Exercise #7 Part 2

            I am somebody who loves to listen to all kinds of music in every genre imaginable. One of my favorite things to do besides listening to my own songs is listening to new songs recommended to me by my friends. Every time I hear a new song that I love, it is like discovering a hidden treasure: I become overwhelmed with happiness and joy not only by the discovery itself, but also by the emotions the song brings to me each time I listen to it.

For this assignment, I asked my friend Rachel to recommend some songs to listen to. Rachel is a self acclaimed connoisseur of music, knowing the ins and outs of what music is good and what is bad. When I asked her what are some songs worth listening to, without hesitation she automatically said Green Day’s album, American Idiot. Every song on there, she claimed, is perfection. Back in the day when this album first came out, I actually went to the concert, believe it or not. But since then, I have not really listened to any of Green Day’s music. For this assignment, I gave the album a shot, and began listening to the songs.  Right away I understood what Rachel was talking about. The lyrics to Green Day’s songs are extremely powerful, with clever messages and good beats. Usually this is not the type of music that I would listen to, but I’m glad that she recommended it, for the songs were truly great!

The reason Rachel loves this album so much, is because of the great lyrics and beats. She likes how the songs actually have some meaning to them besides your typical “let’s just dance” and “put your hands up” radio songs. I would have to agree with her on that. I do enjoy those catchy radio songs, but the reason I am fond of this album is because Green Day has artistically mixed clever lyrics with catchy rhythms, creating a musical masterpiece. Rachel also likes how on this album, there is a song for every mood. If she needs to be fired up and energized she puts on Holiday, if she is in a somewhat somber mood, she puts on Boulevard of Broken Dreams. Each song compliments her mood, and enhances her emotions for each situation. I totally agree with that. The album is complex and diverse, which is extremely refreshing.

After listening to the album and Rachel’s explanation as to why she is so fond of this CD, I have become more aware of the powerful influence music has on our lives. Music can take any emotion and either highlight it or change it, depending on the song you are listening to and the mood to which you are feeling. There is no other art form, in my opinion, that has this much control over our emotions. By simply listening to a great song, we are instantaneously put into a better mood. The reason why music has such an impact on our lives is because there is a song for everyone and for every emotion. Where some people may not be fond of a particular type of art form or theatrical presentation, everyone enjoys music. Because all humans let music into their lives with open arms, it is the single most powerful art form out there, in my opinion. Music has a strong influential force on people worldwide, swaying people’s emotions by its moving melodies and lyrics.

Exercise #7 Part 1

            Music, people say, is magical. It is an art that moves people to emotional places they have never before been. Music has the power to bring people from their deepest sorrows to their most brilliant ecstasies. But not all music has the same effect on everyone. For me, the music that moves me the most is ones that are fast paced and up beat. For others, however, they feel the most connected to slower songs, or sultry jazz. It truly just depends on the individual and his or her own taste.

            I am an extreme lover of all music. If you were to look at my IPod, you’d probably be confused as to who would own such an eclectic array of tunes together in one library. Since I like all kinds of music, from pop to alternative and everything in between, I have it all in there. But the songs that move me the most are the ones with an upbeat rhythm and catchy lyrics. I know it may seem shallow and dumb to like the catchy pop songs that are over played on the radio, but I do. There is something about those upbeat songs that put me in a energized, happier state of mind, even when I am stressed out about school or sad over friendship conflicts.

For this exercise I constructed a playlist on my IPod titled YOLO (you only live once) and filled it with songs that move me the most- upbeat songs.

Songs on my playlist:

