Category: general news

Stuff having to do with the news in general.

Are You There God?

sennymcflyLeave a comment

Faith is the journey continued in hopes of finding the end

it is the belief that after years of hard work, finger breaking there will come rest

There is faith in mothers that they will nurture us

there is faith in fathers that they will protect us

there is faith in lovers that they will love us

But, what faith have I in someone else’s religion?

What do you believe?

I believe in love

love can’t be taught or preached

it can’t be written or spoken, not published, or broadcasted

I have faith in love

Justice Against Me

vabenissimoLeave a comment

I want to take my behind-the-wheel driving test.

But, my visa expires on my graduation date, June 3, 2011. And, DMV requires the test takers to possess visa that guarantees the next sixty days of entrance to America. So, here goes the conflict. As I will be entering my college located in California in fall 2011. I will be released with a new visa that covers the days after June 3, 2011. Because my sister is having an annual grand performance in South Korea, I fly back on June 3, 2011 immediately after the graduation. So, I must take the driving test before I leave.

Currently, I am scheduled for an appointment for next week.

By the way, why would DMV allow people to make an appointment without checking these major qualifications in the first place? What if I went to DMV after getting a permission from my high school with much difficulty and be notified that I cannot take the test? Are you kidding me?

So, I made exactly eleven calls to the DMV office, Sacramento, and NIF (nonimmigration Information Form) Office of my college for a solution.

At some times, I was put on hold for exactly 26 minutes 23 seconds. Thankfully, I was well-trained for such incidents when I applied for “Sogiorno” or residence in Italy, where everything is just “relax, and take it easy. Things will happen some day at some time. But, no one knows when.”

My college recommends me to bring my letters of acceptance along with a completed form of NIF which should pretty much prove the delivery of my visa soon, very soon. DMV, finding this problem out of their hands, gave me a number for the main office in Sacramento. When I called several times to Sacramento, my calls were, okay, I do not even go there. To simply put, the experience was horrid.

No matter how many times I explained how I am a high school senior graduating on June 3, 2011 and transitioning into my college in fall 2011, they suggested me to fill out Optional Practical Training (OPT). Well, I called my college to request the completion of this form. Then, they spoke that I ought to have complete some kind of program and practically completing the form as an entering freshman is an impossibility. Suprise!

Now, I am going to enter the DMV office with my letter of acceptance and completion of my visa request in my hand just like the NIF office of my college suggested. And, if the DMV office refuse me to grant such opportunity,

Something is wrong. I mean,

Something is VERY wrong in the system.

Just because I am a young adult gradually experiencing the “practical” reality, I will not let my complaints for such ridiculous system slip away. If California set up to ensure the legitimacy of the test takers, then am I suppose to forgive this insanity and let myself kneel down to the law set for the benefits on only one population and not for the other? Should I be submissive to these laws with ironical respect, or not? Maybe I need an answer to this question more than to provide a solution to my visa problem.

Surely, my future looks bright with this justice by my side.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Mysterious Love Child

Paloma SpencerLeave a comment

Yep, just another public representative having fun with a secretary.

“No biggie.”

Yes, I am being sarcastic, but I am also just so gosh darn tired of these high ranking officials, who we look up to as mentors and inspirations, committing such acts of entitlement and arrogance.

You would think that after so many presidential affairs have leaked out over the ages, that such a public official would be smart enough, even if not moral enough, to resist from having sexual relations with a woman besides their own wife.

Really guys?

Ugh, just so annoying.

Anyhow, to elaborate on the Schwarzenegger story, our previous California governor has admitted to having an affair and fathering the son with a member of his own household staff.

And funny enough, this news has just begun to circulate, arriving in the headlines only one day after Schwarzenegger and his wife, Maria Shriver, went public about their separation.

Unfortunately, I am not too surprised about this news. Just another arrogant man who believes his position in power entitles him to step outside the boundaries of morals.

Hopefully, people in politics will actually learn from the mistakes of men such as these.

And if that dirty feeling that I believe must exist from having an affair does not stop you from doing it, I hope that your pride in your position will.

