So Long Farewell, An end of an era

Well friends and comrades, tis the end of the season known as our time filling up this blog with utter nonsense for our writing class and also at the fine learning establishment known simply as qcc. to end on a rhythmic note, we bid you farewell with this little number:

-

-

-

There's a sad sort of clanging from the clock in the hall

And the bells in the steeple too.

And up in the nursery an absurd little bird

Is popping out to say cook-coo cook-coo, cook-coo

Regretfully they tell us cook-coo

But firmly they compell us cook-coo

To say goodbye cook-coo...

To you...So long farewell, auf weidersehen good-bye

Kayla- I hate to go and leave this pretty sight

So long farewell, auf weidersehen adieu

Adieu, adieu, to you and you and you

So long farewell, au revior auf weidersehen

No So long farewell, auf weidersehen goodnight

I leave and heave a sigh and say good bye - goodbyyyyyyeeeee!

Laura- I'm glad... to go.... I cannot tell a lie

Annam- I fleet, I float, I fleetly flee I fly...

The sun... has gone... to bed and so must I...So long...farewell...auf weidersehen

K.L.A.Y- goodbye...Goodbye...Goodbye....Goodbye....

Yinan- Goodbye...

this is just a test

stuff stuff stuff ramble ramble blah. delete delete space Q F stuff stuff stuff. blahblahbleeblah.
numbers letters ramble crap pointless

Goldie Hawn...Dead or Alive?

Today a strange thing happened. We saw that Goldie Hawn was the number 1 yahoo search.
Mind you, the only way Goldie Hawn can be the number 1 yahoo search topic is if she traveled off to the great beyond.

So, since we investigated and found the claim of her demise to be erroneous, we can only search for other alternatives. So what happened to Goldie Hawn to make her number 1 on the yahoo top searches page? What plucked her out of her obscurity?

Maybe she was arrested for public loitering or aggravated assault against a bus driver. Or she may have caused harm out of frustration towards her "actress" offspring, Kate, for her "acting" in nothing but cheesy romantic comedies in the poor company of that hippie surfer dude, Matthew McConaughey.

Perhaps she acquired a pet giraffe from Bosnia (where there are in fact no giraffes, which made it all the more newsworthy)

Perchance she's recreating the classic televsion show "Charles in Charge" in a one woman production. Lets cross our fingers and toes for that little treat ;)

Or it could be she helped her hubby Kurt Russell in a real life full on battle against big trouble in little China.

Conceivably its possible she channeled her southern charm and put out a country album to swoon the mullet donning population.

But alas, after some much needed fact checking, we were totally on the wrong track. Whoops-a-daisy!
Turns out, she's actually being honored with an award for spreading awareness about mental health of children who attend Americas shit-tastic schools.

In an exclusive interview scooped up by "The Times of India", Goldie states "I think our children are really in trouble...There's too much suicide, too many kids killing each other. It absolutely brings tears to my eyes". Yes, Goldie, yes. trust us, we understand.
But we think the real question is not did Goldie Hawn die? Did Goldie Hawn assault a bus driver? or Why is Goldie Hawn the top search?...but rather,

Why the fuck is Goldie Hawn telling all this to The Times of India?

registration frustration in regards to higher education

There's been a miscommunication, hence the lack of registration of academic relation.

Without consideration, there's been an amphibious demonstration in the department of education, A clandestine operation to conceal insider information!

Disorganization and disorientation are leading to our dehumanization and need for correctional rehabilitation.Without consideration, the websites overregulation is like eternal damnation.

The systematic desensitization leaves no hope even in this obama nation.

WHAT THE EFF QUEENS AND HUNTER.

The Social Significance of Harrison Bergeron (Kayla)

I remember the first time I read Harrison Bergeron was in my senior year of high school. We read it in economics class, but for what reason I can’t be certain. After reading it aloud, we had a few moments of reflection time to answer some guided questions we were given. I remember very clearly thinking that it was the greatest short story I had ever read. I had always enjoyed Vonnegut’s writing, but it seemed to me nothing of his was ever as straight forward as this. Even though I can’t for the life of me remember what that lesson in economics was about, Harrison Bergeron remains my favorite short story to this day.

The whole story is no more than a one shot spanning a few pages, but the lessons conveyed in the story transcend the length. The most important part of the story is the emphasis on the stifling of traits that make one person stand out more than another. Those who were attractive were given ugly masks to wear, those who were intelligent were given a device that rendered them unable to finish a thought, and those who were graceful were given heavy chains to wear. Harrison’s parents are clearly in favor of this systematically created equality and fear regressing back into a time where one person could be deemed “better” than another. Harrison is speculated to be exceptionally handsome and talented person as he bore many “handicaps” to make him “just like anybody else.” He attempts to stage a coup and winds up being killed, while his parents remain in the dark due to their limitations.

Vonnegut’s usage of satire is blatant in this story. He presents this situation in an almost comical way, as it seems to outrages. In reality, we aren’t so far off from this. He is attempting to create a scenario where one can see what would happen if we keep trying to level the playing field so that everyone starts from the same spot; but by forcing people backwards, or forwards for that matter, we are denying what is inherently human about us. That we have different combinations of strengths and weaknesses proves that we are individuals, and this is how we are, naturally. Sometimes, a square really does not fit in a circle, but it is only as big of a detriment as we as a society make it. By handicapping the traits of those who excel naturally we are only harming ourselves. How can we move forward if we are always waiting for every person to catch up? How do we ever reach true equality without hindering people in the process? Although these answers aren’t handed to us by Vonnegut, he nonetheless poses important questions to a people so focused on the differences between perceived perfection and imperfection.

Harrison Bergeron provides important social commentary for issues that remain constantly relevant. Although people seem as though they are free, they are confined to the parameters set forth by those ruling the country. The government did not facilitate a society where people could speak or think freely but a place where there was obedience and forced enslavement. The government in this story is the epitome of fascist rule, and although it is portrayed as a place where true equality has been achieved it is only a place where people have no free will over their lives.I don’t believe that Vonnegut wrote this story without a purpose. He presents the reader with a glimpse into a dystopian world where traditional beliefs about how to create equality goes awry and in its place there are only those who are shells of the people that they might have been. The fact remains that to really level the playing ground, there would have to be uniformity in our society that is unrealistic. It is in our best interest to let people excel at their own rate, while not asking others to regress for them

response to Adam & Ruby (Laura)

After reading Annam’s story entitled Adam and Ruby, I was blown away by how beautifully it was written.

I especially enjoyed the fact she incorporated her Pakistani culture into the story. Words such as salwar kameez and jalebi give you an aspect of her culture and a taste of the traditions. It’s a strong theme to write about but she did it wonderfully.

Annam also does a good job at capturing the reader’s attention, especially if you’re a teenager, by creating characters that stir emotions and are easily relatable. She talks about the feelings most of us feel at that age, where we all just want to escape to someplace where no one knows our name and the pressures of school and families are far behind us. The main character Adam is presented to you and you’re not confused at what type of person he is. You see he’s just this young sarcasm spitting teenage boy who wishes to escape the cultural and religious expectations of his family at times. He’s in some ways an outsider in his own family, not really conforming to the wishes of his parents. Instead of studying to be a doctor or a lawyer, he chooses to play music and rock alone with his guitar in the confines of his room. During a party held by his parents he meets a strange girl called Ruby that entices him with her quirkiness and lets the walls he built up crumble to the ground. Together they talk and open up to each other about music and their families, creating their “own private world” in such a short amount of time. With a tune that had been stuck in his head for awhile, Ruby became his muse. Extracting the words from inside him and giving his song an identity for the first time.

I loved the humorous tone Annam puts into the story, especially the part where Adam prays to Allah. Praying is something he hasn’t done in a very long time, but results to doing it before entering his house, hoping it will help deflect any worries and stress being unleashed on him. Who hasn’t felt that way at one point or another? The dialogue Adam shares with his younger brother Ali also made me chuckle because it reminds anyone with a sibling how exchanges usually end when you’re talking with them, an insult.

The first time Ruby is introduced, you can picture her unusual appearance in your head because she is illustrated so well to the reader. “Her lips were stained an intense red shade and her eyes were painted black, with the tips of her eyeliner bridging out like a blackbirds wings…her clothes, completely disheveled and strangely endearing…Her bleached red hair was in a disarray just like the rest of her bangs that covered her eyes and self made braids which from afar resembled dreadlocks.” She’s clearly the wild child of her family, challenging the rules and sticking to the person she is. She is very similar to Adam in that way, giving you the feeling that she and Adam are meant to be. Even after just meeting Ruby, he can see right through her. “…despite her wild outer appearance, she was fragile. Everything else and an illusion of freedom” In the end when she hears her father going and they say their final goodbyes to each other, your left wondering whether or not these two will ever see each other again. Your reassured though towards the end as Adam starts writing more songs, in hopes of singing them to her one day.

