Tag: Technology

An adventure to Santa Cruz and Writing Prompt #16: write about an item that is not worth much money but has great value to you…

Posted on by anele25

A few weeks ago me and my friend  (now girlfriend) headed out to Santa Cruz to see the cool sights of what nature has to offer. We started out at Target in San Jose and we did a drive up first to a trail in San Jose that was named the Sierra Azul Preserve and we thought it would be a little more beautiful. As soon as we got to the parking lot there was a note that said to take our valuables with us because they were not sure if that location would be able to guarantee the safety of our valuables. The journey itself was quite interesting. We saw some horses along the trail and we also saw a few people who were hiking the trail for the experience.  We started huffing and puffing a little as we started getting up the trail. What I enjoyed in the trail was that there was peace and quiet. There is nothing better than having the opportunity to see nature and what it has to offer. At one point we found two folks who had apparently found gold on the side of the road. I found this pretty cool as we started getting closer to the middle of the location. A few months ago we were fortunate enough to see some redwoods as well and those themselves were quite the site. A few other places I also felt were a little more impressive such as the Purrisma trail in Half Moon Bay. We hiked for a good two hours before we we decided to head out to Santa Cruz after a while. My friend and I started wondering what other areas we could go to so we decided to explore the option of visiting the Mystery Spot. The Mystery Spot is quite old and holds something to it because you can be standing there and there can be no gravity when you go inside. Our tour lasted a good 45 minutes before we came to a head with some of the mysteries of the spot. How did it get there and what do some of the truths that were there and how many of them hold true.

I found it cool that some of these theories were outlined by the tour guide including but not limited to that some of the o-zone layer is moving around the location. We also see that some of what is there is odd because the spot itself is tilted at a 30 degree angle. The fact that it is an illusion also gives credence to the idea that there was a meteor that hit there years ago before everything came into play. I started to see that some of what the tour guides suggest may or not be true. For one, having an electromagnetic field which dictates whether or not the field under dictates whether or not it moves can be helpful towards the theory. The drive up there was quite lovely and the sites themselves were awesome. I was telling my friend along the way that doing things like these are only done once in a lifetime. I, for one, attest to the theory that the spot itself is at a unique position and can hold together at a tilted position. My friend was also apart of some of these demonstrations that were shown to give away this illusion. For example, if you move one person from one end to the other end you’ll see that having some of these demonstrations available will give people a different opportunity to see how they can maneuver around and give the illusion of height and potentially envision something different. Our tour guide also made the journey lighthearted and fun throughout our time there which made it even funner. He would make jokes about marijuana and also about the place itself and how it was constructed along the way. He was also nice enough to want to take a picture with us as well. There will be pictures available as well. Afterwards, we headed out to a place called 99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall which was also very good. We had popcorn shrimp, nachos, sweet potato fries, and some fish tacos. The entire time I was just thinking how appreciative I was of the whole experience. Not only was I able to do a nice walk with my friend but I was also able to explore the adventures of Santa Cruz with her as well. The food was delicious and afterwards we had some fun exploring some local spots around the area which included some jamba juice around the area. Next I wanted to talk a little about an item I’ve had for a while.

Back in 2005, my mom and I took a trip to the local flea market and I picked out what would be one of my favorite items that I have and that is my black beanie. The item itself has a value of about 10 dollars but to me it holds sentimental value because I have carried it pretty much anywhere. I remember a few months ago I was hanging out with a friend of mine and I thought I had lost the beanie, but there it was on the side of my seat. The reason I think it holds so much value is because I am able to fully hold an article of my past and present together with me for as long as I live. You can go through my articles of clothing and hats and beanies and that is one I will treasure because of how much I have seen events from high school all the way to my current life. I’ve seen births, deaths, new presidents, and even a move in my life with that beanie. Now, as I enter 30 I still carry the beanie with me and it still holds the same meaning as it did when I was 17. I hope that everyone has something out there that they treasure as much as this beanie. We’ll see if anything ever comes close to this item but to me it has held great value. I know it’s been a while since I’ve written on here but today I plan on doing two blogs. Oh and I wanted to leave some pictures of my adventure with my now girlfriend.

