Response to Tram

I found this awesome quote from Tram Huynh's blog.

This story shows that no matter who dark the world is. Help is always there. You just have to look for it because people are trying to survive themselves.

      I strongly agree with Tram. In this world many people are in need of help everyday. It's not always about survival though. At school I've been noticing lots of drama involving people talking about each other.  I've also seen people crying. I think that sometimes the people who cause all the drama need help. They might think that they can get over it by themselves, and put it behind them, but later on it will come back.
      Some people try very hard to get help, but their are certain barriers stopping them. An example of this would be people who smoke. Lots of people try to quit, and get help but its so hard to quit because their addicted to it.          
      There are lots of people in the world that are just too busy to help some one. Humans have busy lives, and helping people might be very hard. I try my best to help my peers at school, but it's often just too much. People these days are so caught up in their own daily tasks that they have very little time to help people. I still don't understand how some of the teachers at ASTI have time to grade work, live their life, AND help students. The teachers at ASTI are so dedicated to teaching and helping other people.
      This means that helping someone requires a lot of effort and time. This is why people don't always get the help they need. Sometimes helping people can cause stress. This is probably what its like for some of the teachers at ASTI. They try their best to make time to help people but when there are too many people that need help, they get stressed out. This is why sometimes teachers are angry or annoyed.
      Unwind was a great book that had lots of morals in it. Unwind taught me that there is always hope for people in need, and that you have to push through all the hard parts of life. The people in unwind had to survive 1-5 years on the run depending on when their parents wanted to unwind them. There were lots of them that survived. If your life is on the line, then you better give it all you got to try and survive.

Last Unwind lit-discussion

      This discussion was by far the best one we've had. During this discussion there were a lot of level three questions and connections to modern day that came up. We talked about synthetic body parts, suicide bombers, and what our future might be like. 
      In Unwind, there are people from the ages of 13-17 that can be taken apart and used to save someones life. In our world, we have donors and synthetic body parts. A question that came up was, "Why don't they have advanced synthetic body parts in Unwind?" People in my group said that hospitals didn't need any parts because they already had a bunch of new healthy parts from real humans. This is very scary, because maybe if the world did have too many people, the government might start to make unwinding real. It's very possible. In science we learned about evolution and how Thomas Malthus stated that "if the human population continued to grow unchecked, sooner or later there would be insufficient living space and food for everyone." What if the future was crowded with little resources left? Would people be unwound?
      One of the character's in the story, Lev, became a clapper. Clappers are suicide bombers with explosives in their blood. Our group talked about if people could really do that and not be poisoned. It doesn't seem real to me. Terrorists probably have read this book and tried it already. They're most likely dead, maybe Neil Shusternam wrote this book because he knew this would happen.
      The future, everyone talks about it. After reading unwind I got some ideas of what our future might be like. In unwind people could get pigment injections to change the colors of their eyes. I remember Shannon talking about getting her eyes purple with stripes, Ebone talking about getting green eyes, and Melissa just not knowing what to say. There might even be pigment injections available right now. Our group talked about how everything we read in unwind is possible. It might just happen, unwinding, pigment injections, and clappers. Only time will tell.

Response to Camal

I found this awesome quote from Camal's blog that basically sums up what I feel about the future.

I should be thinking about my future and what I want to be. I should be having thoughts on what jobs I want to have, what fields I want take my path towards, and I should by now have ALREADY nailed what I want to major in. But right now…I’m not even close to knowing how to answer even one of these questions.

      My parents are always asking me what I want to be when I grow. They are always telling me that I should be thinking about my majors and what college I want to go to. Right now I still don't have any idea about my majors or what I want to be. 

      The reason for this is because I don't really know about some of the fields I'm interested in. The number of jobs in the world are so diverse that it's so hard to find a job that I know about and like. One of my favorite subjects is Science, but there are so many jobs that have to do with science. The problem is that I'm so caught up doing homework, studying for tests, and living my life that I don't have any time to look into jobs or careers.

      I think that knowing what you want to do, is built upon throughout your years at high school. You learn a whole bunch of interesting things during the four years of high school and it can help you plan for the future. Plans don't always work, so if you plan to be the richest surgeon in the world, it may now work. My point is, plan something and change it according to your lifestyle, it helps to build toward the future.

      When I think about my lack of knowledge of what I want to do later on, I feel a bit scared. I always have thoughts like, what if I major in something I don't like? I try not to worry, but sometimes it just to hard. I WILL try to answer these questions throughout my years at ASTI and hopefully write my future.

      

Unwind second lit-discussion post

      This literary discussion was better than the first. We talked about the important events, clarified parts that were confusing, and gave our opinions on the events that happened. 

      Our group talked a lot about the events that are leading up to the climax. We talked about how tension between Connor and Roland are growing. There was a part in the story when Connor locked Roland in a crate and threatened him with a gun to get Roland to tell the truth. I think that Roland might try to kill Connor later on in the story because Roland is always planning his next move to be more powerful. Roland said, "Your're the Akron AWOL?!" The Arkon AWOL was a rumor that unwind were passing around about a boy who escaped from ten cops while rescuing two other unwinds (Risa, and Lev). When we were talking about this, I said that since Connor now seems more powerful than Roland, he will be Roland's next target. 

      There were some parts of the story that were a bit confusing, so we all reread it and worked it out. Ebone wanted to clarify a part where a kid named Ci-Fy had a temporal lobe transplanted into his brain. Ci-Fy had two personalities one was Cyrus and one was Tyler. When Ci-Fy got home the parents of Tyler and the parents of Cyrus were there. Ebone asked, "Did the parents live next door?" We all reread that part and came up with the idea that since Tyler was in control, Cyrus thought that Tyler's dad was also his dad. We were all confused, but when we went back and reread it, it made more sense.

      There were a lot of opinions that were expressed during this lit-discussion. Some people in the group thought the Admiral was bad and that he was secretly manipulation the unwinds there. I thought that the Admiral was a really great person from the start. There are probably some people in the graveyard that don't like the Admiral, so they start spreading rumor. The Admiral in charge of about 400 unwinds, and also declares himself dictator. He's bound to have some enemies, so all the bad things are probably just rumors. We also talked about Risa. Everyone thought that she was the reason that Connor hasn't been unwound yet. Risa always gets Connor out of trouble and is a great influence. Risa has gotten Connor to control his temper and be a better person. 

      Overall, this lit-discussion was far better than the second. I learned a lot more, and also got some insight on how my group mates felt about that characters. I hope the next discussion will be better.

