Tennis!

Tennis, tennis, tennis! Hands down, my favorite sport EVER! And no doubt, one of my top hobbies. If  I could play it everyday, I would. Unfortunately, I don't have a tennis court in my backyard, but I plan to some day.

Playing tennis is extremely thrilling! There's so much that goes into a tennis match: physical strength, skills, tenacity (which has won games for me against very skilled but impatient players), and a quick but firm mindset. Tennis is specially exciting for its unique characteristics. For one, you are by yourself (when in a singles match). You are in total control of your own game and your own strategy. Two, there is no set time limit. A match can go anywhere from half an hour (which has happened even at a professional level) or eleven hours (a record set this year in one of the Wimbledon men's matches)! No doubt, you better be in good shape! Contrary to what some may believe, your legs have just as much to do with your game as your arms. And, the most thrilling part for me, is that you  must always win the next point in order to win a match. Unlike many of the popular sports like soccer, basketball, or football where you can score 50 points (an exaggeration for soccer) in the first half and score nothing the second half and still win the match, in tennis, it doesn't matter how much you scored the first hour. All that matters is that you win the game to win the set to win the match.

But most of America isn't as passionate about tennis as I am. Tennis is often thought of as "easy" and "boring."  And I have to say, it gets me very angry when people say that tennis is easy, though I'll admit I was once one of them. I've heard "anyone can hit a ball over a net" numerous times by numerous people. Yes, anyone can hit a ball over a net. Now, can you consistently hit it over the net, in the court, down the line or cross court while simultaneously thinking about your follow through, your contact point, your stance, and figuring out where the ball will go next? And that's just PART of the basic. There's the even more basic forehand, backhand, and serves. And then there's the really cool stuff like slices, dropshots, and serves that go at over 100mph!

Tennis is not just about hitting the ball over the net, specially when over the net doesn't necessarily mean in the court. I was able to get the ball over the net from the very beginning,....of course, it was over the net and over the thirty foot fence!

Like any sport, tennis is not easy; it takes a lot of hard work, time, willingness to maybe look ridiculous, and patience (it is said that it takes at least four years to make a tennis player). And as for boring...well, that's a matter of opinion. I, for one, find baseball to be one of the most boring sports ever to watch and find tennis the most exciting sport ever invented...and I plan to keep playing this amazing sport until my body allows me.

Happy Thanksgiving!

So Thanksgiving is today! And as tradition calls for, I will say the things I am grateful for.

I am extremely grateful for my family. We fight, we argue, we can never get a moment of peace. If we're falling, we'll kick each other down and will not help each other up until we are already on the floor. Sad, yes.  But I love my family, nonetheless. I have a dad that puts his children's needs before his own, I have the most loving mommy anyone could ever ask for, I have the most disobedient little sister that tries harder than any of us to get us acting like a family, I have a brother that that cares so deeply for his sisters, and I have a baby nephew that I absolutely love to death and would give my life for in an instant if need be. Many people around the world can't say they have what I have. I have been blessed with a malfunctioning, loving family that I would give anything for.

I am so thankful for my boyfriend. In him, I have found the best partner any girl can ask for and I have found a best friend. I have someone to complain to when life sucks and I have someone who I can jump for joy with and not be embarrassed to do so when life is going great. I am so lucky to have someone to go to who understands me, who can stand my little drama fits  and insecurities and not get overtly angry at me, who can make my day better with just a hug, and someone who loves me and is in love. I am blessed to have his presence in my life.

And then there are the materialistic things that I wish everyone would have: a roof over their heads, a bed, a space to think their private thoughts, clothing and food. And other stuff like health and an education. God has been kind to me, even during the toughest times. I often question why the not so great stuff in my life is so, but when I realize that it is only God's plan for me and realize the numerous great things he has blessed my and my family's life with, I know there is nothing else for me to feel but gratitude for the safe life I've lived.

How do girls do it? How do they get all dolled up and pretty before 7:30am and STAY dolled up and pretty for the rest of the day?

I am a simple a gal in many aspects of my life- my manner of speaking, my desires, and the way I dress and look. My routine wardrobe consists of jeans, a plain t-shirt, and my converse. No make up. A ponytail and a small accessory. A special occasion will usually (though by no means, always!) get me to break this routine. And when I see girls regularly dressed up and pretty at 8am, I can't help but to wonder, "how do girls do it?"

Is it that they are confident enough to know they can "rock" and awesome outfit and I'm not? Or is it that they are insecure and feel they must dress up to feel confident and I don't need that?

