Lessons Learned from English Class

Day 2 of blogging and all is going well (except my studying). Yesterday was a very exciting day for me as I had a magical epiphany about baking that somehow came together into a Treatise on Macarons (see below). 

On a different topic this fine day, I was sitting in my yard trying to concentrate on practice problems when I had another slew of inspirational thoughts come to me about future blogging ideas/things I would most definitely write about in the future. And one thing I have picked up so far in my short life is that when inspiration hits you, you don't let go. Ever. Because it's like that perfect piece of clothing you find at the mall. If you don't buy it, you will probably never find it again. 

3 pages of bullet points later, I also realized several things:

1. How am I going to have enough time to do this?
2. Whatever, this is going to be awesome!
3. I think some of these ideas stray a tad too far from baking/cooking.
4. Oh well, that's okay! I did say this was going to be about baking and random epiphanies about life.
5. Now...what to blog on today?

I was also coincidentally looking through and cleaning out my GoogleDoc files from way back until I stumbled upon this hilarious document concocted by my 12th grade APLit class during finals week. We had finished the AP exam weeks before and for "fun," Ms. V decided to make our final exam a two day trivia extravaganza with questions testing us on ANYTHING we had ever covered during the year. This included not only all the books, the articles, the lectures but also the videos and essay topics we had covered.

Pusheen in class.

The one good thing about this nightmare was that there was one section that the class could make their own questions on, the "Miscellaneous" section, which included anything Ms. V ever said, random questions about our classmates, and funny things that happened during the year.

For example, take one of the questions that was posed to Ms. V during the school year: "If any of us drunk dialed you in college, which person would you pick up the phone for?" 

Guess who it was? Yup, me. Why? Apparently, Ms. V believes that me drunk-dialing her is a matter of both greatest concern and extreme hilarity. And yes, we were tested on this kind of stuff.

So how to study for something like this? Well, once you get over how daunting it is to review EVERYTHING and have your mini panic-attack, you start studying the things you would most likely remember and go from there.

For instance, a good place to start would be "Hilarious things Ms. V says". One of my brilliant (yet very pretentious) classmates thought it would be funny to copy down my teacher's quotes during the year and very kindly released a typed up list for us to memorize. I will post the list here, slightly edited because most, but not all, prove to be rather relevant for life.

I have bolded the ones I think I stand by for now. While I disagree with Ms. V on many things, I do think she is one smart lady who really taught me appreciate English and writing. Who probably also needs to drink less and be nicer to people. 

Ms. V's Facts of Life for the Sheltered:
There are dumb people and there are smart people. They are very different.

There is such a thing as a stupid question.

Intellectually lazy people ask unnecessary questions.

Paying attention and being observant will help you avoid false assumptions.
You are not the center of anyone’s universe except your own.
After high school, very few people will care about you.
Lots of people don’t even like you.
The most dangerous person is often the one who fears or envies you.
You are the only person who can achieve your goals.
Your education is your responsibility.
Emotional I.Q. is as important as intellectual I.Q.
Very few people reach their full potential.
Goal-oriented, focused people invariably reach their potential.
Self-discipline is required in endeavors of personal and academic growth.
Often, very intelligent people do really stupid things.
Most people do not learn from their mistakes.
Life is a series of problems to be solved.
Life is also a mystery to be experienced.
No one can live your life for you.
Self-actualization is a lifelong process.
Everyone has problems, no matter how lucky they appear.
No one can solve your problems for you.
Laziness is more often a lack of interest.
Losers lose their wallets, keys, books, and assignments.
Evaluating and judging are essential skills. 
Most unexpected crises in your life can be resolved.
Some mistakes cannot be fixed.
Some things are unforgivable. 
Vengeful words spoken in anger forever alter the relationship.
Children who don’t appreciate their parents are doomed to have unappreciative kids. 
Only family and loved ones give your life meaning.
People don’t truly fear death until they are told they have cancer.
It takes courage and optimism to get through this life unscathed.
Clear communication of your thoughts does not guarantee the listener can comprehend.
Speak your mind, but be willing to change it.
“Say nothing, do nothing, be nothing.” --Robert Gates

Didn't I tell you she was a really smart lady? I never said it to her face, but I'll say it here: thank you for everything, Ms. V. For your harsh words and criticism, for your insightful lectures and comments and for your willingness to bring me out of my shell into the light. I am eternally very, very grateful.

So that's it for today! Go and make something wonderful today!

(getting pretty excited about my 300+ future blog posts)