Adventures and the company of two great friends:

Posted on by anele25

The day is short and the months fly by fast. The thrill of adventure along with some great friends is something that comes once in a lifetime. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to do some adventure seeking out to Monterey bay with two of my friends Isela and Iveth. They started out as co-workers but they are two people whom I consider to be friends now. We started the day by myself driving to Isela’s apartment and we grabbed some blankets just in case it got cold near Monterey. As we packed everything away, we drove to go pick up Iveth who does not live too far away. We rode off into the sunset where we first got into a discussion about the famous show Game of Thrones. Myself and Iveth rambled on for a few minutes about the implications of the show as well as some of the intricacies of the show that can go on debate for years. I had a few theories about the show as did she and in all honesty, there are some things about GOT that frankly I can live knowing that may or may not be true (this will be discussed perhaps in a future blog). As we started getting closer, we talked about what we were going to eat and I have a thing where as I get closer I have a game where we look for a place to eat instead of having to be obliged to Yelp or not. We ended up settling on a Crepe place which actually was not half bad. We talked about life and a little bit of everything in between. At this point, we headed over to the paddleboats where we stuck around for an hour where we played some music and also had some other funny discussions about the direction where we were going in life. Isela, I would describe as someone who is sarcastic and witty and for that she makes me realize how lightly some things should be in life rather than all serious all the time and she know how to have a good life. Iveth, is a care free person who just wants to have fun and enjoys a good laugh.

I realized as we were paddling that another opportunity had arose in my life recently about a job and I saw how many great friends I had made and how much I would still like to see them to talk. The time passed and before I knew it we were back on land just off the boat and after it stumbled a bit but we were able to land safely as we got off. We originally said we were going to get on the wharf but then we saw how packed the parking was. Next we decided to head off to Lover’s Point which is famous for having places where you can take pictures for any special occasion that includes a wedding or a sweet sixteen. We did some walking on some rocks which by and large look intimidating at first but once you get passed the initial ones you get this beautiful view of everything that is front of you. We stayed there for a few minutes just enjoying the view and marveling at this sea otter that was down there. After, we decided instead to settle on driving to 17 mile but that also ended up being a bit more full due to it being the weekend. The 17 mile drive itself included a short pass by to Asiolmar beach where you could just see that beautiful trail that led to the end of the trail. As I passed by these locations, I thought how cool it would be to see some of these locations everyday and how peaceful it must be for people to live by the ocean. I also thought about living in the ocean and how you might be able to connect with the different aspects of nature. You have air, wind, fire, and water all practically in one. Air because as you sail away that is something that you breathe and then wind because a little wind can keep the current going. The fire is intriguing because you see a little bit of it around you as you sail away. The water is the ocean working its magic and taking you away.

Anyway, I suggested instead we go to Point Lobos which was not too far ahead. We parked a bit farther away and saw some of the insides of some of the animals where they would stay. Particularly, myself and Isela ended up exploring the beach a little more. I ended up seeing some crabs and also some small fishes. We walked a bit farther but we ended up seeing a beautiful view from the top and just took it all in at the end of the day. We walked back to the car and headed off to the next stop which was Carmel by the Sea which was an adventure unto itself as it had some pretty cool shops which included some body soap stores as well as some interesting watch shops which by and large were out of our price range. We walked for a bit before we reached our destination which was the beach itself. We dwelled a little deeper into each other lives as we heard a little more background information on what Isela’s living situation was like back in her time during college. I must say hearing her story made me see just how much living with someone can make a difference in how you perceive your current situation. The rest of the conversations that time of the beach felt relaxing just in general and I wondered about the times that were ahead for me and my friends. We headed off to the car and we had quite a climb back to the car and we got some good steps in at this location of Carmel by the sea as well as at Point lobos. Once we got in the car we headed back to the Wharf where we had a little easier time finding parking. We saw off to the side that there was a car auction that was going on. I started laughing a bit because of how fast the guy started talking and how fast these cars were driving. Once we got inside the wharf we saw how relatively small it was and there were some crab specialty restaurants that were giving out samples. We also got some coasters that serve as a little motivation to whoever buys them. I ended getting a dog one, a mountain one, and a campfire one. I think out of the ones I collected, I enjoy the campfire one the most because of the message it carries. If anyone is curious, I will post a picture of that coaster here as well as some other pictures.

