Good morning, everyone! Happy Friday!
The lights of the previous night and the lights of the early morning are one in the same for me and many of you. Sleep is quite the luxury when you're swamped by homework, stress, and ideas. My typical bedtime is around 12:30 AM, and my usual wake-up time is 6:10 AM. By any health standard, I'm sorely depriving myself of sleep. I know I can change this, yet I don't. Why? First of all, I'm a night person - you won't see me waiting for any sunrises in the near future. I may not think any more clearly at night, but I can manage better in the quiet darkness and with an already warmed-up brain (which makes it easier to just pump out homework). I also don't want to waste the time sleeping. I have a lot of stuff I'd like to do along with what I have to do, so finding time for my own priorities usually means losing sleep. This most likely leads to more stress, which in turn means less sleep.
In one of my classes I find it particularly hard to keep my eyes open and my head up. The room is so warm, and that warmth combined with having just eaten lunch makes for a very tired me. My teacher discussed this trend with my mom at conferences, and informed her of the numerous studies taken that document a teenager's need for sleep. Incidentally, this amount totals up to more than an infant. The point? We're all screwing ourselves over. Or perhaps the system is. We're not really left the time for sleep. Extra-curriculars are often considered mandatory to get into a good college, and are generally a good thing to do. They are healthy in many different aspects, depending on the activity. These activities push homework (and therefore sleep) later and later. Perhaps this system should be rethought so that we can all perform at peak capacity for everything we do. Or maybe I'm just really tired and have a need to ramble. Only reading this mess of words will tell.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Blogging for a cause
In my blogging, brainstorm frenzy the other day, I ended up scouring the blog feed to see what other people had posted. I noticed a very strange phenomenon - most people's blog posts all seemed to be rather clumped together, as if they had crammed for a last-minute deadline. A lot of what was written was quality stuff, no doubt, but I felt like it took away from the integrity and purpose of the blogs and what they should be. I just don't think it's ethical to have revelations on a regularly scheduled basis. What do you think?
Monday, October 22, 2012
Do you hear what I hear?
First of all - 2 in a row! Putting Blogger on my bookmark bar was the best idea I've had in a while.
Second - this is not going to be about Christmas. Sorry for those of you whose dreams I just crushed (although it's freaking October. Enjoy the current season, why don't ya?)
Third, and most importantly - I want to share my love with the world.
I was listening to recordings of different settings of Ubi Caritas for my EE, when I came across a Youtube comment on one of them. The person had mistook the version I was listening to (by Durufle) for the one performed at the royal wedding (by Mealor). It had never occurred to me that the difference wouldn't be obvious. In my mind and to my ear, the two pieces are profoundly different. It's moments like these that make me wonder, though. I have no idea what and how people hear different things. If people don't like choral music (or any genre, for that matter) that's fine. I just don't think it's fair to judge music unless you truly know how to listen to it. I don't really like country, but working in a saloon-themed bar at the fair gave me new memories to go with it and a new appreciation for the music (as it was the only thing to listen to). That fair experience also made me hate a lot of pop music, as the Stratosphere ride blasted it at ungodly volumes less than 100 feet away from my kitchen. I was never a fan of rap (no pitches) until listening to Christian rap artist Agape at the Lutheran National Youth Gathering in New Orleans this past summer. This, combined with my many percussionist friends, led me to develop a new appreciation for rap. The often intricate rhythms, flowing lyrics, and intense vocal control needed are insane. Likewise, I feel there must be a key to open one's mind to choral and classical music. I don't know what that is, but I'll make it my quest to find it.
At the same time, I realize that I may be a...special case. I don't usually like loud things and high-intensity/stress environments. It physically hurts and drains me. I draw my energy from calm, quiet, and often secluded places (thus classifying me by some definitions as an introvert). I've always been sensitive to noise and volume. I developed perfect pitch somehow (maybe I was born with it, maybe not). I love birds for many reasons, and listen to the noises and calls they make. I like listening to what people have to say much more than I enjoy reading it - hearing the words they speak helps me to better understand what they're saying. I guess I'm just in tune with sound. With my senses of sight, taste, and smell dulled by the wonders of the gene pool, it makes sense that my sense of hearing would be better. But I don't always like it. I can't share it in a way that can help others hear what I hear. I wish I could.
