The Teen Routine

Whataya Want From Me

2010-02-22T19:31:00.000-08:00

Have you ever gotten that feeling? As if everyone is out there, to take a piece of you, to be the vulture upon your already dead body? I mean, there's only so much pressure teenagers can take, until we just ask ourselves: what DO you want from us?

Colleges: Is it perfect 2400 SAT Scores, a 5.0 GPA, President of the Debate team, Captain of the Varsity Basketball team? Is that what YOU want?

Parents: Is it to get into an Ivy League college, to get married and get a great job, to make it so that you can hold your head up high among your colleagues?

Sadly, for a large majority of us, this is true. I know it may represent only some households, but it just correlates directly. For others it may be a 3.0 GPA, and for others it may be to follow the footsteps of your parents and continue their business or take up their profession. Whatever IT is, the truth is that IT exists and places pressure on us somehow, someway.

But, I believe it should be different. This may sound cliche, or idealistic, but the only expectation, the only pressure which should be upon us is to be satisfied with our own selves. As long as we can live up to our own standards, we are successful in my opinion, because in the end, it's our lives. Everyone else will come and go, and ultimately, it will only be you who remains - and at that point, it is you who must be happy.

For me, this self-expectation is high. But I define it in one way - and one way only - to be a good human being. What this means, even I am not certain. But, inside, I inherently know whether what I am doing is good or bad. Good can simply be not logging on to Facebook and finishing my homework, but it can also be making your bed in the morning, filling the car up with gas, buying a birthday present for your sibling. And bad, that can be ignoring a friend's phone call for help, or throwing away food when others are starving. Of course, these are simple, everyday examples, which I have found myself doing.

So, I think that both parents and colleges should change their expectations. And thus, the pressure will change and may altogether be removed, and we would change teenagers forever and for the better. This is what I think it should be more like:

What do you want from me?

Colleges: To be unique, interesting, a genuine person
Parents: To be happy (defined by the teenager and not the parent)

__________________________________________

Alright, this blog is about to come to an end. Just as a quick summary of my life, this weekend was pretty solid. Homework, hanging out, watching the Olympics, etc.

I also have a great song recommendation for all of you: Adam Lambert's Whataya Want From Me, and the title served as the inspiration for this blog. I don't know if you like him, but this song individually is pretty good. Good music, good lyrics.

That's been my teen life. And, I can't believe that February is almost over!

RouTeen
The Teen Routine

A New Kind of Joy

2010-02-17T21:09:00.000-08:00

Hey-lo everyone :)

Well, today, I'm going to talk about a new kind of joy: Things-to-do lists. I mean, most of us, hate these things. They represent the work which we have to finish, the endless letters which will translate into hours of effort and energy. But, I love them! First of all, it helps me to see everything I have to do in front of me, written down. I don't have to stress about it then, contrary to popular belief. I know that I won't screw up, because it's all right there, so there's no chance of forgetting! Instead of thinking, gosh, I have a million things to do, I can visualize it and see that really, it's only 20 or so things. A lot, but less than a million, and that gives me comfort and consolation.

But even more than that, things-to-do lists bring a sense of enjoyment and passion and relief. With each check mark next to each item comes a small shout of excitement and joy from inside, a feeling of accomplishment and achievement. It's one less thing to do, and one step closer to more sleep. It gives you something to look forward to.

So, thank god for things-to-do lists, and thank to those realtors who mail me those (annoying) pads with lines on them to make it easy to do so. Or, you can go online and use Remember the Milk for short-term and Memo to Me for long-term. Things-to-do lists are like mini-calendars and a fun "game," if you will, to relax.

Ok, so, I'm going to get back to reading Pride and Prejudice and finishing up some integrals for Calculus BC. Have a great Wednesday (it's only Wednesday? This week is going by slow, I'm so tired already...) night!!!!

Routeen
The Teen Routine

It's a Jungle Out There!

2010-02-14T19:06:00.001-08:00

Welcome to The Teen Routine and to the first post! I hope that all of you will enjoy this blog, and that we can develop a great collaboration over the future. So, without any further ado, let's get started!

First of all, Happy Valentine's Day / President's Day / Chinese New Year / Olympics Start / NBA All Star weekend! Yes, this weekend has been fun-filled and jam-packed, but while the rest of the world is out there enjoying, I am stuck in a mellow room with faded yellow walls and dull windows. With my A.P. Physics and Calculus book, of course. [sorry to be such a downer]

But, school is always going to be school, and it's boring to talk about my schedule, and my daily happenings. I know that you don't care. In fact, even I don't care anymore. So, let's talk about some other, more interesting stuff!

Parents. Ah, yes, the dreaded topic. You love them but you don't like them. I think that's with most things we truly love. Emphasis on most and truly. Well, they do all this for us, etc. but let's face it: they can really get on our nerves sometimes. Nothing new yet folks, just the regular information that sadly, even our own parents know.

But, you know what's the most annoying part? Not the fact that they embarrass you in public, or the fact that they don't let you have any fun, or the fact that they think your still their little boy or their little girl. It's really the fact that they argue endlessly! I mean we all know they love each other, but the bickering gets annoying after about 30 seconds. And it's pointless "discussions," as my parents put it, too, as they don't accomplish anything, besides the fact that they make up after a couple minutes. or hours. or days.

So, what can we do as teens? Well, I used to care when I was about 13 years old. But now, I have my friendly iPod, Facebook, AIM, and of course, homework, to pass the time. Just ignore it, and after a few moments, it will be over anyways. These ups-and-downs are pretty normal, and although annoying, people tend to get over them. So that's that. As always, you're free to discuss your views, below, openly.

Well, I'm glad that we have the day off tomorrow. But interestingly, I always end up starting and doing my homework at the same time, even with an extra 24 hours. 8 p.m. on the night before school starts. It's sort of a tradition. For example, today, I spent my extra time trying to set up this blog, caught in a YouTube loop of Taylor Swift covers, and timelessly refreshing my facebook page for another red notification. It's true, it happens to the best of us. And here I am, trying to procastinate yet again, so that I can stay true to my year-old tradition of 8 p.m. homework. But this is actually fun and I feel more accomplished.

So I'll be signing off. But before I go, I would highly appreciate it if you could you know, share this with your friends, follow, subscribe, comment, whatever. I know that it's a jungle out there, and it would be great if I could be like Mowgli and have some help along the way!

Have a great Sunday night, and a great rest of the week. I'll talk to you soon again!

RouTeen
The Teen Routine