Where I'm From

I am from bicycles, from Harley and Schwinn.

I am from the big red house near the pool.

I am from the rocky backyard hill, which is all brown and covered with rocks, the king palms, that have beautiful, sharp leaves.

I am from three day weddings and straight, black hair, from Alia and light skin and Toor.

I am from the feuds and the expenisve dinners at lavish five star restaurants.
From "You should be a doctor," and "your the heir."

I'm from Pakistan, intense chocolate mints and red hot gum.

I am from the piles of family photos in the drawers and on the bookshelf.

I'm from the family that sometimes wakes up early to pray since its one of the pillars.

From the fights over maturity which always end up with me involved, the screaming parents, and the card games my uncles always win.

Japan Disaster Story

     The silence was finally broken. Even from 10 miles away from the shoreline, the barely audible sounds of waves crashing onto the beach was heard. I quickly got into my capacious car and made one quick out the window to see the sky was no longer azure, but a deep gray. I drove as fast as possible to avoid any oncoming disaster, but alas, I was to late. I was quickly preceded by two cars when I began to decelerate when out of the blue, it started raining. It felt as if we were going to be deluged in it. On my way to home, I felt a sudden pang when I realized we lived close to shore. As I raced through Fukushima, I noticed that the tree next to me was shaking, at first confused, I quickly realized my worst nightmare is coming true-we were experiencing a earthquake.

     I quickly got out of the car and ran as fast as the wind to the fish market nearby and hid underneath the table. The room was filled with copious amounts of fish which caused it to have a horrid, revolting smell. Realizing how crucial this time was, I grabbed some fish and stuffed them into my coat. I then took off my shirt and grabbed some more fish to put into it just incase we needed more rations. As the shaking stopped, I walked outside to see a junkyard in what used to be the park.
    
     Being  a fastidious person, I looked around slowly and carefully for anything that will help me carry the fish but found nothing. I also noticed a black sedan underneath a fridge and couch. Knowing that my family made a plan incase of disasters just like this, I figured that I should make my way to the hill a few blocks away from the house as it was the highest area for miles. Being adept to noticing small details, I managed to find the hill following buried signs that were once available for eyes to see.

     Our neighbors were also on the top of the hill along with a few other families from the cul-de-sac. We knew we were going to be up here for a while, so we decided to banter around for a while. I tried to facilitate the time we were up here by passing around the board games that my wife brought for the kids but it did no good.

      As the sky cleared, we all decided it would be best if we stayed up here for a while and as soon as we agreed, came the sounds of water crashing from everywhere. Just as I had seen in movies, it was a tsunami, I thought Japan would never see one but I was wrong. As cars and boats collided in the water, trees were ripped out of the ground, people were screaming for their lives. But we knew better, we could do nothing. we were trapped up here like sitting goose and were going to stay up here. As the waters ravaged our rooms and killed our people, we were watching in horror and disgust.

Looking for a Fight

Looking For a Fight

Reviewed by Saad T.

Lynn Snowden’s book entitled Looking for a Fight, is a captivating, emotional story about a young woman named Lynn trying to find a way to let go of her anger. The story has somewhat a form of suspense and is filled with humorous quotes. Lynn soon feels the need prove to her friends and family that she can take care of herself. She also learns that once learned, violence cannot be forgotten.

The story starts off with Lynn, a marathon runner who just finished the New York Marathon, telling about her divorce and how her friends and family feel she is vulnerable; in reality, they are just trying to take care of her as she just got through a divorce but her anger gets the best of her. She decides the best way to let go of her anger is to take up boxing, and that’s what she does. After learning a bit more about it, she tries to get into the gym Gleasons, a world renowned boxing gym known for training champions such as Mohammed Ali and Mike Tyson. As she goes into the gym, she gets a new perspective of boxing, what she thought would be an easy way to relieve pressure turns out to be the challenge of her life. As she notices that the rings have spots of blood, the boxers are moving at inhuman speeds, and that the training are going at each other at full force, she realizes this place isn’t for cowards.

After getting a trainer, who is a Hispanic named Hector with a thick accent; she proves she is up to the challenge of going into a real fight to face off an opponent. As Hectors training proves to be tough, she shows she isn’t ready to give up despite all the bruises, blisters, and scars she gets. She learns the reason behind Hector’s tough training is due to the fact he is a past winner of the Golden Gloves, a boxing tournament where boxers from all over come face to face in a brawl to see who gets crowned champion.

As the story progresses, you learn more about her life and begin to understand her view of the world. She soon starts to have health problems for unknown reasons. Her body starts to respond to hr training as her legs become more muscular, her back becomes more profound, and her stomach becomes harder. After months of training and multiple visits to the doctor, the week of her big fight finally shows up and after she win, she quits due to her not feeling right about boxing.

All in all, the book is great. The story is well written and shows how complicated and difficult it can be to face your fears. The way she describes her opponents’ jabs to her feel so intense and life like, you can practically feel them. The training starts to affect her life as well since she develops a “hit not think” reflex that reacts never she is nervous. It can get a bit boring at times since the chapter to chapter recounts of her sparring become monotonous, but it soon picks up the pace with hard hitting action. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to get into the depth of the human mind to see how far one would go to prove they have a place in this world.

What I Believe

I believe that a newborn in a gift,
A gift you must keep.

I believe that laughter is the secret to a good life,
Without laughter,
You're as much fun as a clock.

I believe that reading to others,
Will make you feel better
Only if you like reading.

I believe that a car is a box,
A box with fancy equipment
And wheels.

I believe that lying down on a soft bed,
Is like lying down on a cloud.

I believe it is okay to be afraid of the dark,
Because everyone is afraid of something.

I believe that a persons' eyes,
Are a door
To a world full of magic.

