150 Posts!

Hi everyone!
Today, I decided not to do a typical post, but instead commemorate all 150 posts here on Nerd Glasses and Wanderlust. I've been blogging for nearly three years (September 27 is my third blogiversary!), and I love being able to interact and connect with my international readers.

Now that I have more experience blogging, I'd like to branch out. I already talk frequently about my opinions, and I've recently started doing more relatable, humor-oriented posts. At the same time, my blog will probably become more mainstream, no matter what Urban Dictionary has to say about that word, because I feel that's where blogging is leading me. I'll probably be commenting more on things like pop culture, which I've never really done before (so expect an upcoming post where I explain my stance when it comes to the Kimye/Taylor feud). I realized that I want to show that I can be someone who speaks out about feminism and social issues - but isn't afraid to fangirl over my favorite celebrities or express my addiction to YouTube. I think this will kind of be a new beginning for my blog.
You may have seen this coming; I love to redesign my blog often, so that's why you've probably noticed Nerd Glasses and Wanderlust looking drastically different recently. I've been learning that you can't go wrong with black, grey, and white, which are probably my new ultimate favorite colors (URGH I LOVE MATTE BLACK SO MUCH), and I'm taking a more minimalistic approach. Even though I love bright pops of color, I want to keep it more subdued and simple this time (I did keep some of the pink accents from the previous design, though).
So what you think of the new blog design? Let me know!

xx Sneha

going to india + middle school

OH NO I HATE MYSELF FOR THESE WIDE GAPS BETWEEN POSTS. I have so many drafted blog posts that I haven't finished ... I'll be going to India from July 27 to August 16, so I'm extremely set on scheduling a bunch of posts for that time period.
I have a flight from San Francisco to Seattle next Wednesday, and from there, I'll be flying to Dubai and then Bangalore, India. The whole getting-there process takes over a day, but what's really important about this trip is that we're approaching India from a more touristic mindset. I haven't been to India, where I'm from, since before starting first grade. Now, I'm going into seventh grade - and my older sister, Stanford University. In previous trips to India, we mostly spent time with our family, and we stay put in one city the whole time. Now, we're jet-setting all over the huge country. We might even venture into Bhutan.
I'd love to do a few travel posts about my experience as soon as I return. But the first thing I'll be doing once I'm off that plane? Sleeping. India is 12.5 hours ahead of California, where I live, and I do have school the very next day, so that's a bit of a fudge-y situation :|

For the time being, I think I'd like to talk about something that's going to change in my life.
I'll be going into middle school. For the past six years, my school has been a constant. It's overwhelming to think back to the elementary school I went to - and think about like that, in the past tense.
I'm excited, because the middle school I'll be going to is absolutely gargantuan (which is officially my favorite word ever), so for the first time, I'll be exposed to students from different schools. I think I also have somewhat mixed feelings, however, because OH MY GOODNESS WE HAVE TO GO TO SCHOOL AN HOUR EARLIER HOW. WILL. I. WAKE. UP. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm notorious for being consistently tardy (trust me, my friends can vouch), so I'll probably have to somehow knock some responsibility into myself ;)

This was more of a short post, I know, which is exactly why I'm working on producing more content.

xx Sneha

summer so far.

YAAAAS HAPPY JULY.
To celebrate the Fourth of July (may the fourth be with you!), my family's driving up to Crater Lake in Oregon for the weekend. From what I've seen so far, the lake is definitely Instagram-worthy, and I'm stoked to leave.
I've just realized that we've almost finished off the first half of summer, and I just want to talk about what it's been like so far for me. Just like last year, I've been taking summer math credit courses, and let me just say that Common Core frazzles me. :|
I also want to mention that I'm now entering middle school. I've just been promoted from sixth grade and to be honest, it's difficult to process the fact that I'll never be a student at my (former) elementary school again.
From June 9 (which was promotion) to June 12, my family drove down to SoCal to hit up Universal Studios Hollywood (yes I was wearing my Gryffindor robe and Triwizard Tournament shirt the while day) and Palm Springs. I captioned my Insta post the same way: my fangirl heart exploded my first time drinking butterbeer, dining at The Three Broomsticks, riding a hippogriff, exploring Hogwarts, AND CAN WE JUST TAKE A MOMENT TO APPRECIATE MY GORGEOUS HERMIONE WAND REPLICA.

