In able to come up with a good story idea, people have to see, listen, and research stories. Then, you must come up with questions about that story which could lead to an idea. Listen to other people talk and get in the conversation. Out of the many topics that you will be discussing, one if not more, ideas will be developing before you know it. Always ask what if questions. For example, What if school uniforms were required from now on? Also, seeing a TV show or movie can give a person a lot of ideas. I think that it is best to start with movies that are based on a true story. When I want to write something, I get my ideas from personal experiences. It is not hard to do. There are questions that should be asked before writing. What, where, when, why, who, and how. Here is an example. First of all, I will ask each question followed by an explanation. Then, I will make a story based on the info that I provided. What is happening? Someone is typing on the computer. Where is it happening? He is In front of a computer and in a room. When is this taking place? This is taking place Today at 1 21 P.m. Why is he typing? He is writing this to post this on a blog. Who is typing? Daniel is Typing. He is typing by using two hands.
So, let me give you the little story. Someone, by the name of Daniel, is inside his room typing on his computer. This began today at 1 21 P.m. He is typing by using two hands. As soon as he is done, He will post his writing on a blog.
In between this info, you must add details.
I hope this helps people who are struggling to come up with an idea of what to write about. Remember, these questions can be used for anything you want to do.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Review of the book of Mark.
This review was written on April ninth, 2008.
Review of the Gosple of Mark
The gospel of mark is about Jesus and his three year ministry. Jesus is the son of a carpenter whose name is Joseph and a virgin by the name of Mary. He was born in a stable in the city of Jerusalem in Bethlehem. He is the main character in this book. His 12 disciples are also important. One of them, does something that later comes to haunt him. I feel that Jesus as well as the 12 disciples want to save the world. There objective is that everyone could have eternal life and declare that Jesus is the son of god. However, they will find themselves tempted.
The book of mark starts by talking about Jesus and how the lord sent him to earth as a messenger. The gospel also says that Jesus will prepare the way. It moves on to talk about John the Baptist being in the wilderness eating locusts. He was also baptizing people in the Jordan river. When Jesus came to john, John baptized him. Then Jesus was in the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights, and he was tempted by Satan.
After this had happened, he began to select the men who were to become his disciples. Some of these men were Simon, Andrew, James, and John. Simon and Andrew were brothers, they were also fishermen. Jesus told them to follow him, and he would make them fishers of men. James and John were also brothers, and they were helping their father when Jesus found them. Later, Jesus began to cure people and to cast out demons. Jesus had enemies in a very short time. They were the Pharisees and the scribes. At one point, they said that he was doing the works of Ba‘al Zebûb which is another name for Satan. They did not like him because he did not follow there laws. They also tempt him. For examples, Jesus went to parts of Dalmanutha on a ship. The Pharisees wanted a sign from heaven. Jesus understood what they were trying to do and sighed deeply in his spirit. Then, he said, “Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this
generation. Jesus always spoke in parables to the ones who did not believe in him. However, he made the parables known to his disciples. As Jesus and his disciples were going to the towns of Caesarea and Philippi, the master asked his disciples What did men thought of him. Who did they think he was. The disciples answered by saying that some of them thought that he was John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and Others say that Jesus was a profit. Then, he asked them who was he. Peter said that he was the Christ. After some time, Jesus wanted to know what were the disciples talking about, but they were silent. Because Jesus already knew, he told them that he who considers himself the first should be the last and should be a servant to the others.
The last hours of Jesus in this world were very sad. After staying in the garden of Gethsemane which was in the Mount of Olives, he was betrayed by Judas Iscariot one of his apostles. After this, he was arrested and tried for sedition. Then, he was sentenced to be crucified as Barabbas who was a criminal, was freed. It was a custom for them to do that every year during the Passover feast. After Jesus had received a crown of thorns, they took him to Golgotha where he was insulted, mocked, and where they also offered him vinegar to drink when he said that he was thirsty. Within a few hours, Jesus died. Judas Iscariot had killed himself after he knew that what he did was wrong.
This book clearly demonstrated that Jesus was not liked. It still amazes me that people cannot see. Furthermore, Because of this book and others, I learned that spiritual or mental blindness is worse than physical blindness because people are not able to understand simple concepts.
Review of the Gosple of Mark
The gospel of mark is about Jesus and his three year ministry. Jesus is the son of a carpenter whose name is Joseph and a virgin by the name of Mary. He was born in a stable in the city of Jerusalem in Bethlehem. He is the main character in this book. His 12 disciples are also important. One of them, does something that later comes to haunt him. I feel that Jesus as well as the 12 disciples want to save the world. There objective is that everyone could have eternal life and declare that Jesus is the son of god. However, they will find themselves tempted.
The book of mark starts by talking about Jesus and how the lord sent him to earth as a messenger. The gospel also says that Jesus will prepare the way. It moves on to talk about John the Baptist being in the wilderness eating locusts. He was also baptizing people in the Jordan river. When Jesus came to john, John baptized him. Then Jesus was in the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights, and he was tempted by Satan.
After this had happened, he began to select the men who were to become his disciples. Some of these men were Simon, Andrew, James, and John. Simon and Andrew were brothers, they were also fishermen. Jesus told them to follow him, and he would make them fishers of men. James and John were also brothers, and they were helping their father when Jesus found them. Later, Jesus began to cure people and to cast out demons. Jesus had enemies in a very short time. They were the Pharisees and the scribes. At one point, they said that he was doing the works of Ba‘al Zebûb which is another name for Satan. They did not like him because he did not follow there laws. They also tempt him. For examples, Jesus went to parts of Dalmanutha on a ship. The Pharisees wanted a sign from heaven. Jesus understood what they were trying to do and sighed deeply in his spirit. Then, he said, “Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this
generation. Jesus always spoke in parables to the ones who did not believe in him. However, he made the parables known to his disciples. As Jesus and his disciples were going to the towns of Caesarea and Philippi, the master asked his disciples What did men thought of him. Who did they think he was. The disciples answered by saying that some of them thought that he was John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and Others say that Jesus was a profit. Then, he asked them who was he. Peter said that he was the Christ. After some time, Jesus wanted to know what were the disciples talking about, but they were silent. Because Jesus already knew, he told them that he who considers himself the first should be the last and should be a servant to the others.
The last hours of Jesus in this world were very sad. After staying in the garden of Gethsemane which was in the Mount of Olives, he was betrayed by Judas Iscariot one of his apostles. After this, he was arrested and tried for sedition. Then, he was sentenced to be crucified as Barabbas who was a criminal, was freed. It was a custom for them to do that every year during the Passover feast. After Jesus had received a crown of thorns, they took him to Golgotha where he was insulted, mocked, and where they also offered him vinegar to drink when he said that he was thirsty. Within a few hours, Jesus died. Judas Iscariot had killed himself after he knew that what he did was wrong.
This book clearly demonstrated that Jesus was not liked. It still amazes me that people cannot see. Furthermore, Because of this book and others, I learned that spiritual or mental blindness is worse than physical blindness because people are not able to understand simple concepts.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Zen Flesh, Zen Bones.
I will review four stories from the book “Zen Flesh, Zen Bones.” by Paul Reps and Nyogen Senzaki.
This is a collection of 101 zen stories
These stories have to do with Buddhism. There are different characters in each story. These stories have a thing in common and that is to teach. In these stories, the characters want to achieve or have achieved enlightenment. They want this because they want to end their problems. Some are in the process of succeeding. Others, it seems have felled to achieve this enlightenment. I have numbered these stories, so you could find them later. I will provide the web address at the of the review.