I believe that going to the zoo,
Is like going to visit family
Who celebrate too much.

I believe that fear can be dispelled,
As long as you have faith,
Anything can happen.

I believe that eating fresh cookies,
Is like eating out of an angels' hand.

I believe that there is no wrong or right,
Just opinions.

I believe that a child's imagination,
Is as powerful as the ruler
Of the world.

I believe that creativity,
Des indeed come in all shapes and sizes
But the awkward ones are the best.

I believe that school can be fun,
If you can find amusement in fractions.

I believe that making friends is a goal,
A goal one will never achieve,
As you can never have too many friends.

I believe that a garden of roses,
Is a garden of love.

I believe that crying is human,
That everyone should cry
Even if they're fine.

I believe that we're all trapped,
wanting to be free
Like a bird above the clouds.

The Marvelous Misadventures of Billie Jean

There once was a man named Billie Jean. Billie was a good kid, he helped his parents, studied for school, did all of his chores, and always slept early so he would be fresh in the morning. The day Billie Jean was born, it was as if the heavens themselves were celebrating. There were rainbows everywhere as far as the eye could see, hell, it was so good, Osama Bin Laden turned himself in along with his son Mustafa. That day was said to be the best day the Earth had in 2 billion years. Infact, it was too good....

The day after Billie Jeans 25th birthday, he was driving home from work when as if by magic, a owl appeared in Billie Jeans car. The owl caused him to swerve out of control and drive off the hill! During the roll downhill, he was knocked out by the airbags and following that, his life was never the same again. He awoke, with his eyelids feeling so heavy that he couldn't open his eys. Terrified, fearing he was going to die, that this was his end, he whispered, "Never forget me", when all of a sudden, he heard something. Now, with his eyelids magically back to normal, he opened his eyes to find he was laying down covered in bandages with a huge light shining down on him. The voice said something again, but he didn't hear it correctly, but it was soothing and calm, yet it was cold like the touch of death. "No", he thought, this "thing" isn't human, no human could have a voice so cold like that. Now again, the voice said something, but strangely, it sounded almost feminine to which he looked to the right and saw a dark, grey, tall figure. 

The figure appeared to have some human features such as a nose and a mouth, but other than that, it was other-worldly. "We were very meticulous while trying to heal you. We finished just a short while ago. Be careful though, if you move to much, agonizing pain like 1000 needles from Venusian gad stabbing you will come." Still terrified, Billie Jean started to scream, "WHY AM I HERE,WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME?" To which the figure responds with, "We did nothing, we just healed you, if we had even waited just a minute, you would have died. I'll explain everything as soon as you calm down." After 30 minutes had elapsed, she finishes explaining that she needs him to stop the dissension of the two races from the planets Xeo-3 and Glorpfh*. As these two have been arguing and fighting for centuries, her little planet Zxeli**, which is located right at the center or those two, has taken to greatest toll from wars. Quickly thinking that being the hero would make him popular with the "ladies"(not thinking that the possibilities of meeting a Earthling there im impossible) he quickly agrees to help her.

After about a week of training, which involved listening to Snoop Dogg, Eazy-E, Tupac, and Eminem, he finally gets ready of traveling the 50 million light years it would take to reach the war zone. After two hours, they reach the planets and billie is sent out of the ship wearing a space suit to help him breath. But, he sneaks a microphone out, and not just any microphone, the brand new one made by the Neptunians that can make sound louder than 100 space ships crashing at once. He turns the mic on, and starts to......rap. Now, he knows this will decide the fate of the three races and raps the best rap he can think of, spitting them like a Spitterx in a music concert, and soon gets the opposing sides to assimilate with him and they too, start rapping in their own language. With his amazing, freestyle rap songs, he stops the war and is lionized by all three species.

A year has passed since the war stopped and Billie Jean was a hero, on his trip to Jupiter, he goes to pee and accidently gets blown out of the ship, with only a blanket and a pillow, Billie Jean was stuck on Pluto and geuss what..it was his birthday.

*Its pronounced Glor-fff

**Its pronounced Zee-cell-lee

The Day We First Fought...

       The day the people of the small town of George assimilated into the city of York caused the city to be in a state of anarchy. The Republican people of the town of George didn’t get along with others in York. It seemed as though the marvelous city of York was going to be ruined by those two opposing sides. York was going to go to war with itself. Segregation had already started by the first week and the people of George were forced to live in Southern York, which had bad soil.

Then it came.Like a strike of thunder, the boom was heard. It was the sound of cannonballs destroying Southern York as the Northern York attacked. They killed people, destroyed houses and churches, and ruined all the hard work of the Southern Yorkers. The Southern Yorkers then conspired to kill the leader of the Northern Yorkers who was a powerful war monger. They succeeded in killing him in a coup d'état. They soon apprehended all of York and later, the rest of Eastern Europe. Their rule lasted 600 years, it ended due to the Romans conquering them.

Poems

Poems can be as simple as a breeze,

they can be bleak and grey

or colorful like a rainbow,

they represent happiness before there was writing,

and they were written for the greatest people.

they fill our imagination,

and they make us dream.

Poems are what we say,

when singing nursery rhymes,

they can be lackadaisical,

serene,

prudent,

and be rebuked my many.

Many use them,

any language can make one,

the poets can be audacious,

and take you on a

journey. They could depict

animals or humans,

they can be as soft as fresh bread,

as cold as a killer,

as boring as a office meeting,

or as gentle to you as your grandma.

You embark on a quest,

which could confiscate your love,

or pilfer your brain,

it can make you cry,

or make you laugh,

they can be your friends,

or the thing that guides you.

Yet you wonder what to write,

then you here a “snap”,

then your hands become your brain,

writing down about what you just heard,

then

 you end up with poetry.