One Final Post

    So here we are, one final post left. This will be the last piece of writing of my high school career, so I am pretty excited. It's getting pretty late as I begin to write this, but I want to finish. It's not that I'm in a hurry and I just want to rush and get it over with, but I want to have a clean slate for my last day of high school. No outstanding assignments and nothing weighing on my mind.

     Tonight I attended the senior awards night. Luckily it was not as long as I thought it would be. I was very surprised that Mr. Bakr and everybody else were able to maintain the brisk pace. Although there were many awards to be given out, most of the speeches and introductions were relatively fast. I was fortunate to receive an award, but I couldn't help noticing that many of the awards had vague and broad criteria. For example, there definitely was not one person in the entire school that demonstrated character or what not. I guess what I'm trying to say is that senior awards are nice, but they certainly aren't all that.

     All in all, I'm really excited about leaving Reading Memorial High School. Don't get me wrong, I've had a great time. I don’t have any deeply rooted hatred against the school or anything like that. But I am definitely ready for the next part of my life.

The Office

     Earlier today I finished watching The Office. For eight long years from 2005 to 2013, the American comedy TV series was a classic hit. I was able to watch all 9 seasons, 201 episodes in the past 3 weeks. I had never binged watched a show before, but I've had a decent amount of time these past weeks and I figured why not. I don't really know why I chose The Office;  but after finishing of the series, I am very glad that I did. For years I have heard people talking about the show, and how hilarious it is. My expectations were high, but even they were blown out of the water. Every character was incredible comical in their own unique way and there were endless one liners and funny moments.

     But what amazed me the most was how genuinely real the show itself felt. Sure the writing and the characters were amazing, but it all came off so natural and effortless. Of course, looking back on it, that really is the whole idea of this show in the first place. Just your average, everyday business office with average, everyday people. But what the show really proved is another essential truth; all of those ordinary people, in their own unique way, are special.

     The last few episodes, and especially the finale, were really fantastic. With many shows, the grand finales don't live up to the expectations. Any show that has been on for 9 years is no doubt, hard to end. But The Office did a really great job and reminded us how much we really cared about all these people. As the whole show is the filming of a documentary, the finale was set a year after the documentary had aired as sort of a "where are they now" type of thing. The timing also coincided with the wedding of two of the characters which gave all the characters from the show an opportunity to get back together. The finale definitely had an emotional nostalgia feel as characters who had been missing for seasons made heartwarming returns.  Even I will admit that I was feeling a little sad as the characters said their final goodbyes and parted ways. Which is crazy because I have only known them for a couple of weeks! I can only imagine how emotion that finale would have been if I had invested 9 years of my life in that show.

     The finale ended in dramatic fashion with one of the characters addressing the central theme of the show itself. As everyone starts to get up and leave the office, Pam says "There is a lot of beauty in ordinary things. Isn't that kind of the point?". Yes. Yes it is.

Leicester City and the Impossible Dream

     Although many people on this side of the pond don't know it, this week the world witnessed one of the greatest sporting feats in the history of sports. I know what you're thinking: that's an exaggeration. IT'S NOT. Earlier this week Leicester City Football Club clinched the Premier League.

     Everybody loves an underdog story. This is the underdog story of all underdog stories. This time last year, Leicester City were bottom of the league and nearly a sure bet for relegation. (In European Soccer, the bottom three teams from the top league get relegated to the second division. Top three teams from the second division get promoted up). Everybody wrote Leicester off. They had dug themselves too deep and it was too late in the season to save themselves. Miraculously, they avoided relegation by winning 7 of their last 9 games!

     Despite staying in the Premier League, pundits had little to no confidence in Leicester at the beginning of this season. They were one of the favorites to be relegated again, and it was widely thought that their new manager, Claudio Ranieri, would be the first to be sacked. The foxes stood up to the critics and started of the season at a blistering pace. They played quick and exciting counter-attacking football which saw them hold their place at the top of the table through the first month of the season. It is not uncommon for a surprise team to get off to a good start, but it never lasts. At some point they begin to fall off as teams figure them out. So why should Leicester City be any different? It seemed every week, the media would say "this is the week Leicester will fall". But they never did.

