The Benefits of Lying

I'm taking a writing skills development class (or what my school calls KIR), and our assignment this week was to write about a weird/unrealistic scenario. It was a struggle to find the right topic. When I found a nice one, "What if people never aged over seventeen?" it turned into this complex story line about forbidden love, a bit West Side Story-esque, and Romeo and Juliet inspired, but then I realized that I couldn't get it done in time and decided to shelve the story for better circumstances for now.

So that meant I had to come up with a back-up plan. I chose a topic that was my original first idea, which I'm sure if it were ever to come true would just set hell loose. "What if everyone never lied?" The story I ended typing out last-minute was a bit rushed, but the idea of course was solid. And when I was writing down the closing conversation, things really hit home. I won't post the whole story, but I'll quote the end bit.

“Why? Did anyone bully you? Say something mean?”

            “Yes… and no. I don’t know. When people speak their mind, bad things can come out of it. Just because you don’t like what they say, it doesn’t mean they’re wrong, does it?”

            “Even if they are right, you can’t let what anybody says bring you down, hun. What they say doesn’t matter.”

            “No, Mom, what they say does matter. And that’s kind of what sucks. You can have such a good attitude at whatever they throw at you, but that doesn’t change the way they treat you. And they tell people what they think and some people buy it. And they start treating you differently, too.”

            Her mother squeezed her as she said this, understanding her pain and not quite sure on how to respond. “But, I learned something from today. The truth can hurt. More often than not. And I took the truth today with a spoonful of sugar and am now stronger because of it. And it’ll be more than satisfying when I prove those people wrong.”

            Amelia lifted her head and looked at her mother’s face. “I also learned that when some people don’t tell the truth, it’s because they’re just looking out for you. They just care. It’s one of the benefits of lying, I guess. You can spare a person’s feeling, but still push them to be the best. You don’t say the complete truth, because you know it would destroy them. And that’s the last thing you want to do.”

MAXIMUM EXCITEMENT = LUMOS MAXIMA!

It's amazing, really, what a group of kids can do when they come together. Even more so, when the results exceed all expectations. This year in 2011, Santa Laurensia came out again to host it's bi-annual event, the LAURENSIA CUP!

I feel slightly well, really guilty cuz I feel like I didn't contribute much to this cup, even though I had so much free time and wanted to help out, I just couldn't figure out how. I signed to be part of the public relations (Humas) division. My job is to announce the details of Laurensia Cup to other schools and hand out proposals for anyone willing to participate. It was a little touch and go at first, but we managed to at least fill up the minimum quota for the games.

What really sucked was that my tasks were focused up until Laurensia Cup started. Once it did, I became a mere spectator, even though I was given a "Crew" member shirt. It was like I was trying to find something to do, but everyone was already assigned to do this and that, and my offer fell on deaf ears. It also felt like I was imposing.

Enough of the ranting. Let's get on with the showcase!

The concept for this year's Laurensia Cup is pretty unique. We took on a outerspace galactic theme, naming it LUMOS MAXIMA! It stands for "Laurensians Unites in Diversity through Sports with Maximum Excitement". I love how every single detail is authentic and original. This really showed how damn creative Laurensia kids can be :)

The opening started on 5 Nov 2011, a Saturday. And I have to say, it was a bigger turn out than I expected. My dear mates, Kenny and Karina were MCs for the ceremony, and I'm proud to say they did a great job. There was a ceremonial cutting of a bouquet of balloons: red, yellow and blue floating up into the sky, a beautiful array of colors, all of them imprinted with the Lumos Maxima logo. We also saw the cheerleaders do their thang and even our local Tiger mascot shuffle :D

The match was a thrill to watch. Especially the girls' mini soccer! The Laurensia uniforms, I absolutely adoreee. Cute and spunky with it's combo of dark grey and pink, it stands out! They also played well, and ended up with first place! Basketball, was intense. Girls managed to get second, falling just a little by Pahoa, another school. A lot of people say that it's the girls golden age. The boy's were unable to grab victory this time around, but hey, that's okay! All in the spirit of sportmanship!

VOLLEYBALL! That was the most amazing sports to watch. So much on-the-edge-of-your-seat action. Only the high-schoolers had volleyball, and unfortunately the junior high didn't, mainly because we couldn't form a team in time. Like, I've said before, VOLLEY is something that is lighting my heart's fire, and hopefully I'll get better as I pursue this sport.

The bazaar and food available this time around, I think was more ranged. There was Chatime, Kebabs, a takoyaki stand, Hop Hop (those bubble drinks) and even Crepes. The merchandise the bazaar team came up was amazing, too. All the Lumos Maxima cups, Hand-clappers to cheer the teams, keychains and shirts were all well-designed.

