Josh Groban

                      

One of my favorite artists..He is amazing and inspiring to me. His name is Josh Groban ♥

 

I was born and raised in Puerto Rico, so here you can see a little bit about this wonderful island. 

Oats’N Honey

Oats'N'Honey granola bar is the greatest then since slide bread. This yummy mixture of brown sugar, honey, and oats, all natural and whole grain oats. This snack will make your mouth water for more. Here is the bonus it is good for you too. Trust me when you try this snack you will never want to but another bag of chips or a candy bar. It is great for on the go, it will easily fix in a pocket or a purse. Also it is a great for a snack at work or on a trail somewhere, it will give the boost of energy that you need to keep your head up and make it through the day. So come and join the granola bandwagon, and try this bar. It will change your life.

Response to Polly Wants a Cracker

                                             Polly Want a Cracker

Have you ever given a parrot a cracker just because it asked for it? In the course of my short life I have met and seen many Pollys.  Many people love the idea of having things handed to them without having to think or work hard.  A majority of them just simply repeat what they hear and see.  I have met people that aren’t willing to take a step forward in their lives.  Pollys continue a cycle that seems never ending.  It’s like a transmissible disease that won’t stop infecting generation after generation.  It seems that people that are born in that cycle were born to stay in that cycle. Do they have a say in this, or is this a reflection of their surroundings?

In my country it is very common to see a variety of Pollys.  I’ve seen people that are similar to the guy in the story “Polly Want a Cracker”. They rather memorize the answers than to engage themselves of knowing the process of getting them.  Another example of a Polly is when numerous parents hand anything to their children that they demand.  Many of their children get bad-tempered if they are denied what they want and desire, but they don’t stop to think that in the long run the only one this continuous behavior is going to affect is the child.  In my opinion, most people that are given everything don’t have the satisfaction of what it feels like to achieve a goal or follow a dream.   What’s more satisfying than when you work hard and when sweat drips down your forehead for what you’ve earned?

Yet again, why should we think and study?  If in some occasions all we have to do is memorize, why should we work?  The government gives you everything these days: food, medical insurance, housing, etc.  So why kill yourself working for so many years?  This is the most common Polly there is.  It bothers me to see people that have no interests other than getting up from their couch, walking towards the mail box, and receiving the monthly check from the government.  I can’t describe how this irritates me.  I can understand those people that are trying to do something with their lives; people that are actually working and studying, but still need a helping hand.  I understand those people with conditions that require medical aid because they have no one in their lives to help them.  On the other hand those people that don’t do anything, people that keep having children so the government can take care of them, are the people that should receive less help or none at all.  These are just a few reasons I don’t think it’s fair for those who are trying to become somebody in this world.

I know a handful of people that have realized their mistakes in life and have decided to turn their lives around. They knew that they were not going to get far in life.  They knew that the only thing that was waiting for them was failure, regret, and remorse.  Thank God there are people that do realize it sooner rather than later; just like the kid in the story who realized that we live only once and we have to take the advantages and opportunity that life gives us.  I wish there were more people like him. I think there should be more people like him, but reality is another story.  It takes courage and will power to change. It’s not an easy process and it takes time, but at the end it’s worth it. The kid in the story took him until sophomore year to realize that if he kept cheating himself he wasn’t going to conquer his optimal goal.  He mentions the process of how he plucked his feathers and freed himself from that cycle. Like in the story, he freed himself from his cage.

I have a special friend that I admire truly.  All through his life he was surrounded by these Pollys. He lived in one of the worse projects in my country; a place where a lot of high school drop outs joined the life of drugs and gangs.  The drugs were everywhere. It was something you could not hide; something that wasn’t uncommon there.  My friend was stronger and he knew that kind of life wasn’t going to lead him anywhere.  He knew that if he ever joined that kind of life he would’ve end up in jail or dead.  He dedicated most of his time to studying and later on he accomplished his Bachelor’s Degree in psychology.  Isn’t that a beautiful thing?  Isn’t that something to be proud of?  He is now finishing his Master’s Degree, he got out of the projects, and most of all he freed himself of becoming another Polly.  If people just understood that with a little effort and dedication they can go a long way, this world would be a better place. 

