He Brought Me Happiness

[I wrote Preston's perspective. This story is in collaboration with Alice, Jenny, T-san, and Dawn.]
Characters
Preston Park
is the younger twin brother of Jungsoon Park. This twenty-seven, sophisticated, elegant and playful young man dreams of becoming well a known artist. However, he works as an accountant at ICN Finance, who eventually lives with his brother after finally deciding to leave his parents. Preston is frustrated that he is taken advantage of and often has to suppress his gayness when working. Soon, Preston decides to work as an accountant at Choi Agency full time.
Becomes a rich artist later in the story.
Lives with his brother (Jungsoon) after finally deciding to leave his parent and decide his own feature
Jungsoon Park
is a twenty-seven year old Mafia boss who successfully runs　　Choi Agency he established (with a little help from his best friend Aiden) after deserting his parents house. Jungsoon and Ashton's uncle are long time friends; In　　fact, it was Ashton's uncle that takes Jungsoon in after he left and helped Jungsoon receive his　business degree.　Being the top chief, Jungsoon has a bit of a temper, and his appearance comes off mean, but deep down he is actually nice—if he wants to be. Jungsoons' main goal is to prove his parents wrong that life without being what they desired him to actually works.
Own his own business that he brought started on his own (with a little help from his best friend Aiden) after leaving hi parents who tried to force the career of becoming a lawyer or a doctor upon him.
Aiden Lee
- Born in Guangzhao,　China, the twenty-five year old has come to SMTown,　South Korea　in search of the highest fashion line. His best friend ( Jungsoon) offers him a job as a business associate to help out with the business and Aiden doesn’t hesitate to accept! When it comes to handling business, Aiden is a true diva because he wants to help expand the company and stay extremely successful. His colleagues get jealous of him rather quickly and even attempt to sabotage his work ethic. Unfortunately for them, Aiden loves all the attention. Due to his fashion style, Aiden often comes off feminine, but his overtly aggression and masculine manner hinder any assumptions of a woman. Eventually, Aiden thinks it time to settle down and find his special someone all the while work side-by-side to Jungsoon.
　
He is a total diva.
Jungsoon best friend.
He lives with Jungsoon, they are also business partners
　
　
　
　
　
　
Ashton Baker
- Ashton is a　twenty-two year old sophomore attending　Colgate University　and his dream is to one day own his own bakery; he's majoring in the Culinary Arts. His mother is Cherokee-Indian and his father is Egyptian; they both use to run a successful bakery not too far from The Itis. However, on Ashton’s sixteenth birthday his parents hung themselves and that has left Ashton often　disconsolate　and reserved. To help pay for his college intuition, he works part time at his Uncles’ burger shop, called　The Itis. His Uncle sometimes mistakes his nephew for a girl because of his feminine looks and that irritates Ashton. Thus, Ashton wears baggy clothing whenever he goes out into public.
He is very pretty and is sometimes mistake as a girl, which pisses him off and shows off his bad side.
Is very passionate about cooking.
Works for his uncle’s diner.
Comes form a poor family and his dream is to one day own his own bakery.
Rei Johnson
- Rei is a twenty-one year old that comes from a poor family in　Rome, Italy. His parents are both prominent pianist and has influenced their son to become a singer. However, since money is tight Rei is no longer able to attend the　University of Sannio; his parents decide to fly him to SMTown, South Korea to continue majoring in Performing Arts for a cheaper price at　Colgate University. There, he meets Ashton and the two instantly become friends. Rei also works part time at　The Itis　to help pay his college fee's. However, his boss almost fired Rei once for messing up an order because he often carries around an iPod during work. Rei is easy to get along with due to his easy-going, friendly and humorous personality; he 　has a lots of fans and makes new friends on a daily basis. Although he jokes around a lot, he gets serious when the time calls for it and his up-beat attitude vanishes within seconds.
The youngest person to work at Jungsoon’s business
Lindana and Moose Park
The parents of Jungsoon and Preston, are rich and own a private company that uses child labor to produce the goods. The Parks have a lot of influence in government through lobbyist, and are a part of the top one percent. Moose, the father, wants his two sons to become congressmen, and shoves his ideas down his sons’ throat. He's been prepping and grooming them to be the right congressmen ever since their childhood. Lindana, the loving mother, tries her best to make the pressures of their father bearable, however. The eldest son, Jungsoon, ends up leaving and latter on so does Preston. Torn and heartbroken, by her son’s absence, Lindana turns bitter and joins Moose in his plot to rebuke their son’s choices.
Maxwell Warelock
is Preston's lover and is only two years younger than him. Preston and Maxwell were friends back in elementary school and all the way through college. However, they're love didn’t last long. Preston caught Maxwell cheating on him with a girl. Preston got mad at Maxwell and out of revenge had an affair with a girl himself at a college party, but the incident was just a huge misunderstanding. Eventually they became rivals when working for different businesses. Maxwell is like the slightly emo,　dark horse　character　who plays by his own rules. He's an accountant as well but he wants to be a musician. He's extremely attractive with his　dark hair, lean abs, and hands as smooth as a baby's bottom. Maxwell's rival business is called Corporate LifeTouch.
Tony Baker (Uncle)
Tony Baker is Ahston’s caretaker. He’s fifty-seven years old and wears a plain brown shirt with a white apron wrap around his waste, exposing the fullness of his gut. Ever since the incident with his brother and sister-in-law, he’s been extra protective of Ashton…making sure his depression doesn’t cause him to commit suicide. For the most part, Tony works at his restaurant constantly bugging his nephew with orders and constantly getting annoyed with Rei.
Plot/Central Conflict
The death of Tony Baker.
The death of Tony Baker, makes Ashton go to extreme measures to end the pain it causes.
Resolution
Jungsoon saves Ashton from killing him self.
　
　
-Preston's POV-
　　　　 Why don’t they just leave me alone?! My body throbbed with all this ugly pressure. I finally understood why my brother left us. I thought he was just making a huge mistake, but now I get it. Tonight I am leaving my parents…for good. I'm fed up with my parents planning my entire future without even considering my input. I dialed my brother’s number and waited for the signal to connect.
“Jungsoon?”
“Preston?”
“I’m coming out front.”
“I’m already at the gate.”
“Okay." I grabbed my bag of belongings and headed to the front door.
"Leaving already?" My father was leaning against the threshold of the hallway door. "What? Your own parents not good enough for you?"
"Moose, please honey. Stop," said my mother, intervening. "Preston, please. Don't go. Things will work out."
I looked hopelessly and shook my head no. I finally left. The moment I came out, I spotted Jungsoon in the car, and got in. He took me to his house without asking a single question.
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- Jungsoon's POV -
　　　　 I took my brother to my house. I knew the day would come when he too would leave my parents…no…my father. He doesn’t care…he only cares about what's in his self- interest. Does he hate us? I pondered that question for a long time. After taking Preston inside and telling him to make himself comfortable, I went back to work. I logged on to the computer and checked my email. "My, my. I’ve made quite a name for myself…" I muttered.　
　　　　 The next morning was slow, but I still managed to make it to my office. The moment I stepped through the doors, I greeted Aiden with a nod.
“Where the heck were you?" he asked, standing in the middle of my office glaring at me.
“I had some business to take care of,” I said, walking past him.
“And what business was that?” he asked, still glaring.
　“My brother left my parents house. So he’ll be staying with us for a while.”
“Can’t you get him his own place or something?”
“Why?"
“I need my space?” he said in an obvious manner.
“We live in a six-bedroom, eight-bathroom mansion. How much more space could you possibly need?” I took out a cigarette and lit it.　　
“Well, actually I was planning on using a spare room. I’m running out of space for my clothes.” That’s bull****! I thought—he’s just mad.　
“You already have two rooms full of clothes. Plus you have your own room. So get off my back and deal with the changes. I'm in charge," I said and blew a ring of smoke in his face. He growled and rolled his eyes at me.
“…Fine. Take the damn room. You just better not complain anymore. Besides," I said, blowing out smoke, "you remind me of this girl I use to date."
“F****** retard," he mumbled.
　I let out a small chuckle, trying not to release all the laugher I was holding back. From the corner of my eye, I could see Aiden packing up. “Where are you going?” I said, discarding my cigarette in the ash tray.
“Home.”
“Don’t do anything to my brother,” I said firmly.
“Whatever," he said, then left. I looked at my desk and realized that Aiden had already done all the paper work on his own. No wonder he had an attitude when I walked in. This means I’m free for the rest of the day. Maybe I'll go visit an old friend of mine. I'm hungry anyway.
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- Ashton POV -
“Number 4! Number 4! Order up! Ashton, take this to number 4.” I grabbed the plate full of greasy fries and an overstuffed hamburger and delivered it to our customer.
“Hey! What the f*** is this sh**?” The man poked at his burger, then began looking for something on the plate. “I asked for fu**ing coleslaw—where is it?” I hesitated to answer. I was startled.
“Sir, I’ll get you a cup of coleslaw and—”
“No, no, no, no, no, no!　 I asked for coleslaw!” he exclaimed, slamming the table.
“I know,” I replied firmly. “All I have to do is get—“
“I don’t have time to wait,” he said icily. “Forget it.” He reached into his back pocket for his wallet. He pulled out a twenty and left. I cursed under my breath, as I began cleaning the table.
“ Ashton! Number 21! Order up!”
“In a minute…” I snapped.
　“ Ashton ! Number 21!”　 I slammed down the tray and rushed over to my uncle. “Number 21: Large cup of black tea,” he said, sliding me the tray before rushing back to the kitchen. I searched around for a table that had the order number 21.
“Here is your black tea,” I said, placing the tea and condiments on the table. “Please enjoy.”
“You look like a girl,” the customer said as he looked ahead, sipping his tea.
“Mind your damn business,” I snapped, at the same time making my voice sound deeper.
The man looked at me sternly. I felt uneasy under his stare. No--a glare! His greenish-blue eyes were fixated on mine. His eyes didn’t move or blink. I quickly looked away, and he snickered at me. Why the hell is everybody so mean here?
“Uncle, I’m taking my break now. Rei’s coming with me,” I said, taking my apron off. My uncle simply nodded his head, and I quickly headed for the back door. I felt someone staring at me, and when I turned around, it was the same guy who called me a girl. I shrugged it off and left.
“Fool, what took you so long?!” shouted Rei.
“Take those damn earphones out and talk normally!” I roared.
“Alright, geez! What got you so moody?”　
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- Jungsoon's POV -
　　　 So that’s the “Aston" Tony was always talking about. I watched him as he walked out the door. He turned and glared at me. I laughed to myself. Tony was right; he really did look like a girl. I sat and looked at the scenery around me as I drank my black tea. This place sure did bring back memories. This is where I first started my new life after I completely cut myself off from my parents.
“Hey, Jungsoon, I thought I saw you over there,” said a familiar voice, which caused me to break my thoughts. I looked and smiled.
“Hey, Tony. How’s it going?”
“Pretty good,” he said. He gave me a true and warm smile, but he looked so tired.
“Why don’t you have a seat?” I asked, trying not to let him notice the concern in my voice. He’s very stubborn, so if he felt that I was worried about him, then he would try to play it off as if it was nothing.
“Why don’t you come with me? I need to talk with you,” he said. I followed him to the back of the restaurant where his office was located. He never went here unless it was serious. We sat on the chairs near his desk, and I leaned forward, eagerly waiting for him to explain.
“What is that you need to tell me?” I said, not able to hide the concern in my voice. He looked at me with sad eyes.
“Things aren't looking up to well for the Itis these days.”
“Do you need help around here?”
“The government is taking it…”
“What...!”　
“I don’t understand why. I pay all that needs to be paid and never complain, although there’s a lot to complain about.”
“Is there anything I can do?”
“I need you to—" he was cut off by a nasty cough, then cleared his throat. "Excuse me. I need you to—" Uncle coughed again, but this time it looked painful.
