Amanda Jimenez

A Great Time

               The prom I attended my senior year was a very memorable and amazing event. I had never been to prom before, and neither had my date and that made it more special for the both of us. I was excited to go all month long. My dress was perfect, and I felt like I looked my best. My date was of course my boyfriend, and he treated me like a perfect gentleman would. He was absolutely stunning and it made the night that more special. He took me to a beautiful restaurant. Although it was expensive, he told me to order dinner and any dessert I wanted. I ordered the restaurant’s unique pizza and it was absolutely delicious. It had so many great tasting flavors I had never experienced before. Then, I ordered a small chocolate cake-like dessert. It was so rich and moist, it made my mouth water. After dinner, I was ready for more fun. We walked to the theater rented for our prom dance. It was spectacularly decorated and made me feel like I was entering an enchanted forest. My date and I took pictures and waited for the rest of our friends to arrive. Once they were all accounted for, we took several crazy pictures in the photo booth. I couldn’t help but laugh at every picture we had taken. We were able to barrow crazy hats and necklaces for our pictures, and that is what made it so hilarious. After our pictures, we all headed out onto the dance floor. Most of the songs were full of great rhythm, and therefore it prevented us from leaving to take a single break. Finally, it came down to the last dance, a slow song. My date put his arms around me, and gazed into my eyes. I was full of happiness, we both were. The song ended, and my date then drove me home. He walked me to my door and gave me a goodnight kiss. I walked into my house exhausted and ready to sleep. However, it didn’t matter that I felt tired and was in a bit of pain due to my heels. I wanted the feeling to last as long as it could. I wanted to always remember the great time I had at prom.

Amanda Jimenez The Importance of These Three People The people whom I feel are most important to me are my mom, dad and sister. My mom is kind, supportive, and wise. My dad is understanding, gentle, and strong. My sister is funny, crazy, and loving. My mother is a very beautiful woman. She has jet black hair, hazel eyes, and a thin waist. My mother is very kind and thoughtful when it comes to our family. She always asks about our day when she comes home from work, and makes sure to hug everyone in the house. My mother is very supportive in whatever I do. I remember my mother being uncomfortable with the idea of me joining the wrestling team in high school. But she never discouraged me in any way. She attended every meet and every out of town tournament without complaint. Moreover, my mother is a very wise lady. She does not give me advice directly, but only gives me the tools necessary to figure things out on my own. My mother knows what to say and what not to say at all times. She is very patient and accepting to all ideas, which she applies to her everyday life. My dad is five feet ten inches and at the moment very thin. He has extremely short hair, and black beady eyes. What I love most about my father is that he is understanding towards me. When I mess up at home, he can be very forgiving. For example if I shout at him out of anger, instead of getting mad, he questions me. He will often ask me, “What’s really bothering you,” or “ is there something you want to tell me.” He asks me this because he knows me, and has patience with me, so he can help me be a better person. My dad is a also gentle with me in the sense that he considers my feelings. If my dad is angry at me, he will often leave the room and come back later when he has cooled off, so he doesn’t say anything that hurts my feelings. Furthermore, my dad is very strong internally. He is not in the best health shape right now, but he still continues to live his life as if he is. The person I can relate to the most in my life is my sister. Her name is Sabrina and she is 16 years old. She has long brown hair, hazel colored eyes and light skin. She is five feet nine inches, with the stature of a beautiful runway model. Even though she seems quiet and timid on the outside, she is funny, crazy, and a loving caring person on the inside. Sabrina and I share the same sense of humor, therefore we get along almost all the time. We are obsessed with movies and always quote lines to each other at any given moment. It’s hard to explain our jokes, but the way Sabrina makes me laugh the most is by her silly facial expressions and her dramatic acting. She can be loud and unpredictable at times, which is why I consider her to be crazy. However, when she does wind down she can be the most loving person you know. My sister can read me like an open book, this is why she always comes to ask me to confide in her when I’m sad or angry about anything. I remember this one time, I threw out my back at practice and she offered to cater to my every need, and even offered to massage out the kinks. Sabrina is the kindest sister anyone could ask for, and she fills my life with happiness.

 

Amanda Jimenez

Movie Review

               The movie I am choosing to review is Red Lights, starring Sigourney Weaver and Robert De Niro. This movie is about a psychologist named Margaret (Sigourney Weaver), whom investigates in paranormal activity. Margaret has a son in a coma which he will not wake up from, and she is conflicted about whether or not to let machines keep him alive any longer. So Margaret goes on this journey along with her assistant Tom (Cillian Murphy), disproving announced psychics, and secretly hoping to find evidence of an afterlife for her son’s sake. However, there is one psychic Margaret has not been able to discover the truth about, Simon Silver (Robert De Niro). Simon Silver is a well-known blind psychic who hasn’t been proven to be a fake. Then Margaret suddenly dies, and as a result of her death Tom continues her work and tries to find the truth about Simon Silver.

