New Years Intention

It's surprising how fast the year passes but soon itll be 2017. The upcoming year will be a year of change for me as well as all of my classmates. Soon we will be finishing middle school and graduating into adolescence. Throughout all this change my intention is to wake up everyday and develop an open mind to take the opportunities that come my way.

Last year I made the usual goals. I wanted to keep my grades up, be a nice person, and gain a hobby. I  think that I have met at least 2.5/3 of these goals. I have worked hard to keep my grades up and I have kept with my hobby: nail art. However, I want to make a new goal this year. As I said before, I want to wake up everyday with an open mind. There are some days that I wake up wanting to do nothing and stay home all day but this year I want to be a more active person. I want to do more things instead of wasting my time and spending it isolated even though I might be fine with it. I hope to make this goal.  Merry Christmas and a happy new year!

Eleanor and Park

Eleanor and Park is a young adult book written by Rainbow Rowell. It's about two teenagers who slowly fall in love after sitting together at the bus. Eleanor is a tall red headed teen with a harsh life and Park is a normal Asian kid in a white neighborhood. The story is told by both their points of view and they take turns sharing their perspective. I would recommend this to anyone who likes romance and stories with different POV's.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15745753-eleanor-park

Gifts

After Thansgiving comes Black Friday. I love shopping on Black Friday, there are so many sales and saving opportunities. I get to buy what I want and what I want to give as presents. This is very convenient because in December Christmas is here.

I like giving presents, but my family isn't really into that. We used to get a ton of Christmas presents but when we started going to Mexico the airplane trip ended up being our present. I appreciated it but I felt like I still wanted a heartfelt and personal gift. 

Something I really like doing with my friends is Secret Santa. About 2 years ago I had a secret santa exchange with my family and ended up loving the experience and the mystery of it. We met up at a fancy restaurant and had a big party. This year im doing it with my friends. It'll be a fun experience. 

The funny thing is that most of the Christmas presents I've received are pretty generic. Clothes, food, other stuff. They aren't really that special. It was just something physical and not really something to make a big deal of even though I really appreciated it. However, if I had to pick a favorite it would be my trips to Mexico from my parents. Mexico is a really phenomenal  escape from the cold weather in Illinois. I like going to beaches and pools as well as spending the holidays with my family. That's my favorite present.

Favorite Quote

Favorite quotes are similar to favorite songs or books in the way that it's hard to decide which one is the best. My favorite quote is , "We accept the love we think we deserve," or' " difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations." I like these quotes because they are things that I believe in and things that are personal to me. The first quote means that we set the standards up for ourselves. If we think we are worth less we will strive for less and what we think is reachable. However some people need to set higher standards and believe in themselves and just perservere.The second quote means a lot to me because I feel like people need to realize that just because some things are difficult does not mean that they should give up. They should strive for the outcome and think past the hardships and to the beautiful destinations. These are two of my favorite quotes.

 

My Name

My name is Citlalli. Its from a native language and it means star. My parents were going to name me Brittany but they decided on Citlalli. I have to thank God for that choice. A lot of people can't prounounce my name correctly so I have to interact with them and correct them. I personally like my name because it sounds exotic and rolls well in my native language, Spanish. My middle name, Guadalupe, means valley or river with the Arabic origin. My last name means emotionally stabled and peacemaker. It's origin is from Spain. A name means a lot. Some names have certain stigma like Brittany or Tiffany. I like my name and I really appreciate my name.

Every year we have many things to be grateful. This year I am grateful for my friends, family, new opportunities, etc. Though people might not realize they have so many things to be grateful for. Sometimes people whine about not having enough when really, depending on your perspective, you have so much more. We all want to obtain more and more but if we tried to make a list of all the things we have to be grateful for it would be as long as a roll of tape. All we need to do is voice out our thanks, and try to give back.

Election Thoughts

The election of 2016 has been in my opinion, a horrible one. Choosing between Hillary and Donald Trump is like choosing a way to die. One will kill you slowly but give no pain but the other will be a quick stab to the gut. No matter which one you choose you'll end up in a dead end. Luckily, I wasn't one of the people voting, as I am not eligible yet, but I have pity for the people who were forced to make a decision. The elction was decided by these voters, who I think did a bad job (come on people Donald Trump!!!). but it was, sadly, the slight majority.

