Temporarily Brain Dead

     A word to the wise: never procrastinate.

     It's alluring. You are aware of your educational ability and skill. You know you can handle the work, it should be easy.
     But get this, you can't do all that work in one night without passing out and just getting a C.
     People most of the time pretend they're hearing this piece of advice, but in their heads- this advice mutates into some kind of challenge. It's as if their brain is saying, "What do you mean I can't do it in one night? I've done it before, it should be cool enough to do again."
     Yeah, that's what everyone says until they have a huge test the next day and they've realized that one night of cramming would totally not help their situation at that very given moment.

     Our APUSH teacher literally just gave us this huge lecture on studying, taking notes, and listening to his lessons because the class's grade average on our last test was a C minus.
     Yikes.
     I mean, I did pretty well, I got a good grade, but I know that the result could've been much higher and up to par with my usual standards if I had studied properly, and I could've even finished earlier if I bothered to take the time getting the main ideas cemented into my head.
     This isn't the only time that my procrastination has ever interfered with a good grade and a good sense of self esteem. There were even tiny math projects that turned out pretty sad and poorly constructed because I decided to leave it all to the last minute. My grade in my AP World class even dropped to D once- all because I procrastinated on my work and decided not to turn it in until the very last minute (which was terrible, it had me doing twenty pages of homework in one night- don't ever attempt to do the same thing). 
     But with all experience behind this experienced high-schooler, it is safe to say: Don't Procrastinate.


     How do we avoid procrastination, though? It's so easy to fall into the sweet trap of not having any work for tonight because you're pushing all your work into the next night.
     Well, for starters, you can get organized.
     Organization is key to making sure all your work is done on time and turned in promptly. I've learned my lesson on what happens if one doesn't keep track of all their school work- so I've bought a planner so that I could jot down my work for the night, or what's supposedly due in two weeks, or what I have to turn in virtually through the school's website.
     While it is a good idea to have a planner around, there's also the fact that you have to get used to the idea of having a planner around. Most people haven't been given a planner every year, and I haven't been a handed a planner made by the school administrators themselves since middle school. So there's the other fact that getting used to a planner may take a while. When I was going through my sophomore year, I had a planner then, but then quickly forgot to use it as often as I should have- leaving me to piles of homework that I have forgotten to complete and several missing assignments all because I forgot to catch up or didn't feel obligated to my work.
     It takes a certain level of discipline and dedication to make sure you're on top of your work. You have to ask yourself, "Do I really want that A? Do I really want that good score? Do I really want to make all of the hard work I've done so far worth it in the end?"
     Because that good score of yours won't be worth it if it's just some kind of magnificent college party trick that works only three out of the ten times you've attempted it.

     So let this be a word of warning: Get your s*** together, kid. 

I Have Officially Survived The First Month of Junior Year

     At least I didn't wait another whole year to post? 

     Sorry for forgetti I actually am not sorry for forgetting, but I am sorry for not updating and telling you what exactly went down for my summer before junior year!

     Marvel Movie Marathon. Yep, I sat down in my bed, in the dark, with only the light coming from my laptop as I watched each Marvel movie chronologically. I have no regrets. 

     It leaves me especially pumped for the next set of Marvel movies to come out though. Extremely excited for those in general, the trailers for Thor: Ragnarok and Black Panther have me squealing to the high heavens in glee. I just. Can. Not. Wait. 

     Other than my exciting Marvel-themed summer, I went on and took the next step to being kicked out of my childhood home to grow up and adult- I started my junior year of high school.  Let me just say- it can give a man migraines for days. But it's cute, I'm not a scrubby little piece of freshmeat wandering lost on the campus all starry-eyed anymore, and I can officially say that I am an independent high schooler trying to avoid newbies at least until they survive their first semester (mostly due to my introverted tendencies and hatred to socialize with people more energetic than me because I will wilt like an over-watered sunflower).

     Let's be honest. Junior year is hard. Don't misunderstand it, I love my teachers, they are simply the best I could have, supportive and dedicated in every way, but the workload is a lot, and it gets even harder since my back is in pain due to a non-existent locker (more like I stubbornly refuse to acknowledge it because it's broken, and I'm essentially carrying everything in my bag and I fear it will break, but I am too lazy/busy to approach my counselor and ask for a new locker), and it takes a lot of brainpower that leaves me knocked out in a near comatose state during my weekend. 

     But the people around me make the experience better and worthwhile. We all scream together in mental agony, cram last-minute facts into our heads before our big tests, eat lunch and complain about the latest snake or the most frustrating teacher we've encountered today, and most importantly in our high school careers: We feel like family. 

     So even though high school kinda-maybe makes me want to pull my hair out my scalp, my experiences on campus most definitely make it worthwhile. Be it either dragging ass out of bed at the crack of dawn to attend Academic Decathlon meetings an hour before school starts, staying well into the afternoon and early into the evenings for Mock Trial with my favorite Mock Trial team, or even complaining to my teachers about another teacher while asking for advice or little mock lectures about what actually went on in history- it makes my day. 

     It takes guts to walk onto a high school campus and face everyone and then face everyone else back home as a growing teenager because not everyone can really understand what a teenager goes through in these awkward stages of "adult training."

     Which is why I have decided that this little blog of mine will give advice to new freshmen, and give the world an eye-opening account into the days of a normal student experiencing the American High School Experience. 

From Yours Especially,

The Tiny Teenage Nerd

Starting Fresh

     Let's be honest here: last time I tried to start a blog, I completely forgot about its own existence and consequently abandoned it only to return nearly a year later with the same first blog post that went up last August.  Well guess what? I am going to change my forgetful ways and actually post this time!

Hopefully. 

    Well? Let's start with the basic introductions then!

    My name is Princess Alaba, the only child of an immigrant Filipino family, I own a cat, and I'm about to enter my junior year of high school. I'm addicted to Oreos and cats, but currently- I'm being restricted from Oreos, and I am dying from oreo-withdrawal. 

     The summer itself has just started, and guess what? I'm gonna enjoy it. 

     What better way to enjoy it than by going to the animal shelter tomorrow morning? Aight. Let's go.