My All in All

My goal for this essay, Is to tell a story that lead up to the cross and what it symbolizes in my life. My goals were to have a few descriptive scenes along with a backstory that describes and explains why the cross is as important to me as it is. I am most proud of the part in my essay in which I describe what being a Christian and going to church meant to me as a little girl and even until now. I also enjoyed the last part of my essay description. Some of my areas I would improve are shortening my essay down by getting rid of some of the descriptive details. I need to work on having at least two details per scene, because the scene seems to drone on and on the more descriptive it gets. I want to have less, but more as far as visual imaging.

“Hear O Israel the Lord Our God is one Lord, and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy Soul and with all thy might.”, my mother said smiling as she recited to us Deuteronomy 6:4-5. This was one of the many precious verses of the Bible that held the key to living a good Christian life, a life that would make God proud. I remember it like it was yesterday. The bright white pages of the Bible, with shiny gold tint on each edge, as the bold black words marked their presence as they spilled down the page in smooth straight rows, an epitome of scriptures, chapters and verses. I can still see my eleven year old frame, tucked closely next to my sister’s thirteen year old one. Our eyes wide and smiles stretched across our faces, as we soaked in each word into our brains. I remember the sun, as it played peek-a boo through our window giving the straight golden letters on the front cover of the Bible a heavenly like glow. I can still see the smooth brown wood surface of the table, my elbows resting on it’s hard sturdy surface, as I kept my eyes on my mom. I can still hear my mom’s voice as she read the scripture. Her voice smooth, the rhythm steady, rising after each sentence to provide emphasis on each line. Though I had read the Bible many times over the past years , and had been writing scriptures out before my E’s even faced the right way, this was another one of the many times I had read this scripture, and each time it was read I was excited. The way my mother read it brought it to life, just like much of the many animated Bible lessons she taught in our comfortable living room. To us, these scriptures were not anything we hadn’t heard before, but the lessons we would learn and the blessings we would receive would be, if we continued to immerse ourselves in the word of God. At this age, and for ages to come, nothing meant more to me than getting to know God. From the time of birth until now, I was born and raised Christian. I love Jesus and talk about him so much, that I am often labeled what people call a “church girl.” As defined by many, A faithful attender of church every Sunday and a proud member of what my friends call “Team Jesus Christ.” I have seen everything, from the synchronized step of the ushers, as they march in their Black and white uniforms, the harmonical notes of the various choirs, and even the blunt and bold messages of my Pastor. Not only have I seen many of these things, but I have been on everything from the choir, to the usher ministry, to even the Evangelism Team, which requires giving to people in need and sharing about Jesus. Growing up Christian and in the church, meant values to me, and I began to fervently seek Jesus in every area of my life. This meant being faithful to his word, which I had been trained in and even to fasting and praying. As a little girl, this scared me quite a bit. Not the fact that I knew I would make mistakes as a Christian but what it would mean for me to get to know God. To me, God was a great huge, powerful being and I was just a small girl with pigtails, gapped teeth, and frilly church socks. However, my curiosity and my growing love of Him and all the attributes that make up who he is, overpowered my fear and soon I found myself getting baptized in the year of 2008. I can still fill the cold water as it covered my arms hands and feet, as I was immersed underneath it. I can still feel the sting of my nose as I came up out of the water, to the warm smiles and laughter of my family as I stepped out of the water. From then on, I continued to seek the Lord, and at thirteen I received the Holy Ghost, which to Christians is the “Lord’s spirit living within”. From thirteen on, only God continually proved himself to be a working favor in my life, and I sought him through in every way I could. Not only this but the symbol of the cross and what it stands for, became valuable to me. I would wear it on many outfits, whether in the form or earrings a bracelet and even a necklace. and accessorize it with many outfits. It became a favorable sight to me. That is why when the silver cross was given to my mother, I immediately took a liking to it. Although I could not wear it around, I could look at it and it became a reminder of what Jesus did for me. It was a warm spring day, The sun enveloped the clouds. Orange, green, and brown leaves dotted the ground’s rocky surface. The wind, marked its presence with its cool breeze. I rushed down the stairs, my footsteps making loud thuds on the soft brown carpet. The house still, the only noise being the loud ticking of the kitchen clock. As I walked into the kitchen, something amazing glistened off of my window sill. A new sight. It was a silver cross. Not the cliche brown wooden carved cross, but one made of pure crystalline glass. From top to bottom. Each corner and tip arched and etched perfectly together to create on lasting, standing masterpiece. The glass, although blurry continues to shimmer. The sun creating rainbows on its glassy surface often times when it peek into the window. As if this wasn’t enough, it stands on a rectangular ledge, meant to make it rise a little, so that it would be almost impossible to miss it. One layer, two layer, and finally the masterpiece. Despite the ordinance of the sill on which it stood, it stood out. Amongst everything it shares the surface of the sill with. And here it stands. Not did it become a reminder of the great sacrifice by which Jesus made over many 2,000 years ago, but also as a testament and witness. That showed me why it not only is a symbol that belongs in the many phases of life, but also in the very dear recesses of the heart. That day, there was not a moment as special. This cross meant the world to me, because it was a symbol etched into my heart. And so like this cross is , so is my religion and it continues to be as I proudly represent Jesus in every area of my life. Just like I am doing right now in this essay. Hey, what can I say? I am a part of Team Jesus Christ.

Advanced Essay #1: The Man That Changed My Life

Introduction

This essay has been one of the most personal writings I’ve ever done. I haven’t written what I consider a good essay in a while. This essay made me think and write about important events in my life which is something that is really hard to share. Not only was this essay real but it was also one of my only essays I was really descriptive. I lack very much in being descriptive and using descriptive words. I feel like in this essay I did a great job moving forward and improving my descriptive language. I can maybe try to include less scenes and have more analysis in my essay but I think I did a good job of balancing it.

