It's Been a Hard Day's Night

It's been a while since I've written here on this page, so might as well get started.

College:

Well, the final results are in. Now's just the waiting for which school gives me a more lucrative offer, or which offer I can use to play hardball with another school I'm interested in; thus, I can try to secure the best deal financially for myself. Right now, it's between "Bobcats in the Big Apple" or "Trojans in the City of Angels." It just depends on where I'm more financially drawn, I guess.

I was excited when I got the "Welcome to the Trojan Family" packet in the mail. Hopping up and down as I saw the red and gold of USC, I had met my personal goal of making it to the school I had vied to go to since my freshman year. Even though Brown had rejected me, my other dream school came through and fell into my lap. Three and a half years of hard work finally paid off, as I clung to my trophy with happiness. Even though my other preferred ones hadn't worked out (damn you CA budget cuts and slacking off a tad ><), I'm still happy with this one. For those who didn't make it to their preferred schools and dream schools, I can feel your pain on this one. Even I felt that pain after losing out on Brown, UCLA, and a few others.

For similar reasons, I don't necessarily like those people who got into certain schools, only to blow them off as like "Psh... it's not like I'd want to go there." That's taking away spots from students who dream of attending those schools, whose reach school might be that one school which you are blowing off. It's flatout rude. And also, those who got in Early Decision and haven't withdrawn applications from other schools... now that is just a low blow. I hope that those who've done so realize that what they're doing or have done is taking spots away from people who want those schools really badly. If you are doing this after knowing that you could be rescinded from your ED school, I hope you have your rescindal letter coming soon. For those who did it not knowing about the rescinding policy, I hope you guys withdrew your apps and left the spot vacant for more deserving candidates.

Enough about Colleges for one post, don't ya think?

Last Two Months:

Okie Dokie. Let's face it guys, the school year is drawing to an end, sooner than we want it or are expecting it. While some people may be partying about this news and some feeling nostalgic about it all, I'm mixed about it.  Part of me wants to leave MV for good, but another part of me wants to stay back and to take it all in again.  I'm sick of the work and the grades, but I'm not sick of the people and the fond memories.  I want to move on and explore the world, but I want to still be back here.  It's a weird thing really, but I guess us seniors will know how to manage it all.

Senioritis is a fun and evil disease.  You feel lazy as hell and don't want to do anyhting, but part of you thinks you should at least give somewhat of a damn about what's going on around you.  I'm loving every bit of senioritis though.  The fact that I don't really have to care so much anymore about things makes it all good, so I'm less stressed.  I've become a master at coming up with master BS now, be it for homework or tests.  I'm just pissed a fat man is ruining my academic life (Jimbo) since I really can't afford to tank that class.

Oh well... here's to two more months left of legit school before liberation from the ball and chain.

Bittersweet

God, how I'm sick of school.

And all the homework that goes along with it.  And all the fake caring that I have to show towards all of my classes and other shit.  And the work going along with it.

But I think looking back at it, it's all work it.  Especially when you're not doing it alone.  You've got peeps you're working with, also hurrying and trying to speed-BS the whold shebang.  (All you Clarke kids know what I'm talking about :) )

So thanks for making the boring/long nights less boring/long and instead, nights I'm actually looking forward to staying up.  Y'all make it awesome.

-sleep time, or else i go crazy :P

Step Aside Katy Perry

While talking about an iPod kissing competition to win a free iPod at De Anza with Serena, who linked me to some interestingly fun pictures, I decided to play lyricist for the day.  At the same time, she was suffering from katyperryitis, with the lyrics to "I Kissed a Girl" stuck in her head.  Ah Katy Perry... if only your singing was equally good live as it is in the studio.

Here's my version: "I Kissed an iPod"

 This was never the way I planned
 Not my intention
 I got so brave, music in hand
 Lost my discretion
 It's not what, I'm used to
 Just wanna try you on
 I'm curious for you 
 Caught my attention

 I kissed an iPod, and I liked it,

 The taste of it's casing of plastic.

 I kissed an iPod just to try it,

 I hope that my Zune don't mind it.

 It felt so wrong

 It felt so right

 Don't mean I'm into Apples tonight

 I kissed an iPod, and I liked it

 I liked it

 No, I don't even know your memory

 It doesn't matter, 
 You're my experimental gadgetry
 Just human nature, 
 It's not what, 
 Good Zune users do
 Not how they should behave
 My head gets so confused
 Hard to obey

 

 I kissed an iPod, and I liked it,

 The taste of it's casing of plastic.