     Even a few weeks ago, some people still doubted that Leicester had what it took to see it out till the end. Finally on Monday, when the second place team could not mathematically catch them, there was nothing in Leicester's way to make history.

     As it is with every other aspect of life, money, unfortunately, runs football. The biggest difference when you compare European football to American sports, is the immense gap between the top and bottom teams. Top Premier League team such as Manchester United and Arsenal have net worths of $1.6 - $2 BILLION. That's more than 10 times the value of Leicester. The top clubs have the money, which should buy them the best players, which should win them the titles. And in European football, that is usually what happens. That is what makes Leicester's incredible run even more improbable.

    There is no reason this should happen. At the beginning of the season, the book makers had Leicester at 5000-1 odds to win the league. 5000-1 is essentially impossible; to give you some context, the odds of Kim Kardashian running for president in 2020 are 2000-1! So in addition to making some loyal Leicester fans very rich this year, LCFC reminded all of us what football really means. Especially now, the footballing world so often gets lost in transfer fees, merchandising deals, and money laundering scandals. Leicester reminded us that team work, dedication, and passion can still trump all those superficial aspects of the beautiful game.   

Assassin

     This week saw the start of Senior Assassin at Reading Memorial High School. I was very happy when I heard we would be playing it this year. I have heard countless exciting stories from my older cousins who had played it in their towns in the past. Basically how it works is everyone playing is assigned a target that they must "assassinate" with water. Any assassinated player is out, and their target is assigned to the person that shot them. Eventually our pool of 191 players will be whittled down to two. In the end, there should be one winner. So after four days of intense competition, here are some observations.

     First, I have realized this week that being a stalker in the 21st century is unsettlingly easy. All it took was a few Google searches and I had my target's address. Now stick the address in street view and you have a pretty solid idea of what the target's house and neighborhood looks like. You can even pick out the bushes that might be good to hide in. As you're reading this, you're probably having the same feelings I was having while I was doing it: this is not ok. Don't worry, I know. But this is really the only time in our my life where being a stalker won't be incredibly illegal, so I might as well embrace it!

     The other funny thing I've noticed is the increased level of paranoia around the game. While some people claim to have made "alliances", we all know it's every man for himself. Everybody is incredibly suspicious and very hesitant to trust anything anybody says. I feel like this game has a strange way of bringing the class together as a whole, while at the same time, destroying friend groups. The past few mornings I have run from my house to my car with water gun in hand. Every time I hear a noise outside I immediately stop whatever I am doing and check it out. It's certainly deafcon 1 around my house and it will be interesting to see how the game progresses.   

More Crazy Gym Games

     Last week in gym we played broomball, a crazy combination of roller skating and hockey. This week we stepped it up by playing basketball on roller skates, with the added physicality of hockey. Once again this "sport" combines two things that I'm not particularly good at, skating and basketballing. While hockey isn't much different with roller skates, basketball definitely is. You wouldn't think it makes that much of a difference, but it completely chances the game. Everything associated with shooting is completely off. Many times I made shots without being at a perfect stand-still, and as a result, the trajectory of  my shot was way off. Even a simple layup becomes difficult when you have the added velocity of the skates. Defending is also nearly impossible considering I am unable to skate backwards. When the attacker gets by me with the ball, I can't generate any momentum going backwards so they are able to blow by me every time. And then we get to the physicality. Nobody on either team, with the exception of one or two, are really good at skating at all. I, like most of the people playing, am can skate decently fast in one direction. So this becomes a problem when nobody can quickly change directions. We've had a few big collisions over the past few days but I don’t think anyone has been seriously injured.

     I must say that I am really impressed that the gym teachers have let this go on. I've always thought of them as uptight and very strict when it comes to fooling around and being aggressive. Even last year my friends and I lost the privilege to play basketball because we were "disrespecting the sport". But I'm glad to say that I think the gym teacher have finally lightened up and are letting us just have fun. 

