In what way(s) have you surprised yourself this semester on your blog? Have you tried topics you didn't think you'd write about? Approached a familiar topic from an unfamiliar angle? Discovered more "depth" to a topic than you first thought was possible? Explain.
I wouldn't say my writing has necessarily improved very much over this course of this year, but I'd say I have chosen to write about topics I wouldn't normally have thought of expanding my thoughts on. Some of these topics may have been assigned to me, but I still enjoyed writing about them in the long run. For example, never in a million years would I have considered putting my cousin Catherine's story on the internet for the whole world to see, but I did it anyways. Looking back on it now, I really don't know why I decided to blog about it, but now I'm glad I did because I feel like I have come to terms with it and her death would not be in vain.
Last semester, I said that I should write about things more unfamiliar to me because I was staying in my comfort zone way too much. I feel like I did that this semester, to some extent. In my blog about human nature and massacres, I talked about how it is in everyone's instincts to want to kill, and have power over others. Humans are, in fact, animals. In this post, I pushed myself to think outside the box and to write about the topic more in depth.
Other topics I wrote about are somewhat closer to home, but I still wrote about them more in depth than I normally would have. In our blog about love, writing about the rules of love really made me think about who got to make the rules that are 'socially acceptable'. Blogging more in depth about common topics really gives me a better sense of knowing what I'm writing about (if that makes any sense) so that I have a lot to say and a much lower probability of getting writer's block.
How do you like having a blog? How has blogging changed the way you write, the way you think, or the way you think about writing? * For the second semester only: Do you plan on continuing to publish writing on your blog this summer, next year, or beyond? If so, what are your writing goals and how will you use your blog in the future?
I really like having a blog. I think that once I started thinking of blogging as a way to express myself rather than homework or an assignment, I started to really enjoy it. I wasn't in this class when we all made our blogs and started the first few posts, but I feel like I understand the point of blogging. The fact that the blog posts are due weekly also pushes me to constantly be thinking about the aspects of my life that I want to write about. I mean, it's not like I am one of those people who constantly thinks about what they could write next and how they're going to write it, but I think blogging has helped me realize that writing doesn't always have to be a chore.
Blogging has also helped me outside of the classroom. When I come across something during the day that really speaks to me, whether it be a song, a picture, or simply just an outstanding memory, thinking of how I could blog about it can help me think more in depth about it. Plus, it feels good to be able to write about almost anything I want, allowing myself to express how I'm feeling that certain day or even that week.
But a lot of my blogs are sloppy and frankly, written in almost a childish way. Most of the time, I look at my blog posts as quickwrites. I just keep writing about my chosen topic until I feel like it is finished. This may not be the best method of blogging when it counts for a grade, but I think I will try to improve my organization during the second semester, as well as what I talked about in question #6 (above) about writing about topics outside of my normal comfort zone.
I will definitely try to keep my blog going for as long as I can just to express thoughts my on things. I won't necessarily have writing goals, but I would like it to be something I can express myself on whether it be through writing, music, pictures, or quotes. I also might transfer it onto a tumblr because it is much more popular with my age group nowadays, and I would be able to find more people with similar thoughts or ideas.
What have you learned from your struggles with writer's block? Why do you tend to get stuck? How do you tend to get unstuck? Notice any patterns?
I think I'd have to say I'm someone who constantly get's writer's block, but I don't know if I would call it writer's block as much as it is being distracted. Sometimes it really IS writer's block though. Last semester, I said that the best way to beat writer's block is to take breaks in between writing to find things that inspire you to write more, but I have found that these 'breaks' are SUPER time-consuming. You wind up getting a little bit TOO sidetracked and losing track of time. Before you know it, it could be 11:00pm and you have 3 sentences written because you decided to take a '10 minute facebook break' that turned into a '3 hour facebook break'.
This semester, I have found that the best way to beat writer's block AND to keep from getting distracted is to eliminate distractions by choosing topics that you feel passionately about. For example, my final blog post about my pet peeves was really easy to write because it was so easy to explain the things that irked me. You can see this trend throughout most of my posts this semester, like the one about my family members and my trip to Italy this spring break (which is still have yet to finish writing about).
Following up on the first question, I think that blogging and writing about topics that I am comfortable with makes it much easier to keep the flow of writing going. If you have a lot to say about a topic, it's easy just to let them all spill onto paper (or in this case, your blog). In doing this, writer's block could be completely eliminated if you're smart about your writing. I mean, distractions could still be there, but that's a matter of self-control and I have no remedies for that other than becoming mentally tougher for the sake of time and the quality of your writing.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
The Tenth Circle Monthly Review
The Tenth Circle is a novel by Jodi Picoult that tells the story of the Stone family. The story is set in the small town of Bethel, Maine. Daniel Stone is a comic book illustrator and his wife Laura is a college professor. Their daughter Trixie is a pretty and popular freshman at her high school, where her boyfriend Jason Underhill is easily one of the most popular boys.
A series of significant events takes place in this story. When Jason breaks up with Trixie, she is heartbroken. She even turns to self-mutilation (cutting herself). Laura is cheating on Daniel with one of her students, but she ended it. Trixie went to a party at her best friend Zephyr's house, where she says she was raped by Jason.
Daniel, who loves Trixie more than anything else in the world, is frantic because someone raped his daughter. I wrote more about this part of the book in my lit circle letter here. He is also extremely angry at Laura, who wasn't there for Trixie when she needed her the most. Instead, she was with her paramour that night, ending the affair.
Of course, Jason completely denies raping Trixie, saying it was consensual. The whole town of Bethel sides with Jason because he is the star hockey player at Bethel High School and in their town, hockey is the biggest sport. The detective investigating the rape, Mike Batholomew, understands Daniel's pain as a father because he lost his daughter in a car accident and was oblivious to her drug use until she was dead. Both fathers felt extremely guilty for not being able to protect their daughters.
A few weeks after Trixie returns to school, a topless picture of her from the night of the rape gets out. She tries to kill herself in the bathroom, but her mother finds her just in time. This becomes the last straw for Daniel, and he kidnaps Jason Underhill and nearly kills him.
After Trixie's suicide attempt, things spin out of control. Jason ends up falling off of a bridge. At first it was believed that he committed suicide, but evidence came up that linked Trixie to the scene of the crime. Trixie runs away to the Alaskan village that her father grew up in and eventually ran away from. I won't give away the ending to this book so I'll just get on answering a couple of these questions!
Pick a character that interested you and write about them in depth. You can also analyze a relationship between two different characters.
For this question, I have decided to choose two characters to analyze because I really can't analyze one without analyzing the other. In the book, they work as a team even in their darkest hour. Of course, I am talking about Daniel and Laura Stone, the parents of Trixie.
One would think that Trixie, being the rape victim, would be the main character of the story, but in my opinion, her parents play a much bigger role in the plot. Daniel is my favorite character. He has a mysterious past as a stereotypical "bad boy", being involved in drugs, alcohol, and violence. To go from that to a doting, mild-mannered, tactful suburban father is completely amazing. Daniel grew up as the only white kid in a small Alaskan village, where he was an outcast. After he fled to Bethel, he settled down for the love of his life, Laura. Ironically, him changing his ways is ultimately what drove Laura away from him.
Laura is a college professor at Monroe College, where her class about hell is very popular. Her class is based on Dante's Inferno, which describes the nine circles of hell. The book is called The Tenth Circle because Laura came up with a part of hell that was reserved for people who committed the worst sin of all: lying to themselves. This idea really sums up a lot of the book.
Laura's affair puts an obvious strain on her marriage to Daniel. They struggle with it because they obviously can't put their problems first during Trixie's time of need. Laura feels extremely guilty about everything while Daniel keeps everything bottled in because once he gets mad, he loses control and winds up turning back into the "animal" he was before.
There are so many unspoken aspects of Daniel and Laura's marriage that prove that they really were meant for each other, and maybe staying together through this time of turmoil is what made them realize that they really always needed each other.
If you've read other books by this same author, how does this one compare? (You don't need to decide which one is better, although you can.)
The last lit circle book that I read, My Sister's Keeper, was also written by the same author, Jodi Picoult. Both books are written extremely well, with intricate plots and characters with a lot of depth. Also, in both books, you really get a sense of each character's personalities and their perspectives. Here's the Monthly review that I wrote for My Sister's Keeper.
I feel that My Sister's Keeper is somewhat more organized than The Tenth Circle, only because the perspectives and stories from each character are all put in the section that tells the story from their perspective. The Tenth Circle is told from a third-person perspective at all times, so it may get confusing when each character recalls a memory when a different character just was being portrayed in the text.
Although My Sister's Keeper may be more organized, both books have amazingly written plots about dysfunctional families. Both stories also keep the reader satisfied with just the right amount of drama and suspense. In all honesty, I like My Sister's Keeper better because there is a lot more substance and the plot branches out a lot more. There is a main conflict, but there are also much more internal conflicts going on within the characters than in The Tenth Circle.A series of significant events takes place in this story. When Jason breaks up with Trixie, she is heartbroken. She even turns to self-mutilation (cutting herself). Laura is cheating on Daniel with one of her students, but she ended it. Trixie went to a party at her best friend Zephyr's house, where she says she was raped by Jason.
Daniel, who loves Trixie more than anything else in the world, is frantic because someone raped his daughter. I wrote more about this part of the book in my lit circle letter here. He is also extremely angry at Laura, who wasn't there for Trixie when she needed her the most. Instead, she was with her paramour that night, ending the affair.
Of course, Jason completely denies raping Trixie, saying it was consensual. The whole town of Bethel sides with Jason because he is the star hockey player at Bethel High School and in their town, hockey is the biggest sport. The detective investigating the rape, Mike Batholomew, understands Daniel's pain as a father because he lost his daughter in a car accident and was oblivious to her drug use until she was dead. Both fathers felt extremely guilty for not being able to protect their daughters.
A few weeks after Trixie returns to school, a topless picture of her from the night of the rape gets out. She tries to kill herself in the bathroom, but her mother finds her just in time. This becomes the last straw for Daniel, and he kidnaps Jason Underhill and nearly kills him.
After Trixie's suicide attempt, things spin out of control. Jason ends up falling off of a bridge. At first it was believed that he committed suicide, but evidence came up that linked Trixie to the scene of the crime. Trixie runs away to the Alaskan village that her father grew up in and eventually ran away from. I won't give away the ending to this book so I'll just get on answering a couple of these questions!
Pick a character that interested you and write about them in depth. You can also analyze a relationship between two different characters.
For this question, I have decided to choose two characters to analyze because I really can't analyze one without analyzing the other. In the book, they work as a team even in their darkest hour. Of course, I am talking about Daniel and Laura Stone, the parents of Trixie.
One would think that Trixie, being the rape victim, would be the main character of the story, but in my opinion, her parents play a much bigger role in the plot. Daniel is my favorite character. He has a mysterious past as a stereotypical "bad boy", being involved in drugs, alcohol, and violence. To go from that to a doting, mild-mannered, tactful suburban father is completely amazing. Daniel grew up as the only white kid in a small Alaskan village, where he was an outcast. After he fled to Bethel, he settled down for the love of his life, Laura. Ironically, him changing his ways is ultimately what drove Laura away from him.
Laura is a college professor at Monroe College, where her class about hell is very popular. Her class is based on Dante's Inferno, which describes the nine circles of hell. The book is called The Tenth Circle because Laura came up with a part of hell that was reserved for people who committed the worst sin of all: lying to themselves. This idea really sums up a lot of the book.
Laura's affair puts an obvious strain on her marriage to Daniel. They struggle with it because they obviously can't put their problems first during Trixie's time of need. Laura feels extremely guilty about everything while Daniel keeps everything bottled in because once he gets mad, he loses control and winds up turning back into the "animal" he was before.
There are so many unspoken aspects of Daniel and Laura's marriage that prove that they really were meant for each other, and maybe staying together through this time of turmoil is what made them realize that they really always needed each other.
If you've read other books by this same author, how does this one compare? (You don't need to decide which one is better, although you can.)
