P.S. I Love You

Dear Deej, (Daniel, Brother)

     I have been having these weird thoughts lately... like is any of this for real or not? Just kidding, Kingdom Hearts references are always needed when talking to you! I think that you should smile more often darling! Your smile is so genuine and uplifting and whenever I have a bad day, I know that you will be right there next to me cheering me up by bringing up something stupid you did before. Most of the time, you remind me of how you did not punch me in the face, and how I "ran into your fist." It was an accident, and I totally forget about it until you bring it up again. There is no excuse for the time you sprained my fingers though. I really wish we got to spend more time together, but we both know how complicated that is. I love playing Ratchet and Clank, Sly Cooper, The Legend of Zelda, and every other game we have with you, even though you never win. It is hilarious how we have been playing Ratchet and Clank since we were kids and now teens use "ratchet" as an insult! I especially love when we play any game as a team, because we know each other so well that we win every time. That is probably the reason why mom will not let us play on a team anymore. I am so excited that you have your license, so now you can take me places so that I do not have to be bored at home. Even though we do not have a certain place to go, I know that we will have fun because whenever we are together we cannot help but have fun. I love you and I really miss you, more than you know! I hope to beat you at Ratchet and Clank this weekend!

-Your Sister,

Yours in Eternity

Bri 

Spanglish 'Spirations

     My abuela, Ruth Rivera, is the person who inspires me the most. She was born on January 2, 1943 in Panamá. She was the youngest of eight, all with the initials R.E.B. She lived in Panamá for twenty five years and growing up her family did not have much money. I love hearing stories about when she was younger like how much food you could get for forty cents, and  how the apartment rent was thirty five dollars "back then." She first moved to the United States when she was twenty six years old, and she lived in Louisiana after marrying my abuelo, who was stationed there for the military. They moved to Ohio eight months later so my abuelo could be closer to his family. After having two children, Ruth and Raquel, she started working at a greenhouse to help my abuelo with money. She started learning English when she was twenty eight years old, but she has always preferred to speak Spanish. My abuela really enjoys looking back on her past and realizing how far she has come. Presently, she will be seventy soon and she is one of the strongest women I know. She inspires me to love what I have, and for that I am grateful. I love her with all my heart.


         Mi abuela, Ruth Rivera, es la persona que me inspira. Ella nació el 2 de enero de 1943 en Panamá. Ella era la menor de ocho en una familia en la que todos sus iniciales eran R.E.B. Ella vivía en Panamá por veinticinco años y su familia no tenía mucho dinero. Me encanta escuchar historias de cuando mi abuela era joven, al igual que cuánta comida se podía conseguir por cuarenta centavos, y como la renta de apartamentos tenía treinta y cinco dólares "en aquel entonces". Ella se mudó a los Estados Unidos cuando tenía 26 años y vivía en Louisiana después de casarse con mi abuelo, Jorge, que fue colocado allí por los militares. Se mudaron a Ohio ocho meses después, por lo que mi abuelo puede estar más cerca de su familia. Ya que ella tenía dos hijas, Ruth y Raquel, ella comenzó a trabajar en un invernadero para ayudar a mi abuelo con el dinero, y aun con ese trabajo ella tenían un mal rato. Ella comenzó a aprender Inglés cuando ella tenía veintiocho años pero ella siempre preferí hablar español. Mi abuela le encanta mirar hacia atrás en su pasado y darse cuenta de lo lejos que ha llegado. Actualmente, ella será de setenta años jóvenes, y ella es todavía una de las mujeres más fuertes que conozco. Ella me inspira a encanta lo que tengo, y por eso estoy agradecido. Quiero con todo mi corazón.

The Big...Pear? O.o

     If I could live anywhere, I would choose to live somewhere in New York. If possible I would prefer a small town that is close to a big city. The only reason I would not want to live in a city like New York City is because when I am stressed I like to relax in a calm environment and read, sing, or do something else that I love. There's no particular reason for living there, such as having family there or even the sights. I feel like in New York I could work in an aquarium as well as behind a desk when I needed to, because I love doing both! I could live in a medium sized house with a nice, big backyard with a creek in the distance. I would hope that the houses in my neighborhood would be widely spread apart, because I do not need any neighbors knocking on my door at two in the morning asking for milk like people on my block do, here in Ohio! I also chose New York because I want to live someplace where it snows in the winter. When I have children someday (After I am married and have a stable income of course), I could have snowball fights and make hot chocolate with them. I fell like I would belong in New York and living there would be a dream come true.

What Would You Do...?

If Money Was No Object

     I feel that this really made me think about whether I wanted to continue with my current career choice or not. One of the main reasons I chose to be a scientist is because of the amount of money they make. The video did not change my mind though, about what I want to do for the rest of my life. I love to do science, so I am on my way to becoming a marine biologist one step at a time. This project helped me realize that I do not want to be doing something that I do not like every day just so that I can buy materialistic objects that I will eventually forget about. How much happier would someone be if they woke up in the morning knowing that they are going to do something they love and get paid for it? Overall, this video helped me in more ways than one, and this project helped me learn things I never knew about the people I love.

Save Energy, Save the Environment, Save Money!

