Category: Junior Literary

I had previously made a post that listed a couple of my current reads. This post will be about the one I finally finished reading. These books are taking me longer to read than usual but I finally finished one of them.

This will be focused on Natasha Preston’s The Fear, and just as I had predicted before, it was definitely a nail-biting emotional roller coaster.

Photo is unavailable:(

One thing out of many that I like in Natasha’s books is that something almost immediately happens instead of making the reader wait with a slow build up. I promise to try to keep the details as brief as possible in case you may want to read it in which I definitely recommend it. But, if you don’t like cliffhangers, then I would recommend avoid reading almost any of Natasha Preston’s books. That is one of the main things she’s known for in her writing. I think she’s only ever written one series, but I didn’t read it. The only book that I have read that didn’t end in a cliffhanger is The Cellar, which was her first book. It’s also very good and one of my favorites:)

Anyways, I’m done chasing rabbits, back to talking about The Fear. The book is set in a small town in the dead of winter that was the origin of a viral meme post in which it asked what your worst fear was. Izzy, the main character, seems to be the only one refraining from reposting the meme sharing her worst fear. It was just a joke until Izzy finds that a few classmates had been killed in the same way they said they feared. She of course wishes to find the person responsible and comes across a few characters to try, or pretend to try, to help her. She soon goes deeper and deeper in the case to the point there is zero turning back as she’s about to be faced with her worst nightmare.

I could honestly talk about the book and how it made me feel from the first page to the last all day. But I don’t wanna spoil it too much because I would want y’all to read it first:)

But another thing I liked about the book is that it gave me a little bit of breathing room before the next big thing happened, otherwise I’d have no nails left to bite. Each plot twist, in my opinion, fit really well in the story. They weren’t the kind where in my head I’ll say “well, that doesn’t go well with the story”, like you’re almost finished with a puzzle and you have one piece left to put in it, but instead of putting the right piece in it, you took a piece of another puzzle and tried to force it in first puzzle.

I’m gonna give you a full warning, if you do choose to read it and I’m not trying to discourage you from doing so, but please don’t get too attached to any of the characters. For your heart’s sake, please don’t.

Anyways, That’s all I have to say on this book, hopefully I’ll be done with the other one I’ve talked about in another post by next week and make a post about it.

See you next week:)

     I feel like I say this in all my blogs, but once again this one is going to be real laid back. 

     I want to talk about weight and gym culture. I feel like weight is an extremely sensitive topic when it really shouldn’t be. People think of weight only in pounds and fat, but the most important part is really the distribution of it. People don’t realize that you can weigh 200 pounds and look tall and skinny. Then you can also weigh 200 pounds and be short and thick. The way the world thinks about weight makes it seem like such a negative topic when it’s not.

     In my opinion what’s on the scale does not matter, because what even is a “normal” or “average” weight. Those things don’t exist to me, because everyone is so special that you can’t create a ‘norm’. In my opinion, what’s on the scale doesn’t really matter, because it doesn’t equate to what you look like in real life. As long as you’re healthy and your organs aren’t overworking themselves to perform their jobs, I feel like weight doesn’t matter. That comes with a stopping point because everything has an extent. I’m not saying it’s okay to not care about how much you weigh, but don’t overromanticize being a certain weight.

     Me in particular, I work out almost every single day, but I’m not trying to lose weight, I’m trying to gain weight. I’m gaining it and it’s coming on fast too. My goal is to be strong. No matter how much I weigh, I want to look strong and feel good about my appearance. My main focus is weight gain, so I lift weights, but since I’m exercising to gain weight that weight that I’m gaining comes on as muscle not fat. Muscles weigh more than fat, therefore my numbers on the scale will go up even if I’m getting into better shape. I feel like there’s aa stigma around weight, exercise, and the scale. Everyone should exercise no matter how petite or thick they are. Exercise is for health not to look a certain way or to lose weight.

