A taste of China

The second I got back from China, everyone asked me the same exact question. "How was China!?" How does one explain the excitement of interacting with a population of over one billion people and on top of that, over fifty different ethnicity's? How can one even begin to mention one of the cities I visited without mentioning the other four as well? Or describe the Chinese culture, so rich and full of influential history without comparing it to the cultures were so use to here in America? I have come to the conclusion that one cannot and still be free from talking for years on end! One can only use a particular word to sum it all up. Amazing. From climbing the Great Wall of China to visiting the Grasslands of Inner Mongolia, each moment was a breath taking experience. The exotic foods such as lotus, duck, lyches, and different varieties of fish, took me by surprise. My group and I even had our very own "Paparazzi" that loved to take our pictures, touch our hair, and nonetheless, greeted us with smiles. On top of the amazing architecture found all over the China especially in my favorite place Summer Palace, and along with the bustling cities, there were certain moments that captured my heart. Meeting the children. These kids were not only brilliant, but welcoming. I was constantly entertained with dancing, lovely music, and gifts that came directly from the heart. All of these kids had big dreams and most of those dreams were so simple yet hard to come by: peace and happiness. Interacting, being blessed by children, trying new foods, meeting new people, and traveling through the cities made China the ultimate traveling and learning experience!

Balzac & the LCS

At the beginning of Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, the LCS is an uneducated girl(for she was taught be her father) and is "not civilized, at least not for me!( Sijie 27) according to Luo. Not only that, she is a country girl who has no knowledge of the outside world. Ironically, the beauty of this "uncivilized girl" captures Luo's heart, and his reading's has "educated" her causing her to venture out into the world. Not only does she have the audacity to leave without telling anybody, she tries to erase who she is and where she comes from, by make herself seem more 'citified'. But why does the novel end with her leaving, most likely, her first love, without telling her father she going, or without telling the narrator who had helped her beyond measures? Is it her new found knowledge and her "beauty" that is a "treasure beyond price", that gives her a new arrogancy? Or does she use her new found knowledge in a positive way to really go out and explore the world that has been hidden to her for so long? The author could have ended the novel this way to show how much of an impact Luo actually had on the LCS. Nobody would have ever guessed that the LCS would change who she was and attempt to leave her country lifestyle. She would be using her beauty to help her get through the western culture as oppose to the Chinese culture.
Another bit of irony is the fact that Luo and the narrator are sent to get "re-educated" or to have the western culture 'erased' from their minds, and yet they still find the western culture through literature and influence the LCS in the process. Once he found the books on Western culture, he even exclaimed that "with these books I shall transform the Little Seamstress. She'll never be a simple mountain girl again." (Sijie 100) Yes, he indeed transformed her, and in a way his plan backfired.

Oh Othello! (test)

Othello is the most tragic hero in the play "Othello." What makes this a tragic vision, is everyone is affected just as much as Othello is, yet he is the one who is naive, easily manipulated, and not trustworthy. His actions and "blindness" causes the downfall of him and everyone else.
Iago's plan is to destroy everybody. His jealousy or "The green eyed monster" (Othello Scene 3) is seen throughout the play, and this jealousy strengthens his resentment for Othello. [Iago speaking]"I will put the Moor At least into a jealousy so strong That judgment cannot cure." (Othello). It is Iago's own assumptions and suspicions that causes him to compose a plan for revenge.
Although it is Iago who manipulates Othello, it is Othello's only flaw, his naivety, that kills him and leads to the atrophy of everyone else also. Othello, this powerful warrior, is easily bamboozled by Iago. He would have never imagined that Iago would ambush him.[speaking to Iago]"And, for I know thou'rt full of love and honesty." (Othello Scene 3) Because of his strong trust in Iago, Iago's plan is a success. A reason why everyone is affected as much as Othello is because everyone's strength becomes his or her weakness. It could also be seen as a chain of events. It was their "fate" or a situation that was inevitable. "Who can control this fate? 'tis not so now." (Othello Scene 3) Without Othello being in love with Desdemona, Iago's plan would have never worked. Nor would his plan have worked if Desdemona really wasn't a faithful wife who truly was the victim. Without the web of love and relationships, Iago's plan would have failed. This could be a reason why everyone is affected just as much as Othello: because of the relationships between them all.
There are many themes found in Othello that are also present in other plays. The main one is "blindness." Just like Oedipus in Sophocles play "Oedipus Rex" Othello is also blind to some extent when it comes to everything that is going on around him. "Blindness" causes them both to run into death and devastation of other's. Another important theme that is found throughout Othello and is found in Oedipus Rex is fate. Othello tragedy could be seen as his fate to lead everyone and himself to their doom. Just like Oedipus, his fate also brought about the death of loved ones and disaster for many.
Othello is a tragic hero simply because he is "blinded" by lies. It is love that leads him on to a path of jealousy and rage that at the end destroys everyone.

MWA HA HA!!!

