Greatest love letter ever! Writing class final presentation

To the love of my life,

            Every hour we spend apart is as a thousand years, a scourge upon my soul. The sun which once hung high and pleasant in the sky now torments me with the sepia hues it casts upon the dismal plains of my existence. In the devastating days of our separation I have realized that I am nothing without you. I know that-

·         My love for you burns with the white-hot intensity of ten thousand fiery suns

·         Eternity would be an everlasting punishment if not spent staring into your loving eyes

·         No one person has ever loved so strongly and purely as I love you

·         We are destined to be together forever

Though our paths only crossed for the first time a few short days ago, your beautiful face is etched into my mind with all of its flawless imperfection. If our chance meeting was the only pleasant experience of my mortal sojourn, I would count every trial, failure and disappointment as an indistinguishable scratch in the golden paved road of bliss.

            I ache for your return from Thanksgiving break so that we can be reunited once more. May we never be apart again, for one more such separation would bring a most unbearable agony.  

            With all of the love that my tender, beating heart possesses,

                        Your One True Love.

The much anticipated Bananalogy

Now, I like grocery shopping as much as the next guy, but I struggle with a few things. For example, lets say a list has five items. I know that's a short list, but lets just say.
-Milk: Of course I'm going to get 2%, because I'm not gross.
-Eggs: I don't think there's more than one kind of egg. I mean, I've never seen turtle eggs at the supermarket.
-Cheese: It's the yellow stuff, either in a block or in a bag
-Bread: Easy stuff-- The whiter the bread, the sooner you're dead. One loaf of wheat and I'm out
-Bananas: Ah, this is where I choke. I don't know what to do!
    Why is it so hard to pick bananas? Well, basically because they are so unstable!! Every banana starts in the same place, but goes through stages. We essentially have 5 different banana stages:
-Green: Inedible. Most people purchase these ones because they have the best shelf life. They will soon be yellow, even if they aren't now. Other than putting on the counter, they are useless for now.
-Yellow: Edible. Preferred by picky eaters. These bananas are good for eating and making banana related foods.
-Yellow with Brown Spots: Probably the tastiest of the bananas. Just like a good cheese, these have been aged perfectly and have an incredibly good consistency. The only problem is that they soon will be...
-Brown: Too mushy. Someone should have purchased them days ago. DISCLAIMER: These bananas are still useful for things like Banana bread. Every Banana is useful!
-Frozen: I'm still not sure how I feel about frozen bananas. Mostly, they seem to brown out really fast and have an overpowering taste. However, the chocolate coated ones are fantastic.

Do you see the problem here? Banana shopping is not for the faint of heart. I like bananas, but that doesn't make the shopping game any easier.

Reflections of a blog (writing process...?)

I used to be good at keeping a journal. It's been awhile though. I've learned some things about myself as I've written this blog. When I first started writing, it was a struggle for me. I had the desire to craft all my words into something that someone else would approve of. Now I've realized that it isn't about that. As I've written more, I've felt that I can be more open with myself and my feelings. My blog isn't really a billboard of my latest thought, but it's more of a collection of my thoughts over the semester. Some entries are funny, some are serious. Occasionally my blog entries try and prove a point, other times they just talk to hear their own voice. I've enjoyed the creation of Danger Gardens and am happy that it's helped me gain some insight into myself. I'm going to enjoy continuing it as well.

A touch to the elbow: what does it really mean?

That is the title of my book, expected to be written soon.  For 1000's of years, men have been confused about the intentions of women. Even after I share this advice with you men, you may still be confused about their intentions. That's probably because I haven't figured them out either. However! There is a sure fire way to know if a girl wants you to ask her out. That sure fire way is the touch to the elbow.
             I was walking down the hall after my Humanities class, a friend of mine from high school said "Oh, Hey!" While touching my elbow. What she was really saying was "Hey, I'm not doing anything this Friday night." Did I understand that at the time? No. Why not? Because I didn't understand the importance of a touch to the elbow.
         Why the elbow? Because the elbow is safe. It doesn't signify commitment; but it's strong, important and taken for granted. I mean, you only have two... Well, most people do. To a woman, that is a great way of showing their interest without appearing too forward. Whoa, I gotta go, the girl sitting next to me just touched my elbow

The age old question...