-Payphone- Maroon 5

-Shake it Out- Florence and the Machine

-Shake- Jesse McCartney

-What You Know About Little Secrets- The White Panda

-Take a Walk- Passion Pit

-Somebody That I Used To Know- Gotye

-A$$ Back Home- Gym Class Heroes

-Wild Ones- Flo Rida

-Starships- Nicki Minaj

-Opposite of Adults- Chiddy Bang

-Take Me Out- Franz Ferdinand

-Cousins- Vampire Weekend

-Lights- Ellie Goulding

-Tonight is the Night- Outasight

-Waka Waka- Shakira

-We Are Young- Fun

-Glad You Came- The Wanted

-Call You Girlfriend- Robyn

Right As Rain- Adele

            I listened to this playlist, and only the playlist, for a week as of yesterday. Every time that I would turn my iPod on shuffle, I instead put this playlist on. I listened to these songs every morning when I got ready for school, when I was driving, walking with my dog, showering, or randomly throughout the day. While I was listening to these songs, I could feel myself getting into a better mood than before. It was like the music had control of my emotional spectrum, and about one minute into the first song, it already twisted the knob to full blast- happiness. I still was not sure why I was so moved by these songs- and then it hit me. I spend my days so overwhelmed with my daily stresses that I need something in which to drown out my nonstop chatter and just relax. This music is just the fix. The lyrics aren’t too deep that I find myself getting caught up in heavy underlying messages, but instead find myself getting lost in the beats, focusing on the pounding rhythms and not on my stressful days.

            Music truly does help me calm down and separate myself from my typical stresses. It also seems to put me in a happier mood than before, due to the upbeat rhythms and catchy lyrics. Just by listening to my YOLO playlist, I can feel myself becoming more at ease than ever before. I will continue trying to listen to music more often throughout my day when I feel overwhelmed, for I now know that music truly can bring me back to Earth.

Exercise 6 Part 2

Friendships are extremely complex relationships, especially when they are between the opposite genders. Many people think that males and females can be friends with each other without ever developing deeper feelings, but that is not the case. After interviewing five different people in regards to this topic, I have come to the conclusion that within any male-female friendship, there has been or will be, at least on one side of the friendship, romantic thoughts or feelings.

            The first person I interviewed was my good friend Erin. She is someone who is primarily friends with guys, for guys are a lot more relaxed and drama free compared to girls. Erin believes strongly that males and females can be friends without ever having to worry about it turning into something more. To prove her case, she describes the close, friendship-only relationship that she has with her male friend, Will. Will and her have been the best of friends ever since they first met each other in elementary school. Erin says that because neither Will nor her have ever had any romantic feelings towards one another, that it proves that males and females can be friends. However, after listening to her reasoning I am still not convinced. Even though Erin may not like any of her guys friends on a deeper level, it does not mean that her guy friends have and/or do like her. Since I know for a fact that at least at one time in their friendship, Erin’s guy friends (with the exception of Will) have thought of her as more than just a friend, guys and girls cannot coincide without the threat of developing intimate feelings.

            Another person I interviewed was my sister, Tyler. Tyler said, contrary to Erin’s strong belief, that guys and girls cannot be just friends. She tells me through personal experience, that throughout that course of all of her friendships with a guy, she or her guy friend have undergone the questioning feelings of taking their relationship to a new level. Another person I interviewed, my friend Jess, said similar things to Tyler. She said that although they may start out as just friends, sometime the physical connection and attraction between men and women are too strong to not develop these feelings. Even with these feelings, Tyler and Jess still carry out stable friendships with males, but they are always aware that anytime their friendship may be threatened by a too powerful physical attraction.

            Contrary to Tyler and Jess, my friends Ben and Josh do not think that co-sex friendships are doomed by the threat of becoming girlfriend- boyfriend. The majority of their friends are girls, and they do not see anything wrong with that. For Ben and Josh, they have always had a ton of girl friends, and never once have they felt that thei physical attraction to one of them has harmed their relationship. Josh told me that although he may be attracted to some of his girl friends, because they are his friends and nothing more, he would never act on it. He thinks that physical attraction is a natural, subconscious thing that is constantly happening, and if every time a boy or a girl who are in a relationship act on their attraction, then there would be no co-sex friendships. Since that is not the case, and clearly there are co-sex friendships, males and females can be friends. I, however, disagree. Just because they don’t act on their thoughts of intimacy regarding their friends, doesn’t mean that it is not there and not threatening their friendship. Although Josh and Ben do have a good point, it is still proven invalid: just because one doesn’t act on said emotions, doesn’t mean that they aren’t threatening ones relationship from under the surface.

            I am someone who has an equal number of girl friends and guy friends. However, I still think that my girl friends are more stable than my guy friends because the friendships I have with my guy friends are constantly being threatened by the possibility of becoming more than friends. From personal experience, I have had times when I have acted on those feelings, and have turned guy friends into boyfriends, and things were great while we were dating. But I have also had times when I have not or my guy friend has not shared in the same hopes of taking our friendship to the next level, and as a result, our friendship became awkward and nonexistent. Due to those past experiences as well as analyzing the different opinions from my peers, I have come to the conclusion that male and female friendships are always going to be threatened due to natural physical attractions.

