Becky Kandrak Autobiography
Chapter 1 My Name
My Name is Rebecca Karolyn Kandrak
My name is Rebecca Karolyn Kandrak. It's not very pretty and it doesn't have a nice flow but it's not ugly either. It's simple and plain just like the way I got it. I got the name Rebecca, because it was a name my parents could both agree on. However the name Karolyn came from my great grandfather. When he came over to the United States from Czechoslovakia, his last name was Caroly. No one from America could pronounce that correctly so he eventually dropped the "y" and made it Carol to make it easier for everyone to understand. When my parents had me, they changed the "c" to a "k" added the "y" back and put a "n" on the end and it became Karolyn. I like the name Karolyn and I like the meaning which is "song of happiness." My mom liked the name a lot too, but unfortunately my dad dated a girl named Carol when he was younger and they ended on a bad note so he couldn't imagine have a daughter named Karolyn. Rebecca isn't that great of a name to me and the meaning sucks too. It means "to bind."
As of right now I like to go by Becky but I didn't always go by that. Up until fourth grade I was always called Rebecca by my teachers and friends. I hated it whenever someone in school called me Becky, Beck, or Becca because it felt silly and unnatural. I remember one time in third grade, I had a package of those pencils that had your name on them but they said Becky. Whenever I used those pencils, I would do my best to cover the name up and when I dropped it I would immediately pick it up. I don't know why but I guess I was afraid to have someone know that Becky was a possible nickname I could have. When I switched over to public school, I wanted a new start so I told the teachers to call me Becky and that's what the students knew me by. After a few years of being called Becky, I started to hate it when people would call me Rebecca because it felt too mature and formal. Now, I don't hate it when people call me Rebecca but I don't love it either. My family, however, calls me an even different nickname. They call me Beck. I didn't even realize it until a couple years ago because it's just what they've always called me. It feels so weird to hear them call me something other Beck, because it sounds so foreign coming out of their mouths.
I don't know if it's just me or not but when I think of my name, Rebecca Karolyn Kandrak, I think of the color white or even beige. Something that wouldn't stand out in a crowd. It's like a piece of information that goes in one ear and out the other. It's like waiting for something for a package to come in the mail for a long time and when it finally arrives, it doesn't quite meet your expectations but it doesn't disappoint you either. It's not a great name, but it's not a bad name. It's just there.
Rebecca Karolyn Kandrak. When I hear that name just doesn't feel like me but at the same time it does. I just feel like that name shouldn't belong to me but I don't know what name should be. It's very bland and doesn't have a nice ring to it. It's quite simple and so am I, so why do I feel like I should have a different name? Rebecca is the type of name that a person hears and then forgets easily because it's so common and dull. I want a name that will stand out and stick in peoples minds. Something really pretty and has a deep meaning to it. Something like Charity which means love, faith, and hope. Charity Karolyn Kandrak. I kind of like that, maybe when I'm old enough I'll get it legally changed, but for right now my name is Rebecca Karolyn Kandrak and that's all there it to it.
Chapter 2 The Day I Was Born
When is your birthday?
August 2, 2000
Find your age in days with this Age Calculator.
5178 days since my birth
Can you find out what the moon looked like on the day you were born? Insert an image.
Can you find out what the weather was like on the day you were born?
92 degrees, hot and sunny
List at least five famous people who share their birthday with you. What are they famous for?
Bahja Rodrigues, singer. Charli XCX, singer. Autum Miller, dancer. Britt Nicole, singer. Sklar Diggins, Basketball player
List at least ten things that happened throughout time on this day in history .
Iraq invades Kuwait 1990. Delegates sign the Deleration of Independents 1776. Micheal Andretti races to finish at Malboro 500 1987. CSS Shendendosh learns civil war is over 1865. Potsdam Conference concludes 1945. Man murdered near reservoir 1942. Sudden thunderstorm causes plane crash 1985. Harding dies before scandals break 1923. Hitler becomes fuehrer 1934. Einstein urges U.S atomic action 1939.
Find out how much these things cost:
a postage stamp 33 cents
a luxury car $70,000
an economy car $24,750
a four bedroom house in Media $195,600
a gallon of milk $2.88
going to the movies $5.06
Who was President?
George W. Bush
What was the must have toy?
A scooter
What movies came out?
How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
Cast Away
Mission: Impossible II
Gladiator
What Women Want
The Perfect Storm
Meet the Parents
X-Men
Scary Movie
What Lies Beneath
Gladiator
Erin Brockovich
Billy Elliot
Who were the biggest movie stars?
Julia Roberts
George lucas
Tom Hanks
Most popular TV shows?
