I look back at my life

As it changes,

When I am freed from my cages

In the stages,

Of embarrassing phases,

So I turn the pages.

And love different people and places

But drool over the same beautiful bodies and faces

So I keep up with the latest

Ill be loud and vivacious

Girly and flirtatious

But deep down I want warm embraces

And for you to be there for me – whatever the case is

We live in a world that is outrageous

Where you are always expected to be gracious

Make it seem like life is painless

And only the privileged can achieve greatness

So when I am in my old ages

And done working for my wages

I want to be remembered as courageous

And set an example that is contagious

Stop being embarrassed and start being shameless

Stray away from sameness

Because you will be faceless and nameless

For what will you be famous?

It won’t be painless, but you will achieve greatness.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but no one ever says how difficult it is to create one.

I still remember the first time I was in a darkroom, courtesy of my Photo I class back in high school. The teacher insisted we had to start with the basics, and so he gave us all a black-and-white film camera and told us to take pictures of whatever we enjoyed. At least the first time; the second time he took us on a trip, the same rules in place. And suddenly, I became so much more appreciative of what pictures I’ve been taking. Maybe it was because of the limit, or maybe I just simply didn’t want to go through the process of developing pictures I didn’t like (It’s a pain, plus I hate wasting the precious photo paper).

The darkroom experience in itself is quite calming. Surrounded by darkness, a red safe light guiding your every move. It boosted my concentration every time. Which I needed, considering that focusing the lens could get difficult if I was even a bit out of it. And then the counting. I’m pretty sure I slipped up every time. First the developer, then 30 seconds in the stop bath and two minutes in the fixer. 5 seconds in the running water and I could finally take the test strip out. Yup, that was just a test run. If I was lucky and I didn’t make the lens aperture too large or too small, all I’d have to do when developing a picture is just set the time right. Luck or skill – I like to call it a bit of both. And then I just have to hope that it won’t be blurry for whatever reason, or that I don’t scratch the paper with the tongs when moving it from liquid to liquid. And make sure I kept it in the developer long enough.

The darkroom was also a place for thoughts. My problems always seemed much smaller when I was in it, allowing me to solve them more quickly.

A lot of people don’t take appreciation in what pictures they take. My photography took a whole new turn when I had this limit set upon by the capacity of the film camera because suddenly I saw the world in a whole new perspective. At the same time, it also made me more aware of the things. Which can be a good thing, although my friends can get a bit annoyed when we’re at the park and they want to move on and I’m still like “But I still didn’t get the right angle” or “wait I think the shutter speed wasn’t good for the last one. Let me redo just in case”

Two days ago I’ve emailed my Photo teacher from high school (thanks to this assignment) and the first thing he asked me was “do you have some new photographs?” and saying no made me realise how lazy I’ve got with the camera. Luckily, I might be getting a new one soon. I’m looking ahead to the digital experience, but nothing replaced the good old SLR.

But now on a bit more of a sarcastic note –

http://121clicks.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/photography_comics2.jpg

And of course the cartoon me –

http://vecto.rs/1024/vector-of-a-cartoon-female-photographer-taking-pictures-outlined-coloring-page-by-ron-leishman-17869.jpg

Mirror Mirror on the wall.

Do you see that girl that seems to have won it all?

Smiling down the city streets,

Making new friends with every bird and bee.

Far from her tower, where she used to sit and cower

Under the weight of the beast she thought herself to be.

To hard for her to believe, that she could be among the fairest of them all,

Never dreaming that she could ever be the Belle of her own ball.

Trapped by the fear of the dragons, wolves and poison apples that were everywhere.

But one little spark set her free.

Jumping on that magic carpet and soaring high

Traveling to a new land she has be dying to see.

And for a while, everything become as magical as life could be.

Living out these days brought happy new adventures,

Even the chance at meeting her prince.

Though the biggest journey along the way,

Through each and every day,

Came in discovering who she can be.

Only too soon did new perils make their way to this land,

And she had to move to another.

But the girl began to know just what to do, to keep her happiness alive

For she had learned a great deal from the fairies and genies that she called her friends.

Finding the light was the key out of her old tower,

But darkness never stays in once place.

So while she does return to it again and again,

It’s only for a short while.

Because now she knows the secrets on how to find her way back,

To the happiness she knows is true.