such a beauty

also be a patient human being as i try out this dope filter

Spending a day at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and exploring the rest of the Universal Studios was insanely fun. Make a beeline to the Jurassic Park water ride as soon as you get there! My Gryffindor-ness got the best of me and I volunteered to sit unprotected at the edge of the coaster, but out of all the rides outside the Wizarding World, it was definitely my favorite - wait until that huge drop! I was totally drenched :) I can't believe my family doesn't visit more often, given how frequently we drive down to LA. When we went to Palm Springs, we boarded the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway and we were brought up to San Jacinto State Park, where we hiked for a few hours. Frankly, the views were breathtaking.
We're also planning to fly out to India at the end of July! I'm Indian-American, but I haven't visited my home country since before I started first grade. Now that I'm going back as an incoming seventh grader, it's also in part a way to celebrate my older sister going off to Stanford for college and the six years I've spent at my elementary school.
I don't think I've already mentioned how excited I am for the release of the Cursed Child on July 31st. It's incredibly mind-boggling to think that it's been two years since I spent the summer in Maryland for my sister's summer internship there. That was the summer I virtually met some of my closest blogging friends, and that also means my third blogiversary is fast approaching. Additionally, that was the summer I finished reading Harry Potter for the first time, so I'm pscyhed to be able to read new content. Speaking of which, have you already been sorted into your Ilvermorny houses? If so, which one? I'm a proud Gryffindor-Wampus (Pottermore sorted me into both).
Happy Canada Day to all my lovely Canadian friends and happy early Fourth of July :)
How are your summers going?

xx Sneha

Memories

A few days ago, I found myself looking through old photo albums and scrapbooks. The memories made me laugh, and cry, and smile. I couldn't help but roll on the floor laughing at pictures of my mom's crazy 90s shaggy boycut, which my sister said was a trend back then, pictures of my sister in an astronaut suit, and others of my sister poking my mom's eye (my mom looked pretty scared.) I'd like to share some of the memories I was able to reminisce on, my family's past, this part of me, with you all.

*My sister asked to keep her face hidden and her identity private, so none of the aforementioned pictures will be shown.

I freaked out when I saw this. A REAL LIFE COPY OF MY PARENTS' WEDDING INVITATION! It's over 20 years old!

This picture was the very beginning. This picture, at approximately noon one day in November 2004, was me crying as a helpless little baby. I wonder if this little baby knew she would learn to love music and have a passion for acting and being in the spotlight, if she knew that she would cherish writing, if she knew that a decade later she would have her very own blog with amazing friends from around the world. 

This picture was the little paper by the side of my hospital bed. It was all my birthing details. I grinned when I saw this picture because I finally found out my baby weight and height: I was 1 ft. 7 in. long and my weight was 6 lbs. 5 oz. 

[the woman on the left is my mom]

Some more pictures upon my bulletin board

New Blog Design + Second Look Update + More School Questions!

I'm working on a new blog design! Here's a sneak peek as to what it looks like:

I'll be done quite soon, actually. I've decided to keep the rest of the design secret and just show you the header and navigation. ;) I'm really sorry - my blog will be going crazy as I put in my design.
I really like what I've come up with so far, so I think I won't be changing my blog design for at least a year. How do you like the preview?
Second Look is going really well! We already have a couple Google Friend Connect and Bloglovin' followers, and we have a blog review submission for which the review will be published sometime in the coming week. Go ahead and share your own feedback with the blogger who submitted her blog, Edie Rose from Minty Perfections.
I asked, in the last post, if you all were excited for the coming school year. So, as a continuation to those questions, I'm wondering: What's school like where you live? Are you taking on a new school (middle school, high school, relocation, etc.)? What subject do you think you've been missing most? And, finally, do you prefer school over summer, or vice versa?

Life Update + Making Friends

Hello there fellow wanderlusters!

