College and Decisions

Many of us don’t realize that whatever we do now can have an impact on our future. Say you become valedictorian of your middle school and elementary do you not think that high schools and colleges will not take that into consideration later on? A pupil maintains a 4.0 average his/her entire career in school that average will propel the student to be accepted into many more school compared to someone who has an average that goes from 3.5 to 2.5 and then goes back to 3.5. Schools look at everything a student does before accepting them. Sure usually senior year counts the most but if administrators look at the junior year and see a 3.0 compared to the 4.0 a student was receiving then the people who run the admissions know that this student is not all they seem to be.

So what happens when a student gets to college? How do they start applying? How do they look into schools? The article I read is about college waiting lists. Many students have found out by now which schools they have been accepted to. Then there are the students that still don’t know what school they are going to. All of the colleges have extremely long lists. These lists are so long that the probability of a student getting in who is on the list is almost slim to impossible. Over the years the numbers of students on waiting lists has increased. This may be due to the fact that students are either selecting too many colleges that they are not interested in to make sure they at least get into a college. The article recommends that the students who are on waiting list who really want to go to that particular school should respond quickly to the waiting list. It advises the student to not keep emailing the administrator because it can easily get them rejected faster. Those who do not wish to go to that school should send a rejection letter and decline properly so other students who want to get in have a better chance.

This article is mostly informative as so are the rest of New York Times articles. This is due to the fact that New York Times is a type of newspaper that runs on facts. They try to be as credible as possible by being subtle about the opinion. New york times is a newspaper that just tries to keep anyone who is reading the article updated about world issues. If and when New york times start to have a strong opinion on subject matters not many people would want to read it because the article would be bias. My opinion of the article is that college applications are hard. They are especially harder when there thousands of kids applying and the probability of a student getting in is small.  Even in waiting lists the probability of a student getting accepted off of that is even slimmer. Just to give you some helpful facts, Yale’s waiting list is 1,001 people, so long is the list that Yale has decided to defer their acceptances. Duke has had a record of holding the most kids on a waiting list with the number of 3,336. The students who were accepted that year from the waiting list was 60 were accepted. Being realistic is key into getting into a college.

Lastly I believe that everything matters. If anyone wants to get into college they have to be ready for challenges. This includes, patience, hard work, time management and perseverance. Students have to be diligent in everything they do. They should be able to handle themselves in competing numbers. This means they should start preparing all the way from elementary to obtain that perfect average or at least close to it.

Link to the article: http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/04/what-to-do-while-on-a-college-wait-list/?hp# 

Love and Decisions and Regret

I hope everyone has heard the song “Someone Like You” by Adele. After all it has been played on the radio like a billion times. Over and over the song is played. The song itself is not silly it actually has a meaning. If anyone reads the lyrics they understand that the song itself is a story. Both people in the song were in love but they went their own ways then years later Adele whomever she portrays is told that her true love is getting married. She comes back to the town that they grew up in to see him getting married with someone else. She is heartbroken but she remembers what he told her when they went their separate way “sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead.” She doesn’t want to accept that he has moved on because of all the memories they shared were precious and beautiful. She admits to herself that she herself has not moved on from their love they had. Then she sees them again sometime later and accepts the fact that he has moved on and she has to, too. She realizes that his words were so true sometimes it does last in love, but sometimes love just hurts. The story is real. Sometimes people let things go and they don’t realize that it was the best thing that could’ve happened to them.

Why people let go of the best things that have ever happened to them I will never understand. In the end if someone let a person go it was out of his or her own decision. They should not regret the decision they took because it was their own fault. If they truly love someone they will not let them go no matter if the world is ending right in front of their eyes. Many people believe in true love, I do.

True love may only come once. Only once. If someone lets it go where would they find true love again? It would not be the same. It’s sort of hurtful. The fact that one of them lived their fairytales and the other one got burned. Though I strongly believe that Adele went out, lived her fantasies and made her dream job or wishes come true; she forgot about him until he lost him. Meanwhile the guy she abandoned didn’t get to live his fantasy until after he got over his heartbreak and someone fixed him up (his wife).  If Adele had been smart she would have made the guy travel with her or she would have abandoned her dreams to live with her true love. Sometimes its better if a person gets burned then they can retell their story and help other people not make the same mistakes.

In real life this may happen either in love or in another way. Someone could let an opportunity get away. Then over the years they would regret ever making that decision. Maybe someone committed a crime and can’t take it back and they are left with regret. Not only is this song mostly about love but also it’s about making mistakes and regretting them later on. One should never regret a decision they made because they have no one to blame but themselves. Yes the decision can “hurt” them but oh well they should suck it up and eventually move on and enjoy other things. No one should dwindle on matters that are past history. Events will come and go that will define you but in the end its how they viewed it themselves.