First Lit Discussion

      Our first lit discussion was fairly successful. Everyone was engaged and contributed to the discussion. In our discussion we talked about the characters and how we felt about them. We talked about each character's personalities and how they became unwinds.
      We talked about why Lev would want to be unwound so bad. I don't understand why parents would raise their child, then have them salvaged for body parts when they are old enough. I think that Lev is very confused. One minute unwinding seems like a dream to him, but when pastor Dan tell him to run, he is suddenly confused. We think that Lev is a little crazy in the head and deserves to be be unwound.
      We also talked about the storking initiative, a law that lets teenage parents to put their child on someones doorstep. When someone opens the door and sees the baby, it would legally be theirs. I thought that was kind of wrong. Someone else said that it was better than moms just killing their child. What if someone already had been storked many times. How would that family support all the children. There was a part of the story when Connor said that he had been storked, "...the baby had been passed around the whole neighborhood" The baby eventually died because the people in the neighborhood just kept putting the baby on someone else's doorstop. The baby was basically tortured to death.
      So far everyone in our group thinks that Risa is the smartest character. Risa has helped Connor out of a lot of tough situations throughout the story. She got them clothes, food, and thought of some good ideas to help them to survive. She's the reason that they got out of that school. If it wasn't for Risa, Connor would have been unwound a long time ago.
      Connor is a very interesting character in the story. He sometimes goes on auto pilot and does lots of stupid things that could have gotten him unwound. He grabbed Lev out of the car, picked up a storked baby, and also picked fights with other unwinds. Even though Conner has done some stupid things, he still is very useful and keeps Risa company.
    

Response to Kim Alvarez

Thanksgiving recently passed, and I found a great quote from Kim's Alvarez's blog. It simply said,

"I have a lot to be thankful for."

      This made me think about what I have to be thankful for in my life. Even though Thanksgiving is over, I think people should give thanks everyday and be glad that they're not in a tough situation. The world has billions of people, some rich, some poor, theres lots of things to be thankful for. There are also a lot of people in the world that are spoiled and think that there's nothing worth being thankful for. I am not one of those people. There are way too many things that I'm thankful for, but the top three consist of my family, friends, and having an education.
       My family, especially my parents, have given up a lot to come to the U.S. so I could have a better life.  They gave up friends, money, time, and their home country to get here. They have helped me through all my struggles, encouraged me and also criticized me so that I could improve. I'm thankful that I still have both my parents alive, and together. Most of my friends' parents are separated, and some are no longer with them. It's very sad.
      I'm thankful for having awesome friends that I can go to when I need help. I treat my friends as if they were my brothers and sisters. I'm thankful that I always have someone to talk to and listen to me. My friends also teach me new things and help me with my problems. Some of my friends are so close to me that they'd take a bullet, any day. I'm thankful that I have friends like that.
      Without education I would probably be selling drugs, and getting drunk. An education gives me hope for having a good future and a job. I'm thankful that I have a school to go to, with the best teachers I've ever had.  Having and education is really important to me. I'm thankful, for everything, YOU should be thankful too.

Kite Runner Book Review

Kite Runner is a fictional narrative written by Khaled Hosseini. Kite Runner is a story written in a time of war in Afghanistan. In Kite Runner a boy named Amir witnesses his best friend  get physically assaulted. Amir never forgets this and tries to bury the past. Later in the story he and his dad move to America due to their safety. Once Amir is America he finally gathers up the courage to go back to Afghanistan and redeem himself.

Hassan was  a very interesting and loyal character in Kite Runner. Throughout the story Hassan’s loyalty toward Amir never changed. He never hit him back and always stood up for him. Hassan was a Hazara and Amir was a Pashtun, but their social status didn’t separate their friendship. When Amir won the Kite Tournament Hassan promised Amir he would get the kite and said, “For you, a thousand times over.”  It meant that he was going to get it, no matter what. When Hassan finally got the kite, he was brutally beaten and raped by Assef. All Assef wanted was the kite, but Hassan never gave it up because of his loyalty and his promise. After Hassan got raped, Amir kept ignoring him and didn’t want to be his friend. Hassan kept trying to restore their friendship by telling him he was sorry for whatever he did, but Amir couldn’t look at Hassan the same way. One day Amir told Hassan to go to the pomegranate tree where they used to hang out. When they got there Amir threw pomegranates at Hassan and wanted him to throw them back, but since Amir doesn’t understand the extent of Hassan’s loyalty he didn’t expect Hassan to smother a pomegranate on his own head.  Hassan probally thought that after some time, everything between him and Amir would get better, thats why he never retaliated when Amir was throwing pomegranates at him. I wonder what Amir would have done if he knew that Hassan was really his half-brother.

One thing that Hassan and Baba have a lot of, is Bravery. They both stood up for someone. Hassan deafened Amir with his slingshot when Assef first confronted  them, which is similar to when Baba defends the woman from the Russian soldier in the fuel truck. This is a very distinct trait that Hassan and Baba have, but lacks in Amir.  Amir has little, or no bravery in the beginning of the story, but gradually develops it later on.

Khald Hosseini’s purpose in writing this fictional story was to educate people on whats its like in Modern Afghanistan, and how it’s hard to bury the past. I’ve learned a lot on what it’s like in Afghanistan,  what some of the people there have to go through on a daily basis, some Farsi,  and Afghanistan culture.  There were lots of things going on in Afghanistan at that time. Some included the constant fight over power.

The whole story was basically about how Amir tries to bury the memory of Hassan being raped, but later on, it comes back. Amir tried so hard to forget what happened to Hassan. Amir was about eight when he witnessed it, and felt very guilty. When he moved to American, he had finally locked up that event somewhere in his head, but later on he gets a call from Rahim Kahn and the past just crept its way out. Near the end of the story after Amir rescues Sohrab, he has a dream where he witnesses his father fighting with a bear, 

“They roll over a patch of green grass, man and beast...They fall to the ground with a loud thud and Baba is sitting on the bear’s chest, his fingers digging in its snout. He looks up at me and I see me. He’s me I am wrestling the bear.” 

 Amir has finally realised that he has redeemed himself. Houssei incorporates a very strong moral into this story. The moral is, if your try to forget the past, it will eventually come back at you. I’ve learned that the best way to get rid guilt, is to confront your fears and fix things.

Most of the people of Afghanistan were already in poverty, then the Taliban came along and started  killing and harassing people.

“What is the matter with you?” Farid hissed.

“What?”

“Don’t ever stare at them! Do you understand me? Never!”

“I didn’t mean to,” I said.

“Your friend is quite right, Agha. You might as well poke a rabid dog with a stick,”    someone said.

This was when a Taliban glared at Amir. The Taliban were there just looking for someone to kill or start a fight with. Farid was telling Amir to not look at the Taliban if he didn’t want to die. That’s how bad the Taliban were. Even though the story is fictional, there are lots of events in the story that I wouldn’t be surprised to hear really happened.

