What would I do if I was stranded on an island?

     The book I read was called, Lord of the Flies by William Golding and it is about a group of boys that got stranded on an island and they have to figure out how to get off. The setting is after a war and in the 1950s. The main character is Ralph and he befriends another boy named Piggy and they have a really special bond that is unbreakable. Another character named Jack is the type of character that no one likes. He comes off as a vain boy that cares only about how good he is and how he is better than everyone else. Throughout the book the boys must determine who is worthy of becoming leader, and because of this many chaotic events happen that you did not see coming.

     Now if I ever got stranded on an island I don't think I would be able to stay sane. I hate being in one place for a long period of time so because of this I think I'd go crazy. I'm going to be honest, I think I might be the first to die. I like to explore so my curiosity might get the best of me. This book really taught me how by wanting to be the best, you might actually be the worst. I think this because Jack wants to be the best at everything and because of that he creates events that harm others.

Life is a rollercoaster

     As of today (May 21, 2017) I have 11 days left of school! This is my last full week and it is pretty stressful. We have so much due in such little time and I cannot recall a time where I have had this much homework. I have to take 7 tests: 2 social studies, 2 science, 2 ELA, and 1 math. To me the easiest would be ELA because it is on puncuation and research. The hardest would be social studies because I can't seem to be able to remember things about the civil war and reconstruction. I can't find time to fit all of this in and that is why I am freaking out. I am pretty sure I might take the science and ELA tests tomorrow because those are simple. The math test is on rational and irrational numbers, all I have to do for that is study a bit more because it is kind of confusing. Overall I am so excited because summer is right around the corner and I get to spend it with my friends.

People that don't know how to shut up

     Everyone has pet peeves. My best friend and I decided to do similar blogs. If you like click here to read her pet peeves. I decided to tell you my top 15 pet peeves and why they annoy me. Please don't get offended if you do any of these. I do not mean any harm in writing this.

- People who always interrupt while I am talking.
 This annoys me the most because I am trying to tell a story and all of a sudden someone starts speaking and it makes me forget what I was saying. It is so annoying and it irritates me so much and I will literally go off on you.

- People that don't pick up their feet when they walk. 
I don't even know why this bothers me but it just does.

- Slow walkers annoy me because like do they not realize that there are more people behind them. I have to fight the urge to push them out of the way.

-  People who stand in the middle of the walkway. 
This pretty much goes along with the one before this.

-  People who make a big deal out of nothing. 
This bothers me so much because this is just being an attention seeker. No one cares.

- People that act like they know the whole story just because they heard what happen. 
This annoys me because you can't just say that you know what happen if you weren't really there because then you can be giving false information. That is how rumors spread.

- People who act hurt or upset to get attention.
 This annoys me because you are just taking advantage of people. I hate when people do things just to get attention because it makes it a lot harder for me to be genuinely nice.

- When people don't pick up after there dog. 
This bothers me so much especially when it is on MY lawn because I am not responsible for cleaning up after your dog. I can barely stand cleaning up my own dog waste let alone someone else's dog.

- People that ride bikes in the car lane. 
This gets me very anxious because I fear that they will get hit and I don't want that to happen.

- When someone says they have to tell you something but then say "Nevermind"
This annoys me because you just ruined the rest of my day by having me think about what you were going to say. Like I will literally bother you to tell me what it was. I just don't understand why people mention something and then decide not to tell you.

- When people that have a full cart decide to use the self-checkout lane
This annoys me because do they not realized that you could only use self-checkout when you have 15 items or less?!?! I am a very impatient person so having to wait a long line drives me crazy.

- When people take their dogs out early in the morning and they don't stop barking
This bothers me because I am trying to get my sleep and it is interrupted by dogs barking. My dad takes my dog outside in the morning sometimes and he barks when he sees someone he does not recognize. I get up all angry to bring himin because not only does it annoy me, but I know that many people in my neighborhood do not like it either.