The last lit circle book that I read, My Sister's Keeper, was also written by the same author, Jodi Picoult. Both books are written extremely well, with intricate plots and characters with a lot of depth. Also, in both books, you really get a sense of each character's personalities and their perspectives. Here's the Monthly review that I wrote for My Sister's Keeper.
I feel that My Sister's Keeper is somewhat more organized than The Tenth Circle, only because the perspectives and stories from each character are all put in the section that tells the story from their perspective. The Tenth Circle is told from a third-person perspective at all times, so it may get confusing when each character recalls a memory when a different character just was being portrayed in the text.
The Tenth Circle is still a good book, but it doesn't evoke the same emotion that reading My Sister's Keeper does. Reading My Sister's Keeper puts questions of ethics into one's head that any other regular novel like The Tenth Circle could never do. Reading The Tenth Circle, I felt sympathetic to the pain that the Stone family went through, but the issues of that the Fitzgerald family faced seemed so much more significant than those of the Stone Family. Nevertheless, The Tenth Circle is still a wonderful book I would highly recommend.
Friday, May 21, 2010
pet peeves?
i get really annoyed really easily, it's one of my best qualities :) NOT. haha but here is a list (that has been cut down A LOT) of some things that piss me off.
1. people who chew obnoxiously.
why do people feel the need to chew with their mouth open and/or super loudly? you are disgusting, and you have no manners. no one wants to hear you tearing your food apart with your teef. leave.
2. ignorance towards asians.
this one is especially pet-peevey because it always happens and it is completely avoidable. examples of this type of ignorance are as follows -
a) 'all asians look the same' ARE YOU KIDDING ME. i admit some may looks similar but making a stupid generalization like that just makes you sound like an idiot. that's like if i said all black people look the same, and they definitely do not.
b) 'whatever, you guys are all asian, you guys are all the same thing' there is no explanation for this needed. it's basically the same exact one of a.
c) 'ching-chong' no asian race says these words or anything remotely close to them. the fact that people think that they do is completely off-base. if you wanted to imitate asians and you say something along the lines of "ching chong", you end up looking like a ruhtard and youd probably get jumped by some triad homies.
d) 'go back to china' i hear this a lot, especially towards people who aren't even from china. this is probably the comment that pisses me off the most. this is extremely disrespectful and just outta pocket in general. rude beyond belief, and you'd most def get GASSED by some triad homies.
e) i could go on and on, but i shall stop here to further explain my pet peeves.
3. obnoxious attention whores.
this would be directed to someone specifically but yeah. why do some people go around thinking that everyone cares SO MUCH about their loves? they put all their personal shit out there for everyone to know and then make a big fuss about it afterwards. and the thing is, everyone knows that you're doing it for attention. what the fuck is the point? you just end up looking like a dumbass. stop embarrassing yourself and your so-called friends.
4. certain people who think they are adorable when they are grimy
speaks for itself.
5. bad drivers.
if you KNOW you're a bad driver, take public transportation. if you KNOW you're a slow driver, get the fuck outa the fast lane so you're not holding everyone up. simple as that.
6. rude/disrespectful people
i see so many people disrespecting others, its ridiculous. the worst is when adults disrespect teenagers because they think we are stupid and they expect/demand respect from us. it's an eye for an eye, you give respect to get it back. if you don't know how to be respectful, no one's going to respect you back so get the fuck outta here!
well i am done ranting for now, and i probably won't get around to thinking of more things that piss me off but yeah, au revoir
1. people who chew obnoxiously.
why do people feel the need to chew with their mouth open and/or super loudly? you are disgusting, and you have no manners. no one wants to hear you tearing your food apart with your teef. leave.
2. ignorance towards asians.
this one is especially pet-peevey because it always happens and it is completely avoidable. examples of this type of ignorance are as follows -
a) 'all asians look the same' ARE YOU KIDDING ME. i admit some may looks similar but making a stupid generalization like that just makes you sound like an idiot. that's like if i said all black people look the same, and they definitely do not.
b) 'whatever, you guys are all asian, you guys are all the same thing' there is no explanation for this needed. it's basically the same exact one of a.
c) 'ching-chong' no asian race says these words or anything remotely close to them. the fact that people think that they do is completely off-base. if you wanted to imitate asians and you say something along the lines of "ching chong", you end up looking like a ruhtard and youd probably get jumped by some triad homies.
d) 'go back to china' i hear this a lot, especially towards people who aren't even from china. this is probably the comment that pisses me off the most. this is extremely disrespectful and just outta pocket in general. rude beyond belief, and you'd most def get GASSED by some triad homies.
e) i could go on and on, but i shall stop here to further explain my pet peeves.
3. obnoxious attention whores.
this would be directed to someone specifically but yeah. why do some people go around thinking that everyone cares SO MUCH about their loves? they put all their personal shit out there for everyone to know and then make a big fuss about it afterwards. and the thing is, everyone knows that you're doing it for attention. what the fuck is the point? you just end up looking like a dumbass. stop embarrassing yourself and your so-called friends.
4. certain people who think they are adorable when they are grimy
speaks for itself.
5. bad drivers.
if you KNOW you're a bad driver, take public transportation. if you KNOW you're a slow driver, get the fuck outa the fast lane so you're not holding everyone up. simple as that.
6. rude/disrespectful people
i see so many people disrespecting others, its ridiculous. the worst is when adults disrespect teenagers because they think we are stupid and they expect/demand respect from us. it's an eye for an eye, you give respect to get it back. if you don't know how to be respectful, no one's going to respect you back so get the fuck outta here!
well i am done ranting for now, and i probably won't get around to thinking of more things that piss me off but yeah, au revoir
Thursday, May 20, 2010
the tenth circle letter part 3
SAWP GWURL.
I always love the ending of books because they always have sooo much drama! So in the end of this book, we find out that Trixie ran away to the Alaskan village that her dad grew up in/ran away from. She meets this Alaskan boy named Willie who's quiet and nice and makes her feel safe. Daniel and Laura follow her, and Laura ends up staying with Caine's family. If ya don't remembaa, Caine was Daniel's best friend/only friend in Alaska since Daniel was the only white kid and an outsider. Caine was the one who killed himself, the one whose blood ended up on Daniel's hands.
Anyways, the ending of this book is written very well, and it keeps you hanging is suspense because it flashes back and forth between the Stones' search for their daughter and Mike, the detective, scrambling for cold hard evidence that Trixie pushed Jason off the bridge. It's kind of like a show, when they they switch between different scenes. The incriminating evidence that Daniel ends up finding is: a) The blood of a female on Jason's body; b) The bootprint that matches that of Trixie Stone's snow boots; and c) The bright red lock of hair found at the scene.
When Daniel finally finds Trixie, the truth comes out.
"She had told him her secret: that she was a liar. Not just about being a virgin and playing Rainbow... but even more. She'd never said no to Jason that night. although she'd told the DA she had. [...] But no one ever said yes to make sex consensual. You took hints from body language, from the way two people came together. Why, then, didn't a shake of the head or a hand pushing hard against a chest speak just as loudly? Why did you have to actually say the word no for it to be rape?" (pg 372)
This quote is really important to me because it starts to unravel Trixie's web of lies (<-- you likey?). It also really makes the reader think about the crime of rape. The line between sex and rape may seem like a fine one, but if you really think about it, sometimes that line is blurred.
The police also find Trixie as well, and they have a warrant out for her arrest. Naturally, Daniel and Laura come to Trixie's defense and both take the blame for Jason's death. At the end, it turns out that Laura, the mother, was the one who killed Jason Underhill. I always knew that Trixie, a child, could never be capable or murdering anyone, much less her ex-boyfriend whom she was still very much in love with.
Well I'm sad that this is our last lit circle but I'm really glad I ended with this book. It was amazing and beautifully written. :)
BYE NOW!
I always love the ending of books because they always have sooo much drama! So in the end of this book, we find out that Trixie ran away to the Alaskan village that her dad grew up in/ran away from. She meets this Alaskan boy named Willie who's quiet and nice and makes her feel safe. Daniel and Laura follow her, and Laura ends up staying with Caine's family. If ya don't remembaa, Caine was Daniel's best friend/only friend in Alaska since Daniel was the only white kid and an outsider. Caine was the one who killed himself, the one whose blood ended up on Daniel's hands.
Anyways, the ending of this book is written very well, and it keeps you hanging is suspense because it flashes back and forth between the Stones' search for their daughter and Mike, the detective, scrambling for cold hard evidence that Trixie pushed Jason off the bridge. It's kind of like a show, when they they switch between different scenes. The incriminating evidence that Daniel ends up finding is: a) The blood of a female on Jason's body; b) The bootprint that matches that of Trixie Stone's snow boots; and c) The bright red lock of hair found at the scene.
When Daniel finally finds Trixie, the truth comes out.
"She had told him her secret: that she was a liar. Not just about being a virgin and playing Rainbow... but even more. She'd never said no to Jason that night. although she'd told the DA she had. [...] But no one ever said yes to make sex consensual. You took hints from body language, from the way two people came together. Why, then, didn't a shake of the head or a hand pushing hard against a chest speak just as loudly? Why did you have to actually say the word no for it to be rape?" (pg 372)
This quote is really important to me because it starts to unravel Trixie's web of lies (<-- you likey?). It also really makes the reader think about the crime of rape. The line between sex and rape may seem like a fine one, but if you really think about it, sometimes that line is blurred.
The police also find Trixie as well, and they have a warrant out for her arrest. Naturally, Daniel and Laura come to Trixie's defense and both take the blame for Jason's death. At the end, it turns out that Laura, the mother, was the one who killed Jason Underhill. I always knew that Trixie, a child, could never be capable or murdering anyone, much less her ex-boyfriend whom she was still very much in love with.
Well I'm sad that this is our last lit circle but I'm really glad I ended with this book. It was amazing and beautifully written. :)
BYE NOW!
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
ruuuuv
1. What rules dictate the behavior of young men and women in relationships today?
Relationships don't necessarily have rules, but people have expectations set in their minds when they get into relationships. Generally, girls expect someone they can rely on and someone who will treat them with respect. Guys want to feel needed, plus they want the poon.
2. Name a situation in which the rules have clearly been violated. In other words, what are things "nice girls" just don't do? What are things "nice guys" just don't do?Relationships don't necessarily have rules, but people have expectations set in their minds when they get into relationships. Generally, girls expect someone they can rely on and someone who will treat them with respect. Guys want to feel needed, plus they want the poon.
"Nice girls" and "nice guys" NEVER cheat. Conversations with other people that involve sexual connotations can still be considered infidelities. People in committed relationships should never cheat. I think that's the most basic rule in relationships. No one wants to feel betrayed.
3. What are the possible consequences for breaking these rules?
If the significant other cheats, bad things WILL happen. Unless the person that was cheated on is a pussy bitch. On top of being dumped, the cheater might find their belongings damaged, missing, torched, etc. They might also have their car/house egged. A popular choice for revenge is vandalism. :)
4. Where do these rules come from? Who "invented" them and who enforces them?
These rules or expectations for relationships mostly come from the media. Every single movie or TV show made has some sort of relationship in it. They show the good things as well as the bad, and the viewers make up their own minds about what to expect. Everyone's parents parents also set the example for many relationships. I know many parents today get divorced without thinking about the effects if causes on their childrens' perspectives about marriage and relationships.
No one can really define love and relationships, so why are there certain guidelines for them ?