67. What Are You Doing! What Are You Saying!
There was a master whose name was Mu-nan. He had only one successor, and his name was Shoju. As they were talking before a brazier, Mu-nan wanted his successor to take over and also to take a book with him. This book was important because in it were all the writings of other masters. Also, it was handed over from master to master. As Shoju took it, he through it into the flames. The teacher asked, “What are you doing!” Shoju asked his master, “What are you saying!” It seems that after so many years of being a teacher, the older man did not learn one of the most important things. This is that In Buddhism, material things should not be important. I agree with that. The Things that someone says should not always come from a book, but they should come from someone’s hart. Furthermore, it is possible that people will get much more from a person’s hart than from a book.
82. Nothing Exists
Yamaoka Tesshu was a young student of Zen. He believed that nothing existed. After studying with different people he called Dokuon of Shokoku. As he told Dokuon of Shokoku what he had learned, MR. Shokoku was smoking when suddenly he hit the young student and asked him where did that anger come from.
First of all, I wonder where did the student learn that nothing existed? Also, why would he think that he had reached enlightenment? This is taking something to the extreme. If I am not wrong, the first Buddha did this and it did not work. This story makes me think of the middle way. I also think that this story could expand a person’s mind. for example, Lets take the young man of this story. From now on, he will be more careful, and he will ask questions if he did not used to do it.
83. true friends
This story is about two friends. one who would play the harp and sing, and the other would listen. This happened until the listener got sick and died. The harp player cut the strings from his harp and never played again. Talk about selflessness! What I got out of this story was that this harp player was devastated. It seems as if he wanted to honor his friend by doing something big. That something was not playing again. Today, many people are not willing to go to that extreme if they were to experience something like that. I believe that a little is too much these days.
87. Three Kinds of Disciples
A Zen master named Gettan, used to say: "There are three kinds of disciples: those who impart Zen to others, those who maintain the temples and shrines, and then there are the rice bags and the clothes-hangers." Another person whose name was Gasan thought the same thing. In this story he says that his teacher used to beat him. Because this teacher was so severe, some students would quit. Gasan then said, “A poor disciple utilizes a teacher's influence. A fair disciple admires a teacher's kindness. A good disciple grows strong under a teacher's discipline.” I used to have a teacher in high school. Although she never hit me, she was really bad when it came to helping out students. I had to stay in the class until she left. This experience made me stronger as a person. I have learned that people could learn from bad experiences. I don't know how this is a Buddhist text but this story reminds me of the first Buddha. He experienced bad weather, and he did not quit. He went through so much, and he learned a lot. I would have to say that these stories make a person think. They could change a person, and he or she could start to be more loving, caring, and many other things. This could lead to people helping one another. I would say that if people started to do this, more people would make their dreams become a reality. I was just reminded of what a person told me a few years ago." read whatever you find even if it is something not interesting. This person has changed his mind since then, and I never took his advice. I always check the title of things, and I read the first few pages. If I don't like what I am reading, I stop doing it.
These stories could have been better if they could have been expanded a bit. I did not like the fact that they were very short. If this would not have happened, I would not be asking myself questions. Also, My comments would had been much better. I would definitely recommend this book to others because it is inspiring.
Go to,
www.101zenstories.com
This is a collection of 101 zen stories
These stories have to do with Buddhism. There are different characters in each story. These stories have a thing in common and that is to teach. In these stories, the characters want to achieve or have achieved enlightenment. They want this because they want to end their problems. Some are in the process of succeeding. Others, it seems have felled to achieve this enlightenment. I have numbered these stories, so you could find them later. I will provide the web address at the of the review.
67. What Are You Doing! What Are You Saying!
There was a master whose name was Mu-nan. He had only one successor, and his name was Shoju. As they were talking before a brazier, Mu-nan wanted his successor to take over and also to take a book with him. This book was important because in it were all the writings of other masters. Also, it was handed over from master to master. As Shoju took it, he through it into the flames. The teacher asked, “What are you doing!” Shoju asked his master, “What are you saying!” It seems that after so many years of being a teacher, the older man did not learn one of the most important things. This is that In Buddhism, material things should not be important. I agree with that. The Things that someone says should not always come from a book, but they should come from someone’s hart. Furthermore, it is possible that people will get much more from a person’s hart than from a book.
82. Nothing Exists
Yamaoka Tesshu was a young student of Zen. He believed that nothing existed. After studying with different people he called Dokuon of Shokoku. As he told Dokuon of Shokoku what he had learned, MR. Shokoku was smoking when suddenly he hit the young student and asked him where did that anger come from.
First of all, I wonder where did the student learn that nothing existed? Also, why would he think that he had reached enlightenment? This is taking something to the extreme. If I am not wrong, the first Buddha did this and it did not work. This story makes me think of the middle way. I also think that this story could expand a person’s mind. for example, Lets take the young man of this story. From now on, he will be more careful, and he will ask questions if he did not used to do it.
83. true friends
This story is about two friends. one who would play the harp and sing, and the other would listen. This happened until the listener got sick and died. The harp player cut the strings from his harp and never played again. Talk about selflessness! What I got out of this story was that this harp player was devastated. It seems as if he wanted to honor his friend by doing something big. That something was not playing again. Today, many people are not willing to go to that extreme if they were to experience something like that. I believe that a little is too much these days.
87. Three Kinds of Disciples
A Zen master named Gettan, used to say: "There are three kinds of disciples: those who impart Zen to others, those who maintain the temples and shrines, and then there are the rice bags and the clothes-hangers." Another person whose name was Gasan thought the same thing. In this story he says that his teacher used to beat him. Because this teacher was so severe, some students would quit. Gasan then said, “A poor disciple utilizes a teacher's influence. A fair disciple admires a teacher's kindness. A good disciple grows strong under a teacher's discipline.” I used to have a teacher in high school. Although she never hit me, she was really bad when it came to helping out students. I had to stay in the class until she left. This experience made me stronger as a person. I have learned that people could learn from bad experiences. I don't know how this is a Buddhist text but this story reminds me of the first Buddha. He experienced bad weather, and he did not quit. He went through so much, and he learned a lot. I would have to say that these stories make a person think. They could change a person, and he or she could start to be more loving, caring, and many other things. This could lead to people helping one another. I would say that if people started to do this, more people would make their dreams become a reality. I was just reminded of what a person told me a few years ago." read whatever you find even if it is something not interesting. This person has changed his mind since then, and I never took his advice. I always check the title of things, and I read the first few pages. If I don't like what I am reading, I stop doing it.
These stories could have been better if they could have been expanded a bit. I did not like the fact that they were very short. If this would not have happened, I would not be asking myself questions. Also, My comments would had been much better. I would definitely recommend this book to others because it is inspiring.
Go to,
www.101zenstories.com
Thursday, June 26, 2008
texting, technology, and school.
Technology has been in a way bad for us. The machines that were made a long time ago used to help a lot but now some want the machines to do everything for them. Those machines were invented so they could help. Men as well as women, used to be really tired from doing a lot of work. Machines, such as the typewriters, made things much easier. Although these things were made, People still had to put 100 percent into their job. Back then, there was no such thing as an email address or blog. Whatever you wanted, you would have had to write it and mail it.
It is surprising how things have changed. It is all about here and now. Now, we have texting by computer. What is it called? Internet lingo? This is a problem because it is ruining are English language as well as other languages. It is doing this by cutting words or phrases, so young students don’t have to write the entire word or phrase. I always have to ask myself Why are they doing this.
According to www.pewinternet.org, 60 percent of teens do not think of their emails, instant and text messages as writing. What is it then? A secret code so no one else can understand them? Or are they just saving time. If it is the second one, all I have to say is that everything in life takes time. This is if you want everything to come out the way you expected.
Have you ever tried cooking something fast, and it did not taste good because you took little time in preparing it? This is how writing is. In able for people to understand what someone is writing, they have to take their time to write. Kids also have to remember that not everyone who is young will understand their lingo.
