Home From College

The good thing about my Thanksgiving break was that my older brother came home from college. I don't think I had seem him since August. Sure I had called him when I needed advice and help on college essays but it wasn't the same as talking to him in person. The day after he got back he threw the football with my younger brother and I and it just felt like we were little kids again. I wish that I didn't have homework over the break so that I could've spent all of my time with my brothers. The day that he was leaving I was frantically trying to ask him last minute questions I had on my homework and I am thankful that he was there to help. When my brother came home my parents seemed to be in a better mood too which I appreciated since I was in trouble basically the whole break. I was sad after he left because now things are back to the way they were.

Marty from Madagascar

Marty is a zebra that is contained in the Central Park Zoo in New York in the movie Madagascar. I like that he is adventurous and doesn't want to stay in his secluded pen. I think it is interesting how he realizes that there is life outside of the zoo and that he believes "the grass is greener somewhere else". Even though his friend Alex the lion is supposed to be the king of the zoo, I like that Marty takes charge and decides what is best for him instead of listening to Alex. In the movie, Marty is faced with reality when Alex tries to eat him because he sees that outside of the zoo, zebras and lions can't be friends because one is a predator and one is prey. I like that Marty is the one who opens his eyes and tries to break through society and find what's right for him.

Agatha Christie

http://www.agathachristie.com/

I chose Agatha Christie for my author study because of how much I enjoyed and was personally drawn into her book "And Then There Were None." She is a very talented mystery book writer and effectively creates unbearable suspense and cliffhangers in her novels.

Jordan, I can't believe this happened to you. You have a smile on your face in every moment that I remember of you. You were always laughing and trying to make people happy. I remember watching you and Jonathan fool around in 7th grade math by pantsing each other. You could always make me smile. I was on the way to morning practice when I got a text from Dylan telling me about your accident. I was in shock and all I could say was "Please, no". I held everything in for the whole day until I got home that evening. I cried for so long Jordan. Why did it have to be you? I had just seen you two weeks ago at the SAT and now you're gone forever. I read the article about you over and over again to make myself realize that this really did happen to you. Jordan, you have touched the lives of so many people. I will never forget you. Rest in peace.

Self Improvement

During my freshman year, two of my friends and I tried to stay healthy by cutting out junk food for a month. It can seem ridiculous how 14 year old girls could worry about losing weight and all but when feeling judged by everyone, this is the plan we resorted to:

1. No candy or chocolate
2. Eat more fruits and vegetables
3. Do 40 crunches a day (if you miss one day try to double up on the next day if you have time)
4. Do not eat deep-fried food (french fries, chicken, okra, shrimp)

5. Drink only water and milk; no soda

6. With pizza, only eat one slice with either cheese, vegetables, or ham.

Although we had good intentions when starting this pact, it fell through about two weeks after we started. I think that once high school classes had kicked in full gear, we stopped caring about what we were eating as long as it was giving us energy. In the end, I think it was worth a shot at trying to be healthier.

Senior Quote

"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain." 
- Vivian Greene

This is one of my favorite quotes because it is saying that however bad times in life may seem, there is still always something positive to come out of the moments. It is also suggesting to not just standby on non-ideal days, but instead to make the most out of them.

Deadly Deer

      Deer are more likely to run across roads in the fall and winter because this is their mating season and they are searching for other deer. It is also because they migrate during this time.About half of all collisions occur in just three months: October, November, and December — hunting season. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a driver hits a deer an estimated 1.5 million times each year in the U.S. During the autumn, the average number of deer hit by cars jumps from 550 per month to over 1,700 per month. The top 10 worst states for deer collisions are Illinois, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, Georgia, Minnesota, Texas, Indiana and South Carolina. Deer usually travel in herds (97% of the time) and seldomly alone.

Favorite Character

My favorite character in literature is Zits from Flight by Sherman Alexie. Zits throughout the whole book feels like he doesn't know who he is as if he has no identity. The sense of not knowing who he is drives the book and causes him to go through time and see a lot of events. It's compelling to see a character develop throughout a book especially when the character had such an harsh childhood. It was nice to see him finally accepted by people and a family at the end.

First Draft of Short Story

“Honey don’t break that!”

My mom was trying to stop my two youngest brothers from playing football in the house.

It was a sunny Saturday morning and as usual my mom was running around the house trying to get all the kids to sit down for breakfast. I quickly ran down the stairs and sat in my usual spot by the table.

“Hey Dad, you wanna go fishing today?” I asked.

“Oh sorry Tiffany, I can’t. I already agreed to fix the dirt bikes with Robby today.” Robby was my oldest brother. He loved riding dirt bikes because it was his way of relieving the stress that came with trying to keep up with the other seven kids in the family.

“Oh well that’s alright, maybe another time. Hey Mom do you wanna help me pick out my homecoming dress ?

“No sorry Tiffany. I can’t because I’ve got to take Noel and Sarah to the park for their softball game.”

“Oh gotcha,” I said disappointedly.

Whatever happened to family time? It seems that every day has gotten to be like this; my parents always seemed to be occupied with my brothers and sisters instead of spending any time with me. I honestly can’t remember the last time we had some quality time together. Because my remaining five siblings were either still sleeping or over at their friends’ houses, I decided to finish homework and get ahead in Spanish class.

Three days of school flew by pretty quickly because all I could think about was our band concert on Friday. I had auditioned against six other kids who played the French horn in the class and got picked to play the solos! It was basically all I could think about the entire week so I was obviously reminding my parents the second I got home that they were going to be blown away by the concert.