Kite Runner had lots of information about Afghanistan culture, and taught me a little bit of Farsi. I learned that in Afghanistan culture couples don’t get to choose who they marry, the parents marry their daughter or son according to the other families ancestry. General Taheri says, “ Now this is the right way-the Afghan way- to do it, bachem.”After reading Kite runner, I’ve learned that Salaam means greetings and calling some one's name and adding jan is a form of respect. Knowing even a little Farsi can help me communicate with people if I ever have to go to Afghanistan.
Overall The Kite Runner was a very intriguing and informative book. It taught me life lessons, events that happened in Afghanistan, Farsi, Afghan culture, and how people are dealing with the crisis’ there. It was also very sad, but had a great ending. I would recommend this book to everyone that is over the age of twelve. I will always remember the this story.

Kite Runner: Reflection on The Ending.

      After reading Kite Runner, I've really gotten some insight on current events happening in Afghanistan and how the people there are living in poverty. The story of Amir and Hassan really made me think outside of the box, on how F***ed up the world really is. I also felt a connection with the characters, like I knew them just as well as I knew my friends.
      Even though Kite Runner is fiction, it greatly describes whats happening in Afghanistan today. Lots of innocent people are dying. When Hassan and his most of his family were murdered in the book I felt really sad. Why would the Taliban fight for the people and then just go on a killing spree. It doesn't make much sense. This book really ties into politics and how Bush made excuses to invade Afghanistan for oil or maybe WMD. So if the people in Afghanistan are already suffering, why would the U.S government go and make them suffer more rather than help them. This book has really been crazy though.
      The conflict that Houseini created about Amir and Hassan made me think about all the crime in the world that never really gets talked about. Things like rape, human trafficking, torture, and cons happen everyday, but most people are too busy with their own lives to learn or maybe help with these things. While you're laying in your comfy bed playing on that new iPod you just bought a seven year old girl might be locked up in a dirty basement trying to find a way out.
      In the beginning of the book my feelings of Amir, was that he was just a coward and couldn't stand up for himself, but now that I've read the whole book, my feelings toward him are better. When I finished the book I felt that Amir has really redeemed himself and deserves a pat on the back. Risking his life and all that he worked for to go save Hassan's son, Soharab, really takes some guts. I felt connected to him, because I felt as if I was there watching him grow and become a man.
    

Response to Karen "Guys are pimps, girls are sluts wtf?

   In Karen's blog post she said, "Guys are pimps, girls are sluts wtf" 

"I don't quite grasp this concept that when guys play or date numerous amount girls they are pimpin ,but if a girl does the same she is referred to as a slut."-Karen Chavez

       The answer to this question is sexism. Throughout history women have been degraded and not treated equally. This is the same with people of different race. Lots of men think they are stronger and more superior to women. Women were not even allowed to vote until the 18th century. To this day some jobs pay men more than women. Its not right.
      The thing with guys is that they want to get as many girls as they can just for superiority. It might all just be apart of natural selection. I learned in biology that male animals fight over females and food the most. They mate with more than one female. I also saw a documentary where a Silver Back Gorilla has control of six-ten female gorillas and were mating with all of them.This might be universal to every organism on earth. Humans do this too, most try to get as many girls as they can, but the one thing that separates us from any other animal is emotion. Humans have emotions, therefore causing people to fell love. I don't think animals actually "love" each other. They just want to have the most babies. Human emotions are the things given to us so we could be more advanced and less animal like.
      So the real answer to why guys are called pimps and girls sluts, is very hard to answer. There are tons of factors that go into why these sexist thing happen in everyday life. Many of my friends have gone out with at least more than fifteen girls, they are considered to be able to "pull" girls, but I think anyone can get that many people to go out with them if they tried. I also know girls that have gone out with more that fifteen boys. They are called hoes, slut, and a whole bunch of other names. I think the reason they are called these things is because of the things they do to the boys or let the boys do to them. One of my best friends is now called a hoe because she did some things with this guy. What I'm trying to say is be careful of your actions because they can shape the way your future come out, weather you like it or not. Boys are the ones that aren't very good because they make girls do things, but then call them bad things after. I think boys call girls sluts because they secretly know in their hearts that the girls might be smarter and be able to dominate and embarrass them. Its all about emotions though.

Is Technology Advancing Too Fast?

      Human technology is rapidly expanding. I think this is the result of the internet. The internet was availible to the public starting in 1995 with dial-up connection, thats when I was born. Since then the internet has gotten faster and a lot more complex. About two years ago the first generation of an i-pod touch came out. It was about 200 dollars for a 16Gb. About a year ago I bought a 32GB i-pod touch for the same price. Just about a week ago the new X-box Kinect came out. This allows the player of the game to be the controller. You literally are the controller. There are cameras that follow everything you do and puts it into the game. It can even tell how tall you are. All this technology can lead to lots of bad things though.
      Hackers can easily break through that firewall you just installed and steal lots of information. Mr.Fargher said that in the next era, a single computer will be able to store more memory than everyone in the world combined. Thats pretty scary. Could this mean that a single computer could outsmart everyone on earth. The government is also trying to create terminators and unmanned fighter jets to use in wars. This is not a great idea because hackers can get into those machines and turn against us.
      Since technology is always advancing, not everything is bad. I saw an episode of Future Weapons, where they used hydro-bombs to neutralize other bombs. They put these hydro-bombs next to any explosive and when they ignite it, water completely surrounds the other bomb and neutralized it. The water is strong enough to rip through metal when activated. Technology has also helped save lots of lives. New advances in medicine are helping people around the world live a better life. People are still trying to find a cure for cancer, but I think that there is already a cure, its just that they are still finding a way so that they will make lots of money. Some people are just too selfish. So is technology advancing too fast, or not fast enough?

Impressions of Kite Runner

      So far in Kite Runner, Amir is gradually beginning to redeem himself. He is becoming more and more like Baba, standing up for himself, and finally taking action. He is also becoming less of a coward. I also think that Soraya has really given him him a boost of self-confidence. There has been many twists and turns that I didn't expect. One was finding out that Hassan was Amir's half brother. The other was Amir getting married.
      One very surprising thing that I recently found out in The Kite Runner, was that Hassan was Amir's half brother. When Amir found out from Rahim, he realizes that "as if turned out, Baba and I were more alike than I'd ever known." This makes Amir feel like that him and Baba had a greater connection than he had ever known. I think Baba was so harsh on Amir because he didn't want Amir to take the same path as he did and have a better life. They both did something bad that they regretted, and they also tried to just forget about it, or cover it up. When Hassan came into the world, Baba probably  felt so guilty that he devoted his life into helping people, he also built an orphanage, hoping that one day someone would forgive him. This is similar to Amir because after Hassan got raped in that alleyway, Amir could see the pain and suffering just like when a sheep got killed. He then decides to frame Hassan so he could be sent away. They both have very similar personalities. Baba also says that lying is the worst sin a man could do, but Baba has been lying his whole entire life. I wonder what Hassan would do if he found out about it.
      Soraya is a great influence for Amir. She is like a role model. She's very truthful and is always there for Amir when he is feeling down or needs help. When Baba dies Soraya was there to talk to him and make him feel better. She is much less of a coward than Amir. She has balls to tell the truth unlike Amir. This is exemplified when she told Amir about her relationship with another man just before they were about to marry. Soraya acts like a role model that Amir learns form.
      This book has really given me some insight on what really happening in Afghanistan and how the people there are suffering while in relaxing using a computer and eating kiwi.

