Friday, January 18, 2008

Good-Bye May Seem Forever, Farewell Just Like the End . . .

1.
Strengths: You can tell about your own personal experiences that nobody else has ever written about. You know all the details and do not have to make anything up. It reads like fiction so it is interesting to read as well as write. Plus, you know that it is true and it actually happened so it is more interesting in the first place.
Weaknesses: If you forget details about the event, the story is not as interesting and not as descriptive. Sometimes it isn't as interesting as a fictional story, so it can get boring sometimes and lack interest.
Comparison: I like personal stories better because people can criticize fiction to death and tell you that you should change things or that something is just ridiculous and not very interesting, but you experiences are your own so nobody can tell you that it didn't happen or tell you that it should change because you are writing from you memory.
Voluntarily tackle again? I would say yes. I am sure i will have to write a lot of personal essays in my lifetime, and i've already written quite a few of them. It's something that i think i'm pretty good at and one of my strengths in writing.

2.
Reading is important throughout your life, because it keeps your imagination spinning and your mind keen. It gets you involved in something other than the real world, and has the ability of taking a person out of this world for however long they desire. It also gives you a sense of how to write, and gives you something to aspire to. It broadens your vocabulary and just keeps your mind open to new things.

3.
My favorite piece i've written this year is probably my personal essay. It was really the one piece that i put my heart into, and it was on an event that did have a huge impact on my life. Everything else we've written in class, besides maybe the poems, have just been fiction and didn't really mean anything to me personally and emotionally. So then, like i have talked about a couple times already here, my favorite genre would then be personal essays as well. My least favorite and probably the most difficult was the play, because it is not my style of writing. i Like to write explanations and using descriptive vocabulary and making a sentence flow is one of my strenghts, and i just felt really limited with the play because all i could write were stage directions. Dialogue is not realy my favorite thing to write either, so it was just hard. I didn't especially like my play, and would really never want to go see it performed onstage...ever...

4.
Coke or Pepsi: Coke
Li'l Wayne or Little Debbie:Definately Lil Wayne
McDonald's or Arby's:Mcdonalds
Chiptole or Taco Bell:Chipotle
American Idol or MTV:MTV
Buffalo Wings or Florida:Florida
New York City or Los Angeles: Never been to either..
Name you like for your future daughter: Lorlei
Name you like for your future son: Adrian
What is or what will be the first country you see outside the continent of North America: Rome maybe?
Disney movie you would be most likely to watch on your 21st birthday: if i really had to watch a movie, probably Aladdin
5. Can you figure out what Disney movie my blog title comes from? No...

Monday, January 7, 2008

Toward the future/from the past. (old blog)

1. I did not personally enjoy the play writing experience. That is not the kind of writing i particularly enjoy, especially with the format it was in. I had a hard time with stage directions and details about the characters. i found that it is much harder to develop a character when all you can use is dialogue, and dialogue that makes sense at that! I would never ever ever be interested in writing screenplays or television scripts because for one i do not watch TV ever..maybe like once a week if its a slow week. and secondly because i hated play writing and i would never want to repeat it.
2. i might want to write about the death of my friend Kelly..but maybe not because I'm not sure if i would be able to write a complete story about the experience. something else i might write about is the 4Th of July at my aunts house, and our traditions and experiences there, or maybe about my 17Th birthday party. i an not sure that i would be able to expand on these topics with as much detail that i would have to be able to do, so maybe they wouldn't be the best choice.
3. The advice i would give to a 5 year old about growing up in this world would be to live, love and enjoy it while it last. Life is too short to dwell on the past, and hold grudges, so you should forgive and forget because everyone deserves a second chance. With that said however, you need to really choose the people you surround yourself with wisely, because they have a big influence on your actions. If you are surrounded by people who love you and wouldn't want to hurt you then you will be happy and its just all around easier. But if you choose your friends as people who dont really care about life and don't value education, then chances are you are going to follow in the same path and that is not a good thing. So live life to the fullest, but do not put yourself or others in danger by doing so. Do your best and try your hardest and you will go far, education is key to success. And most importantly, enjoy life. If you are not happy with what you are doing, and enjoying yourself then its not worth it. Try and make the best out of bad situations and just get through the hard times so you can enjoy the good ones.

An unexcitingly titled blog

1. For me, church is a major part of my life. My church is also like my family, because i've been going there my whole life so people know me and i know them. Its a place i can go anytime and have many people to talk to. I know that i will always be accepted at my church and i have many friends there that can help me through anything. Although family is a big part of my life as well, i think it is included when i say church, much like many other principles that guide my life. My faith comes with many other principles that i should live my life by, and so by having it i have many other things to guide me through life.
2. One news event that had a big impact on my life was when my friend, Kelly, from church died in a car accident. She was one of the kindest, craziest, most self-confident person i had ever met and had the honor of being friends with and for awhile i was really mad at the world because i just didn't understand why she had to die. But with help from all my other friends that were also hurting i eventually understood that everyone has to die and that it was just Kelly's time. Although i will never fully understand death and why it happens to people so young, i have learned to accept it.
3. My new years resolution was to live a healthier life style. It isn't because i'm on a diet, or trying to lose weight or anything on the surface like that...i just have not been so healthy in 2007 and would really like to change that for the new year. This means excersising on a normal basis and eating healthier, as well as going to church more regularily, being with my family more, getting more sleep...anything that can improve my health more. Because the way i see it, if you dont have your health, you have nothing...so i want to try and guarentee my health for as long as i can.

