FINDING MYSELF

DAY BY DAY….

“You’d get a lot further in life,

if you stopped letting the fear of

getting it wrong block you from

getting started…” – Rob Hill Sr.

“Finding Myself Day by Day”

Author: Brandon Pangelinan

5th

period

Mrs. Griffin

English 12

Date: May 22, 2014

Table of Contents

Prologue/Introduction _______________________________p. 1

What’s in a name? ____________________________________p. 2

Personal Alphabet ____________________________________p. 3

Likes/Dislikes List _____________________________________p. 4

Sensory Experiences ___________________________________p. 5

Metaphorical Definitions ____________________________p. 7

A Quality Personality ________________________________p. 8

Color Your World _____________________________________p. 9

Room Sweet Room ___________________________________p. 10

Personal Metaphors _________________________________p. 11

Extended Metaphors ________________________________p. 12

Symbolic Recipe _____________________________________p. 13

Ultimate All Purpose Excuse _______________________p. 14

Telling Tales _________________________________________p. 15

Unfinished Sentences _______________________________p. 16

Personal Symbol _____________________________________p. 17

Map of Life ___________________________________________p. 18

A Mysterious Place __________________________________p. 19

Synectics _____________________________________________p. 20

A Day in the Life ____________________________________p. 21

These Words Belong To Me _________________________p. 22

In Other Words ______________________________________p. 23

Flashback ____________________________________________p. 24

Remembrance of Things Present ___________________p. 25

As Time Goes Bye-Bye _______________________________p. 26

My Own Lists of Lists ________________________________p. 27

Cheer Yourself Up ____________________________________p. 28

Metamorphosis ______________________________________p. 29

Picture This __________________________________________p. 30

Look Who I Look Up To ______________________________p. 31

Remembering the Child ____________________________p. 32

One Medium Suitcase ______________________________p. 33

The Perfect Present _________________________________p. 34

Memorable Event ___________________________________p. 35

How to…. ____________________________________________p. 36

Always Say Never ___________________________________p. 37

Are You Hungry? ___________________________________p. 38

Where I’m From ___________________________________p. 39

Deck of 52 __________________________________________p. 40

The Examined Life ________________________________p. 41

Annual Report ____________________________________p. 42

Ekphrasis __________________________________________p. 43

Visually Speaking ________________________________p. 44

Lessons I Learned After It Was Too Late ________p. 45

The Door __________________________________________p. 46

Advice To The Young _____________________________p. 47

Who Am I? ________________________________________p. 48

Rewarding Experiences __________________________p. 49

Valuable Lessons _________________________________p. 50

Futures -Fantasy and Fact ______________________p. 52

Epilogue __________________________________________p. 53

Prompt 1: Prologue/Introduction

The title of my autobiography is significant because everyone’s goal in life is to try and

find themselves. We spend so many years in school trying to figure out what we want to be and

what group to fit into. Some of us find who we are as early as the ending of middle school or the

beginning of middle school, but those people fall into the category of those who think they found

out who they are, along with the people who just pretend to be someone and something they

aren’t just to belong. Some of us get scared in high school because reality hits us hard. We

realize that the time we spent to figure out what we want to do with our lives, was spent creating

this fake front so that certain people will like us. It’s sad it honestly is, and we shouldn’t have to

change who we are just so people will accept us. Where is the self confidence in that, and why

are you ashamed of yourself? People want to see the real you, because that’s what makes you

special and different from the rest, but your past has you pretending because you don’t like the

feeling of being rejected. I know this because it used to be me, but then I realized that I wasn’t

being myself. So from that day on, I promised myself to never stoop so low as to be ashamed of

who I am, and become someone else. Up to this day, I still don’t fully know who I am. With each

and every day that passes by, I learn something new about myself. I am constantly changing, and

although some qualities about me may change twenty years from now, my morals and values

will always remain the same. My beliefs and passions is my foundation which the rest of me is

built upon, so some parts of me may need repair or replacement, but my foundation is strong and

built to last forever. This project, these prompts, helped me to go deep inside and sort all my

thoughts out. For so long, I have never knew I had all this emotion and thoughts built up inside

of me, until this project came along. I feel like I have learned how to move on faster, and solve

issues with myself easier. If someone was to read this, then they’d know more about me than

someone should know. I live my life day by day, and yes sometimes I plan for the future, but that

can always change. It’s good to plan for the future, but it’s even better to just sit back and enjoy

the present, because whatever happens in the present will eventually affect the future. So as you

go on you will know more about me, and you will read about pain and love, and so many other

things, but before you go on I want to tell you just a little bit about me. There are four things that

are important to me; life, family, friends, and god. Everything else in between matters, but it

doesn’t compare to those four things. My life is my life, no one else’s, and I’m living it the way I

want to. We are in total control of one thing in this entire world, and that’s the decisions we

make in life, so I am not going to let anyone else take that control from me. My family and

friends are my support system. These are the people that will always be there and will always

love me. They don’t expect for me to change, and they accept me for who I am. No matter how

many mistakes I make, they will always be there to help me make things right and overcome

challenges in life. God gave me all of this, he gave me life and he gave me my family and

friends. If it wasn’t for him then I wouldn’t be here right now. Believing in God gives me hope

and faith that things will get better, and as long as you believe in something great like that, life

becomes less hard than it is now.

Prompt 2: What’s In A Name?

My name is Brandon Gabriel Guzman Pangelinan. I got my first name Brandon because

all my siblings, even my parent’s names begin with a “B”. There is Ben and Barbara, which are

my parents, and then there are my siblings Bryan, Bridget, Bethany, Barbara, and of course me,

Brandon. My family is very religious, and we are full practicing Catholics, and that’s how I got

my middle name Gabriel. My mom decided to name me after the Arch angel Gabriel. Gabriel is

the messenger of God. It sort of fits me because I tend to relay messages to everyone in the house

when they can practically do it themselves. Now onto my next name, Guzman, it’s my

grandparent’s last name. There are only two of us that have the name Guzman, and that’s me and

my youngest sister. We were the only two born on Guam, and that’s why they wanted us to have

it in our name. My grandparents practically raised me when I was growing up because I was

always at their house when my parents were at work. Last but not least, my last name, it’s my

father’s last name, and I am proud to be a Pangelinan. I believe your name is something you can

make your own no matter what, no one can take that away from you. It’s sort of like a barcode,

each item in a store is given a barcode, and in order for the system to recognize the item it scans

the barcode. The barcode is basically like the identity of the item being purchased. So in other

words, our name is our barcode. It is how other people recognize us, it is how we are known

amongst others. We should all take pride in our name, because it’s who we are. Yea some of us

have very common names and then there are those with the names that are so different and hard

to pronounce, but that just makes it more unique, it makes US more unique. Sure some of us

probably say to ourselves, “what were my parents thinking when they gave me my name?” but I

mean there is some reason why our parents would name us, they don’t just put different names in

a hat and the first one they pull out is the name we are given. They gave it thought, and when

they held us in their arms the day we were born, they knew the name would fit us well. We

shouldn’t hate our name, or wish for it to be different. It’s a part of our lives, it’s what we were

known as when we were little, it’s branded and carved in us, and it’s something we should love

about ourselves. For me I could care less what anyone thinks about my name, they could say

whatever they want, but I am proud of who I am. When I do something big and great in the

world, they might not remember my face, but they for sure will remember my name. My name

may be common but, it’s something I can call mine. I’m proud of who I am, and my name is part

of who I am.

Prompt 3: Personal Alphabet

A: adult; because I had to grow up at an early

age and take the responsibilities of an adult

when I’m still a teenager.

B: bashful; because sometimes, depending on

the people there, I tend to be shy and nervous.

C: candid; because I believe that honesty is the

best policy, if you aren’t honest then you’ll

never know the truth of anything.

D: decent; because I have good moral values,

and I’m very respectful.

E: efficient; because when I am given a task or a

job to do, I am focused and I get it done.

F: fatherly; because I love watching my nieces

and nephew and spending time with them.

G: gallant; because I’m always a gentleman.

And I always think of others before myself.

H: handsome; I don’t mean to sound full of

myself, and I’m not saying that I am gorgeous,

but I find myself to be decent looking.

I: immaculate; because I believe in personal

hygiene, and it’s very important to me. I hate

feeling dirty, and I always have to smell good.

J: judicious; because I have been through many

situations where I may have made mistakes, but

I have learned from them and have become wise.

K: knowledgeable; because I have learned a lot

these past 17 years that I never knew how to do

before. That not only includes academic things,

but also things like fixing cars.

L: loyal; because I am faithful and I keep to my

word and my promises.

M: maximum; because every time I set a goal, I

do my best to achieve it and go beyond what I

set myself to do.

N: noble; because I have a good personality and

good characteristics.

O: optimistic; because I always look on the

bright side and think positive.

P: prudent; because I always use my common

sense.

Q: quiet; because I’m usually quiet unless

spoken to or until I need to speak.

