My personal philosophy was Open Your Mind and Experience Life. If you couldn't tell I drew and painted a peacock feather for the base of my collage. I chose a peacock feather because they to me are just such a exotic and unique animal with such beautiful striking colors. Also because the feathers look like eyes. So the purple and pink sticky notes have my goals on them. A lot of them deal with learning and experiencing new things. The green around has my attitudes, beliefs, and values. Just some of them are I value knowledge. I value experience. I value will power. I value difference. I value perspective. I'm open-minded, dilligent, non- confrontational, and independent. I believe in God. I believe that faliure is not an option. I believe we should see the good in the world. I believe in finding our own path.

All these really relate to my personal philosophy and who I am. I am always trying to progress and learn and become better. I'm always trying to make my time learning or doing something. Even when standing in line for recital I brought a book because I didn't want to be standing there wasting my time. I am always looking at a situation and saying, What can I learn from this? Often if there is no benifet for me to progress from the experience I don't want to waste my time on it.

Sometimes that makes me think I'm selfish. I look at everything and see what it can profit me. I have one cousin my age and I think we are about 15 days apart. I remember being mad because I really didn't have anyone to play with my age because he had down- syndrome. I remember thinking how it was unfair that the only cousin my age had to have that. I also remember being scared of him. I remember keeping my distance.

Open Your Mind has to do a lot with my love with knowledge and learning. I want to take everything in. And Experience Life has to do a lot with how I am always looking for life to be an experience for me to grow.

The Godfather

Immigration is just not a big deal right now. And crime is no new thing either. Immigrants and crime go far back to when U.S. was first established as a country and immigrants started moving in. What we refer to as crime was to them an only means to survive. Most immigrants started out in ghettos and factories working hard and trying to make ends meat, but sometimes that wasn't enough. They would resort to stealing food and what we call crime. In ghettos and such elaborate networks were created to help immigrants for favors in return. These were usually gangs or political machines that controlled the neighborhood and created a sense of unity. Even then, though, these gangs were not very different than from today. They sought for money, control, power, and were often corrupt. That is why the Corleone family in the Godfather hits so home with the United States now and then. It is part of our American history that was so evident and corrupt about our heritage.
In the Godfather the Corleone family is all about bartering loyalty and favors for favors and loyalty in return. Gangs today are the same; they expect respect and any sign of disloyalty and your gone. (This article describes a lot about gangs today and how they work on loyalty. http://www.gwcinc.com/Gang%20Info.html) In the Godfather it shows how hard it is to remove yourself from a gang especially when you are born into it. Micheal tries to escape this life of violence and crime, but it is like he can't escape. His father is shot and so he returns back home only to immerse himself back into the family deciding to be the one to kill the two in the restaurant. Then he becomes head and finishes and cleans business through blood. In doing this he also gains more power like owning the Casino and getting rid of threats. It is like the business runs through his blood.
Gangs today run along the same lines. They gain power and get rid of threats through blood. And all of them agree, "It was only business." I feel though there has been a shift in the kind of power gangs have today. Gangs throughout history had power with more political factors whereas now they seems to run along the lines of power in the drug business. They also have power over neighborhoods, but more of fear than loyalty.
The Godfather is an American movie of how some people actually lived in the United States. It shows the corruption the United States had. Today gangs are still part of the fabrics and fibers of the United States. Violence is still evident from gangs and still cause fear to rise within us. They are still big factors today.

The Blurred Lines Between Reality and Dreams

Here are two pictures I took. I was just messing around with the focus. Interpret what I wrote however you want. Would love to hear comments on what you think it means. But only I will the know the true meaning of it. Oh also I took these at a zoo. Pictures tie in with blog. On a side note I don't want you to think I'm depressing! I just liked this picture and thought this tied in.

I hate feeling I'm chained. I hate feeling I can't breathe without knowing he exists. I hate how my world revolves around him. I try not to bring up the memories that make me faint in rejoice of how I felt I was alive and knew that once he was gone I was dead. But I have let those memories ride around within my mind, heart, soul, my being. I played the forbidden nights of letting him hold those chains closer than ever. Of my whole being surrounded in blissful peace only to be shredded by millions of glass bits representing reality. Dreams can't last forever. You will soon have to wake up. I feel so much pain. I try to rid myself of these chains by trying to forget everything, but that is too hard. I try to alleviate the increasing scars on my wings from the dragons tongue licking my wounds. I try to ease my wings out of the ring of eternal torment by pulling it out slowly, but once I am almost free the king whips his words into my ears only making me lose my focus and cause the chains to be tighten back into place only for me to start again, start the hopeless fight against reality and dreams. I can never tell now which one is which and who is on my side to save me! I'm stripped feeling vulnerable, but I can't help loving it. He is going to make me stand there tied and see him steal my soul and beauty and change the shape into a golden cup which only he can drink out of, but chooses not to. I will watch him place his lips onto another wooden cup and smile enjoying the flavor while drinking a poison that only kills me, but gives him life. I tell myself I will be strong and live to tell this tale, but I feel I am getting weaker and weaker. Time only makes me weaker...

Dick Smallingtons Part 1

Have you ever been called mean, stupid, out of line, etc? Well how bout trying to act one? I find it isn't that hard to do. But you know when you have seen so many people that fit that description how hard can it get? Sides I wasn't in a really good mood anyways. I was working on Patino's research paper in those clothes, and was already frustrated. I didn't want to be in it, but they said it would only take 5 minutes. But you know 5 minutes easily turns into 3 hours. Helped me fit into the part. Anyways I know this movie is ridiculous, but hey, it pleased my brother and he is super excited about it. Give me some feedback on it for him so I can give him some pointers. Also there was quite a disagreement on this movie between my parents and my brother's friend. Not only did my dad want the bananas out, but hated the name of the video. Wonder Why? Obviously I wasn't too excited at all for this video too.

Live Life to the Fullest

Elise Andrea Bishoff died on November 1, 2070 at the age of 77. She lived a full life. She was born on March 10, 1993 in Kissimmee, Florida. She moved to Blythe with her family when she was a baby and grew up there. Shortly after graduating from Palo Verde High School she ran a marathon. Then she went to pursue her carrier at Brigham Young University. She enjoyed learning the adventures of being a poor college student and immersed herself around people with substance.



At the age of 21 she served a mission in Italy where she learned the language and also learned what work really was. She returned after a year and a half and finished her schooling. She graduated with a degree in English and minor in photography in the year 2017. After she graduated she backpacked parts of the world with her trusty camera and journal. At the age of 28 she returned back to the U.S. and married. She became to be an English teacher in destitute areas. She made a difference. She had 5 kids and is lived on by them. At the age of 35 she published her first book which became a hit.


She enjoyed life and all the it brought. She lived by "Live Life to the Fullest". And she did that in her own unique way. At times in her life she chased a tornado vowing never to do that again, but enjoyed the ride while it lasted. She went sky diving many times, she tried many new things whether it was food or adventure. At the end of her life she spent most of her time volunteering and being active in her church, as she always was throughout her life. She was always on the go. She will be remembered for the full life she lived and the most important thing: She will be remembered as someone who died happy with her life.