Dealing with depression

      Depression is a serious issue among humans around the world. It leads to dumb decision-making and outrageous consequences. Some of brightest and happiest people in the world suffer depression. On the outside they may seem happy but in reality, they feel lonely and miserable.
      There are some reasons to this agonizing feeling...

Staying healthy

      This part of the year usually consists of coughs and sneezes in the Midwest. Personally, I hate catching a cold. Being sick forces us to feel drowsy and think less intelligently. Sometimes, feeling ill makes us resort to excluding others from life. Nothing positive can come out of being sick.
      Life as an adult is tough but the same goes for a teenager. I question my credibility for this topic because I have never missed a day of school or work due to illness. But, I feel I am excellent source for lowering your risk in facing the common cold. It's not that I don't get sick, it's just I am usually not sick for a long period of time.

Goal setting

      Goals are things you aspire to do in a certain period of time. They are healthy and desirable. I just don't wake up in the morning and go through the motions. I have something on my mind I want to accomplish every day. Whether its a short-term or long-term, there's always a goal I have my eye on.
      The issue though is sometimes people either set unrealistic goals or just things that can be accomplished very easily. What I mean is one person may dream of winning the Chicago Marathon. But let's be honest here unless you were given inhuman running abilities at birth most likely that will never be done. But sometimes people just want to make a bowl of cereal as a goal. In retrospect, almost anyone can accomplish this with a bit of effort. The point is make a goal that's in between and reasonable. How about lose 15 pounds in one year? Save up $5,000 in a two-year span? Or just finish college for instance. These goals are all within are grasp. You will have a better picture of hard work and yet, remain optimistic.
      My goal my senior year in high school was to qualify for indoor track state and finish top ten in my class. It wasn't an easy process but each and every day, I made a bit of progress.

Punctual

      When I tell someone I will arrive at a certain time, I will do everything in my best ability to follow through that promise. I like to be efficient with my time and limit procrastination. Occasionally, I will take a break from my daily tasks and listen to music on Youtube but who doesn't. One thing is I will always account for due dates and time lines.
      In high school, I had to leave at 5:20 A.M. in order pick up four teammates for practice at 6:00 A.M. However, I always left ten minutes early just in case someone was going to be running late. I always tried to account for unexpected events in my schedule because things randomly happen in our lives sometimes. When I agree to meet at a certain time, I will be there on-time or early.
      I have a friend named Madison and she's always late to everything. Going to the movies, she's late. Going out for dinner, she's late. Going to our high school graduation or Prom, she's late. You get the point, she just can't arrive on time.

Being selfish

     Lately, I wonder what if I wasn't nice what would happen? Sometimes doing the right thing, isn't the best option. This is an area I truly struggle with but have been getting better at. I hate to say it but sometimes my desire to not hurt anyone backfires and hurts me truly.
     I have lived my entire life with the philosophy that hurting someone is wrong. Do what's best for everyone. I was always tried to put others before me and it looked plausible in most situations. I have the mentality that if I commit a wrong action that karma will take over and punish me in the end. Plus I can't sleep at night if I hurt someone close to me or just a little dog. I tend to analyze things to the extent where sometimes it drives me crazy. That's why sometimes, you just have to be selfish and say "No."
      It all started my junior year in high school. I met this girl named Laura and we didn't get along at first. She was a law abiding citizen. Her two friends and her sat a table in the library together every seminar period.

The Holidays

      With Thanksgiving in a few days, Christmas in a month and New Years right around the corner I feel these are the best times of the year. You get to spend time with your family and friends. Football and basketball get to become prime time events on TV. Good meals to savor your hunger on. Yet, there's a few things missing to these great moments. These are the times where the best qualities come out of people.
      There are millions of homeless people on the streets. They can't have what we have but we can try to help them. When you see a homeless person or a man trying to raise money for charity, give them any loose change in your pocket. One dollar can feed a family in China these days. Crazy as that sounds, we tend to waste our money on meaningless things so why not help someone else out? Better yet, do some volunteering work. Every year, I try to volunteer as a tutor for little kids or help out at a daycare. There's no monetary rewards but the smiles on people's faces are priceless. Be a Good Samaritan, it couldn't hurt.
       Regrets. Self-pride. Dignity. Around this time of the year, I think it's important to remember what made you who you are today. The people around you play a great role in shaping who you are. Yet, there are those few who just make you angry or lose all respect for. But I believe everyone deserves a second chance. Be the better person and put aside your dignity for once....