“Are you Ok?” I ask, but he didn't answer. He just continued to cough. It got so bad to the point he was coughing up blood, lots of blood. My insides churned as I ran over to him.
“What's wrong?!” My voice became distorted. Uncle fell out of his seat, but I caught him before he hit the ground. He coughed up blood all over my suit, but I really didn’t give a sh***. I just wanted him to be all right. I quickly took out my cell phone and dialed 911. The lady on the other end of the line said she would send help right away. Thankfully, he finally stopped coughing and looked up at me, reaching out for me to take his hand. I took his hand in a firm, tight grip.
“Help is on the way, so just hold on.” I said to him.
“I need…. you… to take… care of …him. Take care of Ashton …for me. Do it.”
His grip loosened in my hand, and his body lay lifelessly in my tight embrace. A moment later I heard the paramedics enter the room, but they were too late…he was already gone. _______________________________________________________________________　　
- Rei's POV -
　　　　　　　 “What’s wrong?” I asked as I saw Ashton fuming over something. He looked at me and gave a fake smile.
“Nothing’s wrong! Why do you ask?”
I snickered and said, “You’re making that ‘some b**** called me a girl’ face."
Ashton quickly turned to me and yelled, “It was that entirely that guy’s fault!”
I laughed at Ashton ’s angry face. “Don’t take it the wrong way. He’s just stating the truth,” I said as I got a playful punch from Ashton .
“I wear baggy clothes! How can people still mistake me as a girl?!”
We finally reached the park where we usually hang out at. We sat by the fountain and Ashton was still mad.
“Come on, Ashton. Cheer up. I brought your favorite snack,” I said. He looked at me, and I saw the happiness back in his eyes.
“Really? You bought a cream puff for me?” I smiled and pulled out a small white box with floral décor imprinted on it.
“Yep. I actually bought two so you can have one all by yourself.”
Ashton looked at me sternly. “You’re making it sound like I’m greedy or something.” I laughed and opened the white box and handed Ashton his cream puff. The delectable treat has custard whipped in the middle, garnished with chocolate, and to top it all off, it has a small swirl of whipped cream on top. Ashton smiled and took a bite of it. I could tell he loved it. Before I could take a bite of mine, I heard a catchy little ringtone go off. I looked at Aston, and he smiled bashfully.
“Sorry, I’ll answer it quick,” he said as he put his cell phone to his ear and said “Hello.” I nodded and turned my attention to the delicious cream puff.
　 “What? Are you serious?” I heard Ashton say, and turn my attention toward him.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, and I saw the panicked look in Ashton's face. He quickly got up and ran off toward the street’s busy intersection. “Ashton!" Wait!” I yelled as I followed suit, completely forgetting about cream puff, which was lying broken in the grass.
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- Ashton's POV-
“Who are you? Where’s my Uncle?” I said, holding the cell phone steady to my ear as I ran.
“This is your attorney. Come to the hospital now!” he ordered. I hung up and ran back to the restaurant. Rei finally caught up with me.
“We need to go to the hospital. I’ll drive.”　 Rei looked at me as if to say are-you-kidding.
“Psh, I’m taking my bike.”
“The hell? We’re going on a freeway!”
“I know. That’s why I’m taking my bike.”
He left before I could object. I jumped in the van and started the ignition. Rei came out with his bike and said he will follow behind me.
I honked at him, but he was adamant about his decision. I drove off, heading to the nearest freeway and Rei was having trouble keeping up with me. People were honking, driving past him, cutting him off and cursing at him. “Get off the road, you jack***!”
Once I got on the freeway, I pulled over in the shoulder lane. Rei pedaled up to the driver’s side and tapped on my window.
“Stop this crap and get in!” I yelled.
“No way! We’re almost there anyway.”　
“Ugh, I don’t have time!” I said, and maneuvered my way into a lane. Rei followed intently and tried to merge along with me, but a car blocked him off, and the driver got out. I looked in the side-view mirrors and could see a skirmish arise.
“Don’t worry about me, Ash! I’ll be fine. Just keep going!” he shouted.
I looked at him like what-the-hell. What’s wrong with him!? Putting that aside, I hurried to the hospital. Once I arrived, my attorney ushered me to the third floor rather quickly, not saying a word.
“Is he okay?” I asked, breaking the silence. “Will he be fine?”
“Your uncle is dead due—“
“What?”
“Listen! He fell over from a—“
“When?!”
“Shut up!” he said, tightening his grip around my arm. “He’s dead because he had cardiac disease, and we need to discuss the will he left.”
We both rushed to my uncle’s hospital bed, and I saw the same guy who glared at me.
“Who are you?” I said, pointing at the mysterious man. “Who is he?”
“Anyway!” said my attorney, rushing things along. “Your uncle’s last words were for him,” he said, pointing at the mysterious person, “to take care of you.” He pointed at me this time.
“No! I don’t even know him!”
“This is not this not an objection! You will live with him. Also, he stated in his will that will you take over the restaurant and you have the option of turning it into a bakery so—“
“No! I don’t want to! Let me live with one of my friends!”
“I said,” he began, icily. “This is not… this is not… this is not an objection!!”
　　　　　　 The next morning was slow for me; it's as if I was viewing the world from the outside. I just couldn't connect. Perhaps I was breathing without my knowing; though, is that even possible? Why do I keep getting the butt end of life? Why didn’t my Uncle tell me? Why didn’t he take medicine or go for checkups? Why didn’t he let me help him? Damn it! I slammed my fist against the wall and cursed loudly. At that point I wanted everyone with nice, perfect lives to just die. Stop living. Feel the pain as I do—anguish! I took a deep breath because I build up so much emotion in my body; it was SO overwhelming that I cried.
"Hurry up, Ashton. We need to get a move on."　　
I snapped out of my dull, insane world to see my attorney rushing in and out of the house, hurriedly moving things along.
"So, um, what do I do now?"
"Eat," he replied, without so much as a glance to check if I was recovering. "Wait." My attorney seemed lost in thought. "Never mind, hurry up."
I dragged myself to the bathroom and locked myself in. Now I had to predict how the rest of the day's plan will go. What if the mystery man is mean still? I sighed. That bastard…calls me a girl. I slouched down in the shower and calmed myself in the hot, humid air just thinking.
Suddenly someone burst through the door! Rei?
"Rei," I called out.
"Oooh! Yeah…my baby feelin' becaaause of fake kisses all night. Waooh!"Rei grooved to the song as his urine kept missing the toilet.
"Rei!!" I screamed. The damn bastard　still　couldn’t hear me. I turned off the shower and poked my head out. "Reiii!!!!!"
"Oh yeahh!!!! Maybe if I was fourteen I could get wit chuu…"
He flushed the toilet and left. How could he not hear me? No! How did he get in?　
Three hours later, I arrived at my destination. Rei came with me for moral support. My attorney rang the door bell, turned around and left. "Good luck, kiddo."
I was nervous, even with Rei with me. The same mysterious man opened the door and greeted me.
"Alright," said Rei, pushing in front of me. “He’ll be living here with you now, so no more calling him a girl. Vabene? (　alright?)" He said in his native, Italian tongue.
"Oh, you must mean Jungsoon. I'm his twin brother, Preston. Nice to meet you," he said with a full smile.
"Oh! I see how it is. So, you're gonna team up on him!? I'm warning you too then! Non accenni nulla femminile—(Don’t mention anything feminine—)"
"Rei! I'll be fine," I said.
"You sure?"Rei asked, looking ready to tell Preston off again. I nodded my head.
"Come in," Preston said hesitantly. We both walked inside taking in a new aroma and style of the house.
"My brother will be down soon. Ashton Baker was it?" he said, turning his attention on me.
"Yes."
"I'm deeply sorry about your loss, I kind of know what it feels like to lose a parent...kind of," he stressed. "And you are," he said looking at Rei eagerly.
"The name's Rei Moretto."
"Reh　　More-reh-toe?"
"No,　Ray Mo-leh-toe. Let the "L" roll off your tongue."
"Oh, I see."　
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-Aiden's POV-
Jungsoon had the nerve to bring another guy to live with us. Yet, he expects me to stay calm. Didn’t we just go though the same thing with his brother now he brings more people to live here? I
"What the heck is this? Didn’t I say I wanted my space? I want my freaking closet! What is he doing here? Is this a charity house now! No! No! No! He can’t stay. I was outraged at the sight of this man. Who was he and what was he doing here? I stared at him with confusion. Was he a she?"
"He has to,"　Jungsoon responded.
"Why?"
"He’s Tony's nephew, he asked me to take care of him…Tony … he… is dead."
"What…? Tony is dead!" I was baffled. Sure, the man was old, but I at least expected him to live a couple of more years.
"Fine..." I said with an annoyed sigh, “but I get half of his closet!"
"What?! You really want to start this again? He's staying and he gets to keep his closet and that's final!" Jungsoon said in a harsh tone.
I went into my room without a word and slammed the door behind me. I was resting on my bed, when I heard someone yell for an Ashton. Ah, so his name was Ashton. Ha! Wait…!　Another one? Just how many men was Jungsoon trying to bring into this house?!
I walked into the living room to kick this new guy out. I was not going to let another guy take my closet!　 There was two men standing in the living room, one of them was this Italian-looking dude. I could not help but stare at him. Who was he? Ashton? No, couldn’t be His Uncle doesn’t have Italian features. Was he Ashton's friend? Boyfriend? No! He can't be his boyfriend! Wait. Why am I thinking like this? Am I jealous? I don’t even know this guy!
I got to admit, he is gorgeous: those brown eyes, his smile, his glowing hair. This man is absolute perfection!
Why am I in such a daze? He's just a guy!
That reminds me....
Where's Jungsoon?
Probably checking up on Preston.
I left the living room to　look for　Jungsoon in　Preston's room.
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-Preston’s POV-
　I’m glad I left my parents. They were just getting on my last nerves! ARG!! Darn them! For some odd reason, I want to cut myself for disobeying them, especially my father. But I’m better than that. I am lying on the bed reading a few of my favorite humorous novels, until Jungsoon came in.
“Hey bro, how do you feel?” Jungsoon asked me.
“I’m okay. Just feel a little guilty leaving our parents and then trying to invade your space…”
“Oh Preppy, don’t stress about it,” Jungsoon interrupted me but gave me a slight smile, “You don’t have to worry about anything one bit…”
Suddenly the door slammed open.
“Jungsoon! What is the meaning of all this?!” I guess that’s Aiden, that snobby b**** of a diva. “Why do we need all of these people in our house?!”
“This is not your house! You don’t even pay the rent for my dwelling!” Jungsoon exclaimed with pure anger.
“But…”
“Look, Aiden. Be a darling and leave me and my brother alone for a minute. He and I have some business to take care of.”
“Maybe this isn’t the best idea. I should just go back to our parent's house and leave you two be.” I said.
“Preston, you are staying here and that’s final. Aiden, I can’t deal with you right now and you’re whining complaining, groaning and moaning! I wish you stop being so conceited and think about other people for a change!”
“Don’t use that tone with me!” Aiden said with his hands elegantly placed on his hips. 　 “You know I bust my butt working for you. Though, you should really wear low-cut jeans that are just below your sixth ab. It gives you more of defined shape for your firm butt…Anyways, what were we talking about?”
“Just leave,” Jungsoon gave a huge sigh. Aiden looked so pissed and walked out the bedroom door.
I feel like I’m the cause of this whole mess between my brother and Aiden. I’m so ashamed. Anyways, my brother and I are discussing about him offering me a position at his company. He knew I was the artistic type and always wanted to be an artist. I told him I want to work as his publicist since I will be able to test my graphic design skills and be able to use my connections to other people to bump up his business. Once we closed the deal, I felt so relieved and thankful that I made one of the best decisions of my life. I am finally able to pursue my artistic dreams. One word: satisfied.
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-Ashton’s POV-
Once I convinced Rei to leave, I waited a while. What am I supposed to do here? There’s nothing for me. Zipping my bag open, I pulled out my anti-depressant pills and took two. Suddenly Preston came down stairs, stepping lightly. Or was it Jungsoon? Not sure.
“Follow me. I need to take you to your room,” he said.
“Which one am I talking to?” I asked.
“What?”
“Which one…?”
“Oh, that.” He cleared his throat. “Jungsoon,” he answered with a half-smile.
I followed three feet behind him and he guided me to one of the rooms in the east hall. This is place is definitely a mansion—it’s so big!
“Here it is,” he said as he opened the door and stood aside for me. “Well I guess I will leave you alone for now,” Jungsoon said, interrupting my thoughts. “If you need anything I’ll be in my room. It’s right across from here.” he added.
