Breakeven

I haven't written on this thing in forever... 

It's quite sad. 

Well, I'm too tired to put up pictures or anything, but I got a new car... a black Toyota Yaris... which is exactly what I wanted! I had to go to a dealership with my dad and hassle with the hideous people that work there and I have decided that I will never go again. It is absolutely tiring and, all in all, a horrible experience.

 I got a job at the Gap! I really needed a summer job, so I'm ecstatic! I actually work tomorrow for, a whopping, three hours and that is all for this entire week. Hopefully, I get more hours next week. 

I graduate this Friday! 

I am going to attend 3 parties Saturday, which are all occurring at the same time... and it will be a great feat. 

Aisha, a foreign exchange student from Indonesia, is moving in with me Thursday, which is the day after tomorrow. I don't know how I feel about that exactly because now I feel obligated to take her with me everywhere and I don't really want to take her everywhere... but I love her, so I'll get over it. 

I really want to throw a graduation rave, but I doubt my parents... mainly my mom... will let me. Speaking of my mom, she is getting, more and more, on my nerves every second I am in her proximity. I want to party Friday night, but knowing my life, I will end up home and in bed early, not because my parents want me home, but because I have no crazy grad party to attend... screw this shit. I can't wait until college.

My mom promised me a senior trip to Europe, but that never happened. But a week ago, my sister asked if, for her birthday, she could go on a cruise to the Bahamas and we already have booked tickets for "the child that doesn't deserve anything" as my mom puts it, but somehow she always gets what she wants. I fucking worked my ass off to be the good child with straight A's and AP classes and tutoring and mentoring and symphonic band and mediating and marching band and soccer... and I don't even get to go to Europe when my dad, my mom, and my brother have all been this year... and my sister could have gone, but she didn't want to... I actually wanted to go and my parents told me I couldn't. It's about fucking time that things are going good for me. (I mean I've only been promised a new (used) car for the past 3 years)

yay for ranting

I know this is sounds super selfish because there are tons of starving and dying people in the world who don't have half as much as I do, but it's hard to not have these selfish tendencies after growing up in this privileged American society. One day, I will try and help people in need, but for now I want some justice because I have a hard time believing that my sister was a really good person in a past life and that she deserves to slack off in every aspect of her life and still get everything she wants. 

I hope graduation goes well because I'm tired, so good night. 

"people are electric"-

Mrs. Barnes, my AP English teacher, said this. She is so cute, in a completely in love with literature way and she's old and wise too.

I'm freaking out about AP exams next week! French, Macroeconomics, and English... ugh I have horrible senioritis. 

My life is too boring. I have no boys in my life. The most interesting thing that has happened to me in the past month is that I got the G1 phone which is amazing!

Speaking of technology... this is the coolest thing ever! A sixth human sense connected to the internet!?! It can take pictures, project a watch on your wrist to tell time, and project and play videos! It's amazing.

Mia Farrow is going on a 21-day hunger strike to bring attention to the atrocities in Darfur, reveals the Huffington Post. She starts April 27, she will drink only water. She says that neither her children nor doctors can talk her out of it. In preparation, she has loaded up on vitamins and gained weight because she does not want to die. This hunger-strike reminds me of Ghandi. Very commendable of her, but I doubt that it will help much because most of the people in my generation don't know who she is and people probably won't hear that much about her deed. 

My teacher for Comparative Religions and Middle Eastern Studies says that if we get rid of poverty we will get rid of terrorism. I agree with her, but not completely because people will always hate people and commit acts of terrorism if they hate enough. It is, on the other hand, very true that most people who join terrorist groups live in extreme poverty and they see no better future for themselves. When a group comes along and blames the problem on others and tells the young and poor that they can solve their problem, what can an uneducated person do, but join? It sounds like a better life to them. Like the Zapatistas in Mexico originate from the poorest state in Mexico. Young people make up most of the terrorist group too. In Yemen, which my teacher refers to as the "step-child of the Arabian Peninsula" because it has no oil, is very poor, and looked down upon, young people are recruited  to follow Bin Laden. 