Birthdays

     Birthdays. The one thing that occurs the same day every year. No matter what, you can't stop it. Personally, I love when this day comes. You would be surprised what you accomplish in a span of one year.
     Every year, the day before my birthday I usually like to think what I have done to make it a great year. I count the simple things like making new friends and learning a new talent. It's those little things that make you realize how great you are. Every single person is special yet they just don't know it sometimes.
          I don't understand why people say I don't know why I am here I should die. That's a horrible mindset to have. I believe everyone was put on this Earth for a reason and there's always someone out there that would say they miss you, if you ever left. Better yet, those people always come out on your special day. They will try to take the time to say Happy Birthday. If they don't get you anything, I wouldn't worry about it. It's the thought that counts in the end. Those gifts over the years get shoved to the back of closets or just end up in the trash. But having those true friends and knowing you are loved will last forever.
       Everyone needs that date to look forward to. That date keeps you excited and optimistic rather than gloomy. The social trend is you get happier and happier as the day comes. These are great characteristics in oneself. So why not look forward to your birthday?! By one being happy, others will follow creating a snowball effect.
        In the end, I love when my birthday comes. It's not about the gifts but it's about remembering all the great things I accomplished the year before, having friends call and catching up on each other lives and creating happiness all around. Life is tough but you need to have those bright spots to make it worth wild.

"A person has a lifetime. For example, a person may have lived from 1945-2007. The only thing important however is what they did during the hyphen(-). It doesn't matter at the beginning or end. The middle is what is most important. So take the time the time to think what you did during your hyphen years or life isn't dandy."
 ~My mother, Alice Chin~

Find a secret spot to do work

     This seems very practical but many people don't follow this rule. I have found this helpful in the last few years especially the last week. I can do work and some light studying in my room but when I really need to focus, I leave my room. There are too many distractions in my room with the television, xbox 360, cellphone, laptop, food and roommate. Those things can take away your precious time and leave you scrambling late at night. I tend to turn my phone off when I really need to work and leave any unnecessary things behind.
     In high school, I had two secret spots for studying. When I was at home, it was my bathroom. The lighting was perfect and it droned all sound. I can remember when I needed to finish a 100 page book for class the next day, I just went in there and read non-stop. I finished relatively earlier than I expected and had some free time of my own. Even though, my parents were curious what I was doing in there. At the high school, when I needed to study and get away from distractions, I went into the Yearbook office. The place was so quiet and secluded. Only members of the newspaper or yearbook were allowed in so it was great place for me to study.
    When you are in your secret spot, you should also disable any means of outside communication. What I mean is your cellphone or laptop. This can cause you to lose interest in your work and deviate from your purpose in the first place to come to your secret spot. Earlier in my high school years, I was on acebook for hours without doing any work. This caused me to get very little sleep at night and make me irritable the next day.
     So go out there and find your secret spot. Become productive with your time and don't let the little things distract you. Find your secret spot before someone takes yours.

Bucket List

      Sometimes we get caught up with deadlines and striving to make a profit, we forget what we really want to accomplish in life. For all of the cynics out there, think about it. Why do you wake up every morning? Are you truly happy? Take a moment and think about what you really want to accomplish in your life. Write yourself a bucket list. But also make a time frame when you want to accomplish these because if you don't you will keep just pushing them back.

Here's mine...

Family

    In these critical times, family is important. Have you seen how many people go back to living with their parents? Sometimes the tasks of life become too overwhelming that financially it was smarter to move back home.
    My parents can get on my last nerve sometimes but I love them. They think the standard of life in Europe can be applied to the United States but it can't in my opinion. Test scores fully determine your high school and college admissions there in Europe. In the U.S., your admissions are determined by many factors: essays, grades, teacher recommendations, activites, etc. I argued for months with them how a teenager at the age of 16 can get their driver's license here but they believed the correct age was 18. You get the point, my parents and I don't see eye-to-eye on many things.
    But I will always know no matter how badly I screw up, they will be here for me. I don't hide anything from them. They motivate me to be the best person I can absolutely be and help me strive to be successful.
    Once I took a three hour trip to help my dad set up his laptop and his preferences he wanted on it. It's okay though because they are paiding for my college and helping me debt-free when I enter the work force. My parents and I do things for each other because we care about each other. I will always love them.
    My advice is to never let them how of your life. You should be grateful to have them and respect them. I try to but I usually forget to. Give them a call sometime and see how their lives are. Trust me, they care how you are doing to. So go out there and be a good son or daughter to them because you never know how much you will learn from them or be saved by them.

