my relationship with my parents……

My relationship with my parents is the average relationship between a 17 year old and her parents. That is, on and off crankiness, silent treatments, having lots of fun, having lots of fun and then blowing it away because of a stupid argument over something stupid, etc. A lot of teenagers these days sometimes find it hard to get along with their parents.

When it comes to me and my parents, most of the time we’re pretty well off. But, of course, we get into a lot of arguments. Being my age, I’m not the little baby my parents used to have when I was little. Now I tend to get in bad moods when I don’t need to and I have to say I am mean to them a lot. I know I can control it, but sometimes it all just spills out. The problem is that when my parents make me mad, I just hold in the anger or hurt. But when it comes to another situation where there is tension between us, the anger just comes out.

My dad is getting old. Although he is as active as someone maybe 20 years younger, I can’t be getting into many arguments with him like I used to. My older sisters always tell me to try and get along with our dad no matter what so no problems occur. My dad has always been good to me and when we get into big arguments, I always feel guilty in the end because I know I started the whole thing by being rebellious. Sometimes it’s normal for teenagers my age to be mean to their parents. I’m at the age where I don’t agree with my parents the most. It started when I was about 16, but I’m heading toward 18, and I’m starting to grow out of it.

With my mom, since we’re both women, we get into different kinds of arguments. We get along most of the time, but again, I am sometimes mean to her. I get into different arguments with my mom than I do with my dad. My mom and I have “women” things to argue about. I’m turning into an adult, and now is the time where I need her the most; to help me start off at a good place to start becoming an adult.

I am trying my best now to keep in all my anger and not let it out on anybody, especially my parents. I’m heading off to college and I don’t want to go away thinking about how I left my parents unhappy because of a stupid argument that didn’t need to happen. I tend to take things too far when I disagree with my parents and this is coming to an end. Soon I’m going to be away from them for a long time and I don’t want to be far away from them with this sort of tension between us.

My parents mean more to me than I can put into words and I have to prove that I deserve them as my parents. My dad just got home from a long trip and I am going to show him that I’ve changed. I’m going to get along with him and I’m going to show him that I will not be arguing with my mom either. I know we will get into disagreements, but I have to tell myself to handle things in an adult like manner. Becoming an adult means having to act like an adult. My parents are adults so I’m going to show them that I am becoming an adult too.

if i could change one thing in my past, I would have changed......

If I could change one thing in my past, I would have changed the time I caused myself to rip my lip open and had to get three stitches because I didn’t listen to my mom. Everyone knows that bad things happen when you do not listen to your parents.

When I was about three, my dad was still working as a judge, so family was still living at our old house on Capitol Hill that we lived in until I was ten after my dad retired. It was day time and my mom and our old housekeeper were scrubbing the carpets outside of the house on a place where there was just cement that was really smooth. My mom was scrubbing the carpets with soap and water and, since I was just three, I was dancing around on the carpets and in the soap and water. My mom, of course, told me to stop dancing because I would slip and fall. But, being three and having so much fun dancing around in the soap and water, I did not listen to my mom and continued to dance.

My mom kept telling me I would slip and fall but I was sure I was safe. And sure enough, I slipped and fell. My mom had buckets full of water that she was using to clean the carpets and when I slipped, I fell and my upper lip landed on the part of the part of the plastic bucked where the handle met the bucket, which was very sharp. I ended up ripping my lip open.

While the ambulance came to take me to the emergency room, I was crying and crying and my mom told me if I cried I would get in bigger trouble. So while she covered my mouth to stop the bleeding, I was trying not to cry. But of course I couldn’t help it. I was taken put in the ambulance with my arms strapped down so I would not move.