Friday, May 14, 2010
helluhyearzold!
i used to think about you every second of everyday. it sucked because i knew every minute you were on my mind, some other girl was on yours. the time i spent with you was basically the happiest i can remember being, even if i didn’t seem like i had fun. i hate what you think of me. i hate that we don’t have special inside jokes. the things you tell me and ask me and make me laugh about, are the same things that you talk about with every other girl. maybe I’m too jealous, but every girl just wants to feel special. it sucks so bad that you barely remember me. i know that when i walk by you, you take it as nothing. but when i walk by you, it basically brightens up my day times a million. every time you touch me i swear i wish i could just freeze that moment. i love the memories i have. but i bet you don’t remember half of them. i remember all of it. just thinking of you makes me smile. your the person who can give me eternal butterflies. but sadly they are starting to go away. because its been so long since i’ve actually had a conversation with you. i miss you so much. i know if you called me i would basically melt, and you would be on my mind all the time, again. and i just don’t know what to do anymore. should i avoid you so that i can get through the day without getting distracted? or should i just give in, and go after you like never before. its hard to open up and not be shy, but i could go for it. i know its the best feeling in the world but is it really worth feeling rejected and like you don’t even care. because i know i cant count on you towards anything. and i cant even talk to you. i stare at my computer all day wanting you to come online so badly. and every time my phone goes off, i always wish it would be you, but it never is.
if only you knew, but then again that would just ruin everything that we've ever had. but even THAT'S not much. how much do i really even know about you? and vice versa? we're so close yet so far away. i just wish it could be different. would it really be that "weird" for you if you knew? it's not like that information would affect anything, unless you wanted it to. i don't wanna give you TOO much power but it'd be up to you whether or not you would want to do anything with what i told you. what i'm telling you. you'll never see this, you'll never know. maybe things should just stay that way. this really puts a strain on our friendship. i need to stop doing this, falling for every guy best friend i've ever had. how pathetic. this will just be another suppressed emotion. after all, it's for the best, right..?
if only you knew, but then again that would just ruin everything that we've ever had. but even THAT'S not much. how much do i really even know about you? and vice versa? we're so close yet so far away. i just wish it could be different. would it really be that "weird" for you if you knew? it's not like that information would affect anything, unless you wanted it to. i don't wanna give you TOO much power but it'd be up to you whether or not you would want to do anything with what i told you. what i'm telling you. you'll never see this, you'll never know. maybe things should just stay that way. this really puts a strain on our friendship. i need to stop doing this, falling for every guy best friend i've ever had. how pathetic. this will just be another suppressed emotion. after all, it's for the best, right..?
the tenth circle letter pt 2
Dearest EC00P,
So I have pretty much already told you what happened in this section. Trixie goes back to school, and then the topless picture of her gets out and she tries to kill herself. Jason hears about this and feels extremely guilty but is still sticking to his statement that they had consensual sex that night. Daniel kidnaps Jason and threatens to kill him. Then, a few weeks later, Jason commits suicide, or so everyone thinks. The detective who was working Trixie's rape case now has a sneaking suspicion that Jason was killed. He blames Trixie, because the detective found a female's blood on Jason's corpse and an unfamiliar bootprint in the snow. But Trixie is/was still in love with Jason, despite everything. She even sees his ghost. Here's a quote! BAM.
"She knew he was standing there before she even opened her eyes. Jason leaned against her dresser, one elbow already morphing through the wood. His eyes had faded almost entirely, all Trixie could see were holes as deep as the sky. [...] She felt him curl up behind her, spooning, his words falling over her ear like frost. If you don't come, he whispered, how will you know I'm really gone? She felt him disappear a little while after that, taking all the extra air in the room." (pg 251)
There aren't very many scenes like this in the book, since immediately after this, Trixie goes to Jason's funeral where she sees his ghost for the final time. I like these moments mainly because they prove to me that Trixie would be incapable of pushing Jason off of a bridge because she simply loves him too much.
Anyways, after the funeral, Mike (the detective) comes over to question Trixie about Jason's murder. Daniel and Mike find out that Trixie has left the premises. This really makes her seem like the perfect murder suspect but I'm still convinced it wasn't her. Where do you think Trixie could have gone? Do you think she killed Jason? Anyways, hopefully we find out in the next section! Teehee tummy tums! DEUCES.
So I have pretty much already told you what happened in this section. Trixie goes back to school, and then the topless picture of her gets out and she tries to kill herself. Jason hears about this and feels extremely guilty but is still sticking to his statement that they had consensual sex that night. Daniel kidnaps Jason and threatens to kill him. Then, a few weeks later, Jason commits suicide, or so everyone thinks. The detective who was working Trixie's rape case now has a sneaking suspicion that Jason was killed. He blames Trixie, because the detective found a female's blood on Jason's corpse and an unfamiliar bootprint in the snow. But Trixie is/was still in love with Jason, despite everything. She even sees his ghost. Here's a quote! BAM.
"She knew he was standing there before she even opened her eyes. Jason leaned against her dresser, one elbow already morphing through the wood. His eyes had faded almost entirely, all Trixie could see were holes as deep as the sky. [...] She felt him curl up behind her, spooning, his words falling over her ear like frost. If you don't come, he whispered, how will you know I'm really gone? She felt him disappear a little while after that, taking all the extra air in the room." (pg 251)
There aren't very many scenes like this in the book, since immediately after this, Trixie goes to Jason's funeral where she sees his ghost for the final time. I like these moments mainly because they prove to me that Trixie would be incapable of pushing Jason off of a bridge because she simply loves him too much.
Anyways, after the funeral, Mike (the detective) comes over to question Trixie about Jason's murder. Daniel and Mike find out that Trixie has left the premises. This really makes her seem like the perfect murder suspect but I'm still convinced it wasn't her. Where do you think Trixie could have gone? Do you think she killed Jason? Anyways, hopefully we find out in the next section! Teehee tummy tums! DEUCES.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
the tenth circle letter pt 1
Dear Emily Cooper,
I'm really upset that you couldn't find your Tenth Circle book but I suppose we can just both do jodaay. I hope you are thoroughly enjoying your story about Amish people. The Tenth Circle is about a small family living in Bethel, Maine. Daniel Stone is a comic book illustrator for Marvel who works at home. Laura Stone is his wife, and she teaches at Monroe College, where her class about hell is very popular. Their daughter Trixie is a popular freshman at her high school who was recently dumped by her boyfriend, Jason Underhill. Jason and his best friend Moss Minton are juniors and co-captains of Bethel High's hockey team. In Bethel, hockey is a really big deal, like football here. Zephyr is Trixie's best friend, and a fun fact about her? She's a slut. She keeps track of guys she's hooked up with using paperclips on her purse, and she has over 20. SCANLOUS. Anyways, after Jason broke up with Trixie, she fell apart. She didn't show it to her parents, but she was heartbroken. After a couple weeks, she even started cutting herself.
"She snapped her compact shut and then, on second thought, opened it and set it on the floor. It took three stomps before the mirror inside shattered. Trixie threw out the plastic discand all but one shard of glass. It was shaped like a tear, rounded on one end and sharp as a dagger on the other. She slid down along the tiled wall of the bathroom until she was sitting underneath the sink. Then she dragged the makeshift knife over the white canvas of her inner arm. As soon as she did it, she wished she could take it back. Crazy girls did this, girls who walked like zombies through YA novels. But. Trixie felt the sting of the skin as it split, the sweet welling rise of blood. It hurt, though not as much as everything else." (pg 24)
This becomes a problem for Trixie, and she does it more times later on. But enough about Trixie, for now. Let's talk about her parents! Daniel Stone grew up as the only white kid in an Alaskan Eskimo village, where he was an outcast for it. He was a stereotypical bad boy, drinking, smoking, fighting, and generally not giving a fuck. But he had a gift and it was his ability to draw incredibly well. He gave up his bad boy ways for settling down when Laura became pregnant with Trixie, and since then, he had been the perfect father and husband. He loves Trixie more than anything else in the world. Laura is cheating on Daniel with one of her students, Seth. She blames it on the fact that Seth reminds her of how Daniel used to be - mysterious, dark, brooding. She was ending the affair the night that Trixie was raped by Jason.
Trixie went to Zephyr's house that night to "sleep over" when Zephyr was actually having a party. Trixie comes home intoxicated and terrified and she tells her dad that she was raped by Jason. Jason denies all charges and says it was consensual, and Moss and Zephyr believe him, as well as the rest of Bethel.
At this point, everyone is angry at Trixie for lying and ruining Jason's life, but she is sticking by her story of Jason raping her. Daniel and Laura are also angry at themselves for not preventing this from happening. Also, Laura tells Daniel about her affair and they try to work through it.
That's pretty much it for part one of the book. BYEE.
***Sutherland: sorry this post is so late, but I didn't get to finish in class on Friday and I had league championships yesterday. I hope you'll still accept it (:
I'm really upset that you couldn't find your Tenth Circle book but I suppose we can just both do jodaay. I hope you are thoroughly enjoying your story about Amish people. The Tenth Circle is about a small family living in Bethel, Maine. Daniel Stone is a comic book illustrator for Marvel who works at home. Laura Stone is his wife, and she teaches at Monroe College, where her class about hell is very popular. Their daughter Trixie is a popular freshman at her high school who was recently dumped by her boyfriend, Jason Underhill. Jason and his best friend Moss Minton are juniors and co-captains of Bethel High's hockey team. In Bethel, hockey is a really big deal, like football here. Zephyr is Trixie's best friend, and a fun fact about her? She's a slut. She keeps track of guys she's hooked up with using paperclips on her purse, and she has over 20. SCANLOUS. Anyways, after Jason broke up with Trixie, she fell apart. She didn't show it to her parents, but she was heartbroken. After a couple weeks, she even started cutting herself.
"She snapped her compact shut and then, on second thought, opened it and set it on the floor. It took three stomps before the mirror inside shattered. Trixie threw out the plastic discand all but one shard of glass. It was shaped like a tear, rounded on one end and sharp as a dagger on the other. She slid down along the tiled wall of the bathroom until she was sitting underneath the sink. Then she dragged the makeshift knife over the white canvas of her inner arm. As soon as she did it, she wished she could take it back. Crazy girls did this, girls who walked like zombies through YA novels. But. Trixie felt the sting of the skin as it split, the sweet welling rise of blood. It hurt, though not as much as everything else." (pg 24)
This becomes a problem for Trixie, and she does it more times later on. But enough about Trixie, for now. Let's talk about her parents! Daniel Stone grew up as the only white kid in an Alaskan Eskimo village, where he was an outcast for it. He was a stereotypical bad boy, drinking, smoking, fighting, and generally not giving a fuck. But he had a gift and it was his ability to draw incredibly well. He gave up his bad boy ways for settling down when Laura became pregnant with Trixie, and since then, he had been the perfect father and husband. He loves Trixie more than anything else in the world. Laura is cheating on Daniel with one of her students, Seth. She blames it on the fact that Seth reminds her of how Daniel used to be - mysterious, dark, brooding. She was ending the affair the night that Trixie was raped by Jason.
Trixie went to Zephyr's house that night to "sleep over" when Zephyr was actually having a party. Trixie comes home intoxicated and terrified and she tells her dad that she was raped by Jason. Jason denies all charges and says it was consensual, and Moss and Zephyr believe him, as well as the rest of Bethel.
At this point, everyone is angry at Trixie for lying and ruining Jason's life, but she is sticking by her story of Jason raping her. Daniel and Laura are also angry at themselves for not preventing this from happening. Also, Laura tells Daniel about her affair and they try to work through it.
That's pretty much it for part one of the book. BYEE.
***Sutherland: sorry this post is so late, but I didn't get to finish in class on Friday and I had league championships yesterday. I hope you'll still accept it (:
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Monthly Review
My Sister's Keeper is a novel by Jodi Picoult that tells the story of the Fitzgerald family and their problems. Sara and Brian are the parents, and Jesse, Kate, and Anna are the children. Sara gave up pursuing her career as a lawyer to be a mother and Brian is the captain of the fire department in Providence, where they live. Jesse is 18, and a stereotypical "bad kid", involved with drugs, drinking, and a pyromaniac. Kate is 16, and was diagnosed with a rare type of leukemia at a very young age. Her illness has been the root of her family's problems ever since. One year after Kate was diagnosed, her sister Anna was conceived to be a perfect match to be a donor for Kate. When Anna is thirteen, Kate has a kidney failure and Anna's mother asks Anna to donate one of her kidneys to her sister. Then Anna hires Campbell Alexander to file a lawsuit to sue her parents for the rights to her own body, because she doesn't want to be a donor anymore. This comes as a shock to her parents, who have been focusing their attention on Kate's health. They feel as if Anna is being extremely selfish and immature as to let her sister die just so she can get attention from her parents. Sara Fitzgerald chooses to represent herself in this case, which leads to Anna being appointed a guardian ad litem named Julia. This novel is written through each character's perspective, and it includes anecdotes from each person's life. This book questions what the morally right thing is to do when you are faced with the realities that life throw at you.