With Lumiere on her side, she is much less afraid

To face the Big Apple and whatever else gets thrown in her way.

One of my friends scarred me for life. Emotionally, and almost, physically. It’s been a year since the event, and everyday, I am still very, very, affected by it.

Just a little over a year ago, I would pass around my soda with a group of 10 people and still sip on it very comfortably. Now, I do not even touch anything that someone has placed their mouth on. We live in New York, a coffee is like $99 dollars , but never again will I share a drink that has the potential of affecting the rest of my life.

One year ago, my friend with a cold sore history asked to drink my water. I gave it to her, and proceeded to drink it afterwards.

Soon after, I feel a weird bump near my mouth.

Crying on the public van, I realized: Life is over, this is it. Once cold sores KO’s you, it will forever claim you.

Good thing life is filled with second chances; because as it turns out, it was just a pimple. It went away the very next day!!!

I am Herpe-free, and really really hope to be for the rest of my life. Though we all know, it’s always the most careful ones…..

Wish me luck, xx

No.

Kendrick Lamar- Rigamortis

Frank Ocean- Pyramids

Bruno Mars- The Lazy Song

Joey Bada$$- Pennyroyal

Kanye West- Gorgeous

Gang Starr- Above the Clouds

Immortal Technique – Dance with the Devil

Mac Miller- Diablo

Fabolous- Young OG

Kanye West- Robocop

I feel these songs represent only a bit of my diverse taste in music. Most of these songs are songs that depict what I find interesting in music. They either grasp my attention with meaningful or clever lyrics or appeal to me through the instrumentals. Clever punchlines along side unique beats and melodies usually catch my attention. Mac Miller’s Diablo as well as Kendrick Lamar’s Rigamortis for example, are backed by particularly unusual instrumentals. Most of these songs also exhibit skillful use of alliteration and metaphor and simile. Songs like Dance with the Devil however, take it a step further and tell a story. Although the story is graphic, it is told in such a way that leaves the listener in shock. Ultimately, I look to be left in awe by some aspect of a song, wether it be by creative lyrics, or a catchy melody etc. Music has been a part of my life from a young age and I feel this has contributed to the way I listen to songs with a keen ear, looking for what specifically i like or do not like about a song.

The songs I chose are chosen because the artist or song best represents who I am. I chose “Buffalo Soldier” because Bob Marley is the man. The song “Show No Love”(“Cocaine Paradise”Spotify messed up the name)talks about the artist’s life in Newark which is similar to my life in Queensbridge. “Shake It Off” made the list because I like listening to that song when I feel like acting like a gangsta. Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ On A Prayer” makes me think “Aren’t we all in some way ‘Living On  A Prayer’.” I had to add “N.Y. State of Mind” because Nas is from Queensbridge which makes us brothers. “Dear Mama” was added because its part of the “National Recording Registry,” if it’s good enough for congress it’s good enough for me. “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five is old school hip-hop, before any sort of “gun” was added to a rappers vernacular. Bruno Mar’s is my brother so I had to throw in “Liquor Store Blues” plus he has an amazing voice. “What goes around” was added because Justin Timberlake is a thug and I respect that. Ray Charles “Hit the Road Jack” is an old school throwback that I listen to because it’s Ray. Lastly, my list wouldn’t be complete without a song that has a crazy nice beat but lyrics that don’t make sense which is why I added DMX. It was hard choosing which DMX song to add because all his songs don’t really make any sense but “X Gon’ Give It To Ya” has the best beat with the least profanity.

Hope you guys enjoy.

Hi everyone!

Okay so here are the images that, in my opinion, represent who I am. Unfortunately the image upload wasn’t working for me (stupid space limitations) so I’m just going to add links to images I find online that best represent me and hope that it works.

