I entered a video game tournament, and here are some of the people who also entered. I lost in the third round.

​I have an eating problem.  No, I'm not anorexic or bulimic, but I really enjoy food.  They say you're supposed to eat to live.  Well, I live to eat.  
Years ago, I spent my winter break in Florida with my mom's side of the family.  They are Jewish, but it was Christmas, so we ate Christmas dinner.  The roasted turkey breast, sweet potatoes, cabbage and baked ziti were delicious and I throughly indulged as is my forte.  I had placed the comfortably full feeling plates ago.  On a scale form 1-10, I was nearing a 9.5.  I felt sick, but it was simply too good to stop.  I remember reaching for another small slice of turkey, figuring it couldn't fill me up that much more (it was so small).  From across the table, my nana yelled, "Step away from the food, Taylor."  She was right, and I did. 
I've now realized that the only way to decline another bite of anything note worthy is to verbally tell myself to stop.  At the dinner table: "You're full; I promise".  At the buffet, "Do you really need another biscuit?"  In the kitchen, after everyone else has gone to sleep, "What the hell, Taylor? Stop!" 

It's beginning to work. 

Completing a Pre-Calculus benchmark in one day was something I thought was impossible.

"My soul shall find itself alone"
For the paths desired are too far to reach.
But if my soul decides to give in
will it just be over?

My world is the sky with endless boundaries
But my fate is as narrow as the mouse hole in the wall
The wandering soul knows no rest
as my choices become more luminous

If my fate becomes content
my wrongs shall make me stronger
but if my fate spirals downward
karma will get the best of me
and my soul shall find itself alone...

My social and physical awkwardness stems from a curse placed upon my family years ago by an embarrassed and angry witch. This witch had encountered one of my ancestors, a young, dashing lass, who walked as if upon water: enjoying the ripples beneath her feet all the while knowing that any who looked upon her believed themselves witnessing a miracle. A goddess walking amongst men, if you will. The witch, an opportunistic old croon, believed that if she was to befriend such a woman she would be propelled into the top tiers of polite society. With her magic and this ancestor-o-mine’s grace, they could control the small world in which they lived. Energized by the prospect, the witch approached my relative  and eloquently explained the proposition. Upon hearing the witch's idea, my ancestor looked at her, smiled kindly, and told her no. The witch, not completely dissuaded, asked why my ancestor would refuse such an opportunity. My ancestor replied, in a serious voice, I have no other desire than to spend my days wandering about these woods until I am accidentally shot down in a horrific hunting accident. I fear your plans would greatly interfere with my own. The witch was shocked. Hurt. Confused. Forlorn at the notion of my ancestor  wasting her gift. Shocked once more. And finally angry. (“ How dare some young harlot deny me  such a  future so she could be shot down in the woods!”) The witch, not ashamed to fulfill the stereotypes that had prevented her species from being considered socially acceptable, felt that my ancestor’s actions required punishment. Having accepted that the only redeeming quality my family member possessed was the innate grace which first attracted the witch with its silent call, she determined it was that gift that must be taken. She placed a curse on my relative which resulted in a hobbled, clumsy number that could only be called a walk in the most open-minded of circles and inspired ridicule and pity in all who saw it. Yet even in her lame, borderline dialed state, my relative retained her wits and good humor. The witch found her reaction to be an affront on the entire process and decided it was necessary to increase the size of the curse. She now made it so the curse affected my dear relative’s means of social interaction. She was unable to form cohesive, intelligent sentences or maintain eye contact with whomever she spoke. She stuttered, paused awkwardly, and tended to ramble in a fashion that caused mother’s to hide their children in her presence. She now suffered not only a bothersome lack of elegance while walking but its verbal equivalent! The witch was pleased. She had thoroughly disheartened my ancestor and punished her for her insolence. However, the amount of power the witch used in this punishment far exceeded the limits both women believed it lived within: it did not just affect my ancestor but her descendants as well. There now existed a discrepancy in my ancestor’s genetic code which manifests ever so rarely, an alteration that when dominant plagued its owner with the jilted witch’s curse. (There have only been a few recorded cases of this highly recessive gene surfacing with only one victim alive today. The living patient has tried various gene therapies and spells to have it removed but that witch proved most powerful albeit terribly fickle. I shall give you one guess as to who this mystery patient is. Give up? It is Rumpelstiltskin. It is always Rumpelstiltskin where guessing names and fairy tales are involved. Oh yes and first-born child payments. He often has a hand in those.)

I was at a restaurant eating dinner with my uncle and my mom, they were commenting about a South American proverb: “The house does not rest upon the ground, but upon women”

It got me thinking that during my entire life I have never seem a male member of my family helping out in any domestic chores.  Even now, SOME people think that man should be the “provider” and woman should be "housewife" (don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with that, But...). I personally think that the roles in a family should be balance out more. I would rather have the house to rest upon the family and not just the woman. 

So I have many stories to tell about my trip to Jordan this summer and here is just one.
I will never forget how I met my first friend, Michelle Yang. After already a long flight to Chicago I had a 3 hour lay over before my flight to Oklahoma. So while I was waiting for my flight I saw a small Asian who looked a familiar from the website. So for about 15 minutes I stared at this girl trying to figure out if she was on the trip. I caught her eyes a couple of times, but quickly turned my head so she wouldn't know I was staring. After a while I gave up.
About an hour later the flight attendant called out the flight number, and I started to gather my things. When I turned around from my seat I saw her again, but this time I noticed she had on a debate shirt, and that's when I knew it. The thing was, though, she said something to me before I could. "Are you going to Jordan?"
"Yeah!" was the only thing I could say.
"I thought you were, and I was starring at you thinking you look familiar" At that point I was happy that I wasn't the only one looking. After breathing out and feeling happy that I met someone from the trip I was ready. Michelle and I became fast friends, and we are still friends today. Now the next part of the trip would be even harder...

"Worry looks around. Regret looks back. Faith looks forward."

"Why would i spend money on food, when i could just not eat and save money?"

"Save for what?"