Final portfolio& class anthology (Annam)

I've been spending some time working on my final portfolio for the class, in which we have to submit all of our revised stories plus some extra things like a introduction letter. For the intro, I talked about how books were always my escape as a kid, and I still love to read them whenever I get the chance. I mentioned how I once heard "to be a good writer, you must be a good reader", and this saying holds a lot of truth. Just by reading, I learned many words and improved my grasp on the english language. Reading a good book also makes you aware of different styles that writers use to effectively portray their story to readers, and all those technicalities and formalities of writing. I know how using correct grammer and proper structure in writing a story can be annoying, but just by reading so much through the years, it almost became an instinct to me to do so.
I cant fail to mention that I gave a little reference to this very blog as well. What I wrote was, that the initial prospectives of becoming a "blogger" didnt sound very ideal to me. It amazes me how people can use their online blogs as personal journals. Maybe Im someone who values my privacy on an abnormal level, but I couldnt understand the idea of blogging my thoughts for the entire world to see. But I've actually maybe sort of liked being able to post my responses and what not on here. Its much more conveniant and faster than keeping a journal for class. Also, writing sarcastic, smart alecy posts with my witty friend Laura was fun, even if we're the only ones who are amused by them.
I did get around to editing all three stories. I found many things I decided needed to be changed or corrected, and in the end, I feel like I did everything I could to convey what I wanted to through these stories. "Transience", the first one, was the longest yet easiest one to write for me, because I already had a clear idea of what I wanted it to be about, and it all sort of flowed on paper. "Odd Chance" was the one that took the longest. I spent alot of time scrutinizing over the little details of this one, because i never wrote a story before that didnt have any clear or dynamic plotline. It was just about a guy who is on the subway and is people watching. He happens to see a few random occurences and encounter a few interesting strangers. "Adam & Ruby", the third story, took me just a few hours to jot down. I think I mentally went back to being 16 years old when I wrote that one, because its totally a teenage story that that age group might like and be able to relate to-the pressures of the adolescent years and the awkward transition from child to adult.
Also, for the class anthology, I submitted "Transience" to be published. I think its actually pretty cool that our class will have this chance to become published writers. I dont think many other creative writing classes get to do that as a class.

Surefire ways to annoy your fellow human beings

Being passive aggressive is not easy. I should know. There are many people and things you despise with the heat of a thousand burning suns, yet for some reason, you dont show it. Maybe you hate confrontation, or your too lazy to say anything and would much rather privately wallow in your sorrows. Us "pass-aggs" as we like to call ourselves, may feel the need to speak up against what we find unacceptable from time to time. But most of the time, we just like to bitch inside our scattered minds and find creative little, unassuming ways to get back at those who wronged us. Say what you want, its our way of life and its definitely better to be passive agressive than to be...agressive-aggressive..?

So here for all the pass-aggs and even to anyone else who might need some passive aggressive wisdom, are surefire ways to tick off, piss off, annoy and just all around be an ass to anyone who deserves it. They dont even have to be directed at anyone in particular, just do them to blow off some steam and get some pass-agg satisfaction. Its completely healthy, believe me. And all can be done in the most passive agressive manners known to man:

-Specify that your drive-through order is "TO-GO."
-Reply to everything someone says with "that's what you think."

-If someone says they love something, reply "then why dont ya marry it!?"
-Highlight irrelevant information in your papers/work and hand in to boss/teachers.
-Signal that a conversation is over by clamping your hands over your ears and grimacing.

-Signal your bored of someone by pretending to doze off when they are talking, fake snore for extra oomph.
-Holler random numbers while someone is counting.
-Staple pages in the middle of the page.
-Honk and wave to strangers, a toothy grin and thumbs up for added effect.
-Decline to be seated at a restaurant, and simply nibble on their complimentary mints at the cash register.
-TYPE IN UPPERCASE, and use only online lingo and abbreviations (ex. omg! lol irl, l8r)
-Repeat the following a few times when someone is talking:"DO YOU HEAR THAT?""What?""Never mind, it's gone now."
-Ask people what gender they are.

- Wear graphic t's with obnoxious or random slogans. (True story: I once saw a boy wearing a shirt that said "Drink 8-10 glasses of water per day" It was the most annoying shirt ive ever seen and i couldnt stop looking at it)

- for men, wear v-neck tshirts that showcase your chest hair.

-Sit in your front yard pointing a hair dryer at passing cars to see if they slow down.
-Sing along at the opera.
-Go to a poetry recital and ask why each poem doesn't rhyme.
-Ask your co-workers/friends mysterious questions about themselves and then scribble their answers in a notebook. Mutter something about "psychological profiles."

- Give uncreative nicknames to inanimate objects (ex. pen named "peny", book named "booky") and refer to them in everyday conversations

-Do not add any inflection to the end of your sentences, producing awkward silences with the impression that you'll be saying more any moment.

-Drum on every available surface.

- Ask people if they would like to join your "air band", Say your the lead air guitarist and the only available spot for them is air maracas or air xylephone.

-Start off a compliment with "ooh la la!", creepy smile and a bat of the eyelashes

-Repeat everything someone says, as a question and answer all questions with a question (Ex. If someone says: Where are you going?, you say "Where am I not going?")

-Speak with different accents, Southern and British accent are especially encouraged.

-Never make eye contact.

- Never break eye contact.

- And lastly, as much as possible, skip rather than walk.

Story #1 (Laura)

In my first story entitled “Lost” I was inspired to write about a funny story that happened to my mom and her best friend when they were around my age. Of course I exaggerated some parts and had to add things to make it more interesting but essentially it’s a true story. I tried to be as descriptive as possible when writing it so i could engage the person reading my story and have them picture the scenes in their minds. At the same time though I didnt want to get carried away to the point where it was getting obnoxious. Writing this story gave me my first chance at discovering my own personal writing style. I didn’t tell the story from just one characters point of view but from a third person style. I also tried to put my own experience of being with my friends into the story. Growing up with all brothers I tend to view my three closest friends as my sisters, who like me only have brothers for siblings. As “sisters” we tend to talk to each other in sarcastic tones and make smart-alecky comments towards each other teasingly like the two characters in my story do. This story was the one I had the most fun writing because I wanted it to be humorous and be allowed to use some of my cynical prone behavior in it. I even dipped into a real life incident where my friend was driving and almost ran over a cat that had ran into the road. She pulled over and we proceeded to have the same little chat as Terri and Lee did about her losing her driving privileges. The dialogue came easy to me but I did find myself in trouble towards the end because I wasn’t quite sure how to end it. In real life, my mom and her friend ended up turning around and driving back home so I decided not to stray too far and stick with the factual account.

A pointless rambling on Online Shopping

These days, everything is a click away. The world of knowledge is at our fingertips. In the olden days a la 1990, kids had to find out about all the know-hows and what-nots on the streets. So you want to know if the stork really brought you down from the sky or the proper formula for magnesium sulfate? Try cracking open that encyclopedia of universal knowledge! Or maybe you need to update your wardrobe or buy some milk for your Count Chocula? Well then...put on some pants and go out and buy it! But now, your pantless, encyclopedialess self can sit safely within the confines of your humble abode and order all your neccesities of life on your handy dandy computer. Oh the wonders of the internet. And online shopping is no small feat either pals.

What is it about online shopping that just hooks you up and pulls you in like bait when there are many risks? For example, you need a credit card or your screwed, and even then, your credit card info. can be stolen by hooligans known as hackers. If your a shopoholic (yes, such a disease exists)..especially if your a lazy or anti-social shopoholic, shopping online is a boundless haven that craves all of your materislistic desires. You could be tempted into clicking on things you never knew you needed and sink furthur in your isolated state! Another downfall of internet shopping: what if you dont like what you ordered, the hassle of shipping it back truly sucks.

But put these few minor difficulties aside, and what you have is the start of an epic era known as online shopping! It can also be quite an amazing thing to behold. So simple and so conveniant, so bittersweet and oh so addictive! I am not ashamed to say that I am a proud online shopper. Once you learn the ins and outs and the safety precautions of shopping with respectable sites, your set my friend. Online shopping can unleash the smart shopper in you as its much easier to compare prices and find deals, which is much more difficult when shlepping from store to store. Shop till you drop if you like, and even then, it okay...cause your at home and you can just go take a slumber on your cozy bed nearby!

