Growing up sucks

So to start this post off I just wanted to let you all know that I hate growing up. I wish I could go back to the days when my biggest worry coloring inside the lines.

Today is a decently big day for me. Taking the Graduate Record Exam for the second time this afternoon, however before that I will be partaking in a phone "interview" with the professor I would like to study under up at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. A little nerve racking how both of these upcoming events have the power to make or break my future. Oh did I mention that today is the first day of a much needed Thanksgiving break? Too bad I can't enjoy it by spending some hours on the slope or something.

It's days like today that really make me question things. Part of me want's to not worry about Grad school and just go off and explore the world, but the other part of me wants to go and become a doctor and get published or be a big name in industry. I'm trying to find a nice balance but sometimes it feels like I'm going to make a terrible decision and regret the path I head down.

So I think I just got ome kind of answer. As I'm writing this I'm listening to my blogspot playlist. Faith of the Heart by Russell Watson, Falling for the First Time by Barenaked Ladies and Imperfection by Saving Jane. I'll post some lyrics here and let you decide what I'm being told.

'Cause I've got faith of the heart
I'm going where my heart will take me
I've got faith to believe
I can do anything
I've got strength of the soul
And no one's gonna bend or break me
I can reach any star
I've got faith, I’ve got faith, faith of the heart


Anyone perfect must be lying, anything easy has its cost
Anyone plain can be lovely, anyone loved can be lost
What if I lost my direction? What if I lost sense of time?
What if I nursed this infection? Maybe the worst is behind
It feels just like I'm falling for the first time

This is what you get.
This is who I am.
Take me now or leave me
Any way you can.
Sometimes I trip and fall
But I know where I stand.
And if you're thinking about changing my direction,
Don't mess with imperfection.

Till next time!!

Top 10 Desired Travel Locations

Here is a lit of the Top 10 places and things I would love to see before I die. Enjoy!


1.) The Great Pyramids of Egypt


2.) The Great Wall of China


3.) The Aurora Borealis


4.)Mt.Kilimanjaro


5.) Moscow, Russia


6.) Shipwreck Cove, Zakinthos Ionian Island, Greece


7.)Surat Thani, Thailand


8.)Cape Hope, South Africa


9.)Antarctica


10.) The Temples of Khajuraho, India

Best College Essay Ever!

This is an actual essay written by a college applicant. The author, Hugh Gallagher, now attends NYU.

Essay: In order for the admissions staff of our college to get to know you, the applicant, better, we ask that you answer the following question: Are there any significant experiences you have had, or accomplishments you have realized, that have helped to define you as a person?

I am a dynamic figure, often seen scaling walls and crushing ice. I have been known to remodel train stations on my lunch breaks, making them more efficient in the area of heat retention. I translate ethnic slurs for Cuban refugees, I write award-winning operas, I manage time efficiently. Occasionally, I tread water for three days in a row.

I woo women with my sensuous and godlike trombone playing, I can pilot bicycles up severe inclines with unflagging speed, and I cook Thirty-Minute Brownies in twenty minutes. I am an expert in stucco, a veteran in love, and an outlaw in Peru.

Using only a hoe and a large glass of water, I once single-handedly defended a small village in the Amazon Basin from a horde of ferocious army ants. I play bluegrass cello, I was scouted by the Mets, I am the subject of numerous documentaries. When I'm bored, I build large suspension bridges in my yard. I enjoy urban hang gliding. On Wednesdays, after school, I repair electrical appliances free of charge.

I am an abstract artist, a concrete analyst, and a ruthless bookie. Critics worldwide swoon over my original line of corduroy evening wear. I don't perspire. I am a private citizen, yet I receive fan mail. I have been caller number nine and have won the weekend passes. Last summer, I toured New Jersey with a traveling centrifugal-force demonstration. I bat .400. My deft floral arrangements have earned me fame in international botany circles. Children trust me.

I can hurl tennis rackets at small moving objects with deadly accuracy. I once read Paradise Lost, Moby Dick, and David Copperfield in one day and still had time to refurbish an entire dining room that evening. I know the exact location of every food item in the supermarket. I have performed several covert operations for the CIA. I sleep once a week; when I do sleep, I sleep in a chair. While on vacation in Canada, I successfully negotiated with a group ofterrorists who had seized a small bakery. The laws of physics do not apply to me.

