My Favorite and Most Memorable Quotations (more to be added later on in life...)

(Click picture to go to http://www.brainyquote.com/)

In my "About Me" section on my blog, I talked about how I love any types of quotations. I say "quotations" because my English (and even SAT Prep) teachers in my Junior and Senior years told me that "quotation" is a noun while "quote" is a verb. Anyways, I thought it would be cool to share with you some of my favorite quotes.

Here is a list of my favorite and most memorable quotations (I'll add more when I come across them):

"All you need is love." - The Beatles

"Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world." - Albert Einstein

"I used to think anyone doing anything weird was weird. Now I know that it is the people that call others weird that are weird." - Paul McCartney

"A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality." - John Lennon

"All the world is birthday cake, so take a piece, but not too much." - George Harrison

"Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." - JFK

"A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on." - JFK

"An individual has not starting living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity." - MLKJ

"Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing." - Mother Teresa

Goodbye 124

I was going through my "Notes" on Facebook and found this random one that I didn't understand when I first saw it after a very long time. It was titled "Goodbye 124," and now I realized that it was a result of a Facebook Friend Inventory. The note read: "I didn't know you that well, and I don't think I'm ever going to talk to you again for the rest of my life." (Written on June 2, 2010 @ 9:15 PM) First off, you may ask why I ever wrote this note. It sounds really cruel and apathetic towards people I have met in my life that I don't plan on ever seeing again. The answer is that I don't really know why I found it necessary to write this note. I defriended 124 people from my friends list (people that weren't really that close to me). But I guess I just needed to do it...Life goes on.

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Coming back home from college was just the best feeling ever! I couldn't wait to see my family! My dad, brother, and sister came to pick me up after classes on Tuesday, and then we headed home. I ate a yummy dinner with them (we had Pho at a Vietnamese restaurant, which I haven't had in a very long time!). I came home and saw my mom and our two dogs. The next day, we put up the lights outside our house and bought a Christmas tree. We decorated the tree with multicolored lights and a bunch of ornaments! On Thanksgiving day, my family ran the Turkey Trot in Dallas with my aunt and three of my cousins! It was super cold that morning, but we all made it! My brother was exhausted because he ran 8 miles while my cousins, aunt, and I only did a 5K. But that was still lots of fun! We went to my cousin's mom's house afterwards and had warm, delicious Filipino food! That wasn't all though! Later that day, we had the actual Thanksgiving get-together at one of my uncle and aunt's house (I guess by now you can tell that I have a pretty big extended family). I ate so much! And the food dishes and dessert were great! I loved my cousin's pumpkin cake (which I actually made for a Christmas party I had tonight in college, and I won a gift card because my dessert was voted best). There was a bunch of "typical" Thanksgiving food like turkey and ham and greenbean casserole (I'm not a big fan), but of course, there were many "non-typical" (I guess "atypical") food dishes. I had at least three full plates of food and dessert! It was greatness! I weighed myself on the scale in the bathroom, and I gained SIX POUNDS that night! I was super happy about this because ever since I went to college, I lost three pounds. So I was glad to have gained that three pounds back plus three more (127 lbs. at the beginning of college -> 124 lbs. during college -> 130 lbs. after the Thanksgiving meal)! And that was probably not all of the weight I gained during the Thanksgiving break! But anyways, I felt so grateful for family and friends and fun and food and festivities and KARAOKE! I'm not sure if this is a Filipino thing or not, but we like to do karaoke at parties! Everyone is encouraged to sing, and I usually sing now (I used to not want to sing). But I think I sound weird when I do karaoke because I don't really like singing with the words on the screen, and sometimes the key of the song is really weird. But Thanksgiving break was just great! I got to spend some well needed time with my family and cousins. We had lots of fun! Black Friday was interesting! Thanks to whoever came up with gift cards because I really don't like spending my own cash! I bought a ton of music CDs and movies on DVD as well as TV show seasons on DVD. That weekend was a lot of fun too! I am just so grateful for everything in my life, and I don't take anything for granted. I thank God for everything I have: family (a BIG one), friends, food, a house, clothes, money, education, ten fingers and ten toes, a love for music, a love for life, and everything else I have! Thanksgiving always puts me in a good mood, and I hope it did the same for you! HAPPY THANKSGIVING AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