        The Man That Changed My Life        

As I walk in and out of my room each day, I always pass by a very important painting. It is of a man that has played a very important part in my life as well as many others. The painting is of a man looking up into the sky while crossing his fingers; which is centered in a mysterious blurred out background with only a gleam of sunlight peaking through the window. He is wearing a nice silky blue shirt that seems as if it is the sky on a sunny bright day. A tiny thin gold necklace dangles around his sturdy neck. He has a slightly faded beard with a face of innocence. This man has long light brown hair that sits upon his shoulder. His mustache is slightly bushy, not too thin but just right. I see a halo hovering above his head glistening. To the right we see a lady in her late thirties, slowly approaching this man. This women has a white cloth on her head that resembles a hoodie. To complement the cloth, she wears a burgundy type of red shirt that fits just right. Around her neck there is a necklace that has a flaming heart at the center with a chain surrounding it. Her skin was flawless and her face embodied an equilibrium of seriousness and serenity. The portrait comes together as one to show the bond between a mother and son. The picture is of Jesus and his mother Mary. A nice classic artwork of the two; framed in a nice light brown frame with sharp edges to center out the artwork of the two. This image would come assist me in multiple situations throughout my years as a young boy trying to find out how this world works. “How was your day?” Asked my mother as we sat in our living room. A room that gives the feeling of calmness and leisure. The walls had a mixture of the two colors; brownish red and a dark yellow. Im sitting next the couch which is closest to the back wall. The room is cubed with 4 walls and two openings “It was good, I got to complete most of my work at lunch and now barely have anything to do at home.” I replied. “Im proud you are being a good student.” “How was your day mom ?” I asked. “Umm… it was ok, I have something to tell you but have no idea of a way to tell you without making you feel a certain way.” She replied. I moved eagerly to the couch she sat on to hear this news. The couch was located on the opposing side of the room from where I had just been.These two couches formed a small hallway that was parallel to the two openings. “Well, mom you know you could tell me whatever. Whats wrong?” I said. “Nothings wrong with me baby, I just got a phone from Frankie’s mom and he’s in the hospital.” She replied. I stood up and began to shakingly walk around the room. At that very moment millions of questions rolled through my mind, but the only one that managed to come out was, “What happened?” She answered, “He was in a car accident, he said he wants to see you.” After she said that I walked upstairs with no response to what she said. I never used the artwork hung in my room but this was the first time I decided to use it. I talked to the artwork and this made the artwork come alive. I asked for mercy for my friend Frankie, and that was exactly what they did. One day In fourth grade, I was sitting at the lunch cafeteria table playing a game of chess with my friend. He was very short with a mushroom shaped haircut that was a very bold dark brown color. He was real light skinned and was always a really nice person.
“No matter what you do I’m still going to be the best at this game.” I said in a giggling voice. “You have no chance against me.” I then continued. “Yea whatever you say” he replied. As he moved his king chess piece; and I realized that this is where I had him locked down. “Looks like someone in checkmate” As I said that; another kid soon approached us. He had been looking in our direction for a while but now he was in the presence of our game. He was a smaller kid who matched the body type of my fellow chessmate. We had been in the middle of what I considered a very intense game when the boy rudely interrupted.
“What are you guys playing?”
He reached for one of our chess pieces and moved it. I shouted, “What are you doing!?”
“Just moving it around”. “If you do that again I’m going to punch you” I said now aggravated. He went to reach for another chess piece; I stood up and pushed him so hard he hit the lunch table’s edge. The situation did not escalate after this so later on that day I went home. When I got into the house my mom asked me, “How was your day?” “My day was good, nothing bad happened just another day of school.” I replied, knowing it was a lie. After the conversation I walked up to my room with the feeling of guiltiness taking over my body. I then looked up at the painting and asked for forgiveness. He talked back to me and told me to go tell the truth to relieve all this guilt. That’s exactly what I did. Jesus is someone who can easily control your actions, which is crazy when you think about it. He has helped me through many obstacles in my life. They’re a lot of people who do not believe in god and have no religion at all. That’s perfectly fine but when I come to think of that, I can’t seem to find myself being the person I am without god to guide me and help me. Jesus isn’t someone you have to make an appointment for, he is someone who is always available. This makes him even more special to me. After Frankie’s accident, I never felt the same. I felt protected and felt as if there had always been someone there for me if my family or friends weren’t able to be there. After the many incidents I had experienced throughout my life, I was able to build a nice strong relationship with Jesus. We developed an unbreakable bond that I will cherish for the rest of my life.

Advanced Essay #1:[Good Things Must Come To An End]

Introduction

This essay is a reflection of my childhood life back when technology wasn’t too much of a big deal or focus. My goals for this essay is to show people that there are more things that can entertain us besides technology or the internet. I want people to understand that technology can entertain us but it doesn’t help us make and experience good memories with other people. The parts in the essay that I am proud of would be the analysis or the last paragraph because I tried putting all my thoughts together about my childhood and my experiences in an organized way. The areas that I need to improve on would be my redundancy in writing and the use of more descriptive words.

Advanced Essay

I had never thought that I’d be living on the other side of this beautiful and gigantic world. I was just a little girl who freely ran around the streets of my small town in the Philippines. I lived with some cousins, uncles, my grandmother, and sister in an old and average sized house. Antique things gathered in the house as dusts always collected in every corner. The air could not circulate enough in this small house and even the ceiling fans barely provided us any air. I remember that as I came home from school, sweat would dribble down my face and into my body. I tossed my backpack slowly to the table where we placed all our necessities such as school supplies or other necessities. After that, I carefully took the ribbon off of my shirt and school ID wrapped around my neck. I unbuttoned my plain white school uniform and unzipped the skirt as I rushed to get changed. Then, my cousins, sister, and I headed to the streets of our village to play with our friends and neighbors. The look of excitement was always seen on our faces because it was a relief to be playing after a long day at school.