Online shopping makes my stomach fill with little imaginary, analogical butterflies--as weird as that sounds. Im no shopoholic, and definitely not materialistic in any sense. Shopping to me is a kind of a once in a while, spiritual endeavor that takes time and careful planning...despite the few impulse buys that plague us all, online or not. Going to websites like Amazon.com that are the jelly to my peanut butter, the sun to my moon, is ever so satisfying. If you stay within your limits and know what your ordering, your sure to have a blissful experience. 2-14 business days later...or sooner if you choose expidited shipping, you'll feel like the postman is Santa Clause and your a kid on the nice list at Christmas all over again. As your package arrives safe and sound...you tear it open to uncover the treasure inside. Its a good thing, a very good thing indeed. Now excuse' mua as I click on over to another site where some mighty good looking shoes are calling my name and practically screaming "discount" in my ear...Speaking of ear, I might also order some ear-muffs. Winter's just a short year away and its good to be prepared for those dreadful ear frost bites ya know...

Story #1 "Transience" (Annam)

I took inspiration from a French film I once saw about a strangely endearing girl who constantly traveled from place to place, like a drifter, and began thinking up alternate versions, endings, and characters. I decided I would take this original plot and make it my own, with new characters and a new story...sort of like a spin-off. You could call this film my muse when it came to my first story for class called Transience.

In the story, a homeless girl, named Perry, is found frozen to death in an abandoned barn shed. The only thing she possesses with her are a few scarce items she took as memory tokens from three significant people she encountered in her short life. Thus begins a full fledged investigation which steals headlines and TV time all over. Everyone is obsessed with the idea of uncovering the identity of the mystery dead girl.

I liked the idea of a non-linear, flashback type of format for the story and felt it would have fell flat any way else. The reader is introduced to the only three people whom Perry ever allowed to get close to her, and each character begins heading back to that short time they knew her, telling every detail about the breif meeting and their first impressions of the mystifying transient. Everything starts to fit together and make sense.

Perry is known to be a wild child with a poetic soul. I imagined her to be completely disheveled with dark features. When it came to coming up with the three characters who make up a huge part of the story, I wanted each to be completely different on the outside, but all a bit mentally damaged and insecure on the inside.

The character whom I spent the most time on was River, Perry's momentary love interest, as they make the most noteworthy connection. I sort of imagined Perry and River to be a Kurt Cobain/Courtney Love type couple, expect younger and less "tortured". Perry inspires Gaspard the businessman to fulfill his dream of being a teacher and he moves off to the mountains and leaves his cold, business world behind him. She encourages Belinda, the depressed housewife to run away from her supressive husband, and ofcourse, River to stop being such a recluse and go forth with his dream of traveling and becoming a well-recognized poet and writer.

Perry comes along out of nowhere and becomes the saving grace for each character, but tragically cannot find a saviour for herself. But its not all dark and gory in the end depending on how you take it because I saw it as she didnt live such a solemn life. She took whatever little she had and brought happiness to those she met along the way, sort of sacrificing herself for another. I feel like Perry is one of those beautifully flawed characters you come to admire and sympathize with and Im really glad I could portray her the way I wanted.

Movie review for Happy-Go-Lucky (Annam)

Warning: I tell all, up to the ending about this movie so read only half way if your planning to watch it and dont want to know what happens :)

I recently watched a movie called Happy-Go-Lucky starring a relatively unknown actress called Sally Hawkins. But she has gained instant recognition after the film won an Oscar. It comes from England-a land that has produced many a greats. This movie is not one that is particularly epic or brilliant. Its more of a fun, light, cute little film you can see with friends or when you need a pick me up. There is a deeper underlying message behind it though which is evident at the end.The story revolves around Poppy, a very energetic and quirky woman who lives in London with her best friend. You either love Poppy, or despise her. She is either this very funny, upbeat person with whom you'd like to be friends with-or- an annoyingly chipper person who you'd like to shoo away with a stick or a disturbed raccoon. Life seems to test Poppy on all levels. In the start, she tries to begin a little chat with a bookstore keeper, and he flat out refuses to acknowledge her existence. Soon afterwards, she discovers her favorite bike is stolen. Now you or I would probably be cursing the heavens at this point, but not Poppy. Its almost inhuman how she manages to brush off the ugly aspects of life and only focus on whats ahead, and how to take the positives out of a negative.

Throughout the film, we meet Poppy's various circle of friends and family, and discover she's a schoolteacher, trampoline enthusiast, and a lover of all things unusual and uninhibited. One recurring story in the film is how Poppy decides to take driving lessons after the theft of her beloved bicycle, and encounters a rather strange driving instructor named Scott. He has a very harsh, cynical, and dark outlook on life that parallels Poppy's soft, positive and bright personality. Its almost like fate played a cruel trick by bringing these two together. Scott constantly yells at Poppy, while all she can do is laugh at his sudden anger outbursts at her bad driving. In the meantime, Poppy must deal with a young bully at her school and tries to uncover what is making him so violent, and develops a blooming relationship with the school's child psychologist in the process. In a creepy turn, Poppy discovers that Scott is actually madly in love with her and stalks out her home on off days. This leads to an intense confrontation where Poppy's blind optimism is successfully tested, and she must face Scott's anger and issues, and ultimately decides to end their driving sessions for his own good and her safety.

So to top it all off, Poppy and her best friend are sitting in a cute little boat in a cute little pond, having a nice time. Poppy's bff tells her she needs to be less nice and naive all the time and Poppy sort of agrees to disagree. Here we meet a woman who is impressively unaffected by life's harsh realities, and rather chooses to live her life on her own terms despite the constant negativity that seems to test her strong spirit. This is a movie with no particular plot. It plays out like a linear look at someones life, and for those who like a traditional beginning-middle-end film that is plot heavy, this movie is not for you. But for those who are not picky, and just like something that is not tasteless and overly structured, but has an interesting variety of characters and storyline, you'll probably like this. Its a film that teaches you to embrace your oddest quirks and not take life so seriously. Having a laugh and smiling in the face of all that is depressing once in a while can be more important than you think. Like a true movie critic, I'll rate this film with 3 out of 4 stars.

Response to ASAP program and plans for college (Annam)

Being apart of ASAP has been a really great experience. When I was first approached to join right before enrolling at QCC, Im going to admit that I was very hesitant. Up until the point of signing the little contract that officially makes one an "ASAP'er", or whatever we're called, I had to think twice about it, mainly because it almost sounded too good to be true. But since then, I've not had any regrets. ASAP lives up to its standards. Even all the little obligatory tasks and things we're asked to do are worth the hassle.

Having individualized assistance and guidance is so worth having. Im actually a little scared of what I'll do without Danielle next year as she honestly helped me get by these past 2 years with all of her help. The block scheduling is something I didnt consider to be important but it has been. I have friends in other colleges that constantly complain about how they have no option but to take classes scheduled hours apart on the same day, and thats truly a stress inducer.

And of course, the financial assistance with tuition, books, and metrocards are more than I could have asked for. I think the city and CUNY school system did such a good thing by creating this program. Its been a big benefit to everyone involved, it makes the transition from high school to college easier, and Im sure its encouraged many people to continue on with their education.

My plans for after ASAP are to transfer onto a 4 year college, which I just recently found out will be Hunter College. While there, I honestly dont know where to begin as Im scattered with things I have to do. I might have to stay in touch with Danielle for some unofficial guidance. There are so many things I'd like to do professionally from traveling and reporting, to photography to writing. But my safety plan is to major in Elementary Education and get a license in teaching young children.

If I have to have a normal job, I feel like its best to be a teacher as I've always loved that profession and would resort to lining up my stuffed animals in rows and teaching them various subjects as a kid. I really admired my elementary school teachers who made learning fun, and used unconventional methods to engage us. And the idea of teaching kids is the best for me, because strangely enough, kids seem to naturally like me...I suppose its for my endless wit and charm (or not). Besides that, my only other college plan is to study abroad somewhere like England or Spain. And after that, its all still a mystery since there are so many possibilities.

An unusual vacation spot by- Annam

Spring Break is almost over and I've done nothing stimulating, school-wise. Any work is still undone and any studying is still unstudied. I did however go on a little trip to Saudi Arabia that took all of my energy and cranium space, so right now, thats all I can really think about. Usually when I travel anywhere, it takes me about a week to get back into regular, normal, routine life mode. I suspect this trip might take a little longer. I'll write a response on my trip there and some things I saw and experienced:

Well the reason for going was purely for religious reasons otherwise I dont think I'd have ever gone there. Muslims are supposed to go on a pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia atleast once in their lives called Hajj. Hajj is such an intense event that only happens once a year during a condensed time frame and you need to be mentally and physically stable to go through with it. For the rest of us, there's something called Umra. Umra is like a less intense version of Hajj that is open all year round. Even though Hajj is required and Umra is not...Thats what my family and I did, Umra that is. Im not your typical religious person, but my family is so I tagged along, but I was excited and willing to learn alot about the religion I grew up with.

