There are only six more school days until FREEDOM! It hasn't even really hit me yet that we're graduating. Maybe it's the fact that I still have tons of work left this week, so there isn't that feeling of winding down. But I'm excited nonetheless!
I don't really have any major summer plans. Next weekend I'm going to see Foster the People, the Kooks, and Kimbra, and hopefully I can go to more concerts this summer! I was thinking about getting a job about two months ago, but now that I don't have as much to do, all I want to do is not do anything. So another job probably isn't going to happen. In July my family will be going to Montreal, which will be fun (I'll probably end up regretting not going to McGill). Last year we took a big Europe trip, so no big trip this year. Sad :( But later this year we're going to China for my grandmother's 79th birthday (in the Chinese culture, 79 is a bigger deal than 80), which also explains why we're taking a smaller trip now. Other than that, I have absolutely no plans! Which is awesome. I will catch up on TV shows that I promised Fahduma I would watch (Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, Spartacus), go to the movie theater all the time to see all the awesome movies coming out, and relax.
Yay summer!
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Senior Reflection #2: Don't listen to what seniors tell you (unless it's me)
Not that I ever really believed the seniors anyway, but senior year has probably been the most difficult out of all four years of high school. There is no such thing as teachers cutting you slack. There is no such thing as second semester being easy. SENIOR YEAR IS NOT A JOKE.
If I were to rank in order the amount of stress different classes have caused me this year, one being Chilean coal mining and seven as being a baby:
If I were to rank in order the amount of stress different classes have caused me this year, one being Chilean coal mining and seven as being a baby:
- Anatomy (this class is suppose to be a joke, but it is actually super difficult because I'm terrible at science, the teacher is insane, and you don't have the relief of having an extra GPA boost)
- GOVERNMENT AHHH
- Second semester BC Calculus
- Political Science (only the second semester, when I had to sprint around Capitol Hill, fend off scary drivers, and spend hours inhaling copier fumes)
- English (because Ms. Jewell is the bomb)
- French (one, because I am decent at French and two, because I stopped caring)
- Orchestra (although it was super stressful for the first three months)
Second semester was actually more difficult than first semester. Teachers actually started assigning homework, I was exhausted all the time from interning, and March was basically filled with 362476298764 field trips and I never got the opportunity to go to a full week of school. I have never been sick all year and yet I've missed more days this year than I have in all twelve years of schooling. Making up work and tests and projects when you can't even stay after school half the time is THE struggle. I'm not even taking that many AP classes! And I wasn't able to sleep in until last weekend. You can't even enjoy the breaks you're given. Winter break is spent doing college applications, spring break is spent doing scholarships and make up work from all the dumb March field trips.
So, moral of the story: either stop caring and try to underachieve as much as possible, create a time machine and fast forward through senior year, or... there's no third option. Senior year is draining.
Senior Reflection #1: Decisions.
If I were to imagine where I'd be and what my future plans would be at the beginning of the year, it certainly wouldn't be where I am now. Change is different, but it's also good.
Mainly, I never thought I'd be going to the University of Virginia. I applied simply because I thought it would be a good back up to William and Mary. Although UVA is ranked higher, William and Mary has historically been difficult to get in to-- especially for white NOVA girls. Hello.
I don't really know why I wanted to go to William and Mary. Since I was in sixth grade or so, I thought that I'd be going to UVA. However two years ago, I visited the William and Mary campus. Even though it was gloomy and cold that day, for some reason I really liked it. It was old and historic and looked like a college. Again, for no reason, it was set in my head that William and Mary was the school I wanted to go to.
So I applied to six schools: James Madison, Virginia Tech, and Mary Washington (backups in case something went horribly amiss), UVA, William and Mary, and McGill Univeristy. My parents generously pre-payed in-state tuition (because I am the spoiled semi-only child), which meant that it'd be most advantageous if I went to an in-state school. After going to French Governor's School last year, I was pretty obsessed with French, and after a rocky start to senior year, I decided that I wanted to get away from everyone as far as possible. So McGill seemed like a good bet. It's not too expensive for going out of state and out of country, it's in a nice city, and it looks kind of like Hogwarts. See image below.