     I believe that it would be a great idea to require consumers to save energy! I am aware that the United States of America is a "free country," and people could argue that the choice should be optional because they are United States citizens. In most situations I would also argue for our freedom, but this is not the case when it comes to energy saving and how it affects our environment. Since wasting energy is such an important matter, I believe that energy efficient households should be mandatory. There are so many ways people could benefit from saving energy. Turning the lights off in a home when they are not in use not only limits the amount of Carbon Dioxide put into the environment, it also saves people money on their electric bills at the end of the month. There are many reasons why people are using great amounts of energy in present times. For example, it could be that people are ignorant to how much energy a device uses, or that leaving charger plugged in that is not charging anything at the moment wastes power. If saving energy became a mandatory requirement, people would learn about different ways to save energy, how they are helping the environment, and how much they are saving on their bills.

FANGtastic!

     My favorite books would probably be The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod series. I started reading this series by Heather Brewer when I was in the 6th grade. My brother, Daniel, was in the 7th grade and fell in love with the vampire series. As soon as I laid eyes on the cover of the first book I was interested. I asked him what the book was about and he said, "Vlad Tod is a vampire who lost both of his parents in a strange house fire. Vlad went to live with his aunt (who works at a hospital, so he can get blood without killing people), and becomes best friends with a boy named Henry. When Henry's cousin visits him that summer, Vlad finds out a troubling secret. The rest you have to read for yourself." I was anxiously awaiting the day that my brother would finish the book. When I finally did start reading it, I could not stop. I researched Heather Brewer and found out that she released new Vladimir Tod books every October. Once the series ended, I was really sad. These books were really special to me because my brother and I got to look forward to new books together every year and tell one another what we thought the next book would be about. While I was looking for a new series to start on, my disappointment had disappeared. I found out that Brewer was releasing the first book of a series called The Slayer Chronicles. This is a "spin-off" series that tells the story of Vlad from a different character's point of view. I am currently on the second slayer book and am already anticipating what the third book will have in store!

Life is like a box of... apples.

     I believe that no matter what occupation people have or what career people choose, they should live their life doing what makes them happy. Robert Frost seems to have the same mindset, according to his poem "After Apple-Picking." Through the use of symbolism, Frost conveys a message of living life to the fullest.
     In Frost's poem he uses symbolism to talk about living life without regrets. I completely agree with him, because no one wants to live life dwelling on past experiences and wondering, "what if." Frost says, "And there's a barrel that I didn't fill/ beside it, and there may be two or three/ apples I didn't pick upon some bough"(l. 3-5). The speaker is re evaluating his life and is looking back on all of the opportunities he missed out on. The barrels symbolize activities that he could have done but chose not to, and the apples symbolize missed opportunities that could have changed his life.
     The author also lets us know, using symbolism, that his time on Earth is coming to an end. In this poem Frost states, "I am done with apple-picking now/ The essence of winter sleep is on the night/ The  scent of apples: I am drowsing off." Frost uses apple-picking as his life and sleep as death. He is done with "apple-picking," "sleep" is on the night, and he is "drowsing off." The speaker is aware that he is approaching death.
     Frost uses symbolism in his poem "After Apple-Picking" to say that people should do what makes them happy and live as if money were no object. If I could do anything that I wanted without worrying about money, I would be a marine biologist. I could benefit society by discovering new herbs and undersea plants that could make products from antibiotics to cures for major diseases and give the vaccine to people for free. I would travel to many different parts of the world and see the beautiful mysteries of the ocean. This is what I would do to be happy  and do what I love without worrying about regrets or income.

Change...

     If I were to change one thing about my past, I would choose to be more outgoing and more myself through elementary and middle school. When I was younger I was a "people pleaser." I was very shy and did not talk much at all. Many people thought I was weird and I did not have time to make friends because I literally switched schools every year until I was in fifth grade. I feel that if I had been more outspoken in those years that I would not have left people with the impression that I was out of the ordinary. This does not bother me much anymore because I have learned not to let the opinions of other people bother me. Words do hurt, but I do not let them shape who I am. I use my life experiences, good and bad, to strengthen me. I know who I am, and I will never let others tell me who I can and can not be or what I can and can not do. 

Hobby it up!

     My favorite hobby is singing! I know that I am probably not the greatest vocalist in the world, (because that is Brendon Urie...o.o)but when I am singing I can really be myself. I know that sounds extremely cliche, but when I am mad, sad, happy, or even just bored I use music to help me feel better.There is not a day that goes by that I do not listen to music and sing out it my room. Sometimes I go on YouTube and look for karaoke songs, other times I play my keyboard or put my phone playlist on shuffle. I do not sing in public very often, and sometimes people even tell me that I should not sing in public...or private. I do not let this get to me though, because singing is what I love to do. Even though I do not sing in public on very many occasions, there are certain circumstances in which I will. Some special circumstances include winning a chocolate selling contest, when a song I love comes on, and other things that benefit me! Singing = Happiness :D

