Lenten Sonnet #5

I'm posting three sonnets tonight about two of my close high school friends. I'm glad we still get the time to hang out even though we go to different colleges. I am so blessed right now for all the good friends I have, and I am thankful that I go to a considerably small university because it was so easy making a family here. God is so good and he works in many ways, especially through the human race. Here are the sonnets:

Future Happenings (3/11/10)

Is Hannah Patton going to the lounge

Where all the free will gather with their friends?

The hungry people will begin to scrounge

Even though the good times will never end;

Is Hannah Patton next to Teresa?

Or is she distracted by someone else?

The great picture of the Mona Lisa

Will be the eyes watching over herself;

But never mind the unimportant things

That tend to pull the mind from the body;

We all should wonder what the future brings

And, in the spirit, it will embody;

Hannah Aleece Patton will I do scoff

When she loses to me at our dance-off.

What She Leaves Behind (3/11/10)

Teresa Gully, she flies to the sun

And grabs a handful of bright, shining stars;

She gives her best friend Hannah Patton one

And then takes it away and flies to Mars;

Teresa Gully leaves Hannah crying

But we all know this will not last for long;

She will always do her best in trying

In making those around her very strong;

But when will she return to planet earth,

Since she left all her good friends behind?

We can just hope for all that it is worth

To prevent ourselves from becoming blind;

We wait for Teresa to come back home,

So we will no longer have need to roam.

Transition of Love [Everything Will Be Alright] (4/9/10)

I am aware that you have not been well

Because things have not gone the way you planned;

As your problems begin to grow and swell,

You shut everyone out of your life and

Keep to yourself like a young lonely lamb,

So naïve, so vulnerable, so stressed,

The reason you no longer give a damn

About the things you already confessed

To the one you loved, the one you enjoyed

In your company. But there is a turn

Of warm blessings that you will not destroy;

You deeply wonder what your heart will yearn

For there are brighter days ahead of you,

Waiting for the perfect one to break through.

I hope you liked those! Have a great day and live life!

Lenten Sonnet #3

Hey peeps! I'm going to post three sonnets tonight because I won't have access to the Internet on Thursday and Friday.

Needs and Wants (3/20/10)

To live in a society of want

Requires all to suppress their deepest needs;

While those around us act so nonchalant,

We rush and scramble to gather our seeds;

Look at the glowing glamorous glory

And the flashy fame and fearless fortune

That the vain tell as part of their story

Which reveals that their journey has begun;

Toward their greatest wants they swiftly rush

And leave behind necessities of life;

Away in the water the needs will flush

While on dry land the wants will cause much strife;

What you want is not always what you need

Because in the end life is what we bleed.

Destinations (4/9/10)

I am going away for a long while,

But I did not want to leave you behind;

The last thing that you gave me was a smile,

But you will always linger in my mind.

We humans are so breakable and hurt

With the thought that we must leave from this place

And journey on a path with different dirt

To arrive at an unfamiliar face.

Why must I be volatile and fragile

Enough to choose to abandon my love?

The dreams I had once wanted to fulfill

Are left alone in a blank head above.

After we forever on the earth roam,

We will finally reach a happy home. 

New World (8/27/10)

The sky turned gray and the clouds grew yellow

While she ambled through bald and barren streets;

At the final crossroads stood a fellow

Who swiftly gathered unwanted receipts,

Purposely discarded by the Wastefuls

And left to be picked up by Survivors

Of the dreadful day. Gone were Distastefuls

Who abused and ignored faithful Drivers;

The woman approached the hard-working man

As he directed his focus to waste;

She whispered to him, “A New World began

The day of the destruction we all faced.”

Instantly enlightened, he delighted,

New possibilities he had sighted.

I hope you enjoyed those! Have a great day and live life!

Ekphrasis

I was going through papers from last semester, and I came across one of the poems I wrote in my Honors Aesthetics class. I remember that we were learning about "ekphrasis," which means (according to Wikipedia) "the graphic, often dramatic, description of a visual work of art." One of the English professors came to our class and showed us a piece of art entitled Strange You Never Knew by the artist Steve Neves (one of our Aesthetics professors). In the piece, a young woman with medium-length brown hair and head slightly tilted downward sat in a white kitchen chair. On her face was the feeling of tranquility with a pinch of underlying pain. Behind her was an open window where a warm, summer evening rested. A single streetlight stood in the background and dimly lit up a dusty road. Dr. Larry Fink, the English professor, told us to participate in ekphrastic writing in accordance with the artwork presented to us. Here's what I came up with in the ten minutes we had to write:


Strange You Never Knew
A young woman sits beside the window
With the evening sky behind her.
A streetlight brightens the road,
But does not do the same for her.
The summer heat is overpowered
By the coolness of night.
It allows a window to be opened,
A window to her soul.
But what does she think about?
Is someone on her mind?
Someone in her past she left behind?
Does a melody play inside her head
That she'll be better off instead?
Is her thought as clear as the glass,
Or does pain reside in her semi-tranquil state?
Her back against a chair,
Why does she not look the other way
To see the peace behind her?
Strange you never knew
The thoughts of a perfect stranger.


