Category Archives: Chautauqua

Chautauqua

Wednesday, 17 March, 2010
7

Go Walden

Question of the Day: What is your stance on global warming?
There is something about nature that always produces a calming effect on me and makes me feel at peace with the world.
Whenever I am feeling particularly angry, impatient, melancholy, or other sensitive human feeling, taking a nice walk outside always helps me calm down and find happiness again. Next time you feel the need for some alone time, go Walden. Take a drive and go out to the countryside. You will find a beauty in nature that you cannot find anywhere else, for nothing else can be more pure or genuine.
We owe nature so much. It has provided us for years with medicines, shelters, and other essentials needed for survival. There is so much we can learn, for nature holds infinite more secrets than your own ears can. All aspects of nature contributes to a process that repeats itself throughout the course of history. It is consistent. It is dangerous, and it is beautiful.

If we all took some time to truly heighten our senses and take a good look around us, we might find personal insight, motivation, and happiness in nature by simply knowing that nature is good and pure. And real. How could you not be awed by the magic of life?
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Sunday, 14 March, 2010
4

Taking It Easy

Question of the Day: What is your one love, your ultimate passion?

I will be out of town today.
Waking up late [Daylight Savings!].
Catching up on homework.
Blogging it up.
Writing my special project (2.5k/50k)
Drawing a red angel.
Eating a classic Marie Callender dish.
Texting with my Razr.
Daydreaming.
Taking photos for my next blog post.
Hitting some piano keys.
Creating a care package.
Celebrating Pi Day!!
Jamming to my iPod.
Forming mini stories in my mind.
Being me.
Being productive.

~Have a lovely Sunday! ~

~TRA

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Thursday, 04 March, 2010
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Our Year – Class of 2010

Question of the Day: What novel or other book have you read in the past that permanently changed you in some way?

I do not have enough time tonight to write a blog post from scratch, but expect one tomorrow! :) Meanwhile, here is a small segment of writing that I found under my old Facebook notes earlier on today. It is a little outdated, as the SAT portions are not relevant anymore (I took my last SAT in October 2009, hurray!) and Homecoming Week has passed by long ago. Nonetheless, it is still rather up-to-date, since it is only March and you have the rest of 2010 to make the beginning of a new decade shine your way. This Note is obviously directed towards a young audience of high schoolers, but the message can be applied to all. Enjoy!
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Sunday, 28 February, 2010
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New Month, New Projects

Happy Sunday!

This weekend has provided me with a big peaceful rest from schoolwork. Yesterday, I went to the local Junior Miss program, which is a scholarship program designed to encourage today’s young women to “be their best selves.” The winners of local JM programs go on to compete at the state level, and then every year in Mobile, Alabama, 50 Junior Misses go on to the national level at America’s Junior Miss to represent their state. I think the Junior Miss program is a great opportunity for young women to showcase their talents, meet new people with new perspectives, and overall change their lives for the better.

Friday, 26 February, 2010
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A Fantastic Friday

I have come to realize that there is an opposing force for everything in the world and in life; there seems to always be something on the opposite end of a spectrum, complementing the other and balancing the scale out. An antonym for all. You’ve got men and women, positives and negatives, love and hate, black and white, rich and poor, beautiful and hideous, beginning and end.

Like all of the above, there is a also an antonym for having a bad day. Obviously, that very antonym is, of course, having a good day! :) Now there have definitely been times when I had an absolutely awful day on earth that seems more like a night in Hell instead; on those days, nothing goes right and I am stressed out of my mind. On those days, it seems like there is no such thing as a good day. Nonetheless, it is on those days when I wish and hope for a good day…like today.

My favorite type of good day is the kind when good, little things occur and slowly build up into a really good day, or rather (excuse my cheesy analogy) a “mountain of happiness”; there I stand at the very peak, my stomach swelling with excitement as I look down at the rest of the world with a positive attitude. In my own strange, silly mind, each little happy event is considered a stone, which makes sense if you think about it. As the stones build up, a mountain is created. :)
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Tuesday, 16 February, 2010
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Unwanted Senioritis

I applied to eight four-year colleges/universities in total this past autumn season. Five in North Carolina, three in Massachusetts. I have been accepted into three so far, all in North Carolina. Deep breath. Five more to go, and I won’t get any more letters until April. APRIL!! Such a long way away.

Meanwhile, I personally believe that my entire being (body + mind) has developed a serious case of senioritis. For those of you who do not know what this deadly disease is…

Senioritis-a “disease” involving decreased motivation toward studies displayed by students who are nearing the end of their high school, college and graduate school careers; SYMPTOMS include chronic procrastination, lack of motivation, a drop in academic performance, and “coasting,” which is the act of going through classes with very little concentration or application of intent. Source: Wikipedia.

Sounds horrible, I know. In my case, this is the end of high school. Seniors are typically diagnosed at the beginning of their spring (last) semester. To be honest, I believe I am one of the first few to have caught on a serious case of senioritis, as few people have shown symptoms. Most students in my classes have been working as diligently as they worked before college application season, though there is more grumbling over extra Calculus problems or the four slides of Notes in Forensic Science (a supposedly “easy, laid-back” class).
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Thursday, 11 February, 2010
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My New Favorite Saying, Loving the World, Sneak Peek.

Bliggity Blog- simply another word for blog.

I discovered this word while reading the latest blog post on 350 Lights by M.M. and it made me giggle just reading the word in my mind. Then, when I tried to say it out loud, the alliteration made me fall into peals of laughter.

It’s amazing what the little things in life can do to make you feel absolutely j o y f u l* in just one day. I love that feeling I get when something totally unexpected can make me feel sooo happy all of a sudden…it’s like an early birthday present! :)
These are other situations that have made me want to embrace the world and hug it and thank it for being so awesome:
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Monday, 08 February, 2010
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Two Places At Once

Two months ago, when the school counselor introduced me to two new sophomores, Charles and Min Qi, who mirrored my Chinese ethnicity and explained that they had just moved from China with very few English skills, I was more than willing to tutor them. Being fluent Mandarin, I thought tutoring them would be as simple as talking to my grandpa in Shanghai on the weekends. I ended up not only tutoring them but also serving as a Chinese-English translator for many weeks to come. Little did I know that this experience taught and benefited me as much as I did them.

Throughout the past few months, both students have introduced me to a new type of friendship that I had never had before, but I have been able to identify and bond with Charles the most. We have similar personalities and both love to laugh. Luckily, we have lunch together, and because his teachers know that I am his special translator, I have the special ability to visit any of his classes as well as homeroom. *sits proudly* During our meetings, we have been able to share so much with each other, everything from culture to personal views to inside jokes to ancedotal incidents.
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Sunday, 07 February, 2010
1

The Greatest of Superheroes

I have a confession to make: I don’t watch very much television. In fact, I almost don’t watch any television at all. Almost. Don’t get me wrong; I used to spend hours viewing the latest Nickelodeon episodes of Hey Arnold! and Pinky and the Brain and even Rugrats. For me, those shows were classic and, no matter what mood I was, could always make me fall into peals of laughter. The unforgettable characters, the silly plots, the catchy show tunes all make them award-winners to me; why can’t today’s shows be more like them? To me, it seems that almost all modern television shows is nothing but fake reality, ridiculous sex jokes, pointless drama that never ends, and erroneous, one-sided facts. Almost.

You see, every Friday night I spend an hour watching my favorite television show: Smallville. I have been an avid fan of Smallville ever since the series started at the beginning of the decade 2000. For those of you who are clueless about what on earth Smallville is, let me give you a brief explanation:

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