Hello, I am Sean Masih and I am currently in 10th grade. My teacher, Mrs. Herman gave us a project to do over the next few weeks. Its called, The Book of Wisdom (BOW). This is a compilation of our values, thoughts, reflections, and basically what makes us who we are. One of our first papers is to write an about me page. This is essentially to set the tone of our BOW. These BOWs are supposed to stay with us for the rest of our lives. Sometimes, kids go off to college and bring their BOWs back to set examples and guide other 10th graders. Corrections and suggestions highly anticipated and welcomed!
Thanks, Sean
SEAN ELVIN MASIH: A COMPILATION OF HIS THOUGHTS
Chicken curry. If there were a food that could characterize me, it would be chicken curry. Its various spices, unparalleled taste, countless masalas, loads of chicken, and generous amounts of butter could successfully portray me as a piece of fine Indian cookery. I usually don't start my papers about food, but in this case it was necessary. Please, before you read this part of the paper, take time to realize where I am coming from. If you are reading this and/or grading this with my consent, I have probably already warned you my thoughts in this paragraph are hazardous. Without further ado, my "about me" paper:
I don't get the point of an "about me" paper. I mean it's like we're supposed to describe who we are, what we like, why we like what we like, and a short history of ourselves in black and white all on a dumb piece of paper. Call me old-fashioned (or just practical) but if you really want to know Sean Elvin Masih (Elvin = lame middle name), then come and talk to me and I promise I can tell you more than a piece of paper can. I mean, don't get me wrong, I enjoy writing to some extent, but just not about me. Isn't it kind of pointless to write about who you are when first of all you're writing, key word, writing about who you are? I believe, in essence, it defeats the purpose of the whole paper because it is highly misleading; well in my case I think I cannot effectively write about myself. I guess I'm like the Stieglitz speaking out against color photography, or the Picasso speaking out against conventional portraiture paintings. In other words, I don't like writing about myself. What I'm really trying to say is that if you truly want to know who I am, don't read this paper, come and talk to me. If I'm still not in school, this paper will have to suffice. But let's be realistic here, I honestly do not think this paper is going to make it into Mrs. Herman's room. If you are reading this and I am out of high school, this is nothing short of a miracle. Cherish it.
Well, having that said, I should probably get to the "about me" stuff before Mrs. Herman rips this paper up in disgust. Where do I start? My name is Sean. I'm currently 15 and a half (if that matters at all). I was born in Grand Rapids Michigan on May 20, 1993. Go Michigan (for all you OSU fans out there)! Actually, I could care less about football; I guess that's better than rooting for Michigan. I love playing and watching soccer and ping pong, I love watching hockey, sometimes football, and can't get enough of beach volleyball. Not too many things aggravate me, other than people who complain about everything and don't do squat about it. But that's about it, so if you complain near me, the likeliness of me liking you is extremely slim. So go do that crap somewhere else. Some more basics about me: favorite movie? Definitely V for Vendetta because throughout the film, the movie stresses that ideas and beliefs are stronger than pieces of metal. Favorite book? Has to be either George Orwell's 1984 or Bradbury's brainchild Fahrenheit 451 for the same reasons why I like V for Vendetta. My hobbies include soccer (of course), photography is my passion, reading, fishing, going to the beach or some quiet serene place, traveling in general, and I can't think of anymore hobbies right now but I'm pretty sure there aren't many more. I love and respect nature. I usually find peace and relaxation when I'm out in my woods, on the beach, or when I'm alone with my camera in one of those places. When I find peace of mind, it's not sudden; it's a gradual process in which I try to think about what makes me happy and why it makes me feel that way. I am also involved in music. I currently play under Dr. Brian Dykstra and have been playing piano for about 10 years. Music is a huge part of my life; I don't think I could live without it. I hate practicing, but love playing; I guess that goes without saying for the most of us. Some genres I have interest in are jazz, indie, rags, classical, acoustic, revolutionary, dubstep, trance, techno, electronica and other slow types of music that are not associated with country or rap. Quite a broad range of music I'd say. I've also played the trumpet for four years but quit after the first year in high school because of marching band. I love concert band but hated marching. I felt like such a loser to tell you the truth.
Little things will often make me happy, like finding money in my pocket even if it's a dollar. Beautiful sunsets, the sound of water trickling down a creek, the sound of rain in a forest, the smell of the air after a thunderstorm, the smells and colors of autumn, and the felling of a summer's evening all make me extremely happy. I'm a deep thinker, especially when I'm meditating in some peaceful setting. I just sit and think. I think about who I am as a human being on earth, my purpose as a human, where I'll be in twenty years, my future wife and kids, and how to keep my inner child alive because I don't want to lose it. I'm most afraid of growing up and not being able to have fun. When I see other Indians and what they've become, I become afraid. I don't want to become another by-product of my culture. When I see other people of my race I think staunch, stuck up, boring, and way too serious people. This may sound cliché but life is definitely way too short to be serious all the time. I cannot stress this enough...especially on a piece of paper. My philosophy on life is if you're not having fun, you aren't living. Although I'm young, I take life as a series of opportunities to make yours and other's lives more enjoyable. On the subject of life, I am a Seventh-Day Adventist. I'm basically a Christian who goes to church on Saturdays, doesn't eat pork or other (unclean) meats and I believe in Jesus (obviously).Hmmmmmm...I have absolutely no idea what else to say at this point. I've basically given you my inner thoughts on a piece of paper. I don't expect anyone else to read this, really I don't. I'm essentially writing to myself at this point. So I hope this draft makes it to my Book of Wisdom because I've done my honest to God best to embody who I really am in my style of writing and in what I have said. Mmmm...man I need some chicken curry.
Hmmmm . . . it's difficult to criticize an essay entitled "All about me, A compilation of my thoughts." I mean, really, if what you wrote is what you were thinking as you considered the topic, then you are pretty much bound to be right, content-wise. Your style and grammar are solid, too, so there's not much left to talk about. The only thing I can think of is that you belabor the "I don't like writing about myself" point, which, after the first time you mention it, becomes a bit of a distraction.
