Daily Blog #14: Respect and Coffee
So I followed your guys’ advice and gave a little more attention to that girl who was being rather disrespectful and rowdy. Actually, I didn’t want to seem bias towards her so I decided to be extra nice and tolerant. I definitely didn’t want to go to the other extreme of informing the principal or calling her parents, as tempting as that was.
I did this, ignoring any rude comments she had to say about anything. She knew one of my friends, so she was like, “How long have you knew him? When I was little, he and my brother taught me how to walk.” I listened, expressed my interest, and gradually led her back to her homework.
By the end of class, she told me I’m like a brother to her and that she has a lot of respect for me now. One of the other students told me after class ended that she also said I’m like family to her. I obviously didn’t intend it to go to that extreme, but I suppose it’s better than it was the week before. Hence, I accepted it with honor.
With school, tutoring, and whatever else my schedule contains, it tends to drain me physically sometimes. I can’t say I don’t have time for it, because I do waste a lot of time. However, I also seem to be lethargic as well. I’m trying to improve my diet and do more exercise to fix that.
Anyway, yesterday I was trying to force myself not to take a nap since I have trouble sleeping at night. So, I did what the American norm does: drink coffee. I drank a half cup which really didn’t seem to have an effect on me. I ended up taking a twenty minute power nap, which did seem to do the trick. Only problem was that I ended up staying awake until midnight, leaving me with only five and a half hours of sleep with my waking-up-at-5:30am plan. (Which by the way, seems to be lagging as well.)
It’s difficult to strike a balance! Should I add more coffee to the hot water next time? Should I stick to my power naps instead of becoming a caffeine-addict? Or any other solutions to my plight? Advise me!
This blog is really to benefit myself, as selfish as that sounds. However, if there is anything I can do to make it beneficial for you guys as well, please let me know. And while I’m on that note, I plan to update this blog with a couple of my self-reformation plan (considering the daily blog’s theme is a teenage man’s journey of improvement):
- 5:30am wake up plan
- Daily exercise
- Nap / Coffee / Diet
With that said, I think I’ve exceeded my preferred size for a daily blog post!
Beardo
Water Gun Fight
This is a childhood story. I was walking through Toys’R'Us with a friend the other day and a rush of childhood memories held my mind hostage. It was a rather funny sight to see two teenagers walking through the isles of a childrens’ store. But just for the record, we went to buy Parcheesi, the game apparently played by the Royalty of India. It’s addictive and merciless, to say the least.
Anyway, I remembered a time when my mom would take me to this specific toy department store on the regular basis. Once, my friend was holding a water gun fight: me and him versus his twin brothers.
On Kids WB, a cartoon channel, they were playing a commercial advertisement that had a shield attached to the water gun. The way they portrayed this gun was so appealing that I didn’t even take a second look. I walked into the store, picked up “the chosen one,” and walked straight to the counter. (Well, I probably walked to the chocolate section first, then the counter…but you get my drift.)
The following day was our friendly battle. My water gun was no good, as the trigger was at an inconvenient location. So basically, I used my shield and had to cheat: aim for the eyes.
My friend and I ended up retreating, heads bent low. That was my first real experience with American consumerism. One of my more intellectual friends told me that these commercials don’t just sell products, but they sell a lifestyle. Whereas some may find that to be extreme, maybe it’s not all too far off. They market IDEAS, which people choose to accept, whether they realize it or not.
And on a lighter note, I shared this story with my old comrade just a couple days ago. He said at first it was intimidating to see that same gun which was being idolized on TV, but once the firing started, he realized I was very vulnerable. Good ol’ days, good ol’ memories. And many more to come, God willing!
Friendships | Be Mine
Friendship
By: Raakin Hossain
I’ve always moved from school to school and never really had an opportunity to bond with any individual like some people do. Especially as the holiday season creeps upon us at the global level, everyone shares their plans on having family and friendship reunions. It makes me wonder to what extent these relationships truly reach and what it means to be a friend and whether or not these relationships truly exist. For starters, I’m sure it’s more than just clicking that “Accept Friendship” button on Facebook. I asked a few friends and classmates their opinion on the matter.
“I do believe friends exists. Friends can help you when you are struggling with life stresses such as school or family. Furthermore, friends are there to prevent you (or at least try to) from making idiotic decisions that could potentially threaten your life. A friend is like an adviser, only that adviser cares about your personal well-being.”
- Trevor Mills, 15.
“A friend is a person someone can rely on. A person that when i need, will be there for you. A person who you can count on to help you through the bad and good times. Someone who wont let you down for materialistic things, who will put you above all else (besides family). a person to care for, and cares for you.”
- Michael Guerrero, 16.
Taken from the whiteboard in my bedroom using an iTouch
“It’s when you care for someone more than you should and you put up with their crap because being with them makes you happy. Everyone has crap. If you’re willing to put up with someone’s, that means you’re their friend.”
- Mustafa Mustafa, 18.
“People you will miss. People who you would be willing to sacrifice something for. It’s someone you can have lot of fun with buy will also listen intently when you need someone to talk to. And you can be truthful and tell them “your outfit is ugly today.” And it’s someone you can act naturally around and not feel like you don’t have to be something you’re not.”
- Gina Horiuci, 18.