Being real is just a matter of perception

Is Facebook a Drug?

This is a response to Ivan Arreola. Yay

 So many people use Facebook in different ways using as it as a tool or just using it for social skill and there also some people as a way to take advantage of others electronically and to harm others. So what is Facebook?

      Facebook is a company that makes a lot of money. It is a social networking site that billions of people around the world use. I think its awesome, but is very addicting. Facebook can also be a drug. Some people are so addicted to Facebook that they update their status every time they do something. According to CNN "therapists say they're seeing more and more people like Newton who've crossed the line from social networking to social dysfunction." Haha, addicted to Facebook, what losers. I think that to be addicted to Facebook, you would have no life. I think people who are addicted to Facebook constantly want to read what happening in other peoples lives.
      Another reason people go on Facebook is to play games. This is the biggest factor. There are lots of people who are addicted to the games on Facebook, not just Facebook itself. Millions of people go on Facebook and play games like Farmville, Mafia Wars, and tons of other games. Tony's Recommendations to cure Facebook Addiction: GO OUTSIDE,  cook, sleep, eat, go on a date, get your best friend in trouble, and a whole bunch of other things that are not Facebook related.
      Even though Facebook may be addictive, it is still a very useful tool for communication. Facebook keeps people connected and happy, if people are addicted then thats their problem. Facebook allows people to talk to each other from different countries. It helps people all the time. It lets people schedule events, talk to people, and even see people pictures. Facebook is a drug, but its a good drug, some people just overdose and abuse it sometimes. This is not even 350 words. I'm so close and I'm almost there. Ohh yea Mr.Sousa lost his keys today. It sucks cause we might not be able to use the field on Monday. Yay 362 words.

Emotions: Love

      Love- a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person. Everything that I'm going to say is based on my opinion and experiences. Love is the strongest emotion that humans have. It has the strongest impact on peoples decisions and ultimately, what they do. Love comes in many different forms. People love each other for many different reasons too. In Kite Runner Amir finds Soraya. This was probably love at first sight. Can that even happen? I think the chances of finding true love are just about the same as winning the lottery. People feel love every day, toward family, friends, and even people that you've just met. 
      Love, as great as it is also has lots of consequences. When love is lost anger is usually not far behind. One example of this was the Shooting at Virginia Tech. The thing that caused this massacre was a girl breaking up with her boyfriend. The boyfriend gunned down thirty-two random students. Love can send people on rampages that always result in violence. When someone one looses a loved one, they feel depressed, and can lead to psychological disorders. It depends on the person, but usually when someone looses someone they really love, all they think about is revenge. Thousands of people die each year. I will bet 100 dollars that most of those deaths have some connection to love. People also do drugs when they feel depressed. Even though love is awesome, the side affects that come after it are anger, vengeance, sadness, depression, psychological disorders, deaths, and lots of other emotions. I know the kite Runner is based on fiction, but when Kamal dies, his father commits suicide because his love for his son was so strong. 
      Love... in the end, is it worth it? Hell yea! Even though there are consequences, its worth every ounce of pain, strength, and will. There were only two times that I've experienced a strong sense of love toward a girl. Once when I was ten. The second when I was 13. The second time, it wasn't as strong. It feels good to love someone. I love my family, they are awesome and are always give me lots of love. My love toward my close friends is very strong. If they need help, I would always do my best to help them no matter what. If they were about to get shot, I would take a bullet for them. I treat them the same way I would treat my brothers and sisters. They would do the same.....I hope :) 
      There are are ways to tell if someone like you. I'm being lazy right now and don't want to tell you. Maybe in another post. Yay

Response to Kite Runner(First Impressions)

      My first impressions of Kite Runner was that it was disturbing, yet intriguing. There are also lots of twists and turns that I didn't expect to happen. I was so immersed into the story. I felt  like I was right there along side Hassan and Amir just watching everything happen.
      When Hassan got raped I was very surprised. In the part when Amir describes that scene, I didn't think he was being raped until he said it later on in the book. I thought Assef was punching Hassan in the privates with his brass knuckles. I never would have expected Assef to rape him. I don't understand how these eight year olds know about raping other little boys. They must have really bad parents or experiences themselves. I really think Assef is really a Sociopath and need extensive care in a Asylum. This is probably a  factor that led to him raping Hassan.
      Another part of the book that was really interesting to me was the personality of Amir. He is a total coward, a-hole, and so many other words that I want to say. How could anyone with a heart stand in an alleyway and watch your best friends/brother be brutally beat up and then raped. I also don't understand how he is so different from his dad. I would think that he would inherit at least some of his dad's traits, but it seems like Amir is not even Baba's son. I can't believe Amir would would run away when Hassan was being harassed in that alleyway. If  that was me, I would have charged in there and make those three boys beg for me to kill them. When Amir threw pomegranates at Hassan I couldn't believe that Hassan didn't lay a single hand on Amir. Somebody with that much loyalty is very hard to find. I think only 0.000000001 out of the 6.5billion people on earth has that amount of loyalty. I think Amir should go and kill himself for being such a coward. I think that a recovery  from what Hassan experienced will take a long time.
      Overall, I think the story is great so far. I also think that there is a lot of controversy behind it.
 

Reflective Essay

       Throughout the first semester I have written about lots of different things. Some posts that need improvements, and some that show who I really am. Blogging has helped me learn more about myself and others. It’s like a “diary” but I think of it as a way to communicate and get feedback from others. I even gave blogging a name I call it CARL Communicating and Reading Leisurely. I blog when I’m bored, or when something major happens to me. Blogging has really helped me get my ideas out and share the things on my mind.

       I think that reading posts from my classmate’s blogs has really given me a different perspective about everything around me. When I read some ones blog, I treat it as a book. A book in which there are morals to learn. My classmate’s blogs give me a different perspective on various subjects they write about. An example would be a response post to Rokhsor’s post about stealing.

Some people steal because they want to be cool. Stealing is an issue that lots of people face. Some people steal because of financial reasons, some steal to be cool. No matter the reason, stealing is not right and there will be consequences. Its called Karma, it will come back to you in the future.