One day, as we were playing “tag” and making loud noises on the street dogs kept barking from a distance. Little did we know that it was our friend who was chased by these group of dogs. We saw our friend with his terrified and sweaty face from a distance as he pedalled as hard as he could just to get away from these angry dogs. It was a bit of an entertainment but we were frightened to do anything. My mind blanked, heartbeat almost came out of my chest as I quickly picked myself up and ran swiftly to avoid these enraged dogs. We played a lot of the Philippine traditional games such as “tag”, piko “ hopscotch”, Chinese garter “ Chinese jump rope”, taguan “hide and seek”, and so much more! Sometimes, my cousin, sister, and I would be doing our homework because our Lola “grandmother” said so. No matter how thrilled we were to be playing outside we just had to give it up sometimes if school gets in the way. Playing street games outdoors became our routine almost everyday after school and even on the weekends. Butterflies of excitement always rumbled in our bellies every time this “play time” came.

My childhood life in the Philippines is unlike any child’s life nowadays. I had some forms of gadgets growing up but I detached myself from them because I had fun playing tag with my friends on our street and playing cash register games or barbie dolls with my cousin. I may have some gadgets such as a phone to contact a guardian at school, a desktop computer, and a video game gadget but, they were just there. They weren’t a big part of my everyday life which I am glad. As a little kid, I connected myself to the outside world and enjoyed myself being outdoors. Thinking back, I am very grateful that I got the chance to explore the world outside before the LED screens came out big time. I always loved every moment being outside but I’ve never really thought of the idea to fade away one day. As a laid back kid, I didn’t think of the fact that as you get older and move to places things will never be the same and things can change. If I just knew, I could have enjoyed every second that I spent playing with those kids in my block more. Now, I could go back and visit but things will never be the same because we’re all growing up. However, I cannot complain because I am in the most comfortable that I have ever been in my life even though sometimes I think to myself, “Oh I just miss the good old days.” Those were one of the good times in my life but according to my dad, “good things must come to an end.”

Advanced Essay #1: Picture Perfect

Introduction// My goal for this paper was to let people get a glimpse of what my life is like behind closed doors. Honestly, I put up a strong front and wall towards people in order for them to think I’m strong and sometimes that can come off pretty bad. Although I am somewhat of a tough character, I still do have certain weak spots just like everyone else. I am very proud of being able to be very descriptive in certain parts of this essay and that’s something that I normally really struggle with when it comes to essays. Of course there’s room for improvement and I think I could’ve improved my conclusion paragraph but I tried to tie it all back to my first memory and description of the painting in my dining room and I think I was able to do that along with bigger idea coming across.

There’s this picture in my dining room. It hovers over the dining table like my guardian angel. It captivates my eyes due to its assortment of large and small circles of different colors and textures. The background of the picture is something quite unique. Colors collide together beautifully down the green, red and yellow ombre backdrop. The texture of the background reminds me of paint brush strokes, streaky but beautiful. The top of the picture is a grass green and like love at first sight it falls romantically into a goldish yellow. Between that and the next two colors, resides a gray area something that resembles what we all have in life. A moment that does not really seem to fit, but at times it may move you into something a thousand times better. That vivid brown color twisted the gray area into a moment I fell in love with. Possibly the best transition of the entire picture or maybe of my entire life. There’s a big white circle on top of that grassy green tone I mentioned, I would say it is a perfect circle but life can never be too perfect and on the outside of this circle comes a white orbit facing forward around it. Like impulsive moments in my life, this picture is filled with spontaneous circles. Varying from quarter sized orange and red circles that reminds me of Mars, to that big white circle with another orbit that reminds me of Pluto.

I am way too familiar with the five senses associated with a broken heart, or maybe I should say the senses acquired to a heart break. It sounds like occasional whimpers, sniffles and sobbing. It tastes like sea salt, cotton and strawberry ice cream. It looks like eyelids forced shut and dried patches on my brown skin. It feels like feathery pillows and warm cozy blankets. It smells like fresh perfume or old cologne. As I sit at my table and reminisce about my past, my eyes become engulfed into a blank google document and keys that varied from alphabetical to numerical order. I remember this day just like it was yesterday.

The laminated faux cherry wood dining set pushed out into the middle of my dining room. Hanging above it was a crystal chandelier, a little dusty but the reflection from the shallow jewels still relayed the dark brown reflection of your eyes. The table we sat at was covered in postal mail of different sorts. Postal stamps plastered onto envelopes, package tape ripped off of brown cardboard boxes but for some reason the clutter did not seem to bother you. What your eyes really laid on was the steaming hot, shrimp alfredo my mother made for us. The linguini noodles were smothered in a white sauce topped with speckles of paprika, pepper, salt and garlic powder. I watched as you sniffled in the steam and various aromas that arose. The way you clutched my forest green ceramic plates as you engulfed the food with that metal 4 armed fork let me know, you enjoyed every bit of the meal. That made me smile inside. I know you’re a keeper if you happen to like mothers food. In that time, I caught myself occasionally staring at that picture. The various large and small circles captivated me, they sort of resembled my pupils. The pupils you always seemed to compliment that made me blush uncontrollably. After eating, you had to go home but your memory did not leave. Although I would never see you again, I saw some of you in the sweat stain you left on the burgundy leather chair cushions. I saw your lip print on the glass cup you drank from and that never left. Damn Finish ™ for not getting the dishes as clean as they promised. Now I will always see you in that picture, at my dining room table and as a faint memory in the back of my head.

I wish there were actual memory erasers, you know from Men in Black. Your presence would be here and then gone in an instant. But, of course my long spiral road of heartbreak just doesn’t end there. There’s always one thing after another, just like a broken record of vocals. The same lyric playing over and over and over and over and over and over and ov- you get it right? Similar to what I’m dealing with. A never ending, record repeating, late night assortment of blues.