What if....

What if…

1.       What if I would’ve stayed in Puerto Rico?

2.       What if I can convince my mother to come to the United States?

3.       What if I wouldn’t have woken up this morning?

4.       What if my family didn’t support my ideas and dreams?

6.       What if I had to go back to Puerto Rico, what would I do?

7.       What if I don’t find a job?

8.       What if my sister decides to dye her hair pink?

9.       What if Josh Groban came to Missouri for a concert?

10.   What if I had a puppy?

11.   What if I would’ve eaten breakfast this morning, would I have been late to class?

12.   What if unicorns exist?

13.   What if the worlds end tomorrow?

14.   What if I win a big lottery?

15.   What if we had robots to clean out house?

16.   What if we had are deceased loved once again?

17.   What if my car doesn’t start in a test day?

18.   What if I had no friends?

·         What if I don’t find a job it would be impossible to pay my bills. I would like a job because it occupies my time.

·         What if my family didn’t support my ideas and dreams, maybe I wouldn’t be the person I am today. My family is strong and has taught me well. My family supports every decision I make.  If they think I doing something wrong they would advise me.

·         What if win the lottery tomorrow what would I do? Probably finish school, buy my mother a house and save it for the future.

What if I were not a twin?

I always heard that having a twin is like having your other half. If I had a twin I would be hard to picture my life without him or her. It would be hard because in most cases twins have a unique bond.  I am very close to all my siblings but I can’t imagine my life If I had a twin. Maybe we would be inseparable. Although two of me would make my mother crazy I would like to think it would be fun and challenging. 

Serendipity

I had to create a short story using our favorite group words....

