Reflection.

An experience for sure. Blogging has never been anything that really caught much of my attention. First, I tend to be a private person and blogging, at least to me, has been much like keeping a journal. Putting out ideas and pretty much having them available for anyone to see is not something I am accustomed to. What I have noticed about my experience with blogging is that starting out an idea now is a lot easier. I also find it easier writing with more fluidity. For the most part I have used the freewriting process to complete this task. A lot of times an idea comes to mind and I just go with. The words just come to mind and sometimes my hands can't keep up. As much as blogging has helped overall, it has also been a challenge. In the beginning, topics and ideas to write about where hard to think about. Along with the troubles of just thinking of a subject, the continuing of the actual subject and coming up with substance. An other thing that came as a challenge was keeping up with blogging everyday. I'm not much of a writer and I'm terrible at planning so sometimes I found myself in a bit of a crunch. In the end I feel like blogging helped me out a lot though. Its not only easier to write and brainstorming subjects, but actually expanding on ideas has gotten easier. I have never been able to keep a journal or any type of diary, but I can see myself keeping up with the blog. It not only helps with my writing skills but my oral skills as well. It has also helped with opening up and expressing myself, emotionally and creatively. I've enjoyed this and can see myself continuing to blog.

Forgive but bever forget

There are times when we are put in difficult situations with people we love and are close to. People say the wrong thing or do the wrong thing to offend us and we are left with pain. To the people who offend us, forgive them. Forgive them not to make them feel better but for yourself as well. When we are attacked and are offended no matter how light or bad the offense we are offended because it causes us pain. The offense leaves us with feelings of hate and resentment and sometimes the only thing we can do to get rid of those feelings is by forgiving. In the end the one feeling the pain and resentment is yourself but you've got to learn to move forward and forgive. I know sometimes it's easier said than done but it's something necessary. With that said it doesn't mean that things will go back to normal with the offender or that you should forget the incident. Instead grow and learn from it. If the offender attacked out of envy, remember that whatever you said or did was something that caused an impact on someone. The thing is, is that the offender took it in a way that they had a feeling towards. Our actions and words will always receive both positive and negative reinforcement. For those that you receive a negative reinforcement from, the issue isn't with yourself but them. Don't forget what the offender said or did, sometimes actions speak louder than words. Learn to avoid this from the person. If the offender had a negative comment about one of your successes, that person maybe a negative influence on you. Don't forget the offense so you don't fall for it again. Forgive the offender and if there're bad, cut them out of your life. People have enough stress with life that having one less stressor is only going to do you better. Forgive but don't forget. Life's a Lear OMG experience. Learn. Knowledge is power.

Grown

Today I received a call from an old friend I recently spent time with. This past Sunday I met up with him and an other old friend because we are part of one of our mutual friends wedding. During this time we somewhat caught up on what each of us have been up to and also the prime reason for the meeting; choosing the groomsmen attire. The three of us will be groomsmen and our bride to be friend decided that since we are her closest friends, we choose our attire for the day. We discussed many choices but ultimately decided on the genric white shirt, black pants and colored tie. Once we got back to her she didn't seem too pleased. She compared to waiters and being too simple, to which we all agreed. We chose the generic look because it's hard to mess up, as well as the other groomsmen being out of town and trying to save money. In order to have more of the brides and bridesmaids point of view we met up today once again. We only came down to options that will only depend on the availability and price. Though we did not come to a uniform decision we did get options. During dinner we realized that today has been the first time the 5 of us that we're there, had finally met up in at least a year. It's shocking but in a way a good thing to see that each of us have been busy going on with our life. I say shocking because these are the people we grew up with and were so used to seeing all the time. Now we are lucky to even spot each other at Walmart or parties in this small town. I say that in a way it is a good thing that we haven't seen each other in a while because it means we have been long. Each of have taken on responsibilities and have made decisions that don't necessarily allow us much free time. This also means that we have been making a life. Some of us working and saving up for future plans like buying a home, or getting hitched, or school. Some of us have stocked with school and are at the ending terms. Some of us have gone back to school and have had to start all over. With all said we have been living. For our selfs and no one else and I think that's good. I'm not going to lie I miss them dearly but each of us  knows that we are only a text or call away. It was really nice going back down memory lane and enjoying a few laughs. It was nice finding out that each of us is succeeding. It was nice that we are able to come together for something as beautiful as a wedding. It is nice that after so many years we can go back to each other as if time has stood still. Yes, some of us have changed, but not so much to where we aren't the same old people around each other. I had a great time and memories like today are what makes life better.

My 5 Favorite Words

This week we have been asked to choose 5 different words that are common in our own vocabulary. Thinking of all the words I speak on a daily basis is quite hard as I am bilingual and not only speak and think in English, but as well as in Spanish. The words I chose I don't necessarily use every day, but, atleast to me, have a nice ring to them and I have used. First word I chose was seafoam. I chose this for the color it represents as it is one of my favorites. I also love the sea and have always thought of foam as a "quirky" word. The color is a light variation of  between blue and green. Second word I chose was serendipity. First off, it is fun to say and roles off the tongue exquisitely. It also means a pleasant surprise. Who ever says they don't like surprises is lying, specially when the surprise is pleasant. Third word I chose was Neanderthal. Like serendipity, the way the letters are arranged and pronounced make the word unique and fun. I like using this as an adjective specially when talking about outdated ideas or outdated products techniques. For example, back in middle school, before anyone texted, we passed notes, it was the Neanderthal form of texting. Fourth word I chose was bodacious. Who hasn't used this word? Specially when you grew up in the 90s and you wanted to sound über cool. "That's so bodacious broski!" Finally kudos was my fifth choice. Kudos is a compliment and is usually used in a positive manner. As in "kudos for these bodacious cookies, grandma!" Words are fun and if used properly can play up any boring conversation. They're like the spices of language!

