Relieved

Over the past several months, I have been majorly stressing about my future, what possible colleges I should apply to, how I will afford them, and if I will even get into them. Up until recently, I thought that I would never be able to get into any college and I was thinking of all the possibilities as to why I wouldn't get in anywhere. Luckily, a couple days ago, I got a letter from the University of New Hampshire, stating that I was accepted into their Peter T. Paul school of business. What a relief! I now know I will be going to college!

Even though UNH is not my top choice as far as college goes, the acceptance to their business school not only took a huge weight of my shoulders, it made me much more confident in myself. Because of the acceptance, I have much more faith in myself, my achievements, and my aspirations. I know that my hard work in the classroom and my involvement in certain clubs and activities has paid off, and I'm looking forward to what is to come from it. My stress hasn't completely subsided, because, of course, there are other schools that I haven't heard back from, including my top choice of schools, Bentley. I am crossing my fingers!

Through this whole college process, which I have not yet completed, I have learned to cope with my stress and anxiety and become a better person in general. Believing in oneself is the ultimate key to success and happiness. The bottom line is: only I can make myself truly happy, only I can push myself harder, and only I can conquer obstacles to make myself a better person. At the end of the day, stress is brought upon by the person dealing with it, and only they have the choice to let it affect their life, and the choice to let things bring them down. So, don't worry, be happy!

Dunkin Donuts

The summer before my junior year of high school, I began working for Dunkin Donuts. I has just turned sixteen years old, and it was my first job I had ever had. When I applied for the job, I was immediately hired because my sister worked there as well. As I began my first week on the job, I realized how much I already hated it. From the customers to the smell of the place, there was no where I would rather NOT be was Dunkins. It was awful. I messed up a lot at the beginning, and since it is a fast food restaurant, nothing stops for a mess up, which would lead to more and more mistakes, slower service, angry customers, so on and so forth. My hours were always awful, with shifts starting from as early as seven a.m. to three in the afternoon. Eight hours, with only one fifteen minute break. Absolutely horrible. There would always be the customers that were just downright mean, having no sympathy at all. 'Come on, I'm only sixteen! Give me a break!' I would think to myself, sometimes even mumble under my breath. But of course, I had to keep a smile on my face even though I was screaming on the inside. The customers are always right, even if they're wrong. It stunk.

As I woke up early every summer morning, I realized more and more of the extent to which Dunkin Donuts was an awful job. I didn't get to see the summer days until three in the afternoon, and I would smell like dirty sink water mixed with stale donuts and gross coffee. The stench of my clothes as I left work every day got more and more unbearable, and soon I couldn't take it anymore. I would feel disgusting being in the place, and even more disgusting when I left.

I knew this wasn't the job for me. I looked at my bank account, which had about five hundred dollars saved up in it, and decided that I had made enough money to get out of the stupid job. I literally would have dreams -no, nightmares, about working, where customers would jump over the counter and strangle me if I made their coffee wrong. This was definitely not the job for me.

I went to my boss and told her I quit, and I guess she was going to fire me anyways. I spent all of the money that I saved in a matter of a month. Oops.

Senior Stress

As I approach deadlines for college applications, senior project due dates, etc., my stress level just keeps increasing. Along with working on applications for early action schools, I have to finish my college essay, write supplement essays for some schools, get my teacher recommendations in, and that is only the beginning of what's going on in my school life right now. I have school work to turn in, I have three separate jobs that I go to every week, and I am one of the presidents of the DECA which requires a lot of time and energy. As you can probably imagine, this can cause a person to majorly stress out. I have so much going on in my life right now that will affect my future dramatically, and that freaks me out. These applications will literally decide my future and where I am headed. Crazy, right?

I always keep telling myself that it will all be over soon, my life will calm down a little bit, and I won't have to worry as much. As of right now, I barely have any time for myself and my well-being. I have been wanting to go to the gym, but I've kind of put that priority on the back burner because I have no time to physically go. Right after work, I go straight to homework and college apps, then after that, sleep. I feel as though I am leaving important aspects of my life out because I am so focused and stressed out about other things.

I've recently started to sit myself down and realize the situation I am in.

My life, as well as many other students my age, will always have obstacles and struggles that I have to push through. Life won't stop for me so that I can take a breather. I have to learn to cope with the new stresses that come into my life, deal with them, DON'T stress out, and think, "It'll all be okay". After I think about this, I can learn to prioritize my schedule, and always make sure to have me-time in my life. Life will never be perfect or fair, but hey, that's life.

Halloween Time

So, Halloween is coming up, as a matter of fact it is next thursday, and all of my girlfriends and I are majorly stressing. As of right now, party plans have yet to be made that we are aware of. Therefore, none of us have gotten our costumes yet and we have no idea what we are going to do. We have heard of many different possible parties that may be happening, but nothing is certain. It is too late to order a costume online, and the costumes sold in stores are either stupid and ugly, or are only sold in the size XXL. Obviously, this is a major problem.