I wouldn't say I'm involved with politics. I know whats going on only if its something insane on social media. This happens quite a lot which really tells you how America is changing. I would like to be involved more and I think I will be forced to because it might bring some personal changes (immigration laws.) To do that I'll try to read one of the plethora of articles that we have access to.

In the next election I want to vote. I want to have part in who will be President but I think I'll have trouble with that unless we have better candidates running next election (as the ones now are very inadequate) I'm not excited about it but now more than ever I know the importance of a few votes. I know that immigration and abortion laws are important to me so I will be looking at these the most next election.

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Blogging Tips

1. Choose Topics Wisely

Like in the real world, we need to watch and analyze the way we speak. We can't just talk about anything. I learned that we need to choose our topics wisely and make sure to have a central theme for our blog.

2. Have a Point

Writing is useless without a point. It doesn't matter to entertain, persuade, or inform we need to be conscience of it. If we want to persuade use a call to action, leave us motivated to do something. If you want to inform, make sure your info is valid and unbiased.

These are a few of the tips I will use in my writing.

A Place I've Been To: Mexico

I've been to Mexico many times before there is a visit I enjoyed the most. In December 2011, when I was 9 years old I remember going to Mexico for winter break. It was the first and longest road trip , which I spent mostly sleeping, of my life (so far.)

It's hard to remember all the details but some things stuck with me. One of these things was the death of Piggy the guinea pig. My guinea pig died because of heat and lack of air. Sadly, Mexico is widely known for being hot, even throughout the winter years. When my family was heading towards Mazamitla we made many stops to see what Mexico had offer and ended up taking too long in one. We didn't even notice he had died until we got to a hotel and I cried or what seemed like a week now. When I look back I can see that I was making a huge deal out of a pet that did nothing. R.I.P. Piggy...

Another thing I remember was my trip to Janitzio, Michoacan. If you go to Pascuaro you can take a boat ride about 10 minutes or less and head to Janitzio.

This is my family on the boat. When you get  to the island you immediately notice all the stores.

There are all kinds of things. They have clothes, pots, handmade cups, paintings, jewelry, etc. Another thing you notice is that the walk up isn't easy. The stairs are huge and all go up to the center of the island where there is a small playground, a small pyramid, and a giant statue.

The giant statue is of Jose Maria Morelos a hero from the Mexican Revolution. One thing I noticed is that its super tall. You can actually go in it. Here's a picture:

There are more stairs to go up which makes you tired, but its fun to see all the art and culture.

After we finished we continued driving to Mazamitla, Jalisco. This is where my mom and dad are from. If you go now there are a lot of tourists and people but in 2011 it wasn't that bad. It's a small place in America's POV and everything is centered around the plaza.

Its a beautiful place, especially around Christmas. The people of Mazamitla go out of their way to decorate and celebrate with fireworks. In the night they make a tower of spinning fireworks and let of "el torro." The torro, the bull, is basically a man who carries around a fireworks bull chasing people in the plaza. Its fun to see the crowd run around. There are a lot of ways to enjoy yourself in Mexico. These are a few things from my trip.

Chopsticks: Detailed Analysis and Review

    The book, “Chopsticks”, by Jessica Anthony is a visual novel shown by pictures. The book is about Gloria Fleming, a teenage pianist, and “Frank” or Francisco Mendoza the new kid next door. Throughout the story they fall in love despite the disapproval of Gloria’s strict father, Victor, and her possibility of moving abroad.

    The characters Gloria and Frank are very different. In the case of race and family history, opposites attract as shown by Frank a boy from Argentina and Gloria an american from New York. Frank is an underdog who is talented in drawing and artistic pursuits. Gloria is talented as a young piano prodigy who is faced with too much expectations by her dad after the death of her mother.

    Their characters are similar in the way that they are very dedicated to each other. When Gloria was having trouble with her father, after he was telling her they were moving abroad,  Frank stayed with her until the very end. He kept sending messages to her always encouraging her, meanwhile she sent postcards and written letters.

    Gloria and Frank have all types of emotions portrayed through pictures.  Gloria has an issue with her father and she is very frustrated at him and his lack of care and understanding for her. Frank is annoyed by the people around him, he is very depressed after not having Gloria with him. He says, “my heart misses you.” They were extremely happy together. When they would be with each other they would always be smiling.

