thanks a lot, anita;) i managed to sprint a 3 mile run in 12 minutes with my special friend. we had lots of fun enjoying the wind rushing through the trees and the cool weather. i also managed to bench press 50 pounds and also do 5 pull-ups. it was so much fun hearing him laugh and seeing the sun shine through the leaves of the tree we sat under. watching him smile like the sun was like a fire lit in my heart. as we watched the sun rise and the sunlight slanting through the dewdrops, we both felt truly alive. even though, we are still tense around each other at times, his friends are great mediators and we have learned to appreciate each other even through our faults and shyness. while we were sitting under the tree enjoying the sunrise, he told me that despite all the flaws i had, i was perfect the way i was, that i had many talents and i was strong. i think i might write my college essay on nature and how it makes me truly be myself. i will let you and the others read it and i would love to hear your insights.

i can run 10 miles in 50 minutes and anita you are a great person, you give great advice and are very compassionate. andrew has been helping me all this week on my illuminated poetry video and we are both excited for the summer. on monday, we talked about our weekend and it was a cool coincidence b/c dave worked out and ran a mile, i had a track meet of 3 miles and andrew had a mud run so all three of us had a fun weekend running cross country;) dave might not be in any of my classes next year, but i think i may still see andrew in the clubs such as garden club after school. sometimes i feel sad b/c when andrew and i are talking dave feels left out, whenever andrew and i talk about electronics, sometimes it’s hard for dave to join in and when i talk about politics, andrew feels left out. i find that dave is great at biology and also simplifying things such as explaining computers and how they work while andrew is quite good at explaining in detail anything about science. dave and andrew are both great b/c i can truly be myself when i’m around them. also dave is very perceptive and there are times when i’m stressed, he will help me and make me laugh. i remember one time when i didn’t think i was going to do well in school and i was quite stressed out and dave helped me study. he told me a really entertaining story of how this person who fell asleep on the dictionary woke up with a head full of knowledge. even though, there isn’t real proof of that, it was still entertaining to hear and it made studying and memorizing easier. andrew likes to color-code his notes which i find helps me as well, while dave is great at coming up with mnemonics. i remember when i told dave that i often felt at times self-conscious of myself and didn’t think i was good enough or athletic and he told me a story about this person who was so self-conscious of himself that he shut himself up in a tower and was always afraid to let in the light of day. one day he fell down the stairs and broke his arm, he didn’t know any friends being shut away from society and was unsure of what to do. however, his arm was in pain so he ended up calling and asking for an ambulance. he was quite awkward at the hospital in his manners and he was quite agitated with himself. one day while he was recuperating, he saw a young boy with a terminal illness in the hospital, despite his illness and his crippled legs, the man noticed that the boy was still in high spirits and he was curious. even though, he never got the courage to talk to the boy, the boy’s positivity made the man realize that he wanted to be positive as well, he wanted the warmth and love of society. when the boy died, the man was quite sad and began to pray to a higher power to help him become better, to face his fears and carry the boy’s spirit on. the boy had taught him that life is to be lived and that living in fear is no way to live. so the moral of this story is to release your fears and doubts and enjoy your life like no one is watching. if the world burns down and there are still people living in illusion, instead of being themselves, then no one truly lived at all. there was a time when i was near tears b/c i wasn’t sure if i would ever have a place in the world and i didn’t think i was athletic enough and i went on a hard all-out workout. dave was quite worried and said i was working out too intensely and asked if i was okay. i told him that i wanted to work out as much as i could, to kill that the side of me that had so many limits. dave, then told me that the limits i put on myself were of my own thoughts and no matter how hard i worked out it wouldn’t help if i didn’t learn to appreciate myself. he even gave me a list of all the talents i was and some of them are compassionate, studious and inspirational. i love dave and andrew for the person they help me become, because of them i can be myself and also learn how to deal with those negative doubts i have and let them go. i also enjoy being around my lunch buddy steve. he is quite entertaining and mellow. when there are times when i am tense after some school work, his laid back humor helps me earn back my focus. also andrew was quite entertaining when he helped me with my physics on electricity and he said that i was quite good at science;) my special friend seems quite laid-back these days and not as tense, he’s okay and sometimes we race each other and i usually let him win. he seems happy with being close friends. when my ap english teacher started talking about college, i realized i was going to miss my friends, but dave said he would help me with literary questions if i needed him, i could just message him and andrew would help me with science questions. i know that i met my friends this year for a reason and even if we do drift apart i hope that i will continue to have the things they taught me and also spread the love and acceptance they taught me to others.