 I kissed an iPod just to try it,

 I hope that my Zune don't mind it.

 It felt so wrong

 It felt so right

 Don't mean I'm into Apples tonight

 I kissed an iPod, and I liked it

 I liked it

 

 iPods, they are so magical

 Hot screens, black buttons, so kissable
 Hard to resist so touchable
 Too good to deny it
 Ain't no big deal, it's innocent

 I kissed an iPod, and I liked it,

 The taste of it's casing of plastic.

 I kissed an iPod just to try it,

 I hope that my Zune don't mind it.

 It felt so wrong

 It felt so right

 Don't mean I'm into Apples tonight

 I kissed an iPod, and I liked it

 I liked it

URL for the pictures btw: 

http://janegarrino.com/KissiPodFeb09/content/IMG_3760_large.html

Happy kissing!

March Madness (kinda longgggg)

Oh yes... it's one crazy-ass month.

March is the month of madness, asides from basketball, which I want to ardently follow this year.

It comes like a lion, but leaves like a lamb. It marks the period of happiness and heartbreak for hopeful college applicants, marking the difference in their futures. Its the two-month mark before AP testing. It tries the strength of seniors suffering from the disease we affectionately call "senioritis." It marks the time we lose out on sleep, in the prospects of becoming more efficient during the day as a result of Daylight Savings Time. It is the time when winter leaves and spring comes (March 21 KIDS!!!).

But through the thick and then... the less sleep and more awake time... the cold winds and the warm sun... the acceptances and the rejections... I've tried to look at this time with a more positive spirit than usual.

• I mean yeah, losing out on some of my dream schools hasn't been easy. Seeing certain people get in where I think I should have had smooth sailings but I didn't. Seeing people only apply to schools to see how they'd do rather than because it's a place they'd highly consider and thus, take away spots from deserving candidates. Seeing people bite their nails over the schools they are still waiting from or from the previous responses they've gotten back from schools. Seeing certain accepted ED kids check their applications for UCs and other schools when they are going to their ED school for sure, only checking to see "how they would have done." One of my friends put it ever so wonderfully in her blog, thank you S for talking about that. :)

• I've realized that people have more stuff to complain/fret about than me. So much for my stressing... I got into places that I: 1) like 2) would consider going. I have a place to spend four years, although it isn't my preferred one.

• MORAL OF THE STORY: when life gives you lemons, you make that lemonade, you drink it, and enjoy the sweet goodness of it.

• At the moment, some of my friends are dealing with a plethora of crap in their lives, which I shan't name. It's like trying to break a concrete wall with a mallet for them. They need that sledgehammer or jackhammer to penetrate through the barriers which they must overcome. It's hard on them, I know, but I still idolize + admire them for having such a solid resolve in spite of the shit they're working with/working around. In their position, I think I would crack or erupt some how. In that case, I'm increasingly thankful for not having to deal with that myself and thus, I try to help these friends so that we all can cross the finish line together, hand in hand, with real happy faces and cheerful spirits. Time to put on those skis and sail through, winning and happily taking in that feeling. Y'all know who you are out there, and thank you for being a source of inspiration for me.

With all this around me and with me trying to find a way to either cope with the stress or help my friends or whatnot, I've decided to take on meditation for the past few days. Not only will it help me keep calm, but it will also allow me to channel my energies accordingly so I can help my friends and try and help them with their problems, regardless of what.  

I pray not only for my own well-being, but for the well-being and happiness of my friends and others who I am close with.  I pray so that others around me can be happy and enjoy/make the most of their lives.  Tapping into the gift of self healing, so rich as such, is the only solution I can find, asides from being able to talk about stuff with people.

I guess that I too am finding my way in this big wide world. But whatever the outcome, let's do it together kiddos!

GOOD LUCK WITH EVERYTHING FOR THIS MONTH AND THE REST OF THE SCHOOL YEAR!!!

Peace and love,
Kunal

Challenge Day: Thank You <3

There's only one word that I have for Challenge Day: Wow.

Really... it has been one of the greatest experiences of high school that I have been fortunate to have. I have no idea where to start about since it has been a fabulous experience for me.

Many thanks to Mzina, Sean, Mr. Prinz, and the other guys who helped make this event possible. And a big thank you to everyone else who was there who made Challenge Day so frickin' awesome. I guess I'll just recap the day and run through it, adding in my thoughts.