R: reasonable; because whenever there is a

conflict in a situation, I always hear both sides

and I give both people the benefit of the doubt.

S: sane; because I have a good head on my

shoulders and my mind is still in a good state of

thinking.

T: tall; because I am a very tall person, I am

5’11.

U: unbiased; because I don’t take anyone sides

in a situation where I know both people are right

or wrong.

V: valiant; because if I have to do it I’ll do it,

even if I do have a fear of something.

W: warm-hearted; because I may be a big

person, and I may seem scary, but I am a gentle

giant.

X: xerophilous; because I have been living on

Guam my whole life and I’ve adapted to the hot

climate.

Y: young; because I am still growing, and I still

have a lot more years ahead of me to be

successful and do my best.

Z: zippy; because I am always so lively and full of energy.

Prompt 4: Likes/Dislikes List

LIKES

People with good personalities

People who don’t judge

People with good attitude

Church

Spending time with family

School (sometimes)

Doing good helpful things for people

Being there for my friends

Going out with friends

Spending time with my girlfriend

DISLIKES

Sarcastic people

Liars

People that are arrogant

People that are “over confident”

School (sometimes)

people that don’t own up to their

mistakes

people who are two faced

being led on

stealers

immature people

Prompt 5: Sensory Experience

I was in the first grade when I had my first big birthday party. It was the best day I could

remember as a kid. I invited all my friends in school, I wasn’t so “popular” so I didn’t invite a lot

of people, and maybe that’s why only a few showed up. The party took place at GameWorks

because I absolutely loved going there. To top it off, my sister worked there, so I could get

unlimited amount of credits to play the games. I was so excited as I was riding the elevator up to

the second floor, today was my day, and I was going to have the best birthday ever. As the

elevators opened, I saw the big pterodactyl dinosaur bones hanging from the ceiling. I ran out of

the elevator, and went down the escalator. My sister was there waiting and she hugged me and

wished me happy birthday. She gave me the cards, and I swear when I touched them, they felt

like money in my hands. I could play whatever game I wanted, however many times I wanted to.

As I was playing my parents and godparents were setting up. My other family and friends were

arriving, and I heard my dad calling my name. I went over, and received all the gifts, hugs,

kisses, and squeezes. I saw some of my friends and cousins and called them over to go play with

me. So off we went to go an adventure. As we were playing, time passed by so fast and we were

all starting to get hungry. So we ran back to where the decorations were set up, and I asked my

dad if we could eat. He called the guy at the counter, and right away the scent of fresh out of the

oven pepperoni pizza had filled the room. My mouth started to salivate, and as the waiter put the

pizzas on the table, we all dug in. I was sitting there, enjoying the hot tasty pizza and talking to

my friends, trying to finish so we could go back out and play. As we were almost done eating,

my Nina decided that we should sing happy birthday. So they brought out both cakes. When I

saw that there was two, my eyes and mouth opened wide. I couldn’t believe that they did all of

this for me, I felt so special because I have never had something like this done for me. I was the

happiest kid alive. When they had opened one box, I saw my first grade picture decorated on the

cake, I had a big smile, and I was missing a tooth in the front. I didn’t like the way I looked

because I thought I looked funny, but all my family members (mostly the women) pinched my

cheeks really hard and said, “oh look at Brandon, isn’t he just the cutest?!” I started to turn red,

because my friends were there, and I knew for sure, I wouldn’t get any more “popular” then I

already am if people at school heard that my family members were pinching me and calling me

cute. They opened up the second box, and it read “Happy Birthday Brandon! Love Mom and

Dad!” I hugged my parents and godparents for making this such a great day for me. Everyone

gathered around, and started to sing. I swear I was so nervous, but the one thing I could focus on

was making a good wish. I didn’t know what I wanted to wish for, I was still a little kid, so of

course the first thing I could think of was cool toys. I know it may seem selfish, but hey we all

wanted toys or something for us when we were little. After we cut the cakes and passed it out, I

got my piece. It was a chocolate cake, and as I bit into it, it just melted in my mouth. I think I had

about two pieces, and boy was that a bad idea because right after I was done with the cakes, I

jumped up and ran around to go play. All I could hear was my mom and dad yelling at me saying

“Brandon Gabriel, you better be careful and watch where you’re running before you get hurt.!”

But of course who listens when they’re only 6 years old right? We usually don’t realize or learn

anything until we get hurt. So I played for a little more, and I started to get a little tired, I decided

to go back to where everyone was. I went up to my mom and I asked her if I could open my

presents, but of course she told me to go ask my father, so I did. Me being a daddy’s boy, and it

being my birthday of course he said that I could. So the first present that caught my eye was this

rocket toy, one of my classmates had gotten it for me. It had this little popping things that you

put inside this part of the rocket, and you throw it down and it’ll make this loud pop. My dad had

told me not to do it there because it would have scared the people there and we could get in

trouble because that wasn’t the place to do something like that. But of course I didn’t listen,

again. So I threw it down and it made this loud sound, and everyone, including me, had gotten

scared. After the loud sound my dad turned and started to yell at me because he had already told

me not to do it. After that, I didn’t feel too much into the partying mood. So not too long after, it

was starting to get late already, and we got our things and went home. Although that incident had

happened, I still had an amazing day, and it is a day I will always remember.

Prompt 6: Metaphorical Definitions

1. Love is a rose.

2. Life is a journey.

3. Happiness is a cold drink on a hot day.

4. Beauty is a night sky lit up with a million stars.

5. Sadness is a rainy day.

6. Pleasure is an ice cream sundae.

7. Hope is a prayer.

8. Compassion is donation.

9. Kindness is opening a door.

10. Friendship is a bracelet.

Prompt 7: A Quality Personality

Panic lingers in the darkness. His best friends are terror and shock. When they get

together they love to bully people. They have complete control over them. Terror starts first. He

makes the victim vulnerable for the next person which is shock. Shock paralyzes the victim and

causes them not to be able to think. Finally panic comes out of the darkness to finish the job. He

makes their victim scream, shout, and lose their mind. They don’t know what to do because they

can’t think. Panic then seizes the moment of vulnerability to take over the victim physically,

mentally, and emotionally. Terror, shock, and panic put together is a recipe for destruction.

Prompt 8: Color Your World

When I think of happiness, I think of the color yellow. The reason why is because yellow

is the color of the sun, and whenever the sun is shining, there is always going to be happiness.

Yellow is a bright color, and with me happiness brightens my world. When I think of sadness, I

think of the color gray. The reason why is because, when the sky and clouds are gray, it gives me

that gloomy feeling. I know that it’s going to rain and the rain makes me think of some of my

saddest times, because I can’t go outside and do things to occupy my mind. When I think of love

I think of the color red. Red is such a strong color, and so is the emotion love. When I think of

pain I think of the color blue, because it also explains the way I feel. After pain usually comes

sadness, and I always use the expression “I’m feeling kind of blue.”

Prompt 9: Room Sweet Room

- Television

- PS3

- Shelves filled with dvds

- My bed

- Blue walls

- Posters

- Pictures

The things in my room remind me of who I am. The television and game system

is what I use when I get bored, or when I feel like being in the mood to play. My

bed, along with my blankets and pillows, provide me with a sense of comfort and

security. My shelves filled with DVDs remind me of my childhood, because most

of the videos there are movies and shows that I had watched growing up. My

posters and pictures are a representation of the things I love in life, and the

memories made with the people I love every day. My blue walls shows that I am

not perfect and that I have been through a lot, but that I have also pushed through

all the challenges life has thrown at me so far. In other words, if you wanted me to

describe myself with objects instead of words, all you have to do is look at my

room, and you’ll know everything about me.

Prompt 10: Personal Metaphors

1. ANIMAL: Bird

2. CAR: Toyota Hilux

3. ARTICLE OF CLOTHING: Jacket

4. DAY OF THE WEEK: Friday

5. FOOD: Chex Mix

6. COLOR: Blue

7. MOVIE: Captain America

8. FRAGRANCE: Clinique Happy For Men

9. TYPE OF BUILDING: Empire State Building

10. PLANT: Puti Tai Nobue

11. MUSICAL INSTRUMENT: Triangle

12. GEOMETRIC SHAPE: Triangle

13. PIECE OF FURNITURE: Couch

14. SONG: Bigger Than My Body by John Mayer

15. SEASON OF THE YEAR: Summer

16. TELEVISION CHARACTER: leonard (the big bang theory)

17. CARTOON OR COMIC CHARACTER: Goku

18. APPLIANCE OR MACHINERY: Water Heater

19. NATURAL PHENOMENON: typhoon

20. WORD: Mature

Prompt 11: Extended Metaphors

I am like a Friday because I love Fridays. It’s the end of the week and that means three

days of freedom and relaxation. Fridays are when I am the most spirited and outgoing person.

The reason why is because every Friday-Sunday there is always an event that is happening, or an

adventure to embark on with my best friends. I look forward to the weekends because that’s

when it’s my time to just hang out with my brothers and just forget about all the stress and

problems in the week.