Sadly, we will have to dress up the old fashion way...

Yes, you can recall that I said sadly, because who wants to make their own costume from scratch when there are countless halloween costumes out there already put together with the most outstanding appeal?   After asking myself this question, I thought, why did it all of a sudden become a requirement that teenagers and children have to buy an already made costume? If you think about it, Halloween has become a materialistic, superficial holiday. I sometimes wish that Halloween could be the way it used to be not even a decade ago; a happy, fun, and stress-free experience where everyone made their own costumes, and people had competitions of who's was the best and most intricate,  not who's was the most expensive with the least amount of coverage.

When I was growing up, Halloween was a huge ordeal, but in a fun way. My sister and I would always  be so excited to pick out what we were going to be and help our mother sew and piece together the best costume ever. We shoved our faces with candy for weeks and spent the entire night on Halloween with our closest friends and family. Nowadays, it is still a huge ordeal, but in a stressful way. Teenagers stress about who will look the hottest and have the coolest outfit on at the parties. And, rather than shoving our faces with candy, girls starve themselves for the two weeks before the night of the party, hoping their hard work has paid off and they look the best in their skimpy costume.

It is saddening to think about how the essence of Halloween has changed in this way, but this change also characterizes how people are constantly conforming to society, and it exposes who can rise above, and who is dragged into the fiery depths of conformism.

American Horror Story

As I was watching TV in my living room, I came across a commercial for the new season of American Horror Story: Coven and instantly freaked out in excitement. American Horror Story has always been my absolute favorite television series, being one of the only shows I record and actually watch (other than Catfish, of course). I have seen every single episode since the series started, since the very first show. I fell in love with the suspense, vulgarity, and horrifying pictures that never failed to get me to scream. I believe that American Horror Story is one of the greatest television shows ever created.

First off, the acting is absolutely phenomenal. Every single actor and actress portrays their character with the upmost ability, making it seem as though the story is truly happening. Secondly, the script is constantly thrilling, and makes the viewer not want to miss one moment. Thirdly, the images portrayed truly are horrifying and the effects are spectacular. Some people that I have talked to dislike the show because it is too graphic and strange for them. Those are the exact reasons why I love the show. I love sitting on the edge of my seat, waiting for the next gruesome scene to take place. I love the thrill of it all and I love getting my heart racing with suspense. So of course, I cannot wait for the new season.

 

Working for my Father

I started working for my Dad as his assistant and secretary this summer. He is a financial accountant and Investment Advisor, and he works with clients to help them decide what to do with their money, which investments to purchase, etc. As for me, I am taking his old assistant's place because she had decided to retire. I am filling out applications for these clients, filing secure paperwork, and managing account balances, working with trusts, analyzing financial documents, and let me tell you, it is really hard work. When he first told me about the idea of working for him, I thought that it would be just some easy filing and typing stuff up on the computer. I never realized that I would actually have to think too hard on the job. Working for him will definitely train me for future careers.

I am interested in pursuing a career in business in the future, but I am not quite sure which route I want to take with that. Working for my dad has forced me to learn about different types of investments, taxes, and all that jazz. I'm not sure yet if finances is something that I want to do, but I know for a fact that I am learning a lot about it. I have learned that in order to make a good impression, I must dress to impress, at ALL times. Clients walk through the door expecting professionalism, and I have to portray that quality. I have also realized how hard my dad works, and it is interesting to see him in his work atmosphere. He takes his job very seriously, and always needs everything to be organized and up to date... that's where I come in. Through working for my father, it has helped me to get a grasp on what I want my career to be, and I've found out my likes and dislikes of working in the financial field. As I continue to work for him, I will get a better understanding of what I want to do in college and where I want to be in life.

The Weeknd - Kiss Land

Abel Tesfaye, also known as The Weeknd, is a Canadian recording artist, songwriter, and producer, and will come out with his second album, Kiss Land, on September 10th, but currently can be streamed for free on the Internet. The Weeknd's new album has long been awaited by his fans since he completed his last album, Trilogy, which was a combination of the three mix tapes that he first produced. When his first mix tape was publicized, Abel's identity was unknown, other than by the name The Weeknd. He also refused interviews and other public communication,other than communication via twitter. His songs tie together with his mysterious and dark persona, and he pulls listeners in with his smooth, Michael Jackson-esque voice. The Weeknd's phenomenal falsetto perfectly matches with the the foggy tempo, rumbling bass, and soft echo to create the most magnificent harmonic melody that leaves listeners with goose bumps. Kiss Land offers this beautiful sound in all of its songs, which includes "Belong to the World," a song which lyrics move the listener to another planet through its deep poetic essence. "Love in the Sky," and "Live For," featuring the very talented Toronto-native rapper, Drake, are among other songs that create that outer-body experience, to name a few. The Weeknd is sure to continue to get a growing fan base, and will soon be a well-known and loved artist with the help of this new album, along with his pure and mysterious sound.