I remember thinking around November that I'd rather go to VT than UVA if I got into both. I know it sounds crazy, but there's a certain type of person at different schools. I didn't think I was a UVA kid. (I'm still not the stereotypical UVA kid.)
So April came, and I got into all the schools I applied for. Meaning that now I had to decide where I wanted to go.
This sucked.
I quickly narrowed it down to UVA and W&M. McGill was now too far to consider. Plus I liked the idea of not having to pay for college. Too many people I dislike are going to VT. Mary Washington and JMU were out of the question. So I visited both schools, UVA first, then W&M. In the end, William and Mary just wasn't as impressive to me anymore. I liked that UVA was more of a college campus and that there were more things to do, but I also liked the traditions at William and Mary. Size didn't really matter for me, but W&M was more close-knit. UVA HAS SO MANY PEOPLE. It really didn't help that every single person I talked to was like, "Oh, you're such a W&M kid!"
So obviously, in the end, I chose UVA. The decision was never super clear, but I had to take some sort of leap in a direction. And now I'm glad I did! Huzzah.
Mainly, I never thought I'd be going to the University of Virginia. I applied simply because I thought it would be a good back up to William and Mary. Although UVA is ranked higher, William and Mary has historically been difficult to get in to-- especially for white NOVA girls. Hello.
I don't really know why I wanted to go to William and Mary. Since I was in sixth grade or so, I thought that I'd be going to UVA. However two years ago, I visited the William and Mary campus. Even though it was gloomy and cold that day, for some reason I really liked it. It was old and historic and looked like a college. Again, for no reason, it was set in my head that William and Mary was the school I wanted to go to.
So I applied to six schools: James Madison, Virginia Tech, and Mary Washington (backups in case something went horribly amiss), UVA, William and Mary, and McGill Univeristy. My parents generously pre-payed in-state tuition (because I am the spoiled semi-only child), which meant that it'd be most advantageous if I went to an in-state school. After going to French Governor's School last year, I was pretty obsessed with French, and after a rocky start to senior year, I decided that I wanted to get away from everyone as far as possible. So McGill seemed like a good bet. It's not too expensive for going out of state and out of country, it's in a nice city, and it looks kind of like Hogwarts. See image below.
I remember thinking around November that I'd rather go to VT than UVA if I got into both. I know it sounds crazy, but there's a certain type of person at different schools. I didn't think I was a UVA kid. (I'm still not the stereotypical UVA kid.)
So April came, and I got into all the schools I applied for. Meaning that now I had to decide where I wanted to go.
This sucked.
I quickly narrowed it down to UVA and W&M. McGill was now too far to consider. Plus I liked the idea of not having to pay for college. Too many people I dislike are going to VT. Mary Washington and JMU were out of the question. So I visited both schools, UVA first, then W&M. In the end, William and Mary just wasn't as impressive to me anymore. I liked that UVA was more of a college campus and that there were more things to do, but I also liked the traditions at William and Mary. Size didn't really matter for me, but W&M was more close-knit. UVA HAS SO MANY PEOPLE. It really didn't help that every single person I talked to was like, "Oh, you're such a W&M kid!"
So obviously, in the end, I chose UVA. The decision was never super clear, but I had to take some sort of leap in a direction. And now I'm glad I did! Huzzah.
Technology is good for religion
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/the-religious-authorities-and-pundits-are-wrong-technology-is-good-for-religion/2012/05/31/gJQAsDHi6U_story.html?hpid=z4
Religious leaders have some sort of aversion to technology. You don't see the Pope on his iphone, Iran's Guardian Council and Supreme Leader don't really skype to get messages across. However, the Sikh community recently released a "FlyRight App" which allows Sikhs to alert one another of bigoted airport security staff who might harass them.
