true or false

1.       I once played in a CIF Championship game for soccer at Channel Islands High School

 

2.       I have 2 older siblings

 

3.       I don’t drink soda

 

4.       I once fractured my nose

 

5.       I hate water

My favorite video

http://youtu.be/XUclo1RJapo
this week i decided to post a link to my favorite youtube video. it is about my favorite soccer player Sergio Ramos. I usually watch it before every game to get me pumped up.

blog #8

Sometimes people who you think are your “friends” turn out to be far from that. In my opinion, everyone has at least one fake friend. When I say fake friend, I mean a person who pretends to be your friend but talks smack about you behind your back. I once had a “friend” in my life who I thought was a brother to me. We were like partners in crime; always together whether if it was on the soccer field or at school, we would always be joking around. As time went on, I found out from another friend that he was talking smack about me behind my back so I confronted him about it and he tried denying it but I already knew the truth so I just walked away and we never spoke again.  After that day it completely changed the way I saw him. It just goes to show that in the end, the only people who will always be there is your family. Now I have learned to choose my friends wisely; I prefer to have a small group of close friends who I can be myself around, rather than knowing the whole world trying to fit in by changing the way I am just to satisfy their needs.  People tend to walk in and out of our lives nowadays, but it is our choice on who we decide to keep in our lives forever. This whole experience made me a better person because it made me pull my guard up on who I let walk into my life and even when they’re in my life I still have my guard up because I never know what can happen; such as being back stabbed or betrayed or whatever. It is not a very good feeling so It Is something I would never want to do to anyone.

family

Family

            Family is definitely the most important thing in a person’s life.  My family is always there for me whenever I need something, when I am feeling blue or just when I need someone to talk to. Family is more than just a word; family is a group of people who would do absolutely anything for each other under any circumstance. My family immediate family includes my mom, two sisters, my nephew, grandma, and my father; those six people have been here since day one with the exception of my nephew because he is younger than me but nonetheless, he is also here to make me laugh and smile. Family definitely has an impact on what type of person you are when you grow up. My family isn’t a perfect family; no family is perfect. However, I wouldn’t trade any of my family members for the world. We have our arguments here and there, but then again what family doesn’t, right? Sometimes our arguments get to the point where someone says something that they don’t mean but everyone knows it was just in the heat of the moment. At the end of the day, we really don’t mean all the bad things that we say to each other and we know we love each other and are always here for one another when something goes bad. I grew up in a house with my mom, grandma, and my two older sisters. I believe living in a house full of women is the reason why I have so much respect for women and they have taught me so much on how to treat a woman. It is always a joy to have a new family member, I remember when my nephew was born; everyone was excited. I would even get a little jealous because everyone would focus their attention on him instead of me. I had to accept the fact that I was no longer the baby of the house. It feels pretty good to have another male in the house because now I have someone to watch sports with and play outside and all that. When you’re a teenager, you tend to push your family away because you want to spend all your time with your friends or significant other but as you grow up; you start to feel those friends drift away, especially after high school; and eventually you’re left with the only people who have always been there for you, your family.

Essay #1

My uncle was a great guy, but he was an alcoholic; his name was Gera. The only bad thing about him is that it seemed like he would spend more time being drunk than sober. When he was sober he was one of the greatest guys around; he didn’t have a job but he would ride his bike everywhere with a huge smile on his face. Everyone in our neighborhood loved him, he would spend every day of the week helping our neighbors with their yard work or with washing their cars or whatever they needed. When he wasn’t busy helping the neighbors, he would spend his time playing with his nieces and nephews, including myself. He didn’t have a wife or any kids so we were like his children. He taught most of us how to swim or ride a bike, he would walk us to the liquor store around the corner and buy us chips or ice cream; he was always there for us whenever we needed him; however, his drinking problem was really bad. It was like he would turn into a completely different person when he was drunk. My mom and grandma hated it when he was drunk so they would kick him out of the house and he would go to his friend’s house around the block. What I remember most about him was watching the NFL games all day every Sunday on at night every Monday; he was a die-hard Pittsburg Steelers fan.

