Freshman Year-Complete

It’s hard to believe that we are already wrapping up the 2010-2011 school year. It truly has been a remarkable year for me individually and also I think overall for everything. It seems not too long ago that I was showing the new students around the school, and all of a sudden the only thing on my mind is finals and summer. This year has been quite different from previous school years for countless reasons. This includes, but is not limited to:

High School

This is my first year as a high school student. So much is different in comparison to middle school. In high school, there is obviously much, much more responsibility. I’ve learned that organization, dedication, and focus are all keys that determine how well you perform. It is the student’s responsibility for homework, tests, and projects. Ninth grade was a lot of fun, but I’m looking forward to the future as I will be older and wiser. Plus, I never liked being the youngest… I hope there isn’t a lot of freshman hazing in college.

Rains/Floods

This year was something happened that I’ve never experienced before. All of our classes in December were cancelled due to torrential rains within the Venezuelan state of Miranda. At first, I, along with the other students, couldn’t have been happier. This all changed when we ended up getting countless worksheets, projects, and other assignments. Teacher’s wikis became very popular on my computer. To make matters worse, the work did not count, and we still had to spend more time at school.

VANAS/CAISSA

Now that I’m a freshman, I’m able to travel a bit more for athletic teams. As I was on the basketball and softball team, I was able to go to tournaments within Venezuela (VANAS) but also internationally in a tournament called CAISSA. I’m glad I was able to experience this for the first time, even though this was my 2^nd year playing Varsity basketball. For CAISSA basketball, I traveled to Trinidad, where teams from Venezuela, Trinidad, Ecuador, and the Dominican Republic all represented their schools. Although this was a great experience for me, I was sick for the entire time. I didn’t want to miss the opportunity, so I decided to play through my stomach and respiratory issues along with a 103 degree fever. This was definitely the wrong idea as I missed a great amount of school afterwards.

I’m really looking towards 10^th grade. I didn’t do as well in 9^th grade as I could have, so my goal for 10^th grade is to not only make honors, but become a better person overall. I’m looking forward to the increased freedom along with making new friends and experiencing new things. I don’t really know what to expect for next year, because as they say, life’s a journey. 

Health & Nutrition

Dwight Howard, my fitness idol.

One thing that everyone needs in order to live well physically, mentally, and spiritually is nutrition. I personally believe that this topic is a must-have in one’s life. During middle school, I didn’t care about my health. I ate what I wanted, did what I wanted and had very little care for going to the gym to burn fat and gain muscle. Coming into high school, I knew that my methods regarding this area would have to change for multiple reasons: as a growing teenager, our health will affect us for the rest of our life as we mature and stop growing. For me personally, I feel as though in order to perform at a top level athletically, I will need to fuel myself with food that has great nutritional values, along with making sure I am physically able to perform. This also goes with academics; countless studies have shown that when you have an active lifestyle (i.e. outside often, sports) you perform much better in the classroom, regardless of the subject. I have had the chance to experience this first-hand. In the past, I have felt tired, drowsy, and unable to interact in a class. The result of this was lower grades in classes that I knew I could do much better in. Because of this I have taken a complete 180 degree turn in my health in nutrition. I try to go to the gym at least 4-5 times a week, and it has definitely paid off. I’m glad I made this life choice, for short AND long term reasons.

