Goodbye.

If I was not able to ever see me Mother again this is what I would say to her. 

     Dear Mom, 

  This is it. I am sorry for saying good bye, but I must go on to a great adventure. I do not know if I will ever see you again. Do not be in sorrow and do not wallow in sadness, for I will be in your heart and as will you be in  mine. I will miss your cooking, for it is was always the best home cooking ever. I will miss the things you do for me. Like turning off the light in my room, because I was already asleep. I will miss the laughs we had and all the good times. You were always the one that did not let me fall and when I did you were there to pick me back up again. I will miss your motherly love you give me everyday. I will miss your comfort and support everyday. Whenever I am sad you were always there to put a smile back on my face. You mean so much to me mother, and I truly hope that you understand that fact. The days we had together were precious days. You keep our family close and are practically the center of it. You are like the sun, and we are stable because you are there. You do so much for us if you (the sun) were to go away the rest of us would be in chaos. Right now I am Pluto, because I am going away. But you know that I am important, and you will always love me. I will always love you, this is it.

Love, your daughter

Odette Bryant 

Who Inspires me?

      The person who inspires me the most would have to be my older sister, Oryinthia Bryant. Perhaps I look up to her because she is my older sister and it is just normal for someone to look up to their older sibling. Mostly I look up to her because she is brave and bold. She is a caring person and she is not afraid to speak her mind. I have always looked up to her. Whenever I have no one to talk to or whenever I had no one she was always there for me. She always gives me the best advice and always pulls through for me. My sister inspired me to follow my heart and reach for my goals. She always pushes me to go forward, even if I do not think I can make it. She always tells me that I am going to make it and that I will go far in life. She is the one that inspired me to become a writer and express my creativity, and for that I am thankful for her.

The Place...

   If I could live anywhere at all, I would want to live in a place where everything will be alright. It would be a happy and joyful place all the time. Everywhere I showed up my theme song would play and everyone knows that it is me. Wars are fought by a games of "Rock, Paper, Scissors" and money is not a big deal. It would be a place where peace is dominate and violence is only a memory. Schools would teach fun subjects,  but math and tests would not exist. The clouds would be pillows and cotton candy, but they taste like chocolate. The stars would shine bright like diamonds, but the moon would be even bigger and better. The dark side of the moon would be made of cheese and we would only harvest as much as we need. It would be a place where dreams are accomplished and pursued because we should be able to accomplish what we want to do. It would be a place where the Mona Lisa actually smiles and the flavor of gum stays much longer than it should. 
   My house would be a mansion floating above in the sky, and the only way to get down is through a giant slide. I would like to live in a place like this because it would be a perfect place and it would be just fine. I imagine my self sleeping on a cloud and looking up towards the diamond stars, and finally grasping that everything is truly going to be okay without a doubt. 

What Would You Do If Money Was No Object?

    In life we have dreams and goals, and we should reach for those goals. Money sometimes gets in the way of those goals and sometimes we do not reach for what we want in life. In life we should hold on to happiness and do what makes us happy in the process. Life is short, so why spend it doing a job we dislike or being something that we do not want to be. We should spend it doing what makes us happy not miserable. What if money was no object? What if we could become something that identifies us for who we are?
     I would become a writer and a graphic designer. I would want to become a writer for the simple fact that I have so many ideas and my creative mind is always racing. I think my love for books have really influenced me as well to become a writer. I would want to be a graphic designer to bring my ideas alive in a wider range of media. I would want to make video games, movies, or even TV shows. This is my dream and my goal, for I will achieve it no matter what. What would you do?

Missing The Electric Life

   I think electricity is something that people take for granted, if we no longer had any electricity I would miss the times I have. I use electricity every single day, for I am not worried that when I switch a switch on that a light won't work and I am not worried that the refrigerator will stop keeping my food cold. If I were to imagine a world without electricity, I would imagine chaos and darkness. The world would practically shut down because we use electricity for almost everything we do. The world would have to take a giant step backward, even though we have come so far. I would miss not being worried and I would miss giants steps towards a brighter and better future. The world should keep moving forward; to do that we should conserve more than we consume in hopes of becoming energy effecint. We should move forward by finding differnt ways to save energy and find new ways to create electrcity.

