Goodbye and So Long, Sophomore Year!

Dear Alyssa,

 I am so proud of you for getting through this rough year! How you did it is a complete mystery to me.  I know that you had to teach yourself in two subjects because the teachers were too lazy.  It must have been really aggravating because most informational websites are too confusing to comprehend.  I am so sorry about that, but look at the bright side.  At least you won't have to have the worst one next year! That teacher is the laziest of them all.  She makes you watch boring documentaries on the days that she doesn't feel like 'teaching'.  I don't blame you one bit for hiding behind the guy in front on you while you read during those videos.  Also, you can actually learn something next year from the other teacher.

From watching observing you, I've learned that you have had an overwhelming load of homework.  Throughout the whole school year, I think that you've had maybe a handful of nights with no homework.  It is completely ridiculous that your teachers overload you with homework and quizzes.  As a fellow sophomore, I agree with you that teachers don't understand what us students have to do each night; mine don't either.  They use the excuse that this is nothing compared to what we have to do when we get to college.  That is valid to a point; however, the classes would be spaced out so that you could have time to do the work.  Therefore, the teachers should really rethink their excuse for giving a loads of homework to do in one night.

Although you have obviously had your busy and bad days, you have also had highlights during the year.  Remember when your band won all of those awards during competition season? You also had those times when you laugh for most of the day.  

Overall, I think that we can say," Goodbye, good riddance, and so long, sophomore year!"           

One-Word Essay: Delight

1. N joy: great enjoyment and pleasure
2. N; somebody or something that brings somebody great enjoyment and pleasure
3. V; to give somebody great enjoyment and pleasure

The basic definition of delight is something/someone that brings joy and pleasure.  The delights in my life are my family, friends, volleyball, Bruno Mars's music, and reading. 

My family gives me delight most of the time.  When my family isn't loud and embarrassing they are quite enjoyable.  They make me laugh and put me in a good mood because they tell hilarious jokes.

My true friends give me joy all of the time.  I can honestly say that I never get annoyed with them.  I love how they make me laugh every day.  Also, they are some of the few people that truly understand my problems.  My friends listen to me vent and cheer me up when I need it.  Every day I look forward to seeing them because I know they will make my day.   

I love playing volleyball because I am very competitive.  Although I love to win, I'm not a sore loser.  Personally, it's fun to see how other players show their competitive drive.  I literally grin when I'm on the court.

Bruno Mars's music brings me great joy because the majority of his music is about love.  His lyrics are so sweet and his voice makes me melt.  Listening to one of his songs makes me float on a cloud.

Finally, I enjoy reading because I love how I can get lost in another world.  When I need to escape my problems, I grab a book and immerse myself in it.  Reading is my best inanimate friend.  

Inside My Head

 

 

 

This is a picture that I drew of what's going on inside my head.  I didn't have enough room to list all of them, so I selected the main events and ideas. 

 

In the center of my head is a picture of Bruno Mars with a harmonica (just to make that clear). He takes up almost half of my thoughts because I'm a huge fan.  Whenever one of his songs plays on the radio, I start bouncing and grinning.  His songs have the power to make my day.  I could listen to his music all day and love every second of it. 

My family and friends are in the front of my head because they are overall the most important to me. 

My future depends on my grades.  This fact makes my grades very important, so I worry about them all the time. 

A thought that puzzles me is my purpose in life.  Why am I here?  What am I meant to do?  I guess it's too early to know what my purpose is. 

My family issues bother me a lot.  I have an awkward relationship with my dad because he cheated on my mom, thus the separation.  It's really awkward when he comes to pick up my siblings and I every first and fourth weekend.  Apart from that, I don't have a good relationship with my brother and sister.  My brother has an infuriating personality that only family members can see.  People outside of my family don't truly understand what he's like.  Somehow, my sister looks up to him even though it's apparent that he's going nowhere.  Also, she picks up on his annoying tendencies.  As a result, I have to deal with a mini-me version of my brother. 

My religion is very important to me because I know that I need to have a good relationship with God to get into Heaven.  

 

The thoughts placed at the very back of my head are the ones that I try not to think about.  Along with tons of other fears, I have a fear of dying at a young age and not getting to have a full life.  I know a lot of young people that have been killed by car crashes.  I used to like to sleep during a car ride.  However, I hate the thought of possibly dying from a wreck while I'm asleep, so I try not to sleep in the car. 

