Meeting New People

Awhile back ago, I wrote a post called So Many People, Yet So Alone. If you haven't read it yet, the main concept was that I was never that "go-to friend" and that even though I'm surrounded by all these people called friends, I've never felt so alone before.

At the end, I encouraged people who might feel the same way to go and talk to people. I encouraged them to go out and talk to someone that they're comfortable around, someone who makes them feel good and that it's someone that you're genuinely happy to be around.

Last weekend, I had this conference that I attended to so I could learn more about the IB (International Baccalaureate) program and how it could affect my acceptance at a university, how it would help prepare me for universities and things along those lines,

As I've previously mentioned, I'm currently apart of the French school board. We only have two schools in the same area, so as they usually do, the teachers combined the 23 students from my school with 4 other students (two boys and two girls) from the second French school.

On the way there, I didn't really talk to anyone. I was quite content with reading my book.

When we got closer to the hotel, I found out that I was sharing a room with the only three other girls that were in my grade and also at my school. Everyone was down the same hallway, so I only had to walk about three or four doors down to be at one of the boys' room. 

One of my guy friends was in his room with one other kid from my class and the two kids from the other French school.

At one point, my guy friend decided to go take a walk around the hotel, so I saw this as the perfect opportunity to play a small prank on him.

While you're away on a school trip at a small hotel, there's not much you can do for a grand prank, so I stuck with the classic one of toilet papering his half of the bed.

It was the other guy in my class who opened the door, so when I explained to him what I wanted to do, he was all in for it! It was only when I walked into the room that I noticed the two other boys from the other French school were also there.

While I was setting the toilet paper in place, I started talking with the both of them. One was slightly older than me, but the other one is the same age as me.

We talked, exchanged numbers and we've been texting for a little bit. 

I'm currently in a group chat with him, my guy friend and my best friend.

It's actually pretty funny! I really do enjoy talking to him, he seems like a fun guy to be around. 

The only thing that slightly gets to me is that I feel as though I've texted him more in five days than I have with my so-called best friends since the start of the year.

I told you guys to feel free and send your story in or leave your story in a comment and I would write a post about mine. Here it is.

I got out there, I talked to someone who I feel comfortable enough to be around and I enjoy talking to him. 

Of course there's still a lot to learn, I've barely known him for a week, but its a pretty great feeling when you make a new friend.


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No Need For Envy

When I looked up the definition of envy, I got two answers; the noun version and the verb.

1. A feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else's possessions, qualities, or luck.
2. desire to have a quality, possession, or other desirable attribute belonging to (someone else).

Envy is a feeling that I've experienced often. I've always compared myself to other people, whether it's sports or music related, I've never been the best and I'm envious of people better than me, but the push me to do more, practice harder. If you ask me, that's a healthy way to us envy to your advantage.

I've recently been finding myself experiencing envy in a more so negative way.

I enjoy talent shows, whether they're school shows or shows on TV such as Britain's Got Talent, I find them interesting. 

People have so many interesting and awesome talents, but I wish I could have them.

I play the guitar and whenever I hear someone my age play something amazing, I get envious and I want to practice until I can play like they do. I think that's normal, who hasn't wished that they could do something that they already do but do it like someone else?

Whenever I see some amazing dance or gymnastic routine, I usually always think "Oh my God, I wish that I could do that!" But thats when I remember that I hate dancing and have never done serious gymnastics.

I can't help myself, what these people are doing is nothing less than amazing! I want to use my talents in the way that they do, yet I still feel as though I have to discover some of them.

If you get envious over someone and you later on realize that you have nothing to be envious of because you don't do the same thing at all, that;s okay!

If you're like me, you'll find your own talent someday! We don't have to feel the need of having something that we alone can do, if we could, who would be there to help you get even better at it?

Until I find a talent in which I want to carry out with, I'll try to avoid talent shows and I'll continue to be able to wiggle my ears.

Anyone else have a few fun secret talents? Let me know! I'll try my best not to be envious.


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The Story Of A Reject

Back in 7th grade, my best friend became good friends with another group of girls. 

I didn't see this as anything bad or threatening, I was happy for her! However, I was terrified of losing my best friend, so I felt inclined to also join that group of girls.

Everything was fine for awhile, I guess. They were nice and funny, but I knew I was never fully accepted by them. I was constantly out of the loop of things, never invited to plans that were being made right in front of me and things like that for months. It hurt, but I dealt with it to stay with my best friend.

I finally figured out that I really wasn't accepted there when I got called their charity case.