 In her post she said, “Stealing is the biggest crime in the world”. After reading that, I knew more about how she felt about stealing. When I responded to this, I thought a lot about how other people responded to something bad that happens to them and how differently I would react if I was in their shoes. Every time I read a blog I get a little smarter, and every time I respond to a blog I make a connection to my own life. This was exemplified when I had an epiphany when reading Leon Liang’s blog about coming to ASTI. I made a connection when I read:

If I haven’t applied to ASTI and went to Encinal High School, I think I would still be that lazy procrastinator back in middle school, copying homework from friends or finishing homework during passing period.

I would have done the exact same thing myself. Reading my classmate’s blogs has helped me learn more about myself. Reading and responding to posts have helped me become a better reader, writer, thinker, and listener. It helps me become a better reader and writer because when I read blogs, I get ideas for my own blogs. Then when I’m writing my blog and get writers block I’ll remember something from the blog I just read and instantly get past it. It helps become a better thinker because when I reflect on a classmate’s blog I have to think critically to give them a decent response. I am learning to give better response posts and my thinking is getting stronger too. Responding to blogs has also helped me become a better listener too. When I read a blogs I listen to what the person has to say. I don’t just read through it, I can hear the person speaking as if he/she were talking to me.

Blogging to me is different from writing in class. First of all I get to write about anything I want. An example would be my love toward raspberries. If I wrote that in any other class I would probably get a D. I actually like blogging. I’ve never been good at writing, it’s always the subject that I struggle the most in. Having a blog really helps me practice writing. Blogging has really helped me write better and be more creative when I’m writing. Instead of a teacher handing a prompt to me and telling me to write what he/she wants I get to be my own boss and decide what I want to write. It gives me power, and it feels good. I never planned to write about emotions, but when I sat down and opened blogger I suddenly got an idea to write about emotions and how they affect people differently. Just thinking about blogging will sometimes give me ideas. Even right now I, as I am typing this, I have gotten about seven or eight new ideas from writing this blog. Sometimes, I think of blogging as a way to get away from all the drama and stress that’s infested in every single crack in the world. Blogging has changed the way I think because it gives me something to think about. When I read some ones blog, it stays in my head, I don’t forget about it very quick. It keeps my brain constantly thinking so that I don’t blank out. Blogging has also changed the way I look at things. When I read my classmate’s blogs I get to know what they think or feel about something. This way when I come across a disagreement I can look at it in different ways. I think that blogging has really helped me with the different perspectives of the things around me.

       When I blog I get most of my ideas from out of thin air and from activities that I’ve done or emotions I felt. Most of what I blog about just comes to me when I sit down. On occasion I have to think for about twenty seconds and then an idea will come, but it’s usually spontaneous. I also blog about how I feel and fun things that have happened to me. I blogged about how horrible I felt one day, and how fun movie night was. Things that are exciting and interesting to me inspire me to write. Everything I blog about has some significance. I’m not saying that everything I blog about is perfect and has no holes in it, but most of what I write tells something about me and even may teach a lesson. I also write because I want to help people. I blog so that maybe one day someone that’s really sad will read one of my blogs and cheer up or laugh a little. That is probably the thing that inspires me the most.

      Blogging has really helped me with a lot of things at ASTI so far in the first trimester. It has helped me become a better writer, thinker, and listener. It also has helped me look at things differently and affects my perspectives on things. During the next quarter my goals are to blog about things that will get more response from my classmates. By doing that I will be able to improve my writing skills and write about better subjects. Another goal for me is to not forgetting to add the academic vocabulary words into my blog. 

       

Of Mice and Men

In John Stienbecks novel “Of Mice and Men” Two middle aged men named Lennie and George are migrant workers traveling together. The encounter countless problems with workers on the farm, each other, and even themselves. Lennie has a mental illness that attracts trouble for them everywhere they go. George and Lennie’s goal was go earn enough money to start up their own farm, but their plans are complicated by many roadblocks.

The central conflict in Of Mice and Men is character vs. self. Lennie’s mental illness keeps him from fully interacting with people and understanding right from wrong, causing trouble for himself and everyone around him.

Lennie causes mischief for George all the time. George acts as a babysitter, 24/7. Trouble follows Lennie everywhere and his mental illness acts like a second personality that is on autopilot. Lennie forgets most of the things George tells him. When George tells Lennie not to tell anyone about their plan to buy a piece of land, Lennie is so excited about tending the rabbits, that he tells Crooks all about it. Another time is when George has to always take animals like mice away from Lennie. Lennie doesn't remember half the things he's done, so its like he wakes up from a dream every time he's done something bad.

”Voices were approaching from outside. George said, Don’t tell nobody about it. jus’ us three an’ nobody else.” Is what George told Lennie and Candy after telling them about their plan to buy a piece of land. “Lennie said quietly, “ “It ain’t a no lie. We’re gonna do it.Gonna get a little place an’ live on the fatta the lan.” That was Lennie telling Crooks about their plan about starting up a farm, the thing George specifically told Lennie NOT to do.

Lennie also has this obsession with petting soft things, which leads him to his death at the end of the story. Lennie has killed countless animals just by petting them. His mental illness tells him that he needs to pet something all the time to keep calm and feel good. I think by petting something soft his brain calms down and causes Lennie to feel comforted. Lennie needs to pet something so that he doesn't freak, just like a baby needs a pacifier when he/she is about to cry. Lennie starts out with petting mice, he kills it because he’s too strong, then he gets a pup, he kills it because it was too small.

                  “When I’m doin’ my hair sometimes I jus’ set an’ stroke it ‘cause it’s so soft.” “ She took Lennie’s hand and put it on her head. Feel right aroun’ there an’ see how soft it is. Lennie’s big fingers fell to stroking her hair. Lennie said, Oh! That’s nice, and he stroked harder. Oh, that’s nice. “Look out, not, you’ll muss it. And then she cried angrily you stop it now, you’ll muss it all up. She jerked her head sideways and Lennie’s fingers closed on her hair and hung on.Let go,s he cried. You let go! Lennie was as in a panic. His face contoured. She screamed then, and Lennie’s other hand closed over her mouth and nose. Please don’t he begged. She struggled violently under his hands. Her feet battered on the hay ad she withered to be free; and Lennie began to cry with fright. He shook her then, and he was angry with her. Don’t you go yellin’, he said. And then he shook her and hr body flopped like a fish. And then she was still for Lennie had broken her neck.”

Near the end of the story Curley’s wife tells Linnie to feel her hair. He touches her hair and his mental illness wants to keep touching it because hes never felt anything as soft. Curley's wife then tell him to stop, but Lennie pulls her hair, she starts to scream and Lennie starts to freak, he covers her mouth with his giant hand suffocating her, then he accidentally snaps her neck by shaking her killing her instantly.  This obsession with petting soft things  ultimately leads to his own death.

