Hello Freshman Self

Dear me,

Hey, it’s you from the future. I’d ask how you’re doing, but I already know.

I guess you want to know how much you will have changed by your senior year, and my answer to you isn’t quite simple. In short, however, you’ve changed a lot—I’d say for the better.

When it comes to aesthetics, you will have finally chopped off the bowl cut! Those horrendous locks of hair of many inches are now much shorter, and you’ll like the compliments you’ll be recieving. You’ve also begun to dress a great deal better. You will have decided to replace those graphic tees and hoodies with button ups and sweaters, and people will notice. Even one of your friends from your group will mention your great sense of style as part of her yearbook signature!

Your efforts to talk to more people have already have begun to pay off, and they will continue to pay off for the next few years. Due to your active pursuit of talking to more people, you’ve become far more socialable than the 6th grade you could ever imagine. You’ll be very happy with the amount of people who say hi to you while you walk around the school.

You will have met many extraordinary people, such as Michelle Truong, Nhi Truong, Rosa Nguyen, Calvin Nguyen, and Diana Pham-Tran, just to name a few. Your personal relationships will begin to bloom only after you decide to stop being so eager to get a girlfriend, and it’s absolutely worth it.

Although you didn’t get into UCI, it’s not the end of the world. You’ll be majoring in Pre-Business/Business Administration once you enter UCR, which isn’t a horrible school in any respect.

All of this can only be accomplished if you maintain you philisophy of constant improvement—or ceaseless development. That’s the most significant thing I can tell you.

You’re gonna do awesome,

You from 2015

Illusionment

In Orwell’s 1984, Big Brother is no big brother. The oppressive government seen in the novel maintains mass control with a series of methods. Of course, there’s the Thought Police. They are the enforcers of government, punishing and vaporizing government dissenters. However, as seen in the book, Big Brother only needs the Thought Police for certain people. For the most part, Big Brother’s most effective method of mass control is illusion. Through control over history, numbing substances such as Victory Gin, control over language (newspeak), and frequent patriotic displays such as the Two Minutes Hate, Big Brother easily dominates the minds of his subjects without an overwhelming need for force.

Because the book was published in 1949—towards the end of the second world war—many people see Germany’s Third Reich as the basis of Big Brother. However, Germany is no longer fascist. In fact, it’s one of the European Union’s strongest economies. Hence, North Korea and Russia (to a lesser extent) can be seen as the modern “Big Brother” governments.

In Russia, Putin is back in power. Over the past few years, the Russian government has been remarkably obnoxious. Although it’s seen as a civilized world power, it invaded and annexed Crimea relatively recently. As a result economic sanctions were put on the country and the government used its propoganda machine to maintain a state of content in its citizens.

When it comes to countries, North Korea is one of the greatest anomolies when it comes to foreign powers. However, we do know that it is a largely oppressive government. It has the most similarities of Big Brothers Regime—control of history, youth indoctrination, and frequent patriotic displays.

1984 was written by Orwell as a warning. Although some of the world’s governments do have control similar to that of Big Brother’s regime, the world is widely free. Thankfully, we have yet to see the world of Big Brother come to fruition.

Closing The Loop

Take a moment to think about the life of any object. It could be a water bottle, a pen, computer, etc… For the most part, the life of an object goes from “extraction to production to distribution to consumption to disposal” (“Story Of Stuff, Referenced and Annotated Script” 1). However, there is a slight problem with this consumerist process.

We use natural resources to manufacture these goods—natural resources derived from our little blue planet. Unfortunately, these resources are finite and will eventually run out. This is where the problem lies. The consumer industry involves making something then throwing it away. This process is only increasing. According to “Facts from The Story of Stuff,” the average person in the United States consumes twice as much as the average person fifty years ago. At this rate of acceleration of consumption and disposal, we will deprive future generations of the resources we indulge in.

Twenty-one and a half million tons of food waste are generated annually in the United States. Of course, natural decomposition helps out in getting rid of this waste. The trillions of bacteria thriving in our landfills consume the organic material rather quickly. If we were to compost this food, however, the amount greenhouse gases reduced would be the equivalent of “taking 2 million cars off the road” (“11 facts about recycling” 1). Although this would be a step towards sustainability, the world would still have a long way to go. There is no better time for the pursuit of resource sustainability.