Although I want to have a full life, I'm a bit hesitant at growing up and taking on all of the adult responsibilities.  

Lastly, I worry about how dangerous and evil the world is getting.  Innocent people are killed every day.  I wonder how I can help make it better.  Hopefully, I figure out the answers to my questions soon. 

                       

 

 

 

Knowledge

If somehow all knowledge was destroyed, and only one sentence could be passed on to the next generation of people, what one sentence should be given to them and why?

Without law and order, there can be only chaos. 

I think that sentence should be given to them because a civilization can only survive with a set of rules to be followed.  If everyone were allowed to do whatever they wanted, then there would be chaos.  Crime would be everywhere.  People would steal, kill, and do all sorts of things if they felt like it.  With a set of laws, the future generation would know to set boundaries of what they could and could not do.  From the sentence that I chose they would also know to choose people to make sure the laws are followed.  They would then figure out that they would need a penal system for those that didn't obey the laws.  The future generation would know that they would need to establish people to look over others to make sure that they're doing their job.  If the next generation of people could only receive that one sentence, then they would know to establish a set of rules to live by and people to make sure that they're followed so that their generation could flourish and be successful.     

Teens Stress Too

What is the number one problem facing teens?  Some might say that it's drinking, smoking, or one of the other classic answers.  However, many people do not take stress into consideration.  It is the number one problem facing teens because it is the source of most of the other problems.  For example, too much stress can cause teens to smoke, drink, or participate in another inappropriate way to relieve the stress.    Some even avoid trying to deal with their stress.  This causes feelings to build up, thus causing more stress.  Teens try to relieve stress their own way because most don't want to ask for help.

                                Boys

25% avoided or refused to deal with their stress,

23% sought ways to distract themselves away from their stress,

17% sought support, and

35% actively tried to reduce their stress.

                                Girls

19% avoided or refused to deal with their stress,

14 % sought ways to distract themselves away from their stress,

22% sought support, and

45% actively tried to remove or reduce their stress

These statistics show that girls and boys deal with their stress in different ways.  Boys have a tendency to avoid dealing with their stress while girls have a larger tendency to actively reduce their stress.  As said by TeenHelp, girls' stress stem from their relationship with boys and friendships with girls.  Most boys' stress tend to stem from authority figures. 




Many things cause teens to have stress.  According to Johns Hopkins, school is the number one cause of stress in teens.  The two graphs above support this statement.  It's understandable when you factor in the pressure of getting good grades, planning for your future, and achieving the extracurricular activities required for college.  In the top graph, it shows that girls tend to stress about school, friends and family more than boys.  The graph shows that boys have a habit of stressing about work more than girls.  In the bottom graph, it shows the top ten things that cause teens stress.  School, family/parents, friends, work, and sports cause stress the most. 

How can this problem be improved?  A solution to this problem would be to have schools do something to help teens release their stress at least one day a week.  The P.E. classes could take one day off and let the students do something that they enjoy for the class.  This way, teens could take a break from their stress at least once a week. 

http://www.teenagestress.org/

http://www.teenhelp.com/teen-stress/stress-statistics.html

http://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/center-for-adolescent-health/_includes/Teen_Stress_Standalone.pdf 

Carpe Diem

What makes me come alive is helping people.  Everytime I help people, I get a surge of pride and happiness.  No matter how little the task is, it still makes me feel good.  Just to have someone say "thank you" after I held the door open for them means a lot to me.  When I was a little girl, I would volunteer to help my family, friends, and some strangers because I thought that if you could help someone, you should do it.  I think that's why I want to be a doctor when I get older.  If I got to help people everyday, it would feel like my life had a purpose.  If I became a doctor, I would enjoy helping people to feel better.  I could probably even save someone's life.  It would mean a lot to me if I could apply something that I love to a career.  I would be able to feel alive everyday.      

