Thankful.

It's Thanksgiving. This means another year of great food and feasting. There will be turkeys, cranberry sauces/pies, more pie, lots of sweets, chicken, fried chicken, and so much more. In my case THERE WILL BE LOTS AND LOTS OF ASIAN FOOD!! (I AM SOO TIRED OF ASIAN FOOD). Food is of course.. the most important part of Thanksgiving, right? WRONG.
There are so many things we take for granted in this life and I feel like Thanksgiving is a great holiday to give things to not only the big things (like food and water because that has been said and done even though it's true) even the little things can matter the most. So this Thanksgiving I really need to focus on the life that God gave me and how I have what some people don't have- and many things that I have are honestly either privileges, blessings, grace, or all of the above.
So for this post, I'm supposed to write about how thankful I am for a specific group of people- certain classmates in 7th period English so I decided I should go ahead and do that so I don't fail English! Yay!
One thing outside of classmates I am really thankful for is everyday I live in this life and I can't sweat this enough because EVERY SINGLE DAY I get to live, EVERY SINGLE BREATH that I take is grace like honestly without it I would be dead on the ground not living like it's great being able to write, eat, and just do whatever a human does
ANYWAYS
Classmate time,
I am thankful for...
7th Period (For those of y'alls I don't know well/talk to/both, HOLLA AT ME)
Aidan Acosta- I am thankful for Aidan because he has to go through being called like.. first for almost everything and I know if I was the first to be called for everything I would be like all stressed out. We never had a class together before this year! Also even though we don't talk much he seems really nice! I remember when Mr. McCarthy called out his blog just because he was the first name on the list in the beginning of the year and told him his opinion.

Brian Adams- I am thankful for Brian because Mr. McCarthy loves playing with his name and he's nice (from what I know) AND he comments on my blogs sometimes! YAH BUDDY. I knew of him last year but if I recall right I am around 99.9% sure we never had a class together before and English this year is the only class I have with him! Brian seems to know some music because.. HOLLA AT THE GUITAR PROGRAM LAST YEAR! Yay guitar I hated scales so much. We were friends on Facebook since last year but yess Mr. McCarthy loves both Brian Adams'!

Antonio Arana- I am thankful for Antonio because it seems like he works hard and that's a really good thing because sometimes I find myself not doing the best I could all the time. He's in my gym class and we all play knockout and he works to excel that too which is good! YAY FLOOR HOCKEY NEXT

Martin Barragan- I am thankful for Martin because he made creative ways to remember the vocabulary words and honestly I gotta say some of them were really kinda silly/funny and I wouldn't be able to come up with the same way to remember them! He also seems like he has a strong opinion on some matters which is a good thing plus an interest in English! But yeah I don't wanna sound like a teacher.. But yay keep memorizing words the fun way!

Justin Commings- I am thankful for Justin because he works hard in school! WHY DO I KEEP SOUNDING LIKE A TEACHER. Anyways also he is nice too because he gave some people some fire safety thing last year which is so nice because they retail for a lot more than a dollar a piece! Also he is pretty decent at basketball! I cannot layups but he can!

Karmyn Doughty- Oh this girl. I'm thankful for Karmyn because I had classes with her before! To be specific I had THREE classes with her last year but honestly we didn't really talk much but she's actually really cool because she's a TRACK STAR and I'm almost positive she can play basketball pretty well. (Basketball team of course!) I remember I had my last classes of the day with her (8th and 9th) and she had to tolerate with my "racism!" I'm glad that I at least have one class with her because a lot of people I had a lot of classes with last year all disappeared! Ms. Smith (BOY BAND SMITH) would call her "Karmy" towards the end of the year and I gotta say that bio was great even though it wasn't her favorite class and English was pretty chill! We have English together.. AGAIN yay

Steven Eng- I am thankful for Steven because he tolerates me even though he might like all the things I say like he isn't super mean to me directly which is good! He didn't like kill me for "snitching!" (Well not exactly) And he eventually forgave me which was good because I felt so so bad about it afterwards because I thought it wasn't a bad thing to say since McCarthy is super chill!

