P to the R to the O-M...PROM.

So last Saturday I got the opportunity to go to prom. I didn't legitimately go. I was really on assignment for our school newspaper, while keeping the yearbook in mind. I was instructed pretty severely by my assigning editor: TAKE GOOD PICTURES OF PEOPLE DIRTY GRINDING, OKAY?

Oh boy! What a demanding task they were asking of me. I had doubts, I must admit. Could I do it? Well! I sure won't spoil it for ya. Find out for yehselvs.

I took pictures of Grand March, a parade of prom couples around the gym. That was fun, for a while. For the first 15-25 minutes or so I really enjoyed taking pictures of each couple, they all looked so happy and the dresses looked gorgeous. Seeing everybody all done up and excited for the night ahead was contagious. Soon, I found myself just as excited as any of the seniors there.

Many of my friends are seniors, so I actually had a group to go with. Seriously lucky for me. It gave me the opportunity to actually get pre-prom shots of girls doing last minute touch ups, mothers fixing their sons' tuxedos, dates adorning each other in their corsages and boutonnieres, and pictures that each prom group takes before the dance.

It also proved to be quite helpful at the actual dance. One of the most awkward moments of my life would probably be to try and sneakily take pictures of people dancing. No, not dancing. You can't even call what teenagers do at school dances dancing.

I'm going to give you a very graphic picture of what goes on. Girls bend over ever so slightly so that their butts are directly up against the boys' genitals and then the rubbing ensues. Boys and girls sway back and forth like that the whole night. It's quite commonly referred to as: "grinding". There was a point where I just stood there and laughed. The whole room just seemed to be moving back and forth. The whole humongous clump of high school students seemed to be pulsing.

And then the 2nd most awkward thing of my life, is when everyone else is dancing and I'm just awkwardly standing there trying to figure out what to do. I almost wish that I'd brought a date, so I'd at least have somebody to sway with, so I wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb.

Most of the night, when I wasn't doing anything, I'd go out and sit on the terrace, talking to my friends and their dates. It was cooler out there and a lot less awkward.

So all in all, I felt that prom was a lot of fun. The funnest part was actually dinner. We ended up getting the wine room at Biaggi's, allowing us to basically have a mini rave in that room, garters to be removed via teeth, and we didn't have to monitor our volume.

So prom. Worth it? Yes. A little over blown, but fun enough.

Children Having Children

We have a problem. A terrible issue plaguing society. It seems to be on the rise. You hear about a new case every so often.



It's not fatal, quite the opposite, really. I suppose you could say, that it's...natal.


Teen pregnancy. We all personally know a couple of young, unmarried, teens with bulging bellies, and uncertain futures.


Could you imagine? I'm 17, I'm young, and I have very little responsibility. I can hardly take care of myself, even, but a baby? No way, no how would I ever, in the near future, be able to care for another person aside from myself.


Don't get me wrong! I love babies! They're cute, even if their noses are constantly running, they're cuddly, and they're so easy to fall in love with.


I love babies, and I love holding them, cuddling them, and playing with them, and then I love giving them back to their mothers when I've had my fill.


I can't imagine having to worry about exams, school work, projects, extracurricular activities, jobs, clubs, volunteer work, my social life and then, on top of that, have to worry about this other small human being who's completely dependent on me.


I can't imagine what my parents would say, either. Growing up in a muslim household, I was constantly reminded that marriage came first, sex later. There was no hanky panky before the couple had committed themselves to eachother for eternity. And to them, having a child out of wedlock was the most shame you could put on yourself and on your family. So imagine if one day I came home and announced to my parents that I had gotten knocked up. Well, I'm just going to assume that a whole ton of shit'd go flying.


How would you be able to raise a child under such conditions? A 17 year old mother can't, alone, provide the kind of life a child needs, or even wants. And even if the father was a figure in their life, a minimum wage job with two pay checks are only going to bring in a meger 2,000, at the most. Considering most babies take up about $1,000 worth of supplies per month, that's not at all enough to sustain a decent, nourishing life for the parents and the child. And that's figuring if the father has anything at all to do with the child, which, sadly enough, in most cases don't.

