My First Flight

My first flight to Hong Kong was one of the most memorable things that has happened in my life. I remember going to the airport and just looking at the huge airplane with red stripes on the surface of the wings. Once I got inside of the plane and sat down, I started to look at everything around me. I noticed the small white air vents above my head, and with little lights next to the vent. It was so comfortable because the control was on my armrest. There were small monitors hanging in every seat, where I could watch my favorite movie. After everyone got settled the stewardess page over the intercom and explained the safety procedures. They also showed us how to properly use the seat belt and how to use the oxygen mask in case of an emergency. Other stewardess gave us some food to eat; their food is so fantastic and delicious.
As the airplane approach the runway, I felt really excited. My stomach felt odd, going up in the air for the first time. It was a very exciting feeling when I looked out of the small window and watched everything getting smaller and smaller.
And when I finally reached my destination. I heard a weird noise it was the landing gears coming down. After the plane touched down, I heard the tires screeching and I couldn’t believe that I was finally in Hong Kong. Everybody was rushing to getting their luggage; excited to be getting off the airplane. The amazingly, heavy airplane that brought us safely to reach our destination.

#25 A Young Girl With a Pigtail

While I was driving going to East Peoria ICC campus, I saw a young Asian girl standing at the stoplight before I turn left toward ICC. What was weird is that I don’t just see her once, but I see her everyday on the way to school. She waits for the stoplight, obviously so she could cross the road. She has a backpack, books on her hands, and she has two pigtails on her hair. She is wearing a white jacket, and a pink scarf on her neck. She was so cute and adorable that it kind of remind me of my self when I was young. So I decided that I want to meet this young girl, and I was so excited. So I hurried up to park my car, and waited for the young girl to cross the street. When I saw her coming I started to get ready and I opened my door and I walked with her. I started a conversation with her, I asked her about the weather and how terrible it was hoping to get a conversation going. I introduced myself to her, and she told me her name was Cecelia. She said it was cold, and I noticed she wasn’t wearing a heavy coat, and it was very windy and dry, that you have to face the direction of the wind just to keep yourself breathing. While we were walking to ICC from the parking lot she told me a brief story of her life. She said she didn’t have a car to drive, so she has to walk to school everyday. She lives with her brother renting a house at Armstrong Street across ICC. She doesn’t have parents, she said. So I asked her why? I don’t know, she told me. I can see the sadness from her face. My brother and I escaped from our parents, and we just moved here in Illinois six months ago. I felt sorry for her and her brother, and I don’t want to end our conversation, I want to spend more time with her and listen to her story. Our time is over, and we have to say goodbye to each other, but I don’t know if I will ever see her again. I reached my classroom; I am still thinking of that young girl with a pigtail, wishing if I could see her again.

#14 My Mother

My mother, who has had a big influence in my life, is my greatest love and the one that I am always proud of.
My mother is the most beautiful woman for me. Her asset is her wonderful smile in her face. Even though she dress very simple but she owned a nice figure body. She has a soft caramel tone skin. My mother is very compassionate, caring, loving and very charming person.
My mother is very extraordinary person. Life has not been easy for her because at the age of nine, her father left and never came back. They never know what happened. She started to do all the job duties in the house, like cooking, cleaning, washing the clothes, when she was nine years old. As a teenager, she would love to go to school and socialize with her friends but could not. Her mother was sick because she fell and broke her hips
not able to work. So she started finding a job, and works as a sales lady in the department store, from dusk to dawn to support her family and helped her brother paying his school bills.She got married when she was twenty-five years old; I was born two years after that. I still remember how she struggled taking care of her children and at the same time her mother.
Despite the burdens she faced, my mother manages to keep a positive disposition. And she taught me to value life and to love and cares for others…. That’s my Mother and She’s my hero.

# 16 My buddy

My favorite machine is sitting in my bedroom next to my bed. Just perfectly fit inside of my bedroom. In front of the machine, it has a huge mirror, something that gives me a faithful representation. This machine is a black colored with a silver lining at both sides that show the beauty of it. A very light machine and a pulse ready out. There’s an oversize foot pedal for a comfortable work out provided by a whisper quiet drive system with forward and reverse motion. The ramp angle is fully adjustable from 15 to 30 degrees, allowing to target all my major body muscles. Also, I like the stationary handle bars; it helps tone my upper body part. The built in pulse sensors for monitoring my heart rate gives me a signal how fast my heart beat while I’m working out. The foot pedals are also adjustable, allowing my feet to maneuver easily. There’s a water holder that gives me a thirsty feeling every time I seen it. When I feel hot and sweaty I have the built- in cooling fan to cool me off. Where the console also has built in speakers that allow me to hook up any MP3 player for easy listening and also the music gives me more energy to stay working out.
This machine is already part of my daily routine. Everyday, when I get up in the morning, I jump over the top of it, for fifteen minutes. My real purpose is not to have a perfect body shape, but to make me feel fit, mentally and physically healthy. That's why I call it “ My Buddy”, the Elliptical Machine.

#36 One life.