Saudi Arabia is a really beautiful, surreal place. At night, riding through the desert on an unbearably hot and crowded 5 hour bus ride that left me feeling quite proud of myself for enduring, i just stared out of my window for hours...it was hypnotizing. The desert stretches for miles and miles and all you can see is its deep golden hue and sandy mountains that reach the sky. And the sky in complete darkness is littered with stars, unlike anything a city person like I have ever witnessed. In the city of Mecca, authentic old clay buildings and crowded dirt streets make you feel like a time traveler jolted back 1,500 years. Going into the beautifully crafted Masjids or "Mosques" that are everywhere to be found is like stepping into art. The history behind this ancient land is so bold and vivid, it was amazing to think that I was walking the same land that the most well known and beloved figures in Islamic history once walked, and was looking at the same sites that they once looked upon.

To be honest, Ive felt discontented with the thought of religion for a large part of my life. But I realized that religion can actually be quite a beautiful and uniting force. Its only the people and followers of the past and present that have caused it to become a source of war and hatred. Islam in particular is a religion that has fallen victim to many intolerant ignoramuses out there. But you wouldnt know that when your in S.A. and many other Muslim countries, where Islam is an extremely beautiful and natural aspect of everyones lives that bonds, instead of seperates. During the times of the five daily prayers, you'll see the streets lined with thousands of people all heading in the same direction: to the mosque. During the prayer, everyone is surrounded by peaceful silence. All you can hear are quiet prayers and the sounds of the sparrows overhead. You feel like your apart of something greater than yourself, and its a very humbling and spiritual situation to be apart of. Many people ignore or forget about their inner self because of the fast pace of everyday life. I realized thats why Muslims pray so often, to get out of the daily grind mindset and go somewhere peaceful and personal during those five prayers per day.


(Right) The black building in the middle is called the Kabba, the holiest landmark in Islam as it was said to be built by Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham). The sea of white surrounding it are Muslim pilgrims during Hajj. The number of people visiting this sacred site during Hajj can easily reach millions. During Umra, the numbers are much less, but still massive in the thousands range. (I was right where that tall guy in white is standing in the picture if you can see)


Saudi Arabia also has some negative points which to me, are mainly sociological and cultural. They have a shortage of internet or libraries available there, which led the cynical speculator in me to suspect the government is trying to limit its citizens access of outside knowledge. Non-Muslims are not allowed into the country, which I think is a tad extreme- but hey, they have their own reasons for this and one can only hope they'll eventually reconsider this strange, strange rule. Besides, how would they even know who really is and isnt what they say, right!? Also, women are required to cover their hair and wear abaya's (a type of long, shapeless gown) and men can wear whatever they want, but most usually wear long white Arab style dresses. I dont see that as oppressive for women if its her choice to do so, but the women there dont have a choice: cover yourself up or be outcasted.

The line between a man and woman is not fine in such a country. It was clearly apparent that men were considered the more dominant sex, and woman had a clear purpose: to be a good wife, mother, obediant and domestic, respectful and soft spoken. Naturally, growing up in America where Im free to do many things such as speak my mind and walk around the street by myself, I had the same mind set when I was there. But I had to think twice before I thought of leaving the hotel room with even a bit of my hair showing, or when walking through the shopping areas, even asking the male shop keeper the price of an item made me feel nervous. My brother had to do most of the talking. To be fair, we did see many woman walking around alone or in groups, and its not like they arent allowed to speak in public...in general though, I think men are forced to take the dominant role, just as women are forced not to.

There is also a serious lack of understanding there about how racism, discrimination, and stereotyping is wrong. Quite a few Saudi's (as I personally witnessed) make fun of foreigners and people of other, Non-Arab backgrounds and there's no law or stigma against it there. But we have that here as well, i guess. Its just that we have more closeted racists in our country while they have more open ones. I dont know which is worse. I'd also like to point out that these extreme rules and form of religion are mainly expressed in Saudi life. In many other Muslim countries, women are free to wear what they like and do as they please, things have come a long way from traditional, conservative Muslim values.

Besides the usual downers, our entire trip remained mainly positive and something to remember. It was like a really bizarre, entertaining, spiritual, and mind numbing adventure all in one. I met many interesting, friendly people that I would have never guessed I'd meet otherwise. I experienced some cool things, and overall, it was well worth the effort, money, and planning. Also, apparently the Saudi's really love Obama because there was a big poster of him outside a shopping mall, which is ironic--Saudi's liking the American president? It almost sounds like a sick joke. "Would you ever go back?" an imaginary person asks me...Well, the answer is yes. I'd like to go back again for Hajj, or maybe even another Umra. Sure why the heck not! But once Im through with those things, I think I'd feel like my job there is done. Besides, I'd be too busy trying out different things like backpacking around Europe or rowing through a river in the Amazon ;)

whats with all the tripping?

People all over the world have different reactions to watching scary movies. Some scream or cover their eyes, a few might even faint. I personally love watching scary movies because I tend to laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation thats taking place. Pure amusement is an emotion that trumps fear and anguish more than anything when enjoying a good, horror flick. Maybe im mentally disturbed or maybe its a defense mechansim, i dont know...

Movies such as Childs Play used to force me to sleep in my parents bed where it was safe as a kid. Nowadays, if i catch this movie on TV I start asking myself, why the hell is this doll stronger than a grown adult? And what stupid toy company thought a doll with ugly red hair and a creepy face was marketable?

A good example about how much I critique scary movies was when I went to go see My Bloody Valentine in 3D. The whole time my friends and I were turning to each other laughing and saying "Was every character in this movie hit on their f***** head as a baby?!". I'll confess I had more fun watching the reactions of other people in the theater, saying "It's like its right there in front of you" more than watching the actual movie. At one point I actually got angry at how many times people tripped or lingered around as a friend got murdered with a pick axe. I mean, if someone is chasing you with a pick axe with the intent of killing you with it, be a little more coordinated is all I ask. And why is it that the murderer is always WALKING after his prey, who in turn are running like wild baffoons, but still manage to not escape? If your running at top speed, and some guy is casually strolling along after you, one would think you have some chance of successful escape, right? Is that too much to ask??

I did gain some helpful tips after watching horror movies though and here they are for your conveniance: What to do when your in a horror movie situation (note that reverse psychology is being used here as I know its human nature to try to be a rebel without a cause. So please, feel free to rebel against these tips...or um, don't)

1. Never check the back seat of your car before you go anywhere, just in case theres a man hiding back there in the dark crevices with the ultimate goal of bludgeoning you.

2. An old abandoned mine shaft where a man once went on a killing rampage is most certainly the optimum place to throw a wild rave for you and your friends.

3. When your all alone in a grocery store at night and a man is inside trying to kill you, go ahead and barricade yourself inside a room with windows that have bars on them and no other way to escape if he manages to find a way in, which he will, inevitably. Don't think twice about exiting through the front door when you have the chance, oh no.



4. Be utterly surprised and shocked whenthe guy going around town dressed as a copycat of the mine shaft killer is the same guy who ten years earlier was almost murdered in said mine shaft by said mine shaft killer. I mean, even though the evidence was all there in front of you, how could you put two and two together? Its insanity!

5. Dont bother securing a murderer in a coma in some super high tech, 24 hour security prison... just place him in your normal, run of the mill hospital room so he can suprisingly wake up on the anniversary of his massacre and kill everyone on the floor.

6. When a crazed lunatic finds a way inside your conveniantly unlocked house and is trying to brutalize you, DONT run out of the door onto the street where help and escape can be readily available. Instead, run UP the stairs and go hide in a closet or something.

7. Oh hey, whats that you got there? Wow, some dusty looking black book from the 18th century filled with strange voodoo chants that are supposed to awaken ancient evil spirits? Go ahead, read them...out loud...invite your friends over and make a party of it.

8. When you spot the dead bodies of your friends on the floor of a mine shaft and a mysterious man is standing a few feet away with his back towards you, DO try to gain his attention and draw closer. Dont take it as a sign to get the hell out of there.

9. And lastly, when running for your life through a darkened forest, always make sure you trip over some random unknown object so the man with the pick axe can take full advantage of your clumsiness.



