Go Ask Alice

The book that I have  currently just finished is called Go Ask Alice and it is written by anonymous, which means no one knows who the author is. It is about a young teenage girl who goes to visit her grandparents for one summer and everything just goes south. She goes to a party where she is slipped LSD into her soft drink without knowing and is automatically hooked. She believes that drugs are not as bad as she told by others but rather dangerous and exciting, which she becomes addicted. She swears she won't ever do drugs again, but then does it again. 

 I really enjoyed this book personally because it is relatable. It is relatable because you may know someone who has wanted or has tried drugs and has become addicted. It shows the endless battles that a teen may go through due to peer pressure as well. And you may even recall a time where you have felt pressured to do something, but never go through with it because it can turn into something horrible.  

This I Believe...

I believe in having an open mind and forgiveness. A closed mind can lead a person to think negatively about something before giving it the time of day. It can lead a family to not speak to one another due to a misconception. A misconception that was not even once thought to be something worth understanding. The idea that people have about certain places and the comparisons they make between people, I have dealt with. 

My family does not consist of having both a mother and a father. I have two moms and the battles they go through are something I go through with them. There is an idea that they are not capable of raising me because they are both female, which is both ridiculous and rude. I believe a family is not having both a mom and a dad. A family is having someone or multiple people, no matter if they are blood or not blood, care for you when times are tough. I came to this idea when I was very young. My “dad” has not been around since I was born. He was not there in the room when I came into this world and he has not stuck around to see the person I have become today. I use to think it was my fault that he hadn't, I would visit his job when I was 5 years old and thought they meant the world. I had this idea that he wanted to see me and get to know me, but then I learned I was wrong. The true people who care for you are the ones who go to see you at times, not the ones who always want you to come to them. They do not lie and they love your perfections and flaws.  

The power of an open mind and forgiveness can cause greatness. And it may sound cliche, but it can change a person, but so can other things. As I said before I have a biological mom named Felicia and I have a stepmom named Maria, but I call her Cuca. But that is another story for another time as to why we call her that. Now you would think, “Oh Amelia has two moms,” but you're wrong because most people only say I have one mom. My family is some of those people who say that. There was a disagreement at a family event that showed their true colors. It was a nice, sunny Sunday and my grandma decided to host sort of a family dinner. My grandma invited my aunts and cousins. The day was going good and we stood for a while before getting ready to leave. I was waiting for my parents while they talked and I felt someone kicking the back of my leg as if they were trying to trip me. I turned around and it was my “aunt,” Lucy. And before I continue, I would like to mention that I was raised to respect people who are older than me, but I was also taught to defend myself. Now in this situation I was conflicted because I couldn't kick her back because at the end of the day, she was still my aunt. So I didn't react with violence, but instead I used my words to tell her and I quote, “If I accidentally kick you back then it is not my fault.” That sentence is what fueled the fire. It was like she was waiting for me to speak up for myself.  

A sentence that caused someone to be cruel and ignorant. At first I thought that she would stop after I spoke up because she is way older than me and her daughter is younger than me, so I thought she would know to stop. Instead, she told me, “You’re not going  to hit me because I’m your aunt and I’ll hit you.” This got me mad because in this situation I’m the child and she was the adult, but she basically said I couldn't defend myself because she will hit me. My Mom, Maria, overheard what my aunt said she didn't like it, so she stood up for me. She took the position any parents would have and simply said, “You aren't gonna hit my daughter.” Now I remind you that she has helped raise me since the age of 5, so she has the right to be my mom and carry an equal amount of responsibility as my other mom. But I guess it is not seen that way to others. My aunt decided to say, “She’s not your daughter so be quiet.” That was when all chaos broke loose.  

That day was the day that I declared that my “aunt,” Lucy, was not my family. People can say that we are family because we are blood but blood doesn't mean anything. She is older than both my parents and I, but still does not understand the value of change and respect. I forgive the words she had spoken that day, but I will not forget them. I will be civil to her, but I will never call or see her as my “aunt” ever again. I have learned the real meaning of family and who my family truly is. I understand that it is harder for some than others to have an open mind towards change and the differences between people. I am aware that many will not agree on something from time to time, but I am also aware that people can take the time to listen and understand. They have the power of keeping their opinion to themselves and know when to be respectful.

In life there will be people who will say things and it will hurt you a little bit. The saying, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me,” I never truly believed. The words people speak do hurt, but how you let them affect you depends on you. It is hard to forgive and hard to take some things into consideration, but it is how conflicts are resolved. In a conflict, you can take the words someone has said and let them change you to not act the way that they do, but instead show them that they have zero affect on you. Your actions and your words define who you are. Who do you want to be?