I lay on the huge bed and let out a deep sigh. I was still depressed. The pills should have kicked in by now. I reached for my bag once more and read the symptoms’ in case of overdose. It read: Coma; seizures; hallucinations; stroke; arrhythmias (irregular heartbeat); edema; weight gain or loss; etc. Maybe I wanted all that. When you’re dead you don’t feel a thing…maybe that will help sooth my pain. I studied the pill container. I stalled. Should I do this? Do I just give up? Without giving the situation a second thought, I unfastened the cap, scooped out ten to fifteen pills, and devoured them all. I wasn’t feeling anything…yet. I took five more, then seven, then eight. The pill container was now empty and I sat on my bed anticipating the events to come. I began to count to pass time. “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, elven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two…twenty…twenty-three…four….five…
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- Jungsoon’s POV-
After I introduced Ashton to his new room, I sat on my bed and picked up the envelopes on the side of my dresser that were left in Tony's will. I looked at both of the envelopes. One was for me, the other for Ashton. I sat Ashton's mail back on the dresser, and opened mine. The letter read:
Dear Jungsoon,
If you are reading this letter, then most likely I am dead. My doctor told me I didn’t have much more time to live so I need to prepare myself and my family. But I didn’t want you guys to pity me so I didn’t tell you. There was nothing that you or anyone else could have done, but before I leave, there is one thing that I ask of you. Take care of my nephew Ashton for me. You always ask me how you can pay me back for all I’ve done for you, well taking care of him, and helping him is what you can do for me. Take care and don't over work yourself. I am proud of how much you’ve grown, you were always like a son to me.
With love, Tony.
I felt the hot tears fall down my face. To me he will always be the father I always wanted. After sitting for a few moments I wiped the tears away from my eyes, I gathered the other envelope that was for Ashton and headed to his room. I hope Ashton and I become friends. I heard a lot about him from Tony when I visited him. He sounded like a good kid, just a good kid with a sad past. Once I walked into the room, I was horrified. Ashton’s body was leaning weakly against the headboard of the bed, his eyes dazed. He was holding some sort of medication.
“Ashton!” I heard myself cry out as I ran to him. As I got closer, I could hear that he was counting. I grabbed the bottle out his hands and examined it. It was an antidepressant. I let out a deep sigh. I was relieved on the fact that he would be fine, but I don’t know about emotionally. All I could do was stare at him as he drifted off to sleep.
I was filled with nothing but sadness and confusion. There was no need to ask the question ‘why was he so depressed?’ the answer was quite obvious. This boy had been through so much. How am I supposed to help someone that’s in so much pain? I sat for hours trying to figure out a way to help him feel better. Then suddenly he started to wake up.
“Ashton?” I shook him gently. His eyes widened and he shot straight up. He looked at me confused. I looked in his eyes, and all I could see is sadness. He looked at the bottle that was in my hand and tears started to fill his eyes. I pulled him into a hug. He tried to push me off, but I just held him tighter and he soon gave up and began sobbing into my chest.
“That really was a stupid thing to do. Killing yourself won’t bring you any happiness. You might make the pain go away in your heart, but in reality you'll only hurt others.” I said softly.
“W-why do… you c-care? You d-don’t even… know… me!” He said in between sobs, “you're just looking after me because you have to. I just want the pain to go away!” he moaned.
“Do you honestly believe that death will solve that? If you were to die now, all the things your Uncle ever did for you would be for nothing. Do you think it would please him in any way, if you killed yourself.” He became silent and looked up at me.
“He’s put so much effort into giving you a better life, so don’t give it up. Your parents' and Uncle may not be here anymore, but you are, so why not just live for them."
I then released him from my grip and he just stared at me.
“Here," I said handing him the envelope. "Your uncle left this for you.”
After he finished reading the letter a light smile spread across his face.
“You have a beautiful smile, you should do it more often.” I said to him and he blushed. How cute!
“About my Uncle's funeral," he said, looking concerned. "How—”
“Don’t worry about any of that. Leave it up to me.”
“Thank you,” he replied. I stayed with him for the rest of the night, I was afraid to leave him alone. I helped him get his room organized, as we talked and got to know each other. He was really a good person. He had a beautiful personality to match his smile. He was kind of clumsy too; he kept tripping over things, which made him blush out of embarrassment. Tomorrow was the day for the funeral.
______________________________________________________________________
-Aiden's POV-
The funeral day was sad, people were crying, and rainy weather. Despite all of this, we were surrounded by beautiful scenery. Green hills paved their way for miles. Trees took their stance in different location. Tony would have like to be buried in a place like this. Surrounding me were people all wearing black; men in suits, women in dresses. No children though, they always mess with the corpse those brats! Don't they know how to show respect?
Beside the casket stood his nephew, Ashton. He cried a lot. I mean a lot. He was the closest to his Uncle. I can see why, but man! Why did he have to be so clumsy? He slipped on a rock, almost knocking over uncle’s casket. It’s a good thing Jungsoon was right behind him to catch him before he fell.
Is it wrong to be distracted at a funeral oration? Oh well, I could not help it. I am weak when it comes to Rei. He was comforting Ashton through his tears. He is a good friend. Are they more than friends? No, I doubt it. He would be more affectionate in a situation like this. Unless…. No! I can’t think that way? Ah! This man. Something about him makes me crazy, but what is it? My heart aches to find out.
That settles it. After the funeral oration, I have to get to know him.
Two hours have gone by.
Tiān le! (Darn!) That wait was unbearable! I miss you Tony, but that man kept talking. My feet were tired on the first hour. Still, I had to keep my composure. I am one of his relatives after all.
Now it's time for the confrontation. Ah! Why am I so nervous? This does not happen, not to me. Yet here I am as nervous as a man could ever be. I am not shaking though, so that’s good. Wow. Who knew walking towards him would be so hard. The air is thicker. Yet, I feel lucky to finally be this close to him.
I offered my hand he shook it. Ashton had a 'what-the-f***’ expression on his face. I guess I should stop welcoming new people to the house. Hey, wait a minute. He shouldn’t have come in and taken my closet in the first place! I asked if I could have some time alone with Rei. Ashton didn’t mind. He was also pulled away by Preston and Jungsoon.
What did I get myself into? Here we are on a bench. The walk here was silent and awkward. Now that I’m here I don’t know what’s next. Do I put my arm around him? Nah. I would be creeped out if someone did that to me.
Here goes nothing.
“Rei. I am going to be straightforward with this. Do you like me?”
“Yes, you seem like you’re a good friend to Jungsoon, despite your personality.”
So I am just a friend in his eyes.
“But…”
But what!
“I don’t think that’s the real reason why you bought me here.”
“You’re right.” I responded. “The truth is that when I am around you, my head goes crazy. I feel suffocated by my emotions. I don’t know how to fight it. I am falling for you and I want to know if you feel the same way about me.”
“Aiden, you are an attractive guy, but I cannot feel the same way about you. I don’t know you that well yet.”
“Yet?… Does that mean you’re willing to give me a chance?”
“Yes.”
I turned to look at him. He was blushing. He’s so adorable when he blushes. I couldn’t resist it, I had to hug him. I got closer to him and reached out to hug him from behind, but he turned around.
Oh s***! I’m this close to him!
His face is even cuter close up. He looks so nervous. The hug is not helping him. What do I do? Hmmm. What would the Titanic guy do?
I leaned in to kiss him.
He froze, but didn’t struggle against my actions. Did he want me to kiss him? Only one way to find out.
His lips were soft.
His breath was warm.
He was perfect.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
---Preston’s POV---
It was nice for Jungsoon to arrange this funeral for Ashton. Uncle Tony will certainly be missed. My brother and I comforted Ashton in this time of grief. He cried so much that he ran out of tears in his eyes. His eyes were damp yet swollen in blushing red. Luckily he doesn’t have pinkeye. As soon as I hugged Ashton, I saw a strange, yet handsome fellow staring hard at me from the corner of my eye. He seems familiar, but I cannot put my finger on it. Anyways, my brother and I hugged Ashton as hard as we could to make him feel better.
“Ashton, everything will be alright.” Jungsoon told him softly.
“Really?” Ashton said hopefully.
“I promise you,” He said with a soft grin.
“Excuse me,” a deep voice tapped me on the shoulder. Who is this person trying to interrupt this moment? Ugh. I turned around and I…GASP...it’s Maxwell! What in the world is he doing here?! Now I suddenly have a headache. I accidently pushed Ashton towards Jungsoon and they both fell to the ground. I was filled with so much anger that I punched Maxwell in his privates, making him fall to ground in sharp pain.
“Preppy, what are you doing?!” Jungsoon exclaimed, “Why did you hit this poor man?”
“This poor man?!” I shouted, “This desperate slime ball is my arch nemesis, Maxwell, back in college. This bastard tried to ruin my business when we were working as accountants in our rivaling companies.”
“But I’m an attorney now,” Maxwell still in excruciating pain, “I was…”
“Shut up you good-for-nothing dream crusher!” Jungsoon tried to pull me back, but I kicked Maxwell in the face as hard as I could. I struggled around Jungsoon’s grip and I wanted to beat Maxwell up so bad to cover my pain over what he did to me at college, but I was in too much pain to beat him up anymore. I fell on my knees, sobbing. I crawled up to Maxwell and grabbed him from his collar. I saw the fear, yet anger in his eyes, I wanted to finish his sorry face, but I forced a kiss on his vulnerable succulent lips. I couldn’t resist him, and I know he couldn’t resist my lovely charm.
“Why…did u have…to…cheat on me?” I asked between each kiss, “I loved you before…when we were in college. Why did you have to put haste on me?”
“You were cheating on me with a girl.” Maxwell still catching his breath, “I was going to tell how much I felt about you.” He forced a kiss on me, but I pushed him back.
“I didn’t cheat on you; we were still friends back at college, and besides, that girl kissed me and I was trying to push her away from me. You were the one that kissed a girl at the college party. I never felt so hurt in my life.” I sobbed even more, “Max, I loved you then and no matter how much I hate you right now…I…I…still love you.”
“I’m so sorry I hurt you. I didn’t mean to. I felt so crushed then…misunderstood…used and betrayed. I still love you too.” We kissed each other and Maxwell pinched my butt just to add the extra touch. Everyone was staring at this entire situation…frozen. It was all quiet, until Rei Mor-interrupt-o broke the silence..
_____________________________________________________________________
-Rei’s POV-
I know it was a funeral, but Preston was in an awkward situation and I had to help him! The band starting to play and boy, did they rock out! I recognize the song beat and grinned. It was Smooth Criminal by MJ! One of my favorite songs! I smirked to myself and decided to sing the song in Italian.
Come egli entrò nella finestra
Era un suono di un crescendo
Egli è venuto nel suo appartamento
Ha lasciato le macchie di sangue sul tappeto
Era seduta al tavolo
Si vedeva che non era in grado
Quindi corse in camera da letto
E 'stata colpita
Era il suo destino
Everybody started to dance and I smile to myself. I glanced at Aiden and he blew a kiss at me. I caught it as I finished up the song.
Annie, stai bene
È OK
Stai bene, Annie
Annie, stai bene
È OK
Stai bene, Annie
Annie, stai bene
È OK
Stai bene, Annie
Annie, stai bene
È OK
Stai bene, Annie
The crowd cheered and I saw Aiden motioned me to come with him. I followed and found myself behind the funeral home. Aiden kissed my cheek.
“Hey, love the way you sang up there,” said Aiden. I grinned as I grabbed Aiden’s hand and let him to my bike.
“Save the smooching for later! Let’s take this somewhere private!” I said in my sing-a-long voice. “What about the funeral?” asked Aiden. “Pfff, they won’t know. We’ll just make this a quickie,” I said with a seductive smile. Aiden started to blush and climbed on the bike with me.
“Why the hell do you not have a car?” asked Aiden as we pedaled down the intersection. I laughed and said, “It’s more fun! Better than just sitting in your car!” Aiden laughed with me.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

