Welcome Back - Reflection of 2012

Part 1...

I really liked this photo from 2012, because it looks like a painting. I think it's amazing when somebody can capture that essence of perfection, as if somebody planned it and took a long time to paint it. It almost looks too perfect to be a photograph. I also like how the photo is in monochrome colors. This makes it more dramatic, along with the fog everywhere. 

I liked the idea of this photo, and how the artist went about completing it. I liked how he took the photos in a way that showed different times of the day, slowly progressing to night time. Also when they were placed side by side, they showed the island as a whole. I think this photo is very beautiful, creative, and well done. This makes me want to do a similar project like this. 

This photo is, in my opinion, a perfect pause in time. The view point at which it was taken is amazing, as well as the timing in when the photographer took the photo. The rainbow adds to the photo, without distracting from the surfer, or the beautiful blue water, or even the clouds in the background. Thinking about how the photographer probably had to also be on a surf board, shows that he or she would probably do anything to get a good picture. 

Part 2...

1. I honestly did really have a favorite, new song, of 2012. I don't really listen to the music when it first comes out, because a lot of the music played on the radio is not generally the type of music I like. This is mainly pop, and rap. However, the artist I have been listening to the most this year is Jason Mraz. He recently came out with his album, Love is a Four Letter Word. I went to his concert during the summer in Houston, Texas, I really loved it. So even though I don't have a favorite, new song of the year, I did, and still am listening to Jason Mraz a lot.

2. The movie of the year is a hard decision for me, because I liked all the movies I saw. I ended up seeing the Hunger Games, the Avengers, the Dark Night Rises, Breaking Dawn Part 2, the Hobbit, and Skyfall. I think if I would have to pick my top 3 movies that I saw starting with my favorite, it would be: the Avengers, the Dark Night Rises, and Skyfall. I have always been a nerd, along with my dad and brother, about super heroes. So we really enjoyed the Avengers and the Dark Night Rises. As for Skyfall, I was not that excited to see it, because I have seen every other James Bond movie, and there are about 23 or 24. However, when I saw it, I really liked it.

3. I don't watch the news very often, but I think that probably most important news stories was the one about the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary. It pains me that those kids were killed. Even worse, that the kids who were not hurt, had to see their friends and teachers be shot and die. Also, before, the gun restriction laws and the stuff about mental health being too expensive would be brought up but only to be lost in the other things people were trying to fix. Now, the government is taking this more seriously and restricting gun laws, and hopefully they are also going to be making it more convenient for people to afford mental health care, so that this won't happen anymore. It makes me sad, and angry that it took so many lives lost, to finally get the government's attention on these issues. Think about the other instances where things like that happened before? It's just sad.

4. I don't really think there was a "most important" person of 2012 that would pertain to everybody. To me, I think that the most important person of 2012 year have been the friends I have made in the band, here at Akins. They were so welcoming at the beginning of marching season, before school even started. They made me comfortable and they all became good friends of mine. They are always telling me what a good person I am and I know I can talk to any of them if I need to. They all make me laugh and they have taught me to relax more and have fun. I don't know where I would be without all of them.

5.


Part 3...

1. I will remember my whole holiday, but the one thing I will probably remember is when I played Risk for the first time. Risk is a board game where you are basically trying to take over the world. The game board is a map of the world, but instead of the countries, they are divided into general territories. I had no idea how to play and almost the whole time I was asking questions non stop, so I could get a reminder on how many dice I could roll, and other things like that. The game takes a really long time to play, so after a few hours we decided to call it quits and decide the winner on who had the most territories. My brother, Ben, ended up wining. Second place was, surprise, me! Then it was my other brother, Matt, our mom, and then our dad. I ended up having all of Europe, and North Africa, as well has Egypt.

2. One of my 20312 resolutions is to accept myself. I have never been the most confident person, and my outlook on myself has never been very positive. I am taking the time to accept some things about myself that I don't particularly like. I have already accepted my height, buy learning about a few actresses, and singers who are either the same height or taller. These women include Blake Lively, Taylor Swift, Jordan Sparks, Julia Roberts, and the comics portray Wonder Woman as 6 foot. This helped me to realize, that even though I will alway be taller than most girls out there, I am not alone.

3. In 2013, I am looking forward to living my life and focusing on myself more. I have always been worrying more about my friends and if they are okay. I still do care about my friends, a lot, it's just that I need to also learn to focus on myself some more. I am also looking forward to starting driving school, and turning 16 later in September.

In the mail, I got 3 pamphlets from the Oxbridge Academic Programs. They sent a letter as well, explaining how they want to look into their schools and think about attending a seminar this summer at one of their colleges. One pamphlet is about their school in New York, another is about Spain and France, and one I find the most exciting are Oxford and Cambridge in England! I am still reading up on these, and if I can apply for a scholarship for the trip, my parents are up to talking about letting me go. This could be really exciting for me, and it means a lot to me that I was invited to look into these schools, because I am only a freshman. So far I haven't found anybody else who has gotten the letter, and the pamphlets in the mail.