Does everything happen for a reason? That's something that I've been wondering about a lot lately. when I came home from my mission in August, dad encouraged me to take the semester off of school and to just work until January. I've thought about that a lot. What happened this semester that wouldn't have happened if I wouldn't have come to school? Well, first off, Danger Gardens wouldn't exist. That would be bad. But in a addition to that, I wouldn't have met many of the fantastic people that I have during these past few months at BYU. I can't count the number of great friends I've made and important lessons I've learned. The classes I've been enrolled in have been wonderful as well.
            Was I meant to go to school this semester? I believe that I was. I may not know why for a long time, but I feel good about my time here. I didn't always do as well as I should have, but I had a blast. I would do it all over again if I had the chance. I feel it happened for a reason

It's the Finals Countdown

One of my favorite physical stresses is that of a roller coaster. I don't know why we find it so amusing to be thrown up and down and pulled aggressively in strange directions, but I like it anyway. For a roller coaster to be fun, it needs to have tension and release. It has to have moments of relief and moments of sheer ecstasy.
            School is like a big mental roller coaster. There have been times this semester that I've felt perfectly fine; everything is awesome, I'm on top of the world. Then there are times that I have been stressed to no end. During these times I wonder why I paid twenty-two hundred dollars to be put through this. Final's week is one of the latter. I've finished my finals in two of my seven classes. Granted, those classes were Jazz Improvisation and Social Dance, but still. This roller coaster is 2/7 of the way over! Yes!!!

Social Distraction

One of my new favorite sayings goes as follows:
"Make your words soft and sweet, for one day you may have to eat them."
I like it because I am quite the word eater. I've been eating my words since I was old enough to talk.
When I was on my mission, I would often say things such as "You know, I'll never get a Facebook Profile. It would just distract me from my life."
Did I get a Facebook Profile?  Is said profile distracting me from my life?
I believe that you already know the answer. Why do we do this to ourselves? I believe that it's because we enjoy distraction and procrastination. Now I can distract myself from doing everything because someone updated something. Speaking of that, I can't get to my final point, someone just sent me a message.

Do you deserve what you receive?

Books are so expensive! I don't like buying them, so I try to buy as few as possible. That's what I did this semester, and this is where our story begins.
           A few weeks ago I was feverishly writing my research paper for my writing and rhetoric class. When I was working on my citations, however, I was supposed to consult "The Little Penguin Handbook". Unfortunately, I never purchased one. My teacher warned us about how important it was to do citations properly and that she would not be very nice to us if we didn't cite our sources correctly. So, in my rush to do my research paper, I did all of my citations incorrectly. My teacher gave me a 90% on my paper. Did I deserve that? No. I probably deserved a worse grade. However, my teacher is merciful.
           I learned an important lesson today. Would that extra seven or so dollars have broken the bank? I doubt it, but those extra points would have been nice.

Personal Narrative. Right in time

“If you take any longer to curl your hair, we’re going to be late to the concert! Come on!” She didn’t even hear me!

            Instead of a response, all I could hear was my own frantic pacing and the obsessive tapping of my fingers on my cell phone. I’m sure if anyone else were in the kitchen, they would be staring at me awkwardly. However, they would also agree that my sister was taking way too long to get ready for the evening.  How long does it take for her to…

            “I’m done!”  

            “Well, it’s about time. Let’s go.”

            “What’s the hurry, Trev?”

            “Gosh, don’t be so inconsiderate. We’re late and you know it.”

The slam of the car door only briefly interrupted the silence of my frustrated anger. Great. Now the evening is ruined. We’re going to be in a rush the whole night and won’t be able to enjoy ourselves at all.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

            The suffocating mist of a mid-summer tropic day filled my lungs, threatening asphyxiation. Rivers of sweat flowed unimpeded down my face as the sun slapped itself mercilessly upon me. 