Henry Ferolie- He was the guy who literally brought an Odwalla to school every morning and got yelled at last year in world studies and it was pretty funny! He inspired me to try Odwalla since I was like: Is it really that good? I'll try for myself! World Studies last year was memorable because literally the class was a joke like I DON'T know why I got a B first semester it was ridiculous honestly. We should've all totally watched "The Matrix" in world studies like he promised but NOPE we watched half of "The Hunger Games." I am thankful for Henry because he makes the class less quiet since he talks most of the time! (It's a good thing) He's also a pretty funny man who's not afraid to voice his opinion to the class and argue it out.

Bella Fertel- Even though she's not thankful for me it's okay because I know that I've had memories with this girl so it don't matter :) Can't be like writing about everyone unless you're me right ;) Anyways Bella- I am thankful for her because she stays strong throughout even through the struggle of life and some situations that might not be the easiest to deal with! Also, she has a great fashion sense and I think the way she dresses is really cute (Even though American Apparel is expensive I feel her like their stuff is CUTE!). She also has a thing for California like I do like I REALLY WANNA GO TO CALI and she has probably went before but I NEED to go so badly! We both have White Converse which is a silly thing to mention because a lot of people have White Converse but hey little things matter too right? She's really nice and she was super supportive throughout the cross country season plus the struggle of my first time pool running! It's our second year in the same English class! Yay! And I think it's great how she's so dedicated to her work and being a good student like it's inspiring how hard she works.

Franklin Fiene- I am thankful for Frankie because Franklin is a very interesting name! Just kidding I'm not that lame for these thankful notes. He was in my guitar class last year and he works hard in both English and for last year- guitar! I remember how much of a struggle guitar was so props for working hard because I know I certainly did not work that hard besides the very last minute which made me sad sad sad.

Noah Finkelsztein- Noah has a pretty interesting hard to spell last name but I managed to spell it right yay! He's in my division so that means I'm stuck with him for 4 years, at least 11 minutes (or 35 on Wednesdays) each day!! I am thankful for this kid because I think it's really funny sometimes how Mr. McCarthy calls him out for stuff. Occasionally he would mumble his words so people don't understand and I think that's pretty... um unique?

Cindy Gayton- I am thankful for Cindy because I don't think we had any classes together last year so we were acquainted but now we do so yay! She's really nice and pretty! She wears dresses or skirts every single day which I think is so unique and I think the dressy style everyday is hard to find these days. I feel like she's not afraid of being who she is and that's a holla :)

Nia Hill- I have other chemistry with Nia! We don't really talk but I'm thankful for her because she seems to be an energetic person if you get to know her better and I actually worked with her for questions once! Our last names are really close to each other so when teachers call names.. NAME CALLING BUDDIES!

Emily Jedloski- I am thankful for Emily because she is literally a sweetheart like she is super nice! She doesn't fit in with some of the world with the things she hasn't done but that's okay because we will work on it. Even though she's never watched Mean Girls and heard of some stuff she does want to watch Catching Fire three times because of its greatness plus she's been to Disney like nine times AND ziplining before. So she is caught up when it comes to adventurous activities I guess. First impression of her was hey look a girl who looks Asian with braids I wonder if she'll like me or be friends with me someday.. (LOL) But yes she has great baking skills and her butter cookies are pretty amazing! We have the same lunch period and I'm glad that I met her this year because without English and Instructional, no bonding! Heads up is a super fun game too. The time when Sisto took it away was :(

Sam Kajah- I had biology with him last year and I am thankful for him because he is pretty nice to me! He also made a biology song using an Adele song which is pretty brave because I know I would've so been like NO NOT ADELE I CAN'T SING!! Sam is a pretty quiet man but yay soccer!

Isabel Ledsky- When I think Ledskys I think of a. Smart b. Smart and c. good at math and Isabel is all of the above! I am thankful for Isabel because she is super nice and she's also friends with the magnificent Emily and Zoe Kp! I remember once she came up to me and said I sang good and that was pretty much how we started talking more! She's pretty friendly and she's like super smart + SO good at math that it makes me jealous sometimes! Math team is such a professional team of intelligent people because we are good enough to beat IMSA!! She is also part of the trig BC club who can totally skip to AP Calc in a breeze but yeah I'm really glad that I met Isabel because I know last year I was barely acquainted with her enough to know that Aaron was her twin!!

