College Essay # 180

 180. Should college students be required to take physical education courses?

College is a big step. It defines you as an adult, who is responsible of his/her surroundings, actions, and life as a whole. College students learn how to prioritize, learn how to become independent and work to earn money. Asking a question such as this seems petty, because I think the answer is pretty clear here. Mind me if I sound a bit … awestricken by this question. I feel that students should not be required to take physical education courses.

Throughout elementary, middle, and half of high school, I was required to take PE classes. This is because the education system was trying to teach me, among other students, that being fit is important. Exercising and eating a balanced meal will make you a stronger and healthier person. Being a junior in high school now, I don’t have any PE classes. Even if I did want to have PE classes, I don’t have enough space in my schedule to put PE as a course. I don’t even have any study halls, how can I put PE in. But the thing is, I DO was to have PE. I’ve found myself to be very lazy and inactive because of the lack of exercise.  Wanting to exercise, I have found little time. Its either get up at 5 in the morning to reach the gym at 6:30, or stop studying to go to the gym after school. But then I took the initiative to try out for the basketball team, and because of this action, I can be fit. I will have tons of practices to work hard towards the tournament and make myself a healthier person as well.

I’m mentioning this because, obviously, college students have a lot more work than high school students do. They may feel the same way about the workload and about the jobs they had to do to make money, and so on and so on. But here is where time management comes it. If you want to make time to do something, then I’m sure every individual has the capacity to make some time. Also, administrators don’t need to ‘baby’ college students. They know that exercise benefits and no exercise harms. And it is up to them to decide whether they need to or not. It should not be required because college students are old enough to make their decisions on their own, and don’t need to be told what to do.

College Essay # 196

196. Imagine you are going to open a restaurant. Describe it and the menu.

This is it. This is the big day. I wipe the sweat off my forehead and turn around to see the beautiful ocean view on a warm spring morning. I breathe a sigh of relief. I didn’t know whether I would be able to finish this dream. I’m jumping out of my pants with excitement. I turn back around and see this beautiful masterpiece.

La Belle Vie. The name fits perfectly with the setting. All the months of hard work has paid off. With the blink of an eye, I remember the plates crashing against the floor, the ceiling leaking during a heavy rainfall, the wall colors not matching what I planned and all that disaster in between these. But then, you look out and see the view of the ocean, the blue skies, the flowers all around you, the smell of the salt water, and then the restaurant. The chocolaty color of the restaurant walls gives you the homey feeling and puts you at ease. You look at the white door with the red doorframe and you see amount of planning gone in every detail. Just looking that the place as a whole, I know that people will soon call this his or her second home.

People have gathered now, and my heart is skipping a beat. Everyone is gazing at restaurant and I’m worried about how they feel about the place. Is it too cliché, is it too out of the box, do they like it, do they detest it, what, what, and what? Just when I’m drifting away in my own world, the DJ announces that its time for me to cut the ribbon and officially declare La Belle Vie open. All my worries fade away as the clapping gets louder and louder. I cut the ribbon, and people are already piling in to get into the restaurant. It feels like a stampede.

The restaurant’s headwaiter opens the double doors and people gasp. They see the vertical waterfall hidden behind the embossed glass panes straight ahead. They look straight above them and they see the gold patterns popping out from the rich maroon color of the ceiling. They look around the walls and see the mural of the construction of La Belle Vie. The turn to the left and see the bar, which has a bartender staying behind the sleek black counters accompanied with bright stools. They turn to the right and see the chefs hard at work making their pastries; after all, deserts jackpot when it comes to capturing the heart. They look all around them and see the tables with glass ornaments and flowers. They take a deep breath and they smell the cakes baking and the sucre (sugar) in the air. They listen closely and can hear the mixer making the icing, the clinking of glasses over at the bar and the sizzling of scallops.

The guests are seated now and they look at the menu. I decided to keep the menu simple with three basic meals, with a drink, entrée, and desert. That way, things don’t take a long time, and we can expand every week with two new meals.

The menu goes like this:

Meal 1: $ 65

-       Fruit Punch (A light drink filled with ground fresh fruits with the mixture of                      rum and vodka)

-       For Children: Anything from Milkshakes, Juices, and Sodas                       

-       Seared scallops (in red win and garnished with basils)

-       Chicken Soup with a Spice (Traditional Chicken Soup with Thai garnishing)

-       Lamb Noisettes (served with exotic mushrooms and mashed potatoes)

-       Chocolate Tower with Rum

Meal 2: $ 79

-       Ruksi (Traditional Nepali alcoholic drink)

-       For Children: Anything from Milkshakes and Juices to Sodas

-       Badhel ko Masu (Boar meat sliced, baked, and then slightly seared)

-       Tama ko Russ (Bamboo shoot in gravy with slight spices)

-       Ghue, Doodh, Bhujja (Rice in milk, sugar, and clarified butter)

-       Kheer  (Rice in milk with dried fruits)

Meal 3: $ 50

-       Margaritas

-       For Children: Anything from Milkshakes and Juices to Sodas

-       Choice of either Pasta (Penne, Bowtie, Sphegatti) or Burgers (White or brown bread)

-       Arrabiata, Carbonara, Bolognaise (beef) - Pasta

-       Prawns, Chicken, Beef, or Mixed Sea Food - Burgers 

-       Pizza

-       Heaven on Earth (Salami, Pepperoni, Chicken, Bell Peppers, Onions, Basil leaves)

-       Veggie, Veggie, Veggie! (Onions, Mushrooms, Bell Peppers, and seasonal vegetables of your choice)

-       Sundae Scoops

This truly is The Good Life.

College Essay # 201

201. Some people spend their entire lives in one place. Others move a number of times throughout their lives, looking for a better job, house, community, or even climate. Which do you prefer: staying in one place or moving in search of another place?

Attending boarding schools means you move home and you move back to school. Just when you get adjusted in one place, you realize that it's time to either go back home or go back to school. Recently, thought I found something I found quite peculiar. I was emailing and old friend, and she told me that at her boarding school you had to change rooms every three weeks. Before this I always thought that moving around was the most hectic thing, but hearing that at her school you changed rooms every three weeks, blew my mind away. She explained that rooms were a bit different every where, and you would see almost a different thing with every room.

Similarly, when I was little, I was living in Bangladesh. Almost every festival at home and holidays that happened at my school, my family and I would take a trip back home, to Nepal. What I realized with every visit was that something or the other changed about the country. Either there was a new mall, there was a movie theater just built, we had new neighbors, my cousin was born, and the list goes on and on.

Taking away from these two experiences, I can say that I would choose moving in search of another place any day over staying in one place. Different places have different things you can learn from them. Whether it be culture, the attitudes of different groups of people, the types of food, the names of malls, the types of offices, the structures of the buildings, and so on, I can guarantee you that there will be something or the other that is different about each place. Moving around can be hectic at times, but is also something that allows you to broaden your view on the world and allows to go on an endless journey of acquiring knowledge.

Visiting and moving to new places allows to see the world in a different perspective every time. You step in the shoes of the locals, you dress the way they do, you eat what they eat, and you live the way they live. Each time you're gaining a new experience which will allow you to appreciate things you normally wouldn't. You would understand why certain people think the way they do and maybe you will learn a live skill from every individual you meet in every new place.

College Essay # 234

234. Design a class for your school.

For the past semester, I have been taken a class called Environmental Science. Yes, we all know that environmental science entails. You learn about everything from rocks to the layers of the atmosphere. You learn about how things affect nature. Though we learn all these things we never really take action upon to save the environment. Yes, Woodstock does fund CARE trips which take us to do different things. We play with blind kids, we teach students from around Mussoorie, we help dogs, and we occasionally plant trees. We do a lot of social service, but where has saving the environment gone in all these CARE trips?