One month later
Ashton’s POV
Life here at Jungsoon’s house is going great. Were all getting along well and Aiden gave up one of his closets so that Rei could live here too. They were a couple now. They looked so good together. Preston and Maxwell were also doing well. They spent most of their time together. After my Uncle’s funeral, I found myself growing closer and closer to Jungsoon. I really liked him. He was a great person. It was a good idea for uncle to ask him to look after me “Ashton” Jungsoon called out pulling me out of my thoughts. “Oh! Hey Jungsoon!” he looked a little nervous as he sat next to me on the bed. “Um… I.. wanted to ask you something.” he said looking me in the eyes. “What is it.” “I was wondering if you’d like to go on a date…. With me?” he asked. “I found myself blushing at him question. “Y…you want to go on a date …with me? Why?” “Because I think I might be falling in love with you.” “I could feel the heat in my ears and I knew for a fact that I must been as red as a tomato. “That’s good because I think I might be falling in love with you to.” I answered. He smiled at me and held my hand into his. Holding it up to his chest. He then leaned in and kissed me. “That makes me so happy.” he said and the pulled me into a hug. I felt the beating of my heart quicken. I had never been so happy. I was glad that Uncle left me in Jungsoon’s hands. I was glad I didn’t die that day, that Jungsoon had saved me. If I had died then , I wouldn’t have felt the happiness I feel now.