     There is also this stupid myth that people only exercise to lose weight which simply isn’t true. Gym culture can be very toxic, especially for newcomers, because they are finding their way around. It can also be toxic, because around new year’s when everyone has their resolutions, everyone makes getting in the gym a goal. They start that goal in January and give up by March. The gym is not an easy thing to commit to. It takes a lot of hard work and effort. You will not always be motivated, but you must be disciplined. Don’t look at the gym as some sort of tiring chore that you hate looking forward to. Look at it as a peaceful time to better yourself, physically and mentally. I feel like people see so many things as chores and that makes them not want to do them. You have to romanticize things like going to the gym, eating healthy, or anything else that will improve your life. 

(*These images do not belong to me, I got them from Google*)

The people  displayed in these images are some of my inspirations which may be the focus of my next blog…

This week’s blog I totally forgot about. So, last minute, I have to present to you my favorite Five Nights at Freddy’s games. I’m going to do my top 5 from least to most favorited.

#5 Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach

In FNAF Security Breach you play as a small child, Gregory. You team up with Freddy to escape the pizzeria without being caught by security, Vanessa. In this game it features the Glamrock animatronics. I don’t hate the physical design of them, but I feel they are missing something. Everyone is mad about the replacement for two previous animatronics, Bonnie and Foxy. I know Roxy was supposed to be like Foxy, but she is not like Foxy. At all. I hate her. Case closed. Anyway, I am more upset about Bonnie being gone because that rabbit is an icon. He deserves to be there frfr. There are theories as to why he isn’t there. He was replaced by a big alligator names Monty :/. I like this game it isn’t hated, but there are small things I would personally change.

#4 Five Nights at Freddy’s

This is the very first OG game, FNAF 1. In FNAF 1 you are a night watch security guard. The entire game resides in a small security office with two doors and a set of cameras. You watch the cameras for the four animatronics who are trying to kill you. When they approach the doors, you shut them. You have to be careful though, because your power supply will run out and shut down. When that happens, it turns to a dark screen, and Freddy lights up to sing you a lullaby before he kills you. I absolutely love this game. I only put it at #4 because it isn’t my favorite. I don’t have anything bad to say the game itself is a basic first game with the four original characters. Freddy, Bonnie, Foxy, and Chica.

#3 Pizzeria Simulator

In FNAF pizzeria simulator you start by investing into your own pizza place. This game has an entirely different concept of the original gameplay. You run your own pizzeria and you have to keep it a safe and healthy environment. Failing to do so can result in being sued or blacklisted. That isn’t the true gameplay though. After the pizzeria closes you have a long list of tasks to do on a computer. Beside you in the office are two vents. Also, on the computer is a ventilation system with motion tracking, a way to turn off your air conditioning, and your tasks of course. You can send fake noises through the vents to lure your animatronics away. Now, how did you get those animatronics? Every night you get a broken down animatronic from the ally of your pizzeria. You can choose to salvage it or throw it out. If you salvage it, you have to survive the check list then you get to keep it. If you keep it the animatronic enters your pizzeria. I spent most of this description describing the game because I love this game. I’ve spent many hours playing it.

#2 Five Nights at Freddy’s 4

Unlike the other games this one takes place in a child’s bedroom. You play as Afton’s middle child, Evan. Afton conditioned Evan to be terrified of the animatronics to try and avoid Evan being killed by them. Afton would send his broken animatronics late at night to scare Evan. They would be in his halls coming towards his doors and Foxy would be in his closet. There is more lore to this specific game but that is the basics. I have nothing bad to say about this game it is one of my main favorites.