Gilmore Girls
Malcolm in the Middle
CSI
Music?
Lenny Kravitz
Blink-182
U2
All Saints
N Sync
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Madonna
Faith Hill
Dandy Warhols
Oasis
Bon Jovi
Robbie Williams
Kylie Minogue
Ronan Keating
Santana
Manic Street Preachers
Britney Spears
Robbie Williams
Craig David
The Eurythmics
R.E.M.
Pink
Coldplay
Sports?
Tiger Woods won his second US PGA
What were the fashion trends?
Shinny pants
Using ties as belts
Peasant tops
Fancy camo
Chapter 3 Storge Trunk
My mother has a closet in her room that was built by my great-grandfather and is now about 60 years old. My mom uses it mostly for clothes all except for the top shelf which is filled with picture and old family mementos so I decided to look through there. There was a lot of old jewelry and school projects, but the thing that interested me most was my great-grandfather's passport from when he and my great-grandmother first moved here from Austria-Hungary in 1940. This passport reveals that my great-grandparents were very brave people because they were only teenagers when they came and didn't know anyone. They had to leave their families behind and face some terrible news alone. It turns out that after a couple years of being in America, Nazi soldiers had come through their old village and took my great-grandmother's sister away because she had a bum leg. My great-grandparents are two very important people in my family. If they hadn't made the sacrifices they did to move to America, I wouldn't be living in a free country right now and I appreciate that fact.
Chapter 4 My Personal Alphabet
A is for ardent. Music and reading are my absolute passions.
B is for beneficent. I try help people when they are in need, be kind to everyone, and give to the poor
C is for content. I am overall just happy with my life.
D is for demure. I'm not usually outgoing unless I'm with friends.
E is for easy-going. I'm a very go-with-the-flow type of person.
F is for fabulous. Fabulous is truly all I am.
G is for gauche. I am honestly quite awkward.
H is for harmless. I couldn't hurt a fly even if I really tried.
I is for inactive. I would rather sit home all day and read than go outside.
J is for jocular. I joke around a lot especially with people I'm close with
K is for klutzy. I am extremely clumsy.
L is for lazy. Wow, am I lazy. I will sometimes even get annoyed by how lazy I am.
M is for mature. Sometimes I can act like a kid but overall I think I'm fairly mature.
N is for normal. Other than my colorful hair, there nothing abnormal about me.
O is for obnoxious. At least it's what my family calls me all the time.
P is for polite. I try to be polite to everyone so no one will dislike me.
Q is for quiet. On almost every report card that has been sent home, me being quiet was always a point the teachers made.
R is for respectful. I'm pretty respectful towards everyone especially adults and senior citizens.
S is for shy. If I'm around new people I will get so awkward and shy, it gets kind of embarrassing.
T is for tolerant. I'd say I'm tolerant towards people, especially to those who have special needs.
U is for undependable. You probably shouldn't rely on my to do anything, chances are I will forget, lose it, or get too lazy to do it.
V is for veracious. I'm not saying I don't lie, because that would be a lie, but I don't lie often.
W is for warm-blooded, but all mammals are so....
X is for xanthocomic. Though I did die it, my hair is yellow.
Y is for young. I'm only fourteen so I think young is a suitable word to describe me.
Z is for zippy. I guess a can be zippy if I've had enough coffee and sweets.
Chapter 5 A Family History (Thanksgiving)
Part one: describe your family
My immediate family would be my mother who is 58, my father who is 49, my oldest brother, Tim, who is 39, my other brother, Nick, who is 21, my sister, Danielle, who is 19, and then of course of me and I am 14.
My father is sitting at the head of the table, my mom is to his right and my sister, Danielle, is next to her. Beside my sister is my brother, Nick, and next to him is my nephew, Luke. My oldest brother, Tim, is at the other head of the table, to the left of him is my youngest nephew, Noah, and next to him is my other nephew, Jude. Beside Noah is my niece, Eve, next to her is my sister in law, Trish, bedise her is my aunt, Andrea, and next to her is my Baba. Even with two tables pushed together there wasn't enough room to fit all of us, so me and my cousin, Dylan, had to sit on the counter in the kitchen.
Part two: describe your meal
The main course of our meal was the traditional turkey, but we also had lasagna. As all the side dishes, we had string bean casserole, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and many different types of vegetables. For dessert we had pumpkin pie, pecan pie, red velvet cake, ambrosia, brownie trifle, and tiramisu.