Believers Never Die

     My favorite kind of music is probably not what people would expect of me. I have been told that I look like I would listen to One Direction, Justin Bieber, Rhianna, and other mainstream music that is always on the radio. The truth is, I am really not into mainstream music and I rarely listen to the radio. The genre of my favorite band could be described as alternative and pop punk. Even though these are the proper genres, people only focus on the word 'punk' and group it together with other kinds of rock and metal music. This irritates me quite a bit because they immediately classify it as "devil music," which it is not.
     Fall Out Boy is my all time favorite band. Though I also love bands such as Panic! At The Disco and All Time Low, Fall Out Boy is my top choice for many reasons. Fall Out Boy was formed in 2001 and my older brother loved them. I, doing what younger siblings do best, copied him and listened to them as well. Even when he stopped listening to them, I continued because I genuinely loved their music. As I got older and started to understand the meanings and messages behind their songs and videos, I just loved them more and more. Aside from the amazing lyrics and hidden meanings, I love the voices of lead singer, Patrick Stump, and bassist, Pete Wentz. My favorite songs are when they collaborate with Brendon Urie (from Panic! At The Disco) because his voice is exceptional as well. Right now, the members of Fall Out Boy are taking a break and working on solo careers.  They are not broken up, and hopefully they will continue touring and making music that inspire people everywhere. :D

If It Ain't Broke Don't Fix It!

     The government should not provide day care for working parents. Since both parents are working, they should bring in enough income to pay their bills AND pay for child care. Even though I think that parents should pay for child care, I think that it should not be so expensive that two minimum wage employees with bills to pay can not afford it. I am sure that if the government would choose to provide day care that it would come with many restrictions that would just anger people. If the people are angered then they would just fight to get less restrictions or even have the whole idea disappear! Fighting would just lead to people getting hurt, so I think that we should just avoid the conflict. If government did provide free child care for working parents I am sure that not many people would volunteer to work at these day cares without pay. The day cares would also get very crowded very quickly, which is a health hazard and creates more room for rejection.

Value City ...

                When we had to brainstorm for this assignment I immediately wrote down the three things that I value most without hesitation: Jesus, Celina Silva, and family. I knew that I was going to write about Lina for two reasons. One is that it is her birthday (9/20/12) and the second is because it would take forever to write all the reasons I value Jesus and I am pretty sure a lot of people will write that they value family.

                Celina Maria Silva is my best friend/sister. We have been best friends for 7 years and she has been there for me through absolutely everything! We know that we can count on each other to be there when the other needs them. I trust her with my life and I know she trusts me with hers.

                I became friends with Lina in 3^rd grade and never lost contact with her. I went to a different school from 4^th to 6^th grade. 7^th grade year Lina and I went to Whittier Middle together, but didn’t have classes together and didn’t see each other a lot. The first time we ever had a class together since 3^rd grade was freshmen year at ECHS.

                Even though we didn’t go to school together, we still called each other and had…slumber parties o.o! When we got into 8^th grade she also invited me to Stage217, which is our church youth group and we also hung out there. I think that out of all the things I value, our friendship is at the top. I could go on writing this forever, with every inside joke and fun story, but this paper would be 20 pages long so maybe another time. :D

Summer Fun 

    I think that the most exciting thing I did this summer was meet new people! I’m not the most outgoing person in the world but I met these people at church, which is where I feel most comfortable. I go to House of Praise and in June we had our annual youth conference! Different teenagers from different churches come to House of Praise and come together for three days to learn more about God and to get to know other Christians. I know that when I tell some people that I am a Christian they automatically think that I am a freak and that I want to throw bibles at people (not literally). I used to never engage in conversations about religion because I did not want people to look at me differently. This all changed when I attended the Unashamed Youth Conference. We learned that you can talk about yourself in a way that keeps people from thinking that you’re forcing your religion onto them. I was really debating whether or not I should write this paper on the youth conference or not and it took a lot of courage for me to decide to do it and know that I will read it in front of the whole class, so please keep any negative comments to yourself. The Conference was an amazing experience and it was definitely the most memorable thing I did this summer.

Briana Banana :D

Briana Long

My Name

     My name is Briana Long. It is not the most creative name and it is kind of boring. The history of my name is not too exciting either. While my mother was pregnant with me, she went to the mall and passed by a custom spray paint shirt store. One of the display shirts in the store had the name "Briana" and my mom liked it, so that is what she named me. My name means loyalty like a golden retriever. I think that is appropriate because I am a very loyal and truthful person, not as a lying buffoon would be. I feel like I am very loyal to everyone and honest about who I am with everyone that I meet. My sister, Adamari is always making fun of my name, instigating fights, and undermining my authority. Even though my name is not the most exciting, I would never even think about changing it. I love my name just the way it is!

Number One Rule

Briana Long

8-27-12

My Number One Rule

     I believe that the number one rule in the classroom is to be courteous to others. I say this because I know that I can not focus on work when other people are talking when we are talking over the teacher or talking when we are supposed to be silent. Being courteous does not only mean keeping your hands to yourself. Respecting others and their opinions is also part of being courteous. I feel that this rule is very important to students, including myself. No student should ever feel uncomfortable in class because others did not respect their opinion and called them a name or said something mean. This rule will ensure that everyone can feel comfortable in class.