HAPPY NEW YEARS!!!

My friends, we are one step forward into the future. 2009 is knocking at our door and we are finally going to invite it in our house. Well, not right this minute; we still have to wait till midnight. I am so excited because my family and I are invited to this party and everybody that I know and love dearly are going to be there. It's kind of like a family reunion and I can't wait to go. The party will start at 7:00 so I still have some time to kill. Meanwhile, I would like to wish everybody a Happy New Year and hope that 2009 will fill your houses with joy, love, and best of health.

I don't mean to bring anybody down but aren't we creeping closer to the end of the world? Well, maybe I shouldn't talk about it right now.

Well, Happy New Year!!!!!

Movies we love

Today, my mother and I decided to watch Marley and Me in the afternoon. We had heard from family members that it was a great movie and decided that it was time to hit the movies. My mother and I love Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson. Our favorite actor and actress in the same movie sounded like a great hit. To our amazement, it was!!!! Marley and Me is about a dog creating a relationship with a husband and wife. This dog as many people referred to in the movie was like a "monster". He was rude, obnoxious, and very very hyper. No matter what the couple tried, they couldn't get the dog to behave. The story advances as the couple try to have kids and build a strong family. There are a few bumps in the road once in a while but the viewers can see that the dog is with them all the time. Usually it's about him and he's behavior around the house but it is always resolved. One time during the movie, Aniston told her husband that she was tired of him hurting the kids somehow (lack of sleep and bumping into her son all the time who had just started walking). So, he decided to keep Marley away for a while but there was a feeling of emptiness around the house and they missed him. The climax of the movie starts to build up as Marley suffers from an illness. In the end though, just like any other dog his time was up. Everybody in the audience started to cry as Marley began to close his eyes on the operation table. It was a touching moment and my tears had a mind of their own. If you haven't seen this movie, I strongly recommend you do especially if you are a dog lover. It's a great flick to enjoy with family and friends!!!! 

Medium

Okay, so I think I have all five posts done for Mr. Thompson's extra credits. Well, hopefully!! However I still have something very interesting to say in today's blog that I think might arrouse your interest.

I have been watching Medium for a few months now and there have been so many questions unsolved in my brain. For those of you who don't know about Medium, it is a movie about a criminal investigator (Patricia Arquette) and her "sixth sense". Everytime she goes to sleep, she dreams about an event that will take place, has taken place, or something that relates to an event. Usually her dreams have something to do with horrific events taking place in Phoenix, Arizona. For example, a crime has taken place and the police have no evidence as to why or how the crime has taken place and there are simply not enough witnesses. She comes home that day thinking about the case and carries on her regular chores. At night she dreams about something and I mean anything that might provide a perfect clue for her in solving mysteries. Sometimes she can even stop an event from taking place. Now, this doesn't at all seem strange to me because my mother is exactly the same way. You might say she's pyschic but she refuses to agree. She can be quite stubborn sometimes. So, anyways, she usually wakes up in the middle of the night and tells me about her dream/nightmare and it's interesting how the exact event takes place. One day when I was little she told me to be careful at school because she had a horrible dream; I would fall down the stairs and break my skull. Well, nothing happened to me that day and I was sure it was the first time my mother was mistaken. However, a few days later, I noticed that my best friend had fallen off the balcony and seriously injured her skull. It didn't exactly happen to me but it was interesting how some of the pieces were replayed. It's funny how everybody in my family dreams a certain dream and somehow it comes true. Most of the time the pieces are found but rarely very very exact. Everybody in my family shares "this gift" except for me! I have never had a dream that made sense, let alone come true. I guess I missed that gene. My great grandmother was considered a witch because some of her "seeings" came true. She dreamt like my mother and warned the townsfolk of certain events that would take place. They, on the other hand, believed that it was a sin to see into the future. Caught up in their jealousy, they certainly did not want to believe that God had given her such an incredible gift.

Merry Christmas!!!

My fellow classmates, I wish you all a great, happy, joyful Christmas filled with love and appreciation. Hope you are all having a great time over the Christmas vacation and you are all with your family members. Well, I am just really excited right now because Santa read my list and brought me all the gifts I wanted. I love you Santa!!! hehehehe. 

Well, I miss you all so much and hope you have a great new year as well. Feliz Navidad and to all a good night. 

Clean up

You know what's really boring about Christmas Vacation? You are forced to clean up your room. I mean I always try to keep my room in perfect order and harmony but I let a few things slip by once in  a while. So, today is "spring cleaning" for me except my mom calls it the winter cleaning to start with. While I was cleaning up I found some scraps here and there that I hadn't seen before. Oops, an M&M that was a bit too old! So, then after I cleaned up my groom, I found some interesting paraphernalia here and there. Like a poem that my cousin had wrote to me when I was little but couldn't find. In fact, she was so mad at me when I told her that I couldn't find the poem. However, it was right there lost in my room. Now I have to call her and let her know that I didn't throw anything away. More work for me!! Well, I should get back to cleaning up my closest before my mom gives me another lecture. Hope everybody is having a great Christmas Vacation and I will see you next year. That sounds funny.

Christmas vacation

I thought that maybe this Christmas Vacation would pass by so quickly. More like a blink of an eye but it's strange. The hours and minutes are passing by rather slowly but maybe I am wrong. I have been volunteering at so many places these few days, I feel like the days will never end. From Christmas In the Park, Christmas Tree Lots, Library, my mom's workplace, and church. I mean I am not complaining or anything but sometimes it gets difficult. I get so caught up in what I am doing, I actually forget to eat. Last Saturday I was working for 10 hours and hadn't eaten anything. I got up late and had to leave quickly and didn't devour my breakfast as usual. So, anyways, I worked in the Library and wen to Downtown in a rush. My shift ended at 6:00 and I decided to eat something but they called me to work at the Food Booth. This shift ended at 10:00 and I was so sleepy. The only thing I have had the whole day was a couple of French Fries. I felt pretty weak at the end of the day and I blame myself. It's really difficult for me to eat something when I am not at home. The reason why is because my family always know what I am supposed to eat and the diet I have. When I am all alone without a guardian, I can't concentrate on anything to eat. In fact, about a couple years ago, my cousin had brought these donuts that were delicious at the time. After a few hours, I noticed that my head was aching and I was throwing up uncontrollably. Everyday for two months, I threw up everything I ate. The doctor said I had stomach flu but little did they know it would scar me for life. After I came to America, I went to the doctor and he told me that my stomach was seriously damaged. In order to never throw up like that again, I had to plan a special diet. It's not sot easy but everything has been fine ever since. So, I'd like to keep that way but it's also not healthy to not eat. 

Being grateful!!!

In the beginning of the year, my family and I were struggling with a very dramatic family problem. I'd rather don't go into detail but you know what I mean. Everybody has those in their lives once in a while. Well, anyways I have been extremely depressed and tried SO HARD not to show in my emotions but I was really breaking down. There was this time once where tears just poured out of my eyes and a really close friend was there to talk to me and cheer me up. Her name is Dalvinder and I am so blessed to have her as a friend. She is an amazing person and her words really touched my heart. I took her advice and tried to avoid my family problem until everything worked out for the best. Things got a bit hectic through the journey and I felt like nothing would every work out. However, I kept bothering my dear friend Dalvinder and bringing her down. She was so nice and did not mind my babbling. Well, anyways, I did not give up and listen to her very. So, today, I heard this amazing news from my mother about how she is deciding to "work things out." I am so excited and cannot wait to get the show on the road. Thank you so much, Dalvinder. Finals gave me stress but this news certainly made up all the stress taking place in my heart. Whoooooo!!!