The Book, The Author, & The Favorite

   I have read so many books in my life time, but I could never really figure out my favorite one. Until recently I thought about it and I decided that the series Chaos Walking are are my favorite books. The series has three books The Knife Of Never Letting Go, The Ask and The Answer, and Monsters Of Men.
  In the series there are human settlers on a foreign planet. They left earth to find a more peaceful planet to live, but instead they found despair. The planet had aliens named Spackle and a sickness called noise, but only men caught noise. The sickness noise allows others to see and hear their thoughts it is never really quiet. In the first book a boy named Todd has to escape a man named Prentiss who wants Todd to become a man by killing another. He also wants to take over the entire planet with his army. Other settlers fight back but are overtaken, so the only way to escape is to go to a city named Haven. In the second book Todd and Viola are separated from each other. Unfortunately, Todd is captured by Prentiss who treats him like a prisoner and a slave worker. Viola is with the Mysterious group A who wants to scare and start a war with Prentiss by blowing up different places of the city. The city is completely taken over by Prentiss and Mistress Coyle the leader of A wants him out. The third and final book is my personal favorite out of all three books. In this book it is an all out war between A and Prentiss's Army. The problem is that another army is a target of Prentiss; The Spackle armed forces, and it is exactly what Prentiss wanted in the first place. The A wants Prentiss out so that Mistress Coyle can be the leader of the world at last. The Spackle want all the settlers to leave and get revenge on the settlers for their lost brethren in the last war. Todd and Viola believe that they can avoid the inevitable by creating peace with The Spackle. The only way is to make drastic decisions and to stop all the leaders of the armies including The Spackle leader. The meaning behind this book is unique because it basically states that war makes monsters of men. Which to me is entirely true, because war makes them monsters of revenge, hate, and hostility, and that is a sad fact.
    These books are special to me because they kept me on the edge of my seat and I was always guessing and wondering what was going to happen next. The books are really well written and descriptive, but most of all I really like the story line in this series. I just really like how everything goes together and the emotion the characters have in the books.

Life’s Happiness and Death’s Regrets

  In life we as humans should live life to the fullest, and go for the goals we want to accomplish. A famous poet Robert Frost conveys this message in his poem “After Apple-Picking”. In this poem he explains that in life people should do things that make them happy and go for the goals they want to achieve.  Frost uses imagery and metaphors in his poem to explain his message of finding happiness without regrets.

            Not doing something that we want to achieve before our lives are over could lead to many regrets. In life we should not have any regrets. That is why we should reach for our goals and find fulfillment in life before our lives are over. Frost states, “And there’s a barrel that I didn’t fill/ Beside it, and there maybe two or three apples/ I didn’t pick upon some bough./ But I am done with apple-picking now.” (3,4,5,6). In these lines Frost is explaining how the speaker did not accomplish his goals and that the speaker did not find fulfillment in his lifetime. The speaker is now done with trying to reach his goals because his lifetime is coming to its conclusion.

            We should never give up on our goals and the things we desire, but sometimes in the end we do not reach our goals. Therefore we then begin to have regrets in our lives for not doing what we could have done. Frost states “For I have had too much/ Of apple-picking; I am overtired/Of the great harvest I myself desired.” (25,26,27). In these lines the speaker has given up on his goals because he could not reach them or the simple fact that he has accepted that his lifetime is over. He was unable to reach his desire and finally just gave up. Perhaps he regrets not reaching his desire in the end. We should go for our goals, do what makes us happy, and in the end have no regrets.