I am like chex mix because I’m a variety of many different qualities. I am not a boring

person. I don’t only stick to one thing. I like to go and experience many different things, and I

love learning new things and meeting new people. You have to go out and experience the world,

and have fun, and when you do that you become a person who’s diverse and unique, not plain

like the rest.

For as long as I could remember I have been wearing the cologne Clinique Happy. So

whenever people smell that they know I am there or they think of me. It’s practically my scent. I

love to smell good, cause it makes me feel good too. But what is best about wearing this cologne

is that when you walk into a hallway and a gust of wind blows and people get a whiff of you, all

they start to say is “whoa, what’s that smell, it smells really good.” I always loved doing that

because then they ask what is the name of it, but I won’t tell them.

I am like the empire state building because I am so tall. People tend to freak out when

they see me, especially people who remember me when I was a little kid and then they see me

now, they are just shocked. I am 6 feet tall, and I want to grow a little taller. There are

advantages and disadvantages to being tall, but it in the end I’m proud of who I am. Being really

tall isn’t always a bad thing, besides, girls tend to go for tall guys.

I chose the word “mature” to describe me because I am very mature for my age. I had to

grow up faster than I wanted to, and experience things that I should experience 10 years from

now. But I don’t regret growing up to fast because now I am better prepared for the future, and

now I am a lot wiser than most individuals my age. Everything happens for a reason, and life has

a way of changing your plans, but how you react upon it is depends on how you are as a person

and how much you can handle. Only a mature person would think like that.

Prompt 12: Symbolic Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup kindness

1 cup happiness

1 cup honesty

2 cups of love

1 tablespoon of jealousy

2 tablespoons of generosity

1 cup of understanding

1 tablespoon of attitude

Directions:

Be sure to use exact measurements of the ingredients listed above. Too little or too much of any

ingredient will be a cause for an improper Brandon Pangelinan. Be sure to stir very thoroughly

and to mix until well. Do not use a electric hand mixer, you must stir manually, to be gentle and

to mix all ingredients equally. If you do not stir well, it will be a recipe for disaster. After you are

done mixing, place into a pan, and put into your preheated oven at 98 degrees. Be sure to let cool

off before touching. You will have yourself one great person by the name of Brandon

Pangelinan.

Prompt 13: The Ultimate All Purpose Excuse

Mrs.Griffin, I know I am 25 minutes late, but there is a perfectly good reason why I am

late. You see, my alarm clock died, and I woke up late because it didn’t go off. So when I woke

up and saw the time, I ran into the shower. Then I had realized that they had turned off the water

because they were fixing a small leak. So I had to wait even longer to shower and get ready. As

soon as I was walking out the door to get into my car, I had realized that my car had a flat tire.

So I had to then change my tire before I could leave. I was speeding to head to school when there

was major traffic. There was an accident, and traffic was backed up. I couldn’t turn around so all

I had to do was wait it out. Finally when I am close to entering the gate to school, an idiot driver

was texting and wasn’t looking and hit me. I had to get his insurance information and call the

cops, and of course that took time. Now I’m here and I know I am late but I am hoping you can

excuse me because of all the bad things that had happened to me today.

Prompt 14: Telling Tales

This is the legend of how Guam’s Patron Saint, Santa Marian Kamalen came to Guam

over 300 years ago. There was a fisherman who was fishing in Merizo late at night. He saw two

golden crabs with lit candles on their backs, they were floating in and they were carrying

something that looked like a statue but he couldn’t really see what it was. He tried to go out to

the water and bring in the statue but as he got closer the statue floated further away. He then

realized that he wasn’t presentable, so he went in and fully clothed himself. When he went back

out the statue floated toward him. He then saw that it was a statue of Mother Mary. As he

brought her in, he discovered that she was made of ironwood, and ironwood doesn’t float. He

thought it to be a miracle. She now resides in the Dulce Nobre De Basilica in Agana Cathedral

15 feet above the altar floor and in bulletproof glass. Legend also has it that she cries blood, and

her hair grows. She was stolen twice and returned to the church both times on her own.

Prompt 15: Unfinished Sentences

1. I usually worry about my family’s finances. I tend to hear my mom talking about the bills and

stressing about how she’s going to pay this month’s power and the house, etc. it hurts to see your

parents struggling, and sometimes I wish that I could do something to help them. But right now,

in my situation I just don’t have the time to add something else onto my already busy, hectic

schedule.

2. I feel angry when I get blamed for things I didn’t do. I mean it wasn’t my fault that the person

who was doing this certain job didn’t do it correctly. I had other things to pertain to, and just

because the “adult” is angry at that other person they take it out on me. It just isn’t fair how some

people who don’t deserve to get the short end of the stick get it.

3. I’m moody when I don’t get enough sleep. I hate it when I’m physically and mentally drained and

people just keep bugging me. When I’m sleepy any little thing pisses me off, and I just get

irritated really fast. I don’t mean to be in a bad mood, or act like that towards you, but I’m just not

in the mood to joke around.

4. I’m happiest when I am with my girlfriend. She takes away all the stress and all my problems. I

love being with her. She makes me so happy, and all I have to do is just hear her voice or see her

smile and all the troubles go away. She’s my everything, and I wouldn’t want to be with anyone

else.

5. I feel confident when I do something I know how to do very well. I feel confident because I am

familiar with what I’m doing, and if I know I’m good at it, then I know I’ll do a good job. But I

don’t always just do what I’m comfortable with because I need to get out of my comfort zone.

6. I feel frustrated when I am working on something and I can’t seem to get it right. I get irritated

when I try everything and I still can’t get it right. I’m very impatient and I have a short temper

when it comes to dealing with tasks that takes too long when it’s so simple. I know it may seem

ironic, but I just don’t like it when I start something and I can’t complete it.

7. I feel depressed when I think about my grandfather’s health. He not only has cancer, but he has a

heart condition too. Only 25% of his heart is working, he’s weak, and he doesn’t do much

anymore. He stays inside the house, and when I go over to see him I can tell he’s not happy, I can

tell that he’s in pain. I wish I could do something to help him get better, but I can’t. I know that

it’s only a matter of time before God calls him up to heaven, and I don’t know what I’ll do when

that day comes, but until then I am going to make every moment count.

8. I am comfortable when I’m at home. It’s my place of security. It doesn’t matter what time, or if

I’m the only one home, I’ll always feel comfortable. It’s the place I am most familiar with ever

since I was a child. I mean, who else wouldn’t feel comfortable in their own home. I don’t know

who wouldn’t feel comfortable, and if you don’t then you shouldn’t call that place your home.

9. I feel nervous when I’m in front of crowds presenting. I’ve always had trouble speaking in front

of new crowds. If it’s people that I know well or people that I’ve presented in front of before then

I am okay. But of course I need to get rid of that shyness because I need to be more social.

10. I feel sentimental when I reminisce about the past. I like to look back on all my past memories

and look at how I’ve grown so much mentally and emotionally. I never regret my past because it

made me the person I am today. I learn from my mistakes and I don’t let it bring me down.

Prompt 16: Personal Symbol

I have a two dollar bill that was given to me by my friend before he left off island to Vegas for

good. I grew up with him, and we went to CCD class since first grade, he’s like a brother to me.

Before he left his auntie gave him 3 two dollar bills, but he didn’t want to spend it. So he kept

one, and gave the other two to me and my other friend who grew up with us. He gave it to us to

always remember him. He’s been gone for a little over 2 years now, and up till this day me and

my best friend still have the two dollar bill in our wallets. Sure it may be an old bill, and it may

have tears and wrinkles but its still in one piece. To me this symbolizes the bond that we have.

Sure we all go through struggles, and rough times, but our scars tell who we are. Are scars tell

the stories that you sometimes can’t find the words for. It shows that even though we fall down

so many times, we get back up in one piece. This isn’t just a bill, it’s a tangible example of the

friendship me and my brothers have.

Prompt 17: Map of Life

April 27, 1996 - i was born at GMH.

2001 - 2006 - Attended Agana Heights for Elementary School

2007-2009 - Attended JRMS for Middle School.

2010 - Started my high School years at GWHS as a

Freshman

Summer of 2011 - i got my first tattoo.

Summer of 2013 - i got my driver's licence

August of 2013 - i officially started school as a senior

at GWHS.

January 2014 - started my first internship at Pacific

Fantasies Dance Company at P.I.C.

April of 2014 - Going to be turning 18 in a couple of

days, reaching adulthood, and graduation.

Prompt 18: A Mysterious Place

A place that always seemed mysterious and fearful to me was white lady’s bridge in

Agana Heights. I always heard the legends and I have heard of people getting lost there or seeing

the white lady, and I have even seen bruises of people that were there and had gotten pinched.