The pew internet also says that 85 percent of people from ages 12 to 17 utilize some form of written communication. I think this is good because they are learning how to use a specific technological component. In our changing world, kids as well as adults, have to be ahead of technological advances. We always need to think how we can help this person.
Like in everything else, we need to be very careful because there could be a big problem. The problem arises when students bring informal writing to schools. 64 percent of students bring some type of variation of this stile and apply it to their school work.
Although I don’t know this internet lingo very well, I wanted to take shortcuts when I had an exam in college. Sometimes, I did not know the full answer, or I did not know what words to use. At that point, I just tried to connect every bit of information that I had about what the teacher was asking me. It would take me a long time to come up with something that made sense, but when I did, I kept on writing until I had written everything down. Because I took my time, I had a high grade.
I forgot some of the things that I was supposed to know because I was not really interested in the subject. In able for me to get answers right in an exam, I have to be interested in the subject. I have to be motivated. As I said before, not being able to recall the answer to a question, I was tempted to say whatever came to my mind. This study also found that other students have to be motivated in able to write. They have to like the subject that they are writing about.
This leads me to my next question. Why teachers don’t let their students choose the type of exam that they are going to take? As we all know, one method may not be good for all students. By doing this, everyone wins. Students will be encouraged to write lengthy essays, and teachers could give better grades. I wonder what would happen if this was put into practice.
Students feel that more instruction and more focus on writing will improve their writing even more. This tells me that these students want to learn, but the education system needs to listen to them. And the parents need to do their job. They need to read and write with their child, so when that child is old enough, he or she will love to read and write. It also means that parents have to go to the meetings that schools have. This will let the parent know the progress of his or her child. In other words, they need to work with the school. Also, by doing these things, the mom and dad are showing an interest for their child’s school and education. If before children did not feel loved by mom and dad, now this has changed just because of what one or both parents did. I hope that parents learn that it is up to them to learn about what their child is doing. Learn to decipher those codes that they have. Then teach them that the computer should not be used to make a language bad. A mom or dad should teach their children that just because that child is not writing for a teacher, he or she should not destroy the language. Always reinforce what the child learned in school. Finally, parents must tell their child that as a parent, it is necessary to do all of these things because of love, and because they want the child to succeed.
It is surprising how things have changed. It is all about here and now. Now, we have texting by computer. What is it called? Internet lingo? This is a problem because it is ruining are English language as well as other languages. It is doing this by cutting words or phrases, so young students don’t have to write the entire word or phrase. I always have to ask myself Why are they doing this.
According to www.pewinternet.org, 60 percent of teens do not think of their emails, instant and text messages as writing. What is it then? A secret code so no one else can understand them? Or are they just saving time. If it is the second one, all I have to say is that everything in life takes time. This is if you want everything to come out the way you expected.
Have you ever tried cooking something fast, and it did not taste good because you took little time in preparing it? This is how writing is. In able for people to understand what someone is writing, they have to take their time to write. Kids also have to remember that not everyone who is young will understand their lingo.
The pew internet also says that 85 percent of people from ages 12 to 17 utilize some form of written communication. I think this is good because they are learning how to use a specific technological component. In our changing world, kids as well as adults, have to be ahead of technological advances. We always need to think how we can help this person.
Like in everything else, we need to be very careful because there could be a big problem. The problem arises when students bring informal writing to schools. 64 percent of students bring some type of variation of this stile and apply it to their school work.
Although I don’t know this internet lingo very well, I wanted to take shortcuts when I had an exam in college. Sometimes, I did not know the full answer, or I did not know what words to use. At that point, I just tried to connect every bit of information that I had about what the teacher was asking me. It would take me a long time to come up with something that made sense, but when I did, I kept on writing until I had written everything down. Because I took my time, I had a high grade.
I forgot some of the things that I was supposed to know because I was not really interested in the subject. In able for me to get answers right in an exam, I have to be interested in the subject. I have to be motivated. As I said before, not being able to recall the answer to a question, I was tempted to say whatever came to my mind. This study also found that other students have to be motivated in able to write. They have to like the subject that they are writing about.
This leads me to my next question. Why teachers don’t let their students choose the type of exam that they are going to take? As we all know, one method may not be good for all students. By doing this, everyone wins. Students will be encouraged to write lengthy essays, and teachers could give better grades. I wonder what would happen if this was put into practice.
Students feel that more instruction and more focus on writing will improve their writing even more. This tells me that these students want to learn, but the education system needs to listen to them. And the parents need to do their job. They need to read and write with their child, so when that child is old enough, he or she will love to read and write. It also means that parents have to go to the meetings that schools have. This will let the parent know the progress of his or her child. In other words, they need to work with the school. Also, by doing these things, the mom and dad are showing an interest for their child’s school and education. If before children did not feel loved by mom and dad, now this has changed just because of what one or both parents did. I hope that parents learn that it is up to them to learn about what their child is doing. Learn to decipher those codes that they have. Then teach them that the computer should not be used to make a language bad. A mom or dad should teach their children that just because that child is not writing for a teacher, he or she should not destroy the language. Always reinforce what the child learned in school. Finally, parents must tell their child that as a parent, it is necessary to do all of these things because of love, and because they want the child to succeed.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
opening up doors
Opening up doors
When I was small, I had two dreams that I wanted to come a reality. One of them was to become a soccer player. However, that did not happen because I was told that I was never going to see. I also wanted to become a lawyer, but I decided that it was going to be a tedious career. Finally, one dream that I never expected to become true was going to change my life for ever. A lot of doors opened up when I became a singer. I thought that this was something that was going to last for a little while, but I never thought that writing songs, doing interviews, and being in a movie would drastically change my life. When I asked the music teacher if I could join the band, he said yes. I did not know if I was capable of writing songs, but when I started to Wright my first song all of a sudden, the words and the melody came to me. The second one that I wrote, I was able to put the words to it with the help of my classmates. When it came time for me to sing, I had to sing it several times until I had it dun. When I started to write songs, I wondered if people were going to like it. I soon discovered that people immediately liked them and wanted to hear the songs. A few months after composing one of my songs, I started to perform it in clubs. The song is called two faces on Fidel. I was afraid because I did not know how the people were going to react. The people clapped when I introduced the song, but the applause was much bigger when I finished it. After singing the song several times, people started coming to me and saying” I enjoyed the song very much." I had lengthy conversations of how that song was maid. Also, because the song was very political, I got asked many questions. The ones that I enjoyed the most were what were my thoughts on politics . I was even asked if I wanted to do a video on that song but that never happened. Because of that song, people bought more CDS. Some even asked me if I could make them a copy.
People say that I am a serious person, and that is why people wanted to interview me. Even though I knew this, I was asking myself" what is so special about that? The first time that I did an interview, I felt nervous, and I used to stutter a lot. in the beginning, people used to ask me questions such as" what do you think of your music." however the questions became too personal, and I was starting to feel uneasy. I felt this way one day that I was doing an interview in Big Bare. This interview was done for a documentary. The question that a lady asked was" what do you think love is? I answered the best way as I could. Out of respect, I used to answer them, but now, I try to avoid answering those questions. People have told me that they learned a lot after we got dun with thee interview. On one occasion, a person asked me" how old are you? When I told him, he said “you sound much older than that. People have also told me that they thought that I was angry. However, after they got a chance to talk to me, they discovered I was a different person. I started to get respect from many people and the more I did interviews the more I was able to express my ideas.
Finally, doing a movie has given me an immense satisfaction. we went to Austin Texas to do a movie called The Ringer. I felt good because it was the first time since I have been to Texas after 16 years. I have to say that sitting for a long time to shoot the scene was becoming boring. ONE day, we had to weight for 8 hours. We were told that we were supposed to shoot are scene but after a few hours, The director of the band who is also one of the guitar players in the band, told the rest of us that we had to come back the next day. Once on the set, the director of the movie said that we had to dance. I wanted to get out because we had to do the same routine over and over. It took a year for the movie to come out but when it did, I felt that I had achieved something that I never imagined I could do. I am thankful to the director and to the producers of this movie because this will lead me to bigger things.
