Reading Journal #5

So, yesterday night, I finished The City of Ember by Jeanna DuPrau. I thought it was a really good book, and I can't wait until the next one. :D In one of the chapters, the 2 main characters, Lina and Doon, sneak into the pipeworks by stealing the spare key. It was a little similar to a book I read about a month ago called The Day of the Djinn Warrior, the fourth book of the Children of the Lamp series. In that book, they had to sneak into some museums, but instead they used a magical skeleton key that can open up any lock. There was also this part in The City of Ember when Doon had to pack up a couple of things, and he had to decide whether or not his bug drawrings were important or not. It kind of reminded me of what important things I have to pack when we're about to travel somewhere. It especially reminde me of the wild fires last year. They were really close to my house, and deciding which stuff were important to me was hard because you don't want to leave anything behind. I ended up packing my stuff that were special to me. Fortunately, all of my stuff was okay, but going through that experience was tough. Near the end of the book, Lina and Doon, left the city of Ember and had to go through a treacherous journey on the Subterranean River into the darkness. If you've been to Disneyland, do you remember riding the Pirates of the Caribbean ride? There journey kind of remided me of the ride, but Doon's and Lina's was a whole different. It only reminded me of the first part of the ride though, when you plunge into the darkness and end up in a cave. Well, that's all I'll talk about from the book because after that, they end up...... never mind. :) I really enjoyed reading this book because it kept me at the edge of my seat and it was really exciting (for me). I recommend this book to people who love adventure and mysteries. Well, I guess I could talk about the lyrics I read this week. I'll only talk about one song I can relate to. It's called Believe in Me by Demi Lovato, and if you read my last blog post you'll know that some new songs are becoming my new favorites and this song is one of them. The song is basically about being yourself and knowing your okay with who you are. I can relate to this song alot and I just love it because it has a really nice message to it. :) Well, I guess that's it!
~Denise :)
P.S. Here's the lyrics to Believe in Me! :D

I'm losing myself
Trying to compete with everyone else
Instead of just being me
I Don't know where to turn
I've been stuck in this routine
I need to change my ways
Instead of always being weak

I don't wanna be afraid
I wanna wake up feeling beautiful today
And know that I'm okay
Cause everyone's perfect in unusual ways
You see, I just wanna believe in me
La la la la La la la la

The mirror can lie
It doesn't show you what's inside
And it, it can tell you you're full of lies
It's amazing what you can hide
Just by putting on a smile

I don't wanna be afraid
I wanna wake up feeling beautiful today
And know that I'm okay
Cause everyone's perfect in unusual ways
You see, I just wanna believe in me

I'm quickly finding out
I'm not about to break down, not today
I guess I always knew
That I had all the strength to make it through

Not gonna be afraid
I'm gonna wake up feeling beautiful today
And know that I'm okay
everyone's perfect in unusual ways
You see now, now I believe in me
Now I believe in me

La La La.....

So, I'm a little bored right now.... And I decided to share one of my new favorite songs. Well, not really a favorite, but I guess it's starting to be! :) I just got a new CD on Tuesday and I 've been listening to it NON-STOP. It's Don't Forget by Demi Lovato. I don't know if much of you has heard of her, but her voice is amazing! This is one of the songs that will or might become one of my favorites. :D

It's called "The Middle." hehe... I forgot to mention that. Anyways, this week seemed to go by quick. I guess it was becuase we had a 3 day weekend. hmm..... Well, I guess that's it. ttyl!
~Denise
P.S. Comment if you like the song! :)