Not from here nor from there.

My beginnings are humble. I was born in Mexico. I was born in a rural area where farming and livestock are the main industries. I am from the northern central states of Durango and Zacatecas. I am from a municipal that is divided in between the 2 states. Our "village", or ranch as we call it in Spanish, is divided by a creek. To the west of the creek is San Jose De Las Corrientes of the state of Durango. San Jose De Las Corrientes translates to Saint Joseph of the currents. To the east is Salas Perez of the state of Zacatecas. The ranch has one entry road is considered one town by the locals. It's commonly referred to "El Ranchito" or " The Little Ranch." My mother is from Durango and my father is from Zacatecas. They share the same last name, but with being of different states, are of totally different family's. My mother gave birth to me at her parents home. My great-grandmother was the midwife. Since my father is from Zacatecas, my mother and I lived with his parents on the Zacatecas side of El Ranchito while my father was in the U.S. working and setting up our U.S. residencies. In total I lived in Mexico only for the first year of my life, which for obvious reasons I don't remember.

Letter to my past self

Dear Luis,
You are currently 22 years old. Being 22 is not what you expected at all. You are currently 17 and senior in high school. You are eager and full of enthusiasm for the future. Your working a part time job in Burger King and are not too happy with your looks. Remember how you expected to be done with school by now? Starting your career? Being on your own? Being in a relationship and being financially successful? As well as traveling and being the life of the party? Yeah not all those things have come true. Some have, others are a working progress, and some just haven't happened yet. Life works in funny ways
    With school, let me just tell you; your practically a freshman. Yes, you do end up going to college right after high school even when all the odds are against you. Your parents don't really see the importance, but they are supportive. Just remember that in their mind school isn't that big of a deal. After all they are elementary school drop outs and have reached success with their hard work and perseverance. You will end up doing school on your own. You will get that scholarship you've been working so much for this senior year. Let me tell you though, your plans for moving out and living in Springfield won't work out. Life has a funny way of working, but in the end it'll be ok. You should probably pay more attention to your car but knowing you, you won't. Regardless of whether you move or don't you end going to school but it doesn't turn out as planned. You will do great in school, so well that you'll surprise yourself and question on why you didn't try harder in high school. Like I said earlier, life works in funny ways. You won't finish school but you will be ok. Later you'll return to school and pay for it all out of your own pocket, not from Burger King either. Though be thankful for Burger King and keep up the hard work, as they will hire you back without any questions other than if you still have your uniform. Always be thankful. When you go back to school your first time, you'll also do great and finish the course with a 110%. Also pay more attention even if you still do really well on tests. With that said that won't be the last time your back, life works in funny ways. Eventually your back for a 2nd time. That's where I am. Starting all over, but don't give up. I won't.
   Career wise, your not going to be the graphic designer or fashion designer your hopeful for. You won't even touch that other than sketches and doodles that we tend to do. What I can say is that you have began your career. Remember how you hoped to never have to work in manufacturing or chicken factories? To this day you haven't stepped in a chicken factory but remember anything can happen. You will actually work where you never thought you would; In manufacturing. More surprisingly your mothers employer, EFCO. You'll work the summer before college and do well. Just try to get more sleep and less partying. Yeah, partying. You discover this during this summer and spend most of your weekends out of town surprisingly. Specially since mom and dad are so strict. It gets better though. Also maybe another alarm clock will help, on top of your cell phone and radio alarm clock. You won't be much of a morning person anymore as your days are filled with physical labor and your more tired. You'll live through the summer and make friendships you never expected. You'll leave with a great sense of pride and even miss it. After your first scholar fail, guess what! You'll be back. Good thing you were a good employee during the summer, your supervisor helps out a lot. This time you'll really know what physical labor is. With that said, it'll change your physical majorly. You'll end up weighing your middle school weight, 146 pounds. Your parents will start to worry. Try to eat more, your bag of chips and water aren't enough. Also surprisingly there will be times when your not hungry for at least 3 days. Still try to eat something, it's not healthy. I'm no longer that small but you won't be disappointed. Keep working hard and remember all your vocabulary, it'll help out with interviews. You'll be surprised where you end up. A desk. Mom and dad will be proud but don't stop there. I haven't. That's why I'm practically a freshman again.
   Financial success is different to each person. You won't be homeless but you won't be living in a mansion. You'll actually get a second job. Other than housing and groceries you'll be financially independent. We aren't where we want to be but again, that's why I'm a freshman again.
   I've pretty much touched it all. What I haven't you'll find out. Oh, I almost forgot. When it comes to relationships, you'll be ok. Some will work for a while and some won't happen at all. You'll gain some and lose some; In terms of  romantically, business, and friendship. Some that you never thought you'd be able to live without, but it's for the better. I'm doing great though. You'll be VERY surprised who I am with, specially for how long we have been together. As well as how long it took to be together. Stay patient. Be kind. Work hard. Keep learning. Finally don't give up.
Sincerely,
Luis of 9/27/2014

Patience is a virtue.

