Author: spinakopita

Friends in College

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Val is living her best life. Val is studying abroad in Paris and traveling to different countries every other weekend. Val couldn’t be more excited to go to her dream college in the second semester. But I miss Val. I miss hanging out with her every day after school, going to Pilates, getting lobster rolls in Malibu, and going to watch the sunset at Lake Casitas until it’s so late our moms are calling us. I miss all of the fun adventures she would surprise me with, always having something to look forward to. I miss lying in Val’s room giggling with her about dumb TikToks, or having dinner at her house almost every night to the point where her family felt like my family.

Writing this blog makes me emotional because I’ve never experienced one of my best friends leaving and starting a whole new life, knowing nothing will ever be the same. I love my friends; they distract me from thinking about it, but it’s on those late-night drives home where I put on music we used to listen to and just burst into tears. Sometimes I feel like I’m being too dramatic about it but I really miss Val.

I feel like she has helped shape the person I am today. I do not know what I would do if I had never met Val. We’ve had our ups and downs like every other friendship, but we’ve always gotten through them positively. Right now, it’s hard to stay in contact with her because of the time change in Paris. But I still know that even if we don’t talk everyday the minute we see each other in person, everything will still feel the same.

“Friends Hugging” by Helena Lopes/ CC0 1.0

College

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Though I’m a Junior, thoughts about college are racing through my mind. I feel like I’m the only one stressing about it, but in reality, I want to get it over with this year so that next year I know where I want to apply. I know the places my parents and grandparents want me to go. But what about where I want to go? I wake up in the morning and immediately just start researching because of how interested I am. I’m so excited to move on to a different chapter of my life once I finish high school. I know it’s a while away, but it’s something to look forward to and work hard for during my final two years. College essays, applications, and the SAT are all so stressful, and I believe that it’s something that I should start preparing for now, so that in the future I’m more than ready to move on and start my own life as an adult.

Colleges have many options, but one thing I’m sure of, at least for now, is that I want to stay in California close to home. A lot of my friends tell me that college is your 4 years to leave and experience something new, but I couldn’t imagine anywhere else that I would even want to live. Maybe my mind will change within two years, but I know that California is my home, so even if I do end up leaving. I will 100% come back.

Driving

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I feel like I have a love-hate relationship with driving. Before I got my license, I told myself I would love it and would want to drive everywhere. But even a drive to Ventura and back feels like a pain sometimes. It really just depends on what mood I’m in. For some reason, driving long distances makes me so tired. The one thing I hate the most about driving is driving alone. Sometimes I can vibe with myself and music, but the majority of the time, I call someone to keep me company. Whenever I pick up a friend with a license, I make them drive if I’m not feeling it. But that’s the bright side about getting your license, along with all of your friends getting it around the same time. I can’t wait for my best friend to get her license because that means we can always switch off who is driving. Or if she comes over, that means that I don’t have to take her home. That’s another flaw, being responsible for dropping off your friends after a long night. Most of the time, I really don’t mind it, but when I’m tired, that’s when I’m just not feeling it. Overall, I love driving it; it just really depends on the circumstances that I am in.

“Driving Steeringwheel” by Juan Di Nella/ CC0 1.0

Studying

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I think by the end of the year, I will have officially lost all motivation to study, even if it’s for a quiz. Even when I have opportunities to study or do homework, such as in study halls or during free periods. I still choose not to. I wish I could bring myself up to have just a little more motivation. Sometimes it feels like I’m doing badly in school because of it. Especially since tests and quizzes are what school is all about. I don’t remember the last time in class when I actually learned something interesting, unless it’s history. Sometimes I feel like certain classes are useless. I think to myself, how is this going to impact my life in the future? Well, it’s not. Because half of what I’m learning now is information I’m never going to use. Though sometimes I do enjoy school, even if I hate to say it, I enjoy the people, some of the classes, and just being social with a schedule. When I’m on break, it’s the best thing ever, but sometimes summer can get a little boring. I think worrying about colleges at my age doesn’t make sense because I’m still so far away. I just want to get out of high school because it’s a drag.

“Study School” by Negative Space/ CC0 1.0

Waiting

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Waiting and patience are essential to life, until everything starts to feel like a never-ending cycle. The weekend, for example, is what I look forward to all week. Waiting for each weekend feels like a highly repetitive schedule, which it is. But the wait is always worth it, whether it’s a chill weekend or a fun one.

When it comes to school, we wait for each day to be over, counting down until Friday. Then the schedule repeats itself once it hits Sunday. It’s the same with breaks during the year; we wait for winter break, spring break, and then summer break. Once again, the cycle repeats.

Life almost feels like a waiting game, but what exactly are we waiting for? We watch the clock in each class, waiting for it to end. At work, people do the same thing, watching the clock until their shift is over. Just to do it all again the next day.

I sometimes wish the idea of time had never been created. I understand that it helps people stay organized, but I also think it can feel like brainwashing. Something about the idea of time feels off to me. As I said, it always feels like a constant waiting game that never ends.

Amazon.com: The Ultimate Wall Clock |14 Inch | Modern | Atomic | Analog | Home | Office | School | Gym | Indoor | Outdoor | Sets Automatically | Unbranded | Classic | Black | Battery Operated | Modern Décor : Home & Kitchen

PC: Google

Instagram

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Lately, I’ve noticed how much Instagram and social media are part of everyday life at school. Many of my friends are trying to build their pages and grow their followings. They spend a lot of time choosing the right photos, editing them, and posting at certain times.