Christmas Movies

I absolutely adore Christmas movies!!!! Jack Frost and It's a Wonderful Life are the kinds of movies that never seem to rust away. Every year, you are absorbed into watching them about fifty times. I have seen these movies so many time, I feel like I have memorized all the lines. It's a Wonderful Life is the kind of movie that should be watched by every adult, child, and elder in the world. If you haven't seen it, I strongly recommend you do. Just a quick summary though to arouse your interest in the movie; It's a Wonderful Life is about a depressed middle aged man named George Bailey. George is living in a town that has suffered great ordeals but is respected by many. Every body in the town loves him because he has touched their lives in a very meaningful way. So, one day George's uncle (an old, forgetful man) loses a sum of money that is very important for the bank they own. George goes crazy and wishes a wish that is sometimes thought of by many people during their troubled times. "I wish I was never born" and decides to kill himself. His guardian angel from above is sent to show him the world without his presence. As a matter of fact, it turns out to be a horrible story. The small quiet town that he once knew was now the center of chaos. Worst of all, his wife no longer knew him! The woman that he loved with all his heart and knew ever since he was little was gone. Now, the ending of the story is even more touching but I'll let you be the judge.

Being in the Christmas mood

Today at my church, we were talking about donating toys to the children here in San Jose who are having a troubled Christmas day. I know that Christmas is all about being joyful and it's not about gifts but wouldn't it be great to see a smile on a child's face this Christmas? So, what my family decided to do was out of the ordinary but still very thoughtful. We decided to spend all our Christmas money on donating some toys and clothes to children this year. This has been our tradition every year for Christmas but this year it's going to be different. Since none of us really like the gifts we give to each other, we decided to buy whatever we want for ourself and for kids who are in troubled times. Which brings me to a very heartwarming story. Hey, have you noticed that every time I write my blog, there's a story that goes with it. Hmph, I have never thought it about before. Just a random thought.

So, anyways, I was walking through the store looking at some good presents for little kids that might be of use. Just browsing when all of a sudden I saw this beautiful doll that would be great for any child. I had bought the same doll for my cousin the year before and she had fallen in love with it. In fact, she is still playing with it; shocking, isn't it? As I was reaching out to the doll ahead of me, I saw a child who was pointing to the exact doll. She turned to her mother and said, "Mommy, can I please have this doll instead of the jacket." Her mom turned to her and said, "Darling, I don't have money for the doll; you need the jacket more. Maybe next Christmas." This just broke my heart into a million pieces. I just wanted to take the doll and buy it for the child more than anything. As I looked away to hide the tear welling up in my eye, I noticed that they were no longer there. Just disappeared into thin year! It's funny because I kept thinking that the child and the mother were a figment of my imagination. I looked through the whole store for them but there wasn't trace of the little child and her mother. However deep down inside, I knew this exact moment was taking place somewhere in the stores these days.

Much Appreciated!!!

So, this week was a very interesting week for me. I felt that I was going to leave this world a bit too soon. Not to bring anybody down or anything but I seriously thought that my life will come to end. Danielle, Emily, Jamie and many more thanked me for commenting on their blogs and I was so grateful for their hospitality. I just couldn't thank them enough for all their affectionate remarks. Thank you VERY much, Danielle. Thank you VERY much, Emily. And thank you VERY much, Jamie. 

So, anyways, I felt butterflies in my stomach and it was incredible to hear their sweet, angelic voices. A few days ago after their ravishing comments, my mom and I were getting ready to go to Downtown for an event. As I was walking down the street to the car, this car was accelerating his speed. I didn't know what was happening but everything just happened so fast. The next thing I knew I was sitting on the curb, my face in my lap. Apparently, the car was accelerating towards me and I just stood there. I thought that my life was ending right then and there and began to think about Jamie, Emily, and Danielle. I thought, "this is the end". However, the car stopped right in front of me and I felt so light-headed. 

That was so ironic yet funny. My mother is still laughing at me because she said that I acted so dramatic. It wasn't as if the car would run me over; he was just in the mood for the second. He was going to stop but that very thought scared the "you know what" out of me. 

Thank you, Danielle!

When I opened my blogspot, I did not expect my name to be written as the title of somebody else's blog. It was like a welcome gift that popped up and you did not want to close it. Danielle has written such a heart-warming blog that really touched my heart. So, I just want to take the time to thank her for being so kind and sweet. I really enjoy blogging because I get to read about my classmates and get to know them more. It's true that we might all be having the same classes the next two years. I never thought about it until Mr. Thompson pointed it out. It never occurred to me that we would be growing old together as a class, chanting our chants, listening to each other comments, and best of all being there for each other. During the rallys, there are always these hairs in the back of my neck that just seem to rise simultaneously and you really do enjoy the moment. I wonder what senior year would be when we all go our separate ways. However, it is not time to worry yet. 

So, again, thank you very much Danielle!

On a good note

So, my previous post was a very depressing post and I felt kind of bad about renewing everybody's pain. Now, I will try to make it up to you all by discussing one of my favorite activities. After a long hard day, I walk in my room and listen to one of my most beloved relaxation music. You have no idea how amazing this therapy is! To make the mood even more better, I listen to my music while I am taking a hot shower. I mean not only are you physically being healed from all this stress but also mentally. Usually, I take very hot showers and listen to my family complain about the decrease in hot water in the bathrooms but it's worth it. I feel rejuvenated and calm. However, this all comes back to me once I have left the shower and turned off the music but I am not going to ruin this moment. One of my pet peeves is having to take a shower at room temperature. I mean it just ruins your day and you feel like "blah" afterwards and makes you feel cold afterwards. However, taking hot showers and then climbing into your bed feels as if you have just entered a spa and are being treated like a celebrity. One of my favorite relaxation musics are beach, sleep, and rainforest. I love the different sounds effects that create such a vivid imagery. When I close my eyes, I can actually imagine myself in a rainforest watching a stream flowing through the woods and tickling my feet. Ahhh, my happy place!

Stress

So, right now stress is a huge huge huge weight on my shoulders and I hate this time of year where anxiety is overpowering our lives. There are so many essays and tests along with finals and activities being taking place. I am not tearing my hair out (though you may say that judging what happened in English when there was a hair fight. Good times). It's like sometimes I want to take a step back and just sleep through my problems for just a good amount of time. However as soon as I close my eyes, I can't sleep and when I can't sleep I think about all the different events taking place in my life and then insomnia kicks in. Along with stress, I have some family problems that just don't seem to get resolved. I know that I am not alone and there are countless classmates who are going through the same path. Every time I create a schedule to plan out the different activities taking place during the week, I always feel like I am missing something and then end up stressing out even more. I hope everything starts to calm down a bit after finals. Of course it will, winter break is fast approaching us! I think I can last just a couple more days until Christmas where all I will do is relax with my family in Modesto. My motivation for this week and the following is to study hard for the finals so I don't have to worry about doing horrible and then ruining my winter break. I think I can last a few more weeks. I mean how hard can it be? Oops, hope I don't jinx it for me and everybody else. 