But it wasn’t until one night I was out with my sister and my brother-in-law. We had gone out

and it was already 2 in the morning, we wanted to go get breakfast at McDonalds but at that they

didn’t start serving breakfast until 3. So we decided to drive around until it was almost 3. We

went through Agana down to Anigua and we went through snake road to go back through to

Agana Heights. Then we went through white lady’s bridge. My brother-in-law thought it would

be fun to turn off the lights and drive slowly down the road. The radio was turned off and the

windows were rolled down and all you could feel was the cold night air and you could hear the

loud sounds of the crickets chirping in the night. It was pitch black, and we couldn’t see

anything, so not only was it dangerous but it was also very frightening. As we were going down

the road, I looked out my window, and I couldn’t see anything. But then all of a sudden for a

couple of seconds, I looked out my window and I could have sworn I saw a white figure standing

there. I felt her gaze following me, but I didn’t want to look. I asked my sister and her boyfriend

if they had seen anything and they said no. The hairs on the back of my neck had stood up, and I

had this weird feeling running all over my body. Up until this day, whenever I pass by the

bridge, I never look outside my window because I fear seeing her again.

Prompt 19: Synectics

1. Which is wiser? A pen or a pencil? A pen, because it’s permanent. If you make a mistake

you learn from it, but if you erase the mistake you forget the lesson learned.

2. Which is easier to forgive? A street or a sidewalk? A sidewalk, when you forgive, you

start out small, you don’t just forgive everything all at once, it takes time.

3. Which is smarter? A clock or a calendar? A calendar because it can’t be changed just like

that.

4. Which is easier to teach? A question or an answer? An answer, because some questions

have more than one answer, and some questions can’t be answered.

5. Which is like a contest? A cloud or a sunset? A cloud, because there are so many

different clouds and different shapes a cloud can make.

6. Which is more fearful? New or old? New, because its something different that we aren’t

used to and we don’t know what to expect.

7. Which is like a promise? Mathematics or science? Science because it says that

advancement of science will help us in the future.

8. Which is more difficult? A dream or a nightmare? A dream because we sometimes don’t

know the meaning behind our dreams.

9. Which is braver? An hour or a year? A year because so much more things can happen in

a year than an hour.

10. Which has more pride? An entrance or an exit? An entrance because people like to make

a grand entrance.

11. Which is easier to close? A road or a map? A map because you have control over it.

12. What is more suspenseful? Rain or snow? Snow because even if it isn’t snowing hard, the

little pieces build up.

13. Which is like a legend? A mirror or glass? Mirror, because you see yourself in another

perspective.

14. Which has less charm? A signature or an autograph? A signature because it’s not as

special as an autograph.

15. Which is more trustworthy? History or literature? History because it’s based on true facts.

16. Which is more useful? A friend or an enemy? A friend, because if they were a true friend

they’d be there for you and they would be honest too.

17. Which is sadder? Seek or find? Find because sometimes what we intend to find isn’t

always what we expected it to be.

18. Which costs more? A home or a house? A home, because that would consist of people

you call your family and supporting them.

19. Which is happier? Music or art? Art because of the beauty portrayed in each drawing.

20. Which is like a valentine? Truth or lie? Truth because some people aren’t honest, and it

only happens once a year.

Prompt 20: A Day in the Life

It was 6:30 in the morning and he woke up. He looks at the time, checks his phone for

any messages and then jumps up to go shower. After showering, he brushes his teeth and goes

into the room to change and get ready for school. He never gets his things ready for school the

night before, so he rushes to get everything together. He grabs all his things, and hops into his

truck, he checks his phone again to see if his girlfriend had texted him to say that she is ready,

she hadn’t. He goes to the store to buy lunch and drink for the both of them. He drives off,

parks at her grandma’s house and waits for her mom to pull up with her. He sees the car

coming and he gets down to help her carry her bags. They leave, it is already 7:10 and they

need to be at school before 7:45. He rushes, passing car after car, trying not to catch any red

lights or police officers either. They get to school by 7:30, after they park, they get down and

walk into school. The bell had rung, they go to class. He goes into class and gets whatever work

done, this is the same for the other class because he only has two classes every day. He stays

with his girlfriend for lunch, then immediately leaves school after dropping her to class. “Have

fun at practice, I love you” are the words he always says to her before he leaves. It’s 1:10 and

he’s heading back home because he needs to pick up his niece who is in kindergarten from

school. He goes home, does some chores, and leaves to go pick her up. He gets her, carries her

bag, helps her into the car, and heads home. When he gets home, he has to do some more

chores before he can rest a little. He wakes up and it’s 5:00 in the evening, he has to get ready

for work. So he goes again, into the bathroom, and gets cleaned. He puts on his clothes for

works, hops into the car and leaves. He’s racing through traffic because he has to be at work

before 6:30, and it is already 6:10. He finally gets to work. He walks in, takes the elevator to the

ground floor, walks down the walkway, he sees the security guard and says hi. He walks into the

office, gets his time card and clocks in at 6:30. He gets his tasks to be done for the night, and

starts working on it. Him and the other workers are all talking and laughing, and doing whatever

jobs they were assigned. As time passes by, they realize it’s time. So they clean up, they

vacuum, take out the trash, and straighten things up. They clock out at 9:00, and they all leave.

He heads home tired, but he knows he still has schoolwork and other things to do. So when he

gets home, he starts on his duties. It’s almost midnight already, and he has to get some rest,

because the next day, it’s the same routine all over again.

Prompt 21: These Words Belong to Me

1. Honesty – the quality of being honest

I believe that honesty is the best policy. You can’t go anywhere in life if you aren’t

honest with the people around you and especially yourself.

2. Faith – complete trust or confidence in someone or something

If you can’t have complete trust in someone or something, what makes you think you can

trust someone else? You need to learn to trust in something before you trust someone.

3. Love – an intense feeling of deep affection

Love is a difficult thing, but it’s worth it, because nothing worth having comes easily.

Love is just like life, we do whatever it takes to get it right, and no matter how many

trials we have, we have faith that things will get better.

4. Respect – a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something

I grew up learning about respect. My grandparents and parents always told me to give

respect to my elders even if they don’t deserve it. They told me to always be the better

person. Till this day, I continue to give respect, even to those who don’t deserve it. \

5. Strength – the quality or state of being strong

My challenges in life gave me strength. It has pushed me past the best of my abilities.

Now I am stronger physically, mentally, and emotionally.

6. Perseverance – determination

You always have to have perseverance. You have to have a mindset of not giving up.

Because you may not realize it yet, but life is hard and it’s not exactly tough. So when it

knocks you down, you need to tell yourself to get up and try again. Don’t let the world

beat you, you’re better than that.

7. Pride – a feeling or deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from someone’s own

achievement.

Have a good sense of pride. Don’t become too full of yourself, but always hold your head

up high. Be proud of who you are and how far you’ve come in life, don’t let anyone bring

you down.

8. Patience – the capacity to accept or tolerate something

We have to have patience because everything takes time. Things just don’t happen

overnight, or in a couple of times. If we really want it to happen then we’ll just have to be

patient.

9. Values – a person’s principles or standards of behavior

Everyone has some sort of values. It’s how they think the people around them should

behave because that’s how they were raised. Me personally, I have a lot of values, and I

stick to them.

10. Loyalty – the quality of being loyal to someone or something

Loyalty is a quality a lot of us lack. We don’t want to just stick to one thing or to commit.

But you have to be loyal because if you can’t commit to something, in the end you’ll

have nothing.

Prompt 22: In Other Words

1. “With every loss, learn something new. With every failed attempt, try something

different. With every step forward, strive for something higher.” – rob hill sr.

2. “….Appreciate your people and cherish the moments. In this life, nothing is guaranteed

but anything is possible. Never forget that.” – rob hill sr.

3. “Happiness is a choice, effort makes it work, timing is everything..” – rob hill sr.

4. “Don’t waste valuable time trying to prove yourself to pointless people. Accept where

you’ve been, understand where you are, and focus on where you’re going. Let GOD

handle the rest.” – rob hill sr.

5. “Life goes on… whether you choose to move on and take a chance in the unknown, or

stay behind, locked in the past, thinking of what could have been.” – unknown

6. “What lies behind you and what lies in front of you pales in comparison to what lies

inside of you.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson

7. “If they aren’t helping you dream bigger, inspiring you to work harder, or motivating you

to do better, then you don’t need them.” – rob hill sr.

8. “Life is never perfect, we understand this, our only goal is to make our tomorrow’s better

than our today’s.” –rob hill sr.

9. “Life gets a lot easier when you gain the strength to ignore certain things. You’ll never

get ahead if you stop to address every little thing that’s said. Give yourself permission to

be happy, you don’t need anyone’s approval to do so. The right people will respect it, the

rest are irrelevant.” – rob hill sr.