Reyna Lee- I am thankful for Reyna because she has a really cool last name like it's like she's mixed with a million things so that her last name is Lee but nope she's not Asian which is cool! She's also really nice and I liked her presentation on The Great Migration!

Nancy Liang- I am thankful for Nancy because I remember last year I saw her around not knowing her name and now this year I got to know her a lot better! She shared food from Ella's with me one time when I really wanted it and I felt like that was really nice because she didn't make me pay a thing and I love food so much! I was desperate for that chicken strip and fries due to the small TV dinners. She's really artistic and I wish I knew how to draw and be as artistic! She has cool glasses :)

Jessica Luciano- Okay this girl. I've known her since the end of 8th grade or actually officially Freshmen year. I first saw her at the back of her house legit and she was wearing a butterfly shirt I DON'T KNOW WHY I REMEMBER. This girl is not just a division buddy or an English buddy that I know but she's one of my good friends! We weren't super close last year but both years we still managed to be lunch buddies! Yay! She waits for me while I struggle in line to microwave my food and it's really hard because it takes forever!! I'm not afraid to tell her about my day or something stupid I did and she's supportive through it all because I can talk to her almost whenever and I am so so glad we have a class and lunch together! Even though I'm super weird sometimes enough for her to worry (maybe about now) she deals with me :)

Stephanie Luo- I am thankful for Stephanie because she's honest and she picked up my phone once since I left it at the lab table and she was about to give it to my mandarin teacher but I took it in time! See the small moments matter. She's also really quiet but she is like really nice and I know I might say that for a lot of people but it's true!! She's also really hardworking and does what she's supposed to.

Lissette Macias- I am thankful for Lissette because she's true to herself, she's true to what she believes in! That's for sure a good thing because this is something that not all of us hold onto. Also she isn't afraid to speak out about something. If something is bothering her, she's not afraid to say it! That's a good thing because sometimes people hide what they think even when its necessary to say something. Lissette is really funny too and once she gave me a breathsavers so SHARING IS CARING!

Devin O'Banion- This kid is in my division so I am of course, stuck with him for 4 years which is okay because he's a cool kid! I am thankful for Devin because he is a friendly person who is not hard to approach! I know some people it's like they are so hard to approach and ask a simple question like what was there homework, but not Devin. He is also keepin' it classy with his cardigans! I like his Whitney Young spirit with the chrome bag yay

San Reichert- I remember the honor roll ceremony and I heard his name for PRINCIPALS SCHOLAR like that's soooo hard to get even for frackies! But he was one of the kids who got it as a freshman which is inspiring because that comes to show the hard work that pays off. Even though we don't talk and never had a class together until this year, he seems to be really nice and he doesn't intend to hurt anybody on purpose! Baseball is a risky sport so I give props for not being hit in the head with it.

Holly Situ- I've known this girl since like 7th-8th grade plus I hung out with her quite a bit the summer before Freshman year and sometimes after that. I am thankful for Holly because we eat lunch together sometimes and she is super artistic. Plus she discovers like all the cool places in Chicago and she manages to not be directionally challenged like me! She also takes amazing pictures and a lot of them. She's also really good at graphic design and I think she will go places in the future pursuing an artistic career yay she is a really cool person and she dares to be different.

Connor Szeto- I am thankful for Connor because we are both Asian which means we have the same orthodontist. Asian invasion!

Amelia Vasilic- I am thankful for Amelia because she always gave me an impression that she was nice and she really is!! AP World is the ultimate struggle and I am so salty because 3rd period always does better :(

Julia Vick- I am thankful for Julia because she also is really nice like I know I said it a lot but she is! She's in my division! She makes English fun for the people in front of me :D I AM SO TIRED

Keilani Williams- Last but not least Keilani I ended up talking to her because I was asking if her name was Jordan AND I was confused about Into the Wild. I am so glad I met her because turns out she is like so so nice and she's a frackie even though she doesn't look like one. She's pretty talkative and I feel like we think alike in some ways and like they say swag minds think alike? No? Okay but yes it took a little bit of the year but we are friends and she likes to cheer yay