“Are we there yet, Elder?  I’m pretty sure we’re late.”  I strained to see the hands of my watch through the fogged glass. The face of the watch had handled the climate change as well as my own—the hands were indistinguishable from the eroding plaque behind it.

“Don’t worry about it. We won’t get there any faster by panicking about it.”

            Yeah… That’s what everyone says when they have no concept of punctuality.

However, it was only within the next few minutes that we arrived at our destination. The board structure on the edge of the scorched structure had nothing to boast. It was the humble home of Michael, the man we had met on the street just the day before.

            “Inside!” I yelled with enthusiasm. “Michael…? Are you home?”

From behind the wooden shack appeared a tall, dark figure. His bright eyes and intense smile sharply contrasted with his soot-soiled countenance.  Despite the obvious lack of proper nourishment and hygiene, Michael’s face beamed with a happy contentment.

            “Missionaries! Whappnin’? Is nice tuh see yuh’bout this marnin’.”

            “Michael, listen… I’m sorry that we’re late, we got held up on our…”

            “Late? Boy, way a mean? Nah, you dey here. Is what matters, right?”  

I spent a few seconds simply looking at Michael, absorbing what he had said. Not wanting to be rude, I quickly shifted my eyes away; focusing on his home.

            He didn’t even care. How could he not care? I didn’t understand: here was a man that had nothing, but was content. He had enough; he was happy.  My whole life I had had everything that I needed, when I needed it. Even as I sat in the dirt of these humble circumstances, I didn’t lack any necessity.

            Distracted by my thoughts, I missed the rest of the conversation. And the day continued on just as any other day.

            Why should I care…? Do I need to…?

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

            Wow, this air-conditioning is really nice. I wish I would have brought my coat!

“They’ve never been this slow before. I can’t believe it. I’m sorry about this, Trevor.”

“Ah, it’s no scene.” I said, returning to my thoughts; Fast food, how I’ve missed you.

Before I could think anymore about who was trying to speak to me, a tray of food was dropped on the table.  How do they make so much food so fast? That’s incredible!

“Now, eat fast everyone, we’ve got to get home.”  

             Several strained faces expressed the undue stress of the evening: we were obviously behind on some sort of schedule. This bacon is fantastic. I should let my sister try it. I looked up from my food to see my parents standing by the door, quickly talking about somewhere we had to be.

            “Alright, I’m done. Thanks for dinner, it was great!

            “No problem! Let’s go now; we’re late.”

            “Ah, the house will still be there when we get to it, late or not. What are we going to be late for?”

            “Well, we have to get you released from being a missionary”

            “Oh, well. That’s alright.  I can be a missionary tomorrow if I have to. I’ve done it for two years, what’s one more day?”

The smiles and laughter weren’t interrupted by the slam of the car door. The evening wasn’t ruined.  I had everything I needed. I was happy. 

How to Analyze

Now, I'm not anti-education, but this entry might sound that way.
I used to enjoy movies a lot. I mean, who doesn't want to go with their friends to the theater at midnight and watch 120 minutes of pop culture? However, the more I learn about the world we live in, the less I enjoy things like movies. How many of you have those CSI friends? I'm sure you all have one: You're watching some show and they say something like "Oh Gosh... That could never happen. A defibrillator doesn't work like that!"
     All of my friends that are reading this blog are probably thinking- Hey! You are that friend!
I know I am, which is why I'm writing this. I have a problem. That problem is the over-analyzing of any and everything. Why do I do it? Because I am fascinated about everything. So the more I learn, the more I lose my ability to enjoy violence, TV shows, some people and viewing organized sports.
        How can you avoid these things? How can you continue to enjoy watching dumb TV shows? What can you do make sure you will always enjoy the simplest, most thoughtless music that the radio can play?  Remain uneducated. If you like to read, stop. Stop reading this blog right now as a matter of fact.  Instead, lets see what's on Spike TV.