The morning blue jays arose and sung a song while I stared at the window behind my bed and admired the blooming spring flowers and healthy green trees. These trees always scared me on windy nights because I thought the tree would fall over. As the day came to an end , and the crickets came out to play, I saddened at the next saga of events. A notification tab popped up onto my phone screen and what I saw next made my mouth drop completely to the floor. “He broke up with me.” Tears welled up into my eyes, slowly finding their way into the creases beside my mouth. I tasted the salty liquid on my taste buds as my body started to become numb. I slowly read the message making sure I caught every detail within the long cold hearted paragraph. “This just isn’t working out.” Words screamed in exhaustion throughout my head, my heart cringed at the beating it would be taking yet again. “After all I’ve told him, after all we’ve been through?” 4 walls began to close in on me, dry patches stained my cheeks and my body began to shake uncontrollably. Should I leave it on read and not respond? Should I convince him to stay with me? I couldn’t really seem to come up with an answer. The more I read the message, the more questions I had. Is this all my life will ever be? Was there someone else? Were you not happy? Am I just not good enough?

My story is a prime example of transition. Alike the gray area in the painting that hangs faithfully above the dining table in my dining room, my life became swiveled and swirled into that vivid brown closely related to the swivels and swirls in that soft serve ice cream cone from the Mr.Softee truck. So effortlessly did that brown take full control of the car I had slowly but surely lost control of. After a full year of total unhappiness and complete betrayal left and right I realized this was all a test. A test to see how much I could take. It felt as if I took this test about 50 times, each time being labeled a different type. My first trial, I was to weak to realize the true lies. My second trial I was stable, starting to understand my mistakes but still blinded by the black veil of “love”. My last and final trial I was strong. Realizing that I am worth an entire picture of words. I am a beautiful little 15 year old black girl, who will be 16 in two months, whose hair will never get curly in the water, a picky eater who hates when their food touches but loves the mixture of vegetables and meat in beef stew. I am a little black girl who is a little shy and awkward around new people but able to be outspoken and loud when it comes to expressing her thoughts. I am a teenager who has experienced the devastation of heartbreak at a young age, I am a teenager still learning to fight for true love. I am still in the process of finding myself. But, most importantly. I am changed and I am me.

Happiness comes with Pain

Intro:

My essay is about life lessons that I learned. In which that happiness comes with pain. You can’t have one without the other. And that you need bad experiences to change who you are and give you a good outlook on life;aka to be wiser. I am proud of being able to express myself in this paper because I have a hard time opening up. Also, my poetic descriptions are fantastic! I am very proud of this piece and I hope others enjoy it too.

Essay:

Happiness comes with Pain

“Left, right, up, down. No matter what direction you are looking, you are stuck Mackenzie.” These thoughts that haunt me from mind began at five years old, and I only started talking at age 3. “Little kids don’t understand or interpret much,” adults throughout my life would say, but I disagree on a deeper level.
Everybody liked to treat me as child that is incapable of hurt and feelings. Put me in a room full of children, they would walk by making me unnoticed. The adults would just sit there not knowing the inside screaming in my head. My head taunts me every time: “why won’t they talk to you; I see people sitting next to each other laughing and talking. Mackenzie you can’t do that, you are all alone.” Play with me, sit next to me, show me your smile! Black starts to cloud my vision, and my heart sinks like it is going to my feet. I have to hold it in, I have to hold it in, that’s what is expected of me, and I don’t want to cause others worry. So I am the child that is incapable of being hurt. Elementary school arrives, and I took a turn for the worse that I was not expecting for. I woke up every morning, brushed my teeth, threw my clothes on, got in my car with my mom and on we went. Every morning when my mom dropped me off I was embarrassed with soft kisses on my chipmunk cheeks, and received squeezes from her large, warming body. I’d walk into school, expecting to start the day off good. “Hey fatty, did you take a bit out of the door thinking it was a chocolate bar, a part’s missing.” Their it comes again. The Darkness, The pain, The regret. With teary eyes and a held tongue, I pick myself up with my head tilted down and bangs falling on my eyelids, I walk out of the classroom into the bathroom. “You have to hold it in, you can’t show them.” it whispers into my anxiety ridden soul. Looking steadily in the mirror, I examined my eyes, watching the salty pain running down my face onto my lip. The taste reminds me that I can feel, and why i am in hell. That continued like a tribal ritual for the sun coming up. Except there was no sun in my life, just whispers in the dark hardening my strength to speak. My lips were sown with the invisible threats of hurt and insult I was reminded with. I was not seen, therefore I would just be the air that you breathed;Unnoticed.Watching every move they made, listening to every sound they made. They do not see me, but I see them. I am the child that is still not capable of being hurt. Middle school I ignored all their comments, but I still thought I was worthless. I then met the best friend love of my life. Everytime she hugged me with warm moist hands around my back, and her big solid chest for me to find comfort in, it did. I imagine her like this blissful heaven like glow in my mind. She grabs my hand and pulled me out of the abyss of my screaming darkness, and in a loving embrace I cry like a cat who was picked up from the box of abandonment. She was my nice new home, where I could stretch out my legs and take a nap on a comfy couch. The voices in my head that wished for me to let go, and lose my mind with loneliness, have stopped. Sarah helped me, but my mind could not erase the saddest that was engraved in my memory and current vision. When I hug my mother, I cling onto her like a child, because I missed my childhood, it was taken away from me. She could not understand the struggle with my classmates. I want to show the situation right in front of her, but I cant burden the broken. They’ll listen through one ear and out the other. I am the broken child who is hurt, someone please notice me. Later as the year went on, I looked more closely at time with myself. I realized that only I can make peace with myself. I spent my time staring into the wide gaping sky, and gasping over the beauty I see in the flowers that cry droplets. The the bright yellow sun flowers that a husband gives his wife to tell her that she is the shine to his life. A baby’s laughs from a mother spending precious moments with her baby at the park. Or even the the burning sensation that I feel on my back and face from the sun shining on my Vitamin D deprived skin. Proving that I belong in this place called life, and I am alive. Even if a person hasn’t noticed me, life has accepted my existence. The sun will continue to beat down on my snow like skin, and tears stream down my thankful face, representing that happiness comes with pain. As long as I have these memories , I keep a lesson within me, that the darkness cannot escape inside of me, but my empty box will be refilled with the life that shines through the breaking walls around my heart. I am a girl who can feel hurt.

