Category: potpourri

Washington D.C. 2009

kirbyfullyloadedLeave a comment

Check out the links.  I promise they’re not standard Wiki pages!

My best friend (yes, the same one I mentioned in New York City 2008 who says I can’t cross a city street) and I have an ongoing debate.  East vs. West, New York or California?  San Diego or Washington D.C.?

Of course being from California, I always say West.  We have better beaches, better waves, we’re more relaxed, we have Hollywood and Disneyland.  He laughs at me, claiming they have better cities, better public transportation, better manners, New York City and the good colleges.

In California, we don’t really have seasons.  But when we do, we can have all four seasons in one day -even one afternoon.  So when I went to Washington D.C. with my school in October of 2009, it was quite a shock seeing the trees changing colors and watching the rain fall steadily every night and early morning.

We took the red-eye out of LAX, flying out at 10:45 p.m. on my first Virgin America flight (I highly recommend this airline.  It’s super awesome.)  The inside of the cabins look like this:

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Just Like That

yrreskrapLeave a comment

Confused. Miserable. Alone.  Scared.

So, so scared.

The worst how empty she felt.

Where was her mother, her father, her sisters, her brothers?

Was she in their thoughts? Was it only her?
Soon, she could think of nothing. Her mind drew blank.

She faced the white, chalky wall atop her tall bunk bed, the railings red and bright. Her lungs were heavy. One breath in. One breath out.

Was this what her 13 years of life had come to?

Another deep breath out.

She closed her eyes, hoping that sleep would take over. She whispered a prayer to God that someone would find her, that she might find herself.

How silly she was to think she was alone in the midst of this struggle. How narrow minded, how blind to the future she was.

Because beneath her, with an obnoxious rustle of the sheets, a skinny girl with young, wispy hair and her insistent tapping, made it clear that she was not alone.

And just like that, without words, the little girl gave her the strength she needed.

What is a team?

rangerthecatLeave a comment

As I stood in silence, holding the ball waiting for the whistle to be blown so I could serve the ball, I had a thought. Or , I guess you could say I had a question.

What is a team?

The dictionary definition of “team” is: A group of players forming one side in a competitive game or sport.

Of course, I already knew that; but being on a team is much more than just being a group. My idea of a team is being unified, supporting each other, and trying your hardest for the benefit of those around you.

That is what I think of when I think of being a team.

A team captain‘s job – my job – is to make sure than each player is doing just that; making an effort to be unified, support others, and try their hardest.

When these things do not happen, I have no option but to accept the reality, move on, and try to do a better job next time so we act as a real team.

Even though we had a few setbacks within the team aspect of things, I’ve never been more proud to be with that group of girls out there on the court at Orcutt Middle School‘s gymnasium, battling the Orcutt High School Spartans.

Although they had much higher skill levels than us, each true team member put their heart into the game and it was the best we have every played as a team.

Even though we were not victorious, the varsity volleyball girls really learned how to be a team that day, which is all I could have asked for.

Why Me?

yrreskrap1 Comment

October 20, 2011, Thursday morning.

The familiar buzz of my alarm shook me from my sleep. A heavy hand reached over, my drowsy fingers searching for the Dismiss button, rather than the usual Snooze.

I had woken up with one thing on my mind.

I sat up, my hands grabbing the computer and placing it on my lap. I refreshed the awaiting Collegeboard page that was already open on Google Chrome. I signed in again and…

I couldn’t believe it.

Could it be true? Was I too tired? Was I seeing things?

Again. My fingers tapped the refresh button. But the same score prevailed my cyber attack.

My SAT score had increased 240 point since the last test. My cumulative 5 months of straight studying had paid off! Immediately, I ran down the hall screaming for my roommate and Sungjin. Then, happy phone calls to my proud mother and father.

October 21, 2011, Friday evening.

With a heavy feeling in my heart, I checked my phone. The email accounts in my phone did not receive any mail but college junk mail.

It should’ve come by now. It should be here. Maybe…

Thousands of thoughts rushed into my head and I brushed them off. Worrying wouldn’t change anything.

Wishfully thinking, I double checked each email account I had on the internet browser. Nothing…

…until I checked my POP/junk mail folder on my hotmail account.

