Like a Fish Out of the Water

“Breath, in and out!” my mother said right before everything went foggy.

The car door went shut and the engine began running. Before I new it, I realized I was headed to the emergency room…I was suffocating, I felt like a fish out of the water. I took short and forced breaths that tighten my chest (not that the effort really helped) my lounge’s airways were closing…I didn’t know what to do or think I thought I was going to pass out; I was in the hands of my parents and doctor Philips .

From that day on, I knew I was another of those people with asthma. I think suffering from it is very life changing (the fact that you can’t have pets and to make it worse finding that you are allergic to almost everything there is in existence! So that’s a definite no-no.) Anyways, I learned that asthma was not going to change my athletic life… (Thank god.) The doctor Philips told me that many famous athletes have asthma and that I should not worry because I’m not the only one out there that has it.

Now that almost 7 years have passed I have overcome my condition and I realized nothing can stop you from doing anything… Doctor Philips and my parents were always by my side. What moved me was how a doctor like Doctor Philips always thought about the patient first and the business and the money later. When I grow up I want to do the same and help children that suffer from asthma and allergies because I know how much you have to go throw with this health condition. Not only I want to treat them but I want them to feel supported, just the way my doctor did for me.

Memoir Monday: Answer or Decline?

“Ring ring ring!” the Skype pop-up icon appears on the computer screen. My grandparents. Should I press the green square that says answer or the red one that says decline? I can’t believe that I’m actually thinking of this right now…what if it was an emergency or just another of those calls where they just want to ask how school was or something like that. I feel bad thinking this but they literally, call twice each day! I don’t blame them for doing that because I know how much they love us and miss us; I can’t ask for anything better but sometimes I wish I could just hit the red button that says decline.

It’s not that I don’t love them or anything it’s just that everyone has their schedule like mine is go to school, go to triathlon practice, shower, eat dinner, do homework, get distracted by Facebook a bit, and go to sleep, by the end of the day you are completely exhausted and don’t have anything left in you to talk with your grandparents.

Once again the pop-up icon appears on the computer screen… answer or decline I say. For a moment I can picture my grandparents sitting there waiting eagerly to talk to us. It might be because the days and hours are shorter for them because there life is ending and the only thing that fills in that time is the love and affection we give them. They want to make their life longer throughout the activities, achievements, the suffering, the happiness, the sadness and most importantly complete there rest of their life with love and joy.

I realized that when time passes the only thing that is left is the people you love and care for. As a granddaughter the only thing that is left is for me to do is to leave the best memory possible with the only thing they ask for…love.

What Others Feel and No One Sees

A thoughtful person
Does not strive to overpower
Or control other people.
He values
Other
And considers.
He looks
For opportunities to help.
He thinks about others
Well being
Happiness
As well
As his own.

Last summer,
Was one that I will remember always.
It was filled
With wonderful moments, but
Sad ones too.

One day.
When I was out
In the streets of Bolivia
I saw a mother
And her seven little children
Walking with an expression
You could never name.
With a heavy bag on her back
Like if she was caring all her worries, struggles and fears.

Instantly,
I had a need
Of giving her
All I owned,
But I realized
I couldn’t.

A tight stomach
And the erge
Was running throw my body.

Could I do what everyone else does?
Give her some coins
And walk of like you made some big change?
No,
I couldn’t
I couldn’t do that
To someone who’s been holding
A big sign right in front of you
Saying:
“Help me please!”

I had
To do something
Something those kids and
Mother
Would remember
And say
Gee,
That was a thoughtful person

I couldn’t give them
A house,
Or a car,
Or one hundred bucks
Things that are material
But when I grow up
Could give
All me strength
And energy
To fight
For their health
Education
And make a farer world for them.
Although
Those things
Are hard to achieve
You don’t lose anything
If you try...

A thoughtful person
Does not strive to overpower
Or control other people.
He values
Other
And considers.
He looks
For opportunities to help.
He thinks about others
Well being
Happiness
As well
As his own.