10. “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change

the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” –Reinhold Niebuhr

Prompt 23: Flashback

If I could relive one day again, it would be the day that I lied to my dad. This is how it

went. It was a weekend, a Saturday or a Sunday, I couldn’t really remember, but anyways, I had

gone out with my friend. Everything was going good, until something bad had happened. It was

to the point where both my friend and my parents were called. I didn’t know what to do, I was

freaking out. My friend’s dad and my dad were talking to the person who had caught us, and the

guy had told him everything, but I didn’t know that. So my dad came over to me, looking mad,

but he asked me calmly what had happened. So I told him only some details of what we did, but

not everything. That’s when everything took a drastic change. He looked at me and said “you

lied to me, and I can’t believe that you did. I never thought you would lie to me.” The whole ride

home was in silence. I felt so sad, but also so angry with myself for lying. To me if I had told

him the truth, I was afraid of what he would think of me, or what he would say to me. My dad is

someone who’s opinion I valued the most, and I made a big mistake by lying to him. The whole

week after he had ignored me, he didn’t even acknowledge my presence. I would try to talk to

him, but he just wouldn’t say anything to me. I didn’t even feel like his son anymore. I would go

everywhere with him, and we would talk and joke a lot, but during that week, none of that

happened. Then he slowly started to talk to me, but it still wasn’t the same, I knew that he was

hurt, and that he was still mad but I was doing everything that I could to show him that I was

sorry for lying. Eventually everything went back to the way it was, but the subject never came up

again. If I could go back in time and not lie to him when he asked me what happened, I would. I

wouldn’t want to feel the way I did for those days that he didn’t acknowledge me, it was painful.

I definitely didn’t want to break the bond that me and my dad had, because it’s a bond that he

only has with me and not my other siblings. He talks to me and jokes with me, but not with the

others. I’m like his sidekick, or his shadow. To me my dad wasn’t so mad at me for what I had

done to get in trouble, but for the fact that I had lied to his face. I guess he felt like we had

enough trust to be honest with each other no matter what the situation was. But now I know, and

it’s a mistake I won’t ever do again.

Prompt 24: Remembrance of Things Present

Twenty years from now I want to remember all the things I went through when I was

young, because that’s when I had learned the most. All the times that I stumbled and fell and got

right back up and kept going strong. I want to remember the motivation I had to not give up

when things got a little too much, I want to remember my stubbornness for not letting the worst

get the best of me and pushing through. I want to keep my morals and values that I have now. I

want to have new friends, but keep the memories of my oldest friends too. I want to remember

what it was like to be in love and fall out of love, because they both taught me a lot. I want to

remember how I see life now because I know twenty years from now I’ll see it in a whole

different perspective. I don’t want to be stuck in the past, but I don’t want to go too ahead into

the future. I want to live in the present and enjoy what the future will bring. The past affects

everything, and putting it behind you will help you in many ways possible, because if you’re

stuck living in the past, then you aren’t living life to the fullest, and I always believe you should

live life to its fullest and without any regrets. I never want to forget that, because it’s who I am,

and if you forget yourself, then what do you really have?

Prompt 25: As Time Goes Bye Bye

The one thing I want to do by the time I’m thirty five is I want to be in United States

Customs and Border Patrol. I want to have a beautiful wife with three kids and live in a nice

house in the states. Ever since I was little, I was amazed at what my dad did for a living. I would

always wake up early in the morning to see him get ready, with his uniform, his gun, handcuffs,

and all his pins and his badge on his shirt. I wanted to go with him everywhere, and the times

that I would go to his work, I’d always admire all the things I saw and the places I went. My dad

is a Guam Customs and Quarantine Supervisor. He has been through so many departments in this

agency, and he has so much experience. As I grew up and I was able to understand he’d tell me

about his job, the raids he would go on, and all the cool things he would do at his job. I looked

up to him, he was my role model, and I wanted to be just like him. When my brother was an

adult already, he had too followed in my dad’s footsteps. My brother was in the military and in

customs. But my brother had other plans, he had moved to Los Angeles and he had quit Customs

on Guam. When he had moved back to the states he applied for U.S. Customs and had gotten in,

he had quit the military. My brother is very successful, he has a family, he built a beautiful

house, and he’s making my parents proud. All I ever want is to be able to be independent, to be

successful, and to make my parents proud. Being in Customs is something I always wanted to

do, my dad is in it and so is my brother. I know I have big shoes to fill, but I know I can do it, if I

focus on achieving my goal. I don’t want to be in Law Enforcement or Customs because of the

cool gadgets, or for the popularity. I want to be in it because I want to make a difference in the

world. I want to do something to help make this world a better place and to keep people safe

from any danger or harm. My dad and brother love what they do, and I honestly can see myself

loving it too. I want my son or daughter to be proud of me, to look up to me. I want them to see

me get ready for work everyday and think to themselves “I want to be like my daddy, I want to

make a change in the world.” My dad is respected by a lot of law enforcement officers and other

people that know him because of the way he is, and because of how he does his job. He doesn’t

do what other people want to get ranked up or to be the favorite, he does what he is supposed to.

He’s not there to be liked, he’s there to do his job. His values are my values because it’t what he

taught me since I was growing up. I want to be the same, I want to be well respected and have

people talk good about me because of how well I do my job. I want my kids to ask me to go to

their school for career day and be proud to tell their classmates about me. I want my kids to be

my inspiration and for them to be mine. I want to see the same motivation in their eyes that I had

every time I looked at my dad. I want to be their hero. That is my goal in life. To take everything

I learned from school, experiences, and my parents and use it to better myself. I see myself at the

age of thirty five in my dad’s shoes now. All his accomplishments, I want to have accomplished

already, and the things he was involved in, I want to be involved in. I want to be better, I want to

have a good life. After all that’s what a parent wants, is for their children to do better than them

and for them to have a good life. That’s the same things I want for my kids, and for my family.

Prompt 26: My Own Lists of Lists

1. People Who Have Influenced Me:

Parents

Grandparents

Nino

My brother

My youngest sister

My girlfriend

2. Places That Make Me Happy:

School

The mall

Anywhere with my friends

Anywhere with my family

Anywhere with my girlfriend

My house

3. Places I Would Like To Go:

California

Disney world

Six flags

Universal studios

Germany

Grand canyon

4. Things In People Which I Like:

Honesty

Trust

Respect

Loyalty

Good moral values

Good attitude

5. Things In People Which I Dislike:

Self centered

Arrogant

Disrespectful

Bad manners

Staring problems

Snobby attitude

6. Things That Worry Me:

Graduation

Finding a job after high school

Being out there in the real world

Failing at being successful

Disappointing my parents

Losing the love of my life

7. Things I Would Like To Know How To Do:

Drive standard

Fix more complex parts of an engine

Make paracord bracelets

Shoot a gun at 80% accuracy

Close combat fighting

Fix computers

8. Things That Have Moved Me:

Confirmation retreat

Confirmation

My past high school years

Palanca letters given to me by people closest to me

Church

Baptizing my goddaughter

9. Ideas That Intrigue Me:

Law enforcement

Mechanics

Advancement of technology

Designing structures

Outdoor projects

The government

10. My Personal Favorites:

Watching movies

Family day

Going out

Spending time with my girlfriend

Watching my goddaughter

Hanging with my boys

Prompt 27: Cheer Yourself Up

1. Pop a homemade cannon as loud as you can

2. Make a fool out of yourself in a public place like the mall

3. Have a conversation with someone who doesn’t understand English

4. Create a huge slip and slide with canopy tarps

5. Go zorbing

6. Go zip lining

7. Play your own game of silent library

8. Have a drinking contest to see who can finish a gallon of milk first

Prompt 28: Metamorphosis

I used to be an unfinished puzzle, but now I am putting all the pieces together

I used to be a picture painted red, but now I am a picture with different colors

I used to be a broken record, but now I am fixed with scratches

I used to be an unfinished piece of work, but now I am complete

I used to be a house with only a foundation, but now I have walls and a roof

I used to be a closed book pushed to the side, but now I am open and many people have read me

I used to be the sun shining bright, but now I am also the cloudy gray skies

I used to be a lost soul, but now I have been found

I used to be a blank sheet of paper, but now I am many papers filled from top to bottom.

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fursispaltenstein.ch%2Fblog%2Fimages%2Fupl

oads_img%2Fleonid_afremov_art_work_1.jpg&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ursispaltenstein.ch%2F

blog%2Fweblog.php%3F%2Fweblog%2Fcomments%2F5365%2F&h=411&w=560&tbnid=v5mvEwbSvSGq

eM%3A&zoom=1&docid=Ew64pkm07bEOrM&hl=en&ei=pYdwU9TLD5D-

oQTkxIHABA&tbm=isch&ved=0CGkQMygCMAI&iact=rc&uact=3&dur=1468&page=1&start=0&ndsp=12

Prompt 29: Picture This

I chose this piece of artwork because love is something I am very passionate about. I think any

person who has ever been in love has dreamed about a love like this. Being able to walk down a

street, where on one side it has the night sky reflecting in the water, and on the other lights that

brighten up the beauty of nature. This is a symbol of true and real love. But this kind of love isn’t

just given, it’s hard to get a love like this. You have to work for it, you have to invest time and

effort and patience to even get close to a love like this. I feel like this painting is showing us that

no matter how many times we get it wrong, there’s still a love like this waiting. This painting

gives hope to all of those who had their heartbroken, been lied to, or cheated on. It gives them

hope that all the time, effort, and pain they went through didn’t go to waste, it was just another

speed bump on the road to the love they are looking for.

