Mr. Ross English Class

28 May 2008 @ 12:22 am

Heart Attack – Sum 41

This song is really a theme song for everyone. I’m sure everyone has slept in mornings and just wanted to curl up in bed until noon. “Remember when there was nothing else to do, but lie and bed and, Wonder how it was always up to you, and no one else and”. This sort of gives a careless sense and touches back on childhood. As a child no one really cared about what you did, there wasn’t really much homework, and theres a ton of free time. “Why get up my/ morning doesnt even start till two? /Forget reality waking up is hard to do.” Every weekend I sleep in on Saturdays and Sundays unless I have something to do. Waking up is really hard for me is really hard to do because I feel really heavy and confortable in my sheets. I just want to stay in my dreams and forget about reality.

Bye Bye – Mariah Carey

This song is a ballad for everyone who has lost someone, a loved one in their life. Even though I havent experienced this I think this is great song. “never knew I could hurt like this /And everyday life goes on like/”I wish I could talk to you for awhile". This pretty much means that you don’t never learn appreciate someone until they are gone. They are always in your life and you see them everyday so they don’t seem too exciting, but when they are actually gone you feel like there is a big gap in your life. People think of the last words they said to someone when they are gone. Most people don’t even get a chance to say how much they appreciate what someone has done for them or just a simple goodbye. Many people wish to just have one time where they could talk to someone who has passed away for a while. “thought you were so strong
That you can make it through whatever”

People think their parents or whoever their heroes in life are , are invincible. But, everyone is human and this lyric explains that no one can fight off everything and it brings us back to reality.

There for me – Mariah Carey

This is another simple song by Mariah Carey. I don’t listen to this song much but it has a lot of meaning.

“So many times I felt afraid
And turned to you
To find my way
I reach inside
And find you there
You are with me everywhere”

Many times when you are afraid you will turn to someone close or a loved one for comfort. They will usually provide it. In the last line I think it maybe about a loved one who has passed away and they are always with you watching you, and guiding you.

“And everytime I lose my way
You shine for me”

Whoever it is that you always go to for help, when you get in trouble or something will always help you out. They come through and shine for you.

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11 May 2008 @ 01:10 pm

six words biography

Always very distracted, gets nothing done.

Man, 42, hoping to find the right woman. Divorced four times; I was told it wasn’t me and that it was them. So, I guess I attract the wrong women. I strongly believe in love at first sight, I fell in love five times today on my morning jog. That’s right, I go exercising every morning. I am a very fit and healthy person. In fact, sometimes I don’t even have to go jogging outside. I have two treadmills inside the basement of my six bedrooms, three bathrooms, 2 garages, and 20,000 square foot home. My skin is a smooth vanilla color because my house is so big a rarely go outside.

I will spend all the money I have to make my soul mate happy. I am willing to go shopping and play the role of a coat hanger. I wish to settle down and have children before I die.

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04 May 2008 @ 07:44 pm

dear jing jing

Dear 7^th grade Jing Jing

First of all, take all the money you can find and invest it in Google. You will be happy because you’ll make tons of money years from now. Get all the sleep you can and go on more vacations before you reach high school.

Next year do not take French. French is too hard for you and there isn’t a lot of people in you know in your French class. Instead take Spanish because it is the only other language choice and it’s much easier.

Life in eighth grade will pass by quickly so make it worthwhile. Make as many friends as you can and stay close to them. Read more books so you will know more vocabulary words.

High school is very competitive so take the hardest classes you can beginning from freshman year. Challenge yourself constantly because it will make you better, faster, stronger. Do not take six classes freshman year because it is the easiest year. Save that six period schedule for senior year or junior year. Instead take some art requirements or something else you need to fill your credits.

Be a good planner and time manager because it will matter a lot in your later life. It helps especially a lot with homework and school. Learn to concentrate so you won’t be distracted from every single thing around you.

Try more sports when you are young such as football, soccer, baseball, and golf. If you don’t like them or are not good at them then quit and focus on basketball.

Warn people about Hurricane Katrina, the Tsunami in South Asia, and other natural disasters that might occur.

Other than that I do not have anything else to tell you. Just don’t do anything that you will regret and use your time wisely.

Sincerely, Jing

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27 April 2008 @ 11:20 pm

10 random thoughts

I always think that it is pretty funny that we spend money on wallets to store our money. A good wallet costs about ten dollars or even more. If you think about it, wouldn’t you rather just carry money around without a wallet and have that extra ten bucks you would’ve spent on a wallet? It might also be bad if you didn’t have a wallet because you could lose your money easier. My grandma carries her money in a plastic bag so I don’t know if she’s cheap or just smart.

There are a lot of things I can do if I don’t waste my time. Altogether, I think I might have spent more than five days of my life walking in slow motion or freezing in a position for a very long time just for fun or to mess around with people. It would be really nice to have those five days back, especially when I get older, where I could have done something more productive.

At Gordo, some of the people who make your burrito or taco or whatever give you lots of salsa, meat, and all that other good stuff, but other times they give much less. I want the guy who gives me more. What if the boss told the employees to give out less because food prices are rising? Nooo.

If you want the perfect haircut then why not just have a machine do it. Someone should make a haircutting machine where you get the same haircut every time. If you want a new hairstyle then just insert the haircut you want into the machine or something.

I’m not religious and not atheist either, but it would suck if you just died to die and that was the end of it. The idea of an afterlife in a place like heaven would be pretty nice but living on clouds with people wearing white clothes and playing harps isn’t exactly fun either. That would be pretty cool if when you died your soul goes to a waiting line where you wait to take over a new baby’s body and you have no recollection of your previous life.

After watching a lot of movies involving CIA agents and people who work top secret with the government, I think they might have the hardest and most harsh jobs in the world. They can’t really talk to anyone about their feelings. Can they actually retire?

Why do some people like taking steroids and lift weights until their arms are twice as big as their legs? I saw a video of a guy who could bench more than half a ton (world record). He couldn’t even rest his arms to his sides since his biceps were like big ass tumors. It would suck to be that buff cause I don’t know how you can reverse being buff.

I wonder if everyone is related then. I heard from somewhere that people with the same last name are all related from a family since people rarely change their last names. But that would have to go way back in the day.