Can a person really be born evil? or is it a matter of their environment? Upbringing? Family? or a horrible combination of three? I personally believe, a person cannot be born evil. Now when I say "born" I mean, popped out the womb with ambitions of threatening all of man-kind, or already had eyes of neon, Halloween, green that robbed you of your sleep. Now that's evil. I do believe, however, that certain kids are mistreated so severely that it causes them to become evil. A good example of this are kids that are abandoned, mistreated, or violated in some way. No, this does not give them a reason to be evil, but it does becomes the fuel for the fire.
If a person is evil, I do believe that they can be "cured." Through a little love (ha ha) and support, a person can be "remade" or "reshaped." Not only that, humans are born with the ability to reason, so with that being said if one was to do something "evil", the thought of it coming back to hunt them will always be on their minds. Not only that, everyone has a heart. No matter how small or even if it's "grinchified". They still at one point have the ability to love and be love.
Usually when evil has been committed, there was stressed, drugs, or insanity involve. There usually is not a case, if any, of someone committing crime while sane and sober. This goes to show that no one can really be evil or really commit any evil, without being something else involve.

L-O, L-O, L-O, L-O...V-E!!

Ah, love. It is blinding, forceful, empowering and mostly everything that has breath yearns for this emotion that can change their lives for the better or for worse. Love is also very complex. You can't see love, hear love, grab out and touch it, but yet you know that it is all around us. The definition of love is different in many textbooks. One website even had 22 definitions for love. Some examples are love as being an intense feeling of affection, an emotion or an emotional state. While others say love is having a great affection or liking for. With so many definitions, love is probably, to some extent, undefinable. Love is one of those words that can wrap up so many emotions at one time. Love can makes someone day, or ruin perfect sunshine for someone. One can fall madly in love, go mad over it, or stay mad for not being in love. (mad=crazy).
So what makes love so complex? It's the fact that one is giving and may not receive in return. Love is the reason why people may never love again, or so they say. Love is the reason so many people strive for world peace and other battles that they may be alone in. The presence of love has ended wars, segregation, ended hate, and brought about new beginnings. Without love, the Civil Rights movement would have been a lot harder to make possible and determining equality for all.
One of my favorite love quotes is "Love takes up where knowledge leaves off".
-Saint Thomas Aquinas. What this simply means is that is doesn't take any special skills to love someone. Some may argue that you can "teach" one to love, or one has to "learn" how to love. In reality, love comes from deep within the heart. One has to let go of all fears and all doubts to truly love someone. That's another thing that makes love so complex. A lot of people aren't willing to risk everything to be in love. One is not ready for the possibility of being hurt.
A reason why Song of Solomon was mostly about love is because everyone can relate to love. Love is a universal feeling that can be easily put into a universal language. Without love, all types of literature, history, even life itself, wouldn't seem to have a purpose.
That is why love is so complex. It can ruin or destroy, bring about peace or chaos, or in some cases, it is that little touch of magic that we all need in our lives. "Love is like war: easy to begin but very hard to stop".
-H. L. Mencken

Teenager?? Who me?

I need privacy! Does anybody understand me? Just forget it...whatever.
These are some of the most spoken sentences of teenagers. It seems as if the world is insane and we are the only ones who have a grip on life. But why is that? We want to grow old so quickly, preferably to reach the tender age of 21. And just maybe be..oh I don't know...."Forever 21" ;) -lol-
One of our biggest problems is not being understood by adults, or the world in general. We are always seen as being party animals, who are reckless and careless. When a lot of the times (not always) we are the complete opposite. Or maybe we are seen that way compared to adults, who rarely have fun in life after age 30. There is a reason why we want to have the latest clothing or listen to the hippest music. It's all about being accepted by your peers. Being seen as normal. The odd ball is not always the coolest person to be seen with. I especially don't like it when adults use the line "well...back in my day". I think that is the most ridiculous line ever made. Each day will never be the same as the last. The years are always changing. If half the adults who spoke those words were given a second chance at being a teenager but in "our" time, they would probably do the same things that we do, if not, worse.
The difficulties that I am still learning to this day, is that I am not always right. I hate it when people don't see things my way. I hate when I am told that I am wrong. Especially when I know for a fact that I am right. But i have come to realize that adults also have this problem too. Accepting facts, accepting the real world, accepting humans, peers, strangers, and adults. These are some of the things that teenagers have problems with in life.

Mi Abuela (my grandmother)

My grandmother is definitely the most influential person in my family. She has been through so much, and has really seen the good, the bad, and has lived through it all. She can be really funny, (or the complete opposite), very sweet, is extremely intelligent, and everything she does makes her unique. A few special moments I remember were spent with my grandmother. She was the one who took me on my first airplane ride, inspired me to take ballet, and also sent me and my brother on this awesome vacation to Florida. This vacation included Sea World, Disney World, snorkeling, and body surfing.
I also admire my grandmother for the main reason that she is always willing to help someone else. A good example of this is when my aunt was trying to light a grill at 7 am in the morning. We were having an afternoon cook out that day. Of course the flames sparked up and slightly burned my aunt. Before she called the police or any other type of help, she called my grandmother!! Now my grandmother is NOT a morning person, but that day you would have never known that. She then instructed her to call the ambulance.
Another strong fact about my grandmother is that she is very religious. I can only hope and pray that I can get to that point in my life. A point where I can totally be stressed free. She never worries about anything because she really believes that in the end, god will see it through. Amazingly, she hasn't had any serious problems in the past 30 or so years. Or so it seems. She also prays for other people whether they be family, friends, or co workers. Miraculously, a lot of her prayers are answered.
Without my grandmother, I don't know where I would be as a person. Honestly, I don't know where my family would be if it wasn't for her always saving us( when she usually warns us in the beginning, there to give the best advice, or there to comfort us when we need it the most. She has given us life skills, words of wisdom, and herself as powerful role model to live by.