Category: school

Sleeping too much?

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These days I sleep a lot. I mean a lot. Like taking three naps a day. Everyday I sleep a total of at least two hours during the day, and I go to sleep at 10:00 and wake up at 7:00. That means I sleep for 11 hours a day on weekdays. That is almost half of my day.

When I’m awake, the only thing I think about is when I can sleep next. On weekends I sleep more. Last weekend I went to bed at 10:00pm and woke up at 1:00pm and slept again until 5:00pm. I was shocked at how much time I was spending sleeping.

This situation is very bad and made me think that I have some kind of problem. I was worried so I made an appointment to talk to the nurse. But, then I realized that if my only worry is getting too much sleep, I have a pretty happy life. I realized how blessed I am that I don’t have anything else to worry about.

I am glad I was able to see how blessed I am, and I hope my sleeping habit is not a serious problem.

Photo Credit: i.imgflip.com

The End of a Chapter

KairodnesLeave a comment

(Photo Credit: Spreadshirtmedia.com )

Four years have passed since the class of 2017 entered high school as freshmen. Four years later, it’s the last few weeks of our senior year, the last few weeks in high school. Graduation looms around the corner. Oh, the joy of finally finishing these four grueling years, yet what good memories are in those years.

We should all take some time to think about what we have accomplished in these four years and what we have learned from friends and teachers. These memories should send chills down our spines when we think about good memories with the great people we got to know during our time here at school.

It is hard to believe that it is all about to end. We’ll soon be waking up the day after graduation thinking: “Where did these years go?” So hug your friends harder, because this might be the last time you’ll see them – the reality of graduation is just a moment away. Hold your breath, because this is one of the biggest milestones of our lives. This is the one that defines us as adults, the one that marks our accomplishments as students. Prepare yourself, because graduation will catch you off guard. 

Skiing and surfing in the same month?

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Ojai Valley School is really big on outdoor education, so we have a lot of camping trips throughout the academic year. I realized that in this month of March, I’m going on two trips that are for opposite types of activities. One is the Mammoth Mountain skiing trip and the other is a beach camping trip.

I just came back from the Mammoth Mountain skiing trip. I can’t move as much as usual because my arms, legs, and neck are sore from skiing and snowboarding. I can’t even think about surfing right at this moment, but I need to in a week, so I hope I feel better by then.

This experience – to have both of these trips happen in the same month – is only possible in California. It is crazy to think the weather can be this different in one state. I’m from Japan and I know for a fact that California is bigger in area than Japan, so this blows my mind.

Mammoth Mountain
Photo Credit: Evelyn Brokering

College Crises

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Photo Credit: BuzzFeed

Over break, I embarked on the tedious task of touring colleges. As a junior in my second semester, the process of college applications and tours are like the big bad wolf coming to get me. But before I can actually apply to colleges, I have to find colleges I actually want to go to, and that’s proving to be quite the mission.

So far, I have visited four colleges, and after numerous kids telling me to “save my money and don’t come to this hell hole” on one campus, and seeing 10,000 kids crammed into another tiny campus 20 minutes outside of the city I actually want to be in, I am now down to only two prospective colleges. The reason being is I have a very extensive checklist for my future colleges, which, considering my GPA and lack of extracurricular activities, is probably not the best idea.

Also, every college tour is the same: they all pick the same peppy tour guide, drone on about their majors and team sports, and their “diverse” (cough, cough) student population. These tours also remind me that I have another four years of school to endure after high school, so all in all, college tours really are my big bad wolf.

The truth behind my acceptance to college

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I recently got into my top-choice college, California State University Northridge (CSUN). I applied for the Cinema Television Arts department, which is very competitive.

I was shocked that they accepted me, because they didn’t ask for any teacher recommendations or personal essays. My GPA is not that high, so there was no way I got in just from that.

Photo Credit: memegenerator.net

The application only allowed me to submit my GPA, SAT scores, and personal information, such as my gender and race. So even if I were an Olympian, for example, CSUN had no way of knowing.

I researched a little about the real criteria evaluated by college admissions departments. I learned that race, family income, and where you come from can affect your acceptance. Colleges want to have a particular mix of new students. And I also know for a fact that the film industry is putting effort into getting females more involved.