                Serendipity
Lori woke up with her mother on her mind. It has been a long time since Lori seen her beloved mother so she came up with an arbitrary idea.  She opened her bedroom’s red wine curtains and rays of light zoomed into the room. She stretched while she yawned and then strolled down the stairs to find her two boys in the living room. She saw them playing video games as usual.
“Alex and Adam, we are going to go see Grandma today!” Lori said.
“Mom, we don’t want to go, we want to stay and play more video games”. The two boys whined.
“Come on kinds, we need a little adventure, plus we haven’t seen Grandma in a while now and it’s a beautiful day out. We should take advantage of it. We can stop by Mrs. Raggen Muffen’s Bakery on the way there”.
“But mom she always has a mess on her bakery”. Alex the oldest said.
“Darling we have known her for years and they don’t call her Mrs. Raggen Muffen for nothing”. Lori couldn’t help but laugh.
“Mom we are knackered from last night. We stayed up watching movies”, the little one said.  “Both of you are being fuddy duddys. I won’t put-a-pon with this nonsense, we are going and that’s finally. So pack for the weekend because Grandma will be ecstatic to see us”, Lori demanded.
“Whatever mom”, said Alex.
“Whatever!” Adam repeated.
“We are leaving in an hour, so get ready now!”
Lori and the kids bounced up the stairs to start packing. While the kids packed their belongings, Lori already had her plain beige t-shirt and her high waist light blue jeans with a pair of simple white sneakers out.  She packed for the whole weekend.
As Lori closed her suitcase, she remembered to pack her sweet honeysuckle rose shampoo and conditioner, because she knew that at grandma’s house there would only be that dollar cheap shampoo that smelled like dish soap. Lori always hated those shampoos.
“Alex! Adam! Are you guys ready yet? Remember to bring your toothbrush and warm socks.”
They all assembled into the minivan. Lori pulled out an old map she held in her front compartment and handed it to Alex who sat in the front seat. A while passed since they visited Grandma and Lori’s memory in how to get there, became blurry like an undefined drawing.
“Buckle up kids” Lori demanded.
“We have to be in tandem if we want to get there without getting lost”. Alex said to Adam.
Adam just repeated, “tandem”, and smiled.
They rolled their windows down for some fresh country air as they retired from the city.
Lori drove miles and miles till her memory fogged her completely.
“Alejandro! A bifurcated road is coming up” said Lori.
“What does bifurcated mean?” … Alex shyly asked.
“It means that it divides into left and right, so tell me which way to go!!”
 “Go right, mom”, Alex said.
  “I’m wasting my money in your school” Lori without noticing whispered out loud.
 “What Mommy?” asked Alex with a puzzle look on his face.
“Nothing, Nothing Honey”
Forty-Five minutes passed and finally they reached Mrs. Raggen Muffin’s Bakery. As Lori and the two boys entered the bakery there stood an older couple waiting in line. Lori and the older couple made a small conversation, enough to know that they were headed to the same town we were, Shimmer Ville. The old couple took their order and said their goodbyes, Mrs. Raggen Muffin opened her eyes and you can hear her screams of joys from the other side of the street.
“Oh My Gosh, look who’s here, It’s been forever Lori, are those two cuties your two boys?”
“Hello Mrs. Raggen Muffin, it’s so good to see you, Yes, this is Alex the oldest and Adam, he is going to be 4 years old this summer”.
“Your boys are getting so big, what can I get for you guys today?”
Alex took a double chocolate crème donut and Adam took a sugar coated strawberry tart and Lori took Mrs. Raggen Muffin famous cheese flan. While the kids ate their treats Lori and Mrs. Raggen Muffin had small talk. “This buttress wasn’t here the last time we came, Lori said to Mrs. Raggen Muffin.
 “Yes, it’s been there for almost a year now, it gives better support for the bakery. We put it there just in case a storm comes”.
“Yeah I heard the last storm that hit an hour away from here hit bad” Said Lori.
“Oh Yes, poor people, we always have to be prepared” Mrs. Raggin Muffin added.
Lori and the kids left after they finished there sweets and headed off to the road.
Thirty minutes later they were in grandma’s neighborhood.
As they approached grandma’s door step, she was waiting for them ecstatically happy. Her shout of joy couldn’t have been louder and her hugs couldn’t have been tighter.
“You boys have grown up so fast”, said Grandma.
Alex, the oldest one, gave her a kiss and said, “Grandma Margie you look like butter, sweet and beautiful.
Grandma Margie smiled and said. “Oh come here you crazy monkey, I’ve missed you so much”.
Lori was happy to see her mother again after years of not being able to visit each other. They sat down in the living room and the boys went outside to play with Max the family’s Golden Retriever. Margi couldn’t stop talking about a man she was dating. She met him at the market a few of months ago. It was Mr. Oatman this, Mr. Oatman that. Margi wanted Lori to meet him but he was out of town in a business trip.  That night they had barbeque for dinner. They had ribs, steak, and, chicken on the menu. It was a retarted evening. The weekend went by fast and it was time to say good bye.
“Come here you silly goose. Come give grandma a last hug before you leave. I love you”. Grandma said with a tear falling down her eyes. Here is a 20 dollar bill, don’t tell your mother. Grandma added.
“That’s retarted, grandma!!! Alex said.
 Retarted, what do you mean? Grandma asked with a curious look on her face.
 “It means it’s awesome”, thank you grandma, said Alex.
Everyone gave Sweet Margie a hug and left. Five miles down the road Lori remembered that she had forgotten her favorite shampoo.
“Oh Fudge, hold on we need to go back, I forgot something!”
As they arrived to Grandma Margie’s house there was a red ford escort parked in the front yard.
 “Stay here kids I’ll be right back, I’m just going to grab the shampoo and leave”
As Lori opened the front door the man sitting in her mother’s living room had a familiar face. He was an older man, tall with gray hair and a thick mustache.
Lori’s mother said, “Oh your back this is…”
And before she could say anything, Lori remembers who he was and asked.
“Hi, what are you doing here, nice to see you again, where’s your wife?”
 His face looked like all the blood had drained from his head into his feet, pale as cow’s milk.
“Oh Fuddle Sticks!” he said.
He stumbled and moved his head like if he was searching for a way out. Lori was looked into her mother’s eyes confused. Lori couldn’t believe how badly she had messed up, that that was Mr. Oatman the gentlemen Margie has been talking to these past few weeks. Margie didn’t know he was a married man.
“Oh Fun!” I am so sorry mom I didn’t know, Lori cried.
 It’s okay Lori, I am going to have a small talk with Mr. Piddle.
“Oh okay Mom; do you want me to leave”?
“No Lori, I am going to say it right here, Mr. Oatman I am not going to be your clandestine lover, so FUDGE OFF and get out of my house”!
That’s when Lori though to herself and noticed. This was all serendipity.