It was a beautiful summer morning; the sun was up and shining brighter than ever, and the birds were chirping all together as if they were just one loud bird chirping alone. I was on my way home from my soccer game with my dad when I received the worst phone call I have ever gotten in my whole life. It was my mom crying and panicking like never before. She had called to tell me that my uncle, her brother, had passed away; my heart immediately dropped. I was speechless; it felt like I had forgotten how to speak. My mind knew what I wanted to say but my mouth would just not cooperate. When I told my dad about the tragic news he rushed me home. When I got home I ran inside and I saw everyone in my family on the couch hugging each other and crying. It broke my heart to see my whole family crying like that; what hurt the most was seeing my mom and grandma on the other couch crying their beautiful hearts out, it was an image that will forever remain in my head. My grandma was the one who suffered the most; she went in his room around 9:00am to wake him up for breakfast and she realized he wouldn’t move when she yelled his name, so she went up to him and realized that he wasn’t breathing. She poked him, slapped him, yelled at him and he would not move. She started yelling for my cousin to come see what’s going on; when he realized my uncle was no longer breathing he immediately got my grandma out of the room and called 911. When I got home the police and paramedics were already there trying to figure out what happened; the police asked me to step out of the room but I begged them to let me see my uncle. After a while, they finally let me see him just for a minute. When I saw him lying on the bed lifeless I couldn’t help but to break down. In that very moment every single memory I had of him replayed in my mind over and over again.

It seemed like the whole neighborhood was depressed when they heard about my uncle’s death. The day after he passed away we found out that alcohol was the cause of his death. My grandma was depressed for months; she would just sit and cry all day and watch a show that she and my uncle would watch every morning called “Walker Texas Ranger”. Things seemed quiet around the house for a while until we realized that sitting around being miserable all day wasn’t going to bring him back or make things better; so we decided to at least try to cheer up and keep our heads up for him. After a few months we were finally able to go back to normal; however, we still shed a tear every now and then but we know my uncle would want us to continue with our lives and keep him in our memories.

My uncle’s death had a huge impact on my life because it made me realize many things. One thing I realized is that it was time for me to step up and be the man of the house; I knew it was my turn to help out my mom and grandma with anything they needed. I also realized that anything can happen at any moment, so ever since then, I have been appreciating and thanking everyone I love for being in my life and being here for me. Life is short and you should appreciate what you have before it is gone. When my uncle passed away, I promised myself I was going to be the kind of person he was when he wasn’t drunk. He was a nice, respectful, honest, trustworthy, hard-working man.

Dealing with a death in your family is never easy; but if you and your family stick together and help each other out then it will be a lot easier than sitting down and crying your eyes out all day every day. I can still hear my uncles voice in my head telling me “Don’t give up on your dreams; stay in school, do your best and please don’t do drugs or alcohol.” I believe this experience made me a better person because it made me mature and realize things that I wouldn’t have realized until I was older; however, there is not a day that passes by where I don’t think about my uncle and hope to see his face again one day.

interview with a classmate

                I recently got to meet and interview my classmate, Ivy-Andra Ibarra. She is a very nice person who is not shy and likes to meet new people. Ivy’s motivation for attending college is being one step closer to having the career of her dreams. She balances her school, family and work just like every other person; it is pretty much scheduled. She said she doesn’t think she is a mentor or role model to anyone but she encourages people to live a good life. In about 5 to 10 years, Ivy sees herself in Boston attending medical school, studying and working hard. The thing Ivy really likes about Oxnard College is how she is meeting new people. The biggest surprise about her college experience to her is how much fun it is. Three words that describe Ivy are: talkative, hard-working, and open-minded. Ivy’s motto for succeeding in school is “Just make it work”. I am really glad to have done this assignment because I was able to meet a great person who I probably would have never met if it wasn’t for this interview that we had to do.