There used to be a homeless person living around where I live but I haven’t seen him in a very long time. I wonder where he went; maybe he moved a couple of blocks away. It is strange that he is a pretty chubby person because he doesn’t have that much food to eat.

Everyone should learn how to swim since about 2/3 of the Earth is water. It sucks that I can only hold my breath for about 45 seconds the longest. I wonder what pirates are now like. I still imagine them being really primitive people who wear eye patches and carry swords. They probably carry the most advanced weapons and have extremely fast boats.

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24 March 2008 @ 12:47 am

(no subject)

Fresh Prince is a great TV comedy show for everyone to watch. It’s appropriate for the whole family. There may be some dirty jokes here and there but I’m sure the kids won’t catch on. Will Smith is the main character who plays as himself, he is a high school teenager who moves from his hometown Philadelphia to Bel-air where he currently lives with his uncle’s family. Many amusing characters ranging from his big uncle Phil to his British butler Geoffrey accompany Will. In every episode Will runs into some kind of conflict and often approaches it with humor and cracking jokes. The show does not just poke fun of everything. Some episodes show the struggles of everyday life and real life situations such as the time Will got shot. Carlton, who is Will’s cousin, and Will were at an ATM when someone took a shot at Carlton. Will dove in front of Carlton to save him and the bullet struck Will in the back. Afterwards, at the hospital Carlton comes to visit Will with a gun. He tells him “it will never happen again not if I protect myself”. Will is shocked at Carlton’s behavior and convinces Carlton to give him the gun in a very heartfelt scene.

This is one of the most entertaining shows I have seen. It will make you laugh non-stop in some scenes and sad in others. The show gets out messages across when we wouldn’t want to learn any other way. This cast has great chemistry and they all enjoy what they do, and that is entertaining the fans. The characters are all you can ask for in one show. Carlton’s famous dance is one you definitely want to see. Watch Will as Fresh Prince every night at 6 on channel 13. You won’t regret it.

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17 March 2008 @ 12:35 am

(no subject)

For my day off I would probably get a private jet that flies really fast and I would fly it somewhere in Europe, maybe Italy. Whoever wants to come can come, unless I don’t like them, which probably means everyone can come. It would be cool to go somewhere far away and be back home in a day. I know its possible because I seen it on TV once. So, by the time I arrive in Italy I would go to the best pizza restaurant and eat some good ol’ Italian pizza. I still remember that time I ate some Italian pizza once 5 years ago and it tasted really good. I would tip the waiter really well since money isn’t a factor. After that I would take a Lamborghini straight out of the dealership and drive to the European countryside. At the borderline of where the countryside is I would trade a horse for my Lamborghini and ride through the countryside and see what the big deal is with those country sides. They seem so nice in the movies. After that I will tour a castle somewhere close to where I currently am. I can go beyond where regular people are allowed including the jails and stuff. Next, I fly to France where I go to the Eiffel tower and grab a cookie from the café up there. My day has pretty much ended so I will finish up by eating dinner in England at my old home in Cambridge and fly back to the Bay Area. If there is time I would also like to make a stop in Africa somewhere along the way, preferably Egypt near the Pyramids.

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09 March 2008 @ 09:29 pm

(no subject)

I chose this painting because it is interesting. Until I looked at it closely for five seconds I did not realize it was a painting inside of a painting. I thought the canvas was missing and the top of the stand is just floating. The most interesting thing about this painting is that there is another painting inside of it. The painting would have been just as nice if there wasn’t that painting inside. But, I guess the artist just had to put it in there to make us think a little more.

What defies or bends the rules of logic is the painting inside the painting itself. In the larger painting we are looking at the smaller painting from an angle, maybe about fifteen degrees to the right of the front of the painted stand. The painting inside the painting fits perfectly with the view outside while actually we should see more of the white corner of the painting. The angles of the two paintings do not entirely match. We would also not be able to see the very right side of the smaller painting because the view we are looking from is obstructing it. The white stuff on the side of the smaller painting might also be that stuff you get when you rip off binder paper from your journal so I might have misinterpreted wrong. That might totally disprove my whole different angle theory.

The objects might represent something that is not what it is. In other words, things may not seem like what we want them to seem. Behind the painting the scene might be the total opposite of what is shown. The tree might be three inches to the left, the path might end, or there is a huge mountain where the painting is. The happy and beautiful scene pictured might become a dark and depressing one if you remove the painting. Two different worlds are created, the scene outside the window and the one in the painting. We do no know which picture is real or not. The picture might represent our world and how different people perceive it. Some will be able to look past the painting while others would like to see it there. People live fake or secret lives similar to how the smaller painting might fake. Things might not be what we perceive them as.

The left side of the painting cuts out the curtain perfectly, which creates an illusion that the painting is actually the same as what is outside the window. The setting of the painting which is being drawn from the inside looking out might be related to someone who has not seen or been anywhere. They hear about it and when they do go there it is completely different from what they expected.

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02 March 2008 @ 09:50 pm

DReAM Life

When I am married I would first travel with my wife around the world then settle down and have some kids. I would never get tired of the person I marry and hopefully they wouldn't get tired of me. My kids would be really smart and athletic and most of the times obey what I say. I would probably live in the Bay Area because it is a very diverse and ideal place to live. The desert (LA) or the snow (Lake Tahoe) is just hours away, not many places can provide living like the bay area. If I were rich I want to buy a house on the hill where I can get a view of San Francisco. If I don’t live in the Bay Area I think living in Hawaii might be okay. I would buy a house on the coastline, but it would be scary if a huge wave washed me out while I was sleeping. Living in England might be good too; living anywhere where it isn’t too hot or cold is all right with me.

My dream job would be the CEO of a company that helps the world in ways such as preventing global warming or feeding hungry children in parts of the world but still making a profit. My company could also make technology such as Ipods. I would base my company the way Google treats their employees so they are always happy. Since I started this company or bought it then I would not have to do much later in my career and can retire early. If not, I would hire someone to think for me so I can do whatever I want. Although earlier in my career I had to work hard to become CEO, nothing comes easy. My second job would be a professional athlete, maybe a basketball player or a golf player even though I have never played golf before. I like playing basketball and if I were paid to do something I like then why wouldn’t I? Everyone dreams of having a career they love to do. I wouldn’t want to be a famous athlete because that will attract attention to me. It would be really annoying if I were trying to buy some groceries at Safeway’s when everyone wants to talk to me. Being an athlete is very competitive and they are always away from their family so that is why it is my second choice. Golfing SEEMS like the easiest sport and one where the least amount of injuries occurs.

