Live With No Regrets

Video for Cycle 3!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DB13FMNcqrE&list=UUOswB5dU8kHAkzgyKvXwQIw

Travelers 2

“So, are you up for it?”

            I didn’t know what to say to this plump gray bearded man. How did I know this wasn’t a setup?

 “Am I getting paid for this?”

            “Why of course. But, that all depends on the trip we send you on. Usually a small trip starts at $100,000.”

One hundred thousand dollars…whoa. I haven’t made that much in my life. My mother raised me and my brother on her own once my dad left and we didn’t have much to begin with. I can’t really say I hate my dad, he was a good dad and always cared for my mom but he just wasn’t happy anymore. Of course he loved us but he just wasn’t satisfied with the relationship with my mother. I guess you can say my mom was a little uneasy.

            I had just fallen asleep when I heard my dad screaming.

            “Ah! Shit Callie!”

            “Get out! Get out!” She yelled back.

            I don’t know what could have happened he just came in from work. I lifted up the covers, walked downstairs, and peaked around the corner into the kitchen. Dad’s leg was bleeding. Mom stabbed him.  

            “What the f-“Dad stopped as he saw me standing there.

            “Dad. Are you okay?” I whimpered. His leg was bleeding profusely.

            “Daddy is okay Bruce. Go back to sleep.”

            That was all my dad could take this was the second time this happened and he was done. My mom never remembered what she did to him; her memory fades in and out. She mostly thinks everything is a dream. They got divorced but my dad got my mom some help. She seemed quite normal once she had treatment for a year but she had another outbreak so they placed her in a psychiatric hospital. My brother and I were placed in a foster home after that.

            “What’s the pay look like on a big trip?”

            “Well, that also depends, but anywhere from, $800,000 to more than you could ever dream of.”

            “What kind of job will I be doing in these ‘big trips’?”

            “Um, no need to worry about that now, let’s go get you set up with the paperwork and we will talk about it then.”

            I nervously followed him down the corridor to what was called, Sector 495. 

Richard Sherman is Wreck It Ralph

"Richard Sherman reminds me of Wreck It Ralph because people think they are both bad [guys]...but they are both really [good] guys. They are both nice...and really smart. Richard [Sherman] is smart...he went to a good [school] and studies football...Wreck It Ralph is smart...he saved Sugar Rush [and] saved the day...Richard Sherman is nice...[he] visits sick kids and is nice to [them]...Ralph is nice to Venelope. Like they said in Ralph, just because [people] think you are a bad guy doesn't mean you are a [bad guy]. I love Richard Sherman and Ralph."- Nickolas 

            A lot of people gave Seahawks player Richard Sherman crap for being too overwhelming in a postgame interview. Six year old Nickolas from Seattle wrote the letter above to his hero, Richard. He saw that Sherman is actually an amazing guy he was just caught up in the moment. The fact that a six year old understood him is beyond me. It goes to show that children aren’t tainted by the world and are very smart with no question. I applaud this young boy to make such an accurate comparison with so much compassion. On the most recent episode of Queen Latifa, she had Sherman on as a special guest and surprised Nickolas and another fan by having them talk to him and he gave them signed footballs and hats. Check it out!

Richard Sherman surprising fans.

The Amazing Spider-man

We all know what Spider-Man is about so there is no need for an introduction, but, this film specifically is different from the original characters we know and love.Going into this movie I had very high standards because I loved the first three hits staring Tobey Maguire. I wasn't actually planning on seeing this new franchise of Spider-Man but I did hear great things about it. This past weekend I was looking to pass sometime so I hit up the movie channels and this looked like the best thing that was on. Like I said I had high expectations and I think this movie exceeded them for sure. Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker was a nice input because he brought youth to the character and knew how to play the part. I also liked that Peter was with Gwen instead of Mary Jane so it wouldn't be completely the same as the last series. Dr. Connors/lizard isn't my favorite villain of all time but he was a good introduction villain against Spider-Man. Another thing the was very clever, visually, was making Spider-Man see in first person. Doing this made the audience feel as if they were swinging from building to building themselves. Overall I would give this film a 7.5 out of 10. I will be seeing the second film and hopefully it's as good, if not better than this one.

Naked Vegas

Naked Vegas

            Naked Vegas is a TV series on Syfy about a team of artist that do naked body painting based on a theme a client gives them. They are given models or the actual client to paint and they have to get it done in a certain amount of time regardless of changes the client throws at them. The team consists of, four, very talented and different artists, including a past contestant of the Syfy show Face Off, Nix (I am also obsessed with this show!). I’m very fascinated with this show because the works that they create are absolutely incredible. They’ve painted themes such as extraterrestrials, trains, devil pirates, and several more. They even did body painting for the masked dance crew, Jabbawockeez. They painted seven dancers with the illusion of a mask. I would really recommend this show even if you’re not into art because it’s just such an interesting show. Hopefully oyu check it out, it’s worth it! Check out some of their work below.

 

Islands in the Clouds

She gasped with excitement and shouted over the noise of the propeller: "The islands in the clouds are real!!” Melanie leaned her face closer to the window to see the beautiful white orbs float in the ocean sky.

All the stories her dad told her every night before she went to bed jumped into reality. He used to tell her that on these islands somewhere was a little girl just like her.

“You’re going to meet her someday baby girl.”

“But how daddy?”

“When you get to the islands in the clouds you dream sweetie, just dream.

            The helicopter finally landed on the virgin land. Melanie grabbed her tan backpack and strutted out. She lifts her hand above her as the sun blasted bright into her eyes. She jumps off the copter’s stairs and runs into the fields.

