Whatever I choose it to be

I know I've been falling behind with these, but I'm not totally giving up on this challenge! 

Day 3: what you think your reason for being here is

I'm an existentialist, which, as I understand it, means believing there is no set purpose for all human beings. As in, the goal of your life isn't to have children and get married, make as much money as possible, or even prepare yourself for a happy afterlife. I think life has the meaning you give it, whatever that may be. 

That being said, I think I was put on this earth simply to write. Write about my life experiences, politics, feminism, and anything else that I think is important. I dream is that my writing becomes well-known enough for it to make a difference in at least one person's life.

It's a lofty goal, I know, but it certainly can't hurt to go after it.  

Marijuana, of course

Day 2: something that’s illegal but you think it should be legal

I've already written a satirical piece on legalizing marijuana here.

We live in a country based on freedom. Shouldn't we have the right to use whatever drugs we please? I'd like to think so. Not to mention the fact that marijuana is considerably less dangerous and addictive than alcohol, which is very much legal. AND, it would help the economy. Seems like a win-win for me! 

365 Challenge? I think so.

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all had a nice holiday and got to spend some quality time with your family and friends. 

This year, I'm feeling ambitious. I'm going to do a 365 day challenge, which basically means I have to write something new on a different topic every day this year (except on February 29, since 2012 is a leap year and all).  I've never done one before, but it seems exciting. It will put me on a strict writing schedule and may even teach me a thing or two about myself. 

The list of challenges is quite lengthy, as you can imagine, so I'll just post the link here. Wish me luck!

Day 1: hopes, dreams, and plans for the next 365 days with a picture of yourself 

                                

I'm a dreamer. Most of dreams focus on becoming the best writer I can be while somehow making a difference in the world. So, of course, I would like to work on that in the coming year.


Ideally, I'll write a novel, but I think a more realistic goal would be for me to work on my essay and short story writing skills before I try to tackle writing an entire book. There are a few teen contests that I would like to enter (and hopefully win!) this year. 


I'm going to college this year, too. How exciting! I want to have a good time while maintaining a high GPA and learning as much as possible. Shouldn't be too hard. 


Oh, and I guess getting into better shape never hurt anyone either. :) 

Happy Belated Turkey Day!

Hey everyone! Sorry for the lack of updates. I'll try to post on this more regularly, I promise. 

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I know I sure did. I traveled to Forest Hills in Queens with my best friend, Crystal, to visit one of her professors from Parsons. We feasted on the quintessential Thanksgiving dinner: turkey, string beans, corn bread, gravy, cranberry sauce, etc. It was delicious. 

But the best part about the dinner, in my opinion, would have to be the discussions we had. We debated about feminism, religion, and all sorts of heavy hitting topics. I found it particularly interesting because no one had ever challenged my feminist, existential ideals before. It was a great exercise in my rhetorical ability and hope to have similar experiences in the future.

Professor Carolyn said she would love to have us back. I sure hope she was serious about her offer!

Class of 2012!

Today was my last first day of high school. It was a bittersweet moment. 

I've learned a lot in high school and will never forget the friendships I developed there, but I can't wait for college. I already have my Common App essay done. I'm looking at a wide range of schools, but hopefully I can get into my top choices and do something great while I'm there. 

But anyway, the first day of school was fine. Nothing too interesting happened. I wore a burgundy one shoulder dress and black wedges, even though it was raining all day. I wish my hair could have lasted as well as my outfit did, haha. 

My schedule looks pretty challenging, but equally as interesting. Here it is: 

1. AP Biology
2. AP Statistics 
3. Anatomy & Physiology 
4. AP English Literature 
5. Health/Physical Education
6. AP Psychology
7. Precalculus 
8. Film Analysis and Exploration

Wish me luck!  

Photography Lessons

I love photography. I always have and I always will. 

But a recent class I took led by Tod Merica (whose website is here) made my appreciation for taking photos rise to a new level. He essentially condensed a three week course into about two and a half hours, and that alone is reason enough to respect the guy.

Anyway, I learned some very simple things about cameras that I never considered before. For example, it never occurred to me to take my small point and shoot camera out of automatic mode. Even the most inexpensive cameras have a plethora of settings that you can play around with to give your photos different effects. 

I learned a lot of other stuff as well, but I can't relay all that information here (it isn't technically mine). I would, however,  recommend that any amateur photographer interested in learning more about the field take some sort of class on it. If it's a good one, you'll learn tons of valuable information and, obviously, improve your photography skills. 

My mother is looking into buying me my first DSLR camera now. I hear that the Canon Rebel series is good for beginners. 

Hopefully, one day, I'll be the proud owner of one of these! 

New SoHo Photos

Hello all! 

I recently uploaded some photos I took of SoHo to my Flickr account.

I'll post some of them below, but feel free to check them out here.