Don't be a Pawn

A friend told me that I shouldn't depend on people because we were not born with another person attached to us. I believe in what she says because it speaks the truth. Everyone nowadays does not really have a mind of their own. We follow what the majority of the crowd does and never break away as a leader. They use the term bandwagon. Where did that term start from? I don't know. We never question and we never second think. But thinking is key. If we don't think then we might just make a decision that can affect everything. We can become a pawn to a bigger problem; fuel the fire. 

 There is a constant message that our parents try to teach us as we grow older, the message is to be yourself. But I think what they don't understand is how things have changed since they were our age. In the average middle school life, we are more vulnerable than we usually would be. And Ithink the best thing we could do is use our words to express the ideas/thoughts that exist in our mind. Change the way of the world starting with ourselves. 

Music to my Ears

Music, to everyone describes who they are. It is an outlet used to escape the world. When the music turns up, the dancing shoes come on and no, you don't have to know how to dance because the beat tells what way to move. In other words, music is the calling to everyone's ears. It isolates them with their lyrics

1. Love Don't Change 

2. Lies

3. Hanging up my Jersey

4. Remember Me 

5. Ransom

6. Both 

7. Alone

8. Location 

9.  Drowning 

10. Questions 

Letting Ana Go

We believe that if you come from a good family and a good life, then why would you possibly want to do harm to your body? Is it the pressure or feeling you get from it? Those are the questions I asked as I read Letting Ana Go written by anonymous. This story is about a girl in her teens and how she suffers from aneroexia. The book is unique because the girls name is not "Ana," they never mention her name nor do they mention anything that could give away their identity. The book discusses the people who influenced her decisions and what happens because of it. 

I found this book very interesting because it is not the usual teen fiction material that most authors write.  I also find it intriguing that the author is not mentioned at all and prefers to be "anonymous." The girl shows how vulnerable someone could be when suffering from this kind of illness. The book allows into the life of a teenage and her problems that basically anyone can go through. 

One's Persepctive

Our society is made up of different backgrounds, different ethnicities, and etc. We make up the world. WE decide what we BELIEVE in. But it's hard to have your own opinion/beliefs because our world affects that. They reach into our minds and make us think a different way. We can't question it though because it is "wrong" to question our economy and the way it is built. We are told what they think we should be told. I want to break the endless cycle of being clueless about the battles happening around me. I can't function when being told that I shouldn't do "this" or "that" because it's not "right." How would you define what is right? Do you believe what your heart and mind says is right or do you believe what the people around you believe is right?

I want to be able to fly on my own. I want to go through obstacles on my own. I want to believe what I want on my own and learn from it if I'm wrong. I am one person, not a hundred. I will NOT follow the crowd, but instead start one of my own with just me, myself, and I. We do not go into the world with all the knowledge of it and we don't go in it already having people with us to go through it together. Our society puts the idea that we should think and do things a certain way, but why? Why should we do what they tell us? Why can't we decide on our own? Let's the break the cycle why not. Set us free from the cage that holds us within. Think on your own, believe what you want, and question everything. 

Finally a Blazer!!

High school is scary when you haven't thought about it. But I've been thinking about it since third grade, I've planned my future and I am determine to follow through with it. I graduate 8th grade in just a couple months and then I'm heading off to Trinity. I am leaving everything I have ever known and moving forward. I'm going in blind. I am going to be vulnerable, but would it be so bad? Isn't it good to start off new?

 When you first start high school, your parents tell you to just be yourself. But what if yourself isn't good enough? I enter high school with this thought in my head. I don't fully know if I believe it, but I consider it. Sure, I have all IB classes (AP), except for math because its not really my strong subject...yikes. And sometimes I'm outgoing and antisocial because I get nervous. I think way to into some things, but only because I'm mortified. Embarrassed that maybe I won't be ready for high school. But I'm going to push the negativity to the back of my mind.  

 I have come to the conclusion that no one is ever really ready to start high school no matter how much you have planned it all out. There are going to be obstacles that are going to make you second guess or hide in the shadows. I dont want to hide. I am going to be who I am and if that's not good enough, then too bad. I am entering a new world but only I can determine what I do with it. 