So my algebra class has been pretty much taking over my life for the past month and a half. I spend my free time ROFL-style with Superwoman and MyLifeasEva, reading the latest Cambio posts, catching up on some great summer reads and SBBC, and blogging. I can't, however, blog as much as I'd like because of my frequent study sessions, which often end up as all-nighters. Thankfully, I have finals on Tuesday, and the class wraps up by Wednesday.
I can't believe summer is almost over! I have less than a month before school starts on August 20, and I'll be starting my final year of elementary school. I have quite a few blogging buddies who are in the same grade as me but will be heading off to middle school - the reason is that my school is K-6. I've always stood out in the sense that I quite enjoy school. Homework is actually fun for me, I have more opportunities to perform, I get to be back in the tetherball court where I should be, and I get to see my friends again. Considering the sixth grade math curriculum covers Algebra I in part, I'm excited! I usually get good grades, so I'm happy that the curriculum will be a bit more challenging.
My summer algebra class has been an amazing experience. Most kids my age might find the environment intimidating, as everyone would be two or three years older than them. But being the very talkative, extroverted, social butterfly ENFJ that I am, I was able to come home after the first week having befriended one of the only incoming seventh graders, an incoming high schooler, and a few other kids in my class. I also had friends in the other algebra classroom and in pre-algebra. I've landed a super-funny, cool, friendly teacher who always makes us laugh. He talked to us about his high school athletic injuries (he's a PE teacher) and how he was about to win a high school basketball dunk contest but fell on his back while jumping. As a class, we have so many inside jokes, like humping when we were learning about scientific notation, pronouncing the name of the restaurant Chipotle (pronounced /chi-poht-lay/) as /chi-pawt-ul/, and a few others. This kind of experience actually has made me more comfortable with older kids.
So - are you excited for school to be back in session? What have you been doing over the summer? What grade are you going into?

Summer! + What I've Been Up To

EEK! Only *gasps* TWO more weeks until the news of a lifetime is released - Discovery Girls selections! Considering I might be one of the only third-time repeating contestants, I've been in the game for some time - and although I haven't been successful, it really helped to know what it felt like to submit. I was over-the-top nervous when they announced the July 6th extension, because that means that they received an overwhelming response. Which means tons of amazing girls vying for the same thing have applied.
Seems like life is really testing my patience; it turns out the Seussical auditions received a not-so-great turnout (only 16 auditions), on the other hand, and they require at least 30 or 40 to do the show, so I have to wait until summer is over to find out my part.
I'm really excited now that summer has actually started, imagining all of those movie nights I'll be experiencing, that theme park I'm going to on July 10th, the fact that my grandfather is staying at our house for a week in July, DISCOVERY GIRLS, the (possible) sleepovers I'll be having with my cousins, and all that good stuff. I'm also drafting a plan of all my summer vacations until college. Somehow I want to accomplish every wonder of the world, every continent of the world, every tourist-friendly place imaginable....
My second cousin, who I hadn't seen since 2010 until yesterday, got married last week and came here to California on his honeymoon after a 10-day visit to Alaska. We had a huge party yesterday, with cake and gifts and a really great dinner. An hour ago, as I was happily munching the chocolatey remains of our caramel turtle cake, I was reminiscing on the reunion. I'm so glad we could see him and his new wife!
That's all for now!

Summer Plans

POST 2 FOR WEEK OF JUNE 14 - JUNE 20, 2015

blog posts!

I'm pretty much booked until mid-August, when school starts, with a daily academic enrichment program (no, it's not summer school, I voluntarily registered to get ahead), an week-long app development camp next week, swimming four times a week (next week is the last week, however), and my three music classes.
The academic enrichment program, which I'll refer to as the AEP, was a last-minute decision made by my parents. In my district, the sixth graders take a math placement test to determine if they will be accelerated to an advanced or honors course in middle school, as elementary school is K-6 in my area. That's still next year, but we've decided to finish off Algebra 1 now, as an incoming sixth grader, so I can guarantee a good class in middle school. Math has always been one of my best subjects, and as today was the first day of the AEP, I can say it went pretty well. Although most of my friends are taking pre-algebra, I do have a friend who is also in Algebra 1, in a different classroom. Sorry about this paragraph and the confusion it may have caused. It's all different based on where you live, and this is just what happens for me.
Although the AEP is mostly algebra for 6 hours with 80 minutes of breaks included, it's not all bad - my algebra teacher is pretty nice. Everyone in my class is two or three years older, with some of my friends' older siblings in my class, but I'm keeping up (I think; we're only doing review at this time). We have July 3 off, and the next week everyone in the program is going to an amusement park that's quite popular where I live.
Well, that's all for today!