Selling CDS has generated some income for me and the documentary which I am working on is going to educate people. When the movie goes out on DVD, It is going to leave me with some money. Because of this career, I have been earning money that has helped me to get thru college and I have also been very successful. I am glad that this career has given me the opportunity to grow. Because of what I have dun, I am a happy person
When I was small, I had two dreams that I wanted to come a reality. One of them was to become a soccer player. However, that did not happen because I was told that I was never going to see. I also wanted to become a lawyer, but I decided that it was going to be a tedious career. Finally, one dream that I never expected to become true was going to change my life for ever. A lot of doors opened up when I became a singer. I thought that this was something that was going to last for a little while, but I never thought that writing songs, doing interviews, and being in a movie would drastically change my life. When I asked the music teacher if I could join the band, he said yes. I did not know if I was capable of writing songs, but when I started to Wright my first song all of a sudden, the words and the melody came to me. The second one that I wrote, I was able to put the words to it with the help of my classmates. When it came time for me to sing, I had to sing it several times until I had it dun. When I started to write songs, I wondered if people were going to like it. I soon discovered that people immediately liked them and wanted to hear the songs. A few months after composing one of my songs, I started to perform it in clubs. The song is called two faces on Fidel. I was afraid because I did not know how the people were going to react. The people clapped when I introduced the song, but the applause was much bigger when I finished it. After singing the song several times, people started coming to me and saying” I enjoyed the song very much." I had lengthy conversations of how that song was maid. Also, because the song was very political, I got asked many questions. The ones that I enjoyed the most were what were my thoughts on politics . I was even asked if I wanted to do a video on that song but that never happened. Because of that song, people bought more CDS. Some even asked me if I could make them a copy.
People say that I am a serious person, and that is why people wanted to interview me. Even though I knew this, I was asking myself" what is so special about that? The first time that I did an interview, I felt nervous, and I used to stutter a lot. in the beginning, people used to ask me questions such as" what do you think of your music." however the questions became too personal, and I was starting to feel uneasy. I felt this way one day that I was doing an interview in Big Bare. This interview was done for a documentary. The question that a lady asked was" what do you think love is? I answered the best way as I could. Out of respect, I used to answer them, but now, I try to avoid answering those questions. People have told me that they learned a lot after we got dun with thee interview. On one occasion, a person asked me" how old are you? When I told him, he said “you sound much older than that. People have also told me that they thought that I was angry. However, after they got a chance to talk to me, they discovered I was a different person. I started to get respect from many people and the more I did interviews the more I was able to express my ideas.
Finally, doing a movie has given me an immense satisfaction. we went to Austin Texas to do a movie called The Ringer. I felt good because it was the first time since I have been to Texas after 16 years. I have to say that sitting for a long time to shoot the scene was becoming boring. ONE day, we had to weight for 8 hours. We were told that we were supposed to shoot are scene but after a few hours, The director of the band who is also one of the guitar players in the band, told the rest of us that we had to come back the next day. Once on the set, the director of the movie said that we had to dance. I wanted to get out because we had to do the same routine over and over. It took a year for the movie to come out but when it did, I felt that I had achieved something that I never imagined I could do. I am thankful to the director and to the producers of this movie because this will lead me to bigger things.
Selling CDS has generated some income for me and the documentary which I am working on is going to educate people. When the movie goes out on DVD, It is going to leave me with some money. Because of this career, I have been earning money that has helped me to get thru college and I have also been very successful. I am glad that this career has given me the opportunity to grow. Because of what I have dun, I am a happy person
Sunday, June 22, 2008
A Hunger crisis
I wrote this more than two years ago, and it is sad that things have not changed.
A Hunger Crisis,
What is a crisis? According to dictionary.com, a crisis is: A. A crucial or decisive point or situation. It is also a turning point.
B. An unstable condition, as in political, social, or economic affairs, involving an impending abrupt or decisive change.
Something that is affecting the children today is hunger. Many people suffer from hunger in the US. This happens because of lack of money, expensive things, and because services are denied.
I remember one time when I did not eat for several days because I did not have enough money. I receive SSI which is: supplemental security income. Unfortunately, I only get 800 Dollars a month and that is below the poverty level. Out of that money, I took some money to pay for rent and utilities. Also, some of that money went for transportation. When I counted how much money I had, I only had enough for a drink. During those few days, I only drank juice.
I felt angry not being able to get money to eat, but I was also sad because I used to sleep most of the day, so I could not think of my misfortune. When I awoke, I would only listen to music and do the usual necessities that a human must do.
Their have been other occasions, where I have had money, but the food was expensive. When my mom told me about this I said, “how can it be possible that food is expensive?" One time I wanted to bye eggs, tortillas, chicken, and milk, but I only had money for the tortillas and the milk. This ruined my plan because I wanted to have a nice meal. As I entered the store, my mom began to read the tags on the things that we were going to bye. As we went to pay for the stuff that we bought, I was thinking" Why does this have to happen again." When I Got home, my mom went to the refrigerator and saw that there was a bit of food left over, and I had to eat an egg, a slice of cheese, and two tortillas.
Finally, I have been denied services. Because their was not a way that I could get food, I went to apply for food stamps. However, the person who helped me said that I could not do that because I was receiving SSI. When I got home, I started telling my mom that other people get money and food stamps but nothing has happened to them. I also told her that the poor have to struggle more to get the things that they need and want.
We cannot let hunger affect children any more. One solution to this problem would be to help anyone who is on the streets by taking them to a shelter. If rich people got rid of their selfishness, ego, and of the ambition to have more things, life could be much better for them and for the kids. Because they would give the money they do not need to these people, the poor would have money for food. It is hard to believe that the US has money to build things and for wars, but they don't have money to get these kids food, or a place to live. There have been food drives in different cities in the US to help hungry people. For example, nonprofit organizations do annual food drives, but this should not be dun once a year. I think, it could and should be dun every day.
Many kids suffer because of hunger. Even though this has been affecting children, know one stops to give them a hand. I am slowly getting out of that situation. I have been able to do it by doing things that will get me some money. Because of the reasons already mentioned. My wish is that other people could follow my footsteps, so they could be able to do what they love as I am doing it now. I hope that everyone could finally get a job or career where they would be able to make a lot of money and get out of this situation. I pray for this to happen.
A Hunger Crisis,
What is a crisis? According to dictionary.com, a crisis is: A. A crucial or decisive point or situation. It is also a turning point.
B. An unstable condition, as in political, social, or economic affairs, involving an impending abrupt or decisive change.
Something that is affecting the children today is hunger. Many people suffer from hunger in the US. This happens because of lack of money, expensive things, and because services are denied.
I remember one time when I did not eat for several days because I did not have enough money. I receive SSI which is: supplemental security income. Unfortunately, I only get 800 Dollars a month and that is below the poverty level. Out of that money, I took some money to pay for rent and utilities. Also, some of that money went for transportation. When I counted how much money I had, I only had enough for a drink. During those few days, I only drank juice.
I felt angry not being able to get money to eat, but I was also sad because I used to sleep most of the day, so I could not think of my misfortune. When I awoke, I would only listen to music and do the usual necessities that a human must do.
Their have been other occasions, where I have had money, but the food was expensive. When my mom told me about this I said, “how can it be possible that food is expensive?" One time I wanted to bye eggs, tortillas, chicken, and milk, but I only had money for the tortillas and the milk. This ruined my plan because I wanted to have a nice meal. As I entered the store, my mom began to read the tags on the things that we were going to bye. As we went to pay for the stuff that we bought, I was thinking" Why does this have to happen again." When I Got home, my mom went to the refrigerator and saw that there was a bit of food left over, and I had to eat an egg, a slice of cheese, and two tortillas.
