Simplyme92's Blog

If you don’t know already, I am a bit of a history buff.  Though my grade in AP Euro last year doesn’t reflect my liking of history (I was just a slacker), I must say that history has always been one of my passions. Well, passion is a strong word, but what I meant to say is that history just fascinates me. Like for example, I love museums. I know, its weird but I do. No matter how many times I visit the Smithsonian Museums, I never get tired of them. Thats because everytime I go there, I learn something new. Little facts and figures are interesting to me. You will probably make my day if you tell me a random fact. Don’t hesitate. Tell me one. I don’t discriminate. I like to know everything and anything. I think thats one of the reasons why history appeals to me. There is so much of it that you can learn something new every single day.

So I guess I am now going to sometimes do a “This Day in History” post. It’ll give me something to post if I have a writer’s block. That way I can post more often.

This day in history on January 30th:

1948 -  Gandhi, the leader of the Indian independence movement, is assasinated.

1933 – Adolf Hitler is appointed chancellor of Germany

1781 – Maryland finally ratifes the Articles of Confederation

1649 – King Charles I of England is executed for treason

See, that wasn’t so painful! A little fact here and a little fact there won’t hurt you. Oh, and it will make  quite an  interesting conversation if you run out of things to say to someone. Not awkward at all! Hahaha.

Finally! The first major snowfall of the year has arrived and it had to be on a teacher work day. Well, aren’t we lucky? ( :    If you didn’t catch my sarcasm, shame on you.

Snowfall is something to be excited about, isn’t it? For some reason,  I could care less about the winter wonderland thats out there. And the whole spirit of the snow! Right now I could be drinking hot chocolate while snuggled up by the fire with a good book in my hand. Or I could be outside basking in the silent, falling snow that might or might not cause a cancelation in school tomorrow. I think overall I feel bitter, which is really hard to believe because I absolutely and truly love the snow.

I spent the whole afternoon trying to sort out this weird and strange behaviour. And I finally concluded that my whole pessimistic attitude comes from the lack of snow earlier in this winter season. According to the farmer’s almanac, this season called for an abundant supply of snow. That farmer’s almanac can kiss my ass! Way to get my hopes up! Now I’m starting to not have much expectations for when the weather forcast calls for snow. I just blow it off.

But nevertheless, snow is snow. And I should be grateful if this snow and ice will be the reason for the cancelation of school tomorrow. Please, please let it be!

It actually seems like Winter Break was a decade ago. Honestly.

With this weird exam schedule and having a couple of days off basically every week, I never really had time to adjust to being back into school mode. And with me not being back into school mode, the days spent sitting in the classrooms never end.

Gather! Its times like these that I actually want to run up my unattendance record!

January is endless  but it needs to end now, for all of our sakes.

So, the other day my brother and his girlfriend watched that Will Smith movie, Seven Pounds, and afterwards they could not stop talking about it. His girlfriend kept on going on about how we should watch it. It was a school night and I didn’t want to stay up too late for this movie. So I asked her what it was about. She wouldn’t tell me. I was point blank denied. I even played the “I’m-Not-Even-Going-To-Watch-It-Anyway” card. But it was no use. Feeling unsatisfied and curious, even against their wishes to not look up the plot of the movie, I got out of my warm bed and Wikipedia-ed the movie and what happened. After watching the trailers and reading that, I was shocked, flabergasted, and numb.

I’m not going to ruin the movie by telling you all what made me so shocked, but I am going to say that the movie, even though I didn’t see it, added oil to the already brightly burning fire inside of me. The fire to help people less fortunate. To help people who needs it. More than we do.

My feelings for my Africa trip reawakened with a torrid start. See, my mom totally shut down the idea to go to Africa, saying that it was to dangerous for me, that my life could be at stake. But the thing is, she doens’t get it…or me.

I WANT to make a difference in people’s lives. I want to help change the inevitable morbid outcome that some people face each and every day. I want to aid people outside this community, and even America because unfortunate people here have it way better than unforutnate people in other under-developed countries. I want to assist young children in making them believe that no one, or no place can hold them back from following their dreams, that if they can dream it they can do it. I want to cooperate with different cultures in letting them make me understand what they have to face every single day and letting them let us help them to make their lives better. I want to tear down the racial boundaries, to let them know that I am one of them and that together, we can do anything. I want to make them smile. I WANT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. And probably, most of all, I want to give them hope.

I cannot really put all of what I am feeling into words. I don’t think I can fully comprehend what I am feeling to tell you the truth. Its so strong, so disorderly, so confusing, and so insistent. But that is what passion and love is, right? All I can say is that I have never in my whole sixteen years of life felt this way towards something before. Even basketball. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is saying a lot.

I am so lucky to have what I have: a strong and healthy family,   a good education, and a bright future. People in some countries don’t have that though. And I want to help change that. That is why Africa is for me. 

Thinking about all of this makes me realise how lucky I am. I, unlike them, actually have my whole future planned out and set for me. I , unlike them, don’t have to worry about the safety of my friends and family on an hourly basis. I, unlike them, have a strong and stable school that doesn’t have to worry about needing supplies. But they, unlike me, have something deep inside their hearts that I don’t. I can’t quite explain it, but once I’m over there and I see, I think it would be a life- changing experience.

Though the possibility of convincing my mother to say yes to my expedition is considerably low, I won’t stop until she says yes. But once I’m eighteen, you know where I’ll be. I’m extremely parched. This thirst to do what I am trying to do is getting stronger every day I’m not doing it. And it won’t be quenched until I do.

I feel that since it is the New Years, I should write a well-written, thoughtful, reflective, and inspirational blog about the importance of this great and underrated holiday. Well, I am not going to do that, about the whole inspirational blog part.

See, it is three in the morning and I finally think the wine I drank earlier is using its magical powers at attempting to shut my eyelids. I’m basically there. But if I don’t do this blog now, I won’t do it at all. I would be too lazy and uninspired. So if this blog is kind of gramatically incorrect or just plain confusing, you’ll understand why. I hope all of you will get the gist of my message.

New Years is probably my most favourite holiday of the year. Though Christmas is enjoyable, it is not celebrated by all. For example, people with religious views won’t celebrate the 25th of December.  But New Years was not always my favourite holiday. Recently ( the past two or three years), as I have grown older, more mature, and open-minded, I have realised that New Years has a special quality to it that no other holiday has.

It brings the world together. Kind of. I don’t know how to put it on words but…it does. Despite all the conflict and tensions in the world today, we have come so far together. And on one day of the year, we all come together and celebrate the passing of a year and the coming of the next. We all put aside our difference and come as one world to celebrate life and our existence. Our existence.

I hadn’t realised it until the other day but we all truly do not understand how lucky we are to be alive. And how precious one life is. I want all of you who are reading this to just sit back for a bit and think about this. Ever wonder what it is like to not exist? To not be alive? It is pretty much impossible because all we remember is when we have been alive. And to think, EACH and EVERY person in the world is unique and different. And we each have our different set of memories. Also, just think about the importance of everyone around you, all of your friends and family. What if one of those important people didn’t exist? What if you never had a sister? Or a friend named Daniel? Or a Lucy? Its hard to twist ones mind around it all.New Years is a celebration of having each other. To appreciate each other. Another year with each other. Together.

I just want to say to all of you out there that I appreciate you and I cannot wait to spend this new year together with you all. Happy New Years everybody!