            Being happy is an important asset of life, so we should do whatever makes us happy and not regret it later. We should reach for the skies and not be afraid to go for our goals. It is of utmost importance for us to learn and understand Frost’s message, because we should all be able to find happiness in the things we want to do not the things we must do. What I want to do for a living that makes me happy is to become a graphic design and a writer. I want to be a graphic designer because I want my ideas to come alive in video games, movies, TV shows, books and other media. I want to become a writer because it goes along with being a graphic designer. All these forms of media have a story to tell. I have the imagination and creativity to create stories. I want to be able to express my ideas without any restrictions on my works; I want to create works that I am going to be proud of. Writing may not make as much money, but I think as long as I am doing what I love and pursuing my dream money shouldn’t matter.

Ch-Ch-Changes

  If I could change something in my life it would be not having a shell. I have had this problem all my life. Since I was little I have been kind of shy.In my thought process I was always afraid of what people would think of me, and I always thought that I would be annoying people. I think because I was picked on as a child I just shut down and stayed quiet. 
  It is funny, because I like to talk. I think if I changed my thoughts of being afraid to speak my mind I would be able to talk with confidence. I kind of wish that I could be extroverted because being quiet means not being noticed. 
  I think that I will be able to change even if I do not get to go back in time. I believe as I am growing older I am becoming less quiet. I think I am coming out of my shell bit by bit.

What is fun to do?

     One of my favorite past times to do is to play video games. When I play a video game I feel as though I'm blasted into an entirely different world. Video games are really fun and interesting to play, since they remind me of interactive movies. Video games tell stories, because without one the game becomes bland and boring not interesting.
  My first gaming system was a Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), which I still have today. My favorite gaming system is a PS3, because of the graphics and the games. My top 5 video games are Final Fantasy X,

American McGee's Alice: Madness Returns, Luigi's Mansion, Infamous, and Kingdom Hearts II.
  I want to become a graphic designer to be able to create my own video games. I want my video games to tell a story. I want to become a writer for the video games I want to create. Some may think that being a graphic designer means you have to draw and be a perfect artist, but a video game not only needs good art but a good story line.Perhaps that's why I like to play video games simply because of the story.

Music Is My Outlet

   Music is something that sets me free whenever I want to get away from the world. I like all kinds of music from classical to hard rock. My favorite musical genre is alternative rock, because I like the sound of the music and the instruments that are used.
   My favorite band is SafetySuit, because I can relate to the songs that they sing. One of their songs called "These Times" is one of my favorite songs. Whenever I feel like I cannot go on and the world is defeating me I listen to that song.
 The song lyrics include:
             
     " These times will try hard to define me, but I will hold my head up high." and " These times are hard, but they will pass." 
  
These lyrics to me mean no matter what the situation is there is a light at the end of the tunnel. All of their songs are really great and some are very inspirational  They are about moving on and believing in yourself. I think everyone at one time may need an extra boost of confidence, assurance, and optimism, so music could do the trick. 

Day Cares Provided Or Not?

         The issue of the government providing day cares is a questionable question. Not all parents need a daycare, but some do because they work, they  do not have time, or they are just plain busy. Having the government provide a daycare may be a good thing, because it could keep children productive, keep them out of harms way, and help them learn even before they start school. The only problem would be that daycare would have to be paid for either by the government or the parents. Not all parents can afford day care service on an everyday basis, therefore that is why most parents do not have day care for their children. Another issue would be that the parents could have a problem with leaving their children with strangers whether they are professional or not.
  I think that parents should take on the responsibility of having a child, and make the right decisions for that child. The government should also take on the decisions that benefit their future doctors, teachers, scientists  politicians, speakers, and artists of america. Whether it means creating a system of day cares or declaring war; they must think of their people and the future of america.

