2017-02-19

【Aiden in English】

        It’s that time of year again. My birthday. I really don’t want to write about this one, since it feels quite personal. But sometimes, I think it’s good to jot down some ideas about being 14.

        When people turn 13, they are stepping over an enormous milestone. However, age 14 is a step in the direction of choosing. At this time, courses are opening up. We are presented with many choices of courses to choose from. The fact that we don’t need much guidance to basics allows us to be in control of many more things. Although it sounds fine and dandy, we still have consequences. I’ve already made some terrible choices, like procrastinating on multiple projects, but it has yet to bite me in the back. Yet.

        So I guess that it would be the top item on my list at this moment.

        Age 14 also presents the start of high school. Of course, being North Penn School District, we are technically having our freshman year at the middle school, so it strictly limits many courses. Already, an enormous decision of dropping some favorable courses has arisen because of the odd time schedules. I have to possibly give up the jazz band, which would suck. But nowadays, one doesn’t get to decide what can be chosen and what can’t.

        The beneficiary is an AP course in high school. In other words, one can have the opportunity for higher credits than others, which gives a major advantage in the class ranking system. Not only that but getting an AP course out of the way now means another course later. Obviously, the more credits gained in high school, the higher your chances of acceptance at any college. Sounds better than it is because I don’t wish to live on the border between two grades and even two schools. Sustaining friendship is quite difficult, and I do not really want to shorten time with old friends. However, this opportunity allows more variety and a difference over kids in my grade. And according to all adults, the difference is better.

        So I guess I’m 14 now? Well, technically I have more than three days to go. When it comes, the clock ticks past 4 o’clock in the morning, then what? Will I feel older? Wiser? Probably neither. All I know is that I have another year ahead until I’m 15, then 16, and so on.

        It’s quite repetitive if you ask me. Birthday after birthday, someday I’ll reach an age where people have to add a third digit. There is so much time left to use. And even more to do. At age 14, I have really yet to accomplish anything noticeable. I hope that it changes in the near future.

【紅霞譯文】

        又到了一年一度的特殊時刻──生日，因為牽涉到私人空間，我不想在這裡觸及這方面話題，但藉此機會談點有關十四歲的感想未嘗不可。

        13歲可謂人生重要的里程碑，而14歲恰好處在放眼未來的交道口上，此時學校開設的科目廣泛，大家皆可盡其所能挑選學習課程，我們不再依靠外界指導干該幹的事情，乍聽起來雖說妙不可言，但凡事都有後果。我已經有過前車之鑑，比如拖延完成附加課業的時間，幸虧並未影響到整體成績，還好啦。

        因此，時下當務之急就是要解決這個問題。

        14歲也意味着高中的開始，當然北賓州學區高一新生實際上仍在初中本校就讀，這就大大限制了選課機會，因為時間衝突，你不得不忍痛割愛，放棄一些自己喜歡的課程，我可能要把爵士樂隊擱置一旁，實在捨不得，但到目前為止學生還不能決定選什麼課。

        進入高中意味着可以選擇大學預修課程，由此說來，上大學預修課程的學生比不上的得分要高，主要有利於年級排名；除此而外，現在及早着手大學預修課程，今後可以進一步選擇其它東西。顯然，高中成績越好對申請大學越有益。說歸說，我真不想因此而被高初中兩個年級甚至兩所學校邊緣化，這樣對維繫同學之間的友情相當困難，也不願縮短與老朋友接觸時間，然而高中更傾向開拓視野培養志向，也就是所有家長認同的優化特長。

        那麼現在我該是14歲的青少年嘍？準確地說還差三天多，直到那一天凌晨四點鐘鐘聲響起。接下來如何呢？我覺得長大了？明智多了？大概不完全是，我明白離15歲僅有一年之遙，再往後就是16歲，等等。

        要我說年復一年，生日之後接着還有生日，等過到一定歲數又贅上第三位數字，總之未來將有大部頭時間去追求夢想實現抱負。不過在14歲來臨之際，我確實沒幹過什麼了不起的事情，但願不久的將來能有改觀。

Today in History(歷史上的今天):

2015: Spring Festival @ Eastern Dragon(龍城春宴)

Crosslinks(相關博文):

Chinese New Year Eve @ Lai Lai Garden(來來花園春節年夜飯)

生日聚會─溜冰(B-D Skating)

願望排行榜(Wish List)