Which of the seven sins am I most guilty of?

The Seven Deadly Sins

           The seven deadly sins are greed, gluttony, lust, envy, sloth, wrath, and pride/vanity. Others might think that I'm one or more of the sins, but to me I believe that I commit envy or sloth as the most sins. Envy is jealousy or wanting to have what someone else has and Sloth is being to slow or lazy at doing something. 

          I would say that I commit the sin of envy because whenever there is someone with new stuff, I suddenly imagine myself with that certain object and see how it'll look like. I don't ever take it though. I am not that kind of person. Stealing to me is just one of the most horrible things you can do since you are taking from another. Being stole from is one of the worst things that has happened to me. Anyways, I tend to think for a couple of days when a person gets something new, that I would want it. This feeling usually doesn't last long and it wouldn't matter if I actually get the object. If I had received the object the second I had thought about it, I would most likely lose interest in the object quickly. Unless the object is something that really interests me, then I would do my best and try to get the object. For example, I remember one time in the third grade one of my best friends has gotten these really cool new shoes to school and was flaunting them off. I immediately went to my mom and pretty much begged for them. The very next day I had gotten them. I really regret getting them because I had lost interest in them after a few days! That was long before, and now I do not do those things. I only imagine about it. It's not a thing I can control really. It is sort of like an automatic response to things and then it just goes away. If I was able to control envy, it would be a whole lot better. Also, it's not like I get pissed or throw a fit if I don't get the things other people get. 

          Next, I would have to probably say that a small part of me commits the sin of sloth. I am not a typically sloth person though. I am very active with sports or exercises and actually enjoy it, but when it comes to work.... yeah. I am a huge procrastinator. It has become sort of a bad habit of mine. If I have school work, it will take a lot of motivation to start on it. This was last year however. I would do pretty much everything I could before I start on my home work. But, once I get started on it, I finish quickly and don't have a problem. I rarely don't finish work unless I really do not get the concept or if I didn't remember the work. It is really easy to motivate me, but for me, keeping that motivation and turning it into a dedication is what's hard. For example, working out. When I first started to, I would barely do anything. I would always put it off and find other things to do. Now, I really enjoy it actually. I do it quite a lot and am very pleased with what it comes with. Homework is pretty much the same. In freshman or sophomore year, I wouldn't really take my work as serious I could have. Yes I got good grades, but I could've gotten better if I had actually taken the time. This year, I have been better at studying more and doing the work at hand. 

          Although I say these are the sins that I commit, it is not like I am a regular at committing them. It is just a once in a while sort of thing, and it has nothing to do with who I really am. It isn't like I have a problem that I need to fix as soon as possible. It isn't anything major so I don't worry much about it. 

Favorite Trip

       

My Favourite Trip Is...

 I have been on many trips throughout my life so far. I have been to places like Guam, Rota, Taipei, Nepal, Japan, California, Indiana, etc.  Some of those trips were with friends, some were with teammates, and some on my own. The one trip that stands out to me though, has got to be my trip to Chinese Taipei. I had gone to Chinese Taipei when I was 13 years old for a soccer trip with the CNMI u15 national team in 2011. We had done a whole bunch of training leading up to the tournament and we came in ready. We were definitely not the favourites in the tournament, but we were there to make a statement to all of the other powerhouse countries. The other competitors there were the host Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, North Korea, Guam, and Macau. North Korea were the defending champions so they were obviously the team to watch for this tournament. 

          Before the tournament had begun, we had a 3 day stay over in Japan. During the 3 day stay, we challenged 2 professional youth teams, one which I train with whenever I go to Japan in vacation: Yokohama FC and FC Chiba. They were fantastic teams. They were all disciplined and had great soccer experience. The players that play for those professional youth clubs are selected through a vigorous try out or hand selected all across Japan by the coach himself. Ofcourse us island boys were no match to them, but we tried to do our best. The score line was quite a soccer score line at the end of the game however. This wasn't because we sucked, but our keeper had lost hope in his own team. The keeper only has one job and it is to block everyones shot on goal with whatever they can. Our keeper stopped doing his job during the first half. This brought the whole team down because of the constant goals being scored on us. I don't usually blame any single player in a loss because I believe it is the whole team's fault if they lose, but in this case... Damn. No offence to the keeper, but he shouldn't have been selected to go on the trip with that kind of selfish attitude. During our stay in Japan, we had watched 2 professional J league matches and they were both very exciting. It was even more exciting because we can watch quality football with your best buds. After the last match, we had gotten a good nights sleep and were off to Taipei. 