The People That Help Make Me Who I Am

"You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with." - Jim Rohn

I think that this statement is mostly true because I can see characteristics that are similar to people that I'm mostly around.  It's not completely true because I'm not like two of the five people that I spend the most time with.  The five people that I spend the most time with are my mom, sister, brother, my grandma, and my grandpa.  I admit that I sometimes act like my mom, grandma, and even my grandpa. However, I don't act like my brother and sister.  I accept that I have my mom's ability to save money, her attitude and sassiness, and her facial expressions.  The qualities that I got from my grandma are her quiet nature, her respect for God, and her love for hugs.  A quality that I got from my grandpa is his competitiveness for games.  I'm pretty sure I got my When I think about it, I can't find any characteristics that relate me to my brother or sister.  I don't act like my siblings because I tolerate them.  I really don't like the way that they act like towards people.  Because of this and their other tendencies, I choose not to behave the way that they do.  Overall, I think that these characteristics make me a better, more interesting person because I know when to keep my mouth shut, but can also be fun.  I like that I respect God, am quiet when needed, and can save money.  Apparently, people think my facial expressions are funny so I guess that's a good thing.  These traits make me similar, but different from two of my favorite people.            

Not Everyone Should Have a Gun

Our society has a lot of issues.  They're everywhere.  One that I want to focus on is the threat of guns.  Guns are put into the wrong hands of people all of the time.  This leads to innocent lives being taken away from heartbroken families.  I don't like that anyone can get a gun.  To get a gun, all you have to do is get a license.  A mental exam is not required for citizens to legally have a gun.  You also don't have to get a personality check.  To get a gun, I think that you should have these tests done.  The mental stability test should be given because mentally instable citizens should not be allowed to handle guns.  Someone with a gun that is mentally ill can do dangerous things.  A sad example of this would be the man that shot people in the theatre in Colorado.  Many families were left heartbroken by this tragedy.  A personality check should be done because if people with malicious tendencies are given guns, there is no telling of what they will do.  If these tests are required to get a gun, then it is possible that there will be a decrease in murders.      

7 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Turned 15

1.  Don't get into the habit of procrastinating because more time isn't promised.

When you make a habit of something, it becomes hard to stop.  When you have time, you shouldn't be lazy and put things off because that same amount of time isn't promised later.  You never know what could happen in that time period.  There could be a family emergency or another surprise that prevents you from getting things done that could have been done earlier.  Getting behind on things can cause loss of sleep, which can cause stress.  Avoiding putting things off can save you the stress of the aftermath.

2.  Build a close relationship with your family, especially your siblings.

I can honestly say that this would be my number one wish because this has caused me a lot of grief and stress that I have no business having at fifteen years old.  If you don't have a strong relationship from the beginning, then there is a very strong chance that it could get worse as years pass.  It could go either way.  For the lucky ones, a strong relationship could be the result of maturity with age, however, it could be the complete opposite for the unfortunate ones.  Therefore, if you had a strong relationship with your family from the start, it could prevent many headache-causing arguments.

3.  Bottling up your feelings never works.  If anything, it only makes things worse.

Thinking that you can keep your feelings from everyone may seem possible BEFORE your feelings start building up.  Once your feelings start building up, it feels like a weight that keeps getting heavier with every building feeling.  Believe it or not, it feels much better with people knowing than the overwhelming weight on your shoulders. 

4.  Try not to judge people before you get to know them.

I had to learn this early on in life when I used to judge people because I thought they were weird.  I learned that the coolest people are weird!  As I look back, I can honestly say that the best people that I've ever met were "weird".  I know I'm weird because sometimes my actions seem strange to people that don't know the reason behind them.  I have had to learn that it is best to judge someone by their personality instead of the surface. 

5.  Treat the people you love as if you would never see them again.

In today's world, anything can happen.  Freak accidents can happen that could take the life of someone that you love.  You should treat people you love like you'd never see them again because life is short.  When you say goodbye to someone, you should feel content that he/she knew that you loved them.

6.  If you have the power of preventing someone from making a bad decision, then do it.

If you see someone about to make a bad decision, then you should try to talk some sense into that person.  If something happens to him/her, then you would have to live with all of the guilt.  You could spend the rest of your life thinking "What if".  Thinking about what could have happened if you had done things differently wouldn't help you at all.  Therefore, helping someone to not make a bad decision would also help you.