Memories

This is a random question but do any of you have like a chest or a box that has all these memories from such a long time ago? I do and it sits on top of my bed rest in my bedroom. Every day I pass by it and can't help but glance in that direction and think about the treasures that I keep dear to myself. I hadn't opened in such a long time and decided to do so today. There were so many paraphernalia that I had saved, it seemed as if it was just yesterday I had received them. I have this dress from when I was about 2 years old and wanted to wear it. Of course, it didn't fit me but I decided to see how it would look anyways. I got only head through the neck hole and stood looking at myself. It's so funny how we grow so fast and change in a given amount of period. Even when you look at pictures in order to see how you have changed over the ears, you can't help but smile. "Was I that small" or "Was that cute?" I have this one picture of myself in my chest from when I was six-years-old and it just brings smiles to my face. From that little face, little hands, and little feet, you have grown into a blossoming new flower. I have not seen many of my classmates photographs of when they were little but you can perhaps surmise what they looked like. So small!

Greetings to you!

During the holidays, I like to send people cards but not the old-fashioned way. I love to use greetings.yahoo.com to send special greetings to my friends and family members. Sometimes they have amazing cards that really connect with the spirit of the holidays. Usually when you buy gifts for people, it's not exactly what they wanted or it isn't the right size. It kind of gets boring and you spend hours and hours trying to figure out what to buy for the perfect gift for your loved ones. However, a card sometimes says it all! My best friend is somebody who I have trusted, loved, and knew for such a long time. I send her a really sweet card that had a valuable lesson written in it and she was grateful. 

I am not saying that we shouldn't buy gifts at all for our loved ones but just on some occasions. If you feel as if you don't have any money or even no option of choosing a gift, an e-card (that's what they are called) is the right kind of gift. Your loved ones will really appreciate it. Plus, it's kind of fun to scroll down looking for "the perfect" card and you come across really hilarious ones. I love opening gifts and finding special treats for myself but I really wouldn't mind a thoughtful card once in a while.

Random comment: there is a lady bug on my window. 

Books and many more...

So, yesterday while I was bored I decided to make a list of all the books I want to read. Well, of course, there is the Twilight Saga and I have decided to read all of them thanks to Marissa. First, I want to read Twilight, In the Shadow of the Ark, finish To Kill a Mockingbird, Jane Eyre, and this book in my language. I can't really translate it and pronounce it so I will let you know after I have completed reading it. 

Okay, so unto other people's lists of things to do. Today I decided to go to the mall to see what Black Friday was all about. There is this saying that my grandmother uses when she wants to say how busy a place is. She says that it's so busy when you dropped a nickel, it didn't reach the ground. Well, actually she says "when you dropped a needle". Get it? In other words, the amount of people there did not allow the needle to safely hit the ground even though it's really small. Dumbfounded, I dragged my grandfather and mother into going shopping with me to see what was on sale. So, it all began when we were looking for a parking space. Again it was so crowded  and there was no parking place to be found. We spent exactly half an hour trying to exit through the nearest exit but there were so many many cars ahead of us. It was impossible so my mother started to complain and we began to argue. So, there was this guy in a convertible ahead of us. He said something not fit so say but I will use symbols instead of the words but you know what I mean. "You crazy people. What the @#$& are you looking for? You are shopping for nothing. No @#$%! reason at all." I don't know if he was frustrated or something but I kind of understood what you was trying to say other than the swear words. He was trying to say that people are shopping for the wrong reasons and not really thinking about anything worthwhile. I mean I am not saying that it's bad to buy paraphernalia for you loved ones but it's also important to donate a few dollars for those who are less fortunate. There are a lot of frustrated people during the holidays that are not afraid to speak their minds. Literally!!! 

Alone on Thanksgiving

Anybody who knows me knows the fact that I love Los Angeles. All my friends and family members live there. It's not a good place to live, in my opinion, but having fun with friends and family is like the cherry on top of an ice cream. I love my family members and I was hoping to spend Thanksgiving day with them. However, on such short notice I realized on Tuesday that my mother would be working this week. So, she told me that I could go ahead and go but there was this really sad tone to her voice. I decided to ignore the tone even though my heart was racing and I was noncommittal about visiting LA. Just yesterday, I woke up around 6:00 a.m. deciding whether to go to LA or not. We had decided that my aunt would pick me up at 12:00 so we could begin our 4-hour road trip earlier. I had my suitcase packed and took a long look at it until a voice in my head said "don't go". You couldn't believe how much I had waited for Thanksgiving to approach in order to visit my relatives but the sympathy that I shared for my mother was really strong. My mother urged me to go but I just really didn't want to leave her alone on Thanksgiving. So, I bid my aunt and grandmother good-bye and headed off to school. Giving up this perfect opportunity to spend some time with my dear family members did not bother me all that much until this morning. I woke up realizing that I would be alone for Thanksgiving. Just my mother and my grandfather and started to feel really depressed. However, so far it's actually going great. So, alone on Thanksgiving should not develop into a negative connotation because it's not so bad....

Holidays

Holidays are a great time to be with families and spending time with your loved ones. However the holidays are also a great time for those who are struggling and need assistance. These days and especially these days when Thanksgiving is approaching, I see many people who are raising money to help homeless children or those who don't have families and need comfort. I am so glad that people in our society are stepping up to help people in this time of need and just helping out no matter what the circumstances are. A few days ago, I was walking down a street when I saw this little girl carrying a box that said "Please donate money for kids like me and many more." You know, tears just welded up in my eyes and I had no idea what came over me. My mom and I opened our wallets and donated money. The way the girl approached me and the way this big smile came over her face was such an incredible moment. I mean she couldn't have been older than 5 or 6 years of age but managed to help out. As I was walking, I began to think about what Atticus once said. No matter how cruel, greedy, and bitter a person may be, there is still some goodness waiting to jump out of them. This little girl was such an amazing and helpful child who could melt a person's heart. She reminded me of Scout and how she walked up to the mob when they were attacking Atticus. Scout had a responsibility to help her father and this little girl had a responsibility to help children like her. It was a very touching moment. 

Laughing babies!

Okay, so I finally managed to post a video on my blog. It was easier than I thought. So, I got this video off of youtube (obviously) and it's about these six babies that are laughing in unison. It's really funny! Their father is trying to make them laugh and their laughs are so cute. Enjoy!
(It kind of gets freaky at the end)

Deja Vu; What is it?

Have you ever felt like an event in your life has taken place before? You don't know how or why you feel this way but there is this voice that says "it has happened". It's this surge of feelings that overwhelm you when you feel like a deja vu is taking place. The term deja vu, if you look it up in a dictionary, means "a feeling of having already experienced the present situation." It's funny how you try to recreate a scene that has taken place in your life but it doesn't seem to work. Deja Vu takes place in your life when you don't eve know it. Today, my mother was driving me to the library and we began to talk about school, college, and stuff. As I looked through the window, a man carrying a suitcase caught my attention the moment my mother was talking. All of a sudden I felt a feeling of deja vu. It was very interesting how my mother's words, "it's very difficult for you" and the man with the suitcase seemed so so so so familiar to me. Maybe in my "past life" I have gone through this situation and that's why I remember. This leads me to my second definition of deja vu. Some people say that deja vu takes place in your life because of rebirth. In your past life, you must have experienced a familiar state and this is why a sudden surge of feelings come over you. You feel emotional at that instant moment because you can remember the very moment in your past life again in this life. It's very interesting and I will find some more information about deja vu to write in my next blog.

