Life’s Little Sorrows Know No Age Limit

Let’s face it, things don’t always go the way we plan them. But without occasional disappointments in life, how would we know successes?

Hot Topics wonders, “What has been your biggest disappointment in life?”

“When my parents got divorced.”

Shelli Allen, 16,

junior, Brea-Olinda

“Losing in the second round of CIF (Southern Section soccer playoffs). But next year we have another chance. Unfortunately some of . . . (my senior teammates) don’t.”

Jeff Bettencourt, 16,

junior, Brea-Olinda

“When I see people being prejudiced. I would think that we were more mature than that.”

Chrissy Barlet, 15,

sophomore, Brea-Olinda

“I flunked my driver’s test twice.”

Alice Lee, 16,

junior, Brea-Olinda

“Boys!”

Tina Lai, 15,

sophomore, Brea-Olinda

“Our senior year. . . . We thought it would be more glamorous. It isn’t as exciting as we thought it would be.”

Christi May Flauding, 18,

Shannon Narath, 17,

seniors, Cypress

“The guys in Cypress; they are ugly.”

Amy Park, 17,

senior, Cypress

“Now that I have come to terms with the fact that I am an alcoholic, I suppose becoming one was my biggest disappointment in life. It makes me sad about myself. It’s also my biggest accomplishment because I’ve overcome it.”

Pete, 17,

senior, Esperanza

“I strayed from being as successful spiritually as I would have liked to have been.”

Darren Del Castillo, 17,

senior, Esperanza

“Putting my trust in someone and having them disappoint me in various ways.”

Cathy Silvers, 17,

senior, Esperanza

“My first car was a piece of junk.”

Andrew Durand, 17,

senior, Esperanza

“Realizing I will never be a dancer.”

Mary Collins, 14,

freshman, Esperanza

“Worrying about disappointing things.”

Austin Maki, 16,

junior, Estancia

“Losing a badminton game.”

Jeffrey Wong, 15,

freshman, Estancia

“Not making the basketball team.”

Anh Nguyen, 18,

senior, Estancia

“My geography class.”

Courtney Hunt, 15,

freshman, Fullerton

“Things don’t always turn out the way you hope they will.”

Teresa Brennan, 15,

freshman, Fullerton

“When the Celtics beat the Lakers in 1984 for the championship.”

Tom Haire, 17,

senior, Fullerton

“Where should I start?”

Risa Scher, 17,

senior, Fullerton

“The day I discovered that my Bic pen couldn’t write like it did in the commercial.”

Mark Winston, 15,

sophomore, Laguna Beach

“The day I was told that my parents were getting a divorce and my dad was moving out.”

Heather DeMichele, 15,

sophomore, Laguna Beach

“When my parents made me attend a friend’s wedding instead of entering the Winterfest ’89 skateboard contest.”

Israel Kanoarian, 14,

freshman, Laguna Beach

“The day my parents wouldn’t let me keep my dead fish and made me flush it down the toilet.”

Shelby Hunt, 15,

freshman, Laguna Beach

“When my old boyfriend was cheating on me.”

Rachel Edelman, 16,

junior, Laguna Beach

“When E.T. went home.”

Oriana Kim, 16,

junior, Marina

“That I wasn’t born with a voice like Barbra Streisand.”

Sharon McCaffery, 17,

senior, Marina

“That I’m so short.”

Shawn Rohrbacker, 17,

junior, Marina

“I haven’t skied enough, and I haven’t been getting the grades that I’d like.”

Greg Dutton, 16,

sophomore, Mission Viejo

“Quitting dancing to be able to join school activities back in Minnesota. I wanted to be a professional dancer but I wasn’t willing to let it take up my life.”

Kristena Wahlstrom, 15,

sophomore, Mission Viejo

“Moving from New York to California, but now I’m enjoying playing football.”

Drew Phillips, 16,

sophomore, Mission Viejo

“Moving from Costa Mesa to Mission Viejo. Most of my friends are there and I liked it better there, but I guess Mission Viejo’s not that bad after all. I’ve met some good friends.”

