mrs. Black just recently told us about a Newsweek poll she found that asked a very interesting question. It said, "How often do you think about the soldiers in Iraq?"
Look at the results. 65% of the people who voted on that poll don't care at all.
My first instinct was, "Of course I care! I have a friend serving in Iraq right now! He was my role model!" But then I stopped to think. Did I REALLY care about his safety every day? I will answer this truthfully: no.
When he first joined the Marines four years ago, I was worried sick when he first headed to Iraq. When he returned after six months, I was overjoyed. But as time went by, I found myself caring less and less and focusing on the more important things in my life. Don't get me wrong; I'm not saying that school isn't important, but that there are things in life that are easily overlooked.
That friend once told me that it's not worth it to worry sick about him every day like a mother would, otherwise I'll never be happy. That's true, but there were just days when I didn't think about him. The last thing I would want is a soldier coming home and finding out that no one cares anymore.
Why would more than half of us not care about the soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan right now? Maybe it's because we're all too caught up in our schoolwork to think about anything else. Maybe we just didn't care about how other people feel at all.
Right now, I'm back to that feeling I had when my friend left for Iraq. I didn't want him to leave. I only wanted him to be safe. Now he's out there, doing what he feels is right. He has never asked much of me, but I feel that I need to pray for his safety, which I haven't done for a while. It's the least I could do for someone who's done so much for me.
The bottom line: think about the people who have done so much for you but asked for little in return. These people are not meant to be taken for granted. Thank them. Most importantly, appreciate them.
Look at the results. 65% of the people who voted on that poll don't care at all.
My first instinct was, "Of course I care! I have a friend serving in Iraq right now! He was my role model!" But then I stopped to think. Did I REALLY care about his safety every day? I will answer this truthfully: no.
When he first joined the Marines four years ago, I was worried sick when he first headed to Iraq. When he returned after six months, I was overjoyed. But as time went by, I found myself caring less and less and focusing on the more important things in my life. Don't get me wrong; I'm not saying that school isn't important, but that there are things in life that are easily overlooked.
That friend once told me that it's not worth it to worry sick about him every day like a mother would, otherwise I'll never be happy. That's true, but there were just days when I didn't think about him. The last thing I would want is a soldier coming home and finding out that no one cares anymore.
Why would more than half of us not care about the soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan right now? Maybe it's because we're all too caught up in our schoolwork to think about anything else. Maybe we just didn't care about how other people feel at all.
Right now, I'm back to that feeling I had when my friend left for Iraq. I didn't want him to leave. I only wanted him to be safe. Now he's out there, doing what he feels is right. He has never asked much of me, but I feel that I need to pray for his safety, which I haven't done for a while. It's the least I could do for someone who's done so much for me.
The bottom line: think about the people who have done so much for you but asked for little in return. These people are not meant to be taken for granted. Thank them. Most importantly, appreciate them.
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