The End is Near

It is May. Graduation is almost here, and we can see the end of the school year quickly approaching. In a few short weeks the freedom of summer will be upon us. My advice to you though is you need to keep school in mind because these last couple weeks can be critical to your grades. Teachers always want you to end the year on a good note so make sure to take advantage of this. You’ve worked so hard all year long the last thing you want to is screw it up because you caught a bad case of senioritis. Make sure you turn everything in on time and you do every assignment given to you even if it is optional. The extra boost in your grade will make things easier if you really get a desire to slack off later.

For the record, you can totally get senioritis as a junior. Trust me. I can attest.

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The Addcitive Powers of Netflix

It is literally a vortex that sucks all of your time, motivation, and really just any desire to do anything else all day. You all know what I'm talking about. That’s right, Netflix. You can turn it on one minute and the next thing you know four hours have passed and you haven’t even started studying for the big test you have tomorrow. It is addictive, and alluring, and terrible, yet the best invention ever. Netflix allows me to get my fix on all the latest television shows without the annoying interruptions caused by commercials. I mean no matter how many times I see that talking lizard; I am not going to switch my car insurance right then and there. I am more interested in who prince farming picks to give his final rose too, or who really killed the model before her big career launching runway show.  I have patience for many things, but not for commercials that interrupt me when I'm trying to procrastinate on my homework.

I think I do have a serious problem however; it’s gotten to the point where I tell myself, “I will do my homework while watching the latest episode of Drop Dead Diva”. When in reality I know I might get one or two math problems done in one hour long episode. I really hope I am not alone on this. Netflix addiction is probably the reason for my grades not being as good as they could be. But at this time of year I am constantly faced with this question: I could do the pointless busywork that my teacher assigned, or I could watch a murderer get brought to justice. More times than not the latter wins. It’s bad. I know. So my advice to all you high school students out there, don’t be like me. Getting addicted to Netflix is a huge detriment to your overall grades.

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We the equalists

Feminism is supposed to stand for equal rights for men and women. However it has become a term with negative connotations associated with it. There are radicals out there who have turned a movement of equality into the exact opposite, punishing men. This then sparked meninism, as a defense for the male gender. In my opinion, this whole issue has spiraled out of control. What ever happened for just fighting for equality? That’s it. Period. All humans, black, white, Mexican, male, female, transgender, gay, straight, bisexual, everyone. I would consider myself a feminist, in that women should be treated (and paid) the same as their male counterparts, however that’s the extent. I don’t want to demean men, I want to elevate women. Make sense? So from here on out, I propose that all of us who believe in equality rather than one gender dominating of the other be considered equalists.

Radical Feminism

Equilists

Meninism has arisen in response to the ideas of radical feminists. There have been a ton of different memes ans sayings all over the internet displaying this view. As much as it might pain me to say it, some of their points are valid. But, they, like radical feminists, do cross the line at times. The whole thing is a slippery slope from fighting for equality to being sexist against the opposing gender. It is extremely important (now that we are equalists) that while we strive to gain rights for other people that in doing so we don’t try to take away rights of others.

Throughout history women have always been thought of as second to men. It’s not an opinion, it’s a fact.  Men did the “important” things like work for a living, run for political offices, and generally contribute to society. While women tended to stay home to raise the children and take care of the house. I mean it wasn’t until the 19^th amendment ratified in 1920 that women even had the right to go vote in national elections. But, nowadays things have started to equal out more. Women are working; they have high ranking jobs, and hold political offices just like men. But, we are still not perfectly equal.  It is a known fact that if two people worked the same job, and had equal skill level at said job. If one were a women and the other a man, the male would be paid slightly more. Which by all means is not equality yet. As equalists we now believe in the equality if both genders in matters similar to this.

Wage is just one aspect of society that demeans women and how they are viewed and respected.  While we do need to stand up against those situations and fight for all genders to be treated fairly, we cannot go overboard. That’s what gave feminism such a bad connotation to it.

Even in high school this debate gets talked about and discussed among peers a ton. I could be walking down the hallway and someone will be wearing a meninist T-Shirt, or another group of people will be talking about a protest that happened advocating for women’s rights. So this issue is very relevant even to today’s teens, because however this issue gets resolved will affect how we live in the future and what kind of society we will live in. I just hope that in the future there won’t be issues still about how a group of people are being oppressed, or targeted, or being mistreated. I mean haven’t we learned our lesson yet? Why does our society keep insisting, generation after generation that some group of people is inferior to another. I mean to me it seems perfectly clear that we “have to treat others the way we want to be treated”. Any little kid knows that, so why is it that our main issues are debating whether gays can get married? Or riots that police are targeting African Americans?  I just don’t get it. This issue should have been settled a long time ago. Here’s a radical idea for you: everyone is human, everyone deserves to be treated equally and fairly in this world. There are certain factors that people just can’t help or change what they are. This includes race, gender, and sexual orientation. So why should you get more rights as a human because you somehow got lucky and were born as a who you are? No reason. I fight for equality of all, not the oppression of others so that I seem better.

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The Problem with School Dress Codes

A pretty controversial topic over the years has been the dress code at schools. Some say girls need to dress more conservative as to not distract the guys from their work while others say this is a violation of the right for girls to express themselves. My take? Most of the reasoning is a load of crap.

I did a blog post earlier and I mentioned that I thought girls should be careful about how much skin they show at school, and I do believe this, but not because of some ridiculous reason that it will distract guys too much. I think that while school isn’t a job, it is still at a somewhat more professional standard than hanging out with friends. You want your teachers to take you seriously as you would want your boss or manager to. So, personally I would recommend that students should dress on the more conservative side.