The week went by in a flash. All of those preparations, and cutting classes in the afternoon to supervise the Cup and being given free time to watch the games. It was paradise, a whole week of going to school with minimum studying and maximum FUN! It was a little bittersweet to seeing it come to an end.

It's 12-11-11. A Saturday, a full week since the beginning of Lumos Maxima. There's this sense of things coming around full circle. The final rounds were played that morning, the winners made clear. And soon, 5.30 pm came, and the gym was starting to fill up with an eager audience. The decorations for the closing, were SUPERB. They gym was completely transformed into a out-of-this-world space ship. Outside of the entrace were a few food stands, and once you handed in your ticket and got a Lumos Maxima stamp on your hands, you went into this tunnel, that branched out to both sides.

If you followed the tunnel left, you would step inside the interior of a silver-lined spaceship. To you're right, you meet the brown-rocky terrain of a planet unknown. It was cool inside, the blast of the air-conditioners they put up on full-power. The walls of the gym inside were lined with dark cloth, representing the blackness of space. In the dance room over head, the windows overlooking the gym were covered with boards, lined with little lights that were shaped to form the writing 'Lumos Maxima'. Life-size models of the mascots, Terra, Myu, Kevin, etc. Screens were displayed on both sides, projections of images throughout the show to be seen by everyone.

The show started, and the curtains to the gym stage opened. A model of MAXIMUS, the Superior One, the top mascot hung from the ceiling, next to an astronaut and some twinkling stars. The back of the stage was covered in reflecting tin-foil, giving off a real futuristic vibe. The use of smoke machines, just blanketing the stage made me think we really were on another planet.

Most of the performances were from our own school. The cheerleaders were great, doing a much more daring routine than the opening (TIGERS! GO, FIGHT, WIN!), than the bands performing top hits. From "Do Re Mi", "Stereo Love", "Jetlag", "Mistletoe", "Pumped Up Kicks" to a medley of "Sunday Morning/Chasing Pavements", the musicians got the audience on their feet, grooving, jumping and singing along. The dance numbers were well-choreographed too.

My favorite performance was SPADE <3 From costumes, to the mixed-song, the choreography was on-point and just bursting with energy. Hope I'll get to see them peform again!

After the winner's announcement, then came the main event: WHITE SHOES AND THE COUPLES COMPANY! I did hear a few of their songs before I heard they were performing at Laurensia Cup, and they are amazing! Though I did notice that weren't well-known since their music sort of requires an acquired taste.

The night was drawing to a close. The MC asked the audience to step outside to the parking lot and look up. A series of crackling (slighty ear-splitting) fireworks flew up into the sky.

And just like that, a legendary night was over.

Even though Lumos Maxima is over, the excitement lives on!

Huge thanks and kudos to everyone who helped make this all come true.

--Karin Novelia, Still Excited!

Something's Coming! Something Good!

There comes a time in your life when it seems like you've hit an all time low, or just feel so lost that life seemingly conspires to help you a bit by giving you an epiphany. Lately I've been having a lot of epiphanies. Basically, an epiphany is a sort of deep, profound realization. When you think of something that seems so obvious and englightening at the same time. When you're trying to figure something out and get your act together, something in your brain just clicks and the puzzle pieces fall into place.

I, for one, have something HUGE planned. But the thing about epiphanies, this new solution presents new problems. Like, one, this enthusiasm and illusion that this is most awesome-est idea in the world, might only seem that way to me. I might be terribly alone on this one. And even though I'll fight to make this work out as best as possible, I can't do this by myself.

While I work a few kinks out, I'm also trying to stay hopeful. Because just the thought of all this makes my heart a flutter with happiness and my eyes sparkle. Something that hasn't happened in a while.

And trust me when I say, something's coming! Something good!

--Karin Novelia, Feeling There's A Miracle Due!

Taking the Pledge

(This post was made in dedication for a Youth Empowerment themed blog, run by me and a couple of my friends. Visit the blog here at youthmakethingshappen.blogspot.com. Spread the word! Oh and this is my 80 post, wheeee! :D)

Sumpah Pemuda:

Kami putra dan putri Indonesia, mengaku bertumpah darah satu, tanah air Indonesia

Kami putra dan putri Indonesia, mengaku berbangsa yang satu, bangsa Indonesia.

Kami putra dan putri Indonesia, menjunjung tinggi bahasa persatuan, bahasa Indonesia.

I stood, back straight, on the grassy field within the dark green Columbus Hall of Santa Laurensia School that housed the Junior and Senior High classes. It was the morning of the 28th in this chilly October, the time of year when rain would frequent our area. The junior high school classes, from 7th until 9th grade, were lined up on the field as we progressed through our flag ceremony.

A ceremony for what you ask? Well, today wasn’t just any ordinary date. It was October 28 2011. 83 years ago, on this exact date, was the day that some call “the birth of Indonesia”. Not the date of Independence, but rather, the day we banded together and united in national spirit.

