Dear Rachel...

Here is my most recent independent video project! This time I tried something a little bit different: I shot and edited on my iPhone. I took Mr. Mayo's advice, I bought iMovie. It turned out to be very user friendly. It was much easier to use than WeVideo, and I suggest buying it to anyone who has an iPhone (It's $4.99).

The song I used in the video is the Modern Theme Song from iMovie. This is not one of the most professional-looking videos I've ever done, but I was just getting used to the app. I also wanted to make it less professional because this particular video is for my British student who is coming in 6 days!!! I wanted this video to be very playful and upbeat. It's very cheesy, I know. Enjoy!

The Un-Jewelry Box

The narrators of Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close write in extremely specific detail. I tried to do the same. I am incredibly bad at it, but here it is:

For my birthday, she gave me a box. It was small, the kind of box you put jewelry in. The wrapping paper was thin, like newspaper, and covered in hand-drawn hearts. I tore it open carefully, not trying to save the paper, but because I did not want to show her that I wanted to tear the wrapping. I wanted to rip it away. I contained my anticipation. The box was black and velveteen. I opened it slowly, my eyes trained on the edge, where the hinge would open to disclose the beauty inside. A small piece of college-ruled paper slipped out. It was the size that someone tears out of a notebook to spit a used piece of chewing gum in before putting it with the other rubbish. On the paper, written in her round script, were three words. "I luv u!" it read. I read it over and over, slightly disappointed that the box did not contain what it was crafted for. "I love you too," I said.

Looking back on it, five years later, I have learned to appreciate my friend's gift. It wasn't jewelry. I couldn't wear a pair of sparkly earrings that would make my eyes light up. I couldn't receive complements on them as I walked through the hallways at school. But I could wear it. I could wear her "I luv u" in my face. I could wear her "I luv u" in my eyes. I could wear her "I luv u" in my smile. I could wear her "I luv u" every day in my heart. I could keep with me the the sense of love and acceptance. Somebody luved me.

They say the best things come in small packages. It's a cliché, I know. It's a cliché, which I hate. But life is full of clichés, which are actually just wisdom contained in a tiny phrase. A phrase you're likely to hear a googolplex times (notice the reference?). Repeated wisdom, that takes an instant to understand. Because that small package might have changed my life.

This Year I Will...

Today my friend Leigh asked me if I had made any new year's resolutions. I've never made any, or at least I had never taken the opportunity to document them in some way. I sat down and typed out 23 resolutions that I am pretty proud of. I tried to stay away from the clichés, but a few of them snuck their way onto the list. Here are my resolutions (in no order of importance):

1. Do all of my homework the day it is assigned. This is one that I always plan to follow through with, and it hasn't ever happened. However, this year with all of the craziness in my life (and the craziness that is sure to be added), I have decided that I will finally stick with it.
2. Go in for math help at least once a week. I have been struggling in Honors Precalculus and not giving it the attention is deserves.
3. Become SMOB. I am running for Student Member of the Board of Education. Visit my website, like my Facebook page, and follow me on Twitter!
4. Get a lead in a school musical/ play.
5. Keep my room clean. I have been organizing and cleaning this break. Fingers crossed it will continue!
6. Bring a friend from school to church.
7. Pray every day.
8. Further develop my relationship with Jesus Christ.
9. Start writing music again. I am happiest when I have an outlet. Music is very close to my heart, and since I have stopped writing, I haven't been as happy. Not making any promises, but some of my music could end up on this blog :)
10. Be more spontaneous. NOT risky. I don't want to be too impulsive, and do something I might regret, I just want to be able to say what needs to be said, and not hold my tongue.
11.  ...
12. Learn how to knit. This is the latest CAP obsession... I must admit, people are making some pretty amazing things. I got needles and yarn from my Girl Scout Secret Santa, so here's to being crafty!
13. Lose 15 lbs. I am not dissatisfied with my body. I just set this goal to encourage me to exercise and eat healthily (something that definitely was the last thing on the list during the holidays).
14. Make my 17th year great. April 3rd. I turn 16.
15. Start looking at colleges.
16. Decide what I want to do in college.
17. Read at least 25 books outside of school.
18. Read more classics (starting with Les Mis which I got for Christmas)!
19. Tell my dad how I feel about things with him.
20. Impact someone's life in a BIG (and positive) way.
21. Start dressing nice for school. NOT exam days. Those have to be chill. 
22. Be a better person. What does this mean? Truth is, I don't know. Just in general. Maybe become a philanthropist (Henry David Thoreau would hate me...).
23. Be levelheaded and not react poorly to things. This almost counteracts #10, but whatever. I like it.

