Presents.

YourcupateaLeave a comment

Choosing gifts sometimes feels like one of the hardest decisions. How can you determine what will bring someone joy and happiness? There is no way of knowing, except to choose from you heart. Think about what someone would really like.

Yes idea’s and lists help considerably, but isn’t it nice to open a surprise on Christmas day? I have come up with the perfect solution, to solve any gift troubles. Comedy gifts.

Yes it may not be the Xbox or Wii that someone wanted, but it’s a humorous gift that you have sought out specifically for the individual. Surely the dedication and time put into finding such a unique present is worth more than a “one click” from Amazon.

As I grow older I have began to find the simple things in life are of more worth. Those hand-picked gifts that people have purchased specifically for you are of far more value than expensive gifts brought just to feed another’s greed.

I’m not saying expensive gifts aren’t good, but let them be a present that was purchased with love and consideration rather than because of fear of rejection.

In no way am I expressing that we should all go out and buy a personalized Christmas sweater for your friends, just think about what you are purchasing rather than buying because you have to.

Christmas Sweaters

Ask Me To Marry You Like You Mean It!

yrreskrapLeave a comment

Just recently, I read an article on the 5 worst ways to “pop the question” on Yahoo.

As I was reading, I was shocked when I heard that someone had the audacity to ask the question on Twitter. The conversation went something like this:

“To @emilychang – After fifteen years of blissful happiness I would like to ask for your hand in marriage?”

“@maxkiesler – yes, i do.”

When I read this, I couldn’t help but think, “What happened to privacy and romance?” I would hate to be proposed to in any way other than face to face, with my partner on one knee. But of course, that’s just me.

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Games.

theycallmedameLeave a comment

Finals. Then break.
Finals. Then break.
Finals. Then break.

It’s all you hear while walking through the hallways of the girl’s dorm.

There’s the occasional strum of a guitar from the room next to mine, and my roommate is hunched over her books, studying in a language that is not her own.

People are running down the halls, laughing about a three week break from school or screaming in a burst of rage, “I hate finals!”

And amidst all of the chaos, all of the sounds melding into one, melodramatic hum, I remain motionless. The last words printed on the book in front of me stand out above the pressing noise.

“There are worse games to play.”

And although the circumstances are different, the words adapt to mean everything and anything.

The game of studying for finals that will, in the end, not throw my grades off some horrendous no-returning-from-here cliff. They will not make or break my chances of getting into a college that awaits me two years in the future. They will only bring chaos to here-and-now moments.

As soon as the school leaves for break, everyone will forget their almost-meltdowns about how, “There’s no way I’m not going to fail my chemistry final.”

Through the race of muttered curse words, ripped pages, destroyed text books, and the silent but studious players in a never-ending game, everyone needs to stop and breathe.

After five or six two-hour long tests, it will be over, and everyone will have a three week break to regain the sleep they lost in preparation for a final that they will forget the information to in a matter of hours.

In. And out.
In. And out.
In. And out.

My Favorite Time of the Year

yrreskrapLeave a comment

Artists are making renditions of classic Christmas music. The winter cold is turning the tip of my nose pink. Small beads of lights, strung up in and around buildings, are brightening up the night. A miasma of green and red invade candy wrappers and wrapping paper. This can only mean one thing: Christmas is near.

I can’t quite put my finger on why I love Christmas. My family was never one to celebrate it. I’ve never experienced those huge, family, holiday reunions with a feast of home cooked foods that I’ve seen on television. I remember having a Christmas tree in the house only once in my life. Of course, I still receive presents from friends and family but that is the only form of celebration I have ever had. But the gifts are not what draw me to Christmas.

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College Cup

therightliberalLeave a comment

I rarely talk about American football (soccer) but tomorrow is a big day and not may people know about it. In the States, college sports are a big deal. But college soccer (just so there is no misunderstanding) does not get the press it deserves. There is a lot of talent in the collegiate level in soccer.

The NCAA has had a very good competition going for the last 20 years. My father played  college soccer at UCSB and we often go to games together. The atmosphere is great, with fans throwing tortillas on the field to support their Gauchos. The level of play is very high, in both the men’s and women’s levels.

This Sunday the NCAA National Soccer Championship takes place at UCSB. I am fortunate enough to have a ticket and I look forward to seeing a great game between Akron and Louisville.

I hope that many people get a chance to watch the game which will be shown on ESPN. There will be much talent on the field. It will be a hard-fought game by two great teams. Hopefully college soccer will start to get more fans because it is a truly great competition.