Cats versus Dogs

Cats and dogs are both living organisms in a biodiverse world. They both have tails and coloful vulnerable eyes and can also make a mess if they are not home trained. I like to think of cats and dogs compared to girls and boys. The girls are like cats that have a complicated and sometimes deceptive way to getting most of the things they wanted without necessarily getting rough on anyone. Girls, like cats, have a feminine touch gracefully walking to sometimes show off their dress. Boys are like dogs that love to play around and sometimes get down and dirty. They can behave but sometimes they can't wait too long, or else they start messing around causing trouble. That is how I compare and contrast cats and dogs. Cats and dogs are pretty much the human version of a little girl and little boy.

Autobiographical Narrative- Artist Statement

An Independent Mind Creates an Experimental Vision

A simple and independent mind does not toil at the bidding of any prince.

-Walden, by Henry David Thoreau (p45)

What would happen if I only answered people in a form of a question? For one weekend I answered my peers with a question instead of a declarative statement. My peers had thought that I was having a mental breakdown or trying to be sarcastic and started asking me questions about what I was doing. Throughout the whole day my peers got very frustrated and irritated because I wouldn’t give a clear answer. Two of them didn’t talk to me for the rest of the day. Whether we realize it or not, everyone depends on another person to give an exact answer to his or her question. Is it possible that we depend on the same person too much?

This was an experiment I created to test the type of person I was. I was always the “yes” person that everyone went to for “help” or “advice”. I was afraid to say no to other people because I felt that I would disappoint the person in not fulfilling his or her task. Although, there were many tasks I didn’t have to do, I knew I was being taken advantage of. In school, I was one of the high achievers always prepared for class. In church, I portrayed the artistic talent. I felt frustrated and got stressed out because I booked myself up with a lot of work and didn’t have the guts to stand up for myself. Sometimes, I felt a little depressed and would push myself away from everyone.

After the experiment, I looked at myself through an invisible mirror. I saw how confident I felt; I became a renewed individual. This new person turned my artistic vision into a different direction. I know that I am now a young independent individual that doesn’t have to serve anyone’s unreasonable request. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a person of “higher class” or the most popular; anyone can take advantage of you. I have a mind of my own and no one can take that away from me.

Observation is a human being’s sixth sense. My sight, taste, touch, sense of smell, and ability to hear are the basic senses needed for someone like myself to be aware of the environment that surrounds me. When I was younger, I would notice every speck of detail of the things around me that other people cannot even see. I remember going outside in my backyard to just be around the fresh air.

I would lie across the grass to look at the white fluffy clouds in the sky and sit on the concrete porch to look at the huge forest green tree that always linked against my wired fence and my neighbor’s house across the back of my house. I saw clouds that formed into a train, a loaf of bread, bubbles, flowers, a dog stretching its back, and even a human eye. In the tree, I saw formations of pencils, bow ties, a smiley face, an anchor, a megaphone, and so much more. No matter where I am, I find the most unique details that really catch my eye.

With the influence of my life as of now, I have observed a pattern in my art style. My art style consists of colors, lines, and movement. My mother often tells me that I have an eye for color. I would coordinate colors together that I felt had the best combination for a certain shape or space. I consider that colors express the personality of a person or a specific drawing or picture. Without colors, life wouldn’t really exist. As my artwork progresses, I notice how focused I am with the line quality. I was never concerned about blending lines to create a form of something, but “line” is the root of creating almost anything. Whether I am drawing, coloring, or making some type of sculpture, lines help to create a series of different forms of art. Just like colors, lines can show a form of expression. Even the thickness and pressure of the line can reveal how the person felt at that particular time when creating the art piece. Whenever I sketch an idea, I always start with a circle. I never understood why I start drawing with a simple circle, but I realize that circles, for me, represent movement. Every time I think up an idea, my imagination is usually associated with movement. This is how I became interested in animation and the everyday motions of the plants, people, animals, and other life forms.  Art is a form of my expression and a language that I want to use to reveal the potential I have within myself.

“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.”

-Henry David Thoreau

Raw versus Cooked Foods

from http://www.vegsource.com/harris/raw_vs_cooked.htm

"Raw food enthusiasts have always been a part of the vegetarian/vegan scene. Their core idea is that enzymes are still active in raw food whereas they're denatured, hence inactive, in cooked food. No contest. Next question: So what? The theory is that all food should be eaten raw to avoid the destruction of the enzymes in the food itself which are held to be essential to proper digestion. One afficionado has stated that 'enzymes present in raw foods take priority over secreted (digestive) enzymes.'