It’s interesting to watch because it almost feels like everyone is learning how social media works. At the same time, they’re still in high school. Some people post reels, follow trends, and even help each other by liking and sharing posts to boost engagement. A few of my friends even talk about becoming influencers someday.

At the same time, social media can change how people see things. Sometimes it feels like people care a lot about how moments look online, not just how they actually are. Instagram isn’t just an app anymore; it’s become a big part of how people connect and present their lives. Especially when it comes to college. That is everybody’s first impression of you and who you are.

“Instagram Socialmedia” by Freestocks.org/ CC0 1.0

When Stress Becomes a Personality

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Since school has started, I’ve felt nothing but stress and pressure, and all I want is a break. It seems like the breaks school gives us are never long enough. It always feels like dread. Having to get home from school at 5 pm. Then worry about having to do homework, take a shower, and eat dinner. It all becomes a routine. A routine that feels weird not to do, like on Fridays. To me, the weekend is only one day. Friday we have school, but still the best day of the “weekend”. Saturdays are our only full day without having to worry about anything except dreading Sunday. And Sunday is the worst day of the week. The defeat of realizing that the weekend is over. Having to repeat that whole routine that you just got a 2-day break from. Then on Monday, the whole process repeats. You’re stressing about assignments that are due. Your stress is making you treat others poorly, but there’s nothing you can do except follow that routine. You want to try to balance a social life while being good at school, so you try, and you fail. You pick being social over studying, and the next day you bomb your exam. Now you don’t want to be social. You want to study, but you have FOMO about your friends and what they could be doing. It feels like nothing is enough. Weekends are the time to socialize, but why do we only have a day? It feels like my life is repeating itself over and over again, and there’s no escape.

PC: Google

Waterproof Mascara

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I think that waterproof mascara has completely ruined my lashes. I’ve been mourning my lashes before I started using waterproof and they were just to their fullest. They were full, long, and double lined. Now their thin and t looks like I’m balding on my lash line.

Well maybe not quite, but it’s definitely not what i am used to. Although I do really love waterproof since it was one of the only mascaras that helped my lashes stay up. I need a very long break from it.

Also taking off waterproof mascara after a long night or day, even if you have makeup remover, it takes forever. It feels like I’m scrubbing my eyes for a solid 20 minutes before its even remotely off. I feel like waterproof mascara is liked by many people but no one talks about how it has bad effects. I honestly think it just thins out your lashes to a point where they break.

So if you’re reading this and your thinking about using waterproof mascara please put your lashes first. You do not wanna deal with your natural lashes looking awful even after a regular curl.

Yes it has a positive side but the negative effects of it completely take over. Yeah they stay up but is it worth the breakage? Its really not and I would throw away every waterproof mascara if I could to get my old lashes back.

I’m the type of person that always has to take their makeup off. It doesn’t matter the occasion or where we are. Before I go to bed I must take off my makeup, so if you are that person. Do not get waterproof mascara.

“Brush Makeup” by kinkate/ CC0 1.0

Social Media

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Every day, I have to remind myself that what I see on social media isn’t reality. I believe that our brains weren’t made to process so many opinions from different people. Negative comments about someone or something can affect so many. The other day I was scrolling on TikTok, something I do many times a day because it is addicting. I came across a girl with a good amount of followers. I got sucked into her account and just kept scrolling through and reading comments from others. Until I realized everything she used for her account was AI-generated. She would even edit herself using AI, and nobody even realized until recently. It took me 30 minutes of scrolling to realize everything on her platform was fake.

Things on social media can have a particularly significant impact on teenagers. Deteriorating their mental health by the day, and how they view themselves. Rather than edited pictures on Instagram or a completely unrealistic TikTok video. It can make someone of any age greatly insecure. Before the year of 2020, social media used to be something fun. Where people would post random things about their lives or express themselves. Such as hard posting a Starbucks drink on Instagram, or walking their dog on the beach. Just random things that brought life to social media. Recently, people have been looking back and recreating things from 2016. Such as the aesthetics. Which I believe is going to bring more of a community to social media rather than a competition.

“Social media applications mobile screen“/ CC0 1.0

Los Angeles

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I love Los Angeles more than anything; it’s where I grew up. Because of that, it will always have a special place in my heart. I remember driving through Santa Monica when I was a little girl, not yet able to read well. I would always read it as “Santa’s Mouth” for some reason. That is something I will always remember. I used to move a lot as a kid, but it would never be from state to state. My mom and I would just move to different places in LA. Growing up in Laurel Canyon was special, and now I will always know my way around. We went from Laurel Canyon to Malibu to Santa Monica, and now we live in Ojai. I don’t even know if I want to leave California for college. Yes, I want to get to see more of the world and have different experiences. But the thought of going to college somewhere in LA has always interested me. Driving through LA now gives me the most gut-wrenching nostalgia. When I drive through LA, I listen to 2016 music and pretend I’m still in that era. My only worry was going to bed early. Now I go straight to my room and take naps after school.

“Hollywood Sign, Los Angeles, California“/ CC0 1.0