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My Birth
The third child of the Rarang family is finally born in the afternoon. My dad named me ‘Amanda’ because he wanted a name that starts with an A. I don’t really like my name since it is so common but at least the substitute teachers can pronounce my name correctly. -
Broken Arm :(
I was in kindergarten when my brother accidentally sat on my arm and fractured my bone. It was the first time I had an injury that bad and my brother was very sorry. The next day we went to the doctors and I got a purple cast. It was interesting because my classmates kept asking to sign my cast. -
Anxious
My parents transferred me into a closer public school when I entered first grade. It was a very unfamiliar place and there were new people. Although I was very sociable back then, it took me a while to get adjusted. -
Pessimistic
I first started learning diligently when I was still in elementary. I can’t help be pessimistic when learning to draw. I see other artists creating beautiful art and I get discouraged when things don't go as planned. I can’t also can’t help being impatient when practicing. -
Responsible
When my younger cousins moved next to me and transferred to my elementary school, I had to take care of them. I learned how to take care of them and teach them things. -
My grandma's death
It was very hard for me at a young age to process how serious the situation was. At first, I was very confused. After a little while in the hospital, I understood how important the present is. I was entering middle school at the time and a lot of things were changing. -
Shy/Attentive
I noticed I became more reserved when I entered middle school. I only had a close friend who was in another class. I didn’t really have many friends when I graduated elementary school. It was hard for me to participate in class or in group work since I was so quiet. But by being so quiet, I learned to observe people’s behavior. Even though I am not the best at reading people, it is interesting to observe closely. -
Babysitting
My older cousin’s friend had a baby and somehow we ended up taking care of him. It was an irregular schedule. Sometimes we babysat him for the whole day or just a few hours. It was awkward at first because I am the youngest amongst my siblings and I didn’t know how to care for a small baby. I got the hang of it and I created a lot of fun memories. -
Weird
My older brother and my younger cousin have always acted weird and it rubbed off on me. One day my brother put on music and started to reenact the scenes that were happening in the video. There was even a time my sister caught him dancing to Britney spears. These were good childhood memories. -
Curious
I’ve followed art youtubers and Instagram users who create artworks with both digital and traditional mediums. It was interesting to see how different they would come out. I’ve always wanted to try something other than sketching with pencils. In the past summers, I tried to make something out of charcoal, watercolor, alcohol markers and also clay. -
Entering Highschool
During freshman year I was a complete wreck. I was really negative and thought I was better off alone without friends. I just hung around my older cousin at the time. As a result of my 8th grade experience, I was very skeptical of people. It’s very hard for me to open up to people when I first meet them. A few people changed me in positive ways and took the time to get to know me. Although I am still a bit scared of people, I appreciate those around me. -
8th grade dinner dance
Although it is supposed to be a fun last experience with your friends and classmates, I hated it. It was one of the worst nights I’ve ever had. Looking back on it, I realize I didn’t have genuine friends, which was one of the reasons why. I experienced serious peer pressure and just wanted to leave but we couldn’t until the dance was over. The only good thing I remember was that the ice cream was not too bad. -
Open Minded
When I was still in elementary school, there was prejudice against people who were a part of the LGBTQ+ community. I didn’t know why there was so much hate and when I became older I realized there were people around me who were opening up. I didn’t treat them any differently of course but I also saw people around me who were against it. -
Lifeguard Program
ASM gives students a chance to earn money and create a space set up like a job. I liked swimming so I thought this program would be good to join. I did not realize that lifeguards had to go through so much training. It was very stressful for me to swim for long amounts of time after school every day since I’m not active. Although I was tired and smelled like chlorine nearly everyday, I didn’t give up. I am glad I didn’t because I made a few friends in that program and got money. -
Creative
When the personal project was introduced to us in the beginning of sophomore year I knew I had to do something with drawing. I overestimated my ability to get things done. Although I didn’t make a comic, I still want to sometimes in the future. I have created a few stories that I think will be interesting to read. I understand that I will not get anything done unless I force myself to create time. I am also fascinated by animations and want to get into making my own. -
An Ambitious Artist was Born
One of the few hobbies I picked up during my childhood. I always liked drawing and art class. I started getting serious with drawing the most the summer before freshman year. I enjoyed it because when I put effort in a drawing and show people, I feel a sense of accomplishment. My dad also used to create artworks which influenced my love of art. For my 15th birthday, he bought me a sketchbook and pencils to draw with. It was my first official sketchbook and I still draw in it to this day. -
Determined
I joined rugby for a short while during sophomore year and I understood the competition spirit that athletes have. I tried working hard to get some results and although we didn’t win every game I felt like I gave it my all. My coach was praising us because she saw we improved. -
Quarantine
Quarantine has affected a lot of my relationships with other people. Although I don’t get to see my friends, it has improved my relationship with my family members. Before I didn’t have time to hangout with my younger cousin and he’s like my childhood best friend. My older sister and I have gotten closer and now we can talk to each other about a lot of things. -
Adaptable
When online school started during the end of sophomore year, it was hard for me to learn new material in class. Compared to the present, I believe I retained much more information. -
Buying my own tablet
I saved up for my tablet for about two years. Slowly but eventually, I got almost $1000 saved. I still needed monetary assistance from my grandma and mom for some of the cost but it was so worth it. It has made quarantine a lot easier to get through. It has enabled me to watch shows, draw digitally and finish my assignments easier. Now when I save I can think of the satisfaction I got and get more motivated.
