What part does happiness play in our lives?

I think that our whole lives center around happiness. Everyone chooses to do things that will make them happy, or at least give them a sense of accomplishment. Not everything a person does in life makes them happy. Sometimes we have to endure unpleasant situations, but we usually endure these situations because they are a necessary step that we must take in order to reach our final goals. These final goals will, almost always be something that we will be happy to achieve. I can’t really imagine anyone striving to achieve a goal that will make them unhappy.
I also think that there really isn’t very much of a point in living a life where there is little or no chance of being happy. This is not to say that, that life won’t be valuable. That person may contribute something great to the world, but I would imagine that if what they were doing, brought them no happiness, they would not have any sense of personal satisfaction. It is hard to write about what other people may feel in a situation, but for me life is about obtaining as much happiness as you can, and sharing joy with others.
As I have mentioned, not everything in life contributes to our happiness. I also think that sadness is an important emotion. Sadness can help someone to grow as a person. It can help them to see what it is like to be in the shoes of those who are less fortunate than them, and help them to appreciate what they have. Therefore even some happiness can come out of sadness. I really cannot imagine what it would be like to live in a world where happiness was not an emotion. So many jobs and products are created with the intent of making the public happy. I think that music is a good example of something that is created to entertain the public. What would life be like without music?! It is true what they say; life would be senseless without music. In conclusion, I think we could take that one step further and say that life would be senseless without happiness.

Italy

The summer of freshman year I went on a tour of Italy with my mother. The tour was going to start a few days after my birthday so we flew to Barcelona a few days before the actual tour started, to celebrate. There I had the opportunity to visit some of the buildings of my favorite architect, Antoni Gaudi. I went to La Sagrada Familia, and Casa Batllo. On my birthday my mother took me to a flamenco show and we sat in the front row. During the show one of the performers blew me a kiss and I got it on film. She was really sweet, and had the strongest singing voice I’ve ever heard.
Some of the places we went to in Italy were Rome, The Amalfi Coast, Pompeii, Florence, and Venice. Florence was beautiful, and if I were going to live anywhere it would be there, but Venice beat them all. I have never been anywhere as beautiful as Venice. It was the most amazing place and I never wanted to leave. Being there felt like walking around in a painting. One thing that I found hilarious was that in every restaurant that I went to in Venice they were playing the soundtrack from Grease!
When we were in Florence one night my mother and I strayed away from our tour group and got lost. I remember actually being scared. We walked past this Laundromat and asked somebody if they knew how to get back to the Hotel Cavour, and miracle of miracles it was an American couple who actually knew where we were going!
I must say that my favorite place I visited that was not in Florence or Venice was The Vatican. The Vatican actually did not have a holy feel at all, but it was spectacular. I actually got to walk through the place where every pope was buried! That was really creepy in an awesome way. My favorite place in the Vatican, and maybe in all of Italy, was the Sistine Chapel. It is such a shame that they won’t let you take pictures but it is completely understandable. Now, the Sistine Chapel did feel holy. That was truly an experience I will NEVER forget. Actually, the whole trip was an experience I will never forget. It was the best 15th birthday present EVER!

What Helps me to Relax

I must say that I am obsessed with two shows that are off the air. They are Friends and Gilmore Girls. I own every season of both shows. I feel that Gilmore Girls holds all of the answers to life. I can identify so closely with the main character, Rory Gilmore, that it is spooky. It seems like whenever I put on any random episode, it is the episode where they are dealing with the same situation that I am dealing with in my own life. They are pretty common situations, like stressing out over homework, or figuring out what college is right for you. Even so, it is still nice to have something to calm me down and help me see that the problem I am having is not the end of the world, even though it may feel like it is at that moment. I can be quite dramatic sometimes.
Friends on the other hand is genius. It is my perfect stress reliever. This show is just so silly and fun, that it can always make me feel better. Sometimes you really need to just watch something funny to take your mind off of your responsibilities. The episodes are also the perfect length. They are about 25 minutes an episode so you don’t waste your whole day away watching TV.
I think that everybody has to have some sort of stress reliever; something that they can turn too when they feel overwhelmed. For me it is these two shows and of course music. Sade is always very calming. I also must say that I love Taylor Swift. She is so great and her songs are so catchy and adorable.

Youtube!

You tube has so many amazing things to view. Some of them may be just for fun, but others can be used as a fun way to learn. You can learn how to do the latest dance move so that you are ready to impress your friends at the dance, or you may be having trouble trying to figure out how to do a simple everyday task. This could be anything from frying an egg to doing your laundry properly. Above I have what I think is a very useful video on how to unshrink your t-shirts. (You never know when you are going to accidentally shrink your favorite shirt.)Youtube can be very helpful with academic material as well. Maybe you are just not understanding what your text book is talking about. You can't picture what the setting possibly could have looked like when the pyramids were being built. Well, you can always go on Youtube and see if it has a helpful clip that will help you to visualize what it is you are trying to learn. I have posted what I think is a really interesting video on how the pyramids were built. I think this process is fascinating, but it is a hard topic to comprehend. It is also nice sometimes to hear the words being said while watching a video because that helps you to understand the material even further. There is also a really creative video on the mummification process done with clay people. (That is a mix of fun and education.) Watching videos like these can really help you burn that information into your brain.