Peru - Travel Update 1

I’m really sorry for not updating you earlier. I was planning to post before my flight to Miami yesterday, but time did not permit.

I did take quite a few pictures at the airport in San Francisco and on the flight. After a 4-hour layover in Miami, we took a plane from Miami to Lima, Peru.

   A gate we had passed

   

 

    A view of the runway (please don’t mind the polka dots; that was just the design on the window)

 

    Another runway shot

    

    The runway from my window seat on the plane

    

    The ocean

    

    Clouds above the strikingly beautiful California coastline

    

    Mountains 

I hope you liked those pictures! I took one on the way to Lima.

The flight was a redeye, and I woke up just in time to witness sunrise. Since it was an international flight, even Coach had fully equipped personal entertainment systems. I had wanted to watch a movie, but I decided to sleep as that was my only opportunity. I woke up at 5 in the morning; I couldn't sleep, and so I was able to use my favorite feature on my entertainment system, the map. I could track the flight and it was so exciting to see which countries we flew over and when we were approaching our destination.

We had another flight from Lima to Cusco. I don’t have any pictures from that flight. After that, we hired a taxi to Ollantaytambo, where we dined at a quaint little café. From there we took a train to Machu Picchu. It was a jam-packed day; we had 2 flights, a taxi, and a train! Plus we’re heading to the ruins tomorrow (manaña) by bus.

   Peruvian license plate

   

    The menu of that café

Here I am in our hotel near the ancient ruins of Machu Picchu. Tomorrow we will board a bus to the actual ruins, where we will hike up a mountain and explore the beautiful Incan city atop the Andes mountain range. I’ll update you later!

School's Out + Preparing for Peru

AH! Finally! The school year has officially ended and we're leaving for Peru tomorrow! We were originally having some passport issues (I needed to have it renewed), but everything was solved and my new passport arrived in the mail yesterday.
I also wanted to let you know that this is my 97th post, so I will be reaching the grand 100 sometime next week. I will be posting regularly in the summer, so I'm trying to get to 150 if possible. Please don't mind random font changes and other stuff in my posts next week; I'll be using my tablet to post, which makes me prone to these imperfections.
I have an extensive packing list, which is not all that great because the train on the way to Machu Picchu (a historical site in Peru) does not allow luggage, forcing me to carry my Machu Picchu clothes and toiletries in my carry-on backpack. If you want to see what my packing list for my backpack is, here you go:

1 gallon Ziploc bag (for electronics in case it rains)
Sunglasses
Earbuds
Glasses case
iPod + charger
Toothbrush
At least 1 book (pack a few in suitcase)
Jacket
Water bottle
Caramels
and I'm adding more to it as time goes on.

I did visit the library yesterday, so I've got three books to read.

Well, I guess I'll leave this post here. My next update for you: tomorrow, in the airport getting ready for my plane to Miami, Florida before my connecting flight to Lima!

Last Week of School + Discovery Girls + Busting Summer Boredom

I know school & finals are wrapping up (or may have ended for you already) and the school year is coming to a close. I want to congratulate you all for your successes throughout the school year! Keep your head up high because you're all incredibly unique, talented, epic... 
Five days until my next trip - Peru has always felt like a thing of the future, but since it's now just around the corner, I'm ecstatic for this final week of school to end! My class is having a pizza/yearbook signing party this Friday that would have been next week, but since I'm missing school next week, was rescheduled to Friday.
I haven’t received word from Discovery Girls (have any of you?) but after putting forth some 
research, it appears to me that no one was contacted. I may be wrong. May is over; but after seeing how the selection status has not been updated saying that they are notifying the selected girls, and that nobody has posted anything about getting picked on the DG Blog, I think they may have fallen behind schedule. After all, last year they had only finished by June 10. That’s me; examining every detail regardless of how important it seems. Good luck to you all and do say if you have been chosen! And any chosen blogger, if I don’t get to experience the amazingness that is the Summit, please fill me in!