thanks a lot anita;) this is so cool:

https://www.bing.com/search?q=On+This+Day+in+History&filters=tnTID%3a%2294F0252A-8EF6-496c-8062-B32FB8711445%22+tnVersion%3a%221440821%22+segment%3a%22popularnow.carousel%22+tnCol%3a%225%22+tnOrder%3a%22050f8d8d-c987-477e-8884-a7f42add88bf%22&efirst=3&FORM=CNTPNH

https://www.bing.com/search?q=Dinosaur-killing+asteroid&filters=tnTID%3a%2210BB3D15-963D-49ff-9700-4A444D52C83A%22+tnVersion%3a%221440836%22+segment%3a%22popularnow.carousel%22+tnCol%3a%2214%22+tnOrder%3a%22fa99da88-5da4-41b7-bcb0-67cfd5307ebb%22&efirst=12&FORM=CNTPNH

also i wrote a first draft of my common app essay that my ap english teacher says will be a basis for a college application essay. i think it is quite simplistic and i’m not sure it’s the best. i would love if you could give me advice on it;) this essay is about women’s rights and coming to terms with myself. i wonder if it would fall under category 1 or 3 (i chose to do either essay 1 or 3): 1. discuss a background, identity, interest or talent that is so meaningful your application would be incomplete without it. 2. reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or an idea. what prompted you to act? would you make the same decision again?

Within Society’s Walls

We all value individualism, but within ourselves lies the values instilled by society. How much of our true individuality is just part of the whole? Not every societal convention is right for us. Take Malala Yousafzai for example, she took a stand for equal female education at the risk of her life from the Taliban. I have always felt that men and women are equal, both entitled to have the same education and job opportunities. Inspired by Malala’s courage and perseverance in a totalitarian government in Pakistan, I have begun to see the power of women. I see myself in her, hear her outspoken voice urging for women’s education.

From my childhood, life was viewed through a rose-colored glass, everything perfect. Transitioning to adulthood, acquiring knowledge, I realize much of myself has been shaped by society’s values. I realize there will always be people who try to bring you down, but that’s okay. I was told that I couldn’t do a pull-up because I didn’t have the muscular strength of men. At first I was submissive until I got sick of people telling me what I couldn’t and could do, but i still never had the courage to try. Reading Malala’s story sparked a fire within me; i realized women had power. Her outspoken words lead me to take a stand and work on building my self-confidence. I began to tell myself “If she can do this so can I. I can do this.” Slowly, I began to build my self-esteem and have started a workout program that has helped me come to do a pull-up.

This experience has lead me to realize how truly strong we are as individuals and the power of positive thinking. Malala’s story lead me to value education and her courage made me appreciate myself more knowing that I could also change the world. I realized that knowledge is power and sometimes following your heart and not what society tells you can lead to amazing paths. Sometimes it is important to listen to that inner voice within you and step outside the confines of society and your comfort zone to try something new and maybe you will discover happiness.

thanks a lot anita;) you are a great friend and have a lot of good ideas;) thank you for your insight;) thanks a lot, thedigger0;) i like your idea about writing down my dreams and mapping them out. The post on superhero strengths was creative and uplifting. i agree with the idea of developing self-confidence and appreciating myself more. sometimes i feel like i am my own worst critic. there is a lot of competition in the honors and ap classes at school and it seems as if everyone strives for perfection. i think my main goal is to find inner happiness, to know myself beyond all the negative criticisms and be my true self. i feel like tinybuddha has helped me a lot, whenever i feel inadequate or feel like i lack creative ideas, i can go on here and read all the posts and i feel myself being uplifted and my creative spark reignites. thanks a lot to everyone;)

I am starting the template for my angel mural today, my ap world history teacher also thinks it’s quite cool;) i just can’t find the post that contains the quote and also the plans i wrote on this site. i am currently looking for it. i drew a picture an eagle carrying a football for a my ap world history teacher and wrote “when life throws you a football… play the game and fly high;) the confetti fish i made for my ap english teacher was quite fun (i used pink, magenta and sun orange tissue paper) and wrote “When life gives you jagged edges (i put the background as orange construction paper and made jagged edges by ripping different designs), just keep swimming toward your goals.”

I finished the template and the watercolor paints and markers i used make it look great;) Do you remember the quote I used for the mural?