Because I am mixed race, a female, I have a disability, dyslexia, and because I am a Japanese-American who grew up in Japan, I was at an advantage as far as getting into the school. I feel very lucky that my personal information was my advantage.

Thoughts of the Unathletic

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Photo Credit: ClutchPoints

Saturday night was the OVS Alumni basketball game, and, even to my surprise, I attended. I’m not much of a sports person, and this, in fact, was the first basketball game I have ever watched (aside from seeing Lamar Odom’s game scenes in the reality show “Khloé and Lamar” and from passing by my living room while my dad has a basketball game on.)

I have many questions. Do the players ever get scared of going for the basketball? I mean, it could hit you, or just give you calluses on your hands. Also, the players run into each other a lot. If it were me, I’d stay far away from the pack of players, which, obviously, is counterintuitive and pointless – maybe this is why I don’t play contact sports. Also, do some players foul each other just so they can go back to the bench? I’m pretty sure I saw that happen once, and that’s definitely what I would do. But, after watching the game tonight, I have a great deal of respect for the student and alumni players. They have a lot of athletic talent and the ability to run for 40 minutes – two things I do not possess.

Cal Lutheran

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On Saturday morning at 10 o’clock, I visited a college, Cal Lutheran, in Thousand Oaks, CA. I was curious about this college because it is opening a new multi-media building in fall, 2017. Also, my grandfather, Herb Brokering, is a famous priest among the Lutheran community. Although I am not Lutheran, I am interested in becoming one because of my grandfather. He wrote plays, books and songs for the Lutheran Church. 

The day I visited this college, I was worried that it would be very conservative and strict, since the name of the college is “Lutheran.” However, it was not. It was as nice as other colleges that I visited before, and had a very open-minded community. For example, they were giving out free condoms, and talked about other religions, like Islam. This was very interesting to see at this type of school.

The campus was very natural, surrounded by mountains and a creek, but it is still close to cities like Malibu and Los Angeles. I really enjoyed the tour and am considering attending this school.

Photo Credit: http://www.callutheran.edu

Hero?

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Photo Credit: s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com

Today is Crazy Friday at my school. This week, the theme was Superhero Day – which meant we had to dress up as a hero. Today at breakfast, my friend asked me if minions were heroes. I started laughing, and said no. She said she asked because she wanted to wear a minion costume. However, after a few seconds I realized that minions are superheroes, because in the movie they saved the moon.

The definition of “hero” on Google is “a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.” When you think of it this way, Minions are heroes.

Many other things are heroes too – not only characters on the screen, but also heroes around me. For example, my friends save me everyday from my boring life, Jack the Cat saves me from being too stressed, and my family supports me and gives me love. I appreciate all the heroes out there, and I hope I am one too.

Senioritis

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After I got accepted to a few colleges, I started to become extremely lazy. I just want to be done with high school and I don’t have the motivation I used to have, due to the fact that senior grades don’t affect the chances of being accepted.

I don’t know if I am simply becoming lazy, or if I have senioritis. Senioritis is a word I hear a lot these days. The definition is: “A crippling disease that strikes high school seniors. Symptoms include: laziness, an over-excessive wearing of track pants, old athletic shirts, sweatpants, athletic shorts, and sweatshirts. The only known cure is a phenomenon known as Graduation (Urban Dictionary).”

After reading the definition, I am pretty sure I have senioritis. Previously, I never knew it existed, and I am surprised I have it. I have 130 more days until graduation and I hope my senioritis does not affect that time. Instead of just thinking about college, I want to appreciate the last days I have at this school, and as a high school student.

Photo Credit: collegetransitioninitiative.com

Where am I from? Where do I belong?

KairodnesLeave a comment

I am an international student who has learned the ways of three different cultures. The country where I born doesn’t match my passport. My ancestors came from China, but World War II tore them away from their homeland and brought them to the island of Taiwan. The culture there changed as time went on, and Chinese and Taiwanese people have grown more and more different. Some may say that the Taiwanese and Chinese cultures have no difference, but that isn’t true to me.

When I was little I was taught two languages and was told that I was Taiwanese, and then in school I spoke English. And everyone in my family holds a Canadian passport.

People often ask me if I know where I am from, and I normally tell them that I am Taiwanese but hold a Canadian passport. The truth is that I have no idea where I am from or where I belong, or which country I should love and call home.

Photo Credit: http://www.i2.cdn.turner.com