To Kill a Mockingbird

So, this is not my first time reading To Kill a Mockingbird and let me tell you that the second time is better than the first. There were so many minor details that I did not understand in certain chapters that left me confused at the end of the story. Talking about it in class and discussing certain texts helped me connect the different situations that took place in the story. From this chapter on it gets so exciting, I can hardly keep it in; you know the ending of the story and all. I am not going to give anything away but know that Mr. Ewell is going to come back again. This time for a nasty revenge! I absolutely love this book because there are so many messages worth learning about. I always thought that Mr. "Boo" Radley was this mysterious fellow who hated to come out of his house. Living in a neighborhood were everybody knew everything taking place in your life can be annoying. I have lived in a little town for 3 years where everybody walked through open doors without knocking and interfered in your lives. You know, I felt sympathetic for Mr. Radley until Jem uttered something very interesting at the end of Chapter 23. "Scout, I'm beginning to understand why Boo Radley's stayed shut up in the house all this time... it's because he wants to stay inside." Duh, of course that's obvious but there is another reason I came up with. I think it's because he is ashamed of the world; he's ashamed to listen to all this ridicule and segregation taking place around him. He just wants to create a barricade where no body can be heard or felt threatened. Boo is in his own world; a world of joy, equality, and love. A world we are all searching for! Scout and Jem were feeling sorry for him but now they understand the bravery and courage inside his heart. He is locking himself up as to not let words betray him or allow the words coming from his mouth to betray others. He is a very smart man in my opinion.

Old friends!!!

This blog is dedicated to all those who have had best best best friends but were forced to break up because of change. What I mean by the word change is that you either had to move or saw a side to your friends that you have never seen before. I experienced both of these issues in my life. Many of them involved me crying, screaming, or laughing because I would be reacquainted with them again very soon. 

Today while I was walking, I noticed one of my best best best friends from a long time ago. We were very close to each other and were practically sisters because our mothers were like peas in a pod when they were little. So, anyways a few years ago we had a nasty fight and were forced to break up. We were in middle school and she did something very terrible. Not only did she lie to my face, embarrass me in front of the whole school, and also pushed me. This last one wouldn't have hurt me as much if I hadn't fallen and scraped both my knees and elbows. Today, I saw her again! 

What stabbed my heart was that she smiles towards my direction and I vacuously walked up to her. She had a posse around her and I did not care whether or not I would be ashamed in front of her "cool" friends. My heart was practically in my mouth. I mean this was the same girl who made eighth grade the worst year of my life and I was the one who was approaching her. I did not know what I was thinking. So, she looks at me and then all of a sudden turns around and walks the opposite direction. There I was, humiliated, embarrassed, disappointed, betrayed, hurt once again. All the memories and pain came back to me and I started to cry; tears that would not stop. Right then and there all of my pain from this week and many more all came back. I started to cry nonstop and felt like I would throw up. However, I am glad that I approached her and understood what kind of a friend she was deep down. All these years I regretted breaking up with her because of stupid reasons and now I really understood. It wasn't because of stupid reasons, it was because I couldn't believe such a friend or sister would ever treat me this way. I was blinded by the truth but today my tears made it possible to see again.

I mean I am not disappointed or anything but all I want to say is that friends come and go. Just like Friends and Seinfeld, they all had to break up some day soon when the show had its last season. That's how life is! Maybe my friend and I had our "last season".

Maybe??

I was just reading Bridget's blog about the fan accelerating its speed when nobody was in the room. This made me think about an incident in my life when something took place that I couldn't really explain. One day I was home alone in my room doing my homework. I was listening to this boom box. The volume was tuned down really low because I was doing homework and did not want the lyrics to bother me that much. So, anyways, something happened that I did not notice until later. It was as if the volume was tuning up really really slowly. I could not hear any difference nor feel anything wrong with the boom box. After about 12 seconds, I noticed that it was really loud and I could not concentrate. Okay, so nobody was in the room and it wasn't as if I was sitting on any remote control. It was really freaky! 

Another incident took place in the same house but to my mother. Now to any of you who do not know my mother, she is a very very very timid and faint-hearted person. She gets scared of the littlest things. I can never jump out and scare her because she can actually suffer a stroke; I have never tried that. Anyways, again nobody was in the house and my mother was typing this letter to a fellow friend. She went downstairs to get a drink of water and went back upstairs after a couple of minutes. To make myself more clear, nobody was in the house. She sat down to start typing when all of a sudden she noticed a line that she did not type before. My mother pro-fread her letter before she went downstairs. It read "to be taake away not share for all tb taake away not share for all". This is not a typo.

Seriously, I am not kidding; my mother still has the draft saved.  

Kind of awkward.

Today feels kind of weird and uncanny. I woke up at around 6:00 today and went to the bathroom. All of a sudden while I was washing my face, I realized that we don't have school today. So, I went back to sleep but before I could shut my eyes, my mother ordered me to wake up. I told her I didn't have school and there was no more noise. At around 7:00, my grandmother knocks on my door like 50 times ordering me to wake up. "It's late; it's late." I had to remind her again that I did not have school today. This little awkward situation brings me to my next point. To me, 24 hours in a day is like 2 minutes! The hours and minutes go by so quickly, you can't even believe it. Well, you kind of can because when you are having fun hanging out with friends and stuff, the hours fly by so so so pell-mell. Well, I should get back to finishing my homework.

An eye for an eye

This picture is very important to the expression "an eye for an eye". Wow, isn't it true? 

A Very Bad Day

Okay, today had to be, by far, the worst day of my life. After school I get home and my mom informs me that she is going out of town. Okay, that's not so bad but I am the only one who has to take care of my grandmother. I mean I don't mind but I already had made plans. I was really looking forward to going to the movies with some friends. So my plans were cancelled and it was okay. I called my friends and told them about not being able to make it.
So, my mom left the house at around 4:00 and she called me at 5:00 SHARP. She left me a very scary message and I almost died when I heard it. She was crying and I thought that something had happened to her. So, I rush downstairs because I heard the message and almost tripped down the stairs. If I hadn't hold on to the rail, I would have fallen from a countless amount of steps on my face. My mom informed me that she had lost her wallet. Oh my God!!! I had to search the whole house looking for her wallet and then I couldn't find it. My mom, aunt, and grandmother started to freak out on me because I was the last person who saw the wallet. I told them I didn't know what happened and they started to freak out even more. So, we all began to search for her wallet. Now, I don't mind and all but having a family that freaks out even more than you is very stressful. I began to cry uncontrollably because of all the stress taking place. So, anyways, at the end of the day my mother realized that she had lost it at the mall and we went to lost and found to retrieve it. Not only were all my plans ruined for today but I also had an additional dose of stress for a Friday afternoon. Big Whoop!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Words or bullets!

You know sometimes words are like bullets cutting your heart into a million pieces. Words like love, patience, kind, tender-hearted, or even sweet are like chocolate that indulges the heart and makes you want to sing carols or cry. It's nice to hear these compliments once in a while from people who care about you. However, words like abomination, vitriolic, distrust, depression, and even the unspeakable; cancer. As soon as these single bullets enter your heart, they will never ever leave you. When you use the word love, butterflies and a baby with an arrow (cupid) comes to mind. A smile is quickly developed on your face and you feel like a little child inside. Makes you want to reach the sky and scream on top of your lungs. Screams of joy, of course! However, words like abomination brings dark colors to mind and sickness. When I hear this word, I think of a mother sitting in a chair burying her face in her hands and wearing a black dress. Her daughter is standing mighty over her and the mother can't help but ask for forgiveness. As stubborn as the child may be, she leaves the mother in her sorrows. Also, I see a crow perching on a tree screaming songs of joy when one has been betrayed. During the Salem Witch Trials,  the witches would begin to cry when the city was in joy. On other days when war was threatened against the city, witches would begin to brew their potions and lure people into their homes. So, in other words, do not allow words to be bullets. No matter how painful they may be pretend the bullet missed your heart and went right through the empty space. That's what I always do...