So to take this idea further, I would like to introduce the idea of the Tree-Huggers. I called it this because it would be a bit lame to call it Tree-Hugger 101. The Tree-Huggers sound a bit more engaging than 101, right? So basically this class entails a lot activity on the nature. We will help the environment by planting trees, picking up trash, visiting places like companies that cut down trees and factories. We will learn about different things. Everyone will be tested on certain concepts. It will NOT be like Environmental Science. As a project we will raise money for one semester and raise money to open a farm ourselves. This will be ensured to be a completely organic farm. The students will run the farm, will deliver the foods to the school, will suggest that the school cafeteria take on the food and so on. The students will be tested on how well they are able to plant things in the garden and will have to show a step by step process by explaining what will be done and how it affects different things in the ecosystem. We could go to different places and try and save animals which are being endangered.

I understand that this takes a lot of money and a lot of practice, but there will be environmentalists and different types of specialists who will come and teach the class.

Though far-fetched, I'm sure it could be possible.

College Esssay # 226

226. When you had a desire to run.

Being a junior is a lot of pressure. The school work, the extra-curriculars, and the nervousness of applying for colleges. Going to a few college fairs around India with the school I've gotten a feeling of what type of school I want to go to, where I want to go, and what I want to do. The what I want to do has been the same since when I was a littler girl, but the type of school and the where has changed. I have thought about me as a person and have discussed it with my parents and they have agreed with me. The only thing left is, the getting in part. Which, many say isn't difficult, but that was them, and this is me. So I don't know what to expect. For the last 3 years, my parents and I have been discussing different options and I've tried to keep every possibility open. But this is up to my parents and I. Living with my grandparents, I never felt like I had to share anything with them about my choices to colleges and what not. And anyways, we had a generation gap, and I didn't feel like they would understand my choices anyways. I was sure they would enforce theirs, and was I right in the end? Of course I was.

A couple of weeks ago, my grandfather came up to me while I was sitting with my parents talking about colleges and started giving me a lecture. He would go on and on about whether I wanted to become and doctor, whether I wanted to study where I did, whether I was making the right decisions, this, that, and the other. I sat there with my head down, and didn't say one word. With other arguments like this already happening in the past, I learned to keep my mouth shut. But he kept going and going and going on and on and on about this. I already had my mind made up with my preferences, I wasn't going to listen to anyone, so he was just wasting his time.

My anger was boiling up with each word he was saying, and I was just about to explode. My mind was racing with two options. Either walk away and run from the situation at hand, or stay put and prove my point. I had the desire to just walk away from everything and I knew I should have taken that. But being stubborn like me, I wanted to prove my point, and I wouldn't leave until I had done so. So, instead of walking away from the situation, I decided to stay and fight. And I did. I was rude and arrogant, and not very nice. I know that he meant well, but the aggressiveness in his voice was not needed. That got to me and I was frustrated. I didn't stop, and I didn't care if anyone felt bad. It was my life and I didn't need anyone to say anything.

Thinking about it now, I should have taken that desire and put it into action. I do feel guilty but it can't be taken back.

College Essay # 243

243. Describe your perfect home.

I wake up in the morning to the sound of strong ocean tides. I open the curtains of my master bedroom and see the spotless blue sky bright and shining. I hear the chattering of different people slowly coming up along the beach and I know it's time for me to start my day as well. I open the remainder of three of my green and white silky curtain and turn around to make my bed. I take the soft black duvet off the bed and lay it on the couch near one of the windows. I take the four fluffy pillow encased in beige colored pillow cases and lay it on the couch next to the duvet. I tighten my sheets and make my way to get the pillows and the duvet. I can feel the softness of the Persian rugs at the center of the room and then make my way to the couch. Clumsy as I am, I manage to bang my leg on the coffee table while reaching for the duvet and the pillows. Limping to the bed, I place the pillows and the duvet neatly on the bed. I take the remote from one of the side tables cluttered with a glass of water and a bottle of lotion I put before sleeping. I turn the TV on and sit on my bed to watch the news for a while. I switch the TV off and make my way to the bathroom.

I take a left to enter my attached bathroom. I flick the lights on and see the mirrors in front of me, lined up against the way. I take my toothbrush and tooth paste which is lined up against the "his and her's" dark gray granite counter. I stick the tooth brush in my mouth and make my way to the tub, to the right of the sink. I turn the hot water on and put a bit of scented bubble bath. I brush my teeth and make my way in the tub. After laying in there for around half an hour, I make my way across the bathroom and enter the steam shower. I close the tinted glass doors of the shower and turn the hot water on. After rinsing off the shampoo and body wash I reach over to my towel which is set a couple of feet away on top of the closed toilet seat. I make my way to the bedroom and then take a right to the walk in closet.

I lather myself in body butter and sweet smelling perfume and take out my clothes for the day. I open the closet doors and pull out a pair of jeans and a jacket and then make my way deeper into the walk in closet to find shelves filled with T-shirts. I pick on out put it on, and then apply a bit of make up facing a mirror behind a dresser, which is close by the shelves.

I switch the lights off and make my way downstairs. I pass the two guest rooms on either end of the hallway and gather the dirty sheets and take them downstairs into the kitchen with me. I look into the bathroom closest to the master bedroom and switch the lights off. I enter the kitchen and then put the coffee pot on which is set on the island. The material of the counter on the island are that of the material in the sink in the bathrooms upstairs. I walk over to the stove to the left of the island and put the pan on the electric stove. I put butter into the pan and then rummage through the cupboards in the kitchen to find the toaster. I take the toaster out and plug it in the socket, and make my way to the other side of the room to the fridge. I remove the bread from on top of the fridge and open the two door fridge to take out the jug of orange juice. I press the glass of the left side of the fridge door to put ice into the glass and then pour some orange juice into it. I quickly make the egg, and make my way to the dining room. I walk through the arch of the kitchen and the dining hall and place the plates on the table. I take a left room the dining room and make my way down the stairs with the pile of dirty sheets. I go to the washing machine and put the clothes in for an hour and then manually set the dryer to turn on itself after that hour. I eat breakfast and make my way to the kitchen's dishwasher and set that for around 15 to 20 minutes. I make my way to the living room and give it a check.

I see the couches are in place and the leather is clean with no dust. I check the wooden coffee table which has accumulated a bit of dust and make a mental note to clean it up later. I adjust the rug a bit and then check the fire place and remove the wood. I check the coat closet and tidy that up a bit. I then make my way out the door. I step on the porch which has a light over head and has a few stairs that lead to the grass. I go out back behind the fence door and check the garden. The patio is cleared up of leaves fallen from the trees. I check the shed and that's clocked up. The sprinklers have automatically turned on and the grill is turned off. I walk out and get in my car and back away from the driveway to take a 5 minute drive to the beach. I look in the rear view mirror and see the stone house with a red door, and drive away from my dream home for the day.

College Essay # 212

212. A place you try to avoid.

While reading this statement, many places popped up in my head. But these were specific places, and when I tried to think of something to write for each place the only thing that came into my mind was, dangerous. Now, how much can you really right about danger. So, with these possibilities out of my thinking zone, the place I usually try to avoid is the bottom.

Though I come short at times, I try my hardest to be ahead of the game. And if not ahead, then definitely not the bottom. I was looking at a couple of pictures on my laptop when this idea struck me as well. My parents have always taught me that you can always try your best, but there's nothing wrong with coming out with average results. Though this made me feel better sometimes, I always felt something missing. I still haven't pinpointed what that is, but I know that being average comes out better than being on the bottom. There is a picture with a group of friends and myself. Though it is an ordinary picture, something struck me about it. We were six people trying to make a "human pyramid." I told my friends that I wanted to be on top. I was explaining to them that I wasn't heavy enough to be in the bottom and I knew that I could be on the top. But my friends looked at me with an expression of pity and they told me that so-and-so is smaller than you and is clearly lighter than you. Embarrassed and unable to meet their eager gazes, I told them that I didn't want to be on the bottom. They agreed and told me that they didn't think I was heavy enough to be on the bottom anyways. Breathing a sigh of relief, I was put in the middle of the pyramid. Not too strong, not too light, just average.

