Thursday, April 9, 2009

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

4 comments:

  1. Awh, Jeremy, I know how you feel. With finals on their way and with a lot to do on our plates, there just doesn't seem like there's enough time in the world.

    Badminton practice does take up most of our time afterschool, and it's hard to try and get anything done. But I agree that being busy isn't such a bad thing because it's actually good to have something that needs to get done. If we weren't so busy, we wouldn't be able to challenge ourselves and take on new responbilities.

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  2. EMOtional Pongze LorApril 12, 2009 at 10:58 PM

    I don't know if this Connects with the topic but let me list some of my veiwpoints.
    I hate easy classes, I love a challenge, I hate showing work, I love to relax and listen to the wind, and I think I'm going to fail next year but still, I want to challenge myself.
    You see, I'm trying to get into a Chemistry AP class, but my english grade is not so good. When I looked over my Physics homework and tried to do it from the books information, I couldn't understand a thing and I thought to myself "how did I ever learn the past information so easy" because I have an A in that class. I'm starting to doubt myself because I can't show myself how much I've improved anymore. I need a challenge, but life is already challenging enough. The work I'm doing is just pure copy and paste. I don't even think much anymore. I need some time to relax outside in the garden and think of all the reasons why I am who I am, and not watch TV while lying on a couch.
    TV is evil.
    Anyways, I just hate being busy because of all the stress, but I can't handle wasting time because there's so many educational things I can be doing, so what should I do? Should I be a full time student? As I look towards my Junior year, I hear that I will not be able to do anything new as good as another experienced person, such as an AP Chemistry class and sports and other stuff. I just get the wrong kind of anger when I think these things over.
    Did you know that a calm type of anger fuels my thinking cap? That's what brings out my ideas in Mrs. Dei Rossi's class.
    I've probably missed many points but I've been procrastinating my homework and I've got to get it done. Would procrastinating make me a hypocrite?
    Tell me something because I don't know what's good for me.
    Oh, and always remember:
    This is what I'm thinking right now, I may change tomorrow or even changed already but I'm too "busy" to go back and rewrite my words.

    Yo. I thought of sumthin'. If I can't say something and make an excuse for it, would I start believing that excuse? If I thought I was mature because I despise people who are foolish, am I a fool or am I ahead of another because I can't seem to enjoy anything unlike the foolish teenager?

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  3. I understand you.... my days are still empty... why do you think I am such a voracious reader? because i enjoyed it immensely from the first moment a book touched these hands? No, because I had nothing better to do. We had one tv, my dad and I, and he wanted to watch football and the news... so i read... while all the other little girls went to soccer and ballet, i was wrapped up in my own little world. and now, with so much at my dispensable, I still choose the life that is not hectic, not crazy with demands... that explains my grades... being busy is a blessing in disguise... you never have time to think and ponder and worry. you just go go go, until its time to stop then you start again, and its a never ending cycle that takes away all boredom... and you'll never be lonely, or read hundreds of useless books.

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  4. I've been thinking to myself, and I guess that being busy does actually help, in some ways. I noticed that if I'm arrive too early on something stressful, then I'll get REALLY stressed out. If I come late, I somehow usually have an outburst of energy, like today at 4:30-7:00 PM. I just couldn't control my energy, and it would've been a lot of help if I felt that way in the morning, but something's keeping me from having a "good" time.
    Being busy actually didn't give me any new responsibilities. I just showed the crazy side of me.
    -Seasonal Pongze

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