We saw all the clam chowder that was being sold and we stopped at this little shop for some chowder. I ended up settling instead on some prawns and fries but funny enough the gentleman who served our food ended up bringing three chowders instead of two. He gave out the two that were for Isela and Iveth quickly and came back right away and asked me if I wanted the third so I said “sure why the hell not”. I had the quick reaction that it was some of the best food I had had in some time especially considering it was next to the ocean. Another delightful dinner as we walked along the wharf and saw everyone and the lights that were along the area. I left with the impression that this world is big and there are so many little treasures that are to be found inside it. I also saw just how cool and wonderful people can be when given the chance to go out and explore. Too many times we are concerned with the daily grind and leaving our houses on time that we forget how wonderful this world can be. We hopped in back into the car and had some fun times along the way as we sang our hearts out to some Los Tucanes de Tijuana as well as some other fun baile songs as well. Myself and Isela did a majority of the singing as we were having some good laughs along the way. After we got back to our destination, I went home thinking about all the special memories that had been made on 8/25/18. I also reflected back on the times that are ahead and special they are going to be as well. I may not be the richest person in the world but I have just enough to say that I can do anything in this world without too much hassle. I always say, if I can do something and I can find a way to do it, I will make it happen without too much complication. As promised, here are some pictures as well. Till next time adventures.

300 Writing Prompts #10: Have you ever taken a huge risk? What was it, and was it worth it?

Posted on by anele25

Risks in my life have never been the way to go and nor have they ever been. I once did take a risk however and in the end it was worth it. I was thinking back to three years ago today and today is the anniversary of my graduation. There were events that led up to that that started with one risk that I felt was worth it at the end. I am pretty open about my past and one of the risks I took was transferring Target stores in 2014. At the beginning of the summer in 2014, I met with a friend of mine asking if I had ever thought of transferring stores. The store was closer to my house and it would save me more gas. I also thought about the long term ramifications as if I had left the store I would be not as sentimental about leaving. For example, if I had stayed my full seven years at the same Target store I would have felt the burden of leaving behind all my friends. I worked that summer with the thought in my head that it was time to transfer. I worked closely with my managers to make sure I had a smooth transition.

 

As the date got closer, I really started doubting the decision because now I would leave everyone behind. The friends that I did make there finally became apparent to me afterward. In retail, you make these acquaintances that you may think are your friends but then after you leave you start to see who your real friends are. I left that old Target store with my head held high but I also started getting emotional towards the end of my first night. I thanked everyone for the time they had spent with me and for their mentorship as well. I walked out knowing that I had made something good there and I started crying like a baby as I walked out. I sat in my car for close to 5 minutes thinking about the memories I had made there. I told myself right then and there that everything had been worth it. The hardships, the fun parts, the struggles, and everything in between. I remember driving to Smoke Eaters that night ready to eat something because I said to myself that would be my small meal that I would eat to celebrate this new phase in my life. No longer would I be commuting and struggling to get to work in San Jose and I would be closer to home. I sat at home and wondered about what the future would bring and thankfully I was off for the next 4 days. I started at my new store that Thursday and I realized right away how different everything was compared to my old Target store.