Along the lines of Oakstar’s recent post about busting summer boredom, I have some ideas of my own. Remember; blowing away time on YouTube is a trap many fall into, and although spending time with Superwoman and Ryan Higa and Bethany Mota and Madilyn Bailey is fun and easy, you should probably resort to getting in some exercise, reading, spending time with friends/family, and simply exploring the world around you. So your technology time should be minimal, I think, but having it fairly balanced would make all the difference as well. Sorry for being so serious in this paragraph. :)

That’s all for now!

6/2/15 Update: Do not lose hope, those of you who've applied to the Summit! Godgirl2292 (Chloe) and Amelie have notified me with the information that Discovery Girls is still reading Summit questionnaires and that no one has been contacted yet. Chloe messaged the Discovery Girls staff herself and they responded with these details.

My Sister's Birthday + Tomorrowland + Travel

Yesterday, my older sister turned 17! Both Potterheads, we laughed about how "the Trace was off her" and about her "plans to become a Hogwarts professor." It turned out to be a pretty great day.
We left the house for an amazing restaurant in our area; the food was great and we got a free birthday "pizookie" - pizza-cookie - which was also delicious. We then left for our local movie theatre to watch Tomorrowland, but it ended up lasting late through the night, and I slept after midnight. I've never watched a movie in the middle of the school week, so it was quite fun.
I'm counting down the days until June 6! That marvelous day will be the day we embark on our 9-day journey to Peru. I've been working on and off on my packing list and our itinerary to prepare myself. I haven't been outside the country since my Europe trip the summer before second grade. Four years of international travel withdrawal is too much for me. This is how my travel since then has been:

Summer Before 3rd Grade Hawaii: Oahu
Summer Before 4th Grade Alaska: Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway + a day trip to Victoria, British Columbia, Canada + a day trip to Seattle, Washington
Summer Before 5th Grade Maryland: Montgomery County + weekly day trips to Washington, D.C.
Summer Before 6th Grade Peru: Lima, Cusco, Ollantaytambo, Machu Picchu

Water Park!

To commemorate us nearing the end of the school year, the fifth and sixth graders at my school spend the day at a nearby water park. Well, today happened to be the day of, so I'm going to give a quick recap.
Thankfully, my group and I were up for the thrill rides, so we were able to go on the high-speed water slides and roller coasters. The most thrilling ride was definitely Bombs Away, which I'll give a bit more detail on. This was the only ride no one in my group except me was comfortable doing, so they waited outside the line area while I had the time of my life! The park was almost closing, so the lines were getting shorter. Although everyone had been talking about the ride, I was the only person in line; I was able to experience the thrill immediately. For the ride, you step into a enclosed capsule around the size of a bathroom stall. A lady over the loudspeaker yells, "3.... 2.... 1....." before the ground beneath you disappears and you tumble through twisty turns and windy tubes, constantly drenched with water. When the ride is almost over, you feel weightless for a few seconds before you splash into a big pool.
So that's all for today. Thanks for reading!

Seussical Auditions + Memorial Day + Summit

Yesterday were the Seussical auditions! I think it generally went well; there wasn't a huge turnout and the song I chose, "Defying Gravity," from Wicked, was a good choice for my voice and vocal range. The acting and dancing portions also ran smoothly. On June 15th, I'll know my role. I'm torn between Gertrude, a classic ingenue who is dissatisfied with her appearance and is constantly vying for the affection of Horton the Elephant, and Mayzie La Bird, who is quite obnoxious and sees everyone as her inferiors. Gertrude envies Mayzie, who then shows Gertrude the "self-beautification" process. Gertrude believes her changed appearance will catch the eye of Horton, but Horton ends up loving Gertrude for her personality. They are polar opposites, but both characters interest me.

My mom and I have planned to go to Six Flags tomorrow, but we're not so sure. Happy Memorial Day everyone! I have a long weekend and will be swimsuit shopping on Monday for my water park field trip on Wednesday. I've been doing some summer planning and will be learning and performing and having lots of fun, which is great.