Historically, Indonesia did not gain independence until seventeen years later on August 17, 1945. The road to independence wasn’t smooth. And the revelations and ideas produced on this day was the spark that lit fire in the hearts of Indonesians who decided to strive for freedom from the colonial reign of foreign nations.

In the year 1928, the second Youth Congress (Kongres Pemuda) was held in Indonesia, joined by Youth organizations all over the country. In the Youth Congress the Youths would discuss many issues, from the economy to education to general welfare.

Can you imagine how the number of Youths that came together, sat down, and pitched ideas and dreamed of a better future of their country, were responsible for shaping the flourishing country Indonesia has become now?

A few famous items produced on that day were the national anthem Indonesia Raya and the inspiring text that opened this essay the Sumpah Pemuda or Youth Pledge. This Pledge, written from the minds of great Youth, has become as sort of reminder of Youthful potential, a guideline that drives the spirit of young Indonesians.

The message stated is clear: that 1) the ‘sons and daughters’ — the young people, the next generation — of Indonesia, acknowledged Indonesia as their homeland, 2) acknowledged Indonesia as their nation, the people within it despite the differences, their family, and 3) upheld it’s language of unity, bahasa Indonesia which has always been part of Indonesian’s unique culture. All 3 points of the pledges show how dedicated the Youths of that time were in defending and fighting for their beloved nation.

A sort of pulse-racing adrenaline ran through my veins when the pledge was read during the ceremony. I thought of how the past accomplishments the pledge writers must’ve made history and how their nationalism and drive was sort of over-shadowing the Youths of today. And deep inside, I had this burning, unquenchable desire to show that we – us kids – are capable of doing something great. Something life-changing.

We live in a world that is plagued with apathy. It’s undeniable that this modern, competing world has little room for mediocrity. Not many of us get a chance of success, leading to this modern day belief of not to try. As George Zinavoy once said in the movie, The Art of Getting By:

“It’s more like we’re living in a dying time, you know. I mean, you’ve got global warming, wars, terrorism, tsunamis. We’re definitely on the downhill side so what are we looking towards? What’s the point?”

It is hard living in a world that makes you feel like trying isn’t even worth it. It’s even harder when you’re not even given a chance.

It’s easy to see why the adults of today have almost zero trust in kids. We haven’t really done much to show our worth. We barely have the will to go to school, we’d rather sleep all day and party all night. In extreme cases we’d rebel, drop out of school and do drugs and have sex.

But those stereotypes aren’t true. They most certainly don’t apply to most of us. I for one, am tired of being underestimated. And luckily, Youths have stepped up their game, and the Youth empowerment front is definitely on the move. Question is: will you play your part?

Trust, me this ‘dying world’ needs each and every one of us kids, to open up the path to a better future. So take the pledge and feel empowered!

--Karin Novelia, Done With Being 'So Ordinary'

A Day to Remember: Ten Years after 9/11

On September 11, 2011, several American Airlines planes took off into the air. It seemed like a normal day, just the regular routine. Until of course, 3 planes were hi-jacked, two of which crashed into it's target, the World Trade Center in New York's Twin Towers. One was directed into the Pentagon

Ten years after, the effects, the memory of it all is still strongly felt. I saw a post on Tumblr about the tribute of light dedicated to 9/11, where 88 bulbs are used to send a blue beam of light up to the New York skyline. Those lights would take the shape of the Twin Towers, exactly where they should've been. A few weeks back in my Religion class we were shown a movie, based on real recording and accounts of people on Flight 93, a flight that was hi-jacked on this tragic day. And now, on the last day of holiday, I am watching these back-to-back 9/11 documentaries on the National Geographic channel.

What I'm seeing is really saddening, really heart-breaking. How a single act of terror orchestrated by people with the wrong ideals and determination to even commit suicide to get their twisted visions realized has not only killed hundreds of people from all walks of life
(young and old, Americans, Asians or Europeans who were living in New York) but shook a nation to its core.

The families, friends of the victims and heroes were all affected by this. And it's really just unfair. People lost their lives to something that could've not have happened at all. All this tragedy and grieve and panic could've just have never been.

For someone like me, who was young and probably eating a bowl
of cereal and heading of to school, someone who was oblivious to 9/11, to feel so shaken by this, it's hard to imagine what people who were directly a part of this day must be feeling, even ten years after.

I turned from a president dealing with national issues to a war-time president. It was something I hadn't anticipated nor even wanted

This is what former President George W Bush said in the documentary/interview I just saw. He was visiting a class of little kids when he heard the news that "America is under attack".

We cannot change what has happened. But 9/11 is a part of history that we do not want to repeat, and should learn from.

