Recently on I believe on April 5, 2019, I tried out to get onto the color guard team of Fountain Valley High School. At the time, I would have been content with just being able to have the courage to actually go and try out. For, I’m not one to be very good at actually going out to get involved with something. I’ve typically only done things for the sake of enjoyment and for fun. Don’t get me wrong I don’t thing that color guard’s fun, but now I’m actually given the stage to be able to compete. As I mentioned before, I have only done things for fun, but to more clarify what I mean, I refer to the fact that I wouldn’t usually commit to an actual activity; I’ve only done it because I enjoyed it and wasn’t serious about it.
Although, as I mentioned before, I would have been content with just the feeling of actually going to try out, but when the results were released, I had actually made the team. When I saw my audition number on the sheet that said that I had made it onto the team, I was ecstatic. And although I’m quite scared for what’s to come, I still wish to continue and await for the journey ahead of me.
We’ve already began training for the seasons to come and I’ve already gotten many bruises, but they’re worth it. The tosses and routines of color guard have been quite difficult and a bit painful, but when i got better and better at the tricks, it made me genuinely happy. And I’m veerrryyyy excited for learning more tricks I can do within color guard.
Recently as of now, May 19th, 2019, there has been a rise of drama and arguments within the beauty community regarding the celebrities James Charles and Tati. Although, there may be some intervention of another celebrity, Jeffree Star. Tati had made videos regarding her opinion of James Charles. For Tati was like a mother figure to James, and he promoted her product Halo Beauty. However, after Cochella , he had promoted another rivaling brand, Sugar Bear Hair on Instagram. Tati had felt betrayed and made a reaction video following James’ promotion
Although, Tati seemingly made her reaction and opinion without thinking much of the consequences that it would cause. Many of James’ fans began to unfollow James while starting to follow Tati. For a few days, James lost about 3 million subscribers on Youtube, and many of James’ friends unfollowed him on Instagram. Tati stated in her video that James had changed because of fame and money, and that he had used his fame to try to twist men into being with him. She accused James of being a sexual predator. The most prominent piece of “evidence” being a waiter at a restaurant that James had supposedly sexually harassed.
However, as time past, James continued to be hated and lost many followers and his career suffered dramatically. But recently, it came to light that Tati and another fellow beauty guru may have staged James Charles’ downfall. On April 18th, James followed up upon his apology video, trying to clear up the situation as well as his name. He stated in the video that Tati may have twisted some of her words to make James seem like a bad person. Tati’s argument about James promoting the rival brand without her knowledge was false. She claimed in the video that James did not mention the promotion before or after he had done it. However in James’ video, he showed actual text evidence that he had told her of the promotion and explained the reason why he was going to promote the brand; they gave him back stage tickets to Cochella, helped avoid being horded by fans and wanted to repay them.
Furthermore, the waiter that James had supposedly “harassed” made a video that he and James had DMed each other and talked. Although, it’s true that they were together for a night, it was with consent, unlike what Tati had stated. Additionally, the celebrity, Jeffree Star was revealed to have texted James a scheme that he and Tati most likely had made an ORCHESTRATED SCHEME to ruin James’ career.
the text is the actual text from James’ video
All in all, where am I going with this, I don’t know… BUT society today is quite toxic. As I said before, Tati was like a mother figure to James. Imagine how James felt when he was set up by someone he trusted so much, and attempt to completely destroy his career. Even AFTER Tati’s video, her product had made A LOOOOTT of money as well as Jeffree Star’s. Many speculate that she and Jeffree may have collaborated to rid of the prominent figure in the beauty community as well as try to get better sales in their product. Annyywaay, that’s basically my point of this; there’s so much toxicity in society and it seems so unnecessary and quite greedy IF these rumors are true.
Living as a teenager, it’s quite easy to be overcome and overwhelmed by the trends and expectations peers and society, for an example; movies. As time past for the past few years, many movies have come out that have been boasted by all the hype from many teens, children, and adults alike. However, I don’t exactly feel the same hype and excitement of some of these movies that have recently come out. For an example, when new Star Wars movies are released, many individuals were extremely excited for watching the movie. Although, I myself am not a big fan of Star Wars does not feel the same as many others. Furthermore, seeing as Avengers: Endgame, has just came out a few days ago, many people books tickets to see it as quick as possible, but I just can’t feel the same hype as others. And it kind of annoys me when people are surprised or offended when I express my lack of excitement to them.