Perhaps it is that I lack confidence. After all, people who don't have confidence often feel they are not worth beautiful things. This can very well be the case for me. I am insecure (though by no means hate) my puffy hair, my big eyes, my oval face, and my flawed skin. I say, "I would rather sleep" as, perhaps, only an excuse to not deal with the pretty clothes and the make up that, to me, are like handling chemicals with no labels: I have no idea what they are called, what to do with them, or how to use them.

Or is it that these girls I'm talking about are insecure about themselves and dress up (to cover up) to impress others while I'm perfectly fine with showing people my simplicity? I know girls who freak out if a hair is out of place or if they forget to put on their daily make up. I rarely worry about such matters. I'll let my ponytail down and let it fly in the wind without caring if it'll be messed up. I can also wear eyeliner one day and feel absolutely beautiful and wear absolutely no make up the following day (which is my typical routine) and go about my day with no problem.

So how do girls get all dressed up on a regular basis? Well, I can't answer for them, but I know that I am not one of those girls. I would rather show my simplicity 364 days a year and look amazingly stunning one day to do just that: stun. Maybe, just maybe, it's not a matter of confidence, but a matter of how I feel that day.

So for our English class, we have to do a research paper on a movie based on historical event/people. For my paper, I chose Schindler's List. Reflecting upon it, I can only think of the amazing capability of human cruelty and courage.

Thanks to God, I have never experienced such cruelty as what the Jewish people and others experienced during the Holocaust. I have never seen, in person, such brutal cruelty. And I have never come even close to the physical pain that these people had to endure to survive.

I am completely incapable of wrapping my mind around the idea that humans have the capability of being so terribly abominable. I personally hold the belief that humans are naturally good and naturally evil. But when I try to comprehend how someone could be so evil that they would beat up, whip, torture, and kill their fellow human beings with no guilt or remorse, it makes me wonder just HOW MUCH we are capable of.

Is it hatred that drives our cruelty? Is it the quest and thirst for vengeance? Or is it that being the savage creatures we are we feel we can run wild and commit cold-blooded killings for no other reason than simply because we can?

But we can also be good, kind, generous and giving. While Schindler's List focuses on the "righteousness" of Oskar Schindler, there are many, many others that put THEIR own lives in jeopardy to extend a hand to a fellow human being.  There are people kind enough to save the lives of others at the cost of their own life.

I can sadly and disappointingly admit that if I were a non-Jew during the time of the Holocaust, I would not have helped any Jew (of course, this I cannot know for certain since I did not go through this experience). This is not for any other reason than that I am a coward. I care and fear for my life too much to put it in danger for the lives of strangers. So for this, my most highest respects for those courageous enough to put their own lives on the line for the lives of others.

The courage and kindness of the human heart are indescribable, priceless traits.

It is extraordinary circumstances that bring out the true nature of people.

Will you kill simply because you can? Will you coward in fear? Or will you have the courage to risk your life?

Halloween

Halloween. One of my favorite holidays of the year. Not because of the bitter coldness. And definitely not because of the way girls have turned it into an excuse to dress sexy/slutty. I really enjoy Halloween because I love to see the Halloween decoration, because little kids look extra cute wearing their costumes, and because of the free candy!

This year, my family, my sister-in-law's family and my boyfriend went trick-or-treating at Seal Beach, as my family has done for several years. It is amazing to see how enthusiastic some people get about decorating their homes. It ranges from a simple jack-o-lantern on the porch to a full blast haunted house. This particular haunted house I am speaking of was rather creative. I'm sure I cannot even begin to guess how much money the owners used to create that labyrinth. The house featured a lot of electronically operated characters such as the girl from The Exorcist, the girl from The Ring, a giant wolf that launched its way toward people passing by, a shaking door from which a character that I didn't see sprang out, and the occasional person that jumped out at you. But even more amazing than these expensive decorations was the extreme generosity of the homeowners that let complete strangers around and about their house for the spirit of the thrill of Halloween.

The super cuteness of the little kids during this strange holiday is also a favorite part of mine. It is particularly cute when children who are just learning to master to the art of walking  are waddling about and truly celebrating their first Halloween. And of course, there is the occasional baby that can't even crawl that has parents that take them out trick or treating (as if the baby can eat all that candy!). My baby nephew, for instance, is always cute, but I just wanted to eat him up because of how adorable he looked in his little lion costume!