 

Everybody seemed older and there was a mix of younger as well. I started talking to a few team members and started getting my feet wet little by little. I saw this also as a new opportunity to learn with some new team members. I remember being approached if I ever wanted to enter an executive role as well and then I started seeing how everything was constructed and I realized that it was not worth it. The way that Target works is they like to recruit from within and see team members as being ready for that role as well. An executive is in charge of owning their area and making sure their team leaders have their planners up as well as making sure their aisles are full as well. I quickly learned at my new store that staying organized is one of the bigger problems at retail. You also learn to deal with people whether they are old or young. You see the good, bad, and the ugly. That was something that was worth it because you got to serve a completely new audience and a complete new kind of guest as well. No longer, were they the high strung client from Saratoga but now they were the working middle class from Sunnyvale. I had grown up in Sunnyvale so I knew a little about what the people were like there. As the months went by, I started to realize that my time to enter into the real world was rapidly approaching. I was close to being 27 years old and some of my friends at this age already had pretty stable jobs. I was going back and forth wondering what I was going to do next. I was working at Target one day and they implemented this new strategy where they wanted everything full at certain times of the day. One day, it was my turn and by all means it did not look the best. I got berated by one of our executives and it just so happens that is when I said this place may not be for me anymore. I started thinking what can come along or what can I do to change this new environment of mine. I did my best to keep my head up but everything just kept getting worst whether it was hours or the way we were all being treated. One day, I got a call from one of friends telling me about a position opening at Stanford and if you have read some of my previous posts, I ended up leaving Target soon thereafter.

 

In hindsight, this risk I took because my friend had told me about has led me to today. I would not be the same person I am today because I learned that going into new environments can be intimidating but that is what life if all about. Adapting and overcoming those obstacles and seeing what comes out of it. I can say for how my life is that I am grateful for what has happened because the ultimate lesson I learned from my transfer to another Target store was I learned those that stick by you pull through for you in the end. It doesn’t matter whether things are the best in the world or if they are the worst in the world, they will give the skin off their back in order for you to succeed. I saw the good in what happened and now I can look back and say my risk paid off. Yes, I did miss my co-workers but then I saw they are only that: co-workers. I made the analogy the other day with a good friend of mine “when in war, you only talk about war and then everything just ends”. I made my destiny with those changes and now I am looking forward to whatever life brings next.

Writing Prompts #9: Describe the most beautiful sound you have ever heard

Posted on by anele25

The prompt here got me thinking about what is the most beautiful sound you have ever heard and this one for me is easy as I once ran across a song by Riz Ortolnai when I was younger. The name of the song is called “A Blessed Event”. One thing that stands out for this song is that is so simple and it puts me at ease whenever I hear it. I could be driving, at my job, at the house doing chores, and overall I just enjoy the sounds in the song. I liked the sounds at the beginning as it begins with a horn and a little chelo sound. The sound is beautiful to me because it goes so smoothly without interruption of any other instruments and it just goes along and it makes me happy. It begins with a kind of a “do-do-do” instrument and it keeps going along until it hits this special spot in my heart. I feel as if this song was created with the intention of getting you in a good mood. I could be wrong here but having this beautiful sound full of wonder, awe, and hope is all in this song. I feel like I’m walking through any situation in life and feeling as if I can do it. I remember when I used to live in a condo in San Jose and this song would come on. I didn’t have many friends and this song made me feel this beauty inside. The kind of beauty you or anyone else would never hear again. I get the feeling that Ortolani got the idea to make this song so people can get this big emotion inside of them.  I can come with this song and it feels as if I am working on something greater whether its having a family, accomplishing my goals, or getting fit. It’s funny, because I heard this song when I was younger when I was watching El Chapulin Colorado. If you don’t know who that is he is the Mexican superhero who always comes to the rescue of his people that call for help. Roberto Bolanos really did want to show people his talents by busting out this song at the end of some Chapulin songs. I want this blog also to be aware of some other beautiful sounds I have heard. I sometimes go to the beach and pontificate what is going on in the ocean. There is a mystery that goes beyond the greatest realm of what is there. As I hear the waves, I feel this calmness and this ability to breath in new life inside of me. I can be standing on the edge of a rock or at the side of an ocean and I can just hear myself go with one with the waves. The waves also have these calming effects to them that only certain people would be able to describe.

