Dare to Hope

Man, this week was like an unexpected punch in the stomach... not the best week I've ever had, but it ended on a good note. (Haha, you'll get the pun later.)

Things I learned this week:

          1. Don't procrastinate (I think I "learn" that every week, it just never sticks)

          2. Gulliver from Gulliver's Travels is really just a gullible nub that likes horses better than people. 

          3. Dogs are the best snuggle buddies ever.

          4. Menopause is real, and it is scary.

-Okay, sing this next one like Journey- 

          5. DON'T STOP BELIEVIN'!

After pretending to be sick on Tuesday, so I wouldn't have to go to school, Karma caught up with me and I got sick on Wednesday night and couldn't go to school on Thursday. Now I have a bunch of work to catch up on and, on top of that, I have to study for finals. Yes, somebody call me a whambulance. 

BUT, I will get through this, and when I'm on the other side, I'll say Ha! Take that Life!! and then I'll stick it to Life.

Today, instead of the weekly Friday night cell, we had a special harmonica performance from a small group of eight from Korea. I've now added the harmonica along side the guitar, piano, and ukulele to the list of instruments I want/need to learn. Seriously though, they added a whole new level of cool to the harmonica. The harmonica is no longer the instrument of cowboys, it is the instrument. As long as I can play "Come On Eileen" on the harmonica, I will be quite pleased.

The pastor that was the coordinator for this dandy group of people said something that really stuck. He said to never stop hoping. He said that even though these kids have gone through a tremendous amount of struggles in their life, they still hope. So then, why can't you??

Dare to hope.

Well, I'm about to be KO-ed, so, without further ado, the performance in pictures:

Harmonica = cool

Her smile is more contagious than malaria, seriously though. Just look at it!

Oh, and these pictures, they were drawn by this dude's feet, and I can barely draw stick figures.

We also got a chance to pray for all these kids, it was a really blessed time.

Rebuilding

If you ask any Christian what their New Year's resolution is, they're probably going to say something along the lines of, "I want to get closer to God." It's so easy to take a break from our relationship from God, but why is it so hard to rebuild it?

On Friday, we had a Youth cell group meeting (it's basically where the youth group gathers at someone's house, or church, and we eat, we talk to each other, and we learn, all that good stuff.) In complete honesty, I was sort of getting tired of these meetings; so many people, you have to talk a lot, share your feelings, gross. But after a while, I realized that I was being a selfish prick. In order for these meetings to help us grow spiritually, we all have to step out of our comfort zone and share. And so, after beating around the bush and trying to avoid the crowd, I decided that there was no harm in sharing. So, I shared. 

We were talking about our plans for our future and how, if God wasn't number one in our lives, He should be, haha. So, I talked about how I decided to go into film and the things I learned throughout my high school career. It went something like this:

           "When you're in high school, people are always telling you what's best for you. They're always telling you what's better and how it should be. You're surrounded by deadlines and pressure from society to be better. You're parents always have more advice. But, at the end of the day, none of that matters. If you take the path that society tells you take, you're wasting your time. The most important part of high school is the part where you learn, not just academically, but individually and spiritually. I believe that one of the main purposes of high school is to define who you are, not who you should be. Don't feel pressured by what should be, instead, strive for what could be. Do what you love and love what you do. The only person that knows you better than yourself is God. So, don't try to be like Bill Gates or Elon Musk, try to be someone like your heart. That's confusing, what I'm trying to say is, don't waste your time trying to get the best grades and taking classes that aren't right for you, spend your time finding a passion and make that passion into something that can grow into an occupation. Peace out." 

Everybody stood up in wild applause, and I left the room like their was an explosion behind me. 

Just kidding, I didn't really say "peace out", but I think I was able to get my point across and at least give them some food for thought. 

There never is a time that isn't right for homemade cookies.

For the most part, I think I've learned almost all that I could from high school, and I'm glad I made the mistakes that I did, because I gained more than I lost. This year, I want to rebuild some of the old relationships with friends, teachers, parents, family, and, most importantly, God, that I've let fade out. I hope that I can be a good friend and someone that can be counted on. Last year, I spent forming a good relationship with myself. Now that I have a good foundation, I need to start rebuilding bridges. 

Only the coolest dog ever!

I think they were trying to start a fire with a foot and some strings, to my understanding, it didn't work.

 The rest of my weekend:

My friend, who goes to school in New York, wanted to do something fun before her break was over, so we headed over to 2nd Street in Long Beach, and it was absolutely beautiful. It had everything from string lights to small bookshops, and a little French restaurant. Life is good. 

Words of wisdom from a little notebook.

The little French restaurant called Le Creperie, was so perfect. The food was great, the vibe was unbeatable, and to seal the deal there was a dude singing Elvis with a cello. 

The garlic fries, oh the garlic fries. I wake up in the morning for fries like these.

Your People

They say it takes a village. 

No, I'm kidding. I wanted to sound deep. 

Over the past week (which was when Christmas and New Years had just past,) a long-time friend of mine got really sick. I honestly thought he was going to die, which was, as you can imagine, just a little bit unsettling. This illness came about suddenly and without warning; a bunch of us went to visit and sent his family strength and support. I, for one, went to visit him, in the hospital, by myself, and being the hopeless social idiot, had no idea what to say when I got into his hospital room. (He couldn't talk, so it was just me talking.) I prayed for him, and told him to get better, and then I started talking about my cavities and how I was still vegetarian. It was cringeworthy. 

Needless to say, this whole event really hit me hard, and life just told me again how uncontrollable it is. But, in it's uncontrollableness, it also lent us its beauty. I think this really brought us together again, all our old friends. Seeing how we really are good friends, that we actually are worried and care about him, showed me that real friendships will stand the test of time and the shit life throws at us.

Having said that, I wanted to say this:

Never forget your people, because they're the ones that are going stay with you whether you fail or succeed. They're the people that tell you the shirt makes you look fat. They're the hands that pick you up when you fall. 

I don't think there was a single day where I didn't see at least one person from my (extended) family this winter break. Yes, somedays I wanted to light myself on fire, but spending so much time with my family made me realize that they're my people. Granted, they're not my only people, I still have my wonderful, beautiful friends, (yes, I have friends.. some at least.) but they're the ones that have loved me from square one. They've been here for me since I was the infamous baby that, apparently, never stopped crying. They've been here for me through my crazy puberty mood-swings. They've been here, and I can't ever replace them.

I hope everyone else has spent a well-rested and fruitful break. I, for one, have learned so much about life within the past two weeks. I learned what truly matters and what it means to be human. I also listened to some kick-ass music (Bastille, Jack Johnson, Ingrid Michaelson, Priscilla Ahn). Music is a language; life is short; listen to good music.

My winter break:

There it is again! Another pay-telescope!! Woah!

If inside this place doesn't smell like heaven, I don't know what does.

My cousin is twenty-something, and he still thinks he's cool. Boys will be boys.

I know, my family is so weird, but what can you do, right? -wink-

Read this with a British accent: I quite like this picture.

No really, though, I do.