The Late-Day Blog

..... High school has definitely opened many doors to teens like me. Back in elementary school, I was always worried that I had nothing to do. Everyone had Little League, ballet, or piano lessons till 2 PM, but little old Jeremy had no activities on his plate. Maybe the reason was that I was too lazy to sign up for karate or I just deep down loved the boredom, but the only activities part of my routine were eating, sleeping, and watching Pokemon. (Before it got all crazy with the names of those lil' creatures!)

..... Now, my week is crammed with Badminton practice, homework, writing articles for the newspaper, and studying, studying, studying! I'm even signing up for Project Seed, a program where students work with professors at UOP. The cash incentive wasn't bad either. So over the summer, I might be researching about atoms and the like, turning my schedule into a buffet instead of a personal plate. 

..... But of course, being religious, I have to keep my holy obligations in mind. Every three weeks I set aside one saturday so I can go to confession. It's not really a burden, but it does take away some time from doing other things. Mass every Sunday is a must for me too, not only because I have to but because I actually want to. During the week, I also have to practice my readings for the Sundays where I'm assigned lector service. It doesn't help either that I fall victim to the evil forces of Procrastination so I hardly ever get enough practice for my big debut at the lectern.

..... This week being Holy Week has really piled things on. Badminton practice cuts my homework time so I have to get things done quickly and efficiently. Today is also Holy Thursday and Fr. Matthew has asked me to participate in the foot washing for the Feast of the Last Supper. This year I almost said no to the offer since I feared I'd be too busy. But then I realized something: being busy isn't so bad.

..... Though I miss the free time I had in elementary school, I also love how I'm never bored anymore. Something always needs to get done and it's up to me to finish them. But there are times when I feel like I'm drowning in homework, chores, and life in general. I worry about getting an F in Algebra 3-4 and lose sleep over whether I'm bringing the team down in badminton. But talking about my problems, or rather complaining about them seems to relieve the pressure! It's just important to remember not to go overboard and turn emo just because you're behind in a class. We all face our hardships in life. Whether it be practicing the readings for the Easter Vigil, perfecting that unattainable net drop in badminton, or studying for the math test tomorrow, we all just need to grin and bear it. After all, growing up means we gain new responsibilities. It's only when we accept these responsibilities that we mature. 

- Jeremy Dela Cruz, finishing this blog during Journalism Late-Day and going to Mass at 7 PM