Cooking is a form of predigestion in which heat is used to hydrolyze nutrients which would otherwise be hydrolyzed at body temperature by digestive enzymes. The end result is the same, but one raw food author seems to obliquely suggest that another reason for leaving food enzymes intact is so they can be absorbed intact into the blood stream to continue their digestive work there. Such a process would be catastrophic as the absorbed enzymes would be peptide fragments and would be more likely to generate allergic and autoimmune reactions than robust good health."

Spicy Foods versus Sweet Foods

Spicy foods and sweet foods are just about the same. They're both foods, but one is spicy and the other one sweet. Spicy foods have different spicy levels that you can choose from. For example, in salsa, they have mild, medium, and hot taste levels to satisfy the needs of the customer. The only caution to spicy foods is that, if not careful, you can burn your mouth into scabs or, if super hot, can lead to some type of heart burn. With sweet foods, you have really only one type of sweetness. Sweetnesses vary from different food products but once something is sweet, it's always sweet. Although, sometimes a certain food can be too sweet for one person and just right for the other person. Again, it depends on everyone's taste buds. Some sweet foods are combined with a sour taste, such as the sweet and sour sauce for an eggroll. In any way, spicy foods and sweet foods are just about the same, yet it depends on the person's particular choice of foods.

Weather

How does weather affect my mood? It depends on the temperature of a particular day. In a typical Southern California day, the weather outside seems gloomy, cold, and slightly breezy. I would still feel a little bit sleepy and tired and possibly grumpy if I didn't get enough sleep. Then in the middle of the day, the weather clears into a bright and sunny day (some days much brighter than others) and then I feel rejuvenated. I smile into the sky and know that it is going to be a good day. Here's the difference between cold and hot weather. In cold weather, my body is covered with my bed sheets and because it is so cold in the atmosphere, I trap myself in my bed until it is warm. Yet, the cold weather helps me breathe a lot better and exercise with such ease. In hot weather, I feel like I am baking under the sun and am about to whither in the heat. In hot weather I cannot concentrate on the important things I have to do because IT'S TOOOO HOTT!!! When it is too hot, I automatically fall asleep. As I sometimes say: Heat can be torture.

Compare and Contrast Public vs. Homeschooling

Public schools and home schools have a distinct difference between themselves. Public schools is well...public. You are learning--or supposedly learning--with other students that is taught by one or multiple teachers. Home schooling is of course, learning at your house. The student is on a one-on-one basis with the teacher, although sadly the student lacks a social life. I remember hanging out with a girl who was home-schooled; she was excited about almost every place we went and the things I have ever done with friends and other people. I thought to myself, "Poor child, she needs to be around people of her own age."

--to be continued--

Compare and Contrast Understanding and Knowledge

What is understanding? What is knowledge? Well, the point of understanding something is to be able to comprehend the subject of that matter. If you don't understand the subject, then you just know the subject without the attempt of understanding. It's common sense my dear. Believe it or not, everyone has knowledge and anyone can put words together to make something sound sensible to the human ear. Yet, people use the knowledge they obtain and misinterpret the meaning of what is supposed to be correctly understood. If you have knowledge, it is more of choice for you to understand the material or not. It's simple. I can listen to the teacher all day with the knowledge he or she gives me, but I can choose to not store the new information in my brain. The difference between knowledge and understanding can seem complex, but they are not. If you can comprehend what you are reading, then you have obtained the knowledge in your head and you rightfully chose to understand its true meaning.

Semester Essay #9: Future after High School

Some people go right on to college after high school; others take a year or more off to work or travel. Which do you think is the better choice? State your position and support it with specific reasons and examples.

Deciding on your future is the most crucial moment in a high school senior’s life. What do I want to do after I graduate? Am I going to make the right decision? These questions and many more run crazily in a teenagers mind. Everyone has their hopes and dreams they want to fulfill, but sometimes the hardest part is knowing where to start. Do I go straight to college or do I need to take some time off to figure out about myself a little better? I think it depends on the individual. No one can decide for you the next steps you have to take after high school. It’s your choice.

The choice after finishing high school depends entirely on the individual. Some people know what they want to do in the future and already have concrete plan to follow for the rest of their college lives. Others still need more time to decide what they want to do in life. Each has a specific goal they want to reach. Based on each individual’s personality, he or she can find out and explore even further what it is that makes them, them.

No one can force you to make a quick decision. Why do you need to have all of this added pressure? The only person that knows you is you. You have a brain that stores your memories, your logical thinking, imaginative thinking, and your feelings. Some high schools stress the students about the importance of college and gaining a higher education. It seems good but this can have a negative effect on the student. A student needs to be provided with positive suggestions that will help influence an interest to their minds. This is a better method to use than to force an idea on a person.

For me, I believe in gaining a higher education and search for more opportunities that awaits me. I love to explore to different places, countries, and environments because I feel that is what will make me a better-rounded person. Of course, I am not you and I am not them. Everyone has different identities and different circumstances. Life is about exploration and whatever someone does after high school is their choice. What does your heart tell you? Do you want to college right after high school or do you need to spend some time exploring?

Semester Essay #8: Same-Sex Schools

All-girl schools have been gaining popularity in recent years because of the belief that girls learn better when they aren’t competing with or intimidated by boys, who statistically get more attention in the classroom. Do you think single-sex schools are a good idea? Why or why not? Use specific reasons and examples to support your position.

Same-sex schools have been a popular choice for many parents and other educators. When the school has a group of students of the same sex, the student of that particular gender will have a better chance of focusing on their school subjects and not have to compete with another student of the opposite sex. Everyone is in one accord with the goals and objectives needed to be accomplished. The idea of same-sex schools, especially high school, will decrease any competitiveness or sexual tension from the opposite sex and will allow the student to be comfortable to achieve his or her greatness. A same-sex school is a great idea and should be recommended for students who need that extra focus.

Same-sex schools allow the students to focus on his or her studies. Males and females usually compete with one another, which can cause many failures with the individual if one of them seems defeated by the opposite sex. For example, a male student and a female student are both excellent in math. The male student tries to dominate the female student by doing extra work to make him look better. The female student does the same, but after all the pressure the female out beats the male student. As a result, the male student starts to flunk out in his math class and becomes disruptive in all of his classes because he felt that sense of defeat.

Same-sex schools prevent any sexual tensions between the opposite sexes. There are too many incidents where young males and females are having sexual intercourse. Also, someone can become entirely unfocused when he or she has been dumped by the significant other. It is normal for a male to be attracted to a female and vice versa, but especially for teenagers, this is the age where they are many changes that are happening to the human body. With same-sex schools, there is no worry of becoming too attracted to the opposite gender and trying to impress the opposite gender.

Education is one of the major priorities that children need in order to succeed into something much more valuable to them. With too many budget cuts in the United States, schools have become the main victim in our own society. Students need to gain as much education as they can get from the resources that are still available to them. Same-sex schools will bring more of a mental focus to the child and will help the student realize the options they have in order to survive in the working world.

Creative Writing Non-Fiction: The First Time I Went Swimming

The first time I swam was one of my most memorable experiences. I wouldn’t think of floating on top of water or diving into the deepest end. It was a scary moment swimming for the first time. I wore a nice fitting bathing suit and a pink rubber floaty that had tropical flowers and funny-looking dinosaurs attached to it. The first time I swam was the first time I felt like a professional swimmer.

Wearing my two-piece pink bathing suit and matching pink floaty, I slowly took off my flowery flip flops and gave it to my mother. Stepping onto the pool concrete, I tapped my foot onto the cool pool water and then dipped both of my feet limb by limb until my whole body was fully submerged into the water. The water was a little chilly but the hot sun beaming down helped to warm me up. I made little splashes and waded around in circles making donut wrinkles in the water. I did this while anxiously waiting for my instructor.

A fit older woman approached me with a friendly grin. “I guess it is my swimming instructor,” I thought. We moved into a little bit deeper end. Five feet to be exact. I was four feet and nine inches, so I definitely had to learn how to float on my own. Torture. My instructor first taught me how to breathe underwater by blowing bubbles through my nose. I thought, “Wouldn’t boogers escape through my nostrils and contaminate the water?” Answer, “I do not mind that at all.” I took a deep breath and dunked my head into the water, seeing bubbles reaching the surface like I was my own scuba diving air tank. My instructor smiled at my accomplishment. For the rest of my 1-hour lesson, I learned how to kick with two feet. My legs were pretty weak and gentle that I only made quiet splashes. I held onto the blue board and kicked, kicked, and kicked as hard as I could. My legs became a long propeller forcing me to glide forward to the deepest end: 8 feet deep. I held on to the rail bordering the entire pool; so that I didn’t have the urge to accidently drown myself. I climbed the steel ladder and walked carefully and quickly to the diving board. Even the gentleness of the cool breeze struck against my skin with frosty lightning bolts that a human is too blind to see. My instructor told me to step on the edge of the diving board. I felt like I was risking my life for a certain purpose: learning how to not make a cannon ball and splash all the water out of the pool, leaving me stuck at the bottom of the pool. I jumped as far forward as I could and landed safely without becoming a human meteorite. My instructor grinned at my second accomplishment. The first time I swam was the last time I learned my strokes and many diving skills in order to become a professional swimmer.