           In Taipei, all of the teams stay in the same hotel. Before the tournament, all of the teams players have to act tough to try to intimidate the other teams. This happens in every tournament I've been on so far and it is actually quite funny to witness. Anyways, first game coming soon everyone was very nervous. The first game was against Taipei and we were thinking to come out with a 3-0 victory. Unfortunately this hadn't happened. In our next couple of games, we continued to progress with success in each match. We played harder and hungrier in the next matches. During the second to last game against Guam, we had actually scored a goal. The first goal ever in CNMI youth history. However the ref had called it offsides. Our hearts broke then. There was no way that it could've been offsides too. I had beaten the Guam's captain defender and crossed the ball into the box to my teammate and then he placed the ball in the net. Our coach was so excited, he was already halfway on the field before the ref could even call it offsides. Anyways, we ended up losing the match, but the refs definitely took a toll on us. Plus, our keepers fault caused 2 goals to go in. The match should've ended 1-1 but it had to end at a 3-0 loss for us. 

          Our last game was against Macau. This is where the fun began for us and this is the main reason why this is my favourite trip that I've been apart of. We had gone into the match overly confident and were keen on winning the game. The first few minutes we played great defence not allowing any goals for Macau, but then they got a shot past our keeper... I could see the faces on my teammates and it was a weird mixture. They had the face of defeat already, but won't quit until the end. The very next play, we kicked off the ball, dropped it to our center-mid who was Andrew Johnson, and he played a dime to our right winger Jireh Yobech. He held the ball and beat his defender down the flanks and then crossed the ball into the box where I was unmarked. I headed the ball into the back of the net and sprinted all the way back to my coaches and teammates with a huge smile. During the second half we had scored another goal and it was credited to me, but I'm pretty sure Jireh had touched the ball last. Doesn't matter because we had won our first ever match for the CNMI. Celebrations had already been started and we placed CNMI on the football map. THAT is why this is my favourite trip that I've been a part of so far. 

Use your own knowledge or ask others for their advice?

Ask for advice or do it on your own?

          Today's blog topic asks if it is better to use ones own knowledge and experience to solve problems or to ask other people for advice. That is a really tough question because for me, I agree with both. In this case however, I might choose to ask other people for advice over using one's own knowledge and experience. 

          My main reason to choose asking other people for their advice over using one's own knowledge is that it is always great to get another person's insight on a topic. You may "know it all" but you might not be thinking of the same thing the person next to you is thinking. Getting their personal input in a topic can literally change your whole idea about the topic at hand. It is almost necessary to ask others because one person does't know every single thing in the world. I bet not even Albert Einstein did. It is like a teacher and a student. If a student doesn't get the problem at hand, he will ask the teacher for help. If the student was not able to ask the teacher, they will probably ask their parents for help. 

          Another reason why I chose asking other people for advice is that you will probably gain more knowledge for yourself after getting their advice on certain topics. Especially if one does not understand anything, someone can help that person by giving them advice. That person will then gain knowledge about the certain topic and will then be able to help others when they are in need. That is what everyone starts out with. Even Albert Einstein. He may be the world's smartest man ever to live, but he wasn't smart from the start I bet! There has to have been people in his life that taught him things and he took in that knowledge and developed it even more. Everyone starts without knowing anything, but there a the people in the world that actually take the time and effort to learn the interesting facts about anything. It is a bummer how some people take advantage of that and don't go to school or drop out. They are missing out on a big part of their life and they will most likely regret that decision. 

          My last reason for choosing to ask other people rather than figuring out things based on your own knowledge is that everyone thinks differently. There is a saying that says "great minds think alike". That may be true, but not the whole system of thinking. No one in the world thinks the same things as you do. There may be a couple of things that people agree on, but it will never be the same. That is why, 

          One counter argument one might say to my opinion is that it is better to do things on your own because you are an independent person and will experience many obstacles in your life and conquer them on your own. Well yes, that is true. However, the world is not an independent world. Everyone should be helping one another to benefit the whole world for everyone! People who do things on their own are not selfish to be exact, but they should be helping others all the time in any way that they can. Everyone should all work together in solving bigger problems than their own and help millions of people instead of only themselves. 