Since my CEO job pays well I would hire a bunch of teachers in many different subjects to teach me things like how to cook and designing or building stuff. That way I could survive by myself if something goes wrong. I won’t have to rely on servants and others to do my work for me. My car would have bulletproof windows so if I am ever riding in the ghetto gangstas cannot shoot me. It would be pretty much un-jackable. Also, I want my car to be likes James Bond’s so it can turn into a plane or a boat.

My pets would consist of a dog and maybe a small tiger if it were trained so much that it is 100% guaranteed it wouldn’t turn on friendly people. It has a keen sense for robbers so if my security system fails my tiger would bite them. My tiger will not eat the dog because they will be best friends.

In my dream life I would want to travel into space and possibly land the moon where I would eat some cheese. I want to look down at the earth from space.

If my lot size is big enough then I would also build a basketball gym where my friends and I play basketball every weekend. I would have the best life and die (peacefully of natural causes; no cancer, other diseases...) with a smile on my face if this came true.

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24 February 2008 @ 06:29 pm

Style

I never cared about fashion or the way I dressed until somewhere near the beginning of middle school. Before that, I just wore whatever felt comfortable and did not look too silly. Ever since I became aware of fashion, I dressed sort of sporty like, I dressed like a basketball player or an athlete if that makes any sense.

When I was two or three I don’t think I had any choice of what I wanted to wear. Or maybe I did and I just chose to wear Disney clothes. My clothes had designs of cartoon characters printed on the front and my sweaters were usually bright vibrant yellow or red colors. I hardly wore any dark depressing colors such as black. I remember one red overall I wore when I was two and it was also the last time I would ever wear overalls. Since I was always an active kid, jeans were not necessarily fit for me. I needed clothes that gave me room to run and jump easily, so I wore some blue sweats, although, I did occasionally wear some blue jeans. I don’t think these clothes made me look goofy because I think that is the way little kids are supposed to dress. All my other friends dressed similar to me too: a nice comfortable sweater and sweatpants.

I moved to the U.S. from England when I was about four, so I kept wearing most of my clothes I brought from England over. They were not much different from American style or clothes so they fit perfectly. During my elementary school days I got up early to wait for the bus. It was always cold in the morning so that began the jacket period, which lasted until fourth grade where I got a car ride to my new school, Cornell. Now, I wouldn’t wear a jacket to keep warm, but rather a sweatshirt inside a sweater. There weren’t any trends or supposedly any cliques until middle school like my 5^th grade teacher said. So, I couldn’t say I dressed skater, or rocker, or any type of those fashions. During elementary school, I got interested in sports so I wore any brand of shorts so that I could play football and basketball during lunchtime. When winter came around I wore athletic sweats which aren’t exactly the same as regular sweats. I hated wearing jeans, but decided to try them one day to see if I would change my mind.

It turned out to be all right, so my pants selection now included jeans. I never wore any low socks because I didn’t know where they were sold. So instead, I just took my high socks and folded them in two times so they looked like low socks. In the summer when I was going into sixth grade I saw some NBA stars wore one sock high and one sock low and I decided that was cool and I would copy them. When I was in China showing off my new style my grandparents said I looked funny. But, I told them that was what all the basketball players were doing and insisted that it was cool. Looking back at the pictures, I realized that I looked ridiculous.

From seventh grade and on, I hardly purchased any t-shirts with logos. I only bought white tee shirts. One of the reasons is because my basketball team always got a free t-shirt from the tournament host if we got third place or better. It is almost guaranteed that we get at least third place in every tournament so I get about six new t-shirts come spring. Currently, I wear mostly sports brands such as Adidas and Nike. I don’t wear any expensive clothing such as LRG because I don’t think it is worth the cost. I am influenced buy fashion and trends but I don’t buy lots of clothes to keep up with it. I hardly go shopping for clothes.

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10 February 2008 @ 11:27 pm

INterview #3

1. Do you believe in karma?
I do believe in Karma somewhat even though I am not religious or anything. After I have done something bad or good to someone, I have this little thought at the back of my head telling me that it will come back to me. I only believe in Karma a little, I think this is because I have had personal experience with Karma before. It is always good to think that you will be rewarded for your good deed or someone else would be punished for hurting you. Anyways, I think I have positive Karma…hopefully. Believing in Karma keeps me from doing some negative things.

2. What one current event in any aspect of world news do you think is being most neglected or underrepresented?

I think the current world news that is being neglected is global warming because maybe we don’t really care for the next generations since the affects of global generation won’t matter to us when we’re dead. People are not making changes quick enough so even though a lot of people know about global warming it is still neglected. Other world news that maybe neglected are the issues in Africa and the Middle East. People don’t understand what is happening in these places such as poverty and war unless they experience it firsthand. Personally, I do not have much interest reading about these things either.

3. If you could have any one superpower, what would it be and why?

If I could have any superpower I would want to fly. When I can fly no one will be able to catch me. It might get cold up in the sky but it would be worth it. I could also get places much faster because my super power is fast flying. I don’t want wings like an angel because that would be inconvenient; I want to fly like superman but with or without the arms out.

4. If you could invite any 5 famous people or characters to your birthday party, who would you pick?

The following people I pick are not in order of favorites:

Mariah Carey- because she is a really good singer, pretty, and she can sing at my party.

Tupac Shakur- also a really good rapper/singer and he is brought back from the dead to sing at my birthday.

Will Smith- he is a good actor and a cool person, he can come and chill.

Kobe Bryant- the best player and talent currently in the NBA. He can come just for being a beast and good at basketball.

Lebron James- I want to invite him just so I can watch him play 1 on 1 with Kobe.

5. If you could live in any film or book, what would you select? Would you want to be one of the characters, or would you want to be you (introduced as a new character)?