There are countless statistics that push for sustainability, some of which are overwhelming. For example, we only have 4% of our original forests left. Yet, we are still destroying forests. Many wonder why such staggering statistics exist and why we are not doing much to change them. The answer is that humans as a whole do not like taking responsibility of their actions. One particular example is seen in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.

Many people are under the impression that Frankenstein is a book about a man who makes a monster. This, although true, fails to encompass the massive themes it emphasizes. One of these is that humans do not particularly enjoy taking responsibility of their actions. In the book, a man named Victor Frankenstein brings a corpse dubbed “The Creature” to life. Due to The Creature’s ugliness, Frankenstein flees and leaves it. Years later, the Creature comes back to terrorize Frankenstein. Following its creation, Frankenstein is constantly in a state of paranoia. In the latter part of the book, many deaths occur at the hand of The Creature. By the end of the book, Frankenstein’s closest friend and much of his family are dead, showing the consequences of his refusal to accept his responsibilities.

The increased pursuit of sustainability is an absolute necessity. There are many little things in our everyday lives that we barely have to change to be a few steps closer to a sustainable Earth, yet many choose not to. If we procrastinate in closing the resource loop of Earth, the future generations will not have anything left to use, and our little blue planet might no longer be blue in the future.

Works cited

“11 Facts About Recycling.” 11 Facts About Recycling. Dosomething.org, n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2015. <https://www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-recycling>.

“Facts from The Story of Stuff.” (2007): 1-3. The STor. Web. 12 Apr. 2015. <http://storyofstuff.org//wp-content/uploads/movies/scripts/StoryofStuff_FactSheet.pdf>.

Leonard, Annie. “Story Of Stuff, Referenced and Annotated Script.” (2007): 1-16. The Story of Stuff. Web. 12 Apr. 2015. <http://storyofstuff.org/wp-content/uploads/movies/scripts/Story%20of%20Stuff.pdf>.

For The Sleep Deprived Teenager

Imagine a student—let’s call him Scotty. Scotty is a sophomore in high school and takes two AP classes: AP European History and AP Chemistry. It’s 2AM, and our poor friend is still working on his daily AP Euro homework, which can take up to two hours. After he finishes, he goes to sleep.

AP students don’t get too much sleep.

Sleep takes up—or should take up—about one third of our daily lives

It’s when our body takes time to relax and our brain takes time to process the day. So if we don’t sleep well, our days tend not to be great as they could be. So here are some tips for better sleep.

1. Have a sleep schedule

Even on weekends, holidays and days off, try to wake up and fall asleep around the same time. This reinforces regularity in your body’s circadian rhythm, which is also known as it’s biological clock. A regular circadian rhythm helps to promote better sleep

2. Pay attention to what you consume a few hours before sleeping

Don’t go to bed either hungry or stuffed. The discomfort from this keeps us up. In addition to that, avoid nicotine, caffeine, alcohol, or other similar substances. Nicotine and caffeine are stimulants can keep you up. Alcohol can help you fall asleep, but it does so in a manner that disrupts the sleep cycle.

3. Create a bedtime ritual

Do the same things each night. Doing so kind of tells your body that it’s bedtime. Relaxing activities especially can promote sleep. Some examples include taking a warm bath or shower, reading a book, or listening to some soothing music. However, be wary of the TV or other electronic devices. There has been some research that concludes that the light from these devices can interfere with our sleep

4. Get comfortable

A cool, dark, and quiet environment is the best environment to fall asleep in. You can achieve this by installing shades, wearing a face mask, wearing earplugs, and not stacking up on the sheets. In addition to that, have a suitable mattress and pillow. You should be shopping for a mattress and pillow like how you shop for a pair of comfortable shoes. You spend a large fraction of your life in shoes. You also spend a large fraction of your life on a mattress and pillow. So make sure to invest.

5. Try to limit your daytime naps

Long daytime naps can interfere with nighttime sleep. However, if you must nap, limit yourself to about 10 to 30 minutes per day, and try to make it during the midafternoon.