Although, it’s not that I hate the Marvel’s work, but rather, I’m just not that dedicated to their works. I do wish to watch the movie, but I’m not rushed nor am I “desperate” to get a ticket as fast as possible. Rather, I’m more inclined to watch the movie once I have time and there’s a movie I want to watch at the moment. Well anyways, the point of this is that I wish people wouldn’t expect everyone to be as excited for movies, etc, just because it was a big part of their lives. Let me be excited for what I want pleassseee!!
It comes as a shock to many people, but I do not deal with roller coasters very well. Although, they do seem very fun and thrilling, I cannot avoid being afraid of going on the actual roller coaster. However, when I’m actually on the roller coaster, I’m scared at first, but when the most thrilling parts passes, I find the ride extremely fun and exhilarating. I’m the individual that has the worst and hardest time going onto the roller coaster, but when I’m on the ride, I begin to calm down and actually enjoy the ride. Buuuttt, it’s pretty hard either way, and I don’t exactly want to go through the roller coaster of feelings just to get on a ride. I don’t exactly enjoy the fear of going on to the ride, but I don’t hate the feeling of adrenaline and excitement from the ride.
My most prominent experience with roller coaster is when I accompanied my friend, Kat to the Orange County Fair (OC Fair). There’s this one ride that I promised to her that I would go on but she made go on, not once, but TWICE. This specific ride is called, the Zipper. It looks like a rectangular ferris wheel, but the compartments that someone would usually sit in will actually flip, in addition, to the actual “wheel” itself rapidly flipping, and sometimes switching directions. Although, I almost cried getting on, when the actual ride start (which lasted for a minute) I was actually enjoying myself while also trying not to pee myself. But!! The second time I went on was because she got me a plushie from a game and I agreed to do whatever she wanted. However, this time I got on, I accidentally, let go of the bars to keep myself from sliding too much, but in the process hit my head on the bars that allowed us to see outside. In addition to hitting my head, Kat said to open my eyes (cause I always closed them) and I HAD to look right when our compartment was on the top AND facing downwards. Although, the ride was a scary experience, I don’t regret going on it, and I hope to overcome my fear of roller coasters.
Dogs has been a creature in which I adore. Despite not owning one for a majority of my life up until recently, I have had an undying love for dogs. All dogs in my opinion are not only super adorable, but also so lovable. Most dogs are extremely energetic, which can honestly be extremely tiring, but it goes to show how comfortable they feel around you.
who wouldn’t love this face?
Not only are dogs very playful, once they become attached to you, they very openly show their love for you as well as what you’ve done for them. Furthermore, dogs can be extremely loyal towards their owner if they’ve been treated properly. Additionally, dogs can be a good way to begin getting more active; playing with them as well as taking them on walks. Although, the process of training a dog may be a difficult path, the merits gained from it are worth it. Dogs can also serve as very effective therapeutic approach.
However, on a completely unrelated note, I find that it’s extremely unfair that SO MANY DOGS LOOK SO BEAUTIFUL. Every dog is of course adorable and cute, but there’s the large handful of dogs that are so unique and pretty, like can I have some of your beauty? So many dogs possess unique features and characteristics that make me very envious of their good genes.
what is this?? why can’t i be this pretty?? it’s not fair?? give me some??
My dog that my family recently adopted from a shelter is a small dog that we named, Milo (it’s pronounced like Lilo from Lilo and Stitch for some reason a lot of people pronounce it wrong) who is a mix between a chihuahua and a spaniel. Despite him being a very energetic and territorial dog, I love him so much.
My Hero Academia is a Japanese animated TV series that has recently been released, and still ongoing. The show has captured many hearts of young individuals with the show’s clique yet unique story line. The man, Kohei Horikoshi, is the man behind the creation of My Hero Academia, after many failed creations, created the hit, My Hero Academia. He is a huge fan of Marvel and DC comics, even having drawn inspiration from characters within those series. The original manga was first released in July 2014, but the anime was first aired on April 3, 2016. However, as of now, the anime is currently working on producing the fourth season of the show, and 22 volumes total have been released; 221 chapters in total.