I would not want to live in any film or book because I haven’t recently seen a film or book that has a peaceful or happy ending. I wouldn’t want to live in Napoleon Dynamite because that would be the most boring place to live in. If I entered a film or book I would be introduced as a new character who makes everything good. If I was in Maltese Falcon shoot up Gutman, Brigid, and the other bad guys or send them to jail and maybe Spade too.

6. Who of your friends would make the best president? I can't wait to know why.

This kid I knew from long ago named Marcus because he will probably go to war with every country since he has an aggressive behavior. Other than that he might make our country go green by making everyone ride scooters around.

7. I used to always trip out that my strawberry Chapstick tasted so strongly like strawberries (and why was I eating so much Chapstick?). Then I realized that it wasn't the taste that was strong; it was the smell. They say that smell is the strongest scent. What is your favorite smell? USE CONNOTATIONS, FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE, OR ANALOGY in your (butter) saucey answer.
skip this one

8. If you could invent a new class for AHS to teach, what would it be?

If I could invent a new class for AHS it would be an activities class. In that class you get access to anything you need. It is pretty much a free period and you can choose which period to have it so you can be with your friends. In the class the teachers teach nothing. To make it realistic, this class would be only available to seniors.

9. Identify any symbol from any film ever (pick your favorite if you can think of many from which to choose). Identify what it means and why you picked it.

The sofa chair in Juno may be a symbol of how some garbage thing can bring back memories or mean so much to different people. I don’t think that is what it means but that is the only thing I can remember.

10. Will humankind still exist in 300 years?

Hopefully humankind will still exist. I am not completely sure I believe it will exist though. Maybe some kind of disease, war, or global warming will make us extinct. Or the apocalypse. If we do exist maybe we would be living on very large spaceships, which are different countries.

11. What is the most embarrassing song to ever grace your IPOD? Why was it there, may I ask?

I don’t put anything embarrassing on my mp3 player in fear that someone will listen to it. Songs that may make me look dumb may be my 3 different versions of Somewhere over the Rainbow or I feel pretty from the Westside Story. Those were there because I added them on when I was reminded of those movies the songs were in. The songs are also good too, I ain't gonna lie.

12. Corey Chin's brilliant question (and it's got me curious): How much would you charge to clean Mr. Ross' microwave?

I would not want to clean Mr. Ross’ microwave because I don’t think I would get a fair deal. If I did then I would charge him 21 burritos from Gordo and I can get them anytime I want.

13. Did you support your answers?

Yes, I did support all of my answers except for the one that I skipped. I had to support my answers in order to receive full credit. That is why I am writing more than one sentence for this question so it looks like I am supporting this answer.

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03 February 2008 @ 09:19 pm

My thoughts written out and edited in microsoft word

I can’t believe Mr. Ross is making me do this when I could be doing my other homework. I still haven’t finished my history and chemistry homework yet. Before this I finished my math homework. I don’t know why, but I always leave my homework to finish Sunday evening. Every Sunday I would finish my homework around midnight or so and that messes up my whole week. I can’t remember the last time I have slept before 11 p.m. maybe it was in the summer of last year. After watching the super bowl, I was glad that the Giants won. It was a really exciting game to watch because of the comeback. I didn’t want the Patriots to win because then they would have a perfect season. No team should be perfect and I always want the underdogs to win. Maybe it’s because most bay area professional sports teams are underdogs. Why do they make Superbowl ads such a big deal? Why would you rate Superbowl ads? I don’t know why. I didn’t understand most of them, like that Audi R8 commercial where it was a Godfather parody. Well, that one was because I never seen godfather. Too bad it rained this weekend. I was looking forward to flying my new kite that I just bought a week or so ago. I never flew a kite in my life before so I wanted to try it out. Drivers Ed online courses are sort of strange. They talk about biology and other sciences more than actual driving laws. It explained what the retina, cornea, and other stuff on the eyeball are and what they do. About every four weeks in the school year we get a holiday break. I regret that I didn’t start my short story yet because I’ll probably have to do most of it on Monday on top of the other homework due Tuesday. Another bad week ahead.

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21 January 2008 @ 10:20 pm

Maltese Falcon Mix Tap 5 songs

Track 1: Tupac Shakur, Hit Em’ Up

The song begins with, “I ain’t got no mutha fuckin friends”. Just like in the beginning of the Maltese Falcon, we quickly learn that Sam Spade has no friends. In this song Tupac is dissing Biggie, who used to be his best friend. Tupac clearly shows throughout the whole song that he would not care if Biggie were killed. After Archer was murdered, Spade’s reaction held no remorse or feeling. Archer was just like an object to him. Later in the song Tupac says, “Little Ceasar go ask you homie, How I’ll leave yah, Cut your young ass up, See yah in pieces,” this is similar to the time where Spade threatens Wilmer, who is Gutman’s assistant. When Tupac is telling Ceasar to go ask his homie, it is like the warning Spade wants to send Gutman through Wilmer.“While we running for yah jewels, steady gunning,” Sam Spade is also chasing the jewels and gold of the Maltese Falcon. It is a race to see who can find the Maltese Falcon first so everyone is running. Spade is a very calm and steady person and would hold his gun very steady.

Track 2: Roy Jones Jr., Can’t Be Touched

In the first verse, magic raps: “I mean what I speak, I do as I say, I hustle I grind, Don’t get in my way.” Spade is a very straightforward man and will usually mean what he says. There aren’t many times where he doesn’t do what he says he is. Usually Spade won’t result to violence and will try to reason first, but if someone gets in the way such as Wilmer he will threaten him. The message is clear to Gutman and others that they shouldn’t get in his way or they will be dealt with. “I spit at the police and duck my P.O.’s, I ain’t going to court.” Even though spade is a detective he does not work well with the police. Spade often argues with police, especially the Lieutenant. He will try to avoid the police as much as possible and avoid going to court. That is why spade wanted to get a fall out man instead of settling in court. “I move when my heart say move, fierce like a lion, got nothing to prove, stubborn as a hot damn mule.” Spade goes by instincts, which is the same as his heart. When needed, Spade can become as fierce as a lion; this is shown when Spade hits Cairo. Spade is a stubborn person like many hard-boiled detectives. He does what he speaks so he doesn’t like it when other people question him.