Prompt 30: Look Who I Look Up To

George W. Bush was the 43rd president of the United States. A lot of people didn’t like

him because he didn’t tend to their needs. President Bush did what was best for the U.S. and not

just certain people. He did things for the greater good. During his term, he faced a lot of conflict

in the U. S. There was 9/11 and then the wars in Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq. He created

Civil Defense and Homeland Security because of 9/11. He started the mission of finding Osama

and killing him. He did a lot of justice for the United States and a lot of people didn’t think so

back then, but now they want him back in office because he knew what was best for his country.

Bill Gates is one of the most successful entrepreneurs and inventors. He created the

program Microsoft which is used in so many technological devices. We use his program a lot in

our everyday lives. Not only does he have his own company, but he opened up a foundation

called Bill & Melinda Foundation. This foundation supports global health and learning. He is

constantly finding new things to improve technology. He is dedicated to his job, but even though

he has all this money, he gives a lot to the youth of America, because he wants them to learn and

have a good life.

Andre Romelle Young, or as we know him Dr. Dre, has achieved so much for himself.

He was a rapper, then he became a producer, and now he owns his own company, Beats

Electronics. He was born and raised in the ghetto area and was surrounded by gang violence. He

joined a rap group to get him started and he eventually created his own group and label and

started signing artists. Now the company Apple is offering him over 3.2 billion dollars for his

company. He certainly did come a long way, and it shows that just because you were born in a

bad place, that doesn’t mean you can’t make anything of yourselves.

Prompt 31: Remembering the Child

When I was a kid I was the naughtiest kid but at the same time the sweetest kid. I was a

sour patch kid. My mom used to always talk about how I was in love with keys. I used to take

everyone’s keys and play with them, hide them, and mix them all up. For some reason keys just

fascinated me. I would take the futon make it into a little car on the couch, and take the keys and

pretend to drive. I was always afraid of the littlest things though. I was scared of the rain when it

would rain really hard and it made a really loud sound. I was scared of being in the car alone

because I thought the car would roll away or that I would get locked in. My sisters told me about

this one day when we went to my mom’s work. At the time she was working at TownHouse at

Agana Shopping Center way back then, my sisters had taken me there to go see my mom. I was

looking at a toy, and I was completely fascinated by it that I wasn’t focused on what was

happening around me, so when I turned around my sisters were gone and I started to cry because

I thought I was lost. When I grew up, I later found out that they hid behind a rack of clothes and

waited for me to realize they were gone because when they were calling me, I wasn’t listening

because I was too fascinated by the toy. I was my big brother’s shadow. I followed him

everywhere because I wanted to be like him. He was the greatest, he was cool, he had a lot of

girlfriends, he was the big jock at NDHS. I would go to all of his volleyball games and just

watch even though I didn’t understand. The one thing I loved about going to his games besides

getting to watch my big brother beat the other team, was after every game, he would take me to

the court and he’d teach me how to play. That was the best part of my childhood, being with my

big brother.

Prompt 32: One Medium Suitcase

My ipod/phone so I could listen to my music, because music is my escape from the real

world, and brings me into my own little world.

Money to get me started in this new place I’m going to.

A photo album with pictures of important memories that happened in my life.

Clothes because I need extra clothes.

Some books or magazines that I love to read in case I get bored.

A map of this new place so I don’t get lost.

Bathing products, such as body wash, shampoo, shaver, etc. so I could stay clean.

Prompt 33: The Perfect Present

I would want the gift of forgiveness. It isn’t that I don’t have it already, because I do, but

it’s only for the little things. I need forgiveness for much more serious situations. If someone

does something really bad to me, I hold a grudge, and whenever I see them I just want to do

something to them. I tend to get angry when I see someone who has done something to me or

something to any of my family or friends. I just have this hatred building up inside of me, and

it’s not good. I want to be a more forgiving person, because I shouldn’t hate anyone, but it is

hard to forget what they did. Forgiveness will help me to move on, and to stop dwelling on the

past, because if I can’t forgive the person, I can never be the same around them anymore or treat

them the same. I am never going to make myself better by always remembering the past and

what they did. Right now at this point there are so many wrong doings that I am holding onto

because I can’t forgive the people that did it. I don’t like feeling this way, but they did something

that went against my values, and to me it’s like killing someone. I mean why should I forgive

them? They knew what they were doing, and yet they still continued to do it knowing the

consequences that would follow after it. If I could get this gift of forgiveness it would help me so

much. I could finally let go of all the hatred and anger inside of me and feel new all over again. I

could even teach others in the future how to forgive too. If I could get this gift it would mean a

lot to me, because I’ve been trying so long to learn how to forgive, but I just can’t seem to get

myself to do it.

Prompt 34: Memorable Event

In my hand I hold my name tag for my confirmation retreat. It was the best experience of my life

so far. I can’t fully explain what it does to you. Being on that retreat opened me up to so many

things. It made me appreciate the finer things in life, and that’s your loved ones, being alive, and

living the life you live. We went three days without any materialistic possessions, and with no

contact from the outside world. You were put in a room filled with people you barely knew and

the only thing you had to do during that time in that room was to get to know them. It’s amazing

how people who were complete strangers, now became brothers and sisters. We prayed for

guidance and forgiveness. We instilled faith into the hearts of those who needed it most. We

knew our troubles, burdens, mistakes, fears, and darkest secrets. The people who had put on the

biggest smile were the ones who were broken inside. We learned how to let go of our problems,

and move on to better things. This was a search retreat, and we searched for ourselves, for that

missing piece of us that was somewhere hidden. At the end of the weekend, we went home

changed boys and girls. We were more thankful of everything we had, we cleansed our souls a

redeemed our wrongdoings. If I could do the retreat again, I would, because it’s a event that will

open your mind, eyes, and most especially your hearts.

Prompt 35: How to….

How to break up with your girlfriend:

If you are set on breaking up with your girlfriend, you want to do it the right way. You

definitely don’t want to do it through technology or through someone else. You can’t have your

best friend be the bearer of bad news, the words “I’m done” have to come out of your mouth and

no one else’s. You don’t want to break up with her in a public place, because if she is the type of

girl to get really emotional and crazy, then you don’t want to cause a scene because it’ll end

badly and you would just look like a jerk. So pick a place and time to do it, its kind of like going

on a date. Then you think of what you’re going to say, because she deserves an explanation at

least. You don’t just tell her that you guys are through and leave without any explanation,

especially if you’ve been together for a while. No matter what the reason, there needs to be an

explanation, because that will provide closure. If there isn’t any closure, then there isn’t any

moving on from each other. When you’re getting ready to do it, ease into it. Don’t just hit her

with all of it at one time. Speak to her calmly, and when she starts to cry don’t freak out, calm

her down and talk to her. Tell her that it’s better this way, then to go on living a lie. Tell her that

you want her to be happy, and you’re going to end up hurting her if you stay. Like I said, give

her reasons why. After all of that is through, ask her if she still wants to be friends or not. If she

doesn’t then that’s fine, and if she does then be there for her. If you follow this advice I’m giving

you then you should be fine. Good luck!

Prompt 36: Always Say Never

Things I never want to see again:

- My grandpa almost dying

- The look of depression on my mom’s face

- My sister crying

When I was about five years old, my grandpa had a massive heart attack. I was at their house

and I saw the ambulance taking him in the gurney. I didn’t understand what was going on at

the time but I knew that it wasn’t good. It happened again, when I was a sophomore in high

school. He had problems breathing and had chest pains. He was then escorted to the hospital,

and I had ridden in the ambulance with him and my grandma. He stayed in the emergency

room for two days for the doctors to monitor him. He was then let out, and returned home.

When I was in elementary or middle school, I remember my sister always crying. She was

being bullied and teased. We were the youngest out of the rest of our siblings and we were

the closest. Every time I had seen her cry, I felt her pain, and I comforted her and told her

that everything would get better. We would have conversations that would go on for hours,

just talking about life and school. I could relate to her because I too was bullied in school. I

wasn’t the most well known kid, and I wasn’t so bright either. I had trouble reading, writing,

and comprehending what was being taught. It didn’t help that I had little friends to help me,

and I was too embarrassed to ask for help. So the teasing, bullying, and failing motivated me

to strive for better, and so did the comfort from my sister. Till this day, she plays a big part in

my life, and she is like my second mom. I hate seeing anyone sad, especially my mom. She

hasn’t been doing too well, and I’m doing my best to try and help, but even my best isn’t

good enough. I try everything and anything possible to help her, and just try to make her days

better, but there hasn’t been any changes. I don’t like feeling helpless, especially when it

comes to my family members. Being a prospector in the crowd seeing things happen, and not

being able to do anything can hurt someone really bad. I never want to see those things

happen again, and to feel helpless. With me, if I could do something or anything to help

someone I care about, you best believe I will do it. So feeling helpless isn’t something that

agrees with me because I always want to help.