An idiot's guide to not sounding "preachy"

I tried to look up "preachy" in an online dictionary, but I couldn't find it. That's just preachy!
All puns aside, we're supposed to be writing a personal narrative in my writing class. This narrative is supposed to be about how we changed or grew through something. However, the catch is that it's not supposed to sound preachy. How does one not sound preachy? Because I couldn't find a good definition of preachy, I'm going to try and break it down by myself.
Alright... a point needs to be conveyed without implying that you're awesome. Despite the lack of awesome implication, you can still use awesome means to carry your point across. Here are some Examples. First, the good ones:   
Livin' on the Edge- Aerosmith. Screaming rock music just has this way of softening one's heart and allowing a message of pure, honest awesomeness to sink deep into one's soul.
Lord of the Rings- The denouement of this film series consists of a barrage of life lessons taught to us by hobbits. These hobbits just destroyed the One Ring to Rule Them All. Did they go brag to their Shire buddies about their domination? If you're unsure about the answer, watch the movie again.
Coldstone Ice Cream- Does it have to tell us that it's the best thing since canned bread? No. It doesn't need to tell us, it simply needs to show us. And it does it with decadence.

Now, there are some bad examples. Things that we might call "Preachy"

Hallmark (and Hallmarkesque) Movies- Possibly the worst offender, nearly everything that falls into this category is dripping in a corny-plot, morale filled filth. Wow, "morale filled filth" is really fun to say. Nevertheless, that does not redeem the movies.
Many People Who get a hold of a Microphone- I don't need to expound. I'm sure that all of you are thinking of an example of someone that fits into this category. I hope you're smiling.
Country Music (excluding songs about alcohol, scandal or adultery)- Wow, I narrowed that category down to about 20% of country songs... Anyway, these songs generally tell a story. This is where the singer takes time to painfully describe how he learned an important life lesson. Even country fans can think of a particular song that is a little too preachy. Sky diving and rocky mountain climbing are no excuse for preaching.

And thus we see... Ha, see? I just stopped myself from getting preachy! If I were to conclude with a moral, or a complete sentence, I would be

Warning- This blog might have a moral. Or maybe not

Dear friends, lend me your ears...

I'm not sure how I was delivered this time, but I was. My last blog was about procrastination (If I remember correctly). And now it's time for the moral of the story.
It was a dark and dark night. It was a Wednesday night to be exact, the day before the big research paper was to be turned in. On this particular evening, I had 3 pages left to type. I finished work and I had it planned out perfectly: I was going to go to the library and spend the next four hours finishing my paper. My first problem is that I had waited so long to do this. My second problem is that I didn't make it to the library. On my way to campus, I got in a car accident (don't worry, no one got hurt) and my car got hurt (the car is not a person). It was injured so badly that it couldn't go on, and I had to take two hours out of my day to get the mess sorted out. By the time I made it home, it was late. I had to stay up until the morning hours to finish my paper. After all that, my printer wouldn't work. What is the moral of this story? Will the car be OK? Why is the sad Cebu sad? In the words of Eulaylee Mckeckney Shin-"I cannot say. No, I cannot say at this time"

Of House Chores and Rap

I found out the other day that my class final for writing 150 is going to be a presentation. After hearing that, I decided that I am going to write a song about something that I learned in our class and play it on the piano while singing to the class. By Friday night I had finished the music for the song, but the words are always a little harder to come by. I'm thinking that I want to sing either a rap song about ethos (or street cred as we call it on the streets), a love song about pathos (tug at the heart strings, baby) or a blues-jazz song about logos. Maybe I could increase my own ethos by combining all three into one. While I was playing, my mom came in and told me to sweep the house, so I started to freestyle rap about sweeping the house and being in chore bondage. It helps to free the mind and bring creative ideas. My mom wasn't thrilled. I guess she just doesn't like piano rap.