Track 3: Jay-Z, Show Me What You Got

“Well misery I will assure them, Aww baby just ignore them, truth or dare mami listen and learn.” Spade will always assure misery to whoever messes with him; no one will get off easy. Effie Pernie is always told to ignore people or stay out of the way of things, so the phrase; “just ignore them” is used commonly. Spade always pays attention to details and listens and learns. He can tell if Brigid is lying or not. “Why even fool with these other guys? They all stingy. All these dudes know how to say is ‘gimme’”. The people Spade has to deal with all want things for themselves. Gutman is even willing to frame Wilmer, his best friend, for some money. These criminals are not easy to deal with either. There comes a time where Spade asks himself, why do I mess with these criminals anyway? None of them are cooperative. “Hovi in the spot tried to told you I was hot, tell these other dudes it’s a wrap.” Spade’s foes do not realize his detective ability, especially Brigid. Brigid is a deceitful woman that lies a lot but Spade immediately looks through her. In the end Spade wraps it up by capturing all of the people after discovering the Maltese is a fake.

Track 4: Jay-Z, Never Change

“I never change, I’m too stuck in my ways, I never change”. Spade does not want change. Many hard-boiled detectives are stubborn and are unwilling to adapt to solve cases. It’s either his way or he won’t do it, even if the other way is easier. Hard-boiled detectives are different from Sherlock Holmes types who are gentlemanly detectives that adapt. When Gutman or any other people try to reason with Spade he convinces them to do things his way. Also, in the chorus is the line, “I’m still fuckin with crime cause crime pays”. Spade has experience with crime because he is a detective and he knows it is very dangerous. Still, Spade messes with crime because that is where he gets his paycheck. This also applies to Gutman, Cairo, and Brigid for the same reasons. “We run the streets like drunks run street lights”. Spade thinks he runs the streets because he knows his way around and what goes down around the neighborhood. He doesn’t particularly like it when police, especially Dundy interferes with his investigation.

Track 5: Akon, Snitch

I chose this song because of the title. In the end of Maltese, Spade snitches out the people he was dealing with. They thought he wouldn’t tell but he did. “That’s risky the b**** tenderize out a n****. This line reminds of Brigid who tries to tenderize and use Spade for her own purposes. By tenderizing Spade she will know his weaknesses and use him for her own benefits as she used Captain Jacobi and Thursby. “Tuck ya chain in cause he might rob ya.” The chain reminds me of the Maltese Falcon. It is also tucked in because of the layer of black stuff put over it to conceal its actual worth. Otherwise, if it weren’t tucked in, Gutman, Cairo, Brigid, and would rob the Maltese Falcon. “Just don’t, whatever you do, snitch, Cause you will get hit.” This is almost similar to what Gutman says to Spade after their group splits. Nobody can snitch and mention their plans to the police or all of them will get hit. They are all connected and if any one of snitches they all go to jail.

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16 December 2007 @ 07:01 pm

Me like to eat food.

         I have lots of favorite foods; my most favorite ones are green beans and hot and sour soup. Green beans are just about the only vegetables I like to eat. Green beans taste very good if you add the right amount of ingredients to it. Other vegetables just don’t have that potential to taste as good as green beans even if you add tons of spices. I first found my liking to green beans when I was in middle school. I played basketball very often and there were many games over near Union City. On our way back from it was pretty late and my parents and I were starving. We stopped at a Tofu restaurant in a plaza in Union City and ate there. The restaurant always reeked of stinky Tofu, which is supposed to taste good. I don’t think it does. Anyways, My mom bought some Tofu since they specialized in tofu and also green beans with two other dishes to go. The aroma from the take-away boxes smelled so good. As soon as I got home I opened the green beans and ate them with some rice. The green beans had just the right amount of garlic and other little tiny meat in them. I like my green beans hard so they make a crunching sound when you bite down on them; I’m not sure that’s because the green bean isn’t fully cooked or that’s just depending on the way it’s cooked or type of green bean it is. Soy sauce can make your green beans taste good even if you messed up cooking them. Once, I was home alone so I was forced to cook for myself. I got some frozen green beans out of the freezer and placed them on an oiled pan. They came out okay; some were burnt and others were sort of cold. I made up for it by smartly adding some Tabasco sauce and Soy Sauce. It turned out pretty good and I thought I was a pretty good cook. Everything tastes better if you make it yourself, even cereal. I don’t go to that Tofu place anymore for two reasons: 1) I don’t go over in that direction anymore 2) They always change chefs so the food tastes different every time. Whenever I go to a restaurant that has green beans I would order it.

          I also like hot and sour soup and I am always trying to find a place, which has the best soup. I used to buy it at Ranch 99 but they stopped selling them, I was pretty disappointed. I began searching for a new place to buy it and luckily Panda Express opened in the El Cerrito plaza. A month ago or something I went to buy some soup there but they told me they didn’t sell it anymore. It was probably because nobody bought it, but the next time I came went there it was back. Someone had requested it back. Just last week when I was getting a haircut I discovered a new place where they sell the soup. They don’t have to best soup because it isn’t hot at all; it is just very sour but still good

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09 December 2007 @ 09:23 pm

(no subject)

1. If you could be a fly on anybody's wall, on whose wall would you perch? Why? What would you do with the information?

If I could perch on somebody’s wall it wouldn’t just be only on one person’s, I would perch on many people’s walls. First I would go to L.A. and go to some celebrity’s houses and see what they do all day. Then I would go to the FBI or CIA agency and perch on their wall. I would follow one of the agents through missions and be their sidekick. It would be just like a movie. Pretty much I would go to someone who leads a life very different than mine and see what they do all day. After that I would retire and perch on the wall of some Caribbean or Hawaiian resort and stay there the rest of my life. I wouldn’t do anything with the information because I am a fly so I can’t do much, otherwise I would just gossip with the other flies.

2. What is your favorite piece of art? Describe what it looks like. Why do you like it so much? How does it make you feel? Does it tell a story? Have symbolism?