Chapter 6 And The Band Played On (Music)
If I were to rank all the most important things in my life, music would be right up there with breathing, eating, and drinking. I make sure never leave my house without my iPod and headphones. I am so interested in music that few of my friends and I have actually started a "band." (I say "band" because the drummer doesn't know how to play drums yet and the bassist doesn't even have her bass yet.) The music genres I listen to are rock and roll, alternative rock, alternative, heavy metal, punk rock, hard rock, indie rock, and post hardcore. I really enjoy rock music.
List of my favorite bands: (this list could go on for much longer but I decided to keep it short.)
Black Veil Brides
Fall Out Boy
Pierce The Veil
All Time Low
Bring Me The Horizon
Sleeping With Sirens
Never Shout Never
My Chemical Romance
Foo Fighters
Weezer
Twenty One Pilots
List of my favorite songs, no specific order:
In The End
The Kids Aren't Alright
Centuries
It's Not My Fault I'm Happy
Goodbye Agony
Lost It All
Back To The Shack
I Miss You
Sugar We're Going Down Swinging
Savior
Cecilia And The Satellite
Satellites
Welcome To The Black Parade
Kitchen Sink
Screen
The Judge
Addict With A Pen
The song Its Not My Fault I'm Happy reminds me of a cruise I took in 7th grade because that was the only song I listened that entire week. I had trouble deciding between the songs In The End by Black Veil Brides and I'm Just A Kid by Simple Plan. In The End has been my absolute favorite song for over a year now and I have literally listened to it over 500 hundred times, I am not exaggerating. But even though In The End is my all time favorite song ever, I don't really relate to it so I am choosing I'm Just A Kid to be my theme song. I don't think that this song is one of my favorites but I like 90s band like Simple Plan and I feel like the lyrics were written about me. That might sound somewhat depressing after reading the lyrics and I swear I am a happy kid in general, but there are some days where I feel like this song defines my life. This song is pretty straight forward without too much dept, and I think that many kids these days can relate to it. The first two stanzas basically summarize the entire song and I think that they are the most meaningful because every time I hear them I know that I'm not the only person that feels like this if there's an entire song about it.
I'm Just A Kid by Simple Plan:
I woke up it was 7
Waited till 11
Just to figure out that no one would call
I think I got a lot of friends but I don't hear from them
What's another night all alone?
When you're spending everyday on your own
And here it goes
I'm just a kid and life is a nightmare
I'm just a kid, I know that its not fair
Nobody cares, cause I'm alone and the world is
Having more fun than me.. Tonight
And maybe when the night is dead, I'll crawl into my bed
Staring at these 4 walls again
I'll try to think about the last time, I had a good time
Everyone's got somewhere to go
And their gonna leave me here on my own and here it goes
I'm just a kid and life is a nightmare
I'm just a kid, I know that its not fair
Nobody cares, cause I'm alone and the world is
Having more fun than me
What the hell is wrong with me?
Don't fit in with anybody
How did this happen to me?
Wide awake I'm bored and I can't fall asleep
And every night is the worst night ever
I'm just a kid
I'm just a kid
I'm just a kid
I'm just a kid
I'm just a kid
I'm just a kid and life is a nightmare
I'm just a kid, I know that its not fair
Nobody cares, cause I'm alone and the world is nobody wants to be alone in the world
I'm just a kid and life is a nightmare
I'm just a kid, I know that its not fair
Nobody cares, cause I'm alone and the world is nobody wants to be alone in the world
Nobody cares, cause I'm alone and the world is
Having more fun than me
Tonight
I'm all alone tonight
Nobody cares tonight
Cause im just a kid tonight
Chapter 7 Memorable Event
Memorable Event
My most memorable event ever would be the Black Veil Brides concert I went to on November 19, 2014. It was the second concert I ever went to but they are my absolute favorite band. The concert was at the Electric Factory in Philly and it was supposed to start at six o'clock. My dad took me and my two friends Bryn and Juliet and we got there at five so we could get a good spot, since it was a general admission concert. We thought the doors were supposed to open at five but turns out they didn't. We ended up waiting in the cold for an hour but when we finally got in it was totally worth it.
When we got in, most people rushed towards to the center of the venue, but my dad was smart and took us to the side, and we were able to get a spot about fifteen feet away from the stage and we got to stand next to a table. That table becomes very important because during one of the opening bands' performances, the lead singer was able to jump onto the table and I came so close to touching his hand. That band was called Set It Off and they were really good. The other opening band, Drama Club, was awful though. They weren't even a band. They just took other bands' music and made a weird dub step remix of it. They were also kind of creepy because they had masks on that looked like China dolls.
There were two main bands that played, Falling In Reverse and Black Veil Brides. Falling In Reverse went first and they were surprisingly good. I never really listened to them, but the few songs I did listen to by them were not that great. Also the lead singer is a jerk, but after seeing them live I regret not knowing many of their songs before hand. The lead singer wasn't actually mean at all and he got really involved with the crowd.
