Growing up with four brothers was not always the best thing. Each one was different and it wasn’t all that serene around the house. My parents were always telling them that they had no sense of propriety. (It was then that I learned what the word “rude” meant). My brothers were very prudent when it came to their behavior inside and outside of our home, though. They knew what they could and couldn’t get away with in certain places. Around guests or family friends, they had to be as modest as could be. They had to be humble and quiet and use every manner they knew. But they also knew that when my parents were around friends, they couldn’t get mad at them. Every time one of them did something, I would look over and see my parents executing a great deal of equanimity. But, once things got a bit too unruly, my mom would look over at them and give them that stare of hers that told them they would be condemned to a horrible punishment back home.
(my brothers, in RANDOM order)
One of my brothers was always very brusque. He did things his way and didn’t want anyone else’s advice. He went about doing his thing and didn’t take time to be with us. I have solemn memories of growing up with him for that reason. He was never around, and when he was, he was a bit too abrupt with me so I try to block those memories out.
The other was very caustic and still is. People say he and I are very similar, and it must be true ‘cause he’s the smart one in the family. He is the wittiest person I know. He comes up with the darnest things! Everyone knows him for that. While some people are notorious for their very insolent manner when treating others, he gets praised for his hilarious sarcastic jokes and witty comments.
My other brother was always known as the fractious one. He fought about everything with everyone! He always had to be right. No matter what it was, he ALWAYS had to be the right one. This brought forth tons of quarrels in our family.
The last brother has always been known as the incorrigible one. No matter what my parents did, he never listened. He was bad to the bone! Always misbehaving and being rude! Growing up with him was the hardest part of actually growing up. I thought that I’d never make it to see my 6th birthday! At times we thought he was an ingrate and didn't appreciate anything we did for him. But, we soon realize that he was simply rancorous due to a few things that he had to live through when he was younger, and we were able to help him get past it.
Although my brothers were filled with what some exaggerated people may call, "malice", my brothers all grew up to be successful people. Sure my parents accused them of malfeasance once in a while and granted, most of the time they were right, my brothers never meant to harm anybody (not even my mother's favorite old and brittle stock pot which was broken on account of my brothers tried playing baseball with it and a not so putrid lemon). And, I love them so. (:
Saturday, March 27, 2010
excerpt numero dos. (mi madre.)
My mother has always been extremely benign. Although she didn’t always show her gentle side, it was always there to mollify us when we were angry, scared, or nervous about something. She had such an astute way of making me feel better when supposed friends of mine had spread slander about me all over the church and showed their hypocrisy towards me. She always had a stratagem that I could use to get them back.
come back soon for more! (:
come back soon for more! (:
excerpt numero uno.
A small excerpt of Aby’s life story told by, Aby with very minimal fabrications!
Growing up, there was a huge disparity between my siblings and me. I am 9-17 years younger than my siblings. I tell my parents that I was an accident but they always find a way to make their explanation on why I was born very florid and although I don’t always understand, it sure sounds nice! Growing up with such older siblings, I always felt servile. I felt like I had to do whatever my siblings told me to do whether right or wrong. I had to make them sandwiches or tea when they were hungry or bring them their stuff from the other room or car when they needed it. I was like their personal little servant. They never allowed me to make any “egregious” errors like to forget to wash my hands before making their snacks or to let their backpacks, coats, or bags touch the ground when bringing them into the house. If I did, I would always be reminded about “that time you dropped my tie in the puddle” or “that time you let the dog lick my bag.” Sometimes, I would cry because they were mean, but my mom was always there to alleviate my sorrows.
more excerpts to come!
Growing up, there was a huge disparity between my siblings and me. I am 9-17 years younger than my siblings. I tell my parents that I was an accident but they always find a way to make their explanation on why I was born very florid and although I don’t always understand, it sure sounds nice! Growing up with such older siblings, I always felt servile. I felt like I had to do whatever my siblings told me to do whether right or wrong. I had to make them sandwiches or tea when they were hungry or bring them their stuff from the other room or car when they needed it. I was like their personal little servant. They never allowed me to make any “egregious” errors like to forget to wash my hands before making their snacks or to let their backpacks, coats, or bags touch the ground when bringing them into the house. If I did, I would always be reminded about “that time you dropped my tie in the puddle” or “that time you let the dog lick my bag.” Sometimes, I would cry because they were mean, but my mom was always there to alleviate my sorrows.
more excerpts to come!
