Priorities.

I'll never understand why directors will splurge millions just to get the right (or, in the case of Baz Luhrman's Australia, wrong) breed of horses, when the can't even get the country in question right. I mean, The Karate Kid II, which was supposedly set in Japan, was filmed in Hawaii. You could even see the palm trees. How trashy.

I mean, I know some of the real arty directors just focus too much on the little and not enough on the big. I know, I do that all the time in my media projects. But really, when you have millions of dollars in your hand, it is not reasonable to spend it on things that have a nanosecond of screen time that we will not notice or remember.

Growing up, one thing that has been constantly drilled into me is priorities, but it seems that the world doesn't have its priorities straight. Why are we talking about new sports stadiums when there are still homeless on the street? Why are we talking about earning more money when there is a single jewel in the Crown? Why are we talking about cosmetic surgeries when there are so many who live in misery, humiliated by disgusting deformities? Why do people mutilate themselves in the name of beauty when so many die involuntarily in unavoidable operations? Why are we talking about the petty when we should be dreaming big?

It's a big source of frustration in me. When I was barely three months old, I had an extremely risky open heart surgery performed on me, which was repeated again when I was five. I'll have another in the next year or so. I'm constantly haunted by the fear I'll die under the knife. It's made me rush into life a bit. I want it all - college, love, life, family, career, money - and I want it all now. That's why I get frustrated when people judge and restrict me because of my age - I mean, for all of us, there is a chance that we won't be any older or wiser or stronger or more capable then we are now. Maybe we won't have the opportunity again if we don't take the chance now. Perhaps my goals not really realistic goals at the age of fourteen, but at least I have plans. At least I know what I want to do. I know for most teenagers, you feel like you have the world at your feet and a lifetime ahead of you, but even though you think you're safe in your teens, soon teens will become twenties, then thirties, then fourties, and before you know it you're at Death's door. I know many people don't have reasons as I do to be so urgent about life, but that doesn't mean you should be complacent, think you have all the world when really you're just a blink away from life and death. I know a lot of us are counting on fifty years of life to make dreams happen, but I believe you shouldn't bank on that. Anything can happen.

I know I rush life, but at least I don't sit around waiting for life to happen. You can look back and convince yourself that your life of regrets are caused by bad luck and lack of opportunities, but opportunities are there, every day, every second, we just chose not to take them because we think we have so much time. But we don't. Live every moment like it was your last one, but don't be so afraid of death that you don't go out and live.