At the end of the story Lennie hallucinates. This was his real inner personality taking control and telling his illness that it really messed up. Lennie's mental illness was a second personality that was a little kid and bullied the real Lennie. When he hallucinates the real Lennie argues with his mental illness and reflects on all the bad things hes done. When he finally sees George he wakes up from his hallucination, Lennie's mental illness takes control. He then tells George to give him hell.

“Lennie said, “Geroge.” “Yeah?” Ain’t you gonna give me hell. sure like you always done before. Like, if I di’nt have you I’d take my fifty bucks. “Jesus Christ Lennie! you Can’t remember nothin that happens but you remember ever’ word I say. After George goes through his usual lecture Lennie says “And I get to tend the rabbits.” “an’ you get to tend the rabbits.” Lennie giggled with happiness.

His mental illness probably thinks that when George gives him hell, it is his consequence and that everything will be better once he is punished. When this happens Lennie is basically forgiving himself because he took his punishment and now there is nothing wrong.

In conclusion Lennie mental illness creates lots of unnecessary problems for the people around him, but mostly hiself. If his mental illness was not present then all the trouble would be gone and everything might have gone according to plan. George, Lennie, and Candy would have their farm and everything would be alright, but that's only if Lennie didn’t have his mental illiness.

Response to Leon Liang

I found this post on Leon Liang's Blog

At first, everything was easy and the amount of homework was not much, but as the year progresses, each of the teachers taught more and things got harder to understand. The amount of homework also increased; the average homework ASTI underclassmen have to do each night is about five to six hours of homework. If I haven’t applied to ASTI and went to Encinal High School, I think I would still be that lazy procrastinator back in middle school, copying homework from friends or finishing homework during passing period.

      I agree with Leon, ASTI is pretty raw. In middle school, I barely payed attention, I spent about thirty minutes a day doing homework and the other four hours watching tv, hanging out, eating, and playing sports. During tests, it was so easy to cheat. I would never study. I still barely study, I look at the main terms and then I'm done. When I came to ASTI I set a goal for myself. I promised myself that I was going to get a 4.0 at least once. So far ASTI is not so challenging. I get home at around 6:30 and start me homework aroung 7. I usually finish around 9 or 10. I also do some of my homework at the library. If I went to Encinal I would be off task and my friends would be such a distraction. Everyday I would probally hang out with them and not do my homework. At ASTI I feel like I'm achually accomplishing something rather than being forced to do it. I was not forced to come here, I made a choice and this choice is going to change my life because I said so, and everything I say is right.
      My homework load so far is not that bad. I am very organized and manage my time wisely. My concentration level might need to be raised a little, but that is fairly easy to do. My academic knowledge is pretty diverse I still remember what I learned in 6th grade science and history so it is easier for me to take tests in Biology and History. ASTI is the best school I have ever been to. Yay go ASTI. I hope this is at least 350 words cause I am not going to check.

I feel horrible

      Ughhh I don't even know why, but for about the last four days, I've been feeling horrible. I've had a headache some days, stomach aches here and there throughout the day, my pinky toe still hurts, and I have a bug bite that is really just pissing me off.
      I really don't think the headaches are from homework, it might be from looking at the computer screen or my itouch for too long. Today I don't have a headache, but I feel like I can't remember half the stuff I did in math. I basically just did the stuff I know and skipped the stuff that seemed hard. I don't know, but I think I'm getting lazy. I'm not sick because my immune system is beast and I don't get sick. An alternative explanation might be that I'm out of shape and I'm getting fat.
      The stomaches feel like theres a rock or something in there. Sometime it will hurt, and sometimes it will not. It might indicate that I need to eat less food because I eat about 3000 calories a day. Yea, I'm fat, I know.
      My pinky toe hurts because, one, I broke it, two, i sprained it. I kicked my brothers foot and heard a loud snapping sound, I fell down and said oww for about five minutes and got back up. It hurt. This happed last week. My toe still hurts. Now using my logic I predict that my fricken toe is sprained.
      I have lots of problems, but I have planed my scheme. I will go to the doctor. This is significant because the doctor will tell me what to do to fell better. The doctor is smart and has a computer full of big words to describe symptoms like psychotherapeutics, whats the point of that. Its stupid and just confuses the patient. The place I go to to see the doctors is Kaiser Permanente. I just moved to Pinole so I have not been there yet. I hope the doctors there are nice and will take good care of me. Owww my stomach hurts, ugh this is not the best day. Out of my entire time here at ASTI, so far today is one of the worst. Ohh well, there are going to be better more funner times in the future. Ok I'm done bye.  <-----Yay 392 words

Movie Night

      Movie night was probably the most fun I've had at ASTI this year. The diversity of the fun was awesome. It started after school. A whole bunch of the freshman met up after school. We all went to McDonalds. While we were walking there Melissa and Ivan decided to take the bus because they were really lazy. It was Ebone, Karisa, Shannon, and Me walking. While we were walking down Webster, Tony decided to throw leaves at some little kids that weren't looking. HAHAHAHA they got super mad and started to follow us with their dead-leg walk and with their pants on the ground. This was really funny, I think they were talking smack about about me, and wanted to fight me. Hehe this was so funny. After that we got to McDonalds. I ate 20 McNuggets. Then half of us took the bus and the other half walked back to ASTI. When we got back to ASTI we met up with Stan, Troy and Cameron. We all went onto the roof and did stuff. Later we went to the beachers on the field and played truth or dare. It was all dare. After that we went to see the movie
      The movie night itself was very disorganized. The total duration of it was about four hours. After fifteen minutes of a unique lecture Jasmine, the movie started. After about 10 minutes into "without a paddle" out whole group left and went to hang out next to the weight room. We played some more dare or dare there. It was pretty fun. After that we went to the roof and hung out. A lot of people there started getting cold and we all ended up sitting on top of each other. We took lots of pictures and did other stuff. Then Melissa wanted to go back and watch the scary movie, no one else wanted to go so I went back with her. While we were watching the movie I kept scaring her and Shannon by just touching them. There would be a Scary scene and I would just like poke them and they would jump through the roof. At one point MR told me to scream. Lets just say everyone in the room went up....then caused an earthquake. Shannon went back to the roof after a while. Then after about 10 mins I left too. Leaving Melissa with a special someone. Later Melissa and 2 other people came to the roof. Everyone was still cold, laying on top of each other. There were a lot of people there. Some juniors and sophmores were there too. We had lots of fun.
      Yesterday felt like a bonding day. It was actually better than a bonding day cause it felt like I really bonded with people. The duration of movie night was four hours, I spent about 20 mins watching a movie. The other 220 minutes I spent hanging out with friends and having fun.