Speaking of Yemen, Saudi Arabia has built a wall to keep the Yemenis out. Should sound familiar... kinda like the Berlin Wall, the wall between the U.S. and Mexico, the wall between North and South Korea, the wall between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, fence between Cyprus and the Turkish occupied territory, the fence in Northern Ireland, and the fence between Pakistan and India. That's a lot. 

pictures!

I bet none of you picture Egypt like this. Everyone thinks Egypt= pyramids; well, they have horrible poverty... i feel so bad for the kids growing up like this... 

These are Sikhs NOT Muslims. Stop being ignorant... they have been horribly prejudiced against after 9/11 because people think this is what Muslims look like. Sikhs had nothing to do with the Terrorist attacks. 

They are human and they look like they would be fun to talk to, so don't judge them. 

This is William the Hippo from Egypt. He is adorable and I want one!

-Karina

This has probably been a pretty sucky senior spring break. Almost everyone I know went somewhere... somewhere other than this boring place. I had a fun weekend, but come Tuesday, I was doomed to babysit from 7:30 to 5:30 for about how much a small child in Sri Lanka makes. I can't complain because they are like family, but what a way to relax: running around, cleaning up bodily fluids and toys, arguing with children, providing for their every beck and call. It was less than great. Plus, it's spring and in Georgia that means that no matter what color your car is it will be yellow for a couple of weeks. About 70% of people in Georgia are allergic to pollen, so these kids I was watching were coughing, sneezing, itching, and leaking from their noses. Fun huh? The first day I babysat, it was freaking cold; it snowed for 10 straight minutes. Unheard of in April in Georgia! The next day, the weather was perfect. I even tanned while the kids were napping. Today, we played on their playground, ate pizza, and drew all over their drive way with chalk. I do love chalk. 

Yay for Easter! It's probably my favorite holiday. I get to buy cute skirts and sandals just for Easter. And because my parents are from Romania, so are all of their friends and we make yummy traditional Romanian food. Then, there is an egg-hunt. I don't get to participate because I'm old now, but the parents feel guilty and give me a basket of candy and chalk. Yay chalk! Plus, and this is the best part, I get two Easters: a regular Easter and an Orthodox Easter. The fun starts this Sunday. 

Time for pretty pictures from around the world: 

first my hometown Timisoara, Romania 

the beautiful mountains of Uzbekistan... bet you never pictured them like that

the Maldives are beautiful

but there is poverty and these poor people's homes and land may soon be covered up by the ocean because of global warming

Music of my week:

anything by Hed PE (disclaimer: very dirty) 

Cooler Than Me- Mike Posner

22- Lily Allen

Blue Jean- Jessie James

Mi'Ma'amakim- the Idan Raichel Project

Come Away With Me- Norah Jones

I'm in Miami Bitch- LMFAO (and I now have a matching t-shirt)

Now for my first follower: I love Jennifer! She's awesome... and she won't read this, but I have to write about her... Jennifer Jennifer Jennifer Jennifer and I can't think of anything that rhymes with Jennifer so there is no catchy tune... oh and I love Rachel too. 

First, I am going to tell you about my prom. It was a night I will never forget. For the most part, everyone in my group was on time. We ate at a wonderful restaurant with delicious food and great service. I had fun dancing at prom, even though me and my friend had to avoid getting asked to dance by creepy guys. Everything went smoothly until prom ended and we needed to leave. Two minutes before prom ended, our administrator announced that the city police was doing a surprise inspection of limo driver's paperwork and that they had already arrested 5 drivers and impounded their limos. At first. I called my driver and he assured me everything was all right, but 3 hours later he was in the slammer and my mom had to come and pick us up. Despite everything that happened, I loved every minute of prom from beginning to end. After prom could have been better, but oh well. Here are some pictures:

 

I am a procrastinator. So one of the things I enjoy doing while I'm avoiding doing actual work is going to google images and looking up different places in the world. It's fascinating how much you can learn about a country/city just from pictures. I look at the people. the pollution, the clothes, the level of poverty, the architecture, and so much more. I love looking at pictures of people and places in Uzbekistan, India, Afghanistan, Peru, Mongolia, Bhutan, and Turkey. I will look at many different countries around the world. It's so interesting! Recently, I looked up Kayser, Turkey and the area around it known as Cappadocia.

