Voice Overload

 It literally feels like just a few days ago, I was writing about starting my second semester during senior year, and I am already almost at the end. These past years flew by so quick and each year was filled with such amazing memories. Freshman year. The first thing that comes to mind when I think back to my freshman year is the first day I officially became a high school. It was during freshman orientation. It had been 15 minutes and I was still struggling to find my first hour classroom. Luckily, a senior saw me struggling and kindly walked me to my class while explaining how fun high school is. I still remember that day like it was yesterday because it was the day I stopped being scared and became excited to see what high school will bring. Sophomore year was not really that interesting, I guess. This was the year I started getting used to high school and started preparing for the hardest year of high school, 11 th grade. Junior year. Oh boy, this is easy to identify. I wa...

 I was reading an article when I came across this topic. There are many cultures throughout the world. With different cultures come different traditions and rituals. These rituals can be seen as practical and helpful, but they can also be weird and painful to others. For example, the Malagasy people of Madagascar celebrate Famadihana, a funerary tradition where the Malagasy people bring the bodies of their ancestors out of their crypts or dig them out of their graves and wrap them in new cloth. Families then carry the bodies through the streets and dance with them with live music. Famadihana might be a ritual that revolves around the dead, but it is actually as a joyful family gathering. The Madagascar people believed that the dead only completely joined the spirit world of their ancestors when their bodies decomposed completely. Since some bodies were not completely decomposed, they were believed to still be with the living. Some people might think this is weird or unsanitary beca...

Shivani is a name that is not really that common but also pretty common. In my life, I have probably met 10 or 11 different Shivani's. I think that Shivani is a beautiful name. It means "life or death." Shivani can also be referred to as Goddess Parvathi, the wife of the Hindu God, Lord Shiva. I really could not find a meaning for my last name, Anandhasenthil, but Anandha means "joy or happiness," and Senthil refers to Lord Muruga, the son of Lord Shiva.  According to the website "myfirstname.rocks," I am a pioneering spirit that is achievement-oriented. I can confidently agree with this statement. I tend to focus on getting my school work finished on time and doing my best in my extracurricular activities. I like trying out new things and pushing myself past my limit to see what I am capable of. It also says that I tend to want recognition for my efforts, and I could not agree more. I like having that reassurance and knowing that my actions have a pos...

 Photos have been around for almost 200 years. They're used all over the world to capture significant events and re-live beautiful moments. Without photography, we wouldn't be able to hold on to important moments and cherish them forever. Why do we need photography? Photos tell us what's important to us. We take pictures of certain events, like birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays, because they're important and we want to hold on to those memories. Photos show our personal story and the things we love. Photos are also a part of our legacy. A picture can outlive the people in it and it can resurface anywhere many years later. Because of the picture, we can look at Grandma and Grandpa's wedding picture or Mom's first Christmas. We can also show how traditions came to be in a family. Pictures help us show the joy of celebrating the tradition and moves us to pass it down from generation to generation. Photography is a complex language. As the saying goes,  a pictu...

This week's blog topic was so easy to write about. We had to complain about something that has been bothering us, and I am pretty sure that the first thing that came into your mind is also COVID-19 and quarantine. There are literally so many things to complain about when it comes to quarantine and this past year, so let us break it down. First up, EVERYTHING IS FROM HOME. School for students, work for most parents, virtual celebrations for birthdays and other special events. Oh please, don't think that I miss going to classes because I SO DO NOT. I cherish those 15 min naps between each class cause I really do not think I would have survived zoom school without those breaks. However, thinking about not being able to walk with my friends to classes and eat lunch with them makes me really sad, especially since it is my last year in high school. This might be the last time me and my friends will ever be in the same school, and not being able to have a typical senior year with them...

 Tishani Doshi is an Indian poet, writer, and dancer. Her pieces of literature are usually about violence, aging, religion, and female bodies. Let us look at one of her popular poems, The Deliverer . The first part of the poem describes a conversation between a mother and a sister, also known as a nun. They are talking about an orphanage that consists of children who were abandoned by their parents for either being disabled, being too dark to be accepted by Indian society, or just for being born a girl. The author uses brutal imagery to describe how violently these children and disposed of, including being buried alive. The last sentence tells the reader what the poem is about. The speaker and her mother are visiting the orphanage and plan to bring a child home with them. The second part of the poem is about bringing the girl home to America. When Doshi says, "they are American so they know about the ceremony," she says it in a mocking tone and the reader assumes that the par...

 It was during the beginning of quarantine. I was bored because school was all asynchronous, and I had finished my homework for the week, so I decided to do a puzzle that I found lying around at home. I had done this 1000 piece puzzle before many times, but it was years ago, so I decided to challenge myself and finish the puzzle without looking at the picture on the box. It was really hard, but I somehow finished it in 4 days. I started off by picking out the corner and side pieces. The only challenge with those pieces was to figure which pieces connected with which because half of them were green while the other half were blue. Then I picked out all the blue and white puzzle pieces that represented the sky and cloud and put them together. Figuring that out took more than 2 whole days, oh boy! I then sorted out the green pieces that represented the grass and put them together. This was not too bad because I could figure out where each piece went based on the sun and whether there w...