This long ramble leads me to some questions:
1. What is your strongest sense?
2. How do you hear? (answer in any way you like)
3. What is your favorite/least favorite genre of music, and why?
4. Where do you get your energy? (I want to talk about this one later, so give me good stuff to use)
Hopefully this whole blogging thing takes deeper root in my already crowded mind. If I don't blog for a while, remind me to. My grade could use the boost, I'm sure.
Second - this is not going to be about Christmas. Sorry for those of you whose dreams I just crushed (although it's freaking October. Enjoy the current season, why don't ya?)
Third, and most importantly - I want to share my love with the world.
I was listening to recordings of different settings of Ubi Caritas for my EE, when I came across a Youtube comment on one of them. The person had mistook the version I was listening to (by Durufle) for the one performed at the royal wedding (by Mealor). It had never occurred to me that the difference wouldn't be obvious. In my mind and to my ear, the two pieces are profoundly different. It's moments like these that make me wonder, though. I have no idea what and how people hear different things. If people don't like choral music (or any genre, for that matter) that's fine. I just don't think it's fair to judge music unless you truly know how to listen to it. I don't really like country, but working in a saloon-themed bar at the fair gave me new memories to go with it and a new appreciation for the music (as it was the only thing to listen to). That fair experience also made me hate a lot of pop music, as the Stratosphere ride blasted it at ungodly volumes less than 100 feet away from my kitchen. I was never a fan of rap (no pitches) until listening to Christian rap artist Agape at the Lutheran National Youth Gathering in New Orleans this past summer. This, combined with my many percussionist friends, led me to develop a new appreciation for rap. The often intricate rhythms, flowing lyrics, and intense vocal control needed are insane. Likewise, I feel there must be a key to open one's mind to choral and classical music. I don't know what that is, but I'll make it my quest to find it.
At the same time, I realize that I may be a...special case. I don't usually like loud things and high-intensity/stress environments. It physically hurts and drains me. I draw my energy from calm, quiet, and often secluded places (thus classifying me by some definitions as an introvert). I've always been sensitive to noise and volume. I developed perfect pitch somehow (maybe I was born with it, maybe not). I love birds for many reasons, and listen to the noises and calls they make. I like listening to what people have to say much more than I enjoy reading it - hearing the words they speak helps me to better understand what they're saying. I guess I'm just in tune with sound. With my senses of sight, taste, and smell dulled by the wonders of the gene pool, it makes sense that my sense of hearing would be better. But I don't always like it. I can't share it in a way that can help others hear what I hear. I wish I could.
This long ramble leads me to some questions:
1. What is your strongest sense?
2. How do you hear? (answer in any way you like)
3. What is your favorite/least favorite genre of music, and why?
4. Where do you get your energy? (I want to talk about this one later, so give me good stuff to use)
Hopefully this whole blogging thing takes deeper root in my already crowded mind. If I don't blog for a while, remind me to. My grade could use the boost, I'm sure.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
No Pain, No Gain (and vise versa)
I don't think you can get anything in life truly for free. If it seems something is free, it either means someone else did the work for you or you are going to/have already paid for it in some way. I've always believed in (and strove for) balance. That's why I don't feel so bad about MEA this year.
I had 7 teeth removed on Friday (4 wisdom, 3 babies) and am suffering from it. I can't really eat anything that requires chewing, and my mouth randomly likes to start bleeding. I also look like a gopher with swollen cheeks and have a sore jaw. I was also fed the wrong pill on Saturday, which resulted in 7 years' worth of nausea crammed into 7 hours. But hey - it could be worse (and yes, I did just use a dash. That's a blog post for another time). This ideology doesn't seem to fit me. I'm not really the most optimistic person about a lot of things, but for some reason certain aspects of life don't seem to bug me. Evidently medical stuff is one of them.