 

I have spring break a week from this coming monday! Yay! I can't wait... I want pretty spring clothes. I want pretty skirts, playful dresses, comfortable, yet, cute sandals, and pastel cardigans. But, sadly, I have yet to find any cute dresses, skirts, or cardigans to fall in love with. I may have to make a trip to the thrift store. Maybe, I will be more successful in my search there. 

Soon after spring break, Senior Skip Day will be coming! I want to go to six flags. I love roller coasters and during a school day, if they are open, there will be no lines and I can ride Goliath 15 times in a row, if I please. Ahh... glee. 

On to more serious matters, this week one of my friends was a witness in a rape case. She was a witness for the defendant, who I do not personally know, but I do know some of his friends and his sister, plus I he went to the same school as I do, but he graduated when I was in tenth grade. He is not a bad person. He would not rape anyone, ever. The girl claiming that he raped her also went to my school and was a very promiscuous girl. She had a crush on this guy and invited him over to her house when her parents were not home. They then proceeded to make out and eventually have sex. The next day, at school, the girl goes around bragging to all of her friends that she had sex with this guy and giving everyone details about it. This was at the age of 16; three years later, her parents discover that she is sexually active and she proceeds to make up a story that it is because she was raped and now needs the attention of men all the time. This goes to court in a conservative Christian area and even though he had 4 witnesses say that she the sex was consensual and that she was bragging about it at school, he is sentenced to 35 years in prison. The jury and judge are insane. There is no way this would happen in a state-level court. There was no evidence against the defendant. When he appeals, and hopefully the charges are revoked, people are not going to take real rape victims seriously. Some girls blow my mind. How can they completely ruin someone's life like that. And not only did they ruin his life, but, when the truth comes out, rape victims are going to have a hard time getting the help they need. This makes me so angry! 

Speaking of rape, there are many women around the world suffering because rape is being used as a military tactic. Women in Darfur are being senselessly raped and mutilated. It is horrible. They are so strong. They do not have half as much help as rape victims do in other places around the world, yet somehow they find a way to still help other girls and live on and work hard. What happens to them scars them for life. Their tribe no longer respects these women who did not voluntarily have sex with five different men, but they were raped. They were forced and hurt and it is horrible how much they are suffering. They need help, so please people call your governors, your senators, your representatives, and send mail to your president asking them to help the people in Darfur. People said never again, but there are 450,000 people dead in Darfur and 2.5 million people are displaced because of the genocide going on in Darfur, Sudan. There is a wonderful site, savedarfur.org. It has a video that you can download and watch for free. It is heart-tearing to hear these women talk about the situations they've been through, but it gives you lots of information on what is really happening.

 

-keep your hearts and minds open

First of all, my senior prom is this Saturday! Ah! I'm freaking out. I'm thinking prom is built up to sound like its amazing, but I don't think its going to be like anything I expect. I just hope everything goes smoothly. Wish me luck. 

I hate it when AIM News recommends music videos to watch because, silly me, I go and watch them. Recently, they recommended "Bottle Pop" by the Pussycat Dolls. So, I go and watch it and it was 3 minutes of my life wasted. The only thing I had to say after that video was "wtf?" But, I'm not bashing on the Pussycat Dolls, just that song and video. 

On a lighter note, everyone should go to hairforecast.com. It's awesome. It rates what kind of hair day you are going to have on a scale from 1 to 10; 1 being the the worst and 10 being the best. It gets better though, everyday you visit they will make a donation to Blood: Water Mission for the 1000 Wells Project. Every time you visit the site you are providing an African with one full day's worth of water. So make it a part of your daily routine and help people in need. 