Finally, I have been denied services. Because their was not a way that I could get food, I went to apply for food stamps. However, the person who helped me said that I could not do that because I was receiving SSI. When I got home, I started telling my mom that other people get money and food stamps but nothing has happened to them. I also told her that the poor have to struggle more to get the things that they need and want.
We cannot let hunger affect children any more. One solution to this problem would be to help anyone who is on the streets by taking them to a shelter. If rich people got rid of their selfishness, ego, and of the ambition to have more things, life could be much better for them and for the kids. Because they would give the money they do not need to these people, the poor would have money for food. It is hard to believe that the US has money to build things and for wars, but they don't have money to get these kids food, or a place to live. There have been food drives in different cities in the US to help hungry people. For example, nonprofit organizations do annual food drives, but this should not be dun once a year. I think, it could and should be dun every day.
Many kids suffer because of hunger. Even though this has been affecting children, know one stops to give them a hand. I am slowly getting out of that situation. I have been able to do it by doing things that will get me some money. Because of the reasons already mentioned. My wish is that other people could follow my footsteps, so they could be able to do what they love as I am doing it now. I hope that everyone could finally get a job or career where they would be able to make a lot of money and get out of this situation. I pray for this to happen.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
being blind
Being blind
What is being blind? A lot of people do not know. It is not only the fact that a person cannot see, but it also means not being able to see the bad things that you or someone else is doing., Physical blindness is having vision of 20/200 6/60 or less. In the other case, it means having anger for a long time, being envious, selfish, resentful, holding a grudge, making fun of others, and a lot of other things. Some people think that being blind is easy. That is to say, being physically blind, but the truth is that it is hard. when I have told people that I am blind and that I go to school, they say, " I would not be able to make it." in my situation, it has been a struggle because I cannot read Braille, a lot of people don't talk to me, and I do not get the help that I need. People ask me why am I blind. I tell them that I was born with cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy is a condition caused by brain damage before, during or after a lady has given birth. Cerebral palsy affects the muscles in the body and as a result it makes it difficult for a person to keep his or her balance among other things. Because of this condition, I have not been able to learn Braille. People have been asking over and over, “when are you going to learn Braille? You know that Braille is important for you because it will help in life and in your education! This has been frustrating because there have been occasions when I would have liked to yell at them and say, “Stop bothering me! You don't know how it feels to be blind and not know Braille." I have been able to access information by using the computer which has a screen reader. A screen reader is a computer program that blind people use to read what is on the screen. Using this technology, I am able to access the internet, read books, and more. As I am typing, the program is reading each key that I am pressing. In elementary I received an award for using the computer well. Most of the time I do not need anybody to read me anything because I know the package in which things come in. I do not go to big restaurants. Finally, I have a scanner that I can use to read my documents.
Another thing that I have to deal with is people not talking to me. Most people will just stare and or not say anything. I have three examples. For instance, one afternoon the bus stopped. When I got on the driver was staring at me. I knew this because after we got off, my mom told me about what had happened. Another example is when I went to a restaurant. Everyone got asked what they wanted to eat except for me. I remember that one of my family members had to ask me the question. An example that I vividly remember, is when I was having my mobility class. I was walking around the block when suddenly, my cane hit a thing. My mobility teacher told me that there was a person sitting down. My mobility teacher asked the person to say something the next time.
Finally, I do not receive help when I ask for it. One day, when I was in high school, I needed help with math. The teacher as well as the person who was helping me was absent. There was a substitute, but there was know one to help me. I asked for help to some students, but they ignored me. One of the students told another one, "I am not going to help him, you do it! I was very disappointed because not even the teacher helped me. In thee end, a guy that I knew helped me with my work. I was thinking of telling the teacher what had happened, but I decided that it would be good to leave the situation as it was.
When I am in college, there are people who keep walking by after I had asked them for help. Nevertheless, there have been a few people who have helped me.
Sometimes, I do not understand why people do these things. I am just blind, and people should not be afraid of a visually impaired person. It is too bad that people who are sited cannot become blind for one day. If that were to happen, people would think twice before treating blind people as if they were invisible. What would you do if you were blind and got treated wrong?
What is being blind? A lot of people do not know. It is not only the fact that a person cannot see, but it also means not being able to see the bad things that you or someone else is doing., Physical blindness is having vision of 20/200 6/60 or less. In the other case, it means having anger for a long time, being envious, selfish, resentful, holding a grudge, making fun of others, and a lot of other things. Some people think that being blind is easy. That is to say, being physically blind, but the truth is that it is hard. when I have told people that I am blind and that I go to school, they say, " I would not be able to make it." in my situation, it has been a struggle because I cannot read Braille, a lot of people don't talk to me, and I do not get the help that I need. People ask me why am I blind. I tell them that I was born with cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy is a condition caused by brain damage before, during or after a lady has given birth. Cerebral palsy affects the muscles in the body and as a result it makes it difficult for a person to keep his or her balance among other things. Because of this condition, I have not been able to learn Braille. People have been asking over and over, “when are you going to learn Braille? You know that Braille is important for you because it will help in life and in your education! This has been frustrating because there have been occasions when I would have liked to yell at them and say, “Stop bothering me! You don't know how it feels to be blind and not know Braille." I have been able to access information by using the computer which has a screen reader. A screen reader is a computer program that blind people use to read what is on the screen. Using this technology, I am able to access the internet, read books, and more. As I am typing, the program is reading each key that I am pressing. In elementary I received an award for using the computer well. Most of the time I do not need anybody to read me anything because I know the package in which things come in. I do not go to big restaurants. Finally, I have a scanner that I can use to read my documents.
Another thing that I have to deal with is people not talking to me. Most people will just stare and or not say anything. I have three examples. For instance, one afternoon the bus stopped. When I got on the driver was staring at me. I knew this because after we got off, my mom told me about what had happened. Another example is when I went to a restaurant. Everyone got asked what they wanted to eat except for me. I remember that one of my family members had to ask me the question. An example that I vividly remember, is when I was having my mobility class. I was walking around the block when suddenly, my cane hit a thing. My mobility teacher told me that there was a person sitting down. My mobility teacher asked the person to say something the next time.
Finally, I do not receive help when I ask for it. One day, when I was in high school, I needed help with math. The teacher as well as the person who was helping me was absent. There was a substitute, but there was know one to help me. I asked for help to some students, but they ignored me. One of the students told another one, "I am not going to help him, you do it! I was very disappointed because not even the teacher helped me. In thee end, a guy that I knew helped me with my work. I was thinking of telling the teacher what had happened, but I decided that it would be good to leave the situation as it was.
When I am in college, there are people who keep walking by after I had asked them for help. Nevertheless, there have been a few people who have helped me.
Sometimes, I do not understand why people do these things. I am just blind, and people should not be afraid of a visually impaired person. It is too bad that people who are sited cannot become blind for one day. If that were to happen, people would think twice before treating blind people as if they were invisible. What would you do if you were blind and got treated wrong?
Friday, June 20, 2008
Insulting is bad
Cursing is bad because it hurts other people. People talking back, or people crying, are two signs. I do not believe in that phrase of sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. Words hurt. Even if you are not insulting the person directly, just saying a word could mean that you have something against people. For example, when someone uses the word retard, to refer to one of his or her friends, they are still insulting the group that may be that way. Furthermore, calling people these names does not accomplish anything good. The person who was insulted may feel unwanted. Insulting other people is not nice because it could mean that the person, who was insulted, is worse than the person that insulted him or her. Some time ago, I believed that the words that come out of someone’s mouth could let someone know a lot about that person. I still believe this. If you use filthy language, probably, this is the way your hart and your soul are. We have so many beautiful words in the English language and in other languages, that we should not have to use those words. I hear people speak about love, peace, and how they want this, but they still use profanity. What is loving or peaceful about the bad words that start with: s, f, t, n, b, and so many others? Absolutely nothing! I believe that there is no excuse to use this language.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Review of "The Chosen", a novel.
