Friday, December 7, 2012

Satisfaction Guaranteed




From surprising to enlightening, AMST 100 was quite a gift. I must admit that I initially entered this class with low expectations, but I am leaving happy I had the opportunity to be apart of the class. From styles, to places, to storytelling, I know it all. What I didn't expect to learn was how to be a more active student. Voicing my opinion and participating in a classroom is no longer a fear, and usage of blogs is more available to me. Ultimately, I've grown as a person and can thank AMST 100 for being a reason for that.

Word Count: 98

Friday, November 16, 2012

I hope She's Proud


            It was finally Spring Break, and that meant Jeffrey would be on his way to vacation in the Caribbean Islands. On the first day, Jeffrey’s dad took him and his sister, Crystal, jet skiing. While enjoying the experience, they were suddenly hit by another jet skier that had lost control. Upon recovering from the collision, Jeffrey and his dad found Crystal unconscious. Later, while in the ambulance, Crystal died.
            It later became known that Crystal died from internal bleeding. Devastation was brought over friends and family, but affected Jeffrey most. The person he fought with, laughed with, and loved most in the world was gone.
            Grades immediately began to drop, and suddenly Jeffrey never wanted to be around anyone, staying up all night and sleeping all day. He had no direction in life, and didn’t care about anything. Finally, on a rainy Sunday evening, Jeffrey attempted to commit suicide.
            Luckily, he was rushed to the hospital and did not die. In the hospital, a close relative went to visit Jeffrey, but only said one thing before leaving, “How would Crystal feel?”
            The question lingered for weeks. How would Crystal really have felt? Jeffrey knew that the last thing Crystal would have wanted was for Jeffrey to throw his life away, and he knew he had to do something about it.
            School began to pick up. He took programming as a hobby and spent many hours learning various programming languages. The best was the least Jeffrey gave, and he drove himself to be a better, smarter, and ultimately happier person.
            Today, Jeffrey attends the University of Maryland, College Park pursuing a Computer Science degree and maintains a 4.0 GPA. He continues to work hard and continues to push himself. He does so to make his sister proud.
           point:  Don't let the loss of a loved one ruin your life

Word Count: 297

Sunday, October 14, 2012

A Weekend With Her Home


I have been with my girlfriend officially for over two years, only she attends school in Bloomington, IN.  I grew up in the same neighborhood as her, and we attended the same elementary, middle, and high school. Somehow, I ended up staying on the east coast; she ended up in the Midwest. I was fortunate to spend this past weekend with her during her fall break. After a whole month and a half with her gone, I cherished every second of the past two days and three nights I had with her, much like every break where I get to be with her.  The littlest parts of the weekend made the biggest difference, from taking her to and from the airport, to eating every meal with her. My favorite activity is the hours “we” spent baking chocolate chip cookies, and by “we”, I mean she. I tell myself I will help every time, but I always end up fooling around and cause a mess. As she bakes, we turn on “How I Met your Mother” on Netflix and watch the episodes we have watched over and over together throughout the past few years and laugh at the same stupid jokes.
When we were younger she and I would walk to each other’s houses because we couldn’t drive. Living two streets down from her my entire childhood made me take for granted what I had when she was here all the time.  The time we spend apart only makes me appreciate how great of a girl I have and all the time that I can spend with her. This is why I truly believe that "absence makes the heart grow fonder".

word count: 282

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Trail of Memories



Serenity, the sound of water flowing, the smell of algae in the air, and the feeling of being surrounded by the people I love.  The first time the jagged rock stairs come to view, one feels the intimidation that nature can be both beautiful and purposeful. Losing a beautiful place like the Billy Goat Trail would mean a loss of senses, memories, and natural wonder in a place that is near and dear to me.  Hiking the trail is like a rite of passage for Potomac natives,  and losing a place like this would be like a loss of manhood.

word count: 100

Thursday, September 27, 2012

All Day I Dream about Sports

Everything that I wear, from my t-shirts, shorts, socks, and even my sweat bands has to have those perfect three lines shaped into that perfect three sided triangle. You may wonder why I have to match brands from my head to my toes, and  it may be that I am obsessive compulsive, or that I just like the number three because even the brand name has three syllables. Ultimately, I like to match, and I like to express my love for sports. This is why I can only and will only wear adidas.

word count: 93


Wednesday, September 19, 2012

It's Time for Tennis!



I remember counting down the hour to the weekend every day during the week throughout middle school. It wasn't because school was out for the weekend, or that I could sleep in. It was because the weekend meant it was tennis tournament time. I never missed a tournament on a weekend, and I always wanted to compete . I got to travel to different places in the Mid-Atlantic region and show that I wanted to be the best and win. Every weekend brought different results and emotions, but it always brought me the drive to get better.

Word Count: 96

Thursday, September 6, 2012

A Place Of Growth



I grew up in Potomac, Maryland with my loving family and dog. However, home for me has always been a place where a person can grow. That place is and will always be the tennis court. It is where I learned to compete. Tennis helped me learn how to take losses maturely and to stay humble when winning. Although I suffered from a life-changing injury several years ago and am unable to play tennis at a competitive level, I now coach tennis. As I coach tennis to kids, I get to watch them grow just as I did through tennis.

Word Count: 100