- Those parents that have their child on that weird lea sh thing. 
This annoys me so much because you child is NOT AN ANIMAL!! I vowed to NEVER do that to my child because it looks ridiculous. I feel that once the child gets older and realizes that he/she hadro go through that, they will be mortified.

- When people abbreviate way too much (Ex: g2g, me 2 etc.)
To me this is very hard to read. Like I hate it so much because there are people outthere who write like that on their papers for school and it just makes me want to give them a dictionary. Please don't overuse abbreviations or use them on pieces of writing.

- People that constantly get up at the movies. 
I just don't like this because I have to be moving and getting distracted from the movie. I understand if you have to go to the bathroom or a refill, but don't go in the middle of the movie to buy snacks.

I need a vacation not a stupid weekend

     I need more than just two days off from school. My dad and I want to go to San Fransico in either July or August because that is when my sister gets a few weeks for vacation from work. My mom doesn't care where we go as long as we go on vacation. The only problem is... we have to find someone to watch our dog. Last year my uncle watched him for us, but I don't know if he could this year because he has a busy work schedule. I have been to California a few times when I was younger, the first time being when I was two years old. I usually go to Los Angeles when we go to Cali, except for this one time when we drove from LA to San Fransico. I feel like going to Los Angeles is a bit cliche because its the first thing that comes to mind when someone says California; but in all honesty, it is a beautiful place to visit.  It was about a 5 hour drive but it was worth it. I honeslty cannot wait because I love plane rides and just look out the window. I have always wanted to live in San Franisco and when I am older I plan on moving over there. I really need a vacation now because I need some time off to think about my life decisions and I want to meet new people. Anyways, I hope you have a great summer vacation!!

Will I go on a rollercoaster?

     I have about 3 weeks left of school, which means its time for end of the year activities. We have our Six Flags trip next Friday, and our Dinner Dance the week after. That means I have one week to determine whether or not I will go on a roller coaster. I've never been on one so I am a bit nervous. It's not that I am scared to do it, because I do want to, but I feel like once I'm on the ride my nerves will get the best of me. It could go 50/50 because I really want to go on but who knows? Maybe I'll chicken out. Now for the dinner dance, I am super excited because I already have my dress and shoes and I just cannot wait to wear it. It's going to be a night to remeber because I am going to be spending  it with my best friends and it's going to be so fun. I hope the food is good and that nothing goes wrong. Can't wait to tell you how it goes!!

Everything's better with music

     Today I thought that I would share my top 10 favorite songs with you, but first I am going to tell you what music means to me. Music is something that helps me cope with my stress or my feelings. Whenever I am feeling down I like to listen to upbeat music to put me in a good mood. Or when I do my homework I like to listen to music because it helps me focus for some reason. There are a lot of songs out there that meticulously express the message being shared. I feel like its easier to show your feelings through song rather than speaking regularly because people pay more attention to the lyrics. So here are my top 10 favorite songs as of right now. Some are old and some are new.

1. "I'm the One" - DJ Khaled feat. Justin Bieber, Chance the Rapper, and Quavo
2. "Still Here" - Drake
3. "Bedrock" - Young Money feat. Lloyd (and various other artists)
4. "Thats What I Like" - Bruno Mars
5. "All Night" - Chance the Rapper feat. Knox Fortune
6. "Deja Vu" - Post Malone feat. Justin Bieber
7. "Find Your Love" - Drake
8. "Fake Love" - Drake
9. "R.I.C.O" - Meek Mill feat Drake
10. "It Ain't Me" - Kygo & Selena Gomez

Why is Monday so far from Friday and Friday so close to Monday?