Winds of Change (Friendship)

      In pop culture, we like to call the change of seasons from Summer to Autumn, the winds of change. Well ironically I think I experienced that winds of change metaphorically in my life. One day, I was laying down in a field of grass trying to relax before my next class. As I watched the trees and people pass by, I happen to have an insightful thought. Just as the apple hit Newton, I had something come to me.
     I noticed a large gust of wind blowing against a tree. Leaves from the tree branches started falling rapidly but as the wind faded, there were still a few leaves left on the tree. Realistically though in times of change, friends will also fall but true friends will still be left with you on the tree at the end of the day.

Create free time for yourself

      Create free time for yourself. I am not saying every hour of the day, take a thirty minute break. But every few days, do something that you love and doesn't stress you out. In high school, running and my activities were my free time. Granted it took a large portion of my day but I loved what I was doing. The constant pressure of studying for tests and completing homework assignments could overwhelm someone. Same thing with work. Eight hours at a desk job isn't always the best thing. But, we all must find some free time and do something enjoyable. We will feel gratified in the end and the distresses of life will vanished for a period of time.       The first week of April for me could be a good example of this. That week, I had...

Plan out projects and studying

      Most of us love to procrastinate. We just do. We want to put everything off to the last minute so we don't have to do it now. But on the last day or very last minute we have to do work, we make a mad scramble to finish it. This isn't efficient use of time and we forget to take the time to review and evaluate what we just done and learned.
      Say you have a big midterm in two weeks. You choose to wait the very last day to study for it. Cramming one-two months of work in one day doesn't seem possible but you make it possible. Here some of the issues with this...

MLIA > FML

      Now, I don't know how much knowledge you have of these two topics but I will give a quick walk-through. When a person hates themselves or life just didn't go their desired way, people tend to say FML. F**k My Life is essentially what it stands for.
      Now there's two definitions for MLIA. Either my life is average or my life is awesome. Personally, I prefer the second definition. When something great happens to yourself, a few people will say MLIA.

Love

     Someone told me to write about this topic awhile ago. I decided this one would take awhile to think about thoroughly. So here we go, I will try to my best ability explain something irrational.
     Love. It's the most desired thing in the world aside with money. I can't say enough though how great of a feeling it is to be loved but also how hard it is to find it. You can't just lay around waiting for it, you have to go and search for it.
     I been in love two times in my life. Each time...

Take chances

      Chances. You don't know for sure the outcome but you know what could happen. Have you ever wondered what would have happened if you carried out on a certain action? Personally, I do... every day.
      Your life could be so much different if you would have taken another route (metaphorically and literally) in life. Most of the biggest innovators of the 21st century, took chances on their inventions even though they weren't acceptable to society yet. Today, those individuals enjoy the good life on Wall Street and their private yachets while we all sit at home watching their life story, Rags to Riches, on CNN or MTV.
     This may sound hypocritical but a person should have more regrets than what-ifs in their life. What-ifs drive a person insane because they didn't take the initiative to go to the next level or do something that had no significance at the time but had major importance presently. Regrets lead to awful thoughts and doubtful times in your head but at least you took the risk of seeing the possible outcome and not have that lingering thought in your mind forever.
     This is a major mistake I have made in my life but I have learned a lot from it. I always wondered what if...

Rachel's Challenge

     I am sorry but I love Facebook. I saw on a couple people's statuses, " I completed Rachel's Challenge" or something along those lines. I had no clue what it meant so I looked it up and did some research.
     Rachel Scott was the first victim of the Columbine Shooting. It was the fourth-deadliest school shooting in history. Yet, one month before Rachel was shot, she wrote the two page My Ethics, My Codes of Life.
     What really sparked my interest the most was how she said in her journal, "I have this theory that if one person can go out of their way to show compassion, then it will start a chain reaction of the same. People will never know how far a little kindness can go."