Day 6
Baby Amberlynn was clearly feeling a sense of ebullience when she saw that her mom was bringing a cookie for her to have as a snack. Cookies always make her extremely excited!
My baby niece, Amberlynn, is very frenetic. She never stays in one place. She crawls over tables, runs around the house chasing my puppy, and jumps on her small bed like crazy! She is a very active little girl.
While trekking on the French Way, we ran into many people. Although we were all trekking for different reasons, none of the reasons were cryptic. We all found it easy to understand why each and every person was walking, biking, or crawling to Santiago de Compostela even if their reasons were sometimes weird.
Whoever wears this shirt must have a very haughty attitude to have purchased a shirt that pretty much announces that they're arrogant.
The cross and bible are the simple explanations for my convictions. Everything that I hold true and everything that I've always believed comes from the two.
Allyson Felix's tenacity has allowed her to win many awards and the respect of many. Her persistence and dedication have allowed her to gain the respect of many along with a great amount of awards..JPG)
While designing the "clubs" layout, Eduardo asked for the advice of some of his peers and after a lot of debate, they all came to a consensus and agreed that the first layout was better than the second.Day 5
A good night's sleep is just what my group needed to regain our vitality and make it to Santiago de Compostela especially after trekking over 80 kilometers earlier that week which sucked all of the energy out of our system.
At the beginning of our month long trip in Spain, Richard was a bit like a maverick. He was always away from the group and didn't want to do any activities with us. But by the end of the trip, he was like a brother to us and never left our side!
Daniela has become on of Chinquapin's most diligent students. She's known as hard working, not only in her school work, but around her community and the Chinquapin community as well.
For the past six years, the class of 2010 has been, for the most part, very assiduous. We've worked hard to get our work done and leave a positive mark at Chinquapin so that we'd be remembered when we left.
Eduardo told me to pretend to help Destiny on the Yearbook so I fabricated a smile and a pose so that we could put the picture on the "Brought to you by" page and people would think I helped everyone with the yearbook when in reality, I don't.
Two year old Layla Grace's story was so poignant that thousands of people held charity events for her medical care, donated money to the family, and sent their prayers to the family throughout the entire time that she was ill. When she died, people were so touched by her story that they held memorial services around the world and sent their prayers to the grieving family.
.JPG)
The Chinquapin School Gala at Houston's Hotel Zaza was a very opulent event so Kersia and Aby, along with the rest of the senior class, dressed up to blend in with all of the wealthy donors, beautiful decorations, and fancy food.Sunday, March 21, 2010
Day 4
impede: to slow the progress of
My church just finished a huge reconstruction of our sanctuary. The lack of money, help, and a number of unfortunate natural disasters impeded the construction of the church. But, after three years, it is finally complete and the church was inaugurated on March 21, 2010.
indolent: lazy
Some teachers may look at our class and think that we are very indolent, but I beg to differ. Yes, we may seem lazy in some classes more than in others, but we get our work done which means we're NOT lazy and actually do our work.
insipid: uninteresting, unchallenging
Algebra I is sometimes an insipid topic for me when I took it in 9th grade. Since I had already taken it in 8th grade, the material was very dull and didn't give me much trouble.
listless: lacking energy
At this point in the school year it may seem normal for students to be listless after such a hard school year. But, the seniors have more than enough energy and work as hard as possible in order to get to Graduation faster than ever before.
alienated: removed or disassociated from (friends, family, or homeland)
My school's 6th grade class used to seem very alienated from the rest of the school. They have their own classroom that they stayed in all day, their own lunch hour, and their own dismissal time. But now, they interact with us a great deal and seem just as part of the school as every other student.
alliance: a union of two or more groups
Growing up with a lot of siblings meant for a lot of sibling rivalry. Therefore, we created alliances amongst ourselves to protect each other in case we got in trouble or if someone took something that was ours. I would always join with my older brothers and the youngest of my brothers and my older sister were always together.
embellish: to make beautiful by ornamenting; to decorate
My mom bought a blanket for both of my nephews that will be born in the next month. Seeing as they were a bit plain, she asked her friend to embellish them for her. They are now decorated with their name and date of birth.