And finally, the free candy! I am OBSESSED with chocolate, but a lot of the time I don't have money for my obsession, so it's awesome that strangers are willing to feed my addiction. And I find it so incredible that to all the houses my 19 year old boyfriend and I (18 years of age) went to, nobody turned us away. In fact, when we stood behind because we felt embarrassed to ask, several of the home owners asked us if we wanted some candy.

Who said Christmas was the only time of the year when people were extra nice?!

Earlier this week I came across a movie I recorded titled The 19th Wife on Lifetime that premiered 9/13/10.
This movie takes place in a secluded contemporary polygamist community ran by "The Prophet." After hearing about his mom's imprisonment for shooting his husband, the protagonist, Jordan, returns to this community despite his banishment several years back. He visits his old friend, a female named Queenie; their friendship was the reason for his banishment.

Jordan visits his mother in jail, where she swears she did not kill her husband. Though hesitant, Jordan,- with the help of Queenie- hunts for the identity of his father's murderer. At the same time, Queenie is dealing with her marriage as the first and ONLY wife thus far to her husband, Hiram. Hiram and Queenie insist to the Prophet that she remain the only wife. Meanwhile, she is secretly reading a book "from the outside" that chronicles the life of a wife who escaped the polygamist community. As she reads this, she realizes she doesn't want this life for her daughter or for herself.

At the end, we discover it was Hiram that shot Jordan's father. He did this as a result of the Prophet ordering him to take Queenie to Jordan's father's to be made into his woman. Hiram's love for Queenie was so deep that he chose to shoot Jordan's father than to see his wife as the wife of another man.

I have never believed in polygamy. To be honest, it was mostly because of the sexual aspect of such a life. There are few more disgusting things I can think of than my husband having sex with another woman right next to my room, then coming into my room to ask me for the same thing and then continuing with the following girl. The fluid transfer and the sloppy seconds for the rest of my life would be something I would not be able to bear; simply put, I find it gross.


But seeing this movie, I realized there is so much more wrong with polygamy than bad sanitation.


The psychological and emotional strains that women in this type of lifestyle suffer is incredible. Wives support each other and each help with the daily chores, but they are all rivals. They must all fight for their husband's time and their husband's money. Not only can they not have peace at home ( for there is no way of getting privacy in a house of over 19 wives and each with at least one child) but they also cannot get peace of mind.

In addition to this, wives suffer emotional pain as they see their husband bring home more wives, they see how they are being replace by younger, more attractive and fruitful women. This can be specially difficult for the first wife. Living as only one man and one woman, the arrival of another wife, of another person for the husband to spend time with, to have sex with, and to have other children with is a fact that can break down even the strongest woman in this type of community.

Personally, I would NEVER be able to accept this type of life. If I am giving myself completely to ONE man, my husband, then I expect my husband to do likewise. In my mom's point of view, why would any man want more than one wife to nag at him?

When we are little, the thought of a monster under our bed can keep us up at night. For some people, that fear never goes away.

Personally, I find an amazing thrill in being scared or, better said, startled. Ghost stories and monsters are old folk tales that have been popularized by Hollywood. But if at the age of forty people still get frightened by such tales, is there a part of us that think these thing really DO exist?

I, for instance, can easily sit thought a ghost, monster, or witch film, but when you add children and toys to the mix, I will honestly admit that I want my mommy to watch over me while I sleep.

My brother took us to a quinceañera about three weeks ago. On the way to my boyfriend's house, they were talking about spirits, evil animals, and oddly realistic witch stories (and Egypt!). Though this was somewhat spooky, I did not feel scared at all. And on the way from David's house, my brother kept talking to me about these things, but this time it included toys.

When we were little, our grandma and cousins told us that toys would wake up in the night and dance about. And the stories that they would tell us about porcelain and smurf dolls seem so plausible that, to this day, toys featured in scary stories is just absolutely terrifying to me. Just hearing my brother talk about it was enough to ask my mom if I could leave my graduation teddy bear in her room.

And seeing children in movies is equally frightening. Though I did not find The Ring to be a scary movie (or a good one, at that!) the fact that it featured a child as the evil character was enough to make me look away at times. Of course, no matter how scary a child is in a scary movie, nothing can keep me away from playing with my little sister and my darling baby nephew.

We all have (physical, tangible) phobias. For some, it's snakes, for others it is clowns, for me it is toys that can choke you and kill you at night.

But WE are the ones who choose to let these things scare us; I believe this is so because no matter how often people tell us that ghosts don't exist, a part of your childish imaginations still believes they do.