Friends

    One thing I value in my life are my friends, because I know what it feels like to have no friends. I remember when I was little I had no friends, since in school no one liked me, they made fun of me, I was hated, and to this day I have no idea why. I did nothing to them except smile at them, but it didn't matter. I was made fun of for the way I looked, the way I walked, the way I talked, my skin, and even for staying quiet. Sometimes I would get lucky and have someone claim to be my friend, but then that would be a complete lie. They would then talk about me and hate me the next second. That isn't a friend, because a friend would not do that to another friend. 
   I wanted to hold on and feel that I actually belonged. I tried, but every time I tried I was put down, made fun of, and threatened with a punch in the mouth. So, I never said much and just took the verbal beating. I wondered if anyone else knew what it felt like to be ignored, hated, and bullied. To not be seen, but still be there, and to be misunderstood. Well, I did, everyday I did. 
    Then finally, I realized that I did not have to belong. I realized that I did not have to believe their words. I did not have to be who they wanted me to be, because I am me.
  Now I have friends that I value because they accept me for who I am, and they are always there when I need them. I do not feel alone, since my friends all make me feel like I belong. I am grateful that I finally have friends who can say that they are a true friend to me.  

The Summer's Injury

    Over the summer I barely did anything exciting, but I did get injured by getting a concussion. The way it happened may not sound serious but it was. I was home alone, so I have to lockup the house and close the curtains when the it gets dark. I get to my dining room where I close the curtains, but I quickly forgot that I had done so. I turned to see if I did and I confirmed it and quickly turn to leave out the doorway. That is when I ran into my dining room door because the door bounced back after I had left it open. I had no idea that it would be there and so I banged my head against the door. I rubbed my head and ignored it at first but then I realized it was much more serious than I thought.
  I sat down and I blanked out. I was extremely overcome with exhaustion, and dizziness. I called my sister for help, because I was starting to worry. I was speaking in slurs and my head was hurting like it was bleeding, although it wasn't. My sister finally took me to the hospital.
   I don't remember much but I do remember the long wait; during this wait I felt like I was dying. My sister said I kept saying I wanted to color, which is weird because when I'm stressed I color. When we finally see the doctor I was so tired and loopy. The doctor had asked me what my name was and I didn't remember. Instead I said other names like "Jenny", "Olivia", and "Omega". My family was really worried about me and so was I. How could I forget who I am? My sister said that while the doctor was talking to them I suddenly remembered and I shouted " I know it. I know it! ODETTE! ODETTE!"
   The doctor then stated I'd be fine as long as I had some rest. My memory returned slowly but I had major headaches but nothing life threatening. I was happy that  my memory came back because if I had completely forgotten everything I wouldn't be me and that is not what I would want.

The Beautiful Red Rose

Odette.
   That is my name. My mother named me this after "The Swan Princess" for her name is also Odette. I think it is also because my name starts with an "O". My mother's name starts with an "O", and my older sister's name also starts with an "O". We're like three peas in a pod!
    The downfall is that people always bane my name by pronouncing it wrong. I think maybe because my name is uncommon people just don't know it. I'm always called "Odetta", "Odiet", "Odettay" or even "Oret"! There is no "r', "a", or "i" in my name it really frustrates me because I have to repeat, spell, and even explain that the"e" is silent. Sometimes I feel like a beautiful red rose being mistaken for a dandelion.
       Some of my friends give me a repertoire  of nicknames. Names like "Oditty Dog", "Odetsey", "Odizzle", "Odeezy", and "Odizzy Det" and I''m perfectly fine with it as long as they know my real name of course. My name means "Little Wealthy One" it makes me feel like I am a apart of a hierarchy. My middle name "Luciana" which means "Light" and my last name "Bryant" means strong. My name becomes who I am; wealthy light that is strong. I am positive and I brighten up everyone's day.  

Respect Yourself and Others.

    The most important rule to me is to respect yourself and others. Treating someone the way you want to be
treated; to me is truly respect. I think the world would be a better place if we all respected each other. Whether it is in a classroom, in the grocery store, at home, or on the street; I believe that everyone should be respected. Not judged by their cover. 

  Respect should be given because if we treated everyone with respect there would be more peace and less violence. Without respect we can become hateful and we would only care for ourselves. You should also respect yourself by having a sense of one's dignity or worth. It includes your conduct and your character. Which you will then respect the dignity and worth of others as well.

   I believe that respect and kindness towards others is of most importance. I think that being in a place where respect is not given can be a miserable place for anyone. So, if everyone respected each other the world can truly become a better place for everyone.