I balance, I weave, I dodge, I frolic, and my bills are all paid. On weekends, to let off steam, I participate in full-contact origami. Years ago, I discovered the meaning of life but forgot to write it down. I have made extraordinary four course meals using only a mouli and a toaster oven. I breed prizewinning clams. I have won bullfights in San Juan, cliff-diving competitions in Sri Lanka, and spelling bees at the Kremlin. I have played Hamlet, I have performed open-heart surgery, and I have spoken with Elvis.

But I have not yet gone to college.

http://www.richardpettinger.com/economics/funny_exam_answers/funny_college_letter

SkyDiving!!

The entire night before and the drive into Longmont part of me was questioning my sanity. It didn't help that I had googled skydiving accidents, and what the likelihood of something going wrong. Even though the fear was in the back of my mind, it will never compare to the rush I got from free-falling from 17500ft, and at a max rate of 120mph.

While waiting for the jump I started to relax by joking around with the guys in the hanger. We talked about how the fact I wasn't going to die alone was a comfort or how Piri was going to unleash the trifecta on me (inside joke to gross to mention online). We were only there for a few minutes before they started getting up geared up. The jumpsuits were bright purple, and kinda clashed with my hot pink nails. The harness not as tight as I would like it but Piri insured me I would be fine. Next thing we know were on a trailer and making our way to the plane. Our videographer asked me if I had any words for friends or family, and smartass me replies "You all are pussies for not coming along".....but I was really thinking "crap someone please tell me I'm stupid and to turn around".

The plane ride up was decently short and sweet. We got to joke around, see the sights of the ground below, and prepare for the fack that in a few minutes I would be hurling my body towards it. When Piri told me to climb up in front of him so he could strap me in was the first time I had some serious doubts. The door was open, wind blowing in, the go ahead light is on, and we are not quite strapped together. I couldn't help but get mad at Piri for taking so long to get everything set. All I wanted to do was get it over with.

Just my luck the wait continued. I got the honor of being the first out of the plane. Well it wasn't a quick jump out, it was more like lets hang out of the door for what seemed like 5 min....kinda of like a joke, haha look how close we are to jumping out..fooled you! But finally out of the plane we went.

My first thought was fuck fuck fuck I'm actually falling through the sky, shit shit shit. It took me a second to get my head together to and realize that I needed to look at the camera. So I did...I gave the thumbs up and hopefully a wave. I had to do some double takes between the ground and the camera to keep myself calm. I soon found myself enjoying it....the roar of the wind, the dryness of my mouth from the air, my cheeks feeling like they were rubber, and the great feeling of flying. A few seconds later a miracle happened....the parachute opened!! Now it was time to sit back and enjoy the fall. I was in the realm of birds. Flying when men should stay on the ground. The view was amazing....and that's about all I can say. The mountains were beautiful, the plains were graceful, and the cities majestic.

The joking started again. Come to find out it is really hard to control the urge to hold on to the person with the parachute. Piri had to tell me at least 6 times that I shouldn't hold on to the strap that could disconnect us. I laughed at the fact that I may actually have to die alone. This joking continued right till my butt scraped the ground and through the ride back to the hanger.

The high I had at that moment was insane. It was so hard not to go again, too bad I'm a poor college student. I got knocked down a bit when I learned that I wouldn't get a DVD due to technical errors but oh well, technology sucks.

I ended the experience with messed up hair, a adrenalin rush, amazing memories, kick ass pictures, and bragging rights for the rest of my life. I would recommend skydiving to everyone I know? YES. Would I do it again? YES. Did I have the time of my life? ABSOLUTELY!!!!

18 Rules for living

I just wanted to share with everyone my favorite lessons and what I try to live by. This is by the Dalai Lama, pretty smart guy. Enjoy!


1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
2. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.
3. Follow the three Rs:
Respect for self
Respect for others
Responsibility for all your actions.
4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
6. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
7. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
8. Spend some time alone every day.
9. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.
10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
11. Live a good, honourable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.
12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.
14. Share your knowledge. It’s a way to achieve immortality.
15. Be gentle with the earth.
16. Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.
17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.