If Mirrors Didn't Exist

Have you ever thought about just waking up, doing your morning routine, and just go out to start your day? No make-up, no fancy shoes and no fancy clothes. Don’t even look in the mirror. Our society is blinded by the fact that we have to always look good or look our best. We want to impress people we don’t know and people we don’t like. That’s why we buy name-brand clothing, shoes, purses, etc. That’s why we praise the people who have the most expensive stuff and that is why we’re so insecure about ourselves.

Everyone always wants to be the hottest thing on the scene. They want everyone to recognize them and compliment them. Basically the truth is, we buy everything we buy to get noticed. We go out to the clubs and bars to get noticed. Dressing to impress a crowd of horny people. We criticize how others dress and sadly we hate on them too. Why? Because we can and because the mirrors made us that way. You want to live a happy life? Cut your mirror time in half. The flaws we see in the mirror are the flaws only we can see. We see them because we have spent too much time looking at the mirror. Majority of the time you’re fighting against the mirror. The only way to beat it is to not fight at all.


- Meng Yang

Time Traveling

Dear Meng The Adult,

This is Meng The teen. I just thought that I'd write you a letter discussing the big move that you're about to make. It's been 17 long years. We've had some fun, and we've had some struggles. Actually, we've had a lot more struggles than we had fun. I'm just reminding you that, no matter how hard the next step gets, you need to face the music and give it everything you have. There's a reason why and how I got to where I am right now. I never gave up, even when everyone was against me, and I mean everyone. I know there are 6 billion people out there, but no one, and I mean no one has a bigger heart than I do. I only hope that it grows even bigger when it's with you. I also want to remind you that having fun is manageable. Don't forget to have those crazy weekends where you don't remember anything. Don't forget to show some love to the real people who matter in your life, and never ever forget who you are. This is it man, this your chance to show everyone who's ever doubted you that you are more than just an average person. Ten years from now, I hope I can recognize you.


Sincerely, Meng Yang - 17
March 8, 2009

Take The Lead

I've always wondered how a leader becomes a leader. When I was younger I used to always be the follower. I never even wanted to be a leader. I just went with the flow and did what all the other kids did. I followed. I would have friends that always got to pick teams. It was like they were always the captain and we were just there for them to choose from. I thought about wanting to be in that position one day, well one day far far from that particular day. I never was able reach it in grade school. No one saw me as a leader. No one respected me as a leader and no one cared what I had to say. So I didn't say anything at all. I kept to myself and I kept all my ideas inside my head. When were the ideas going to be let out? I didn't know at time. I wasn't a leader and I knew it.

It wasn't until I started middle school that I really wanted to become a leader. To be honest I just wanted to be the leader so I could impress girls and get them to notice me. It's kind of stupid but that was one of the reasons I wanted to become a leader. Not entirely did I want to just impress the ladies. My brother has always been a leader and I looked up to him. When he spoke, people listened. My father is also a leader. The President of the Yang Clan to be exact. He was the most fearless leader I know. I looked up to him and wanted to be like him. More importantly I wanted him to know that his son was a leader and not just a follower.

My leadership started when I got into HmoobTeen Magazine. Believe it or not the magaazine has developed me into a leader. I would not be where I am today if it was not for HmoobTeen. They molded me and built me to be a leader and I am grateful for that.....To Be Continued.

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What makes you ugly isn't your face, it's the person behind that face.

- Meng Yang

We

I'll do whatever it takes to win games, whether it's sitting on a bench waving a towel, handing a cup of water to a teammate, or hitting the game-winning shot. ---Kobe Bryant

We can sit here and tell ourselves that this is the best we will get. We can talk about the game and how we'll change. We can blame each other for why everything is going wrong. We can rumor about quitting, giving up, not willing to try anymore. We can walk away from the game and just be homiez. Yeah, we can do all of these things. Better yet, we've already done most of these things.

We can stop playing as individuals and start playing as a team. There comes a time in a person's life when he doesn't want to be second best or just another person anymore. Achieving first can't be done alone. It can't be done with selfishness, stubborness, or a lack of confidence. We're not in a movie, we all can't be heroes. But ironically we all can be the villian. Either we come together as a unit, or this is as far as we will go. In the words of Al Picino. "Either we heal now, as a team, or we will die, as individuals." On a final note, I'll leave you all with some wise words from The Rock, "Know Your Role."




- Meng Yang

Join The Movement

If you haven't joined the movement, you better hop on. Far East Movement, the first Asian-American group to hit it big in America, has hit it real BIG. I am overjoyed with enthusiasm and excitement for these guys. I had a chance to meet them all about two years ago at the Hmong New Year when they came to Minnesota and performed. They were all super cool, down to Earth, and real. They joked, laughed, and interacted with all their fans. At the time I heard a few of their songs, mostly the ones with Jin but I would never imagine that they would be an overnight sensation.

Just like how America elected President Barack Obama, race was not an issue anymore. FM, an all Asian group has made it big in the music industry which is predominately Caucasian and Black. With their success flying sky high like a G6, they are the foundation for Asian-American artists. I knew FM would be successful, but I did not expect them to blow up so fast. With the likes of Jin failing to top the charts, I thought they would too suffer the same fate, but I was wrong. FM has gone Platinum and words cannot explain how happy I am for these guys. It's a historic week for Asian-Americans everywhere and I'm glad I was a part of it. Three Fingers Up!

I Refuse

I refuse to talk to you, get to know you, or take you on a date. I refuse to text you, Facebook you, or telegraph you. It's not that I'm not into you, because most likely I am. I'm just a good human being. I refuse to let you in my life. Why? Because I refuse to use you. I don't want to use you. If I let you walk into my life, it would feel like I am using you. I refuse to be the people who use innocent people as rebounds. I refuse to be the heartless, inconsiderate, evil, manipulating, pathetic human beings that some people are. I cannot allow you to go through what so many others have gone through and I cannot allow myself to move on when I know I am not ready. I hope you understand why I refuse to see you, talk to you, or be with you. I'm just being a good human being.