#1 Five Nights at Freddy’s: Sister Location

This game is definitely my favorite so I’m going to give you the full extent of the plot. This game follows the closing of a Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria location. William Afton decides to move away from the Fazbear Entertainment and start his own line of children’s entertainment. He then founded Afton Robotics Inc. and created the Funtime animatronics. In reality, these animatronics were kidnapping machines. They were solely created for Afton’s desire to murder children. Eventually in this game one of the animatronics would kill Afton’s youngest daughter, Elizabeth. He called his place Circus Baby’s Pizza World. The main animatronic he created was Circus Baby, along with Funtime Freddy, Ballora, Funtime Foxy, Ennard, Funtime Lolbit, and some smaller animatronics (Bon-Bon, BidyBab, Yenndo). In the game you are Michael Afton, Williams oldest son. You seek to find out what’s going on behind these pizzerias. As you venture through the game Circus Baby exposes to Michael her secrets before she kills him in the end.

hello:) if you know me, then you know i <3 collecting records !! well, recently i finally checked off one of my favorite albums off my to-buy list, yankee hotel foxtrot by wilco !! and to be honest, i’m writing this last minute bcuz i am sick<3 and i needed ideas sooo, i’m just gonna talk about other albums i really want on vinyl !! here we go:

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in rainbows – radiohead

i actually almost got this album the other day !! i picked it up and was going to check out with it when i saw yankee hotel foxtrot in the corner of my eye and immediately went to it. i’ve been wanting this album for a while. it’s my favorite radiohead album, and it’s actually one of my favorite albums in general. i always get super close to buying it, then i end up finding something else. hopefully the next time i see it i won’t get distracted !! 

the glow pt. 2 – the microphones

i hold this album in a special place in my heart. this is also one of my favorite albums EVER. i think it’s so cohesive and beautiful. this one i would kill to get, but it’s only available online and it’s always sold out. this album actually comes with a lot of inserts, which is something i absolutely love<3. (especially poster inserts). i believe it comes with multiple posters and maybe even a pin !! but besides the physical attributes, this album is worth so much to me.

elliott smith – elliott smith

surprisingly, i don’t have many of elliott’s albums on vinyl. that’s because they’re actually really hard to come by. i have two compilation albums and i have roman candle !! but the self-titled album is not only my favorite elliott album, but also my favorite album in general. so of course i need this one on vinyl. 

you’d prefer an astronaut – hum

i have a little story about why i love this album so much, but you’d have to be close to me for me to tell you. i especially love little dipper<3. but !! this album is so good, one of my favorite shoe-gazey albums of all time. this one actually isn’t pressed anymore, so i’d have to buy it secondhand sadly. (and they are expensive </3)

my aim is true – elvis costello

ahhh elvis costello !! my favorite elvis. i’ve been listening to this album since i was a baby, but more recently i’ve become totally obsessed with this album and elvis himself. there’s so many good tracks on here, there’s even a book/movie named after one !! (less than zero) this album holds so much nostalgia for me, and i think i’ve come full circle in loving it this much !!

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anyways, thanks for reading !! i know this was short, but it was fun:) cya next week<3 !! 

Yes I am back at it again with Marvel. It is a topic that I personally won’t grow tired of talking about. I love Marvel and I’m a little obsessed but I’m okay with that. Anyways, this will be a short series with only one part following this one that will list my five least favorite. There are still some movies and shows that I have not seen yet, so these will be updated later on. Anyways, these are my top favorite movies/shows in the MCU and my favorite scenes from each of them. These will be listed from my most favorite first then down. Just so you know, this wasn’t an easy list to make because it’s so hard to choose some over others.

1. Avengers: Endgame

Photo from: Tenor

This is a popular favorite when it comes to Marvel movies and there are a lot of good reasons why. Aside from being the movie where the Avengers bring back everyone gone in the “blip”(Thanos killing half the universe), I felt it was a good representation of bouncing back from difficult times. Obviously there are a lot of sad scenes like losing Tony(Iron Man), Natasha(Black Widow), and Steve(Captain America) but it was still an overall amazing movie.

2. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Photo from: ComicBook.com

This was my extremely close second but I absolutely love this movie. And no it’s not just because of Bucky…. he’s only half the reason. But since I’ve already started talking about him, for those who say or think he was the villain, I will hurt you. He was never the villain, it’s called mind-control and brainwashing. The only villain in the movie was Alexander Pierce(the leader of Hydra). Anyways, another reason is that I love movies that have a lot of action in it and this movie was full of it. And, of course, its the movie that Hydra was finally taken down and we’re always glad about that. It also sparked a lot of change because in order for Hydra to go down, SHIELD had to also.

3. Black Widow

Photo from: IMDb

I was disappointed to find out that this wasn’t gonna be about Natasha coming back because I’ve heard rumors beforehand saying that’s what it was gonna be about. However, I absolutely loved that it explained the years between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. It also gave good background of her childhood and her “family”. I loved that they introduced her sister Yelena and that she became a bigger part of the MCU later one, but that’s for another time:)

4. Moon Knight

Photo from: IMDb

Definitely my favorite series that I’ve watched so far. I loved that it was an Egyptian themed hero. Basically, the series is about a guy named Marc Spector who suffers from multiple personality disorder and the other personality is Steven Grant but in the beginning of the series, it introduces just Steven because that was the dominant personality at the time. As it continues, it shows the antagonist, Arthur Harrow, kills people based on crimes he predicts will happen in the future. Harrow is a worshipper of Ammit, an Egyptian goddess known as the “devourer of souls” who’d punish those before they had even done anything wrong. Marc is the avatar(servant) of Khonshu, the god of the moon and of vengeance who would punish those who have already committed a crime, making Marc the Moon Knight. When Khonshu and Marc/Steven learn that Harrow plans to fully awaken Ammit from her prison, they make it their mission to stop him.

This is not exactly my most favorite scene, but it’s one of the funniest

It does seem a little confusing, so I truly do recommend watching it to understand:)

5. Loki

Photo from: IMDb

Again, before I watched it, I thought it would be about Loki coming back from the dead because that was a typical Loki thing to do. Then of course it showed that it was about events that happened when he stole the Tesseract in Endgame, technically in 2012. I loved that it showed a complete character development for Loki and I loved all of his variants, but the crocodile was the best one and no one can convince me otherwise. I loved the cliffhanger at the end and normally I don’t like cliffhangers, but since I know there will be a season two, it made me that much more excited for it.

Well, that’s my top five favorite movies/series, like I said it was a very tough decision to make. Next is my five least favorite. See you next week:)

          If you are a horror enthusiast like me this blog about the paranormal should peek your interests. I thought I would mix up my blog a bit and tap into a bunch of different topics. I have to do this for almost 10 months so, today I’m talking about the most haunted places in Mississippi. Most of these stories I cannot find a lot of information for, but this was still just as interesting to me.

McRaven House

Vicksburg, MS

This home once served as a confederate campsite and hospital. It’s believed that at least 11 people were buried on the McRaven property. It is said to be the home to several ghosts: Mary Elizabeth Howard (died in childbirth in 1836), John Bobb (killed by union soldiers in 1864), William Murray (passed in 1911). This house was built in three different time periods, 1790’s, 1830’s, and 1840’s. A man named Riley, who works for the Mississippi Paranormal Society, worked at McRaven many times. He said he had many paranormal experiences there including doors opening, hearing footsteps, and disembodied voices.

King’s Tavern

Natchez, MS

King’s Tavern is the oldest standing building in Natchez, circa 1789. An expansion of the tavern in the 1930’s uncovered a space behind a wall that housed three skeletons. Legend says, Madeline, mistress of the tavern’s founder Richard King, haunts the tavern.  

China Grove Church

Hattiesburg, MS

At this church they have a painting of Jesus that is said to cry blood. The ghost of a man also haunts the nearby fields. The man was killed by his own tractor. Also, the ghost of a woman who sits on a bridge at midnight.

