Curtain Call

As this year is drawing to an end, this is my last mandatory blog.

I wanted to take a second and thank all you have read my blog through my year in this class, but this isn’t the last of me.

I plan to be blogging this summer through whatever adventures I may encounter, but I will be back regularly in a few months.

Many of you have enjoyed my poetry or sports stories this year so I will leave you with one last poem.

Thank you for bringing traffic to our site, and please spread the word.

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As it draws to an end so does this journey.

Another year, going nowhere, sitting in the same spot we were in, when the first day started.

The same spot we were in the first time my eyes met yours.

As I prepare to take my final walk out on stage, I would like to think I’d see you in the audience.

The applause resonate through the building, and I stand behind closed curtains.

Shaking, nervous as could be, hoping you’ll be there, but when they open and I take my final bows, where the applause once were, lay and emptiness.

My heart drops, and once again I feel alone.

Just as I did when this show began.

This is the kind of show I never want to see the end of, but you hold my head towards the screen.

I would like to live in the illusion I have created of how our show ends, but instead you put me in front of everyone, only to find myself standing alone, and you aren’t even there.

I take my bow to an empty room, but it does not stop.

The show must go on.

Hello, Love, Goodbye.

Dear Junior year,
Hello! Hope everything is going well with you.

I really haven’t noticed that you are leaving me shortly. Therefore, I want to thank you for this fantastic whole school year.

I still remember the first day we met. I was nervous because I thought you would be a tough year. As I expected, you were difficult.

However, you were not as horrible as I imagined even though there were hard AP classes, homework, SAT and so on.

I became the junior class rep this year which was such an awarding experience.

We had “Team Competition” and my team the “Eagles” got second place for the first semester and the third place for the end of the school year. We had the funnest event of the year – Spuds Fest and I had great time.

Starting in September this year, I ran the Crosscountry for my very first time in my life. That was hard indeed. I wanted to challenge myself and fortunately, I did it. For the first time, I felt I was actually faster than a lot of people. I found confidence.

This year I also started journalism class for the first time. I felt so lucky that I actually enjoyed the class. We found and wrote stories. I learned how to look at the world differently.

Life is a story, and the best way to learn it is to write it.

Sincerely,
SX

Dear Junior year,
Love.

I was lucky enough to meet lots of new people this year and they were all lovely friends who colored my year with laughters and joy.

From you, my junior year, I felt I had become closer with our community. You brought me courage and confidence to talk to people more openly and comfortably.

But why you taught me a lesson by hurting me though?
Why did you take him away and told me brutally that love did not equal to ownership?

And then I realized that love had no right or wrong indeed. You were correct, some people were supposed to come into your life, taught you something and then left. So don’t worry about me, I’ll be ok.

Then our junior class organized a fairly successful prom with a theme of “Candy Land.” I had great fun with my friends and that was an unforgettable and “sweet” time.

After the prom, I headed to New York and Chicago for my spring break. That was a trip to heal my heart.

Days always got busy after the break. AP tests, finals and tons of projects were thrown to me.

But overall, thank you to make me feel love.
I grew up a lot.

Love,
SX

Dear Junior year,
Goodbye.

You’ve given me so much more than I could remember.
And then you told me it’s time to move on to the next station and Senior year is waiting for me.

Please remember me like I would never forget you.
Take care and farewell.

I’ll miss you, my Junior year.

Yours,
SX

One-Piece.

One Piece (ワンピース) is a Japanese shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. The first volume was released on December 24, 1997, and the 69th volume released in March 2013.

One Piece follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy, a young man whose body gains the properties of rubber after unintentionally eating a Devil Fruit, and his diverse crew of pirates, named the Straw Hat Pirates. Luffy explores the ocean in search of the world’s ultimate treasure known as One Piece in order to become the next Pirate King.

Additionally, Toei has developed eleven animated feature films, an OVA, and five television specials. Several companies have developed various types of merchandising such as a trading card game, and a large number of video games.

In 2008, One Piece became the highest-circulating manga series. And until now, it is still one of the most popular animes throughout the whole world.

I started watching One-Piece three years ago. First i was only captured by the colorful style of the drawing of the characters and the scenes of the ocean. However, as more i watched, I found out a more profound meaning of this anime, which is friendship and ambition.

For several times I was touched deeply by the friendship between Luffy’s team. They laugh and fight together for their goal and they would do everything for each other, even losing their lives. The passion and love among them gives them courage and helps them to achieve their dreams.

The story is still going on but I think I already know the ending that they will stand by each other forever.

Didn’t See That Coming

So at the beginning of the NHL playoffs I entered a bracket challenge on nhl.com

I based my predictions off of how the teams played during the year, and where they finished in their respective conferences.

Here is my bracket that I started at the beginning of playoffs.

So many teams have not played the way they were supposed to that my whole bracket is basically ruined.

So far the only thing I have gotten right completely is that the Kings would beat the Blues in 6 games.