7.  Enjoy having no responsibilities as a kid.

People say that they wish they could go back to when they were kids because they wouldn't have as many responsibilities as a kid.  That's most of the fun of being a kid!  As a child, you could play games most of the time and take naps without the worry of the responsibilities of being a teenager.  Your parents take care of you and provide for all of your needs as a kid, but then you have to grow up and start doing those things for yourself as a teenager.  It's nice to live in the moment when you have no worries or responsibilities.  It's too bad it doesn't last.     

Best Friends For Life

“What if they don’t like me?”

“They’ll love you!”

“What if they stare?”

“If they stare, it’s only because they’re curious, but too scared to talk.”

“What if I don’t make a friend?”

“Honey, stop worrying.  Everything will be alright.  I’m sure there will be one special person that will want to be your friend.”

Cheyenne looked at her mom and smiled.  She could always make her feel better with a few comforting words.  As nervous as Cheyenne was, she was going to need them. 

Today was Cheyenne’s first day back to school after the accident and the move.  She didn’t want to go, fearing the looks she would get because of her arm.  She was still getting used to the metal hook that replaced her hand.  Cheyenne hated the hook; it just reminded her of the night of the accident that took both her dad and her arm.

As Cheyenne entered the fifth grade classroom, everyone became silent. 

“Class, this is Cheyenne.  She just moved from New York and is your new classmate. You remember how you felt on your first day, so please make her feel welcome.”

Cheyenne walked to the only vacant desk located near the middle of the room and felt the eyes watching her.  She pulled her sleeve down to hide the shiny hook and kept her head down.  Her pencil slid off of her desk and onto the floor.  When she bent to retrieve it, her hook peaked out and gleamed in the light.  Frozen into place, Cheyenne glanced around to see if anyone saw.  A small boy with black hair and deep blue eyes stared back at her in wonder.  She quickly sat up and stared straight ahead until it was time for recess.

Sitting on the swing, Cheyenne started daydreaming about her dad, when the boy with the deep blue eyes sat beside her.  Instead of trying to hide her hook, she just stared back at him and noticed the scar that tilted his lip.

He said, “What happened to your hand?”

“I was in a really bad car accident.  What happened to your mouth?”

“I was born this way.  Mama says that I have a cleft lip.  I’m Daniel.”

“I’m Cheyenne.”  A few moments pass by as Cheyenne considers this boy that’s different, just like her.

“You know, I think your hook is pretty cool.  Can I touch it?”

Hesitantly, Cheyenne nods silently.

Daniel gently touches the cold metal and whispers, “Cool!” He looks up at her and says, “Since, you’re new in town, do you want to be my friend?” 

“Sure!” Smiling at her new friend, Cheyenne feels hope for the first time that things will get better.


Looking back on that day, now old with wrinkles, she still remembers it with clarity.  As she looks at Daniel, her lifetime friend and partner, she can't imagine what her life would have been like if the deep blue-eyed boy hadn't sat beside her on the swings.

The Dread of Going Back to School

Everyone has had that moment of realization that goes like "Oh, crap! I have to go back to school tomorrow!"  This moment is especially disappointing after a relaxing weekend.  This weekend, for example, was decent.  I caught up on one of my favorite shows, "The Walking Dead", ate delicious food for Thanksgiving, went shopping briefly on Black Friday, and slept in.  It was so wonderful! After a nice five-day weekend of no school, I was so disappointed to realize that I had to go back to school tomorrow.  This moment is the worst part of the weekend and happens to everyone.  No one likes waking up early in the morning, doing work that gives you a headache, dealing with irritating people, or sitting through fifty minutes of teachers droning about things that you really could care less about.  You basically sit there waiting for the bell to ring to let you know that you can go home.  You then get through school by looking forward to the upcoming weekend, just so that the whole process can repeat.  The feeling that you get when you realize all of this is going to keep happening is agonizing, at least for me.  Most of the time, I only get one day's worth of a weekend because on Sunday I have to go to church.  It's like tasting freedom just to have it snatched away from you over and over again.  It's actually kind of cruel when you think about it.  This cycle is something that we all have to endure every week. 