6. Include physical activity in your daily routine

In addition to the plethora of other health benefits it provides, a good amount of exercise promotes good sleep, helping you to fall asleep faster and to enjoy deeper sleep. Timing is important, however. Exercising too close to bedtime can leave you too energized to fall asleep.

7. Manage the stress

If there’s so much on your mind, and so much to think about, your sleep won’t too great. It may help to write down what’s on your mind or just a quick agenda and then set it aside for the following day.

When it comes down to it, sleep is one of the most vital parts of our lives. So let’s make sure we make the most of it

Howard

A Violent Tactician

In an instant of rage, I slapped him across the face once more. His face jerked a bit to the side, and his eye twitched.

“What’s your deal? You’ve lost so much, and yet you won’t spit it out!”

In the dismal, concrete walled room, a light shined brightly on the man’s face. He was tied to his seat, and there were scratches all over his face, emormous bags under his eyes, and patches missing from his hair. He was in absolute pain. But the slight, defiant smile remained on his face. He peristed in silence.

I prompted the technician behind the mirror to begin the sleep deprivation cycle, and walked out of the room. The poor man won’t sleep for a week. Every time he tries, he’ll get a little shock.

As I walked out, I muttered in a low tone, “I hope you have a change of heart. I’ll see you in a week.”

I walked out to the briefing room, picked up the phone, and dialed my home number. After hearing the dial tone several times, I heard a sweet little voice on the line. My little girl Lily’s voice always calms me down.

Interrogation isn’t the slightest bit fun. But it’s my job. Sure, the man has a boss that he seems to be completely devoted to, but I have a family I can’t let down. If it were up to me, I wouldn’t be in this hell of a prison we call GTMO. If it were up to me, I wouldn’t slap him thousands of times, deprive him of sleep, keep bright lights on him, pour water over his face, or all the other atrocities I can’t explain.

But I have two little girls and a wife waiting for me at home. And frankly, that makes all the difference.

Problematic Patriotism

Our glorious United States of America: The strongest military power in the world, the space pioneer, the developer of the nuclear bomb, the land of opportunity, the land of low voter turnout.

The United States has an embarassingly low voter turnout. As one can see from the graph, It ranks below Belgium, a country known more for it’s chocolates than it is for its politics.

The root of this problem stems from the United States’ lack of patriotism—everywhere we go, we hear people complaining about their dissatisfaction with our government, whether they’re a part of the Democrat, Republican, or Tea Party. From this, one can conclude that we can solve our problem with voting by solving our problem with patiotism.

Of the many countries to have existed, Nazi Germany presents one of the finest examples of patriotism in history. If the United States follows suit with this former empire, we will have as much patriotism as it had.

Think of it. Thousands of American citizens with their hands over their hearts, saluting with pride to their nation. In order to do this, one must start imbuing nationalistic ideas starting at youth. The Nazis knew this. Hence, the Hitler youth.

The Hitler Youth is exactly what it sounds like. It was similar to programs such as the Boy and Girl Scouts of America, except with a far greater emphasis placed on the country. In addition to the skills one learns as a scout, all of the children are given talks and taught curriculum to incease their nationalism. The male and female branches differed in that the male branch sought to have boys ready for military training by adulthood and the female branch sought to prepare women for motherhood. All in all, however, the Hitler Youth programs helped to make the citizens of Nazi Germany as nationalistic as they were, and a similar program could do the same for our seemingly jeopardized country.

Howard

Life Path Dissatisfaction

Everybody has fears, especially fears about the future. The enigmatic future can give people a sense of uncertainty when thought about. These fears include a multitude of things that can range from sickness, like cancer or heart disease to financial loss, perhaps in a stock market crash. However, there is an especially great fear that many people have. Whether or not one has gone down the right path in life is and will continue to be one of the greatest fears of many people in our world.

Arguably, this the largest fear out there. On the top of many “life’s greatest regrets” lists are words along the lines of “I should have quit my unpromising job and pursued my dream job. People, teenagers especially, always wonder whether they will choose or have chosen the right path in life, and if they could have done something better or more fulfilling.

In the short film “SloMo,” a man named John Kitchin decides to depart from his career as a neurologist to pursue absolutely nothing. He talked about how he felt that his career had changed from “90 percent spiritual and 10 percent financial” to 10 percent spiritual and 90 percent financial.” As a result, he choose to spend the rest of his days at the beach, skating down the beach walk for miles upon miles every day. Surpisingly, it was extremely fulfilling to him, and he continues to do so to this day.