          I think that this prompt was a great one, because everyone will have a different approach at this and have great ideas. If we can all get our ideas together, I'm sure it can be a fantastic plan. 

Favorite Metaphor of Love

What is love? 

         According to most dictionaries, love is most likely defined as an intense feeling of deep affection towards a person or an object. This is probably what most people would say if you asked them, "What is love?". To be honest even I would probably say something like that. But there are thousands, maybe even millions, of metaphors for love. A metaphor is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable. My favorite metaphor for love is, love is a roller coaster. 



          Love is a roller coaster in a way because everyone wants to experience love like they want to ride the roller coaster. If you've ever been to Disney Land or an amusement park there will be hundreds of people lined up waiting for a three minute thriller and those people wait at least an hour or two for that. That shows how much they really want to experience the thrill in a roller coaster. There is a real special thrill when you experience love and it might get addicting. Making you want more and more every time. I remember one day I was at an amusement park in Japan and my friends and I were about to go on a roller coaster. I didn't really want to because it meant we had to wait a while,  but after I rode it, I dragged my friends over to ride it at least two or three more times. This just shows how it is an addicting experience that most people will experience. Same goes with love. There are things people say like, teenage love or puppy love, but that may not be the case for the two experiencing that connection. Love can feel so real to one's self that it might drive them crazy. 



          Love is a roller coaster because there are many different types of roller coasters. There are many different unique roller coaster and that is the same with love. One cannot experience the same type of love and affection to different people. Each connection of love between two people can only be experienced by the two people. This makes it really special for the two. It's almost as if everyone in love has their own unique roller coaster. Many people can ride the same roller coaster numerous times, but that doesn't mean they can experience the same love with different people. It's almost as if every roller coaster is a different type of love you can experience with a special someone. 



          Love is a roller coaster because it has numerous twists and turns or ups and downs, but it always has a smooth ending. The fights that two lovers can experience will represent the ups and down or twists and turns that one experiences and feels during a roller coaster ride. Those are definitely scary. One always feels as if they're going to fall off the ride or get thrown off, but if that person holds on tight for the long ride, there will always be a smooth ending to the fights. When riding a roller coaster and you feel as if you're going to get thrown off, a lover can feel when a fight occurs. No one knows what will happen during the fight, because most just get out of control, but if the two settle down and solve problem there will always be a smooth ending to the fights. 




          Love is a roller coaster because everyone who has ridden a roller coaster still has the memory of that thrill in their minds. Same goes for love. Anyone who has loved and then lost still has strong memories of the experiences that person had when they were in love. The memory might not be good just like if a person didn't like the roller coaster, or it can be the best memory one has. Everyone will always remember their first love. There are some grandparents that might remember their first love decades ago or the other type of grandparents that get all cheesy and say that their current wife is their first and only love. 


Love is an exciting thing to experience. The persons looks shouldn't matter, but how you feel when you're with that special person. Love cannot be fully explained in this blog, but I tried to explain the things I wanted to put. 

Self Description

Unveiling Me

          Hi, my name is Jehn Berneser Harada Joyner and I am 16 years old this year. I am an 11th grader that attends Saipan International School. I was born here on Saipan and have lived here all my life. I plan to graduate from SIS and go to college in the U.S. 

  

 I couldn't have asked for a better place to be born and raised. Saipan is such a beautiful island in the Northern Marianas and has wonderful scenery within it. Places such as Banzai Cliff or the Grotto are among the most visited sites that not only tourists check out, but even locals! The people here are one of a kind. They are probably the friendliest people in the world once you get to know them. I have many friends and they're all great in their own different ways. I have a very diverse group of friends. So many are from different ethnic backgrounds such as, Chamorros, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Thai, Cambodian, American, Russian, Filipino, Palawan, and many many more! My family is the greatest group of people ever. I have a couple of distant family relatives, but my main ones live here in my house. I have an intellectual father named John Joyner, a hard-working mother named Yasuko Joyner, and a very helpful sister named Jian. I love them all so much. 