In conclusion, scary movies can be such a hoot to watch. Watching stupid people loiter around at night when a killer is on the loose or investigate a strange noise in the dark will always help in reminding oneself that they know better.

response about fiction (Laura)

In elementary school I remember being taught the basics of a story such as creating the plot, the different characters and choosing a setting in which my story takes place. Reading all the materials given, I guess you can say I definitely expanded my knowledge about Fiction. It’s been a while since I had to write a short story with an idea that I’ve come up with by myself so I’m a little rusty. I remember reading a lot of short stories through high school that were considered classics and had help introduced me to the world of writing.
Prior to the class I knew the basic definition of fiction, stories made up by an author along with all the necessities that piece together a story such as setting, main character, time period, and the conflict. They take from their imagination and bring it onto the pages of a book. With imagination people are able to hear original thought provoking stories and gain knowledge about things that exist in the world. As someone flips through a book they see a story told from a different point of view and learn about new understandings and situations they never experienced before in their lives. What I’ve learned though is fiction surrounds a person’s life. Just turning on the TV I see it in the shows that come on, like some hilarious storyline on a sitcom or an action filled drama.
Growing up I saw it in those old Disney movies that caused me to be glued to the television watching The Lion King or my personal favorite The Little Mermaid. At time my brothers had to hide the tapes because I would watch them over and over, almost hypnotized by the pictures and stories that came across the screen. Watching a story unfold allowed you to enter some sort of fantasy world and put ones imagination into overdrive. Imagination after all can be very important in the development of a child, it allows us to explore our world and learn how to become creative thinkers. I can definitely relate to what Jonathan Culler writes about when he mentions how from an early age children beg their parents to tell them a story because I can definitely be held accountable for asking one of my parents to read me a bedtime story or forcing them to make one up out of thin air. My bookshelves held a bunch of children books ranging from Mother Goose to the all mighty Dr. Seuss, and I loved hearing them read over and over again even though I knew the story by heart.
When a parent reads you a story like the classic children’s book seen in any library where the wild things are or if you give a mouse a cookie you can picture the images in your head broadening our imaginations in the process. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that you learn some great morals as well. Books open up these never explored worlds for a child that they can enter and learn from. I remember in sixth grade when the Harry Potter books came out and were starting to become really popular, I had a friend that seemed to get sucked into them. It was as if she was living vicariously through these characters she had grown to know and love. Each time a new book would come out she would finish it in a couple of days. As she grew up and become older that feeling of reading a book of fantasy and the excitement that went along with it never left, which I think is true for everybody. It doesn’t matter how old you are, everyone can get absorbed into a book.
I found it interesting reading about narration and the different ways I myself can narrate my own story. Reading about the options I could take with my story was helpful such as focusing on time and the mindset of my character as they recall a memory in the present time or how they felt in the past. There’s also the speed to take into account, deciding whether or not I want to skip through the details or slow it down and state the specifics. There was a lot of useful information, especially Cullers story. It gives the reader the importance and impact a piece of fictional writing gives to society.

response to harrison bergeron (Laura)

The story Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut takes place in a future society drastically different from our own. In this society people are all equal due to the use of handicap devices placed on them. Those who were really strong were given weights to carry around them so they would be brought down to a strength equivalent to others and those with high levels of intelligence were given ear pieces that made sounds causing them to lose their train of thoughts. For Harrison Bergeron, at the young rebellious age of fourteen he had the most handicaps placed on him. “Harrison’s appearance was Halloween and hardware. Nobody had ever worn heavier handicaps.” With a red clown nose on his face and shaved eyebrows to make him less attractive, headphones to hinder his thinking and intelligence, eyeglasses that made him half blind and over 300 pounds of extra metal to carry around, Harrison was the one person that was ready to defy the government. He escapes jail, and on a televised broadcast in front of the entire country, stands up and removes all the obstructions that layered his body stopping him from reaching his potential. Claiming himself emperor to the people that watched, he fatefully tries to overthrow the government and the “Handicap General” who enforces these laws on the people.

Harrison though isn’t alone in this, when he asks for someone to stand beside him as queen, a ballerina with a mask over her face hiding her beauty accepts his offer. Tragically though as they dance together they are shot and killed by the Handicap police. I found it really sad in the end when Harrison Bergeron dies as his parents watch. The fact that Harrison’s own mother can’t even remember why she is crying a few moments after her son’s death just ends the story on a sour note for me. I could never imagine my own parents forgetting about me. It makes you think of this world and how much it had changed for the worse, where a simple thing like the grief over a child’s death is taken away from a parent. I never read this short story before so I found it interesting, a part of me at the end thought that Harrison was going to actually win in overthrowing the government so I was surprised to read him get shot and killed as the nation watched.

I also found it very interesting to see a glimpse of how life would become if we were all made equal by not just laws but in intelligence, strength and beauty. Especially with this all taking place in America, the land of the free, it shocks you to imagine a world where this is possible. Free will and freedom is something not to be taken for granted, when it’s taken away from a person you can see them slowly wither away almost as if they were a caged animal. The people of this future society sadly no longer have the ability to dream and have the drive to make the world a better place, as cheesy as that sounds. Freedom to be who you are makes us unique and keeps the world moving ahead.

As Harrison’s father George watches the ballerinas on the TV you can’t help but feel how disheartening fairness can actually be. “They were burdened with sash weights and bags of birdshot, and their faces were masked, so that no one, seeing a free and graceful gesture or a pretty face, would feel like something the cat drug in. George was toying with the vague notion that maybe dancers shouldn’t be handicapped. But he didn’t get very far with it before another noise in his ear radio scattered his thoughts” As I read this I thought, what is the point of living in a world where were all the same. No one would ever be able to show their true potential, express themselves and achieve great things. This story makes you stop and think afterwards, imagining yourself living a life wearing hardware that holds you back along with your family and friends. I think that those who read this story can take a lot away from it just like “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson.

Response to "Erased" (Annam)

In "Erased" by Laura Nici, an intriguing question is posted: If you had the chance to permanently erase a bad memory from your mind, would you do it? In the story, we meet the serious-minded and mature Miles, a teenage boy who is plagued by the memories of his deadbeat mother. Although Miles lives a seemingly content life with his grandfather, distant images and all too real reminders of his mother always seem to put a damper on his days. Miles is aware of a doctor nearby who, as the story goes, performs "abnormal acts of service in a normal looking building" for his clients, known as memory erasing. “Only those longing to forget go inside", he believes.
The story flows with flashbacks from Miles everyday life, where he is consumed with the bitterness of his past and his desire to put an end to it, leading up to present day, where Miles gives the reader a play-by-play of his thoughts and surroundings as he is waiting in the office of Dr. Maurice Crow, the strange and eccentric memory erasing doctor.

Inspired by the film, Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind, Laura puts her own unique spin on an already compelling story. But unlike its movie counterpart, Laura’s story is one that has a harsher outlook on the effects that life can have on us, thus making it more relatable. Sympathy and relatability are just a small range of emotions the reader can feel towards the main character.
The way Laura has Miles describe his every thoughts and surroundings in such a detailed way makes you feel like your right there walking beside him. As you come to put two and two together, and start to realize that Miles has decided to go through with erasing the memory of his mother as he waits in the doctor’s office, anxiety and anticipation begin to build. Basically you will be asking questions such as “Will he actually go through with it”? and “How does it work?” with genuine curiosity.
I loved the abrupt ending, leaving the readers imagination to take over. The short, random, italicized passages that are littered throughout the story happen to be Miles present day thoughts, while the longer, regular paragraphs are the past events leading up to the present day. Also, the description of each character gives so much insight into who they are, even though there aren’t many of them. For example, Miles’ grandfather’s warm and comforting personality is shown through the words, and his best friend, Joseph’s dimwitted persona is comically apparent.
I read this story in one entire sitting and could not put it down. I feel like Laura accomplished fully enthralling the reader with the story without even trying. The plot itself is very intense, but she managed to keep the intensity without going overboard, and without sounding too corny. She took a supposedly fictionalized and unimaginable situation and turned it into something believable.
There is very little I would have changed, and I helped Laura with fixing up certain aspects of the story until we had something we were both really proud of. Personally, I don’t know if I myself could have went about taking this complex topic and turning it into such an effective short story. So with that said, I think Laura did a great job with it.

why yes, i would jump off a bridge

cliches, we all have at one point uttered them and have had some said to us. they are sayings that are burned into everyones vocabulary, just by constant repitition. we're here to address some of the most prominent cliches, and give a bit of commentary on each. here goes!




1- if _____ jumped off a bridge, would you?




first off all, If you say this to someone, what you are really trying to say is "stop copying whatever so-and so does". For example, Lets say my friend, Jimmy is going swimming with sharks, and I want to go too, and you say the "jump off a bridge" thing to me, If I am copying or following the lead of Jimmy, there must be a good reason why. Jimmy must make good choices in life for me to want to imitate them. Its not like Jimmy is insane, because then your just implying that im insane as well and thats just not nice or true. But more importantly, WHY exactly would Jimmy jump off a bridge? If he makes brilliant decisions in life for me to want to be like him, then there must be a damn good reason he is jumping off that bridge! Did you consider a misguided North Korean missle could be headed towards that bridge? Or what about a loose space craft piece flying towards said bridge? Maybe there are wild rabid dogs running toward you from all directions of that bridge? Did ya just think about that for a sec, DID YOU!? I thought so. So naturally, hoping there's a nice gentle flowing river under that bridge, deep enough for me to jump in without getting squashed, the idea of jumping from a bridge seems safe, sound, and logical. And even if all those catastrophies werent heading towards me on that bridge, whats wrong with a nice dive every now and then to cool off from the stress life hands you?