 

The more I see waves and the more I hear them I just want to live freely within that ocean and wonder what is there. It feels as if the Earth is moving at a slow pace and you can just hear everything slow down for a quick second. One of the best times I have ever had in life was when I was younger and we took a late night trip to the beach and the waves were coming slowly that day. This was at a beach in Sinaloa and the waves were coming in rather slowly that night. I was out with my Aunt and her husband and we just went down to the sand. I walked by the waves several times and as they came in I realized the breath of fresh air was coming in to somehow suspend my belief that this was life. The waves kept coming and I could think about how nice and peaceful that was at that moment. I kept walking until my aunt and her husband stopped for a few minutes and just marveled at several things around them. I could tell that they too also enjoyed the waves that night. There is also nothing better than the ocean waves because of how fast they can change once you get inside for a quick dip. I know that once you get inside the water there is a different feeling as well because they can come on top of you in an instant and it doesn’t feel as fast as it used to. The one last thing I enjoy about the ocean waves is that water in general is a very soothing thing to have around you. One last memory I can remember about the waves and how comforting of a sound they are is when I was at a beach in Monterrey and I was standing on some rocks. The water was coming close to the rocks and I could feel that my body was somehow scared to go inside the water. I was standing against the rocks and once you get passed the water hitting you close it doesn’t get all that scary. I went down and I sat against some rocks and I could feel the water coming towards me as if I were one with the ocean at that very moment. There is no better feeling to be amongst something other than the water that comes towards somebody. The sounds that it makes, the whoosh that it makes as it gets closer, and ultimately the overall good feeling it gives. I hope one day many more people can come to appreciate the ocean waves and the sounds that they make for all of us. They say that beauty comes in many forms and this sound of ocean waves gives me comfort, satisfaction, and a great deal of hope. I know as I grow older I can give others the same feeling by integrating my life with there’s and telling them a little more about the ocean waves.

Writing Prompt #5 Imagine you are planning a trip across the continent on which you live: Assuming you have unlimited time, resources and energy, what will be your mode of transportation?

Posted on by anele25

I was digging through the 300 writing prompts last night and came across this prompt which got me thinking: What would be the easiest mode of transportation? What would be the hardest? I narrowed it down to an airplane being the easiest and the car being the hardest. In the middle I would put a train. The continent I live on is North America which consists of 23 countries and I would imagine several dozen states. The continent itself consists of 9 million miles and I would first start out with the local United States and eventually head down south. Afterwards, I would head back up north to Canada. Out of these three options that being the “planes, trains, and automobile” options I would take a car because I would get to see some interesting places that I would not see on an airplane. I get the sense when I am on a plane that I get to see the clouds, the scenery of the mountains, and the rain if the weather permits. On a train, you get the option of seeing the scenery as you go along and you can also tune up some of your music as you go along on the trip. For a car though, you get all the stories of traveling around the continent and not necessarily limiting yourself to one place. The unlimited resources and time would also be a plus because I would not have to worry about spending money. I would be quite fond of also getting to get that unlimited resource perk because you never know when you might need something for the trip such as food and gas. I would also want to go with people that I have in my life so that the trip will be entertaining and I would get to experience many other things with them. There is something fun and exciting about getting to spend hours and hours in a car with the ones you care about. For the most part, I have been in cars with my family on trips. However, I remember a few years ago when I took a trip with a friend of mine to Hawaii and the experiences we had were unforgettable. I can just imagine what it would have been like had we had a car and some other unlimited resources such as money. Another nice thing about traveling with others and having these unlimited resources would be the discussions that people would have. I know friends I have would discuss some interesting topics as well.  I’ve also been on a few trips by myself and it is peaceful but experiencing these things with others would be worth it. I still remember what it was like driving from Tampa Bay to Miami and just remembering how peaceful it was. It rained afterwards but I still remember just thinking, this is a nice life to have and want for the future.