Driver's Ed

After waiting for so long to take driver's ed, the time finally came.  When I was finished, I thought only one thing:  Thank you, God, that it's over.  I hated it.  I think that it would have been better if I had an instructor that was more likable.  I liked the girl that I took driver's ed with because she was nice and didn't like the instructor either.  Knowing my luck, it didn't surprise me that I ended up with an annoying instructor.  When people who they're instructors were, they didn't name the person that I had.  This probably explains why their experiences weren't as bad as mine.  Because I'm not supposed to list specific names, I'm going to call this instructor "Saul" and the girl that I drove with "Tina."  I didn't like Saul because he couldn't make up his mind, he was NOT patient, and he was extremely rude.

Saul could not make up his mind to save his life.  For example, when I was driving, Saul would say, "Turn left...no, turn right because it's better...no, go ahead and turn left."  Before I did anything, I would ask, "Is that your final answer?"  He would either go with his last statement or choose something else.  This happened more than once and not with just me.  Saul did it with Tina too and I could see that it was getting to her.  One day, when Saul went into a gas station to get a drink, Tina voiced all of the complaints buzzing around in my head.  It was such a relief that she was thinking the same thing.

Saul also was NOT patient at all.  His impatience at first made me nervous and tense.  On the first day, I was already nervous enough.  Try to picture a girl that is nervous for her first day of driver's ed.  It's easy enough.  Now, try to picture a balding man with a nasally voice yelling 'what are you doing' and giving last minute instructions.  Add all of that together and you've got a nervous wreck.  Because of that bad combo, I almost hit the bumper of a car in Wal-Mart's parking lot! 

This person was way too personal.  When I was driving, he would ask if my dad lives around town.  I said that he doesn't.  Saul was all sympathetic and asked, "Is it hard? It's hard isn't it?" I said, "Not really."  That really made me angry.  Saul did something like that with Tina too.  He asked her, "Is your dad still in prison?" My mouth then dropped open.  Tina said, "Yeah, we just went to see him the other day."  When we dropped her off at her house, he started explaining her situation to me.  He explained who her dad was and why he was in prison.  That whole situation made me angry and made me wonder why he would try to embarrass someone by sharing that kind of personal information.

Honestly, no one can even begin to know how relieved I am that I don't have to see Saul anymore.  I feel bad for Tina though because he works at the school that she goes to.  I guess this is a lesson that everyone can't be courteous.

Music Response to "The Show Goes On"

This is a response to Lupe Fiasco's song, "The Show Goes On."  In this song, he talks about how he doesn't give people the satisfaction when they try to get in his head.  Fiasco sends a message to the kids in the ghetto, saying that they need to keep their heads up when hard times come their way.  He says that the world is theirs because he used to be like them and he became successful.  Fiasco says that whatever you are going through, you should keep your head up to let people know that you aren't going to give up.  He portrays that you should remember that life goes on.

I think that Lupe Fiasco wrote this song to send a message to people that are going through hardships, saying, that you shouldn't give up.  He wants people to know that even though it may seem like you won't get through your hard time, life will go on.  This artist succeeds in portraying the feeling that no one is alone because he said that he was in the same place.  It makes the listener feel empowered knowing this.  Lupe Fiasco uses rhyme and imagery.  He uses rhyme to make the words flow and imagery to make the listener picture what he is saying.  An example of the imagery that he uses is the line about slaves.  "They treat you like a slave, Put chains all on your soul and put whips up on your back" - This allows the reader to picture and relate to the pain portrayed in the words. 

Lupe Fiasco is critiquing the fact that so many people will try to bring you down when you're doing well.  He mentions this several times throughout the song.  Fiasco says that when people try to bring you down, you should shake it off and not worry about it.  This is a great song because it gives people something to relate to.  This song makes people feel as if they aren't alone and gives them confidence that they will get through whatever hard time that is happening.

Social Media Response

  This painting was created by Pawel Kuczynski in 1976.  In this illustration, there is a naked baby winding up a white dove with an olive branch and is surrounded by toy soldiers.  I think it means that there needed to be a call for peace during the Vietnam War because of all of the casualties.  I think that Kuczynski was trying to say that many children lost their fathers because of the war and that they wished that there would be no more fighting.  Kuczynski probably thought that our society was too concerned with winning the war that we forgot about the people that died in the process.