texting

            Texting is one of the things most of us do now a days; it is something we do to communicate with our friends or family or significant other. It keeps us entertained on a daily basis; however, texting may also be bad for some people. One thing you should never do is text while driving; you are putting your life as well as other’s lives at risk. It can be a huge distraction! When people text and drive at the same time they usually tend to keep their eyes on their phone and not the road. That’s where the accidents start to occur. In my opinion, texting or talking on the phone while driving is just as bad as driving while intoxicated because when you’re intoxicated you drive recklessly and sometimes don’t know what you are doing; and when you’re texting while driving you get so distracted and can hit someone who is crossing the street or run through a red light or stop sign, or hit a car and seriously injure someone. All in all texting while driving is something people shouldn’t be doing, if it’s a really important text message, then just pull over and reply or something, but don’t do it while driving.

Reality Television

             Reality television is getting more and more popular every day. I watch them every once in a while but I am not like some people who are addicted to it and can’t get enough of it. When I do watch it I like it because they could be humorous at times and they also have drama. Drama is interesting and entertaining to a person when it does not involve them in it. There are many different types of reality television shows; such as, documentaries and hidden cameras. The only reality show I would watch all the time was Jersey shore. That show had a bit of everything; Humor, romance, drama and more. What I really like about them is that they are entertaining and keep me busy I am trying to kill time. What I don’t like about them is that sometimes they are scripted and it basically takes the “real” out of “reality television”.

 I believe reality television is both harming our society and something we benefit from; because some of the content it shows is immature and irresponsible such as getting completely drunk and getting into fights at a club or bar. However, some of us are benefiting from it by learning from the actors mistakes and trying to avoid acting like that in real life. Another thing about it that is harming our society is how disrespectful some of those actors act on camera. People usually love the “badass” and disrespectful actor the most; so then they decide to act like that person in real life instead of just being themselves.  Another way we benefit from it is by knowing how NOT to act and it makes some of us realize how being disrespectful and rude is not cool at all. I benefit from it by trying to figure out which actor has the same or is the closest to having the same personality as myself and watching how he acts and if I see something that I don’t like, I try to avoid acting that way myself.

In my opinion, reality television is a guilty pleasure; however, it is something I try to avoid watching. It is a guilty pleasure for me because I love all the drama and excitement only because it does not include me. I love it when people make a fool out of themselves on television by trying to act cool or just because they are drunk or just do dumb things in general.  However, it is something I try to avoid because it can be addicting in a way. Some people cannot get enough of reality television so they sit there and watch it all day instead of getting up and doing something productive. The main reason why I try to avoid watching it is because I am pretty much contradicting myself whenever I talk bad about it. It is kind of like a love/hate relationship between reality television and me; I love the drama and comedy, but I hate how dumb the people could act.

Fast Food

When I was young, fast food was a big part of my childhood. My parents introduced me to McDonalds at a very early age; I was only three years old when I discovered my very first addiction, Chicken Nuggets. When I took my first bite of that sweet tender juicy chicken nugget, I was instantly hooked. My parents never told me how unhealthy fast food was; they would just buy it for my sisters and I. Don’t get me wrong, we ate home-cooked meals all the time but I just had to eat fast food a couple times a week or I would throw a fit. As I started getting older I started realizing how unhealthy fast food was but it didn’t bother me; the only thing that mattered to me was how delicious it was. I remember going out for a run with my cousins to get some exercise because he wanted to lose weight but then we would go eat Toppers or McDonalds or at some other type of fast food restaurant because we would be starving after. At that time, we knew fast food was not healthy and it certainly was not going to help us get into better shape but we didn’t care; all we cared about was eating a delicious slice of pizza, or a big juicy burger.

