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For the past 18 years of my life, I’ve lived in the same house, in the same neighborhood, with the same people around me. I’ve built a routine and a lifestyle after living in the same environment for my whole life. Everything’s been comfortable, standard, the same. And now that I’m going off to college, what I’ve been used to for all these years is all going to change.

That’s what I’m most afraid of - change. My class schedules, study schedules, the time I spend relaxing and hanging out with friends will all change. I won’t be living with my parents anymore, and they won't be there to support me every step of the way. I’ll have to start making important decisions on my own and take care of every aspect of my life with much less guidance than before. My friends are going to be different, my room will be different, virtually everything will be different.

To be honest, I don’t know how I’m going to handle such a big change in my life. How long will it take for me to get used to everything? Will I ever get used to my new life in college? All these questions fester in my mind at night while I lie in bed, staying unanswered until I move out of my old life and transition into the new.

Though it will undoubtedly take some time for me to fully adjust to college life, I know for certain that everything will eventually work out. As long as I continue to put forth my best effort into everything I do, everything’s going to fall into place, and there won’t be anything preventing me from getting to where I want to be in life.

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Every morning, I wake up to 4 separate alarms. After shutting off the last one, I drag myself out of bed at 7:45 am, then eat breakfast, brush my teeth, get changed, and leave for school by 8:20. Depending on the weekday, I’ll sit through two or three classes, while spending my brunch and lunch eating and talking with friends. After class, I return home from school and usually spend an hour or so relaxing on my bed before I head back out to get a workout in at the gym. I then come home, shower, eat dinner, and begin my homework. I aim to sleep by 12 am every night, but my bedtime may vary depending on the amount of work I have.

Compared to a year ago, almost everything in my typical day is the same, except for the fact that I didn’t have a gym membership a year ago. Now that I have access to the gym, I try to go as often as I can to keep my body healthy and in shape. As a senior, I also have more free time than I did last year because of the lighter workload, especially now that we are approaching the end of the school year (and the end of my high school journey). Due to this, I feel a lot less stressed in my life and have more time to relax during weekdays.

I would say I am pretty satisfied with my typical day, as I have time to do things I want without feeling rushed. I'm also able to spend more time with friends and family, which was not the case last year when I was a junior. It feels nice to live more stress-free, but I know this will only be temporary, as once I enter college, it will be hard to find time to relax and have fun simply. It's also a bit melancholic because it marks the end of my high school years. I know I should be enjoying it, but it's hard to dismiss the fact that I'm leaving in just a few months to live a new life on my own.

I believe happiness can be derived from any situation in life. There are different forms of happiness - long-term satisfaction with one's life, and shorter bursts of gratification or satisfaction that come from certain actions or events that occur. For example, being happy in the short term may come from eating at your favorite restaurant or hanging out with friends. Being happy in the long-term means that you are satisfied with your life and your circumstances, which may be a result of a combination of multiple recurring short-term instances. Happiness can vary person to person depending on their values and outlook on life. For me, happiness means being surrounded by people I love and people who love me, in addition to helping others. For this reason, I feel no need to be overly wealthy to consider myself successful in life. Other people may define happiness differently, but it is a universal feeling/state that everyone strives to achieve in their life.

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Hey son,

You're going to be a highschooler soon! I remember when I was in high school at Lynbrook - I have so many memories of the four years I spent there. After navigating through high school and learning so many lessons, there are a few things I want to tell you before you start your first year in high school.

The first thing I'll say is that your years there will be very different from your middle school years. In high school, school spirit will actually exist, in the form of school events, football games, parties, dances, you name it. I HIGHLY recommend attending as many of these as you can. These events are where you'll make lifelong memories with your friends. As you grow older, the amount of these events will decrease rapidly, so take advantage of the time you have in high school to have fun!

