Some burned CDs and a map.

For assignment #4 of Writing101 we had to write a story –or anything we wanted, really, based on any of these four pictures:

I decided on the map. For a while I wanted to choose the city and write about my own experience, but I wanted something different, so I wrote a short “story” about a road trip… (I wouldn’t call it a story, but I had fun! I wish I can do this someday :D)

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We decided to go on a day-long road trip. But it was not a normal road trip, not how it’s done these days. We forbid the use of any cellphones, cameras or any technological device –apart from the car and the radio, of course. Our phones would be here, off, in case of emergency, but not within our reach –We just wanted to enjoy our day, isolated from everyone else, without checking in anywhere. Someone suggested it to us, and it sounded like such a fun idea, so we went in for it! We did not know how long it would take, not without the GPS we were so used to have… So we bought a road map and began to trace our route. The road trip had not started yet –we did NOT cheat! –so we found some places to visit on Google.

At first we were so confused. How would we able to even find where we wanted to go on this tangle of roads and places without Google after we turned our phones off? We would surely get lost… And we wouldn’t be able to call anyone for help unless it was absolutely necessary. That was rule #1. But then we started figuring everything out; we found familiar places to work with, and marked the ones we wanted to visit and the most likely routes we would use. We chose places where we would do some sightseeing, and a beautiful beach where we planned to spend some hours at. Burning some CDs with the music we wanted was a must. We made hours-long playlists with all our favorite songs and organized them so no one would have more than the others.

After three whole days of planning and getting supplies, the day finally came. We got into our car and began driving with our trusting map. Sadly, or not so, we don’t have any photographic evidence of the beautiful places we visited or the fun we had, but they’re all there, imprinted in our memories. The evidence is there, in our skins, burned with the sun… in our smiles, that haven’t left our mouths even a week after the trip. We had an amazing experience, and we’re the only ones who know all about it.

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My precious… TREASURE!

You guys are going to get used to me writing everyday… You’ll get spoiled! (Not that my writing is that good, but I guess some people would want to know what I think about things. Oh, well. I’ll have to manage!

Today’s assignment for Writing101 is to write a prompt about one of six words they offered, and I chose the word treasure, even if another one of them kind of slipped into my writing. (oops? :D)

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When most people think about the word “treasure”, they think about money, jewels and pirates.

or this song:

A treasure is something that should be valued, that’s important to you. To me, memories are the most important treasure. Being able to recall perfectly a moment when you were truly happy, or perhaps a time when you were sad and someone lifted your spirits with a joke. These things cannot be stolen from you and you can’t get them by force, which makes them infinitely more precious than a trunk filled with gold… or a ring that can rule them all.

Another thing I consider as a treasure is time. Time comes and goes quickly, and sometimes we do not realize how ephemeral we all are. We live our lives and we take them for granted, so we spend our time in our rooms, in our cell phones, isolated from everyone else.

When it’s time to let go, though, we realize how much of that treasure we actually lost. And how much we wasted. How is it possible that we don’t appreciate the time we spend with our families? That most of the time we’re with them we are attuned to our cellphones/technological devices? I say this because I’m absolutely guilty about this, even this very second as I am writing this in a separate room from my family.

Time is a precious thing, and it will go on, no matter if we waste it or if we spend it right. So why do we treat it as it will go on forever? We’ll die sometime, someday we’ll lose the people we love… And yet we keep on ignoring this. And someday, we’ll regret it. We’ll regret not giving love to that special person, to the people who made you happy when you needed it the most.

And all we will have in that very moment… are memories. So we should cultivate them, have fun and be with the people we love.. because that is all we will have left in the end.

Things I *insert heart emoji*

Reading posts like this always make me happy, as sometimes it is nice to be reminded of the things that we enjoy in life. I love going through the words knowing that the person is really excited about what they are writing. It’s one of the things I love the most about Tumblr, for example, or at least the fandom side of it -until they start fighting about things that don’t make any sense…- but I’m rambling now.

My second assignment for Writing101 is to make a list -of things I love, of things I have learned, or things that I wish. I planned on writing a post of things I wished I had told my younger self, but I decided on keeping it simple for today. I also wrote a post like this last September, so it’s nice to revisit it! This one is way shorter, but I have been busy… and I am already a day late on this assignment, so here it goes! *goes back to the study cave after this*

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1. How books make me feel. It might seem like a cliché, but it is true. For some hours, I can become someone else, learn new things and just immerse myself in new things. (Or even better, to reread a book I have loved for years. I could list some books like Graceling and Harry Potter in this category). This is  why I hate reading slumps so much -they take a really important thing from me, for months, sometimes.
2. How awesome my family actually is. Kudos to them for helping me become the person that I am. My parents have always wanted me to make my own choices, and if they didn’t agree or I just couldn’t do it they talked to me and helped me understand. Plus, my love for the natural sciences and reading is mostly due to my mom. My dad has always worked for us to have a good life, and I will always be grateful for that. Last but not least is my “little”, annoying brother. Sometimes I just can’t stand him… but he has always wanted the best for us. He has the best intentions. Oh, well. xD
3. My friends, however few they actually are: Seriously, these are people that can actually stand me in my good and not so good days, AND there’s no blood relation between us (unless we’re talking about that one blood oath… but shhh xD). But really, it’s impressive, and I appreciate those people, even if I don’t deserve them. AT ALL.
4. College (And I’m not even kidding here). It’s hard as hell and sometimes frustrating, but it’s one of the most satisfying things I have ever done. And I’m not halfway done with what I want to do, so I hope I can keep on feeling like this for however long I stay.
5. This blog: Lately I don’t post as much as I used to, but this course is definitely sending me on the right path. SB&ST has helped me through some hard times, and there are people who I know will always be there for me. I also consider those part of #3 on my list!