Advanced Essay #1: Fantasy vs. Reality

My goal for this essay is to show my audience why I love fantasy books. I’m very proud of my detailed description of the book cover in my story. My description should paint a clear picture of the book’s cover in the minds of my audience. One thing that I needed improvement in my essay would probably be getting to the point faster in my writing. This is fixed now, but before it was just extra writing that wasn’t needed. I hope you enjoy the experience of reading my essay.

Near the bottom/ middle of the picture is a fight scene between two teenage boys and their horses. On the bottom left side of the picture is a depiction of one of the two boys. It starts out with a rising black thundercloud with yellow lightning streaks coming from it. Rising from the thundercloud is the boy wielding a sword on a horse. The boy is caucasian, with a sort of goldish tan and golden blonde hair. He is raising his golden sword with his right hand and holding on to the horse with his left hand. He is wearing a purple shirt and making an angry/ screaming face toward his opponent. The horse this guy is riding has the same look as the thundercloud, black with many yellow lightning streaks for veins. Also, this horse’s eyes are a glowing red. The horse seems to be rearing up, but from the middle of his stomach and down is covered in the black thundercloud.

Next is the teenage boy on the bottom right of the picture rising from a violent wave of water is with a sword on a horse. This boy is caucasian as well, but his skin does not have a golden tan-like tone to it and he has ruffled black hair; his skin looks a little darker. He is raising his shining bronze sword with his right hand and holding onto his horse with his left hand. He is wearing an orange shirt and he is also making an angry/ screaming face at his blonde haired opponent. This boy’s horse is a black pegasus but you can’t see the wings too well, so don’t worry about the wings. Like the thunder horse, the pegasus seems to be rearing up as well. But from the the middle of the pegasus’ stomach and down, the waves are covering it. Both of the two horse’s front legs appear to be touching each other as they are reared up near the bottom middle of the picture.

Right above this battle near the top of the picture, in a crimson red color, is a huge face of an owl. It’s not the owl’s entire face, but just it’s eyes and small beak. The eyes are drawn to stare right at you. Creating a “C” like formation around both owl eyes are feathers. Right in between the owl’s eyes is a medium streak of white lightning, and around the outer parts of the owl’s face is small minor streaks of lightning. Above the owl’s face, the picture just does a transition from crimson red to black. The last thing is that starting from the top of the two horse’s heads and going toward the bottom of the picture, behind the battle scene and between the black thundercloud and violent wave is a sort of whitish and yellowish color.

This picture that I have delicately described is the cover for a book called, “The Mark of Athena”, by Rick Riordan. The day my mom took me to Barnes and Nobles in 2012 to get this book, I unintentionally memorized every detail of the cover. It was so inviting to my young and curious eyes that I had to have it. Like most fantasy books, looking at this book made me hype to delve into it. From then up to now, diving into the worlds of fantasy stories is such a beautiful feeling. It pulls you away from reality, which for me was an amazing thing. Back when I was twelve and reading, “The Mark of Athena” getting pulled away from reality meant getting away from homework, annoying teachers, and some responsibilities. Now that I’m a teenager in the eleventh grade, reading books like, “The Mark of Athena”, means getting away from more homework, bigger responsibilities, benchmarks, the major nuisances of this world, and the the idea of growing up. Sometimes, the thought of growing up can be scary. So to make myself feel better, I would pick up a fantasy book and delve into it. Not only are fantasy books so interesting and exciting to read, but they are also very comforting and they give me a sense that I will be alright.

Even though fantasy alleviates reality, reality is still reality. Growing up as a leisure reader, I soon had to learn the hard way that I won’t always be able to read the books that that I want. Whent started my first year of Science Leadership academy, I was already in the middle of a good book. But then I was assigned lots of homework and lots of educational reading. Which was very boring. Because of all this work, I then had to set my leisure reading aside. Reality had won this round against fantasy. I had thought that I would be able to read my book again after all my work was done. But as the work progressed to greater amounts and as the school reading increased, I wasn’t able to catch up on my leisure reading until the next year. After my freshmen year, I had thought that reality always wins against fantasy. It wasn’t until my sophomore year that I learned that fantasy can sometimes beat reality too. That is to say, I found time to do some leisure reading. It was then that I created a balance between Fantasy and Reality. I made sure that not only would I get my school work done and get good grades, but that I would find time do some leisure reading.

Advanced Essay No. 1

My goal in life is to be myself and help others, and in my piece I explained that and other things I’d love to do. I am pretty proud of how I described my piece of how I really feel.. Areas for improvement can probably be my grammar.