I have always been a patient person. I've always believed that doing a job right the first time is better than rushing and making many mistakes only to go back and redo the exact same job. I tend to be understanding and try to empathize with all situations. I currently work in the logistics department. This means my job is to deal with all of the companies shipments. Currently we only have 4 people handling the whole companies shipments. That is thousands of jobs and we take care of each one. During the week my responsibilities are billing out LTLs, less than truckloads, which leave on a daily bases. I am also responsible of building truck loads depending on their destination. Material that did not make the prior weeks jobs are  back orders and I am responsible of finding homes for those when they complete. I also bill out the truckloads that leave during the week. The majority of our truckloads are scheduled to leave during the weekends, which means our team is responsible to come in and do the paperwork for the hundreds of jobs that leave. Since there is hundreds of jobs leaving out during the weekend and it would overwhelming and unfair for one person to work every single weekend , our weekends are split up. Currently we work two weekends in a row and get 2 weekends off. The weekends we work we tend to work in partners. Weekends are usually very time consuming for the simple fact that there are hundreds of jobs leaving. In a perfect world, all jobs would be complete and loaded by the weekend and we would just come in and bill out all the trucks. Like I said that would be in a perfect world. Like I said that would be in a perfect world. The majority of the time our loaders come in and work weekends as well in order to complete jobs. We can only bill what is complete and loaded. We also bill jobs that are incomplete but are have all complete items loaded. Many times we are forced to wait on loaders and that is where patience is needed. Many times we are held up waiting on for hours since trailers are having to be moved from department to department for less handling. Less handling means less damage. It also doesn't help that we have two plants in one town. This means the main plant might be done loading they're material but we are forced to wait on the downtown plant to load theirs. With trailers moves being so time consuming, waiting time can vary between 30 minutes to many hours. Patience is key for my job. It gets stressful sometimes but it's part of the job.  Another stresser is that we are responsible of doing transactions that verify inventory. Some jobs are easier than others, all depending on the quantity of the material. We are liable for every piece and must be as exact as possible. Patience is lost sometimes and the weekend becomes long and stressful. Being patient has really helped with handling the stress, but we all have our limits. Today was one of my weekends to work and I've been stuck here for 7 hours already. 2 of those 7 hours have consisted on waiting on 7 jobs. My patience is starting to draw thin. I have already done what I can for next week, so let's see how much longer I have to wait.

Wishes; Granted, just not how you thought.

Growing up, you always make wishes in which there is no earthly possibility that they be granted. When your younger, creativity flows heavy like river and as you grow it slowly becomes a creek. Like creeks grow when there is rain fall, our creativity grow by influences. When I was younger I always wished I could have super powers and wings. I was always a curious kid, going on adventures and finding new hang out spots within our neighborhood. Whether they were just the shed in my backyard or a neighbors bush, my imagination would make that old broken down shed into an abandoned mansion and those bushes into jungles below the equator. With that said I always tried being cunning and sly but my mother and neighbors always knew exactly where I was. Due to always being found, I always wished I had the power to change. Change into other people, animals, even household items. Many times my mother would be asking, "What are you today?" To which my response would always be along the line of, "I am a frog, mom. Can you not see I'm hopping around, trying to catch bugs." or "Mom. I can't talk, I'm a lamp." This method never helped when playing Hide and Seek for obvious reasons. Having the power to change would have really helped then. Along with Hide and Seek, I would love playing Tag. What I hated though, was being it. I hated chasing my friends because I would get tired, I appreciated running from them a lot more. It would be then when I would wish I had wings. When I would see pictures of angels or gargoyles, I would imagine having a set of my own wings. I would imagine flying all over the world, making new discoveries at every stop I would make. I would run around with my arms extended as though they were the wings of airplanes. I would do this specially when I was chasing my friends during a game of Tag. It made me feel like it would make me go faster. When I imagined my wings, I saw them coming out of my back. They would be twice as long as my arms and as wide as half of my height. Looking back now, in a way I still have these wishes. I wish I could change, not to sneak around, but to make a change. Change myself, not physically but intellectually for the better. I wish I had wings, not so I could be faster and tag my friends, but to travel and feel the freedom of free falling yet being able to rely on my wings to keep me from a lethal crash against the earth's crust. Thinking deeper into it, I'm somewhat fulfilling my childhood wishes. I try to learn every single day, which means I have changed from the person I was yesterday to the person I am today. My wings are my education. Like wings, my education can take me many places, literally and figuratively. I can always rely on my education to keep me from crashing to a certain extent. I guess wishes come true.

Love note.

There are not enough words in this world to perfectly dictate my love to you. A whirlwind of butterflies, home baked cookies, and puppy smiles is what comes to mind each time I think of you. Looking back, I don't know how I managed to go a day without knowing you. I mean I knew of you and some of your background. You were someone I always knew existed but not in the way that I know now. Your drive, independence, and fearlessness inspires me. Your optimism sticks to me like the annoying weeds that stick to your socks when you go out for a walk in a field. In the moment of feeling your touch, even if it is a simple graze, my skin becomes sensitive. It is like all the textures in the world are all touching me in the very spot you lightly caressed. The beat to an accelerated dance song is the beat to which my heart beats the moment I see you. I still remember the first time I said a simple hello to you and my eyes finally saw the true beauty behind that beautiful face. Your physical beauty is no comparison to your inner beauty. Physically you are gorgeous. As if you were sculpted by the great sculptors of the past. As if you belonged in some art gallery dedicated to the perfect female specimen. Inside though, you find kindness, joy, and love. Staring into your eyes is like staring at the stars. Beautiful to the eye but with so much depth and magic. Fireworks, canons going off, or even an atomic bomb are nothing in comparison to the feelings experienced when our lips meet. The way you so swiftly lay back and relax on our way home from a day filled of laughter and fun gets me every time. The fear of losing you overcomes me at just the thought of it. You make me feel things I have never experienced with anyone else. Jealousy, anger, and rage; feelings I get just at the thought of you leaving. I am not one to hold you back though. We each are free spirits put on this earth to roam the lands in search of what we define as happiness. What I do want is to walk along your side. To be there when you need to be picked up. To be there when you need a laugh. To help you out figuring whether to go left or right. We each walk a path, this path is what we call life. We each have our own path and sometimes by taking a sudden right we end up meeting with other peoples paths. Some peoples paths end up slowly drifting until each have gone in different directions. Others happiness may not be your happiness and that's ok. Eventually we find someone who's happiness is in the same direction. I am no future teller but to me, your the one I will walk alongside meet our happiness. I love you. Three words, so much more behind them. That's the power of words and there is not enough words to express the power your love gives me. Thank you and I love you.