My heart goes out to the friends of families of those whose lives were taken on 9/11. May God grant you serenity and patience to the upcoming days in your life. To those who have passed, Rest in Peace. You certainly have not been forgotten.

--Karin Novelia, Sending Condolences.

A Teacher's Promise

I found this link:

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/09/06/living/teachers-want-to-tell-parents/index.html

It's a CNN article about "teachers VS parents" and it really got to me. I for one, believe in education, and seeing people who dedicate there lives to educate others get cut down like that...

No wonder Mr Shuester from Glee feels like such an underdog.

This is a view written by an American teacher, but the trials and conflicts that most of them face as a teacher is something universal. It's not hard to imagine many teachers all over the world feeling the same thing.

Take a read, and see what you think about it. If you're a student, I suggest you start respecting teachers a bit more. If you're a parent, I suggest you start being a teacher's partner instead of their reason to quit. They are of course, just trying to help you educate your child.

And if you're a teacher, bravo. I deeply respect you profession and your role in this world.

One day, I'm gonna be a teacher. Maybe not one that works behind a desk, in just one school, I'll do it in my own way. Main point is, I wanna to educate, just like a teacher does.

Special thanks to my teacher, Mr Yudi Atmanta for posting the link on Facebook for me to see :)
--Karin Novelia, Teacher By Heart

September, September, September.

Hey, it's me, Kai, blogging to you from a classified located. Otherwise known as my living room. Hahaha.

Well, guess what? Today is the 8th of September. If you know me personally, or read this blog before, then you probably know the... significance of this date.

Last year, on this date, in just a few minutes, exactly at 6 pm, a guy asked me if I wanted to be his girlfriend. And I said, Yes.

So here we are, a year later. I always pictured this day a bit differently. My blind optimism always told me that we would make it to a year. But now, this day is actually exactly 2 months since he broke up with me. No, I'm not gonna get emo on you here. I actually didn't realize what the date was until just a few minutes ago, and you'd think realizing something like that would make feel at least a little nostalgic, but I don't. Not at all. Maybe I am faring a whole lot better than I thought.

Out of the 12 months in a year, I guess September is one of my favorites. 8-9-10 was a huge event in my life, and comeing full circle, it's been one hell of a year. But also a lot of big things happen this month.

This year, on September 8, 2011, FASHION'S NIGHT OUT which is an event I just learned off, but sounds totally awesome, is taking place. Oh, it's also Pink's birthday!

The 2010 Grammys were in September (I think). They have a band called The Septembers. There's the song "Wake Me Up When September Ends" by Green Day. Even Daughtry has a "September" song. There's 9/11 (okay, that's more of a tragedy than happy event). Most importantly, it's usually the start of Autumn! Cooler days, who wouldn't welcome that?

I guess my mainpoint is, there are moments that will forever be engraved into you memory, and there's nothing wrong with that. Happy moments, are worth treasuring. Crappy moments? Well, you'd wanna forget them, but they usually are a bit scarring.

But inspite of those crappy moments, they're are a lot of happy/uplifting things that happened. So, just remember to look at the brighter side of life.

Cheers!

Update: Hey, it's the ninth now, and when I think about it, there's TONS more good stuff coming up this September! The premiere of Glee! season 3 on the 20th, yesterday on the eight (lucky me) Cameron Mitchell put out a new Youtube video of him singing, Blackbird! I always wish I could get a nicely recorded version of just him singing songs he sang on the Glee Project. This is also the last chance song he sang the night he decided to leave the competition. He sounds great <3 and looks a tad better after his haircut haha :)

And yeah, today is 9th of September and I just found out (thanks to Tumblr) that today is DAMIAN JOSEPH MCGINTY'S 19TH BIRTHDAY!! Happy birthday, Irish Boy! Can't wait to see you on Glee! All the best, never lose your youthful spirit and charming smile! Love, you! :D

UpdateUpdate:

OH MY GOD! HOW COULD I FORGET THAT SEPTEMBER 9TH WAS ALSO MICHAEL BUBLE'S BIRTHDAY? I FEEL LIKE SUCH A HORRIBLE FAN! D:

Michael Buble. We're talking about the guy who's voice pulled me into the wonderful world called jazz music, and whose Crazy Love album was the first music CD I ever bought. HAPPY 36TH BIRTHDAY MICHAEL BUBLE! 36? He doesn't look a day over 20. He's having a new album out in October, called "Christmas", so it looks like Christmas cheer is coming to town early this year :)

And the fact that he and Damian share a birthday is amazing. Michael Buble is a huge star and a great singer in my eyes, but he isn't really shown much in the media and the public eye, so I guess I forgot about him lately. And once I saw Damian and heard him sing, I was like 'He's the new Michael Buble!' and he's whole youthful spirit will bring in a new life into this jazzy, swing genre they both do. All the best for both <3

--Karin Novelia, Snuggling Up for Autumn ;)