I believe that this song is live changing. It helps me see that I should be careful of how I make my decisions and why I made them. Decisions are important and need to be taken seriously. One decision can alter an outcome by a big degree. When you make a decision its final, there is no going back. Adele’s love story clearly demonstrates that.

Link to see the lyrics: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/adele/someonelikeyou.html

What Does Make Anyone Beautiful?

           I bet tons of people have heard One Direction. Their single called, what makes you beautiful has skyrocketed the billboards. I don’t really know why but I have an intuition. The song is written for One Direction and most likely dedicated to all the girls who are insecure about themselves. It is a good song; I admit it is catchy. The fact that these 5 boys are singing the song just makes it that more interesting. The whole song is about reminding girls that they are beautiful no matter what. No girl should feel ugly because they are beautiful. In fact this song is sung about a girl who doesn’t know she is beautiful and apparently this innocence makes her beautiful. I really enjoy this song and believe it is a good song to uplift any girl’s insecurities.

            Why wouldn’t any girl like to be told that they are beautiful? I mean even if they don’t need anyone’s compliments to feel like they are on top of the world, it’s still nice to hear someone’s compliment. This song makes any girl feel special, like if they are beautiful  (which they probably are). Not only that but it’s nice to hear someone sing a song to a girl that makes them smile. Plus, even though this song seems cheery and cheesy it took a big issue and solved it in this song. Many girls don’t feel pretty and even though these 5 boys are singing about it. I think this song is perfect because it is what is on everyone’s mind. I know this song is probably just sung to get girls to like their songs and band in order to gain popularity but still this song is awesome.

            Girls in general need to feel like they are not ugly more than boys. I believe this is due to the fact that girls are always insecure about themselves. Body image is always on a girl’s mind. Do I look fat? I’m I too skinny? Is she prettier than me? Do I look like that?  I ate too much? I ate too little? I am not attractive? I am too hideous? I’m not popular because of the way I look. All of these things can run through a girl’s mind and make her feel horrible and undesired but then this song comes on and girls somehow feel better about themselves. This song is important to a girl who is insecure about herself because it reminds them that they are beautiful the way they are.

This is the website for the lyrics: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/onedirection/whatmakesyoubeautiful.html

A decade has Passed; How Long is Enough?

            I just recently finished reading an article about American troops in Afghan and was surprised to find out some stuff. The article just summarizes the idea behind keeping out troops in Afghan. In the beginning it provides us with data collected from a poll that congress took. Back in November most congressmen and women said that we should not remove the troops with a whopping percentage of 57%.  Also back in November the congressmen and women of the republicans were asked if the war was going badly and the poll data was that 40% of the republicans thought war was going badly but now when asked again the poll increased to 60%. Democrats on the other hand were asked the same question back in November; the poll indicated that 38% thought war was going badly and now when asked again data indicated that the percentage had an increase to 68%. How is it that everyone’s vote in congress thought we should keep our troops in Afghan in November, which was 5 months ago compared to now when everyone is agreeing on getting our American troops out?

            The main idea that the author is trying to convey is that there is none. This usually will happen when someone is reading an article in a reliable source, especially one in New York Times. This article has no opinion whatsoever, it just lays down the facts, allows anyone who is reading the article to take the facts/ data into account and make up their own opinion. Everyone has their own opinion and it can’t be persuaded, especially in government when things are just so complicated. Complication makes this vote and the idea behind getting the troops out of Afghan hard. One small thing can lead to another war or even an uneasy unsettlement this is why we should not rush into proposals and make false hope. In fact according to gen. John R. Allen, the commander of NATO forces in Afghan, “the enemy’s going to do all they can to disrupt both the counterinsurgency operation, but also disrupt the integrity of the indigenous forces.” It just goes to show anyone that this war is real and chaotic. How can we help if the troops are not wanted? How can repair what can’t be repaired in a few months. Troops need time but they are being killed and go M.I.A. why should we let families suffer?

            In my opinion I think we should pull the troops out soon. Not too soon that the whole point of this war for the past decade will be a waste but soon enough that we can still manage to maintain stability in Afghan. The government is too complicated and always will be. It’s not easy pleasing both sides. I strongly believe we should pull the troops out in 2014. Yet, I have a strong feeling that won’t happen. Too many deadlines have passed and the government has yet to do any real action. The government needs to decide on date, stick to it and hope for the best. In all kindness there really is no solution to the war we started because the closest we will get is an uneasy settlement between Afghan and America. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/27/world/asia/support-for-afghan-war-falls-in-us-poll-finds.html

Death in a Movie

The theme death is crucial in the movie Romeo and Juliet. One reason I believe this theme is crucial in the movie’s end is because it’s a way to show how Shakespeare’s play turned into a tragedy after the first half being a comedy. I think it was a good way to show how the play changes direction. At first Romeo and Juliet are having fun, falling in love, and playing around then Mercutio dies and the whole play turns into a tragedy afterwards. Death plays a crucial role in

Death plays a major role in the play because it helps the whole plot move along. If Mercutio hadn’t died then Romeo wouldn’t have had to leave and Juliet wouldn’t have taken the potion and then they both wouldn’t have died. Basically Mercutio was almost like the climax. Nothing would’ve happened in Romeo and Juliet if Mercutio had not died. Death is very important for the movie’s plot and the play in general.