Fast forward a few years, I found myself some new friends that I got really close with. 

It wasn't the same as the other group. I was accepted by them, I was invited to things, it was almost the complete opposite and it was nice.

In the past few months though, I have felt as though I've become less and less accepted.

I wasn't (still not really) invited to things, I'm not included, I'm constantly being talked around and it's frustrating. 

I don't know what I did wrong, I don't know why I've been treated like this, but I never really did anything about it. I never called anyone out nor did I ever do what others have done to me.

I'm glad I never did those two things.

Today during lunch, there was something that unfolded between the group of friends that I'm supposedly apart of, and three of the girls were really upset.

I knew what happened, yet I tried not to say anything to make the situation worst. I simply went up and helped them.

This was a time that they really needed someone and I'm glad that I could be there for them. 

Although past events have happened, you have to put all of that behind you at some point and do the humane thing.

Nothing ever goes to plan, and that also means friendships. If you think you can strengthen a friendship with someone, don't give up on them completely. 

Someday, they'll realize that you stuck around and that you were there for them when they needed you , and they'll be thankful. They won't befriend you over again out of pity, but they'll realize just how lucky they are to have someone so loyal and caring.


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Choices

Awhile back ago I had course selection at my school, but now I'm wondering if I should still attend the same school.

Where I live, we have two school boards: the English one and the French one.

I'm currently a student under the French school board, which means that all my classes (besides my English class) are in French. If I graduate from that school, I graduate with two first languages, French and English, and I get a bilingual diploma.

I am insanely proud that I see both languages as first languages. I am so proud of my French background that I want my own kids to also learn it. I hear a lot of adults say that one of their biggest regrets in life was not learning a second language, but here I am, a teen thats fluent in both. 

I'm really lucky to be born into the family I was.

Now my main concern with the French school board is that we're only about 450 students through the grades of 7-12 while at the local English high school they're over 900 students with only 10-12 grade levels. 

If I stay at my French school, I'm not guarantee that classes that I want to take because it all depends on numbers.

I honestly don't have much to hold me back there. In reality, I only have two friends who I see outside of school often, so that wouldn't be a problem. I don't plan on going to a French university, so I guess it's not all that necessary to have both languages as first languages on my diploma.

I'm really considering switching schools, but I have to admit that I'm terrified.

I'm scared of the possibility of losing my French, but I'm a French family. Surely I'll speak it at home. I'm also scared of not knowing anyone there. This one is ridiculous because a few girls on my softball team go there and a lot of the swimmers that I used to swim with also go there.

If I do go to the English school, I can take this test which I believe is called the Delphi test and depending on if you pass it, you receive a certificate or something along those lines saying that you are in fact bilingual. It's not the same as graduating from the French school though because it's not also considered your first language; it's your second.

If I end up not liking the English school, I can always go back to the French one!

There is literally nothing preventing me from going to this school, yet I still scared and I'm not all that sure as to why.

This isn't like going to a new school in a new province or country, but I still have the chance to start over a little bit. Of course people will know me there, but I can change all of my classroom habits.

My worry is all physiological and I know that. I just can't help but feel as though whatever choice I make will be the wrong one.

However, I think I do know why I'm scared.

I have the fear of letting a diploma tell me who I am.

I know that I'm bilingual, I know that both French and English are my first languages. But for some reason, I feel as if that won't be true unless I have it on a diploma.

I have a lot of time to make up my mind on the whole school situation thing for next year, that's not my main concern.

I'm really going to have to focus on me and keeping my values. I have to decide what's more important to me: Graduating with two first languages at a school that doesn't offer all the classes I want to take or going to a school where I can get the classes I want and somewhat having to start all over again.

I know I can keep my French no matter what I decide to do. I just want to make the right choice.


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Injuries And Recoveries

Sunday afternoon, I had a softball practice. I love playing softball, I have been playing for about 7-9 years now and I'm still loving the sport.

The only downside to it, which is normal, are injuries.

I have received a few injuries before. I've hurt my knee, elbow, shoulder and I've broken my thumb during a game. Those aren't all that big, they're average injuries.

If you see someone with a finger split or two finger taped together, you'll don't think twice about it. The other injuries I've had, it was easy to hide/cover up what I needed to help recover (physiotherapy tape, braces, etc.) from the injury.

During that practice, I ended up either damaging or straining (I can't really remember if I'm being honest) the muscle running from my wrist to my elbow.

It's a pretty long muscle if you think about it, that calls for a lot of physiotherapy tape.