“Baby girl!” her father yells.

“Yeah dad?”

“Go dream.”

            She smiles and navigates her way through the fields as if she has lived on the island her whole life. She enjoys the tall grass brushing up against her skin as she runs like the wind. This place is greater than she ever dreamed.

                It’s getting late so she finds an old shack to slumber in. She falls asleep to the crickets chirping softly. Melanie awakens to what appears to be a female figure. She comes to realize its her. 
                They simultaneously say, "Dad was right."

Travelers

4:02am

            I wake up to the same dry buzzing every morning; do the same shit every day. It’s never interesting either. All I do is run at nonsense hours of the morning and go to my cubical with the same irritating people that suck the life out of me. But, you know what? Today is different. You want to know why? I bought a new tie with blue stripes on it, fancy right? I’m going to wear it to my hell hole today.  

I drag my feet into the kitchen and open the fridge. Nothing in there but an expired yogurt, two eggs and an apple. I nibble on the apple as I make my way to the bathroom and hop in the shower. I like letting the hot water graze my flesh. I lean against the wall with my eyes closed, tired but aware. Sometimes I like standing there imagining I’m on a private island, sitting on the beach without a care in the world. I come back to reality and dry myself off, look down at my feet impressed and wrap a towel around my waist. I head to my room slip on some sandals and go out to the balcony for some fresh air. It’s not much of a view but I’ve got the best one in the building.

I go back and change into a pair of slightly worn sweats and a muscle tee. I grab my keys, lock the door behind me and start my jog down the stairs. This is the highlight of my day. I get to see the sunrise every morning; I think everyone should experience this at least once in their life, soaking in the beauty of nature. I jog all the way to Burbon Street and back around to the apartments. I can taste the salty toxins sliding down my face. I put the key into the lock struggling to open it. I bend down to take a closer look then… nothing.  Everything is black. I feel like my temples are going to burst out of my skin, why am I in so much pain? I open my eyes as if I just came out of the womb. I’m sitting in some type of waiting room but no one’s there. I look over to my right and there’s a door slightly cracked open. I stumble over my feet as I get up but I pull myself together quickly. I peak around the door to an empty room and-

“Ah Bruce! You’re awake.”

I jump and turn around with my guard up, “Who are you? What do you want?”

“I want to offer you a promotion.”

“Yeah? And I want to get out of here.”

He takes a step forward with his hands behind his back.

“Stop!” I commanded. He puts his hands up in surrender.

“I just want to inform you that you have been chosen to be a traveler.”

“A traveler? What the hell is that?”

“A time traveler.”

I look at him sarcastically laughing, “A time traveler! Do I look like Joseph Gordon- Levitt to you?”

“I’m serious.” He says with a straight face.

I started to take what he was saying into consideration but I had to see it. You know, I might have been snatched by a serial killer, but, it's more interesting than my cubical.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

            This movie is so…sad like what? I almost cried four times. Overall the story line of The Hunger Games is quite interesting and scary because these people are forced to kill each other. I don’t want to give away too much in this post but it is a must see. Katniss is a very strong female character and I think Jennifer Lawrence really embodies her character. Catching Fire played with my emotions to the fullest. There was love, violence, and suspense I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. The only thing that I really didn’t like was the ending because it ended just like Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1. Everything else in was witty and exciting that made me connect with the characters. I felt like I was in one of the Districts watching everything happen. SPOILER! STOP HERE IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN IT. STOP…STOP.

           

I did not see it coming that the allies were planning to get Katniss out and rebel woah! Craziness! 

2k14

2k14

   Over the weekend I went to my friend's house and he had 2k14 for the Playstation 4 (PS4). 2k14 is an NBA video game including present and past American teams and overseas teams. I was so fascinated with this game because of how real it was. The graphics on the PS4 were unsettling just because it was so realistic. From the dribbling of the basketball to Lebron's tattoos, it was incredible. The coolest part to me was if a player in real life is injured, they will be unable to play in the video game. It's crazy how that works! You can also create your own player and work your way up to becoming a starter on your team. You can be traded, have millions of people follow you on a virtual twitter, create a wardrobe for confrences, and much more! There's also a section where you can put the well worn Jordan shoes and Nikes on players that are in real life signed to Jordan or Nike. After this experience with the game I will definitely be buying it.

Up and Coming

We all know Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, Jay-Z and so forth, but, do we know the up and coming stars?

TORI KELLY

            The just turned 21 singer has been rocking the stage all over the country. She has performed on several shows such as The Ellen Show, 106 and Park, and The Queen Latifa Show performing her self-written single Dear No One. She recently sang an acoustic version of the hit single Right There with Ariana Grande herself on MTV 's Artist to Watch. Tori has more than 58 million views on YouTube seen by viewers all over the world. In 2010 she tried out for the now dying American Idol. Simon told her her voice was “almost annoying” ,but, she came back signing a record deal with Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande’s manager, Scooter Braun in 2013.

                Tori Kelly dropped a six song EP, Foreward, last year that will lead into an album in 2014. Tori went on her US and UK tour with just her and her guitar. I did attended her performance at the House of Blues in Chicago and she was absolutely amazing. Many singers are good in the studio but cannot sing live like her. Tori had the crowd going. Even my mom enjoyed her performance and is now a fan. Tori Kelly has a big year ahead of her with a new album, new fans, and up and coming fame. 

Check out her vocals here:Tori Kelly on The Ellen Show

Five Line Poem

Tick tock, tick tock
What's the time on the clock?
Is it fast? Is it slow?
What's the time? 
I don't know