     It's finally the weekend and I am so relieved because lately I've been stressed out at school and now it gives me time off to think and catch up on work. The reason I've been so apprehensive is because I have not one but THREE essays to write, one for science, one for English language arts, and one for social studies. It's honestly too much and it feels like my brain is going to explode!! So guess what I'm spending half my weekend doing? Thats right...homework. But don't worry thats not all I'll be doing. I will be hanging out mostly with my cousin because I mostly  see him on the weekend since he lives with his mom. Friday through Sunday he spends time with his dad (my uncle). During the summer he stays with his dad the whole break so I literally spend every single day with him. I was with him on Saturday and we got bored so I started to style his hair in different ways. Sometimes we don't know what to do, so we just come up with our own games to do and it is the best thing ever. Anyway that's what I'll be doing this weeekend, hope you have a fun one too!!

Everybody told him to be a man. Nobody told him how.

     The book I just finished is called Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson is about how a high school senior named Tyler Miller, changed his persona after getting arrested for vandalizing the school over the summer and his whole life takes a wrong turn. This book talks about how Tyler tries to live up to his new reputation and how he goes too far and ruined the somewhat relationship he had with the girl he has liked since they were in middle school. Throughout the book Tyler gets support from his younger sister Hannah, and friend Yoda on how to handle the new attention he gets from his peers.

     I really like this book because it is not your typical teen fiction book where the boy gets the girl of his dreams and everything is perfect. No, this book gives you lessons for your own life and how to handle being the center of attention without intending to be. Tyler and his dad butt heads a lot because their personalities are polar opposites. He seems to be suicidal because he repeatedly talks about wanting to die and how his problems would easily be resolved if he no longer lived. Twisted helps you cope with those feelings and how that is not always the correct answer. A quote that really stood out to me was, "Everybody told him to be a man. Nobody told him how." To me this shows how life works, you have all these people telling you what to be in life but no one tells you how. They expect you to be great in life but they don't help you achieve it. My favorite part was the ending because it sorta kinda leaves you at a cliff hanged but it really just makes you think. I would write here, but that gives away the ending so I'll leave it to you to find out.

Here is the link to Laurie Halse Anderson's website

Goodbye Middle School, Hello High School

     Graduation is just around the corner and I am finally done with middle school. I have to admit these past 2-3 years have been pretty fun. I made so many new friendships that I hope will last a very long time. I don't think that I can summarize all the great memories I have experienced in middle school. When I look back at my 6th grade yearbook, I can hardly recognize half of my classmates. Comparing how we look now from back then, it really shows how the years have gone by. I would get somewhat stressed in my classes because I was in advanced Math and English Language Arts, so my homework would take me longer to do because of all the reading and notes for math class. My favorite class in 7th grade was science and social studies because my teacher would make it interesting. He would tell us all these random stories about himself, and he would show us the toys his kids would play with when they were younger.

     I really don't want to leave middle school but at the same time I do because I want to move on but I am really going to miss all the memories created here. I made some really great friends that I will never forget. They helped me get through so many things. I would also like to thank those friends who ended up not really being my friend because they just prepared me for life and how everything is not what it seems. I would like to thank my teachers for being hard me because they want me to succeed. Middle School for many people may have been the worst years of their life, but to me it was one of the best years of my life.