Advanced Essay

Waking up to an bright light almost makes you feel like you’re in a better place. I can sense the heat on my sensitive skin, keeping me warm and comfortable. I told myself I heard the sound of sweet soul of music downstairs. It was within me today, I said as I was shuffling out of bed. The sheets were attached to me like a magnet. It was yet another Monday Morning about 7:21 am. I was only 6 years old when I started learning about my superiority. I took myself downstairs for a bite to eat as I made me some cereal. My step-mom made me eggs and a bagel. I took it to the living room and turned on the tv to watch some PBS. Sesame Street was on, but sadly went to commercial. An advertisement came on. It was at that moment my eyes started dwelling and my stomach was growling. I glared at the television listening to a man who had a voice of an activist. He stated, “You can accomplish anything, anytime, if you just put your mind to it.” I had to hear more to what this man had to say. He kept going on about accomplishments and achievements. At the time I didn’t know any of those big words he was saying, so I wrote them down on a post it note and gave them to my Dad. He defined them for me and it was all making sense. Leadership, control, management, desires were swarming on me. I told myself I wanted to go find these accomplishments because I knew I would need it. The rest of my life that is ahead of me. Not just that, but at that time, things weren’t going so well for me. You could say there was some family problems, or you can say there’s sadness that surrounds me and my broken heart. This happens at times, but it drifts away from me also, and returns when my emotions change. I was able to get out of the house and walk around for a bit with my mom. We went to the park, I got on the swings, went down the slide. It really helped me forget about the things I used to know. Just a simple commitment with Love and positivity can do that to a kid like me. I thought I could do that to someone too. To make them feel better about themselves, and put a smile on there face to let you know “Hey, I’m alright” I also thought, If life was simple like this that I can take a deep breath and start over, then this is something I can get use to. And so I did. And it was really helping a lot. Each day, I explore more and more and stopped worrying about the negativity that tries to surround me with sorrow and guilt. Because, I was already surrounded by the power of positivity. Everything I had was already on my side. My parents, friends, family. Because even though we always have our bad times, in the long run, we all love each other in the very end. This is my motto and still is today. As I keep growing and developing, I add more and more things to my notes. Always have a positive attitude, having faith, having hope, and believing in yourself. If I ever see my friends who are down, I’d do my best to pick them up. When I was 9, I told myself I want to make the world a better place, one by one, one step at a time. Helping people, help feed the homeless. Talk to my peers and to make them happy. Of course, I was gonna have my off days, of how much I wanted to keep it to myself. I couldn’t, people who were really close to me notice my troubles and they were there to help me. Raised in a church taught me how to be a better person. It did change me a lot, developing into a better me than before. This is where I started my roots. These were reasons why I was becoming a great kid. 7 years old and growing. When I accepted Christ into my life and began reading the bible when I was 8. The next year, I was understanding the passages, one of my favorites were Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. One of the best quotes in my notes, is to accept defeat. Of course when I was initiating to becoming a great kid, I realized that we are all not perfect, we will sin, we will do wrong And when that comes, I’ll be ready for it. My life isn’t over, it is just beginning. And I realize there is going to be times where I will do good and I will do bad. Sometimes, I won’t be able to realize the good and the bad. Or what I’ve done at times. But I am prepared for it. The only thing I’m not prepared for is what’s going to come later. I don’t know how and I certainly don’t know when. I could die the next day. But doesn’t mean every second I have to breathe it. Just to be alive is a reminder to be happy and to tell my story one day..

My Memories

When I first saw the portrait, I said to myself: “This painting will go great with the atmosphere of my house”. When we got home we couldn’t figure out where to put the portrait. I suggested why don’t we put the portrait behind the dining table. My parents said “That not a bad idea because it fits the area around it. So we all agreed to put it in the dining area and when we stood back and looked at it, we all said “It looks perfect here.”

Quite a few months back I move into a small apartment with my parents. The area around seemed empty because where the apartment is, it is surrounded by garages. The apartment was small yet durable it had a deck so I can go outside and had a electric stove. First we got the heavy stuff in the way so it won’t be much of a hassle at the end. Next we got lighter stuff out of the way and then a week later we got the internet and cable up in the apartment.

During my life there was a lot moving and here I am going to tell you from the beginning. When I was born, I use to lived on Brighton St. near where there use to be a HESS nothing much happened at Brighton Street.

Next I moved to Frankford Ave where I lived most of my life. A lot as happened on Frankford, some good some bad. I call it a small apartment with a lot of memories, For example a squirrel came into our apartment without any notice and me and my mom were scared to go near it, so my mom called her boyfriend without telling him what the situation was. When he got there my mom just tells her boyfriend about the situation and her boyfriend got the broom with a nervous look on his face and he knock it down the stairs and it ran out the door never to be seen again. When I lived on Frankford Ave. I met two people named Alexis but people call her Lexi and a boy named Anthony but people called him Ant. after we became great friends as the when we started to hang out but as much because they kept coming and going for a while and all of the sudden we stopped seeing each other for a long time and we have not seen them since then.The reason we moved out of Frankford Ave was because a drunk man kicked our door open in the middle of the night and my mom called to police and nothing happened after the fact.

Next I lived on Disston St. Not a lot of has happened on Disston, but the only thing I remember is inviting my friends over and pool parties. I had a great time at Disston Street, but we had to move and I really liked it there.

Then a few years later, we moved to Tyson. There was really no memories at Tyson because we moved not even a year later because the neighborhood was a bit crazy.

When I moved to Marsden St. we had some memories there for example I made some new friends there, got my new pet there for Christmas, and met my uncle who I have never seen on the same day. I also graduated Austin Meehan Middle School and when to Lincoln High School and a year later I started my first year of Science Leadership Academy. When I first saw Science Leadership Academy, it looked like a office building from the outside. When I started to go to Science Leadership Academy, I was excited and nervous at the same time because it was great to be in a new school and make new friends and nervous because it was a new school, new neighborhood, and new faces. I was scared because I was afraid to make a bad first impression at my new school. When I saw the schedule I was so lost because at Science Leadership Academy they call them bands instead of periods and the letters were confusing because I did not know where any of my classes were. As I started to go there I started pick the pattern that was happening and after three months, I started to get the hang of it.

After that I moved to Vandike St. with my mom and her boyfriend and as we are living here at Vandike St., we are creating memories. So these are all of my past memories that I can think of on the top of my head.