NBA Playoffs/Finals 2011

Well, it’s hard to believe that the NBA season is coming to a close. It seems as though just yesterday LeBron was having his hour-long TV program about who he was going to pick for his new team. I personally didn’t watch a lot of basketball this year, mainly because my team, The Golden State Warriors, are rarely televised in Venezuela. I watched a lot of Miami Heat basketball, along with the Boston Celtics and Houston Rockets. I must say it was a very interesting playoffs; the Spurs, a team that is known winning 60 games a season, were knocked off by the Grizzlies, a team that have never won a playoff game. The games were also very physical and cheap, players pushing each other and not acting like the role models they are, whether they like it or not. Lots of players were ejected, resulting in boos from the fans. Even though this wasn’t a “clean” playoff year, it was still fun to watch because you could see how driven and passionate these professionals were. Now, we have two teams left for the NBA championship: The Dallas Mavericks, a quiet team that are still managing to win 50-60 games a year. The other team is the Miami Heat, the powerhouse team of the east that is hated on by just about every single NBA fan. Miami, equipped with versatile wings Dwayne Wade & LeBron James, team up with center Chris Bosh to make an unstoppable trio. Although there are times when these 3 are unable to perform at an elite level, they are still able to pull out and get clutch victories. I predict the powerful Heat to win the series in 4 games; they are too good of a team to blow something like this away. Although this will be a huge, unneeded ego boost for LeBron, I feel as though he deserves it. Below are a few examples of the rough play that have made this year's playoffs infamous.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsMprVOQToM
The above video is Andrew Bynum, the Center for the Los Angeles Lakers, committing a cheap foul on JJ Barea, Point Guard for Dallas (one of the smallest players in the league). Dallas is leading the game by 32 points (the Lakers were also facing elimination), and 3 players have already been ejected for being unsportsmanlike. As Barea goes up for the layup, Bynum  shoves him in midair and Barea is slammed to the ground. This is a bad example for aspiring amateurs, and the NBA should take action and suspend him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kyh7NB2pVyY
Here, we have Jason Richardson, an average sized player for the Orlando Magic, standing up for his teammate after he was fouled hard against Zaza Pachulia. Both Richardson & Pachulia are known for their impertinent, arrogant conduct on the court. Richardson takes this altercation to the next level as he shoves Pachulia in the face. Both of these players were suspended for the following game.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfCMqT05No8
On this play, the Miami Heat are taking on the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semi Finals. Both of these teams are equipped with superstars and they are both very aggressive. Dwayne Wade of the Miami Heat is being guarded by Rajon Rondo of the Boston Celtics. Wade loses the ball, and trips onto Rondo. This could be the end of the clip, but Wade keeps pushing on Rondo even after the whistle is blown to end the play. He loses his balance (in my opinion, intentionally) and falls on Rondo, where Rondo awkwardly lands on  his arm. Rondo dislocated his elbow but came back to finish the game. Not only does this show heroism and dedication by Rajon Rondo, but also disgusting, coy play by Dwayne Wade. He was not disciplined by the NBA.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JymBxLpZ_bE&feature=related
This video once again contains Jason Richardson. Richardson, alongside Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks, are scuffling for a loose ball. After Orlando gets the ball and takes it on a fast-break play, Anthony and Richardson are tangled up. As Richardson stands up, Anthony trips him. This then happens again, except Richardson tripped Anthony.

Blogging

Hello readers,

For one of our posts, our teachers are having us write about whether or not we like blogging. I am really starting to run out of ideas about what to write about, so I think right now would be a good time to talk about that. Do I like blogging? That’s a tough question. Before this class, there would have been a 0% chance of me posting a bunch of random stuff that no one would read. I think that there are both pros and cons to this…

A few of the things I don’t like about blogging is the fact that almost no one reads it. If I didn’t do this for a class, I would still only have 2 or 3 views on my blog. I also think that it can be boring at times, rambling about something that may possibly be only interesting to you. That is why it’s crucial to make sure you think about your audience before you post something.

On the contrary, I think that blogging is a pretty interesting way to talk about things you like. It kind of forces me to describe things with more detail, and I think that that will help me in the future in English class. I also think that it is a good way to tell people about things that interest you or what’s going on your life.

So, to answer your question, do I like blogging? Yeah, it’s pretty interesting. Thanks for introducing me to it. 

Songs on Replay

In earlier posts, I've talked about how much I like music and how it helps me express myself. Lately, I've been able to find a lot of great music. Below are a few songs that are on repeat; I can't stop listening to them.

Badfish-Sublime
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmadSGJCzo8
This song is almost 20 years old but I know people that are still bumping to it like it came out this morning. Sublime is a legendary band where I'm from, and the fact that this song relaxes me and makes me feel positive is enough to be #1 on this list. I highly recommend Badfish or any other song by Sublime if you just want to be happy and have a positive outlook on life. I have been through a lot lately, and this song has really touched home with me.

The Race- Wiz Khalifa
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0JhNEKzp_Q
Another very happy, relaxing song. Wiz Khalifa is known for his laid back lifestyle, and this song captures exactly that. Wiz combines a pretty relaxing beat with some clever lyrics for a really great song. This song has been really popular; it ended up being leaked on the internet a month before it was supposed to, and it still made album, "Rolling Papers". This track is great for anyone who wants an upbeat and catchy song that doesn't do anything but make you grin.