I currently have black and blue tape from between my fingers, over my hand, all the way up to my elbow and even a little bit past it.

Tonight I went to the gym with my dad, and to say I was uncomfortable was a little bit of an understatement.

Because I was wearing a t-shirt, you could see all of the tape. For the reason of it being physiotherapy tape and you don't know why people have it, you tend to look and wonder.

In other words, stare.

I got quite a few looks from people. They all seemed to want to know the same answer to the same question: What could you have possibly done to yourself or what situation could you have been in when that happened?

I was uncomfortable with people looking at me and looking at the tape. It wasn't something that I enjoyed, but then I realized something.

They don't have to know anything.

If people looking at the tape on my arm means that I'm getting what I need to make a recovery soon, then so be it.

Although it is embarrassing to have people look at you and wonder about your story, isn't it so much better to not think about that and focus on your own recovery?

No matter what the situation is for your injury or illness that you're recovering from, those strangers don't play a single role in your recovery.

Strangers don't and won't know every single detail in your life. If you have to wear something out in public that might draw attention to you, do it.

If it helps you get better, then you should do it! You're not going to see those people ever again.

Take your own health into your own hands and ignore what looks you could possibly be given.

Please do your best to look after yourself. It's important that you do.


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"Interest At First Sight"

I'm a big quote fanatic. I love reading quotes, breaking them down, learning about who wrote them and why they said it. 

I think it's the fact that the meaning of a quote could mean one thing to me and something completely different to someone else. It inspires people in their own personal way.

A quote that everyone seems to know is "It was like love at first sight."

Now people usually tend to think of people or book/movie characters when they hear the quote. Who doesn't love the idea of being able to look at someone in the eyes from across the room and just knowing that they're the one? 

That would be incredibly special.

For me though, that quote is more for items. Whether I'm shopping, listening to music, reading a book, I can fall in love instantly.

I just personally don't think it's fair to say the same about a person.

How do you fall in love with someone by a quick glance of the eye and know you want to spend the rest of your life with that one person? 

Is that not that shallow? 

You're technically not falling in love/fell in love with a person, you're falling in love/fell in love with their looks. A whole person is so much more than just looks. What if you think you had a "It was love at first sight," moment but the other person is the complete opposite as you and you know that it could never work out after the first date? 

That's why I think that the quote should be "Interest at first sight." 

I am one of those people that say personality is more important than looks because if I had the choice of marrying someone that loves all the same things I do and we always have fun together but he looks like an average guy or marrying a supermodel that I have nothing in common with and it always feels awkward, I would chose the person who looks like an average guy. 

I don't want to say looks aren't important, because in a way they are. 

They spark interest in you to talk to someone. Everyone has their preferences related to looks whether it's hair or eye colour to size or height of the person, but no one should be made fun of for their looks. It's not something you can change on command and it's awful that people are still making them feel bad for how they look and making them feel worthless about themselves. 

That's why I also think that it's important not to change your looks for anyone but yourself because someone will take interest in you.

Now if you are a believer that two people can fall in love at first sight, then that's awesome.

This is just my opinion on the matter, so please, I beg of you, do not feel as though you have to change your opinion of the quote. If I have influenced you and you understand what I'm saying, then so be it. I would just hate it if one of you changed your minds completely even though the reason as to why you fell in love with the quote and remember it is different from mine.

Everyone has different interpretations on different subjects. This just happens to be mine on a specific quote.


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Fears

Fears are silly things if we think about them.

Scientist say that if we didn't fear things, we wouldn't be alive. Fear is the general response for when we're in a potentially dangerous situation or we feel threatened.

I've constantly heard, and have been told a few times myself, that we have to get over our fears.

I don't think that we have to.

Depending on what you're afraid of, fear shows our values. They let us express what we're afraid to lose, things we cherish, and what we're afraid of what may be/what hasn't happened yet without having to go into a huge speech as to why. We don't have to explain ourselves when we're afraid of something.

For example, a fear of mine is to never be able to have kids. That's something that hasn't happened yet, but with that one little fact about me, you can already tell some of my values for the future: Start a family and be the best mom I could be. 

I feel as though that's a rational fear. It's something that I don't have 100% control over and could change what little of my future I already have planned. 

An irrational fear I had when I was younger was that I would think that there could be a shark in the pool or lake I was swimming in. I'm pretty sure that that fear was created in between the time of my 10 years of swimming and my first time watching Jaws.