Not So E-Z Up

sennymcfly2 Comments

Half the field had fallen asleep after 2:30 am. Only a select few were still walking, but luckily there was a free coffee stand open for the whole 24 hours. Even the 6 of us kids were still up and about trying to stay up until at least 4:30. We walked a bit more, but soon we got super tired and decided it was time to take a break. We had all set up camp underneath a green E-Z Up. It was cold and windy, but the warmth of our sleeping bags took care of that. Ryan was posted in a fold out lounge chair, Kai, Lucy, and I were sprawled out on the lime green tarp, Mrs. Davis curled up under the booth table, and Mr. Alvarez was laying just outside of the shelter of the tent.

It was late. Around 3-ish maybe. We had already walked at least a trillion or so laps. 18 hours and 12 cups of coffee later I was disappointingly unable to fall asleep and what I saw would make the night a zillion times more interesting. It started to sprinkle and the sprinkling got heavier. The corners of the E-Z Up began to sink and leak. Nobody thought anything of it at first (mostly because we were either half or fully asleep). When the rain got heavier I started moving all the bags underneath the tent so they wouldn’t get anymore wet. That’s when Mr. Alvarez woke up. The tent kept dripping and eventually it got so bad that it just couldn’t be ignored… maybe it was just the coffee.

We scraped the water off the tent with lacrosse sticks. Frustratingly enough the water just kept building up. At this point everyone was awake trying to fix the problem. The tent frame wouldn’t rise or spread or move pretty much at all. The only thing we could do was get rid of it. Kai was pushing the water. I was holding the covering taught and pulled it down. Kai pushed the fabric up towards the edge and before I could move out of the way a waterfall of rain dumped on my head. I was completely soaked. My shoes were in puddles. My pants were drenched and my hair was dripping. It was awesome.

We all curled up in the middle of the tarp; unorganized and uncomfortable. About two hours later I woke up to a bright and shining sun, took a few walks around the track and when Mr. Alvarez’s run around the track ended we wondered how and why everyone else’s tent kept them dry and ours drooled all over us. The hunt was on. We looked under every tent. The Fire Department’s tent was exactly like ours, but we noticed something different about the frame. We ran to our booth, took off the cover and lowered the frame legs. It turns out the top of the tent extends high, so high that it was supposed to let water roll off the sides. I guess ours wasn’t fully raised.

Oh boy, what a night. But hey, it was so worth it.

Social Rejections may be much painful than Physical Pain

weirdjennyLeave a comment

null“Social Rejection Shares Somatosensory Representations With Physical Pain,” by Ethan F. Kross, Marc G. Berman, Walter Mischel, Edward E. Smith and Tor D. Wager; published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Most people have the experience of being ostracized in a group throughout their life. I remembered one time on the basketball court, my friends didn’t let me play because I am too short. However, I started to grow taller and taller and get better skill and then finally beat those people. But this is not a really intense social rejection. Some people have very intense social rejections that can influence their whole lives. New research shows that the same areas in the brain that reflect physical pain are activated at moments of intense social loss. “When we sat around and thought about the most difficult emotional experiences, we all agreed that it doesn’t get any worse than social rejection,” said the study’s lead author, Ethan F. Kross. The previous research doesn’t have this discovery is because the emotional pain simulated in the previous experiments was not powerful enough to create the response. This time, the team found out that if the emotional pain was painful enough, it can create responses in the physical pain area in our brain. However, throughout this research, the researchers don’t know where the body will feel this physical pain when our brain is affected by the emotional pain.

Relay for Life 2011

weirdjennyLeave a comment

null“I ran the whole night!” said my roommate, Amit Pandya, as he walked in our room after he has stayed overnight at Buena High School. Many students from OVS have participated in Relay for Life which is held at Buena High School on 5/15. The American Cancer Society Relay for Life is an event that gives everyone a chance to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember ones lost, and fight back against the disease. Last year, I ran for our teacher, Mr. V, and so does every student from OVS. This year, Mr. V wears a purple t-shirt, which is for the survivors. However, this year I ran for my aunt, who just found out she has stage 4 cancer few months ago. Several of OVS students have decided to stay overnight to keep running and support the American Cancer Society. Amit said that he has run over 100 laps last night, and played lacrosse, and sung karaoke with his friends. Because of the passion of these participants, we got the award for the most spirited team. Although I don’t get a chance next year to participate in this event, I will keep supporting my aunt to fight against the disease, and so do other people who have family, friends, and people who they loved are suffering from cancer.

Botox for 8-year-old

vabenissimo1 Comment

What would you do when your child complains about wrinkles?

This Mother Kerry Campbell would immediately persuade her Daughter Britney to have Botox and fillers injected to lessen the “wrinkles.”