Writing the Research Paper- Procrastination pt. 2

Really, I was planning on writing this blog awhile ago, I just haven't gotten around to it.
That brings me to my point: DON'T PROCRASTINATE!!!
            Today my research paper rough draft was due, and boy was it rough. Let me tell you a little about why it was so rough.
         It was a dark and cloudy night. This night was last night. Coincidentally, it was also the last night before my rough draft was due. 8:00 o'clock and not a word written on my paper. No scene, only 5 pages to go.
I don't need to keep painting this picture for you, you know how it goes. By the time I reached the conclusion of my paper, I thought I was going to fall asleep on the floor. I'll have you know that I didn't, but I wanted to. The moral of the story? Well, I'll get back to you on that one. Don't worry, I'll finish the blog, later. Just not right now.

On a Serious Note (C#)

Believe it or leave it, I have actually been doing some research on my research topic. As I've been doing some research on the effects of music on people, I was shocked at what I found. An example is the murder of Elyse Pahler in 1996. She was murdered by three boys who said they "had needed to commit a 'sacrifice to the devil' in order to give their heavy metal band, Hatred, the 'craziness' to 'go professional.'" Her parents pressed charges against the band Slayer, claiming that they had marketed their music to youth and it had inspired the boys to kill their daughter. 
     I love music, but it has real power-- both for good and for evil. The music of the world is getting worse, and we have to do something about it.

Grammar Issues- From Bollywood with Love.

Let me start this off by establishing that I am not perfect. Especially so in the world of English. However, as I have learned a few of the basic rules of grammar, I feel that everyone should comply. While there is no way to enforce this, there should be. The other night, my friends and I were having an Indian movie night. This weeks movie was Dhoom 2. For the sake of everyone that is unfamiliar with Bollywood movies, they are super cheesy. This movie appeared to be an attempt to make an Americanesque action flick. The result was rather hilarious, but captivating at the same time. Most Indian movies are in Hindi, with English subtitles and an occasional English phrase. The makers of these movies want them to be enjoyed by Americans as well. the only problem is those awful subtitles!  These are some examples for the movie.
- "I'll get you'll!"             -"Excuse me please you"
And the list goes on. If you want us to watch it, make it readable!

My Research Topic! Yay!!

Hey team, my research topic is:

What is the effect of music and lyrics on the mental development of children or young teenagers?
OR
What impact does music and it's lyrics have on a Persons conformity to social norms and ability to interact socially?

Tell me what you think

Reflections on a Consecrated Life

This past General Conference was a big one. There was and still is some controversy over a talk or two, but that isn't the ground I wanted to cover.
              While I was on my mission, I read a great talk entitled "Consecrate thy Performance" by Neal A Maxwell. It instantly became one of my favorite talks. I loved it because it helped me understand better the giving of our lives to the Lord. We give much time and talent to the Lord, but it always seems that we hold a few things back. Keeping back a piece here or there, we never fully consecrate ourselves. Elder Maxwell helped me understand that the more I become like my Savior, the more I become like my true self. It was in that same direction that Elder Christofferson spoke this past conference.
               Many of us misundersand consecration-- we feel that what is involved in giving all we have is more than we can handle. Elder Christofferson didn't speak about the United Order, physically sharing everything right now, but he talked about giving everything that we are to the Lord. This was my favorite talk in Conference because it hits the mark of what I am supposed to be and how I am supposed to do it.

Writing Class Notes-- Of all things!

Right as I'm talking, I'm in my writing class. I'm supposed to be taking some stellar notes, but I'm going through a small crisis. Our teacher, Sister Steadman, said that we have a portfolio due in one week from right now. Ravioli, holy Cannoli I don't want to do that. However, I have to so I can graduate and get braces for my future children. I'm not too sure what I am supposed to be taking notes about, but it's kind of fun to type mindlessly. Oh! Now I've been given direction, I'm supposed to write about a conference talk. I think I am going to write about D. Todd Christofferson's talk on Consecration. It was an awesome talk. Right now we're discussing Elder Boyd K. Packer's talk. It turns out that the same talk is causing a lot of conflict with certain Liberal groups. There are always people upset during general conference time. Can you believe that?
Of course President Thomas S. Monson always has a way of helping us feel the Spirit. His talk on gratitude was something to be grateful for. He also spoke about how we need more missionaries. That's my notes!