Broomball

     Ever thought something was going to be completely stupid and boring, but turned out to be incredibly fun? That has been my experience with broomball. I first played broomball last year in gym, and I’ll admit, I wasn’t overly excited when I first heard we would be playing it. At least for me, the name “broomball” didn’t really catch my excitement. But it was one of those things where as soon as you start playing it, you can really have a fun time. It’s especially fun when everybody playing can’t skate or play hockey, because those are fundamentally the two components of the game. I have always considered myself a decent skater- in one direction! My ability to stop and turn quickly has never been my strongest aspects to the game. But that’s ok because everybody’s in the same boat.

     Today in gym we again tossed on the skates and many protective pads, and played a very physical game of broomball. There was aggressive checking, blocking, and even a few punches were thrown. I don’t think anyone was seriously hurt. Although I did notice after the game had ended that my helmet had a pretty sizable gash through the center. But that’s what it’s there for I guess. Anyway, broomball is a lot of fun.

Trying to Become a Sailing Instructor

                Earlier today I learned that I will, officially, be teaching sailing again this summer. Although many people here in Reading do not sail, sailing has been a part of my life for a very long time. My dad's family grew up sailing in Scituate, Ma; and in carrying on the tradition, our family spends most of our summers in Scituate as well. We are surrounded by family of all kinds: cousins, second cousins, distant relatives who I didn't even know were part of the family. And we do a lot of sailing. I am lucky enough to get to teach sailing at the same place I learned myself, the Satuit Boat Club.

                That's all great and I'm very much looking forward to another great summer on the water. The only difference this year is that they are expecting all the instructors to be certified level 1 coaches. This is the first time I have had to deal with accreditation, and it is not fun. I've heard from others how painful it is to work with these big accrediting organizations, not just for sailing but other things as well. Using the website has been a hassle and I'm beginning to think that this might be a scam. In order to sign up for the class itself, I have to be a member of US Sailing. Not just a teen member, but a fully paying adult membership. Also, another boating safety course must be taken prior to this course. So now I get to sign up for 2 classes. Although its frustrating right now, I hope that by the time its over I will have become a better sailing instructor.

Let the Madness Begin

                 The NCAA Tournament started just this afternoon, and I can already see my bracket crumbling before my eyes. There have already been several first round upsets that I, along with 99% of the people in America, did not see coming. I don’t know why I'm even surprised because this happens every year. Upsets always happen. Although I do not really follow college basketball whatsoever, I am always disappointed with how my bracket turns out. And since I really don’t follow the whole season that much, I, like many others, rely heavily on statistics. ESPN provides its users with an abundance of statistics and comparisons to help people make informed decisions while filling out their brackets. I often make choices that statistically make sense, only to see the team I chose suffer a crushing upset. And I know I'm not the only one this has happened to. But what I've come to realize, it's not our fault!

                It's important to remember that this is not the pros. They're all inconsistent college kids, obviously things are going to go wrong. Looking at many of the upsets just today, Little-Rock over Perdue for example, there is no reason they should've won that game. While looking over the comparison of the two teams a few days ago, Perdue were better in every statistical category: BPI Rank, points per game, points against per game, field goal%, free throw%, etc. But that’s why you play the game. If we relied on stats we wouldn't even have a tournament in the first place. Upsets and unexpected moments are what make March Madness, and all of sports for that matter, exciting to watch.  

From Virtual Games to Real World Passions

     Video games are often criticized for trapping kids. They trap their users in these fantasy  worlds and simulations, therefore limiting our interactions with the real, physical world. These allocations are not completely wrong, as many people do become overly obsessed with video games. However if it weren't for video games, I would not have discovered my interest for Liverpool Football Club.