What I Hope Will Happen This Year

When someone leaves his

or her country very young

One tends to forget many things

You forget the smells,

The color of the sky,

You forget the feeling of the cold,

You forget the faces,

smiles, and the laughter

Of the people you love…

You forget the happy moments in the past,

You forget the small details

Because

Over the years

The fragile mind

Beings to fade those moments...

It’s important to go back

And regain all those lost years.

This year I will become more alert to contact people far away.

One hug was not enough that day…

Last year we had lost the semi-final soccer game.

Tears of anger and sadness poured out of my eyes.

I saw the other team cheer

And wear a smile

That went from one side of the face to the other.

This year, I know we will win.

Tuneless, string less, it lies there is the dust,

Like some great thought on a forgotten page,

It sits there, the violin

In the dark

Waiting for someone

to wake its beautiful harmony.

This year I will be the one that wakes the beautiful instrument.

I stretch my arm forward and push back

The constant kick like a motor.

I’m swimming through a storms of doubts

Through my fears

Through my failures

Through my past and present

Swimming through joys and sadness

trying to go toward the shore

almost getting drowned by emotions

I’m swimming through my life

A place

where you will be confused,

confident

and content.

This year I will become stronger to get through the storm of emotions.

I see my sister’s fingers fly across the black and white keys

The melody growing as the days pass and turn in to years

I see her maturity become greater

At a speed I can not remember

I see she has flourished

But I just want the song to calm near the end

Because I’m afraid she will not ask for my help one day…

This year I will appreciate my sister a lot more.

This year I will become more alert to contact people far away.

This year, I know we will win.

This year I will be the one that wakes the beautiful instrument.

This year I will become stronger to get through the storm of emotions.

This year I will appreciate my sister a lot more.

Airhead

Airhead “Looks can be deceiving”
By: Luciana Paz

Airhead by Meg Cabot is a very interesting type of book that I never really imaged myself reading…I only have one word to describe this book—impressive. I loved the book it was very well written it completely got my attention they way Meg Cabot wrote it she connect it with the reader. I could easily say that this author is truly amazing.

The story takes place in the 21st Century in the city of New York. Em Watts—the main character—is not like any other girl; she doesn’t like Prada, Chanel, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, she doesn’t like anything but school and her video games. Clearly you can already tell that Em Watts is a tom boy, she only hangs out with boys, well boy (Christopher how she secretly likes), completely ignores the rest of the girl the “wanna bes” (or the walking end like she calls them). Not including that her dad chose a boy’s name for her, Emerson.

The main problem occurs when Em’s little sister— who is madly in love with Nikki Howard and is becoming a walking dead—forces her to go to the new So-Ho Stark Megastore grand opening were she didn’t even want to go and had zero interest in meeting the newly appointed Face of Stark, teen supermodel sensation Nikki Haword. What Em had no idea about was that there was going to be a disaster, changing her—and life as she known it—forever? One bizarre accident later, and Em Watts, always the tom boy, never the party princess, is no longer herself. Literally.

I’m guessing that you want to know what happed exactly right? Well, when Em and her sister went to the grand opening a the huge plasma screen T.V fell on top Em and at the same time the supermodel sensation suffered from brain damage. Em wakes up in a hospital but as Nikki Haword (Brian transplant)! The only people who know about this is her family and no one else can find out. (Obviously that’s going to be hard because she is the most followed supermodel in the WORLD!) Em Watts now Nikki Haword has to act like Nikki and do her job or else her parents will have to pay 2 million dollars for the transplant plus fines. I don’t think she has an option so she has to live with it. But what Em’s pretty sure she’ll never be able to accept might just turn out to be the one thing that’s going to make her dreams come true…

At the end of the book Nikki (Em) can live with Nikki Howard’s life but at the same time she can also live with Em Watts life, in a different way. Also at the end it lives you hanging so that you can read the next book Being Nikki. Hopefully I can read the next one and find out what happens next. If you like a book that you can relate with and can help you with your own problems this is the write book for you. I would recommend this book to ONLY GIRLS from ages 12 and up.