Exercise #6 Part 1

            There are so many fun activities that one can do in life. However, due to barriers in the form of high costs, little free time, and fear, people are restricted from completing them. Five activities that I would love to do are sky diving, going on an upside-down rollercoaster, watch the sun set and rise, swim with dolphins, and go camping. Since I could not complete all of these activities in a week, I decided to pick just one. The one fun activity that I chose to follow through on is watching the sun set and rise.

            On the first Saturday of vacation, I spent the night at my cousin’s house. My cousins and I are extremely close, and every time that we are in each others company, we always end up having the best of times, because we always find ourselves doing the most outrageous activities. I knew that if I wanted to complete one of my fun activities, I would have most luck proposing it to them. After sharing with them my list of ideas, we decided that watching the sun set and rise was the perfect fit. It doesn’t cost anything to look at the sky, when most of my ideas do, and it is easy to watch sun, because you can do it anywhere. It also ended up being a wonderful night for sky gazing, for Princeton, NJ was a pleasant 80 degrees, so we wouldn’t be cold staying outside. Once night time started approaching, we all went outside on their patio, set up comfortably on the comfy chairs, and watched in awe as the sun began to disappear behind the trees and out of the sky completely. We then made our way back inside, set our alarm to wake us up before the sun rose, and headed to sleep. When the alarm went off in the pitch black sky, we all stumbled out of bed, and headed back outside to our gazing set up. As we sat and waited for the sun to peak its head over the towering trees, we chatted and laughed sleepily. At last the sky began to lighten, and the whole landscape was lit up with soft colors. We stayed outside until the sun was fully up, and morning had officially came. Then, we made our way back to bed with accomplished smiles on our faces.

            I was happy that we were able to accomplish that goal. Seeing the sun set and rise was an extremely powerful thing to witness. Never before was I fully aware of Mother Nature’s beauty, until now. Although it was subtle and something that happens daily, I completely took the sun’s beauty for granted. But after witnessing it, especially with people I love, I am more humbled.

            Some major roadblocks that keep people from completing fun activities include money, time, and fear. If one is not fortunate to have an endless supply of cash, they are prohibited from taking part in some of the more expensive fun activities. For me, my goal of swimming with dolphins has not yet been accomplished because I not only don’t have the time to fly to a tropical location, but I also don’t have the money to be spending on extra things like that. Time is another huge set back. The people of today’s world are always moving fast and never slowing down. They, like me, cram their days full of activities from the moment they wake up to the moment they go to bed, most of which do not bring happiness to their lives. Because of this, they do not have the time in their day to spend doing something that is not a necessary activity, such as those listed on my fun list. Also, fear can play a big role in holding people back. For me, I am afraid of upside down roller coasters. However, I really want to go on one. It doesn’t matter how often I go to amusement parks and wait in line for the crazy, upside-down rides, I always chicken out at the last minute, never going on one. If I could just overcome my fear, then it would open me up to a whole no realm of fun activities that would bring happiness and joy to my life.

            Although it may seem hard and unnecessary to spend time and effort completing fun activities, it is actually an important thing to do. By taking part in things that bring you happiness, you are therefore lightening up your day, and making your life a more joyous one, which is extremely important and necessary!

Exercise #5 Part 2

            Spending quality time with a family is a gift that is priceless. The joyous moments spent with someone you love and who loves you can brighten up your day and leave you happier then ever. Although at times it may seem impossible to spend quality time with those you love, because of your busy schedules, it is something that is worthwhile. For this assignment, I decided to spend quality time with my older sister, Tyler. And I was extremely happy that I did so.

            Tyler is my best friend in the entire world. It has been so hard for me this year, for she has been away at Boston College and I don’t get a chance to see her as much as I would like. But this past week Tyler had off for Easter, giving me a chance to finally see her. She came home two weekends ago, and the very first day of her arrival I snatched her away to have a sister bonding night. First, we went to Starbucks and got our usual order- two grande Caramel Macchiatos. Before she went to school, we would go to Starbucks every Saturday and order this drink, and then we would sit and catch up until we had to go home. Sometimes we would be there for 10 minutes, and other times we would find ourselves chatting for 2 hours. That day, we were there for around an hour, for we still had other places to hit on our “welcome home” date.