I do not have a favorite piece of art. I do not like modern art because it is strange, I like art from a long time ago such as the Classic age or sometime back then. I seen this video of John Cage just sitting down doing nothing and that is considered a piece of music. I think that is very stupid, but it might be in style a hundred years from now. Some art is just too basic now, if you messed up on something or just splash some paint on a piece of paper it is considered very fine art. I like colorful paintings of nature or people. Music is a form of art so I like music more than the drawing and painting of art. Every song has a symbol or story. They tell many things the composer thinks or feels. Different variations of tone show a person is frustrated or happy. You can imagine what the person who wrote it feels when you listen to the music

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3. If you could choose your parents, how would they be? Describe how they look, act, and parent. What do they do (for work, hobbies, etc)?

If I could choose my parents they would be extremely athletic, smart, affable, friendly and many other positive things. They would be tall but not too tall, my dad maybe six feet and my mom five ten. My parents would be very polite and nice. Their ethnicity would be of many different cultures. My mom is a partner of a large corporate firm and my dad is a general manager for a sports team. Both of my parents do not have to work too hard so they are home often. My dad likes nature, builds things, and plays sports during his free time. My mom is pretty much the same. Even though these seem like perfect parents I would rather have the parents I have now.

4. If you could live in any decade, which one would it be and why? ELABORATE. What opportunities would you take advantage of in said decade?

If could live in any decade I would live in the 2000’s, the current decade. I do not know what the world will be like after 2010 so I wouldn’t want to go there. There might be World War Three or other issues people might face. I don’t think we have too many issues right now. The healthcare is currently all right. In the past people would not have painkillers or other things and surgery, amputations, or toothaches would hurt like hell. After 2010 our world might have ended because of 2012 or Global Warming. Natural hurricanes and tsunamis may become bigger in the future; those are devastating and cannot be prevented. Flying cars would be nice. In the future the population will rise. There will be larger buildings and more pollution. If I stood on the ground I might not even be able to see the sky. There would be less nature places to go to. I like the sports we have right now. I would not want to live in the past because the people aren’t tolerant of opinions that are different from their group. The government isn’t as fair either.

5. If you could/had to be any Disney character, who would it be and why?

If I could be any Disney character I would be Ratatouille. I have not seen the movie so maybe some things I say about him might be wrong. I would be Ratatouille because I can do something I love all day, which in his case is cooking. I have a friend who is a chef so I have access to all the cheese or food I want. Maybe I would rather be his friend because he is a real person. He doesn’t have to do anything himself because the rat is actually the one doing all the work. He is just a person following orders but he is getting all the credit since no one would believe a rat is actually mixing all the ingredients.

6. There is a difference between the moral man and the criminal in that the moral man has a legitimate reason to steal. Support or refute this idea (that a person's objectively bad deeds can be justified by the subjectivity of their life).

I do think there is a difference between the moral man and a criminal. Criminals are brought up with different morals than a good person and they will continue to steal but a moral man will only steal maybe once. There must be a very good reason the moral man will steal but it may be similar to the criminal, but then that will make the criminal a moral man also. Criminals steal for things they do not need but desire, such as for entertainment or pleasure. You won’t see many criminals going straight to your refrigerator to steal food to feed their family but rather TV’s. I understand they steal TV’s and money because they can sell it or buy stuff, but I remember my neighbor had his VCR stolen and the robber tried to find the box so maybe he could box it up and give it as a gift for someone. This happened somewhere before Christmas. A moral man would not do anything like this. A criminal will steal to buy drugs but a moral man will use it to feed his family. But, I think both should still be treated the same, as a criminal. The moral man should be sentenced less or forgiven and the criminal should earn his trust back because of his long rep of stealing. Criminals would go far as to shooting someone but a moral man knows when to stop.

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02 December 2007 @ 11:41 pm

(no subject)

My movie has four main characters, Dodge, Ursula, Moesha, and Brad.
The movie is set in 2008, a millionare feels inspired after watching Charlie and the Chocolate Factory so he gives four free trips to an exotic new private island for a week. He wraps four Hershey's chocolate bars and whoever finds the one with the gold wrapper can claim their prize.
Dodge - He got his name because he was born in a Dodge car. A man who is about 6'1". Works in construction, fixes buildings. He wins a trip to the island after he mistakingly picks up the gold wrapper which he thought to be real gold, he shows it to his friend and he tells him it is a ticket.
Ursula - She owns a fashion clothes store in a mall, she is medium-height and very up to date on current events and things. Ursula buys a chocolate bar and discovers she has a golden wrapper. She instantly goes and claims her prize.
Moesha - 21 years old and goes to Cal berkeley, majoring in survival skills on a deserted island. Very athletic and smart. She is a confident person and most mature out of the four. SHe gets her ticket when her friend bought 10 bars hoping to win but felt sick after eating nine and gave the last one to her without thinking of opening it first and checking.
Brad - A good looking guy and also pretty smart. He gets carried away sometimes on what he wants to do. Brad works at wallstreet and is really good with stocks. Because of his high salary Brad was able to buy the ticket off of someone else. Brad acts middle-class when he goes to claim his prize because they don't allow upper class people, they can afford their own vacations easily.
It is a coincidence that all of them are from the Bay Area. They all board a small private jet at SF international airport and begin their journey to the islands. Three quarters of the way there the engines stall, they cannot start up. THe jet dives downward and the 4 passengers manage to parachute out but the pilots do not make it. The four are alright and land in the Atlantic Ocean. They were able to carry with them a raft. THey fill it up with air and sleep in it for the night. When they wake up they find themselves on the shore of an island. On the island they begin to build shelter and collect food. The island is not too small, bigger than the size of Berkeley. There are strange animals on the island and the group has to stick together to survive. During the night things keep on dissapearing. Two flares and a flare gun were able to be salvaged form the plane wreck. They waste one shooting at what they thought was an airplane but turned out to be a shooting star. The last flare dissappears but they must find it, or they can build a fire. They search the island for who could be stealing there stuff. Three months later they all survive, they managed to build a paradise resort on the island and now it is a tourist attraction .

