Christmas

  I realize it's the holidays, and I should probably make a cheesy post on "what Christmas means to me," but I'm not feelin' it right now. Before I get to thinking about Christmas, I have to get through next week's exams. I am going to write about my stress.

  The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines stress as "a physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension and may be a factor in disease causation." I hope this does not mean I am going to get a disease, but exams (and teachers) are experts in stressing people out. I remember my first semester exams in 7th grade when I was even more of a "try-hard" than I am now. The weekend before exams I locked myself in my room and studied for about 8 hours straight! How in the world did an 11 year old focus on one thing for so long? IT'S STRESS I TELL YOU! I definitely liked my results, but I didn't see how the hours of studying paid off. I thought the exams were easy and that the teachers should have warned us not to waste a whole weekend of Christmas cheer to study for them. This year I will be in seclusion studying from 8:30 to 12:30 because I will be busy the rest of the day. On Sunday I will probably do even more studying. Monday night I will attempt to cram even more knowledge into my head. The rest of the week I will probably slack off and worry about the tests. So Basically, I cannot wait until 12:30 on Thursday when stress ends and Christmas begins. On top of all this, I have a Christmas piano recital on Sunday. So if I am not studying for exams, I will be practicing Bach's "Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring." 

  I do not think that exams and piano recitals are healthy. I mean Mr. Merriam Webster says I'm going to get a disease. The body tension will come from sitting around for eternity staring at every little snippet of information our teachers want me to know. After a while of sitting down, your back gets tired of sitting and your head gets tired of looking down. Eventually you have to stand up and take a "little break" which usually ends up lasting for 3 hours. Then you go back to stooping over you notes again. Also, 90% of the stuff I have to know for my exams will never be needed again. My favorite method of studying is osmosis. This is when you rest your head on the information you need to learn and the words go through your skull and are ingrained into your memory. This method has not proved me well in the past, but you know what they say, "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again!"

   Although stress does make me study hard, there has to be another way for teachers to test our overall knowledge of the material. A student's stress may not be the same as that of an adult's (taxes, work, and such), but it is still very real. Now I will watch the last 3 minutes of NCIS plus some frivolous commercials, and go to bed ASAP in order to be ready for study day! :)

Is-a-bell My-kuhl

   Before you read this post, keep in mind that it is NOT written in a serious tone at all and is meant to be humorous. I do not mean to offend anyone. This is a light hearted post about a not-so-serious issue that does tend to annoy.
   For those of who you who are not aware of the difficulty concerned with correctly pronouncing my last name, it is apparently very difficult. My last name, spelled Mikell, is actually pronounced "my-kuhl". This pronunciation is more commonly spelled Michael which is usually a first name. It is my biggest pet peeve when people incorrectly pronounce my name. Who would have ever known that there are so many ways to say "Mikell"? I have even met a man who asked "Can I say Mickle cuz it rhymes with pickle?" Me being the young and polite child I was probably said sure, although I do not remember. Then, there's the doctor's office that tries to get fancy by saying "Miguel", but with more of a k sound than a g sound. 
    This has taught me that if you are unsure of the pronunciation of a person's name...JUST ASK! I would much rather be asked than to be called by the wrong name. I am a real person with a name (I really am.). Although my first name is less commonly butchered, it is also an issue. If people would just take the time to sound it out, they would realize that it is made of three commonly used words: is, a, & bell. One would think Isabelle is not to complicated. "Ellisabelle" is just unacceptable. I can understand "Elizabeth" because it is similar sounding and also a commonly used name. I just don't understand the mix up between Julia(my mother's name) and Isabelle, though.     
     Thus ends my rant about my pet peeve of people discombobulating my name. I hope you have learned something from this. Luckily, I am not one to hold grudges. So if you have made this mistake before, I have either forgotten or forgiven you. Just try to avoid this mistake in the future. :)

Life is Beautiful

    I recently watched the film Life is Beautiful. It won "Best Foreign Language Film" in 1998. This is a story about a family during the Holocaust. Life is Beautiful is a great film.
    The film is a one-of-a-kind masterpiece. There are many unexpected twists to the movie such as the little boy eating dinner with the Nazi children. It is also unique in that it can keep the attention of an English speaking audience that must read subtitles because the film is in Italian.
    I would never have been able to draw the conclusion of this film from the first 30 minutes or so of the movie. I thought the movie was going to be a love story rather than a tear jerking Holocaust story. The director definitely got the audiences' sympathy for the father. He worked so hard to keep his son happy and safe even while walking to his death. It is also a great feeling when the Americans arrive at the end saving the mother and son as well as the other remaining Jews.
    The film had lovely music. The track called "Life Is Beautiful" is splendid. I feel like that song in itself transports the audience. The music overall really helped bring out emotions such as fear and happiness. The acting was fantastic. The father's enthusiasm in order to keep his son safe and happy was impressive. I thought it was symbolic when the father was skipping past his son who was hiding in the box. A guard takes the father into a dark corridor and immediately shoots him. I thought the joyful skipping represented life and the dark corridor symbolized death. The director does a great job taking the audience throughout the Holocaust from beginning to end.
    The them of the film is live life to its fullest, hence the film title Life Is Beautiful. The father is never portrayed as unhappy. He is in a way forced to find the silver lining in every situation for his son's sake. His bravery, strength, and will saves the life of his son and wife.
     Life is Beautiful, being the first foreign film I have ever seen has encouraged me to dig deeper into my foreign film curiosity. I would highly recommend this film to anyone who is thinking about watching it. This movie truly brings out the beauty of life.

Introduction

    Hello! My name is Izzie. Since this is my very first post, I think it would be appropriate to go ahead and introduce myself. I am going to start with my favorite things.My favorite sport is soccer. I play club soccer for South Carolina United FC, and I also play for my school in the spring. I watched the Women's Fifa World Cup over the summer, and it was definitely a heart breaker when they lost to Japan in the final match.
    I also love animals (especially my pets). My favorite animal is a sea otter because they are by far the most adorable animal in the world. I love how they lay their back and use their precious paws to eat mussels and other various types of shellfish. I hope to one day pursue a career as a veterinarian.
    My third favorite thing is music. I have been in Trinity Episcopal Cathedral's Cathedral Choir of Girls for about five years, I have been playing piano for about six years, and I have been playing saxophone for four years. Currently, my favorite artists include Josh Turner, Parachute, Keith Urban, Rascal Flatts, Hans Zimmer, Jessie J, Sam Tsui, and John Mayer. This list is constantly changing, though.
    Because of my many interests, I live a very busy life. Although I am never bored and have very little time to relax, I enjoy this lifestyle. It keeps me active and participating in what I love to do.