                                                                                

Qfwfg

Q’s defining characteristc is that he constantly wants other people to try new things, but he wont try new things himself. He also goes back and forth between prideful arrogance and shameful embarrassment. 
    “We had made various attempts to get him up on land with us”

Q is always trying trying to make his uncle come up on land with him, but when his uncle tries to convince q to go back to the water, he doesn’t want to. Its basically the same thing for uncle N’ba N’ga he won’t go onto land and leave water because he loves it there and its his home. Hes been living there for for all of his life, why in the world would he leave his some to go to a place that was alien to him. Q also says that uncle N’ba N’ga is afraid of change, but everything that Q says about his uncle contradicts what he wants him to do. He wants his uncle to go onto land and live with the rest of the family, but Uncle N'be N'ga wants Q to come live with him. Its a contradiction.

“For millennia I had been used to striking terror all around me, and to felling terror of the others’ reactions to the terror I aroused. None of that now. “Hey You!” They came over to me casually, neither hostile or frightened.”

A million years ago Q was a terrifying Dinosaur. He scared other dinosaurs and probally was a big mean bully. I think that Q might have been a Brachiosauraus, one of those long necked dinosaurs that eat leaves on trees. They were about as big as twenty elephants. Now, Q is scared of the other animals that live there. He is very timid and thinks that they know he is a dinosaur and want to kill him. He is not used to the fact that now, animals just go up to him and say “Hey You”, like hes any other animal. The Animals there now are not scared of him. They think of him as any other animal that roamed the environment at that time. They acted normal around dino Q even though he is a huge Dinosaur.

“And what do you think you’ll do, all alone with an old fish; marry him, be a fish again with him. And bring still more fish into the world. Good-by

Q doesn’t get the point that Lll really likes his uncle and wants to hang out and get to know him. Q constantly feels that Lll really likes being a land animal, but he doesn’t understand what she wants. Lll desperately want to learn how to swim and be with his uncle. Q is also very angry with his uncle. He can’t understand why a land creature would want to go back to the old ways of swimming and living under water. I think these make Q a very special character in all the stories.

Response to Ebone Qualls Post

Ebone told me to write about her blog, so yea, im guunna write about it. When we got to Hilltop Mall, we went to Macy's and I got a green shirt with rhinestones on it and a white,pink,and orange Rocawear shirt with gold rhinestones on it. Then we walked through the mall and we went into this store called 5-7-9. Out of there, I got these low-cut, stiletto leather boots I've been wanting for a while.       I think girls go shopping too much. Whenever im with Ebone and her friends. All she talks about is Trey Songz, Ben J, and clothes. First of all Trey Songz is not your husband. Hes old enough to be your dad Ebone. Im not trying to be mean, but everytime im with her. It's OMG TREY SONGZ OMG THAS MY HUSBAND, TREY SONGZ TREY SONGZ, TREY SONGZ IS SO SEXY, TREY SONGZ !!!!!!! OMG CLOTHES. Hey Ben j is cute too.       Do girls buy a whole bunch of clothes so they can impress Trey Songz I mean yea I do that, I totally go to the mall trying on clothes and thinking if Trey Songz thinks my outfit is "cute". As I am writing this blog post, Ebone is looking at pictures of Trey Songz right next to me. She is talking about how nice Trey Songz's body is or something like that. She is asking me if I want to see his body. NO Ebone I don't want to see shirtless guys. I have evidence that Trey Songz is too old for Ebone. Trey Songz is 25, Ebone is 14. Thats like a 11 years difference. I predict that Ebone is talking about Trey Songz right now, and still will be when I'm done writing this. Ughhh       Although Ebone will not achieve the name Ms.Songz, her effort is adequate. I hope the Songz administration read this post and agree with me. Even though I respect Ebone and Trey Songz I don't really see the chemistry there.I mean Trey Songz is a rich singer and is known by everyone, Ebone is a highschooler. Ok there are like 1000 rich singers in America and there are like what 12093300 highschool girls in the world. The chances of Trey Songz falling in love with one of those girls are 1 to 12093300 or very slim. Ebone im not trying to destory your dreams of marrying Trey Songz but yea you wanted me to respond to your blog post. Love u Ebone

Response to Rockstar's post

   This is a quote from Rokhsor Yusufi's Blog. 

I hate thieves and people who are always in my business. When somebody leaves something around, it means, they lost or forgot it. For starters, no one has a right in hell to go through it or to examine it or whatever else people do. It should be put somewhere out of reach until someone claims it. However, stealing is a way worse situation. Why do people steal and try to hide behind lies? I have recently gone through a stealing incident and it literally put out my blood on fire. I felt myself heat up as if I was on a burning skillet.

      I totally agree with Rokhsor, stealing and lying about who stole whatever it was, is one of the worst things someone could do to you. Stealing is one of the three things I absolutely hate the most. One reason is because the object the the person stole might have sentimental value to you. It could be worth two dollars to someone else, while it's worth a million to you. Another reason is when you don't know someone stole something from you. It wastes a bunch of time because you would think that you'd misplaced it. You would probally spend countless hours searching for something that was stolen.
      Stealing is one of the worst things you could do to someone. I hate people who steal, and I would beat the crap out of the person if I had ever found out who it was. I sometimes will take things from people and ask them where their pen was or something, but I would give it back right away. I only do this to some of my friends just to play around, but if people are stealing for their own benefit, then that is something they should get their ass beat for. Mind your own business, and don't steal, cause I'm going  hunt you down and throw you in a garbage.
       Some people steal because they want to be cool. Stealing is an issue that lots of people face. Some people steal because of financial reasons, some steal to be cool. No matter the reason, stealing is not right and there will be consequences. Its called Karma, it will come back to you in the future. If you really want to steal, go get a job with the federal some thing investigators (FBI) they steal your info, money, and all sorts of other stuff without you knowing. Other than that you shouldn't steal. Ok? :)

Emotions: Anger

      There are ways to know how someone is feeling by paying close attention to their facial expressions and body gestures. I will start with anger. Anger is very dangerous thing and in my opinion is the most destructive out of all the emotions. In my perspective, anger can be triggered in lots of ways and is different for everyone. Personally the things that will anger me the most are lying, stealing, and bullying people that never bother you. If someone  lies to me, steals from me,bullies one of my friends, or someone that is just minding their own buisness, then I WILL BE SUPER PISSED OFF. I will get very very very angry and beat the crap out of the person. The key elements of anger are kind of like a fire, it has to be triggered, needs a fuel source, and oxygen to feed the anger. When someone is angry they have a  widespread amount of adrenalin and it very dangerous when you are around them. An example of slight anger is when  Rokhsor Yufusi went up to debate. In this debate she had the slightest bit of anger. She basically was happy the whole time, and was only angry about 2-3 times and it was only slight anger. Imagine how angry she would be at full blast! Don't worry rockstar im not making fun of you in any way. It helps to know the person , so you will be better at telling weather the person is angry or not.
      There are three basic components to anger on a person's face. The eyelids, eyebrows, and a persons mouth. Everything that I'm saying here is by Paul Ekman, he developed the science of reading facial expressions and published it in the book Emotions Revealed  When someone has "slight anger, the lower and upper eyelids are tightened." This is a variable and depends on the situation, the person might be squinting or concentrating on something. This is why knowing the situation the person is in,can be very helpful "When the eyebrows are slightly lowered and drawn together, with the lower eyelids slightly tensed, it means the person is slightly angered.""If the upper eyelids are raised, its a glare","When that glare is combined with the lowered eyebrows and tensed lower eyelids, then thats a clear sign of anger". Thats when you know you've pissed someone off. "When someone is angry, their jaw is often thrust forward", "another sign of anger is when the persons lips are pressed together tightly with a slight tensing of the lower eyelids, it could be slight anger that is just beginning.""Narrowing of the lips is a very reliable sign of anger." Some of the quotes here might be confusing but these pictures should help.