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18 November 2007 @ 10:20 pm

My Invention

For my great invention, I would invent a technology that hooks up to your head and writes your thoughts down. It would be sort of like Microsoft word with the speech technology. Instead of detecting speech sounds and recording them down, it will record brain signals. A cap or small round stickers, one or the other, are placed on a person’s forehead. The cap will read your brain signals and send them back wirelessly to your computer. The brain signals are translated into words and written down on a word document. Not all of your thoughts are written down because some may be inappropriate. You will be able to control things you want to write down. Think write, then the contraption will start writing. Think: stop thinking, and it will stop recording until you tell it to go again. This contraption will be a lot faster than typing or anything else. You can write a four page non-double spaced essay in about one minute. Instead of going line by line, this technology takes all of your thoughts jumbled up together and creates an outline of an essay for you, but you’re actually the one who is doing it. The contraption works your brain to it’s full potential. When you are writing a paper you think and expand as you go. This contraption will do that but a hundred times more faster. The contraption will not be too arduous or make multi-tasking hard. You can write things while washing dishes or watching TV. It’s like having two brains; the contraption won’t conflict with whatever else is going on. It will be just like if you were only watching the TV or only washing dishes. The amount of concentration will affect the quality of the essay. For example, while watching the TV you might get a B on your essay, but if you’re only concentrating on thinking out your essay then you will get an A. You can take ten seconds to edit your B essay though and it will become an A. So, you end up with an A. The grading policy would be different, not everyone will get A’s. The contraption is very comfortable; you won’t even notice it’s there. The contraption won’t be so scary or revolutionary that no one will want to try it.

I don’t know how this could possibly work, but I would like to use something like that. This is for all the lazy people or just people who write really slowly, like me. I think too much, so this contraption would work well for me. Lots of lazy people in the world might have been good writers if they weren’t lazy. This contraption will help them write stuff. The technology will help countries communicate better if the words can be transmitted into different languages. Writing an essay in a few minutes will allow people to do other things such as their hobbies or other fun things. Also, many people have great ideas, but sometimes too many to remember, they often forget before they get a chance to write them down. My invention would help a lot with homework; I could think this journal entry out in fifty seconds instead of writing it out for twenty minutes.

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12 November 2007 @ 11:00 pm

(no subject)

1. What is your favorite book?

I don’t have a favorite books, my favorite authors are James Patterson and Deborah Chester. James writes books about murder and the main character trying to solve them. He is famous for his series of books about Alex Cross, a Washington Detective/FBI and single dad, who solves homicide cases. Another series is Women’s Murder Club, which I think is currently a TV show. Deborah writes fantasy/science fiction books about the time where there were Kings, Queens, Knights, and those characters.

2. If you could/had to live in any country besides the United States, where would it be?

I would choose to live in a country that speaks English, probably Canada. I went to Vancouver, Canada this past summer. I was amazed of how many trees there were in a major city. It was like a huge version of Lake Tahoe. The scenery of mountains surrounding Vancouver and the weather is beautiful. It was similar to the Bay Area because they also had a bay. I didn’t know Canadians were so much like Americans. I think the Europeans countries are fun to live in but there is just too much racism over there for me to tolerate.

3. Who is your favorite superhero?

My favorite superhero would have to be Superman. He is pretty much invincible except when he’s near kryptonite. Superman can fly, I would like to be able to fly without having wings, just point my arms in a direction and take off. Superman can do just about anything. If he does something wrong, mess up on a pick-up line or something, he can just fly out into space, circle around the Earth a couple of times and turn back the hands of times. He also has some killer vision, x-ray and can burn through things.

4. If you could change any one law, what would it be?

If I could change any law I would make everyone get more environment friendly things. If they don’t pass an inspection they get a free replacement of whatever they need replaced. Another thing would be to make old people take a second driving test when they are officially seniors. I have nothing against old people because I will be old one day, but right now most of the slow drivers on the road I see are old men or women. They are creating traffic and are dangerous, driving about 45 mi/hr on the highway.

5. Is life a matter of reality or is it all just based on perception?

I think life is based on perception even though we cannot fully understand it. I don’t think anyone knows the true answer of what the purpose of life is. If all living things died on Earth it wouldn’t really mean anything. It wouldn’t affect our universe in anyway. Ever since I was in elementary school life has felt like a dream to me, everything is in a fog. For me, the purpose of life is to make it fun for yourself and better for future generations. But then there might be a chance humanity will become extinct. So…

6. Is it better to be too hot or too cold?

It is better to be too cold. I cannot stand heat, I might be allergic to it. My skin gets all itchy and I have to scratch it. I scratch too hard sometimes and it hurts. If it too cold I can run around or sit near a fire then it is all good. Or put on some clothes. A fan or air conditioner annoys me and gives me a headache.

7. Which is better: to get in a car accident that isn't your fault and lose a leg or to get into a car accident that is your fault and kill an old lady?

This is a hard question because if I say I would rather kill an old lady then I would seem like a bad person. If I lose a leg I would lose an inch or two of height and tilt over like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. I can never actually play any sports, driving would be difficult if it were my right leg. So after reviewing all the circumstances I would rather run over an old lady. The lady is old and has pretty much lived most of her life already, she is a stranger, if she is really grouchy or mean like Scrooge she might even deserved to be run over. Actually, I don’t think anyone should be killed because of something like that, just kidding.

8. Do you believe that pain and suffering is a necessary part of life?

I think pain and suffering is a necessary part of life even though sometimes we would like to ignore those feelings. Pain encourages us to do better and pursue happiness. Without it everyone would be happy, I couldn’t imagine life like that. Pain and suffering shows us the weak points of our society or lives and what we should improve to lessen that pain. In sports, pain sometimes shows that you are working hard, pain is sometimes even good to feel. Without these two things everyone would be robot, they can’t feel pain.

9. Is animal testing acceptable?

Animal testing is acceptable because I don’t think testing on other things would be accurate enough to be then used on humans. If it passes on a computer model/simulation or something non animal then it might not have the same result as when used on a living human. The human could die. It is much better to test on other animals then have the risk of messing up on a human.

10. Do you believe that ghosts exist?

I cannot answer this question. I have not seen a ghost before but the people I know who say they have seen a ghost don’t seem to have a really credible story. It might be just our minds playing tricks on us, someone a long time ago made up a ghost and it has grown until today. I wouldn’t say ghosts don’t exist because they might be behind me reading this and they’re going to prove me wrong. I don’t want to see a ghost because they are stereotyped as being mean, haunting things. My piano teacher’s brother is a ghostbuster. Haha.