When I got the emergency room, I ended up getting three stitches on my lip. I have a scar on my mouth that I now have to live with forever. Sometimes I am asked why I have a scar on my mouth, and I tell the story. But sometimes I just laugh. That is what I got for not listening to my mom. We all get punished for not listening to what our parents tell us to do, even if it is not a punishment from our parents directly. Like mine-slipping and falling to rip my lip open on a bucket handle. Now I regret it. But yet again, I was only three. So it was understandable. But it was my fault for not listening to my mom.

do we spend too much time pleasing others instead of spending time with ourselves?

Do we spend too much time pleasing others instead of spending time with ourselves? I don’t think that anyone could ever spend too much time trying to please others. But it depends mainly on the person. If someone is a kind person and it gives them pleasure trying to please other people, I don’t think that person would worry too much about spending time with them self. But if a person is kind but wants to set time away to keep to her/himself, it’s not a bad thing.
Pleasing others gives you a good “look.” When you help other people and make other people happy, you will be known as a kind and gracious person and will probably end up having time to yourself. When you lend a helping hand and people recognize you for that, they will know that sometimes you might actually need a break and might actually need some time to rest.
Personally, I don’t think I spend too much time pleasing others. I love to help other people with their struggles, problems, or worries and I know quite a few people that need that kind of comfort. But sometimes I really do need some time to myself. Although sometimes I really do need time to myself, I still want to help other people. But it doesn’t mean I spend too much time pleasing others.
I have to say I do spend more time on myself than others, but it’s natural. But, I do know people that spend almost all of their time pleasing others. I try and help; some people like to have someone help them out, but some people just like to help others all on their own. So if people want to please others and do not want help doing it, they are pleasing themselves as well. People feel somewhat rewarded when they spend most of their time pleasing others. Again, it all depends on the person.

Today's pro athletes are overpaid....

The average salary of today’s professional athletes in the United States is between $24,162 and $36,375 yearly. I play all kinds of sports and I watch all kinds of sports on TV. I see pro athletes play their sports and just by watching I can tell that they work and train really well to get to do what they love to do. Considering how much work pro athletes do and how much time they spend training, I do not think they are overpaid.

But I do believe there is one exception. I think pro skateboarders are overpaid. Pro skateboarders do not make money just by being good at skateboarding; they make money through popularity and advertisement. Pro skateboarders do not make their own advertisements such as designing shoes clothes and lines, selling cool skateboarders and toys, or making their own commercials. All of that stuff is done for them and all they have to do is skateboard. They often do get hurt, but they just become famous because of the popularity. I do not just say this because I do not care for skateboarding, but because I believe it is true.

But for pro athletes that play “real” sports, I think they deserve what they get paid. They do not just get the money they are paid, they earn it; with training and good spirit. I look at my favorite tennis players and see that they have been playing tennis for a long time, and when they actually became real pros, they kept on playing their best. They do play their best. I see some of them loose, but they do not quit. They continue on with the game, earning their money.

Is Billiards a sport? What about Chess….

Hmmm…..are billiards and chess sports? Or are they just “hobbies”? First of all, it depends on what the definition of the word “sport” means; what a sport is. In my opinion, a sport is something that is fun that you have to try, both physically and mentally, to do or play. And sometimes a sport is a competition. People do not just do sports, but they play sports. People play games, but not all games are sports.
What is billiards? It is a game-a game where you have to try, physically and mentally, to get the balls into the holes. You have to focus on where to place the billiards stick, where to hit the ball, and estimate how much strength you need to use to hit the ball to put it where you want to. And you also have to hit the balls with the stick using your strength and power. “Action” is a part of sports as well. So billiards is a sport-physical movement, action, and the use of the mind.
Then there is chess. With chess you have to use your mind. That is the most important part and strategy to chess-focus and concentration. Although you do use your hands to move the pieces, but that are not really what chess is about. In a way chess is a competition, which many sports are. But moving the pieces around on a chess board would not really count as physical work. The only body part you use during chess is your hands. I would call billiards a sport, but chess doesn’t quite make it.