2 - when life hands you lemons make lemonade.



everyone has to have heard this at least once in their life. what it basically means is to make the best out of what life gives you. when someone says this to you, it truly is a test of ones control . its very hard to try and hold back and not punch them in the face really hard. if something bad happens to me in my life the last thing i want is for someone to tell me to make lemonade with a stupid grin on their face. example: Karens house burned to the ground along with everything she owned. Sally walks up and puts an arm around Karens shoulder and says "Its going to be okay..... Hey! When life hands you lemons make lemondade sweetie." Karen never talks to Sally again. In conclusion, please stop saying this.

off topic a little but personally im not even a fan of lemonade. on a hot summer day i prefer some refreshing kool aid.

3. "Dont throw the baby out with the water"

found this gem on clichesite.com. Its safe to say I've never heard this before in my life. What it means though is we dont want to throw out the good stuff out when we throw out the bad stuff. Im going to leave this one alone.

Touched by an Angel?

In 1973, the world was formally introduced to Reagan, a youthful, lively girl by day--hideous priest killing, pea soup spewing, head spinning, potty mouth demon by night.

Since the early days of 1842, when our ancestors could walk on all fours and communicate by grunts, the issue of demonic possession has been on the top of the list of discussion topics next to the weather and celebrity gossip. It has plagued minds, and caused many-a-night terrors. The image of the stereotypical flaming red satanic creature with horns and black wings has been the object of fear, loathing, and scary religious people trying to entice you into their beliefs. But what happens to someone when they are possessed, and even an exorcism and gallons of blessed holy water cant stop the madness?? Well, pal, insanity ensues.

The devil possessed can wreck havoc with all sorts of serious shenanigans, horseplay, and funnybusiness! A normally composed and decent man of high morals can become the ultimate hoodlum under Sir Lucifer's watch. The lives that this unstoppable force interferes with can turn into lives filled with anguish, despair, melancholy...and any other synonym of the word "sad" that I could find on thesaurus.com.

But another question must be posted to the civilians out there, that as of yet, has not. Something that may parallel the bedlam that demonic possession causes. Something we all should thoughtfully address and talk about at your next family meeting. What becomes of someone possessed by...an angel?! "Gee Wilikers!" you say? Well, yes-those sweet little cherubs with rosy cheeks you just want to pinch like your creepy uncle does at family reunions. The ones in your fairytale books and wildest childhood dreams. Those pure little beings made of innocence, hugs, sunshine, and marshmallows. But these special winged creatures are better left in your fairytale books and nightly prayers, since when they mix with some people, its anything BUT angelic for the rest of us.

Angel Possession probably occurs more often than that other one, and can go virtually undetected because YOUR too busy enjoying those scrumptious scones your neighbor, Jane made for you for "just being you" (An angel made her do it) or those little punks that teepee'd your house on Halloween with Charmin double-ply toilet paper, the extra soft kind (Yup, they were possessed by angels too). I mean, can human beings REALLY have that much kindness and good will in our hearts without there being some underlying reason? No! Simply because the human race is the epitome of douchebaggery. You might be saying "How bad can angel possession be? It causes people to be happy and do nice things for each other. I wish everyone was possessed by an angel, blah, blah, BLAH!". Well you sir, or ma'am, need to get your head outta the clouds, cause theres about to be a thunderstorm called a reality check!

Too much angel possession can be the downfall of our race. There HAS to be a limit on the amount of cheerfullness and harmony one can endure. There must always be some a-holes, pessimists, sarcastic smart alecs, and stoic unemotionals out there to balance the mix, or else, we'll all be having a bowl of rainbows for breakfast, riding unicorns, swimming with pretty mermaids and skipping off into the sunset. Thats when we know all hells gonna break loose.

How many times have you felt absolutely miserable only to be overwhelmed with the excessive smiles, giggles, and all around chipperness of an angel-possessed colleague? When they say a smile can brighten up anyones day, "they" obviously dont know the old saying "Misery loves company". Admit it, your down-in-the-dumps self YEARNS to see another solemn little fellow to grieve with about the craptastic occurences and mundane reality of everyday life.

How many times have you felt the need to tell off an annoyingly happy aqquaintance with "No, darnit, the glass is not half full, its empty and shattered you fool!"-or- "Its not sunny and mild outside nerd, its freaking drizzling and chilly!". Maybe it was..."No, I dont want to attend your stupid neighborhood potluck and mingle, let me eat my dinners alone in the dark, just how I like!" And ofcourse, "No i refuse to engage in your insufferably upbeat small talk and peppy banter". If your nodding your head in sympethetic approval, you friend, have been badly affected by an Angel Possession, which is happening to over 20 million people worldwide, and its time to bring those angels down!

Now enough ranting, lets look for a solution. Lets erase the stigma attached with getting perky people help...and lets face it, excorcising an angel wont work! Angels practically frolic in holy water for fun! No we need REAL medical help.
Do you know what its like to be around these people? Its pretty f-ing annoying man. Thankfully though, the FDA has recently approved a prescription pro-depressant called "Angelo Repelento", which is Spanish for Angel Repelent. This all new, all safe drug will reduce a series of unbearably gleeful symptoms that come with angel possession such as:


- Squeeling loudly when a friend calls
- Participating in Community Theatre
- Beaming at anyone who makes eye contact with you
- Personalizing nameplates
- Greeting someone by pointing at them like this (see goofy drawing left)

- Use of trendy phrases such as "coolbeans" and"uber"

- Flailing of arms when excited

- Chatting up the people around you while waiting in line...and mucho more.


The results are stunning, as of the latest test run. It will take all those excessively jolly and festive people who love doing productive, social, and mentally stimulating things like group nature hikes and pottery class, and turn them into real, normal people who read only the comic section of the newspaper, order useless stuff online, sit on their butts eating cheetos and watching re-runs of Rock of Love, go days without human contact, sleep all the time, and basically go about everyday life in this steady pace.




Max (right, pre-Angelo Repelento) "I was always making eye contact with people and striking up fun chit chats with anyone who held my gaze for more than 5 seconds" he says. "Nothing could bring down my chipper moods".



We recently met former angel possessee, Max Weinberg. Thanks to Angelo Repelento, he believes he is 100% rid of his angel counterpart. As we enter his home, we notice his scraggly beatles tshirt with Ringo missing, and his unwashed, touseled hair. The blinds are drawn tightly, "Too much sunlight makes me wanna hurl" he says. He leads us to his living room, where we are greeted by his pet turtle, Mo. "I used to have a dog, but that mutt was always jumping around and wanting to go out and stuff. We'd go to the park and he'd call all this attention to us. Thats where I also used to meet up with my now former park buddies and we'd go for a latte at the cafe ole'. Mo is so much more chill, and we like to stay in most days. I hate cafes and unwanted attention now, by the way, and hugs", Max tells us with a shiver. He recently quit his job as a customer greeter at Kinko's, and now works as a part time paper seller at a local company, Dinder Mufflin. "Yeah" he says impassively. "The days go by, I like my cubicle. No one bothers me, its like I have my own shell, just like Mo".

Max (left, post Angelo Repelento) "This miracle drug taught me life can't really be lived with massive amounts of enthusiasm and social charisma like I had before", he says with a simple shrug of the shoulders.

Story #3 final idea (Annam)

For my third and final story for the class, I decided to write from a teenage boy's perspective. Heres how my idea developed and is coming along:

I was listening to a song called "She Talks to Angels", and the girl who the song is about struck me as a paradox. She seemed mysterious and intriguing. But usually people like that are portrayed as coming from less than ideal or usual backgrounds. However, I took it as this girl came from a normal home and family life, she just felt she was meant for more than that. Sort of like a typical restless teenage girl with dreams and plans and tons of angst. She also had many quirks and little things about her that gave off a strong imagery and sense about who she is. She seems like a frail person masked by her strong alter ago. She also seemed like she was more innocent and naive than she portrayed herself to be. Like most things, I probably read too deep into this one song, but I was actually more fascinated by the singer of the song than the girl he was singing about, if that makes sense. He seemed to have a certain personality and story about him too. By that, I dont mean the actual singer, but the kind of boy who would watch, interpret, and analyze a girl like her in such a way, noticing everything about her and being completely in awe of her as to sing about her.