Death is such an important theme. It makes it easier to understand Shakespeare writing. It helps us understand why the plot happened and why Shakespeare play became a tragedy. Death is a difficult theme to write about but Shakespeare wrote it really well. I strongly believe Death played a crucial role in the movie.

Beauty Role Model

I was currently rereading a book called Fairest by Gail Carson Levine. It was a children’s book. It had all the fairytale structure incorporated. If you are familiar with the other book called Ella enchanted then you know what this book is about. Basically this book was about a hideous girl with a talented voice. She lives in a kingdom where beauty is essential and your voice (singing) is praised. She doesn’t fit in. She is too ugly to be able to fit in with the kingdom’s society. This fact alone got me thinking what is the archetype for beauty. Who do we all (as a society) think fits the mold the best? Is it just made up by all the media or is it something we all truly believe.

            In the book, the beginning, as in the prologue, we get the feeling that beauty and singing (talent) are the only two requirements to be able to be part of the human species in this kingdom. Since there are ogres, gnomes, fairies and other magical creature those two points are really the only way you know if you are a human, gnome, fairy, or an ogre. It is as if you have to fit in the mold. If you cannot be classified as a human with these two qualities you actually will be shut out and shunned. I think this is sad. In fact it’s pretty pathetic to even consider the fact that if you don’t posses this two qualities you are classified as whole other specie or disowned from your parents.

            I started thinking the author wouldn’t exaggerate and create this whole other world with these principals out of nowhere. He had to have gotten them from someplace. Where else would he have gained this idea of beauty being a necessity than us, the society Then I started thinking are we actually that similar to that book and that kingdom. Do we only judge a book by its cover or in this case face and beauty? Just think about it for a second. If it comes down to a good-looking person and a merely decent face that do you think will be chosen? Okay, yes they have the exactly the same amount of talent, but who do you think will get produced. Obviously I would give them both a fair chance for the place and let a diva competition begin but I’m not rich and successful... yet. Seriously though, the prettier person would win does anyone know why? It’s because the media has portrayed this imaginary person with looks that are smoking hot and totally gorgeous and everyone aspires to be this person. So the prettier face would win. I think this is totally unfair because they should both get the same amount of chance of making it into the show business.

            Looks should not matter in people. That’s why we have surgery, duhh! Just kidding! On a serious matter we really shouldn’t let the media decide how we should portray ourselves in real life. Yeah, they can portray Megan Fox as smoking hot and gorgeous but that shouldn’t make us feel incomplete and hideous. Plus we should be sending this message out to Hollywood and all those other big money places that makes us feel hideous. We can wear sweats and a t-shirt any day and still look hot, screw being all pretty and doll-like we didn’t decide for an imaginary beauty role model. We should be allowed how to dictate our lives and ourselves not the media! We should not truly believe this beauty role model is right! We are all beautiful in our own weird, creepy, pretty, ugly, tall, small, big, fat, skinny way! 

the meaning of birth

I think the painter was trying to say that even though adults are grown up they still have that small innocence of their inner childhood. When he was trying to portray Venus being born he probably planned that an adult would have shown up. Why didn't he choose a kid, a baby or even a senior? Doesn’t everyone say how babies are so pure and innocent when they're small? Seniors act like babies and are oblivious to the world. I strongly believe he was trying to show the viewers how even adults can be innocent.

     One reason I strongly believe he was trying to present innocence in this picture is because the woman, Venus is naked. She is in her pure and innocent form. She is natural. She doesn't have anything to hide. All her feelings and expressions are out in the open. Anyone can view her and read her like a book. Since she has nothing to hide I consider her innocent. No guilt, no crime. All the people, angels, and gods around her are viewing her and since she has nothing to hide they look as they are accepting her. The author wanted to portray her as innocent.

     The second reason I believe the author was trying to say that adults and Venus even if they are grown up could still have some inner child inside them, the innocence inside their hearts. The lady on the right is holding out a blanket of some sort to cover up Venus. When babies are born the doctors clean them up and wrap them in blankets. I feel as if the lady on the right knew how pure Venus was and wanted to cover and protect her. Even the people on the left know how innocent Venus is at this moment of birth. 

Even if adults were born 30, 40, 50 years ago they still have their inner child within and always have innocence like Venus.

    The author could have chosen to illustrate a child being born or anything else, but he didn't. I really strongly believe he was trying to say that even though adults are old they could still be innocent; they can still posses their inner child (hood).