Back to the "main" point - do you believe in the phrase "no pain, no gain?" I was raised in a house with conflicting beliefs. My dad is the type who would throw the football at you and say "oh come on why didn't you catch that?" when you were barely bigger than the ball. My mom, as dad always jokes, believes in the "no pain, no pain" philosophy. I guess my philosophy is a random mix of the two. What's yours?
I had 7 teeth removed on Friday (4 wisdom, 3 babies) and am suffering from it. I can't really eat anything that requires chewing, and my mouth randomly likes to start bleeding. I also look like a gopher with swollen cheeks and have a sore jaw. I was also fed the wrong pill on Saturday, which resulted in 7 years' worth of nausea crammed into 7 hours. But hey - it could be worse (and yes, I did just use a dash. That's a blog post for another time). This ideology doesn't seem to fit me. I'm not really the most optimistic person about a lot of things, but for some reason certain aspects of life don't seem to bug me. Evidently medical stuff is one of them.
Back to the "main" point - do you believe in the phrase "no pain, no gain?" I was raised in a house with conflicting beliefs. My dad is the type who would throw the football at you and say "oh come on why didn't you catch that?" when you were barely bigger than the ball. My mom, as dad always jokes, believes in the "no pain, no pain" philosophy. I guess my philosophy is a random mix of the two. What's yours?
Friday, October 5, 2012
And Another Thing
I don't like school. It's really bad. I'm really bad. I'm really bad at it.
Since middle school, the daily grind of the education system had begun losing its luster. I didn't feel the same drive to do well. I certainly wanted to learn, but I didn't want to fill my head with pointless things. I also lost the desire to do homework - if we have to work for 7 hours at school, what right do teachers have to give us additional work? There needs to be a balance of personal and work time, along with time to sleep.
IB started junior year. It nearly killed me. I was signed up for 4 HL classes, and they were taking their toll. Calculus was the tombstone over my grave; a C- and D were surely a sign of failure. So I gave up. Mr. Tenold believed I had the capacity to do the work, but I didn't have the drive or the time. So I quit. I just couldn't manage it. Yet there are people who can not only do what I failed at, but thrive in it. This baffles me, and seems to be a sign of personal weakness.
Why am I bad at school? Why does it seem like a prison? And why do others do well in it?
Since middle school, the daily grind of the education system had begun losing its luster. I didn't feel the same drive to do well. I certainly wanted to learn, but I didn't want to fill my head with pointless things. I also lost the desire to do homework - if we have to work for 7 hours at school, what right do teachers have to give us additional work? There needs to be a balance of personal and work time, along with time to sleep.
IB started junior year. It nearly killed me. I was signed up for 4 HL classes, and they were taking their toll. Calculus was the tombstone over my grave; a C- and D were surely a sign of failure. So I gave up. Mr. Tenold believed I had the capacity to do the work, but I didn't have the drive or the time. So I quit. I just couldn't manage it. Yet there are people who can not only do what I failed at, but thrive in it. This baffles me, and seems to be a sign of personal weakness.
Why am I bad at school? Why does it seem like a prison? And why do others do well in it?
Now what was I going to do...?
I can't remember this. I don't know why. It seems that school days all blend together and are indistinguishable from each other - as if it's one big day. I don't really sleep much, so that could be part of it.
Certain things are easier for individuals to remember, and what these things are varies from individual to individual. For example - I can remember nearly every Magic card in the last 3 sets, but I can't remember to do a routine blog post. Why is that? Does it simply come down to a matter of what is more important to an individual? If so, I worry for myself and my GPA.
Certain things are easier for individuals to remember, and what these things are varies from individual to individual. For example - I can remember nearly every Magic card in the last 3 sets, but I can't remember to do a routine blog post. Why is that? Does it simply come down to a matter of what is more important to an individual? If so, I worry for myself and my GPA.
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