Witch of Yazoo Grave Site

Yazoo City

In the center of Glenwood Cemetery, there is a grave surrounded by chain links known to be “The Witches Grave.” According to a legend, the witch lived on the Yazoo River, luring fisherman in. Law enforcement caught her and chased her into the swamps. She would then be drowned in quicksand trying to make her escape. As she sank, she swore revenge on Yazoo City and its people. “In 20 years, I will return and burn this town to the ground!”  No one thought much of it at the time. Then came May 25, 1904…The Fire of 1904 destroyed more than 200 residences and nearly every business in Yazoo City – 324 buildings in total.

Mont Helena

Rolling Fork

Mont Helena is a home in Rolling Fork with a long reputation of being haunted. It was built as a retirement home for Helen and George Harris in 1896. Their home sits at the top of a ceremonial Indian mound in the Delta region. Locals recount sightings of a lady dressed in a white gown peering out of windows or standing in the front yard. The property has been investigated by the Mississippi Paranormal Society, with recorded electronic voice phenomena captured, shadowed figures observed, and orbs captured in photos.

hiii it’s me again. so, last week i showed you the rankings of 4 of elliott’s solo abums, ranking from #8 – #4. today, i’m going to reveal my top 3!! these albums are so hard to rank above each other, but i’m pretty confident in my tier list. with that being said, let’s get into it. right at #3:

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#3: new moon – 2007

woaaah this one is also a posthumous album!! but not just any album, a compilation album. the reason why i included this on here is because… well, there’s no way i could leave it out. this posthumous compilation album includes 24 tracks, all of which are mostly entirely acoustic. there are some “other” versions of his previously released songs, and some unreleased songs. there are some covers, like big star’s thirteen, and there are some heatmiser songs that elliott performed solo, like half right. out of the 24 tracks, my favorites include high times, going nowhere, miss misery (early version), georgia georgia, big decision, new disaster, either/or and pretty mary k (other version). i know, it’s a lot. but that just shows how truly amazing it is. next, an album that needs no introduction. (i’m still gonna introduce it though)

#2: either/or – 1997

this is objectively elliott’s best album. i mean, it’s the album that holds my favorite song ever created. the song i’ve listened to over 1,000 times this year. (that’s accurate data too, i track how much i listen to it). putting it at #2 physically hurts me, because i truly believe this is one of the greatest albums in existence. it’s also my most listened to album out of them all. my favorite songs include angeles (my favorite song, ever.), say yes, speed trials, cupid’s trick, and between the bars. well, now that i’ve hyped this album up, i bet you’re curious to see my #1 elliott smith solo album. not only that, my favorite album ever. well, here it is.

#1: elliott smith – 1995

this is my favorite album of all time. there’s just something about it. it tells a cohesive story, one that blends so well in-between tracks. i remember the day i listened to it in it’s entirety. i was in my english class, and i thought to myself, i really love elliott smith. i want to get more into him. so, i’ll start here. and i did, and i ended up loving every. single. song. there is not a single bad song on this album, and every single one is a non-skip. despite this, i do have favorites. those include christian brothers, clementine, southern belle, coming up roses, good to go, the white lady loves you more, and finally, the biggest lie. this album is the most emotionally damaging for me. some of these songs have significant meaning, both in general and just for me. the white lady loves you more was a song of grievance for me, and i’ll never listen to it without remembering how it helped me get through a period of my life. this goes for all of elliott’s music, and elliott himself. i’m insane probably. anyways.

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thank you for putting up with me and reading this!! i had a lot of fun writing it:) cya next time!!<3

In relationships there are just some things that you don’t do. Such as having too many expectations, getting too attached, or even moving too quickly. Being in any type of relationship is hard. They all take lots of hard work, and some of that can be eliminated by not doing certain things. Diving into a fresh relationship with too many expectations or any expectations at all can be extremely detrimental. An expectation is a “strong belief that something will happen or be the case in the future”, as said on google.  

In my opinion, I see expectations as hopes, dreams, desires, or even a want. I see expectations as a goal in life. Expectations always appear to me as little obsessions in a person that I hope get bigger and bigger over time so that other people see it as well. Expectations can also be the downfall of something very special. It puts stress and pressure on many aspects of any sort of relationship. Instead of letting it flow and allow things to happen naturally you may set a time limit or expect it to happen by a certain date or in a certain way purposely or unknowingly.  

