Quotes to Live By

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

So many students have graduated from all corners of the world so far. Congratulations to them and congratulations to the many more who will receive their diplomas in due time! As a graduate myself, I know the world is like a fire: burning bright, but also dangerous. It’s full of possibilities, opportunities, wonders, and risks. Many of you have had some encouragement on your graduation day, much like me.

Here are my top five quotes that have helped me during my graduation and life, that will motivate you.

5.  “Never lose your childish innocence.” – Katherine, “Under the Tuscan Sun”

What are we as children? We are open minded, innocent to the world around us, and not knowing what to expect. We should never lose this. We should always be open minded to new things; for they will take us places and help us grow. We should always be innocent to this world, without knowing what will come next or how dark it will be. We should always not know what to expect because life is full of surprises.



4. “Well we all shine on, like the moons and the stars and the sun.” – John Lennon

No matter what happens to us be it tragic, terrible, or terrific, we all shine on. We shimmer wildly like stars, we burn brightly like the sun, and we shine like the moons. Life may throw dirt at us, but we plow right through it with our radiance.  So when life does knock us down, we get back up, and keep on shining.

3. “It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all, in which case you have failed by default.” – J.K.Rowling

Failure is something that most people frown upon and to this day, I still don’t understand why. Failing is a learning experience; we learn how to be better. Rowling has been in my life since Harry Potter hit my bookshelf and I couldn’t be happier because from this woman I have learned so much and this is by far my favorite quote from her. Because there is always the possibility of failing and that makes us human. Also by failing we have taken risks to try and be better, only to learn that it didn’t succeed. So stop being cautious. Take risks. Either way, you’ll learn something and be alive.

2. “The beautiful thing about learning is that nobody can take it away from you.” – B. B.King

As mentioned in my recent elegy to the King of Blues, I love B.B.King.  I find this to be one of his greatest quotes because it’s true. What you learn in life, you own as a part of your experience here on Earth, as a part of your brain, as a fragment of your knowledge, as a bit of your soul. No one can take that from you. Plus you can never stop learning – you can take free courses on Coursera or go to graduate school or just keep living; it’s all up to you and for you to have until the end.

1. “One person’s insanity is another person’s reality.” – Tim Burton

Tim Burton has been my idol since I was a teenager, showing me a new perspective and giving me new angles to view the world from. Growing up I watched his works religiously from “Edward Scissorhands” to “Vincent”. When I heard him say this quote, it suddenly clicked with me that not everyone’s lives are the same. Everyone will have different lives regardless of how chaotic or peaceful they may be. Knowing this, we cannot compare our lives to another’s because our lives are so different; insane for some, realistic for others.

Thank you for reading tonight’s entry. If you enjoyed it, feel free to comment, share, and critique.

So tell me, what’s one quote that motivates you and why?

Season of a Lifetime

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Month.

May is prom season and the start of wedding season, two pivotal points in our life. Prom season is an iconic dance held in many high schools throughout the country. Wedding season is a life changing moment when we wed our beloved. So what do they have in common? Let’s find out!

1.You Wear Something That You Will Never Ever Wear Again.

Your prom dress is your prom dress. Never again will it ever be worn and it will probably rot away in your attic forever unless you choose to donate it to a Good Will store or a prom charity so that other girls can feel like a princess for one night. The same goes for your wedding dress. Both garments will probably be the most you’ve ever spent on an outfit in your entire life. Enjoy them while you can!

2. Everything MUST Match

Your shoes must match, your jewelry must match, your purse must match, even the flowers and your partner’s suit (or tie) must match. If they don’t match, then it will throw everything off, thus ruining the completed, organized look.

3.You Turn Into a Bridezilla

Regardless of age or gender, you will go bridezilla on your prom and wedding. You want everything to be perfect, you want to get what you paid for, you want your partner to be on time, you want time for everything to fall into place from getting your hair done to group pictures. Some bridezillas will curse and throw a tantrum about everything; others may choose to be violent and throw things. Please don’t be violent and throw things.

4. Get Fancy, Party Hard

Because when in your life are you going to get dressed up fancy, get drunk, and ride around in a limo? Of course there will be quinceaneras,  sweet sixteens, your twenty first birthday, and other people’s bachelorette/bachelor parties, but they don’t have the same feeling as your prom or wedding.

5. There is a Theme

For both occasions, the theme tends to reflect something romantic. My prom’s theme was A Night in Venice with a mock up of a canal that supported a gondola. Italian archways lined the pathway where my date and I walked. Proms have different themes and so do weddings, each occasion stays true to their theme from the initial location of the event to the dinner and reception.

Thanks for reading tonight’s entry. If you enjoyed it, feel free to share, comment, and critique.

So tell me, what’s your best prom memory? 