When I think of beautiful words, I start thinking about words that look beautiful, such as minimum or silhouette, in my opinion. However, this assignment called for a word that sounds beautiful. It took me a while to find a word, but I finally figured it out. Werewolf. Just say it out loud. It sounds beautiful, right? It is kind of random, but the sound of it is just so gentle and calm, especially when you compare it to other words that relate to werewolf, such as wolf or even beast. The "f" in the word puts random stress on the endings. However, the word werewolf sounds calm because of the prefix "were" before it and I like how it just flows out of your mouth. If I had to relate to this word, I guess my only relation would be the shows I watch. I have finished watching The Vampire Diaries and I am now watching The Originals, and there are werewolves in both these shows. The werewolves are probably one of my favorites characters in both shows. It is hard to describe...

Finals are now over, and the second semester of senior year has started. These past four years of high school have gone by so quickly. I still remember freshman orientation like it happened yesterday, where I spent more than 20 minutes trying to find my 9 Honors English class before a senior walking by finally helped me find my class, which was the only class behind the auditorium stage (strange place to put an English classroom). Now, I am hearing back from universities and hoping that the school I choose to go to is the one for me.  High school has been a roller coaster of ups and downs, from meeting people that have now become some of my best friends to the countless breakdowns and sleepless nights because of homework and stress. However, I would not trade any one of those days for something else. I am a different person now than I was during the first day of freshman year. Those days, experiences, and people are what shaped me into who I am. If I am proud of myself today, it is...

 In such a short time, half of my senior year has already finished. It is easy to say that 12 AP English is probably one of my most favorite classes this year. The activities we did in class were very engaging and I got to learn so much. I loved our solo reading time in class. I got to read a book of my choice, which brought back my interest in reading after I lost it in 9th grade. The independent reading time we had in class was much different than the class readings we have because we have group discussions about the book we are reading. I learn new things about the book that I did not initially realize and I also got to see the character and plot from the perspective of my peers. For me, the workload this semester was perfect. It was not too much and not too little. With other difficult classes and college applications going on, the homework we got from the class was very helpful and reasonable.  I like doing our book clubs because we get to choose the books we read and we ...

Christmas is my favorite time of the year. This is the year my best friends and our families get together and play our traditional Secret Santa game. Every year, our favorite part is to look back at the very first time we played Secret Santa and laugh about everything that went wrong that year.  The funniest thing that happened was our karaoke contest, both singers and non-singers included. We love looking back at the videos and "complimenting" everyone. The most entertaining thing that happened to my friend and me was while baking Christmas cookies. The recipe had asked for 2 cups of sugar, but I had accidentally put salt instead. I was then called away for something, so I had put the container down. However, my friend thought that the content inside the container was sugar and added 2 more cups, thinking that I hadn't put any of it in the dough. None of us realized this.....until everyone ate it. When I say that everyone was running to spit the cookies out, I mean EVERY...

Tuesday, November 10th. It was a beautiful day outside, and I mean BEAUTIFUL. It was 79 degrees Fahrenheit, and the sun was shining so brightly. I sat outside on my balcony and enjoyed the warm sun rays hitting my face as I enjoyed a delicious watermelon with my family. Later that day, my friends and I went to Boulan Park and enjoyed a picnic together (while social distancing, of course)! All summer, it was raining, but it literally felt like the summer in early November. How was I supposed to know that in literally a few days, it would finally look like winter? Sunday, November 22nd. I woke up to my backyard sprinkled with snow. "Mom! C'mon, why is it snowing," I whined. I didn't want snow just yet! It weather never gave warned me about snow coming so soon. One day it was close to being hot and the next it is snowing! Don't get me wrong, I love EVERYTHING about snow, from its beautiful color to the way it makes me feel while drinking hot chocolate in front of my ...

I listen to a This American Life podcast called Five Women . In this episode, women were opening up about the sexual harassment they faced while working under the same man. They trusted him, but he betrayed and took advantage of them for his own reasons. Some of them trusted him so much that they thought that his actions were justified. All their lives were completely changed after working for one single person. Just like this, we can all hear countless stories of women being used, especially by people they trust. This scares me, knowing that I am going to be on my own soon and away from home. How am I going to keep myself safe? As a senior in high school, realizing that college is in the near future comes with its pros and cons. I get to meet new people, experiences new things, and grow as a person. However, I am also going to be around so many people that I do not know and I will have to go places by myself at times, including the night. If grown women in their 30s and 40s are not ev...