U Don't Know- Jay-Z
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7SUvfYG1wo
I respect Jay-Z at a very high level. He was once a crack dealer in the projects of New York, but later became rapper. He used his rapping to propel himself to being a businessman, and this song off of the first "Blueprint" album really shows how serious this guy is about being the best. Jigga (Jay-Z) is known for his sly and crafty lyrics that depict the hustler's lifestyle he lives. Jay lives for his money, and the words he says in this song show it. The bellow verse is quite possibly my favorite from this song:
"I sell ice in the winter, I sell fire in hell
I am a hustler baby, I'll sell water to a well"

Amber-311

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUFSB2plwzM

This song is really relaxing and just like Badfish, it gives you a really positive feeling(as you can see, I might be listening to hoodlum music one moment, and then relaxing rock another). This song was part of the soundtrack to the movie "50 First Dates". While living in California, I used to listen to this song 24/7. A lot of memories come with this song for me, and now that whenever I listen to it I get a sort of nostalgic feeling that is very bittersweet. After rediscovering this song, I not only get a relaxing, "beachy" feeling, but also I am reminded of countless memories while living in California.

As you can see, I have a wide variety of music. If you guys have any songs similar to these, please let me know. 

Tosh.0

I personally, love comedy. In an earlier post, I explained how I only really like funny movies and TV shows. One TV show in particular that I really like is Comedy Central's Tosh.0.

I don't really like to watch TV. In fact, when I first heard about this show, I thought it was going to be garbage: just some comedian making fun of internet videos. Boy was I wrong. Daniel Tosh, the host, makes fun of everything possible. It is very dark comedy, and it can be compared to Jon Stewart of the Daily Show. Every week, Daniel Tosh goes on a rant on any certain stereotype, keeping you in stitches for the whole 30 minutes the show goes on. Daniel Tosh also invites famous people from the internet onto his show, including Antoine Dodson, Miss South Carolina, and many more. They come on to redo what they did wrong, for a “Web Redemption”.

This TV show tends to be cruel towards all stereotypes, including his own flaws. If you have a weak heart or just feel that stereotypes are inappropriate, this show is most definitely NOT for you. On the other hand, if you like a bit of dark humor in your life or just want a good laugh, this show is most definitely for you.  

Life as of Late

Like anyone else, I can get caught up with everything in life and become overwhelmed with everything. At times like this, I like to sit back and think about everything in my life.  I think now would be a good time to do that, mainly because I’m running out of ideas for blog posts.

Life has been interesting as of late. Basketball has been taking up a lot of my time; not that I’m complaining, but in a situation where you don’t get  home until 8 at night can be a bit difficult trying to keep up with schoolwork. My team just had a tournament held for the international schools in Venezuela, and we got 4^th out of 5 teams. I’m a little frustrated because I know we could have done better than that. The teams we used to destroy are now beating us by 15. We have another tournament tomorrow in Trinidad which has competing teams throughout Latin America. Hopefully that’ll go well… I need to get back in my groove.

School has been ok. I don’t really get along with a lot of the other guys in my grade, so I tend to drift towards the seniors to hang out with. I don’t think it’s anyone’s fault, we just don’t have much in common. There’s a girl I kind of like, we’ll see how that goes.

I am always looking for new music. I’ve been listening to the old mixtapes of Wiz Khalifa, like Star Power and Flight School.  My favorite song by Wiz Khalifa is Goodbye; that track never gets old.  I’ve also been listening to a lot of Game, especially his album LAX. I know it’s old, but the song “Ya Heard” is on repeat for me. Hopefully his R.E.D. album comes out soon.  Lil Wayne has been coming out with a new song every day or 2, and I have been listening to those. I thought "Green and "Yellow" was pretty funny. Like everyone else, I have been waiting for Detox, Dr. Dre’s album that is a decade overdue. I didn’t like the singles, but those can be misleading. I hope that’s the case…

I haven’t been seeing a lot of the new movies, but rather watching the old ones. As I’ve said in other blog posts I love comedies. I just Superbad for the first time in a while, and I’m glad I did. I can never get enough of that movie! I watched Zombieland for the first time, and that was probably the worst movie I had ever seen- when you call it a comedy, the audience expects to laugh.  Not watch a bunch of people get killed.

How has your life been?