Maelene Tacata's Personal Odyssey

This is a picture of my siblings, my cousins, and me.

This is The Hush Sound, my favorite band.

I honestly believe myself to be mostly a Transcendant Hero, because I do have one fatal flaw that just might bring myself to downfall. I'm awfully lazy and I would do anything just to get out of doing any work. Whenever there's a big project, I put off until the very last minute and my projects always comes out not as good as I want it to be. I have realized, or "gained some wisdom," though my laziness. I've learned that one must overcome laziness to be successful in life and in order to overcome laziness, you have to be willing to work hard. So honestly, hope isn't lost for me yet. Once I overcome this laziness, who knows, maybe I'll become "The Superheroic." Until then, I'll just work harder on finishing this project.

Sometimes, to become successful in life, you have to know who you truly are. Well, my quest is to figure who I truly am, my identity. Normally, you know exactly who you are, because it's yourself and no one knows you better than yourself. Only, I'm not quite sure who I am or what I will be. My main question is, "Who am I?" My quest is to find the answer. Am I just some random teenager trying to get by in life, or am I more than that? I don't know what to be when I grow up. I don't know what college I should go to. Most people know this stuff by high school but not me. I want to know my purpose in life. Of course, I'm not going to lie. I don't know how it'll contribute to others, but it will definitely contribute to myself. Once I figure out who I am, I can be the best me that I can be. One of the main things I believe is: before you can help others, you have to help yourself. So in helping myself, I can most likely in the future help others search for their identity too.

I had a tough time deciding who my Threshold Guardian is. Then I realized, it doesn't have to be a "who." It can be a "what." My Threshold Guardian is going to a new school when I last moved. I guess my Threshold Guardian can be a "who," like the students, but it's more of the idea of going to a new school, rather than the students themselves. Nothing is more tougher than going to a new school. I've had plenty of experience with attending a new school, but it never gets easier. There are plenty of things that are scary about going to a new school. A few examples are learning how to get around and getting to know new people. What I think is the worst, though, is having no one to sit next to at lunch because everyone already knows each other and you don't know anyone. It's terrifying and embarrassing to have to sit by yourself. Once you make friends though, a new school isn't so bad. Candice Allen was one of the first people I made friends with. She was nice enough to let the new girl be her friend. If it hadn't been for her, I wouldn't have anyone to sit next to for lunch or anyone to hang out with. Candice is still my friend today, but truly, she is one of the most wonderful, amazing friends I have. I'm glad I met her and being in a new school wasn't scary anymore, because Candice made it easier and happier. Now that I look back on it, a new school isn't so bad. With friends, like Candice, and a positive attitude, a new school can probably be one of your greatest experiences you'll ever have.

Batman has the Joker. Spiderman has the Green Goblin. My shadow is my laptop. I'm usually on my laptop all the time. Before school, after school, at night, I'm always on my laptop. Usually, I'm on Myspace, Facebook, or Meebo, talking to my friends. Sometimes, I'm on Youtube watching videos and sometime, I'm just on iTunes listening to music while I'm surfing the web. My laptop is always distracting me from doing my homework or my chores at home. When I should be doing my Math homework, I'm on Myspace telling everyone that I should be doing my homework. It's hard not going for a whole day without my laptop. Everytime I see my laptop, I just have to turn it on. Luckily, this project involves using a computer, going online, and typing stuff, so I will definitely not be distracted from doing this. My laptop may be my most prized possession, but it's a huge distraction from what I should be doing, like homework or projects.

I'd like to say that I'm pretty special. I represent a whole nation and culture. There aren't a lot of asians at the high school I go to, so it makes me feel special that I am asian. Most people, of course, don't know the type of asian that I am. I'm Filipino. My parents were born in the Phillipines and came to the United States after I was born. Most people don't really know what or where the Phillipines is. Well, it's a big island, made up of even smaller islands, on the Pacific Ocean. I've been to the Phillipines several times and it is a beautiful country, with an even more beautiful culture. Being asian is pretty awesome, because most people think asians are super smart. That's not always true, but I think it's true for me. I take pride in being asian and a Filipino. It makes me unique and different from anyone else.

I have plenty of friends, but I have a group of best friends. They're all pretty awesome in their own way and they know how to have fun. "The Hoodies" is sort of our group name, which was suppose to be our name for a band that we we made but never worked out. There are five true members: Gabbi, Candy, Jasmine, Tricia, and me.

First of all, there's my best friend Gabbi Williams. There are a few words that sum up Gabbi and that is: she loves Cloud Strife. I mean, she really loves Cloud Strife. Anyways, she's really funny and kind of weird, but she's always there for me. I can always count on Gabbi for anything and usually, she can count on me for anything. We joke around saying if Gabbi ever kills someone, she can count on me on hiding the body because we all know that I have a great hiding place for dead bodies. Seriously though, Gabbi is one of those weird people who you want to stay away from, but when you get to know her, she is probably one of the coolest people you'll ever meet. If you ever see a prancing girl marching in the hallways, that's probably Gabbi. Gabbi is the main reason why "The Hoodies" exist, because she's how everyone met up. She claims to be the leader of "The Hoodies," but I think different. It's really Jasmine, because no one ever suspects it's her.