In this picture President Obama is angry. Notice how his eyebrows are lowered and brought in together making a reflection of the letter C. His eyelids are tensed, therefore making him look like he is squinting. His lips are pressed together creating those two curves that look like parenthesis ( ). As you can see he is very pissed off at something. This is what true anger looks like. Hope that clears everything up.

Emotions

    Emotions appear in everyday life, they can change the way people act and react to things. There are lots of emotions, but the main ones are happiness, sadness, anger, being scared, and being surprised. There are ways people can tell what other people are feeling by paying close attention to their facial expressions. There are three types of facial expressions a "slight expression", "partial expression", and a "micro expression" (Emotions revealed pg 261) Most of what I know is from the book Emotions Revealed by Paul Ekman. Theres a chart on pg261 in the link that basically defines the quoted words above.
   Trying to read peoples faces is really challenging and can give you headaches. I've tried to look at someones face and see what they are feeling (happy,sad, etc) but it doesn't just work like that. Mr.Fargher is one of those teachers that are fairly easy to interpret or read, whatever you call it. In the beginning of the school year he was very happy and filled with lots of energy. Now he has lots of sadness, surprise, and anger all over his face. I think it might be related to the fact that he has to do a whole bunch of tests and stuff for multiple scrosis. Sutherland is very relaxed and his overall stress is very low. There was that day when he first switched periods with corbally and he was just soo stressed out and I think was surprised a little. Mr.Sousa is always calm and happy. Ms.Corbally is usually calm and happy with a side order anger. Mr.Higashi has recently been a little sad but is usually calm and happy. Umm I think thats all, not everything I say is absolutely true cause I basically kinda suck at looking at people and just knowing what they feel. How is this not more than 350 words ughhh
    Another important thing about reading people, is the situation. No, not Jersery Shore the situation the people are in. If you see someone that is showing sadness in their face, and they just won a million dollars, then either 1.your not very good at reading emotions 2.The person that won the million dollars might express excitement in a different way. People can release emotions in many different ways, so knowing the situation the person is in can greatly help with knowing what the person is feeling. Sometimes people will have a conflict and when that happens, anger is usually written all over their faces. I really want to terminate the adding of the academic vocabulary.

Academic Word List

Compound
Aware
Aspect
Mechanism
Derive
Scheme
Insight
Initiative
Intervention
Reluctant

MR.SUTHERLAND!!!

If I post 5-6 blog posts in one week, will the rest of the posts count for the next week. Im going to write about emotions, it going to be pretty long so should i do it in sections?

Response to Fermin's Rock Music

There are sometimes when I’m hearing rock music, I feel so passionate that I visualize my self playing with the bands that I listen to. I just listen to some rock to calm me down.  -Fermin Carrea

   Fermin absolutely loves rock music, its his favorite thing to listen to. I also love rock music. It's the second most favorite genre of mine, right behind R&B. I also listen to a whole bunch of rock. Bands like Muse and Linkin Park are my favorite. I totally understand what Fermin is saying when he visualizes himself playing or singing with the band. I do that all the time. I will get so into the music that I start singing along as if I were there or playing along with the band.
   Its important to feel passionate about something you love to do. If you don't have passion toward something you love, then why love it in the first place? Hey maybe someday Fermin will be so passionate about rock that her will start a band of his own. When your passionate about something, you visualize it happening. Its like my passion toward berries. I'm so passionate toward them that i will think about them all the time, and have drool on my shirt because im dreaming im eating them.
    Sometimes when people are having hard times, they put on some music that they love. Like Fermin i also do this. When i am stressed out I go to my room, lay down, and just listen to a whole bunch of music that i like until i feel better. Its a great way to not get in trouble. instead of punching a hole in your wall you could listen to some of your favorite music.
   Music is very special, it comes in many forms and is listened all throughout the world. People everywhere in the world listen to different types of music. Music keeps the world together. Music has a great impact on people. It can make a person very mad, sad , angry, happy. It can trigger just about every emotion that a human can experience. In Fermine's case it helps him calm down and causes him to be passionate about something. Rock is Fermin's best friend, it will always be there to help him through hard times, and he will always love it.

I like raspberries

     I think that raspberries are one of the best fruits on earth. I like raspberries because of the luscious, indescribable taste. I hardly ever get to eat it too, so that may be another reason I like it so much. I LOVE ALL BERRIES, but I think I've had too many boxes of blueberries, strawberries, and too many blackberries from wild bushes. Raspberries on the other hand, I only get when my mom gives me money for the farmers market. I sprint around looking at all the stands and see which farmer sells the biggest most tasty looking raspberries that are a decent price. Oh wait.... did I forget to mention that I love raspberries? Its just something about those tangy red berries.
    Raspberries also have the coolest pattern in their body. The body of the raspberry is made up of 34-48 tiny individual balls that are stuck together. You can pick off each individual raspberry and eat it like that if you want. Raspberries have giant holes on the bottom so you can stick them on top of your finger and then eat them off your fingers. Another way to eat them is covering the raspberry in whipped cream. This will give them a sweeter taste. Raspberries can be eaten in many different ways, but its up to you which way.
    Another reason why I absolutely love raspberries is because they are the best dessert or breakfast. If you are eating plain old boring ice cream, and is wondering what you could put in to make it better, then go to the nearest grocery store and purchase a 8ounce raspberry case. Raspberries go with just about anything, if your making cheesecake you could put a raspberry on it as an accent to make it look better, or just to make it taste better. If you are eating cereal in the morning and want it to be more awesome, then put a couple of raspberries in there and you will taste the awesomeness of the raspberry on you tongue. Your taste buds will go crazy. Mmm raspberries so yummy. Another reason raspberries are the best is because I say so, therefore I am right and everybody should listen to me. I think I've given my statement and proven my point so there, raspberries are the best and I LOVE RASPBERRIES!!!