Hey, at least that’s a start.

I also guessed Chicago would be Minnesota, but who didn’t?

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Moving

My house is nearly finished. We are in the last week of construction, and it is looking amazing. I am excited that I have a house in Ojai now.

I will miss living at OVS with my friends 24/7, but I feel overwhelmed and need a space I can be.

My family has been really helpful this past year in transitioning me to a new place, and helping me with college apps as well.

Moving from OVS will be hard, but it is a change that I am excited to do.

Inspiration

The internet is full of inspirational videos. Sports videos, spiritual videos, just plain old inspirational videos, but there are few that touch me and make a big difference. Being that team sports have not always been a part of my life, but have recently come up and made an impact I look for something to keep me moving. Something that makes me want to play hard and something to inspire my teammates. A quote by Henry Ford is something I keep in my mind when the team is having a hard time, “Keeping together is progress, coming together is a beginning, and working together is success.” Sometimes our teams don’t work together, but work as individuals. That isn’t how the game is played. Some people have to be willing to work hard and get none of the glory. Being a lineman in football I understand this feeling very well. I go out everyday and I try and I try. Am I the best at it? No, not even close, but do I try? Yea, I try really hard day in and day out. But nobody ever says, “hey he really took up space so that that someone else could get the glory.” The glory goes to the people who run the ball, throw the ball, but that’s not possible without the people on the line. As our coach said, we are the Dirty Dogs. Nobody wants a dirty dog, but they are rough and tough, but get no glory. That is how to work as a team, everyone has to be willing to put in 110% and get nothing in return personally, but understand it was for the betterment of the team. This is one of the first speeches that truly inspired me to be better and do better.

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Dove

A little Dove chocolate told me to enjoy the small things in life.

This is a stage in my life that I need the small things.

With the stress of school, sports, and a social life, it’s the little moments that make it all worth it.

They happen here and there, but today for instance it rained.

The rain brings me great happiness. It cleanses the ground, but it makes everything clean and new.

Flowers bloom, and otherwise dusty hills become rolling green hills.

This is the entrance into spring that we have been waiting for.

The past few weeks have brought a lot of stress to an already stressful life.

One would think that having a single mother with multiple incurable diseases would cause stress.

Having her go to the hospital unexpectedly would seem to cause stress, but that is my life.

This is who I am, this is how my family works.

I can accept that my mother is sick and I can find happiness in the fact that she always comes home, although sometimes not without a fight, she has managed to make it back every time.

On this Easter Sunday I ask you to consider this.

I don’t care what your beliefs are, or if you don’t believe, but there is something on this Earth and beyond that has kept my mother here.

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“Left alone wondering”

Left alone wondering

Will it ever bloom

Will the time come with the June gloom.

Brighten up the day

In this spring time

Hopefully you’re mine,

For the summer time.

The sun shines down,

to expose all your beauty.

Will you be mine?

Forever and always

Yours Truly.

Need to Skate

Seeing as the hockey season has been over for about a month or so I haven’t been on the ice as much.

The season just started this past Thursday, but sadly I had to bench myself and sit in bed at home sick.

Tomorrow night is the 2nd game of the season and I am ecstatic about lacing up the skates and going out to play hockey.

I honestly have not skated as much as I should have in this off season, but hey I can’t be perfect.

What I really need is to find time to start lifting in the gym again, but I have no idea where that is going to fit in.

This season is going to be the one, I feel it.

Last season brought some new faces to Team USA, myself included, but this season we have all worked together and we know what we are walking into.

It is time to get down to business and change the face of Team USA.

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Lacrosse Week

This past week marked the first 3 games of the 2013 lacrosse season.

Our first game was against the York School from Monterrey, CA.

The team was on a southern California road trip and had played four games prior to their game against us last Saturday.

Our team on the other hand had not yet practiced as a whole team yet, and it was evident on the field.

The team has many beginning players and adding new players changes the chemistry of the team every year.

It is an adjustment period to learn how people play the game and to be able to predict how they will react to certain situations.

Come game time I was excited to be back on the field from 9 months ago.

For most of the game York was dominating offensively and defensively ultimately scoring 11 goals.

The game almost ended in a shut out until one of our star returning players, Grant Spencer, scored the one goal of the game.

We all celebrated like we had won the game, but to us it was a victory because we did not give their goalie the shutout.

Final score was 1-11 L.

I was disappointed, but also realized it was the first game of the season and we had a lot of room to grow.

On Wednesday came the game against Laguna Blanca, a game I look forward to every year no matter what sport I’m playing whether it be football or lacrosse. Even when I’m not playing in the game, but the school is, I get excited.

Many think that Thatcher is our biggest rival, and they are, but they are our biggest hometown rival. Laguna Blanca is our biggest rival over all.

Most games with Laguna consist of some mouthing off from players and their parents which at our level of play can get a little out of hand.

We aren’t playing Division 1 sports, what parents need to remember is:

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