Epiphany Day...Sorta

So, today, a guest speaker came to speak at my school. Some of the things he talked about really made me think. Like, if I knew that a friend was drinking a lot and it was becoming a problem, would I tell their parents? Well, I could go on and cover for my friend so they're not mad at me, but, whree would that end up. If my friend was drinking one day and they decide to drive a car, with other friends in it, and they get into an accident,... Would I rather have my friend mad at me for telling, or dead? Those are some things that he really made me think about.

Another thing he made me think about is saying two words. These two words should be said often, and, they are. These two words are very important. And, we use them a lot, yet, we don't usually use them unless we see the immediate need to. You see, when someone opens a door for us, we say it. Thank you. We say it for something as simple as that, but, do we ever say it to our parents because they set aside all that money for our college funds? Do we say it to our parents because they raised us? Do we say it to our teachers because they taught us? Not usually. So, I'm going to try and be more thankful from now on.

Then, I guess there's the last thing. So, today, he asked all the senior boys to stand up, and give him a reason besides sex to have a girlfriend. He said that if they couldn't think of anything, they should sit down. So, all of the guys sat down except two. Is that really the type of boyfriend that I want to have? Is that really the type of guy that I want to be dating when I'm a senior? Is that the guy who I want in a lot of my memories about hgih school? And, well, it also makes me think about a guy that I like. Would he be sitting down, or standing up?  And, it makes me think of the probable answer, which is sitting down.

So, the question that encompasses all three of these topics is... What am I going to do about it? When the times come for all these questions to arise, which is soon, for all of them... What am I going to do about it?

Website Review: MovieStarPlanet

Here's something new that I'm doing on my blog that I hope you all will enjoy. I will be reviewing websites, just so you know exactly what kind of website So, here's the first one on MovieStarPlanet.


MovieStarPlanet:
http://www.moviestarplanet.com/

This website is a fun place to let your famous side shine through. You can make movies and your friends act in tem. You can also create looks, chat with friends, favorite your own Youtube videos, and see which videos your friends like, play games, shop, adopt and play with pets, and decorate your room. Then, when you have created your movies, upload them and enter them in competitions so that you can earn money, fame and share your creations with the rest of the world. Use MovieStarPlanet to make yourself an award winning director. I have a feeling that anyone who loves the idea of fame will love the idea of this website.

Golf

Today, I had my first golf practice. And, I thought it was really cool, because our coach reminded us that it is a sport and skill that we can use for our entire lives. Like, my dad's best friend is someone that he plays golf with all the time.

So, I'm excited to learn how to play, because I know it's going to have a good impact on my life, and a very long-lasting one. I can't wait to start getting better, and learn as much as I can from golf. It's going to be such an important skill and activity later in my life. It's a good way to meet new people and talk to people that I already know.

Well, of course this has to have some advice. It's not difficult. All you have to do is find a sport or activity that you really enjoy and that you can carry on for the rest of your life.

Family Troubles

Here's a post for everyone who is experiencing family troubles. Never give up. Always try and get everything to go as well as it possibly can. And always put mending things in your family above all other problems in your life. Because when you feel like you ha ve nobody to turn to, your family will always been in your corner.

So, I guess what I am trying to say is that whenever there is an issue in your family, you should always try and resolve it, or somehow have it resolved. Because family is important, and should not be broken in any way.

Two Hectic Weeks

I'm sorry for not updating in the past two weeks. I'll explain why now.

So, on July 9th, I boarded the Bus to Nashville, so I could sing in the Crossroads Children's Chorus Festival on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry. At first, I thought that wouldn't be too fun. And, granted, we did spend more than a fourth of each day there rehearsing, but, it was quite frankly amazing. The Gaylord Opryland Hotel was truly amazing. The fact that there was a Garden Conservatory in it, with resteraunts and everything was just truly the best. It was the most amazing hotel I've ever stayed in, and I really wish I could go back sometime. So, the coolest part was that there was this one choir from China there. They were all really young and absolutely adorable. Anyway, it was incredibly fun, and I had an amazing time. Stephen Hatfield was a wonderful director. And so was Russell Davis, who played the piano for us. After that, there was Collin Raye, Kallen Esperian and Lawrence Hamilton, the three soloists who sang with us. We had a lot of fun every single day, and it was just amazing that we had so much fun.