        One thing about me is that I absolutely love playing sports. I'm always very active and am athletic. I like sports such as soccer, basketball, volleyball, and many more. My main sport is definitely soccer though. I started the sport when I was only 8 years old and have continued on until now and probably until I die. Thats how much I love soccer. I always watch the Fifa World Cup, that goes on every 4 years, on tv but next year, I am planning to actually go watch a live match. I have been on numerous traveling soccer teams and have competed in places like: Japan, Chinese Taipei, Guam, and Nepal. I have made many special memories there like scoring the goals for the CNMI national u15 team that got it's first ever win in history against Macau 2-1. I use my height to an advantage in any sport that I play since I'm 6'2". Many people are envious of my height, and all I gotta say is that it's definitely an advantage. Well, for me it as at least. 


          On my free time I really enjoy listening to music, watching movies, or hanging with my friends/other people. I have a very wide range of music that I listen to. I like pretty much everything except country and classical music. I listen to music whenever I can because I love it so much. It's such a bummer how I'm not a good singer, but singing along to the songs is fun when I'm alone. Going to the movies is one of my favorite things to do with my friends or other people. Comedy or action movies are really fun to watch but I usually prefer watching those on my own. Horror movies is the type of movies I love to watch with my friends. I can never watch a scary movie on my own, however. Lastly, just hanging with my friends is fun for me. Even if its at school! My friends are all so fun that it doesn't matter where we are, it'll always be a good time. The conversations that we have are always the best. 


           Now that I've told you about myself, readers I hope that you can understand me and maybe even tell me about yourselves! Theres a lot more to know as well. 

New Year's Resolution

New Years Resolutions

          A new year's resolution is a promise that one makes to themselves or decision to do something to do something, especially to improve one's behavior or lifestyle in someway during the year ahead. Personally I believe that it's a great way not only to keep one busy, but to help raise self esteem if the goal is actually accomplished. I always have a number of resolutions I make at the beginning of the year or even throughout the year but I'm going to discuss three of them here. 

          My first resolution is to excel in all my classes, but mainly my AP classes. I probably made the mistake of not studying hard enough in my AP class last year and got the results I deserved. This year, I promised myself that I will try my hardest to get a 3 in both my AP May exams and also get straight A's in my regular classes. I think tests are horrible, but are also a great way to boost one's self esteem. Everyone knows the feeling you get when you get a perfect score on a test or when you beat the smartest person in the class on a test. That's one of the greater feelings I experience! It is definitely better than failing a test or having the lowest score in the class.

        My second resolution is to get a job. I really want to get paid and use my own money for certain things rather than going to my parents all the time and asking for money. It makes me feel sort of childish or even brought down because I don't want to be dependent on my parents for my whole life. I want to prove to them that I can get money on my own and live life on 

my own and also to show them that I'm ready for college. I'm not too sure exactly where I wanna work just yet, but I do have a couple of places in mind. For example, working at Calvin Klein or Ralph Lauren at DFS. One reason why I want to work here is that these places are a good tourist attraction and meeting tourists can lead to many great things. I can also tell them a lot about me and vice versa. Who knows too, I might be able a rich famous person or even a cute girl. Another reason why I want to work here is that if I work there, I can probably be able to get a discount on some of the merchandise there. This is great because Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren are great factory lines and are among my favorite brands. Another big reason why these places catch my eye is because since they are expensive and famous brands, I'm guessing that they have a higher pay than most places. This will make me earn more money than usual first-timers who will most likely earn minimum wage. 

          My third and final new year's resolution that I will include in this blog is that I want to be fit and ready for next year's EAFF Men's tournament. This is a soccer tournament that occurs every 2 years I believe. It stands for the East Asian Football Federation soccer tournament and the men's division usually consists of the usual countries of Macau, Guam, and the Northern Marianas Islands. I have a feeling that our team will do really well in the tournament next year. With a couple of quality off-island players that will be eligible to join the team to help us out, but the strongest reason why I believe we can do well is that we have one solid keeper. He's a former pro that played in the MLS and also the EPL. Both my dream leagues to play in (not including the J League) He's a great player and and even better person. I've learned a lot from him and he has pushed me a lot and I love that. I want to be ready for this tournament by gaining more muscle, getting better shots or ball touches, and most importantly ever lasting stamina.