If you'll notice, it seems that only a certain groups in every high school seem to get pregnant. My teacher explained that to us. It's not that these groups have sex more, or get pregnant more, it's just the way that they choose to deal with it differs. Athletes in school probably realize that they have too much to lose in having the baby. So...an abortion seems to be their only option. And it seems reasonable to say that those whose mother had a child out of wedlock would be more open to that idea than let's say, me, with the parents who can think of nothing else more shameful.

While the amont of teenagers having sex is on the rise, the amount of people getting pregnant is going down, probably due to safe sex vs. abstinence talks the nurse gives us. But are shows like 16 and Pregnant or Teen Mom putting teen pregnancy in a more positive light? Are they making it less unappealing? I really don't know the answer to that, considering I've never actually watched either of those shows. But it's something interesting to think about.

Cashiering

I stand and I scan and scan and scan.

And the lady in front of me with the Louis Vuitton wallet in her Dolce and Gabbana purse smirks at the lady in the comfortable tennis shoes with a baby balanced on her hip as she runs to the bathroom. She raises her perfectly plucked brow and glances at her daughter, and her daughter smirks back.

The store is unusually quiet for a Friday night. The fluorescent lights wash everything out and make the store look dull and depressing.

Everything is so monotonous. I was looking forward to getting off. Every minute counted. We turn our lights off 5 minutes before we're scheduled to clock out in order to give our designated lane a quick clean up.

I am set to leave at 7:15. It's 7:09 and I pray no customer comes to my lane.

The two lanes beside me are open, so I figure I'm safe.

Until said D&G lady comes through with her cart and a half order. I curse violently in my head. To her, however; I conjure up the brightest smile I can and proceed to bag her things.

The order takes me forever, and the lady with the overly tanned scrunched face stands there with a look of distaste coloring her expression, and a 13 year old girl, who I assume to be her daughter, with a blackberry, perfectly coiffed and colored hair, an unnatural tan, and manicured fingers at her side.

Five minutes later, her receipt prints along with some coupons. The receipt she takes. The coupons she immediately hands back to me stating she has no need for them.

K,btch.

Work is especially dull and life draining today.

"To find out a girl's faults, praise her to her girlfriends."

-Benjamin Franklin

I usually get this particular feeling in the morning. After I've given up trying to make the flyaways on the top of my head lay flat or get the kinks out of my hair. After I had to redo my make up because I completely smudged it while trying to get the "itchy" out of my eye. When I'm standing in front of my closet, mountains of clothes before me, and I'm struggling to pick an outfit out for the day. When everything I try on makes me look fat, or makes my complexion look dull. When I'm stressing out because of a "she-said, he-said" sort of situation that these thoughts arrive.

Sometimes, it absolutely sucks to be a girl. All those crazy emotions. All that time spent on things that really don't matter, or rather, things that shouldn't matter. Money, time, effort, all spent (or wasted, depending on who you're talking to) on grooming ourselves to get a positive opinion from our peers and boys and even, just to please ourselves.

Because that's just how ambitious we are. We're happy with ourselves when we look good.

How could you not be proud?

Anyways, I think of a guy's morning routine. Or what I've heard of most guys's morning routines. How they wake up half an hour before school starts. Hop in the shower for ten minutes (they don't have to worry about shaving or the expensive five minute leave in conditioner). Pick something simple out to wear. And be done.

From who I've talked to, they don't worry about what to eat for breakfast in fear of overconsumption of calories. They don't worry about their make up being too much or not covering up enough, or whether skinny or flared jeans would go with their outfit the best. They're also not as caught up in silly high school problems. They're much more relaxed and able to just shrug things off rather than take everything to heart.

I don't mean to be stereotypical. I realize there are exceptions to every generalization or norm. But the vibe I get from guys as a whole seems to be a pretty appealing one.

Don't get me wrong, I love being a girl, for the most part. Enthusiasm and indulgence seems to be more acceptable in women. We're allowed to be vulnerable and emotionally expressive. We get to hug a lot more, and I feel like girls, in general, are more insightful and less oblivious than guys.