This experience made me realize that some times trying to force yourself on the top is not always the best way to go. But they say that some may think it's impossible and some may think otherwise. But trying to force yourself up the way I did with the "human pyramid" only made me look worse than I am. I knew I didn't want to be on the bottom but I didn't want to be in the middle either. I never believed my parents telling me that being in the middle, being average wasn't a bad thing until that day.

I try to do everything to push myself above the bottom. Usually I succeed with my determination, but I try to push myself on the top also. This doesn't turn out as well as I thought at all times.

College Essay # 218

218. If you could choose a super power, which would you choose.

During a trek to Changshil View Point, somewhere in the middle of the Himalayas, one of my best friend went and sat on a rock by herself. She was about 200 meters away from the rest of the group. I saw her and didn't think anything of it. I knew her well enough; I knew that all she wanted to do was have a bit of time to herself. Being in a group activity requires everyone to be together almost at all times. These types of trips show us how important "alone time" is. Someone else noticed this as well and asked me whether so-and-so was okay. I looked at her and explained that she was fine. The inquisitive girl looked at me a bit shocked, but didn't say anything and continued on her way. I have noticed many people to do this. When someone is alone, they instantly approach them with sympathetic looks and ask them if everyting is okay. Although considerate, most of the time there is nothing wrong with the person. They just need a bit of space that's all.

These things kept happening to many friends that I knew. They would soon get frustrated and would come and share their stories with them. This question struck me and if given the chance, I would, without any second guessing, choose my superpower to be the power of invisibility. I want the power to be invisible whenever I want. This is because I'm a person, like my best friend in the anecdote above, who needs their own space time to time. Being in a boarding school setting, you're usually accustomed to being around someone at all times. Whether it be during classes, walking up to school, during lunch, during after school sports, and in dorms, it seems like these boarders don't have anytime to be alone. Being a boarder myself, I need some space on my own. I need to alone from time to time. And what better way to do that than being invisible. This way, no one would need to ask you whether you were okay, and you could practically do what you want and go what you want. But in the end, for a little while in your people filled day, you have some time on your hand you call just that, mine.

College Essay # 211

211. A special place.

The smell of old books and the sounds of laminated plastic on new books ... do I have to say more? My special place is a place where silence is a norm. A place where no food, book bags, and loud voices are allowed. It is filled with tons of books from classics to contemporary novels. It should be situated in the heart of schools, but it's not. It should be filled with more people that those that visit daily. It has tables and chairs, has magazines and dictionaries, and it has a office where a tall woman with brown boots that make the most noise works. Yes, it is the library.

To start off with, the library is my favorite place because it is quiet. I'm a person, who doesn't like being around people much. Though many think that this doesn't make me a people person, this is far from the truth. I love talking to people and engaging in any sort of conservation. But when given the opportunity to choose between a party hub and a quite enclosed library, I would definitely choose the second option. Because the library is meant to have pin drop silence, a lot of students at my school don't like staying in there for very long. They finish off their business that has dragged them to such a place and then try to get out of there as fast as possible. As for me, I would do the complete opposite. The serene peacefulness of the library just makes me want to stay in there forever. This sort of place allows me to think, and allows me to discover new things.

The amount of knowledge stored in the library is the biggest reason I call the library my special place. From car magazines, to beauty tips of "Seventeen", to Pride and Prejudice, to dictionaries, to encyclopedias, to The Princess Diaries, the library is filled with things we can take away. The car magazines will tell us which ones are worth the money with diagrams and detailed descriptions and the beauty tips of "Seventeen" give us a step by step method which shows you how to curl your hair. The themes of Pride and Prejudice shows us how important love and family are while dictionaries give us some sort of clear understand of what love and family are; dictionaries define what things are. Encyclopedias allow us to expand our general knowledge, while the Princess Diaries series allow us to be children and fantasize the idea of royalty once again.

In a area of space which isn't the biggest known to the world, the library is a place which allows you to be who you are and allows to you expand your knowledge me to a better and brighter individual than when you entered it in the first place.  

College Essay # 246

246. What I'm thinking when I'm not listening.

1. Why I'm not listening.
2. Why my stomach is hurting so much.
3. Whether I should go to the Health Center.
4. Whether Ms. Manson is going to give me a Paracetemol and send me back to class because she thinks I'm lying.
5. How much homework these teachers keep giving me everyday.
6. Whether it was a good idea for me to take 4 APs in one year, because clearly I'm suffering.
7. Whether I'm going to have a lot of time for my college applications next year if I'm going to be taking 4 APs then as well.
8. Why my Physics teacher keeps writing his own notes almost making a book of 100 something pages, when the school has already provided a book for us.
9. How much my friend would have laughed at my Chemistry teacher's accent if she was still attending Woodstock.
10. Why some teachers only look at 3 students in the class while talking.
11. Why teachers tell students to be quite during Chapel when they turn around and start talking to your friends.
12. Why people find it disrespectful to wear hats in class.
13. Why Woodstock stopped having merit dinners.
14. Why people in Vermont think that students who attend school in India don't know anything about I-pods, about snow, and go to school on cows.
15. Why boys are given more preference to girls in using the Gym.
16. Why Woodstock has a donation place on their website for alumni to donate money to the school.
17. Where all the money our parents pay for school has gone?
18. Why dorms need donations from alumni to buy kettles.
19. Why fixing a washing machine takes around a month in Mussoorie.
20. Why people steal instruments from teachers offices.
21. Why it's so cold in the gym and teachers still make us have assemblies in their.
22. Why staff are so preoccupied with keeping the gym's floor mark free, that they have to put cushion-y mats even for music stands.
23. Why the school doesn't upgrade the gym even further and put a steam and sauna into the gym and make it like some sort of 5 star hotel. I mean, I could only give it a four star. :p
24. Why some people apply make-up on top of what they already have right after her exam is over.
25. Why it's disrespectful to put your foot on the chair ahead of you in Parker Hall.
26. Why people don't move out of the way when someone is trying to get past the stampede happening after every bell.
27. Why people who have Blackberrys don't like Apple products, and vice versa.
28. How funny it is when people try to say Obama but end up saying Osama.
29. Why Rhianna wants her hair such an unnatural red color.
30. Why when one person starts listening to techno music everyone in the school starts doing the same.
31. Where individuality has disappeared to.
32. Why this person keeps on talking when he/she knows that I'm not paying any attention and honestly couldn't give a damn.

College Essay # 232

232. Ten things you do when you procrastinate.

1. Clean up my room. Sometimes I sit on my bed ready to work and then I look around me and see the mess that I'm surrounded by. I look around and see that my roommate's side of the room is equally, if not worse off, dirty as my side of the room. I quickly get off my bed, finding an excuse to not study, and start cleaning up my room. The first thing I do, is clear my desk off. That way, I don't have to have my books waiting to be written in. Then take everything out of my cupboard and reorganize, fold, and re-stack the clothes that call this cupboard a home. Even a couple of outfits are out of order, I take everything out and clean it all over again. Why not, I have time right?

2. Lay down and promise myself to take a 10 minute power nap. This power nap meant to be 10 minutes usually lasts at least an hour. Before deciding to lay down, I tell myself that this nap is going to be different than my other ones during the week. Hard work throughout the school day should allow one to have a well deserved "brain rest." But I know that this 10 minute nap is not going to be any different, in fact it may last longer than all the other ones. But pushing this thought aside, I lay in my bed, head sinking in the pillow, and close my eyes, only to realize that I opened then one and a half hour later.