Tiffany Otanes, 15,

sophomore, Mission Viejo

“I haven’t had many disappointments in my life that would be worth mentioning. Everybody has certain problems in life; luckily, most of mine are minor.”

E.K. Thrane, 16,

sophomore, Mission Viejo

“When I got in two car accidents within 5 days and they weren’t my fault and my car is totaled.”

Danielle Brown, 17,

junior, Rosary

“When my best friend moved away this year.”

Annie Zaborowski, 16,

junior, Rosary

“When I got in a car accident that wasn’t my fault and thrashed my new car.”

Natalie Ragsgale, 16,

junior, Rosary

“When I walked down the streets of Tijuana.”

Marya Nordenhok, 16,

junior, San Clemente

“Losing CIF water polo.”

Dan Flynn, 16,

junior, San Clemente

“Not making cheerleading my freshman year.”

Tiffany Randolph, 17,

senior, San Clemente

“The death of a loved one.”

Seannapri Biggs, 16,

junior, San Clemente

“When my parents got divorced.”

Erica Haga, 18,

senior, Sunny Hills

“In the American School of Paris, during my eighth-grade year, I really tried hard in science and French and I expected an award in French at the end of the year. But I did not get the French award, because my French teacher told me later that she thought I was going to get a lot more awards, so she thought she would give it to someone else.”

Priya Krishnan, 17,

senior, Sunny Hills

“I disappointed my parents by not reaching up to their expectations, even though I tried hard, especially with my SAT score.”

Eveleen Liu, 17,

senior, Sunny Hills

“Friends betraying you.”

Susan Kim, 18,

senior, Sunny Hills

“Not being able to help people with major problems in life.”

Cari Stiak, 16,

junior, Tustin

“When my motorcycle broke.”

Jason Avey, 18,

senior, Tustin

“When my grandmother died.”

Rene Comacho, 19,

senior, Tustin

“I woke up one morning 2 years ago and noticed I’d broken a nail. You can’t imagine my overwhelming sadness.”

Kim Sullivan, 16,

junior, University

“The day my grandmother died.”

Rania Naguib, 17,

senior, University

“Leaving all of my friends in Louisiana and moving out here to California.”

Christy Tudor, 16,

junior, University

“When my boyfriend and I broke up for 8 months.”

Chris Salvati, 18,

senior, University

“Moving from Alaska at semester time last year and leaving all my friends. I had lived there my whole life.”

Trent McGinn, 18,

senior, University

“Not doing as I should have in the Orange League swimming finals.”

Christian Corbo, 15,

sophomore, Valencia

“Having to wait until I’m 16 for everything.”

Jeanette Jones, 14,

freshman, Valencia

“Always being too young.”

April Orand, 14,

freshman, Valencia

“My reputation around school.”

Brian Turner, 14,

freshman, Valencia

“High school is too easy.”

Ryan Engstrom, 15,

sophomore, Valencia

“No matter what I do, I alone can’t change the world.”

Jen Marchese, 16,

junior, Villa Park

“Friends stabbing each other in the back.”

Nadia Davis, 17,

senior, Villa Park

“Knowing I’m not getting a car when I turn 16.”

Kirstan Kirkwood, 15,

sophomore, Villa Park

“My grades.”

Stephanie Fry, 15,

sophomore, Villa Park

“That I can’t live as easy a life style as I did when I was younger.”

Carol Chao, 16,

sophomore, Western

“When I turned down a movie contract in the Philippines. Well, actually, my mother turned them down.”

Sheryl Reyes, 16,

sophomore, Western

Hot Topic responses gathered by Kimberly Carter, Angela Conner, Jenny Kaplan, Lynda Kim, Kyra Kirkwood, Joo Young Lee, Rebecca Leung, Jason Loeb, Heather Orey, Hai Pham, Cyndi Shaver, Kim Snow, Janet Stouder, Jana Swail, Jean Wei and Edward White.