I took my place on center stage with the microphone inches away from the bell of my instrument. My legs were slightly shaking with excitement and anxiety. I looked out into the audience but couldn’t see my parents. I didn’t worry though because I knew they were there; they had to be there.

My performance was flawless. Music flowed through the air with a rich, silky texture that silenced the audience. At the end of the long piece, I received a standing ovation and felt so incredibly happy. After the concert, my friends from band and I went to the parking lot as several parents filtered out of the auditorium. We hopped into a car and drove over to Waffle House to end the amazing night. At about 9 o’clock I called Robby to come pick me up.

When I got home I ran into the kitchen planning to be praised by my mom for the concert. However, to my horror she replied:

“Oh honey, that was tonight? I completely forgot! Your father and I were at Jimmy’s football game! I’m so sorry!”

Sorry? She’s sorry? That’s all they ever say. I could not believe that my parents had missed one of my proudest moments. I am so tired of being neglected. The fact that my parents are committed to every one of my siblings more than they are to me is totally unfair. Tomorrow will be the day that they finally give me some attention.

I woke up at 11 o’clock on Saturday with red, swollen eyes from crying the night before.  I went downstairs to get some breakfast and of course, my parents and most of my siblings were no where to be found.

At about 4pm my parents got home and were about to head out again for a business dinner. After hardly speaking to them, I decided to clear my mind and headed outside to take a walk. We live in the suburbs in San Francisco so the neighborhoods are extremely long and hilly. After about 30 minutes of walking I started getting really tired and cold as I was going up an incline because it was starting to sprinkle. When I reached the top of one of the hills, I had an epiphany. I knew how I was going to get my parents’ attention.

I hurried back to the house and when I got there, my parents were already gone. I ran to the garage and hopped onto one of Robby’s dirt bikes even though I had never driven one before. I took it onto the road and went back to the same hill I had walked up earlier. The rain had picked up but without even thinking about it, I hit the gas and went flying down the road.

Short Story Ideas

I was thinking about writing a story about a girl who has several siblings. I want to emphasize her need for attention and have her intentionally hurt herself in attempt to gain the attention of her parents.
I was also considering writing about a child of an illegal immigrant and the frustration she or he goes through as his/her parents struggle to find jobs.

Short Story Elements

- Setting (time and place)

- Themes

- Symbols

- Conflicts (ex. man vs. man, man vs. society)

Johns Hopkins University

My absolute top choice of college is Johns Hopkins University. Ever since I was little, I have wanted to be involved with medicine. John Hopkins is my dream school because it is the number one research and medical institution in the country. The school would be a great choice for me because I want an academically competitive school and their tennis coach is also interested in putting me on the team. I went to meet the coach over the summer and got to take a tour of the beautiful campus. I absolutely love the city of Baltimore because it seems like such a lively city and there is so much to do. The harbor was incredible and the city is less than an hour away from Washington, DC (my favorite city). I am applying early decision to Johns Hopkins and praying that I will get in!

http://www.jhu.edu/ The essay supplements ask about what major and clubs I would be interested in pursuing at Johns Hopkins.

Love

I love everything about makeup. For about the last four years, I have been really interested by the versatility of makeup and the looks it can create. I have recently started watching makeup videos on Youtube put up by other teenage girls. I like hearing their reviews on products and tricks on how to apply makeup. It is great that I can drive a car now because if there is a product that I really want to try, then I can just drive to the store and get it. I have found that makeup has also helped me establish new connections with people that I normally don’t talk to. When I complement someone on their makeup, it sometimes starts a conversation about how they did their look or what are good products to try. I love makeup because it allows me to be experimental and creative.

"Well, first of all, you need to wash your face with this stuff. It's an acne scrub. It will clean your pores and get rid of the old dead skin, okay?"
"Okay," I say, and wash my face.
"Good, good," she says. "Then we use this stuff to put right on your pimples. This goes after the bacteria in there. So just put a little on your fingertip and dab it on the big zits, okay?"
I rub that stuff all over my face.
"There, that's good," she says. " We do this twice a day, and your face should start clearing up in a week or two. A few months from now, you'll be brand-new."
That just gets me in the soul. Right there, I start to cry. Really, I just weep and wail.
Mary hugs me. She hugs me tightly. It feels great, I haven't been hugged like that since my mother died. I'm happy. I'm scared, too. I mean, I know the world is still a cold and cruel place. I know that people will always go to war against each other. I know that children will always be targets. I know that people will always betray each other. I know that I am a betrayer. But I'm beginning to think I've been given a chance. I'm beginning to think I might get unlonely. I'm beginning to think I might have an almost real family.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," I keep saying.
"It's okay," she says. "You'll be okay."
"Michael," I say. "My real name is Michael. Please, call me Michael."

I love this passage because it is the point when the main character finally feels like he belongs and sees that someone actually cares about him. Throughout the book he has been going by the name Zits but when he has a sense of identity, he decides to reveal his real name.

Flying to Relief

I keep having a reoccurring dream where I am stuck in a pressure situation. One time, people were coming to break into my house and another time my brother and I were being beaten up in a hallway. Well in the dream with the burglars, I was looking out my window and saw vans of burglars pulling up to my house. While in a state of panic, I ran out my back door and noticed that the burglars saw me. I took for the woods because I figured that a van couldn't drive through all the trees. So after running through the woods for a long time, I came across a huge valley. Without even thinking, I ran off the ground and was flying through the valley. As I flew, I felt like I was swimming through the air and would start taking a few strokes. For some reason, I keep having this dream but each time I am in danger by a different situation. When I wake up and I'm ready to fly to school, I'm quickly dissapointed by the fact that I have to walk everywhere.