Prompt 37: Are You Hungry?

My favorite food would have to be this crab dip that was served at this restaurant called Sam

Choy’s. The restaurant is no longer in business and that’s the saddest part is no other restaurant

makes that type of dish. The crab dip has spinach, creamy sauce, crab, and other seasonings and

ingredients. It was always served hot with tiny pieces of garlic bread on the side. You would dip

the bread into the dip and add lemon juice if you want, and then eat it of course. The bread

wasn’t hard like some restaurants, it was soft and had many spices to it. Keep in mind that this

crab dip was only an appetizer, and to me this was amazing. It’s like my taste buds would go

crazy and my mouth would have this tingling sensation when I would eat it. I haven’t had that

dish in a long time, and I haven’t found any restaurant that serves it, but if I ever do it probably

wouldn’t be the same.

Prompt 38: Where I’m from

- Amen or showing respect to your elders

- Give money/gifts, or chenchule at a funeral, birthday, or any special occasion

- Bless the table before you eat

- Set up or help clean up at a party

- If you’re invited to a party or special occasion, you always bring something for the table

- Always ask for permission

- Introduce your other half to your family

- Do whatever you are told without asking questions

Prompt 39: Deck of 52

52 popular movies

Captain America: Winter Soldier

Oculus

Divergent

3 Days To Kill

Mr. Peabody

I, Frankenstein

300: Rise Of An Empire

Need For Speed

Non-Stop

Son Of God

Frozen

Robocop

Ride Along

Lone Survivor

That Awkward Moment

Wolf Of Wall Street

The Hobbit: The Desolation of

Smaug

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Thor: The Dark World

Delivery Man

Captain Phillips

Escape Plan

Don Jon

Insidious 2

The Family

We’re the Millers

The Mortal Instruments : City of

Bones

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters

The wolverine

The Conjuring

Despicable Me 2

Grown Ups 2

Pacific Rim

Man Of Steel

World War Z

This is The End

Fast & Furious 6 34

Now You See Me

The Purge

Iron Man 3

Identity Thief

Snitch

21 And Over

Oz The Great and Powerful

Hansel and Gretel

Mama

Zero Dark Thirty

A Haunted House

A Good Day To Die Hard

Safe Haven

Taken 2

Looper

Prompt 40: The Examined Life

The Good Qualities About Me

Respectful

Friendly

Helpful

Honest

Hard working

Determined

Goal oriented

My Greatest Faults

Short tempered

Taken for granted

Taken advantage of

Distracted

Envious

Bad attitude

Stubborn

Silly

Absent minded

Selective hearing

Prompt 41: Annual Report

A year ago I used to be this teenager that didn’t know how to handle the things life threw at him.

But now I learned how to prioritize and manage my time wisely. A year from now I hope to be a

person who has a better understanding of how to handle life, and the challenges that come with

it. I expect to handle situations better than I did before and currently do now. I do expect to make

progress, and my past experiences will help me learn to do better. I was worse off a year ago

because things were just too stressful. Things this year though are kind of the same, but I’m

handling it better because of the fact that this isn’t my first time dealing with so many

obligations. I’ve come to the conclusion that life doesn’t get any easier, but we do get wiser and

find ways to make life bearable and less stressful.

Prompt 42: Ekphrasis

This painting shows a family

who when together will forever live happily

the love and emotion shown is so strong

you look at this picture and you want to belong

everyone wants a family like this

it’s true heavens bliss

this family together expresses a passionate love

because they praise their blessings and gifts sent from above

family is the most important thing to me

because it’s where I can be who I truly want to be.

Prompt 43: Visually Speaking

Prompt 44: Lessons I Learned After It Was Too Late

The first lesson I learned after it was too late was lying. I lied to my parents, and I regret

it. I couldn’t take back what I had done, and I had knew I lost some of their trust. Once you lose

someone’s trust, even just a little bit of it, you can never get it back. They’ll forgive you, and

everything will eventually go back to the way it was, but they’ll trust you less than they did

before. I have lied a lot of times in life, and I still lie sometimes, but it’s not as bad as it was

before. The second lesson I learned was to be honest. Sometimes I think if I had just been honest

with a lot of things in life, then maybe everything would have been different in life. But I don’t

regret it, because now I know the power of honesty and how it affects your life. I feel that truth is

better than lies, because you’re being real, with everyone else and especially yourself. Lying is

such an everyday thing in everyone that nowadays we don’t know whose real from who’s fake.

So from now on I choose to be honest as much as possible. The third lesson I learned was to not

talk back to your parents. You can never take back the words you said to them, and you can

never forget the look of hurt on their faces when they hear what you said. Your parents are the

only people that will always love you no matter how many mistakes you make in life, they’re the

only people that will stick by you and give you their unconditional love and support. So why

would you possibly hurt them? I asked myself that a lot, and I could never figure out why I did

what I did and said what I had said. Sometimes I blame it on my anger and being short tempered,

but there’s no excuse for that. Although I can never take it back, to this day, I can say that I

haven’t answered my parents back, and I hope to keep it that way. The fourth lesson I had

learned is that when you get a chance in life to do something you always wanted or do something

that will benefit you in a positive way in life, don’t turn it down take it. Chances in life don’t

come that often, and truth is that in the end you’re going to be wondering what would have

happened if you did take that chance. The “what ifs” can kill you, because those are questions in

your mind that will never be answered. Later on in life you’ll end up regretting not taking that

chance, and that’s how I felt for a while. But now I know to take chances because they may

never come around again. The fifth lesson I learned was to be careful to who you trust and open

up to. People tend to pretend to be someone they aren’t, and when you trust them, they just end

up backstabbing you. Like I said before, it’s hard to decide who’s real and whose fake. But what

I learned to do was to just let them in, but not all the way. Tell them general things about

yourself and not your deepest darkest secrets. If after a while they still are there for you, and they

proved to you that they are real, then that’s when you let them in a little further. It’s hard today to

actually have people that will be by your side through it all. The last lesson I learned was to

never fall to hard. They might never be there to catch you. Love isn’t a complicated emotion,

people are. People tend to make excuses for why they love the way they do. They blame it on

their past relationships, or because they’ve had bad experiences dealing with love. But the truth

is, you can’t expect it to be the same over and over again. If the person is consistently showing

you that they want it as much as you do, and that they will do anything, then take a chance.

You’ll never know if you don’t try, and if it doesn’t work out, then it’s a lesson learned and an

experience gained.

Prompt 45: The Door

1. When I walk out that door, I want to be a better person. I want to take what I learned in

that class and use it productively in my life. I want to know that I didn’t waste my time in

there doing nothing and not using anything that was taught to me. I want to be happy, and

more confident in myself. I want to feel like I’ve accomplished something great for that

day.

2. When I walk out that door, I don’t want anyone to bring down my mood. I don’t want

anyone to ruin my moment of happiness. I don’t want people who don’t make use of their

time to anger me. I don’t want to forget the lessons and skills that were taught to me. I

definitely don’t want to be that person who just feels like school is just a time to mess

around and not take it seriously.

Prompt 46: Advice to the Young

To my dearest daughter,

There are going to be times in life when you feel like everything is against you, that

everything bad is happening to you & only you. I want you to know that when you feel like that,

take time to just sit down and think, think about all the positive things in your life, and think

about how grateful you are. Talk to someone, if it isn’t your best friend, your sister, your mother,

or even me, then pray to GOD. I have learned that when you just pray, everything will eventually

get better. I’ve been through some rough times, I have had to grow up at a young age and take on

so many responsibilities, and there were a lot of times where I wondered why all these things

were happening to me, but I took some time to just count all my blessings, and I prayed hard. I

want you to know that you aren’t ever alone, there will always be someone there for you. It

would break my heart to see you hurt, especially when it comes to love, but I’m not going to take

the experience away from you, because then you will never learn a lot of lessons of life. I will

promise you one thing, I promise that I’ll always be there when you need to cry, vent, or even

just to be there for you. I want you to make goals for yourself, and dream big. Don’t you ever

doubt yourself, always believe in yourself, that you can do anything you want as long as you put

your mind, heart and soul into it. Don’t be so in a rush to grow up, I know that there will be

times that you just want to be independent and make your own decisions, but enjoy every second

of your childhood and teenage years, have fun experiences, and make memories with your

friends that you hope to be telling your kids one day. Live life with no regrets, and view your

mistakes as lessons learned for the future. Cherish every moment with your family, friends, and

loved ones, because those are the moments that count. Focus on your school, and strive for a

further education like college because it will lead you to your dreams. I know school may be

hard, but life’s not meant to be easy, life’s a challenge and there will be obstacles and challenges,

but when you overcome them you become a better and stronger person. One thing I learned

about life is that nothing worth having comes easily, so if it’s hard then it’s definitely worth all

the work you’re putting into it. Read this anytime you feel like you need guidance, and if you

still feel like you’re lost then come to me, and I’ll help light the way for you.