3. Eat. Usually while sitting and taking pages of notes and pages of notes in Psychology, I suddenly feel hungry. Taking the opportunity to get away from millions of letters, I get my bowl and take out my box of cereal. Pouring milk into my bowl, I feel like I've achieved something. I sit back down on my table, stare at my open book for a while, and then close it shut. To hell with notes. Let's enjoy the small things in life instead ... like a bowl of cereal! I take in the sweetness of the cereal, take in the freshness of the cold milk, and tell myself that eating cereal is so much better than taking notes on so many levels.

4. Talk to someone else so that they're distracted along with me. Usually when I don't want to work, I look over at my roommate who is usually on Facebook and turn back around to my book disappoint. If I talked to her, she would probably give me a couple word answer and then go back to doing whatever she was doing. After thinking of a couple of seconds. I smile to myself, jump off my bed, put my slippers on, and enter my best friend's room. Sure enough, she has a bored look on her face, and has her English blog open, and is filing her nails (just kidding Mr. Plonka). I know is the perfect opportunity to entertain myself and get rid of that "I'm-so-bored-I-could-kill-myself" look on her face. I sit opposite her and tell her I'm bored. Instantly, her face lights up and we start talking about endless things. Something that usually lasts a couple of hours. And then it's too late to do any work, because bedtime means bedtime. If I didn't sleep well enough that night, I would be cranky in school. Now you tell me, who wants a cranky teenage student in their class. My guess is, no one.

5. Start writing my name all over the pages of my notebooks. When I don't want to do anything, the best way I can think of things is when I write my name all over the books. But instead of thinking about school and about homework, and essays, and math problems, I usually think about how rich and famous I could potentially be. I try out different signatures, write my name in different ways, and try to predict the future while doing this. Will I become a doctor who wins a noble peace prize, will I have a gigantic house while wooden floors and fireplaces in every room, will I have a chain of hospitals that will make me a millionaire? This usually ends with someone asking me why I have such a stupid smile on my face. I say nothing and continue on my way to working through these unnecessary homework assignments, only to return to the same stupid smile on my face the next day. 

College Essay # 186

186. Jogging has become extremely popular. Explain why you jog or why you don't.

The wind blowing in your hair and on your face, the beautiful hills all around you, and the slight drizzle during inter house cross-country reminds me more and more of why I don't jog. Interhouse cross-country comes once a year, but it is one event I dread the most. Even after cross-country is over for the year, I dread the upcoming one. 

While standing on the starting line I look past the crowd to see the path that awaits me, and I just feel stuck. Mr. Mark bangs the two clappers together, and I can feel my heart starting to race before I even start running. I run; run past the crowd, past the teachers sitting and gleefully watching the students work their asses off running cross-country while they sit and eat wai-wai, and run past the gates of Rokeby. By then all I want to do is stop and walk the whole way. But my friends are determined for me to not come last, even if I don't care. So we jog the whole way till we start seeing people. We jog, and jog, and jog, and jog like there's no tomorrow. That journey seems never ending. 

I get to the finish line and everyone is cheering for everyone else. Even though I haven't come first and I didn't come last, I feel I have achieved nothing. In a place where we're meant to be running, we jog. I know I would have walked if it weren't for my friends, but jogging. There's nothing great about it. The rain, the wind in your face; the only thing is does is makes you feel cold. The scenery around you isn't even seen because you're concentrating on keeping your feet moving, you're concentrating on not getting cramps.

Jogging has been an extremely popular sport for people who don't want to put in the extra effort to run. I think running gives you the same feeling that jogging does. Isn't it the whole concept of wind blowing in your hair and you feeling good about it? I don't understand why people jog and I never will.

College Essay # 241

241. If you knew you wouldn't fail, what would you do.

When I tell people I want to become a doctor, I explain I want to help people. I know that many people say that but I do want to help people. There's nothing more to it. I know that colleges look for a more detailed and heartfelt answer, but I don't have one. I just plainly and simply want to help people.

If I could do anything without failing, I would open a hospital for orphaned children. Being a teenager ready to go to college, it seems like a really big ambition. I know that it is not easy and takes a lot of work. But I've thought it over, and when given a chance, I would do this. Many children around the world have lost their parents or have been abandoned by them. These are the children who need the most support, both emotionally and physically. They say that a child needs to touch and feel and sense the presence of their parents. The experiment done on the Harlow monkeys have shown this. What better way to conduct a guaranteed sense of homely environment than have a hospital opened for orphaned children.

I would ensure that every child get checked up once a month and have them educated. In this part of the world, there isn't a great care for orphaned children in different homes. Usually they work on minimal amount of money and need as much help as possible. So every weekend, our hospital would have children from different orphanages come and have a sleep over at the wards. In the morning, they would be educated about heath, hygiene, and benefits of nutritious foods. This shows them that they're cared about and shows them the right way to live life.

College Essay # 224

224. A book that changed your life.

I just finished reading Room by Emma Donoghue, which is about a little 5 year old boy who is stuck with his mother in Room. Now many of you must be wondering what Room is. For Jack, the five year old boy, Room is a place he was born in and has been living in his whole life. For his Ma, it is a place where she was put into after being kidnapped 7 years ago. A man named Old Nick, captured her while she was on her way to college and put her into a "modern dungeon." Room is a 11 foot by 11 foot confined space which has a stove, a bathtub, and bed, and a wardrobe. Old Nick comes into Room every night at 9 pm and "creaks the bed" while Jack is asleep in Wardrobe. Though he doesn't know what happens out on his Bed, but when he is awake, Jack counts how many times the bed creaks.

For a daily routine, Jack and his Ma do a series of exercises. Ma has drawn a semi-circle around Bed where Jack does "there-and-backs." We know it has running. They then stand on the bed and do a "screaming exercise." We know this as shouting for help trying to tell someone that they are captured and stuck in a "dungeon." Jack always needs to "have some" and goes to his mother for it. We know this as breast-feeding. We might find it odd that a five-year-old is still being breastfed, but what else could his Ma do? She had to give him enough things to keep him alive.

The biggest thing about Jack is that he doesn't know what is outside Room. He thinks that everything on TV is just made up. He doesn't know anything about the world outside. The only world he knows is the 11 foot by 11 foot Room. Yeah, I know, shocking. But his Ma was trying to protect him.

But his Ma has had enough, and all she thinks about is escaping from Room. She executes a plan and asks Jack to follow through. But he doesn't want to get out of room. His Ma eventually convinces him that it's the best thing to do. In a desperate attempt to free themselves, Jack pretends to be dead, and jumps off of the truck which he is placed in. He runs to the first person he sees. They are saved and have become heroes of the modern world. But it takes time for them to adjust to the real world, and Jack's Ma tries to take her life. But things get better after her recovery and they're on their way to becoming strong, independent, individuals of society.

When I first read the first page of this book, it was something that I didn't really enjoy. The way the book was written was a bit different to the books I normally read. But I decided that I should persevere through the book. Who knows I might have enjoyed it. And yes, I did enjoy it through and through. The book just captured my heart. Jack's story just took my breath away. The theme of willpower and truthfulness was so immense that when I finished the book, the only thing I wanted was for it to continue. I wanted to read more and I wanted the author to have written more. I wanted to see the things Jack would explore. When I read the book, I felt like little Jack himself. When we're in our daily routines we forget who immense and mesmerizing the world and the things in the world are. This book made me understand that things shouldn't be taken for granted and that we should cherish everything we have. This book showed me the power of knowledge. Though this sounds cheesy, it showed me that what we know could be life and death. 

College Essay # 197

197. Is it better for children to grow up in a countryside or in a city?

I came home this winter to find that one of the helpers at my house were missing. It didn't affect me but I was curious to know. My helper was doing all the work herself. It was difficult to watch her manage everything on her own. She cleaned the dishes with freezing cold water in the winter, tended to my grandmother's unnecessary needs, took her child to school, and tried to feed my sister and I everything knowing we didn't feed ourselves well in school. I tried to help as much as I could, cleaning the dining hall table, vacuuming my own room, and keeping the house as clean as we could. But that still didn't take away my curiosity.