Pick a character that interested you and write about them in depth.
I really couldn't choose just one character from the book to analyze, so I decided to try all of them. I hope you don't mind too much.
Jodi Picoult shows Sara's unconditional love for her family, her endless concern for Kate's health, and her desire to have a somewhat normal life. She also shows Sara's bitterness and how she finds it extremely unfair that her daughter ended up being so ill. Many of the parts written through Sara's perspective are about periods of time in her past, when her children were much younger. Picoult portrays Brian as the father who feels the constant need to play the white knight, and the man who spoils his children with love. He can also be emotional, especially because of the emotional twists and turns that Kat's illness has put the family through. Jesse is the most interesting character in this book, in my opinion. He is a very damaged person. He is perpetually frustrated because he wasn't a match to be Kate's donor, and he couldn't help her when she first needed it. He also feels the need to act out through drugs, alcohol, theft, and arson. This is probably all indirectly connected to trying to get his parents' attention, since they have focused all their attention on Kate ever since she was diagnosed. Kate is probably a close second to being the most damaged, but she is more hurt physically than mentally or emotionally. She has been through a lot for 13 years, including her first love dying from cancer without even getting a chance to say goodbye. Anna has always played the role of her sister's savior, the donor for her whenever she needed anything donated, from bone marrow to blood. She is just a confused teenage girl who couldn't picture her life without her sister but insisted on suing her parents so that she wouldn't have to donate a kidney to Kate. I guess you just have to read the book to find out the REAL reason why she has done this. :) Campbell and Julia were former lovers, but broke it off when they were 18. They are both very guarded people, but very much different. Campbell has a very dark sense of humor and seems to be always sarcastic. Julia thinks that he is terrified of commitments and getting too close to people. Maybe that is just her opinion, because she is definitely one to think with her heart before her head. Obviously, my attempts at describing the characters in this story are nothing compared to Jodi Picoult's fabrications, but moreso analyses of her detailed descriptions.
If you've read other books in this same genre, how does this one compare?
Unlike most novels (and this includes my last lit circle book, Suite Scarlett), this book actually really makes you think. It makes you question yourself if you were put in any of these characters' positions. What would YOU do if you knew the sole purpose of your life was to save your sister's life? And if one of your beloved children was dying, while another was in the process of suing you for medical emancipation? How do you represent a thirteen year old girl who keeps changing her mind about the case, while being put up against her mother as the opposing council? Questions like these pop into the reader's head when they read this book.
Other books in the genre are typically more "lighter" reads. I'll use my last book, Suite Scarlett, as an example. In that book, the family problems included running an almost vacant hotel, dealing with a brat who beat leukemia, disliking a sister's rich boyfriend, and putting on a play. In My Sister's Keeper, however, the family issues include a troubled and damaged son, a dying daughter who has slim chances of living past 17, and another daughter who is suing you. As you can probably see (I hope), the issues in My Sister's Keeper tend to run a little deeper than in the other book.
I really enjoy Jodi Picoult's style of writing, whether it's like this in each of her books or not. I like how she writes the book from each character's perspective, but saved Kate's perspective for the very end of the book. I also really like the way she put stories that pertain the the respective character that is narrating that particular section. It really shows each person's train of thought, drifting between past, present, and sometimes even the future.
In conclusion, My Sister's Keeper was an amazing book and I really enjoyed it. Hopefully next month's book is equally as good. :)
Pick a character that interested you and write about them in depth.
I really couldn't choose just one character from the book to analyze, so I decided to try all of them. I hope you don't mind too much.
Jodi Picoult shows Sara's unconditional love for her family, her endless concern for Kate's health, and her desire to have a somewhat normal life. She also shows Sara's bitterness and how she finds it extremely unfair that her daughter ended up being so ill. Many of the parts written through Sara's perspective are about periods of time in her past, when her children were much younger. Picoult portrays Brian as the father who feels the constant need to play the white knight, and the man who spoils his children with love. He can also be emotional, especially because of the emotional twists and turns that Kat's illness has put the family through. Jesse is the most interesting character in this book, in my opinion. He is a very damaged person. He is perpetually frustrated because he wasn't a match to be Kate's donor, and he couldn't help her when she first needed it. He also feels the need to act out through drugs, alcohol, theft, and arson. This is probably all indirectly connected to trying to get his parents' attention, since they have focused all their attention on Kate ever since she was diagnosed. Kate is probably a close second to being the most damaged, but she is more hurt physically than mentally or emotionally. She has been through a lot for 13 years, including her first love dying from cancer without even getting a chance to say goodbye. Anna has always played the role of her sister's savior, the donor for her whenever she needed anything donated, from bone marrow to blood. She is just a confused teenage girl who couldn't picture her life without her sister but insisted on suing her parents so that she wouldn't have to donate a kidney to Kate. I guess you just have to read the book to find out the REAL reason why she has done this. :) Campbell and Julia were former lovers, but broke it off when they were 18. They are both very guarded people, but very much different. Campbell has a very dark sense of humor and seems to be always sarcastic. Julia thinks that he is terrified of commitments and getting too close to people. Maybe that is just her opinion, because she is definitely one to think with her heart before her head. Obviously, my attempts at describing the characters in this story are nothing compared to Jodi Picoult's fabrications, but moreso analyses of her detailed descriptions.
If you've read other books in this same genre, how does this one compare?
Unlike most novels (and this includes my last lit circle book, Suite Scarlett), this book actually really makes you think. It makes you question yourself if you were put in any of these characters' positions. What would YOU do if you knew the sole purpose of your life was to save your sister's life? And if one of your beloved children was dying, while another was in the process of suing you for medical emancipation? How do you represent a thirteen year old girl who keeps changing her mind about the case, while being put up against her mother as the opposing council? Questions like these pop into the reader's head when they read this book.
Other books in the genre are typically more "lighter" reads. I'll use my last book, Suite Scarlett, as an example. In that book, the family problems included running an almost vacant hotel, dealing with a brat who beat leukemia, disliking a sister's rich boyfriend, and putting on a play. In My Sister's Keeper, however, the family issues include a troubled and damaged son, a dying daughter who has slim chances of living past 17, and another daughter who is suing you. As you can probably see (I hope), the issues in My Sister's Keeper tend to run a little deeper than in the other book.
I really enjoy Jodi Picoult's style of writing, whether it's like this in each of her books or not. I like how she writes the book from each character's perspective, but saved Kate's perspective for the very end of the book. I also really like the way she put stories that pertain the the respective character that is narrating that particular section. It really shows each person's train of thought, drifting between past, present, and sometimes even the future.
In conclusion, My Sister's Keeper was an amazing book and I really enjoyed it. Hopefully next month's book is equally as good. :)
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
my sister's keeper pt 3
My dearest, whitest, most Lil Wayne-obsessed, and most gleeful gal pal -
Holy shit I know you've already read this book but I can't believe it ended the way it did ! I'm mucho glad we picked this book to read though. It's definitely much better than Suite Scarlett. I love the way it's written, with little anecdotes sprinkled innnn. Also, the plot has so much more meaning. Anyways, let's get into the story itself, SHALL WE!!?!?!?!?
Let's start with Campbell! We finally find out what Judge's purpose is, which is pretty scary. It also explains why he left Julia back when they were 18. When he had his seizure in the middle of court, it was really shocking. What if Brian wasn't there? No one would know what to do. I still like the way he keeps everyone guessing when they ask about Judge though. I can't believe he kept his epilepsy and his car accident a secret for so many years.
Oooh gurl Brian found about Jesse's pyromania-ness! And they had a moment <3. Jesse still has serious issues though. I'mglad he still tries to cheer Kate up while she's in the hospital.
OMG about the story about Kate's first love! It was adorable, but I almost cried when she found out that he had died. They were really cute together, and if he had survived, they would make for a really amazing couple! How depressing. Do you think that Sara made the right choice in keeping this from Kate? I think she should have told her, but that's just me.
Now for the most important part- ANNA DIES!!!?!?!? It made me HELLA sad when it happened. It was crazy, Campbell getting into yet another bad car crash, Brian being the one to rescue his daughter, and Kate turning out to be the sister that lived. It's almost poetic. This really brought the book all together. It's also crazy that Anna's kidney turned out to be the one thing Kate needed to live. After all this fuss over the lawsuit and NOT donating the kidney to Kate, she lives from it. I wonder how Kate feels now, since she was so ready to die before.
So basically, all her life, Anna was her sister's savior. From the time she was conceived to even after her death, the purpose of her life was to keep her sister alive. To fulfill this, she had to die. Once her sister didn't need her anymore, no one did. That's a really cynical and simplistic way to see it, but I think that's how the author was thinking of it too.
Anyways, you already know how much I LUHHH this book. We should definitely read more Jodi Picoult books for lit circles. Byeeeeee!
Holy shit I know you've already read this book but I can't believe it ended the way it did ! I'm mucho glad we picked this book to read though. It's definitely much better than Suite Scarlett. I love the way it's written, with little anecdotes sprinkled innnn. Also, the plot has so much more meaning. Anyways, let's get into the story itself, SHALL WE!!?!?!?!?
Let's start with Campbell! We finally find out what Judge's purpose is, which is pretty scary. It also explains why he left Julia back when they were 18. When he had his seizure in the middle of court, it was really shocking. What if Brian wasn't there? No one would know what to do. I still like the way he keeps everyone guessing when they ask about Judge though. I can't believe he kept his epilepsy and his car accident a secret for so many years.
Oooh gurl Brian found about Jesse's pyromania-ness! And they had a moment <3. Jesse still has serious issues though. I'mglad he still tries to cheer Kate up while she's in the hospital.
OMG about the story about Kate's first love! It was adorable, but I almost cried when she found out that he had died. They were really cute together, and if he had survived, they would make for a really amazing couple! How depressing. Do you think that Sara made the right choice in keeping this from Kate? I think she should have told her, but that's just me.
Now for the most important part- ANNA DIES!!!?!?!? It made me HELLA sad when it happened. It was crazy, Campbell getting into yet another bad car crash, Brian being the one to rescue his daughter, and Kate turning out to be the sister that lived. It's almost poetic. This really brought the book all together. It's also crazy that Anna's kidney turned out to be the one thing Kate needed to live. After all this fuss over the lawsuit and NOT donating the kidney to Kate, she lives from it. I wonder how Kate feels now, since she was so ready to die before.
So basically, all her life, Anna was her sister's savior. From the time she was conceived to even after her death, the purpose of her life was to keep her sister alive. To fulfill this, she had to die. Once her sister didn't need her anymore, no one did. That's a really cynical and simplistic way to see it, but I think that's how the author was thinking of it too.
Anyways, you already know how much I LUHHH this book. We should definitely read more Jodi Picoult books for lit circles. Byeeeeee!
Saturday, April 17, 2010
ITALY ! pt. 1
Last week was spring break and i went to ITALY. It was my first time in Europe and I loved it! Our group from AHS was me, Kelsey, Keith, Jeremy, Ethan, Danny, Justin, Kalila, Grody Bitch, and Big&Lil. We met at SFO on Thursday, where we flew to Heathrow and then Rome. At the airport, we met the group that we would travel with for the remainder of the trip. They're from Vernon Township, New Jersey. They are Jeff, Mike, Anthony, Erin, Marc, Alanna, Samantha, Krysten, Travis, Kayla, Chris, and Andrew. They were all really nice, but we weren't really friends with any of them yet.
Our first day in Rome, after we got off the plane, we went to visit the Spanish Steps. It was really pretty and there were lotsa people. We had dinner in an empty restaurant reserved just for us. Doin it biggg! We arrived at our hotel, which was really creepy and seemed haunted. We were all staying on floor 3, which was really the 4th floor. I roomed with Kelsey, Kalila, and some hoe. In the morning, we went to the Coliseum, some ancient ruins, and then to the Vatican during the afternoon. The architecture in Rome was really spectacular. We also saw the Sistine Chapel. All the artwork there was really beautiful, and I was surprised that it was all intact. We tried to go to St. Peter's Basilica at the end of the day, but the Pope was going to be there for Easter so we got free time to roam the area instead. By the time we went to dinner, everyone was tired from jetlag and walking around all day. Some of us even fell asleep in the restaurant. After dinner we went back to the hotel and packed our things, because we were going to Florence the next day.