First I picked the tumblr logo. I created my first tumblr account back in the freshman year of high school and I’ve wasted spend so much time on it that not including it would be a straight-up lie.

http://www.vogtcleanerskylouisvilleky.com/var/m_2/22/22f/375780/650896-tumblr.png

Next is the YouTube Logo, because I whenever I’m bored I like to watch people talk about their lives there. Dan Howell and Tyler Oakley are my favourites, don’t judge.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/40/Youtube_icon.svg/256px-Youtube_icon.svg.png

Third is a game controller, because I’m really into gaming. Although maybe I should have included an image of a computer/laptop/keyboard since I spend more time on PC lately… hmmm. Some of you may have figured out that my favourite franchise is Assassin’s Creed (Two games are coming out this November :D). Those of you that didn’t… well, now you know. (I’m counting this as one image cause they’re related so shh.)

http://cdns2.freepik.com/free-photo/gaming-tool_318-25296.jpg

http://media1.gameinformer.com/filestorage/CommunityServer.Components.SiteFiles/imagefeed/featured/ubisoft2014/498054860/257-cover-reveal-v1-front-610.jpg

(P.S. I have that cover on my bedroom wall.)

Next up is an image of someone writing. Although my handwriting isn’t as nice as that of the person on the picture, I wanted to include it because it reflects on my dream of becoming a journalist in the future. That and the fact that I really enjoy writing. And I want a fountain pen like that, but that’s a whole different story.

http://www.danichols.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/writing-3.jpg

Fifth is an image of a bookshelf. A lot of people think it’s stupid but I really want to have a mini library in my bedroom when I’m older and I have my own apartment. So far I’ve filled up three shelves and I’m looking to buy new ones. The sad thing is that I don’t really have as much time to read nowadays and I have like 19 books I still need to read.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/data.tumblr.com/cbG8wiwSenmoa5401wyryOZno1_1280.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAJP67HANH6OVWEMMQ&Expires=1411702738&Signature=scCmBe%2FuInrh0T8UKCb1SecAhIk%3D#_=_

(I chose this image in particular because I really like the decor)

Sixth is a photograph of London because I want to live there in the future. I’ve been there before and I really loved the atmosphere and all. I had the pleasure of living in the city before and I really enjoyed it. I guess you could call it my dream. Bonus: It ties in to my interest in traveling.

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02423/london_2423609b.jpg

Before I’m done I want to include an image of coffee (Caramel Macchiato is my favourite), mainly because I drink so much of it my close friends are calling me a junkie. They’re not that far off, but I like tea once in a while.

http://eclecticrecipes.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/coffee.jpg

Last but not least is an image of a bunch of girls with shopping bags. I guess it’s really self-explanatory. (The bags are from English stores what a coincidence)

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/66388000/jpg/_66388863_groupgetty.jpg

– Maria (:

To give you a brief insight of my life, I would have to say that what I enjoy the most is spending time with my family and friends.  We do a variety of activities ranging from cooking at home, to going on family expeditions.  If there is one person in the whole world whom I can choose to spend time with it would have to be my best friend, she is amazing! She is the sister that my parents never gave me.  My family consists of my loving parents, my brother and I.  My brother is the best brother a person can have, always there for anything and everything.  Although my nuclear family is relatively small, I absolutely love babies! One of my dreams is being able to form a family one day, a BIG one.  My favorite place to be is outdoors, I like going to different places especially to places where all  you can see is the green of the trees or the blue of the ocean and the sky.  If the weather is nice outside, best believe that I am out going for a bike ride with a friend or one of my cousins.  Another activity I enjoy is going out for walks at night or simply sitting on a bench outside contemplating the moon.  I really like watching basketball games, it is my favorite sport.  An interesting fact about me is that I do not like chocolate, the only way you would ever see me eating chocolate is if I am eating a chocolate cake.

Out of everything that I could say about myself, I realized that my friends and family mean the most to me. Looking through my pictures I could just how many memories I have with them. In high school, my soccer team was so close with each that we were a family. We would play our hearts out for each other and we were the closest clique in the school. I also kickbox and my gym is like a second home to me. I know alot of the guys there since I was around 5 years old so we practically grew up together. The picture in which all of us are wearing purple hoodies represents how far we all came. Entering high school we were all scared and confused and four years later we were all running the school as best friends and nobody could come between us. Finally there is my parents, sister, and dog Toby. I love them with all my hearts and would do anything for each and every one of them. The person that I am today is all because of who my parents raised me to be. My sister is two years older than me and I love her with everything in me. I don’t usually express my feelings about my family but when I do it’s usually about my sister because she means that much to me. In general friends and family are what my life revolves around. All the laughs, memories, and good meals of course are what I think of when I think of them. They define me and that’s what comes to mind when I want to describe myself and who I am.