I'm the Richest Man on Earth

NOT! I am probably the furthest thing from the richest man on Earth, but during these economic times where everyone cringes at the thought of the stock market falling just a few more points and shudders at the thought of their retirement fund, I have been wondering, what does it feel like to be the richest man or Earth, or at least to rank in the top 10?
What does it feel like to be Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, the Rockefellers, or the Vanderbilts? Even Donald Trump will do. Just to live life for a day where money is not an issue and where my last name will reap benefits that no average person has ever amassed sounds good to me. That just seems absolutely delightful. I would like to walk into a room with a last name that will turn heads. Then again, do I really want everything to come so easily? A part of me says yes, but another part of me would want to work for what I earn.
So returning to my original point, how would it feel to not have to worry about money during these economic times? Bill Gates and Warren Buffet both have millions if not billions in their bank accounts and a net worth of more than I will ever make in my lifetime. In my head, I just don't see what you can do with all that money, but I know that they have both worked hard to build their wealth. Anywho, of course both men have not been immune to the recession, and Gates even faces the possibility of having layoffs at Microsoft. Yeah, his Microsoft stock may dip a bit, but when it all comes down to it at the end of the day, he still has millions in his bank account. Yes, I know that losing a few million dollars in the span of a few days is a lot, and is quite frankly enough to make my head spin, but I would just want to know how it feels to not have that worry about money.
It isn't that I feel bitter or jealous that they have more money than I do, even though they do, but it is that I wonder about their feeling of security. How does it feel to know that regardless of how the economy twists and turns, you will still be financially secure?
On another note, how good would it make you feel to know you are the richest man on the planet? As selfish as it might sound, I know that it would make me feel good.

An Era of Change

Today was the Inauguration of Barack Obama, and I have to say that today just feels so positive. Maybe it is because it is history in the making, maybe it is because he is the new president, but it just felt so different. Bush has been president for exactly 50% of my life, so I can't really remember anyone else as president. Even though I am not criticizing the last president, I am saying that there are a lot of problems out there, and America has a long recovery ahead of her, but it seems like, today, everyone was willing to come together and just celebrate. There was no economy, there was no war, there was no animosity. It was just a good feeling that America has not felt in a long time and I think it was long overdue.
The word hope and change seems like it has been overused in more ways that one, but I can't help but feel hopeful for some type of change. It seems like America is looking up for once in a long time, and I can't help but smile.

Where Has the Time Gone?

So today officially marks the first day of 2009. Time for new beginnings and new resolutions. It seems like every year everyone strives to make a fresh start and be a better person, and I am one of those people. However, I never seem to follow through on my resolutions. Oh well, at least I will have resolutions for 2010.
It is strange. It is 2009. Everytime I hear that, I feel so old. This year, we are turning 17, we are taking SATs, and next year, WE ARE GRADUATING. We always say to ourselves that we are still lightyears away from graduation, but that isn't true anymore. Soon we are all going to be going our separate ways for college. Doesn't that just sound so scary? It seems like 2008 just whized right by, and it still feels like 2008.
Is it me, or is time passing by very quickly?

Long Time No See.

I really can't remember that last time that I could sit down and not think about school or anything revolving about it. School is just consuming our lives so much right now that I think it is pure madness. It is insane. I remember hearing the older grades complain about how AP Bio was death, and they were not kidding. It is KILLER. This past week was crazy, and we haven't even begun to prepare for AP exam stuff yet. Just that one class consumes nearly my whole day.
On another note, November 4th is just around the corner. Maybe it was because I was a lot younger and didn't really understand politics, but I swear when I was younger, there was not as much hype as there is in this election. Then again, I thought the Olympics were like nothing 4 years ago. There seems to be so much going on in this election, and there is so much media attention on everything. The SNL parodies, huge celebrity endorsements, and the whole 'Rock the Vote' campaign. In a way, I personally think those celebrity endorsements for a certain candidate is a bad thing. Media has this way of swaying a crowd to do anything, and it doesn't really cause a person to think about who they are voting for and why. Some people would just vote for a person because their favorite celebrity is voting for them.
Also, there is the Prop 8 situation. I mean seriously, I never thought that America would have to come to this decision. I know that many people want gay rights legalized, but aren't they forgetting that America was built on Christian principles. Now they want to change the constitution and expand the definition of marriage? Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with wanting to protect your own rights. And I am not against suppressing the rights of gays/lesbians, but I think the fact that Prop 8 even has to be proposed is just wrong. Seriously, what has America come to? Like Mrs. Carlson said in class, I respect however they want to live and whatever they want to do, and they can have a domestic partnership that is recognized by the law, but it cannot be qualified as a "marriage". I think that is a sacred term that only applies to a man and woman, and it should definitely not be changed.
I am really afraid as to what is going to happen if Prop 8 is voted against. There seems to be so much media that says that saying yes on Prop 8 is wrong, and that influences so much of America. I am so afraid of the United States falling apart because we have proven ourselves to be very unstable right now. I think if people don't vote yes on Prop 8, it really will signify the beginning of the end for the United States. That may sound so dramatic, but if people vote no on Prop 8, who know what kind of laws they are going to want to change later on.

Time To Do It All Over Again.

So summer ended this week and school started. This summer I fretted about how terrible the school year was going to be and how it was going to be stressful, but it has surpassed my expectations so far. Seeing everyone back at school again and seeing friends between classes is what makes it truly feel like school again. The strange thing is that it feels like we never left school. It feels like we just went on Spring Break and are finally coming back to school. Maybe it is because this year, teachers do not spend the entire first week going into logistics and procedures, they just go over it briefly and dive right into learning. In a way, it is nice that we do not have to go through that dreaded first week of school feeling and making that terrible adjustment from summer to school. I am kinda excited to see what this school year will bring and what will happen, but I am also terrified to see what will come this year. All the standardized tests and maintaining good grades for college is just too overwhelming to think about.

Summer Work.

It really seems like this summer has gone by so fast. Usually, I get so bored during the summer and it feels so dreadfully long, but this year is quite the opposite. Maybe it is just the cooler weather that makes me feel like it is not as dreadfully long.
As summer draws closer to an end, I have been doing my summer work and it isn't quite so fun. It just reminds me more and more about next year and how not fun it is going to be. I honestly do not think that summer work and I get along so well. Ever since the first day that I started it, I have been encountering so many problems. When I wanted to do my Mandarin assignments, my internet just would not connect, then when I tried again later, I found that ants had completely invaded my computer area and I had to go take care of that. Then when I wanted to work on my English assignments, the computer would not let me open my columns. Then today, when I wanted to open my file that I had written, it would not let me because it was that the file was corrupt. Finally when I got it open and turned the printer on, the printer said that I was out of ink. I swear this is like a sign telling me that I should not be doing summer work and should just enjoy the rest of the summer, or I could just be encountering a long string of bad luck.

Those Days.

So recently, I have been home a lot, which means I am trying to find something to do that will entertain me. In the process, I started to look up old music videos that I haven't seen in ages. I got the idea when I saw a really old Boyz II Men and Mariah Carey video. It was from like when midriffs were really popular. Watching these old videos just brings back so many memories with the boys bands and just coming home everyday and watching CMC on TV. I wish music like that was still really popular because I find it so much more enjoyable than so of the music I hear today. Don't you ever wish you could just go back to those times?
These are just a couple that brings back so many memories:
Willa Ford - I Wanna Be Bad
Celine Dion - It's All Coming Back to Me Now
Britney Spears - Lucky