The next morning, we all got up, had breakfast, and loaded our luggage onto the bus. We drove a few hours to some pottery factory (I don't know where it was because I was asleep the whole bus ride there, but I'm pretty sure it was somewhere in the Tuscany region), and there was also a store portion that sold pottery, meats, cheeses, wines, and food. I bought salami, chocolate croissants, pesto sauce, and olive oil to bring back home. After that we went to lunch. After lunch, we drove to the hilltop town of Assisi, where the St. Francis Basilica is. It was raining the whole time so that kind of sucked. But the town was really cute, and we got a really good view of the rural landscape below us. The streets were lined with cute little shops such as weapons shops (lulz), chocolate shops, and even a cashmere sweater shop. Inside the church, the paintings were beautiful too, just like the ones in Rome. After we left Assisi, we headed straight for Florence.
Our first day in Rome, after we got off the plane, we went to visit the Spanish Steps. It was really pretty and there were lotsa people. We had dinner in an empty restaurant reserved just for us. Doin it biggg! We arrived at our hotel, which was really creepy and seemed haunted. We were all staying on floor 3, which was really the 4th floor. I roomed with Kelsey, Kalila, and some hoe. In the morning, we went to the Coliseum, some ancient ruins, and then to the Vatican during the afternoon. The architecture in Rome was really spectacular. We also saw the Sistine Chapel. All the artwork there was really beautiful, and I was surprised that it was all intact. We tried to go to St. Peter's Basilica at the end of the day, but the Pope was going to be there for Easter so we got free time to roam the area instead. By the time we went to dinner, everyone was tired from jetlag and walking around all day. Some of us even fell asleep in the restaurant. After dinner we went back to the hotel and packed our things, because we were going to Florence the next day.
The next morning, we all got up, had breakfast, and loaded our luggage onto the bus. We drove a few hours to some pottery factory (I don't know where it was because I was asleep the whole bus ride there, but I'm pretty sure it was somewhere in the Tuscany region), and there was also a store portion that sold pottery, meats, cheeses, wines, and food. I bought salami, chocolate croissants, pesto sauce, and olive oil to bring back home. After that we went to lunch. After lunch, we drove to the hilltop town of Assisi, where the St. Francis Basilica is. It was raining the whole time so that kind of sucked. But the town was really cute, and we got a really good view of the rural landscape below us. The streets were lined with cute little shops such as weapons shops (lulz), chocolate shops, and even a cashmere sweater shop. Inside the church, the paintings were beautiful too, just like the ones in Rome. After we left Assisi, we headed straight for Florence.
When we got to Florence it was pouring. We settled into our rooms, which were all on different floors. I roomed with Kelsey and Erin. That night, we walked through the streets of Florence to go to dinner. Before we got to the restaurant, we rubbed some coins on some metal pig's snout and dropped it through the little slots under it (for good luck I guess?). I didn't really get it but whatever. Florence had some really good designer shops (as well as affordable ones like H&M) and I got excited for the free time that we were going to get the next day to shop. WE finally got to the restaurant and I was soo glad to be able to take my flip flops off and not worry about falling in the middle of the street. The pizzeria we went to served us 3 pizzas per table, along with an appetizer and dessert. After dinner, we went back to the hotel and chillaxed before curfew. After curfew and roomchecks, everyone came into me, Kelsey, and Erin's room and we just hung out and played 10 fingers and whatnot. ALSO, we met an Italian guy from down the hall named Nicola. His friends/roommates were at the discoteca, he was drunk and in his jammies, and his English was ridiculously horrible. He was also super bad at charades. But he was hilarious and that was all that mattered. Everyone was in our room until about 2am, when they left to go to their respective rooms. My roommates and I all went to bed, but throughout the night our phone kept ringing and it was really annoying because I was the one who was closest to the phone. Sometimes I just left it off the hook just so it wouldn't ring again. Also, during the night, I had a really bad stomachache but thought nothing of it. In the morning, my whole room woke up extremely late, like 5min before breakfast time. We all boosted and ran to breakfast, but as soon as I walked out the door with hoebag and Erin, I turned around and told them to go without me because I had to yakk. And that is what I did. I ended up telling the teachers that I didn't want to risk my health and go out that day, especially in the pouring rain. So I stayed in and slept all day while everyone was out shopping. It actually wasn't too bad. Other people were sick too, like Mikey, Marc, Travis, and Ms W's daughter. When everyone got back it wasn't all that great because people were sick so everyone just kind of kept to themselves. But I was feeling a lot better after sleeping all day. That night, other people got sick too, like Erin and Jeremy. Keith and I heard Erin throwing up in the middle of the night, and it was pretty damn gross. ):
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
my sister's keeper, pt 1 & 2
Hay EC00P.
Soo basically this book is amazing. I think it's safe to say that I have fallen in love with it. I love the way it's written from everyone's perspectives; it give4s a really good sense of everyone's perspectives from different periods of time. It's really well written and the author really says everything you as the reader are thinking, and then some. Wlp, let's dive into the book, shall we!??!?!? (LOL)
First things first, how do you feel about Anna's decision to sue her parents for rights to her own body? I mean, it seems like the right thing to do, considering her parents always guilt her into donating her body to help save her sister's life. On the other hand, she shouldn't have to be guilted into wanting to help her sister. After all, Kate is a part of Anna, and without Kate, Anna can't even picture her life or herself as a person without her sister. I think it's safe to say that Kate completes Anna, so why would Anna risk Kate's health like this? Is she really jsut trying to make herself heard with her parents? Honestly, I agree with Julia that Anna is still too young to be making these kind of decisions if she withdraws her lawsuit whenever her mother and sister make her feel guilty at all. I just really look forward to Anna clearing up the real reason why she is suing her parents later on in the last section of the book.
Next, I really feel bad for Sara. She has devoted her whole life to being a mother, without ever thinking that it would require taking care of a leukemia patient full-time. Sara is a fighter, and therefore she will not let her daughter succumb to her illness. She loves her daughter so much that she conceived another child just so that child would be able to donate whatever Kate needed to her. This is the point where I think Sara crossed the line. It's one thing to prolong your daughter's life after it has taken its natural course, but honestly I think the conception of Anna was purely selfish. There are thousands of families in the world unable to conceive, and Sara is just poppin Anna out solely for the purpose of saving Kate's life. Did Sara even think about what kind of position that put Anna in? The purpose of her existence was purely to keep Kate alive, and that will always be in the back of her mind as long as she lives. As much as she loves her sister, Anna would definitely feel worthless and useless if she was no longer needed to save Kate.
Of everyone in the family, I really like Jesse the bestest. He's basically awesome. I feel like he's simply misunderstood and neglected. I also think that the only reason he acts out so much is in hopes of catching his parents' attention, if only for a moment. For example, he sets fired to all those abandoned buildings just so he can get his father's full attention, even if it's indirectly. Jesse's just a lost soul who needs lots and lots of therapy, lol.
Campbell and Julia! Ooooo wee. They have so much chemistry it's ridiculous! But I feel like such chemistry will cause a problem in Anna's case, in the judge's eyes. I really wanna know more about their history, seeing that they both seem pretty bitter. I also wanna find out the "real" reason why Campbell ended things with Julia in the first place.
Of all the people in the book, Kate and Brian always stay the same. Brian is the peacekeeper and a great source of support for Anna. She is definitely a daddy's girl. Kate's death has been imminent throughout the first two sections of the book, with her being in and out of the hospital. Have you noticed that the book never tells the story from Kate's perspective? I find this confusing yet quite interesting.
Anyways, I'm done for noww! See you in the very near future. Ciao!
Soo basically this book is amazing. I think it's safe to say that I have fallen in love with it. I love the way it's written from everyone's perspectives; it give4s a really good sense of everyone's perspectives from different periods of time. It's really well written and the author really says everything you as the reader are thinking, and then some. Wlp, let's dive into the book, shall we!??!?!? (LOL)
First things first, how do you feel about Anna's decision to sue her parents for rights to her own body? I mean, it seems like the right thing to do, considering her parents always guilt her into donating her body to help save her sister's life. On the other hand, she shouldn't have to be guilted into wanting to help her sister. After all, Kate is a part of Anna, and without Kate, Anna can't even picture her life or herself as a person without her sister. I think it's safe to say that Kate completes Anna, so why would Anna risk Kate's health like this? Is she really jsut trying to make herself heard with her parents? Honestly, I agree with Julia that Anna is still too young to be making these kind of decisions if she withdraws her lawsuit whenever her mother and sister make her feel guilty at all. I just really look forward to Anna clearing up the real reason why she is suing her parents later on in the last section of the book.
Next, I really feel bad for Sara. She has devoted her whole life to being a mother, without ever thinking that it would require taking care of a leukemia patient full-time. Sara is a fighter, and therefore she will not let her daughter succumb to her illness. She loves her daughter so much that she conceived another child just so that child would be able to donate whatever Kate needed to her. This is the point where I think Sara crossed the line. It's one thing to prolong your daughter's life after it has taken its natural course, but honestly I think the conception of Anna was purely selfish. There are thousands of families in the world unable to conceive, and Sara is just poppin Anna out solely for the purpose of saving Kate's life. Did Sara even think about what kind of position that put Anna in? The purpose of her existence was purely to keep Kate alive, and that will always be in the back of her mind as long as she lives. As much as she loves her sister, Anna would definitely feel worthless and useless if she was no longer needed to save Kate.
Of everyone in the family, I really like Jesse the bestest. He's basically awesome. I feel like he's simply misunderstood and neglected. I also think that the only reason he acts out so much is in hopes of catching his parents' attention, if only for a moment. For example, he sets fired to all those abandoned buildings just so he can get his father's full attention, even if it's indirectly. Jesse's just a lost soul who needs lots and lots of therapy, lol.
Campbell and Julia! Ooooo wee. They have so much chemistry it's ridiculous! But I feel like such chemistry will cause a problem in Anna's case, in the judge's eyes. I really wanna know more about their history, seeing that they both seem pretty bitter. I also wanna find out the "real" reason why Campbell ended things with Julia in the first place.
Of all the people in the book, Kate and Brian always stay the same. Brian is the peacekeeper and a great source of support for Anna. She is definitely a daddy's girl. Kate's death has been imminent throughout the first two sections of the book, with her being in and out of the hospital. Have you noticed that the book never tells the story from Kate's perspective? I find this confusing yet quite interesting.
Anyways, I'm done for noww! See you in the very near future. Ciao!
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
suite scarlett letter; pt 3
HAY GURL WASSUP HAY!
So I only have one word for this last section of our book - DRAMAAAA! Foreal doe. From things as little as Scarlett yelling at Marlene to things as big as Donna The Crazy suddenly reappearing. This time around, I won't have any questions for you, since well, the book's kinda done.. Actually, I might add a few questions, because the book ends kindof suddenly. Here goes!
1. OMGLOL @ Scarlett yelling at Marlene! She def had it coming. How long did she expect her family to take her crap before they went off on her? At least now she realizes the toll taken by her actions. Now she cooperates with her siblings and it's all good!
2. CRAZY DONNA SPENDLER or whatever the hell her name is. She is SUCH a Creepy McCreepster! She researched Eric, Spencer, and Scarlett! And threatened to shut down the show AND the hotel. Actually, she DID shut the show down! That was a super bitch move! But it all turned out to be good, because....
3. Mrs. A and Donna made up! Their drama didn't really play a big part in the book, but the story was interesting and entertaining nevertheless. I can't believe it was all because of some dude Amy used to be in love with. How incredibly lame.
4. Spencer's show went well! He now has a potential job in a commercial! That's good, he won't have to go to culinary school, even though it may be a good fallback.