Then, I learned that my grandma had fallen and broken her leg. So, I got home Friday night and then at Saturday morning, I drove to Chicago. I wanted to see her before she went into surgery, and luckily, I got there just in time. She's doing better now, and she's even starting to remember things.

Lastly, I went to Robotics camp. It was pretty awesome. I made tons of friends there, and I also made tons of cool robots. The first was a wal-following and line following robot. It was difficult, yet we called it Snorebot, and it ended up working in the end. The second was a racing robot, which was difficult to make, and it turned out that the controls we used were even worse. After that, there was my favorite project. The Sumobot. Mine was named Failbot. I think that was the simplest to build and program and everything. It also ended up winning the giant sumo competition. Also, during the battle, we played all this super epic music in the background. It was so much fun. We later made these segway bots, which helped us learn about balancing. It wasn't too big of a project though. Then, on the last day, we did the final search and rescue project. It was awesome.

So, I hope you understand where I've been for the past few weeks.

Gran-ma Torino

So, yes, I'm sure you can guess exactly what movie we watched in my summer Ethics class today. We aren't done with it yet, but this movie really made me think about the way that I treat my grandma, and that my family treats her.

I know that we are putting her in a nursing home now, after taking care of her for all our lives. But, we know that right now, that is the safest thing for her, because if she stays with either our family or my aunt's family, there won't be someone there taking care of her all the time. Now with my aunt's job, and the auntie leaving, we don't want anything bad to happen to her, so we decided to make sure that she is taken care of.

The important thing is that every decision that we make about our elderly loved ones is based on your love and care for that person, not your want for everything they own, like what happened in the movie.

I would say Gran Torino is great for anyone who hasn't watched it. It has a great message for everyone, and it is very heartwarming, and it stirs plenty of emotions. So, I would say that it is a great movie for anyone who is in the mood for a wonderful movie. But, warning, there is violence and some pretty bad language. So, it's not the best family movie.

But, I will think about all the decisions I make about my grandma, and why I am making them from now on.

Mission Trip: Chicago

I just returned from a mission trip in Chicago. I know I have been to Chicago before, but that was mostly in the subarbs, and very rarely in the city. This time, it wasn't like that. And it was something like no other, that I can't wait to share with you.

This trip was the youth trip from my church that they take every year. This was the first year I was able to go, and I really enjoyed my time. We stayed at a place called Jesus People, USA and we helped out at homeless shelters too. The people there were amazing, as was my time there, and I really wish it didn't have to end so soon.

Through this trip, I learned about hard and messy work. One of the jobs we had to do while we were in Chicago was shovel all the rubber chips out of the JPUSA playground and replace them with woodchips. This took some doing because it was long and tiring work, yet, we had a deadline and we had to get it done. I learned that sometimes, even if you're tired, you can't quit, or you will never get a job done. I learned about messy work through all the cleaning and cooking I had to do one night at the homeless shelter and also visiting the homeless shelters and seeing how they were. It makes my house look like a castle.

I also learned about the homeless. Most shelters split apart families that come in, and sometimes, boys over the age of 12 don't even put in a shelter. One of the men that I talked to at the shelter told me about how anything can happen, and anyone can become homeless in the blink of an eye. Different situations lead to different things. What struck me about this man is that he had poems memorized. Not just any poems, but ones that were meaningful to him. If you were to talk to him, chances are, you would hear these poems. And chances also are that you would find them just as amazing as I did. Not only could he recite them, but he could tell you what every line, every stanza, and every poem meant to him. To me, this is amazing. There are so many people who have more books, poetry and works than he does, but they never take the time to memorize it, or figure what it means to them. I think that talking to homeless people made me learn about homeless people. and though it broke my heart, I'm glad I learned it, because it's important to know about everyone in the world around you.

Lastly, I learned about relationships. I learned that my relationships with God and those around me aren't going to be strengthened unless I want them to be. I also learned that I have to grow as a person.

On this trip, I learned just what some people had to go through. And it made it me want to help. I now want to help all those who need it. And right now, that's a lot of people.

My advice to you is "to do something" as the supervisor of the shelter said. Do something. Volunteer at a soup kitchen, a food pantry, a nursing home, a homeless shelter or just any organization that helps those that need it. Even just for an hour a month. Because, believe it or not, that hour does make a difference, and the people you help are going to be very thankful for that.

http://s1127.photobucket.com/albums/l626/chuhulil/Chicago/