My Little Break.

Finally! I was finally able to use that free movie ticket of mine that I won about a few months ago. My family and I wanted to go out and watch a movie for quite some time now. We haven't been able to go to the movies all together. All seven of us. Generally, my older brother is up north attending college and I usually am stuck at home studying and doing homework. So it usually ends up where some kids go and some stay back. And because all our schedules are different where my parents work different hours, siblings have concerts and sports games, and I myself have many things as well we hardly get to all hang out and have some family time.

We have been planning this family movie night for quite some time. In fact, we were suppose to go watch Moana when it came out before Thanksgiving day, but due to the infamous APUSH Press Conference I was not able to go. And because I was the one to really want to watch Moana my family decided to wait until I was free. And so Sunday, about two and a half weeks later, I still had work to be done, but I was like why not. I'll probably not even get too much stuff done anyways.

So I sat for my second time ever in the new movie theaters. And you know there is always that group or one person that has to destroy the movie experience for you. Well in this case there was a group of obnoxious teenagers who did not care what others had to think. It was as though they had already watched the movie and was just there to talk. There was about six of them and they said several inappropriate things that I wish my ears never picked up, but I couldn't help it as they were to the left one row behind. I remember before the movie had even began and the trailers were still playing these two girls walk in and are shouting their friend's name trying to find them. So unnecessary and so from then I knew this group was all trouble. Then at one point someone drops their phone so someone takes out their phone to shine their flashlight mode (not sure what the right terminology is, but close enough) in search for the dropped phone which was again really bothersome. It got to the point I just wanted to get up and yell at them, but that is not like me. I was on the verge of getting up to call security, but I didn't want to miss a scene. So I tried to block these people out and had a semi-great experience at the movies today.

So, yes, movies this time around were ruined. However, the inner kid inside of me loved the soundtrack and colors of the movie. I also, not going to lie, teared up at a part and I didn't expect that to happen with such a movie. Overall, I would recommend this film to any family and would go to see it again if I could.

Like I mentioned the songs were just amazing! So thankful to have a person like Lin-Manuel Miranda! His compositions were just superb! Side note: I first heard of Lin-Manuel through Mrs. Hennings who showed us a Hamilton clip from Lin-Manuel. And I did not know that Lin-Manuel was the creator of the songs for Moana. So when the crab song and Maui song appeared I knew right away that these songs have been written by Lin-Manuel. With that being said here are some great songs from the movie that I could listen to all day:"Know Who You Are", "Where You Are","How Far I'll Go","An Innocent Warrior","We Know The Way", and "I Am Moana". You know just to name a few! I could've just listed the whole soundtrack it seems. But no I encourage you guys reading this to listen to the music! There is just something tropical and uplifting about this type of music.

"Immigrants In Our Own Land"

Getting to know a bit about the author (Jimmy Satiago Baca) himself prior to reading this poem was great because I was able to get that insight and found the purpose as to why Santiago wrote what he wrote. To know he was illiterate, came to America from Mexico as an immigrant, and got himself incarcerated by selling drugs to now reading one of his poems makes it all surreal. The whole poem is given more meaning knowing that this is what an author actually experienced and felt. The viewpoint becomes this real experience that I can actually believe to be true and I can finally see through the eyes of the author and an immigrant. For me this no longer becomes your conventional poem, although all works of poetry are never the same as there does not have to be any "rules". However, I mean not conventional in regards to how this does not seem to be this creative and rhyming piece that needs to be looked at closely in order to understand.
"Immigrants In Our Own Land" is definitely more prose type and isn't complicated and simple to comprehend. With that being said, Santiago is able to give us the whole outlook of what is like being someone coming from new lands by starting off his poem in an optimistic fashion. Signifying that the immigrants coming over are very hopeful for this new opportunity that awaits.  Consequently, that is all turned around and by the looks of how Santiago expresses his ideas in the next few stanzas shows that - trying to achieve the new life isn't what it all seems to be. "But in the end, some will just sit around talking about how good the old world was." This to me shows the regret of these people who thought that leaving their life at home is for the better. In the end, it becomes apparent that people's expectations versus reality is totally different when trying to come to new lands with the desires for a better life.
After reading Jessica's post I did not even realize the metaphor of immigrants entering a prison rather than a new world they can call home. This helps to perfectly demonstrate the feeling of these people seeking for a better life. I also like how Jessica was able to break up the stanzas and analyze bits and parts from the words Santiago spoke.

Chasing the American Dream!

Is This Not True!

There probably is another reason for lights in refrigerators, but I think this is the best reason out there! C'mon this has to be true?

Beautiful 3-D Jelly Cakes

This takes some mad skills! Maybe not, but I am surely impressed and they just look so lovely!

Proud To Say This Is My Dog!

Rain. It finally started raining. I didn't think during our Thanksgiving break it would, but thankfully it did because we need it. My family and I forgot that we shut the back door so our dog wasn't able to take shelter/cover. However, we do have a brilliantly smart dog. I go to open the living room curtains and I see up against the sliding door in the only spot that is dry. A few more minutes out there he would've ended up wet. But thankfully I went to go and open the curtains. And Izzy (if you don't know already is my dog's name) was too cute that I had to snap a picture before I could let him in. So here is that picture:

My New Big Question

So this was my original question. However, as I was trying to watch a YouTube video there was an ad. An ad in which a man begins to experience some heart problems and this heat problem gives him a scare. This man, Matt Prindle, (in his video that I watched in the ad) had a funny yet serious part that made me both giggle but also helped me come up with my new question. That scene had the following words spoken: "This is the beginning of something pretty amazing. Sometimes it takes a serious health scare to get serious about what's important. Being present. Soaking in all this. Enjoying it! Pursuing it! And having fun along the way right? Which might mean to...means to go out on a limb and have some fun...." I have always thought of this situation already and tried to make something out of it so I can pursue a related question, but I wasn't sure what I wanted to find. But now after having seen this video of Matt's I have my  question. My new question is along the lines of why does it take something to happen in order for people to realize that they must live in the moment and cherish what they have? Why waste time in waiting and not start loving everyone and everything now? What happened to living life to the fullest? What is possibly holding us back? I guess I can tie the two concepts of time and cherishing life before it become too late together because I do not want to entirely give up and throw away my other question because I am still very much interested in finding out more. I am wondering at this moment if I will be able to tackle two questions?

You have to watch to the end now in order to see what I was talking about above!

This Child Is Amazing

Have you guys heard of that TV show called Little Big Shots? I love to see all the amazing talent these little kiddos have! When I was some of their ages I probably was just learning to read my ABC's and write my name. I can only awe in amazement and wish I could've done something similar when I was their age. I guess I am really late on this, but I came across this YouTube video that shows yet another child talent. Meet this four year old Russian girl who is fluent in seven languages. This video was on my recommended feed and the title caught my attention. Even though I wasn't able to understand most of what Bella was reading I still was able to just sit through the video and watch her earn those petals. I was sharing this with friends and they all told me they have already seen this video and that I was about a few weeks late....oooops. I have been taking Spanish for some years now and I definitely have not become fluent in it. So to see a four year old become fluent in not just one, but seven languages is truly remarkable! If you haven't seen the video yet here it is....