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Health & Fitness

Me, Myself, and I

HELLO WORLD I am a newbie to the North Potomac Patch and I'd like to say a few words about myself.

Well...this week has been a killer. Actually, I should take that back. EVERY week is a killer if you are at the cusp of experiencing the most vital events of in your life as a junior in high school. However, I am willing to take a leap of faith with everything I do and try to live in every moment as much as possible regardless of the struggles that are inevitable. 

My name is Mia Saidel and I will be guiding you all through my life as a high school student, even if my chronicles for the week seem minimal and dull to any other person. I shall record the most miniscule observations and conjure up an entire story just based on that one insignificant matter, because in high school, even the small things matter.

On a personal note, let me share a few things: I worship Vogue magazine with every molecule in my body. Every editor brings a piece of news that is so fascinating to me and it is thrilling to see how the times are reflected through fashion. Although some may view the fashion industry as shallow, there is the undeniable fact that fashion is present everywhere and is part of everyday life. I aspire to achieve the great accomplishment of joining the masthead of Vogue magazine and also pursuing a career in Japan.

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BUT ALAS, these things cannot be achieved without hard work. As we all know, Montgomery County public schools are some of the best in the country, and the pressure that comes with that title is no joke. The competition is relentless and sometimes I feel like banging my head on the lockers... every grade is taken so seriously and I find myself joining the entire school in a never ending battle for the straight A mark. However, I take everything with a grain of salt and realize that I have a future full of endless possibilities even if I receive what everyone thinks equals the world crashing down: a B for the quarter. 

Another thing: Family is very important to me. In these future blog posts coming up, many of them will most likely have familial happenings integrated into them. I have a blended family consisting of Jewish and Japanese values... in other words, family comes first and if you don't like it, hit the road pal. But I'm not complaining; My family is my support network for everything. (That doesn't mean  I won't be slipping a few details about the disputes we have once in a while but other than that we are all rainbows and butterflies.) You get the point, family is important. Let's move on.

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Although attending school every day is a struggle within itself, I have devoted myself to other activities as well. I have been playing the Japanese harp for 10 years under the tutelage of Professor Miyuki Yoshikami of the University of Maryland and a guest professor at the University of Gettsyburg, who has become a life mentor to me and a great friend. I just took a trip this summer to Japan with her and we visited koto (the Japanese harp) factories and shops as well as the gravesites of many influential koto composers. It was a surreal experience that I will always be referencing. I also have been attending Japanese school since I was 5, and although there have been many a times when I felt like pulling my hair out or whipping out a Harry Potter spell on my parents to make them forget we were Japanese, I am really grateful to them because I have the language drilled into me. The people at Japanese school are my extended family, and I have learned to appreciate the education that I am receiving there. Along with these things, I am also a features editor of the Wootton newspaper, Common Sense. I don't take the paper for granted anymore... deadline weeks are probably the most stressful of my life and every time an issue comes out, I swell up with pride because of all the effort put into it. I have never been a sports kind of gal, so joining newspaper has allowed me to realize what it feels like to be part of a team. It's a really good feeling.

Things have gotten too serious. I believe I have reached the halfway mark, so I shall now proceed to give a list of 10 random opinions/silly things... an ice breaker, if you will:

1. Sometimes when I feel sorry for myself because of the amount of homework I have, the first two lines of the song "Yesterday" by The Beatles start playing in my head.

2. I have learned the hard way that chocolate does not solve your problems... Last Halloween, 10 m&m's packets and one Reese's cup later, I couldn't get rid of the taste of chocolate after brushing my teeth multiple times and felt nauseous. And I felt fat too.

3. Harry Potter is life. J.K. Rowling is life. If anyone disagrees, you're up for a rude awakening. By me.

4. I hate those chain things on facebook that say "Like this for the truth". If you like it, you look like an idiot because it seems like you have no self confidence. Plus it's obnoxious to look at on your newsfeed.

5. IF YOU GET A "B" ON YOUR REPORT CARD YOU WILL STILL GET INTO COLLEGE. 

6. I'm half Asian. But that doesn't mean I'm going to major in biomedical engineering and become the next Einstein.

7. While others fantasize having the newest iPhone, I dream about ways that I can save up to buy myself a limited edition pair of Nicholas Kirkwoods or Christian Louboutins. 

8. If it's a good day, I will blast jpop from my room. If not, you will hear silence.

9. People I wish I could say were my best friends: Karl Lagerfeld, Alexa Chung, Rain Bi, Dakota Fanning, Karlie Kloss, Arashi, Yonghwa from CNBlue, Derek Blasberg...

10. I eat raw octopus and fermented beans... without reluctance.

I hope that the above has given you a general illustration of my colorful life. I will strive to make myself a worthy writer for this blog, although the things I have to say may be trivial. If you ever find yourself smiling, letting out a spurt of laughter, or nodding in agreement, all I have to say is: mission accomplished.

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