This sudden warming up to technology is kind of unexpected. Perhaps this aversion to high-tech utilities in religion is because it allows access to differing ideas-- science, evolution, corruption in the clergy. The Sikh community's embrace of technology should be welcomed; it has helped the community come together, not destroy it. The groups that try to ban technology are probably giving themselves a bad rep; when a member does have access, I feel as if the member would feel betrayed. Isn't it better to support a religion than substituting it? Technology would be able to bring groups together, enhance a sense of community. There are apps for the Bible and the Qur'an-- technology doesn't discriminate.
I found this article interesting, particularly the creation of the App. I agree with the writer of this piece that technology enhances religion. I wish the article gave more examples-- even though it's an Op-Ed, it would've been nice to hear about the opposing point of view. Overall, it was pretty interesting.
Religious leaders have some sort of aversion to technology. You don't see the Pope on his iphone, Iran's Guardian Council and Supreme Leader don't really skype to get messages across. However, the Sikh community recently released a "FlyRight App" which allows Sikhs to alert one another of bigoted airport security staff who might harass them.
This sudden warming up to technology is kind of unexpected. Perhaps this aversion to high-tech utilities in religion is because it allows access to differing ideas-- science, evolution, corruption in the clergy. The Sikh community's embrace of technology should be welcomed; it has helped the community come together, not destroy it. The groups that try to ban technology are probably giving themselves a bad rep; when a member does have access, I feel as if the member would feel betrayed. Isn't it better to support a religion than substituting it? Technology would be able to bring groups together, enhance a sense of community. There are apps for the Bible and the Qur'an-- technology doesn't discriminate.
I found this article interesting, particularly the creation of the App. I agree with the writer of this piece that technology enhances religion. I wish the article gave more examples-- even though it's an Op-Ed, it would've been nice to hear about the opposing point of view. Overall, it was pretty interesting.
Campus debit cards can carry downsides
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/campus-debit-cards-can-carry-downsides/2012/06/01/gJQAhleo9U_story.html
As high school graduates begin preparing for college, many families are faced with the task of funding their college-age kid. While credit cards are pretty useful, they can also easily be abused. So many turn to debit cards-- it's less risky, a better tool for money management. It's also easy to sign up for debit cards through the university.
However, many of these schools are going into business with major financial companies, meaning that kids wanting to get debit/credit cards have to pay numerous fees to maintain the use of the card. The fees can be so much that it eats into financial aid packages. There's been a trend of state schools acting more in the interest of the school than in its students. Schools across the nation are experiencing huge cuts in state funding, meaning that they have to resort to finding revenue elsewhere, such as these partnerships.
These school banks charge huge overdraft fees, charge when money is deposited or withdrawn at ATMs. Students who own credit cards are charged less than those with debit cards. Checking balances can also cost money.
Some insist that fees are the result of using online banking, but the fact is that students can find non-school-affiliated banking elsewhere that is virtually free of charges.
Since we're all going to school in the fall, I thought this was interesting. I'm currently a member of a local credit union, so it'll be interesting to see what type of banking situation I'll have down in Charlottesville. It's useful to know that hidden fees exist so now I'll be more wary. The article was useful and informative.
As high school graduates begin preparing for college, many families are faced with the task of funding their college-age kid. While credit cards are pretty useful, they can also easily be abused. So many turn to debit cards-- it's less risky, a better tool for money management. It's also easy to sign up for debit cards through the university.
However, many of these schools are going into business with major financial companies, meaning that kids wanting to get debit/credit cards have to pay numerous fees to maintain the use of the card. The fees can be so much that it eats into financial aid packages. There's been a trend of state schools acting more in the interest of the school than in its students. Schools across the nation are experiencing huge cuts in state funding, meaning that they have to resort to finding revenue elsewhere, such as these partnerships.
These school banks charge huge overdraft fees, charge when money is deposited or withdrawn at ATMs. Students who own credit cards are charged less than those with debit cards. Checking balances can also cost money.
Some insist that fees are the result of using online banking, but the fact is that students can find non-school-affiliated banking elsewhere that is virtually free of charges.