Advanced Essay #1: [Your Mind and Your Hands]

Introduction:

My goals in this paper is to inform the reader about my struggles on figuring out what to paint for an important assignment I once had. And how that influenced me to not to listen to people who discourage me and to continue their passions. I am proud of the analysis towards the end where I express my feelings about what society expects of me but I do not what to follow what I was taught. Some things I would like to improve in the future, is to work on my transitions so the flow of my essays would go smoothly with no changes in tone.

Advanced Essay:

As I sit in on my bed, thinking about what to write, how to write about this. It stays sitting in my bookshelf, on the very highest shelf hidden behind all the happy family memories. It is something that holds my talents; a small painting created by my fifth grade self. Painting came easily to me and it was somewhere I could express my creativity and there were no limits. But this talent wasn’t satisfying the expectations of my family or the lifestyle I was grown into.

I drifted away from those thoughts and flashbacked to when I painted it. The memory was slowly fading away from my mind and it was getting difficult to remember every detail. It was an assignment every student in the fifth grade was given. We were to read, Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry over the summer. We would be focusing on impressionism and by observing closely at different artworks we were to create a masterpiece by ourselves. To expand on our ideas, our teachers let us explore the Philadelphia Museum of Art which housed quite a few impressionist artworks. I anxiously walked through the exhibit, hoping some kind of concept of what I wanted to do would bloom in my mind. I stared deep into the paintings as if I were to be dragged into it like a black hole at any moment. I noticed how the painters used strokes to make the painting seem blurry but very subtle to lead the viewer to their imagination. I already had experience in painting but I wanted this to be something new and mysterious. This task was going to be unique and I was determined to make it the best I can.

It was finally time to paint and I chose the scene where the main character, Annemarie, found peace amongst the chaos during WWll. She was watching fireworks in the night sky. I wanted to start at an angle where the view was through her eyes like she was directly seeing it. I had to put myself in her shoes and painting the scene in that very moment. As we sat in class, I let myself go and let my mind and hands do all the work. I allowed my emotions get to me and tried to feel what Annemarie would have felt so that the scenery would be powerful. It screamed happiness and excitement but sadness all at the same time. It was like you would get the same thrill of watching fireworks and just looking at the painting and being there yourself. It represented that even during the darkest times there was light.

I started from one small sparkle to a massive firework like Annemarie herself, just a young girl with great ambitions. I painted some small, and some larger than others using bright, and alive colors that brings joy within us. I painted the dark black buildings, which were above the water. They stood tall, the pigmented color of black, as prominent as ever. I painted the water with ripples and reflections and look as if it was glistening, like you can reach out and touch it. If you looked close enough it seemed as if it is moving and you can hear the soothing quiet sounds of the water. I didn’t let myself stop until I felt as if there was nothing left to add.

This all came back to how everybody thinks art is just something you accomplish just for a leisure activity. It’s something that gives people joy, it’s something you can’t throw away or hide, it’s something someone should spend time on or make it their career. It allows people to express themselves whatever the situation you are in. Whether you are angry, emotional, happy, those moods allow you to produce different types of art and makes it meaningful. It is a way of finding peace. It is the positive vibes during the bad times.

Art is dependent on ourselves. It’s on you whether you want to express this talent of yours that other people may not have. A majority of people think that arts isn’t something you should focus and spend your life on or that you won’t get noticed for it and that doesn’t mean you have to stop doing it all together. Don’t let the negativity stop you. Don’t let it knock you down. Don’t give up. Let it motivate you instead to continue with your passion. “You have the control of your future. Control of you is all in your mind and your hands. Don’t let anybody take control of your future other than you,” states Dina Torkia (UK Stylist). It’s not just in arts but other subjects as well. People telling you what to be when you grow up or what to do. Today, it’s like society has your fate written, you have to be a doctor or engineer. As Dina said, your mind and your hands give you the ability to do what you want in your life so do not let what people say get to you. This is what I have learned from this experience; get past the barriers and reach for whatever you want in life. It may take time but you will eventually get it. I could not figure out what to do with the empty canvas. But I got passed it all and produced something that was valuable. It’s not just the tiny things like this assignment, but the larger things in life.

It was as if someone snapped their fingers and brought me back to reality, that I realized I had something to finally write about. I opened my eyes and smiled and let myself and my hands type away, like I was painting once again.

Advanced Essay #1: Friendship

My main goal for this piece was to show my friendship with my bestfriend Saiyeh. I wanted people to see what friendship means to me. I think that I described how I feel about my friend well. I did lots of editing to my piece since my first draft so it has improved a lot. I feel that through the whole process of writing this advanced essay I did a good job, so I am proud of that. Something I can improve on is trying to find ways to use metaphors and other different writing skills in my writing.

Stuffing her life into three suitcases a guitar case and a box. It’s crazy when you pack your life it just looks so small. It makes you realize that was only the beginning of your life story. I said goodbye to my best friend that night. Blasting our summer playlist on Spotify as we danced around her mess of a room. Singing every song because every song brings back a memory from our perfect unforgettable summer. As I sit on her suitcase to close it with her, “Riptide” comes blazing through the speaker. We both stop and smile at each other. This was our summer song. As a tear crawled down her face, she realized this summer was behind her and it was time for the next chapter of her life. I took her hand and started singing. Music has always seemed to be our escape.

This moment comes in my mind when I look at the panting pinned onto my wall. I remember the moment that my best friend Saiyeh gave it to me. Looking at the sunset in the background of the painting remembering how beautiful that night was. This sunset is red, orange and yellow; all combined. When I look at this painting, so many memories float in my head. The sunset reminding me of the last day we were in Indiana together. After 4 days of looking at the sky, the last night was the most beautiful. Not just because the colors blended perfectly together but, the guitar in Saiyeh’s arms as we sang many songs made it the best night ever. Everything just felt right in that moment. We just soaked up the many memories. I never wanted to leave because “the sky is just so big” Saiyeh would say in awe.

