Journal 31: What are your passions?

Reflect on your passions in life. Then answer the following questions:
What is your passion? (something you do on your own, something that offers you intrinsic rather than extrinsic reward).
What have been your experiences with this passion?
Where would you like to take it? How would you like to stretch your knowledge, skill, experience, impact with or through this passion?

Right now one of my only passions that I can think of, off the top of my head, has to be thrill seeking. It's about pushing your limits and seeing how far you can go. Even if I'm afraid I use that to fuel my the rush and go for it.

Since pre-school I remember climbing on the monkey bars and hanging upsidedown till my face got hot from the blood rushing to my head, and I'd swing. And I remember scaling the rock walls of my house to see the veiw from my roof and feeling the force of the winds tugging at my t-shirt as I take a glimpse down and feel the adrenaline running through me. My heart just races every time.
I remember going parasailing for the first time with my cousin Jamie, it was so cool! It was when I was in eighth grade.

Honestly, I really don't know where I'd take this. I really just watch the travel channel with my mom and see the people have fun and say out loud "One day, I'm gonna do that."

Cassandra: Journal 27 - 28

Cassandra
Can you hear me?
You believe me, don't you?

Not a day goes by
that someone walks past me and my muted yells
Unable to hear the words that I speak
Unable to hear the sincerity in my voice.

I walk my path alone and ignored,
as if I was preaching the words of a dying city
begging for someone to listen to me.
"The wooden horse will be your downfall"
"This is the day that Troy will die"

Insight was her gift, the gift of Apollo
She had no reason to lie, she spoke the truth
Yet, no one believed her

I have seen things, heard things, learned things.
I have no reason to lie, I speak the truth
The question is,
Would they believe me?


I wasn't really happy with my other poem so I decided to do somemore reasearch late at night a few days ago and came up with this. I hope you like it.

Journal 30 : I Believe Brainstorm

There are my friends- my best friends, and My Wife.

My very best friend, May Lei, I call her my wife. She left the biggest impact on me since 8th grade. Spending most of my time with her, and getting to know her let me learn myself about how I could act. She let me become my own person instead of acting how i was taught and how people percieve me. She taught me to be more open and let go of

Parents
There is a time and place for everything. You should act a certain way. When you're told to do something you do it.... :P

Kimo
Sometimes you have to act. Some people like only parts... Sometimes people can't handle the real you...

Journal 27-28, Moon?

As the winds come and go, and the tides rise and fall,
The moon waxes and wanes from night to night.

Emotional turmoil change like the tides,
Controlled by the secrets of the fluorescent midnight sun.

Creating waves, forces with brute strength and flowing beauty.
Waves fierce enough to destroy cities but gentle enough to kiss my feet and wash the stones.

Changing phases, with the same routine but each day different.
Showing my different sides, different lights of myself only to certain people.

Changing colors, from bright elegant whites, to dark yellow, and sometimes romantic yet horrifying soft reds.
The ever changing, untamed moon who can't seem to stay still.

A lunatic by nature, wild and unexpected, I feel like this
for today.
What does tomorrow have in store for me?

I'm sorry, if it seems a bit vague, I can't really think of any myths that inspire me. I ended up trying to think of something to say... I came out with that. Sorry this is kinda a free write

Hazing Laws Essay

Hazing should be banned in all states. It's a menace to society and another cause of deaths all around the world. Although, there are places in the world that aren't known for hazing, like Hawaii, but this is a possibility for everywhere and may be better for future. I know that people may think of this as lessening their freedom but, hazing being banned may lower the chance on death caused by hazing and I think of that as having the right to live. You can find hazing from highschool to college, to the military, in the US, Russia, Afganistan, India, all around the world. They are being broadcasted through media by television, newspapers and even can be found on the internet with very grusome pictures that should never be seen by public eyes. Trust me, you really don't. I know this is a way for you to create bonds with your sister/brother-hood but would you want to be found there with the other 1.5 million highschool students who haze? and be a part of the 43% who would find themselves humiliated?

Bibliography

http://www.insidehazing.com/statistics_25_high.php

http://www.hanknuwer.com/blog/?p=901

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1687207,00.html

http://www.stophazing.org/military/military_hazing.htm

http://www.nku.edu/~issues/hazing/hazing.jpe

http://gdb.rferl.org/D2E04EE2-8F25-4DBF-B35E-BA106CC17ACC_mw800_mh600.jpg

http://www.rferl.org/content/article/1065357.html

Journal 8: College Plans

Well, I couldn't find an essay topic only a list of things to start the essay for Chapman Univerity.

I decided to use the essay topic on the list of Real College Essay Assignments that you handed out, and used one from there.
The essay that I used was from Carnegie Mellon:
Choose a significant event in your life that had a large impact on you, whether good or bad. How has this event changed you, taught you, or made you a better person, and what have you ultimately learned about yourself?

I researhed about this school. I mean, I didn't just take the topic and run.
I learned about their student life:
http://www.cmu.edu/student-life/index.shtml
I'm not an athelete, and not a very strong writer, but i like the idea of getting out of a classroom and tring something new. I mean, thats the point of being innovative right? To be open to new ideas.
http://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/~astroc/
They offer astronomy too, but it's a club.

Journal 9: Ophelia Speaks Coming of Age

On your own blog, tell why your novel is a “coming of age” story. Give specific examples from your reading.


Ophelia Speaks is a Coming of Age book, that gave teenage girls that sent in submissions an outlet to speak about their life changing experiences.
The girls tell their thoughts on their experiences, most are sad, but they really give a real authors point of view. One of my favorite ones is actually in the front, it's a bit morbid but it's actually so descriptive you can the intensity of her eyes and the blade, the thoughts that are going through her head, the idea of her sanity and the idea of her outlet or expression against the doctors, her thoughts and her peers lack of understanding. My favorite is "Insomnia- A Journal Entry" When I read it, I can hear her words pouring out in my thoughts, the urgency and need in her words, " I don't want to die. I want to purge. I want to sleep at night, where nightmares can be woken up from. I am not crazy." She gave us peak into her world, and we saw the living hell of her life, the inability to sleep, the therapists, and the life she's been living, or at least a little of it.
Others tell their other experiences of their life nad how they overcome it. There was a Portorican girl that wanted to give birth. No, she will give birth. Dispite all the judgements of everyone around her, she has made her desision to have her child. "Being a young mother is not a burden upon society." She gave insight on her experience as a pregnant woman.
The author is showing girls that they are not alone, that more than a few people can relate. Each of these stories are there so everyone can relate to this book and not feel alone. Every girl or maybe even everyone, one way or another, has experienced a few of these experiences, and they are things that you will growing up. This is a book, not just a story. It's many stories of girls experiences in life. Thats how this is a coming of age book.