The Chosen is a book written by Chaim Potok. It takes place in Williamsburg Brooklyn New York in the year of 1945.
The book is written in the first person. It starts by a person talking about a boy named Danny, And describing his community which according to him, it is largely Hasidic. He also talks about the school he goes to, which he calls a yeshiva and how it is different from other schools. He attends a parochial school, and here is Where he is exposed to courses in Hebrew and English. I was becoming aware that the person who was telling the story, was Jewish by some language that he was using. I found out that he was an orthodox Jew.
Then, the book moves on to where the unknown character and other people are talking about a game that they are going to have with another team. The character plays for a Softball teem. A boy by the name of Davey Cantor warns the narrator that the members of the other team are murderers. The character Does not believe this, and he thinks that this game is going to be easy as he is seeing how the other team is practicing.
As the game starts to progress, there seems to be some kind of hatred between the two teams. It was not the typical hatred that teams have towards each other. They hated each other because the two teams believe in two ways of Judaism. For example, The narrator’s team is referred as the apikorsim which are the “secular Jews.” and the other team is referred to as the Hasidim. The differences are that the Hasidim believe that Hebrew is a holy language and should not be used to teach classes.
This hatred between the teams reminds me of the different groups that are there in Judaism. They disagree with one another. I believe that some of these things are very small. For example, the traditions. Some jews, will follow traditions, but they do not believe in god.
the Hasidim seem to follow their customs. They are dressed in a specific kind of uniform. The apikorsim are a group that are dressed casually and speak English instead of Yiddish which is a mixture of German and Hebrew.
At this point, I was introduced to some of the characters. The person who was telling the story is a 15 year old boy named Reuven Malter. Also, there was Danny Saunders whom also is 15 years old, and who is a boy from the Hasidic team. Furthermore, he was the boy whom Danny had introduced earlier. Davey Cantor, is Reuven’s team mate as well as his classmate. When he finds out that Danny and Reuven are friends, he does not approve.
During the game, Danny hit Reuven with a ball breaking his glasses and bringing Reuven to the ground. Reuven had to be taken immediately to the hospital. It is mister Galanter his softball coach, that is with him when he is admitted into the hospital. Already in a hospital room after two doctors check his eyes, Reuven finds out that he has a glass in his left eye.
In the eye ward, Reuven meets Tony Savo, and he is referred to as mister Savo whom also has one bad eye. He also meets a boy by the name of Billy. He later discovers that Billy is blind. These two people, help Reuven feel a bit at ease. It seems as if when one of the two people is speaking about their lives, Reuven’s problems are small in comparison.
I felt as if Reuven as well as mister Savo, were a bit scared to interact with the boy. This could be because they were afraid to say something wrong that could hurt him. I think that because of this, Reuven starts getting worried about his own condition. He wonders how it would be to be blind. At times, he seems to be depressed.
One day, Danny goes to visit him, but he throws him out. After Reuven tells the story to his father, whose name is David Malter, and whom he calls aba, he says that it was not nice what he did, and he should listen to what the boy has to say. When Danny goes for the second time, Reuven apologizes. After a few minutes of talking, Danny explains to Reuven that he wanted to kill him, and he was very sorry for trying to do that. During the next few visits, they are already calling each other by there first names. Also, it seems that a friendship is starting to blossom.
During his stay at the hospital, I learned that Reuven’s father is a teacher. I also learned that Reuven likes math and although his dad wants him to become a mathematician, he wants to become a rabbi. Danny on the other hand, is a Hasidic Jew, and he does not seem too happy with the way his life is going. One of the sad things about this story, is when Danny reveals to Reuven that he does not speak to his dad except for when they are studying the Talmud. Danny is someone who wants to do something else, but he cannot because of the rules that he has to follow. He has to become a Rabbi although he wants to be a psychologist. Because He gets board of reading the Talmud, He spends his time in the library. This is where he meets a man and he recommends different books to the boy. Because Danny has a photographic memory, he is able to read many books, and he is also able to understand them very well. Later, I find that the man whom Danny had been talking to is Reuven’s father. As Reuven begins to recuperate, the hatred that the two boys had for each other starts to fade away.
A few days later, after Reuven is out the hospital, Danny’s father is introduced. He is a leader in the Hasidic community. Some Jews followed him after he made possible a trip to the US which took them out the country they were living in. He is pleased that Danny and Reuven are friends, but disapproves of the work that mister Malter is doing.
There were a few things that I liked about this book. One of them is that the descriptions were very good. Also, the book gives background information about almost all the characters which allows the reader to understand each character very well. This background information also answers some of the questions that the readers might have about the actions of a character.
I am able to identify my self with two characters. The first one is Billy because he is blind. As a blind person, I believe that the character known as Billy was portrayed very well. He asked a lot of questions which I believe was a good thing. Although this is a fictional story, which took place over 60 years ago, It still reflects how people feel today about blind people. I felt bad for him because he did not know what people thought of him or how people were looking at him. Another character that I identified myself with was Danny. I felt as if he was forced to do something he did not want to. A lot of people, who work with people with disabilities, want them to do a specific task. The person has no say on the choice because by the time he or she has reached the point that he or she could make decisions, they already have been brainwashed and have been given too much medication to stop the person from moving forward. Another thing that I have in common with Danny is that like him, I am also interested in psychology. I felt as if danny needed his dad to talk. This would have been good for him. I also feel the same way that Danny felt when he did not talk to his dad, very alone. Almost at the end of the story, Reuven’s father asks Danny If and when he has children, is he going to treat them the same way that his father treated him. Danny tells him that probably he will.
Unfortunately, we have a cicle. I was able to tell that although danny will finally become what he always wanted, He did not learn the most important thing.
This book was made into a movie which I have not seen. I hope it is as good as the book is.
I would have liked it if Reuven would had kept in contact with billy. It is sad that he only made one attempt after he got out of the hospital. I believe that this friendship would have benefited both of them. Reuven would had learned that there are more important things than seeing. He would have been able to understand things much better. For billy, Reuven could have been his best friend. It was very important for Reuven to be there for Billy. He could have given him strength, and He would had become Billy’s eyes.
I would definitely recommend this book. By the end of this book, the reader will have a greater appreciation for the small things in life and he or she will have a better understanding of the Jewish religion
The book is written in the first person. It starts by a person talking about a boy named Danny, And describing his community which according to him, it is largely Hasidic. He also talks about the school he goes to, which he calls a yeshiva and how it is different from other schools. He attends a parochial school, and here is Where he is exposed to courses in Hebrew and English. I was becoming aware that the person who was telling the story, was Jewish by some language that he was using. I found out that he was an orthodox Jew.
Then, the book moves on to where the unknown character and other people are talking about a game that they are going to have with another team. The character plays for a Softball teem. A boy by the name of Davey Cantor warns the narrator that the members of the other team are murderers. The character Does not believe this, and he thinks that this game is going to be easy as he is seeing how the other team is practicing.
As the game starts to progress, there seems to be some kind of hatred between the two teams. It was not the typical hatred that teams have towards each other. They hated each other because the two teams believe in two ways of Judaism. For example, The narrator’s team is referred as the apikorsim which are the “secular Jews.” and the other team is referred to as the Hasidim. The differences are that the Hasidim believe that Hebrew is a holy language and should not be used to teach classes.