5. Lola and Chip???? On again??!?!?!? What the hell dude! Well, he DID get her a Cartier watch, and we alllll know that diamonds ARE a girl's best friend fasheezy. Hopefully they don't get married, but who knows? Lola could finally be rich, but she wouldn't be happy.
6. Finally, the most important topic of them all - Scarlett and Eric! I mean, he IS sexy, but I don't think that he and Scarlett should date. She's just too young for him! Plus, Eric's ex seems much cuter than Scarlett, as much as I hate saying it. Sorry to hate on our protagonist gurl but I'm jus being honest!
Well I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but it was kindof a lightweight book. I'm more than ready for our next one, My Sister's Keeper! YEEEE get juiced.
XOXO WINNI$
So I only have one word for this last section of our book - DRAMAAAA! Foreal doe. From things as little as Scarlett yelling at Marlene to things as big as Donna The Crazy suddenly reappearing. This time around, I won't have any questions for you, since well, the book's kinda done.. Actually, I might add a few questions, because the book ends kindof suddenly. Here goes!
1. OMGLOL @ Scarlett yelling at Marlene! She def had it coming. How long did she expect her family to take her crap before they went off on her? At least now she realizes the toll taken by her actions. Now she cooperates with her siblings and it's all good!
2. CRAZY DONNA SPENDLER or whatever the hell her name is. She is SUCH a Creepy McCreepster! She researched Eric, Spencer, and Scarlett! And threatened to shut down the show AND the hotel. Actually, she DID shut the show down! That was a super bitch move! But it all turned out to be good, because....
3. Mrs. A and Donna made up! Their drama didn't really play a big part in the book, but the story was interesting and entertaining nevertheless. I can't believe it was all because of some dude Amy used to be in love with. How incredibly lame.
4. Spencer's show went well! He now has a potential job in a commercial! That's good, he won't have to go to culinary school, even though it may be a good fallback.
5. Lola and Chip???? On again??!?!?!? What the hell dude! Well, he DID get her a Cartier watch, and we alllll know that diamonds ARE a girl's best friend fasheezy. Hopefully they don't get married, but who knows? Lola could finally be rich, but she wouldn't be happy.
6. Finally, the most important topic of them all - Scarlett and Eric! I mean, he IS sexy, but I don't think that he and Scarlett should date. She's just too young for him! Plus, Eric's ex seems much cuter than Scarlett, as much as I hate saying it. Sorry to hate on our protagonist gurl but I'm jus being honest!
Well I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but it was kindof a lightweight book. I'm more than ready for our next one, My Sister's Keeper! YEEEE get juiced.
XOXO WINNI$
Friday, March 19, 2010
you know you're asian when...
You ask your parents help on one math problem and 2 hours later they're still lecturing
Your parents still tried to get you into places half-price saying you were 12 when you were really 15
You have a 40 lb. bag of rice in your pantry
You shop at 99 Ranch
Everyone thinks you're "Chinese" no matter what part of Asia your ancestors were from
You've had a bowl haircut at one point in your life
Your parents enjoy comparing you to their friends' kids
You drive mostly Japanese cars.
You've learned to keep bargaining even if the prices are rock bottom
You've had to eat parts of animals they don't even put in hot dogs
Your pencil cases, erasers, and pens are pastel colored with cute dogs/bears/kittens named RooRoo, RaaRaa, HelloKitty, etc.
You've gotten little red envelopes filled with money around February
Piles of shoes tend to make it hard to open the front, back, and closet doors
Idiot people try to impress you with pathetic imitation Asian languages, like the ever-so-popular: ching chong woo bok chi, etc..
Your parents say leaving rice in your bowl is a sin
The Bio lectures on marine life (seaweed, sea cucumbers, octopii) was last night's dinner
You have bad eyesight
Your parents hover over your tired, caffeine-drugged body at 12 midnight to say, "In Korea (or other native country), we studied even more."
Your parents expect you'll be best friends with any one off the street in any given area as long as they are Asian
An Asian woman comes on campus and people ask: "Is that your mother?" Well then, "Is it your sister?"
Your parents say, "Calculus? I took Calculus in 8th grade!"
Everyone thinks you're good at math
You like buying 100 of something that's 50% off You like buying 100 of something that's 75% off even more
Your aunts and uncles bring you back adorable clothing from Asia with fuzzy bunnies, vinyl ducks, and English words that make no sense, in great colors like yellow, pink, magenta, orange, and the ever popular lime green
You go to an Asian restaurant and realize they're serving American imitation food
People see a bunch of scribbles on a chopstick and ask you to translate
You have to call just about all your parent's friends "Auntie and Uncle"
You have 12+ aunts and uncles
You've taken some sort of martial art.
At expensive restaurants, you order a delicious glass of water for your beverage and NEVER order dessert
The vast majority of the people related to you wear glasses. Thick glasses.
You're short.
Your parents have either made you play the piano, the violin, or both, since the age of 6
You get nothing if you do well in school, but punished severely if you don't
When going to other people's houses, you always have to bring a gift
Your dad still pulls his socks up to his knees, you know, the ones with the blue and pink stripes at the top
Your family owns a tennis racquet, golf clubs, or both
Your family always cheers for the Asian athlete on TV (i.e. Michael Chan)
The furniture in your house never matches the wallpaper, the carpet, the decorations, or any of the rest of the furniture
You own a rice cooker or two
You buy soy sauce by the gallon
Your parents tell you about how long it took for them to get to school, how horrible the weather was in their native country, and how much they still appreciated going
Your parents buy you clothes and shoes many sizes too big so you can "grow into it" and wear it for years to come.
You hate getting B's.
You eat rice everyday.
Your parents want you to be a doctor or a lawyer.
Everyone in your school assumed you were smart and knew karate.
When you tell your parents you got a 95% on a math quiz, they ask you where the other 5% went
These pretty much sum up my life, EXCEPT it's the other way around for me for "Everyone thinks you're "Chinese" no matter what part of Asia your ancestors were from". I AM Chinese, but everyone thinks I'm Filipino or Hawaiian or mixed or something else. But all the academic ones and shiiet are pretty much true. Even though I have been called an anti-Asian (I'm not small, I'm a good driver, I'm hella hella hella tan, I don't have small eyes, etc.), I lurrrrrrrrrrrve being asian! Gung hay fat choi bitchhhh!
Your parents still tried to get you into places half-price saying you were 12 when you were really 15
You have a 40 lb. bag of rice in your pantry
You shop at 99 Ranch
Everyone thinks you're "Chinese" no matter what part of Asia your ancestors were from
You've had a bowl haircut at one point in your life
Your parents enjoy comparing you to their friends' kids
You drive mostly Japanese cars.
You've learned to keep bargaining even if the prices are rock bottom
You've had to eat parts of animals they don't even put in hot dogs
Your pencil cases, erasers, and pens are pastel colored with cute dogs/bears/kittens named RooRoo, RaaRaa, HelloKitty, etc.
You've gotten little red envelopes filled with money around February
Piles of shoes tend to make it hard to open the front, back, and closet doors
Idiot people try to impress you with pathetic imitation Asian languages, like the ever-so-popular: ching chong woo bok chi, etc..
Your parents say leaving rice in your bowl is a sin
The Bio lectures on marine life (seaweed, sea cucumbers, octopii) was last night's dinner
You have bad eyesight
Your parents hover over your tired, caffeine-drugged body at 12 midnight to say, "In Korea (or other native country), we studied even more."
Your parents expect you'll be best friends with any one off the street in any given area as long as they are Asian
An Asian woman comes on campus and people ask: "Is that your mother?" Well then, "Is it your sister?"
Your parents say, "Calculus? I took Calculus in 8th grade!"
Everyone thinks you're good at math
You like buying 100 of something that's 50% off You like buying 100 of something that's 75% off even more
Your aunts and uncles bring you back adorable clothing from Asia with fuzzy bunnies, vinyl ducks, and English words that make no sense, in great colors like yellow, pink, magenta, orange, and the ever popular lime green
You go to an Asian restaurant and realize they're serving American imitation food
People see a bunch of scribbles on a chopstick and ask you to translate
You have to call just about all your parent's friends "Auntie and Uncle"
You have 12+ aunts and uncles
You've taken some sort of martial art.
At expensive restaurants, you order a delicious glass of water for your beverage and NEVER order dessert
The vast majority of the people related to you wear glasses. Thick glasses.
You're short.
Your parents have either made you play the piano, the violin, or both, since the age of 6
You get nothing if you do well in school, but punished severely if you don't
When going to other people's houses, you always have to bring a gift
Your dad still pulls his socks up to his knees, you know, the ones with the blue and pink stripes at the top
Your family owns a tennis racquet, golf clubs, or both
Your family always cheers for the Asian athlete on TV (i.e. Michael Chan)
The furniture in your house never matches the wallpaper, the carpet, the decorations, or any of the rest of the furniture
You own a rice cooker or two
You buy soy sauce by the gallon
Your parents tell you about how long it took for them to get to school, how horrible the weather was in their native country, and how much they still appreciated going
Your parents buy you clothes and shoes many sizes too big so you can "grow into it" and wear it for years to come.
You hate getting B's.
You eat rice everyday.
Your parents want you to be a doctor or a lawyer.
Everyone in your school assumed you were smart and knew karate.
When you tell your parents you got a 95% on a math quiz, they ask you where the other 5% went
These pretty much sum up my life, EXCEPT it's the other way around for me for "Everyone thinks you're "Chinese" no matter what part of Asia your ancestors were from". I AM Chinese, but everyone thinks I'm Filipino or Hawaiian or mixed or something else. But all the academic ones and shiiet are pretty much true. Even though I have been called an anti-Asian (I'm not small, I'm a good driver, I'm hella hella hella tan, I don't have small eyes, etc.), I lurrrrrrrrrrrve being asian! Gung hay fat choi bitchhhh!
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
suite scarlett letter; pt 2
To Whom It May Concern,
The second section of this book is QUITE the teaser. I have one thing to say and one thing only - ERIC. Ooooouuu mama I wish I knew someone as cute and chivalrous as himmm! Do you know what chivalrous means? I do. Maybe you do too, I don't know your life. Anywayyyys, Scarlett had to go and mess everything up! LIke dizayum lil mama you aint got NO game. Rule #1 is to always keep em guessing! WELL, I shall get on with the questions I had for you from this section.
Numero Uno. Will Scarlett fix things between her and Sexyman? I sure do hope so. He is a nice and respectable young man. Although i STILL personally hold the belief that college freshmen should definitely NOT date sophomores in high school. Maybe that's just me. I don't really know/care. They are pretty cute together though, and he really likes her. Ugh. I hate couples.
Numero Dos! This question semi- kinda ties in with Number One. It's also kinda/maybe/semi- silly. Here it is.... WILL SCARLETT AND ERIC POON!? It may SEEM unrealistic, but there are many connotations and references to sex in the book, each time referring to Spencer. So you see how this may lead to my prediction.
Numero Tres! Will Marlene ever stop being such a pain in the ass? Why is she so bitter? She's not sick anymore, so WTA, why the attitude? ESPECIALLY to her family members who do nothing but try to help her. Maybe she'll just outgrow it.
Numero Quatro! This is a big one, that's what she said. CHIP AND LOLA BREAKING UP! What will Lola do with her life now!? She will never be able to live as comfotably as what she always dreamed of with Chip! Unless they get back together... hmm.
WELL THEN! That is all that I have this time. Ready for the last, drama-filled section of the book? LET'S GO NIQQUH!
The second section of this book is QUITE the teaser. I have one thing to say and one thing only - ERIC. Ooooouuu mama I wish I knew someone as cute and chivalrous as himmm! Do you know what chivalrous means? I do. Maybe you do too, I don't know your life. Anywayyyys, Scarlett had to go and mess everything up! LIke dizayum lil mama you aint got NO game. Rule #1 is to always keep em guessing! WELL, I shall get on with the questions I had for you from this section.
Numero Uno. Will Scarlett fix things between her and Sexyman? I sure do hope so. He is a nice and respectable young man. Although i STILL personally hold the belief that college freshmen should definitely NOT date sophomores in high school. Maybe that's just me. I don't really know/care. They are pretty cute together though, and he really likes her. Ugh. I hate couples.