Kohei Horikoshi is quite shy soo he usually wears some sort of mask
My Hero Academia follows a high school student, Midoriya Izuku, through his journey from a zero to a hero. The society in Japan lives within a world where people have special abilities called, quirks. Midoriya is a huge fan of any hero, especially the number one hero, All Might. However, Midoriya, despite both his parents having quirks, he himself possessed none. Thus, resulting in Midoriya being bullied throughout his childhood; even to considering committing suicide. Although, originally, he believed that his quirk was late to manifest, but discovering the truth truly destroyed Midoriya’s dreams. But one day, he encountered All Might and soon learned of the truth behind the greatest hero; his quirk is past on from one person to another, and that the pillar of justice was losing strength (All Might has a permanent handicap from a tough battle). However, one day a monster captured one of Midoriya’s once childhood friend, now bully; even without a quirk, he tried to rescue him. All Might coincidentally witnessed Midoriya’s pure bravery and decided to make Midoriya his predecessor. The show continues from this moment as Midoriya joins the top hero academy, UA High School, as well as being trained by All Might in secret to utilize Midoriya’s newfound quirk. However, due to some recent attacks from villains, the higher ups of the school concluded that there is a traitor among either the students or teachers. My HeroAcademia follows Midoriya as he becomes the number one hero in Japan.
There is a character in particular that catches my interest is a boy by the name of Todoroki Shouto. He is the son of the notorious number two hero, Endeavor. Although, despite having the name of aspiration and something considered “just,” he contradictory of the definition of a hero. Todoroki’s father was the man that emotionally and mentally traumatized him as a young child, in addition to physical abuse, not exclusively to him but also his wife. However, it is said that Todoroki’s father only had a child (HE WAS FIVE YEARS OLD) with his wife, Rei, to make his image of “absolute strength” as his own offspring, his “masterpiece.” Endeavor possessed the quirk of flames; whereas, Rei had an ice quirk. Although, despite many “failures,” the couple gave birth to Todoroki, who possesses both the flame and ice quirk. Therefore, having the “ultimate” quirk, Todoroki was constantly trained to be the hero Endeavor enforced upon him. Although, Rei was there to comfort Todoroki when it was too much to bear. However, the abuse soon became too much for Rei and she poured boiling hot water on Todoroki’s face out of sheer disgust claiming; ” The children, they’re…like him more and more every day. And Shoto…his left side. Sometimes I look at him and hate what I see. I…can’t raise him anymore. I shouldn’t raise him…” Due to Todoroki resembling Endeavor. Therefore, Todoroki’s safety, his escape from his father was completely destroyed.
Todoroki sticks out to me because he despises his own father to the point where he refused to use the flame quirk (like submitting to his father’s will) as well as the mention of Endeavor’s name or claim that they are related angered Todoroki greatly. However, it moved me when in a specific episode, he was moved by a simple quote from Midoriya: “It’s yours! Your quirk, not his!” Despite this being such a short and simple quote, it impacted Todoroki greatly, for it reminded him that his reputation and strength aren’t bond to Endeavor by blood, for they are established my one’s own individual choices as well as how one chooses to use one’s quirk. Todoroki was able to change in such a way that he realized that the real obstacle he must overcome was himself because he refused to use his quirk due to it being from his father. Thus, Todoroki was able to change his mindset to destroy the chains that held him back, and this change moved me, that this person that was displayed to be a strong person was suffering so much inside. Furthermore, it amazed me that a simple yet powerful quote was able to inspire him so much.
yup he was inspired by Zuko from Avatar the Last Air Bender
The story plot of My Hero Academia is a clique plot yet, Horikoshi put so much thought and effort to make this specific series stand out compared to other stories with his intricate details he adds. The story is the embodiment of inspiration as well as the concept that power doesn’t necessarily come from brute strength, but also from words and actions that may prove to be more effective than simple words. Hence, Midoriya was able to inspire and help so many individuals due to the simple fact that he himself endured quite hard times too. Thus, he uses his feelings and emotions from his experience to help others or simply comfort them. The series was able to capture how many people uses words to help others, not exclusively within the anime, but also within the manga.