Discovery Girls will be notifying the selected Discovery Girls (that sounds kind of weird) in a few days! It's hard to believe that I'll know if I made it in just a week. Even if I don't get the email from them saying I got in, if I'm not notified by June 1st, I didn't make it. I've said it so many times it's probably annoying by now, but I can't wait! I remember my disappointment last year when May flew by and, on one evening in mid-June, I received a consolation email from Discovery Girls.

Well, that's all for now! Have a nice evening!

Travel Update # 2 - Los Angeles, CA

My mom and I faced quite a funny challenge this morning. It wasn't funny then, rather irritating.
We had gotten ready for the day, and once it was time for breakfast, we decided to go out and get some food. My mom and I walked to the parking lot and called my dad, realizing we didn't know where our minivan was because he'd parked it last. He told us which floor the car was on, and we took the elevator to get there.
We searched the whole floor and the floor above, but we somehow couldn't find our car. The most annoying part was, we had the keys, so my mom would keep unlocking it and hearing the sound, but we never found it. Another thing was that sometimes it didn't make a sound and sometimes it did, so we lost our hope of tracking the car by the sound.
My mom called my dad again, and he said we had used the wrong entrance into the parking lot. When we went the way he'd told us to, we heard the sound at its loudest. Finally we found the car. It took about a half-hour to finally start the drive, but we laughed it off afterwards.
Well, I am going to a museum today. After that, we're driving straight back home to Northern California. I'll post when I get home about what I see in the museum and what happens in the car.

Travel Update # 1 - I'm in Los Angeles, CA!

Hello there fellow wanderlusters! On my Travel page, I told you that I would be in Los Angeles today and tomorrow! We had a change of plans; we were supposed to leave early today, but we left yesterday afternoon, had dinner in LA, and slept. Here's what I wrote in the car (I didn't have any Internet connection so I couldn't post it then.)

____________

Here I am, in the car, headed to Los Angeles. We’ve been driving for about two hours, and we’re somewhere in central California. We’ll reach our destination at about 9:00 at night. I’ve mostly been reading and listening to music, and I just pulled out my computer to start writing something.

We were technically supposed to leave for Southern California tomorrow, but we had a change of plans and allocated tomorrow for full-on sightseeing (or hotel lounging) before we head to a museum on Tuesday. I’ve been to LA several times, but each visit is still an adventure.

Well, that’s all for now! I’ll blog back at the hotel!

_____________

I remember driving to our hotel and gazing at all the skyscrapers. Los Angeles is beautiful at night, with all the lights and colors. I have been to Los Angeles many times, but I still was thrilled to pass the STAPLES Center and Studio City. My hotel is near the University of Southern California, located in the heart of Los Angeles, which leaves us with many dining options. We dropped by a pizzeria across the street. Right next door, we had some amazing ice cream sandwiches. Once back at the hotel (which is, by the way, really nice), we had a good night's sleep. 

Now it's morning. We're not doing anything specific today, and we're probably not going sightseeing. But I'm still excited to see what goes down today!

Wanderlust + Band Performance + Girls on the Run 5K

Wanderlust
Ah! I can't wait to go to Los Angeles for Monday and Tuesday! We're not doing much, just some sightseeing if time allows. On Tuesday (for sure) we'll be heading to the California Science Center. We just got some snacks for the road, so I'm excited to devour those.
I invented this random contraption from a shoe box. On road trips, when I'm not reading, I'll watch movies and listen to music. My little weird invention allows me to have a platform supporting my device, so I can sit back and relax without having to hold the device. It's something convenient I thought of, and while it's pretty practical, I didn't take the time to decorate it and it's quite the eyesore.

Band Performance
On Wednesday, we had the band wrap-up performance! I will definitely return as a second-year clarinetist next year, and since I won a district clarinet in a lottery, I had to return it after the performance. :( I had hoped to practice over the summer, but I guess I can't.