My church just finished a huge reconstruction of our sanctuary. The lack of money, help, and a number of unfortunate natural disasters impeded the construction of the church. But, after three years, it is finally complete and the church was inaugurated on March 21, 2010.
indolent: lazy
Some teachers may look at our class and think that we are very indolent, but I beg to differ. Yes, we may seem lazy in some classes more than in others, but we get our work done which means we're NOT lazy and actually do our work.
insipid: uninteresting, unchallenging
Algebra I is sometimes an insipid topic for me when I took it in 9th grade. Since I had already taken it in 8th grade, the material was very dull and didn't give me much trouble.
listless: lacking energy
At this point in the school year it may seem normal for students to be listless after such a hard school year. But, the seniors have more than enough energy and work as hard as possible in order to get to Graduation faster than ever before.
alienated: removed or disassociated from (friends, family, or homeland)
My school's 6th grade class used to seem very alienated from the rest of the school. They have their own classroom that they stayed in all day, their own lunch hour, and their own dismissal time. But now, they interact with us a great deal and seem just as part of the school as every other student.
alliance: a union of two or more groups
Growing up with a lot of siblings meant for a lot of sibling rivalry. Therefore, we created alliances amongst ourselves to protect each other in case we got in trouble or if someone took something that was ours. I would always join with my older brothers and the youngest of my brothers and my older sister were always together.
embellish: to make beautiful by ornamenting; to decorate
My mom bought a blanket for both of my nephews that will be born in the next month. Seeing as they were a bit plain, she asked her friend to embellish them for her. They are now decorated with their name and date of birth.
Day 3
plausible: seemingly valid or acceptable; credible
My mom's desires for me to get a higher education became very plausible when she told me that I could go to the University of my choice after she told me she didn't want to leave home. Her words made her desires credible and I was able to see that my mom truly wanted what was best for me.
substantiated: supported with proof or evidence; verified
In November, my brother and sister in law, and my sister and brother in law were all going to find out what their baby's sex was going to be. My mom was convinced that my sister was going to have a boy and my sister in law was going to have a girl. When they found out that they would BOTH be having boys, my mom thought my brother was joking around like he always was, but his claim was substantiated when he showed us the ultrasound. It was then clear that he and my sister in law were ALSO having a boy.
vindicated: freed from blame
Growing up, my favorite part of getting in trouble for something I didn't do was when my siblings were caught in a lie and I was vindicated. It was the best feeling for me to see my parents admit that they were wrong and that I was right the whole time that they were scorning me and I was telling them that I didn't do anything. It was nice being vindicated because then I was no longer blamed and the correct person was.
condescending: treating people as weak or inferior
At times I may be perceived as condescending because I like to do things myself and don't really look for people's help. My mom always tells me that this makes it seem as if I think that I'm better than everyone else, but in all actuality, I just like doing things for myself.
contemptuous: feeling hatred; scornful
As I was reading Nicholas Sparks' novel, Dear John, I found myself feeling contemptuous of one of the main characters, Savannah when she ended her relationship with John when they were clearly still in love. It didn't help my hatred for her decrease when she ended up marrying Tom and still wanting to be with John even when Tom was dying in the hospital!
haughty: arrogant; vainly proud
I can honestly say that I dislike people that are haughty. I can't stand it when people think that they're better than anyone else and start acting in such an arrogant manner.
futile: having no useful purpose; pointless
I have developed my own beliefs as I've grown up. I've learned from what I've experienced and the beliefs I have now will probably never change. Therefore, I find it completely futile when people around me try to convince me that they're beliefs are right and mine are wrong. It's pointless for them to even try to convince me because I'm not going to change my mind about my personal beliefs.
My mom's desires for me to get a higher education became very plausible when she told me that I could go to the University of my choice after she told me she didn't want to leave home. Her words made her desires credible and I was able to see that my mom truly wanted what was best for me.
substantiated: supported with proof or evidence; verified
In November, my brother and sister in law, and my sister and brother in law were all going to find out what their baby's sex was going to be. My mom was convinced that my sister was going to have a boy and my sister in law was going to have a girl. When they found out that they would BOTH be having boys, my mom thought my brother was joking around like he always was, but his claim was substantiated when he showed us the ultrasound. It was then clear that he and my sister in law were ALSO having a boy.