Feed Your Brain

Good afternoon everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

I’m sure most of you have heard of Coursera. Coursera is a site that offers thousands of free courses from learning institutes all over the world.  Some courses take weeks of learning while others can teach you everything in one day. It all depends on what course you pick. When the assessments are fulfilled you’ll receive a statement of accomplishment. It’s basically diploma each course that you so skillfully mastered.

In life we must never stop learning to keep our brains alive and growing. It’s why we go to school, to learn how to function as a person in society, to absorb knowledge, and to be educated on things we never knew. The more we know, the more information we have to do as we please. But why should learning stop at college or our last years of high school?

Here are the five essential courses you should take at Coursera.

5. A Course That Could Help Your Profession

Most people go to college to learn about what they want to do in life. Most people stop learning about their profession no sooner they graduate from college. But why stop no sooner they get that diploma? It’s always good to brush up on things they learned or things they never knew about your profession. That’s where Coursera comes in, to educate people more on what they thought they knew.

4. A Course About Something You Love

So you love UFOs and life among the stars. Coursera has a course for that. Or maybe you love the thrilling secrets of archaeology or the exhilarating scientific world or even the creative world of art. Coursera has courses for all of that and more.  So go ahead and pursue those courses about something you secretly adore or loudly proclaim your love for. Not only will you gain more knowledge about that thing, but you’ll probably love it even more.

3. A Random Course

Close your eyes. Click on a course. Follow through with it. That’s what I did last night and now I am enrolled in a course about space and Vikings. What do space and Vikings have in common? I have no idea, but it’s strange, new, and interesting. It’s the new experiences we endure in life (such as a random course) that help us learn about who we are, what we like, what we dislike, and why. It helps us know ourselves better and what we enjoy about life.

2. A Language Course

Apparently if you know a second language it will give you the upper hand when it comes to job hunting.  In America the top three languages are Spanish, French, and English. If you are bilingual, it’s considered a great asset to a job because it shows that you can communicate with diverse groups. This is extremely helpful and it’s one of the more important reasons to learn a language. Another reason to learn a language is because it opens you more not only to a different way of speaking, but also to another culture. Language is an essential part of a foreign culture and by learning it you are immersing yourself in that culture.

1. A Finance Course

Because unless your parents taught you, you taught yourself, or you went to school for it, personal finances are an essential part of life. Eventually you will be living on your own and have to financially plan everything from your groceries to your rent. You will also have to face the dreaded terror known as income taxes which are about as unpleasant as piles of rotting fish.

Having taken a few personal finance courses myself, I’ve never felt so comfortable with knowledge I’ve obtained. For the record, I’m terrible when it comes to math, but apparently I’m good with thinking ahead when it comes to my finances. Coursera helped me realize this and improved my knowledge on the matters of saving, mortgages, rent, and many other useful lessons I will need for my future.

Thanks for reading today’s entry. If you enjoyed it, feel free to comment, share, and critique.

So tell me, what do you want to learn about? 

Readers Request: School

Good afternoon everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

Not too long ago, I asked what you would like to see me discuss on my blog. Today, we have a request from an anonymous reader who asks:

Do you mind writing about school? I'm someone who gets really anxious about my grades, and it'd be cool to hear some tips, or something of the sort. Xx

School is an obstacle course that teaches us lessons we will need at some point in our lives. We hurdle through classes and are flung through buildings until we have completed every grade possible. Through these school days we strive to be the best because grades define our very status. This is a concept that follows us from kindergarten to college and even in the career world, where we are examined for high Grade Point Averages based off those grades. This is a stressful idea, to know that your career or class choices rely on five letters of the alphabet and numbers.

At times it can be too much and often lead to anxiety, depression, or even considering dropping out. However, there are some methods that can help you relieve any stress about your grades.

1. Join a Study Group

Study groups are students or friends that study together. There are specific types of study groups so it should be easy to find what you’re looking for. Trouble in Biology? There’s a study group for that. Don’t understand Math easily? There’s a study group for that. Can’t quite grasp Art History? There’s a study group for that. By being in a study group, you’ll not only understand the material better, but also make friends which will help remedy your stress. Also trade numbers, Facebooks, and whatnot that way if you need to ask someone a question, they’ll be there for you.

2. Remember to Relax

Yes, you have four papers due tomorrow. Yes, you have three worksheets, a powerpoint project, and an essay due soon. Yes, you have so much work due in the very near future. Take some time to yourself, even if it’s just for a few moments and breathe. Go get a snack, walk around for a bit, meditate, drink a cup of tea, and watch that hilarious Youtube video. Everything will be completed because you are a powerhouse and the victory will be sweet when it’s all done.