      Although I had played soccer all my life, I didn't truly follow it until four years ago. I would go to the occasional Revs game at Gillette, but my extensive knowledge  of real, European football pretty much boiled down to a handful of the mega clubs and two players named Messi and Ronaldo. This all changed when I got an Xbox for Christmas four years ago. The first game I got was FIFA. As soon as I got it, I started a career mode and had to choose a team.  I don’t remember exactly why I chose Liverpool in the first place, I didn't know a single player on the team. However it happened, Liverpool was my team and together we made a rather impressive career.

      I didn't start following the real life team until the start of the next season. It was fun to watch all the players that I had played as in the video game, but now in real life. Luckily for me, Liverpool were having an incredible season that year. They were scoring a ton of goals and were firmly cemented in the title race. Everybody in England was wrapped up in the excitement and I suppose I got wrapped up in it as well. It was going to be the first Premier League title for Liverpool in their history(They started calling it the Premier League in 1992) and I definitely got caught in the excitement. They were top of the league with three games to go, but a crushing loss to Chelsea and a draw against Crystal Palace saw the title slip through Liverpool's fingers. Although I had only known about Liverpool's existence for about a year and half, I had the same gut wrenching feeling that every lifelong Liverpool fan that spring. Although it sucked to see Liverpool loose the title, I didn't just hop off the bandwagon and jump on next year's contenders. This is due largely impart to my successful career on FIFA. While the real Liverpool were fighting for the title, I had turned my virtual team into the best club in all off Europe. I wanted to see the same thing happen to the real life team.

     So 3-4 years have gone by, and I'm still waiting for that "best club in Europe" thing to finally come true. It hasn't been the best couple years for the club by any stretch. But things are looking up. It’s crazy to think that 4 years ago Liverpool were not a part of my life. I watch as many games of theirs that I possibly can, and a day doesn't go by where I don’t read about them, or soccer in general, online. It's funny to think that this obsessive passion started on FIFA. I wonder what would have happened if hadn't picked them to start my video game career.       

a Haiku

I was sick last week
I forgot to make a post
Even worth it now?

An Interesting Winter

      So it's been an interesting winter. Interesting meaning it hasn't really happened. We've had a couple of cold days here and there, and the occasional snow storm. The strangest thing about this winter is that none of it seems to last. When I left for New Hampshire before vacation, it actually looked like winter; the slush and snow banks on the road and white pretty much everywhere. When I came back  earlier this week, I was floored. It's essentially the end of March. No snow and well above freezing. And today I saw something that I have honestly never seen, shorts in February.

      While it is nice that I haven't had to endure as much of winter's typical hardships as usual, cleaning snow of the car, shoveling, etc,  I can honestly say that I was hoping for better. I know that many people absolutely loath the season and I'm sure they are completely content with this abnormal weather. However, I miss winter.

      Powder days are without a doubt the best days of the year for skiing. Sure training on pristine hard corduroy is nice, but it doesn't compare to a day of tree skiing and bush whacking with 10 inches of fresh powder. We have had ZERO powder days this winter. Last week I wishfully ventured into the woods after a dropping of a couple inches. Long story short, while it was nice to go into  the woods just to say I did it this winter, I hit a lot of rocks. I love and miss everything about what makes winter the season it is. 

What Skiing Means to Me

     Last week, I read a blog where the person wrote about an activity they really enjoyed: skiing. This inspired me to profess my own love for the sport. So here it goes.

     I would say that my experiences with skiing are much different from those of  a typical kid here at RMHS. For many, skiing is a fun hobby that usually happens once or twice a winter. For me, it is a sport and a lifestyle. I started skiing when I was 2 and a half, and I basically haven't stopped. My family drives up to North Conway, NH every weekend in  the winter, two and a half hours each way. I would ski every Saturday and Sunday in an organized group with an instructor;  and since 5th grade, I have been involved in ski racing.

     So what does ski racing entail? a lot. First off, you wake up early. On a good day, I sleep in until 7am. Sometimes on race days, I get to wake up as early as 4:30am to drive to mountains all over NH. Most days go from 8-3, where I run practice courses set up by our coaches. There have been days where I have only skied one trail the entire day! At the end of most days my feet ache, my back hurts, and I usually have bruises from hitting gates. You're probably thinking right now why do I even do this?