Prompt 47: Who Am I

1. Friend: I am a shoulder to cry on or that one person who people go to advice for. Even if

you did something bad to me, but you needed a friend and no one was there for you, I’m

that person that will swallow my pride and be that friend.

2. Car lover: I love cars, and I work on them. I may not be very experienced like a pro

mechanic, but I do know some things. My truck for example is like my wife. We’ve been

married for so long already.

3. Adult: I may still be a kid by law, but if we were looking at this by maturity and

responsibility instead of age, then I’d be an adult. If I wasn’t here at my house, a lot of

the daily routines would either go wrong, or wouldn’t happen at all.

4. Gadget freak: I love gadgets. If I see something out of the ordinary or new on the market,

I want to have it. I always either ask my dad for his gadgets that he got, or ask to get my

own.

5. Romantic: I am a sucker for romance. Whether it be movies, television shows, or even

planning something for a friend to do for their special person. I am a very mushy person,

and I know it may not seem like it but I’m sensitive too.

Prompt 48: Rewarding Experiences

1. Falling in love: the first time I ever fell in love was amazing. Everything about me and

how I saw the world had changed. No matter who I meet or how many times I fall in

love, it’ll never be like the first.

2. Driving: I always wanted to drive and have the privilege to just leave. It gave me the

feeling of freedom, but it also gave me responsibility.

3. Baptizing my Goddaughter: having the responsibility of being a godfather is a lot, but it’s

worth it. Knowing that I play a big part in her life makes me smile. I get to raise her and

see her grow up and impact her life in a big way.

4. Learning from my mistakes: every lesson learned is an accomplishment. It’s all a part of

growing up.

5. Getting confirmed: getting confirmed is like graduating, you go through so many years of

school, and you finally graduate.

6. Getting a tattoo: the words “family, strength, loyalty” is written on my body. These are

the things I live by, and to have it on me as a memory of who I am, so incase I ever

become lost of who I am, I just remember what the words mean on my arm.

7. Going out: being able to go out and have freedom is what every teenager wants. It makes

you feel alive and you get to have a good time.

8. Helping my grandparents/parents: I am all about giving back. So every little thing I can

do to give back to the people who gave me everything, you better believe I will do.

9. Making it to senior year: since I was little I dreamt about being a senior. Now that I am

here, I know accomplished and learned a lot on the way.

10. Making great friends: having those special people who you can be yourself around, who

you can be honest with, and who you can trust with your life is the greatest reward ever.

Prompt 49: Valuable Lessons

1. Love: I’ve learned that love is something that must be felt before it is said. It isn’t a term

to be thrown around. It must go both ways, and it’s not like it is portrayed in the movies

and in books. Love is hard, and people tend to fall out of love, but it’s not the end of the

world.

2. Forgiveness: I’ve learned that it’s better to be the bigger person. This world is already

filled with so much hate, why add more to it? It was a hard lesson to learn, and I still am

learning, but I got the basics of how to forgive those who have done wrong.

3. Acceptance: I have learned that life isn’t going to go the way you want it to, it’s not

meant to. Life is meant to teach you, challenge you, break you and build you up to be a

better and stronger person. I’ve learned to make plans for any changes in my life journey.

4. Responsibility: I’ve learned that growing up comes with more responsibilities than I

expected. It gets too much sometimes, but it’s all a part of life.

5. Self-confidence: I’ve learned to never doubt yourself, in order for you to achieve your

goals you must believe in yourself first. You have to want it, and work hard for it. Don’t

think of why you can’t do it, think of how you can accomplish it and work around

obstacles.

6. Timing: I’ve learned that time is everything, the longer you wait, the less precious time

you have left. People say all you have is time, but that’s not true. The more time you

waste, the less things you will be able to do in your lifetime. If there’s a chance to do

something you want in your life, don’t wait, because by the time you’re ready, the

opportunity might not be there.

7. Faith: I’ve learned that no matter how tough things may get in life, always be positive.

Always have faith that things will somehow get better, it may not happen over night or

right then and there, but give it time.

8. Patience: I’ve learned to not rush anything, to enjoy every moment, and cherish every

second. If things aren’t going your way, just sit back and relax, don’t freak out and panic

cause you aren’t making anything better that way.

9. Understanding: I’ve learned to take all my mistakes and my downfalls, and understand

the meaning behind it. I actually take the time to analyze everything that has happened to

me because I don’t want to miss any valuable lessons.

10. Giving: I’ve learned to be humble and to be giving, whether it be monetary donations, or

just my time and help, I give for a better cause, I give to make things better and not

worse. People out there have it worse than us, and I believe we can all help each other if

we just give a little.

Prompt 50: Future – Fantasy and Fact

Ten years from now if all my wishes came true, then I would be engaged to the girl who

stole my heart in high school. We would both have jobs that we love. We would be living in a

house on Guam, and planning our wedding. Following a little later after getting married, we

would plan on starting a family of our own. We would be incredibly happy, because since high

school we planned a life together, and all of our dreams would finally become a reality.

Ten years from now if things continued the way they are, I wouldn’t know where I would

be. I might or might not have a life here on Guam, but in the states. I wouldn’t know who I

would be with because as of right now there is only one person I see myself with, and that along

with my life, is still unclear and undecided. I’d probably be in U.S. Customs or in the military. If

I was to look into my future ten years from now, then I wouldn’t see myself with a family or

even engaged.

When I look at both views of my life ten years from now, they’re completely different. It

seems like the outcome of my life depends on whether or not things work out between me and

this girl. I’m not saying that if nothing happens between me and her that my life will be

miserable, it’s just right now I want her in my life, and things will be different with her in it. But

if things don’t happen between me and her, then I’ll still enjoy my life. All your wishes can’t

come true, and I know that reality is better than a fantasy, but sometimes I like living a fairytale

life where I believe anything can happen. But no matter what, I got to do what’s best for me,

what I want, and I can’t stop living just because it didn’t go the way I wanted to. Things will

eventually happen in time, and I just might meet someone who will affect me and my life the

way this girl does.

Epilogue

When I look at this piece of work, I can tell a lot from the author. I can tell that Brandon

is a family oriented person. In a lot of his prompts he talks about his family. Someone who is

family oriented is someone who has good morals and values. I can tell from the way that

Brandon writes that he is very open minded. He isn’t afraid to become vulnerable, he isn’t afraid

to show his true self. A lot of times people are afraid to show who they really are because they

are afraid of being judged and not accepted, but Brandon isn’t one of those people. He’s different

and he is unique. Brandon has flaws, just like anyone else, but the difference between him and

others is that he isn’t afraid or ashamed to show them. He knows that he makes mistakes, and he

knows that those mistakes made him the great person he is today. Brandon has his struggles like

everyone else, but even though he has struggles, he chooses not to give up, he chooses to keep on

moving forward and having faith that things will get better. He talks about him being mature for

his age, and from what I have read, I believe that to be very true. He had a lot to take on for a kid

his age, and the way he handled it, showed where his mentality is at. He knows how to prioritize

and handle situations that would make others go crazy. Brandon is a lover, and a passionate one

too. He believes that love is more than just a physical attraction. He believes that love is not just

some term to be thrown around, and that he doesn’t settle for anything less than what his heart

desires. It seems like he’s been through a couple heartbreaks and that’s what caused him to see

love this way. Sometimes it takes for someone to hit rock bottom of a certain situation to realize

the meaning behind everything, like love for example. Brandon also talks about God. It’s good

that he has faith in something, that he believes in a higher power. It shows that he believes in a

lot of things that others think aren’t possible. Brandon sees the world and everything that

happens in life from a different perspective than others. He really thinks about each situation and

how it will affect his life now and in the future. He lives in the present, and takes everything one

step at a time. He enjoys every second of his every day, he cherishes every moment and memory

made. He values things like friendship, trust, honestly, loyalty, and respect. Brandon is someone

who loves to live life no matter how bad it gets sometimes. I know that Brandon will have a good

future if he keeps the same view he has of the world twenty years from now. He can be anything

he wants to be because he has the mindset to do so. He’s smart, sophisticated, dedicated,

motivated, and experienced. The fact that he has so much knowledge about life and about school

will help him get somewhere in the world. I understand that he is still finding himself day by

day, and I want to meet him later on in the future to see what other things he has experienced. I

want to see if his view of life has changed for the good or for the bad. I want to ask him if he

feels like he has spent his time living life to the fullest. I want to know if he has any regrets of

the decisions he had made, and if he could go back in time, what would he do differently. I want

to know more about him, more about what he find out about himself. I think all of the questions I

would ask him would make for an even better story for the future. Let’s just hope and see where

we are a few years from now.