Now that I mention it, there's Jasmine Dinh. There are three main things about Jasmine. She's short, cute, and asian! We're both asian so we can relate a lot. It's no joke when we say we have this asian connection going on that no one really knows about. When I first met Jasmine, my first thoughts were, "Eh, she's asian." Now that I know her more better, my new thoughts are, "Cool, she's asian!" Jasmine is probably one of the cutest asians you'll ever meet. She can pull off bows and ribbons and no one else can. She looks like a little kid from far away, but closer up, she looks a little older. Jasmine is also a ninja, and I'm not saying that because she's asian. She may seem quiet but really she's loud, violent, and always hitting Gabbi. (I'm just kidding).


Then there's my other best friend Candice Allen. Her nickname is Candy, but her nickname isn't just to shorten her name. It's really because she's just so sweet. She's an amazing person and one of my first friends I made when I moved. When I first moved, Candy was nicer than anyone else. Candy's a really talented artist and a great singer. Her art skills are so amazing that they make you feel bad about yourself, but in a weird, good way. Her drawings make my day when I see them. I have a whole bunch of them at home because I would steal them from her. They were just that good. She's sings really good too. Candy has a beautiful voice and her singing is way better than mine not matter what she says. There's another thing about Candy that I really love. She's always so happy. Candy is the happiest person you'll ever meet! I don't know how she does it, but it's pretty awesome. Her happiness is like some sort of disease! She's always smiling and laughing that it just makes you want to make you smile and laugh. Having her around is so fun. Secretly, I wish I was Candy, because she's too awesome for words.


Tricia Culver is another one of my best friends. She's really nice and smart but amazingly, she's blonde at the same time. Being blonde, it doesn't stop her from being who she is. She's the sweetest person to be around with and so giving. She truly thinks of others before herself. She's always helping me and her friends. I wish I wasn't as selfish as Tricia, then I'd be a better person. Although, she may be a little slow at times, she knows a lot more than you would think. She's really smart in Geography. I would know because I sit next to her. Tricia and I were barely friends when I first moved. Then the next year, we became really good friends. Now, I hang out with her every weekend and sleep over her lovely, gorgeous house.

Trust me when I say band takes up a lot of time. It's tough but in the end, it is worth it. You meet a lot of new people, make friends, and experience so many great things. The first semester is basically marching season. During marching season, I was in colorguard. Not a lot of people know what colorguard is. Well, if you've ever been to a football game, in the half time shows, they're the ones that march with band and dance around with a flag. Colorguard takes patience and practice because it's not definitely not easy. Marching band doesn't just perform in half time shows but they also go to competitions. Competitions are really fun. You get to see other bands perform and you get perform yourself. My favorite competition was the Desoto Competition because I met a few other people from different bands and it was really exciting. Although we only made 7th place in Desoto (I think. I can't quite remember exactly), it's never about making first place but it's always about doing your best. The second semester is basically concert band. The most important event for concert band is UIL. Concert band doesn't require as much morning rehearsals as marching band does, but it still requires practice. In UIL, we received a one and 2 two's on stage and for sighting reading, we received straight two's. These aren't the greatest scores but we did our best and our best is enough. Band is tough and even tiring, but I love it anyway! It's a part of who I am and it's a wonderful experience. Even though people call me a "band nerd," I don't mind because I have pride in being band.

What is pride?
"110% dedication, motivation, self-discipline, sir!"

Last summer was one of the greatest summers of my life because I went to the Philippines. The Philippines has beautiful beaches, humongous malls, and interesting tourist attractions, but there was one really not so great part of it. The Philippines is a really poor country. It's not poor enough to be considered a third world country, but it still contains a countless number of homeless and jobless people. You see a lot of people on the streets and some are begging for money. It's really sad seeing these people but it made me realize something. After I arrived home from the Philippines, I learned how grateful I should be with the things I have and being able to live under a roof. I'm thankful for everything I've been provided with and I'm happy with the way I live.

I used to live in North Carolina. The city I lived in was really awesome. I had a whole bunch of friends and the school I went to was pretty fun. There was one main important person in North Carolina that I left behind when I moved. Her name was Samantha and she was my best friend. We had all the same classes in the sixth grade and we were inseparable. I'd see her every day. We hung out during the weekends. She liked what I liked and hated what I hated. She was one of those friends that really understood you. Another person that was important to me was this guy, Mark. Mark and I had a complicated relationship. We hated each other when we first met each other. I can't remember why though. It's probably because he was smarter than me and a jerk most of the times. Later, I decided I liked him. He found out and eventually, we went to the end of the year school dance together. We went out over the summer and I even claimed to love him. Though, it was only the sixth grade and he was only my first real boyfriend.

Then the big blow came at the end of summer and I found out my family was moving to Texas. At first when I moved, I was like, "Oh I'll visit everyone once it's summer and we'll talk on the phone everyday. It's not going to be bad." After I moved, I soon learned how far away I was from everyone and we wouldn't see each other until summer. It made me depressed for months. Even though I emailed Samantha and Mark every day, it wasn't the same as talking to them in person. I got attached to North Carolina so much I wasn't willing to make new friends. After a while, I told myself I had to let go of my past and move on. Long distant relationships do not work, so Mark and I agreed to break up. Samantha understood that we were a million miles away and that she should move on too. It took some time but I made new friends and Samantha did too. I still keep in touch with my old friends but now, I'm enjoying life with my current friends, who have helped me through thick and thin. Even though they say never regret, I can't help but do. I regret not staying in North Carolina a little longer. I regret ending it with Mark even if it would have never worked out. I regret never telling some of my friends good bye. One thing I don't regret is living in Texas. Although I would like to have known what would have happened if I had stayed, I don't mind how my life is right now. There was a wound created from moving away but it's steadily healing. I am steadily healing.