What's next?

Okay, so today in Mr. Miclette's class, we were discussing about the elections and how everything is going to be changing in the next few years. You know it's interesting how change cannot come in just a few days or even weeks. It takes years for change to be created and sometimes we are all anxious to see what happens. Why is it that bad change can happen so quickly but good change takes forever? Mr. Miclette mentioned the fact that it's going to take a long time until every mistake that we our economy has drifted in will be completely restored. I don't know about you but I can't wait to see what will happen in the future. Well, we just have to wait and see!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Flowers for Algernon

I finish reading this book that was incredibly sad! One of my pet peeves is that I hate reading depressing books but somehow I just can't seem to stop reading. Okay this book is about Charlie, a man who is seeking intelligence beyond his imagination. In my opinion, I thought that he was a really smart person but he didn't even know it. So, anyways, a scientist is performing an experiment to see whether or not a human can gain knowledge that of Albert Einstein or even Stephen Hawking. At first, they experiment on a mouse, Algernon, who becomes extremely smart. He is fast, strong, and is able to find cheese in a very difficult maze in a matter of seconds. Charlie is quick to have this operation performed on him and can't wait until the procedure takes place. So, the doctors prescribe him to write a diary everyday before his surgery and after the surgery and this is how we come to learn more about him. Okay, so I predicated that the surgery will be performed on Charlie successfully and he will become a smart-aleck. My prediction came true!!!! yay. Charlie becomes so smart that he begins to discover theories that were not being thought of. However, with every success a problem is developed. One day, Charlie goes to the doctor for a check up when he learns a shocking truth. Algernon's brain was deteriorating! He was beginning to act very weird and the doctor's scanned an MRI of his brain and found out the cells in his brain were dying very quickly. Worst of all, he was going to die soon! Doctors feared that the same fate would arrive at Charlie's footsteps and they were, in fact correct. Days later, Charlie began to lose his intelligence and quickly recorded his actions in his diary before it was too late. It's as if words were fallen out of his head and he didn't know where he was, who he was, and what was taking place in his life. He had no memory and worst of all, all the theories that he came up were destroyed because he didn't know what they were. All his success went down the drain and he decided to run away to nowhere until his last few days on earth. Can you believe I have been crying since this morning? At the end of the book, he writes that he was glad this surgery was performed on him because he enjoyed living in the shoes of an intelligent person for a few days. It was worth it?!?

Good vs. evil

What is the difference between good and evil? 

Humans are not the ones to answer this question because we all have a little bit of righteousness and mischievous in all of us. Nobody's perfect and this is why evil can sometimes overpower us. Now, I can't really describe the difference between these two characteristics without using religious terminology and I am sorry for doing this but it is the only way I can really explain the amidst taking place here. 

Evil is conducted by the devil or in the case of the Exorcism of Emily Rose, the six voices; Lucifer being the leader. Now, this is the religious term. The non-religious term is actually our mind. Like Plato once said "our senses deceive us" and because of this, "we are like prisoners in a cave". It's interesting how our mind can sometimes think and lead us into a situation where the unspeakable can happen. Like murdering a person! What goes on in the minds of a serial killer when they are about to shoot their victim? Ohhhhh (shudder) I don't really want to know. However, our conscious mind is the devil.

Now, the ethical part of this situation is our heart. I believe that this is so because sometimes our mind can overpower our heart. Deep down we feel that we need to approach this situation calmly but up here, we think that the only way to approach this situation is with exasperation. Some people rarely follow their heart and allow the mind to control the circumstances. It's true that the brain is the central nervous system and without it functioning properly, we would be paralyzed. However, the heart is even more significant because without it we would be dead. I think that it is better to be paralyzed than dead. Don't you agree? 

Good vs. evil is a very difficult assumption because there is actually no right or wrong answer. All responses are welcome....

tell me your story!!!

When I was little, my best friend used to ask me all sorts of questions about certain subjects and I never really answered her questions accurately. She asked me one day why the sky was blue? Well, we all know the answer as to why the sky is blue. Being 6 years old, I answered her question as best as I could. She was satisfied. Then one day, she asked me one of the most interesting questions that mankind has not fully answered. Why are we here? Who am I? Who are you?

I did not understand her question and could not answer her at all. There was no attempt to explain her question and no attempt to answer it. So, to break the silence she began to pour her guts out. She was a year older than me and her parents were going through a divorce. This was really hard on her and I understood her pain. She told me her story, her pain, her anguish, her guilt, and worst of all "her miserable life." There she was, under the tree and I could see her tears flowing down her face and I was not able to sympathize with her. So, I listened to her story and what was taking place in her life and began to cry with her. I told her about my life; growing up with an abusive father and not having him there for me. He left me when I was young and my sick mother had to take care of me. I was a very needy child and I had a very weak immune system; my mom would work day and night in order to take care of me. Her story made me realize how grateful I am to have such a great mother. She told me her story and I told her mine, simultaneously. Right there under the tree, our life was nowhere near perfect but knowing that we had each other was the best gift of life. 

Informercials

I like watching informercials sometimes when there is absolutely nothing else to watch on television. Usually, they advertise fascinating equipments and customers who adore what they have bought. I don't know if it's fake or not but they seem to be very excited with their possessions. There was this advertisement on a certain product called "Point 'n Paint" and the product seemed interesting and useful. I mean sometimes you have the hardest time trying to paint a wall but this product makes it easy for you to do this. Visuals are a great way to persuade your customers to buy the product you are selling. I certainly seemed persuaded!

However, some informercials are copying other products like knives. The knives seem to be repetitive utensils that everybody owns but it's just been improved. I guess the more the merrier. They advertise countless paraphernalia that come with the certain product. Not only is it too much but it's ridiculous. They are just trying so hard to sell their products and make more and more money. 

All Hallow's Eve

Halloween is quite intriguing! 

It's a fascinating time of year when every child on earth dresses up in costumes and visits every house for trick-or-treat. Well, that's part of the story! Halloween is also the time of year for scary stories. That's a great excuse for my cousins to scare the "you know what" (I read this sentence from an article) out of me. Today, I was sitting down trying to watch a movie with my mom and I feel somebody creeping up on me. I knew it was my cousin but I am still scared. Now, before I go further on with my story, I just want tell you that I get easily scared. I get scared so quickly and start screaming on top of my lungs. So, anyways I am watching the "Exorcism of Emily Rose" and he begins to chant uncontrollably. Well, I didn't care and allowed him to go on with his chants. UGH. So, anyways, my mom turns around and she freezes. Her face turns white and I quickly turn around. BOOOOOOOOOOOO was what he said with a devil's mask on his face. Now, you know what my expression was at that right instant. Watching a scary movie and having an obnoxious cousin who takes advantage of this moment was well, scary for me. So, that was my day today and I started crying! Good days....

We'll see who will have the last laugh when somebody steals all his chocolate on Friday. Oh, I am not that mean; or maybe! 