Kuczynski is succeeds in portraying the feeling of desperation because the use of the baby showed that someone had to call for peace because no one else would.  He used archetypes to explain his views because he wanted to make the viewers think of his message.  The archetypes that he used were the white dove with an olive branch and the red background.  The white dove and olive branch are a universal symbol for peace and the red means blood.  Kuczynski uses the red background to stand for the blood that was spilled during the Vietnam War. 

If you just took a passing glance at this painting, you would probably think that it looked stupid or bizarre.  Once you dig deeper and focus on the message behind the pictures, then you'll get what the artist is trying to say.  Overall, I liked this painting because it really made me think when I tried to find the meaning.

In Depth Thinking With "We Wear the Mask"

WE wear the mask that grins and lies,
It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,—
This debt we pay to human guile;
With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,
And mouth with myriad subtleties.

Why should the world be over-wise,
In counting all our tears and sighs?
Nay, let them only see us, while
We wear the mask.
We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries
To thee from tortured souls arise.
We sing, but oh the clay is vile
Beneath our feet, and long the mile;
But let the world dream otherwise,
We wear the mask!

 "We Wear the Mask" -Paul Laurence Dunbar

I think that Dunbar wrote this poem to express how a person would hide behind a facade to hide what he/she was going through.   "WE wear the mask that grins and lies,
It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,—  This debt we pay to human guile; With torn and bleeding hearts we smile, And mouth with myriad subtleties. " - This excerpt means that we lie to people with an act that everything is okay and pay for it by suffering in silence.  "Why should the world be over-wise, In counting all our tears and sighs? Nay, let them only see us, while We wear the mask. We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries To thee from tortured souls arise. We sing, but oh the clay is vile Beneath our feet, and long the mile; But let the world dream otherwise, We wear the mask!"  In this excerpt, the author is trying to ask why the world should care about what we are going through if we don't care enough to tell.  Even though we could be suffering, no one would know because we choose how to represent ourselves to others.       

Dunbar uses rhyme, repetition, hyperbole, metaphors and personification in this poem. The personification used is in blue, hyperbole is in pink, metaphor is in red, repetition is in orange, and rhyme in green.  I think Dunbar used these devices to make a reference to how people act in real life.  

I think that the author was successful in conveying that we hide what we are going through because after reading this poem, I felt moved by his words and the truth behind them.  Overall, I felt that the poem was very deep and that it became one of my favorites.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

My Bucket List

Everyone has a bucket list, so here is mine.  When I made this list, I thought about all of the things that would make me the happy.  I narrowed it down by rating them on the possible opportunities that I would get to them.

10.  Get a full week of having no responsibilities
I have never had a full week of completely doing things for myself.  During this week, I would probably get a massage, hang out with friends, go shopping, and do charity work.  I would get a massage to feel relaxed.  I've never had one from a professional and would like to feel like all of my problems went away.  I would hang out with friends as much as possible because it always puts me in a good mood.  Crazy, funny things always happen that are priceless.  When I would go shopping, I would buy things that I wouldn't normally buy.  I would do charity work because I don't have time to do volunteer work and would like to help people who are less fortunate than I. 

9.  Watch all of the movies on my wish list 
Watching movies is a favorite pastime of mine because I like to see the different plots and what directors and writers choose to do with them.  It could be the kind of plot that would make you sneer when you heard it.  It's the storyline and graphics that make the movie.

8.  Read all of the books on my wish list 
I would read all of the books on my wish list because they have details that movies don't have.  When reading, I'm instantly transported to the setting of the book.  It's like taking a vacation without ever leaving home.

7.  Learn at least two foreign languages 
I've always marveled at how people can speak more than one language.  It amazes me when people speak with such fluency and would make you think it was their native language.  I want to learn two languages because it's the number of favorite languages that I have.  I would learn Spanish and Italian because they sound so musical.

6.  Be friends with someone who previously lived in a different country 

It would be great if I could be friends with someone who lived in a different country because they could tell me about all of the experiences that they had there.  My foreign friend could tell me interesting facts about their culture and country that I didn't know before.

5.  Hit all of the people that have been a pain in my life with no consequences :) 
This is one of my favorites because the people on my mental "Pain in the Butt" list have been constant annoyances and have caused me more stress than joy.  It would give me a great satisfaction if I could hit all of them and have no consequences.  The fear of consequences is the only thing that holds me back from punching people.  If I knew that I could hit them and no one could do anything about it, then I would do it as hard as I could. 

