Instagram

ackley4167Leave a comment

Lately, I’ve noticed how much Instagram and social media are part of everyday life at school. Many of my friends are trying to build their pages and grow their followings. They spend a lot of time choosing the right photos, editing them, and posting at certain times.

It’s interesting to watch because it almost feels like everyone is learning how social media works. At the same time, they’re still in high school. Some people post reels, follow trends, and even help each other by liking and sharing posts to boost engagement. A few of my friends even talk about becoming influencers someday.

At the same time, social media can change how people see things. Sometimes it feels like people care a lot about how moments look online, not just how they actually are. Instagram isn’t just an app anymore; it’s become a big part of how people connect and present their lives. Especially when it comes to college. That is everybody’s first impression of you and who you are.

“Instagram Socialmedia” by Freestocks.org/ CC0 1.0

Acceptance and Rejection

zombiegxrlLeave a comment

With the month of March comes college acceptance/rejection decisions. I’ve always said to myself and others that the rejections won’t affect me because I’ll make the best of wherever I end up. This positive outlook has changed a bit since then. I got my first true rejection last week. Not a deferment, and not a waitlist. A true, solid rejection. UC Davis apologized for not being able to offer me admission because of their large and competitive applicant pool. Since I first toured the campus of UC Davis I’ve been preaching that it just isn’t the place for me. Cow country, surrounded by the relentlessly hot and barren central California, just isn’t my top choice for the next four years of my life. Besides, I already got into UC Santa Cruz where I’d love to attend because of the beautiful campus and its equally gorgeous surroundings. Despite all this, I still felt the heavy weight of disappointment when I read the first sentence of my rejection letter. Although I didn’t want to go, I still wanted to be accepted. I wanted the validation that my hard work throughout high school was enough to get me into Davis. Sadly, this validation wouldn’t be fulfilled by Davis, and won’t be fulfilled by many other colleges as rejections continue to roll in. I’m glad I received my first rejection from a school I didn’t have my heart set on, because then my disappointment might’ve swallowed me whole. I guess I’ve learned that I’ll need to provide my own validation now, because the world is too tough to cushion every landing.

PC- Google

Changes

brownbeansLeave a comment

Do you ever look back at old memories and actually see how much you’ve changed? While we are living in the moment, we don’t notice the changes happening. Slowly, our hair grows out, our friends come and go, and we are completely different people.

As I was making my (very beautiful) senior page, I was going through memories I had forgotten about. I saw old friends, some I wish were still in my life, others I wish I had dropped sooner. But they were all learning experiences that helped me grow into who I am now.

I found pictures of my middle school friend and me. We moved to different high schools but were still close in our freshman year. At one point, she was my whole world. But the distance grew between us, and we slowly drifted apart. I think I blocked her on social media.

Some things never change, though. My best friend, my weird hair, my love for cute water bottles, and my fondness for my friends. I can’t wait to go to college and change up my environment again. I’ll miss this boring, predictable school.

credit: Pinterest

College pt. 5 mil

myfatcats2Leave a comment

Going to college genuinely terrifies me, not like it terrifies everyone else. When I think of college, a huge drop happens in my stomach. Don’t get me wrong Im excited, I have a Pinterest for my dorm room and stuff. However, I don’t do well with change, and I think that’s something I need to work on with myself. I have a system of how things are now, where I’m surrounded by everyone I love, and they are just a few steps away. When I go to college, that will be different. I’m worried about how well I can live without my mom, and I know this sounds childish, but she has been my person through everything that I have gone through. I’m scared to be away from her, because this is a new chapter in my life where I won’t have her around as much anymore, and that brings tears to my eyes as I write this. Also, I think that I’m overthinking this way too much. But at the same time, I’m scared, and I’m sad. I think about this so often, but I also understand that I’m getting ahead of myself a bit. I spiral and think about how life is so short, and then we die, and that’s just it. (unless you believe in heaven and hell, which I don’t) So, I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m nervous, scared, excited, and sad to see and start this new chapter of my life.

PC – Google

Miami Vs LAFC

Soccer11Leave a comment

This saturday im going to a Miami vs LAFC, which has some of my favorite soccer players like Messi and Son. One of my biggest dreams has been to see Messi play, and I finally get to do so this Saturday. I’m going with my siblings, who also love soccer, but they definitely do not as much as I do. This might be my only chance to see him play soccer because he might be retiring soon, and i dont have enough money to go to the World Cup, which he is playing in, in the summer. He’s always been one of my idols, and I can’t wait to see him and his teammates finally play. I really hope they beat LAFC because I’m a LA Galaxy fan and they’re really big rivals. I’m so surprised my dad was able to get tickets because by this time, they usually sold out. I’m really excited, and I can’t wait to see the best soccer player in the world play. 