Don't judge a book by its cover and learn

I am a walking sponge. Not like the cartoon character Spongebob, but a sponge. I am the type of person who gets influenced a lot by the people I am around. Through high school I always hung around the "weird" kids. The kids that weren't the most popular. I found out that these kids were the most accepting though. I didn't have to wear brand name clothing or have money in order to connect with them. I guess I was a weird kid myself. At our school, the classic stereotypes were huge. These were specially visible on the earlier years of high school. I never really felt like o fit in any clan really. Being Hispanic, I was expected to hang out with the other Hispanic students but I never had a connection. My interests were not the same as theirs. I wasn't super studious so that left me out of the nerds. I wasn't athletic so I wasn't a jock. I was never mean enough to be a bully. I didn't do drugs or drink, so that left out the partiers. I did school clubs and some sports such as key club, STUCCO, choir, tennis, soccer and multicultural club. I always felt like I had too much to offer to just stick to one clan so I tended to navigate between all of the clans. By my senior year, I literally talked to everyone. I've always enjoyed listening to others and helping them with their issues so I think that helped me connect with so many people. Out of all the people I spoke to, I always seemed to attain some characteristic from them. From the Hispanics I learned to be proud of me heritage. From the choir kids I learned to work in a team. From the popular kids I learned some social skills. From the artistic kids I learned creativity. With all that I had attained I managed to reach people in ways others couldn't. We all are multifaceted. There's more to us than what we let others see. I learned a lot about people that they usually wouldn't let anyone else know. I loved it. I still love that. With or without them knowing, I always took lessons from them. My social skills now lack a bit due to the lack of interaction with others but when I try I tend to get further than the usual weather talk. There's valuable lessons to learn from everyone. Don't judge a book by its cover, for in the end you'll be the one who is surprised and end up leaving with more than when you arrived. I'm a sponge because I learn from others and learn to appreciate new things. An open mind can lead you to greatness.

Age is but a number.

Being a teen, you always look up to the day when your finally 18.  That magical number that makes it seem like you are now an adult. You are free to do anything you want, except drink. You know many other countries legal drinking age is 18. Just wanted to share a fact. As you grow past 18 you look forward to when your finally 21 and can be free to go anywhere without restriction. After 21 there really isn't any age that seems like a milestone. At 21 is when you finally realize "Holy crap, I'm an adult. What do I do now?!" At least that's what happened to me. All through high school I always tended to look younger than the rest of my classmates so I was never surprised when teachers and students who didn't know me thought I was a sophomore when in reality I was a senior. Back then it was so annoying. It was annoying when I would go to the gas station and try to purchase lotto tickets and I'd be asked for my ID. It would be even more annoying when I would be asked of it was a fake. At 21 I was always asked for my ID when purchasing alcohol. Even when I was a regular. After some time they stopped asking for my ID and I started to miss it. I would wonder if I looked older than I was now. I mean the peach fuzz on my face finally looks like facial hair but other than that I look the same. After going so long without being asked for an ID, anytime I was, I would get so excited because right then my fear of looking older was demolished. I consider my young looks a blessing now. I mean Hollywood actors and actresses spend millions to look younger. Hopefully that won't be an investment I'll have to make anytime soon. Today I went to my girlfriend's middle school aged sisters basketball game and was able to pass of for a high school student. A 22 year old passing off as a high school student. She must of thought I was a senior or something. Either way it felt kinda good that even to a teacher I could still pass off as a student. I mean I am a student just not a high school student. I'll use to my advantage while I can. No that doesn't mean dating underage high school girls. That's just sick.

Expect the unexpected.

Life works in curious ways. For 18 years of my life I have always only had one beautiful sister. We have only known each other for her whole life and can easily say we are not only siblings but best of friends. We get along for the majority of the time, but like all siblings we have our moments. I have always tried to do better in life, not only for myself but to be a great role model for my sister. I have always tried to instill independence and self-worth into her. I have always cheered her on and have, and WILL be there for her no matter what. She is my confidant and pillar. At her young age, she has been there for me far more than what she knows. Honestly, if she would have never been in my life, I know my life today would be drastically different. Through the years growing up, we, more her than I, have wanted more siblings. I always wanted an older sibling to guide me and teach me, we all know that's not possible though. This past Christmas of 2013, we were all positively surprised. It was Christmas eve morning and all seemed normal. The usual traditions of Christmas eve for our family is to sleep in, have brunch and then later go to my maternal grandmothers house for dinner and family gift exchange. Everything was going as normal. Everyone waking up around 11 in the morning. Brunch was ready and we were all eating. My mother had been feeling different for a few days. To take herself out suspicions, she decided to take a pregnancy test. She wasn't very optimistic, as my parents had been trying to have more kids for a very long time. Probably since the time my sister was about 5 years old and crying because all the other kids were getting little siblings but her. My mom hadn't told any of us of her suspicions as she didn't want to get us excited only to let us down. All of a sudden while eating some tasty chorizo and eggs, my sister and I heard our mom scream. We quickly run to the bathroom to check on her. She instantly shuts us out and tells us that it was nothing. She then sends me on some errands for the Christmas dinner later in the evening. During my absence my mother calls for my sister and excitedly shows her the positive pregnancy test. To make sure of it's accuracy my mom sent my sister for a "better" test on one of Walmart's busiest mornings. My sister told me she was so embarrassed as she felt everyone's eyes follow her in judgement. She felt as if everyone all of a sudden saw her as a disappointment for being in suspicion of being pregnant at such a young age. If they only knew that the tests were actually for our 40 year old mother. When I had returned from my errands my sister pulls aside and states, "Hey! Can you keep a HUGE secret?"
I instantly got mixed emotions, "My mom told me not to tell you anything BUT we may have a new sibling!!!"
Instantly the worries turned to joy, excitement and concern. I was joyous and excited for we would finally have a baby in the house! My concerns came due to my mothers age and how pregnancy is a lot more risky in more mature years. I was also concerned about being a great role model. I was concerned about it being a boy. After all I only had experience being a sibling to a girl. I was concerned about being enough of a man to be a representation of what he needed to be when he grew up.
After my sister had finally spilled the beans, behind my mothers back, my mom called me dad over to let him know of the news. They were very bad about not making it obvious. My mom, thinking I had no idea, kept getting onto my dad for letting out too much information. I kept quiet as a form of respect to my mothers wishes. The next morning I couldn't hold it in and I let my mom know that I knew it all.
Through the pregnancy each one of us were very hands on. We did our best to comfort mom and baby. We even got sent to a high risk doctor but all came well. 9 months later Sarai, pronounced almost like sun ray, arrived.