the saddest moment of my life :(

The saddest moment of my life is when i found out that my Uncle Art(Arthur Wuest) passed away 2 years ago. he was married to my father's sister, Betty Wuest. Uncle Art was one of the funniest, liveliest, smartest, and funnest person i ever knew. whenever i saw him, when i visited him and my aunt in chicago or when he visited me here in saipan, he was always up for some fun and excitement. he was old, but he still could still things that people in their 30's could do. he still walked long distances(at a very fast speed), he could still go hiking, and a lot of other fun stuff that people in their 80's cannot do.
nobody knows how he died though. he and my Aunt Betty were in portland visiting their daughter, my cousin, Amy. They live in an apartment complex that has a pool up on the roof for the people in the complex to swim in. he went up to the pool by himself to go swimming, and when the rest of the family arrived, he was in the pool, dead. nobody knows if he drowned, or if he had a heart attack while in the water.
when my dad told me that my uncle had died, i could not believe my ears. it was impossible. he seemed quite healthy considering all the things he could do that my aunt cannot do anymore. he most likely died of a heart attack in the pool, but i still couldn't believe it. it couldn't have been true. but no matter what it seemed, or what i did or didn't believe, it was. my Uncle Art was gone.
he died in the middle of the school year and i was not on vacation, so i couldn't go with my dad to illinois for the funeral. but i did get to visit his grave when summer vacation came. it brought tears to my eyes to be standing right next to him, but him not really being next to me. standing next to his grave, looking at his tomb stone reminded me of when i was first told that he had died.
shortly after he died, while my dad was in illinois with my aunt for my uncle's funeral, i looked up at the sky and saw a very bright star. i knew it was Uncle Art watching down over me. and every night since the first time i saw that star, it appears in the same spot every night. my uncle was one of the best persons i ever knew. i still miss him and love him so much to this day. i still believe that that star right above my house that appears in the same spot every night is him, watching over me.

three things I want to receive on my high school graduation…… (if I graduate)

When I graduate from high school, my mom promised me a big party with ALL our friends and family. We’re gonna have a pool party at our house. If I had to choose three things to get after graduation, that would be tough. I think I have everything I want and need right now, but if I had no choice but to choose, the first thing would be a first class delta plane ticket to lima, peru.

I was in peru for almost a month during the summer of 2009 with a group of high school students from my school for a group trip. I had the best time. I made a lot of great friends that I still keep in touch with. We got so close that was devastated to leave. I promised them that I would go back to see them in per before I go off to college and it would be like a dream come true if I really got to go back. I miss my friends there so much. That would be my first pick.

Next, I would like to get my dream car-the Toyota Sienna, 2011 model. My family had a van when I was little but my parents sold it and got a smaller car because I became the only child left in the house. (I’m the baby) So my parents didn’t think we needed a minivan anymore. But a few years ago, a new model of the Toyota Sienna (minivan) came out and I fell in love with it. It was so spacey and comfortable. But of course, my parents didn’t take what I wanted into any consideration seeing as I couldn’t drive and we didn’t have to many people in the house. But….now we have my baby nephew in the house who needs a lot of space with his car seat, I need a lot of space for my school things, and we need a lot of space to be bringing things to our friends’ places for get togethers-which we have all the time. Plus, now I can drive. There is a new model out-2011 model. That is the car I want. But if it is absolutely impossible to get, I would settle with the latest model of the Toyota Highlander (highbred).

And finally, the third thing I want for graduating from high school is money. I will be going off to college soon and I won’t be able to be supported the same way as I am now by my parents. I will, of course, get a job to support myself in Hawai’i (which is where I plan to be), but I need a head start don’t I? I have a savings account right now, but bank accounts take a while to fill up and I need to spend some money sometimes. So, when I get money from graduation, I’m gonna put it in my bank account and let the interest build up. That way I’ll be even better off at school. But, if I can’t get any of the things I want, I would settle for the big graduation party my mom promised me with my closest friends and family at the pool.