“I believe they do exist. A friend is a kind of abstract concept. It’s someone you share a bond with, have shared life experiences with, someone who you would risk something for whether it be life and limb or something less.”
- Basil Huffman, 27.
In the common dictionary definition, we are able to classify all our acquaintances as “friends.” Any decent individual would make an attempt to assist you in “your time of need.” As fellow citizens, neighbors, or whatever relationship, we make sacrifices for each other, small or large.
However, people perceive friends to be something beyond that level. We have expectations from our friends, mainly that they’ll stand by our side no matter which Hitler-figure knocks on our door.
Sure, you can rely on a friend to hand you notes for a couple classes you missed. You can even ask to sleepover at their house a couple days, maybe even a few weeks, until you’re able to stand up on your own two feet. For the most part, a friend is someone whom you’ve broken the ice at an uncommon level.
As children, we’re able to form friendships much easier since we all have a common interest: nothing. Our voice begins to evolve and we also have abnormal growth spurts, our personal opinions begin to appear. The scope of our friendship criteria become narrower and narrower with age. Those childhood friends become either once-upon-a-time or just someone we slap on a “hey, wassup” every few months on their Facebook walls for memory’s sake.
Then the factors of time and personal interests appear. Friendships are based on individualistic needs, whether you admit it or not. Very rarely, if ever, will you find an altruistic person in its truest meaning. In reality, you can’t expect a friend to put you above their own spouse and children.
Most importantly, I believe in God and prayer. I also believe in secret benefactors, caring souls, generous individuals, and righteous people in general. We seek to attribute these characteristics in our own “friends.” But a friendship is meant to be mutual. To form a sincere relationship, both parties are required to make equal or similar sacrifices.
But then again, if you limit your expectations and take all necessary precautions, perhaps you can have friendships. Friends are like flowers. If you pick them, they’ll rot in due time. The beauty is meant to be appreciated at some distance.
What’s my opinion on friendship? I’m a neutral. If they exist, then I’m yet to find one.
Disclaimer: For some reason, I feel this topic is incomplete. There is so much to mention, but the post has already exceeded beyond the length wherein I feel reader will feel intimidated to enjoyably read. There’s matters which I left for another time. I’m yet to discuss the terms “best friend”, “true friend”, “facebook friend”, etc. Either way, I’d appreciate if you posted in a comment your own thoughts of what I’ve shared with you.
Childhood Memories
I’m not a movie or television person. I simply love reading and writing. That doesn’t mean I don’t have a life. Socializing and chatting is also a huge chunk of my life.
The topic arose in my mind after my friend said he just watched Toy Story 3. I consider Toy Story as one of the classics; something I sort of grew up with. I don’t hold the movie in momentum but hearing the name brings back my childhood memories.
I noticed whenever there are children around, people tend to say “Man, I wish I was a kid again. No worries, no responsibilities.”
I simply look at my childhood and take a moment to gratify my Lord for the bounties He has provided me. Other than that, I want to take the next step of life and work towards eternal contentment and joy.
That doesn’t mean I don’t experience my own dark and lonely moments. I also feel frustrated and stressed, low and depressed. However, those moments have to be overcome through patience and contentment.
Being emotionally low is not appealing or attractive. Nor does it serve any purpose, except dragging down others with you and remaining stagnant in your own progression of life.
But perhaps the true reason I don’t wish to be a child is because I’ve never truly experienced a real hardship. At the moment, having a job is irrelevant to me. You can consider me somewhat of a hermit so I also never experienced the loss of a loved one either. I’m truly grateful that I’ve never had to though I don’t doubt that these situations are inevitable and are bound to occur.
I don’t know if I’ll live long enough to see the moon at night or the sun the next day but I take it day by day and try to make the most of it.
As The Days Fly By | Reflection
When we are in our adolescent years, all of us tend to have the same immature and childish outlook on life. Life is conducted like a game. I remember when I was younger, we used to play “house”. A really simple game where each of us enact a role in the family. One of us would be the father, another the mother, children, and so forth. We would play the roles just as we saw our own families and of course, the bollywood movies we used to watch. I look back now and take a good laugh, as well as an important lesson.
Everything we do and say is being recorded by those around us. The effects of those reality games we used to play are somewhat instilled within us. We have a responsibility as adults, whether mature or immature. People around us will consciously or subconsciously derive lessons from our lives.
Enslaved to Society & Culture
This post was actually inspired by a conversation I was having with my friend today, who mentioned something so factual and noble. He said as people get older, they tend to repel from taking risks. They will select what is normal and perfunctory; whatever has worked for them their entire life, they’ll stick to it.
It sort of makes you wonder, how will we ever advance like this? There are so many opportunities available for us out there in the world, so why then should we restrict ourselves to Doctorate and Engineering? (<Directed to my parents, who are probably reading this.) Business administration and marketing majors are no less valuable. There is a world of wonders in every field. Even a sanitation engineer (euphemism for garbageman)
About Me
I'm your Muslim-American-Born-Teenager, but I'm far from being average or typical. I consider myself adventurous, but not in the sense that I'll go hunting for tigers in the rainforests of India (isn't that where you find tigers?) or attempt bungee jumping off the Empire State Building. Rather, my definition for adventure is to challenge myself in spiritual betterment...as monkish or Mullah Hullah as that may sound. But it really is an interesting adventure in its own weirdly and bewitched way. >Read More...
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