            Next we went to Wards Berry Farm, the local farm store where my sister and I both work. She wanted to go and visit some of our fellow employees and friends while she was home, and thought it was a good a time as ever to do it today. At Wards she was catching up with everyone, sharing some of her funny college stories, and listening intently to their stories about school here in Sharon. We stayed there for a while, but then continued on our journey, because we had a dinner to catch!

            The two of us headed to Bertuccis, Tyler’s favorite restaurant and our typical sister dinner destination. During dinner, we continued to fill each other in on what has taken place since we were last together. It was great to hear about all of her new friends and classes that she is taking, but it made me sad to realize how distant we have become. After dinner, we returned back to our house and watched my favorite movie, The Other Guys (another tradition of ours). Once again, we had a great time sharing laughs, quoting all of the lines, and reminiscing in the previous times we have seen this movie together.

            At the end of the night, I told Tyler how happy I was to have caught up with her. I told her that we need to make sure to communicate more than our typical, brief phone conversations, because staying in touch is extremely important. I told her how happy I am when we talk and see each other, and how I don’t want that to change when she returns to college. College is a major boundary that keeps us from seeing each other as much as we both would like. Since that isn’t going to change anytime soon, we decided that we need to figure out a way to stay in contact on a more regular basis. After some discussion, we decided that weekly video chats are necessary, that way we can see each other instead of just hearing each others’ voices on the phone or talking via text message. We also agreed that I should visit her more often. Since she only lives a half hour away, she is now settled in to her college surroundings, and I can drive, stopping by is a plausible remedy.

            I’m very happy and optimistic that we will be communicating and keeping in touch more now. After spending that bonding night with Tyler, not only did we both have a great time, we now established a solution to staying in touch even while she is at college. I hope that it will work out, for simply being in Tyler’s presence or talking with her on the phone makes me feel happier.

Exercise #5 Part 1

              This past week, I have tried to spend more time with my friend Lia, and partake in more experiences than I typically would not have in the past. My life is extremely busy, each day jammed full of extracurriculars and homework, that I normally don’t spend time with my friends during the week. However, I made the decision to be open to more experiences and allow myself to have fun. I also wanted to spend more time with my friend Lia. Every time that we hang out I always have a blast! Not only is she extremely funny and makes me laugh, she also knows how to calm me down from my stressed out life. I knew that it was going to take some work to not get frazzled about school, but I also knew that it was important for me to experience some more fun in my life.

            Starting on Thursday, I began to say yes as much as possible while hanging out with Lia. Originally, it was just going to be us and two other people at Crescent Ridge after school. But when we got there, they asked me if it was okay to invite some of our other friends to meet up with us. I didn’t want it to be a crazy night, but since I was saying yes to people, I decided to say it was alright. I’m glad I did too, because when everyone got there, we all had a great time! I haven’t laughed that much in a while, and it was wonderful because I was talking with people that I typically don’t see that often.

When everyone finished their ice creams, Lia asked me if I wanted to join her for dinner at Takara, a sushi restaurant in Canton. I have only had sushi once before, and I was not a fan. Also, the idea of eating raw fish kind of freaks me out, but I was trying to be more open, so I said yes. Then two other people asked if they could join us, and I, once again, said yes. The four of us all jumped in my car, and we headed off to Takara. When we got there, they ordered an innumerable amount of sushi, all full of weird types of fish and eel that I would never have before wanted to eat. At first, I was very apprehensive about eating the sushi, for I didn’t know what any of it was and I was not skilled in the art of chopsticks, so it kept falling onto my plate. But as the dinner progressed, and I began to warm up to the food, the chopsticks, and the company, I found myself having a great time. The night flew by, and before I knew it, we had been there for two hours! Realizing that we should probably leave the restaurant since we were done eating and there were people waiting for a table, we got up and made our way back to my car.

I was thinking that I would just drive them home since it was getting late, but when Lia suggested that we go back to her house to watch a movie, I decided that my sleeping could wait. There, we had a great night full of joking and movie watching. It turned out to be a great time, and Im really glad that I decided to go. With my curfew rapidly approaching, we said goodnight to Lia, and I drove everyone home.