As I got older, I realized how silly that fear was. I broke down the main components, thinking if:

1. There could actually be a shark in the pool.
2. I would be allowed to swim in a place with a killer shark nearby.

I saw how silly that fear was, so I was able to get over it. I understood why I would have that fear, what made me create it in my mind, I analyzed the logic behind it and once I realized that there was none, I stopped being afraid.

Some fears you have for many different reasons and some could be explained easier than others. It's up to you to realize if your fear is rational or irrational, if it's something that you can control and if it's something that is holding you back from something that you really want to do.

I wrote this post today because this afternoon, I went for my wisdom teeth removal consultation. To be perfectly honest, yes, I am scared. The procedure is happening in exactly one month from today, but I can't help but think of everything that could go wrong. 

What is helping me slowly overcome that fear is having to remind myself that many people have this procedure done, it's safe and the doctors know what they're doing.

I believe if you break down any fear you can have and figure out why you have it, I think you can overcome it.

In the end, are fears honestly a bad thing, or do they push us to do whatever could lead us to the best outcome?


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Happy Weekend Holiday!

Happy Easter and Passover weekend!

I hope you guys all had a good long weekend celebrating whatever your personal beliefs are.

Personally, I celebrate Easter which I think most people associate with the Easter Bunny, chocolate and Easter egg hunts.

I can say this without any ounce of shamefulness, but I have never participated in an Easter egg hunt.

The "Easter Bunny" never set one up for me because my family and I had a dog, so they didn't want to leave chocolate all over the house. When my dog passed away, it was just too late in the Easter Bunny's eyes, so I never got to do one.

Whenever I tell my friends that, they seem shocked. They say that I'm missing a huge piece of my childhood, that I missed out on the best part of Easter, and so much more.

In the end, I never felt as though I was missing something.

In the long run, I would much rather have a dog everyday for almost a decade rather than one mini-chocolate egg hunt per year.

Something that's difficult to remember around Holidays is that everyone has different traditions and may not do the ones that you see as "classic traditions".

Whether someone has their own traditions that you find weird or they've never had a tradition that you've been doing every since you were little, that doesn't suddenly mean that their holiday is awful or invalid.

Everyone celebrates whatever holiday in different ways. Because they do so, that doesn't mean that they're missing out on a great childhood.

You might not have a clue if they love a different tradition that they do or have replaced a "classic tradition" with something else!

Everyone can spend their holidays whatever way they would like.

Just because they do it differently, that doesn't mean it was a crappy time for them. 

In the end, are you truly missing out on something even if you never did it or is that what other people want you to believe?


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How To Deal With A Big Project

I have to huge project that I have to present tomorrow and I have had nothing but nerves since the day we got assigned this project. I don't do well presenting or having a healthy schedule for actually working on the project. This post is for anyone like me, someone who doesn't have the proper motivation to move along with the project and someone who is terrified to present.

I found this information not too long ago, so hopefully I'll be able to remember it for tomorrow and also that someone else will find it useful. 

How to stay on task:

• Don't Multitask.

It will have your mind scatter over many different things and some probably stents as important as this huge project that you have to finish.

• Break Up The Project

Instead of looking at the project as one huge roadblock, look at it as many smaller parts. Also, it's better to get the dreaded part that you don't want to do done, because then it's over and done with.

**

How to relax during a project

• Take Breaks

There's no need to do 7 hours straight of work, overwhelm yourself and cause ever more stress for yourself.

•Reward Yourself

There's nothing wrong with taking a break and eating your favourite snack, going out with friends, watching a TV show, playing a video game, do whatever you'd like!. As long as you don't overextend this reward, there's no problem at all with it!

How To Deal With Presenting

• Slow It Down

Don't rush through sentences to get the project over and done with. Your brain will be on fast forward and you'll be more likely to stumble over a few words. Instead, take a small pause between paragraphs and take time to breath between sentences.

• Practice Makes Perfect

Practice your presentation before the actual presentation day. I know from experience that it is ALWAYS better to have had a few trial runs before you present the real thing. It helps make you feel more comfortable with your material, so don't feel ashamed to talk to a mirror once or twice!

**

I hope that these few tips can help someone else. I know that during my project breaks and researching these facts have helped me towards the end of my project. Hopefully it will be done for Monday. I just have to glue my text onto the poster board, find some images, download some music and practice! 

Also, always please remember that your health should always come before any school or work project. Please try to not lose sleep, don't skip meals to get it done, don't let stress build up, take care of yourself. 

No project is more important than you.


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