Hope you enjoyed that! Have a great day and live life!

Sonnet Saturday & Sh*t _____ Say: Part Two

Hey people of the earth! I haven't really kept up with "Sonnet Saturday" at all because I pretty much forgot about it, but now that Lent has come around, I have more time to work on my personal blog.


I posted another "Sh*t People Say to Filipinos" video on YouTube! Here it is:

It's longer than my first video, so enjoy!


Anyways, back to "Sonnet Saturday." I wrote a sonnet last semester about Finals Week. Here it is:

Almost There (12/10/11)

High stressed emotions take complete control.

Awake until the sun begins to rise.

Connection lost between body and soul.

Where in the whole world are my clear, blue skies?

Ended a long relationship with sleep

Many years ago; regrets fill me up.

Tears from the eyes, about it I still weep.

Coffee overflows from a Starbucks cup.

Up very late, burning the midnight oil.

Snacking to stay awake, high calories.

What stinks? Milk in the fridge begins to spoil.

Energy low like teachers’ salaries.

Needing motivation, I’m almost there;

But to finish strong, I have to prepare.

Have a great weekend! If you don't celebrate the weekends like I do, have a great day!

Sonnet Saturday

I'm going to start something new and try something called "Sonnet Saturdays." Every Saturday, I will try to post a sonnet I have written about my week. I find poetry to be quite interesting, and writing poems is challenging but enjoyable.


So, I will now post a sonnet I wrote within the past hour. Any guesses to what it's about?

Better Than I Thought (12/10/11)


Three days ago, I had pain deep inside.
Torn into pieces was my aching heart.
Emotions changing like the ocean tide
Is what I had predicted from the start.
Two days ago, I thought I had forgot
What had happened on the previous day.
But the memories surged in as I caught
Sight of her; the sting would not go away.
One day ago, I received breaking news
And, at last, saw the mark in the corner.
My eyes widened. The grade seen did bemuse
Me. I rejoiced, no longer a mourner.
I had done better than I thought I had,
So there was no reason to go quite mad.

I hope you enjoyed that! Be looking forward to next Saturday when I will be posting a new sonnet! Have a great day! Happy holidays!

wanna SAVE MONEY in college???

So...I was surfing the web for ways to save money in college (and btdubs, I'm always looking for ways to save money since I'm a typical "poor" colllege kid), and I came across THIS. I found an interesting way to save some Benjamin bucks (or Washington bucks in my case): GROW YOUR OWN FOOD!

I'm currently on a project to grow basil and tomato plants in my dorm (kinda similar to what that dude in the link does except that I don't really know what hydroponics actually is...cool word though). Anyways, I was inspired to grow my own fruits and vegetables thanks to fellow HSUgreenteam member Tay, who grows okra in her bathroom (weird, I know...)!!!

Last weekend, I bought two of these nifty thrifty mini-plant kits from Target in the dolla' section, and currently, my basil plants are doing pretty great! Here's a pic of them awesome shoots:

I'm pretty proud of my basil! I can't wait until the plants are big enough for me to pick of a leaf of basil and chew it for a good five seconds before going out with some friends (for fresh breath right?! or did I mix basil up with mint?)

For all you HSU peeps, DumpDay is on Thursday, May 12, 2011! Basically it will take place on the lawn in front of your dorm, and all you have to do is dump the stuff you don't want to take to your casa at designated DumpZones & the Greenteam will take care of the rest! We will take your paper, plastic, aluminum, furniture, old electronics, and clothes so that they won't end up in some nasty landfill! Por favor/please rinse your containers before recycling them! Let's keep God's creation as clean as a whistle! Check out the vid:

And if you like that vid, you'll love this one even more:



And since I love music way too much (like, it's not even funny), here is earth-lover Jack Johnson singing an awesome earth-lovin' song:

Anyways, I hope you all have a great day, and keep lovin' the earth!

What a Fool!

HAPPY APRIL FOOLS DAY!!!

It was in due time that Friday came. I've had a stressful school week that started off on the wrong foot on Monday morning when I missed my first class. And from that point on, I really had no awareness of what was going on during the week. I felt as if my life was moving faster than physically possibly. The feeling inside of me was one of panic and frustration because I felt that I has no control of what was going on. I had bunches of meetings scattered all throughout the week. I had lots of homework and assignments that I had no idea what the due dates were (whether it was due this week or later weeks to come). And today, I had two tests, both of which I did not actually enjoy. I felt so unprepared and was ready to throw away the stress and toss it out of the window (which is called "defenestration," which is my fancy word of the day).