3. What Can I Do Better


Always ask yourself and your teachers this question. What can I do better to get the major I want? What can I do better to improve my grades? What can I do better to understand the material? In return, teachers will help you to not only understand the work better, but to show you different ways of grasping the subject. Also by asking yourself this question, you think of different ways of achieving what you want, and make those ways your plans for something better. This question also eliminates the notion of ‘doing your best’. ‘Doing your best’ is a concept that can lead to anxiety about your grades. It will make you wonder if your best isn’t good enough and will greatly stress you out.

4. Ask for Help/Extra Credit

Most teachers understand that not every student is the same. I’ll use myself as an example: I am terrible at Math. I can do the basics, but nothing extreme like calculus. My strongest suits are English, History, Creative Writing, and Art. When I was having trouble in my last Algebra class of high school, I asked the teacher for help. This led her to create an extra credit project for anyone in the class who believed they had terrible grades, myself included. Another time I was struggling in a Public Relations course and the teacher created an extra credit project to help her students. It may seem embarrassing to ask for help or extra credit from the teacher, but if you know it will help you, then swallow your pride and ask away.

Also, whenever a teacher offers extra credit, take it. If your grades are at the top of the class, do not stray away from it. I say this because at the time your grades could be excellent, but what if you fail a test or forget an assignment? What if you mess up on a project? That extra credit could greatly help you.

5. Get a Tutor

Never, ever be ashamed to ask for help. Asking for help does not mean you are an unintelligent idiot. Rather, it means that you want to do better for yourself and expand your knowledge. That’s where tutors come in. Like study groups, there are tutors for everything. French, Astronomy, Calculus, History, there are tutors for just anything you can imagine. It’s also easy to find a tutor, just check postings around the school, your local paper, and the Internet.

6. Organize Your Work

This actually helped me during my college years. What I would do is take a notebook, put my schedule in it, and then make a list of my assignments. Example:

Work                                             Due                                Do It
_______________________________________________________________

2 Worksheets (Math)                  2/10                              2/8

Powerpoint (History)                  2/13                              2/9       

Study Guide (Biology)                 2/11                              2/10

Book questions (English)            2/12                             2/11

The key is to spread your work out and focus on one thing at a time. You’ll also be able to easily manipulate the workload and schedule. This will eliminate any stress from assignments and you’ll concentrate on each one; thus putting forth your best effort and ensuring a good grade. Plus if you’re still uncertain of anything, you have time to text your friends or ask the teacher. Organizing your work also reminds you of what’s due and what to do. However, there will be days where you might have to multitask, such as finals period and the end of the semester. Do not worry, the schedule will help you.

Thank you anonymous reader for suggesting today’s topic. If you would like to see me discuss something in particular, send me a message and I’ll be more than happy to write about it. Also, thank you for reading today’s entry. If you enjoyed it, feel free to comment and reblog.

So tell me, what do you do to feel less anxious about your grades?

Eyes Up Here, Chaperones

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

Prom season is in the air and as girls fuss over their hair, boys make sure their tuxes match their partner’s gowns. Corsages are ordered, countless of dresses are scrutinized and tried on, and the limo is paid for. Prom is a momentous occasion that’s often idolized in television series and movies. It is an important evening in a teenager’s life to get dolled up, go dancing, and be given the celebrity treatment.

On May 14^th Richmond, Virginia had a prom for homeschooled students; one of the seniors, Clare Ettinger, was asked to leave because her sparkling dress was attracting the eyes of older men, and made them believe it would bring "‘impure thoughts" to boys.

Ettinger felt violated from the whole ordeal which originated no sooner she reached her destination. A teacher claimed Ettinger’s dress was too short when it met her finger length, as the dress code required.

nbcbayarea.com

Here is Miss Ettinger's dress all sparkly, lovely, and meeting the finger length requirement.

After she fought that it met the guidelines, she proceeded to go to the prom which was chaperoned by older men. Once again the teachers approached Ettinger and told her to leave because the chaperones complained that her dress and swaying was too provocative. Ettinger claims that there were girls wearing even shorter dresses and dirty dancing, but none of them were asked to leave. The young lady was escorted by both a security officer and a teacher. She was also given a refund for her prom ticket, but her friends that left with her did not receive one.

It’s terrible that she was taken away by a police officer, like she committed a crime when really she did nothing, but obey the rules and try to have a good time. It’s sickening to know that because older men couldn’t keep it together, they had to ruin a young lady’s prom. It’s even more disgusting to know that they, mature men, should have been able to control themselves. The “impure thoughts” they were claiming were probably the ones running through their heads, which is even more shameful. Ettinger was so upset with this ordeal that she wrote a blog entry about it, telling her side of the story.

Thank you for reading and as always, feedback and followers are welcomed.

What are your thoughts on tonight’s entry?