What The World Has to offer

      As a child, there are some things you wish you can do but seem so surreal. It doesn't seem possible. People tell us as we get older that we don't have the power or ability to do this or that, but when we're younger they tell us to reach for the stars for it is the limit. What was the difference of having a dream then vs now? When you are a child, adults tell us that we can be anything we set our minds to and that we have the power to make our dreams come true. As a teen, the message changes, adults tell us that we need to be more "realistic" about what we want to do in life. Then, by the time the child goes from a  child to a teen to an adult, the world spins upside down. We are expected to have our lives "together," and automatically begin the cycle of "normality" built by our system. But what if we break the idea of "normal" and do what we want. What if we just saw what the world has to offer before making a decision?

   "Desire, Burning Desire Is Basic To Acvhieving Anything Beyond the Ordinary," said by Joseph B. Withlin. This quote is one sentence, but with a meaning that can change ones perspective. We are all innovative. An instance would be that I want to travel the world. I want to travel with only a certain amount of money that I could spend per location. I want to backpack around the world basically. I want to write and take pictures of what I see and experience what there is in the world that no one else has seen. I want to view life in a new perspective but I want to do it on my own. I want to know what does the world have to offer? 

What did I do on my spring break ?

Spring break. How can I describe my spring break? Hmmm. It's gonna take a while to write about all that happened, but I'll cut it short. My break was filled with excitement, boredom, and more boredom. I spent most of my time watching Gilmore Girls on Netflix which I'm really into because it is just an awesome show. I promise that if you watch Gilmore Girls then you won't be disappointed.  

As you can see so far, I pretty much watched Netflix the whole time, but I also spent most of my days with my cousin as well. Everyday I picked her up and we just hung out. We were very meticulous though about what we do after I picked her up, which was getting food and trying not to get followed by her friends. But, now that I look back on my spring break, it wasn't all that exciting and I'm sorry that this blog is really boring. My spring break was boring too. 

Life Is Beautiful

Life Is Beautiful is an outstanding movie. It is about how a man and woman become to love each other and start a family, but they end up in a concentration camp. The movie stays true to what happened during that time, how the people were treated, and why it happened. The movie is humorous, but realistic. 

 Life Is Beautiful, is filled with humor. The humor is created by the main character because in the concentration he hides the reality from his son by saying that it's just a "game". It is hopeful, but dark. The articles and poems relate to the movie very much. They relate because even though the father isolates his son from the realitythe son sort of has a funny feeling about the situation. This is similar to the poems because the children knew what was happening but were hopeful. 

 As I watched the movie, it didn't really catch my full attention until it got a little deeper into the plot. This movie, even though it was about the holocaust does portray how life is indeed beautiful. For example, they go to parties and operas. Also, it portrays a fantasy to make Joshua think it is just a game rather than seeing the nasty reality. This movie is a 9/10 stars due to its little hints of romance, comedy, sorrow, etc. I would watch it again.

Tuesday's With Morrie or is it Wednesday With Tori

A nonfiction book I love is "Tuesday's With Morrie," which is also written by Mitch Albom. The book is a memoir. It is about the writer himself and his college professor, Morrie Schwartz. This book is filled with the wonderful writings of their Tuesday's that they shared of Morris's last days. Morrie was a man that Mitch looked up to and after college they drifted, he was a mentor to Mitch. In this book, you get an insight of Mitch and how his teacher talk about the lessons of how to live. It is a very emotional book I believe because he's dying. Also, it's fascinating because Morrie interprets how he sees life and how he believes it should be lived. 

 We don't know when we aren't gonna see anyone before it's too late. We don't usually get second chances to see someone who played a big part in our life, but Mitch did. He was able to see his professor one more time before he died of ASL. ASL is a disease that weakens your nervous system and muscles. It basically makes I harder for your body to function. I feel like this book showed a lot of great valuables in life.

One Day Is Better Than No Day At All

The book I have just currently finished reading is "One More Day," by Mitch Albom. It is a fictional book. It is about a man named Charley "Chick" Benetto and his life. His father at a young age told him that, "you can be a mama's boy or a daddy's boy, but you can't be both," so he obviously chose to be a daddy's boy. He started to play baseball (his dads favorite sport), but by doing so he never stood up for his mom and it caused him to burn some bridges with her. His parents also later divorced, which during that time was seen as something wrong. As he grows older he becomes an alcohol and has many regrets. His life goes down the tunnel, he gets a divorce with his wife and his daughter hates him. As a result he attempts to commit suicide...twice, but fails both times and finds his way to his childhood home instead. In his home, he has a guest...his mom who died eight years ago. How is she still alive ? What is happening ? What will happen ?

