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.