She's already up while he'll probably be sleeping in for a long while longer

The mark of AP-ness

256 dollars to take three exams. Three exams that aren't going to do much for me, honestly. The places that I'm looking to go to college doesn't even take the credits a 4 or a 5 would give me.

And that's just me, I know plenty of kids who are taking 6 or 7 or even 8 exams.

And the principal's on the announcements reminding us daily to register for the exam. She goes into a lengthy explanation on why taking the exams will escalate your career as a student. But most of her reasons aren't really reasons at all.

A) They'll get you college credit.

Uhh, yeah, at a select number of schools. A very small amount will give you the credits for the class that you took the exam and got a 5 on. Most schools will only accept 5's, and even less will accept 4's. None will accept 3's. So a 3's a passing grade, but it does nothing for you

B) Colleges will nod approvingly when they see that you took, wow ten exams when you were in high school.

Will it make your resume look better? Perhaps.

Will it be the difference between acceptance and rejection? I highly doubt it.

C) Good practice.

86 dollars to improve your test-taking skills guys! What a deal!

D) Broaden Your Intellectual Horizons

Need I say anything?

And if you opt out of taking the exams, well, then, sorry, but you're a screw up. Go fudge up some other school's statistics cuz we sure don't want your lousy numbers here! Go on, GO.

Me, personally, well I gotta say, I'm pretty gosh darn essited to be taking these tests. I mean, yeah I know, my parents and teachers will be harping on me to study. Yes, I know I'll probably look around at the papers and booklets and study guides that are strewn across my room, and I'll probably have a stress-induced mental breakdown, but I know that it'll be worth it in the end.

After all, three hours of test taking will surely leave its positive mark.

Growing up, I was always the kid who hadn't watched last night's episode of Lizzie McGuire. I wasn't usually able to contribute to all the conversations people had about television. That's because I never particularly overly enjoyed watching TV, while Even Stevens was playing, I'd be immersing myself in the Bailey School Kids series. I find that, up until recently, I still could never get all that engaged into a TV show.

And thennnnnnnnnnnn we got Netflix. If you've never heard of Netflix I'll be brief in explaining it to you. An online movie rental service is basically what it is.

However, now it's improved. You don't even have to leave your computer to watch what you want. They've got instant online movie streaming. Legal, of course. You pay one fee a month, and unlimited movies back and forth and unlimited online watching time.

Definitely a bargain.

Netflix offers a variety of amazing, top quality shows. The Office, Skins, Dexter, Weeds, The L Word, Lost, CSI, Heroes, and the list continues.

My favorite shows among that list would definitely have to be Dexter, Skins, and Weeds. I've immersed myself in these television shows, and really, it's kind of a problem. But they're awesome, so it's all right.

Since I've already expressed my love for Dexter, I'll have to dedicate a post to Skins.



I have to. It's mandatory. I've got to profess my love for such a wonderfully raw and powerful show.

Anyways, the show takes place in Britain and centers around a group of pretty wild, fun loving teenagers. Problematic teenagers. I always try to pick my favorite character, but I never can. With each episode I watch and with each character that's introduced, my affection deepens.

The first season was a series of episodes dedicated to helping you get to know each character. They're all so dynamic and they each have little qualities that you can easily find in yourself. They're average teenagers with pretty shitty lives, if I do say so myself.

The second season, my personal favorite, starts to develop more of a concrete story line. The show loses a bit of its humor (not all, definitely still a dramatic comedy), but the dark drama definitely intensifies. Situations arise in which I couldn't imagine ever dealing with.

Some of my favorite characters would definitely have to include

Cassie, the troubled teen, who seems a bit out of touch with reality, dealing with an eating disorder,

Sid, Cassie's significant other, who has a dysfunctional family and is awkward as hell, but cute still,

and Chris, this absolutely adorable, fun loving kid who's a sweetheart, and is quite known for his "fuck it" sort of attitude. Nothing seems to get to him.

Oh, and I definitely can't forget Maxxie, a ridiculously beautiful boy who's homosexual and proud. I love Maxxie.

Saying that those characters are my favorite almost makes me feel bad, as if I'm being disloyal to the others or something. That's how much I love each and every one of them.