Girls on the Run 5K
As you may know, I am a Girl on the Run, and today was the 5K for my region! We all gathered in a county park (it started really early in the morning) and did a few fun activities before the race. I spray-painted my hair, which didn't show up well because my hair is a deep brown. Along with a few other girls, I decorated those really tall science boards with pictures from the meetings and a few cute sayings and doodles. The 5K was thrilling and I really enjoyed the experience! One of the boards (faces, name tag, and school name pixelated):

Student Council Results + What's On My Mind

I didn't make student council. I'm pretty bummed because I don't have another opportunity in elementary school. But, I just looked back at an old issue of Discovery Girls, which I always refer to when my spirits are down. I found a story about one of the Discovery Girls. She'd run for student council three times, just like me, but hadn't been picked. Despite not being part of that group, she started a club at her school, which she'd thought student council would be her pathway to doing. So I realized I could still make an impact, which I'm aiming to do, without being voted for. Just because I'm not as popular as some of the others doesn't make me any less of a person. That reminds me of Jollygirl's most recent post about popularity.

My heart has been beating very fast lately! I entered a competition about app development and entrepreneuship with my friend, and the semifinalists will be announced tomorrow. I'll find out if I got in to Discovery Girls soon ... there's just so much on my mind! On top of that, I'll be doing a lot of travel. I just had a "finalizing our Peru itinerary" session with my family! There are so many reasons to look forward to (and not look forward to) the end of the school year.

My family has been thinking about some house design plans for the summer. I'm excited at the possibility of refurnishing my room and painting the walls. It's pretty nice right now, but there are so many marker marks on the wall from when my sister and I were little. Well, I'll be dreaming up some floor plans for now....

Something that excites me more is all of the adventure we'll be involved in while we're in Peru. When I was seven, I went to Hawaii, and rode a horse at one of the ranches. I was too short and young to go on a trail, so I was guided around a small park. It's funny to look back at those days as a 5'2" ten-year-old! When I was eight, I went to Alaska, and went on a ziplining course in Ketchikan. Well, I'm going to not only get to ride a horse around some Inca ruins in Cusco (a city in Peru) but get to experience some bungee jumping, also in Cusco! Considering Cusco is already 11,150 feet above sea level, it sounds like a crazy idea, but I'm up for it! I'm anxious to go to Peru. It just fascinates me to touch something as simple as a wall and imagine the people who've touched that same wall thousands of years ago.

The Roller Coaster of Life + Hope

♥ Hello everyone!
Tomorrow is the general student council election! I'm so nervous that no one will vote for me, but I guess there's really nothing I can do about it. I'm still very excited because I do have some guaranteed votes from my friends. My heart has been aching because I have exactly one month left with a really good friend of mine who's going off to private school. I originally intended to apply for private school, but we missed the deadline and will try again for middle school. But, my heart is now mending itself, because we're going to a water park at the end of the month as a class field trip! :) This is the roller coaster that is life....
Yesterday, after my violin class, I asked myself a question about hope: Would I rather have no hope or false hope?
I know false hope seems like a bad thing. It's when you get your hopes up about something, but it turns out to go in a negative direction. I would say that having some hope is important rather than doubting my ability, but it's important not to count your chickens before they hatch.
No hope? Well, with false hope I still do my best and it doesn't impact my life outside of whatever I'm vying for. With no hope, I have to cope with a broken heart for days. No matter how hard I try to get everything together, it keeps falling apart. No positivity comes from this.
So as a conclusion, I decided I would rather have false hope because I'm happy and positive, and even when I drag my feet when things don't turn out as expected, I bring something back to the table. That's really what life is all about.

Annie Shows + Travel!

The school year is almost over. Annie shows were on Friday and Saturday. We've just booked a week-long vacation to Peru over the summer, and I'm really excited. So bear with me as I blab on about plans.
So we're trying to do everything that we can in Peru. We fly in to Lima, take a few trains here and there to Machu Picchu and Cusco, and really we're constantly exploring. To me, travel is exploration and capturing the essence of cultures different from ours. Being a "girl on the go," wanderlust gets the best of me and that's why travel is a ticket to fun! I'm also visiting Los Angeles mid-May, so I've got something closer to look forward to.
By the way, I'm really sorry. Having no post for a week (let alone two) is a serious red flag, but I've been really busy these days. As I said in a post back on April 2nd, the school year is at its peak. Soon all of this will die down, but until then my life is in a tangle. Testing just came around the corner, and we've been taking the Smarter Balanced exams this week.
What are you doing over the summer? Comment below.