Shift from technology to the real world

       As the world takes strides towards a technological world, we tend to forget the simple pleasures in life. Sometimes, we just need to turn off our phones and computers.
      When you are on a date please just turn your phone off. That person is taking their precious time to be with you and why not respect that. Turn your phone off and show how much you care for them and want to be with them. For me, I find it disrespectful when someone is talking to you then suddenly you start texting, as they are talking. I usually just leave my phone on vibrate or silent. If my phone vibrates in my pocket when I am talking to someone, I just ignore it until I am completely done talking to someone. I want to give my full attention when I see and talk to someone, which brings up my next point.
      If you can even if it's for a little time, go see your friends. Don't just text them or send them a message on a social network. It means a lot to a person when you take the time to visit them. So if you have free time go see a friend. Take advantage of this.
     Instead of watching TV all day or sitting on your computer, go outside...

The importance of sleep

     The worst way to start your day is with very little sleep. I bet many people have experienced this time after time. The recommended amount of sleep by most physicians is eight to ten hours. Some of us are different in the amount we need. I need six hours of sleep to function properly during the day.
     Now if you can't get your recommended amount of sleep or you are running short on time, I make this recommendation that has worked for me so far....

Try new things every day

     Make living every day interesting. You don't have to do outrageous things like bungee jump off a cliff or streak across the football stadium. What I am trying to say is do things most people do on a daily basis that you haven't tried. Simple things.
     Every day, I try to meet a new person. My intro to ethics class has about fifty students. Every class, I sit by someone new, try to introduce myself to them and spark a conversation. You will be fascinated on what some people have to say. I remember once I met a student from England, who traveled around the entire world before coming to the university. He never lived in the same country for more than three years. I can't believe some of the things people tell me sometimes. In life, we need to become more familiar with different kinds of people so we know how to live a successful life from different perspectives.
      Next time you order out, don't order the same thing you usually do....

Keeping yourself in shape (physically and mentally)

     This is a pretty ambiguous topic in the sense of which ways you can prepare yourself each way. But if you are in top shape, you will be ready to face any new challenges.
      For physical shape, you should do some sort of cardio activity at least 3 times per week. You will be able to keep your youth for a longer period of time and keep yourself healthy. By doing this, you will most likely plan out when you do your activity and keep yourself on schedule. I usually plan out when I will run or go lift ahead of time. This always keeps me focused and ready for the task at hand. But most importantly when I am done running or lifting, I always feel so accomplished and satisfied. And I bet most people will feel the same.
     Being self-aware you are in shape mentally, can be one of the hardest things to recognize...

Call your friends every two weeks

     Now I don't mean your friends you met at your university. Not the ones you just met but your friends far away, the friends you made before the separation of college. The friends who you shared your high school memories with.
     This may seem easy at first but as college progresses they will grow out of your lives because you hardly see them. College can become time consuming at some points but we can take the time to call people every once in awhile. Skype video or Oovoo video can constitute as a call too but text messages, Facebook and Twitter don't. When you are talking its more personal and more words can be said in a period of time.
     Calling someone can really make their day. They will feel you care for them. Keeping in touch is important these days. Anything can happen at this very moment. I had a friend pass away one month ago and I didn't talk to him for more than one year. I made it my goal to call my closest friends every two weeks so I knew how they were doing and if the worst happened, I knew I talked to them before the end.
    One of the biggest benefits is when you come home for winter and summer break, you have some people to hang out with. You kept in contact with them and now you can finally see them. In the long-run, calling your friends every two weeks will pay off. And for you people who worry about their minutes and paying for them, call after 9 P.M. Almost every cell phone company provides their customers with free minutes at night.

Take an interest in what you do

Along with keeping up with current events around the world, everyone should take an interest in what they do. What I mean is just don't be a regular student in the classroom. Don't be that person that punches in every day from 9-5 at their job. Be proactive.

How unpredictable life is

     Have you ever thought for sure you would end up somewhere but didn't? Sometimes, life takes you on a different journey yet you don't understand why. I am really confident in saying though, "Things happen for a reason."
     I was so dead-on I would end up at Northwestern University in the Mathematical Methods in Social Science Program. That was my dream path after high school. I would attend a top-notch school and be in the Windy City.
     I thought I would end as my team's number four runner for cross-country and help my team qualify for state. I ran one thousand miles the summer before the season started to put my body in better position to race well.
     I set my sights on finding that one person, I could fall in love with throughout high school. Our love would be like a romantic novel and we would head off to the same college conquering it together.
     Yet along the way, none of these things happened. I didn't get into Northwestern. I ran terrible in cross-country and was benched at Regionals. I thought I found "her" multiple times but I was denied each time. I became sleep-deprived and mentally confused why I didn't accomplish my goals. Did my life just become a complete failure?

