Brandon’s English Blog

 I find time through the small breaks and interactions I have with people. The occasional text on social media helps me laugh as my friends send me funny videos. I always drum on my pad whenever I get up to get my hands moving and do something other than sit down. I always take 1 hour out of my day for fitness, using it as a time to destress and focus on what I have to do throughout the week. Today, I had my one-pager finished, allowing me to relax the rest of the period. I finished most of it in the morning, leaving me happy with the result. Today, I feel okay. We have our final Jazz practice before the Jazz Festival tomorrow. I feel we have worked hard and today is time to just polish up things in preparation for tomorrow.

 I remember being told I was born early on March 12th, around 1am. My mom was so relieved to have given birth to me, as I was a big baby and it was painful. My mom and dad were both very loving, especially since I was my dad's first son. He was ecstatic, unable to separate us from the moment I was born. I'd relate more to "Infant Joy", as there were no complications and just good emotions after I was born. Today, we read "Infant Joy" and "Infant Sorrow" by William Blake. They relate to the two different perspectives after childbirth. Afterwards, we began a one-pager on either pair of the twin poems. I chose the infant pair, as they seemed easier and more enjoyable to me. I spent today finishing gathering information so I could just let my creativity flow when I got home. Today, I feel good. There is nothing after school today, so I get to relax.

 The most beautiful thing created to me is the universe. I don't understand how all these planets were made together, especially with everything being made of specific atom configurations and gas. All the stars, blackholes, and planets just appeared one day after the Big Bang, which also just happened randomly according to science. Today, we read a short poem titled "The Tyger". It depicts the beauty and design of tigers, with the author at first being in awe in it's beautiful and then contemplating why God made gave so much detail to something so dangerous and powerful. I didn't understand the poem much but it was also interesting to see the author's reasoning and explaining as to why Tigers are how they are. Today, I feel okay. I have to help the Henderson Band students with this upcoming parade we are doing on Saturday. They're improving well and I believe they have a bright future in the Lakeside Band Program. 

 I look more forward to Christmas. It has always been an important holiday in my family, as it’s the time where I get to see family members I normally don’t throughout the year. The food also symbolizes our heritage and brings us together, being a mix of ethnic dishes typically only made for special occasions. The act of gift giving shows care and love to one another, with the gift only being a small part of it. Today, we took a Multicultural Lit benchmark, testing our knowledge and understanding. I felt I did good, but won’t know until the grade is in. Today, I feel good. I have Jazz Band practice today, and I hope we can sound good before the Jazz festival this Saturday.

 You need to meet people in the field or job you are interested in. They carry valuable knowledge and experiences that you may also face if you decide to partake. You also need to research the education, skills, qualifications, and factors in order to get the job. Right now, I need to prepare myself mentally for all the math I will be doing as well as reaching out to anybody I know that could give me insight into whether the job would be right for me. Today, we watched a video on about a woman living on minimum wage. It was interesting to see the experiences, challenges, and sacrifices she went through taking care of herself and her son. Me and my mom have gone through similar experiences so it’s nice to relate and understand other people have gone through the same experiences. Today, I feel good. I have nothing today so I get to go home. 

 Over spring break, I did nothing eventful. I caught up on necessary rest while also staying active. At the end, I caught up on assignments and practiced for Band. Today, we researched about careers we were interested in. We use government websites and calculated things from the average pay, education and experience required, what you do in the job, and how many people have the job. It was fun because I found a viable backup that I could do in case Computer Engineering is not for me. Today, I feel good. We’re about to perform for the first time as a Jazz Band next Saturday, so we have to get it together.

 I would go to Japan and live in a little village for the whole week. I would live the rural lifestyle, exploring the scenery and surroundings. I would do things the old-fashioned way. I think Japanese culture is beautiful and I want to experience every part of it during my lifetime. Today, we are doing any outstanding assignments that we are missing. I have quite a few, but I can knock them out (most of them) before school ends. Today, I am tired. I’ve slept late for the last 3 days and need to catch up.

 Coco is a 2017 Mexican Pixar film that portrays the traditions of the day of the dead and the life of a Mexican boy fighting to become a musician against his family’s wishes. The film accurately captures the beauty of Mexican culture, traditions, architecture, and music. This paints Mexicans and Hispanics as a whole as a culturally rich and beautiful group, rather than the lazy and stealing portrayal of the media. Today, we presented our racial stereotype presentations. I enjoyed this because we went in depth about specific cultures we chose and presented it to people who may be unaware. Today, I feel okay. I only showed up to this class because I did not want to get a 0.

 I miss my Nintendo 3DS and consoles in general. I remember the times of me playing my favorite games like Mario, Sonic, Call of Duty, with no cares or worries in the world. Being so young, I had almost no responsibilities other than going to school and keeping up with my homework. I spent a lot of time in between going outside to play with my friends and coming home to get on the game. I miss my 3DS especially because it was the first console I had, with up to 3 of them. One day, I will buy one again and reminisce about the good times. Today, Mr. Rease was not here. We had our Monday vocabulary lesson, but I didn’t do it because it was too long. I prefer the sentences and exercises. Today, I am tired. It’s rainy so Jazz Band was cancelled, so I get to go home instead.