22 years of age and I already feel way older than these younger generations. Growing up, social networks were for college kids and high school. Myspace was the big thing then. If you were a middle schooler and had a Myspace, it was more than likely that you lied on your age, and were kind of considered a loser. Until high school came along. If you weren't on Myspace changing you profile lay out every week or changing the song that automatically played to some hip rap song, you weren't an American teenager. Back then it was only that and Instant Messenger. Now you go online and go to any website and it ends up being some type of social network. That's great that we are all connected, but some people "over-connect" and take their social pages way to seriously. I am not saying I am not guilty of having multiple social pages but when your posting videos and provocative pictures just to get likes I think it is time to start doing some outdoor activities. There is not a day I go on any social media platform in which I don't see some kid posting: "Get this status to 50 likes and I'll put my hand on fire" or "Do it for the [insert favorite social media]" Come on people...

Where you like Diana Ross and The Supremes?

Isn't everything provocative now a days? According to my grandmother it is much more than what it was in her times. As she explains to me what it was like to date back in the 60s I imagine my grandmother young, walking through the dirt roads of her Mexican hometown. Picturing the fabulous, yet conservative, fashions of not only the young women but men. Keep in mind, where we originate from, it seems like they are about 20 years behind. Until recently that is. During my grandmother's younger years, and even my mothers, our little Mexican village had no running water in homes, or electricity. People lived in very poor conditions in comparison to, let's say the US. That didn't keep the hip youngsters from being rebellious of course. My grandmother tells me of all the dances she would attend and how even though she would be dating a young fellow, she'd have to dance with any boys that asked her to dance to the music playing through her future brother-in-laws phonograph. If she were to be "dating" a guy, they didn't actually ever go on dates. Instead they would let each other know their schedules and walk to school together or meet up along the way to get water. If her mother ever caught her talking to boys she would get in so much trouble, her brothers would have to accompany her on any errands. As strict as that all sounds, to my belief, it worked for the best. When you look at older couple's most have been together for the majority of their life. Now, your lucky to here of anyone still being married to their first partner for longer than 5 years. I'm not judging, or will I ever judge anyone who has gone through a divorce.  Not all things are fixable or forgivable. I'm just saying that older generations seem to stay together longer than their kids have.

Music is...

“Music is what tells us that the human race is greater than we realize.”
― Napoleon Bonaparte


Whether you are a musician or not, everybody has been touched by music at least once in their life. At the beginning of life, our mothers would sing to us a sweet lullaby to put us to sleep. Mother didn't have to have the perfect voice, she was angelic no matter how great or terrible she really was at singing. As we grow and begin school, our teachers teach us songs to learn the new essential criteria, for example the alphabet song, that will stick with us for the rest of our life. Music is in the air and it's inevitable to learn the catchy jingle your favorite fast food joint uses in it's commercials. The commercials you listen to on your way to and from school because the radio is on to distract from the dreadful drive. Time flies and suddenly your in the awkward stage of adolescence. You just broke up with your significant other and your only escape is that ugly cry you must have to Beyoncé's Irreplaceable or Fergie's Big Girls Don't Cry. Your standing there crying your eyes out, staring in the mirror. Thinking of your self-worth, attractiveness, every time you did some thing wrong. You know you shouldn't play Mariah Carey's We Belong Together because that will just kill you. You like the pain. You must have the pain to feel the relief. Years pass and you gain experience and, hopefully, maturity. Your finally an adult. You have your own choices. There is no longer a reason to follow your classmates tastes. Suddenly your discovering new music. You feel the thrills and emotion of someone like Bon Iver. All of a sudden your discovering sounds from the past you didn't even know existed like Hall and Oates or Etta James. Your discovering the new dance hits and soon become the best DJ at the college parties you go to because that one hottie is best friends with the host. Life continues and your dancing your first song as a married couple with the hottie from the party. John Legend is belting love and emotions over the speakers with his song All of Me. Add some more experience and now you find yourself singing along to Stevie Wonder's Isn't She Lovely as you slow dance with your six month baby.
Music is life. It is around whether we want it or not. There is a song for every single moment of life. Open mindedness will open up doors to whole new experiences, in a musical sense and when applied to life itself. Music is art. Music is emotion. Music is human.

Below are the songs and/or artists mentioned above.