An Ode to Cell Theory

                     Three hundred and forty-five years ago lived a man named Robert Hooke

To whom many accredit the finding of cells and recording them in a Book

Claimed the man that all things consisted of, but tiny little cells

Too small to see with our naked eye—with a simple glass as well

A compound microscope used he to see a thin-sliced cork

Paving the way for the rest of the world to continue in his work

The word it grew, the story too, that all life had these things

What to the lighting, changing world, could this theory bring?

Cells are a part of everything, that we know is living,

One at a time, they split and divide, these cells they are so giving.

Biologists far and Physicists wide, they all laid down their strife

As they finally all concurred, cells are the building blocks of life.

As Unified and gratified as all fields of science could be

To discover this great fact of life and know that all could see

That diversified and specialized as all living things they are

Each of them, so similar, whether from near or far

The life we see around us all begins from something small

A single cell that multiplies, divides from its cell wall.

Because it studies living things, Biology gives its due

To cells of plants and cells of dogs and even FreeCell too!

This implies that for this class, in every little fact

From Chapters 1 to 36, these cells have huge impact

Though I can say that rhetoric may just be my forte

I want to learn much more of cells and be expert one day

For they have everything to do with everything I am

Just as a field of strawberries makes much delicious jam

  All the things we understand, our genetic history

Would make no sense if good old Hooke hadn’t solved this mystery

So now I close this rhyme of mine with great rev’rence for science

Hoping that my ingenuity you won’t hold as a defiance

That you’ll understand that though my knowledge is now far from complete

I put all the few things that I know into this molecular treat!

The Great Indian Apostasy: Part 6

I mean, who doesn't like some good curry?
Wasn't that a great hook? I've been working on that, thanks for noticing.
               I love the West Indies. That's where I went on my mission, and a piece of my heart will always be there. Not literally, of course. When good old Columbus came to this side of the world, he thought that he had found India, so he called it the West Indies. Ironically enough, literal Indians left their homeland in the 1800's to find work in the lower Caribbean and South America. They brought themselves, their religions, and their cooking prowess. However, after 100+ years there is bound to be a little food apostasy. That's where last Friday began.
              The Bombay House is supposed to be this way tasty, authentic Indian Restaurant. Well, I've eaten Indian food for the past two years, so I already went inside knowing what I wanted. I got the menu and was happy to see that I recognized most of the names. Roti, Aloo, Daal, Etc... Needless to say, I was confident in my ordering. Our waiter complimented me on that; he said that I sounded like a pro. Score.  When our food finally arrived, I didn't recognize it. It tasted familiar, but far from my beloved truth. Maybe I need to send some Trinidadians to teach those Indians how to cook.
Hey, easy on the Masala, buddy.

Child of God

Honestly, whenever I have a reading assignment given on the first day of class, I have to slap my forehead. Of course, that's provided that the teacher isn't watching. To make matters worse, this project was in digital format. By virtue of these great days we live in, everything is digital. I believe that the retinas of the rising generation are evolving. At this rate, my own children will be unable to read printed paper.  Despite my attitude regarding the paper, the assignment itself gave me some valuable insights.
            
The talk itself was on how we need to view ourselves as Children of God, however, it also covered five characteristics of winners. Generally speaking, successful people
  - Welcome Correction
  - Keep Commitments
  - Work Hard
  -Seek to Help Others
  -Expect and Overcome Resistance

The most interesting thing is that many successful people I know don't do any of these things. That's probably why the new insight came in handy. Success isn't measured in money or notoriety, nor do I think that it really can be measured. The best things in life can't.  Our perfect model, Jesus Christ, taught us that he who humbles himself is exalted and he who exalts himself is abased.  While this talk was delivered by Elder Eyring, the principles are not new. The community we live in is one of additive learning; what I learn doesn't die, so long as I share it. That's also why Elder Eyring quoted so many people. The most applicable to us is from President Benson- "There's no such thing as righteous pride." That's kind of hard to swallow, but I guess we all have to when we gain the perspective of what it means to be a Child of God.