Favorite Place

Mall

     As I go into and take a stride to the hard and smooth flooring of SM, wherever branch it may be, it’s all the same. I felt a leap of excitement and enjoyment within me. I felt more comfortable and worry-free it makes me feel like I’ve escaped from the wild. As I felt the cool air rushing to my body and head it delighted my skin. The cool feeling with the twisted excitement made the mall a really relaxing special place for me.

    I can hear the random voices of the swarm of people passing by going to diverse directions. All was confusing. The scent of their perfume may be sweet, too strong, plain or fresh out from bath and others had the odor of the air pollution from their transportation. The huge crowd was invincible especially during a sale or bargain. There were people clashing to one another. There were unbearable noises too like you can hear the roaring cries of the children shouting for their parents or demanding for a new toy. But the best part is the laughter of different families, friends or any group enjoying their affairs while eating or while strolling. The clashing sounds of lively and loud beats of music may interrupt the conversations of the people but it gives a lot of people the good mood.

           The countless actions made me hear my grumbling stomach. The sweet and good smell of variety of foods made me feel hungrier. The taste of bitter, sweet, salty and sour goods tickled my taste buds.

     The mall is truly relaxing and invigorating. The sound of paper money pulled out from your wallet and the coins clashing out was the worst part until then you’ll realized there’s nothing left to feel inside your wallet or pocket.

Photographs of My Parents -Maxine Hong Kingston

Photographs of My Parents

      My parents have many photographs: when they were younger. They look a lot different from now. Of course, they look younger, fresh and better-looking. I also saw photographs of the two of them when they used to date but I never knew their story. Anyway, this story isn’t really about my parents. It’s a story that portrays the author’s, Maxine Hong Kingston, identity and cultural experiences as a Chinese American. It also showed the differences among the Chinese and Chinese-American culture. The mother’s photographs represented the Chinese culture while the father’s photographs characterize the Chinese-American.

     From the photographs of her mother she looked formal; she wasn’t humorous and showed her level belonging to a lower class. She is intelligent, alert and pretty.  She rudely stares to American people around her. She didn’t trust the people around her especially they were on different races. Her father was more confident, worry-free and more comfortable. He was a fashionable, friendly and humorous guy.  

     The story reflects on issues of immigrant culture such as heritage and assimilation, themes that dominate to exploration of lives of different races. I think the story had mixed fact and fiction, drawing upon biography, autobiography, legend, and history to create a form of descriptive that blends essentials of Chinese history and myth with aspects of contemporary American culture. Kingston gained a great deal of attention for this pioneering approach.

The Death of the Moth -Virginia Woolf

The Death of the Moth

     The story contains many detailed descriptions of such things. The moth symbolizes how we deal with life and towards death. The moth showed how brave and wise he faced life and death. A creature so small and delicate can be wonderful in many ways. I like how the author began the story with the complete setting it made everything clearer, more real and meaningful. The author really portrayed awareness through a simple story. The story represents also not only the social relationships of the characters but also their loneliness, when they were most themselves, forming silent relationships with the things around them. Like the character observing the moth. I became more interested in the things of the natural world, such as rocks and plants, because of their self-sufficiency

Narrative: Most Memorable Christmas Vacation

Give Love on Christmas Day

     All my experiences during my Christmas vacations are just the same. I spend most of my Christmas holidays with my family including my father’s relatives in Nueva Ecija. Although, we don’t usually spend Christmas in our house, we always celebrate it earlier before we go to the province. We dine together and exchange gifts.