Mirror mirror sing to me

Have you every heard a recording of yourself and said "HOLY CRAP THAT CAN'T BE ME!" Yeah I have. I am a karaoke aficionado. I am usually better when I have had a few drinks but who isn't right? Because I love karaoke and do it on my free time, I decided to download an app on my phone. Its supposed to be some app that lets you sing and records you. If I sound the way I do on there live, then I would like to apologize for that. I never thought I was the best but I never thought I was THAT bad. Funny thing is, when I record myself on the voice memo option on my phone I sound totally different and a lot better. The app comes with effects that you can add to your voice. None of them help me. They only seem to make it worse. I mean I know I'm no Justin Timberlake or even a Johnny Cash but really? I am guessing its the app because I sound terrible. I mean I guess you are your worst critic but if I were to submit my recording in the app to one of the many singing reality shows, I wouldn't make past the audition. I'm not going to let that ruin my fun though. I KNOW I can rock out to any Beatles song and nail it. I am blaming the app. Or maybe it's the mic. I mean I was in choir for 5 years. I even competed and made it to state! For solos AND ensembles. At any choral competition your best score is a 1 and I've received multiple 1s for both ensemble and my solos. Maybe I am not the next Michael Jackson or Beyonce. I know for sure though that I am not the next Paris Hilton. I am going to blame the app. End of story. Who am I kidding, I must suck. At least I didn't plan on making a career out of it. I'll just stick to my day job. Ok, end of rant.

#WhatLatinoMeansToMe

As you may know, September is Hispanic Heritage Month. On some social networks, one of the trending topics is #WhatLatinoMeansToMe. I figured that I would write about this and what being Latino means to me. First off, I have been asked many times what I prefer; Latino, Hispanic, Mexican, Spanish. I myself don't focus on labels. Speaking in a literal sense, I am Mexican. I am Latino. I am Hispanic. I am not Spanish. Only reason I am not Spanish is because I am not from Spain. Latino means a person of Latin American origin or descent. Hispanic means a Spanish-speaking person living in the US, especially one of Latin American descent. I qualify under both since I am from Mexico and I speak Spanish. I really don't understand why some people prefer one term over the other. Only situation I can think of would be if you were from Brazil. Brazilians speak Portuguese so that means they are Latino. Like I said I am not big on labels. What Latino means to me is diversity, color, passion, and hard work. Latin culture is so diverse that you get a great range when it comes to characteristics. You can literally meet a person who is blonde, fair skinned, and blue eyed who only speak Spanish. Just as there are many fair skinned people, our culture also has darker shades that could be mistaken for African-American. For example, Dominicans, Cubans, or Puerto Ricans. Just as many stereotypes are on point, many of them are far from the truth. Just like Americans, each country has regional accents. Many times we use these accents to identify where a person is from. It's like how people from the north can easily identify someone from the south or someone from the north east and vise versa. Many are passionate and joyful. Many are hard working people who's only goal in life is to be able to provide a comfortable life style for their family. Just like every culture, we have people who ruin our image. Like I said, all cultures have people who ruin it for the rest. That's where all the negative, racist comments come from. When you here any insult about your race, or cultural background it's always based on the negative side of that race, culture. 
Love, family, passion, and perseverence are also things that Latino means to me.

Audience: I promise I'm not judging!

From the recent discussion boards I have noticed that there are a lot of my classmates that are in the same situation as I. I have also noticed that not all of us have the same way of thinking, which is not bad. We are each individuals working towards the same goal. Just as we have differences, we each have similarities. For example, many of us have taken the online course because it fits our schedule the best. It sounds like the majority of us work and go to school at the same time. We may each have different career plans, but in the end we are all having to do the same work of balancing school with our personal lives. Something else that a lot of us share is that for the most part we are all on similar levels when it comes to our writing experience. If we weren't we'd probably wouldn't be in the same course. I have also been surprised by many of classmates responses, for example, Kayla and Michael's response to Irene's question. Being from a southwestern Missouri small town, you just expect everyone to be religious, Christian to be exact. I think it's great that they weren't afraid to speak their beliefs and that they have their own thoughts. To me it doesn't matter whether I agree or disagree with their beliefs, I respect them. I am no one to judge. I did find Michaels response charming when he stated "We teach our children about loving one another regardless of differences or mistakes and that we are here to make changes to benefit the whole human race rather than just ourselves." I find it moving and gratifying that there are people out there teaching about acceptance no matter how different the other person is. One more thing I have noticed is that the majority of the class is women. Just something I noticed. We are all different, but in the end are all alike. We are all in this course to better ourselves and achieve success. We are all in the pursuit of happiness. Different paths but the same goal: Happiness.

I Believe in "Si se puede"