Physical and Personality Traits

 Description 10 min writing: 

Johnny was a tall man with the clearest hazel eyes you have ever seen.  He had freckles and as that colgate smile of his showed his dimples appeared in his both chubby cheeks. His friends use to make fun of him because of his pointy elf ears and his bushy eyebrows, but it didn’t really bother him. He was a shy and calm around strangers, but around the ones he loved he was hyper, bubbly and very ecstatic. He went to school and worked a part-time job, so he felt tired all the time and that brought a big concern to him because he needed to concentrate, he needed to stay in the study mode because midterms were around the corner. If he wasn’t studying or at work he would get bored out of his mind, so he would always find something to do. Maybe read a book or take a walk through the park. And that was Johnny.

  

Revision:

Trees envied Johnny’s height. His eyes sparkled like emerald stones scattered in a dry dead forest.  As he smiled, he illuminated the dark sky like shooting stares on the gloomiest nights.  Johnny’s happiness, like a banquet of food, rejoiced everyone that arose upon it.  Along with his adorable bullet holes on each side of his checks, he carried a lunar freckle on his collar bone that made girls melt like butter.  The wind combed Johnny’s wavy midnight black hair in every directions.

A mysterious dim fog surrounded him as he wandered among strangers, like a silent lamb walking unheard through a thirsty valley.  Around his loved ones, Johnny invigorated the atmosphere and somehow made everybody come together.  Johnny assisted the university and worked a part-time job.  At times, he seemed weary.  I knew that it concerned him because he needed to focus in school.  He needed to emphasis his studies because midterms stood around the corner.  Even though he worked a part-time job and remained a full-time student he grew bored in his spare time.  In his spare time, Johnny spends time with his family and friends or sits on a ragged bench at the park to see the sun rays disappear over the horizon.

Burnt Pizza

 

It was a hot afternoon in Puerto Rico. My friend Alexandra and I were hungry and decided to make some Kool-aid and take a frozen pizza out of the freezer.  A supreme pizza that contained onions, bell peppers, olives, and my favorite, mushrooms.  It also had sausage and of course the cheese. I was so excited for that pizza and couldn’t wait for it to be done.  My sister was in her room and waiting for the pizza as well. I unwrapped the pizza and placed it on to a flat baking pan. I turned the oven up to 425 degrees.  We waited till for the beeping sound that indicated us that the oven was pre heated and ready to use.  We placed the pizza inside the oven and closed the oven door slowly.  Our mouth watered as we waited anxiously for the pizza.  For some reason we were distracted by a videogame my little sister was playing and we had forgotten all about the pizza.  Thirty minutes went by and we were still paying attention to the video game.  An hour later, Alexandra and I, headed towards the kitchen to get a glass of water, when all of a sudden white rings of smoke coming out of the oven caught my attention. I said with a curious and confused tone, “what is that Alexandra? It’s pretty” She opened her eyes like if she was scared of was if she had noticed something that wasn’t right. “Oh My Gosh Crystal, the pizza!” she shouted.  My instant reaction was to open turn of the oven and open the oven door.  Little did I know what was going to be a mistake.  Flames roared out of the oven and the fire alarm started beeping. We ran to get towels and we started hit and putting the fire off. Luckly nobody got hurt and at the end, we just had a scare and a burnt pizza. 