     The most memorable Christmas I had was when I was 7 years old in 2002. Since I was still young, I really didn’t care much. All I cared about was having fun and playing a lot. I remember going to the mall alone for the first time. I rode a taxicab on my own just to be able to buy gifts for my family. I bought a new hair blower for my mother, a watch for my father and a new toy for my brother. I wasn’t able to buy a present for my baby sister because I didn’t have money anymore.  I didn’t care of losing money. All I know was that I felt very happy of what I did. I think that made me feel really special. Nothing could ever be more important and special than my family. When the time came, for them to open their gifts nothing made me more contented than to see the smiles of their faces. After everything, we already went to the province. It was a long trip. It took us almost 4 hours just to get there. It was a relief to finally step out of the car and feel, see and smell the fresh air and green environment. There were carabaos everywhere and mostly different trees with their own fruits falling down, as if waiting to be picked .I love the sweet, yellow and delicious mangoes of Nueva Ecija. I also love suman from the market. I remember every time I go there, my grandparents always brought me these pasalubongs: sumans, ballot, fruits, assorted chocolates, Yakult and Chuckie. They spoil me and my cousins, who lived beside my grandparent’s house and let us eat any amount at anytime we want. The refrigerator is always full of sweet treats for us and was all very indulging. During Christmas Eve, my grandparents prepare lechon. We eat all together and the crunchy skin is always set aside for us kids. Finally, Christmas day, the moment we’ve all been waiting for. We woke up with the table full of a variety of food, hot and freshly baked out from the oven and another lechon. We have this tradition of reuniting with our family members in our great grandparent’s house in Cabanatuan. Sadly, my great grandfather had passed away just last year. He always give us lots of hugs and coins. I remembered when I was 10; he started forgetting the people around him including me.

    Every Christmas my aunts, uncles and other relatives give me a lot of gifts and money. When I was 7, I received a lot so I was able to replace the money I spent for buying gifts. I was really happy and I enjoyed the company of my cousins most especially Mia, who is 1 month older than me. We understood each other, maybe because were in the same level. She always teaches me new games and introduces me to new playmates.

     The real spirit of Christmas is the love and happiness we share and bring to one another. I share these special moments with my family, which is worth more than anything I could ever wish and want for in this world. They have and will always give me the exceptional care and love that no other person, money neither can give nor buy.

Descriptive: Wonders of Life

Wonders of Life

     Birds are animals with feather and wings. They can be found worldwide in many habitats. There are many different kinds each with different names, characteristics, colors, sizes, capabilities and a lot more. Almost all birds can fly but there are some flightless ones too. They can also be sensitive, responsive, colorful and graceful with habits that excite interest and inquiry. People have long been fascinated by birds because they are found in great abundance and variety in the same habitats in which humans flourish. I see birds souring up high in the clear blue skies they’re wonderful they give me thrills that make me want to jump and soar with them, if only I could.

     As I gaze through the window I saw two brown chirping birds peacefully resting on its nest, on top of a tree branch. They were not just sitting on their nest but the mother bird had laid its eggs before and now they sat on them. They never went away from their eggs. They kept them warm with their wings and body; they waited until it has safely hatched. After a few hours, the eggs have finally hatched. You can see the tiny heads struggling to get out from its hard shells, their fragile body moving and their loud voices for greeting. New lives have finally been formed. The adult birds were very proud I can see it through the way they looked at one another and how they chirped like welcoming the new born chicks. It was a brilliant sight. The chicks stayed dependent on their parents but soon they’ll grow, soar gaining their freedom, independent and build another generation of their kind.

     The life of a bird can appear easy, beautiful, comfortable and worry-free but like other animals, birds encounter many hazards in their life. Different factors may be responsible for the destruction of a bird’s peaceful life. Strong winds may toss the eggs or chicks out of a nest. Its nest may be destructed through the different forces of nature. But still the journey of a bird goes on. A calamity may slow them down but they can adapt fast after a struggle. Truly life is unpredictable but wonderful.

     I wondered what it felt like for my parents to have me as their child. It took a long way for the adult birds to nest their chicks, it took a lot of patience, they waited for long hours controlling their hunger just to protect and warm their eggs. But still at the end the adult birds were satisfied and they completed a new life for a new encounter. Many parents though find difficulty in bearing a child through the responsibility, dangers and difficulty it brings may scare them. The wonders of life may be complicated and hard to believe but it can be felt and achieved to the long years, months and days that pass. Humans could also be like birds; the chicks in need of the adult bird’s feathers for warmth and companionship and both rely more heavily on hearing and color vision than on smell.

     Life is really worth it and it does about taking risk to truly live. Life isn’t just about breathing it isn’t enough without actions. The courage and sacrifices we make are worth something we live for. There’s a lot in life to look forward to. The adult bird’s formation of chicks may bring a whole start for a new wonder of life.