Next, who loves the old Nickelodeon cartoons? Well, I do. And luckily there is a site where you can watch shows like Doug, Rugrats, Hey Arnold, and the Monsters for FREE! The site also offers other "channels" like sports and movies. So check it out... justintv.com

Go look at cute people in Copenhagen.

Ah! I'm such an economics nerd. I was walking through Little Five Points and saw a graffiti portrait of Noam Chomsky, an awesome economist. I had to take a picture of it.

 

-good day

What is with young women today? And I say women instead of girls because by the time we are in high school most of us look like women. Every health class since 6th grade urges teenagers to remain abstinent until marriage or practice safe sex. So why don't they? Of course there are always people that do, but recently I have been hearing about pregnancy scares nonstop. Personally, I am not against sex before marriage,but I do have standards. First of all, don't have sex unless you're ready and you love and trust this person. Second of all, practice safe sex. Make him wear a condom. If he cares for you, he won't mind. And there are ways of obtaining birth control (planned parenthood). If taking a pill everyday can keep you from getting pregnant, giving birth, and raising a child as a teenager, why wouldn't you take a small pill? 

On a lighter note, I recently went thrifting, one of my favorite activities for the simple reason that I can get a whole outfit for under $5. I purchased a cute, vintage Leslie Fay floral skirt. It looked adorable in the store but as soon as I tried it on it was too long. But I couldn't let this steal go to waste... so I turned it into a dress! I wore it with black leggings, a belt to cinch the waist, and ballet flats. Here are some pictures.

 

For spring, I want to find outfits that look simple and classy, but I also want the to be pastel colored clothes. I, recently, saw the perfect outfit that embodies my desire in a Teen Vogue magazine.

I also repainted my nails this week. New design and color scheme. I must say, I prefer doing my own nails to getting a manicure from a nail salon. I don't have to pay extra for cute designs and I don't have to deal with all of the subconscious critiquing of their work because no matter what, I can never be fully satisfied; there is always at least one thing wrong.

This week I've been listening to:

3OH!3

don't trust me 

richman

starstruck

Arctic Monkeys

i bet you look good on the dance floor

dancing shoes(i even made a music video to this song)

Lily Allen's new cd

fuck you very much

everyone's at it

Speaking of Lily Allen, I got tickets for her concert! I can't wait to go... they only cost me $25. I recommend checking to see if she's coming to your city and then buy tickets QUICK. 

-karina

"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around." -Leo F. Buscaglia Today I was complimented twice every hour and it made me feel marvelous. People thought that the feather headband I was wearing was adorable. Urban Outfitters happens to sell feather headbands like the one I was wearing. I made my feather headband from simple craft supplies, which all together cost about $10, because I refused to pay $24 for Urban Outfitters' version. I, personally, like my version better.  Isn't it strange how easily compliments make our day better?  I love music. Who doesn't? Today I've been listening to Sia and Sigur Ros non-stop. Sigur Ros'  songs are Icelandic and I can't understand them, but their music is very soothing. Sia is also calming. My favorite song is Little Black Sandals, which is currently on repeat.  Another thing I've been doing lately is playing the Super Obama World game. It is perfect for procrastinators like me! Here is the address if anyone decides to try it out: http://superobamaworld.com/      WARNING: this game is extremely addictive.  I have recently discovered the art of nail designs. I call it art because it is an expression of style, mood, and it takes skill. First, I painted my nails with leopard print with a brown base and gold and black spots. Now, I have moved on to lightning bolts. Every time I look down at my hands I smile. There is just something about having my own bright creation on my fingernails that brings a smile to my face.  There is a nice video with some guy going to different countries and doing some silly dance, but I think it's cool to see all of the different people and the places he chooses to record himself. He is sponsored by Stride, the gum company. They pay for him to go around the world and record himself dancing. Here's the link for the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlfKdbWwruY        I wish I had this guy's job. It would be amazing to travel around the world and dance with different groups of people.