 It's almost been a year. One whole year since I went to the Bahamas, since I went on a cruise ship, since I went to Florida, and since I went on a trip with my family. But it's also been a whole 365 days since I saw my best friend. I go over to Illinois for her birthday, she comes over for a long weekend and my birthday, I go during Labor Day and Thanksgiving, and she either comes over for Christmas or we go on vacation together. I see her at least five times a year, but I haven't seen her at all this year, and I hate it. I miss seeing her, goofing off, shopping, and baking together. It's just so iconic being with her because everyone tells us that we remind them of our moms when they were in college since they were also best friends. I just can't wait for COVID-19 to die down so that we can finally see each other after so long. If I had to describe COVID-19, I would say that it SUCKS! It's my senior year and I can't safely hang out with my friends, go to p...

Satire is a very common genre and literary device used in pieces of literature. In order to bring out satire in a piece, the author usually includes irony, sarcasm, and humor to get his or her point across to the reader. The piece is usually either about a trivial or serious subject that is described with respect in a mocking way.  A painter would include the same elements in his piece of art if he wanted to include satire through colors, setting, or objects and people included in it.  This is the "Follow your dreams, cancelled" drawing by Banksy, the famous anonymous England-based street artist. In this piece, Banksy reaches out to Americans to question their country's ideals and the world around them. This is a satirical piece of art because he brings up an important issue. Including an older, lower-class worker as the painter brings attention to the differences in socioeconomic privileges. He looks worn out and does not seem to be following his own dream. His use of gr...

Do not even get me started about the construction on I-75. As far as I can remember, it has been going on FOR YEARS! I don't know about the other construction locations on I-75, but the bridge above Long Lake Road is just so loud. In all honestly, I am glad that they are fixing up the highway, but I just cannot deal with the constant noise pollution every single day. Remember that one week in August right before school where it rained at 7 A.M. every day? Yeah, well on the days that it did not rain, I was still woken up to "thunder." I would just stack two pillows on my head to cancel out the noise and fall right back asleep, wondering why there was more rain in August than May. However, it wasn't until a few days that I found out that the noise was due to construction. I am telling you, it was louder than the loudest of thunders. You would not believe me until you heard it for yourself. Who knew that they make 500-pound hammers jeesh. I can guarantee you that half of...

          The Art of Storytelling is a technique often used by authors and writers to emphasize and clarify his or her writing piece. This method uses different elements, such as complex characterization, binary opposites, and catharsis, to create a special effect in the writing and makes the reader think on a deeper level. An easily identifiable element would be the theme, or the underlying meaning of a piece of work. The writer’s goal is the convey very his or her chosen theme throughout the book, either to teach a lesson or entertain readers. Fate versus free will has seemed to be a common idea in advanced books and literary works. This concept not only serves to teach a lesson to the readers but also tends to play a heavy role in the plot of a story.            Fate versus free will can be clearly identified as a major theme in Oedipus Rex (recommended reading) by Sophocles. Right from birth, his life is already determined by ...

Books. Books mean different things to each one of us. It might be about expressing his or her feelings and making a living for an author or writer. For an English teacher, it might be a way to escape into a completely different realm and go through adventures. And of course, a student would probably consider it a random piece of literature that needs to be analyzed. To me, books are a way for me to relax after hours of cramming in so much work. It helps me have some me time and destress after a very stressful day. My favorite genre is horror, suspense, and thriller. These kinds of books just give me adrenaline rushes that movies don't usually provide they are always so predictable. These books always keep me on the edge of my seat and make me wonder what is going to happen next. Comedy and romance genres can be seen in the form of a movie, so why not try something different while reading? My ideal day for reading would be after a very stressful day. Before bed or after my work, I...

Tom Foster's How to Read Literature like a Professor   is a must-read of all those students taking AP English classes. He explains the process of analyzation and how a small object or event can have a deeper meaning behind it. To others, he might have changed the way he or she thought and analyzed while reading literature. But to me, he also changed my perspective about the world and got me thinking about much more than just reading books. In Foster's first chapter, he talks about how many books make a character go through a quest, either directly or indirectly. Each book has a "(a) a quester, (b) a place to go, (c) a stated reason to go there, (d) challenges and trials en route, and (e) a real reason to go there." This was very evident in one of the latest books I read, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. The main character Santiago travels to the Pyramids of Egypt in order to find a treasure. He encounters physical barriers, such as being robbed and a language barrier, a...

Politeness is defined as the application of good manners and etiquette. This is really important when it comes to communicating in society because it can come with many benefits. An advantage of polite speech is having a good reputation and first impression. People associate goodness with friendliness and politeness. Talking in a literal manner instead of a polite manner can make you look sophisticated and uptight. This will make people in your community think that you are controlling and they might avoid socializing with you, which would be terrible. Being polite also helps you get new friends and also improve your existing relationships. Politely speaking with your friends shows that you care about them and you value your friendship. In return, they will also respect and value you as a friend and will always be there to help you. Politeness can also help you when you move to a new place. People will have a good impression of you, so it will become much easier for you to find new ...