Believe

I believe:

I believe in God.

I believe in angels.

I believe in myself.

I believe in true love.

I believe every girl has a bad hair day.

I believe that elephants give good luck.

I believe I am not meant for the cold weather.

I believe we should get paid more in our part time jobs.

I believe very body should eat breakfast every morning.

I believe that if I didn’t set my alarm today I would probably be sleeping.

I believe that putting cubes of shedder or Gouda cheese in your hot chocolate taste good.

I believe my sister is having a good time today because it’s her birthday.

I believe I will grow old and be proud of what I have become.

I believe there should be better food in the cafeteria.

I believe I can swim for 20 min without stopping.

I believe that in February it shouldn’t snow.

I believe that time can cure every wound.

I believe my family has been blessed.

I believe in the education system.

I believe I can reach the limit.

I believe in fairytales.

I believe in science.

I believe in gravity.

I believe in UFO.

I believe in YOU.

I believe...

I believe that if I had not set my alarm yesterday night, I would’ve probably stayed sleeping in.  I slept all day yesterday and at night I stood wide awake. I stayed all night doing homework and listening to music. I tried to see the Grammys online but failed miserably, because the connection was to slow. I talked with some of my friends over the phone and took some time to play and give attention to my bunny Godiva.  I was trying to make myself tired but again failed miserably. I tried everything, jumping jacks didn’t work, watching YouTube videos didn’t work, even doing my homework didn’t work.  I finally went to sleep around 3:30am and around 5:45 my alarm clock went off. I knew that today was going to be a great day. NOT! The air was chilly and the streets of Springfield were covered in snow. I stared at my bed for a couple of minutes as it was pulling me towards it. I really wanted to go back to sleep, but at that precise moment, that I was laying my head again on the pillow, my alarm clock went off for the second time. I jumped startled and tried to calm my rapid heartbeat as I climbed out of my sheets.  By then I had decided to pursue my daily routine and go to school. 

Senses

           Hear

• ·         Loud Voice
• ·         Whispering
• ·         Heavy footsteps

           Touch

• ·         Freezing leather love seat
• ·         Tight sandal straps

Smell

• ·         Burning cigarettes

Taste

• ·         Refreshing cold water
• ·         Minty gum

Sight

• ·         Sluggish movements
• ·         Colorful bright book bag
• ·         Hardcover books
• ·         Messy table
• ·         Narrow hallways

                                                       Senses:

Sitting on a freezing leather chair I see students sluggishly walking across a narrow hallway. I can also here the heavy footsteps as students bounce up and down the staircase. From where I am sitting, I can see students sitting on a plastic hard chair and they have their hardcover books scattered all around the messy table.  As I walk to a near water fountain I feel my sandal straps a bit too tight so I bend down to lose them a little. I hurry across the hall to the water fountain and take a small sip of its cold and refreshing water.  I noticed a petite long blonde hair girl with a huge colorful backpack rushing to her class. I assumed she was a bit late by the way she was power-walking and rushing through to get to her classroom.  As she passed by me a wind of burnt cigarettes filled the air and made me kind of nauseous, so I popped a minty gum to relax my taste and smell. 

Where I want to be right now...

            

                             Where I want to be right now…                       
                        

It’s a week before spring and the ice has already melted, the trees started to blossom, the fresh cut grass perfumes fills the sleeping air, and the birds coming out to sing every morning.  It’s getting near the time where people bury away their coats and pulling out their flip-flops.  After a few months of complete silence you can sense nature deliberately trying to awaken.