“National College Match Application Status” sent at 12:01 pm. Goodness, it was already halfway past seven, I should have checked earlier.

My fingers pressed the small icon before my heart was ready for the news.

My eyes couldn’t believe it and my heart beat at 9187431938471 miles an hour.

“Dear Serry,We are pleased to inform you that you have been chosen as a finalist for the 2011 QuestBridge National College Match! “

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHH I’M A FINALIST AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” I screamed for joy! My track coach, probably scared out of his wits next to me in the Ojai Valley School Van, said, “No way!”

He had been helping me with these essays before I turned the applications in. Without his help, I don’t believe I would have gotten this far. (Thank you so much!)

Now, my next deadline is November 1. I need to submit all my applications by then and wait until December 1.

But until then, I can’t give up or slow my pace! I just need to try hard and pray even harder. Thank God for how far I’ve come. I can definitely see his hand working in my life, molding the paths I take. Although I know that this is just one step of the way, I am confident that God will lead me to the right direction.

VP: Does it Mean Anything?

therightliberal2 Comments

Being Vice President of the United States seems like a big deal. I mean, by the title, it seems to be the second most important job in the US. But is it?

No. It really is not to be honest.

Let’s think about how much power Joe Biden has. If there is a deadlock in the Senate, he has the tie-breaking vote. But because everyone knows which way he will vote, there never ends up being a need.

Nowadays the VP doesn’t even show up to the Senate, they always elect a President pro tempore. So what else are the VP’s duties.

Well really not anything. They are the first up in the line of succession so they need to keep up on all the goings on just in case the President becomes unable to serve. For the most part they go around campaigning and enjoying a nice pay check and some media coverage.

But I think there is a role for the VP, and Joe Biden does a good job of it.

Biden is really an average Joe (lots of pun intended). Listening to him talk in an interview is like listening to a local politician talk about Washington. And with the general population growing more and more uncomfortable with intelligent politicians (just look at the GOP field) it is good to have someone who can converse with the general voter.

To be honest, if there was to be a huge disaster in the US, I would want Biden to talk to the people, because he would be honest and to the point. He does not seem to be too motivated by the politics of Washington (most likely because he is not involved) and he understands Americans.

Dick Cheney was quite the opposite. While Biden comes off as a goofy and  an average guy, Cheney was the evil Sith Lord who was pulling all the strings in the executive office.

And that was the problem. Cheney was never supposed to have the power he had. The VP should not be the one controlling the country, they should be the one at the local bar getting to know the people. They should be the ones who go around the country campaigning because they have nothing better to do.

Cheney had so much power that he could not even be called VP. He was more Evil Overlord of America. Cheney is a very smart man who saw opportunity in the VP position. He realized that Bush was so weak that he could take over control of both the White House and much of the Senate.

So to answer the title of this blog, yes, the VP position CAN mean something. Chances are it doesn’t, but there are certain pairings of President and VP that turn it in to a meaningful post.

But for the sake of the country, let’s keep it meaningless. Let’s fill it with down to earth people who are able to stay attached to the real world instead of becoming entwined with the mysterious world of politics. Let’s have more Joe Bidens.

Fast Food.

YourcupateaLeave a comment

in-n-out

Fast food, in the eyes of many, means bad food.  I am going to stand up against the masses and say this is not always the case. Ok it’s greasy, fatty and is often a heart attack wrapped in a piece of paper but it can, and often does, taste good.

The one thing with fast food is that if your going to eat it you have to go all out and eat it properly.  Eat it properly what do you mean? I hear you ask. No this does not mean supersize your meal, instead it means go to the right place.

Fast food does not have to be fake food. Today as I waited for my In-N-Out Burger I admired the chef’s making fries from peeled potatoes. Yes there were real vegetables in a fast food kitchen. I know, a miracle right? Not all fast food is made from frozen fries and flesh; instead some is made extremely fresh.

Although fast food is full of fat, and a lot of the time you don’t want to know what’s inside what you’re eating, there are some times when what you’re eating is not as sinister as you believe. Fast food tastes good and can sometimes be better than you think.

Spudfest!

rangerthecatLeave a comment

Face painting, tie-dying, rubber chicken tossing, water balloon tossing, dunk tank, laser tag – you name it, Spudfest’s got it.