This hatred between the teams reminds me of the different groups that are there in Judaism. They disagree with one another. I believe that some of these things are very small. For example, the traditions. Some jews, will follow traditions, but they do not believe in god.
the Hasidim seem to follow their customs. They are dressed in a specific kind of uniform. The apikorsim are a group that are dressed casually and speak English instead of Yiddish which is a mixture of German and Hebrew.
At this point, I was introduced to some of the characters. The person who was telling the story is a 15 year old boy named Reuven Malter. Also, there was Danny Saunders whom also is 15 years old, and who is a boy from the Hasidic team. Furthermore, he was the boy whom Danny had introduced earlier. Davey Cantor, is Reuven’s team mate as well as his classmate. When he finds out that Danny and Reuven are friends, he does not approve.
During the game, Danny hit Reuven with a ball breaking his glasses and bringing Reuven to the ground. Reuven had to be taken immediately to the hospital. It is mister Galanter his softball coach, that is with him when he is admitted into the hospital. Already in a hospital room after two doctors check his eyes, Reuven finds out that he has a glass in his left eye.
In the eye ward, Reuven meets Tony Savo, and he is referred to as mister Savo whom also has one bad eye. He also meets a boy by the name of Billy. He later discovers that Billy is blind. These two people, help Reuven feel a bit at ease. It seems as if when one of the two people is speaking about their lives, Reuven’s problems are small in comparison.
I felt as if Reuven as well as mister Savo, were a bit scared to interact with the boy. This could be because they were afraid to say something wrong that could hurt him. I think that because of this, Reuven starts getting worried about his own condition. He wonders how it would be to be blind. At times, he seems to be depressed.
One day, Danny goes to visit him, but he throws him out. After Reuven tells the story to his father, whose name is David Malter, and whom he calls aba, he says that it was not nice what he did, and he should listen to what the boy has to say. When Danny goes for the second time, Reuven apologizes. After a few minutes of talking, Danny explains to Reuven that he wanted to kill him, and he was very sorry for trying to do that. During the next few visits, they are already calling each other by there first names. Also, it seems that a friendship is starting to blossom.
During his stay at the hospital, I learned that Reuven’s father is a teacher. I also learned that Reuven likes math and although his dad wants him to become a mathematician, he wants to become a rabbi. Danny on the other hand, is a Hasidic Jew, and he does not seem too happy with the way his life is going. One of the sad things about this story, is when Danny reveals to Reuven that he does not speak to his dad except for when they are studying the Talmud. Danny is someone who wants to do something else, but he cannot because of the rules that he has to follow. He has to become a Rabbi although he wants to be a psychologist. Because He gets board of reading the Talmud, He spends his time in the library. This is where he meets a man and he recommends different books to the boy. Because Danny has a photographic memory, he is able to read many books, and he is also able to understand them very well. Later, I find that the man whom Danny had been talking to is Reuven’s father. As Reuven begins to recuperate, the hatred that the two boys had for each other starts to fade away.
A few days later, after Reuven is out the hospital, Danny’s father is introduced. He is a leader in the Hasidic community. Some Jews followed him after he made possible a trip to the US which took them out the country they were living in. He is pleased that Danny and Reuven are friends, but disapproves of the work that mister Malter is doing.
There were a few things that I liked about this book. One of them is that the descriptions were very good. Also, the book gives background information about almost all the characters which allows the reader to understand each character very well. This background information also answers some of the questions that the readers might have about the actions of a character.
I am able to identify my self with two characters. The first one is Billy because he is blind. As a blind person, I believe that the character known as Billy was portrayed very well. He asked a lot of questions which I believe was a good thing. Although this is a fictional story, which took place over 60 years ago, It still reflects how people feel today about blind people. I felt bad for him because he did not know what people thought of him or how people were looking at him. Another character that I identified myself with was Danny. I felt as if he was forced to do something he did not want to. A lot of people, who work with people with disabilities, want them to do a specific task. The person has no say on the choice because by the time he or she has reached the point that he or she could make decisions, they already have been brainwashed and have been given too much medication to stop the person from moving forward. Another thing that I have in common with Danny is that like him, I am also interested in psychology. I felt as if danny needed his dad to talk. This would have been good for him. I also feel the same way that Danny felt when he did not talk to his dad, very alone. Almost at the end of the story, Reuven’s father asks Danny If and when he has children, is he going to treat them the same way that his father treated him. Danny tells him that probably he will.
Unfortunately, we have a cicle. I was able to tell that although danny will finally become what he always wanted, He did not learn the most important thing.
This book was made into a movie which I have not seen. I hope it is as good as the book is.
I would have liked it if Reuven would had kept in contact with billy. It is sad that he only made one attempt after he got out of the hospital. I believe that this friendship would have benefited both of them. Reuven would had learned that there are more important things than seeing. He would have been able to understand things much better. For billy, Reuven could have been his best friend. It was very important for Reuven to be there for Billy. He could have given him strength, and He would had become Billy’s eyes.
I would definitely recommend this book. By the end of this book, the reader will have a greater appreciation for the small things in life and he or she will have a better understanding of the Jewish religion
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
pain
Pain, I experience it almost every day. I do not only have physical pain, but I also have emotional pain.
What is causing it? There are a lot of things. First of all, it is the fact that I know that I will not be able to go out on my own to restaurants, parks, or museums as I want to. Further more, six months ago, the doctors found a cyst on my brain. A month after that, I found out that I had migraines as well. Life has put another block in front of me that I cannot seem to overcome. There were two blocks that were preventing me from being the person that I wanted to be before I found out that I had the cyst and the migraine. They were my blindness, and my cerebral palsy. I have headaches that come and go, but I also have leg, arm, and knee pain. Sometimes, it is hard to get out of bed because of the different body parts that hurt. I have stopped going to church and to other places because I am not able to withstand loud noises.
For most people, getting out of school is fun but not for me. Even when I am at school, it is very hard to concentrate. I stay in my room sometimes, more than 12 hours. I try to sleep most of the time just because I want to escape the pain that I feel. I am not able to do some things such as cooking because of my CP and fear. What do I fear? About 19 years ago, I was burned. That memory has been haunting me ever since. I am not able to go near a fire because of this. Sometimes, I do not eat for a day or more because there is nobody around when I need them. When they get back, my hunger is gone. Sometimes, it is because of the pain, or because after waiting for a few minutes, nobody knows what to give me. Most of the food that I have eaten; unfortunately, I have found it to be spicy. Probably it is not, but I think it is. I am not sure what to attribute this to. My pain has been so strong, that I sometimes wish I was in a wheelchair.
The other kind of pain which is mental is more threatening. A couple of weeks ago, one doctor told me that I may have to live with pain for the rest of my life. The only way to control it is by taking medications. I cannot see myself having to take meds for my entire life. Especially, because I know that they will not work. I am taking them now, and the pain always comes back.
I wish to have a family of my own, but when I think about it more each time, I tell myself that I cannot be that selfish. I do not want to have kids and a wife who have to deal with a dad and a husband who’s body is hurting all the time. I want to be able to hug and play with them. I want to give them a better life. A life I never had. How will I be able to answer my kid’s questions. Dad, Why are you blind? Why do you walk like that? Why don’t you take us out? There are So many questions with out an answer. How will I be able to explain to them that I am different than a person who is not disabled.
When I was a child, kids used to make fun of me. I never trusted anyone. Even now that I have some friends, I don’t know if they are being honest with me. I always ask myself, Do they really me for who I am? Even now, when I try to make more friends, it is very hard because I think that they have to put or will put my disabilities first instead of my abilities. I think that they will not like me because of the way I am.
For many years, Instead of finding people that I could talk to, I sat alone. I looked for silence for that was my way to get away from all the things that I did not like. Also, this was my way to avoid a bad situation. I still like being alone, but I try to socialize more. Today, by using this tool, I am able to find myself, and I am able to talk to god. Silence allows me to create and develop ideas. Finally, it helps me to grow.