Semester Essay #7: Public Transportation in Cities

Many cities suffer from serious air and noise pollution—as well as endless traffic jams—because of too many cars. Some people feel that cities with extensive public transportation systems should ban passenger cars and force people to walk, bike, or use public transportation. Do you think this is a good idea? Why or why not?

The idea of a “city” has been known to be a place where people and other living organisms suffer from serious air and noise pollution. The city is not entirely bad; it is a location where people can visit and enjoy the structures of famous buildings, view the great scenery from a certain vantage point, eat the best-known foods, and watch the greatest entertainments in that particular city. Some people feel that extensive public transportation systems, such as buses and cars, should be banned. They think everyone should be forced to walk, bike, or use not so much of the public transportation. This sounds like a good idea but that doesn’t mean it is the best idea to look forward to.

No individual should or have the right to force anyone to make their daily travels in a certain type of transportation. There are people who have jobs much farther away than where they live. Therefore, travelling by walking or biking is not a great idea. If everyone uses public transportation, then it would mean more production of buses and trains in order to prevent from carrying overcrowded people in one station.

Some people cannot afford a car depending on how much money they earn from the jobs in which they work in. So, their only way to travel is by bus and/or walk, if convenient. Everyone cannot go back to simpler transportation if these types of transportation were made so that people can travel somewhere much faster without waking up extra early to travel a long distance. There is technology to help create greener transportation without completely destroying the invention. There are hybrid cars which do not fuel off of so much gas. Inventors can later create a much greener public transportation just like hybrids that will not pollute the air we breathe.

We do not need to reverse ourselves to other inventions that get us around to places but not fast enough. A better solution for this problem would be to remodel the trains, buses, and cars to become environmentally friendly. As long as everyone reduces, reuses, and recycles common material, such as paper and plastic, we can decrease the amount of pollution we create by a larger percentage. Cities will become a lot cleaner and mostly noise free if we tweak our public transportation system without eliminating them completely and let nature do its course. The strong winds can even clear the smog covering the beautiful city of Los Angeles with the mountains as its backdrop.

Semester Essay#6: Computer Communication

Many of us spend hours in front of our computers and communicate more by e-mail or instant-messaging than in person. Some people believe that this is good because it helps shy people communicate more openly with others. Others believe that computer communication prevents us from developing interpersonal skills and limits our ability to have meaningful relationships with others. How do you feel about this issue? Use specific reasons and examples to support your position.

Computers have been one of the inventions of the 21^st century that has become a huge impact on everyone’s lives. It made news and other types of messages pass along much faster than by word from a person’s mouth or sending a letter by mail. People of the 21^st century can send e-mails and instant messages, post pictures and videos, and even chat with another person by using a webcam. Yes, many people believe computer communication has given shy people to become more open to express themselves, but this kind of communication has endangered the human nature of communicating with others face-to-face in order to create meaningful relationships.

People should not spend so much time on the computer to communicate with another person. Staring at a computer screen for a really long time can make anyone’s eyes light sensitive. Next problems it can lead to are laziness, obesity, and other health issues (physically and mentally). No one wants to become unhealthy to the point of possibility of death but computer communication seems like a useful tool for anyone who needs to bring about their ideas a lot faster, especially for writers and soft-spoken individuals. Although, when a person approaches an individual in front of them, that person acts either inappropriately or weirdly towards that individual. That person does not have the ability to socialize with that individual normally.

Another “but” in this situation is people who create spams and viruses and who cyber bully an innocent person. We can never really tell which one is a trustable site or if the person is real or an alias, unless notified by others neither which people to not approach nor which site or link to not click on. Anyone can steal your personal information and use it against you. The computer itself (not just the Internet) is a public place to save or post items that anyone can see. It creates a major question to everyone’s minds: How can we tell if someone I am conversing with is real and not secretly a sexual offender?

Computer communication is one of the best inventions ever formed for the 21^st century, but there are many concerns in terms of safety of someone’s mental health, physical health, and emotional health. This type of communication can damage a generation of youth sociability. Eventually, future generations might not know how to interact with someone they can physically, and not virtually, touch. Also, the future of computer communication can turn against us, believing anything we see in instant messages and anonymous e-mails without taking certain precautions.

Semester Essay #5: Fieldtrips

Dear Mrs. Brown,

Education is the basic tool needed every day for the rest of each individual’s life. Students learn the basic subjects: English, Mathematics, Science, History; and they study other subjects to enhance their learning, such as a foreign language or a performing arts or visual arts course. High schools used to have many electives, internships, and other options to help a student explore a certain interest. Now, since there are too many budget cuts in education in the state of California, there are not enough school supplies or teachers to help provide good quality education. Therefore, if you cancel all fieldtrips for the remainder of the year, the students at City Honors College Preparatory Charter School will not be able to gain a new learning experience hands-on.

Fieldtrips are a good way for students to learn about a particular subject. Students can get the visual idea on the topic discussed in class and will be able to understand fully on any details he or she is unsure about. For example, a group of students in Mr. Washington’s Physics class learned about Newton’s three laws, gravitational force, and the motion of any solid object. One student suggested a fieldtrip to Six Flags because it was fun and everyone will be able to understand the concepts in great detail. At the end of the year, all of Mr. Washington’s and Mr. Harden’s Physics classes went on a trip to Six Flags. The students enjoyed themselves and they had a much clearer idea on what they were learning in Physics for the entire year.

Fieldtrips give students a break from in-class learning. Teenagers have a short attention span and can get easily distracted especially during a long boring lecture. Going on a fieldtrip can not only give the students fresh air; it can open the students’ eyes to an engaging experience. Students love to do something with their hands to create or build something or go on an excursion to see their school-learning brought into life.

Finally, fieldtrips can prevent the troublemakers in the classrooms from disrupting the teachers and other students. Once a troublemaker is able to do something within their interest, he or she will be engaged and be able to tell the teachers everything they know about the topic with excitement. Fieldtrips are good opportunities for troublemakers who barely had any help in their education. They will be able to express their thoughts intelligently with much hope and confidence.

Education is always a number one priority in anyone’s life, since the amount of education students obtain will lead them to the opportunities available. Instead of cutting fieldtrips that will give a disadvantage to the students who need it, we can come up with fundraising ideas to help raise money for those trips. Without fieldtrips, students will be bored of learning and more likely cause trouble in the classroom, which prevents other students from learning as well. Fieldtrips are a method of expanding a child’s learning to a new higher level.

Sincerely,

Alexis Jackson

Setting As The World

When I walk up the driveway, a brown gate is manually opened to reach the back of my house. There is our new garage with lovely brownish-reddish earth tones on the rims of the brown roof supported by white cream walls. There are green, gray, and brown trashcans lining up against the edge of the concrete driveway. I sit across from the trashcans and at a left angle, I see the gigantic house standing firm with our new addition of the backyard deck. The house has the same earth tones as the garage. My mother's bedroom and the house deck stands where a concrete plateau used to be. The concrete plateau was a mini country gathering that stretched across the back of the house. I used to play with one of my cousins at this particular spot doing all kinds of games, such as playing race cars, hula-hoops, and catching a huge tie-died bouncy ball with our dirty alligator hands. The only place that is still in my backyard is the huge forestry green tree that came from the neighbor behind us. My grandmother always sends a gardener to cut it down, but the tree always grows to its bushy Afro size that covers our wired gate. Every time I look back at the tree, I see different figures and draw them in my head: a dog, a monkey, a train, a flower, and a human eye. I close my eyes and breathe in the washed out vegetation with my nose and exhale the taste of freshly uncooked broccoli. I can hear the pigeons cooing to each other ordinary nonsense. My backyard smells like a barbecue pit, but my old memory of the backyard smells like a river-green forest.