She buys the products from cannot-be-publicized-online-man. And, she, who is apparently a “trained beautician,” tests the products’ quality and credibility by injecting into her “adult” face before she uses for her “eight-year-old” daughter’s face.

A 34-year-old mother from San Francisco defends her malignant practice, “A lot of the mothers there (beauty pageant) are giving their kids Botox and it’s pretty much like the thing and a lot of moms do it. I am not the only one.”

Moreover, Britney was forced to get her legs waxed so she would be more “beautiful.”

Britney’s friends consider all these practices “cool” and even looks up to her.

What’s wrong with all this? Someone tell me.

Relay For Life 2011

yrreskrapLeave a comment

“Just one more year.”

May 14, 2011, Ventura, California, Relay for Life.

It is approximately 9:00 am in the cold parking lot of Buena High School in Ventura. The yellow bus unloads its passengers, yielding the start of the day. Slowly, students crawl out, it was too early for them. But the grey, salty breeze shifts cool between their sleeves and awaken the tired students. The day had begun.

A loud voice could be heard on the loud speakers, announcing highlights of the event. Schools were commended for their outstanding fundraising. First, the honorable mentions, soon followed by the bronze teams. Then came the silver teams. My school, our school, Ojai Valley School, had been recognized as a silver team for raising so much money. In our school of just under 100 students, we managed to raise  $3,060. It was a great start to our day.

The empty track was broken by a mass of survivors, clad in the same purple shirts. Among the many survivors was OVS AP psychology teacher, John Valenzuela. He made his way around the track while our school gathered at one corner and shouted words of encouragement to him, our screams choked with tears, because we had all seen him battle through this scary disease and we had won this battle together. He put his hand over his heart and we all knew what he felt.

Throughout the day, students walked around the track, bought food, and even partook in a wedding between a survivor and the love of his life.

That night, some of our students stayed overnight and endured heavy rains, cold, and hunger but came back with smiles. And at the end of the day, all I could think to myself was “just one more year.”

Jackson, Wy

smackyjackjackLeave a comment

I’ve been thinking. I have lived in and visited a lot of really different, strange places. I was born in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  Jackson is quite a different place than Ojai, California. Jackson is the predominantly white, right wing small town in the heart of the Rockies.

While living in Jackson, our neighbor was a one armed, gun wielding man named Lefty. Lefty had a bit of a temper.  One time, when our dogs were barking a bit too loud, he threatened to shoot them.  Okay, let me just pause for a moment to let you picture the image of a one armed guy with a shotgun. In my opinion that’s quite a feat to be able to wield a shot gun with one arm.

Anyway, once our other neighbor heard the threat, he threatened to shoot Lefty if he shot our dogs.  And that was how problems were solved in that particular part of Jackson. Out here in Ojai, it’s almost strange for someone to own a gun, especially if they were to flaunt them as the Jacksonites did.

I could go on about stories in which guns are involved, but I won’t.

 Jackson is a great place to be with nature. It is one of the few places left almost  untouched by man. The Tetons look over the town, with their tall and foreboding peaks. Jackson is a place where Elk come into your backyard, and where seeing bears is not uncommon. 

Going back to Jackson is something I want to do again really soon.  I would recommend going to Jackson for anyone who likes nature. It is one of the most beautiful places in the world. Barring Alaska, it is the prettiest state in the US.

The Pursuit of Nationality

vabenissimoLeave a comment

I am Korean. And, I am Americanized.

My circle of friends varies–Koreans who have never been in America, Koreans who have tasted American culture, Korean-Americans, Americans, and Europeans.

As a high school senior who began boarding in 2003 as a fifth grader at a private school in California, I know what America is. As I get older, I now face some dilemmas within the Korean and American social structures, and I am not alone in this journey of confusion and struggles.

Here is my case:
My mother completed her education in Korea while my father did in America. Weighing the benefits and disadvantages of American educational system, my parents provided me the chance to broaden my insights. Before I took off on my journey to this land of opportunities, they clarified on this one thing–you are Korean. I did not get it because I was legitimately Korean. But the more days I spent in America where the culture vastly contrasts from the one in South Korea, I started to doubt about my manners, logics in English, semi-understanding of American trend, English writing skills, Korean speaking and writing capabilities, and most importantly, adapting to the Korean and American social structures.

I do not know where I will settle to live and work.

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