I imagined him to be a soft spoken teenager, who spends alot of time by himself, drawing or playing the guitar. He's more emotional and understanding than most guys his age (around 16 or 17) Someone unassuming, and has a good relationship with his family but still cant be around them for more than an hour before needing a break. So from this idea, I decided to make him the main character of my story. I also want to incorporate the girl into it, because I believe it will give these two characters a strong dynamic since they are mirror images of each other.

It will start off at the boys home, where his parents are throwing a party for neighbors, relatives, and family friends. Tons of guests come over, and their children as well who are or around the boys age, but he has nothing in common with them and gets sick of all the pointless banter and commotion. He retreats to his room where he is fiddling around with his guitar, and thats when a girl quickly enters his room and shuts the door. She rests her head against the door and sighs. She obviously felt the same way he did. She very casually acts like theres nothing weird about her being in his room when shes never met him, and looks at him and starts walking around as if they know each other. At first, she scares him because of how blunt and confident she is, unlike any girl he's known before. He also doesnt recognize her from the place they live in.

She tells him shes an only child, and that her parents are devout Muslims, while her father is the preist or "molvee" at an Islamic masjid (a house of prayer) outside of the town. (In a previous post, I mentioned how I wanted to also incorporate my own background and heritage into this story) He learns their fathers are childhood friends, and thats how her parents and her were invited to this little get together. She tells him she didnt want to come, but her parents forced her to and told her about the family having a son her own age (him) that she might want to befriend. He learns that her entering his room wasnt an accident, as she saw him going up there when she arrived at the party, and she figured they both hated being apart of these little typical parties that occur in many Pakistani homes. They begin to talk, and realize how much they have in common, including the pressure they both feel from their parents high expectations, to following their culture and religion.

I pretty much have her life put together, but not his. The story wont only focus on the girl, I want his life and story to be a big part of it as well. I would like for these two opposites to learn from each other in a short time, and then never meet again but learn from each other, or possibly develop a continuing relationship. Maybe it will be a flashback, from a now adult man looking back at a chance encounter in the most crucial years of ones life. There will be a strong emphasis on their culture and religion as well and the cultural gap from growing up as first generation Americans. I have a lot more to do in terms of finishing this up and developing the story and characters but this is where Im up to as of now.

Response to "The Lottery" (Laura)

I first remember reading the lottery when I was in my sophomore year of high school. I don’t remember a lot of the other stories we read that year but the “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson has stuck with me. In this story a town lottery is being drawn and instead of the prize of money the winner gets stoned to death. The men, women and children all believe that the sacrifice of a human being will bring their town a good crop season. In my personnal opinion I think Shirley Jackson was trying to say that in life people are dealt a hand that isn’t particularly fair. Even though the lottery is this equal form of picking someone out for sacrifice, death in reality is rarely given fairly to people. Often it seems random, never really knowing when your time is up.

I almost forgot how frightening this story is when you first read through it after not having read it in such a long time. The way it is initially written makes the story have that shock factor tricking you by starting off describing what a beautiful day it was “clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green.” Its even stated that when the lottery was done with the villagers would have enough time to get home for dinner giving you the impression that someone wasn’t going to be brutally stoned to death. I mean kids were playing together and mundane conversations were taking place among the villagers.

The way people just stood around a let this happen to this woman definitely shocked me. People in the story didn’t question the age old tradition, accepting this brutal ritual that can be bestowed on anyone regardless of your age in town. I guess in a way we all stood idly by at one time as something that could have been prevented was occurring. Especially as children, no one has gone through the New York Public school system without witnessing the bullying of a child by another. Many times we stood back and ignored it not wanting to get involved and accepted it. After reading this story it makes you question yourself and whether you would stand up and say something or pick up a stone and join in. At the end as Mrs. Hutchinson is surrounded by the very same people not hours before were her friends and shouts “It isn't fair, it isn't right," Mrs. Hutchinson screamed, and then they were upon her” haunts you as along with the image of her horrible end. I remember picturing myself in her position and asking what if this was a normal custom in today’s society.

I’m not really sure I would change anything about the story because it does everything a story should do. It draws in the reader, shocking them and making them think about it long after their done reading it. I think it says a lot about Shirley Jackson and the fact she was able to write a story that people remember long after escaping high school.

Story #3 and an inspiration for writing (Annam)

I consider writer, Isabel Allende to be something of a rarity. Shes the one that inspired me to write through her stories and books that Ive read over the years. The first one was The House of the Spirits, and to this day, its my favorite book. The magic realism and the bittersweet inhabitants of Isabel's mind still amaze me. It took me a year to complete it simply because I didnt want to let go of Clara, Alba, Esteban and the other tragically beautiful characters that I came to love. As weird as that sounds, the same happened to my best friend when she read it. When I was finished with it, I was 16 and shortly after, I wanted to write a story whose style was inspired by and reminisicent of Allende. Its about a mystical and deep relationship of a grandmother & granddaughter that no one but them can understand, which is alluring to me since I also have a close relationship to my grandma. I just came across this saved on Microsoft Word and its from 2006. Its called "Caterpillar" and here's the first half of it:



"What color is the ocean, caterpillar?" my grandmother, my abuela asked me in a rather peculiar tone. I hopped over to my window sill and naively gazed at the grand body of liquid, not knowing the intense mystery and fear it would hold for me in the future. "Blue!" I shouted back, in my nasally, squeamish voice which seemed to echo throughout the delicate room that I shared with my abuela. She gave me a modest grin, which seemed rather forced. "Is it not blue?" I asked her curiously. Abuela signaled me to hop back over and rest my head on her shoulder. I did without question. I knew this meant it was time for abuela to read me one of her enchanting stories from her libro mágico or tell me of her adventures during her childhood in the jungles of Guatemala.

I liked to look at abuela any chance I could get, She did not have wavy wrinkles like my best friend, Delfina's grandmother. Rather she had deep laugh lines around her mouth and small markings on the sides of her eyelids that resembled arrows shooting up into the sky. She explained how her eye wrinkles had formed so vividly, from when she was growing up in Santa Elena, she developed an eye twitch that plagued her throughout her adolescent years, and that constant movement of her eyes caused the tiny arrow markings to form. This story brought laughter to three generations of our relatives and close-knit friends, and abuela loved to put a smile on everyone's face, even at her own expense every now and then. Her features were dark like fresh honey and her almond eyes fascinated me so much so, that sometimes I would force her not to blink so I could study the unusual blue lining that enclosed her dark brown pupils.

I loved to smell her strange aroma of coconut oil and lavender milk, like the kind she would massage into my scalp and bathe me with in the porcelian tub in the backyard. Abuela had a fragile bump on her shoulders from a loose bone, which caused an indentation, almost making her shoulders resemble crescent moons. I nudged the side of my head right between the arch and rubbed my gentle skin against hers. "Por las vides de los árboles del bosque, y de la melodía del pájaro de la canción, había un río secreto de lágrimas, y vivió en ello a una sirena con la ciruela coloró pelo y pela piel transparente". Abuela closed her eyes and recited this in an animated, colorful tone of voice that only she possessed.

My Spanish was still developing and I understood a bit, but never the less, I recited her words in English from memory, which was sharper than the elephants of India, as papa would say:"Through the vines of the forest trees, and the melody of the song bird, there was a secret river of tears, and in it lived a mermaid with plum colored hair and transparent skin". Abuela grinned at me again, but this time, her crooked teeth showed their odd beauty and she ran her hand smoothly against my face, I adored that. "¡Cuán encantador, Caterpiller! How lovely you speak and understand!" she praised my minimum efforts, in an attempt to encourage me to stay true to my heritage, and continue watching and learning. I tried to hold in my laughter but I succumbed. I was never a good liar. "Abuela...I memorized the story from the last time you read it to me in english!" Abuela scowled at me and jokingly pulled my ear.

We quieted down when the setting fiery sun and tropical horizon poured in through the terrace door and filled the room with an airy, bright aura. I felt like I was inside of a faerie's wings, and abuela yawned for the warm glow seeped into her eyes. "Mi nieta, maybe I will rest my eyes for a bit. Why dont you go check up on mama, or collect sand dollars by the shore?" I gently kissed abuela on her fragile forehead and thinning head of silver locks, leaving the curtains open so that the radiant rays could surround her as she drifted off. As I skipped and counted down the perfectly alligned marble steps leading to front gardens in which mama was watering her wildflowers, I wondered what the color of the ocean really was, that I could not answer to abuela who seemed to want to tell me with her eyes, to look beneath the surface for miles and miles.