I AM DONE HALLELUJAH THIS TOOK ME LIKE 2 HOURS LEGIT
It's 12:42 am

I Celebrate Myself

I celebrate myself because I am created in God's perfect image, and that is enough for me.
My views on life? I attempt to keep my views on life pretty positive, but many times I find myself slipping as I think negatively about something. I may think negatively about a test I just took; feeling as if I didn't do as well as I could've, feeling like I didn't study hard enough. In reality, I studied as hard as I could, and sometimes I even get a way higher grade than I thought! (But that rarely happens usually it's really sad and I end up getting a sad grade.) What I realized is that when I think about negative thoughts, the first thing I think of is school. School pretty much dominates my life. (Does school even have to do with this? Oh well, school has to do with my life anyways.) I wake up five days a week early in the morning, get ready miserably as I crawl across the floor barely awake, and get in the car dreadfully, screaming, "NOT ANOTHER DAY OF SCHOOL :(" That's my school life everyday. I know that was a big run on sentence, I was aware and it was also exaggerated but you get the point. School is the place where I socialize, and the majority of the friends I have are either from church or school. (Or both!)
Overall, relating to "Into the Wild," my views on life are somewhat different. Some people abandon their life (like school) to pursue a life in the wild. To me, that is way too extreme. I am not obsessed with nature and its beauties although I do think that enjoying nature feels relaxing at times. I like appreciating nature. Little actions like smelling the air, throwing the crisp leaves, and just loving the creations that God gave are ways of appreciating nature and it feels good. BUT I WOULD NEVER EVER abandon my family to live in the wild. Never. I am not an independent person. In fact I am more dependent than independent. That's my life. For now.

Poe Diaries

Hello fellow people reading my blog!
I will try to make this blog post better than my last post, since that post was created in a rush. But here I am sitting on my bed typing this up with a bag of Dark Chocolate Pretzel Crisps in front of me. YUM!! Anyways, back to the point of this post. Many people think Edgar Allan Poe was a great writer, while others argue saying: NOPE HE WASN'T! Some people thought that he should get to the point faster.
My opinion on Poe?
Well to start off, I believe that he lived a very unhappy life. You could tell by his writing. His writing would've been happier if he didn't live in such dark, misery. His writing was often dark and mysterious, making you feel the suspense and vengeance. His writing was also often pretty scary! The way he describes settings makes me feel like I'm in the setting, and it's so real because I could picture it. It's not necessarily a very pleasant picture in my mind as its often very dark scenery with unknown creatures creeping at my door. I think the fact that Poe uses such great imagery is one aspect to his great writing. To me, his writing is a bit to dark for me to read all the time, but I do think that he has a lot of talent. The way he used words was amazing, like how did he do it and fit the pieces together?
Another thing is that because of his great usage of words, he really inspired many, especially the ones longing to be a writer. I researched that Poe lived a really hard life partly because of his financial problems, depending on writing alone. Since his brokenness physically in money and mentally in how his wife died, other writers might think it's okay to depend on writing. I feel like he expanded the field of mystery writers and people who wrote horror stories because he depended on it and ended up being one of the most famous, known writers in America and beyond. They even created a museum for him! Of course Poe is pretty magnificent, regarding his corrupt life and lifestyle. (MARRYING HIS COUSIN LIKE WHAT)
Anyways, yeah, that's Poe. He could've written more stories but oh well, how he ended was his choice.

What Is An American?

What is an American?
This is the question you may ask me. As an Asian American, my definition must be different than yours. When people ask me about my ethnicity, I say I'm Asian or Chinese. I honestly never say I'm American. Not like I'm not an American, but I feel like there's more to my culture. This is most likely why people don't say they are American when asked the very common question; what are you? (In terms of ethnicity) Some people value their true culture (plus their ancestral background) more than their "Americanness." If they say they are American, then that's not usually the answer people are looking for. If you answer with you being an American, that's like saying everyone who lives in America is an American, and to me a true American is someone who lives in our country and is happy to be. Not by force. Yet they might value their cultural background due to its history.

