[BC.] Essay Prompt Draft.

I grew up not being interested in anything particular. I took what was thrown at me and completed things just because it was mandatory. It wasn't until my brother told me what he wanted to be, then an idea was planted in my head. He told me that he wanted to be a pilot..At first I did not have much interest but after I thought about it for a while it started growing on me. At the time I was still in elementary school so it was still a pretty young age for me to get influenced. But after that I started to put more effort in interacting with all things related to it. I played with model planes, watched videos about new fighter pilot technology, and studied all that I could on the internet about it.

I figured it wasn't going to be easy. I couldn't just grow up and start realizing my dream. I still had to think, "What do I do to get there?" which still scared me at the time. I didn't know what to do to get to where I wanted to go. Sure I can be super passionate about it but I knew that that wouldn't be enough in itself. High school and college were far off and I stopped thinking about this dream for a while. Back then I thought it was only temporary but I knew there's always the chance to rekindle that fire.

To me, flying is the ultimate symbol of freedom. The idea of flying up high and looking down to see the world beneath my feet would deeply satisfy my desires.. Adventure is another concept I would love to touch. I've always wanted to explore. I've been to many places on my bike as well as car rides and I always enjoyed the thrill of going someplace I've never seen or been to before. You can say that I love getting lost and taking the time to figure out my surroundings to slowly learn how to get back home.

Traveling around the world was another desire that I had. I hope that being a pilot would help me realize this dream as well. I would imagine scenarios where I would fly to an exotic country and spend a week or so soaking up what the country had to offer. Places like Paris and Thailand were going to be my first destination. I don't know how likely things like this would be but I have heard that pilots get to explore and stay in the country for a while in between flights. That's one of the things that motivated me to become a pilot as well. I could travel and get paid for it.

As I grew up, I realized what I had to do to achieve my childhood dream. The thoughts were always reoccuring whenever I was asked what I wanted to be when I grew up. Events like that just reinforced the idea of becoming a pilot. There were only going to be a few cons to it. Sure I would be gone away for a long time and it'd be pretty difficult for me to settle down anywhere, but that's what I've always wanted.

[CE.] Obama urges no 'political games' on jobs plan

"This is a bill that will put people back to work all across the country. This is a bill that will help our economy in a moment of national crisis," Obama said, flanked by teachers, police officers, construction workers and small business owners he said would be helped by his plan.

He took aim at Republicans who have resisted many of his economic initiatives in the past. 

"We can't afford these same political games, not now," Obama said.

I honestly wish I could quote this whole article.

The topic of money, debt, and jobs have been ongoing for a ridiculous amount of time. How many times have we tried fixing it and where have we actually gone? I don't really keep up with politics but it seems like we're still stuck in a gridlock. Both sides of congress have different views and we're not really meeting in the middle. To both sides, it's like give us what we want or have nothing at all.

It's really frustrating because Obama has been putting a good effort into actually getting something done, but congress just keeps bickering at each other, nitpicking at the little things in every proposal and avoiding any progress that could have been made. The ultimate sufferer of this gridlock is Obama, because everyone thinks it's his fault that getting to a solid solution isn't happening. I think congress should give Obama's plan a chance and pass it anyways, since they haven't been going anywhere for what seems like quite a long time now and maybe it's just what they need.

[RE.] Time is slipping away...

I read a post by Alyssa sometime last week, but it didn't really hit me until now. Ms. Loy called me into her office to tell me that some of the credits I got from Spanish didn't count and I needed even more credits. So as a result I'm needing to take adult school on top of my already packed schedule. I can't really say that I'm sad since I feel like I brought this upon myself. But it's more of a disappointing kind of feeling. I'm already disappointed enough in myself to have done so badly in a.. 'critical' part of my life. Only now can I wish that I took the extra effort and initiative to finish everything early so the end wouldn't be so bad. Almost all of my friends have free periods and all I can do is sit here wishing I could be with them. My dream schedule was always a 0-4 period, I wouldn't mind waking up so early just so I get out of school at 11.

Whatever, I guess I'll treat this as a learning experience. My schedule is already going to run from 7-6:30, which is just as bad if not worse than the regular 9-5 adult workday. Instead, I'm going to have to deal with an almost 12 hour school day. This'll probably impact me the hardest because when I start working I can just look back and think 'Fuck, I used to work almost 12 hours' and find it in myself to suck it up and keep working.

It's a misfortune that senior year is going to be the most difficult, even when none of those classes are advanced. School has always been a challenge for me and I've already figured out that it really isn't my kind of thing. A lot of other people can say that but they're probably all lazy and just do things because it's mandatory. It's always been a struggle for me and senior year is going to be my ultimate test.

Note: For any underclassmen who happens to read this, DON'T FUCK UP.

[FREE.] Insane Bike Trip Pt I.

Photo Credit: Alvin Lee

I've been to so many places on my bike I could practically say that I've been just about everywhere. I'm always looking for new places to go, craving that adventure and trying to immerse myself in a new environment just so I could slowly figure out my surroundings. Sometimes, I don't know where I'll end up and I'll get scared, but part of that experience is conquering the fear of the unknown. I journey to become lost and make it my quest to find my way back. I found that experience during the summer--a trip I'll never forget. Enter Joaquin Miller Park.

Sandy, Alvin, and I. I suppose you could call us thrill seekers that day. We planned to go to someplace far, someplace unfamiliar. Joaquin Miller Park. I wasn't a complete stranger to those parts, I went on occasional field trips in elementary school to do some environmental stuff but I really couldn't remember much about that area. The way there was a good build up of excitement. I've never biked down Fruitvale before and it was an uneasy experience to begin with. The drivers in Oakland aren't exactly the most friendly people on Earth, let alone that whole Fruitvale area, but we got through it without much trouble. We reached a checkpoint and took a break to gather ourselves for the rest of the way ahead.

This part of the trip was absolute hell. The inclines were steep that none of us could bike up. Mind you I'm on a fixed gear with a high ratio while both Alvin and Sandy had not-so perfect gears. Most of this essentially became a hike. Constant breaks and what seemed like an endless set of inclines made it really hard on us. We were completely unprepared for what we were about to encounter..