When it was Black Veil Brides' turn to perform I think I almost had a heart attack. I was shaking out of excitement too. There I was finally seeing my favorite band, the band I had practically worshiped for over a year, live and in person. At the first sight of them I screamed at the top of my lungs and my friends and the people around me gave a weird look, but I didn't care my favorite band was in the same room as me. I swear during their performance, the lead singer, Andy Biersack, the man I am like in love with, looked at me. I swear I almost fainted. By the end I was in tears. The whole experience was just so surreal and I will never forget it.
Chapter 8 Unfinished Sentences
Unfinished Sentences:
1. I usually worry about my future. I'm not really sure what I want to do when I grow up. I'm not sure about what college I want to go to either. What if I hate the job I get? What if I hate my husband? What if I don't get married at all? But I think the thing I am most worried about in my future is what happens when my parents die. I have a sister who has autism and she can't live alone so she will have to come live with me. That's a really stressful thing to have to think about when you are fourteen. Plus I see how stressed my parents get about my sister's disability and I know if I have kids, at least one of them will have a disability because it runs in the family, but I don't want to go through that.
2. I feel angry when I hear the popular music of today. I actually don't get angry often at all but if you catch me on a bad day with popular music I will go on a rampage. It all sounds the same and it's all about bad things. None of it has a good message or meaning and it just makes me so mad that people don't understand good music anymore.
3. I am moody when I'm tired. When I don't get enough sleep, even the slightest things can set me off. Even then I only get moody when I'm around my family. I just can't stay in one mood when I'm tired and around my family.
4. I am happiest when I am with my family on a vacation to somewhere I've never been before. For example, a couple years ago I went on a cruise to Bermuda and it was one of the most fun experiences I have ever had. I just felt so happy seeing and being surrounded by new things, it also helped I was with my family so that I didn't feel lost and alone.
5. I feel confident when I am with a group of my friends. I remember when I was a kid and whenever I passed by a group of teenagers having fun, I would always get jealous and get so excited for the time I would be in a group like that. I have finally made it to that point, I feel like I could do anything with my friends. I feel like I am now the person that kids look up to and that makes me feel confident.
6. I feel frustrated when I have a lot of homework and not enough time. It just gets me frustrated that teachers give out so much homework and they don't take into consideration that we take other classes. It frustrates me that I have to rush through everything and that it gives me so much stress.
7. I feel depressed when I read a sad book book or watch a sad movie. I will think about that movie or book for days at a time. I especially get depressed when I read a sad book. In a book I can really connect to the characters and I sometimes feel like I am living in the book. Therefore, if it's a sad book, my life is sad at that time.
8. I am comfortable when I am alone in my dark and cold room while watching cartoons, movies, Netflix, etc., or reading. I know it sounds strange but I like to be buried in a mountain of blankets while doing my own thing. I could spend all day long lying down in one position and still be more comfortable than going anywhere or doing anything. Also being by myself once in awhile for some reason makes me comfortable.
9. I feel nervous when I have to present a project or something in front of a large group of people. I get really shaky, I feel like crying, and I start sweating a lot too. I will practice and practice the presentation, but that only makes my anticipation worse which makes my fear grow. It sometimes helps to just wing it but then I don't feel prepared. I just really hate public speaking.
10. I feel sentimental when I find things from my childhood. It brings back so many memories and I want to keep them all. Childhood was a better time and finding toys or clothes makes me so happy. All my memories of childhood were great and when I find childhood positions of mine, it makes me want to be a kid again.
Chapter 9 My Year In Reading
Title Author Genre Rating Words of Wisdom Summary
The Prince and the Pauper Mark Twain Historical Fiction not my cup of tea
There are two boys who look exactly alike, one is poor and one is a prince. They accidentally switch places and live each other's lives for a while. The king died and on the day of the pauper's coronation the boys switched back places.
Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie David Lubar Coming of age Pretty good
Scott is starting high school with all honors classes so he doesn't have of the same classes with his friends. He joins all these clubs and after school activities to be closer to the girl he likes but she doesn't notice him. He ends up making friends with a girl with colorful hair and piercing and the school bully, but he's happy
Looking For Alaska John Green Young-adult novel really good
Miles moves to a new school and makes three friends the Colonel, Takumi, and Alska. The whole crew is doing normal teenaged things and causing shenanigans and Miles started to fall in love with Alaska, until she gets into a car crash and dies. Miles and the Colonel feel like it's their fault because they knew she was drunk but they let her drive anyway, but they eventually are able to put everything behind them and move on with their lives.
