Where I'm From

I am from the Big House,

the heavy traffic on Saturday mornings,

and the football fanatics screaming of the sidelines,

I am from the orchards,

going apple picking on warm summer evenings,

and baking apple pies to share with the neighborhood,

I am from those days,

where snow endlessly falls,

and shoveling the driveway is a great upper body workout,

I am from the turning of "heat" and "a/c" at the same same,

and experiencing frostbite and sunburn in the same week,

I am from the tall tales,

Paul Bunyan and Baby the Blue Ox,

with flapjacks smothered with sweet syrup,

I am from the forests of trees,

from the large lakes that surround us,

the petoskey stones and apple blossoms,

I am from those memories,

that will never fade away,

for they are my past,

and will always be my present.

Waterfall

The waves crash upon the rocks,

With deep rage one cannot stop,

It then subsides into a drift of water,

A never ending motion that continues to fall

Theme Connection

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/swimming/8361665.stm

This article is about Michael Phelps and how he is struggling with swimming these days. The title of this article is, "Records tumble all around hapless Phelps." To some extent, I think this relates to the theme of the Pearl. Of course, I believe that Phelps was never greedy, but he probably had high expectations and great anticipation for his upcoming matches. However, lack of proper practice explains his losses at these matches.

Pearl Reflection

I interpreted the moral of this story as being related to greed and how it can lead to undesirable actions. You can observe Kino’s steadily character changes once he discovers the pearl. He shows off qualities of greed. Furthermore, Kino’s greed leads him to hit his own wife and even cause his son’s death. Also, another theme related to this story is that fate can shape our lives. It was fate that Kino found the pearl, which drastically changed the outcome of his life. He lost his son and lost respect for who he was. Lastly, a very obvious, but very true and critical fact is that wealth does not bring happiness, as demonstrated in this story.

We can naturally relate Kino with every human being on this earth. It’s only natural for greed and ambition to build up once we discover something valuable. However, if we let our greed reach levels that may be dangerous, we will end up with the same fate as Kino. I think everyone has been through a situation/conflict similar to Kino’s. Although the consequences may not have been to the extent of the death of one, I’m sure that because of this “thing” or “someone,” our minds have turned greedy and self-indulgent. On the positive side, because of this, our minds can mature and realize the importance of generosity and the insignificance of wealth. One major idea that I believe Steinbeck wants to really emphasize is that wealth does not equal happiness. Kino has claimed that he has found the “pearl of the world,” but did that yield happiness to him or his family? In fact, what awaited him and his family was the exact opposite of happiness. Why? It was because of the false conception that the pearl would bring his family riches and joys of bliss and eternal happiness. Frankly speaking, Kino and his family had a reason to be content with their life initially. They did not lack anything except for money. They had food, water, and most importantly, each other. However, it was the two occurrences—Coyotito’s scorpion sting, and the finding of the pearl—that changed the course of their life.

Guess the Tone

She should've won, no doubt. He's been a musician himself for several years, he knew what he was talking about. The eloquence of her polished piece and the compelling ways her fingers flowed was exceptional...at least much better than that first-place trumpet player. He believed that he was much more knowledgeable about the rules and judgement of music than the three judges himself. Then why...why did she not win? It was only obvious that something was wrong with the ears of those clueless judges. It's much safer to say that he himself would've made a greater critic.

Guess the Mood

Chocolate cakes, apple pies, cinnamon buns, vanilla ice ream, white chocolate, dark chocolate, milk chocolate...I couldn't believe what was standing before me. I was surrounded by endless rows of countless desserts. I made my way past each row and grabbed a handful of desserts as much as I pleased. The moment that creamy, chocolaty pudding melted into my mouth, I was in heaven. That rich goodness that filled my mouth with sweet flavors was a feeling that I could not resist. One dessert after another, and I never got tired of it. Chocolate Souffle, hazel nut cookies, chocolate fondue, pumpkin pie, ice cream cakes, blueberry cheesecakes....

Happy Song Lyrics

Don't Worry, Be Happy

Don't Worry, Be Happy
From the Movie "Cocktails"
Performed by Bobby McFerrin

Here is a little song I wrote
You might want to sing it note for note
Don't worry be happy
In every life we have some trouble
When you worry you make it double
Don't worry, be happy......

Ain't got no place to lay your head
Somebody came and took your bed
Don't worry, be happy
The land lord say your rent is late
He may have to litigate
Don't worry, be happy
Lood at me I am happy
Don't worry, be happy
Here I give you my phone number
When you worry call me
I make you happy
Don't worry, be happy
Ain't got no cash, ain't got no style
Ain't got not girl to make you smile
But don't worry be happy
Cause when you worry
Your face will frown
And that will bring everybody down
So don't worry, be happy (now).....

There is this little song I wrote
I hope you learn it note for note
Like good little children
Don't worry, be happy
Listen to what I say
In your life expect some trouble
But when you worry
You make it double
Don't worry, be happy......
Don't worry don't do it, be happy
Put a smile on your face
Don't bring everybody down like this
Don't worry, it will soon past
Whatever it is
Don't worry, be happy

*The composer thinks that happiness should always comes first no matter what bad things might happen. Even if life is frustrating or brings trouble, you should not worry, but be happy because when you worry, if creates twice the trouble.