PC= Google

When Stress Becomes a Personality

ackley4167Leave a comment

Since school has started, I’ve felt nothing but stress and pressure, and all I want is a break. It seems like the breaks school gives us are never long enough. It always feels like dread. Having to get home from school at 5 pm. Then worry about having to do homework, take a shower, and eat dinner. It all becomes a routine. A routine that feels weird not to do, like on Fridays. To me, the weekend is only one day. Friday we have school, but still the best day of the “weekend”. Saturdays are our only full day without having to worry about anything except dreading Sunday. And Sunday is the worst day of the week. The defeat of realizing that the weekend is over. Having to repeat that whole routine that you just got a 2-day break from. Then on Monday, the whole process repeats. You’re stressing about assignments that are due. Your stress is making you treat others poorly, but there’s nothing you can do except follow that routine. You want to try to balance a social life while being good at school, so you try, and you fail. You pick being social over studying, and the next day you bomb your exam. Now you don’t want to be social. You want to study, but you have FOMO about your friends and what they could be doing. It feels like nothing is enough. Weekends are the time to socialize, but why do we only have a day? It feels like my life is repeating itself over and over again, and there’s no escape.

PC: Google

Blurb and Thoughts

Bl@ckBe@nsLeave a comment

Credit: Pintrest

I swear, when I don’t have a blog to write, I have some good ideas, but when it’s time actually to write one, my brain blanks. I would always do another movie review, but I don’t really have one in mind right now. Ten Things – I can’t think of ten things to like or hate at the moment. 

I also have to make it 150 words. Although I find it difficult, once I really get into my blog, I sometimes exceed the word limit. Like right now, the more words I can think about, the higher my word count gets, so all I need to do is think of words to use, like supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Now that’s a fun word to say. 

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, I just searched up what it means. It does have a meaning; I thought it was a fun word to say that came out of a Disney movie. Anyway, I have reached and surpassed the word limit.

I Need More Money

brownbeansLeave a comment

Recently, three schools have given me financial aid packages. I need a lot of money to go to college. These colleges are so expensive, and for no reason.

The first school. They gave me a pretty good amount of money. I probably would be able to afford to go to this school, but it might be hard on my parents and me. It is in San Diego, and I love San Diego. It’s a good school, and I heard they have a good alumni network, so it might be worth it.

The second school. It is in Merced. Who even lives in Merced? They gave me the most money out of the three. But I don’t want to live in the middle of nowhere. After discussing it with people smarter than I am, I realized even if they paid me to go there, I still wouldn’t.

The third school. It’s in LA and I kind of like it. It’s in a really nice area, and I would be close to home. It used to be an all-girls college, but they recently changed to coed. The student body is still mainly girls, and I think that is cool. They gave me the least amount of money so far.

I can’t wait to see what other schools I get into and how much money they are going to give me.

Credit: Pinterest

Quentin Tarentino’s Underrated Gem – Death Proof

Halos_击Leave a comment

Quentin Tarantino is known for a plethora of films, most famously Kill Bill and Reservoir Dogs. But that’s not to say those are his only good films.

Over break, I was yearning for a movie. A Tarentino movie, to be exact. That’s when I look at my ‘To Watch’ list in my notes app, and I see the movie Death Proof.

I look up what the movie is about. “A stuntman who kills women with a modified car labeled as ‘Death Proof'”. That… doesn’t seem interesting. Well, not to me at least, since I’m not into cars that much.

Well, to my surprise, I really liked this movie. The music, the visuals, the makeup, the comedy, and the actors. Despite being considered a “flop” to Tarentino, this movie is held very close to my heart.

I recommend it to people who are into cars. I didn’t understand half the things that the actors were talking about when they were talking about cars. Whoops.

P.C. – “Death Proof” – Google

Instagram reels

candystealer76Leave a comment

My mother has an unhealthy obsession with overloading me with at least 10 Instagram reels a day. Usually, they’re all about topics I don’t understand or have no interest in. I only respond with hearting the message, so I would think she got the memo that I don’t watch most of them, but she keeps sending more and more every day. I honestly think reels are the best sometimes, but my mother and I are not on the same wavelength of humor. Sometimes after a bad day, Im exited to see what strange reels she’s sending me, but I think my expectations are higher than what she sends. I’ll even send her a reel now and then, but she doesn’t reply; she probably thinks of my feed the same way I think of hers.

She also likes to make group chats with my friends and send us what she thinks would apply to us. I love her effort of trying to bond with us through Instagram reels, even though our humor doesn’t always match, we still find it funny. My mother’s reels are a different universe. Once she discovered them, she never turned back. She loves adding in little inspirational quotes and speeches. I don’t know how her algorithm turned into her being a motivational speaker, a chef, and an expert on how teenagers act. Her reels are all slightly painful to watch, but I still watch every single one.

“person browsing Instagram iPhone“/ CC0 1.0