4.  Meet a movie star 
Meeting a movie star would be incredible because I want to see a character from a movie in person.  I would try to ask that person questions without sounding like an obsessed lunatic.  I probably ask about past movies that they've been in, movies that they're currently working on, and random questions that give me insight to what kind of person they are.

3.  Go to Italy   
I want to go to Italy before I die because Italian food is amazing, the language sounds pretty, the history and art is interesting, and the churches are beautiful.  Italian is my favorite food because I just happen to like more of the dishes than any other type.  Italian sounds so pretty because it reminds me of music and water; they both rise and fall.  I would go to Italy, hopefully, after I learned the language so that I would be able to get around easily.

2.  Get a decent boyfriend 
I've never had a boyfriend before, but I'm not willing to lower my standards so that I could say that I have.  To be honest, my standards aren't that high.  It's just that I haven't met a guy that's mature enough for me.  I would like to have a boyfriend that's mature and kind before I die.

1.  Go to a Bruno Mars concert with a backstage pass and get to hang out with him for a day 
It would blow my mind if I went to a Bruno Mars concert and got to hang out with him for a day.  Bruno Mars is my favorite male singer because his music makes me feel happy, especially "Just the Way You Are."  If I spent a day with him, I would find out his likes and dislikes, his favorite song that he wrote, and more insightful questions.  This is number one because if this happened, then the others on my list wouldn't matter to me. 

How to Read a Book and Like It

Some people don’t like reading because they think it’s boring.  This is because they just don’t know how to pick a book that would suit them.  Some people pick a book and end up not liking it because they thought that it didn’t have a good storyline, it was dull, it was too long, etc. If you continuously have these problems, then all you have to do is follow these simple and easy steps and you’ll actually like reading.  You don’t need any specific materials, except patience and time.  Here are some steps and tips to help you pick a book that you like.

Step 1:  Find out what genres you like to read and which ones you don’t. This is the most important step.   Do you like fiction or nonfiction?  Do you dislike fantasy or historical fiction?  Genres are mainly categorized into two sections: fiction and nonfiction.  If you like fiction books, then you like stories that aren’t real.  Nonfiction books are books that are about real events.  Under fiction you have fantasy, adventure, mystery, science fiction, historical fiction, and more. 

Step 2:  Decide what your favorite book length is.  Do you like short books with 350 pages or less?  Do you like long books with 350 pages or more? If you don’t like to spend too much of your time trying to finish a book, then you should probably stick with the short length books.  Short books are good for people that like a nice quick story and don’t like anything drawn out.  Long, thick books are good for people that think the more details, the better.

                     

Step 3:  Pick your book.  When picking your book, you should take into consideration what genres you like and how long you think the book should be.  Don’t just randomly choose one.  This can result in a waste of your time/money.  Tip:  When deciding between books, read the synopsis located on the back or jacket of the book.  It tells you a little of what the plot of story is based on.  This helps in choosing because you will have a better chance of enjoying a book with an engaging excerpt than one with an excerpt that you haven’t read.

Step 4:  Pace yourself.  You should read at a pace that is just right, so that you can understand and enjoy what you read.  If you read too fast, then there is a possibility that you won’t comprehend what you’ve read.  This might cause you to feel confused by the book and dislike it.

With these steps, you'll be devouring books in no time!