Numero Dos! This question semi- kinda ties in with Number One. It's also kinda/maybe/semi- silly. Here it is.... WILL SCARLETT AND ERIC POON!? It may SEEM unrealistic, but there are many connotations and references to sex in the book, each time referring to Spencer. So you see how this may lead to my prediction.
Numero Tres! Will Marlene ever stop being such a pain in the ass? Why is she so bitter? She's not sick anymore, so WTA, why the attitude? ESPECIALLY to her family members who do nothing but try to help her. Maybe she'll just outgrow it.
Numero Quatro! This is a big one, that's what she said. CHIP AND LOLA BREAKING UP! What will Lola do with her life now!? She will never be able to live as comfotably as what she always dreamed of with Chip! Unless they get back together... hmm.
WELL THEN! That is all that I have this time. Ready for the last, drama-filled section of the book? LET'S GO NIQQUH!
Friday, March 12, 2010
family.
I'm a firm believer in the importance of family. At the end of the day, they're all you really have. Family is the only constant thing you have in your life as everything else changes to abruptly and so often. I love my family, even if I don't necessarily show it as much as I used to or as much as I should. But hey, most teenagers are like that these days. So this week, I'm gonna blog about my family members. I will start with my grandparents.
I am extremely lucky to still have both pairs of my grandparents, on both my mom and dad's sides. My maternal grandparents live in an apartment right on Lake Merritt, and my paternal grandparents live right next to the Lake Merritt BART station. My mother's side is Mandarin and my father's side is Cantonese. All of my grandparents know a lot about respect and family, coming from traditional China. My mom's parents are older that my dad's, but they all know have had a lot of interesting experiences and countless stories from China.
On my mom's side, there are five girls. My aunt Rebecca being the oldest, Jacqueline is second, Yvonne third, Christine fourth, and last but not least, my mom. My aunt Rebecca is an amamamamazin singer, she could probably be an opera singer if she wanted. Whenever I'm at her house, she's always singing to herself, and it's really cute. Rebecca lives in Alameda with her family, too. Her son, my cousin Kevin, is a freshman at AHS. Kevin's half-sister (who really isn't considered a half, more like a whole) Katrina recently graduated from UC San Diego. She is my favorite cousin because she's pretty, smart, nice, and funny. Also, it doesn't hurt that she swam and played water polo for Alameda High School (: My aunt Jacqueline also lives with her family in Alameda, not too far from my house. Her daughter Dionna also goes to AHS. She's a sophomore. My aunts Yvonne and Christine both married white guys, which isn't really a bad thing, but it is kind of strange. My aunt Yvonne lives in Vallejo with her husband Jim. I try not to talk too much to him because he seems like a pessimistic kind of guy, who doesn't really have much respect for our family. Yvonne's son Brandon graduated from UC Davis, and he went to Alameda High School as well. My aunt Christine is married to my uncle Ken, who is a lawyer. He's really nice and extremely well educated. I think he's a bomb ass uncle (: My aunt Christine and uncle Ken have had it the hardest this past year, with my cousin Catherine's passing. She graduated from UCI. Her brother stephen went to UC Riverside, where his girlfriend Allison is currently attending. Christine and Ken live in Millbrae.
Now we get to my dad's side of the family. I have one uncle and one aunt on my dad's side. We're not quite as close with them as we are to my mom's side, but they're all nice people. My cousins on my dad's side are all girls. Lulu and Winn are sisters. Lulu is 27 and Winn is 19. It's kindof weird having Winn's name being so close to mine, but no everyone in our family calls her by her chinese name so it's cool. Lulu came to America from China when she was 18 to go to college. She went to College of San Mateo, then transferred to UC Bizzerkeley. she majored in engineering. right now she's going back to Berkeley, but i don't really know what for. Both Lulu and Winn are really perfect, which is kindof intimidating. My baby cousin Caroline
is 10. She is an only child to my aunt Sharon and OTHER uncle Jim (the one i actually like). She acts EXACTLY like me. and i wouldn't have it any other way.
So this is where I will stop talking about my family. It's too late right now for me to talk about my immediate family, maybe i'll do that next week. maybe this will be a 2 part series. KEWL. the very last thing i have to say for both sides of my family? they are both CRAZY but i love them will all of my heart. (:
I am extremely lucky to still have both pairs of my grandparents, on both my mom and dad's sides. My maternal grandparents live in an apartment right on Lake Merritt, and my paternal grandparents live right next to the Lake Merritt BART station. My mother's side is Mandarin and my father's side is Cantonese. All of my grandparents know a lot about respect and family, coming from traditional China. My mom's parents are older that my dad's, but they all know have had a lot of interesting experiences and countless stories from China.
On my mom's side, there are five girls. My aunt Rebecca being the oldest, Jacqueline is second, Yvonne third, Christine fourth, and last but not least, my mom. My aunt Rebecca is an amamamamazin singer, she could probably be an opera singer if she wanted. Whenever I'm at her house, she's always singing to herself, and it's really cute. Rebecca lives in Alameda with her family, too. Her son, my cousin Kevin, is a freshman at AHS. Kevin's half-sister (who really isn't considered a half, more like a whole) Katrina recently graduated from UC San Diego. She is my favorite cousin because she's pretty, smart, nice, and funny. Also, it doesn't hurt that she swam and played water polo for Alameda High School (: My aunt Jacqueline also lives with her family in Alameda, not too far from my house. Her daughter Dionna also goes to AHS. She's a sophomore. My aunts Yvonne and Christine both married white guys, which isn't really a bad thing, but it is kind of strange. My aunt Yvonne lives in Vallejo with her husband Jim. I try not to talk too much to him because he seems like a pessimistic kind of guy, who doesn't really have much respect for our family. Yvonne's son Brandon graduated from UC Davis, and he went to Alameda High School as well. My aunt Christine is married to my uncle Ken, who is a lawyer. He's really nice and extremely well educated. I think he's a bomb ass uncle (: My aunt Christine and uncle Ken have had it the hardest this past year, with my cousin Catherine's passing. She graduated from UCI. Her brother stephen went to UC Riverside, where his girlfriend Allison is currently attending. Christine and Ken live in Millbrae.
Now we get to my dad's side of the family. I have one uncle and one aunt on my dad's side. We're not quite as close with them as we are to my mom's side, but they're all nice people. My cousins on my dad's side are all girls. Lulu and Winn are sisters. Lulu is 27 and Winn is 19. It's kindof weird having Winn's name being so close to mine, but no everyone in our family calls her by her chinese name so it's cool. Lulu came to America from China when she was 18 to go to college. She went to College of San Mateo, then transferred to UC Bizzerkeley. she majored in engineering. right now she's going back to Berkeley, but i don't really know what for. Both Lulu and Winn are really perfect, which is kindof intimidating. My baby cousin Caroline
is 10. She is an only child to my aunt Sharon and OTHER uncle Jim (the one i actually like). She acts EXACTLY like me. and i wouldn't have it any other way.
So this is where I will stop talking about my family. It's too late right now for me to talk about my immediate family, maybe i'll do that next week. maybe this will be a 2 part series. KEWL. the very last thing i have to say for both sides of my family? they are both CRAZY but i love them will all of my heart. (:
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
this bitch emily,
To Whom It May Concern:
How are you enjoying the book? I know I know, it's quite entertaining. I hope you are enjoying it almost as much as me (which I know for a fact you are since we text about the book awwwwlllll the time). I have quite a few questions/comments for you to think about and/or answer! Here goes nothing.
Will Scarlett's fambam hit the jackpot some day? This seems like a pretty far-fetched question, but it's a novel, so who knows. They could definitely use it too.
Could Marlene's cancer come back? How would this affect the family financially and emotionally? Most importantly, how would this affect Marlene, now being old enough to realize the impacts of her illness? Everyone in the family would literally have to drop everything to help her, possibly even selling the Hopewell? Everyone would have to take on extra jobs and start picking up the slack and such. This is also a far-fetched concept, too though.
What will happen with Scarlett and Eric? Will Eric finally confess his love for Scarlett (lolz)? He's an OLDER MAN! Even if he and Scarlett had a relationship, he would be in college and we all know that sophomores in high school plus freshmen in college equals no bueno.
Will Lola finally come to her senses and dump Chip, the #98 DUD? I mean, he's rich and all, but she can't build a future on that shizz. She can't expect to be with such a loser when she herself is essentially perfect.
Will Spencer's lame ass job eventually pay off? Or will he have to resort to culinary school? Will Scarlett's parents ever find out that Spencer's play is really a joke? I personally don't think that culinary school sounds bad, it's actually a great opportunity, ESPECIALLY with a full scholarship. It's not necessarily what Spencer wants to do, but it's a stable future he was fall back on. He should seize the opportunity while it's still there for him to take.
ANDDDDD FINALLY; Will Mrs. Amberson (is that her name?) ever finish her autobiography? She seems awfully distracted for a writer. But I hope she does start and possibly finish it. She seems like a crazy ass lady with some bomb ass stories.
Anyways, that's all I have for nowwwww. Bye gurl bye!
Will Scarlett's fambam hit the jackpot some day? This seems like a pretty far-fetched question, but it's a novel, so who knows. They could definitely use it too.
Could Marlene's cancer come back? How would this affect the family financially and emotionally? Most importantly, how would this affect Marlene, now being old enough to realize the impacts of her illness? Everyone in the family would literally have to drop everything to help her, possibly even selling the Hopewell? Everyone would have to take on extra jobs and start picking up the slack and such. This is also a far-fetched concept, too though.
What will happen with Scarlett and Eric? Will Eric finally confess his love for Scarlett (lolz)? He's an OLDER MAN! Even if he and Scarlett had a relationship, he would be in college and we all know that sophomores in high school plus freshmen in college equals no bueno.
Will Lola finally come to her senses and dump Chip, the #98 DUD? I mean, he's rich and all, but she can't build a future on that shizz. She can't expect to be with such a loser when she herself is essentially perfect.
Will Spencer's lame ass job eventually pay off? Or will he have to resort to culinary school? Will Scarlett's parents ever find out that Spencer's play is really a joke? I personally don't think that culinary school sounds bad, it's actually a great opportunity, ESPECIALLY with a full scholarship. It's not necessarily what Spencer wants to do, but it's a stable future he was fall back on. He should seize the opportunity while it's still there for him to take.
ANDDDDD FINALLY; Will Mrs. Amberson (is that her name?) ever finish her autobiography? She seems awfully distracted for a writer. But I hope she does start and possibly finish it. She seems like a crazy ass lady with some bomb ass stories.
Anyways, that's all I have for nowwwww. Bye gurl bye!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
I HATE PEOPLE
I always talk about how much I hate people, and whoever I am talking to never really understands. They either say "WHY?!" or "you're a person too" or something equally ignorant. I can't really explain my hatred for people but I suppose I can try.
First off, I am really shy. I can only truly be myself when I'm around people I am completely comfortable with, namely, the swim team. I don't like to talk to people, I don't really like to interact with people, and I don't work well in big groups. Actually, let me rephrase/elaborate on that. I don't do well talking to new people/strangers/people of authority. I don't like to ask for help from anyone either (I don't really know if that applies to me not liking people). I feel extremely uncomfortable when strangers try to talk to me on the bus or in some other public place. i feel uncomfortable around strangers in general. I hate when my parents try to make me have dinner with their friends, and when I say "I don't like strangers" they say "Oh you've met them when you were really young". like COMO MUTHAFUCKIN QUE THAT MEANS I STILL DON'T KNOW THEM! It's not like I'd remember them at all. I also don't like to call people for Leadership class. I'm the class secretary so I guess my job is to call companies and ask for donations? I hate it, mostly because I have to be fakely nice when more times than not, the person on the other end is being extremely rude, which brings me to my next point.
