Family Carving

Last night, after deciding that homework could wait for another day, I sat down with my family and carved some sick pumpkins.

After looking online for awesome carving templates, I finally settled for the templates on Zombie Pumpkins because they were free and some of them were at my level of pumpkin carving–crappy.

For those of you who aren't "cool" enough to know what these are, they're Iron Man (the most amazing super hero ever that is played by my favorite actor) and the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo.  Yeah, I know, they're beautiful.

We eventually settled for Iron Man and the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo, because they're awesome and we had the ability to draw it on the pumpkin then cut it out.

I'm really proud of how they came out, judging by the fact that we haven't carved pumpkins in 4 years because they're 50 US dollars in Hong Kong for a small one... yes it is crazy.

The entire night was a really great time, and I loved doing it so much because I had the chance to spend time with my family, who I rarely have the time to talk to, and almost never get to do something fun with.

Yes, maybe I'm a bit behind on my homework now, and yes, maybe my hands got a little messy (okay, a lot), and yes, I may have had pumpkin gut fight with my sister (my hair looked... interesting... after that experience)  but the entire night was so much fun.

How Much is Enough?

If you didn't know already (either because you don't pay attention to detail, have never talked to me, or haven't read any of my blog posts), I used to living in香港 (pronounced "xiang gang", or Hong Kong for those of you who don't speak Chinese).  If you want to know more about what living in 香港 as an expat is like, I highly recommend this blog.

In 香港, I had a really great life.  Although school was hard, I had a lot of opportunities and a lot of freedom.  I hung out with friends for a few hours every week too, and I became close with a lot of people.

Leaving 香港 was one of the hardest things I have ever done.  I had to leave the people I trusted and the place that had become my home.  

Louisa and I on the night of our middle school graduation.  

"Lulu" was my closest friend during my 8th grade year, and the hardest part of leaving 香港 was saying goodbye to her.  She is still my best friend.  

One of the hardest things to find time for now is talking to old friends, like Louisa.  The time change is definitely not on my side either. The only time I really have is on Friday and Saturday nights, because Hong Kong is 14 hours ahead of Utah, where I live now.

Even though the only thing I ever want to do is talk to them, I have to carry on with my life here.  If I don't make friends here, I am going to be miserable, because I won't make any new memories, and I won't have any fun over the next four years.

It's literally killing me to not see Louisa and my other friends every day.  With all of the other things going on in my life, it's hard to find time.  The only way I find myself chatting or skyping with 香港 friends is by setting up a time a few days before.  By doing this, both of us are expecting to talk to each other, and I look forward to it.  It guarantees that I will talk to them in the near future.

If you have moved, even if it's just a few towns or a state away, I highly recommend setting up a time before you move to talk to old friends.  If your schedule doesn't allow it one week, let your friends know that, and set up an alternate time.  If you don't set up a time, and choose to talk to friends on a random basis, it's going to be a lot harder to keep up with everyone.

Sometimes, life gets busy, and that's okay.  But it's important to factor in time for people you care about.  Even though leaving 香港 was incredibly hard, I came out of it stronger and with great friends and memories that I will work to keep.

Volleyball vs. Homework

Even though I'm not great at it, volleyball is my favorite sport and I love playing.  I try really hard and do my best.  I go to all of the practices and games (I haven't missed one yet!), and while it is rewarding, it takes up a lot of time.

This week, I had practice Monday and Wednesday, and games Tuesday and Thursday.  Because the practices end at 5:30, it is easy to manage homework.  The stress arises on game days-especially when they are away games.  The games are a ton of fun and great to watch, so I don't want to miss it (check out our 2013 schedule to look for upcoming games).

On Tuesday, our game was in Union, which is about a two and a half hour drive on a school bus from my school.  Although I was able to study for my biology test the next day on the way there, I was not so successful on completing my other homework.

I am aware that this is how high school sports are, and that I signed up for this commitment.  I honestly wouldn't change it for anything.  Next week, when our season comes to a close, it's going to be a very heart breaking experience.  I wish the season would continue on throughout the entire school year, even if it is a lot of work.

Image Credits: Zazzle.com

Although it sometimes feels like it should be "Homework forever, volleyball whenever", it doesn't work out like that.  Not only did I make a commitment that I can't break, but I also want to win, and help my team do that.  

When I have games, it sometimes feels like I'm suffocating in work, that there is too much to do and too little time to do it.  In order to help with this, I make sure I finish homework due Wednesday on Monday if I have a game Tuesday.  Or, if I have a game Thursday, I'll do all of my homework due Friday on Wednesday.   

I know this may seem like a crazy way of balancing homework, but it actually works.  By planning it out ahead of time (which homework I need to do for a certain class on a certain day), I am able to plan the rest of my time around it - how long to spend with family, how long I can chat with old friends from Hong Kong, and how long I need to plan for reading and other assignments that aren't necessarily due in the next few days.

However, this isn't to say that this plan is fool proof.  I end up having a lot of homework on Wednesdays, and I don't get much sleep during the week, it's the best plan I have. 

By using this method, I am able to almost achieve a balance.  Although it does sound too obvious and there are a few cons, it has a lot of great pros and it works for me.