Life is Beautiful

     The movie we watched in class was called Life is Beautiful connects to the holocaust because it is about a Jewish Italian man that marries a German lady, and they have a child together and are sent to concentration camps. This movie shows you how they tried to make the best out of the situation because the man tried to make it fun for his young son, because he did not know what was going on. The events that were similar between the movie and the readings we did in class were that the Jews that were older, diasabled, or too young were sent off to the gas chambers because they were useless and not good enough to work. In both types of medias, the Nazis told the Jews that they were going to shower and that they would get their clothes afterwards, but in reality they were being put to death. The reason for this was because it was a pyscological effect on the Nazis, so they wouldn't feel guilty.
     The tones are different because in the movie it includes a bit of humor to lighten the mood, but it also includes a depressing mood because it shows you what the Jews had to go through and the feeling really hits you hard. In the readings we did the tone was much more depressing because the poems we read gave off a lot of emotion and it expresses what they had to go through. The main reason I felt more sad towards the poem was because they were written by kids my age and it is hard to think that someone so young could go through something so traumatic and depressing. The moods were similar because they were both upsetting and both medias show how the Jews were treated and how they felt.
     Life is shown as beautiful in the film because it shows that you should make the best out of bad situations. For example, in the movie when the man was sent off to a concentration camp with is five year old son, the dad tried to cheer the son up by saying it was game and in order to get points they must follow the rules and whoever had the most points won and got to go home. He did this because his son didn't know what was happening. The dad basically sacrificed his life because his son was too young to work he would have been killed, but the dad couldn't go through with that so he hid him from the soldiers. This was one of the most heartwarming moments but also the most stressful moments of the movie because it showed how much the dad cared about his son but I was apprehensive because I did not want them to get caught. This showed hoaw life is beautiful because if you spend your life in worry, it is only going to make you miserable and miss out on all the things going on around you. Like the dad could have been all depressed but he decided to make the best of the situation because he wanted to see his son happy. Another example of how life was seen as beautiful was that hope was never lost. The dad never lost hope that maybe one day this would all be over and he would go home with his wife and son. Even when others started to lose hope and say they were all going to die, he told them not to think like that and to be positve. This movie shows you that you should appreciate the things you have and never take things for granted because in a split second, everything can be taken away from you.

Thoughts ln nonfiction books

     I don't really like to read nonfiction books but the one I did read was called, The Seasoned Life by Ayesha Curry. This book is a recipe book but about half of it is a little bit about herself and her life as the wife of NBA star, Stephen Curry. This is a very phenomenal book because not only does it teach you recipes, but it also includes why she decided to become a chef and a little bit about her relationship with her husband. One thing I found interesting was that close friends and relatives say that they are very down to earth and humble and I feel like that is hard to be if you are very well known and out there. I actually think that it is better to be down to earth when you are very successful because it shows that even though you have a good life, that you don't like to rub in people's face.

     I really like this book because I want to be a chef when I am older and she really inspires me to follow my dreams and not let people bring me down. This book has special meaning to me because it is a signed copy that I got when I met her on September 22, 2017 (I wrote a blog about this already).  I was very apprehensive about it because I did not know whiat to say. To me Ayehsa Curry is a good role model for young girls because she shows that you do need people to tell you how good you are to feel accomplished, as long as you achive your goals and do what's good for you, that is enough.

Two Way Street

     The book that I read is called Two Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt and it is about a girl named Courtney and her ex boyfriend named Jordan and how they have to go on a road trip together. This story goes back and forth between both of their sides of the story. They just graduated high school and are both off to the same college and since they are no longer a couple, there is some awkward tension. Its too late to call off the trip so Courtney goes along but plans to not speak to Jordan at all. She thinks that they broke up because he met some random girl, but there is a secret that will change everything. Courtney tries to emphasize the point on why she will never have feelings for him again but deep down, she still loves Jordan and vice versa, but neither will admit it because they think the other one doesn't feel the same.

     I really like this book because I think it was very relatable in the way the author made the characters talk. The way their conversations were made it seem much more realistic because it was how teenagers actually spoke and acted. I also liked it because it was very easy to comprehend for a story that had two perspectives going on at once. This was a fast paced book and it kept you wanting to read more. I literally could not put the book down, I finished it in three days! My favorit quote was, "Because, let's face it - no matter how much you tell yourself you're over someone, your heart knows the truth." I can relate with this quote because I have feelings for someone that is my best friend and sometimes I feel like I don't like him anymore but then I hang out with him and I get all werid and my feelings are out of control. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes a realistic teen fiction book with a little romance and mystery because this book has it all. It is very relatable and it causes suspense with the whole secret Jordan has against Courtney.