It's a mix of goofy, serious, difficult, and easy. I'm not saying everything will happen, but it never hurts to set goals. It gives me purpose.

Wandering Eyes

Wandering eyes.

The pressure to succeed leads to this.

Passing notes.

Whispering secrets of great writers 

and founding fathers.

Watching the time tick by

as they peek at others.

There are no innocents in this great sea of people.

We have all been the victim or the criminal.

Both in the wrong.

The guilt disappears for

Success.

Approval.

Glory.

But why does Integrity
s
  l
    i
      p
our minds?

The Ultimate Gift Wrapping Guide

The present I wrapped for my sister's birthday party this weekend. This is a basic pom-pom bow. The ribbon and paper are from the Container Store.

So... I love wrapping presents. It brings out my artsy side. I probably dedicate more time to gift wrapping than I should. I think of myself as an expert gift wrapper, or at least I did until this year. My mom started working part time at the Container Store which has an amazing annual "Gift Wrap Wonderland." This year my mom helped set up the "Gift Wrap Wonderland" and she came home and taught me how to make some cool bows. The Container Store has a wonderful guide on how to wrap presents and make professional-looking bows. I suggest that you check it out. My sister just turned 4, and she loved the pom-pom bow on her birthday present. She kept it and pinned it to her dress.

Me @ the Zoo

Me @ the Zoo is a documentary about YouTube star Chris Crocker, who you may remember from his "Leave Britney Alone!" video in 2007*. This documentary was released on June 25, 2012 on HBO. I arbitrarily chose this documentary to watch from the selection available On Demand, because I personally didn't know much about him.

Courtesy of Tumblr.

Once I started watching the documentary, I remembered hearing about him in the 4th grade after he made the video defending his idol Britney Spears.

The documentary seamlessly incorporates Crocker's own YouTube and Myspace videos into present-day interviews with Crocker.

The story follows Crocker starting in the early 2000s when his videos on Myspace never received views. In the film, Crocker says that the videos served as an outlet for him to openly talk about being gay in a very close-minded town. This was very hard for me to grasp, because Maryland (and especially the Blair community) is very accepting of the LGBT community.

"It's a hairflip." was one of Crocker's
popular sayings. 

When YouTube first came out, it gave Chris a way to become a star. His videos were suddenly receiving thousands of views, and many other YouTubers were imitating his catch phrases that graced each video.

The documentary delves into Crocker's relationship with his mom throughout her time in Iraq and her post-war drug abuse.

The film has underlying messages about acceptance and the importance of family. It also critiques the world's view of the LGBT community as a whole.

I gave Me @ the Zoo 3.5 stars because it was a very touching documentary that I believe will resonate with any viewer. I did not think it deserved more than 3.5 stars due to the vast amount of repetitiveness throughout the documentary.

Below if the official trailer of Me @ the Zoo courtesy of HBO.com. More information about Me @ the Zoo may be found here.

"Me @ the Zoo" is rated TV-MA for nudity, adult content, and adult language. It is 90 minutes long.


*This video may be found on YouTube, however a link is not provided due to the language in the video.

Never Forget; A Girl's Death Causes Students to Seek Safer Streets

I wrote a narrative for The Montgomery Count Student called Never Forget; A Girl's Death Causes Students to Seek Safer Streets.