Still talking about relationships, It seems that all around people are interested in how the person looks physically. I feel that people are ashamed to say what they really feel. So, if I am not able to find five people that care for a true friendship with me, it is going to be even harder to find a woman who really cares.
Being a Christian, I think makes things much harder. We are in a society that believes in fornication, drinking, smoking, drugs, cursing, and partying. To me, that is not the way to go. I do not want a friend nor a girlfriend who is not willing to change there way of life for a healthy one. I am proud of being a Christian! When I am down, I remember what the bible tells me about this path. Matthew 7:13, “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat.”
My mental suffering increases more when I think that I may not have the career that I want. I am able to pay most of my bills. My singing career does not help me much, and I am sad because I need the money. I will be graduating this year, and I ask myself, “What am I going to do after this is over? I don’t know.” A lot of people tell me that I am strong, but I wonder for how long. I have been rejected for most of my life. Also, I have heard adults tell me what I am supposed to do. This has hurt me. Who are they to impose things that I do not want to do?
I have found out that some, if not most of the people, who help people with disabilities, in reality, only harm them more. Parents are among this group. Some of them are too over protective which is bad for a person who is disabled.
I am still searching for a better future; I believe that I will not take long before I achieve all my dreams.
What is causing it? There are a lot of things. First of all, it is the fact that I know that I will not be able to go out on my own to restaurants, parks, or museums as I want to. Further more, six months ago, the doctors found a cyst on my brain. A month after that, I found out that I had migraines as well. Life has put another block in front of me that I cannot seem to overcome. There were two blocks that were preventing me from being the person that I wanted to be before I found out that I had the cyst and the migraine. They were my blindness, and my cerebral palsy. I have headaches that come and go, but I also have leg, arm, and knee pain. Sometimes, it is hard to get out of bed because of the different body parts that hurt. I have stopped going to church and to other places because I am not able to withstand loud noises.
For most people, getting out of school is fun but not for me. Even when I am at school, it is very hard to concentrate. I stay in my room sometimes, more than 12 hours. I try to sleep most of the time just because I want to escape the pain that I feel. I am not able to do some things such as cooking because of my CP and fear. What do I fear? About 19 years ago, I was burned. That memory has been haunting me ever since. I am not able to go near a fire because of this. Sometimes, I do not eat for a day or more because there is nobody around when I need them. When they get back, my hunger is gone. Sometimes, it is because of the pain, or because after waiting for a few minutes, nobody knows what to give me. Most of the food that I have eaten; unfortunately, I have found it to be spicy. Probably it is not, but I think it is. I am not sure what to attribute this to. My pain has been so strong, that I sometimes wish I was in a wheelchair.
The other kind of pain which is mental is more threatening. A couple of weeks ago, one doctor told me that I may have to live with pain for the rest of my life. The only way to control it is by taking medications. I cannot see myself having to take meds for my entire life. Especially, because I know that they will not work. I am taking them now, and the pain always comes back.
I wish to have a family of my own, but when I think about it more each time, I tell myself that I cannot be that selfish. I do not want to have kids and a wife who have to deal with a dad and a husband who’s body is hurting all the time. I want to be able to hug and play with them. I want to give them a better life. A life I never had. How will I be able to answer my kid’s questions. Dad, Why are you blind? Why do you walk like that? Why don’t you take us out? There are So many questions with out an answer. How will I be able to explain to them that I am different than a person who is not disabled.
When I was a child, kids used to make fun of me. I never trusted anyone. Even now that I have some friends, I don’t know if they are being honest with me. I always ask myself, Do they really me for who I am? Even now, when I try to make more friends, it is very hard because I think that they have to put or will put my disabilities first instead of my abilities. I think that they will not like me because of the way I am.
For many years, Instead of finding people that I could talk to, I sat alone. I looked for silence for that was my way to get away from all the things that I did not like. Also, this was my way to avoid a bad situation. I still like being alone, but I try to socialize more. Today, by using this tool, I am able to find myself, and I am able to talk to god. Silence allows me to create and develop ideas. Finally, it helps me to grow.
Still talking about relationships, It seems that all around people are interested in how the person looks physically. I feel that people are ashamed to say what they really feel. So, if I am not able to find five people that care for a true friendship with me, it is going to be even harder to find a woman who really cares.
Being a Christian, I think makes things much harder. We are in a society that believes in fornication, drinking, smoking, drugs, cursing, and partying. To me, that is not the way to go. I do not want a friend nor a girlfriend who is not willing to change there way of life for a healthy one. I am proud of being a Christian! When I am down, I remember what the bible tells me about this path. Matthew 7:13, “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat.”
My mental suffering increases more when I think that I may not have the career that I want. I am able to pay most of my bills. My singing career does not help me much, and I am sad because I need the money. I will be graduating this year, and I ask myself, “What am I going to do after this is over? I don’t know.” A lot of people tell me that I am strong, but I wonder for how long. I have been rejected for most of my life. Also, I have heard adults tell me what I am supposed to do. This has hurt me. Who are they to impose things that I do not want to do?
I have found out that some, if not most of the people, who help people with disabilities, in reality, only harm them more. Parents are among this group. Some of them are too over protective which is bad for a person who is disabled.
I am still searching for a better future; I believe that I will not take long before I achieve all my dreams.
what is love?
What is love and what it is not
Love is like a plant. You need to water it every day. When you love someone, it is really important to let them know at least every day how much they mean to you. You could do this by giving them a note expressing your feelings, making a call, spending time with them, or just telling them that you love them. Just as the sun has to hit that plant, so, it can grow, so do you need to do all these things for love to come your way. If you don't do this, love just as a plant, is going to die.
Love is being able to walk in silence with someone and see that person not with the physical eyes, but with the eyes of the soul. It is talking with the Voice of the hart. It is being able to share. It is understanding one another, it is being caring, it is giving advice if someone needs it, it is helping others whom you don’t know, and those that are less fortunate than you.
Love is like a cold drink of water. Not only it quenches the physical thirst, but it also quenches that emotional and spiritual thirst.
Love is this and much more.
It is being able to forgive and forget.
This good feeling requires people to suffer, and sometimes, a person has to give his or her life for another person or country.
To love is to be able to overcome any obstacle. You need to make many sacrifices. Love is not controlling, envious, selfish, boring, or tiring.
No word in the dictionary can truly express or describe what this word is.
However, in able to experience it, all a person has to do is find Jesus and, he has to be with in you. If people do not have Jesus in them, the love that They are going to feel will be only like a leaf that will get blown away by the wind.
Love is like a plant. You need to water it every day. When you love someone, it is really important to let them know at least every day how much they mean to you. You could do this by giving them a note expressing your feelings, making a call, spending time with them, or just telling them that you love them. Just as the sun has to hit that plant, so, it can grow, so do you need to do all these things for love to come your way. If you don't do this, love just as a plant, is going to die.
Love is being able to walk in silence with someone and see that person not with the physical eyes, but with the eyes of the soul. It is talking with the Voice of the hart. It is being able to share. It is understanding one another, it is being caring, it is giving advice if someone needs it, it is helping others whom you don’t know, and those that are less fortunate than you.
Love is like a cold drink of water. Not only it quenches the physical thirst, but it also quenches that emotional and spiritual thirst.
Love is this and much more.
It is being able to forgive and forget.
This good feeling requires people to suffer, and sometimes, a person has to give his or her life for another person or country.
To love is to be able to overcome any obstacle. You need to make many sacrifices. Love is not controlling, envious, selfish, boring, or tiring.
No word in the dictionary can truly express or describe what this word is.
However, in able to experience it, all a person has to do is find Jesus and, he has to be with in you. If people do not have Jesus in them, the love that They are going to feel will be only like a leaf that will get blown away by the wind.
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