I asked my mother where the other helper was. She told me that he was put into jail by my father. When I asked why, she told me that he had stolen a lot of money from my grandparents. I overheard my parents saying it was something close to one lakh. With my eyes wide, I wondered how he turned out to be such a thief. He looked innocent and did everything he was told, how did he become so corrupt. Later that evening, my mother told me the would sneak out of the house at night, skip school and go to the bar, and give the money to others. He was only 14, younger than me. I haven't even thought of drinking alcohol, and here he was, chugging down bottles of beer while skipping school. I guess he wasn't as innocent as I thought. But he only became like this after coming into the city. A village boy somewhere in Nepal, coming to a corrupt city like Kathmandu, he was bound to be destroyed. When he was new at home, my mother explained that he was a good kid, was obedient, and was not influenced by others around him. He was only corrupted after spending a lot of time with the bad group of boys in his school. The school he attended wasn't lavish, or extravagant, and didn't supply good education. He instantly fell into the wrong crowd, and this only went downhill.

With this story in my mind, I don't think children should grow up in a city because there is too much nonsense that leads a child to fall into temptations. There is too much in the city a child doesn't need, which only creates them to feel they need it. Soon the idea of needing it, turns into the idea of craving it, which soon turns into the idea of having it no matter what happens. This is called addiction to materials in my mind. Growing up in a countryside allows they to acknowledge all material things but doesn't give them direct access to them, which is what growing children should have. I'm not saying that everything in the city is bad, but if you look around, your eyes go to the negative things before the positive.

This 14-year-old rebel village child, is now transferred from a jail to a juvenile hall where he's put with the real "bad asses." We have no idea how he's going to survive in a hellhole like that. 

College Essay # 242

242. Describe a recurring dream.

The things you need to make sure that you wake up at night, sweating, and afraid.

1. A beach with white sand and clear blue water.
2. Me, myself, and I. (You're on a beach by yourself, with no one around for miles)
3. A surf board stuck right in the middle of the beach.
4. Your temptation to use that surf board and travel far away.
5. Your imagination.
5. A sky that is anticipating heavy clouds and rain.
6. Strong waves of ice cold water.
7. Your desire to swim deep in the ocean and cut through a school of fish.
8. Your surf board drifting away from you.
9. Your arms flailing trying to get the surfboard.
10. Failing and being eaten alive by a shark.

Many of you may sit here reading these things and must be wondering what a stupid dream this might be. I thought it was stupid at first too, but it happened over and over and over again. I think I had this dream 3 or 4 times in a month. That seems little? Well not if the dream is repeating itself like a broken record.

I'm traveling far away to a beach which is hundreds of miles away from my home; and I'm traveling alone. I reach the beach thinking there are going to be a lot of people so that I could go surfing without having to worry about someone saving me if I was drowning. First off, I don't know how to surf, secondly, I don't like the deep blue seas. They seem to taunt me and all I want to do is prove to myself that I'm stronger and braver, than someone scared of the ocean. But I arrive at the beach to see it deserted with only me. I try to turn back but determination gets the best of me. I didn't know how I was going to go into the ocean, but all I knew was I wanted to go there. I look around to find some sort of equipment that will take me far away and deep into the ocean. All of a sudden, I spot a surfboard. I'm ecstatic. All I want to do is get into the water, but when I look over I see the strong waves pushing itself on the beach and I feel like breeze of the ice cold water. I look up to the sky to gain a bit of hope, but I'm disappointed. All I see are dark, heavy clouds rolling in. I know what that means: rain, rain, baby. But, my determination gets the best of me. I run to the surf board, take it into the ocean, and surf along the waves and travel as far as the waves take me. But my little knowledge of surfing, takes advantage of me. The surf board slips off my feet and drifts away. I try swimming to catch up with it, but the waves are creating a distance between us. I try and try, but I'm getting farther away from it. I look behind me and I can't even see the shore. Oh no. I'm stranded. Instead of seeing a school of fish, I see a shark encircling me. My heart starts beating faster and faster. I don't know what to do. It's getting closer. I see the jaws coming at me, and it's dark.

This is just a side note:
According to a website which interprets dreams, seeing a shark:
Indicates feelings of anger, hostility, and fierceness. You are undergoing a long and difficult emotional period and may be an emotional threat to yourself or to others. Perhaps, you are struggling with your independence, especially in some aspect of your relationship. Alternatively, a shark represents a person in your life who is greedy and unscrupulous. This person goes after what he or she wants with no regards to the well-being and sensitivity of others. The shark may also be an aspect of your own personality with these qualities.

http://dreammoods.com/cgibin/dreamdictionarysearch.pl?method=exact&header=dreamsymbol&search=sharks

I don't know how much of this is true, I doubt any of it, but it sounds a least bit interesting. :D

College Essay # 113

113. Talk about how a person can change his direction.

Physics states that a force acting on a moving body changes the speed of the body or changes the direction of the body. This clearly shows that physics is all around us. How can a person change his or her direction? It's the external and internal forces that drives on to change the path that they are taking.

Every single person alive today can tell you that they have made one or more mistakes in their lives. Humans weren't designed to be perfect creatures who could accomplish any task handed to them without making any mistakes. This such idea is impossible to accomplish. No person in their right mind can say that they haven't made any mistakes. Even Spiderman has made mistakes. For a person to change his or her direction, he or she has to take the first step of accepting that mistake. Living in denial will only make you blind, and being blind leads you nowhere but leaves you in the same rut you started out from.

Denials lead one to believe that everything one is doing is correct. Needing to change something can only happen when an individual is willing to change their mistake. Trying to make a change requires one to understand that a change is needed. That's why a drug addict can't get anywhere without understanding that something is wrong with them.

Wanting the change is one thing, but gaining the ability to make change is another. Though you may understand that a change is necessary, you need to act on it to make it possible. Let it be an inner force that drives you to change your life or let it be someone forcing you to make a change; a change can only be a change if an action is taken upon it.

And the only way change is possible is if the way to change your course is accepted.

Here are the simple steps to change:
1. Accepting the mistake.
2. Accepting a change is needed.
3. Accepting the ability to gain change from oneself or from someone else.
4. Accepting the change of course.

The only way of making a change in your life, let it be eating healthy or changing the way your life is headed, is by accepting everything as it comes no matter how difficult it is.

College Essay # 205

205. Describe how you met your best friend.

Attending a boarding school was nerve-wrecking already and having people come up to you and ask you random questions just makes you wonder whether the place you're attending is worth it or not. During my student orientation in 2007, my supposed roommate approaches me in the dining hall while I'm sitting with my parents and introduces herself. "Hi, my name is so-and-so, and I'm going to be your new roommate." And then she leaves. I look at my father with a confused look and he returns my puzzled face with a knowing smile. It was that minute I felt like Woodstock was not a school worth attending. The school I came from in the States was the complete opposite than that. No one cared about you and you had to mind your own business. You make friends when you put in the effort, not the other way around. That took me by surprise as it was something I was completely unaware of. But even with this fact, I thought I was going to make no friends. I felt different already.

After my parents left, it was time for me to venture out in this unknown world and find someone I could trust. This new roommate of mine, took me around introducing me to everyone. Though a kind gesture, I never asked for her to conduct such an act. A bit irritated, I followed her like a little puppy while she talked about her summer and introduced me to everyone. But meeting 50 different people, I was unable to find someone as weird as a girl who was eventually going to be my best friend.