   

The Butterfly Project

Theresienstadt's Hospital 

Once, happier people lived here
in the gray building.
Now, death moves silently toward those other creatures,
those with typhoid, who moan and writhe
in their own diarrhea,
who lie here and don’t understand
why they are being fed bread and margarine.
I enter and become silent.

“You shiny new doorknobs,
you pretty painted walls in the bright ward,
can you make up for the stench of excrement?
Can you appease the hunger of those who are ashamed of their underwear,
and brought here to die,
day by day?’

The paint looks at me
and doesn’t answer.
“Why? I don’t understand why!”
It seems the doorknob would say,
when it opened for me,
a free soul, with a full stomach.
“I can tell you
and then you will come to me!”

Life has no rewind button

   
     I regret many things in my life but the one I regret the most is not choosing wisely on who to be friends with. Recently I found out that someone who I thought was one of my best friends, really was just being fake. She would talk about me behind my back and when she was with me, she would act all sweet. She has noticed I was acting diffeently around her but I don't know if I should tell her I know. She has caused so many problems and that has caused me to have problems with others. Whenever I would tell her something important, she would turn the conversation into her own problem, but then she goes and tells others that I am the one who is always making things about myself. I have suggested that she should tell me about her and how she is doing, but things seem to keep turning to me. Right now I still talk to her, but I'm debating on whether or not to tell her that I know what's going on. What do you think I should do? I just don't want to make a decision because I am being subjective and ruin everything.

Propaganda Posters during WW2

     What I think the poster, "Loose lips, sink ships" means is that if bystanders during WW2 said anything along the lines of their government's plans they would be hurting their nation. I think this because what I think of when I hear "loose lips" is when people say things they are not supposed to say. Kind of like spilling a secret. The "sink ships" part is basically a threat to anyone that speaks about any confidential plans. The intended audience are the bystanders from WW2 because the government was threatening them to not say anything about what was going on in the world. This works to alter one's perspective by making them think that it is wrong to speak up when you know something is wrong. They teach young kids that they shouldn't say what is right. Imagine if we lived in a world like that, we would not be able to speak our minds.

A day with Ayesha Curry

     If got a chance to spend the day with a celebrity/famous person, I'd choose Ayesha Curry. I had the opportunity to meet her a few months ago at a book signing. The reason I would like to spend a day with her is because she is a chef and when I grow up I also want to be a chef. She inspires me to follow my dreams and to not let people get to you. Something we would do is cook some meals. I could have her teach me some of the meals in her cookbook. I also think her daughters are really cute and I love her husband so it would be pretty cool to get to know them more. Ayesha Curry is one of my inspirations because she showed me that it is possible to achieve your dreams if you really try. I would describe her as  a fun person to be around and I feel like she just gets anyone around her into a good mood.
Some questions I would ask would be:
- What is your favorite meal to cook?
- When did you realize you wanted to be a chef?
- What is it like being married to an NBA player (Stephen Curry)?
- Do you ever think of teaching young kids to cook?
- Are there ever times when you have refer back to your book because you forgot part of the recipe?

This is the link to her website: http://www.ayeshacurry.com/ 

Top 15 things that make me happy

1.  Volleyball is something I am very passionate about. I've been playing since I was four and it is something that helps me forget my problems and calms me down.

2. My friends and family make my life interesting and I love hanging out with them. They mean the world to me.

3. My dog makes me happy because whenever I am upset and want to be alone, I just have him on my lap. He is such an energetic dog, and I love running around the yard with him.

4. Music gets me into a good mood and life would be boring without music. This may sound a bit weird but I get distracted with silence. I know for many people they get distracted with music.

5. Food makes me happy because a lot of the times that I am grumpy is because I just neeed food. My parents already know that when I have a bad attitude all I need is food.

6. The summer time makes me feel happy because I have no worries about school and the sun is shining so it literally brightens up your day.

7. When you make an amazing kill (spike) during a volleyball game and get the point. That is honestly one of the best feelings because you show the opposing team what they're really up against.