The Modern Puritan

So one day I was told to do this blog post and think about the whole topic of the "modern Puritan," whatever it may be in your mind.
After thinking and more thinking, I realized that the modern Puritan not only could be talked about in comparing the Puritan now vs. many years ago, but it can also be compared to other aspects in our society.
First things first, what is a Puritan?
Well, according to the dictionary definition, a Puritan can be defined as, "someone who adheres to strict religious principles; someone opposed to sensual pleasures."
In my mind, a Puritan is not only strict to religious principles, but they are pretty much strict on everything else. This would definitely include laws, rules, and other things that people have to follow.
One of the first things I thought of when it came to a Puritan was one of the forms of government that was enforced back in the Ancient Chinese Civilization. The form of government was called Legalism, which meant punishment for the ones who did wrong, and a reward for the good. This in a sense was somewhat like a Puritan because Puritans are often punished for crimes like adultery. Even though they didn't have much of a reward for good, it kept some people out of trouble and it was an expectation of a Puritan to be chops. "Good" meant obeying God's commandments to the Puritans, but in the Ancient Chinese Civilization, it was more force that was exerted. This meant that you shouldn't get on the bad side of the King, because Legalism meant force and a lot of power to one ruler.
This meant that Legalism in the Ancient Chinese Civilization might've been more strict than Puritans back in the 16-17th centuries, but they are fairly similar as for how strict things can be.
Not only could Puritans be compared to Legalism, but it can also be compared with modern society. One of the examples that I thought of were parents.
Yes, parents.
Typically some parents are stricter than others, bit most of them all have one mission; to make you the best person you could be. That is similar to Puritans because primarily one of the reasons why they obey everything God says is to be the best person they can be (for God). Also, parents can be really strict, so strict that they might even enforce similar rules on you, which makes parents comparable to the Puritans. (may I also note that the Asian parent is primarily stricter? It's true, it's not just stereotypes!!)

John Proctor: Hero or Stooge?

First of all, something completely unrelated to the title of this blog post is... PROCRASTINATION. This is partly why you see this blog post posted at around 12 am in the morning. How can this be? Well, I got home.. ate some goldfish, took a nap, went on my phone... oh, you don't need further explaining? Alright, let's get to this post then, shall we? *cool kid music*
For today's post, I will be talking about...
JOHN PROCTOR!!!
John Proctor is one of the main characters in The Crucible as he plays a really important role in the book. Many can argue both ways on whether or not John Proctor was a hero or a stooge, but many argued that he was a hero.. Which makes his "heroism" "mainstream." (Credits to Justin)
Even though in the back of my mind I agree that John Proctor did a really heroic thing, I feel like it is also arguable that he is a stooge. (At least for most of the story)
First of all, something "super juicy" happened in Act I that probably made some of you puke in your mind. HE HAD AN AFFAIR WITH A 17 YEAR OLD GIRL!! That, by itself is a foolish thing. (Then I think to myself.. if this was present day, wouldn't that be considered rape? Abigail is under 18!) In my opinion, when you're married, you're committed to your wife/husband You're not supposed to commit adultery! As a puritan, John should've known better. Also, how old was John? Like 34? He was pretty much twice as old as Abby, and to me committing adultery on a 17 year old is just plain foolish. I'm not trying to say that adultery could be justified, but why would he bother to break a commandment on someone he can call a "child?"
Even though something that you might justify with is the fact that John regretted doing that and felt sorry at the end; he did what he did. There was no turning back.
Another thing that John did was forget one of the commandments. (Oh the irony, I laugh every time.) Out of all the commandments, he had to be reminded of one by Elizabeth, his wife, that adultery was a commandment. It was like he was doing it on purpose or he was nervous, but that was definitely an action that I felt like John messed up on.
A lot of you might be reading this and being like: Why are you focusing just on certain parts in the beginning?
Well, I'm getting there, explaining myself till the end.
PLOT TWIST...
Towards the end of the story, John realized that what he did with adultery was wrong, and even if there was no turning back he knew that he had to show that he was faithful with his wife. He truly felt sorrow and regret for his past, stupid mistakes. I gotta say, that part when John and Elizabeth talked alone made me soften up a bit. All along I thought John was nothing but a fool, but then I realized that he really did care about Elizabeth, with the words being said and even a passionate kiss at the end of their alone time.
At the very end, John ripped up the confession paper he signed because he truly didn't witness witchcraft, and he felt like it was foolish for accusing another person just to save himself. Because of that, John had to die a pretty painful death, but that didn't matter to him. What actually mattered was the fact that his name would be remembered for someone who made a sacrifice, and after his death, not only did Elizabeth marry another man but the witch trials slowed down a bit. It wasn't as hectic and crazy, at least in my opinion, and I feel like John Proctor not only saved other people, but he made a big impact to the Salem Witch Trials. Even though the trials would've ended sooner or later, if he accused more people, the chaos would've kept going.
Therefore, even though John could be easily argued to be a stooge, especially in the beginning, I feel like he has died a heroic, tragic death.
Also, one thing that I thought about was the fact that even though John wronged God and he knew it, I feel like one of his reasons for dying a sacrificing death was because he felt like he wronged God in so many ways.. It made sense to me that John died partly to resemble Christ, even though he wasn't perfect.
JOHN IS A HERO AT THE END YAY
THE END