We live in a world, where we are born and then we grow up, but sooner or later we realize that we are all gonna die at some point. We learn a lot of things about how reality works. We can attempt to save someone from committing suicide, but if they don't want help then what else is there to do ? I personally enjoyed this book a lot because the main character goes through some things that happen a lot today, even if they are bad. The author especially is my favorite, I love Mitch Albom because his works of writing are so carefully written that at first I thought the book was nonfiction rather than fiction. He's a very innovative author. My favorite part of this book is the ending but sshhh, I can't tell you what happens. 

Butterfly

I Regret so Much, It's Tiring.

Regrets, are some things that many people have in life or maybe it's just something I have. They regret not doing something or go somewhere, whether it be huge or small. If no one in the world had a single regret then I have no idea what would happen. It's an emotion that people experience when they DONT do something or when they DO. I have many regrets but only one that I actually care about and truly regret. 

I regret not making smarter decisions mainly and I regret not using common sense. I know that it is not a specific thing, but it is because most of the things are regret have to deal with those to things.  It makes me apprehensive. I use to be able to my parents everything no matter what, but now as I get older I don't really tell them much. I think it's a teenager thing, but I regret it. I won't to go back to the moment when I stopped telling them as much as I use to. It makes me kind of sad that as we get older that we don't have much of a connection with our parents because of the way life is and the hundreds of emotions we go through. 

 It's not something huge that I regret, but something that is of importance. I want to change how life works and rebuild the connection I use to have with my parents. I am still close with them but as I grow up, I fear that the connection will break away or no longer exist. And then it would it truly be something I regret with all my heart. 

A Day With Ian Somerhalder

There are a million famous people in the world, but there is only one that I would want to spend the day with and that is IAN SOMERHALDER!! I don't even know what we would do first if I got to spend the day with him. Wait! I should problem explain where he is from. Ian Somerhalder is an actor, he was on "Lost" and best known for his part as Damon Salvatore on "The Vampire Diaries." He's my favorite. 

To begin my day with Ian, I would first want to go to the set of The Vampire Diaries and maybe see where they film all the scenes. After we are finished at the set, Ian and I would go for a nice meal and by "nice meal," I mean a cheeseburger and some cheese fries. We will not be eating just any cheese fries, but some cheese fries at Bonnie's, which is really good. I think the rest of the day where we weren't on the set of TVD and eating that we would just hang out, watching tv or get some advice about how to act when playing a part. 

He is a really humble person and it would be amazing to even be in the same room as him for just one second. I would pray and pray to spend a day with him.  

A Serpent or just a Regular Person

This piece of propaganda is being used to make Jewish people seem like snakes or serpents. A person who is a "snake" it's seen as someone who lies and does bad things, which is what the Nazis were trying to make anyone of different color seem like (mainly Jews). They're intention was to brainwash kids into thinking that they were "great people" who were only trying to protect them from others, but were actually committing horrible crimes. 

 There are various ways to alter a persons persepective. For example, propaganda is used to alter someone's perspective. They use posters that show that something is good or bad in order to convince their intended audience. Most of the time it is very effective because it makes them think more about the subject and change their point of view of it. During the holocaust, the Nazis made posters and took pictures to show them committing crimes but puts a positive quote or explanation underneath to make it seem like they were doing good. 

 In my personal opinion, I believe that if you strongly believe in something then nothing can change your mind about it, but then I am making an overgeneralization. I think everyone deserves to be treated equally and the holocaust proves how much evil one group of people can cause to others. Many people believe that others have to live up to their standards, but you don't. You are able to be your own person and shouldn't be killed because of it. 

What Makes a Person Really Happy ?

Happiness is different for everyone. Some people believe true happiness comes from materialistic things, while others believe it comes from the small things. 15 things that brings happiness are...

1. When you're favorite songs comes on the radio and you sing as if you were on xFactor
2. Having quiet family dinners every Sunday
3. Getting cozy with your dog while watching your favorite Netflix show on the couch
4. Sleepovers at the most random times with your cousin who is too crazy
5. Being in your teens but still act like a 5 year old
6. Going to go see Disney on Ice no matter what
7. Those tough times in your family that only brings you more together
8. Someone who makes you laugh and smile at the smallest things
9. Letters every year for your birthday to remind you just how much you are loved
10. Reading books that seem almost too cliché for enjoyment but you still read them
11. Dancing until you can no longer dance and are falling to sleep
12. No school
13. Bonding time with your grandma
14. Eating my mom's homemade lasagna
15. Coloring

Perseverance is Key

Nick uses self respect, confidence, and kindness in the motivational video. He uses self respect because he does get people sometimes who will look at him funny, but he does not respond in a negative way that could cause a problem. Through this, he is confident with who he is and what he does. Nick supports and speaks out about what makes him vulnerable to others. He is disabled but he still spreads kindness through every way possible. 