All Might was inspired by Captain America !!
I find My Hero Academia a very enjoyable show that not only inspired me to become a better person, but other people as well. The show was able to touch many hearts and sometimes teach others how simple changes can make them into a better person; it may not be a fast change, but it’s still something.
Life becomes increasingly more difficult as it passes due to the responsibilities that befall every person as they age. Although, I don’t mind the increasing amount of responsibilities, I am rather more upset of the lack of time given to achieve said responsibilities; therefore, leading me to lack sleep.
Having enough rest is a great feeling to have; you aren’t groggy, difficult to stay awake, and the constant feeling of heaviness. Sleep deprivation makes my days a lot longer as well as a lot more difficult to motivate myself to achieve. Moreover, it assists in making me increasingly more susceptible to irritation and frustration. Thus., making my motivation to just finish the day, extremely low. I constantly long for more time to complete work as well as to study and plan for the future. Although, my sleep deprivation is mainly due to my procrastinating habits. However, I’m trying to break said habits, but it has proven to be a lot more difficult that I originally anticipated.
Sleep is a short escape from realty, as well as a short break from all the stress and all the troubles of the world. Furthermore, it replenishes my energy and gives me an extremely comfortable place to stay. Sleep has become something that I treasure and I regret how I took it for granted as a child. Although, I wish schools can bring back nap time because us teens need it a lot more than children. The work load isn’t too much, but rather the amount of time given to complete it makes things a lot more difficult. Thus, I wish we were given more time to complete projects and assignments; hence, other class projects and assignments tend to overlap, and cause the students to stress to complete all of them.
Although, as much as I hate to admit it, my lack of sleep is a lesson to learn to manage my time wisely. Additionally, as much as I complain about school and how much work I have, it befalls upon my actions that I have taken to use my time. Therefore, I am to blame.
I have never been sure if my family is fully accepting towards concepts considered different or unorthodox. Being as I was exposed to quite a large number of controversial topics, I was forced to see the unfair treatment of the world. However, being as I was exposed to these topics, I developed a sense of observation; seeing the intentions of others or hidden thoughts based on one’s behavior and personality. Thus, I have become more apparent of what others may think and feel. Although, I feel quite guilty having this habit; like looking into the mind of another individual without consent, but it is something that I unconsciously do to choose my actions and words as rationally as possible. Although, back to may family, I’m not exactly sure if they are open-minded towards other concepts, specifically the LGBTQ community.
Throughout life, I subconsciously analyze other people’s character by observation and interaction. Thus, I constantly analyze my family, and I have always suspected that my parents are not exactly open towards different ideas. Seeing as they are not even that open towards modern preference in arts; music, fashion, games, movies, etc, I wouldn’t be surprised if they aren’t accepting towards the LGBTQ community. My parents are quite judgemental, making sure that I clearly perceive their distaste, questioning my choices in music, entertainment, and even my friends. By understanding their strict judgement, I constantly question whether or not, they’d be disappointed in me if I were to be different in anyway, break their expectations, or become someone that isn’t to their liking. I had come to an understanding or an assumption that my parents are not accepting towards ideas differentiating from their own norms.
I had come to this mindset due to the incidents from my parents. Hence, as I was relaxing on the weekend, my mom came up to me and questioned what i was watching; why I even bothered to watch. She then continued on to say that it was better to watch educational videos. Although, I do understand where she’s coming from, but my mom seems to take it too far; I understand that what I watch may be different from her preferences, but that doesn’t necessarily give her the obligation to mold my tastes to her; I am my own person, with my own tastes, not just a simple copy of my mom. Moreover, I was watching an animation of a girl coming out as lesbian; however, my dad questioned what I was watching, (like I said before I observed people very often) constantly trying to subtly encourage me to change what I watching. Many other events have made me come to this conclusion, but these are the most prominent.
These events have led me to believe that my parents are close minded, seeing as they judge many things that I choose to enjoy or believe. I love them dearly, but that makes things more difficult because of the fear of betraying their support and affection. I see things that I feel are hard to fit into and I believe that my parents are quite closed minded due to these constricting expectations. Thus, I came to an understanding that I probably cannot live up to my parents’ expectations, and that their perspective on life are a lot more narrow than mine, or I believe this at least.