    Coming  from a Mexican background, my beliefs have been heavily influenced by tradition as well as my own experiences growing up in a whole new country. The cultural differences I have had and have noticed, have certainly shaped my way of thinking. Work ethic, humility, and respect are great teachings that my parents have bestowed upon me. Experiencing traditional teachings at home and learning the american lifestyle at school has been a challenge but I have used it as learning experience to grow from. This challenge has made myself believe in being optimistic and applying to my life, creeds that are traditional to my culture. All creeds have both positive and negative outcomes. In the end though, I have had, and still have, the best of both worlds
    Growing up, when I would be in trouble, my parents would always lecture me using some saying or creed that they were taught by my grandparents back when they were young and getting their own lectures. Hispanic heritage is known for its many proverbs. So much that in Mexico there are even television shows that are solely based on these Mexican proverbs, for example the show Como Dice El Dicho. The title literally translates to “like the phrase states”. One proverb that has always stuck with me is “Si se puede” or “Yes I can.” This has stayed with me through the ups and downs of life. I tend to be an optimistic person and truly try and work for a positive view to everything.
    One instance in which I constantly had to remind and tell myself “Si se puede”, happened about four years ago. It was my first year of college and everything was going a lot better than what I had expected. I was making As and high Bs in all my courses and I was adapting well. Due to economical issues, I had to commute roughly 100 miles, if you count the drive back home, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to Springfield. It was a regular October day and I had just gotten out of my last class. I had made plans with a friend to go to the mall after class that day. Everything was going great, I had picked up my friend and we were on our way to the mall when I recalled that I had left some coupons in my back pack, which I had left back at my friends house. We got to stop light and were going to turn left off of Glenstone onto Sunset. The light had just turned yellow and I was in the middle of the street. Being used to small town driving, I got nervous and tried to make it before the light turned red. At that moment, I slammed on my brakes but it was too late. Everything felt as if it were in slow motion. I recall the music on the radio slowing down as red chips flew up in the air. My limbs tensing up as to not let the inertia push me forward. As this was all happening, I turned to my right to make sure he was ok quickly releasing my right arm to, I guess, catch him. All while the car was spinning onto the opposite lane. All this comes to me as if it were a scene from some action packed Hollywood blockbuster but it was my reality. At the moment I slammed my brakes, I suddenly saw the white car that would hit the left front part of my 95’ Camaro. Leaving my car to look as if the shark from Jaws suddenly jumped from the asphalt street to take a giant bite out of it. Luckily, no one was injured. It was more the fear and shock of being in an accident that affected both, the other passenger and I. We were lucky enough that two ladies who were nurses at the time were at the intersection as well. They called 911 and made sure we were all ok.
    Due to the accident, I was left with no car. My car made it home, barely. For the rest of the semester I was forced to borrow my mothers truck but I knew that I wasn’t going to be able to go back the next semester without my own vehicle. I got depressed and stopped trying at school. All my grades quickly plummeted due to lack of attendance and turning in assignments. I managed to pass two classes, but failed the other two.
    That December, during winter break I applied at the window manufacturer that had hired as summer help that summer prior to the accident. Due to my good record with my old supervisor I was quickly hired back on as temporary help. When I  started that January day, I was this inexperienced 18 year old who had never had a job like what I was about to do. I was always taught that you are never too good for any job. All through high school I worked in the fast food industry and that helped establish a good work ethic in me. I was hired in the shipping department loading all kinds of windows and doors that varied in weight and size. Each window, door, or crate of glass would be manually loaded with the help of a partner. The weight of the material varied from 25 lbs to 500 lbs and would be as small as 1’ x 1’ to four times my size. There were times when I wanted to quit but that would be when I would tell myself, “Don’t give up. Si se puede.” After 4 long months I was hired on full time. By then I had managed to save up enough for a new truck, which I still drive to this day. When I was hired on full time, I managed to impress my supervisor  with my interview. He pulled me aside and told me how much more potential I had and how the company would benefit from me a whole lot more somewhere else, not as a loader.
    Months passed and I got my current position. My first office job. No one in my family had ever worked at a desk job. Everyone else had always worked manufacturing jobs. My parents were so proud and still are. Because I have had an optimistic view and have told myself, “Si se puede.” I have managed to do well in my current position. With this mind set, I ended up getting a second job. I managed to handle the 2 jobs for a little more than a year. The thought of going back to school never left my mind though. I finally felt comfortable enough getting back to school and am at it now. I had to quit my second job, but it was for a better.
    Creeds, like everything else, have they’re negative side as well. With my “I can do it all” mentality I have been able to accomplish a lot in my career but other aspects of my life have suffered. Due to my dedication to working, I have no real social life. I am 22 years old and my weekends don’t consist of going out with friends and having drinks. For the most part they consist of working only to come home and work on homework. I have somehow managed to move forward in the romantic part of life though. Even with her though, I had to apply myself and tell myself  “Si se puede.” I pursued her for 8 whole months before she finally agreed to be my girlfriend. I had asked her out twice before she finally said yes. We are now going on 9 months and could not be happier.
    I believe in myself and the power I have to accomplish anything I set my mind to. Never giving up has been something I have learned from my parents and from the people I have met outside of home. “Si se puede.” Such a short statement yet so powerful. So powerful that sometimes there are negative side effects on other aspects of life. Open mindedness and tolerance have helped manage the side effects though. We are all capable of anything. It’s just a matter of putting enough passion and effort in it.

All light has shadows.

If you look at any color, you will always be able to find a light variation and darker variation. Not all that shines is gold. Sometimes things that seem right might just be the farthest from. What I want to get to is that creeds may also have negative effects. Hostility, stubbornness, intolerance, and hate are a few side effects that creeds could cause. An example of creed gone wrong would be the Holocaust. Many lives were lost due to no real offense other than being different.
What's disturbing is that still to this day genocide, or the deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular ethnic group or nation, still exists. Look at the at the middle east or in central Africa. People are dying for uncontrollable things. Dying because they are different. Hate crimes because your family has a belief different than others.
Just as crazy are the things happening here at home. For example the recent coverage on Ferguson, Mo. There's also the bullying and hate crimes that we see everyday but don't think much about. Killing yourself because you are too scared to go to school because your different seems to be an other example. Racist remarks you hear because your skin is darker. Because your have blue eyes. Because you speak another language. Because you wear "traditional" clothing. 
Just as creeds can be a very positive way to think, they can be dark too. I'm one to believe but with an open mind. We are all different and that's what makes the world beautiful. Diversity adds character, quirkiness, uniqueness, color to life. Live with an open mind, open heart and it's amazing the connections you can make. It's 2014, lets celebrate diversity. Even that's a creed.

Creed. Not the band.