     Well for one, I like it. I really like it. I love skiing and I have come to love racing and training. It has become such a big part of my life that I couldn't imagine my winters without it. Of course, this lifestyle requires sacrifices. I rarely spend winter weekends or vacations down in Reading. This means that I'm away from friends and basically life in Reading for most of the winter. But luckily I have developed a second life in NH and have made many close friends from skiing.

     Now although I do train an exorbitant number of hours each weekend, I know that I'm not making it to the Olympics or anything. But I realized something while I was free skiing with some cousins at Loon Mountain last weekend. I may be an average racer, but I am still a fantastic skier. And over the years of hard work, I have developed the technique and skill that gives me the confidence to ski anywhere and everywhere in the world. This may be my last year in the racing program, but I know I have a lot of skiing left to do. 

Football Psychology

     So this week saw the end to the Patriot’s season. I know for a fact that I am not the only one around here who’s pissed off. This was supposed to the year; after everything that happened to the Patriots organization, and especially Tom Brady, in the past 12 months, the time was absolutely perfect to show up the NFL and win the fifth ring. This year more than ever it felt like us against the world, the timing felt right. Unfortunately, that is not going to happen. I won’t say much about the game itself, but I will say I think even myself and a few friends could’ve gotten to Tom Brady with the horrific performance we witnessed from the offensive line. Anyways, like always, the people on Boston sports radio stations had plenty to talk about this week. There are always conflicting opinions and a few crazy caller who present some hilariously ridiculous theories and ideas. But I have never heard a caller being called out on using defense mechanisms-until this week.

      I think it was Tuesday, some random Boston sports fan called in to add his two cents. While most people let all their anger out on the phone and scream about how the refs were unfair and that the NFL will never let the Patriots win again, this man was rather composed. He said that initially he was incredibly upset over the loss. But now that it’s over, he realizes it’s ok we lost because the Panthers would have killed us, just like they are going to destroy the Broncos in two weeks’ time. And without missing a beat, the host on the show called out his use of the defense mechanism of rationalization. I was stunned. He specifically said “defense mechanism” and “rationalization”. It was very unexpected and I was certainly impressed.

     Defense mechanisms are used to cope with subconscious trauma or conflict, and any time the Patriots loose is definitely a traumatic event. Everybody deals with it in their own way, but in the spirit of good ol’ Bill Belichick, we’re on to next season!! 

A Ridiculous Lottery Meme (and How People Will Blindly Follow "Good" Ideas)

           This week we witnessed the drawing of the largest Powerball jackpot in United States history.  In total, 635 million tickets were sold in the hopes of taking home the $1.58 BILLION jackpot. I am sure that I was not the only one who spent this week wishfully dreaming of the infinite ways all that money could be spent. We can get so caught up in our rich fantasies that we often forget that the odds of winning, 1 in 292,000,000, are ridiculously improbable. Just for a comparison, you are more likely to died from a vending machine accident(1 in 112 million). Nevertheless, we are still allowed to dream; and that is what makes the lottery so successful. It's always fun to think of what it would be like to instantly win big. And in this technological age we live in today, many took to social media with their thoughts on the lottery. Amongst the several annoying "I will split my winnings with everyone who shares this picture" posts, this picture appeared in my newsfeed:

                Now at first glance this may seem like a genuine idea to solve the very serious issue of poverty in the country. The lottery is a lot of money and it could be used in better ways. I get that. Unfortunately I have a big problem with this post. IT IS COMPLETELY WRONG!!!

               

                First off, the math itself is actually incorrect! $1.2 billion divided by 300,000,000 Americans is not $4.33 million per person. As a matter of fact, it is only $4.33; just a slight difference. Giving everyone in America 4 bucks would be nice, but it is not the same as $4,000,000! How much would it cost to actually give everybody $4 million? $1,200,000,000,000,000! (that’s $1.2 quadrillion by the way.) So yeah, just a little different.