Pepys!

Reading journals is almost like listening to another person’s thoughts. Reading the diary of Samuel Pepys is especially interesting because he lived during the 1600s. When reading his journal it is almost like you have a friend from another time, who wants to share everything about his life with you. This is great information to have now because with it we can compare what life was like in the 1600s, to what life is like today.
After reading a month from Pepys’ diary (July 1664), I realized that Pepys’ life was pretty similar to the life of someone today. His life basically revolved around his work. Almost all of his time was spent at work, being with people he worked with, or finishing up some work at home. When he had some free time he did activities that we still do today. On Wednesday, July 6th 1664, Pepys spent some time sailing and playing cards with some friends. Another time he just spent some time walking and talking with his wife. (He did this on Sunday July 3rd – this day there was a lot of thunder and lightening.) He also enjoyed reading. Some of the books that he read were: Sir H. Spillman’s “Whole Glossary”; “Scapula’s Lexicon”; Shakespeare’s plays, and the works of Chaucer.
Another advantage of reading Pepys’ diary is that you don’t just get the historical facts of that time. One thing that I found very interesting was his process of getting his books bound. On Friday July 8th Pepys went to the book binder to get his Chaucer rebound and then to the clasp maker to get it clasped and bossed. It is also fun to hear some of the inner thoughts of someone who lived during that time. Once, Pepys got angry and fought with his wife over a pair of expensive earring that she had bought. He made her have her chambermaid take the earrings back to the stock exchange, (or as Pepys called it, “The ‘Change”) to get the money back. He then went out and stopped the chambermaid and let his wife have the earrings. He was just happy that has won the argument.
So one should read Pepy’s because it lets you have a first hand account from someone who lived long ago. You learn more than the facts, and you get to see what the people experienced, and how they felt during events. It is also always interesting to know what a person is thinking. However I do not think someone should just read Pepys to learn about the time period of the 1600s. Pepys should be read alongside of a legitimate historical text of some sort.

25 Random Things About Me

1. I think that leaves are beautiful. Flowers are amazing as well, but I feel that the beauty of leaves is constantly overlooked.

2. To me, there is nothing more peaceful than falling asleep to the sound of rain.

3. When I was about 10 years old I went on a family road trip to Wisconsin. We stopped in a Seven-Eleven, and my cousin and I found these things called “smiles-on-a-stick.” We bought two, and waved to people as we were driving while holding them up to our faces. There was one family with a lot of children that kept passing us, and they thought we were just the funniest thing.

4. I fix my hair before I throw out the garbage.

5. I love to paint. (especially nature scenes)

6. When I get my license I plan on talking in funny accents every time I talk to someone in a toll booth.

7. My favorite things to draw are old buildings. I would sit and stare at an old building for hours if it didn’t make me seem creepy.

8. My favorite music to listen to while I do anything artistic is Jack Johnson.

9. Two of my biggest obsessions were with: The Phantom of the Opera (movie, play, and soundtrack) and Michael Jackson (his music). I don’t care if Michael Jackson as a person is a bit of a shady character, his music rocks!

10. I don’t care if it’s not cool to like this, but the Twilight book series is amazing. It really has that something special that completely takes you into the world of Twilight.

11. Big parties are fun, but I would much rather have a small get-together with three or four close friends.

12. Rhymes make me happy. I love when things rhyme! Shel Silverstein’s poetry is magical.

13. There is nothing more exciting than being in Times Square, at night, all dressed up, and on your way to see a play.

14. I love almost every movie I see. There is only one movie that sticks out from all the rest…which I loathe. This move is The Way We Were. It hurts me to not like this movie. I have tried. BELIEVE me. I watched it more than once, and I will never get those hours of my life back! I’m not supposed to hate this movie it’s a classic and most people love it. What is wrong with me!

15. After the last entry this may seem insane, but one of my favorite songs is the theme song from The Way We Were!

16. Old movies are the best movies. Today movies just don’t have the same quality. My favorite movies are from the 50s. Some are: Funny Face, Roman Holiday, and Pillow Talk. My favorite actors/ actresses from this time are, Rock Hudson, Doris Day, Fred Astaire, and Audrey Hepburn.

17. Sometimes, I must admit, I am still afraid of the dark. Well, it’s more that I’m afraid of walking around in the dark.

18. I love to sing, but when I’m at home I try not to sing because I feel that my neighbors can hear me.

19. I want to be an architect. Too many buildings are being built that look exactly the same. Each building should have its own personality.

20. I think that I am pretty quiet when I am first getting to know people, but once you get to know me really well, just try to shut me up!(Well, most of what I say is silly-nonsense, but boy-o-boy are there some laughs!)

21. I love books that look a little worn out. They have more character.

22. I have just started to carry a little leather book around with me to write down funny, or interesting things that I hear people say.

23. I have a freakishly close bond with my cousin Alexandra. She is about a year and a half younger than me, and we have SO many inside jokes, that no one else in the world besides us would understand.

24. The movie Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is truly a gem. “Bless your beautiful hide, wherever it may be!”-(that’s part of a song from the movie)

25. When I first started to think about what I truly wanted to be when I grew up, all I could think of was, an “Oscar Meyer Weiner.”