Have at least two best friends(one woman and one man)

      To tell you the truth, I didn't really realize this until the summer before college. This may seem irrelevant to this blog but I believe its a good thing to have not a necessity.        Having one of each is beneficial in so many ways. All guys have a feminine side in them. Some are just afraid to express in front of their male counterparts. All girls have a masculine side in them. You get the point. Having a friend of the same sex, you can always talk to about anything. For men, whether your fantasy football team is losing badly, how to tie a tie, checking out a girl you like or just some man talk, having that best friend will always make you feel your wanted and have someone to talk to at any time. For woman, whether which pair of heels matches with a certain dress, ask her to watch Grey's Anatomy with you, checking out the cute guy that passed by or just some girl talk. In the end, we all need someone to talk to sometimes and that friend will always be there. 
     When you have a best friend of the opposite sex, you should treat them like ...

Life too tough, want to give up?

     Many times in our lives, we face adversity. You have too many things to do yet so little time. Some subject in school is making you feel like your insignificant and you just want to drop the class.
     Take a deep breath and just think about how far you have came. There's people around you that care about you. To be so busy, you have to be wanted by society. You must be talented at something you are doing. Be proud of your talents.
      My senior year, I became so overwhelmed with things. I felt like just giving up. It was early September and...

Failure is neccasary to be successful

       I think we need to fail once in our lives to become stronger people. Throughout my life I have taken a B as a failure in the academia part of life. When I received my first "B" sophomore year in Spanish, I became so disappointed in myself. I felt like I lost my edge in life if i couldn't excel in school. The next semester in Spanish I wanted to redeem myself so I studied twice as long before each test and took every homework assignment seriously. My effort became evident in my test results. I got an A on every single test and receive perfection on assigned projects and quizzes. I carried that same attitude throughout my next two years in high school. I became so scared of failure that it haunted me.
       In times of despair, we seek for help and assistance. We strive for meaning and answers; yet struggle to find it. It's how you rise after falling that makes you a true champion. My advise is learn from your mistakes and failures and construct a plan to get back up.
       "To rise from the ashes of the phoenix."

Recognize your ground state

Sometimes, we get caught up with all the successful moments in our lives we forget what made us who we are. It all starts with our origins and roots. I don't mean prehistoric times but our past and present. The simplest things that can make us happy are seeing our family and friends again.

Not just our every day friends we meet at Starbucks or at school/work but the friends we made before we became successful or simply before we moved on to a better life. They are the ones that helped us in our times of need. They are the ones we could share...

30 minutes per day to reflect

Every day we commit at least one mistake. The intensity and duration of the mistake doesn't matter; its a mistake. We are humans; we make errors all the time but we forget sometimes how to learn from this particular event. Learning from our mistakes can make us better people and remind us what not to do to be in this certain situation again. Feeling guilty is fine. That feeling of remorse is what separates us from...

Starting the day off right

Getting out of bed in the morning is one of the hardest things to do. Yet, the day doesn't begin until your feet hit the ground. There are three main ingredients to a successful morning. The worst thing to hapeen in the morning though is you oversleep and you're later to your daily agenda.

I recommend everyone to have an alarm clock but just not one but have two alarm clocks.

Beginning of High School

Fresh(wo)man year

Throughout my last 4 years, I lived the epitome of teenage years regardless what a few handful say, high school. What I have encountered though was not what I expected.

Coming from a junior high where only 10% of its students go on to attend my former high school was a difficult task at first. If I could make any recommendation at first, I would say join a sport and go to the summer camp. Granted it will take a portion of our beautiful summer lives but when you start school in the fall, you will have met new people or just become more comfortable with the ones you knew previously.

As society foretells, the first day of school is always the toughest. With the confusion of finding your classes and others trying to do the same, the first day can be stressful at some points. But it’s the feeling of not being in your own domain and knowing a sufficient amount of people that makes us feel uncomfortable. Walking to your first class and sitting down in empty seat is almost as nerve-racking as...