Review of Heaven - Alexandra Adornetto

Heaven is the last book of the Halo Trilogy.  This story is about the struggles that Bethany, an angel, and Xavier, a human,  have to go through to finally be together.  The book starts off with the two getting married despite of Heaven's will.  When they got married, Bethany and Xavier never expected innocent people to die because of their union.  After witnessing the death of the priest that married them, they left town with Gabriel and Ivy, Bethany's archangel brother and seraphim sister.  The rebel military group in Heaven, called the Sevens, is after them. and wants them separated.  Xavier and Bethany, husband and wife, hide in plain sight at a college with the guise of a close-knit brother and sister.  It works for a while when the leader of the Sevens catches them and kills Xavier and his roommate just to prove a point.  Xavier was almost gone until Bethany guides his soul back to his body.  With his death, more trouble came.  Lucifer possessed his body and claimed that he would release Xavier if Bethany brings his son, Jake, back from the dead.  Jake is brought back and wants Gabriel's wings for the releasing of Bethany's husband.  Always determined to protect human life, Gabriel complies and gives his wings up.  Without his wings, Gabriel is able to experience human emotions that he wasn't able to understand before.  Ivy and Gabriel finally reveal to Bethany and Xavier about who he is.  Ivy and helped his mom get pregnant years ago and because of this, Xavier is half human and half angel.  Later that day, a hostage situation rises.  The leader of the Sevens has Xavier's sister and will give her back in exchange for Bethany.  She gives herself up and is carried back home to Heaven.  In Heaven, she is put in a type of psych ward for angels. Determined to get back to Xavier, she asks around and discovers that to get back to Earth, she has to give up her wings and become human.  She agrees without hesitation and is spurred on by a vision of Xavier, her husband, about to jump off of a cliff.  After the process is complete, she feels the most intense pain.  She finds her way to Xavier through it all and discovers that she has been gone for two years.  With nothing else in their way, Bethany and Xavier look forward to growing old and dying together, their version of heaven. 

 



In this picture, a man is pushing a rock up against a steep mountain.  He keeps pushing even though gravity is going against him because he doesn't want to give up.  This picture represents the most important component of Heaven because Bethany and Xavier are determined not to let the Sevens get the best of them, knowing that they have little help.  It seems like everything and everyone is pushing against them, but they refuse to give up and accept defeat because they have faith that their love is stronger than all of it.

I loved reading Heaven because there was a captivating conflict around every corner from beginning to end.  This moving story made me not want to put the book down because it made me empathize with the main characters.  I understood that the journey was taking its toll on them between the deaths and the fights and made them wonder if they were ever going to be able to live in peace.  I rate this book five out of five stars because I thought it was the perfect ending to the trilogy. 

I like the story just the way it is because it couldn't have ended better for Bethany and Xavier and wouldn't change anything.  They both got to spend their lives together.  Because they were both human now, nothing stood in their way.  I think Alexandra Adornetto did a fantastic job writing the conclusion to the trilogy by writing a happy ending for each character.

CUPID Brings Hope for Hearts

http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-drug-treatment-heart-failure.html

This link is basically about how scientists have found a drug that can possibly treat or prevent heart failure. CUPID stands for Calcium Up-regulation by Percutaneous administration of gene therapy In cardiac Disease.  In this study, scientists observed that SUMO1, a protein, was very low in failing hearts.  They then injected failing hearts with this protein and found that they improved.  Scientists also found that when they injected SERCA2a, there was increased cardiac funcion; however, the SERCA2a stopped working after a while.  Two experts at Mount Sinai School of Medicine discovered that SUMO1 is a regulator of SERCA2a by increasing its function, stability, and enzyme activity.  Scientists hope that with more tests, it will lead to the treatment and possibly prevention of heart failure.

I think it's good that scientists are looking for ways to prevent heart failure because it means that this is one less reason to get a heart transplant.  If someone is suffering from heart failure, then they'll need a transplant.  If everything goes well with the trials, then people can get injections instead.  Injections would be better than transplants because it's easier to get injections than it would be to wait for someone to die that had the same blood type.  There are many people on the waiting list that may not live long enough to get a heart.  Because of this, I think this treatment can lead to saving more lives.

In the future, I think this treatment becoming a big success and leading to the development of other treatments.  From this trial, scientists can get the same idea and apply the same principle to other organs.  I think this treatment would be more common than having a heart transplant because it's more convenient and less risky.  This study shows a lot of promise for treatments of the future.    

Review of "The Children's Story"

After reading "The Children's Story", I thought that it was overall a really interesting, but creepy story.  It got my attention from the very beginning and kept me interested in the story until the end.  Even though this story was interesting, it annoyed me .  I didn't like how the New Teacher disrepected the flag, taught the children that there is no God, encouraged keeping secrets and lying to their parents, and just screamed "creepy."  It creeped me out that the young teacher managed to brainwash the little kids in 25 minutes.  When I finished the story, I was both amazed and frightened that this can happen in real life.