Another example I can think of is if I were traveling across the country and I happened to hit a state like South Dakota it would be nice to stop by some national parks such as Mount Rushmore, Badlands National Park, and the other wonderful scenery. I’ve always wanted to explore some states that I may not know so much about that you hear so much about. There may be nothing there (or so I think) but I feel we are so used to going and going but sometimes we forget that there are other states out there. A few states that come to mind in this case may be South Carolina, Iowa, and Montana. South Carolina is one of those states that also plays host to the coastal resorts and this is something I would also want to explore. Iowa is also host to the Bridges of Madison County. From what I have seen, there are a total of six bridges and these too would be something on my list of must see. The bridges are Cutler-Donohoe, Cedar, Hogback, Holliwell, Imes, and Roseman. These bridges all look like something that would be quite the experience. There is also something about bridges that gets me thinking and also the construction that may have gone into them is also something that is interesting. Another example that I can think of when I pass these states would be to visit the national parks there as well. The two national parks that are famous there are Glacier National Park and Yellowstone National Park. I’ve also seen someone that was in the wrestling business who now lives in Montana. He lives on a ranch and the more I think about, the more I think that this would not be the worst idea because you would be away from the hassle of the world. I also think having unlimited energy is also something that can be important towards traveling across the continent. We live and care for our houses, work our jobs, and take care of our loved ones. The one thing we forget sometimes is that having energy to even travel is there. We do our routine of getting up, doing our regular grind, and then we go off. The traveling aspect of seeing these new locations can give one the idea that it is such a small world around us and the continent that is around us can be so much bigger. For someone’s job who it is travel, it may get boring and routine but it would be something different because I would actually get to stop and see these destinations.

Sometimes, when people travel all they do is their business and they are just out of the area. For example, one of my friends who was recently here for work said his co-workers just wanted to see San Francisco. I can vouch for one that the Bay Area is much bigger than that and there are many more cool destinations to see around the area. The same thing can be said for the Space Needle in Seattle possibly. I remember going up the hill for Kerry Park in Seattle and thinking the average person most likely not see these places when they travel. These words that I have written are just of the few reasons I would want to drive instead of flying because the accomplishment of actually getting there and seeing it is something for the human eye to see. The car itself would probably the car I have right now because having that wonderful Dodge Challenger traveling across the continent would be awesome with engine revving across and experiencing it along the way. I would also make sure to stay at least one night in every state in the United States portion. As for the other parts of North America, I would definitely be open to exploring the other countries as well however for now I would stick with going here in the United States first and then going to other places as well. This was definitely an interesting piece of writing to write because it got me thinking of the possibilities that would be possible with all the places to explore with unlimited time and resources which is something we can never get enough of! Until next time, I’m really enjoying these writing prompts! Your author Jose.

Writing prompts #3: What is your favorite work of art? What do you love about it?

Posted on by anele25

The 300 writing prompts so far has given be 2 topics so far which have been thought provoking and made me reflect a bit on my past. This next one I see as a challenge because I am not the kind of person to express my words about art. This piece of art properly called “The Scream” is done by Edvard Munch. I’ve seen this piece of art before and I wanted to talk a bit about it. The reason I first like this piece of art is because it gives off the impression about a person (sex not described or indicated), who is in anguish or who has some sort of anxiety running through them. I can remember growing up or even through my adult years where I wasn’t feeling my best mentally because I was worried about something that was going on in my life or someone had just told me some shocking news that I had a hard time holding in.