Anyways, I was uber-happy that today was April Fools Day! I'm a prankster (even though I may not look like one), and I enjoy partaking in the fun of "fooling" others. Today made up for the less than positive days I've had this week. Here are some of the pranks I pulled:

1. Early in the morning, I sent out letters to many of my friends through the post office on campus. I sent myself a letter as well in order to make it look like I was not the culprit of the prank. Inside the letter was lots of confetti and a message that said, "April Fools!" After I had lunch with a friend, we checked our mailboxes, and I opened my letter and feigned surprise as I yelled, "Who sent me this?!" My friend opened her letter, and confetti exploded into her face!!! (The preceding statement actually did not occur in reality. In actuality, the confetti fluttered toward the ground). When I went to work later that day, another one of my friends saw me and knew that the confetti letter was from me because she knew my handwriting. She told her boyfriend this too (and I sent her boyfriend a prank letter as well). Late in the night at the dorm, her boyfriend walked up to me and popped open the letter into my face, causing the confetti to fly all over me. Prank failed. Tip to self: next time, type up the message or don't write in my handwriting.

2. After dinner, I felt like pulling another prank. Around 7 PM, I decided to write on a friend's car with car-friendly window markers. I also wanted to wrap toilet paper all around her car. She was not on campus but at a track meet, so hopefully she'll see her car tomorrow when she gets back. But a couple of friends and I wrote messages on her car with the markers. After that, it was TOILET PAPER TIME! We put toilet paper all around her car, and just as one of my friends was going to put toilet paper in the front passenger seat door handle, the door opened! This was a total surprise to us, and we weren't even expecting that! This made the prank so much more fun because we threw some toilet paper in the car (and then locked the door afterwards). THe last thing we did was wrap toilet paper around the car (we threw the toilet paper roll over and under and around the car, almost like one of those gigantic ribbons on a car given to someone on Christmas day). I can't wait until my friend sees her less-than-clean car. We just added to the mess!

3. I set out to do this prank every April Fools Day: the old put-a-rubber-band-around-the-kitchen-sink-sprayer prank. Since the boys dorm doesn't have a kitchen, I decided to do the prank in the girls dorm (which I planned to do anyways regardless of the boys dorm having a kitchen). After my friend Megan purposely sprayed me while "helping" me put the rubber band around the handle, I set the prank up and was ready for some girl to wash her dishes. A cheerleader, who I have seen around campus before, walked into the kitchen with her bowl of celery, intending to wash the celery (what a healthy snack!). My friends and I were sitting at a table near the kitchen entrance. The cheerleader turned on the water, and I heard her gasp. I immediately started laughing because I knew what happened without seeing her wet shirt. I heard the snapping of the rubber bands as the cheerleader took them off the spray handle. I could not stop laughing (quietly, of course). I walked into the kitchen just as the pranked girl was walking out, and I asked if she got sprayed because I did too (not my by prank, but by Megan's doing). I saw the water spray on the side of her shirt and just smiled. I felt somewhat regretful for what I did, but the prank was totally worth it.

4. Later that night, Megan, her boyfriend Dylon, and I did a series of smaller pranks. On the way back to the boys dorm from the girls dorm, Megan and I were walking on the sidewalk, and I saw the street signs. I posted sticky notes on the "NO PARKING AT ANY TIME" signs so that the "NO" was covered and the sign said "PARKING AT ANY TIME." I also changed the speed limit from the campus' speed limit of 15 mph (which, I believe, no one ever adheres to because I've almost been hit by a speeding car on several occassions) to an incredibly high speed limit of 1 mph. I just stuck a bunch of sticky notes on the sign to cover the 5. Megan and I also posted sticky notes all over the dorm director's door when we got back to the dorm. Dylon joined in on the fun with us when we tagged the dorm director's truck, wrote "ALMOST JUST MARRIED" on the back window, and hung cans attached to string on the back and sides of the truck. We also wrote on the car of our friend Reid and attached a can to his car's antenna. Then we wrote on our resident assistant's Jeep (which was already covered in writing, done by his friend whom we call "Trekkie Love").

And I think those are all of the pranks I was involved in on April Fools Day today. I had a great time pranking and being pranked by others. I was just glad I could relax and have some fun. I survived a stressful week of school, and I needed a break, and luckily, I had some great fun on the best possible day ever! Being a fool is fun and cool! Have some fun before your week is done!

Jeopardy: Online College Test

And the Final Jeopardy category is...unknown!!!

I took the Jeopardy test online for college students in hopes of winning an audition to be on the College Tournament series on the popular game show. The test I took was at 8 P.M. Central Time. And all I have to say is that the test was...interesting...and difficult.

At least I thought it was difficult. I felt so unprepared, but I signed up to take the test only a day before the test day. I found out about the online test during a commercial break on TV. And this too was on the day before the test day.