               This movie is intriguing from the moment it begins. Margaret is a very talented psychologist and very observant. From the beginning of the movie she pulls apart fact from fiction, and catches every slight piece of evidence proving these so called psychics are phony. It isn’t until she comes across an announced psychic and can’t figure out how he does what he does. She warns Tom he is a tricky one, and to leave him alone. But Tom’s curiosity gets the better of him, and he goes through very bizarre adventures. Throughout the rest of the movie, you are trying to figure out if Simon is a real psychic or if he is faking everyone out. There are certain things he does such as bending a spoon in half using only two fingers, or imprinting his thoughts on pictures from a camera. Also, he has a gift of being able to see things, even though he cannot see. Tom goes almost insane trying to figure out what we, the audience, are trying to figure out. It isn’t until the end when Tom comes to his final conclusion. I do not want to spoil the ending, so all I can say is he finds out if Simon is a liar, or if he is telling the truth. But at the end of the movie, it makes you wonder if Tom himself was a psychic all along. This ending is what makes this movie worth seeing. Although this movie is about exposing fake psychics, you can’t help but wonder if there are real psychics out there. It makes you wonder how to be certain about an afterlife. Do we see only things we want to see? Or does the fact that we can prove them wrong mean there may not be a supernatural world?

Amanda Jimenez

Fast Food Nation

               The book Fast Food Nation was a great eye opener. It made me realize what I was really contributing to when I ate a fast food meal. I am glad to say I haven’t eaten at McDonalds in over ten years, and will continue not to do so for the rest of my life. After reading this book I will also not work at a fast food restaurant, nor have I ever worked at one before. I want to cut off my connection to fast food as much as possible after acquiring this information. I feel guilt and disgust when I think about fast food and it feels wrong to contribute to this industry. I am still not sure if I want to become a complete vegetarian, but I am leaning toward that option. Becoming a vegetarian seems like a good lifestyle because of the fact that it’s a healthier choice, and I won’t be supporting the slaughtering of animals. After reading how these animals are treated, I am unable to look at burgers and meat in general the same. It seems the meat people consume everyday is unsanitary and dangerous. Moreover, I am a big animal lover myself, and it is why I can only eat meat once in a while, if I don’t think of where it came from. Finally, I want to be able to support groups whom are against all the wrongful doings of the fast food industry. I will be on the lookout for laws that can be passed to protect Americans from the fast food industry. Also, I will do my part and vote for any of these laws, as well as pass along the information I learned from the book or any other type of research I find.

Amanda Jimenez

First off, the truth was that I attended a cruise on my sixteenth birthday.

My Semester

               The start of my semester was surprisingly easy and made me happy. All my classes end before one o’clock, and all my teachers are pleasant and are very good teachers. I am taking Philosophy, Math, and English. All three classes have a fair amount of work and homework, but different levels of difficulty. So far the class I seem to be having trouble with the most is my philosophy class. The title lead me to believe it would be easy, but the concept is hard to grasp. I am not used to thinking in several different ways, and find it hard to dig deep into my own thoughts and put them on paper. Also, the different types of philosophies are interesting to learn, but difficult to practice. In my class the objective is to try and find answers, and the truth. But to be honest, I’m not sure if and where it ends or begins. However, hopefully towards the end of this month, I can improve as a philosopher, and apply what I have learned to my everyday life. Another class I enjoy taking, and is a lot more relaxing for me, is my math class. Unfortunately the assessment I took for my math portion ended up placing me in an easier math then I needed. However, it is always good to review, so I chose to stay and better prepare myself for the next level. I am very glad I did so, because I really enjoy my math class. My teacher has a great sense of humor, along with my fellow classmates. Several students and the teacher crack jokes and make the class time more bearable. Even though there is laughter during class, my classmates and I know when to settle down and let our math teacher fill us with knowledge. He is a great teacher with a lot of enthusiasm, and it helps me learn better. Finally, there is my English class. I have to say I have learned a lot from my English class these past months. There is much more writing involved then I had expected, but I know it is for a good reason. I enjoy my English class because of the students and teacher. The students in my class are very open-minded and eager to learn. My teacher is funny, nice, and teaches each lesson very well. She has made writing less painful, and sometimes fun. This has encouraged me to learn all I can, and hopefully improve on my reading and writing skills for my future college courses. Although I am enjoying the classes I have now, the workload can be difficult at times when combined with work and family. It can get stressful and complicated, but I know not to quit and to keep moving forward. I always try to keep positive thoughts in my head, and keep in mind the goal I want to achieve. The most important thing I remember is that it will eventually pay off in the future.

Which is the truth?

1.      I have vacationed in Hawaii.

2.      I was named after my great grandmother.

3.      I have a pet hamster named Fluffy.

4.      I once attended a Maroon 5 concert.

5.      I went on a cruise for my sixteenth birthday.

6.      My birthday is on December 14^th.

My Favorite Poem

Annabel Lee

It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of ANNABEL LEE;
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me.

I was a child and she was a child,
In this kingdom by the sea;
But we loved with a love that was more than love-
I and my Annabel Lee;
With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven
Coveted her and me.

And this was the reason that, long ago,
In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling
My beautiful Annabel Lee;
So that her highborn kinsman came
And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulchre
In this kingdom by the sea.

The angels, not half so happy in heaven,
Went envying her and me-
Yes!- that was the reason (as all men know,
In this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out of the cloud by night,
Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.

But our love it was stronger by far than the love
Of those who were older than we-
Of many far wiser than we-
And neither the angels in heaven above,
Nor the demons down under the sea,
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee.

For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling- my darling- my life and my bride,
In the sepulchre there by the sea,
In her tomb by the sounding sea.

Edgar Allan Poe