Either way, when it does finally happen and it doesn’t go exactly the way you planned, it may disappoint you or even make you not want to be part of the relationship anymore. Which isn’t good because then you will start to pick up bad habits such as when things don’t go your way, you give up. Too many expectations can hurt your self-esteem, reinforce unproductive gender roles, and can cause you to think your partner is a failure or even become ashamed of them.  

A way to combat too many expectations is to value appreciating what you have in the relationship instead of expecting more from it. Other ways are to never threaten the relationship as well as making sure not to compare your relationship to others. That helps combat questioning your relationship and expecting things from it and your partner.  

I know I’ve talked a lot about the negatives of having expectations but that is only if you have way too many. If you have reasonable expectations and a reasonable amount of them then expectations are good to have. Expectations give you a base or a guideline. It doesn’t allow you to accept less than what you’re asking for, because you know what you deserve. A small number of expectations also don’t allow you to accept any form of emotional or physical abuse. Having expectations for how someone should treat you in a relationship is simply a humane thing to have. It separates what you will or will not tolerate. Expectations also show your commitment to one another.  

If you have no expectations then you care nothing about your partner, it’s that simple. No expectations can also be a sign of unconditional love. It shows that your partner loves you for what, and who you are no matter what you do and how you act, that’s why they expect nothing, because they will love you regardless. I know I’m going back and forth here but there are many positives and negatives to having expectations, and I wanted to express them in way that shows all aspects of them. 

This is a second part to my animal crossing blogs. Today, we are compiling a list of the 10 villagers I dream of being on my island at once. If any of these villagers wanted to move in I would kick anyone else out :D. Let us begin.

 

Ankha

Ankha is a snooty cat villager. I’m sure we all know why I want Ankha on my island but that is a secret. She is based on Ankh, an Egyptian hieroglyphic character that reads “life”. Ankha loves cherries and is allergic to apples. Her birthday is September 22^nd (the day before mine) making her a Virgo. Her catchphrase is me meow, and her quote is “All that glitter is not gold.” Her hobby is the play hobby.

Bob

Bob is a lazy cat villager. Now, I have no reason to want bob. Just look at him. Who would not want Bob on their island. His birthday is January 1^st, he is a Capricorn. His catchphrase is pthhpth. His quote is “You only live once…or nine times.” Bob likes Kilimanjaro coffee. His hobby is play. Bob was the first villager designed in animal crossing.

 

Raymond

Raymond is a smug cat villager with the nature hobby. He is an October 1^st Libra. Raymond’s catch phrase is crisp, and his quote is “Stay on brand!” Raymond doesn’t have a favorite coffee. He is a businessman and counselor. Since he doesn’t have a favorite coffee I will tell you his favorite song, K.K. Cruisin’. All the villagers have a favorite song by K.K. Slider, but I left that out for most of them.  

Sasha

Sasha is a lazy rabbit villager. Despite the looks, Sasha is a male villager and the first and currently the only male villager with the fashion hobby. Sasha is a May 19^th Taurus. His catch phrase is hoppity, and his quote is “Timing is everything.” I also don’t see his favorite coffee, but his favorite songs are K.K. Lovers and K.K. Robot Synth.

Coco

Coco is a normal rabbit villager with the education hobby. Coco is the only villager whose face does not change or make expressions. She is one of the only few villagers who are technically not animals. She is based off a coconut. Her catch phrase is doyoing, and her quote is “Don’t put off till tomorrow what you can do today.” She is a March 1^st Pisces. Her skill is writing backwards, and her goal is to be an astronaut. Her favorite coffee is mocha, regular amount of milk, and two spoons of sugar.

