Monday, May 7, 2012

My Favorite Season

Fallalalalalaaaaaaa.  Oh the fall.  I absolutely LOVE the fall.  The weather, the trees, the nice breeze (it brings out the poet in me)... I absolutely love everything about it.  The idea is also very comforting: a transition from the hot summer to the cold winter.  It's like the calm before the storm, which is usually really really really awesome in respect to any other time, because it contrasts with the two extremes that come before and after it.  I cannot really say anything bad about the fall.


Plus, Thanksgiving is in the fall... ish.  I will say it is to further emphasize and legitimize my point.  The fall is my favorite season.  I cannot wait to spend it in the states, where the whole "four seasons" deal actually happens and isn't just something you read about in books or watch in movies.  I love living on an island, with its usually consistent year-long weather, but I cannot wait to experience going through four seasons and actually noticing it.  The fall just seems perfect - the weather is not too brisk, nor is it steamy hot.  You can wear jeans and a jacket and be perfectly comfortable in the fall (usually... in most places,  I would assume).   But the colors! Oh the colors that you see in the fall.  I know the spring is a time for renewal and that means flowers are blooming and there's a vast array of colors and it is definitely breathtakingly beautiful.  However, there is just something about the fall, the beautiful combination of reds, oranges, and yellows, that really just make me feel so good to be alive.  It's like the mixture of those colors evoke such a strong emotional response from me, but I cannot ever seem to describe the emotion.  There's no word for it nor is there a description that will fit it.  It's just the whole combination of chilly nights and beautiful colors that really attracts me to the fall.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Prance

Prance n. (pruh-an-se): 1. most commonly known as the SIS dance. 2. hybrid of a prom and dance. 3. an excuse for teenagers to look sexy and dance the night away.

When people hear of "Prance," they think of the verb prance and envision high school kids skipping through forests (or at least, that's what I thought when I first heard of it).  At SIS, Prance is the annual 'prom.'  It all started like, a billion years ago when the high school was still new and there was a large enough class to actually do stuff with (one year, there was only one guy - PARTY OF ONE YEAH!).  So this one chick decided to make up "Prance" a hybrid of "prom" and "dance."  The reason we do this is because there is a stigma attached to "prom" that people spend a butt load of money on this one night and we wanted to refrain from that, so we resorted to Prance.  It's pretty much the same idea though - girls wear fancy dresses and look pretty, while the guys put on suits and look awesome.  This year, like every year, we held our Prance at the Charlies Cabaret at PIC.  The theme was Midnight in Paris, so everything was all French like and awesome.  A backdrop of the Eiffel tower and awesome gift bags completed the night. 

Here's a picture:

 Yeah, we're awesome.  We don't need to prove it to others, nor do we need approval; that's probably why I love this group of kids so much.  We do things for the enjoyment of doing them and we do not care in the slightest how others perceive it.  We don't do things to seem cool and we don't need approval for the things that we do.  We do it for the sole purpose of being good people and enjoying life.  At Prance, we all came and spent our last 'fancy' night together as a group and it was awesome.  These are people whom I will never forget and I'm glad I got to spend a Midnight in Paris with them. :)

As We Go On, We Remember...

Graduation.  To most, the term usually brings up fear, nostalgia, and much deserved anticipation.  For us, the class of 2012, graduating means the end of our teenage years and the beginning of our adulthood.  It's full of anticipation, fear, excitement, and sadness.  It's funny how one single event can affect so many in just a short amount of time.  From the beginning of the National Anthem, to the closing speech, so many emotions go through not only the graduating class, but through the parents, friends, and teachers watching. 

I am scared, a little bit.  But I am really anticipating my departure.  I know I will miss everyone here and that I won't feel the full effect until I am on a plane onto a new life, but I am just so ready to start anew.  I know I will bawl tears of mixed emotions at my graduation, but I have no shame in saying that.  I will finally be leaving people I have come to know and love - from people I met 9 years ago, to people I met just last year, I will miss everyone so much.  That's probably the one thing I will miss about Saipan (besides the food): the people here are just amazing.  You meet so many different cultures and you assimilate into them so well.

Dear Mom

Dear Mom,

Thank you.  It's weird how two words that mean so much cannot even begin to equate to the amount of gratitude that I feel towards you.  You have done so much for me and I cannot even begin to thank you for making me the woman I am today.  From the moment I was conceived to my birth to my 17th birthday, you have been amazing.  You found a way to stay with me for all 17 years and never once doubted me and my abilities.  You taught me virtues that I have instilled into my everyday life; you have taught me the various acts of kindness that make people around me smile; you have made everyone in my life realize how great of a person you are.  You are so humble with others, you rarely let it get to you - another admirable quality that I hope to gain when I grow to be your age.