vindicated: freed from blame
Growing up, my favorite part of getting in trouble for something I didn't do was when my siblings were caught in a lie and I was vindicated. It was the best feeling for me to see my parents admit that they were wrong and that I was right the whole time that they were scorning me and I was telling them that I didn't do anything. It was nice being vindicated because then I was no longer blamed and the correct person was.
condescending: treating people as weak or inferior
At times I may be perceived as condescending because I like to do things myself and don't really look for people's help. My mom always tells me that this makes it seem as if I think that I'm better than everyone else, but in all actuality, I just like doing things for myself.
contemptuous: feeling hatred; scornful
As I was reading Nicholas Sparks' novel, Dear John, I found myself feeling contemptuous of one of the main characters, Savannah when she ended her relationship with John when they were clearly still in love. It didn't help my hatred for her decrease when she ended up marrying Tom and still wanting to be with John even when Tom was dying in the hospital!
haughty: arrogant; vainly proud
I can honestly say that I dislike people that are haughty. I can't stand it when people think that they're better than anyone else and start acting in such an arrogant manner.
futile: having no useful purpose; pointless
I have developed my own beliefs as I've grown up. I've learned from what I've experienced and the beliefs I have now will probably never change. Therefore, I find it completely futile when people around me try to convince me that they're beliefs are right and mine are wrong. It's pointless for them to even try to convince me because I'm not going to change my mind about my personal beliefs.
Day 2
cogent: convincing, reasonable
When I really want something from my parents, I look at the pros and co's of what I'll be asking for before I approach them. This helps make my point cogent which convinces my parents simply by using more pros than cons.
cohesive: condition of sticking together
When I write for any English class, I always have to make sure that my points in my essays are cohesive. By making my points cohesive, I'm making my essay easier to understand since each point connects nicely.
didactic: intended to instruct
When I give my Bible Lesson at Church to my 4-6 year old students, I use a lot of Object Lessons. Object Lessons are didactic and help me keep the attention of my students while I instruct them.
discourse: verbal expression or exchange; conversation
I tend to be able to have a discourse with anyone at anytime. Seeing as I'm very open, it makes it easier for me to have conversations with people as opposed to some who have a harder time opening up to others.
fluid: easily flowing
When my family gets together, the house is anything but quiet. Our conversations are always fluid and we all take turns talking about old memories and laughing at the ridiculousness of what we came up with when we were younger.
implication: the act of suggestion or hinting
When I received my report card yesterday, I saw that one of my teachers said that my only weakness was getting patron letters and thank you notes out on time. Her implication was that I wasn't a prompt or prepared person but didn't want to make it sound so harsh so she hinted at it instead.
lucid: easily understood
Some math teachers give lessons that are lucid. It's easy to grasp the different terms and formulas from these lessons. Others, give lessons that are very hard to understand meaning that they aren't very lucid and confuse their students even more than before.
When I really want something from my parents, I look at the pros and co's of what I'll be asking for before I approach them. This helps make my point cogent which convinces my parents simply by using more pros than cons.
cohesive: condition of sticking together
When I write for any English class, I always have to make sure that my points in my essays are cohesive. By making my points cohesive, I'm making my essay easier to understand since each point connects nicely.
didactic: intended to instruct
When I give my Bible Lesson at Church to my 4-6 year old students, I use a lot of Object Lessons. Object Lessons are didactic and help me keep the attention of my students while I instruct them.
discourse: verbal expression or exchange; conversation
I tend to be able to have a discourse with anyone at anytime. Seeing as I'm very open, it makes it easier for me to have conversations with people as opposed to some who have a harder time opening up to others.
fluid: easily flowing
When my family gets together, the house is anything but quiet. Our conversations are always fluid and we all take turns talking about old memories and laughing at the ridiculousness of what we came up with when we were younger.
implication: the act of suggestion or hinting
When I received my report card yesterday, I saw that one of my teachers said that my only weakness was getting patron letters and thank you notes out on time. Her implication was that I wasn't a prompt or prepared person but didn't want to make it sound so harsh so she hinted at it instead.
lucid: easily understood
Some math teachers give lessons that are lucid. It's easy to grasp the different terms and formulas from these lessons. Others, give lessons that are very hard to understand meaning that they aren't very lucid and confuse their students even more than before.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Day 1
Assertion
Last week, my friends were arguing about whether or not there was a sale at Forever XXI going on. I told them that I had already checked online and that there was no sale going on. My friend said that there HAD to be a sale because it was Spring Break and they had to have a sale during Spring Break. I told them that we should go and find out for sure. When we got there, my friend's assertion was proven wrong when she asked the sales representative what was on sale and the sales representative pointed at the clearance rack. Nothing was on sale, just as I had said.