I also really enjoy the painting because of the background that is in the painting. The skies are red with a blue and sort of black water. You kind of get the feeling from seeing the painting that if anything the colors provoke something within the viewer. When I see red, I think of blood or romance and in this essence it could be that it brings these two together to bring some sort of chaos where nothing is perfect in the world. I also notice that the red is mixed in with green as well and from my interpretation that can also be a sign of the green nature that is in and around our world. Now, to get into the characters within the painting itself. I notice that something I love about the painting is that the person that is screaming has eyes and his mouth open while the two characters in the back have no role. The two people in the background could be seen as observers who do not pay attention to what is going on around them. In fact, something that has been theorized about this painting is that artists were becoming more expressive during this time. Hence, this is why I make the connection to these two characters not being able to pay attention to what is going on around them. I can see what Munch means by his painting here is that artists have become afraid to express their opinions on social issues or the well-being of artists. Sometime back, I also read that art at this time was changing and was giving way for new artists in the field. It would be like today when artists from pop culture are starting to collaborate on projects such as movies, music, or even tv shows. I think back in those times it would seem almost impossible to bring so many artists together because everyone wants to have an input on what it is they do. One other thing I enjoy and love about this painting is that it paints a clearer picture of what else may be going in the background of this picture.

One article I read is that the person in the picture could be screaming at the horror of the slaughterhouse that is nearby. The main character that we see could be shouting at the horror that is going in during the actual proceeding where they are crossing. It goes back to what I said in the beginning, the main character is somewhat worried as to what is happening around him as he crosses the bridge. The artist also originally meant this to be a piece of how his friends had left him behind and he stopped to gaze at what was the red sky. Yet, he somehow stayed behind and he gazed on in fear. One other thing that needs to be pointed out about this piece of work is how Munch takes apart his work by not clearly explaining what gender the person in the work is. This is one of the parts of the painting because we who are viewing the painting could be in this painting. I sometimes think when we are not feeling our best we could be crying out for help. The sounds that is also covering up inside the main character is quite something to view as well because of how we may want to block out everyone else out. We may do this along these lines because we may cover up our ears with earphones when we are on the bus, airplane, on the train, or at our jobs. The idea of sound is also something that we tend to ignore in our lives because sounds can sometimes tell us something that we may or may not want to hear. When we hear directions, cues, or when we see something on a screen we tend to look for sounds that may trigger a certain emotion. I also feel the sounds when I may be reading a book that I really like.

1200px-The_Scream
The Scream

Once again, this idea of how we take sounds may sound far fetched, but sounds make a profound impact on our lives and it is one of the final reasons I really enjoy this piece. I sometimes wonder what one’s perspective may be about slaughterhouses or being near some sort of thing that they may dislike. For example, I am not the world’s biggest fan of people that are having drinking issues being near a bar.

I can imagine having them resist a drink is something that is difficult for them to resist. Anyway, these are just a few reasons I really love this painting because of the amount of effort that is put into the detail. One thing that I think I forgot to mention is that Munch does a fantastic job of expressing with this painting with the bridge that is covering apart of the painting. This was definitely one of the most difficult pieces to write because of how I had never written about a piece of art but I am happy to get this one in because it felt like I was back in school. I’d be curious to get across what this painting maybe meant for other people back in older times but now I will never get that chance because time travel does not exist. Anyway, this does it for this piece. I will continue on with this 300 writing prompts piece until I can no longer write about the awesome prompts in here. Till next time, signing off!

Imagining you are with your old school friends….

Posted on by anele25

“Where do you see yourself in ten years?” is something I would hear often during my high school years and tonight I wanted to sit down and write about a topic that I have hardly thought about. I have had some changes in the past twelve years since High School and I want to reference high school because that was the time when we all transitioned from childhood to High School. A great friend of mine recently gave me a book for Christmas that has 300 writing prompts and I intend to write as many as I can before I die or perhaps before the one day comes that I will lose my passion to write anything (I highly doubt this). One of the topics in the book asks this “Imagine you are at your next high school reunion. How do you think your old school friends would react to the person you are today?” I don’t think anybody is the same person they were five or ten years ago. Experiences, goals, and relationships change us all. High school for me ended on June 8th 2006 and on that day I remember not really waving at anybody or seeming excited that high school was over.