3rd story idea (Laura)

Right now I'm working on my third story and there are a few ideas floating around my noggin. I had a hard time for awhile trying to think of something interesting to write about. Little did I know but it would take another class to help me along in my brainstorming. My psychology class was the one to inspire me when I had to write a paper about the fears people sometimes express in life a few weeks ago. Now I'm thinking about writing about three or four individuals that are connected or somehow cross paths during their lives due to their various strange phobias. Believe me there are alot, ALOT of strange phobias out there.
Researching for it last week I certainly got a small kick out of looking through the list of fears people develop. I mean I thought I had it bad with being scared of bugs and heights, but there are actual people out there that are afraid of things that aren't so obvious to those making a list. There is the obligatory fear of the dark, but the fear of laughter and the fear of bald people kind of threw me for a loop when I read them. I'm defiantly making one of my characters exhibit a phobia close in strangeness to those two.
I'm already starting to think of the names for my characters, one of my favorite parts of coming up with a story. One of them is going to be named Walter, after this sweet little old man that was in my film class last semester and another character is going to be called Sophia, for my niece.
That's all I've thought about so far, I'm slowly going through the details and most importantly the actual plot of my story.

The Happening

It happens all the time. It may be happening right now somewhere near you as you read this blog thats telling you it might be happening, somewhere near you and it just may be...A nostalgic conversation about childhood memories.

Being a kid in the late eighties to nineties was a blessing in disguise, even if we didnt know it at the time. The days started off with a thrilling game of hide and seek, some kickball, maybe even a cool game of donkey kong, sonic, or mario bros. on your nintendo, and leaving everything behind once you heard the familiar jingle of the mr. softee truck. It ended with you coming home to watch reliable 90's Nickelodeon TV, while snacking on some dunk-a-roos or the ever satisfying fruit rollup.

Shows like Figure It Out where you guess peoples wacky talents were always fun to play along with. Salute Your Shorts, Clarissa Explains It All, Alex Mack, and All That were just a remote click away. Hey Arnold! and Doug were cartoon masterpieces of their day. YOU longed to be one of the contestents on Legends of the Hidden Temple because lets face it, we all wanted to don those khaki cargo pants and be known as 1/2 of the "blue barracudas" racing to put together the shrine of the silver monkey.



R.L Stine deserves some kind of upstanding citizen award for his books turned TV extravaganza, Goosebumps. "Viewer Beware your in for a scare" didnt even begin to cut it. Creepy crawly critters, live gnomes, ventriloquist dolls, glowy eyed dogs, all that good stuff.

Remember when Are You Afraid of the Dark? gave your Saturday night an extra dose of the chill factor? The intro music alone, along with a random shot of a desolate playground and cob webbed old attic, never failed to send a shiver up your spine. Lighting a match (with parental supervision of course) would never be the same. Plus, what was with that stupid troll doll just casually placed up in that old attic? I mean come on!

Every kid wished they could join the midnight society and tell scary stories about school lockers that transport you back to the 70’s, a cold little ghost boy who just wants his warm jacket back, the ever frightening phone police, and of course, little girls who get trapped inside their dollhouse (I sure as hell steered clear of my dollhouse for a good while after seeing that).


Who didn’t want to sit in the woods around a campfire in the dead of night, surrounded by the rustling of the evergreens and the flickering of the flames? Personally, I always wanted to throw that special dust in the nifty pouch on to the fire so it would grow and produce that white smoke. And I triple dog dare you to find a true 90's kid who'll say that they never secretly dreamed of venturing off to Orlando, Florida to be slimed by that irresistable green gooey globbity gloop.

Nowadays, kids are stuck watching a show with a girl who lives a normal teenage life during the day and masquerades as a world famous pop star by night.....I mean....Do the people at her school suffer from cataracts? She just puts on a blonde wig as her disguise. Thats it! Its a bunch of malarkey is all. Pure malarkey. What else does Nick or Disney television offer todays teens? You've got your choice of Romeo, Zoey 101, Corey in the House, or those twins from Big Daddy running around a hotel. Fail. And what about the youngsters?

Just 1o years or so prior, we had Rugrats, Little Bear, Franklin, Gullah Gullah Island, The Puzzle Place and mucho more...and the oh so lovable "Face" to fill our Nick jr. days. Now young children are stuck with characters such as a commercialized "explorer" who just recently made headlines by ditching her innocent childish antics and opting for a more "teenage" image. This in part explains why kids today feel the need to grow up so fast. womp womp womp. Lets hope this changes. Or atleast lets try to show our children, little siblings, nieces, nephews etc. the things we were able to enjoy as kids.

Because of the awesome tv shows, books, and movies that were available to us children of the 80s/90s, we have tons of memories to look back on and talk about. We wouldnt trade it for anything. Except for maybe getting slimed.

Whats in a name...

Your name can say alot about who you are and where your from. Its your identity. Some people even believe names have special effects that can map out the destiny and predict the future for the beholder. Others insist a name comes with certain personality traits already imbeded in it and shapes people into who they become. These days, young girls and a few boys across the seaboard use precious daydreaming time in class to jot down detailed "Baby Name" lists for their future bundle of joy. Extra attention is put into choosing a name that sounds tasteful to the ear, and maybe even has a positive meaning.

Bob Smith of Beaver County, Utah and his wife, Betty Sue, recently welcomed their 5th son into the world. They named him Jon.

"Well now, just you wait a minute..." Bob replied, when we asked him why he chose such a classic name in an era when people are vying to come up with the wackiest, most outrageous and trendy baby name like Moonshyne Radar or Pixie Stardust. "I ain't all about that fancy shmancy hoo haa". Betty Sue quietly stands by her man and nods in full agreement.

"We chose Jon, after our other four sons who we call Joe, Jeb, Jim, and Harold. These are good names with a kind of reserved confidence and masculine strength that every man must possess to survive". Betty Sue adds "Humble, simple, strong...sturdy. Yes, a good sturdy name is what we Smiths are known for".

Betty Sue (right) alongside her sister, Darlene, listen on as Bob reads passages from the scriptures and explains why celebrity, Ashlee Simpson-Wentz will feel the "wrath" for naming her "out of wedlock offspring", Bronx, after a "city of sin".




But is there really that much importance to what a child is named?

In some cases, the much anticipated naming process can go horribly awry. For example, if your name just so happened to be Anita Bath, many would say your in dire need of a good scrub down when in actuality, you may be squeaky clean and minty fresh.

But while Anita Bath may just be a figment of imagination, her male counterpart is fully alive and kicking, a young fellow that goes by the name: Wayne Dwops.

We recently spoke to Wayne at his family owned Halloween costume emporium in rural Wyoming, his old hometown which he frequently visits from his new hometown of East L.A. He told us that Dwops is a family name that dates back several lightyears to the great Dutch viking, "Flanders MacArthur Dwops of the High Plains".

And Wayne was a name that his mother wrote down as her first choice for a boy in her very own "Baby Name List" back in her 1970's ninth grade classroom. "If it weren't for my Algebra teacher being so creepy and boring, I never would have had the time to ponder up some baby names. Thanks Mr. Gluckman!" said Angelika Dwops, a vivacious woman with a pep in her step. Why did she choose Wayne though? Did it have history or a meaningful meaning? "Nope" she said "It just sounded groovy". All this put together was what Wayne's parents thought equaled one heckuva name.

But the world saw otherwise. "Bullies had a feild day with my name" Wayne tells us, his listless, dreamy eyes looking nowhere in particular, as he journies back to his junior high days. "It was funny to them 'cause you know...It kind of sounds like someone with a really bad lisp saying rain drops".

But it wasnt just his name that the bullies targeted. They also aimed a low blow at his parental units. "They'd be like "So are your parents like one of those, like, freaky, tree hugging dirty hippies? And I'd be all "Huh?" and they'd be like "I didn't stutter, dweeb".

Wayne had to pause for a moment as he seemed to choke back a few wet tears. But he was back after a short bathroom break. He continued, "'Cause hippies are into all that free love and peace and rain crap. So they assumed my parents named me after the rain". A name that had deep roots for one family was turned by those little douchebags into a name that was nothing more than a free spirits favorite thing to sing/dance in or that popular tune some guy sings about how rain drops keep falling on his head.

"I used to sit by my window and stare at the night sky, up to the heavens and I would think why couldnt my parents just have named me Justin or Chaz? Why couldnt they have been less stoned when they chose my name? But now that Im all grown up, I embrace it", Wayne explains, "I constantly tell myself-This is you inside and out. No ifs, ands, or buts about it, mister man!"

And who does Wayne look to for a pick me up when he's feeling sullen? "Boy George, for sure" he says, his face lighting up at the mere mention of the sassy pop icons name. "Boy George is the one that originally stated "I am what I am".


Words to live by.