Monday, December 10, 2007

Blog 11

1. For me and my writing, the theme comes naturally. i don't try and express a specific theme, but in a good story or any writing there is usually a theme or idea being portrayed. It doesn't necessarily have to, but it certainly can. For instance, a lot of great writers write short stories that do not have a specific theme, but end up being great pieces just because the writing is good, and their use in language. there are some authors that specialize in theme, such as Mark Twain and the Adventures of Tom Sawyer, there were a lot of themes in that book, and they were integrated into the story very naturally. Now whether Mark Twain meant to include those themes, or whether they just came with the story line I'm not sure, but he is one of the great American writers and i think people can take a lot of inspiration from his work.

2. I think these writers are so great and have survived so long in history is because they each have specific traits in their writing that is rare and doesn't come along very often in writers, so they remain in our textbooks and in education as great writers. I also think there is something to be said about the time frame that they wrote in, because the history of the author can tell you a lot about what their writing is actually about. To use Mark Twain again, his writing has lasted a long time, and looking into his life can help us interpret his writing because authors tend to write their own experiences into their works. His stories have lasted so long because they tell us a lot about American life, and especially life during the time period he wrote them.

3. For me, my life long goal is to be nice to people and not have any enemies. I would like to live my life so that when i die, at my funeral, nobody will have anything bad to say about me, and everyone who i knew in my lifetime would like to go. I would hope that when people leave me after meeting me, they would only have good things to say about me, and nothing too bad. It's not that i care about what people think of me, and so i try to be someone I'm not, because i am always myself no matter what, but i do care about how i treat people so that they do not have a reason to not like me. I guess i can use writing to first of all not write anything bad about anyone else, and sometimes i struggle with that-especially on the Internet- because not everyone can be nice all the time. But i do try my best, and hopefully i can leave a good impact on the world whether it is through my writing or other feats i hope to achieve.

Monday, December 3, 2007

Blog 10

1. Something that conerns me in my world is going to college. I want to go far away, but there is so much here that i love that i don't know if i would be happy with leaving. I want to go where i will be happy, and i've always thought that going away for college would make me the most happy..but the closer it comes to the decision the more i dont know what i want.
2. One of my best friends, Jacquese, has the most dynamic personality of anyone i've ever met. She doesn't care what anyone thinks of her, so she is always herself. For instance on Cinco De Mayo last year, she dressed up as a mexican and marched down the streets playing Spanish music. It was soo funny. She is the craziest person i know, but at the same time she is caring and never talks bad about anyone behind their backs. I've never heard her talk bad about anyone, even when i start to first. She is a wonderful listener and you can talk to her for hours on end about anything and she will sit there and listen.
3. When my grandma died, we found a ton of poetry that she had kept throughout her life, and among them were some really great things that i loved. One that sticks out in my mind however, is this very short saying that she had underlined and circled in a tattered old poetry book, and it said "Be kind to everyone, for everyone is fighting their own battle." I recently recieved this same quote in a fortune cookie at my favorite chinese restaurant. I like it so much, because it is so true. You should be nice to everyone, because you never know what their home life or work life consists of, and they could be really struggling. A smile can go a long way, and "being kind" doesn't necessarily have to mean helping every old lady across the street, it can be as simple as a smile.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Assignment 9

1. My definition of happiness is a feeling that you get when something very good happens to you, when everything seems to be going right, or maybe its just a small thing, but it gives you a warm feeling or joy and excitment. And its great. :)
2.In my own life, happiness is hanging out with my friends, especially my boyfriend, who is my best friend-even though it sounds very cliche, its true. I can be happy with him even if we are just sitting at my house with my family, or watching a movie, or even when he's not in a good mood i'm still happy when i'm with him. My friends bring happiness to my life as well, but it is when we are doing something enjoyable that i am the most happy. Especially football games, high school football with my friends are definately the highlight of my high school carreer. I also am really happy during christmas time at my grandma's house when my whole family is gathered around the tree opening presents.
3. The people that affect my happiness in my life are my parents and my friends. When my parents are in a bad mood, or punishing me then i'm usually not too happy. And when me and my friends are all together, at like a football game then i am extremely happy and i feel like nothing else matters.
4. I think i impact my parents definately, my friends, Nick, customers at TJs, because its just little things that you can do to make people happy. like when i'm waitressing, and a lot of people come to eat alone there, and sometimes you can make a person's day just by asking them how they are, or smiling at them. So i think we impact more peeopple's happiness in one day then you give yourself credit for. For those lonely people, that can be a big deal for them and maybe not an everyday event. And the rest of the people, my mom, dad, friends, Nick...I impact them by being there for them when they need me. I am usually pretty happy and happiness in my opinion is very contagious. So naturally it affects many people...its like a web.
5. My greatest need in my life is my friends and family. I am a very social person and i love people, so having friends and family and just overall people to talk to is a big part of my life and it always will be. Without them, i don't even know how i would survive..without their support i would be so lost.

Thursday, November 1, 2007

assignment 8

brainstorm:
  • my old house
  • a murder
  • a mystery
  • my family
  • my cousin amber
  • a love story
  • pepper-his point of view
  • halloween-getting ready
  • a bad date
  • try-outs for a sport
  • a championship game for football
  • a girl who doesnt fit in
  • a young child
  • playing pranks