Now that I am older and much wiser than I was before, I am starting to stay away from fast food as much as I can. I still eat it here and there because it is rather difficult to just quit cold turkey. I definitely do not depend on it like how I used to; however, I still reward myself every now and then. My family likes to go out to restaurants occasionally; like when it is my sister’s birthday or anyone else in my family. I am honestly glad I try to stay away from fast food. I recently just started eating less of it a month or so ago, and I feel great! Like I said, it is difficult to just quit cold turkey; so I decided to eat smaller portions. For example, when I used to go to McDonalds I would always get: 2 McChickens, large fries, and an Oreo McFlurry. Now when I go, I only get 1 McChicken, Small fries, and a bottle of water. I know it’s still not very healthy but I would say its way better than I used to eat. I am currently taking a Health and Fitness class at Oxnard College to help me eat better and get in better shape for soccer. I feel like once I let go of fast food for good, I’ll be able to play to the best of my ability. I hope to accomplish my goal of not eating fast food by the end of this year. I know it will not be easy; but if I really set my mind to it, I will be able to accomplish my goal.

Past, Present, and Future

 

The past eighteen years of my life have been amazing, it all started with my childhood. I was born on the 12^th of June in 1994 in Camarillo, California. I don’t remember much about my first 3 years of life besides me crying all the time and wanting to be in my mother’s arms. When I was 4 years old my dad put me in t-ball, but I hated it and would cry at every practice. He eventually got tired of it so he decided to put me in soccer, the sport mostly everyone in my family played when they were young. I immediately fell in love with it. My dad was a huge part of my childhood; he was always there for me whenever I needed something. Whether if it was about school, soccer, or any random question; he would be there to help me out and give me advice. My parents got divorced before I was born so I lived with my mom. She is the woman who put a roof over my head and clothes on my back. I grew up in a house full of women; it was my mother, grandmother, my two sisters, and I. Living in a house full of women taught me a lot about how to treat women. My mom always told me respect is one of the most important things. When I was young I certainly was not the biggest fan of going to school; the main reason was because I had to wake up early every day. I didn’t get bad grades or get in trouble, I just did not like going to school. That was until high school came; those were some of the best years of my life. The best part about high school was playing on the soccer team with all my friends who I have been playing with since we were little. Our greatest moment was making it to the CIF Finals our senior year, but we were heartbroken when we lost 2-1. After that day, we all said we want to go to Oxnard College to play soccer together and hope to make it to the final again but actually win it this time.

My present is going great. I am currently a student at Oxnard College, hoping to make it somewhere in life. I spend my days going to college, coming home to help my mom out with whatever she needs, helping my sister raise my 5 year old nephew, and playing soccer. As you can see, I still play soccer; it remains the 3^rd most important thing in my life behind family and education. My relationship with my dad has change quite a bit; he’s not around much anymore ever since he found himself a new girlfriend. He still goes to my soccer games to support me, but that’s pretty much it. In these past few months I have learned so many things my dad did when I was too little to know what was going on, but I don’t really want to get into that subject. I still live in the same house I have been living in since I was born; still with the same women who I have always been living with; mom, grandma, both sisters and now, my nephew has joined me as the other male in the house. Unfortunately, I am still unemployed. It’s tough finding a job around here but I am not giving up. Since my father is no longer in the picture, I figured it is time for me to step up and support my family. Even though my sisters are older than I am, I still look out for them. Life is tough, but if you really want something you must work hard and you have to earn it. I believe hard work and dedication is going to get me through college and help me become successful.

Ever since I was a little boy, I have always imagined my future to be bright; and to this day, I still picture myself being successful in the future. I hope to be either a police officer or a firefighter. I want to help people and make them feel safe, someone who people look up to. I picture myself being wealthy and happy. I will repay my parents for everything they have ever done for me as well as the rest of my family. I hope to have a family of my own one day; a beautiful wife and 3 or 4 beautiful children. Before settling down with my life and having a family of my own, I hope to still be playing soccer at a university and eventually professionally but if that doesn’t work out, I will become a firefighter or a police officer or at least have a great paying job so I will be able to support my family when I do decided to settle down. The world is full of mysteries and unfortunately nobody can tell the future, so who knows what I will be doing with my life years from now. All I can do is work hard to the best of my ability and try to accomplish all my goals, and make my dreams come true. I am excited to see what the future has in store for me.