The Beginning of Everything Robyn Schneider Young-adult fiction good
"Oscar Wilde once said that to live is the rarest thing in the world, because most people just exist, and that's all. I don't know if he's right, but I do know that I spent a long time existing, and now, I intend to live." (335)"
Ezra Miller used to be one of the most popular guys in school until he was in a car crash that badly injured his knee and completely changed his life. He started to focus more on his studies and also started to feel bad for himself until he met a girl named Cassidy Thorpe. They start dating and they have some complications but in the end everything turns out okay.
The Infinite Moment of Us Lauren Myracle Contemporary fiction truly memorable
"You're saying the mysteries are worth examining, even if they're too big to be understood. That maybe they're bound to be too big to understand, but that doesn't take anything away from them, and in fact just adds to their beauty."
Wren Gray wants to please her parents and do what ever they think is best for her, but she doesn't like that life anymore. Charlie Parker is a troubled boy with a broken family who lives with his foster parents, but despite all that he is one of the sweetest people ever. The summer after high school they start dating and they have a few rough patches but in the end they both end up going to Guatemala together to help the people there.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban J.K Rowling Fantasy good
"You think the dead we loved truly ever leave us? You think that we don't recall them more clearly in times of great trouble." (426)
Harry goes off to Hogwarts while there is an escaped prisoner from Azkaban named Sirius Black after him. The school brings in these scary creatures called dementors to protect the students but they end up making the situation worse. Sirius and Harry end up finding each other and Harry realizes that he's not a bad guy and that he is actually his godfather.
Forget Me K.A Harrington Mystery okay
Morgan's boyfriend dies and three months later she finds a guy who looks exactly like him named Evan Murphy. They thought I couldn't just be a coincidence so they started to investigate. In the end Mogan and Evan find out that Evan and Morgan's dead boyfriend are actually related and their uncle is a serial killer who made the entire town run down by bad business decision making.
Night Elie Wisel Memoir truly memborable
This book is a memoir of Elie Wisel's experience of the Holocaust. He was moved from camp to camp, suffered from malnutrition, starvation, sleep deprivation, infection, etc.. He was with his father the entire time but his father died in the end.
To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee Fiction pretty good
Scout was a tomboy growing up in the south which was frowned apon, but she was still able to play normally with her brother, Jem, and Dill, a neighbor who visited in the summer. They all tried to make Boo Radley come out of his house because he hadn't been out of the house in over 30 years. Scout and Jem's father was a lawyer who was defending a black man, Tom Robinson, in a trial and though he should have won, he lost because he was black and Tom ended up dyeing in prison.
Five Flavors of Dumb Antony John Young-adult good
“Music. It’s not about those things. It’s about a feeling. It’s about expressing yourself. It’s about letting go.”
Piper is deaf and has no friends but she somehow got to be the manager of the band Dumb. She makes them better, gets them gigs, and a record deal. She makes friends friends with them, dates the drummer, and discovers the real her.
Of Mice and Men John Stienbeck Fictional tragedy really good
“Just like heaven. Ever’body wants a little piece of lan’. I read plenty of books out here. Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land. It’s just in their head. They’re all the time talkin’ about it, but it’s jus’ in their head.”
Lennie and George are looking for work but it's hard because Lennie is retarded. They find work and make friends and enemies. Lennie then accidentally killed a puppy and a woman so George is forced to kill him.
Wise Young Fool Sean Beaudoin Fiction truly memorable
"My grandma always said it's the little laughs that cut the deepest." Page 2 Ritchie
Ritchie Sudden is a senior in high-school who is basically the definition of a punk rock teen. Him and his friend Elliott start a band, and in the process of getting everything together, he hits a lot of rough patches. He tells the story of his whole year while he is in juvee.
Chapter 10 Friendship
Let me just start off by saying that I have a lot of friends; way too many to list them all, and way too many to remember how I met them all. Through out the years my friend groups have changed entirely but I have kept one best friend and her name is Cate Bonner. The main friend group that I have right now and whom I hang out with weekly include: Cate Bonner, Jude Beal, Thomas Kozuch, Nick Spigerelli, Wil Plotts and Juliet Birch. We all hang out together at the mall and in media usually. I honestly don't even know what we do together, it's just a whole lot of nothing, but we still have fun. My friends make me happy and I hope I make them happy too. I'm lucky to have friends like that because I'm not sure how I'm still friends with them. I mean other than Cate and Juliet who I've been best friends with since we were 8 or 9 years old, I don't know why the guys want to hang out with me. Nonetheless we are always hangout together and I am grateful for them.