A Vegetable I Dislike

There are so many vegetables to choose from. Vegetables are not my favorite food group but most of them I still like. But the particular vegetable that I totally dislike is spinach. UGH! The first time ate spinach! I was probably about 8 or 9 years of age. My grandmother cooked up a pot full of spinach. She poured some on portion of my plate. I looked at this slimy kelp green concoction with great disgust. I took a nibble of this "grody" piece of health and smacked my mouth. I had to force it down in order to get rid of it from my plate. I tried to smile when I faced my grandmother but she knew for sure that I didn't like the taste and gave me a popsicle to get rid of the salty taste of doom.

Root of Fashion Designing Leads Teenage Fad

       How do teenagers get up to date with the latest style? The latest technology? Well, the world of the idea of "fashion" creates what we see is a teenage fad, such as fishnet stockings with shorts for females.

       Fashion designing is the applied art dedicated to the design of clothing and lifestyle accessories. It uses your creativity to create beautiful clothing for others to be able to express themselves. In the sixteenth century, artists concentrated on bright colors and complicated designs. Today, fashion designers use those artists’ techniques, which inspired them to create designs, colors, and textures for clothing.

       Fashion designers use their imagination to invent creative designs. Their job includes creativity in order to make them exciting and unique. They are able to draw their designs on paper and watch them become a reality as a person (model) wears it. For this career, having the ability to draw and knowing your textiles and fabrics are important skills to recognize.

       As a part of the fashion industry, there are clothing designers. Clothing designers are in charge for creating everything from high fashion to handy sportswear. In order to be successful at this job, you have to be creative, inventive, and hands-on. They should be well-known with past designs and be a fascinated viewer of modern trends, fads, and cultural influences. You need to have creative styles for designs and the wish to get started in order to develop these skills.

       You probably want to know what art education is required for a fashion designer. Well, there are many art schools that recommend fashion designing programs. For this occupation, you should take these art courses in college: drawing, sculpture, painting, design, printmaking, and art history. Home economics, English, and American history classes are also useful. Designing costumes for your school or community theatre and working part time in a retail store can help you gain practice with fabrics and designs.

       You might wonder if there are any specific skills needed to design clothing. To answer that question, fashion designers have at least a few techniques or skills to create their unique designs. Some designers study the human body to help them create best-fitting clothes as possible. It’s important for them to remember that the fashion industry is very competitive. Finally, in order to become a fashion designer, you have to be able to work under pressure and meet severe deadlines.

A Tribute to a Special Grandmother

     My grandmother is a very special person in my life.  She does a lot of things to make people happy.  Without her, I wouldn’t be like I am today.  I don’t know anyone else that is as special as she is.

     My grandmother’s qualities make her a special person.  There are a few I can name.  She takes care of me while my mother goes to work.  She washes my clothes, cleans the house, picks up the groceries and any clothes I need, and cooks.  She helps me to overcome difficult problems. She raised me to be the best I can be and never give up.  She gives away gifts for those in need.  She’s very funny when she tries to make up jokes. What’s most important, she has time for me.

     You might ask how I know this information.  Well, I’m around her most of the time.  I watch her around the house.  I laugh at her funny jokes. My mother told me that after my father died, we moved from West Covina to my grandmother’s house in Compton.  My grandmother retired from her job as a preschool teacher to help take care of us.  I have watched her overcome problems she had to face.  She gives away my old clothes sometimes to others.  I watch her volunteer at events around the church.  I watch her support others.

     For all of the things I have talked about and other special things I know she will do in the future, I would like to give this tribute my grandmother, Earnestine Fletcher.  

Amelia Earhart- An Admiring Individual

from “AMELIA EARHART” ADVENTURE IN THE SKY 

I like to be very active even if the things that I do are boy things…like playing baseball, basketball, tennis, horseback riding, and swimming.  I got a sled like the boys had on Christmas when I was six years old.  I sled down the mountain and it made me feel like I was flying.  On my ninth birthday, my parents had me taken up in an airplane. Parents didn’t like me playing with their girls and getting dirty like boys.  Other children didn’t like me because I was different, so they didn’t invite me to their parties. I set dozens of speed and altitude record.  I was the first woman to fly alone around the Atlantic Ocean.  I was the first pilot male or female to fly solo from Hawaii to California; from California to Mexico City; from Mexico City to Newark, New Jersey.  I inspired thousand of people to take up flying.  As a writer and public speaker, I made millions of friends for aviation.What made me happiest was being in the sky flying.  The advise I would give to your is read a lot of books.  This will help you learn what you would like to do when you grow up.  Never let anyone tell you that you can’t do something, when you know you can.

Animation Mayham-Not Getting Enough Sleep

Having the college experience seems like a dream come true. I can party all night, hang out in the shopping areas, and get whatever I want without my parents telling me what to do. During the past summer, I stayed at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) for a month in the CSSSA/Innerspark Program for inspired artistic high school students. I thought as a young 15 year old student in the Animation department, that I had the freedom to do anytime and anywhere but as it turned out, I was wrong. On the third week of the program, my chairperson of the Animation department, Lori D., assigned our big final project. She was about average height, skinny, wore glasses, and would always carry a clipboard that had her attendance sheet and announcements. The final project was extremely significant since it held most of our college credit. Whenever we were in doubt or our minds went blank for every assignment, Lori D. would always say, “Go crazy!!” After my class ended for the day, I walked to my dorm room and started to storyboard my idea. Creating my own seemed like a piece of cake, but things became a lot tougher. I had only a week to finish my animation and I needed to schedule a time where I could record my drawings/cutouts and sound. Everyday after class, I would come back to my dorm until 9pm to work on my project and stayed up to at least 2am to finish. It was very difficult since I had caught a cold and became extremely tired. Usually about 9:30pm one of my roommates, Tiffany, would come in always say, “What are you working on now?....I feel so sorry for you and you guys always have a little sleep.” After my two restless days, I was to shoot all of my frames in a split second. I was scheduled for about an hour for Saturday and Sunday. It seems like an hour was a long time, but when I attempted to finish most of them, my time was almost up. Luckily, the person who was supposed to finish their project after me wasn’t really ready, so I took that advantage to finish what I wanted to complete. On Sunday after I came back from the Getty Museum field trip, I had only an hour to record sound that I wasn’t prepared for. With the help of one of my tall, proud teacher’s assistants (TA), Melissa, it was a delight that she could direct me to prevent my animation from becoming a silent film. I had to transfer my movie using a flash drive to another computer and download sounds to each section to match my animation piece. Melissa was able to determine what would be best for my movie. When I highlighted to the part where it had starlight colors appear and disappear, Melissa and I went to soundsnap.com to check out some twinkling star sounds. “Let’s see,” hesitated Melissa, scrolling down the list of sounds, “Aw, let’s check this one out….no that’s not the one we’re really looking for.” As Melissa was struggling to find the right sound, my other skinny, calm, and heartwarming TA, Kate, was striking her keys on her xylophone, and Melissa and I looked at each other knowing that it was the sound we were looking for. Melissa asked, “Kate, could we use your xylophone and your keys….it seems perfect for this part.” Kate happily answered, “Sure, no problem…I’m just going to step out for a moment…call if you need me.” As she left, we recorded the sound of striking keys on a xylophone with the microphone. I struggled to duplicate the sound but it turned out fine in the end. Luckily, just in time, I had finally finished my final project and I was able to relax for two more days until our showcase. On the last week, two days before our graduation ceremony, our Animation department had our showcase at “The Bijou” to show to other people. When I came in, a lot of people showed up and my stomach turned upside-down. I was completely nervous because I didn’t think my animation was good enough compared to my other classmates, and some of the parts I wanted in my project wasn’t able to fit in on time. Once the show started, it showed everyone’s projects since the beginning of the class. “Wooaahhh!” the audience praised at our works. Then the final projects came. When my animation came up, I immediately covered my eyes and bowed my head, feeling ashamed of my work. “Please tell me when it’s over,” I whispered with a worried look on my face. Suddenly I heard laughter and cheering from other people, and I remembered that one of the parts was extremely hilarious based on what happened to my roommate, Tiffany. After awhile, I didn’t feel so embarrassed. After this whole experience, I felt very confident in my work. No matter how terrible I believe my work would be, I know for sure that if I work productively then someone would enjoy what I’ve progressed. At first I wasn’t confident that I would be able to finish my project in time for the showcase and that it would be awful, but afterwards, I was able to finish my key pieces, and when my project came up on screen the audience cheered and was able to regain confidence. I realized that with the support of my friends and other people from my department, I was able to have the courage to create a fabulous project that I can show to other willingly interested viewers.