After getting to MV 5 minutes late (even after it was a late start), I got to the D-building hallway where I checked in and just hung out with friends, waiting for it to begin. After some time, we finally got around entering the Field House to be greeted by a group of screaming + cheering adults, as we went to sit on chairs in the circle. From there on, the magic happened. The next couple of hours is where everything happened.

Everything was just awesome, every last bit and part of it. God, how I loved it

Never have I hugged so many people in one sitting. Never have I been ok with letting my emotions out like that. Never have I been able to face my inner thoughts/fears with so much confidence. Never have I felt so emotionally free in my entire life.

But I think it's time. It's time I changed for the better: this is my challenge to myself. This is my pact with myself for the next couple of years... to try to grow and mature emotionally

Thanks to everybody who made Challenge Day a great experience. Harsha, thanks for motivating me to do this. A HUGE THANK YOU TO EVERYBODY WHO WAS AT CHALLENGE DAY TO MAKE IT FUCKING AWESOME!!!

I love each and every one of you guys <3

Now let's get out there and be the change we wish to see in the world around us =)

love y'all,
kunal <3

SSS. A Time of Recollection, Reflection, Rejoicing, and Remembrance

WHEEE!!!

Finally. After having slogged for three and a half years under the toils of the system affecitonally known as MVHS, I've reached that time in my life when I can, in theory, kick back and not care about anything.  Transcripts + grades are done, working hella hard for tests + quizzes, losing sleep: it's all finally over and I get to live as what we call being a "Second Semester Senior."

Second Semester Senior: often diagnosed with an uncurable disorder commonly known as "senioritis."

Here's a snippet of my life nowadays:

• I wake up at 7:15 on school days (9:00 on Wednesdays) and question whether I should go to school anymore or not.
• I trudge to class 5 minutes late almost all the time.
• I fall asleep in my classes most of the time... yeah.  My head's down and I'm peacefully asleep in important lectures/lessons... wheeee!
• I am unmotivated to do homework most of the time... I try to find my way around if I can.
• I come home and screw around in front of my computer regularly... watch me one day: I can do nothing for a long time.  Good thing I have GTalk, AIM, Halo, and Blockles :)
• I've foregone what we conventionally call sleep.  I stay up doing absolutely nothing and I don't feel tired at all, which frightens me since I still am in amorous love with my beauty sleep.
• I spend more time on FL Studio 8 than I do on school work.  YEEEE

It's as if nothing really matters... after all, anyone can see that nothing really matters to me anymore.  Just counting down for the day we graduate from MV and move on.  

I think I'll cry that day though... leaving 13 years of awesomeness behind me (incl. Kindergarten), leaving my friends, leavin good and awesome memories, as I move forward into the world and go with the flow of things, making my new paths and new acquaintances and new friends and a new life.

But at the root of it, I won't forget anything from my time at MV or from my life before college.  The good + the bad, the highs + the lows, the fun + the stress, the laughs + the cries... it's all a part of me and will remain to be a part of me for the rest of my life.

God bless and love y'all... thanks for an awesome ride through everything.  I'll remember each and every one of you and the times/memories we shared together.  

Peace + <3,

Kunal

Thnks Fr Th Mmrs

In this world, there are four types of people.

The first type are the many that are cool.  The people you don't exactly talk to daily or hang out with regulary, but who make life + all the fun moments very memorable and awesome in many different ways.  They add their flare to life and whatnot and they are great in their own ways.  Good friends... good friends indeed.

The second type are the some that are awesome.  They do everything that cool people do, but just seem to do it a bit better.  Pllus, you spend a bit more time with them.  You can talk about a lot of stuff with them and they make life really awesome.  Great friends... great friends indeed.

The third type are the few who just kick ass all the time.  These are the BFFLZ and the loves our lives, the buddies and the small groups that we have in our lives.  These guys make each living moment awesome, regardless of what you're doing.  They are our soulmates, our advisers, our friends we do the smartest and the wildest things with, the people we wake up to meeting and messing with... the ones who make life the most memorable and awesome.

Of course, there are also those who are none of the above. 

Thankfully, I have had the pleasure and awesome experience of knowing people in the first three categories, especially for making my life one hell of a great adventure.  Thankfully for me, there haven't been that many people in the last category.

So thanks for everything, and the memories... y'all know who u are :)

back to quiz reading i guess... we'll see how tomorrow goes then.