I know what you mean

Have you ever told a story about something and the person who is listening to you responds by saying "I know what you mean?" I think that people don't really mean what they say sometimes because they might just say it for no reason. On the other hand, when somebody is talking to me about a very important issue that I feel so strongly about, I will repeat these words knowing that I actually feel a certain way. Today, I was talking to my little cousin about motivational speakers and how their insights are very important. They know what they are talking about and help us see the world in a very broad view. Well, anyways, she turns to me and says "I know what you mean." So, I keep going thinking that she understands what I am talking about. At the end of my story, she nods her head and says "I have never listened to a motivational speaker." I was really mad at that moment because I thought she understood me and knew what I was talking about. It is a very vacuous reason to be upset about but why would you say something that you don't really mean. I am glad she at least paid attention to me and nodded once in a while. At least she mean that? Or so I think?

sleeping

Sleep. What is sleep? I mean when you close your eyes your mind begins to drift away and all your thought, worries, and even burdens just fly by like it was never there. It's like going to the doctor and receiving a vaccine. You know when the needle hits your skin but you don't really know what happens. You feel the pain when it is on your skin but you don't feel anything else afterwards. I believe that sleeping is almost the same situation. You feel like you are tired and begin to close your eyes. However, you don't know when you are in "sleep mode" and your soul is relaxing. Everytime I wake up in the morning, I try to remember how I fell asleep and why it took so long. Why is it that you can't hear certain things when you are sleeping but you are programmed to wake up when you hear the alarm go off? See, in my case, I am a very heavy sleeper. Nothing wakes me up except for the alarm and maybe a sudden movement of my mattress. In other words, when there is an earthquake or somebody shakes me violently. In fact, once my apartment was kind of on fire but it didn't fully burn down anything. The stove was on and my grandmother accidently left the towel right next to the stove. So, the towel caught on fire and I was asleep. The whole house was filled with smoke but I did not smell anything except when my mother woke me up.
It's funny how we are sleeping but we don't really know it! I mean we do but not in the moment.

Birthday!!!

For some, birthdays are the best time of the year and it's the most exciting event that takes place in your life. In fact, for children birthdays are the best gifts of life because everything on that day will be perfect and it is definitely worth celebrating. They will receive toys of all kinds and just can't wait to play with them for that occasion only. After playing witht the toys just once, they will either hide them under their bed forever or it will end up in the pile of "garbage". Now, for teenager it is the most important event in their life because they are one step closer to becoming independent. That beautiful car they always wanted or that amazing sweet sixteen they plan to throw. However, birthdays can also be the worst event in your life. In actuality, some adults can't wait until it is over. It is described as the "worst day in my life" because you are one step closer to being OLD.
It's my cousin's birthday today and I decided to give him a call and wish him a happy birthday. He lives in Germany and is two years younger than me. Funny story; when I called him, there were noises in the background and jeers taking place. He was having a birthday party with his closest friends. I was telling him how he was getting closer to owning a car and becoming independent but in a good way. He turns to me and says, "Now you have ruined my birthday!" I thought he would be excited but he said that every birthday "I feel as if I am one year younger not older." I thought that was a very ironic situation and wanted to share this story with you. I mean we feel as if every birthday will draw us closer to being older but in fact, every year on our birthday we tend to act silly and let loose. That one day is just an excuse to being happy and counting your blessings. You may not feel this way the next day but you know deep in your heart, you are lucky to be alive.

Days

Have you noticed that the days are rather going by really quickly these days? I mean I feel as if every week is like a jet (funny simile). Every time I start the week, I will as if I end the week too quickly. You know what I mean? Does anybody feel the same way as I do? It was funny last week when somebody in my Spanish class got the days of the week mixed up. She thought that Wednesday was actually Tuesday. It was funny how we all agreed with her. I am not complaining or anything but sometimes I feel like I am grasping the week but all of a sudden it flies right through my hands. I feel as if it was just yesterday I was playing my first game of tennis. Today was the last day of tennis and I couldn't have been more depressed. The bad thing about the days flying by is that you are not able to treasure more of the good moments in your life. However, the good thing is that when a bad day approaches, you can't wait until the next day where everything is going back to normal. Well, I believe that junior year is going to come by rather quickly this year. That's exactly how I felt last year!!!!

Laughter

I was reading this survey on the internet that talked about how laughter is the best medicine. There was this lady who was diagnosed with breast cancer 2 years ago and she was giving advice to other people who were in her condition as well. She said that the only treatment that seemed to help her was laughter. In fact, the day she found out about her illness, she went to the video store almost immediately and "asked for the comedy section". She said no tears came out of her eyes when the doctor uttered those "piercing words" except for the thought of this new movie. I mean, what would you do if you found out something that horrifying. When I read this sentence, I started crying and laughing. It was so heartfelt to hear her talk about breast cancer and how it "swirled into her heart like a tornado". She said that without laughter, her "life would not be fully lived." You know, this made me feel like blogging about laughter. What is laughter? How do you "laugh"? I mean sometimes when I think about something funny, my mouth moves and sometimes a weird sound jumps out of me uncontrollably. It's actually pretty involuntary, in my opinion! I always think of life as being this blade that keeps stabbing your heart. Pretty strong words but everybody feels this way once in a while. However, listening to her made me realize that sometimes you need to control the blade. Use laughter to stop the bleeding and continue to life your life merrily. Crying is also another way to stop the blade. She also mentioned the fact that on most days where the doctors would inform her of bad news, she would sit on her bed and let the tears flow. She emphasized the fact that the tears had a mind of their own. NO wailing or bailing, just innocent tears. This goes to show you that life is short, that's for sure, but don't let it stop you. "Live life as if you were dying tomorrow."
I don't really know how to upload a music video on my blog but there is this song that my aunt and I are in love with. It's by Tim McGraw. The song is called "Live Like You Were Dying." Listen to it if you have time. It's really beautiful!

Homecoming SKIT

OH, wow, today was the day where I felt our school spirit fly through the roof. When I was sitting down chanting our chants during the day rally, I had goosebumps on my body. It was a great feeling and I had so much fun. Everything about the day and night rally seemed perfect to me. Our skit and float was exceptional and yesterday we were working so hard with our hallway decorations. It just goes to show you that hard work takes time but if you have pride in your work, you will succeed.
I really want to talk about the skits that were performed today. Unfortuntely the freshmen did not have a skit and I was really looking forward to spectating their performance. Being a sophomore, I think that the sophomore skit was the best. We had so much fun and even if we messed up the moves, we still tried to make the best of it. Best of all, we had FUN! At the end of our performance, we started chanting our chant on top of our lungs and everything seemed to be perfect. The juniors skit was also awesome. Alien invasion might sound scary, but the juniors were able to create a very funny and successful skit based on that idea. The seniors' skit was also very organized and creative. Boys vs. girls played a role in their skit and let me just say that the girls were GREAT!
At the end of all the skits, everybody from every class gathered together and started dancing in front of the audience. It was a great moment to just lose control and act silly. I had a phenominal time.
"XI so fly"
GO GRIZZLIES...