There Goes The Neighborhood..

Modern Day

Chicago is one of those places where there is much diversity when it comes to races, but low key Chicago is one of the most segregated cities in America! Since Chicago is a big city, there are a lot of different neighborhoods. As times changed, so did the neighborhoods. Different people of different races move in, and sometimes because of that, people decide to move out. Even though segregation was fixed by Martin Luther King, whether you like it or not, there is a lot of racial separation in Chicago that still exists today. An example would be my neighborhood. When my parents and sister first moved to "my" house 20 years ago, there were a lot more Polish people. As time progressed, they decided to move out, bringing other races to my neighborhood. As more time progressed, I was around two or three when my Asian neighbor decided to move out and rent their house to a different family. That way, my neighbor could get more profit, and the newcomers to the neighborhood could be happy. Many different families moved to the house next door, as around every 2 years or so, there would be a new family that moves in, sometimes a different race than the previous owner. Also, recently there were some Asian families that moved to my block and the block next to mine. Given that, you could say that the majority of my neighborhood is Mexican and Asian. Another thing about Chicago is the fact that a few blocks makes a difference! One second you can be driving through a decent neighborhood and the next second.. YOU SEE A RATCHET HOOD!(That's only a few blocks away from the decent neighborhood.) Low key, my parents would warn me to not get out of the train when I accidentally reach the "hood", but thankfully that hasn't happened yet. *knock on wood* Anyways, that's about it for Chicago neighborhoods. Believe it or not, back around when Christopher Columbus sailed to the Americas as a complete stranger to the Native Americans, their reaction was shocked. At the same time, the Native Americans attempted to be welcoming, and their reactions are similar to our reactions when a new neighbor comes around.

Back then- 1492, Native American's Journal

It was cold, yet it was just like any other day in the Americas. I hunted for deer that day, and I got it. I was eating warm rabbit meat when I heard the waves of the ocean. "Swoosh, swoosh!" It was getting louder and louder. It was unusual for the waves to be moving so fast, so I turned my head to where the ocean was, and from a distance, I could see white. "Were they people?!," I thought to myself, shocked as I made out a ship that was getting closer and closer to the shore. The white shouted out something unfamiliar to me, but their rough voices were loud and obnoxious. As the white got even closer, the birds that surrounded near the ocean flapped their tiny wings, going to an unknown world with freedom. As I glanced over to the ocean once more, I could make out the white. They looked like people, but their faces were really unfamiliar to me. I've never seen a person so light before, and their eyes... their eyes were blue, unlike everybody else in my tribe. Finally they reached the shore, and they shouted something that sounded like excitement. Again what they shouted sounded loud and obnoxious, and I couldn't make out their words as they spoke fast.... There goes my tribe..

Me.

Hello, fellow strangers. I hope I don't know you, since if I actually do that would be weird, wouldn't it? Maybe you could come up to me someday and be like: "I read your blog!" If you actually do that, I would leave you with one word. Or maybe two. "Cool." Anyways, you want to know about me? Well, my name is Ivy. Interests? Does it count that I have quite a small attention span causing quick boredom? If not, I really love music. I can't imagine my life without music. I love playing the guitar, occasionally the ukelele, and of course I love to sing. I've been singing for as long as I remember, and I enjoyed it ever since. English is one of my favorite subjects, since unlike the typical Asian, I actually somewhat dislike math. One of my goals for high school is to read more, for fun! I enjoy running for some reason. Cross country is fun (some of the time, like the meets, not weight room), and I am really happy that I joined last year out of random (not even knowing what it was). That's pretty much it. My life isn't merely as interesting as yours, I'm sure. Therefore, that concludes this post, about me.