I know I said that attending school events and having fun is a big part of your high school experience, but that doesn't mean dismissing your academics and schoolwork. High school is the perfect place for you to strengthen your study skills, enhance your time management, and practice being organized. These are all undeniably important skills you will need in the future in college student and your career afterwards, so I strongly advise you to keep up with your homework, turn in assignments on time, and study hard for exams. Although I did all my assignments and got pretty good grades, I will say that I massively regret procrastinating on a large part of my schoolwork. I'd think I still have a few days before the due date, so then I'd leave the assignment untouched until a day before it was due. And I was punished for it - countless nights staying up past midnight and even past 1 am, just trying to finish an essay or grinding out the last chapter of notes for history class. So in this aspect, don't do what I did and learn from my mistakes. You got this.

One more tip for you: join clubs. Clubs are a great way for you to explore your interests and meet new people. In high school, there will be a plethora of clubs, and I'm sure that at least a few of them will be a great fit for you. Maybe you'll find your dream career, or make lifelong friends or a lifelong partner there! When I was a sophomore, I joined the sports medicine club because I was an athlete and was interested in sports injuries. After my first year as a member, I became a club officer during my junior and senior year. This provided invaluable experience working as a team to create meeting slides and also helped me with my public speaking, so I advise you to go for any leadership opportunity you are presented. It's great for improving your leadership skills (and it looks good on your college application)!

I know you might be stressed out for high school, but there's no need to worry at all. There will be so many people around you to support you at all times, and of course, you can come to me anytime for assistance. I have no doubt that you'll do great in high school, so go out there and have fun!

Love,

Dad

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Favorite Song Lyric - Rainbow Connection by Kermit

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Favorite Song Lyric - Rainbow Connection by Kermit

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One of my favorite lyrics from a song is from the song "Rainbow Connection", sang by Kermit the Frog. The specific line is in the chorus, which says, "Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection, the lovers, the dreamers, and me".

When I originally heard this song, I didn't really understand the deeper meaning of the song and the symbolism of the rainbow. However, after playing the song back a few more times and conducting a bit more online searching, I realized that this song has a much deeper meaning that relates to all of humankind. The "rainbow" mentioned so often in the song refers to the dreams and aspirations of humans, which may seem like an illusion to many because of how unrealistic they may seem. Similarly, rainbows are only visions and are not tangible objects, as they are created by light refractions. When Kermit talks about the "rainbow connection" in the song lyric that I chose, he is referring to the connection between our hopes/dreams and our reality. He is making a point about how although our aspirations may seem unattainable, just like the illusiveness of a rainbow, everyone wants to make these dreams their reality.

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Rainbow Connection by Kermit the Frog from The Muppet Movie

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Favorite Novel - The Giver by Lois Lowry

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Favorite Novel - The Giver by Lois Lowry

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One of my favorite novels that I have ever read was in middle school, which is The Giver by Lois Lowry. While reading the book, it seemed a little bit strange and confusing at times, but what really caught my attention was the theme of the book after I began to understand the concept of the story. The Giver is a story that takes place in a dystopian society that is completely different from our own, with entirely different norms, social responsibilities, and life purposes. For example, the totalitarian authority, which is the Committee of Elders, decided on lifelong spouses, assigned children to families, and much more. I think that's what drew me in and really caught my attention - the stark differences between our society and the dystopia that I was reading about prompted lots of wonder inside my head, as I began to ponder what other completely different societies with differing norms could be like. In addition to the whole concept of the book, the main theme of the importance of individuality, memory, and expression was very thought-provoking. In the book, individual expression and human emotion is suppressed because choices and memory were seen as the root cause of pain in life. After Jonas, the main character, is assigned the role of the Receiver of Memory, he begins to realize the world he is living in, and is met with a conflict between conforming to the heavily controlled/censored society he lives in and individual freedom. Although this problem probably would never arise in the real world, it was so captivating because I had never thought about the concepts and conflicts that were presented in the novel.

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1. Interstellar (Movie + soundtrack)

2. Here With Me by d4vd

3. Beast Boy from Teen Titans Go (cartoon)

4. The Amazing World of Gumball (cartoon)

5. Outdoor Boys Youtube Channel

6. Valorant (videogame)

7. Despicable Me 2 (movie)

8. Alchemy of Souls (Netflix show)

9. Avatar: The Last Airbender (cartoon series)

10. Kingston by Faye Webster