Work

So this summer I will need some form of money income, and since begging my parents for their money and taking money out of my bank account is no longer acceptable, I will need a job. Luckily for me I just had an interview at Feby’s Fishery restaurant from a guy my grandfather knows well, and I start this Tuesday! I just called him today actually to confirm it and found out that I am required to wear khakis, a dark polo shirt, and black dress shoes. I guess that I’ll have to purchase those items tomorrow so that I’ll be prepared to work on Tuesday. I’m excited and nervous at the same time about working there. I’m excited because it’s a new opportunity for me as a learning experience and I will meet new people. I am nervous because I’ve never  been a bus boy before and I may mess up sometimes. I am also worried that since it is a restaurant, I may be required to stay and work there later then most others. That would prove a problem since I am still in school, but once summer starts, it won’t matter. Either way, it will prove a good experience for me, and I will end up with some spending money.

Summer Vacation

Only two more weeks for school and then summer! No school, warm weather, the beach, and worries from then on out. Only this last week of classes and then finals after, and then I will be finished. I have three straight weeks of beach and I really CANNOT wait! The first week I will be staying at a house with just my friends that we rented out which I know is just going to be awesome. Then the next week, I will be going down to Maryland to my friend’s beach house. Then the final week, I will be going down to Bethany with family and one friend which will just be a relaxing time. It will just be the kind of time where one just lays on the beach and chills. And on the plus side, the friend I will be taking down is my roommate next year for college. I have known him for a little while but this will be a great opportunity to get to know him better. Even after that three week span of beach, over two entire months of summer await me. So much free time, so much to do, and then college, I can’t believe it.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

At the end of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Shu Lien spares the life of Jen, who was the one responsible for the theft of the Green Destiny sword, and for leading Li Mu Bai to his death. Instead, she thought of how Li Mu Bai deeply desired to teach her the ways of Wudan, and now that Jade Fox was dead as well, she saw no need of her death. Shu Lien instructed her to live out the rest of her life being true to herself and to go to Wudan Mountain. This really means having a faithful heart. Standing atop Wudan Mountain, Jen recalls the legend she heard in the desert from Lo: "Anyone who dares to jump from the mountain, God will grant his wish. Long ago, a young man’s parents were ill, so he jumped. He didn’t die. He floated away, far away, never to return. He knew his wish had come true. If you believe, it will happen. The elders say a faithful heart makes wishes come true." Jen invites Lo to make a wish. He replies, "To be in the desert, together again." Then she jumps, floating down into the mists, disappearing from view. This scene symbolizes Jen’s change of heart. She is throwing away her past wrongdoings and is accepting a new life. Her floating down instead of falling shows that she has a faithful heart is in fact being true to herself. One could say that she has now completed her Wudan training.

Arjuna

Our World Lit class just started watching the Bhagavad-Gita because we are now studying Hindi/Sanskrit Literature. We were watching the part where Arjuna is refusing to fight in a battle. The Gita is a conversation between Arjuna and Krishna. Arjuna is the hero, the divine avatar Krishna is the charioteer. Krishna is an avatar of the supreme Brahman. The story begins with Arjuna's kinsmen and friends about to go to war over ownership of the kingdom. The kingdom was passed to Arjuna's cousin. Though Arjuna is the rightful king he is reluctant to fight. He doesn't necessarily want the kingdom and he does not want to shed the blood of his family over the crown. He thinks killing is evil especially in his own family. He tells Krishna he will not fight and throws down his weapons. While trying to convince Arjuna, Krishna tells Arjuna of dharma karma. Krishna explains Arjuna's dharma, or duty. As a member of the warrior caste Arjuna is born to fight and he must fight in order to keep the right balance of karma. Karma is the effect our actions have on our life cycle, or samsara. Krishna tells Arjuna that he would not be killing his family because there is no true death of the soul, just a shedding of the earthly body between life cycles. Arjuna then decides to fight in this battle.

Spring

Winter and the cold weather are almost done now and I cannot wait for springtime. Spring is so much warmer and that means playing basketball outside every day, wearing shorts, driving with the windows down, and I am just lucky enough to not have allergies! Spring is my favorite season as you can probably notice, but don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with the other seasons. In winter, you get snow which means sledding, snowball fights and days off of school. Fall is still warm and all the leaves cover ground, and school is just starting, not to mention my birthday and Halloween are in fall. Summer is also incredible because of the beach, boardwalk, warmest weather, no school, and vacations. But for me, there is just nothing with spring. We are almost on Spring break and after that our final year of high school will be done with. We will have graduation then senior week, and then onto summer. Now that seems like a great time to me! Spring just puts me in the best mood because I know I’m in the homestretch. I am almost done the school year and am preparing for relaxation. I’ve already starting applying all around in search for a part-time job (unsuccessfully so far) so I can make some spending money down at the beach. I just can’t wait!

Life of Pi

About a month ago, my World Literature teacher instructed us to read the book Life of Pi, and after reading it and being tested on it, the movie was released for view on “On Demand”. I figured that since I enjoyed reading the book, and seeing that the preview of the movie looked appealing, I decided to watch it. I wanted to watch it not only because it was a movie, but also so I could relate the similarities and differences between the two. The movie turned out to be amazing, as I anticipated, and stuck with the majority of the how the book described the story. The film was not only entertaining but illuminating beyond my expectations. It takes the viewer on a fantastical journey but also leaves us with profound and lasting impressions about our place in the universe. The ending may also leave you with more questions than answers, but sometimes that is infinitely more satisfying than the majority of predictable movies out there. The story is told in flashback by the adult Pi who relates the tale to a Canadian writer who wants to use Pi’s tale for a book. Pi is very philosophical about his experience, and he tells the writer that if he listens to the story he will “believe in God.” I would highly recommend anyone to either read the book or watch the movie, or both.

The Globetrotters

When I was assigned this task of explaining the most unbelievable thing that has ever occurred in my life, I got to thinking that not really anything extremely insane has happened to me. On top of that, my teacher compared whatever event chosen was to stand out almost like the story of Life of PI. I was stumped, and so I thought of other less unbelievable events in my life, such as vacations and graduations, but even then they seemed dull. Then I remembered the time my parents took my siblings and me to watch the Harlem Globetrotters perform when I was about eight or nine. They were a group of extremely talented and disciplined basketball players. They would always go up against like a regular team who wouldn’t really try, just for amusement, like a show. Anyway, the drive there was only about twenty minutes. We arrived there, purchased food, drinks, and a basketball for me, then took our seats. When the game was about midway through the second quarter, one of the players on the Harlem Globetrotters called to me and told me to get on the court with him. Naturally being shy as a kid, I kind of looked away to my mom who then encouraged me to go with him. Hesitantly I stood up and walked onto the court with him. While the rest of the players were on the other half playing, we had this half to ourselves and he got an extra ball and instructed me to help his team out by making a shot a little short of the three point line. I took aim and shot, but it hit the rim and fell short. He grabbed both my arms and shook me screaming, “Are you trying to make us lose!” I had to take another shot and this time I made it. A big sigh of relief came over me and then the rest of the team came over and presented me with a shirt which was signed by all of them. They then made me do this crazy walk with them up and down the court which was hilarious. His teammate said I’m not allowed to be on the court be he said that I was his son and I looked just like him. This of course didn’t make any sense because he was African American. This was the most unexpected moment in my life I believe, and I received a very nice souvenir out of it.