Nothing Gold Can Stay

pikachu04Leave a comment

leafNature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

This poem was written by Robert Frost, it is one of my favorites. I think that this poem symbolizes the innocence that a child possesses until they are exposed to the world’s raw truths and they change. Holding onto that innocence and purity is very hard, even impossible. At some point, everyone loses their innocence.

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Valued.

theycallmedameLeave a comment

The value of the written word is highly under-appreciated.

People have shortened typed and written words to make it easier or faster to get their message across. But sometimes, their message is as dismal as “lol.”

The literacy rate in America must be on a steep decline, what with people typing with ludicrous letters and numbers left and right.

It does not seem like a big deal, but when I read something someone sent me, and it l00k5 lyk33 th15, I want to scream. L33t Speak and “modern-day shorthand” are both ridiculous.

Fragmented sentences, incorrectly spelled words, and poor grammar are not fashion statements, they’re just ways for you to display your stupidity for the world to see.

Please, World, write with the competence I’m sure you possess. Please.

Girls’ Soccer Team Earns First Win of the Season

pikachu04Leave a comment

soccer
Yesterday, around 2:15, our girls soccer team headed down to the field to warm up for our first game of the season. We were all a little nervous to play against Thacher school, but once the game began, it became obvious that we would be victorious.

We started out with a goal in only the first five minutes of the game, and once that happened, out energy just shot through the roof. The entire game we defended well, and played great offense as a team. Despite the difficulties with the refs, the game went perfect.

We ended out the game with a score of five to zero and celebrated our victory together as a team while still being respectful to Thacher. We all high-fived each other and said “good game” and it was over. For the first game of the season, we far exceeded our own expectations and I can’t wait to see how the rest of our season unfolds, try to make it down to one of the games if you want to see for yourself!

Imagine

shredicusmaximusLeave a comment

There’s a spot in Central Park under a cherry blossom tree just off the road where carriage drawn horses pass by next to yellow taxi cabs. It’s the place you know where nothing is real, this one section that’s simplistic meaning and powerful emotion flow freely in warm shafts of color in a cold, hard city setting. Looking through bent back tulips, we come across what is known as “Strawberry Fields.” It is a lovely, tiled, circular piece on the ground. Set as the sun, one word graces the center, partially covered by flowers and photographs laid there by thousands of adoring fans; “Imagine.”

imagine

John Winston Lennon, what is there that can’t be already said. The stories you’ve told and lives you’ve touched shall never be paralleled. Whether we’d be picturing ourselves in a boat on a river with tangerine trees and marmalade skies, or being welcomed by an Octopus into his safe and loving garden beneath the waves, there is nobody I’d rather listen to 8 days a week.

You took us on lyrical journeys through Yellow Submarines, to the wings of Black Birds, to the emotion carried in Oh Darling! and Here Comes the Sun. You’ve given me reasons to dance in Twist and Shout and I wanna hold your hand. You’ve given me headaches in Hey Jude.
Your words of wisdom have guided the many who have been fortunate enough to listen to your work. You’ve always reassured us that there will be an answer in our times of trouble and after Hard Days Nights we must remember, “Ob La Di, Ob La Da la la la la life goes on.” The world is lucky to have known you, and twice as lucky to remember you.

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I hope that there is a place for you to sing again. A place where you can preach your message of peace and love among all mankind, where you can tell the world that the Beatles are “bigger than Jesus,” and that you can supply Shea Stadiums biggest attendance figures, upstaging the New York Mets. Come to think of it, there is a place like that. Across the Universe, you are revered, celebrated, and your music will always be listened to rather than just heard. The message that we should all Come Together and Give Peace a Chance, is one that will never go away, all thanks to you. A symbol of love and friendship, a singer of song, a general in the British Invasion, and a true icon. So long John.

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“You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one, I hope someday you’ll join us, and the world will live as one.”
-John Winston Lennon

Julian Assange

smackyjackjackLeave a comment

One of the world’s most controversial people, Julian Assange, was arrested on tuesday in London on sexual abuse charges. Julian Assange is the founder of Wikileaks. Wikileaks is the website where anonymous sources can post information that has to do with confidential American intelligence. The posting of this information has started heated debates about whether or not it is okay to post information like this on a public website.  One side argues that it will compromise America’s security,  and the other argues that it is freedom of speech.

Now that Julian Assange has been arrested, it has sparked a huge war between Assange’s followers, and his prosecutors. Some of his lawyers’ bank accounts have been hacked, draining their accounts.  The hackers have done this to protest the arrest, and emphasize freedom of speech.