                Additionally, if ridiculously incorrect math isn't enough to discredit this post, giving everybody $4 million would not solve poverty to the extent that many people think it would. Sure everybody would be $4 million richer, but costs of goods would also increase to adjust to the economic status of the country. While it might make a slight difference, it would not signify the end of poverty forever.

                This post was shared all over Facebook and other social media sites. Some of its popularity was the result of the glaring mathematical error, but there were also many people who shared it to express their support for this idea. For me, this was an example of how many people can be so blind when it comes to supporting a good cause. There are many people in America that read that, saw "$4.33 million per person" and "poverty solved!", and instantly supported it and share it with the #ShareThis. Solving poverty is without a doubt a serious issue, but it becomes a problem when people start supporting outrageous ideas without understanding the details and costs behind them. It is socially accepted that equality and helping others is the right thing to do. Not a bad thing either. However, this leads many uninformed people to blindly follow ideas and plans simply to support "the right thing to do". A theoretical idea that supports these socially accepted values will gain great amounts of support. Unfortunately, not every supporter of this amazing plan will take the time to actually understand the details and costs of the idea. The idea might not necessarily be a horrible one, and it probably supports an important issue. But just like with the wonderful lottery idea, giving everybody what they want might actually cost a lot more than people tell you.  

The Prospectivism of Good and Bad

                I suppose it is an idea that has always been in the back of my head, but something I didn't really think about until today: Early American freedom fighters like the Sons of Liberty were actually just terrorists. Of course that's not the way we were taught it. I still remember learning about the American Revolution as a young third grader. We were always told that the early American leaders were brave heroes that stood up to the tyranny of the British Empire. The only reason we are taught with this bias is because we actually won. But consider how the American Revolution would've been perceived if we had lost. America would most likely still be under the control of the British; and us, as young English citizens, would probably learn how the Revolution was merely a rag-tag group of terrorists that attempted to oppose the peace and order of the Empire. Events like the Boston Tea Party would not be regarded as acts of heroism, but instead as petty acts of terrorism.

                It was our exploration of Irish history in English class that inspired this provoking thought. During the Irish War of Independence, the IRA were considered a terrorist group that used guerilla warfare to defeat the British. The only other time I had heard the term "guerilla warfare" was during our studying of the American Revolution. Just like the IRA, the Sons of Liberty and other early American "heroes" were nothing more than terrorists in the eyes of the British. It is such as strange concept to grasp because we, as Americans, have always thought of ourselves as "the good guys". But if you were French, Spanish, Russian, or especially British at the time of the American Revolution, you probably would've seen the American Colonists as "the bad guys". 

                So while writing this, I have been quietly applying this idea to Star Wars. I am a huge Star Wars fan (I've seen the new movie twice already), and I'm sure there are many of you reading this are fans too. What's not to love? Though the prequels were not great, the 3 originals are classics. The heroic adventures of the brave rebel alliance and Luke Skywalker against the oppressive Galactic Empire, right? However when you think about it, we only see it that way because the bias of the movie is told through our rebel "heroes".  You have to remember that the majority of people in the galaxy are part of the Empire. Even if they disagree with, or are possibly ignorant to, the dark ways in which the Empire works, you can't argue that the Empire doesn't bring order and structure to the galaxy. So take yourself out of the plot of the movies and just be part of the universe; chances are, you are impartial to, or even support the Empire(like 99% of everyone in the galaxy). Now if you think from that perspective, the rebel alliance is nothing more than a terrorist organization that seeks to destroy your accepted way of life! For the majority of the galaxy, the destruction of the death star was seen as a horrific act of terrorism, much like 9/11, not the heroic event that was portrayed in the movie. Sorry if this has ruined Star Wars a little.

                The overarching idea of these three examples- who we see as "good guys" and who we see as "bad guys", whether in real life or the movies, is all a matter of perspective and the bias of the side your see it from.