Again, for the millionth time, someone said to me that it's really sad that I still don't have clue what I'm going to be when I grow up. Honestly, I can't see my future at all- or should I say I won't even have one. I'm really lost. My mother, my father, my aunt, my cousin and my friends have asked me the same question, "What do you want to do when you grow up?" countless times. And yet, every time I would give them a blank stare and utter the words "I don't know." Apparently, I am prohibited from saying "I don't know" because I use it too often to answer questions asked by my parents. I think their joking though. 

              Well, I'm fifth-teen right now and I guess I still have time to ponder about this...But some people are already planning their career ahead of time! Some of my friends and classmates have decided what courses they're going to take in grade twelve, even though they are going into grade eleven next year. On the contrary, I still don't know what career path I'm going to follow so I chose all the hard courses for grade eleven such as university biology, chemistry and physics, hoping that I will show some interest in one of those subject areas. 

              Others have asked me have I decided what university to go to. I don't know what I'm going to study in the future and now you're asking what university to go to....Also, I have little knowledge of what universities or colleges that exist. If I were to have a post-secondary education, I would probably choose a college/university that is close to my home due to the fact that living in the dorms seems kind of "isolated". The one university that keeps coming up is Harbour. From what I heard, Harbour is the best university in the world. People think I should go there because of my marks, but in my opinion, marks don't matter that much! I think that being interested in that area you want to study matters most! I may be wrong, so you can disagree with me. 

               One thing that bothers me is that my younger sister says she wants to become an artist and my cousin wants to become a doctor. Yes, they have a goal now but will it stay consistent? For the next 5 or 10 years, will they still stick to what they want to become? Or give up on that career choice and choose something else? Another thing that bothers me is some people will be in college/university studying medical or whatever, then they will drop out and study another course, then they drop out again. I feel like I'm getting off topic... Anyways, my advice: Decide what you are going to study in your post-secondary education so you're not wasting time and money! If you find yourself not interested in studying, immediately leave and choose a different path. I really need to start thinking about this...

           I've been told that I have a photographic memory, but for some odd reason I can't memorize poems very easily!  Just last week, our FFP class had to memorize this poem, then have it recorded on camera. The poem our class had to recite is The Road Not Taken is written by Robert Frost, one of the best poems in the world! It is rated second after Phenomenal Women. At first, I was mortified, especially with the part where we get recorded on camera. Memorizing a poem is already bad enough, and now we have to say it in front of a camera?! However once I had it all done, I was relieved.

           I used a few tips to memorize this poem that were very helpful to me. First, memorize one stanza per day because your brain can't retain all the information at once. If you don't have that much time, then leave a few hours in between before you start memorizing the second stanza. During those hours, do some physical activity as it will help you improve your memory. A second tip to use is record yourself reading your poem fluently, then play it over and over again until it gets stuck in your head. Play your recording a few times just before you sleep because studies show you are more likely to retain more information or memorize more things at night time. I usually study for tests at night before I sleep.   

               As I walked into the classroom on a Friday morning, the day where we have to recite the poem, all I heard was the poem being read millions of times in the classroom. I joined in as well. When the first person entered the backroom to recite the poem, I started getting anxious and shaky. I watched the second person, the third, and then the fourth person going in and coming out calm-looking. Perhaps this is not that hard as I thought it would be. I was next in line. I slowly entered the back room, sat on a chair, trying not to stare at the camera, then I flew past the poem. It was successful, sort of. I was surprised that I didn't stutter or pause at all! I recited the poem fluently with confidence. But one thing I messed up on, is I skipped a line without realizing...........I don't even remember what the line was! Oh well, I hope the memorizing tips will help you!