I just looked it at as another phase of life that had ended for me and I was ready to move on with my life. I wasn’t the most popular person or most outgoing person. I wouldn’t go to parties or hang out with the in crowd. I would say if I were to meet my old school friends they would treat me exactly the same but we would be different in our lives. I remember hanging out with one of my friends from high school in 2015 and we did what guys usually do: go hang out and talk about life. One thing I remember noticing about my friend is how much he had changed from being super funny and outgoing to being a former shell of who he is. No longer was he the fun loving guy people would gravitate towards but he had become more serious in the way he acted, the way he thought, and the way he approached people. I felt that when we hung out we had almost reversed roles. I was now in a position where I had gone through certain experiences and was now in control of my emotions. Before I would be irritable, angry, and somewhat moody. Now, I saw my friend in this position and there was no way I could change him because you can’t change anybody’s perspective in life on where he was. However, going back to the original question I would say if my old school friends saw me they would ask how things changed, what do I think was the best way to do this, and would start asking me about my career and where I was. One other thing that has never been steady in my life as well would be my diet and exercise.

Recently, I have started watching my diet because of the surgery that I have undergone (more of this information available in an earlier blog post). I would say they would be shocked because my diet in high school wasn’t particularly great as I would eat like crazy in high school. I also remember I took a strength training class in college and this is when my life was in flux on whether I should continue to work out or not. One of my classmates commented on how good my stamina was because we would take weekly runs on stairs or outside on a track. This is something I would point out to my friends because of how much a statement I like to make with this. I would also say my friends would be surprised because I was never the most athletic in high school and I never played sports either. I also would dare say that people would start asking about the type of motivation I have behind this. I have believed that in the past few years that my motivation is to live as long as possible and the experiences and memories we make are based off of this. I can wake up tomorrow and not be motivated but one thing that gets me is the ability to know that every day is a new opportunity, a new challenge, a new hello, a new morning, a new something to look forward to.

Sure, we all sit in traffic on the way to and from work but this is a part of what life is. I would think if I were to tell this to my friends they would start laughing at me but I truly do believe that this does motivate me to achieve something greater every day. I also sometimes wonder if they would even recognize me because in High School you have your one or two friends that you stick close by with. I remember sitting in a row full of strangers that I had never met in my life. This is something I fear because of how diverse and far the field has gone in terms of how big of a class we were. But, I know I would have my friends that would be there to support me in how I am doing and how I have changed. I also have documented in how I think having a pet of some sorts has made me a nicer person. The dog I had before, Paloma, really made me appreciate life and the many intricacies of how to care for someone that is your own. Before, I didn’t have that somebody or something I could care for. Now, I have Zorro to care for and I also would say people would be surprised that I became a dog owner. Overall, I would say there would be some process for me to let it out because I don’t tell many people about my love for my dog. Once again, I think having a dog is like having a child because you have to make sure he or she is cared for and that he has his regular checkups at the vet or what have you. So there you have it, overall I would say that others would have kids, maybe other people have moved out of the area, and me I’m still the same person in mind but I have made a few adjustments. Change is good for all of us and time tells who will come out in front. To me, I would say I have been pretty successful with my life and where I am financially. I hope it is the same for everyone else and if it’s not hopefully I can have some profound impact on people.Till next time….

Day #41 7/19/11: Stories of a 3 day downfall pt.1…

Posted on by anele25

The day of tuesday the 19th of July started off well with me taking my dog walking and it was a beautiful day to say the least as I was excited to once again hang out with Ricky as we headed out to De Anza to register for my math class as my time was at 2 that day and all was well. I was pretty happy to see that Borders was closing and maybe I could get some books but they had not yet started going for discount prices. Everything was going well as me and Ricky had a good discussion on an old friend who had suddenly reemerged in my life and he gave me advice on how to handle the situation. Needless to say I listened as I took all this information in as I felt everything was going to go well. But, then I went to go pick up my mom at her job and she had this computer but the only problem was that when we got home the tower was blown up and the harddrive would not turn on so my brother had this great idea of trying to replace the current one into the new one. That left me with no computer for charging my IPOD which was my last source of some technology. The rest of the night I watched a new episode of Weeds and I also waited for another book to finish… But the chaos doesn’t end there. Did I mention my PS3 is done too? Piece of crap.