However, I am also a firm believer that girls should dress for themselves and not for anyone else.  So if students feel comfortable dressing in a more provocative manner and that’s their style then they should be able to express themselves. If they want to risk their reputation they should be able to. I mean it should be there decision.

I agree there can be some regulations so that students don’t show up in just their undergarments and call it free speech, but there shouldn’t be much more than that. I also am convinced that there is a huge double standard in our school dress code for males and females. Here’s my evidence:

I would be sent to the office and sent home due to a dress code violation if I wore this to school, because of the spaghetti straps and school officials would call it too revealing.

But, a guy can walk down the hallway wearing this with no repercussions.

 I mean can a piece of fabric like this really even be considered a shirt? and this is more conservative than some of the other stuff I see at school.

Im not trying to limit guys now too. My point is, at least hold male and females to the same standard.

I fail to see how my outfit is somehow more “distracting” than that of my male counterpart. Just saying.

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Latest Fashion Trends

As spring comes back around this year so does a new set of that latest fashion trends to hit the high school scene. Personally, I am probably not the most fashion forward person but I still do notice what things are in and out of style. Here are my favorites:

1)      I have noticed that fashion trends of the past have come back with a new twist. My first example is crop tops

 

These first came into trend in the early 90’s and now they’re back. I actually really like this trend because they are super cute and show a little skin. I think they look best with either high wasted shorts or a skater skirt, but you have to be careful when wearing these to school because you don’t want to show too much skin. But when it’s a hot summer day these things will keep you both cool and look adorable.

2)      My second trend I want to mention are fun pants and short! I'm not sure what they are actually called but I just like them because they seem really comfy and adorable.

 

These remind me of pants that could be found in the seventies back when disco and LSD was all the rage. I would pair these with a plain shirt (which could be a crop top?) and some cute sandals. I mean it’s as if you were wearing pajamas to school. What could be better than that?

3)      Combat boots! Another one of my favorite trends because of their comfort.  I mean unlike heels you can actually run and move in these things.

 

 

You can wear these with your everyday school clothes, or you could dress them up and wear them with a skirt. One of my favorite outfits would be a crop top, cute little skirt, tights, and these combat boots. It sort of toughens up an otherwise “girly” outfit.

4)      Winged eyeliner. This looks super cute on people if they are good at making it. Unfortunately I haven’t mastered this talent yet but I admire those who have. It’s not as easy as it looks.

 

This reminds me of the 60s and, when done right, is adorable. I would definitely like to see this trend stick around for a while.

 

Overall I have noticed that a boho vibe has taken over the fashion scene, with the flowy fabrics and the floral patterns. I do approve of this trend because it is more laid back and comfy and seems pretty simple.

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Studying for AP Exams

As we all know AP exams are coming up and they can be extremely stressful when trying to prepare for them. There are equations you have to memorize, words you have to be able to define, concepts you have to understand, laws you have to know and all of the exceptions that come with. It’s a lot to do in not a lot of time and I have some few tips to help get you through it.

1)      When trying to memorize a ton of equations, try using flashcards. I know this method isn’t unique or new, but it works. Then you sit down and go over them until they are all memorized. I know for AP Physics especially there are a lot of equations that you need to know that aren’t provided on the equation sheet, so this method is great for the last minute memorizing I'm about to do.

2)      Do all of the review sheets that the teachers give you. The school year is a really long time and you probably don’t remember every little thing that was discussed at the beginning of the year. If your teacher doesn’t give out review sheets you can always go online and other teachers have posted their review worksheets. You should go over past material before taking your big test.

3)      Many times teachers will give out finals before AP exams to try to help prepare you. I suggest using this time to really focus on what you need to review before the AP exam.  Look at what you missed on the final and look at those subjects first when studying.

4)      Don’t stress out too much. While I do believe that you do need to study in order to prepare for the exams, there is a point where you have to realize that you know what you know. There’s nothing you can do to change it but chances are that you know the most important concepts anyway and you have to trust your instincts. Take your best guess because you probably do know the right answer.

5)      Stay focused. I know you have been studying all year and are getting tired of working so hard and all you want to do is stop worrying about it. But it after the couple hours it takes to complete your exams, you will have nothing to worry about. You don’t want to regret not studying as hard as you could have because you got a crappy score. I mean you did work hard all year to get good grades and you want to be able to show that off. Besides, if you do well enough it could save you hundreds of dollars on tuition fees if you pass out of some basic classes.

I just want to wish all of you good luck on your exams and best wishes while studying!

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Why Mondays Suck

I think we can all attest to the fact that Mondays suck. Like a lot. We have to go to school again, deal with homework again, wake up early again, and actually have to have social interactions with people. I mean we are tired because we spent all Sunday night doing the homework we should’ve been doing all weekend but decided to save it for the last possible minute and the last thing we want to do is go to school to face our responsibilities.

All we’ve done this weekend was stay in bed watching Netflix, so to actually do things on Monday is always a struggle. Without fail, every Monday will feel like the longest day of the week. I don’t know if it’s just me but usually I'm counting down the hours until I can go home and take a nap.

I think Mondays are especially terrible because you know that you have four more days just like it until the next weekend when you can go back to doing nothing all day. Just the way you want it am I right?  I mean during the week you are literally up doing stuff for most of the day, while on the weekends you can just stay in your bed all day if you chose to do so. Also, you don’t have to worry about homework until Sunday night and by then the Monday blues are already starting to hit you. Maybe that’s why we stay up too late Sunday nights? We are dreading the upcoming Monday and just don’t want this weekend to end.

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