Since we're all going to school in the fall, I thought this was interesting. I'm currently a member of a local credit union, so it'll be interesting to see what type of banking situation I'll have down in Charlottesville. It's useful to know that hidden fees exist so now I'll be more wary. The article was useful and informative.
Sunday, May 27, 2012
DC's growth is fueled by 20-somethings. Will the city grow up with them?
Although twenty years ago DC seemed like exile into Siberia for many young people who had to relocate there for work, now, it's considered a relatively hip place to be.
The gentrification of Washington has occurred in an effort to attract more young people, and the young people coming in flocks to the city has also spurred more gentrification. But what happens when all these young people start families and require more than a one-bedroom luxury condo?
For many families with kids, it's a struggle. Many would cite education as the biggest obstacle, but for others it's a simple as finding somewhere safe for kids to play. DC has improved a lot-- but not that much. If DC could improve its school system and safety, the city could increase revenue by more than $300 million.
When Adrian Fenty was mayor in 2007, he made efforts to increase the number of bike lanes, bike shares, and streetcar tracks, but there's still a growing wealth disparity between the new white residents and minorities. Several neighborhoods still struggle with unemployment and crime. Surprisingly, DC maintained one of the lowest unemployment rates during the Recession.
The city isn't a place for poor young people, though. Many old residents have been displaced by the growing costs in housing and amenities. The draw of the city is that there's so much to do-- ethnic restaurants are everywhere; there are movie theaters, stage theatres, museums; both the art and music scenes are thriving.
So what will happen to these people when they have families if the DC system doesn't make efforts to improve? Many love the city too much to leave, meaning that they'll have to spend the extra money to send kids to private school or drive them to public schools in the suburbs where they qualify as "out of bounds students". Other families simply succumb to the pressure and move out to spacious Ashburn or Loudon county, where the housing is cheap and spacious, and the schools are good. DC needs to respond fast so they don't alienate these young families.
This article was intriguing to me because I love DC. While many of my classmates find that there's absolutely nothing to do in this area and want to get as far away as they can from here, I'd love to live in the city after college. There's a wealth of opportunities that I'd love to take advantage of, and it's just... fun. Although I don't know what my plans are after that, I'd hope that in fifteen years, the city has improved enough to start a family. It'd be expensive, but I don't think that it's that bad of an environment to raise a family in. The article was interesting, but not much that I didn't already know.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/dcs-growth-is-fueled-by-20-somethings-can-the-city-grow-up-with-them/2012/05/25/gJQAYBS3pU_story_1.html
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Warning: this is a rather sily article, but I found it interesting. Sorry that it has absolutely no educational value.
So every hobby or extra activity will always need some equipment, right? If you're a professional ballerina, you could end up having to replace pointe shoes every single day. With ballet, the shoe is what makes the difference. Classical ballet isn't ballet if there are no shoes, just as baseball wouldn't be baseball without a bat. For professionals, the shoes have to be custom-made and tailored to the individual foot, and even after that, must be broken in. The replacement time is really due to the incredibly long workdays that each ballerina goes through (eight hours of straight dancing at minumum). At some companies, there are even special people hired just to act as a ballet shoe consultant to each dancer, and most companies spend at minumum $500,000 on shoes a year, with $67.50/shoe.
I honestly think that this is ridiculous and super wasteful, but I suppose the worth of the shoe is demonstrated in the dancer's skill.
So every hobby or extra activity will always need some equipment, right? If you're a professional ballerina, you could end up having to replace pointe shoes every single day. With ballet, the shoe is what makes the difference. Classical ballet isn't ballet if there are no shoes, just as baseball wouldn't be baseball without a bat. For professionals, the shoes have to be custom-made and tailored to the individual foot, and even after that, must be broken in. The replacement time is really due to the incredibly long workdays that each ballerina goes through (eight hours of straight dancing at minumum). At some companies, there are even special people hired just to act as a ballet shoe consultant to each dancer, and most companies spend at minumum $500,000 on shoes a year, with $67.50/shoe.
I honestly think that this is ridiculous and super wasteful, but I suppose the worth of the shoe is demonstrated in the dancer's skill.
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