I had a couple of questions before registering to take the test:

1. I am a college freshman, but I am only 17 years old. Did I have to be 18 to take the test? I met the other qualifications to take the college student test, but did I meet the age requirement (which I might not have seen when registering...).

2. During the online test, could a person have searched for the answers on a search engine such as Google? I know you only had 15 seconds to answer a clue, but some people are fast typers, so it was possible that people "cheated" on the test. I am not saying that I did this, but it was a very viable option for many other college students taking the online test.

3. This question also relates to the "during testing" period. Could you get outside help from others? You could have gotten help from parents, friends present with you, friends taking the same test beside you on a different computer, or friends in a different time zone that you could have been talking on the phone or Skype-ing or Oovoo-ing with? I guess it's just a matter of good conscience.

Nevertheless, I felt quite "ignorant" to say the least. I'm not sure how many clues I answered correctly, but I had a very hard time with literature and history clues. I was never good with remembering names and dates and events. I honestly need to work on those areas of learning. I did well with pop culture clues pertaining to movies and sports. But clues in those areas on actual Jeopardy airings are rare and really only appear in the first round. I did well on some science clues, but I just want to know how many clues I got right.

Reflecting on my experience, I just hope that I did well. I know that I will never know how well I did on the online test, but I am hoping that I answered enough clues right to win me an audition to be on the show. If I do make it, I will be very thankful, but I am aware that I will face tough competition. Afterall, I'm only a college freshmen who will be facing intelligent upperclassmen. I'll have a lot of fun on the show and in the competition. I've always wanted to meet Alex Trebek. And I've always wanted to be on the Clue Crew and travel the world. Traveling around the world has been one of my biggest dreams since I was 3 or 4. But anyways, I'm glad I took the online test. I will be prepared next time around when I might take the online test again. I need to brush up in several areas of learning. Taking the online test sped up my heart rate. It was a good rush. I had fun taking the online test! All I can do now is WAIT!!!

Be Spontaneous

Tonight was so much fun! It was super crazy! When you go to Walmart late at night, you know something awesome is bound to happen! Everyone needs a break from this crazy life we live. We live in a speedy world, and sometimes it is best to take it slow and enjoy all the small things in life. I especially needed a break from school. College can depress your mood (the school part), but it can also bring you up (the social part). Being spontaneous can be so much fun when you need a well-deserved break from all the work you have been doing! But it can bite you in the butt sometimes. But let's not focus on the negative side. Let's look at the positive side of being spontaneous! Sometimes, I need to say, "Yes!" when a friend asks me to go with them someone on a school night. Like Sonic. Or What-a-burger. Or Walmart. Or go out for dinner. Or just do something completely INSANE!!! But I think everyone needs to be spontaneous once in a while! Something crazy and fun will probably result from you being spontaneous. Sometimes it IS good to fall into positive peer pressure (not like drugs and alcohol and sex...let's think just hanging out for fun and doing something hilarious and crazy). Sometimes it is good to eat a half-gallon of ice cream in one sitting. Sometimes it is good to help yourself to a whole lot of candy. Sometimes it is good to run like a wild animal freak in the mall or on your college campus. Sometimes it is good to blast super loud music in your room and sing and dance like a monster. Sometimes it is good to put on a nerd or Harry Potter costume and go to class in it. Being different is fun. Change things up in your life! Do something crazy and unexpected a few times a month! BE SPONTANEOUS!!! It can bring your spirits up high in the sky and keep you up there for a while!

Sleep

I love my sleep. The ironic thing is that I don't enough sleep. As a matter of fact, I should be getting sleep now. I have a class at 8 A.M. Not so happy about that. But my sleep cycle is messed up anyways. I learned more about sleep in my Intro to Psychology class. Man, do I love that class. Anyways, I can't figure out why I just can't sleep at a "good" time like 9 or 10 P.M. College has really affected my sleep patterns. Late nights with friends or late nights studying is the problem. In the end, it is my decision when to go to sleep. I just chose what isn't best for me. I am most definitely sleep-deprived. I always try to catch up on sleep during the weekends, but my weekends feel so short when I wake up at noon on Saturday ans Sunday. Time is fleeting. There just isn't enough time in the day to do everything you want to do. But sleep is a priority. A Necessity. I NEED sleep. We all need sleep. Living in such a busy world limits the time we have to sleep. It limits our dreams too. And dreaming is important even if you can't remember your dreams. Sleep is so important and valuable, but some of us choose otherwise. If you want to wake up happier and not have that "five more minutes" feeling, get your sleep! And not just 4 or 5 hours. More like 7 to 9 hours! Especially if you're still a kid or if you're in college! Catch some Zs (or in Garfield's case, some Ss). S for SLEEP!!! Goodnight! Hope that your future is bright!