What makes the show even better is the fact that they're all so very British! They've all got these adorable accents that differs among characters. It makes me smile when they say "fanks" instead of "thanks"!

One thing that might worry adults watching the show, but only adds to its amazingness, is the amount of partying these kids do. It's ridiculous really. They all drink, smoke, shoot up, pop pills, have ridiculous amounts of sex. No character ends the show having slept with only one person, let's just say that. The episodes can bring from me a variety of reactions. I laugh often, I cry often, I get excited along with the characters, and all the realistic surprises (I can't stand shows that have bizarre turns in storyline. Somehow each unexpected event always fits in nicely with the story line), make me gasp.

One thing that's even more refreshing is it's not like the other shows, where people are groomed and perfect and they all look like they're from hollywood. The kids in this show are all real. None of the people who play each character had any acting experience before the show, with the exception of Tony's character. It's amazing how believable and real they prove to be. And look where it got Dev Patel (Slumdog, anyone?).

In summary, this show's about as amazing as it gets.

Life On Broadway

Third period.

I'm sitting at the very front of the room in the first seat of the first row.

This teacher has been my teacher for years, and although she personally can't see past the studious, poised young woman "vibes" I give off, she's had me as a student for almost two years, so she's learned from experience that sometimes I can be a bit raucous. I also sometimes do silly things that a small amount of thinking would have prevented me from doing (Cough cough, throwing a paper airplane that accidentally hits the teacher instead of the student it's aimed at. Cough).

We've all had our fun in that class. I remember last year we all loved 3rd period and all the stupid little high school jokes we'd pull. Every day was an off topic day. Every day somebody would say something hilarious that we'd be quoting for weeks.

That class was awesome.

Now, however, it's about as dry as the Sahara. No fun. No laughs. Just the buzzing of the air conditioner and the pitiful attempts at enthusiasm by our teacher. Dry.

It's not even thought provoking. The subject we are taught could be fun and exciting, but instead makes us feel as though we never graduated grade school.

Depressing, to say the least. People with books and phones under their desks. Homework from other classes. Writing notes and letters to their friends in English. Doing everything but paying attention.

And this teacher sees it all. Nobody's exactly discreet about it. We've all learned over the years that you need a small amount of backbone to bust a kid for breaking the rules, so we're good to go.

Anyways, this class is about as fun sucking as it gets, so you can't help but encourage your mind to wander to happier places.

And so I'm sitting there, my cheek turning red from being propped up by my hand. My hair in my face. My thumbs twiddling. My foot tapping. My headphones on.

And I look around.

And I get up.

And I pop out of my seat and belt out everything that I've been holding back. And I'm singing and I'm dancing and I'm twirling and hopping and skipping all across the room. And I'm grabbing papers off desks and I'm throwing 'em all around so that the class is white with falling stationery. And everybody's looking up at me bewildered. Until finally my friend from across the room gets up and we're harmonizing and we're dancing in sync. And one by one the rest of the class follows en suite. And my teacher's standing at the front of the room watching this whole spectacle unfold in front of her. And in the blink of an eye we change out of our boring school clothes, and the girls have got on classy black evening gowns with white elbow length gloves, and the boys have got on crisp, white tuxedos, with black bow ties. And the desks have magically cleared. So have the walls, in fact, and behind them unfolds an auditorium with blue and green spotlights, props, and an audience.

An audience, clapping and cheering and they are on their feet with joy and laughter and awe at our remarkable talent.

And the spotlight's on me for a moment, until it expands to fit every kid in that class. And we're on the finale and we're in perfect sync and we're harmonizing perfectly. And finally two boys prop me up and I'm on their shoulders and my hands are in the air and we're smiling and we've forgotten all our cares and woes because when it's show biz, everything has a happy ending.

We are in a musical.

Folks, my life is a musical.

My daydream ends as soon it begins, and I'm back at the front of the room in the first seat of the front row and I'm missing out on the notes. I wipe the slobber off my chin, I stretch, I close my eyes, and I take myself to another theater far enough from this hell hole till I won't be able to smell the stench of draining brain power.