    So far in the book, “Chopsticks”, I find the characters are all very one dimensional. With no explicit detail or direct characterization, how could they be? Gloria’s father Victor is the “bad guy” who is forcing her to move abroad to play the piano and follow his wishes. Frank is the classic “troubled teen” who is so in love he gives no effort in studies or school and even goes so far as to get suspended after fighting. Gloria is the “damsel in distress” who is being forced to do things against her wishes and needs Frank to help her escape her problems and be her support. They all stick to one role showing that they are very one dimensional.

    Frank is facing many problems. For example, he has had to move very far from Argentina to the United States. He had to leave behind relatives, friends, and his home. Frank has also had to change schools which hasn’t gone well, he goes as far as calling the school a “hellhole”. He has gotten into fights by bullies who call him a “spic” and has not done well in school. He has even gone as far as to get suspended for these behaviors. Overall, Frank faces many problems.

    Gloria faces problems with herself and society (people). First, Gloria has to face life with only one parent after her mother died around the year 2000, judging from the lack of her mother in their Christmas postcard as well as the message, “Thank you for your support during this difficult year.” Secondly, Gloria has the confront all the pressure that comes with all the performing as well as her father’s great expectations. Her dad gives Gloria a very strict schedule, her whole day is planned out leaving no time for anything else and only one hour of free time from 8 to 9. Her dad also doesn’t approve of the relationship between Gloria and Frank.

    Some problems even get between Gloria and Frank’s relationship. For example, when Frank gets expelled Gloria’s dad forbids Gloria to spend time with him and to top it all off he want to send Gloria to Italy to have her perform abroad for a year. Gloria couldn’t stop her dad from forcing her to go even when she expressed all her issues to him. This caused Frank and Gloria to become depressed without each other. Gloria was even sent to an institute for playing Chopsticks, a song reminiscent of their time together, repeatedly in her concerts as well as all the time she could get on a piano. Gloria had internal problems with herself in those moments but most of their problems were actually external.    The book, “Chopsticks”, is a visual young adult romance novel. It is focused on Gloria and Frank who are both talented and live in New York. It is a book left up to interpretation like a movie without sound or subtitles. So far in the book, Frank has been expelled and Gloria has been sent to an institution for mental “issues”.

    The themes in this book are all about love and trust. The themes are about the dedication  Gloria and Frank have for each other. The themes are young love and friendship between Gloria and Frank. The themes between Gloria and her father victor is obligation, to play and even go abroad for a tour against her will, parent-child relationships, and the price of progress and talent.

    At the beginning of the book the plot and storyline seemed simple and uncreative. It’s about two teenagers falling in love, but is it really? After interpreting the book and searching up questions online I realised it might not be “simple and uncreative”. Everything was a little suspicious. Why is Gloria making the pictures Frank supposedly made? Why are they shown with Gloria’s name instead of Franks? Why is the school logo and administrator for Frank’s school the same as the mental institution Gloria is sent to? Does this mean Frank isn’t real?

    The message in this book could be interpreted in many ways. It could be that, “love is wild” and strong. Seeing how Gloria and Frank end up being shown together in the end heading to Argentina after Gloria takes a job as a pianist on a cruise line. More interestingly, could the message be about Gloria’s mentality and imaginative mind.

    I think the author of this book was trying to let this book be whatever we wanted. We could choose for it to be the average and run of the mill romance with a predictable yet positive ending. In the opposite we could chose for the book to be a book about Gloria a girl who falls for her own imagination and her father who tried to help her. The ending could be a happy one about Gloria and Frank being together until the end or it could be that Gloria committed suicide therefore “freeing her mind”. I choose the latter, but the book could be whatever we want it to be.

In 10 Years

                      10 years is a long time. It's mind opening to think beyond the "now" and into the tomorrow. Sadly I'm not sure of my dreams and goals about my job or life in the future. 

                     When I look 10 years into the ahead I see myself in a great, maybe Ivy League college. I'm hopefully living in an apartment near my family and friends. I want to have someone in my life as well as a close group of friends. 

                     I'm still unsure about my job. However, I think I just want to have a job that pays well. This is because I like stability in my life and I'll need the money to pay off my school debts. I think I'm undecided because I'm usually always in my comfort zone and I don't usually try drastically new things or I just give up easily. 

                    Though my dreams are very vague, I still have a few goals. I want to go to beauty school and work at a salon as a part time job. I also want to volunteer at the Berywn Public Libraty because I like reading and books in general. These are a few things I want to do in 10 years.