This Friday was the best day of the school year so far, and will most likely be one of the best overall.

I got up at 7 and went to breakfast as usual, came back, put on my team comp shirt, and went to blow up orange and black balloons in the spirit of Halloween, then doodle with some chalk in the black hole with my best friends 🙂

And then we went to play team comp where my team, the Mosquitoes, DOMINATED!
Especially in the chicken launch where I was the launcher.
Teaming up with the 8th graders was surprisingly fun, too. It was good to have them up here and show them a good time.

So many good things happened that day, including dunking one of my best friends in the dunk tank on the first try, making friendship bracelets, tie-dying some awesome designs onto my t-shirts, and painting faces.

This day really reminded me of how lucky I am to be here, and how great it can be.
And it also reminded me how great my friends are.
I love all of you. Spudfest is fun and all, but it wouldn’t be fun if each and every one of my friends was there. I am so thankful for that.



Sunsets

kirbyfullyloadedLeave a comment

No enhancements were made to these photos.

I love sunsets.  They’re in bad romances and lame, angsty teen novels, unforgettable movies, and great literary master pieces.  Artists and poets have colored miles of canvas and thousands of pages depicting and describing their radiant beauty.  Twilight (ironically the unfortunate name of another angsty teen novel) is an enchanting hour.  It is the time of day when all three of the great celestial entities exist together.  The sun sets, the moon rises and the stars just begin to emerge.

Kona, 2003:

I’m lucky enough to live by the beach.  The bay we live near faces south instead of west, so the sun never sets in front of my house, except for a short time in one season.  All year, I look forward to winter sunsets.  As December rolls around, the sun inches slowly south on the horizon, sinking into the sea right over the Channel Islands.

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A Blazing Issue

therightliberalLeave a comment

Marijuana; such a taboo to many and such an addiction to many more.

About a week ago, The Federal Government stepped into California’s legal system, going through the state telling medical marijuana dispensaries to close. This came after the Obama administration formerly stated that it would not waste it’s time on prosecuting the medical marijuana industry in California.

I guess now they have so much free time that they can afford to do this. But really, it is just not necessary. I am not upset about a states rights issue here, I have always believed that the Federal Government should have overriding power.

But now we are just battling ignorance. I am not justifying the use of marijuana, nor condemning those who use it. It is a minor drug that should be treated as such. It is no more dangerous than alcohol and quite less dangerous than cigarettes. But the hippies smoked weed so it is obviously bad.

Instead of wasting tax payer money on throwing people in jail for smoking a native plant that just makes you hungry and giggly, how about we go and educate the general population in the hopes that they do not feel the need to use drugs on a regular basis.

America is a prude society and this just shows it. Instead of making millions off of the potential taxes of legalization of marijuana, we throw thousands in jail because they smoke the Devil‘s lettuce.

Open your eyes people. Prohibition does not work! Let us learn from that handy thing called history and realize that we will be a lot better off as a society if we just roll with our capitalist ways and tax the hell out of all sales of permits and paraphernalia.

We as a country should move beyond our fears and judgements and make a rational choice. I say this not because I want to be able to smoke weed, I say this because I want a country which makes smart choices.

We need to at least leave the medical marijuana industry alone. Plus think of this; if we legalize marijuana, imagine what it would do for our food industry!

Camels & Ojai Day!

yrreskrapLeave a comment

Saturday. October 15, 2011.

I woke up early to go on a nice run on the Pi course at Ojai Valley School and went to the gym to do some core exercises.

At around 10:30, my good friend Anni walked in and we decided to take the day off and go celebrate Ojai Day.

We got on the bus at noon and arrived to a bustling scene. There were people everywhere and the air smelled of barbecue. Painters, jewelers, vendors, you name it.

The most memorable part of the trip was the camel ride. Anni and I waited for about 15 minutes behind a line of middle schoolers. I felt a little embarrassed knowing that we were both double their age but equally (if not more) excited to get our turn on the camel. Finally, it was our turn.

At first, it was very awkward for the both of us.

But after a while, we got used to it.


Overall, the camel ride was unforgettable. That ended my day on a perfect note. I had never ridden on a camel before (and Anni hadn’t either) so it was a new experience for the both of us. I can only hope to be able to come to next year’s Ojai Day.