The next thing that catches my eyes on the painting is a tree that is on the left side of the canvas. The tree is brown and you can only see half of its big trunk. This brings back all of the times we met at “our tree” at the park near us. We painted beautiful pictures and listened to music a little too loud. The tree is drawn with grass surrounding it. I remember the many grass stains that I still have on my jeans from laying in the grass at Rittenhouse or the park near us. We just were not able to stay away from parks. We just loved the wind blowing through our hair and the grass below our bare feet. Sitting on the grass, that is surrounding the tree, there is a girl. This girl’s body is facing the horizon, but her face is turned to the right. Looking at the beautiful view all around her. Her torso is a skeleton where you can see her spine and her ribs. This reminds me of beauty that comes truly from the inside. Her shoulders, neck and face are normal reminding me how we got over the many struggles and look deep within.

Friendship to me is a connection that can’t be broken. Friendship is one of the reasons I wake up in the morning. Knowing that I have people who care for me and that will always be there helps me keep my head up throughout the day. I have been through many things and my friends have came right to my door to comfort me. One time, when I just got off a serious conversation with my cousin that resulted in me crying, Saiyeh came right up to me held me in her arms as we swung back and forth on the porch swing. This sad moment didn’t last long though with her by my side the next thing I know we were both laughing so hard that are stomachs hurt. We can never stay serious when we are with each other. Another time when my dog passed away, she found out and her and I took a walk. We bought a tub of ice cream, then we sat on some random steps talking about the whole thing. Some people overuse the term “bestfriend.” They use the word very frequently for people who they don’t know much about. A best friend is someone who you have an unbreakable bond with; you can relate on a different level. Saiyeh and I have that relationship, we connect in every way. Art and creativity strengthens that relationship we can talk hours and hours about it.

The last day with Saiyeh before she went to college, had a bittersweet feeling. Sad, because I won’t see her everyday and knowing that she wouldn’t be near. I felt the grip loosening on the rope that held us together. I also felt happy because she is about to start the next chapter of her life where she will grow and become an even better inspiring, talented, and beautiful person. I may not be able to see her everyday but I’ll always remember the many memories that we shared and the many memories to come. “A strong friendship doesn’t need daily conversation or being together. As long as the friendship lives in your heart, true friends never part.” The fullness in my heart will always be there because of our deep friendship.

Advanced Essay #1 (The Masterpiece of my Life)

Hayley Barci September 14th, 2016 The masterpiece of my life: It was a fair-weather day, the sun rays shimmering between the falling leaves of the trees, standing tall throughout the park. The fresh smell of the air inhaling, and exhaling through my nostrils. The bright, white piece of paper, with lines, circles, and different kinds of shapes. The start of a new drawing, staring me in the eyes, speaking it’s own words of wonders, wondering how I should finish this masterpiece. My mother spoke,”It is a beautiful piece you have created, my dear.” Expanding my mind into all the geographic shapes, I could possibly think of. I, as a woman, thought of the hourglass shape, that every possible woman has. Thinking to myself,”maybe……..just maybe, I could put that idea into my piece. Somehow I could tell the story of my experiences through my sophisticated, yet simple drawing. My pencil began making wonders, from tear drops, to flowers. From skies to waters, and sights never seen. The tears of hope streaming down my face, within the past and present experiences. This is was a moment of hope and joy. The love and passion I had put into this piece, reflects all of the challenges and fears I had to face throughout my life. I was always focused on the destination, instead of the journey. I then, gained that faith that pushes me through all of the challenges I face.

As I began to get distracted through the nature that surrounds my body and soul, I decided, I want to capture these beautiful views. I then slipped out my camera out of my bag, began to capture the memories seen through my own eyes. My mother looked over my shoulder, then spoke,”What beautiful pictures you’ve taken”, I replied,”sure”. Not believing any comments that have come my way. Unsure of whether or not they’re true or not. Not realizing the true meaning of loving myself, and self care.

Reminding me of the day, My whole world was flipped upside down. It was the beginning of my freshman year of highschool, I was petrified, and afraid of myself. I’m in tears, staring down at the shimmering light, reflected on the knife, lying in the palm of my hand. Thinking that the whole world is against me, I began slowly facing the knife towards my chest. Until, I hear the soft, fearful voice,”Hayley, please, put, the knife, down. I turn my head towards the right. I can see the fear within her eyes, and the shakiness within her fingers. Blaming myself for what I had just done. My mind speaking,”It’s all your fault, your mother now hates you for what you have done to her.” I’m fighting with everything i’ve got in order to make it through these challenges, but I could never succeed. At least I thought I couldn’t.Within the next day, I ended up in the hospital, or better yet, hospitalized. I was hospitalized five different times within two years. While I was inpatient, I would color, draw, and do many things that made happy, and made me feel good inside. It didn’t really matter what other people think, as a long as it makes you happy.

Through my art, I was able to realize that life wasn’t just a terrifying dream, I was able to realize that these journeys are priceless, that it’s the journey that matters, not the destination. My strength grows every single day, I believe in myself more, as I go. Art is my reflection of those challenges, and journeys that come my way. I’m in control of my life now, and not one soul can change that, nor bring me down, because here’s one thing for sure, I will, get back up. I’ve learned to not care about what other people think of me, i’ve learned about my own self-care. You shouldn’t care about what other people think of you, their opinion is not important, only your own opinions matter. Just because you have self care doesn’t mean that you’re a selfish person. It just means that you are expanding yourself and your own being. I myself was bullied for eight years straight, after all of those years of being beaten down, I found my strength within art. Within all of the colors, and the geographic shapes. Lost within all of the wondrous words to describe the masterpiece, of my life.