I woke up extra early the next morning, pumped up to go to school for the first time without my parents. I enter the dining hall with my new roommate/friend/leech to be seated among a few girls who were in our grade. Apparently rumor had it, that I was a cocky girl who had an American accent and was weird. Apparently, I had an accent, apparently that made me American, and apparently that didn't make me Nepali. Though that logic didn't make any sense to me, I took it and didn't care. People glared at me around the table as though I was something that fell from outer space. Most seemed normal, but there was one girl sitting right across from me who caught my attention. She was sitting there with a red sweatshirt and a bright, silky pink backpack. She was spreading peanut butter on her toast and then she started sprinkling sugar on it. I looked around at everyone to see whether they thought that was weird, but everyone seemed to continue on their way to finishing up whatever they had on their plate, or try anyways.

Then she started talking. She explained to me that at Woodstock, breakfast was the best meal of the day because the things that are served are things you know. I gave a puzzled look and she continued in her loud, boisterous, and somewhat obnoxious manner. I just listened. She introduced herself and asked me my name. I answered, "Spreeha." She looked at me and said, "Are you Spanish because your name starts with an S?" I turned around to everyone and they were looking at me eagerly. They probably thought I was going to say yes, but explained to her that I was Nepali who had just moved back home from the States.

If that wasn't weird enough, while walking up the hill, she grabbed onto my backpack and asked me to pull her up. Wait, not even ask, she demanded I pull her up. When I got to school, I tried to steer clear from her. I found her very ... eccentric. That was definitely not my type of person. But we managed to run into each other in the weirdest of occasions, and grew close.

She is know the one person I can call my best friend. I would do anything for her and I know she would reciprocate the same gesture. She knows that I love her idiotic ways because that defines her. Though I'm not big on having best friends; I feel like take advantage of you, she somehow managed to get to my heart and remain there.

College Essay # 97 - William and Mary

97. If you were to develop a Mt. Rushmore representing the 20th century, whose faces would you select and why? (William and Mary)

Mount Rushmore is known for the faces of the brave Americans who helped the country become what it is today. But if Mount Rushmore were turned into the significant faces of people that changed the world today, the faces would be:

1. Jean Piaget, the famous psychologist of the 20th century. Before him, the idea of the world was that children and adults thought the same way, just that children weren't able to conduct things the way adults were yet. But he showed the world that the development of humans starts from the mind of a child to a mind of an adult. After this revelation, children were treated in a different way. Children were treated like children rather than adults, which was done in the past.

2. Adolf Hitler, the infamous Nazi. This man is the prime example that shows the world what not to be. Although he had a negative influence on the world, it was definitely an influence. The way he massacred those Jews with gas chambers, starvation, and what not, people soon realized the determination one had to attain power in the world. Action was soon placed thereafter to stop such things from happening ever again in the history of the world.

3. Oprah Winfrey, the woman who showed the world that hope can do a lot. A woman raised in the ghettos of Chicago, knew only a life of poverty, gang violence, and rape. She soon took her talents and showed the world what she was able to accomplish. Radio-hosting in her early years, and then progressing over the years to create her own television show, Winfrey was able to reach out to many in need. Few years ago, she opened a school in a country in Africa to educate little girls in need of getting away from the patriarchal society that dominates much of Africa. She showed the world that a little good deed extended to those in need, goes a long way. She is known as one of the world's most influential people.

4. Mahatma Gandhi, the Indian leader that showed the world the idea of non-violence. Facing discrimination while starting work in South Africa, his determination to change that mindset led his beloved country to gain autonomy. Either ways of war nor sacrifice, Gandhi showed his people that success can be attained through peaceful means of negotiation, protest, and determination. Many other influential leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela took his ideas and allowed black to be free in the United States, and led to the ending of Apartheid in South Africa. 

College Essay # 220

220. How does money matter in your life?

Many say that money makes the world go around and some say that it's happiness that makes it go around. Well I disagree with the idea of money making the world go around. Yes, money is the key to everything, money will buy you everything, and if you don't have money, you will be no where in life. You will be on the streets trying to survive for half of one meal. It's pathetic; the way people depend on money, makes the world revolve around money.

The importance of money in my life is not as important as I thought it would be. I know that I need it to buy things, go to college, earn a living, work hard, pay for my meals, my shelter, and blah blah blah. But there are other things to life than working, and eating, and buying, buying, buying. But happiness, I agree with some in the world, makes things go around. Yes, you may feel like I'm just saying that to make myself look better. Don't get me wrong, I realize how important money is. But if you're not happy with your job, you won't perform well and may get fired, demoted, and so on. If you don't have a job, you have to either rely on others for money, or you may have to beg, borrow, or steal. This doesn't give you a stable life. You're always hunting for food to eat, and place to sleep, and clothes to wear. Happiness is the key to make money, to have money, and to enjoy the money that you have.

If you're not happy with the college you're attending, and you want to drop out, all the money your parents invested in you and in that college goes to waste. Colleges don't to refunds and exchanges like supermarkets. It's a once and for all thing. 

Nothing starts with money. It starts with the idea of happiness and how it affects the way you use, spend, and save your money.

College Essay # 250

250. If animals could talk, what would your pet say about you?

Last holidays, my family was split between getting an Apso or a Pug. When I saw a pug face to face, I realized they weren't the way I expected them to be. They make too much noise from the nose because their nose passages are so small they can't breath, they look like aliens, and their fur feels like a prick when you touch it and it has red spots in its eyes. My family were split in the decision. Before seeing a pug, I decided that I wanted a pug along with my sister and my mom, while my dad thought it would be nice get an apso. But if we were to get a puppy, I'm sure it would be a pug. My sister tends to get her way with everything, which I find quite annoying at times ... actually most of the times. So lets say our family were to get a pug.

If animals could talk my pet would probably say that I was a lazy caretaker. She would say that I was excited when I first met her, but then slowly started caring less and less. The dog would say that I would walk her and pick up her droppings when my parents told me to but then would say that when they weren't around, I would tell my sister to do it. Which I feel I would probably do.

The sad part about me, according to my dog, would be that every time she came around to playing with me, I would pet her a couple of times and then tell her to run along. I really wasn't interested. She wouldn't understand why, because dogs, have an ego about themselves. They feel loved and cherished and they feel like their the best looking one. I feel like pugs aren't, they look like aliens. I wouldn't want to take care of a dog which was looking like that. I wouldn't understand why I was taking care of it. I feel like if my sister was the one who chose to buy this type of dog, she should be the one taking care of it not me.

But on the other hand, if it was an Apso. I would treasure the dog like no other. I would want to pet her long hair and comb it and bathe it. I would love taking the dog for a walk, I would love feeding it and I would love playing with it. I would things completely opposite as compared to if I was taking care of a pug.

Although this may look bad on my part, and it may look like I go for things like look pretty and it may look like I only care about superficial things, I fee it's a bit different than that. If I get the things I want, I take extra care of it but if I don't get things I want, I won't really mind for it and will only do it if needed. I wouldn't put my heart into it.

College Essay # 78 - Hood

78. If you could travel through time and interview any historical figure, whom would you choose, what would you ask, and why? (Hood)

According to my point of view, Adolf Hitler was a man filled with insanity. The things he did, the people he killed, the ideas he plotted, and those he manipulated to follow him were all plans conducted by a crazy man. His ideas were only things he could understand. Many have tried to explain and "justify" his actions to a certain extent but everyone is stuck at the question of morality. Was it right? Clearly not. Was it sane? Clearly not. Was it beneficial? For those who hated Jews, but not to the world.

His ideas seem to amaze me. I was asked this same question in 7th grade. When I answered, Adolf Hitler, she looked at me like I was crazy. What's so crazy about wanting to know about a crazy man? I say nothing.

I have a list of questions I would ask him.
1. What caused really caused you to hate Jews?
2. In your mind, was it essential to kill them for the greater good of mankind?
3. Was there a more humane way of killing the people or was it the only way?
4. What made you kill yourself?
5. Near the end of your life, did you realize that you did something wrong?