Reading Journal #4

Hi hi! I'm doing this reading journal about a book I just checked out called The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau. I think it's a really good book even though I've only read the first couple chapters. Lol! The City of Ember is really interesting. The whole city of Ember is powered by lights from 9 PM to 6 AM because the sky is dark 24/7. Not as in dark like night time, but pitch black. It kind of reminds me of when I was living in Chico, CA. At night, the streets were so dark and I remember seeing a ton of stars in the sky. I really miss looking at the stars because here in San Diego, you can't really see as much stars as there was in Chico. Anyways, the city lights have been flickering on and off recently. Sometimes, there were also blackouts. I've remembered the many times there were blackouts. It was kind of scary, but only at night. In the city of Ember, the kids there attend school until they are 12 years old. Then at the end of their education, they get assigned a job; but they pick it randomly. It's just picking a peice of paper out of a bag. The city of Ember is also surronded by darkness. Just think of it like being in the middle of nowhere. That's all I know about the book so far. I can't wait until I get to some good chapters though. :) I also want to write about the book I just finished called The Shape of Water by Anne Spollen. It was pretty good, but also kind of weird in my point of view. The main character, Magdalena, keeps on seeing these talking fish in her head right after her mom died. It wasn't like she was going crazy, but i guess she was just lost. Many people may feel lost after a loved one died. :( The book is pretty much about what happens a couple months after her mom just died and her trying to find a good place to stay and move on. Her dad actually moved on pretty quickly and got married less than a year after Magdalena's mom died. For me, that's really fast for someone moving on. I liked this book, but I think it was ok. I kinda recommend this book for people who are into really interesting stories. When I was reading it, I couldn't put the book down once I started reading. So, I guess that's it!
~Denise :)

Hey..

I'm really bored right now.... -_- So, I decided to post on how my week went. Overall, it was pretty good. School is getting a little hard. i think it's becuse of the projects we're doing. I have one in every class. Luckily, i get to go to the public library 2morrow to get some new books (yay!) and to work on my prep. And... it's a 3-day weekend! yay! Right now, I'm listening to some music and using the computer. I'll go post up my reading blog sometime l8r this weekend. ttyl!
~Denise :)

OMG guess what?!

Soo, it's September 16th and you know what day it is? It's Nick Jonas' birthday!!!!!!!!!!! lol! ;) Everyone knows I'm obessed with those Jonas Boys, and like other JB fans I'm also celebrating. hehe! Well, I just wanted to say Happy Birthday to Nick and he's an amazing singer/ songwriter/ guitar player and most of all my HUGE inspiration!! It's amazing that he has Diabetes and is able to maintain it with a busy rockstar schedule. Soo, that's it! Keep Rockin' Nick J!
~Denise :) (lol!)

CLICK!!!!

Hi everyone! Today is Monday and Mondays are kinda boring and tiring because of the weekend; but I thought I would post a dancing bunny to cheer everyone up!! :D Enjoy!
~Denise :)

Reading Journal #3

Hey everyone! This week I'm going to do a reading journal on Breaking Through and a book I just finished call Just Listen by Sarah Dessen. I thought it was a really good book. I recommend for music lovers because this book is all about music and how to deal with everything from the past. The main character, Anabelle, is a model, but everything in her life went wrong after ending her friendship wih Sophie and her family trying to get by because of her sister's eating disorder. Then, she meets Owen. People usually fear him when he's at school, but he doesn't really mind. Owen's really music obssessed, but it's not the regular music people listen to like rock, hip hop, rap, and country. He listens to ancient chantings, techno, and even a water faucet dripping. Weird, right? But to him, that kind of music helped him go through some really tough times. He used music to block out the world and not worry about anything. There were some parts in the book that really got to me. One of them was Owen using music to help him through tough times. I also use music to help me if i'm having a really bad day or I'm sad. Throughout the book, Owen always mentions that the quiet is way too loud. I can relate to that. Can you? For example, I was reading this book a couple days ago and it was really really quiet. I couldn't concentrate on the story that much because it was way too quiet (for me). I'm really used to noises or music around me whenever I'm doing something. I hope I'm not the only one that feels this way. :/ There was one part of the book, when Whitney, Anabelle's sister, talks to Owen (because he delivers their pizza) and Owen finds out that Whitney also likes some of he music that Owen listens to. That really got me thinking because music is like a universal language. You can travel anywhere in the world and meet people who like the same music as you. For example, I've been to many places before and met people who also likes the Jonas Brothers. Another example of music being universal is musical notes. Beethoven wrote most of his classical masterpieces in Vienna, Austria and people all over the world can play his pieces, just as long as they know how to read music. I also finished Breaking Through today. I can kinda relate to how Panchito felt when he was about to perform at Junior Scandals. When I was in orchestra, I used to get nervous too becuse there is a ton of people watching. I was really happy for Panchito when he won student body president. His and Paul's campaign kind of reminded me of my brother's recent school election. He ran for treasurer; but unfortunately, he lost. :( I felt sorry for Panchito when he heard that he had mononucleosis. It's pretty sad because he still had to go to school and work even if his whole body is aching. He eventually got better though after praying to God that he'll get better. It's good to know that he had a really strong belief in Jesus. I was so glad to hear that Panchito got a scholarships to attend a good college. Hopefully, I could get some scholarships and get in a good college, too. :D I was also glad to hear that his parents were able to attend Panchito's graduation. It was a really big day for him and it was good to know he was able to spend it with his parents. After that, Panchito was on his way to college in Santa Maria. I really like this book because you can read what it's like of an actual person living back then with all the hardships with immigration and racial discrimination. Well, I guess that's it!
~Denise :)