8. Passing a test after struggling with the topic makes me feels so accomplished. It shows the teacher that I can persevere through complicated topics in class.

9. Having a snow day is the best part of winter because we basically have a day off from school to play in the snow.

10. Being outside makes me relax and I personally like to be alone outside in the nice weather when I think about things going on in my life.

11. Everytime I go and get my eyebrows done I literally get 100x happier because I just feel better about myself.

12. Traveling is so fun because you get to see new places and meet new people.

13. Believe it or not cleaning my room makes me happy because I feel fresh once everything is in order. I cannot stand when I see a little speck of dust on my nightstand. Sometimes I feel like Danny Tanner (Full House).

14. When I handwrite an essay and my handwriting looks so neat. Sometimes I don't want to turn it in just so I can keep looking at how good my handwriting is.

15. Healing after an injury is the best feeling ever because I can finally play sports again. Trust me I would know how this feels, I get injured a lot (especially on my right ankle).

Perseverance

     One time I persevered was when I didn't give up in math even though I didn't understand the topic that well. The topic was properties of function and I did not understand it very well because the way my teacher explained it made it even more confusing. I started to understand more as the class went on but I felt as if he would over explain it to make it seem "easier". The reason why I kept trying was because I wanted to be able to understand the topic in order to take the test. Another trait I needed to use was patience because I getting frustrated because my teacher was making me overthink the topic when it was really simple.

      We had to watch a video on a guy named Nick that had no arms and no legs. He showed perseverance because he did not let that stop him from doing other things. Three character traits he showed were, being yourself, self-confidence, and self-respect.

We Accept

     The Super Bowl commerical that I thought was important was the Airbnb We Accept which was about accepting and supporting refugees and immigrants in the world. It talks about how no matter who or where you are, everyone should be equal because we are all the same in our own way. Just because we are a different race, gender, or religion, that does not give the right to discriminate you because you are different than them. This commercial relates to what is happening in the world right now with Donald Trump not allowing refugees to enter the United States. I believe that we should not be compared to each other because we are all have something in common, even we cannot physically see it. I really hope that people see how important this commercial and know that we accept no matter what.

Whats the best advice I've recieve?

     The person that I think gives the best advice in my opinion is my dad because he's been through a lot when he was younger. My dad had to grow up without a dad because he died when he was 7 years old and he was the youngest so that must have been pretty hard. Sometimes I feel like my life is hard, but compared to my dad's, my life is not as bad. The advice my dad always gives my that means a lot to me is, "No matter what people say in life, never let that stop you from doing what you love." To me this means that I shouldn't let other people influence what I do with my life. Whenever I do anything, I always think about my dad. He means everything to me.

Worst Argument Ever

     My worst argument was with my dad not too long ago. Everyone knows that I have a bad temper and when I get mad I like to be alone because I might say things I don't mean. My dad needs to comprehend that when I am in a bad mood I do not like to talk. I was already in a bad mood before speaking to my dad because I was getting annoyed at the store. My dad had asked me what was wrong and I answered in a bad mood which escalated quickly. It got really heated and he thought that me explaining was talking back. Anyways he said that he was taking me off the volleyball team until I changed my attitude and that made me burst into tears. My mom convinced him to let me stay and now we are better but I am trying really hard to change my attitude.

Confidence is key

     What I am most confident in is sports, especially volleyball. To me volleyball is something I am good at and I know that I am good at it. I get to be myself and not care what people think. My friends always call me perfect because I get good grades, my teeth are naturally straight, I'm pretty, I'm good at sports, etc. But I always HATED getting called perfect because I felt that if I made a wrong decision that label would instantly go away. Sports helps me forget about that label because I am always working to get better. I am always loud and making sure I stand out. I have to admit I am shy, but I don't run away from risks. Volleyball is where I belong and what I do best. No one can take that away from me.