We are all alike in some way and we persevere through many things. I persevered when my cousin passed away and Nick persevered through his disability. We both had the power to just give up on life in general, but we decided not to. There is more to live for then what we don't have. If we don't have legs, we use a wheelchair and if we don't have money to go to school, then we learn at home. In life, you have to work through what is hard and show that we can do anything because we CAN do anything. 

Bring on the Game!

The Super Bowl has been around for 50 years and every year it is something new. It brings people from all over the United States together. The Super Bowl has been showed all over Tv represented by various commercials and I've seen various commercials, but only one stood out the most. These commercials aren't only about the Super Bowl, some of them have messages within them that don't only support football. 

 There was a commercial that was shown called "Airbnb Super Bowl Commercial 2017 (We Accept)" There was a very important message within it. It shows different faces of people from different races and says a message, which is that everyone is accepted no matter what. This commercial to me is important because it shows that times have changed that everyone is supported now. They are reaching out to everyone in order to get people to respond and become more accepting in order to make the world a better place. This commercial shows more of a message than anything else, it is intended for the Super bowl to be broadcast to the United States, but it also takes the time to send a message of importance.  

Should I take it or leave it?

There are times in life when you don't know what to do, so you go in search of advice. I go through those times, A LOT. I recently went and got some advice from my mom about upcoming events that will be happening. My biggest fear is high school, I'm not worried about making friends or not knowing anything. I'm worrried about growing up and moving into a new environment. I fear that I won't get into the high school that I have chosen to go to. It causes me to be apprehensive. 

 The best advice has to do with that. My mother explained to how I don't have control of the situation, but that I have to have hope. She told me not to worry and to keep in mind that I tried my best. Her advice was, "in the world, you don't always get what you want, but pray for the best. Everything happens for a reason." I still recall what she says every time I do something and aren't sure about it.   

                                      

Was I wrong or was she?

I have had MANY arguments with many people. I don't know why some of them even started in the first place. I have learned from almost all of them, mainly the ones that were really bad. The worst argument that I have ever had is one with my "best friend" that I have had for a long time. I don't even know where to begin with that one.

There was some miscommunication when this fight started. A lot of the time I was seen as if I was "lower" than her, meaning that she thought she was better than me. She made comments that were rude and sort of tried to bring me down. I got tired of it so I did it back, which probably wasn't a very good way to handle the situation. This when on for a while until she finally called me one day and just started saying some very hurtful things, which kind of made me think if I really wanted to be friends with her (which I still am). We talked it out and now we are all good.

After having that argument, I can see that maybe you shouldn't fight fire with fire because it only makes it worse. If you want handle the situation than you should try to communicate and say how you feel or just stop being friends. The reason we didn't stop being friends is because we both knew that we did something wrong and we have been friends for like ever, so we couldn't just throw that away because of some fight. All in all, you will fight with someone you love but it will only make your relationship stronger, if you can overcome it. 

"Become IT?"

In life, there are things that I feel confident about and other things that make me want to run away and hide. I don't have that much confidence, at ALL. I feel comfortable dancing, but not fully confident about it. Sometimes I just stop what I'm doing and dance, but then I think about how I might not be such a good dancer. I am confident about softball and writing because I have been doing it for such a long time. It's who I am.

 However, I am definitely not confident when it comes to speaking in front of a class, I get really red and stutter sometimes from being so nervous. I don't think I'm that smart so I don't participate as much. I think I need to think about all the things I'm good at and how I am a bright person in order to be more confident. In order to "Fake it until I become it," I need to walk around with confidence. I need to act like I know something even if I don't until I understand it and become it. 

Good deeds

Over winter break, there was a million things that I did or could have done as a good deed. I did a couple and it was great. I shoveled snow, babysat my little cousin (even though he is a pain in the butt), and helped around the house. It was a nice change from what I usually do, which is just being lazy and watching Netflix, etc. By doing that, I got a good feeling, like I accomplished something.

Those were just little things though, that I did. I could have volunteered somewhere or just be kind to whoever I saw, etc. I don't think a good deed is just about helping people, but also doing something good for yourself. Sometimes we do things that affects other and so by not doing things, it sort of helps others. There is more to a good deed.