11. Do you believe that you can never have too much of a good thing?

I don’t believe you can never have too much of a good thing. Having too much of this thing will change someone as a person, such as money. Money will make a person greedy, food will make a person fat. If this thing is tangible, an object, then I think having too much is bad. Something like love may be bad or good. Having too much love isn’t good either.

12. Do you believe that school is the best way to make a person smarter?

I don’t believe school is the best way to make a person smarter unless it is a program that lets the person study what they are best and most interested in. Otherwise receiving low grade scores will discourage the person even more to study. Less studying will make the less smart. Some people learn better watching movies, learning facts while watching a fun movie. It would be much better to go to a place and have a guide tell you about it then reading it from the text book.

13. Do you believe that Free Market Capitalism is fair? If not, what would you suggest?

14. Do you believe that war can be justified?

15. If you could switch your gender, but it had to be permanent, would you?

No I would not want to switch genders. I like how male sports are more competitive because of physical abilities of the genders. I would not want to go through child birth because I heard somewhere that it is like pulling your scrotum over your head, something like that, pretty sick. That is too much pain for me to handle. I also think being a male is easier than being a female.

16. Do you think you are anyone's favorite person in the world?

I think I might be my mom or dad’s favorite person in the world because I am an only child. I am their favorite because I am 50% of each of them. 23 chromosomes something like that, I learn from biology with Murray last year.

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04 November 2007 @ 10:15 pm

I like to hike sometimes

As a child my parents often took me hiking anywhere from the trails of Tilden Park to the Grand Canyon. My dad was the main reason I hiked, he loved to be in nature, places where there were few man-made things, away from the urban places where we spend our lives every single day, and he brought me along. And because of this I have developed a sort of passion for hiking or exploring nature.

It is great to get away from your regular routine of going to work or school. What surprises me is how many people have rarely been out to national parks. For me, you haven’t officially seen nature until you look up into the sky and check. If you have a dumbfounded look on your face with your mouth in an O shape, and your eyes wide open, then yes, you are in nature. This is because the sky does not have as much light pollution, and it astonishes you how many stars there are. If you look into the sky and say “Oh well, there are six stars today,” then you are far from nature.

The air is fresh and crisp, tall trees loom over you as you’re ascending the narrow dirt path. On your left the mountain inclines to a small stream, the water white from smashing and jumping into rocks. You can hear the water making it’s way through the maze of rocks; it sounds similar to cars rushing past each other on the highway. Birds of different colors sit on century old branches chirping to each other. On the ground, bushes rustle as lizards scurry away in fear. There’s no need to bring any water because you drink straight from the stream, (but use your water filter to filter it first). There is no word tired, the abundant amounts of green plants surrounding you supply you with the best natural oxygen available, and it’s wind delivered straight to your lungs. Dominant green colors of nature appease your eyes, also signaling you to go on further. As you reach the summit, your destination, you squint down at the dot of what seems to be your car. But then your feet get wobbly as you realize how high up you really are. Nonetheless, it gives you a feeling of satisfaction of what you have accomplished, especially when you look down and see how far you have come. Most rewarding of all is the beautiful scenery you have seen along the way.

I don’t really hike anymore because I don’t really have time to do it. Otherwise, I would definitely be hiking more often. It is great exercise and the views along the way are extraordinary.

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04 November 2007 @ 08:23 pm

ANIMAL I would be

If I could be any animal I would be a bird because they can fly, this gives them freedom to reach places we can’t go unless it were by airplane or other man-made things. I would be the fastest bird, which I checked up to be Peregrine Falcon. Birds have what humans envy them for, the ability to fly. Life would be a lot more fun if we could fly places. Instead of using cars for transportation I would be flying to places faster than most cars can drive. Being really fast and able to fly, I can attack humans and poop on them. Something birds have done to me before. It doesn’t seem to me these birds have a really hard life. They are at the top of the food chain and have a pretty good house built of strong wooden sticks. Peregrine Falcons are all around the world so I would have plenty of relatives around to play with.

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28 October 2007 @ 07:16 pm

Childhood Fears #2

I had normal childhood fears of monsters in the closet and under my bed, the dark, heights, and scary movies. While I am in the dark, I always feel someone or something is trying to catch me from behind. When I turn around I can only catch a glimpse of their shadow until it goes away. This adds even more fear already to the fact that it is really dark outside and there maybe creatures hiding in dark corners. I also used to be really scared of heights, whenever I hiked on top of some mountains and looked down into the valley, my feet felt wobbly or I stood up straight, scared I was going to slip on some loose rocks and fall to my death. Now, I am not as scared of heights, I challenge myself constantly to overcome this fear completely. During the summer, while on vacation, I went to the eighteenth and highest floor of the hotel and leaned over the railing for about three minutes total, while my dad was taking pictures of Oahu’s beach. (I wouldn’t do something like that by myself for no reason, it would be strange) I have also come a long way from my fear of watching scary movies. In elementary school at my after school program, we were watching The Wizard of Oz, the evil witch’s ugly face and screeching voice was too much for me to handle, so I ran away.

I have completely overcome my fear of monsters in my closet and under my bed. This is a fear you get while growing up; when you reach a certain age you realize there are no monsters so this fear disappears. As a child I always thought there was a small portal underneath my bed that led into another world where the monsters came. If I didn’t bother them, they wouldn’t bother me and we would spend the night in peace. Sometimes, I even tried talking to the monsters and scare them by looking underneath the bed. I never saw them so I assumed they had pretty quick reflexes and jumped back inside their portal before I could see. The closest also contained monsters. That was why every night I closed the closet so the monsters couldn’t see me while I was asleep. Then I jumped up onto my bed, that way the monsters underneath couldn’t grab my ankles. This probably also falls into the category of monsters. After the 9/11 I kept on having recurring images of Saddam’s face staring at me through the window. I shut my curtains pretty tight and tried to avoid looking at the window as much as possible. These occurrences of monsters only happened during the night.

I think these fears come from watching Television, movies, reading books, and hearing stories from parents or friends who just want to scare you once. Except it does more than that, it becomes your fear. I even have a children’s book my parents bought me called Looking After Your First Monster. It talks about how to deal with them, what they eat, what kind of monsters there are, and how to educate them them. I got over this fear when I reached a certain age. I realized there were no monsters and not enough Saddams to go around staring through people’s windows.

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