I have learned some important lessons about choosing to enjoy life through the way I Raised my children. I love them; I am not a perfect mother. But I can say I am a responsible parent with them .I can say I enjoy my children so much. Giving a quality time to them and teaching them correct manners is one of my major tasks as a mother. I can remember many times when my children wanted me to stop working and they said “Come and play with me mommy,” my immediate response is I’ll be there, but sometimes I always have work to do. If I can’t do it right away I make sure I make up the time I missed with them. I am a workaholic mother even when I was so busy at work and at the same time at school. I run my own business, as caterer. I had plenty of time with them. I didn’t give any excuse for my self, or either to complain because of my busy schedule, because spending time with them is part of my job. My children are my priority; anytime they need something I’m always there for them. You know why, because I know that I cannot reset time. The time that they need me I need to be there, or it will gives me a feeling of guilt one day. I only have one life, so I will give my best time that I could. My mother taught me to be a better mom. I remember when she told me she doesn’t have any material things she can give to her children, but she has plenty of love
and care being a mother that she can give to us. The only way I can avoid having regrets for tomorrow is to make a better choice today; that choice is to enjoy life with my children.

# 14 my purpose of writing

My purpose of writing a paper is to express my feelings and thoughts. It is challenging for me to write a paper especially because English is not my natural language. My first problem is how to write a good strong thesis, sometimes I get mental blocked, therefore, writing my first words are the hardest part for me. I resolve this problem by reading other peoples essays and blogs, I use this information to help me think of ideas of my own. In my first sentences I describe my subjects physical appearance. Secondly, I describe my personal feelings about the subject. And last, I describe my observation of the things that my subject affects, or the things that affects my subject.
I used several sources for the revision of my paper. Initially, I had my papers reviewed by my son. I read out loud to my fellow workers, if they like my ideas, or I would go online to see more examples and details. By this time, all my grammatical errors and structural problems that I see are mostly corrected, and more of my ideas are added to my paper. I then revise my paragraphs and show it again to my son. My son would notice some mistakes I made during my revision. So in the third time, I would revise it again. If there are more errors that my son or me see, then I revise it again and again. Sometimes we add and add on to the paper that we lose our focus. So many thoughts that comes in my head, but I don’t know how to put in words. So to fix this problem; as I revise my paper I would then only stick to the guidelines that are given to me and try to use at the least most words that I can. I would spend many hours just to make my statements clear. But I do enjoy writing papers, especially with subjects that I can relate to.
My paper is based on fact, but most are my own thoughts and opinions, were I openly expressed my feelings about the subject matter.

Smile at life in the Philippines # 7

My dream 10 years from now is to retire with my husband in the Philippines. Why the Philippines? Because of its vibrant culture, the people’s hospitality, friendliness, and most of them can speak English. The Philippines also have very beautiful natural attractions, and a nice relaxing climate. Our national language is Tagalog. Although English is our second language we never use it in our daily conversations. We have eight major dialects; Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Ilongo, Pampango, and Panganise are some of them. When it comes to our climate, March and May is very hot and dry, June to October is very rainy, and November to February is cool. The average temperature is 78 degrees Fahrenheit/ 90 degrees Fahrenheit. This nice climate is one of the reasons why I want to go back to the Philippines and retire. Another reason why I want to retire there is because of the cheap cost of living. The housing, food, and labor are very cheap. You can almost live like a King or a Queen. For example, in average a family can have a nanny or maid in their house for thirty dollars per month. Not only that, we also have a highly trained medical and nurses and doctors. In fact, there is a demand all over the world for Filipino medical workers, because of their friendly nature. But most of all, the Filipino people are naturally warm, friendly and very hospitable. We have a ready smile for everybody and the place that can provide the retirees endless choices of world class destinations that will bring them closer to mother nature with clean air and beautiful sceneries.

My proudest Moment

The proudest moment of my life has been occurring for the past seventeen years, since the birth of my son. And then, seven years later, I had my beautiful daughter. Being a mother to my children has made me not only proud, but has turned me into a stronger person. When I first found out I was pregnant, I was very excited and happy, But at the same time, I was also scared and anxious because of my lack of experience for parenting. My excitement grew as I awaited the birth of my son. It was June 2, 1992 when he finally arrived. I will never forget when the doctor came to me tell me that my son was sick, and not the healthy baby I longed for. All the excitement turned to fear and sadness. But, he recovered from his illness and became a healthy boy. Seven years later, when I found out I was expecting my second child. I was excited, but yet anxious and nervous again this time for different reasons. By that time, my son was six years old, so I had plenty of experience with my parenting skills. I was worried that my daughter would be born with the same health problems as my son. I praised the Lord; I ended up worrying for nothing. On May 25, 1999 my active and healthy baby was born. Despite of my son's health problems, I never lost hope for him. I spent a lot of time caring for him, and he grew into a fine young man. I sent him to a different exclusive schools where he was an honor roll student. My son is now a talented artist and a member of the Peoria art Guilt Club. As for his sister, she is ten years old now, a fourth grade student and taking piano lessons and Karate class at Bradley University. Being a mother of two adorable kids has been one of the ongoing proudest moments of my life. Although, I learned being a parent involves trial and error, at the results are worth it. Any sacrifices I have made for my children are truly rewarding. They make so proud to be their mom.