The Lightning Thief

The Lightning Thief
By: Luciana Paz

Have you heard about this action/adventure movie based on three teenage kids and trying to save the world? Does it sound familiar? No, I am not talking about Harry Potter but the new movie The lightning Thief directed by Chris Columbus and the book written by Rick Riordan.
Twelve year-old boy Percy Jackson is being kicked out of school for his seventh time now, he has saver dyslexia, ADHD, but that’s not all, Greek mythical creature are going after him. Zeus’s master lightning bolt has been stolen and Percy is the prime suspect. No matter how hard he tries he can’t get out of trouble. Soon enough, Percy’s mother—who has never told him who his father was—sends him to a camp where he will be safe or they think we will be safe.

Immediately he is given a quest from the oracle (the hardest thing he has ever done in his life) and bring two friend along Grover a satyr and Annabeth daughter of Athena. Will Percy find who he really is? Who is father is? Who is the lightning thief? And most importantly will he return the bolt and stop the next biggest war? Your will have to find out and see for yourself.

The movie and the book the lightning thief is based to be in Greece where gods ruled at the time. But now Rick Riordan gives in a special touch he brings the world of gods, monsters, tails, and myths into the 21 century. The movie and book are basically the same but the movie left out some things that were not that important but would have not hurt to put them in. The movie felt like it had a good plot but it seemed like the director just read the first few chapters then skipped to the end everything happened to fast. Another thing is that it felt like the actors dint connect it how really the character was they didn’t understand the background information. Because of those three reasons I would give this movie a 3.5 out of 5 the book I would give it a 4 out of 5.

Watching “The Lightning Thief” the movie is like opening a book and the word jumping out. The author really makes it very easy to familirioraiz and connect to. He also took events from the past and put them into our time, the 21 century.

If you are looking for a movie or book that has action, adventure, Greek myths, mythological creatures, or just a movie that will satisfy you than there you go The Lightning Thief, a movie that you will enjoy no matter what.

AVATAR

Avatar
By: Luciana Paz

When the conquistadors or the Spanish arrived to the Americas they came for one thing, gold. They brought things that the Incas and Aztec had never seen and really didn’t need. They just came and took their land. In James Cameron’s movie, Avatar, the Na’vi in Pandora just like the Incas and the Aztec with the Spanish were attacked but in Avatar by the RDA or Resources Development Administration who tried to extract their resources and control their land.

Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) an ex-marine, steps in his brother shoes, so to speak, and continues his mission. He travels to a new world where he can have a fresh start in a place named Pandora. A world filled with exotic life forms. He goes from a wheelchair to a ten-foot-tall, blue skinned, Avatar a half human and half Na’vi (a humanoid race). Jake is sent to learn their ways so that he can help relocate them and the humans can take over and get what they really want unobtanium, a mineral that is worth a lot back on earth. With their massive robots, air crafts and power they think that they can just barge in and destroy whatever they want. With time Jake grows close to Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) (the daughter of the clan leader) the Omaticaya people, and the forest. He learns their culture and forgets on which side he really is on. What will happen to Jake and the saving of Pandora? Will the RDA get what they want and win the battle? You’ll just have wait and see for yourself.

The idea of Avatar was started back in the year 1996 while James was filming the movie Titanic. Avatar said to feature photo-realistic and computer-generated characters meaning animated character but with realistic expressions and movements. It is said that Avatars budget was about $237- 300 million dollars making it one of the most expensive movies of all time. Avatar had many awards like it was nominated 9 times in the Oscars 2010 and won 3 of the nominations. James Cameron also made many other movies like King Kong, and Lord of the Rings, Terminator and of course Titanic.
Watching the 3D movie Avatar is like traveling to an unexpected world of art, love, science fiction, environmental justice, and of course action and adventure. The movie is like the saying, “expect the unexpected.” This movie really takes you to a spectacular world beyond imagination.

If you’re an adventure-loving, action-seeking moviegoer, then you’ll just be on the edge of your seat and want even more. Don’t worry if you think adventure and action is lame because Avatar is filled with many aspects and angels of life, art, science fiction, and technology. Don’t miss it, Avatar a movie like no other.