The definition of creed is a set of beliefs or aims that guide someone's actions; a faith. Examples of creeds can be found in just about anything and everywhere from religious texts, government documents, to musical lyrics. For the Christian religion, examples of creeds or credos could be the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments are a set of beliefs that are used to guide Christians actions in life. The Constitution of the United States of America is also a great example of creed. More precisely the Preamble; It states the principles this nation was founded on. When it comes to creeds in musical lyrics, you can look at any list of hits, from today to hits of the past. Bob Marley's song One Love is a great example. In the song Marley states “one love, one heart, lets get together and feel alright.” This works as a creed as it clearly states the artist's belief and appreciation of peace and love. Groups like Amnesty International use their statements of belief or mission statements to clearly define what they believe and work for. These statements work as creeds as they remind the members and define what the group is working towards and helps the members see how their actions impact their representation of the group as a whole. Creeds are everywhere and are interpreted by everyone in unique ways.

Si Se Puede

As you might have guessed, I come from a Mexican background. Hispanic heritage is known for its many proverbs. So much that in Mexico there are even television shows that are solely based on these Mexican proverbs, for example the show Como Dice El Dicho. Which literally translates to “like the phrase states”. One proverb that has always stuck with me is “si se puede” or yes I can, the more English friendly: it is possible. This has stayed with me through the ups and downs of life. It’s a great reminder that all things are possible. I tend to be an optimistic person and truly try and work for a positive view to everything. Like every other human though, I have my down days in which it’s harder to deal with the shadows of every day issues. Then I just remember, “si se puede.” No matter how old or young we are, we have all faced issues in life that have put a dark effect on our views. Whether it be, being disappointed because you didn’t pass a test or losing a loved one. I know that those two examples are very drastically different, but after all, life goes on and we learn ways to cope with our disappointments. Each one of us experience life and its curve balls differently, but I truly believe that if we get up, have an optimistic outlook, and maybe even utter “yes I can” or “si se puede”, we can take on anything.

Jung, Wild and Free

    To think that a simple yes or no question, or set of questions, can tell you who you are sounds bogus. It's like those people that sit and stare at their horoscope religiously. Ending up making every major life decision, like moving to a new town or getting married with a Leo even though your a water sign. You know that Leos are fire but the lady on the phone, that your paying ninety nine cents a minute, is telling you that it will work out because the moon was full when she was born and your moon was new and blah, blah, blah. For the record, I don't say this from a personal experience. All I'm saying is that you can't know someone based on questions you can only answer with yes or no. Or can you?
    To be honest, I think that learning more about yourself is great. Whether it be by taking quizzes that tell you which character you are in your favorite book or movie or what color you are. It is hard to miss these quizzes now a days. Specially if your connected to social networks. I swear, there is not a day that an aunt or close friend doesn't post their results to some quiz that tells you what kind of dog you'd be. I guess as ridiculous as these quizzes sound, it helps you see sides of yourself you never knew. Humans have always wanted to learn more about themselves, otherwise explain astrology then. A "quiz" or test that has been around for some time now is Carl Jung's Typology test. Jung became well known in the psychology field for his findings. I took the test and my results were very interesting.
     Don't get me wrong. I tend to take a glimpse at my horoscope every now and then. Sometimes I also click on those quizzes that are all over my news feed. I mean who wouldn't want to see what kind of dog they are or what your eyes say about you. When I took the typology test I went in with no expectations and answered each question as honestly as possible. Something I didn't like was that on some questions I wasn't sure what to answer since I didn't feel like a "yes" or "no" were an adequate answer to the question. I kept thinking, "Well, I don't know. I do that sometimes but not always. Is this going to tell me I'm some kind of lunatic subspecies?" It's funny how you don't really know yourself until you get asked questions you never really think of. In the end my results were pretty on point.
    My results were: 1 % Extroversion, 62% Intuition, 62% Feeling, and 33% Perceiving or ENFP. Per the website I am marginal to extroversion and introversion, so I guess a little bit of both. So I'm guessing that means I'll go to the party but will be a wall flower until someone else talks to me first. Check. Intuition over sensing, so I follow my gut. Sounds right, I can't count how many times my guts made great decisions, like going back to school for instance. Feeling over thinking; I'm not too sure on that one. I mean didn't everyone cry when they watched Titanic? I was thinking the whole time, that's why I was bawling the whole time the ship was sinking. Poor old couple. Perceiving over judging; Spot on. I'm not one to judge. Live and let live.
    I was pretty shocked to see that my results were pretty accurate. Even on the negative "side effects" of being this personality type. One downside listed was procrastination. I am guilty of this, but so are so many other 20some year olds. It's not something I like about myself. The good news is I'm working on being more productive and organized. So far it's been a challenge but it's been helping a lot. An other downside to the ENFP personlity type is distraction. I guess that would lead to procrastination. Either I'm working on it.
   This post was primarily about writing and how our personality type ties in with our writing. Being an ENFP I am creative, spontaneous, and compassionate. This leads me think that I will excel in creative writing assignments, like this one for example. Also it sounds like I do best if I can make a connection to the reading and/or the subject being written about. It makes sense to me. I will need to work the most on essays and research papers but I already knew this prior to the test. The good thing is that I'm early enough in my college career that knowing all this information will only come to my benefit. I have learned about the areas in which I need to work and the areas that I may do well in.
    I guess sometimes a yes or no can define who you are, how others perceive you, and ultimately how you perceive yourself. It's good to learn about yourself. It gives you a new perspective on something you've always known; Yourself. Ultimately I don't think that people can be categorized and organized per one factor. I think that as a person, each and everyone of us grow and learn from our experiences. The human mind is ever changing. People gain new perspectives and open up their way of thinking. Some of us are a little of everything in certain aspects and some are just one thing in others. That's what makes each of us unique and an individual.

Below are links to my results page and Ms. A's Classroom results page so you can compare your own with mine.

My Results
Ms. A's Classroom: Jung Typology Indicators