I think Hitler was one of those characters that no one would understand until you met them. The Holocaust, Hitler and everything that came before, after, and in the middle, were things that are important to me because these are the things which fascinated me the most about history. But the thing is, I only know what my teacher has taught me and what the text book states. I don't know much else. I want to get a first hand experience with his thoughts. This was just wrong and maybe he had a reason, as crazy as it may sound. It might be legitimate. We only know what the Jews have told. We only know what the textbooks have said. Maybe there IS another side ... probably something far fetched to many of you. 

College Esssay # 236

236. What are some things you observed today.

1. Yelling at someone telling them to move out the way tends to give you a sincere apology.
2. The smell of fart  seems to come from all around you when you're sitting in a AP Chemistry exam.
3. It takes a small message from your crush to make you shine.
5. Dorm parents can annoyingly be interested in your life.
6. Some people just can't stand Christmas music.
7. Education systems are dumb enough to put an exam on the last day of school.
8. Elementary students can make someone cry when it comes to gaining a prize.
9. Asking someone to write a recommendation for you is an intimidating process.
10. Packing at the last minute is not wise.
11. People freak out when they don't know how you're going home at the end of the semester.
12. Shuffling and doing the Spongebob are overrated; an fat people who do it look ugly.
13. I have a mild case of tetrisitis. But so does Jyotika.
14. Diluted orange tang tastes like blood.
15. Bibliography and biography are the same thing for some.
16. School french fries taste like everything other than french fries.
17. Keeping a stack of bread in your room, only results to it being stale.
18. Stealing cheese when each person only gets 2 is inhumane.
19. Boys have fun at the end of the semester, while girls rot in a prison.
20. If you want to fit in, you need to go to college. - Accepted
 

College Essay # 222

222. Where do you go to hide and why.

My childhood was filled with mischief. My partners in crime were always my sister and my cousins. There was one summer I remember fondly. It was a big family gathering for a festival called dahsanyi, where goats are sacrificed. My sister, my cousin, and I decided that playing hide and seek when everyone else was in the yard was a fun thing to do. We turned off all the lights in the house and I was the one who was supposed to catch the two of them. It never occurred to us that the people in the yard would see that all the lights were out. Being childish, too preoccupied with the game, and naive, we went on our way to play hide and seek.

My cousin and my sister were too scared to hide alone in a big, empty house where all the lights were turned off, so they decided that they would hide in different places just in the same room. While trying to find them, I heard the door of the entrance open and bang shut. I didn't know what was going on and I thought it was a ghost, so I turned the light on of the room I was in. I was afraid and I was really scared of ghosts. But then I heard, the loud, thumping of footsteps on the wooden stairs. I heard my grandfather's cough. I knew it was time to run. But I didn't know where to. I heard him hitting the stair railings with something; I just didn't know what.

I knew instantly to take cover. My grandfather went into the study. I knew this was my chance. I ran down and fast but as softly as I could. I took my chance and went and sat in my grandfather's chair with the rest of the family. My grandfather comes with my sister and my cousin by the ear. I stood there laughing. Furiously, my cousin and my sister approach me and asked me why I didn't warn them. I wanted to save myself first. They told me that they were standing behind curtains on the windowsill of my room when my grandfather came in and hit them with an umbrella. I laughed so hard. My mom asked me whether I was part of it in her jester ways. She knew I was lying. My grandfather knew that but we make fun of it till this day.

I find hiding among a group of people the best thing. This way, you can protect yourself from others and you can't be yelled at in front of everyone, because the person shouting at you will be embarrassed along with you.

College Essay # 239

239. Describe a time someone was jealous of you.

Every holiday, whether summer of winter, a new year or a new semester, I always review and study someone or the other every holiday. I read a lot. I don't get time during school to read so I always take my holidays as an advantage to read. I don't feel complete in a day, if I don't read or do something related to studies. My parents usually give my sister and I the first week off after we come home to do what we like and have fun. They then tell us that we need to start doing something productive. Exercise, study, read, draw, play your instrument, or something, anything.

So usually, I'm the one who starts first. My sister gets really into the holiday mood, skyping with friends, going on the computer, playing tetris, watching movie after movie, and the list goes on. While I sit there, read a book, jog ... or try anyways, practice SAT words, do a couple of math problems, you get the picture.

One day my parent come home and it was the third week of holidays. It was time to get down to some serious "productivity." I was sitting and reading when my parents came in and asked me where my sister was. I just vaguely answer, "Oh, probably watching TV or something." They instantly called her name and she came after 10 minutes. They started giving her a lecture about how she should be more productive, like me. My sister glared at me and didn't peep until they were done. They left the room, she came and sat on my bed and gave me one hit on my harm. I asked her why she did that and she said, "It's not fair. They always compare me to you." Being the person I am, I said, "well maybe you should try being like me." She gave me the dirtiest look I've ever received and told me that I had to watch out. I didn't get why, but it was soon clear.

She look at the my in the morning and started reading the minute she got up. Obviously, I was still asleep. When I got up, she told me that she had already read 50 pages while I was sleeping. She told me that she didn't need to be jealous of me anymore, because she can read better than I can. I don't know how that made sense, but I let her believe it.

College Essay # 230

230. What do you do on a rainy day?

I wake up in the morning to see the slight drizzle outside my foggy window. I sit up in my bed and smile to myself. I love lazy, cold, rainy Sundays. I get out of bed and put on my fuzzy pink bedroom slippers and walk to the kitchen. I put a pot of water on to the stove until I feel the steam vaporizing on my face. The warmth on my face reciprocates that I feel in my heart. I walk to the huge bathroom mirror and see my face gleaming on the other side. I turn around and turn on the hot water in the bath tub and fill the water to the brim. I watch the water turn milky has I pour in my favorite Cherry-Raspberry Squash Bubble Bath from Bath and Body Works, and carry that smell all the way to the bedroom.

I take my coffee to my bedroom and turn on the heater. I feel the heat encircle my room and go to every corner around the room. The foggy window just gets foggier. I carry my hot coffee mug and sit in my big, cushion-y armchair and read my favorite book. After I while, my head hurts and I take a shower. I laze around in the warm, cherry-raspberry squash smelling water, and day dream about running in the rain with my best friend.

We're walking and talking and eating chips and coke, when all of a sudden, it starts pouring. I look at him and he returns the gaze. We make it to the first shelter and start laughing. I always manage to have lots of fun with him and then he asks me, "Wanna run as far and as fast as we can?" I would never give up that chance. Since kids, we've always talked about running away and living on the run. I would always imagine life to be sunny and rainy. Hard times and good times.

Rain brings sorrow and joy. It is my favorite type of weather and as I sit on this computer screen, I see the dark clouds rolling in. I'm praying that the weather worsens, so I can have a coffee, a hot shower, and run away with my best friend, as fast, and as far away as possible.

College Essay # 245

245. What advice does the teenage-you have for your future 35-year-old self?

1. Try not to be in college until this age. Hopefully you're doing something useful with your life.


2. Don't be one of those women who feel like just because they're above 30, they're old.


3. Try to call your parents as much as possible. Just because your life has moved on doesn't mean that you need to forget about them. They definitely haven't.


4. Try to do good to those around you.


5. Have at least one kid by this time.


6. Don't be one of those fat ladies who were granny pants to work. You're only 35, that time will come for you soon.


7. Try not to fight with your husband too much. But if it does get out of hand, make sure he knows you're boss.


8. Make life memorable.


9. Take loads of pictures. Every moment, every memory counts for something.


10. Help those who are less fortunate than you. There's no need to rub your luxury in their face.


11. Try to be as involved in your child's life as possible.


12. Share your knowledge with the world.


13. Learn how to cook a good meal for 5.


14. Find love.


15. Be independent. You're the only one you can depend on.

College Essay # 194

194. What are the qualities of a good neighbor? Are you a good neighbor?

Everyone knows the famous parable of the Good Samaritan. According to the Holy Bible and many people all over the world, the idea of a good neighbor is to help those that are in need even if they are "lower" than you.