Although, I have finally realized, or rather, finalized my conclusion; my parents are not very open to different concepts. Hence, they discourage the exposure to ideas that they consider “taint” or “malevolent,” believing that my mind with not grow well in the future. Therefore, leading me to the conclusion to my parents being quite strict, trying to deny the concepts they consider to be unorthodox and dishonorable. Moreover, I have accepted that I cannot live as myself without disappointing my parents; thus, I will try to accommodate for our differences and equally fit into mine as well as my parents’ expectations, be disappoint both myself and my parents equally.
Singing and music in general has been a large aspect within my life; hence, it played a large role of being a stress reliever throughout time. As I grew older, stress drastically increased with the increase of responsibilities and priorities. Thus, music grew to be an even larger stress reliever. Singing and music has been able to put me at ease be it, if I were to be frustrated, or sad. Although, music has also helped me through some other tougher times. For an example, I had a bit of trouble with my worth as a person; constantly thinking that I was just merely a waste of space. Although, I would listen to music in order to calm down and think. Music and singing is like my paradise; when I listen to it, the world becomes just a bit more bright and zen. Hence, it helps me push away the stress and negativity of the world. Music and singing has helped me cope with negative thoughts within my mind; assisting in building a separate realm within reality, within nothing within it, but zen.
Moreover, videos and anime help alleviate stress just as well. Hence, they allow me to indulge in something that takes my mind off of the stress and burden on my shoulders for just a brief moment. Although, it may be brief alleviation, it boosts my motivation to work rather than constantly working for a long period of time without any breaks. Furthermore, being able to take my mind off of anxiety and tension can allow me to think more clearly and quite possibly assist in planning out my time wisely; for I work considerably better without stress and tension. Videos and anime help with stress by letting me indulge in a world or dimension other than my own; seeing a video game lets play, or an anime with an amazing world concept. It like music creates my own world without the stress just for a brief moment. For all these things that I have, always help with my mental health, letting me live a nice and quite peaceful life. :))
Being a teenager girl within her growing stages has been a struggle for me. As I have been growing older, my body cannot metabolize as well as before, turning my snacks into more fat on my body. Moreover, my body produces a lot more sweat now than as a younger child. Thus, giving me acne. Being a teenager is hard.
As a teenager, my body body cannot consume as much food as before, without gaining a single pound. However, currently is vastly different; having to being cautious of what I consume (not really but you get my point) in order to maintain a healthy body. Unfortunately, this mindset in combination with school work has led me to an unhealthy habit; skipping meals. Yes, I know, it doesn’t seem like a dramatic habit, but if you put all the meals that I’ve missed, and soon you’ll see a problem. It has become more often that I skip meals in order to finish school work (I may or may not be doing that at the moment; I’m sorry). However, I always say that I’ll go eat, but by the time I finish, it became too late to eat. I’m not saying that I struggled with a lot of self esteem issues, nor am I saying that I didn’t struggle with confidence, but all I’m saying is that now as a teenager, my actions weigh a lot more as well as has more consequences.
In addition to physical struggles, mental struggles have been more prominent as well. Being within an Asian household, it has been an expectation to receive straight A’s as well as be a good role model to everyone within the family. Mentally, that was- no is the worst of being a teenager. Responsibilities are dropped onto you, with sometimes barely to no time to breathe. At some point, it had even gotten to the point at which I cried myself to sleep as well as cried alone in my room. Moreover, it has in a way traumatized me to not talk to my parents that much; always fearing disappointment, the thoughts of being a failure within my parents’ eyes. I don’t exactly enjoy talking to my parents as much due to the fact that they compare me to any other person right in front of me. It’s basically having the words, “you’re not good enough,” shoved into your face, and having a cousin that recently got into Harvard hasn’t been good either. Although, it isn’t that, but I’d rather not have to endure the mental anxiety and trauma have being verbally or mentally having my confidence shot down.
Although, being a teenager isn’t all that bad. I’m able to experience so much more than I would have been able to as a child. Moreover, I trusted to do more than being babied or pitied because I was too young. I know having more responsibilities isn’t fun, but being a teen has helped me become more social as well as open about my feelings. Being a teenager isn’t as bad as I anticipated.
Leyna Nguyen 