My family traditions

In my family, we have so many different traditions that have been followed since the beginning of time. Most of our traditions are based on the different holidays that we celebrate in our religion, Christianity. Every Christmas, my family and I assemble in kind of like a reunion and celebrate the whole day together. Now, Middle Eastern families are loud and obnoxious (no offense, but you know what I mean) and being in the same room as all your other family members is hectic. However, we still gather round and talk about the good old times; everybody at once actually. Also, every Easter, my cousins and I color different eggs and place them in a "magic" bowl. Next every person receives an egg and he/she must try to break his/her opponent's egg. The way you do this is you take an egg and carefully tap the other person's egg. Then you check to see which one of you have the crack in your egg. The person who has no mark on their eggs gets another chance to challenge an opponent. My cousins and I fight every Easter when we realize there is a crack on our eggs and start complaining to our parents. Next, every summer, my aunt from Germany and my family from all over the U.S. arrive in Los Angeles to celebrate a family reunion but this time we do not open gifts or gather round the Christmas tree to sing carols. My second cousin is the deejay and my grandmother is the cook. Now you need to know that Middle Eastern families make the best food ever (in my opinion): Chicken, lamb, beef kabobs, traditional potato salad, white rice with saffron, dolma (various ingredients in a leaf) and many more delicious foods. The elders in the family prepare all this food and every body else begins to stuff their faces. However the best part of my family tradition is the fact that we all gather round and pray for all the great blessings that God has given us. Again the elders prepare a great speech and we bow our heads when the priest begins to pray. 

Inkheart

There is this book that I have fallen in love with and I am not being funny. Inkheart is like the best I have ever read. The author is Cornelia Funke and she is the most amazing writer ever. The words she chooses and the diction she comes up with brings the book to life. This is so ironic because in the story, there is this character named Mortimer and his daughter Meggie who live in a suburb. Mo loves to read books and his daughter has followed in her father's footsteps as well. However there is something magical about Mortimer; he can bring words to life. Now this may sound weird but if he were to read a sentence in a book it would actually come to life. Meggie doesn't know this until one night a mysterious man comes knocking at her door. Her father answers the door and this mysterious man starts talking to Mortimer privately. Meggie listens in on the conversation and we are also informed of the conversation. Now I am not going to tell you anymore because you just have to figure it out yourself. Just know that in the beginning of the book and on, Meggie is not aware of this secret. She does not know that her father has brought somebody to life, somebody very bad and Mortimer needs to fix this mistake before everything else goes wrong. Oops, I have told you way too much! Well, anyways I LOVE this book and I just yesterday, I saw this movie poster online that happened to have this exact title. I saw the premiere and started screaming on top of my lungs!! Cornelia Funke is an amazing author. If you haven't read this book, I strongly recommend that you do. It's not like any other book you have ever read. By the way, there's also another sequel to Inkheart called Inkspell. The third sequel called Inkdeath will be coming out in summer of 2009. I really can't wait!! Brendan Fraser plays Mortimer; my favorite character and actor. 

The love I share

I was reading Priscilla's poem and became so touched to how beautiful her relationship is with her grandmother. This inspired me to write about my grandmother as well:

There is this amazing woman in my life.

She is my rock, my life, and my joy. 

To all, she is the queen of "cleanliness."

Look at her hands, so jagged and burned, 

cleaning her way to the end of the world.

She is the fairy godmother, you see, helping those in need. 

My love for her will last forever; a diamond never rusting away.

Let this voice, I carry on top of the mountains show 

 you the love I have for her.

Let this light show you the way and keep you safe.

 I love you and forever will I be at your side.

Through rain, snow, or shine my heart will beat for you.

Don't take it away

This blog I am writing is actually a follow up of my previous blog, "Take it away". You know, sometimes when you are having a bad day, it feels like everything around you is also sinking. I kind of poured my emotions out when I was talking about how a bad day can turn out to be an even worse day. Actually, a very intelligent person once said (my grandmother) when good things constantly happen a person might feel happy yet depressed. However when a bad situation approaches your way, you would feel even more excited because you would be awaiting for some kind of superior new take can lift your spirit. In other words, your life should consist of good and bad "ying and yang"(This too was said by a caring person.) So, I know I was being overdramatic but that's how we all feel sometimes. However, not everything is really that bad when you look at from "another point of view." Listen to others and you will find an answer, I guess.

Take it away

You know, some days I can't help but ask myself why the world can be so unfair? Not like I don't know this fact or anything but sometimes it hits me really hard. Why is it that sometimes rivalry has no end or even a beginning? Why does it seem like I am screaming but nobody is ever listening to me? These are just a few questions I ask myself when I am just emotionally drained. Today was one of those days and I hate everything that went on. It's just so incredible how a bad day can turn out to be an even worse day. Wow! I am so mad right now, my thoughts and emotions have taken over my hand. I am typing but I feel like I am not really typing. Boy, do I sound crazy right now. But, seriously when I read some of my fellow classmates' blogs about how their day was, I am just amazed. Some people feel like they are in the midst of a crisis while other people are just making it through another "good" day. Not to bring anybody down or anything but why is life so unfair? I am asking this question so many times but I really don't have an answer so why keep repeating it. This just goes to show you that some questions will NEVER have an answer no matter how many times somebody is willing to repeat it. Can you believe that I hear this question over 3 times a day from not just my family but also friends?

My So-called Life OR My Wonderful Life

Today, when we were watching "My So-Called Life", I had a really huge lump in my throat. Angela apologized to her mother about her behavior and started crying in her mother's arms. I connected with her for a moment because I always run to my mother when I am feeling sad or depressed. Sometimes when all else fails, mothers are always there to protect and guide you no matter what. Mr. Thompson pointed out that during the scene when Angela came into her mother's room, "It's a Wonderful Life" was playing in the background and I immediately noticed which scene it was. It was the scene where Zuzu (Karolyn Grimes) was showing her father the the rose she won at school that day. She had caught a cold because she had unbuttoned her jacket, on her way home, in order to keep the rose safe. You know how kids are when they receive something special. They just have to keep their possession secure no matter what the consequence may be. Anyways, George Bailey and Zuzu had a father-daughter moment together and it kind of reflected the relationship between Angela and her mother. There is sometimes a gap between them but one way or another, in times of turmoil, they have the closest relationship with one another. This just goes to show you that people never care about their family members until something tragic happens. I mean you love your family and all but you don't feel as close to them. Angela had been attacked by some men and she came home, realizing that her mother was just trying to protect her by keeping a close eye on her. I love my mother but I sometimes forget to mention the fact that "I love her" unless something, good or bad, has taken place. It's really touching!

Music

Ahhh, music! What is it about music that makes people want to dance, makes people want to sing out loud, and makes people want to listen to it. Music is an attention getter and so amazing! A study done in Harvard University stated that people tend to listen to any kind of music and most of the time, the lyrics are not so important. In fact, rhythm makes people want to listen to the music and then be attracted to the lyrics. Whenever I listen to a foreign song, I usually tend to look out for the rhythm and then maybe listen in for the lyrics. Music plays a very important role in our lives and it is a beautiful form of art. Wherever you travel to, music is different but each kind of genre of music has many similarities. Their lyrics might be different, or the beat to their music might be foreign but one thing's in common with all of them. They are trying to relate to our everyday emotions. Rock tends to relate to the wild side of our emotion while jazz relates to our calm and serene limit. Tell me fellow classmates; what kind of music relates to you and how does it make you feel? I am very interested to know how music plays such an important role in all of our lives.

A superior king? Creon

Like any great and strong leader, Creon feels as though his city should be blessed by the god's. So to achieve this goal, he must make sure the god's are not angry with his country whatsoever. With him in power, the law should not be broken. "I will never hold my tongue if I see that our city is in harm's way! Nor will I ever make friends with an enemy of Thebes. Because I know one thing absolutely: that our safety relies on us traveling upon a steady ship. Only then can we make friends. It is by these laws that I will hold our city strong." As you can see, Creon is a man of valour and gratified leader. He knows that it is his duty to keep the country away from mischief and into a serene environment. When Creon mentioned ship, I immediately remembered a quote that my teacher used a long time ago when we were graduating sixth grade. She said that "life is a ship and we travel along steadily" when all is calm. However, when calamity strikes in the ship all goes fallocious. This shows us that Creon is a man of honor and pride. He knows that it is his duty to keep the city from danger and all else wrong taking place within the city. Our safety relies on us traveling upon a steady ship. Creon also sounds like a mother telling her children that she cares for her children no matter what. Creon sounds like a very caring and protective mother risking her life for the only people she loves. Nor will I ever make friends with enemies that tell us about how he won't be friends with wrongdoers and people who have no mercy for their country.