Facebook Friend Inventory

Earlier this week, I did what I called a "Facebook Friend Inventory." During this process, I go through my entire list of friends and decide whether or not to do the unspeakable: DEFRIEND THEM!!! As mean as this sounds, I consider it necessary to do this inventory at least once a year. A whole year on Facebook means gaining new friends and losing some friends, but you sometimes forget people you have added as "friends." And the term "Facebook friend" is entirely different from the original meaning of "friend." A Facebook friend can be someone you have no idea about, someone you have never met, and/or someone you just want to "Facebook creep" on and look at their pictures and other information. And I'm not saying Facebook friends are bad people to have on your list. To be honest, there are some people on my friends list that I have never even met, which is kind of weird and scary to think about that they can see almost everything you post on Facebook. But let's return to the Facebook friend inventory. When going through my list of friends, I look at each friend and decide whether or not I know them at all. If I know them, I keep them. If I have no idea who they are, I defriend them. It's a cold process, I know, but I need to do it. Then, I decide if a Facebook friend is someone I will never talk to in my life again. If I feel like I will never see them again or talk to them ever again, I defriend them. There are some Facebook friends I keep on my friends list just for gossip or funny Facebook posts, statuses (or stati???), and pictures. This sounds bad, but there are just those people on Facebook whose profiles and pictures you go through just so you can laugh at them. Another thing on my list of criteria to keep a friend on Facebook is whether or not they are likely to stab me in the back or bring down my reputation if I post something "embarassing" on Facebook (which I watch out for and try not to do). This week, I went through my friends list and defriended a lot of people I went to high school with because I never really did talk to them during high school, and I don't plan on seeing them again. This sounds so cold and mean, but if I will never talk to them or see them again, why should they remain on my Facebook friend list? My friend list on Facebook went from around 800 all the way down to around 450 friends. And I am happy about this. I am not so much bothered that I "lost" friends because I'm the one who defriended them and I feel that they are not a part of my life. I am not saying that being on my Facebook friend list is a privelege. There is nothing special about being someone's Facebook friend, even a celebrity or famous person. I just don't want my information and Facebook posts to be available to people I do not even know. But that's just my opinion. I know some people who automatically add anyone who adds them, and this can be dangerous. I never add people I don't know because they can be creepers or weirdos or child molesters or pedophiles or imposters and posers or other people like that. I just want to tell people to be careful on Facebook. Retain some sense of privacy. Be cautious about who you add because they can bring you and your reputation down. And doing a Facebook friend inventory once in a while never hurts!

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!

Welcome to Blogger

I'm really new to this "blog" thing. I'm familiar with Facebook and Twitter and YouTube, but I don't consider those to be blogs. I think you don't have to worry about what other people think about you when it comes to blogs. I have a love for writing. Writing is my therapy. It relieves so much stress in my life. I have been writing about life ever since I could write. And isn't that what a blog is for? You can talk about almost anything. Just spew it out on paper (or in this case, a blog). Hopefully this "blog" thing will not be something I try for a while and then quit because I am excited about this new experience! I hope you all enjoy what I have to say! Oh sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Michael Cruz and I live in the USA. I am Asian and proud of it! I love God and my family and friends. They help me get through life. I'm a lover of music! Music is life's soundtrack! I like randomness even though it can be overwhelming sometimes. And I don't know what else to say right now except to LIVE LIFE!!!

So I have a question to anyone reading this...What questions do you have? Any suggestions on what you want me to write about? Please post in the comments below and spread the word about my blog! Thanks!