Diana

Diana is a snooty deer villager. She is also the only deer villager with that personality. Her name comes from Diana, the roman goddess of the hunt, whose symbol was a deer. She has the education hobby. Her catch phrase is no doy, and her quote is “Sometimes you have to lose to win.” Her skill is playing poker and her goal in life is to be a dermatologist. Her favorite coffee is Kilimanjaro.

Lily

Lily is a normal frog villager. She has the education hobby. She is a February 4^th Aquarius. She has a skill in calligraphy, and the goal to be a professor. Her favorite coffee is mocha, a small amount of milk, and one spoon of sugar. Her name derives from lily pads. Her catch phrase is toadally or toady, and her quote is “Don’t jump to conclusions!”

Stitches

Stitches is a lazy cub villager. He is based off a young child’s worn stuffed animal. This is also the reason for the child like furniture in his home. He is a February 10^th Aquarius. His catch phrase is stuffin’. His quote is “A stitch in time saves nine!” His skill is forgetting things and his goal is to become a lawyer. He likes his coffee blend with a little milk and one spoon of sugar.

Ketchup

Ketchup is a peppy duck villager. She can only move into a village if the player has her e-card. She has the play hobby and is obviously based on a tomato. Her catch phrase is bitty, and her quote is “When in doubt, eat a tomato!” Her skill is chopping vegetables and her goal is to be a pop star. She like Kilimanjaro coffee with a little milk and one spoon of sugar.

Now, hold on, before you start drawing conclusions, I am not blogging about an entire generation in general. Personally, I don’t believe any generation is better than another because each one is messed up in one way or another, but that’s for another time.

What I am talking about is particularly me and my parents. Very specifically, the difference between their lives and what they’ve done with them so far and mine. And I’m blogging about this in hopes the reader can relate. So, a bit of a trigger warning. I’m not gonna get too specific but I wanna put in the warning just in case the following situation brings back something for the reader. If you don’t wish to continue reading, that is completely okay, my feelings aren’t hurt.

With that being said, if you’re still reading then buckle up because this is going to be quite a ride.

So, why did I give this blog a title that should be given to a broader topic? Not so simply put, I know that so far, I have become a better person than my parents and sorry if it sounds arrogant, but it’s the sad truth. And it’s halfway because I wanted that for myself and that I was pressured to be so by others.

I chose this photo to put in here because this is what I visualize when I think of reaching certain expectations: climbing mountains, however tall they may be.

It’s sad to think that I’d want to make sure I am not my parents. I say that because when you’re a little kid, what tends to be a big wish aside from being famous or going to space? You hope to be just like Mommy or Daddy, right? Well, unfortunately, that wasn’t the case for me. I did not want to be like either one of my parents.

Why not? I mean no parent is perfect, but what was so bad about mine in particular? Well, for starters, neither one of them could have a decent career, at least not for long. My dad was a high school dropout and the only college education he received was when he was required to take a college course for the Army in which he served for a year and a half. My mother did finish high school but never went to college.

Throughout my life, it has been drilled in my head that I needed to get all the good grades and that I was gonna go to college to have a good career, because my parents didn’t have that. I know that is completely normal for parents to want that for their kids and, God forbid, any parent wouldn’t, but it was for the wrong reasons in my case. On top of that, a lot of other family issues were happening. Like I said, not going into too much detail.

Luckily, I got away from those issues and have been overall okay ever since. Over the last few years, I have learned more about my parents than I thought I would have. They both had strengths that would’ve led to more than stable careers, but because of the choices they made and they didn’t have many people to support them, they didn’t get the chance at that.

Through the past few years, me becoming better and having a better life than my parents became less of something that was decided for me and more of what I really want for myself. And I promise it’s not to spite them, I just don’t want to end up like my parents did and show them that even though they didn’t do it in the best way, they taught me a lot of what I know now, like be careful of the choices you make and learn from the mistakes of others around you as well as your own.

I am very glad to not only have the strengths and talents that would help get me far in life but that I also have good people to support me and help me in whatever need comes up.

Anyways, that is pretty much it for this post, I hope you enjoyed it. See you next week:)