Clarity
As I've grown up, I've begun to see the clarity in things that I didn't understand before. My parents always gave me their talks about the bible and about our beliefs but I never quite understood what it was that made everything they told me so important. It wasn't until I grew up and started experiencing everything that I already have that I saw the clarity in what my parents always tried to make me understand.
Coherent
My AP English Teacher, Susan, would always tend to tell me that the points I was making in my esssay weren't coherent to my topic. For some reason the point I was trying to make didn't always connect with what the topic was. After a lot of practice, I've gotten a lot better at connecting my points in my essays and now they're a lot more coherent to the topic that was intended.
Eloquence
A couple of weeks ago I went to a fundraiser for The Woods Project, a summer program that I participated in for two consecutive years. I was told to give a speech at the event and as soon as I was done, the founder of the program and leaders of the program came up to me and told me that I had gained a great amount of eloquence in my speaking since the last time I spoke to them. I was glad that they thought my speaking skills had improved and I was thankful that the Debate team had taught me so much.
Emphasize
It has been extremely difficult to emphasize to my family how difficult the last 6 years have been for me. Seeing as I was the only one in my family to ever go through something like Chinquapin, it was so difficult for me to make it clear and let it be known that Chinquapin was a hard experience. These last few months, things have gotten a bit more for my family to know how difficult of an experience Chinquapin has been without having to stress to them the difficulty of things.
Rhetoric
A pet peeve of mine is when people use a huge amount of rhetoric in their speaking or writing, incorrectly. The use of exaggerated language in an incorrect way is probably the worst thing someone could possibly do. That's one of the reasons for doing this. I don't want to fall into my own pet peeve.
Integrity
When a person is completely honest and does the right things, it's easy for them to protect their integrity. But, when someone constantly lies and does things that aren't very acceptable, their integrity begins to lessen more and more.
Last week, my friends were arguing about whether or not there was a sale at Forever XXI going on. I told them that I had already checked online and that there was no sale going on. My friend said that there HAD to be a sale because it was Spring Break and they had to have a sale during Spring Break. I told them that we should go and find out for sure. When we got there, my friend's assertion was proven wrong when she asked the sales representative what was on sale and the sales representative pointed at the clearance rack. Nothing was on sale, just as I had said.
Clarity
As I've grown up, I've begun to see the clarity in things that I didn't understand before. My parents always gave me their talks about the bible and about our beliefs but I never quite understood what it was that made everything they told me so important. It wasn't until I grew up and started experiencing everything that I already have that I saw the clarity in what my parents always tried to make me understand.
Coherent
My AP English Teacher, Susan, would always tend to tell me that the points I was making in my esssay weren't coherent to my topic. For some reason the point I was trying to make didn't always connect with what the topic was. After a lot of practice, I've gotten a lot better at connecting my points in my essays and now they're a lot more coherent to the topic that was intended.
Eloquence
A couple of weeks ago I went to a fundraiser for The Woods Project, a summer program that I participated in for two consecutive years. I was told to give a speech at the event and as soon as I was done, the founder of the program and leaders of the program came up to me and told me that I had gained a great amount of eloquence in my speaking since the last time I spoke to them. I was glad that they thought my speaking skills had improved and I was thankful that the Debate team had taught me so much.
Emphasize
It has been extremely difficult to emphasize to my family how difficult the last 6 years have been for me. Seeing as I was the only one in my family to ever go through something like Chinquapin, it was so difficult for me to make it clear and let it be known that Chinquapin was a hard experience. These last few months, things have gotten a bit more for my family to know how difficult of an experience Chinquapin has been without having to stress to them the difficulty of things.
Rhetoric
A pet peeve of mine is when people use a huge amount of rhetoric in their speaking or writing, incorrectly. The use of exaggerated language in an incorrect way is probably the worst thing someone could possibly do. That's one of the reasons for doing this. I don't want to fall into my own pet peeve.
Integrity
When a person is completely honest and does the right things, it's easy for them to protect their integrity. But, when someone constantly lies and does things that aren't very acceptable, their integrity begins to lessen more and more.
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