This same thing happened every night for the rest of the long weekend. I took hold of all of the invites and hang outs that I got, instead of dismissing most of them to do homework, like I normally do. I used to be worried that I wouldn’t be able to finish my school work and that I would fall behind in my classes if I spent too much time with my friends. However, I was mistaken. This weekend I managed to see my friends almost double the amount that I would on a typical long weekend, while also completing all of my work. I was so successful at balancing my time this weekend, that I now know that I am capable of having fun and also being academically successful! I had the best time this weekend because I allowed myself time to relax and enjoy my high school years, instead of stuck behind mounds of worksheets and textbook assignments.

On Saturday when I hung out with Lia again, she mentioned what a great time she had this weekend, and I agreed. By spending more time with her and partaking in more memorable experiences, I can find myself becoming closer with her, and my other friends. It’s extremely important to be able to have a close friend that can help you out and with whom you can relax and have a good time with, and Lia is just that. By simply spending an extra night a week with her, I can feel myself becoming better friends with her, and having more fun. Hanging out with friends is extremely valuable, and was a thing that I used to take for granted. I used to put that at the bottom of my “To Do List”, not seeing the importance it has on one’s life. However, I now can see how wrong I was. I am going to make sure that I balance my schedule better to allow myself to spend more time relaxing and enjoying life with my friends. Life is too short to not cease the day, and live every moment in its fullest. For that reason, I am going to make an effort to have more fun and not take a single moment for granted.

Exercise #4 Part 2

            Although it may seem trivial, saying “thank you” really goes a long way. People in today’s society do not say thanks enough, either because they are lazy, or they just don’t think about it. However, being polite is extremely powerful; it can make someone’s day a lot brighter, which can have lasting effects. Last week, for one day, I made a conscience effort to be more polite, and not just to people I know, but to those I don’t know as well. The results were greater than I could ever have expected.

            In the beginning of the day, thanking people took some effort. Granted, I am typically a polite girl, but I wanted to make sure that I go above and beyond today. So, as I was walking into school, instead of going right to my normal spot, I stayed outside, and held the door for the person coming up behind me. Now this person wasn’t right behind me; she was just getting out of her car as I was going into the school. I debated with myself if I should wait and keep holding the door until she came, or if I should just go on inside like I normally would. Because today was my polite day, so I waited and held the door. It was a good thing I did, too, because she was carrying a lot of things, and I knew that it would have been a struggle for her to open the door by herself.

            “Thank you so much!” she said with a huge smile. Although it was just holding the door, I could tell that she really meant it and was genuinely happy. That had an infectious effect, brightening my day.

            Alright, one thank you down, a whole day to go. This shouldn’t be that hard. As I was walking up the stairs of the library, I noticed that waiting for me at the top was someone holding the door.

            “Thank you!” I say as I grab the door from her hands, and I was about to walk right through into the library, when I stop myself again. Hold the door, Devon. Be polite. So I waited and held the door for the next person coming up behind me. Once again, the person, although I have never seen him before, gave me a hearty thanks, for merely holding open a door.

            I continue like this for the remainder of the first part of the day, stopping and reminding myself to thank people and be more polite instead of rushing through the day like I typically do. As the day progressed, however, being polite came naturally, and by lunch block, it required no effort at all. When I went to the bathroom in the beginning of lunch to wash my hands, I thanked the girl next to me for letting me use the sink. I also thanked her for letting me reach over to grab the paper towels. It may seem like overkill, but these excessive “thank you”s came naturally to me by then, and was not forced at all.

            At the end of the day, my last period class was in the 300s, and I had stayed after with that teacher until about 3:15. As I left the class, I thanked my teacher for the help, and looked back as I saw her face light up with a smile. The day is almost over; I don’t have to be polite for that much longer! But then it clicked: I didn’t have to make a conscience effort and force myself to be polite, it was coming naturally and I actually enjoyed it.

            Then I spotted two janitors sweeping the 300s hallway and chit chatting. Normally I would have walked right by them and continued to my car, pretending I never saw them. Today is different, and I am different. So, I stopped and thanked them for sweeping and to have a great day. This caught them off guard, because they clearly were not used to students thanking them. They both returned my thanks with a “your welcome”, showing that they were touched. Their happiness made me happy as well.

Because I left the school that day in such a great mood, I decided to be more polite and thank people more. Never before did I know how powerful a thank you can have on not only the person being thanked, but also the thanker.