Reading Journal #2

Hi everyone! I just finished Chapter 15 of Breaking Through. I think that the book is going really fast like you read one chapter about Panchito trying to get good grades and then in the next, he's already in his Sophmore year. In one chapter I read, it mentioned the neighborhood bully, Carlos, and it quickly reminded me about a bully that made fun of me alot in 4th grade. The same chapter also had this part where Panchito's dad cut his hair in a way he didn't like. I remember a few years back when my mom brought me to a hair salon, and they cut my hair really short. I also disliked it until my hair grew back again. Panchito soon started High School and I found out he wants to become a teacher. I think it's cool to become a teacher, but his father wouldn't approve because he said "Only rich people become teachers." When he started high school, it kinda reminded me of when I started 7th grade. He had a hard time in his P.E. though because he lost alot of points from suiting up. I also had a hard time in P.E. when I was in middle school because I'm not really into sports. Later on, Panchito was able to get a job from a cleaning company. I was proud of him because he was able to help out his family more, especially during that time because they couldn't pay the rent. He was struggling to keep up on his typing class though, but he was able to buy a type writer from a place he cleans up at. With practice on that type writer, he was able to get a good grade on that class. However, English for Panchito was really difficult. He was able to improve when his teacher helped him out. What improved his grade was writing a book report. He also said that he read the book until 1 AM. He's kinda like me. When I read a book I'm interested in, I can not put the book down. Last night, I read a book called Just Listen (by Sarah Dessen) until past midnight. :) Another thing that I could realate from the book is racial discrimination. When I started in a new elementary school in 5th grade, I actually met my best friend because of discrimination. The friends that her and I were hanging out with discriminated her becasue one of the girls' mom told them not to hang out with her. Anyways, Panchito soon learned how to drive and was accepted in the California Scholarship Federation. When I was in middle school, I was accepted in the California Junior Scholarship Federation for 2 semesters. Panchito also was able to attend a trip to a college. I've never been to a college before, but I hope I can go visit one soon. :) And I guess that's where I left off! I'll post my "Where I'm From" poem later or maybe tomorrow. Ttyl!
~Denise :)

"Where I'm From"

Hello! On this blog, I am posting up my "Where I'm From" poem that we did in Humanities on Friday. So, here it is!


I am from computers,
from Apple and complicated wires.
I am from the basketball court in the backyard.
(tall, old; it's tilted to the side)
I am from the Jasmine flower,
the oak tree
that reaches high to the stars.
I'm from reunions and elderly respect,
from Pilar and Roman.
I'm from the unintentionally cutting in conversations
and random snap shot moments. :)

From treat others the way you want to be treated
and always trust the Lord.
I'm from having great faith in God.
I'm from the golden state and the archipelago of 7100 islands,
adobo and pancit.
From the time my parents immigrated to America to live my dad's dreams
and my Grand-aunt's paintings hanging on stranger's walls.
On the shelves in the hallway,
holding memories of the past
that brought smiles to my face.
I am from the memories that last
which will be in my heart for eternity.


I hope you liked it! That's it for now!
~Denise :)

3 Day Weekend!

Hey everyone! So, how's everyone's weekend going? My weekend is awesome! My birthday is on Thrursday, September 4, (yay!) So, me and my family just went to some places like the mall and that's it. I didn't really go to much places because my dad had work on Saturday. I have school tomorrow;so, I gotta go!
~Denise :)