Also, I think that Creon is a very obedient man. Since Polynecies has wronged his country, Creon feels that he should be punished for his behavior. It's true that his punishment is imprecise but he feels that no matter what happens people should be safe. 

afterlife

Sometimes you wake up in the morning and ask yourself, "do I have to get up?" I ask this question myself everyday but sometimes I feel like "do I have to get up?" from life. You know, many people always ask themselves if there's an afterlife. If there was an afterlife, then it would mean that we are still sleeping? In other words, we are living life as if we are sleeping. When you sleep, you dream and the dreams you have sometimes feel like reality. Whenever I am awakened from a nightmare, I always ask myself "wow, that felt so real?" Don't you feel this way too?

So, anyways, all I am saying is that if there really is an afterlife, then is life really a dream. Some people refer to life as being a nightmare. I refer to life as a lecture or lesson. Some day when we leave the earth, we are bound to be somewhere whether your religion believes this or not. How is it possible to live your life freely and know that some day it's going to over? I know that this it is too early to think about death but you never know. (sorry to bring you down but I am just really interested to hear your opinions about life and even life after death.)

Oedipus: fake or reality?

When I was reading Oedipus today, Mr. Thompson told us about how guys had sort of like a crush on their mothers. That's very interesting because it kind of explains our society in a eerie fashion. You see, if guys become attracted to their mothers, they are more likely to grow up and marry somebody/anybody. Men are always the "leaders" since the beginning of time. If they are not attracted to women then how will they approach each other. In other words, how will our society increase in numbers if men are not fruitful (there's a mature way of stating the obvious). 

This interesting fact that I came up with leads to my overall point. Today especially, there were more "ewwws" being heard in the crowd. The reason why is because we learned that Oedipus married his mother. That's beyond lurid!!! I mean, if this took place in our world today it would be disgusting and in fact the law would have something to say about it too. However, this lesson was not a shock for me. My mother has always lectured me on Greek mythology as well as the Roman laws. Back in the time, people believed that family are the only people who really understand you and have no eye for your money. Well, this is true in some cases. So, what they would do was marry their siblings or parents. Especially royal families. They believed that other people like peasants, or maybe lower class men were covetous for their prosperity. Did you know that Hera, Zeus' wife was so in love with her own son, Hercules, that she tried to kill him? Wow, what a good mother!

An untold lie

"Betrayal can only happen if you love"
- John Le Carré, A Perfect Spy

This poem I wrote was a few years ago when we had a poetry contest in my elementary school. Our teacher told us how we felt about lies or rumors. Well, I decided to interpret lies with that of a lover. This poem is about two people in love but have hidden secrets from one another. She loves him but needs to let go and he loves another but can't let her go.

My heart is a butterfly.
My heart is a leaf.
Both trembling as the wind moves it so.
You are my wind and I am the leaf.
I breathe but it's hard to release from here and beyond.
It breaks my heart to see you lost, to see you weak, to see you cry, but I can't.
I can't sympathize your loss, I can't feel your pain, I can't listen to your agony.
It's difficult, you see, to let go like a child and her favorite toy.
Your smile makes me weak and your tears make me flee.
I have pain in my heart that of a blade piercing the heart.
I must move on without your devotion,
I must move on without your comfort,
without your kiss and without your blessings.
You told me you loved me,
You told me you needed me;
Was is it all a lie?
She awaits by the church, draped in heavenly gowns and awaits her knight
in shining armor.
Love is unspeakable and love is strong like the mountain,
but mine is neither.
"I love you, you say", but it's too late to state.

Children!! Awww.

Once when I was little, I read this book titled, I am Sam. I am not really sure what the exact title was but it was this book from the point of view of a little baby. The baby was just born and he was looking at his sister, mother, and father. He kept mentioning the fact that he didn't know them but he would grow to love them and he knew this from the heart. The book was so sweet because I got to really understand what babies are thinking. I mean I was a baby once too but I don't remember anything. So, reading this book not only brought smiles to my face but also taught me lesson. I loved that book so much and I still do. There were many parts in the book where tears were also welding from my face. Sam mentioned the fact that we are not here for a long time and we should constantly remind our parents that we love them and we care for them. Even as a baby, Sam mentioned the fact that he too had a responsibility. This is funny; his responsibility was to bring joy to his mother's face no matter what it meant! You know like diaper changing or waking up in the middle of the night. My mother always said that when I was a baby I would never wake her up in the morning and she wanted to experience that once but she never did.
If you have younger siblings or younger family members, you should really recommend this book. It's so cute and it will bring tears of joy and smiles to their faces.

Family lessons

Some body once said, "life is a garden, dig it". You know as much as I agree with that quotation, I can't help but wonder what life really is. Now, I know it is impossible to answer this question but I think that life is about getting back up on the horse no matter what happens. Your life and opinions are yours and no body can take that away from you. I hate hate having to hear somebody convince you of something you don't want to believe in. You have your own thoughts and if people start to persuade you to do something, then they are just molding you into a robot.

You have to understand that we, human beings are special in a very unique way. Each of us have talents that we are proud of, some more than others. However, we are raised to have to think for ourselves when we are an adult. My mother always said, you are the mirror. Whatever somebody tells you, it will reflect who they are not what they think of you. What I am trying to say is that our world is made up of people who have thoughts for themselves. Nobody is the same. Nobody thinks the same as others. This is what makes us unique. We are not raised to listen to other people and do as they say. So why would you try to expostulate others opinions. It's theirs and they have something to say about a specific issue. If somebody were to express their opinions and you felt as if it was provincial, would you attack them? You know, I certainly would but it makes me look like a coward. Like I am the ruler and if I say something, it should be done and heard. However, if you talk about the issue and simply ask the person what they meant and what they are trying to say, chaos will not arise. In fact, the only reason people get into fights is because they misunderstand their opponent. Words come out of us like water from a waterfall. Sometimes we can't control what we say.

Now, family is very similar to this dilemma. They try to brainwash their kids with comments that might hurt the child in the long run. However, I grew up to follow the Bible, not others opinions. I do as the Bible says and I forever will follow this route. Now, there are many of you out there who have a religion and follow this basic routine. I am not a robot and I believe that people are not my "God". I believe in the greater good and his way matters more to me. 

My first blog

Every time I read a book or watch a movie, I can't help but put myself in the characters shoes no matter what their condition may be. I always ask myself what it would be like if I was in her body but had my own opinions. You know like taking the appearance of the character but not her thoughts or actions. I wanted to be able to change the situation she was in and make it better. For example, when I was watching My So-Called Life I kept thinking to myself why Angela did not act like a strong human being. Why did she let people walk all over her? When she was sitting in English class, her English teacher asked her what she meant about Anne Frank being lucky. If I were Angela, I would tell the teacher that Anne Frank was lucky enough to have her family by her side. It's true she lived in an attic but at least she had her family by her side. I would not be afraid to share my thought about the sudden outburst.