I think another reason why I hate people is because in every single person I've encountered in my life, I find at least one thing annoying about them that just extremely bothers me. Maybe this means I'm over analytic about everyone. But I definitely know it makes me the biggest hypocrite in the world. I, of all people, should know that nobody is perfect. I don't even know why I "expect" anyone to be. This doesn't mean I don't love my friends any less though. I have decided that my opinions on everyone can be gauged on my "hate-dar". This is my scale of how much I hate everyone. I have come to the conclusion that not only do I hate people in general, but I also hate everyone individually. Some people just have lower hate levels on my hate-dar than others.
The last justification I have for my hate for people is crowds. I hate crowds/groups of people, because they are always in my way. This happens everywhere - at the mall, at concerts, at swim meets. But the place I hate it the most is at school. This year, it seems like there are freshmen EVERYWHERE. I just want to shoot them. Yes, we were freshmen just last year, but the point is that we're done being the class that everyone hates and now the current freshmen need to be hated. I will me more than happy to provide most of that hate (:
First off, I am really shy. I can only truly be myself when I'm around people I am completely comfortable with, namely, the swim team. I don't like to talk to people, I don't really like to interact with people, and I don't work well in big groups. Actually, let me rephrase/elaborate on that. I don't do well talking to new people/strangers/people of authority. I don't like to ask for help from anyone either (I don't really know if that applies to me not liking people). I feel extremely uncomfortable when strangers try to talk to me on the bus or in some other public place. i feel uncomfortable around strangers in general. I hate when my parents try to make me have dinner with their friends, and when I say "I don't like strangers" they say "Oh you've met them when you were really young". like COMO MUTHAFUCKIN QUE THAT MEANS I STILL DON'T KNOW THEM! It's not like I'd remember them at all. I also don't like to call people for Leadership class. I'm the class secretary so I guess my job is to call companies and ask for donations? I hate it, mostly because I have to be fakely nice when more times than not, the person on the other end is being extremely rude, which brings me to my next point.
I think another reason why I hate people is because in every single person I've encountered in my life, I find at least one thing annoying about them that just extremely bothers me. Maybe this means I'm over analytic about everyone. But I definitely know it makes me the biggest hypocrite in the world. I, of all people, should know that nobody is perfect. I don't even know why I "expect" anyone to be. This doesn't mean I don't love my friends any less though. I have decided that my opinions on everyone can be gauged on my "hate-dar". This is my scale of how much I hate everyone. I have come to the conclusion that not only do I hate people in general, but I also hate everyone individually. Some people just have lower hate levels on my hate-dar than others.
The last justification I have for my hate for people is crowds. I hate crowds/groups of people, because they are always in my way. This happens everywhere - at the mall, at concerts, at swim meets. But the place I hate it the most is at school. This year, it seems like there are freshmen EVERYWHERE. I just want to shoot them. Yes, we were freshmen just last year, but the point is that we're done being the class that everyone hates and now the current freshmen need to be hated. I will me more than happy to provide most of that hate (:
Friday, February 26, 2010
should modern society be criticized for being materialistic?
Yes, I think that modern society should be criticized for being too materialistic. We rely so much on our phones and computers. We also have turned to money and materialistic objects to keep us happy. This isn't always the case for everyone, however, it is a generalization we can make about modern society. I fear that in a few years, we may lose our sense of human nature completely and become materialistic cyborgs.
Although technology has been an amazng contrbuton to society, people have made it too easy to do virtually anything on a computer or a phone. Children are starting to do simple addition and subtraction on calculators. Everywhere you look, people are on their cell phones, which are also becoming so ridiculous they are losing their primary purpose as phones. Most phones now include full keyboards, mobile internet, touch screens, cameras, and even applications, where the only thing they REALLY need is the phone itself.
We are also so consumed by cars, clothes, and other material objects. I will be the first to admit that I fall under this category. There is just something fascinating about cars and clothes, which makes me feel like I need to have as much money as possible so I can buy the best of the best. I guess this has something to do with competition and trying to impress my peers. But it's also so much more than that. The powerful grace that comes with a beautiful, luxurious car never fails to leave me dazzled. The colors and textures of so many clothes is so beautiful to me. So I guess you could call me materialistic.
On the other hand, humans cannot ever be perfect, so why do we strive to be "perfect"? All our advancements in technology can be viewed as steps taken in order to achieve perfecton, but I fell like they are just created to make everyone's lives easier and to lessen the value of our lives. We don't necessarily HAVE to be reprimanded for our interest in material things. These days, everyone values their belongings much more because of the unfortunate economic situation. Does that mean that everyone will also value their lives more? This question wasn't formed in the aspect that lives are objects or belongings, but rather something of great value and importance to someone (because obviously, you're life should really be the most important thing to you). We don't have to be criticized for THAT. It can be a good and a bad thing, so I suppose I have contradicted myself in this.
So although we as a society really are too materialistic, for some (like myself), it is something much more profound than that. While we are heading down a dangerous path, I live more in fear of our dependence on technology moreso than our dependence on other material objects. Hopefully, in a few years, we will still be able to live parts of our lives without having to completely rely on technology.
Although technology has been an amazng contrbuton to society, people have made it too easy to do virtually anything on a computer or a phone. Children are starting to do simple addition and subtraction on calculators. Everywhere you look, people are on their cell phones, which are also becoming so ridiculous they are losing their primary purpose as phones. Most phones now include full keyboards, mobile internet, touch screens, cameras, and even applications, where the only thing they REALLY need is the phone itself.
We are also so consumed by cars, clothes, and other material objects. I will be the first to admit that I fall under this category. There is just something fascinating about cars and clothes, which makes me feel like I need to have as much money as possible so I can buy the best of the best. I guess this has something to do with competition and trying to impress my peers. But it's also so much more than that. The powerful grace that comes with a beautiful, luxurious car never fails to leave me dazzled. The colors and textures of so many clothes is so beautiful to me. So I guess you could call me materialistic.
On the other hand, humans cannot ever be perfect, so why do we strive to be "perfect"? All our advancements in technology can be viewed as steps taken in order to achieve perfecton, but I fell like they are just created to make everyone's lives easier and to lessen the value of our lives. We don't necessarily HAVE to be reprimanded for our interest in material things. These days, everyone values their belongings much more because of the unfortunate economic situation. Does that mean that everyone will also value their lives more? This question wasn't formed in the aspect that lives are objects or belongings, but rather something of great value and importance to someone (because obviously, you're life should really be the most important thing to you). We don't have to be criticized for THAT. It can be a good and a bad thing, so I suppose I have contradicted myself in this.
So although we as a society really are too materialistic, for some (like myself), it is something much more profound than that. While we are heading down a dangerous path, I live more in fear of our dependence on technology moreso than our dependence on other material objects. Hopefully, in a few years, we will still be able to live parts of our lives without having to completely rely on technology.
Friday, February 19, 2010
human nature
It is an animal instinct to kill. It is in our blood, because humans are, in fact, animals. The only difference is that since humans are so much more complex and advanced than other animals, we can blame homicides on us being scheming and conniving. We are intelligent enough to plan and carry out mass killings and genocides. In a way, it is a beautiful combination of animalistic instincts and human intelligence. I believe that we have forgotten how truly wild we are. We would all like to believe that we are civilized, but think about it: what if all the animals in the world had the intelligence and competence of humans? Our world would be nothing like we'd ever imagine. People try to blame the actions of killers (who participate in genocides) on there mental stability or lack thereof. But really, what is so "crazy" about a human being (who is also an animal) killing another? It is in our nature to kill. We may think that we are above killing one another, and we should be, but in reality we will never stop killing, whether we kill other species or each other.
Another excuse people use to try and explain genocides is Social Darwinism and Charles Darwin's idea of "survival of the fittest". Although Darwin himself never promoted any social ideas, some thinkers used his theories to support their own beliefs about society. Applying the idea of "survival of the fittest" to war and economic competition is Social Darwinism. During the Industrial Revolution, factory owners and people of the upper class were seen to be for "fit" than those they put out of business. War brought progress by weeding out weak nations, and victory was seen as proof of superiority. Social Darwinism encouraged racism, a pseudoscientific belief that one racial group is superior to another. By the late 1800s, many people claimed the success of Western civilization was due to the supremacy of the white race. These beliefs started a ripple effect across the world, as racism has flared throughout the years.
Of course, no specific person is to blame for putting these thoughts into our heads, but we are truly a violent society. Violence can pretty much be seen anywhere and everywhere in the media, almost as much as sex. Movies, books, magazines, video games, TV shows, they all show violence in some way, shape, or form. Even music can depict violence. We hear about horrible crimes that happen everyday. As a society, I feel that we have become almost numb to violence, if not oblivious. This is, of course, a generalization, but we hear about the war going on in Iraq and Afghanistan, yet it doesn't really directly affect us. The only reason we'd care is if there was someone we knew fighting for us overseas. The closest we can get to feeling some pain about death and violence is if it happens to someone close to us. I'm not saying that people should be hypersensitive and go hysterical when something bad happens to someone, but we should just be a little more understanding of death. Maybe then it wouldn't be so easy for people to kill one another, especially in large quantities.
In a perfect world, people would not feel the need to kill one another, but that would also be an impossible thing. I believe in the theory that people are naturally evil. We will always feel the need to do something that goes completely against our self-proclaimed "nature". Our world is corrupt, but that is what makes it beautiful. Death is a beautiful thing, but killing is not. Genocides and murders are horrifying, but I bet that death is somewhat blissful. I feel strange even thinking this way, and I probably sound strange, but that is just my opinion. On the other hand, without all these people killing each other, think about how much more populous the world would be. We are already overpopulated as we speak. Ths is probably another strange or horrible thought, but I'm just trying to be frank. In summary, I think that the only reason people should feel the need to kill someone is because it is an animal instinct. It is also a human instinct to put an end to that impulse before letting it get out of hand. When horrible things like this happen, it doesn't really surprise me in the aspect of our human nature, because our actual human nature calls for us to kill.
Another excuse people use to try and explain genocides is Social Darwinism and Charles Darwin's idea of "survival of the fittest". Although Darwin himself never promoted any social ideas, some thinkers used his theories to support their own beliefs about society. Applying the idea of "survival of the fittest" to war and economic competition is Social Darwinism. During the Industrial Revolution, factory owners and people of the upper class were seen to be for "fit" than those they put out of business. War brought progress by weeding out weak nations, and victory was seen as proof of superiority. Social Darwinism encouraged racism, a pseudoscientific belief that one racial group is superior to another. By the late 1800s, many people claimed the success of Western civilization was due to the supremacy of the white race. These beliefs started a ripple effect across the world, as racism has flared throughout the years.
Of course, no specific person is to blame for putting these thoughts into our heads, but we are truly a violent society. Violence can pretty much be seen anywhere and everywhere in the media, almost as much as sex. Movies, books, magazines, video games, TV shows, they all show violence in some way, shape, or form. Even music can depict violence. We hear about horrible crimes that happen everyday. As a society, I feel that we have become almost numb to violence, if not oblivious. This is, of course, a generalization, but we hear about the war going on in Iraq and Afghanistan, yet it doesn't really directly affect us. The only reason we'd care is if there was someone we knew fighting for us overseas. The closest we can get to feeling some pain about death and violence is if it happens to someone close to us. I'm not saying that people should be hypersensitive and go hysterical when something bad happens to someone, but we should just be a little more understanding of death. Maybe then it wouldn't be so easy for people to kill one another, especially in large quantities.
In a perfect world, people would not feel the need to kill one another, but that would also be an impossible thing. I believe in the theory that people are naturally evil. We will always feel the need to do something that goes completely against our self-proclaimed "nature". Our world is corrupt, but that is what makes it beautiful. Death is a beautiful thing, but killing is not. Genocides and murders are horrifying, but I bet that death is somewhat blissful. I feel strange even thinking this way, and I probably sound strange, but that is just my opinion. On the other hand, without all these people killing each other, think about how much more populous the world would be. We are already overpopulated as we speak. Ths is probably another strange or horrible thought, but I'm just trying to be frank. In summary, I think that the only reason people should feel the need to kill someone is because it is an animal instinct. It is also a human instinct to put an end to that impulse before letting it get out of hand. When horrible things like this happen, it doesn't really surprise me in the aspect of our human nature, because our actual human nature calls for us to kill.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