I am sitting inside a cold classroom trying to think about a place I would rather be than here. Many places invade my thoughts but only one stands out the most.  I can overhear my fellow classmates talking amongst themselves. They talk about going camping beside the lake on their spring break. I can there picture them  going along with their beloved families, appreciating the outdoors while they fish for rainbow trout, and roasting gooey marshmallows on an open bonfire.  I, on the other hand, won’t do any of that. After leaving this cold room I will be headed straight to work.  I am pretty sure that’s how it’s going to be all week long, but in reality that’s how I rather things to be.  I have no family and no close friends to spend my spring break with. So, why not spend it working?  Besides the fact that I need the money, I rather do something productive and occupy my mind with a lot of work than spend it alone.

Even though I will have plenty to do for the next week or so, I can’t resist myself imagining suddenly waking up and encountering myself at home.  I was born and raised in Puerto Rico, where it’s mostly hot all year round.  It’s an island where birds never stop singing and where the grass and flowers never stops growing. I have to say that I’m in love with its breathtaking flamboyant scenery.

 Staring at the computer screen, flashbacks of my family and I going to the beach on a lovely sunny day, took over my mind.  Huge umbrella stands in the middle of the golden hot sand protected us from the mighty sun.  The tall palm trees that disappear into the clear blue sky would also protect us from the blazing heat.  A mound of different sea shells were scattered all around the sand, some consists of crossing spiral lines and radiating sharp ridges and others were smooth and round.  Hermit crabs usually are hard to spot, but if I paid close attention, I can see them dancing across the beach.

  I see my brothers setting up the barbeque and my sisters getting ready to dive into the turquoise water.  From a distance, it seemed that sailboats floated on the edge of the earth.  Reckless teenagers raced Jet Skis across the ocean’s surface and I could hear its motor roar from a striking distance.  My nephews, Giram and George, two young boys of four and five years of age, both made sandcastles at the beach’s shore.  My dad and I lodged a two seat kayak and went off to the open ocean and began kayaking.  As we paddled into deeper sea, the palm trees started to mix in with the umbrella stands and it all started to look the same.  I felt the kayak shiver as the gentle ripple of the sea pushed us into profounder waters.  The cool breeze brushed my hair from side to side and small drops of water sprinkled on my face as I stroked my paddle.  A bitter tanginess ticked the back of my throat as trickles of sea water bounced into my mouth.  I will never forget the ocean’s fresh breeze and my curiosity for its unique vast mystery.  

                The aromas of the sweet honey barbeque chicken brought my father and I back to shore and it attracted even the most curious creatures from the bottom of the sea.  We all gathered to eat some scrumptious juicy beef and honey barbecue chicken burgers and cheesy curly fries.  An enormous fresh coconut was pilled and cut for each one of us to drink.

                 The perfect ending to this day was far more than a typical day at the beach. My brothers, sisters, and I scattered around the oceanfront to soak our feet and tell jokes.  My father on the other hand, wanted to enjoy more of the ocean’s wonders.  He went off to a deeper part of the sea border.  Less than five minutes passed and we heard whining and crying from a far.  Chills went down my naked spine and the thoughts of horror invaded my troubled brain. We immediately rushed and dived into the water to reach our father.  Also some fishermen came to help us.  To our surprise our dad was only stung by a small jellyfish.  I am sure that like my brothers, I felt a huge weight of a thousand pounds lifted off my longs and I suddenly began to calmly breathe again. Even though my father’s ace was heartbreaking, we just couldn’t help but feel relieved it wasn’t a shark or anything like it.  The skin of his leg started to get redder and redder by the minute.  Small bumps began to appear and the unbearable itchiness and stinging followed up seconds later.  I tried to sooth him by telling him everything was going to be okay.

                 In Puerto Rico when a jelly fish stings you, the best method to alleviate the symptoms and maybe take the pain away is for someone to urinate on the wound.  Both of my nephews without thinking it twice, they pulled down there pants and started urinating on my father’s leg.  We couldn’t help but to burst into laughter.  Our eyes watered and we could barely stand from laughing so hard.  Even my father, couldn’t help but to crack up laughing.

                Our day ended with a sidesplitting laugh and an unforgettable family moment.  If only I could go back in time and relive those amusing priceless moments. I guess only in my memories those moments will remain, and the new ones are always welcome.