Writing? Why?

Hello, everyone! I just joined Writing101, and this is my first assignment. I hope to be able to keep myself all caught up with my writing… and I think this is a great exercise.(And a nice way to procrastinate). Wish me luck, people!

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If I’m really honest, I don’t write for one specific reason –I write for many. I write when I want to vent about something… I write as a diary, and to organize the huge mess that is my mind. This is why I keep this blog. I do realize I’m not a really good writer –in both my native language (Spanish) or English– and yet I do it anyway.

Why, though? I haven’t given much thought about it, to be honest. Most people have told me that if I am a good reader writing will come to me naturally. That, sadly, hasn’t happened to me yet. Don’t get me wrong. I can form coherent thoughts, but I can’t seem to do it beautifully, as many people happen to do naturally. I appreciate that talent, and I sometimes envy those people’s ability to express themselves in such a way that I don’t ever want them to stop. I wish I could make someone feel like that about my writing.

Writing is not just about knowing the big words –it’s about knowing how to use them, the cadency, the rhythm. As a Biology student, I sometimes forget to think about the beauty of language, (not any language in particular, just being able to communicate yourselves in any way is amazing by itself). For example, there are many ways to describe a beautiful sunset, than those two words, “beautiful” and “sunset”. You can concentrate on the colors, on how they mix, on how they make you feel. It’s amazing to know such beauty can be derived from such a limited amount of letters –I don’t know the exact numbers, but I once read a whole blog post about it, and it was amazing…,–and that the whole world can inspire you in endless ways.

I guess in the long run, I write because I want to create something beautiful someday, and I believe the written word is the path for me, even though I have a long way to go.

Writing: Finding myself again

This was for a free topic assignment I have for my Spanish class. It’s about writing and self discovery. I hope you like it, since I had to translate it all from Spanish! Anyway, feel free to comment. I would love to hear from you.

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Not many people truly possess the art of writing, of transmitting emotions through words. Anyone can write a decent essay with effort, but the idea of convincing other people of what you think is not easy. I have never considered myself as a good writer. Nonetheless, I have wanted to get better and to try that other people have a good idea of what I think. Expressing our feelings implies an amazing ability over our vocabulary. A good writer also goes over experiences he or she has, and I sadly haven’t lived much during my eighteen years of life. I am an avid reader, though, and that has imparted me with a great imagination. I used to read a lot in Spanish, but during the past few years I have read more in English and I have lost the ability I had with my main language. I want to have it back, I want to be a better writer and have the necessary sensibility to carry my thoughts and feelings to paper in an effective way.

I want to have more time. Wait a minute, I want to rectify this. I want to use my time in a better way. I hate to know that I procrastinate too much. When I start a job, I distract myself more easily than I would like to admit. Be it with a new book, a series or a movie, I always find myself doing a more interesting thing. Writing can be my way to go back to be the person I was before. A long time ago, I tried to write a novel and I got pretty far, but I gave up. This basically sums up my life. I find an obstacle, I feel like I can’t anymore, and I give up. I truly believe I can do whatever I want. I have potential, I know this, but it is hard for me to use it and exploit it to my convenience and others’.

Writing is a way to achieve freedom and rediscovery. Through it, people can know themselves and get better. That is my purpose right now. To try and see who I really am after all these years, because the image I have of myself is a bit different of what I’m living right now and my current actions. How have I changed? I am not sure yet, but I’m discovering it, bit by bit. My plans are to expand my limits, to search for other topics and to inform myself about what is happening in the world, especially in Latin America. I want to read more in Spanish. I deeply want to find what I have lost, and I know I will make it.

Writing about this is hard for me. You see, I hid myself from everything to achieve acceptance, and I regret that a lot. I lost myself along the way. My mission right now is to find myself again, and these words might just be the way to freedom.

A MONTH.

It’s incredible. I’ve had this blog for about a month now and I’m pretty sure it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I haven’t written as much as I would want, but then again, I don’t have as much time as I would want. It’s sad, but true. I need to get used to writing with a time limit.

One of the things I’ve liked the most about having the blog is meeting some amazing people that have already welcomed me into their blogging community. It makes me really happy that they consider me one of them. I still do not consider myself a blogger, since I still have a lot to learn.

At first, I made this blog as an opportunity to procrastinate more than I usually do, but I am taking it more seriously now. Blogging is a serious business and I plan on keeping this for a while.

Science, Books and Silly Things is just getting started!