Mr. SloMo In action

Kitchin shows us that it is absolutely never too late to change one’s path in life. When he decided to change his life path, his vision had been deteriorating and he was growing older. This gives others little room for an exuse to not change their life path.

SloMo made a drastic change past the latter half of his life. There’s no reason others can’t do the same

Release

With the end of every finals season comes happiness. That happiness is usually stemmed in the fact that a student will have a fresh start or “clean slate” at the beginning of the new semester. But this time around, at the end of the seventh semester of my high school career, there’s another aspect contributing to that usual bout of happiness. And that aspect is closure. With the end of the seventh semester of my high school career comes the end of the three-school-year-and-a-semester struggle of “making the grade.”

Of course, I’ll have to maintain decent grades. But the 8th semester involves much less of a concern to do so. And although it currently seems like I’m saying I no longer need to try, that absolutely isn’t the case. What this means is that I can focus on the learning aspect instead of the grade aspect.

Although it’s a three day, stress free hiatus. I’m honestly rather excited for this weekend to pass.

Howard

“To Be” Is Sort Of Not An Option

“To be, or not to be? That is the question”

Many know that this is the scene where Prince Hamlet contemplates suicide. In one of the most widely known asides in the history of English Literature, our friend Hamlet talks about a permanent sleep would end all the troubles that life comes with—”the heartache and the thousand natural shocks.”

There’s one issue with these famous lines, however. Whether one chooses “to be” or “not to be,” he is never “to be” indefinitely. And there lies the the icky thing we call death.

I think it’s good that most young adults don’t quite realize their mortality. It pushes them to do things they wouldn’t do otherwise. Due to a number of deaths that have occurred around me within the past few years and the imminent death of a family member, I’m one of those unfortunate younger souls who have realized that death exists.

As a relatively non-religious person, I don’t really go anywhere after death regarding my soul. My soul will simply disappear, my consciousness will cease to exist in the minutes following my time of death. Then my poor, poor body, goes into preservation for a while, emerges, get’s it’s makeup done, attends it’s funeral, and is promptly buried six feet under. Insects will gnaw into my coffin, eventually reaching a point where they can decompose what remains of me.

For those who are religious, they have something ahead of them, whether it’s rebirth, Heaven, Nirvana, etc… But nothing really awaits an atheist following death—just worms and bacteria. So there doesn’t seem to be any solace in death—just disappointment.

I know. There are atheists out there who are content with the concept with death, and that’s because they have a purpose in life and perhaps a legacy to leave behind—two things that I lack.

Hamlet, whether religious or not, was content when he was dying. The truth had been uncovered about Claudius, and he had Horatio to tell people of his story. I’m still seeking that.

An Update and Brief Reflection

My last post talked about my absolute fear of the college application process and how I felt like I was absolutely hopeless. I’m doing a bit better now.

Although I still experience bouts of worry here and there, I no longer feel hopeless. Part of this is because I’m somewhat prepared now. I have my activities list and résumé complete and have rough drafts of my personal statement complete. I know there are others out there who have already completed and submitted their application, but for the moment, I’m going to allow myself to take pride in my accomplishment.

Remember the education counselor I talked about in the last post? Yeah, she’s a bit happier with my progress. I’m actually “on track,” for once. Despite all the good news, however, I’m still rather disappointed.

Relative to the entirety of my high school class, I have done pretty well. My class rank is within the upper 20th percentile, and I’ve done better than most of the family around my age. But I’m not exactly proud of myself. Although I have statistically done well, I did not put my best effort into the classes I took. The idea that I could have done better, but didn’t because of time, “life”, or just plain laziness will always lurk in the recesses of my mind.

I’ll always have some regret about this in the future. I’ll wonder what could have happened for the rest of my life, and what path it would’ve taken me on.

But alas, the past is static and set in stone. Although I regret not putting my best food foward,I wish not to dwell on the past because doing so hinders one’s ability to prepare for the future.

I can’t go back and change my past, but I can use the experience I attained from it to better my future.

Howard