In some ways this this true, and I believe that being a good neighbor is helping people. But what makes us a neighbor. Aren't all humans a neighbor to one another? We live in the same world, under the same sky, take in the same sun, look at the same moon, breathe the same air, so why are some so reluctant on making everyone equal? I don't understand this one bit, but it's the truth and needs to be faced.

There are those who gossip, those who pry, those who are egoistic and don't believe in helping others, those who try to fake friendships but then there are those who give endlessly, who have faith in others over anything else, and those who try to find the best in others.

Good neighbors should have these qualities. They should try to believe that all are equal, should help those who are in need to help, but then avoid those who are not good. Good neighbors should trust openly but judge before trusting, good neighbors should believe that all be good to them because they deserve it, they should help others selflessly, they should put down those who need to be put down for the greater good, and above all, good neighbors should be those who have faith in themselves in doing the right thing.

I am a human. I make mistakes, I have hurt people, I have lied, I have had bad thoughts for "good" people but I've had the same things happen to me. I am human. We are made to look out for ourselves, and survive under any conditions. I have done these things to make myself look better. But usually, I end up as the bad guy. I have learned from this mistake and learned that no bad deed goes unpunished as the phrase goes. So, with all the qualities I've stated above, I believe I am not even close to being a good neighbor. Though I try, I believe that I have a long way to go. I am not perfect and believe that I help that I love, but don't help those that have hurt me. I do trust but only those that deserve to be trusted. I put down those that need to be put down but not always in the right ways. Lastly, I have the least faith in myself. I never feel like that I am doing the right thing. For this reason, I know I have a long way to go.

College Essay # 204

Describe you bravest moment.

My mother's college years were spent on teaching her sister's youngest son and doing well in college herself. Through this daily routine, both of them had grown inseparable. My cousin's favorite aunt was my mother and she would shower him with gifts. He would look out for my sister and me especially from all the other cousins because we were my mother's daughters. We soon became close and I would look forward to meeting him everyday after school because I wanted that huge lollipop he always had in his hand for us.

When my parents moved to the States they knew that our family wouldn't be able to meet our relatives for the time being we were there. We knew that things could go wrong but nothing as extreme as this. My mother got a phone call one night two years into our stay in the States. She was told that my cousin, her favorite nephew, had a heart attack and was unconscious. She was told that he was drinking alcohol with his uncles and suddenly collapsed. Instead of taking him to the hospital, he was taken home as immediately as possible. Stupid, but true. He woke up for a couple of seconds and said, "daddy" and passed away. My mother started crying immediately and was so disturbed she couldn't function. I watched her shaking on the ground and pulling at her hair, she didn't know what to do; some sort of sadness had taken over her.


After a couple of days, we found out that he was taking sleeping pills because he wasn't able to go to sleep after studying for exams. And he used to take so many, his body became dependent, and started weakening without them. He eventually ran out of them, and he couldn't get more. His body's cravings, made him weak, and he collapsed after drinking alcohol. After finding this out, overhearing my parents talk, I went up to my mom and hugged her.

My parents and I are close, but what I said took my mom by surprise. I told her that I would never do something like that. I told her that I knew studies were important but not so important that a life had to be taken away. I told her that I was sorry that she was facing a hard time and told her I would be there for her. I knew my mother well; after hearing about this, she would be worried about where her kids would face such a thing.

I felt some sort of responsibility to tell her that she need not worry before she voiced her fears. I felt it was my duty to let her know that we understand and we would never harm her in such a way. She looked at me and she told me that she loved me. I walked away, turning to glance at her one last time before going to school. That was the moment I knew she thought of me as an adult. 

College Essay # 225

Words that stung.

Before reading this blog, if you know me, ask yourselves. When has Spreeha ever said something that stung me? Well I can answer truthfully that I haven't been the nicest people to many. In the end, I think it comes back time and time again to bite me back in the neck. But my moment of words which stung was more of the unsaid things rather than what was said to me. At this very moment, while I'm writing this, I feel there is someone that I have stung very badly with the things I haven't said, and she's stung me with the things she's doing and the things she hasn't said.

It's bad enough when your enemy talks crap about you and says things which are mean to you. You try to look strong in front of them and pretend that you don't care but then you go back and feel like something just stabbed you in the heart. But it's worse when one of your best friends goes to take their side. So, one of my best friends has always been supportive but when it comes to things like being mean to someone just because I hate them, she isn't the way I am ... actually, was. But I feel like I've left that part of me, but she's picked it up. Throughout the semester, I've constantly complained to her about the way some girls in our grade have treated myself and my other best friend. She supported us and told us that everything was going to be fine and even agreed with us in certain things. But for the past week, she's been more there friend than ours. She's hanging out with them and ignoring us. She's even started sharing secrets with them and not us. But we must be the stupid ones, this is probably the 5th time that it has happened. It's not a mistake anymore it's a habit.

The secrets she's told them and the comments she's made to them and not us and all the laughs she shares with them are the unsaid words that have stung me in the past and continues to sting me. I don't want to be one of those clingy friends but I don't want to lose my friends either. Each person has the right to be friends with those they want, but that doesn't mean that they should forget us.

For me this experience with her and those that will soon come in my life, just lets me know that the words that aren't shared with one another, laughs not shared, and secrets told to those that can't be trusted are the ones that hurt and sting the most.

College Essay # 172

172. Discuss how some negative experience (disability, illness, failure) has had a positive influence on your life.


The summer of 2008 was one of my most frightening experiences of my life. I was sitting in my car going home from the dentist's office. I sneezed and I felt something pop. It hurt, but I didn't know what it was so I let it go. Over the course of the next two weeks, I was unable to sit in one position for more than 3 or 4 minutes. I had to keep moving. I felt like something was sitting on the left side of me. I finally told my parents after I realized that something was wrong. I was taken to a surgeon and he said that I had hernia. Okay, get it out of your system. It mostly happens to men and horses. Okay, okay. Ha ha. It's so funny. Anyways, my parents were shocked. This was a recurring problem. I had a surgery done on both sides of my pelvis area when I was 5, how could it have come back again?

Whatever the case it did. So 1 week before coming back to school I had my surgery and all of that. But the most painful experience was when I came back home. My relatives had come to visit me at home bearing gifts. But I was most happy to see my sister. I know she's a pain in the ass at times, but she keeps me occupied and I have a lot of fun with her when the two of us get past our ego. So, that night I had a light meal for dinner and was laying on my bed. My sister comes in and tells me a really random joke. It was random but really funny. And her facial expressions made it even more so. As nature calls, I started laughing. My stitches obviously had not healed yet and the pressure of laughing made it hurt so much more. I couldn't move an inch before and now I wasn't able to move the slightest. I started crying. My parents came in and yelled at my sister. It really wasn't her fault, she was just trying to make me forget about the pain. But in the end, all her good deeds were overlooked.

I gave her a guilty look and said I was sorry. She took one good glance at me paralyzed on the bed and my parents' angry faces and stormed off downstairs to watch TV. After she left, my parents looked at me and told me that there was no reason to cry for such a silly thing. I was adamant and started arguing with them. But I knew I was wrong and I didn't want to admit it and instead let my sister get scolded.

That was the day I realized how much my sister cared about me. We have our fights, a lot of them actually, but we get along. Sometimes both of us overlook the fact we're sisters and say mean likes like "I hope you die" or "Go to hell" or "Bitch". But at the end of the day we love each other. After that day though for me, I left my ego at the door when I was with my sister. She just tried to help me and there was no reason for me to get her into trouble. It wasn't fair on my part. I should have been the one yelled at.